Chinese automakers to grab majority share of domestic sales for first time, forecast says
Competitive pricing, faster rollouts of new models and the rise of domestic electric carmakers have changed the dynamic for made-in-China auto brands.
Meta is set to take on Twitter with a rival app called Threads
LONDON (AP) — Meta is poised to unveil a new app that appears to mimic Twitter — a direct challenge to the social media platform owned by Elon Musk.
A listing for the app, called Threads, appeared on Apple’s App Store, indicating it would debut as early as Thursday. It is billed as a “text-based conversation app” that is linked to Instagram, with the listing teasing a Twitter-like microblogging experience.
“Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow,” it said.
Instagram users will be able to keep their user names and follow the same accounts on the new app, according to screenshots displayed on the App Store listing. Meta declined to comment on the app.
Musk replied “yeah” to a tweet from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey saying, “All your Threads are belong to us,” along with a screenshot from the App Store’s privacy section showing what personal information might be collected by the new Meta app.
New Florida law will kill ‘smart growth,’ critics contend
TAMPA — Dozens of bills from this year’s Florida legislative session became law on Saturday, but environmental activists say one law has been hiding in the shadow of high-profile bills like permitless carry and immigration legislation.
SB 540, dubbed the “sprawl bill” by opponents, mandates prevailing party attorney fees in challenges to local government comprehensive plan amendments. This means residents who take issue with their city’s or county’s plan change will have to foot the bill if they lose a legal battle to developers or local governments.
Environmental groups worry that rushed comprehensive plan amendments could hurt affordable housing, conservation and even hurricane evacuation routes in some communities.
A petition from 1000 Friends of Florida, a “smart-growth” nonprofit, garnered more than 5,700 signatures before DeSantis signed the bill into law last month. After DeSantis signed the measure into law, Friends of the Everglades called it “the worst environmental bill passed by the Florida Legislature during the 2023 session” and “a death knell for smart growth in Florida.”
Retailers, beware: Resumption of student loan payments could lead some buyers to pull back
By PAUL WISEMAN (AP Economics Writer)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The reprieve is over. Just as the American economy is struggling with high inflation and interest rates, the coming resumption of student loan payments poses yet another potential challenge.
The suspension of federal student loan payments, which took effect at the height of the pandemic in 2020, expires late this summer. Interest will start accruing again in September. Payments will resume in October.
Though many hoped their loans might at least be lightened, the Supreme Court last week struck down a Biden administration plan that would have given millions of people some relief from the return of the loan payments. The Biden plan would have canceled up to $20,000 in federal student loans for 43 million borrowers; 20 million would have had their loans erased entirely. The court ruled that the plan exceeded the government’s authority.
The restart of those payments will force many people to start paying hundreds of dollars in loans each month — money they had been spending elsewhere for the past three years. Their pullback in spending on goods and services won’t likely make a serious dent in the $26 trillion U.S. economy, the world’s largest. Any pain instead will likely be concentrated in a few industries, notably e-commerce companies, bars and restaurants and some major retailers.
Say goodbye to $1 vintage records: Thrift store chains are cashing in on vinyl resurgence
These are sad days for thrift store record bin divers in South Florida.
The region’s major thrift store chains are cashing in on the vinyl resurgence, leaving weekend collectors to pay more for used records through the chains’ online sites or find alternative marketplaces.
For years, Gulfstream Goodwill, a division of Goodwill Industries International serving Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Okeechobee and Indian River counties, carried used records. Not anymore.
Since March, records have been missing from the charity’s 25 thrift store locations. Instead, donations of records, books, CDs and DVDs are sent to an online distributor called ThriftBooks.com.
The new arrangement helps Gulfstream Goodwill focus on its mission of providing job opportunities and training to members of the disabled community, the chain says.
Meanwhile, stores operated by Goodwill South Florida in Broward and Miami-Dade counties recently doubled their prices from $1 to $2 for castoff titles featuring acts like Johnny Mathis, Mantovani, Perry Como and Eddie Arnold.