Hornet's torque powers ads
Dodge sold about 17,000 Hornets in the crossover’s first year on sale in the U.S. and it working to build more buzz with an ad campaign that started this month.
TikTok has promised to sue over the potential US ban. What’s the legal outlook?
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS (AP Business Writer)
NEW YORK (AP) — Legislation forcing TikTok’s parent company to sell the video-sharing platform or face a ban in the U.S. received President Joe Biden’s official signoff Wednesday. But the newly minted law could be in for an uphill battle in court.
Critics of the sell-or-be-banned ultimatum argue it violates TikTok users’ First Amendment rights. The app’s China-based owner, ByteDance, has already promised to sue, calling the measure unconstitutional.
But a court challenge’s success is not guaranteed. The law’s opponents, which include advocacy organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, maintain that the government hasn’t come close to justifying banning TikTok, while others say national-security claims could still prevail.
For years, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok. The U.S. has yet to provide public evidence to support those claims, but political pressures have piled up regardless.
US growth slowed sharply last quarter to 1.6% pace, reflecting an economy pressured by high rates
By PAUL WISEMAN (AP Economics Writer)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s economy slowed sharply last quarter to a 1.6% annual pace in the face of high interest rates, but consumers — the main driver of economic growth — kept spending at a solid pace.
Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department said the gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services — decelerated in the January-March quarter from its brisk 3.4% growth rate in the final three months of 2023.
A surge in imports, which are subtracted from GDP, reduced first-quarter growth by nearly 1 percentage point. Growth was also held back by businesses reducing their inventories. Both those categories tend to fluctuate sharply from quarter to quarter.
By contrast, the core components of the economy still appear sturdy. Along with households, businesses helped drive the economy last quarter with a strong pace of investment.
The import and inventory numbers can be volatile, so “there is still a lot of positive underlying momentum,” said Paul Ashworth, chief North America economist at Capital Economics.
Tesla's freshened Model 3 Performance is a crazy fast, 510-hp bargain
Tesla adds adaptive suspension, improved sport seats and carbon-fiber interior accents. The performance trim is also the only Model 3 eligible for the $7,500 EV credit, making it a bargain.
Toyota invests $1.4 billion in Indiana plant for large EV
The investment will add 340 jobs and a new battery pack assembly line, but details signal that either the Toyota Sienna or Toyota Highlander will become a full EV in 2026.