Things To Do In SW Florida

By BERNARD CONDON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk is leaving Washington after a short but turbulent stint in government and getting back to his numerous businesses, each with their own set of issues for the billionaire to address.

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Start with his electric car company Tesla. While how much Musk accomplished in his role as President Donald Trump’s chief cost-cutter is up for debate, it’s clear his association with right-wing politics damaged Tesla’s brand and tanked sales.

Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter, needs to rebuild its advertising base; his aerospace company SpaceX appears to be financially promising but has seen some recent setbacks; and it’s unclear if his satellite business Starlink can keep striking deals without Trump nearby. read more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and ALAN SUDERMAN, AP Technology Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fate and fortunes of one of the world’s most powerful tech companies now sit in the hands of a U.S. judge wrestling with whether to impose far-reaching changes upon Google in the wake of its dominant search engine being declared an illegal monopoly.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta heard closing arguments Friday from Justice Department lawyers who argued that a radical shake-up is needed to promote a free and fair market. Their proposed remedies include a ban on Google paying to lock its search engine in as the default on smart devices and an order requiring the company to sell its Chrome browser.

Google’s legal team argued that only minor concessions are needed and urged Mehta not to unduly punish the company with a harsh ruling that could squelch future innovations. Google also argued that upheaval triggered by advances in artificial intelligence already is reshaping the search landscape, as conversational search options are rolling out from AI startups that are hoping to use the Department of Justice’s four-and-half-year-old case to gain the upper hand in the next technological frontier. read more

By ALEXA ST. JOHN

In one of the nation’s first wrongful-death claims seeking to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its role in the changing climate, a Washington state woman is suing seven oil and gas companies, saying they contributed to an extraordinarily hot day that led to her mother’s fatal hyperthermia.

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The lawsuit filed in state court this week says the companies knew that their products have altered the climate, including contributing to a 2021 heat wave in the Pacific Northwest that killed 65-year-old Juliana Leon, and that they failed to warn the public of such risks. read more

By PHILIP MARCELO

NEW YORK (AP) — A former Goldman Sachs banker was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison for his role in a $4.5 billion scheme to ransack a Malaysian state investment fund.

Tim Leissner, at his sentencing in Brooklyn federal court, apologized to the people of Malaysia, who he called the “real victims” of the scheme.

“The funds raised more than a decade ago could have profoundly benefited the nation and its citizens,” he said in a statement read in court and provided by his lawyers. “Instead, due to my greed — and the greed of those involved alongside me — they were misappropriated.”

Prosecutors said Leissner and other Goldman Sachs bankers helped the Malaysian investment fund known as 1MBD, or the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund, raise $6.5 billion through bond sales.

But they say more than $4.5 billion of the funds were stolen and laundered through bribes and kickbacks.

The spoils bankrolled extravagant purchases, from wild parties to lavish spending on jewels, art, a superyacht and luxury real estate, prosecutors have said. They also helped finance the 2013 Martin Scorsese film “The Wolf of Wall Street” that starred Leonardo DiCaprio. read more

By MAE ANDERSON and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

NEW YORK (AP) — Businesses rattled by President Donald Trump’s on again, off again tariffs absorbed more jolts on Thursday after a U.S. appeals court temporarily blocked a federal court order that would have halted most of his taxes on foreign imports.

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A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled late Wednesday that Trump overstepped his authority when he invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to declare a national emergency as justification for his wide-ranging tariffs. read more