Things To Do In SW Florida

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Uber on Monday, alleging that it enrolled consumers in its Uber One subscription program without their consent and made it too difficult for them to cancel the service.

Related Articles

• 
  Walgreens to pay up to $350 million in U.S. opioid settlement

• 
  Tackling tariffs: What some companies are saying, and doing, about tariffs

• 
  Is your marijuana safe? Lack of data makes it hard to know in the long term

• 
  Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial to open Wednesday with majority-female jury

• 
  Colorado’s first-in-the-nation sperm donor rules just took effect. Now lawmakers may roll some back

Uber One members pay $9.99 per month or $96 per year for a range of services, including fee-free Uber Eats food deliveries and cash back when they take Uber rides.

In its lawsuit, the FTC said multiple customers complained that Uber signed them up for Uber One without their permission or charged them for the service before a free trial period was over. In at least one case, a person was charged $9.99 per month even though they didn’t have an Uber account, the lawsuit said. read more

By Rick VanderKnyff, NerdWallet

My wife and I bought a new car last month.

It turns out we were not alone. That was made apparent by the crowds at the dealership where we bought our hybrid hatchback on March 30, and confirmed by a new report on retail sales figures for March.

Advance estimates of March retail sales released today by the U.S. Census Bureau showed sales of motor vehicles and parts up 5.3% in March over the previous month, compared to a 1.6% decline in February. When looking back to March 2024, car sales were up a whopping 8.8% year over year.

Overall, retail sales were up 1.4% over February — the largest month-over-month rise in more than two years, according to Reuters, and above expectations for the month. In addition to cars, categories that saw month-over-month growth include building materials (up 3.3%) and a grouping that includes sporting goods, hobbies, musical instruments and bookstores (up 2.4%).

Typically, economists would applaud numbers like this as signs of a healthy economy, but in this case the consensus is that March is a one-time splurge with rockier seas ahead. read more

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Stores selling secondhand clothes, shoes and accessories are poised to benefit from President Donald Trump’strade war even as businesses the world over race to avert potential damage, according to industry experts.

American styles carry international influence, but nearly all of the clothing sold domestically is made elsewhere. The Yale University Budget Lab last week estimated short-term consumer price increases of 65% for clothes and 87% for leather goods, noting U.S. tariffs “disproportionately affect” those goods.

Such price hikes may drive cost-conscious shoppers to online resale sites, consignment boutiques and thrift stores in search of bargains or a way to turn their wardrobes into cash. Used items cost less than their new equivalents and only would be subject to tariffs if they come from outside the country.

“I think resale is going to grow in a market that is declining,” said Kristen Classi-Zummo, an apparel industry analyst at market research firm Circana. “What I think is going to continue to win in this chaotic environment are channels that bring value.” read more

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and ALAN SUDERMAN, AP Technology Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Google is confronting an existential threat as the U.S. government tries to break up the company as punishment for turning its revolutionary search engine into an illegal monopoly.

The drama began to unfold Monday in a Washington courtroom as three weeks of hearings kicked off to determine how the company should be penalized for operating a monopoly in search. In its opening arguments, federal antitrust enforcers also urged the court to impose forward-looking remedies to prevent Google from using artificial intelligence to further its dominance.

“This is a moment in time, we’re at an inflection point, will we abandon the search market and surrender them to control of the monopolists or will we let competition prevail and give choice to future generations,” said Justice Department attorney David Dahlquist.

The proceedings, known in legal parlance as a “remedy hearing,” are set to feature a parade of witnesses that includes Google CEO Sundar Pichai. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump repeated his attacks Monday against the chair of the Federal Reserve, demanding that the central bank lower its key interest rate to boost the economy.

Related Articles

• 
  Trump’s transportation officials buck a long-held practice of using ‘road diets’ to slow speeders

• 
  Thousands are expected to attend the White House Easter Egg Roll, with the Trumps presiding

• 
  White House voices support for Hegseth as a new Signal chat revelation stirs fresh Pentagon turmoil

• 
  JD Vance was one of the last leaders to meet with Pope Francis

• 
  Vance and Modi meet in New Delhi to discuss trade deal and avoid US tariffs

Trump called Powell “a major loser” and said that energy and grocery prices are “substantially lower” and “there is virtually No Inflation.” Yet Trump said the economy could slow without rate cuts.

Gas prices have fallen for the past two months, in part because oil costs have dropped on fears of slower growth, but food prices jumped in January and March and overall inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target. read more