Things To Do In SW Florida

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has dropped an investigation into a buy now, pay later company with close ties to President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., saying the investigation was conducted in a biased manner and based off politics.

The CFPB on Tuesday notified Credova Financial, a subsidiary of Public Square Holdings, where Trump Jr. is a board member and investor, that it was no longer under investigation. Public Square is a directory of businesses that sell American-made products, including financing for firearms and family pets, that market to conservative-leaning customers. Credova provides buy now, pay later services to Trump Jr.’s GrabAGun firearms marketplace, which went public this year.

The agency says the investigation, initiated during Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency, was politically motivated against firearms companies and Trump Jr. However, the company has a record of dozens if not hundreds of consumer complaints and settlements over state consumer protection violations. read more

Walt Disney World is rolling out a new pirate-themed hot spot at Magic Kingdom. The Beak and Barrel, located in Adventureland, is designed as an immersive experience that serves drinks, small plates and a big serving of swashbuckling atmosphere.

Beak and Barrel, the next-door neighbor of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, officially debuts Aug. 29. Disney previewed the space for members of the media Friday.

Sea sights

The interior decor is all pirate, all over the place. Look any direction to spy multiple ships in bottles, an array of flags, a crackling faux fireplace, melting candles, skulls, squid carvings, big bells, fanciful signs (“no fowl language” and a flier for Walk the Plans Swim School), dozens of portraits of ships and people, including Captain Merry Goldwyn, who, in Disney lore, runs the place.

The tavern looks like an extension of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction queue, which resembles a fortress. The Beak ceiling is vaulted, and the floor is stone. It’s fairly dark in the two main rooms, which have a couple of subset nooks, including the map makers’ room. There are lots of two-top seating, but also big tables and heavy-duty booths. read more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Friday that the company is discussing a potential new computer chip designed for China with the Trump administration.

Huang was asked about a possible “B30A” semiconductor for artificial intelligence data centers for China while on a visit to Taiwan, where he was meeting Nvidia’s key manufacturing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., the world’s largest chip maker.

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“I’m offering a new product to China for … AI data centers, the follow-on to H20,” Huang said. But he added that “That’s not our decision to make. It’s up to, of course, the United States government. And we’re in dialogue with them, but it’s too soon to know.” read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics Writer

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but gave no hint on the timing of a move and suggested the central bank will proceed cautiously as it continues to evaluate the impact of tariffs and other policies on the economy.

In a high-profile speech closely watched at the White House and on Wall Street, Powell said that there are risks of both rising unemployment and stubbornly higher inflation. Yet he suggested that with hiring sluggish, the job market could weaken further.

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Wall Street rallies and the Dow soars 800 points on hopes for lower interest rates read more

By James Royal, Ph.D., Bankrate.com

The cryptocurrency industry has lately begun to heavily promote tokenized stocks, but what exactly are they? More importantly, what advantages do tokenized stocks offer — especially when investors already have safe, no-cost fractional share trading at many brokers?

A tokenized stock is a fancy way of saying that ownership of a stock can be transferred via blockchain, the technology behind cryptocurrency. Tokenizing, or digitizing, assets such as stocks, ETFs and other securities allows them to be traded on a specialized digital exchange and potentially directly between investors without the need for an exchange. These tokens are held in a digital wallet, much as crypto coins are, similar to a traditional brokerage account.

“The news cycle for crypto is all about representing traditional financial assets on a blockchain,” says Hilary Allen, professor, American University Washington College of Law. But Allen points out that investors and financial markets will endure major costs for doing so: “There are a lot of protections that are given up by this move.” read more