Drugstores are facing business challenges

America’s drugstores are testing smaller locations and more ways to offer care as more store closings loom. As these experiments play out, customers may see Walgreens stores that are one-fourth the size of a regular location. There may also be CVS drugstores with an entire primary clinic stuffed inside. Drugstores say they are reacting to customer needs and filling voids in care.  Analysts say these moves might improve access to care and create a more lasting connection with customers. But they also note health care is a tough market to crack.

A complicated recovery one year after Maui wildfire

Thousands of displaced residents on Maui have faced a year of anxious uncertainty since the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century devastated Lahaina.

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Out-cue: affordable, covenient housing]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: Government and nonprofit groups have offered temporary solutions, including providing hotel rooms and leasing apartments. But a housing market squeezed by vacation rentals is undermining attempts to find long-term shelter for survivors. Some estimates say members of at least 1,500 households have already left for other islands or other states. Locals fear more will depart if they can’t find stable, affordable, convenient housing.

Chinese businesses hoping to expand in the US face suspicion

A planned battery factor for Michigan is encountering turbulence. In 2022, Governor Gretchen Whitmer welcomed a Chinese battery company’s plan to build a $2.36 billion factory and bring a couple thousand jobs to Big Rapids. But now the project is in the crosshairs of some U.S. lawmakers and local residents. They suspect the Chinese company could spy for Beijing and work to extend China’s influence in the U.S. heartland.

“Outdated”: Senators Introduce Bill To End Military Draft

Rep. David Joyce: House Probe Must Focus On Secret Service Training

Political Analyst: Bias Barring Conservative Voices From Mainstream Platforms

US added just 114,000 jobs in July, unemployment rate hits 4.3%

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “rose to 4.3-percent.”

If you were looking for work last month, you likely didn’t do well.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: U.S. hiring decelerated sharply in July in the face of high interest rates, with employers adding just 114,000 jobs. The Labor Department report showed a drop from the 179,000 jobs created in June. Forecasters had expected to see 175,000 jobs in July. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%.

Amazon reports boost in quarterly profits but misses revenue estimates

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “$148.67-billion.”

Amazon has reported a boost in its quarterly profits, but the company missed revenue estimates.

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Out-cue: $148.67-billion]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Sales for Amazon Web Services, the company’s prominent cloud computing unit, saw a 19% jump in revenue  compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, revenue for the company’s core e-commerce business grew by 5%.

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VERBATIM: The Seattle-based tech company says it earned $13.5 billion for the April-to-June period. That was higher than the $10.99 billion industry analysts surveyed by FactSet had anticipated. But the company posted a revenue of $148 billion, which slightly missed estimates by analysts who expected $148.67 billion.

DoorDash sees record orders and revenue in Q2

( ) -q-24- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “of $2.5-billion.”

DoorDash set quarterly records for total orders and revenue despite slowing U.S. restaurant traffic.

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Out-cue: of $2.5-billion]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Circana, a market research firm, said U.S. restaurant traffic was down 2.6% in the first half of this year. But DoorDash says digital and delivery orders are still growing, and it’s also winning more business from non-restaurant retailers.

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VERBATIM: The San Francisco-based delivery company says its total orders rose 19% to 635 million in the April-to-June period. According to analysts polled by FactSet, that was ahead of the 625 million Wall Street was expecting. DoorDash said revenue rose 23% to $2.6 billion, which also exceeded analysts’ forecast of $2.5 billion.

Apple breaks out of recent sales slump as it gears up for AI

( ) -q-25- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “after Labor Day.”

Apple snapped out of a prolonged sales slump during its most-recent quarter.

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TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Apple boosted its sales from a year ago — a welcome reversal of fortune on the heels of five consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue declines.

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VERBATIM: The results came as the trendsetting company is preparing to launch into the artificial intelligence craze with an arsenal of new technology that’s expected to juice demand for its next iPhone. The fiscal third-quarter results covered an April-to-June period that’s typically a sluggish stretch for Apple. Its loyal customer base is awaiting the next version of the iPhone that’s traditionally unveiled shortly after Labor Day.

Former Senator Jim Talent Blames Iran Attacks On Biden “Fantasy”

Former Israeli Ambassador Calls NYT Haniyeh Obit New Low In U.S. Journalism

Starbucks quarterly revenue falls on weak traffic in US and China

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “fell three-percent.”

Starbucks’ revenue fell one-percent in the April-to-June period as customer traffic weakened in the U.S. and China.

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Out-cue: fell three-percent]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Same-store sales in China plunged 14% as the company struggled to compete with lower-priced rivals. U.S. same-store sales fell 2%.

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VERBATIM: Despite the revenue decline, the Seattle coffee giant is optimistic that successful new products and improvements in efficiency will help turn things around. Starbucks reported revenue of $9.1 billion for its fiscal third quarter. That was slightly lower than the $9.2 billion Wall Street anticipated. Starbucks said global same-store sales fell 3%.

Lawsuit says Norfolk Southern’s freight trains cause chronic delays for Amtrak

( ) -q-27- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “of the country.”

The federal government alleges in a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern that the railroad has been causing chronic delays for Amtrak between New York and New Orleans.

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Out-cue: of the country]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting.

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VERBATIM: The lawsuit claims Norfolk Southern is forcing the passenger trains to wait while its massive freight trains pass. The Justice Department took the unusual step of filing a lawsuit because it says Norfolk Southern is consistently violating the federal law that requires Amtrak’s trains to get priority when they cross a freight railroad’s tracks. Amtrak relies on tracks owned by one of the six major freight railroads across most of the country.

Washington, DC, sues StubHub over deceptive fees

( ) -q-29- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “dollars in fees.”

The attorney general for Washington, D.C., has sued StubHub.

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Out-cue: dollars in fees]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. The suit seeks damages and a halt to the pricing structure.

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VERBATIM: Attorney General Brian Schwalb is accusing the ticket resale platform of advertising deceptively low prices and then ramping up prices with extra fees. Schwalb says the practice, known as “drip pricing,” violates consumer protection laws in the nation’s capital. The lawsuit says StubHub has sold nearly 5 million tickets in Washington since implementing the practice in 2015 and reaped about $118 million in fees.

UK’s new Treasury chief axes projects to save costs

Britain’s new Labor government has axed several construction projects and withdrawn a winter fuel payment for millions of retirees. The moves are meant to cover what the government calls a newly found 28 billion dollar shortfall in the public finances. It blames the former Conservative administration. The Treasury chief has accused the Conservative government of covering up the dire state of the public purse following a review of departmental spending that she commissioned after Labor’s electoral victory.

Air New Zealand scraps its 2030 carbon emissions target

Air New Zealand has scrapped its 2030 carbon emissions reduction targets.

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Out-cue: the Paris Agreement]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said in a written statement the carrier would establish new “near-term” emissions reduction targets that would “better reflect the challenges relating to aircraft and alternative jet fuel availability.”

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VERBATIM: In its decision, the airliner cited lags in producing new planes, a lack of alternative fuel and “challenging” regulatory and policy settings. The move by Air New Zealand highlighted the hurdles vexing carriers and policymakers in confronting aviation emissions. The airline said it was still committed to a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Can tech help solve the Los Angeles homeless crisis?

Can tech help solve Southern California’s homeless crisis? Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. A Los Angeles nonprofit is developing software intended to revolutionize shelter and services in the nation’s epicenter of homelessness. Despite billions in spending, efforts to get people off the streets are being slowed by inefficient, outdated computer systems that often don’t work together and can contain error-ridden data. Better Angels United, founded by tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Adam Miller, has a team of tech experts building a mobile-friendly prototype for outreach workers. It is to be followed by systems for shelter operators and a comprehensive shelter bed database the region now lacks…JH reporting.

McDonald’s posts weakest sales since the pandemic

McDonald’s posted weak sales in the second quarter as increasingly value-conscious consumers paid fewer visits to restaurants.

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Out-cue: value and affordability]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. McDonald’s introduced a $5 meal deal at U.S. restaurants on June 25, but that was too late to affect second quarter results. McDonald’s said its second quarter revenue was flat at $6.5 billion.

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VERBATIM: The Chicago burger giant says its same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, fell 1% worldwide in the April-to-June period. It was the company’s first same-store sales decline since the fourth quarter of 2020. McDonald’s warned in April that inflation-weary consumers were seeking better value and affordability.

Vandals target France’s telecommunications lines during Olympics

The French government says multiple telecommunications lines have been hit by acts of vandalism. The disruptions have affected fiber lines as well as fixed and mobile phone lines. The scale of the impact is unclear, as to whether it has affected any Olympic activities. The vandalism came after arson attacks hit train networks around France on Friday, hours before the Olympics opening ceremony.

Three members of The Nelons Gospel quartet killed in plane crash

Gospel Music is mourning the tragic deaths of three members from a famed quartet. Three members of the Hall of Fame quartet The Nelons were among seven people killed in a plane crash in Wyoming on Friday. The Nelons co-founder, Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason, and their daughter, Amber, died in the crash. The fourth member of the quartet, daughter Autumn, was not on the plane. The singers were traveling to Seattle to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska. The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

Some US states are purging Chinese companies from their investments

( ) -q-18- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “because of apartheid.”

Some U.S. states are scrapping investments in Chinese companies amid tensions between countries with the world’s largest economies.

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Out-cue: because of Apartheid]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Some states have divested from tobacco companies and from Russia because of its war against Ukraine. The National Association of State Retirement Administrators opposes state-mandated divestments, saying such policies should be left to the federal government.

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VERBATIM: Indiana, Florida and Missouri all have taken actions requiring their public retirement systems to divest from certain Chinese companies. A similar measure was vetoed this year in Arizona. This isn’t the first time states have taken such actions. Many states previously divested from South Africa because of apartheid.

G20 finance ministers discuss a global tax on the super-rich

( ) -q-23- UNDATED (Correspondent Jeremy House) “for the proposal.”

Finance ministers from leading rich and developing nations are meeting in Rio de Janeiro to discuss a global tax on the super-rich.

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Out-cue: for the proposal]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the U.S. doesn’t support the proposal and that tax policy is hard to coordinate globally.

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The proposal is a top priority for Brazil, which holds the Group of 20 presidency. The proposal before the G20 participants would require individuals with over $1 billion in total assets to pay the equivalent of 2% of their wealth in income tax. A Brazilian ministry official has said France, Spain, and South Africa have expressed support for the proposal.

Automakers hit ‘significant storm,’ as buyers reject lofty prices

Investors  are punishing automakers’ stocks this week after second-quarter earnings reports exposed industrywide issues of slowing sales and high prices.

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Out-cue: 20-percent this week]

TAG: Correspondent Jeremy House reporting. Others such as General Motors, Tesla, Stellantis and Nissan, all saw shares drop at least 6%. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the industry is in a significant storm and facing turmoil.

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VERBATIM: It’s come just as the companies are having to spend huge sums to make new electric and gas vehicles. Many automakers have growing stockpiles on dealer lots, requiring increased discounts to sell them to buyers with stressed-out household budgets. Ford reported a drop in second-quarter earnings due electric vehicle losses and persistently high warranty costs. It led the declines with shares falling 20% this week.