Category: Companies

Fauci and Pfizer Lied to Trump About COVID-19 Vaccine, Claims Navarro

Former Trump administration adviser Peter Navarro revealed that the ex-president was allegedly deceived into believing that Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot was a “true vaccine” while blaming Antony Fauci for hiding sensitive information regarding the COVID origin. Fauci and Pfizer “didn’t disclose the side effects of that [vaccine]” to Trump, Navarro said in a May 4 podcast…


Goldman Sachs Under Federal Investigation for Role in Failed Silicon Valley Bank Fundraising Deal

The Goldman Sachs Group (GSG) is under federal investigation for its attempt to raise money for Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) before its collapse in March. The U.S. investment bank said it was cooperating and providing information to various government agencies in their investigation of SVB in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May…


SEC Moves to Curb Stock Buybacks, Drawing Criticism From Companies and Investors

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) moved to curtail the use of stock buybacks, drawing much criticism from corporate lobbyists. The regulator on May 3 announced changes to share-repurchase disclosure rules that would increase transparency, competition, and efficiency in the $25 trillion marketplace for hedge fund and private equity fund advisors. The new updates will amend Form…


Adult Entertainment Industry Group Sues Over Utah’s New Age Verification Law

The state of Utah is being sued over its new age verification law requiring companies that publish adult content to verify users’ ages before allowing them to view material on their sites. The Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry, filed a federal lawsuit on May 3 alongside Andrea Barrica, founder of…


TD Pulls $13.4 Billion First Horizon Purchase, Leaves US Bank in Limbo

Canada’s Toronto-Dominion Bank Group on Thursday called off its $13.4 billion takeover of First Horizon Corp., triggering a near 40 percent fall in the U.S. regional bank’s shares. First Horizon and TD said in a statement they had mutually decided to end the deal because there was no clarity on when they would get regulatory…


Kroger to Pay $68 Million to Settle West Virginia Opioid Claims

The Kroger Co. has agreed to pay West Virginia $68 million to settle claims that it fueled the opioid epidemic through lax oversight of its pill sales, bringing the state’s years-long litigation over the opioid crisis to a close. The deal, announced Thursday by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, comes a month before the…


Darden Buys Ruth’s Chris Steak House for About $715 Million

The Ruth’s Chris Steak House chain is being acquired by Darden Restaurants for about $715 million. The original Chris Steak House was opened on New Orleans’ Broad Street in 1927, and it was acquired by Ruth Fertel in 1965. The company has 154 locations worldwide, including 80 company-owned or -operated restaurants and 74 franchised restaurants….


Ford Sees $1.5 Billion to $2 Billion Restructuring Charges in 2023

Ford Motor Co. expects to take up restructuring charges between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in 2023, it said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday, as part of the U.S. automaker’s move to exit unprofitable locations and cut headcount. The charges will be primarily attributable to “employee separations and supplier settlements,” the automaker said, adding…


Google Wins US Patent Trial Over Data-Retrieval Technology

Alphabet’s Google LLC won a jury trial on Tuesday in a long-running patent lawsuit in Delaware federal court over features in Google’s smartphones and apps. The jury decided that Luxembourg-based patent owner Arendi SARL’s patent was invalid and that Google did not infringe it, according to the verdict made public on Wednesday. Attorneys for Arendi…


Arconic Taken Private by Apollo Global in $5.2 Billion Deal

Aluminum maker Arconic is being taken private by Apollo Global Management in a deal worth approximately $5.2 billion. Arconic shareholders will receive $30 per share in cash. Arconic is the company once known as Alcoa. Alcoa Inc. spun off its alumina and bauxite operations in 2016 into a company called Alcoa Corp., while Arconic became…