Hiring stalls with US companies reluctant to expand in an uncertain economic landscape

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs last month as the labor market continued to cool under uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s economic policies. The Labor Department said Friday that hiring decelerated from 79,000 in July. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Fox News thrives two years after court settlement, but 2020 election coverage fight goes on

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News seemed to be dealt a crippling blow in a $787 million settlement of a libel lawsuit more than two years ago, but has instead thrived. Fox's ratings are at a high when most television networks are sliding, including news rivals CNN and MSNBC, and Fox is the go-to source to distribute news for the new Trump administration. Yet court cases regarding coverage of the 2020 election aftermath involving outlets where Trump supporters gather are continuing. In its own recent settlement of a libel case, the conservative Newsmax network has learned that expressing regrets or apologizing doesn't pay.

Elon Musk is in line for a $1 trillion pay package if Tesla hits aggressive goals over next 10 years

Tesla is asking its investors to approve a proposed compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that could be worth almost $1 trillion and is based on the electric vehicle maker hitting certain ambitious milestones over the next decade. The company, which is also leaning heavily into robotics and AI, said in a regulatory filing on Friday that the package includes a dozen share tranches that will be given to Musk if it hits certain targets over the 10-year period. To achieve the initial amount in the compensation plan, Tesla would need to hit a market cap of $2 trillion, double its current valuation.

Stocks slip as Wall Street questions whether the US job market has slowed by enough or too much

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are slipping as Wall Street questions whether the U.S. job market has slowed by just enough to get the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates to help the economy, or by so much that a downturn may be on the way. After jumping to an early gain, the S&P 500 erased it and fell 0.5% Friday from the all-time high it set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 239 points, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%. The action was more decisive in the bond market, where Treasury yields tumbled following the latest weaker-than-expected report on the job market.

Homeland security official says 475 people were detained during an immigration raid in Georgia

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — U.S. immigration officials say some 475 people were detained during an immigration raid at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company Hyundai manufactures electric vehicles. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as “large” though he did not provide an exact figure. No charges were immediately announced.  Officials from Homeland Security Investigations say the raid resulted from a monthslong investigation into allegations of illegal hiring at the site and was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the agency’s two-decade history.

Warner Bros. sues Midjourney for AI-generated images of Superman, Bugs Bunny and other characters

Warner Bros. is suing the AI company Midjourney for copyright infringement. The lawsuit claims Midjourney allows users to create AI-generated images and videos of copyrighted characters like Superman and Bugs Bunny. This is the third lawsuit against Midjourney by a major Hollywood studio, following Disney and Universal's joint lawsuit in June. The lawsuit alleges Midjourney trained its AI on illegal copies of Warner Bros. works and misleads users into thinking the generated content is authorized. Midjourney has not responded to the lawsuit. The company's CEO previously compared the service to a search engine, suggesting AI learning is similar to human creativity.

Google hit with $3.5 billion fine from European Union in ad-tech antitrust case

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators on Friday hit Google with a 2.95 billion euro ($3.5 billion) fine for breaching the bloc’s competition rules by favoring its own digital advertising services. This marks the fourth antitrust penalty for the company from Brussels. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, also ordered Google to end its self-preferencing practices and address conflicts of interest in the advertising technology supply chain. Google plans to appeal, calling the decision “wrong” and claiming it will harm European businesses. The decision comes more than two years after the European Commission announced antitrust charges against Google.

Cork won a rare Trump tariff exemption thanks to lobbying on both sides of the Atlantic

RIO FRIO, Portugal (AP) — U.S. winemakers have something to celebrate: the corks they’re popping aren’t subject to tariffs. The framework trade agreement between the United States and the European Union singled out the material as an “unavailable natural product.” So as of Sept. 1, cork joined a handful of other items, including airplanes and generic pharmaceuticals, that are exempt from a 15% U.S. tariff on most EU products. The cork carve-out was vital for Portugal. The European country is the world’s largest cork producer, accounting for about half of global production. Cork comes from the spongy bark of the cork oak tree, which is primarily grown and harvested in the Mediterranean basin.

India’s solar industry, aiming to compete with China, finds strength as US tariffs hit home

JAIPUR, India (AP) — India’s clean energy appetite is helping the country’s solar power industry wean itself off imported Chinese parts and continue growing even as it faces a tougher sell to its biggest foreign customer, the United States. President Donald Trump’s tariffs of 50% on Indian goods took effect last month, while Trump’s administration and Republican lawmakers have taken other steps to hinder U.S. adoption of solar energy. Energy analysts said India’s domestic demand for solar power will likely reduce disruption from tariffs imposed by the U.S. Proceeds from selling in the lucrative U.S. market have helped Indian solar manufacturers update their supply chains in recent years so they were less dependent on imported Chinese parts and materials.

As summers grow deadlier, here's what to know about utility shutoffs

NEW YORK (AP) — As the cost of electricity outpaces inflation, consumer advocates are sounding alarms about the risks to low-income people who can't afford consistent air conditioning in deadly heat. While some protections or assistance exist in about half of U.S. states, a majority don't forbid the shut-off of utilities in the summer months or at dangerous temperatures. But there are resources available, such as state level commissions and public advocates.