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NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in Texas has ordered a 55-year-old U.S. agency that caters to minority-owned businesses to serve people regardless of race, siding with white business owners who claimed the program discriminated against them. The agency, which helps minority-owned businesses obtain financing and government contracts, now operates in 33 states and Puerto Rico. Justice Department lawyers representing Minority Business Development Agency declined to comment on the ruling, which can be appealed to the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. John F. Robinson, president of the National Minority Business Council, said the ruling is “a blow against minority owned businesses," and does nothing to help majority-owned businesses because they already enjoy access to federal resources through the Small Business Administration. "It has the potential of damaging the whole minority business sector because there will be less service available to minority-owned businesses,” Robinson said.

Persons: Mark T, Pittman, Donald Trump, Nixon, Biden, ” Pittman, Dan Lennington, ” Lennington, John F, Robinson, ” Robinson, Arian Simone, Alphonso David, David, Stanley Goldfarb, ”, “, —, David Glasgow, Graham Lee Brewer, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: —, U.S, Northern, Northern District of, U.S . Commerce Department, Infrastructure Investment, Jobs, Black, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Justice Department, Business, Agency, Circuit, National Minority Business Council, Small Business Administration, Economic, Pfizer, The, Appeals, American Alliance for Equal Rights, Meltzer Center for Diversity, New York University’s School of Law, Supreme, AP Locations: Texas, Northern District, Northern District of Texas, Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Tennessee, Atlanta, The New York, Florida, New

But the de minimis rule also has powerful defenders. China's exports grew only 0.6% last year, but the bright spot was cross-border e-commerce, which includes but is not limited to the de minimis packages. In a January meeting with Mayorkas, the National Council of Textile Organizations complained about unfair trade practices, including the de minimis rule. It is unclear how much fentanyl and other illicit drugs may be slipping undetected into the country in the small packages. On a recent Friday morning at Chicago's O'Hare airport, small parcels that had arrived by mail from overseas were on conveyor belts going through X-ray machines for inspection.

Persons: Lindsey Puls, Puls, ”, Alexander Mayorkas, Earl Blumenauer of, ” Blumenauer, Sen, John Thune, LaFonda Sutton, Burke, Charles Benoit, Benoit, Mayorkas, Videojournalist Melissa Perez Winder, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: WASHINGTON, Will, Homeland, National Foreign Trade Council, FedEx, UPS, DHL, eBay, South Dakota Republican, Customs, Custom, China’s Communist Party, Coalition for, Prosperous, National Council of Textile Organizations, National Association of Police, Border Protection, Investments Locations: China, U.S, Shiocton , Wisconsin, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Shein, Singapore, Chicago, United States, Prosperous America, Chicago's, New York

LONDON (AP) — Amazon called off its purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot on Monday, blaming “undue and disproportionate regulatory hurdles" after the European Union signaled its objection to the deal. The deal faced antitrust scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, but most strongly in Europe, where regulators investigating competition concerns were expected to issue a final decision by Feb. 14. Amazon announced in 2022 that it would buy iRobot, maker of the circular-shaped Roomba vacuum, for $1.7 billion in cash. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesWhile British antitrust regulators cleared the purchase in June, it also still faced scrutiny in the U.S. by the Federal Trade Commission. This is the latest example of a deal involving U.S. companies that fell apart after facing scrutiny from European regulators.

Persons: iRobot, David Zapolsky, Amazon’s, Colin Angle, Glen Weinstein, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: European Union, Amazon, European Commission, Federal Trade Commission, U.S, Adobe, Biotech, ___ AP Locations: European, Europe, Bedford , Massachusetts, U.S, EU, New York

Social media users, often influencers, invite viewers to watch them get ready to do something or go somewhere. Think “Clean with Me” videos where users watch people clean their homes for inspiration or pleasure. On TikTok, videos with the hashtag “grwm” have been viewed more than 157 billion times. Often, behind the “getting ready” content lurk other, more commercial messages. “I could sit there all day and watch Get Ready with Me videos from different creators.

Persons: they're, ”, Earnest Pettie, Sofia Richie Grainge, TikTok, whatever’s, Nicla Bartoli, who've, Bartoli, Alix Earle, Alisha Rei, Rei, she'd, didn't, Goldman Sachs, Allie Pribula, Pribula, ” Camilla Ramirez Diaz, Diaz, ” Diaz, “, They’re, Hadero Organizations: Social, YouTube, Influencer Marketing, Associated Press Locations: Toronto, Philadelphia, Burlingame , California, London

The board of ChatGPT-maker Open AI said Friday it has pushed out its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman after a review found he was “not consistently candid in his communications” with the board. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” the artificial intelligence company said in a statement. Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, will take over as interim CEO effective immediately, the company said, while it searches for a permanent replacement. While not trained as an AI engineer, Altman, now 38, has been seen as a Silicon Valley wunderkind since his early 20s. Forrester analyst Rowan Curran said Altman's departure, “while sudden,” does not likely reflect problems with OpenAI's business.

Persons: Sam Altman, “, Mira Murati, Altman, what’s, He's, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Adam D’Angelo, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Mira, ”, Paul Graham, “ Sam, Graham, ” OpenAI, Elon Musk, Musk, Elon ”, Rowan Curran, ” Curran, Haleluya Hadero, Kelvin Chan, Michael Liedtke, David Hamilton Organizations: Associated Press, OpenAI, Economic Cooperation, Georgetown Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Microsoft Locations: openai, London, Asia, San Francisco, New York

“We’re trying to make robots that can operate in human spaces.”Do we even need humanoids? Seemingly farther along is Tesla's Austin, Texas-based neighbor Apptronik, which unveiled its Apollo humanoid in an August video demonstration. “That led to development of a new robot that was not really a humanoid, but had several characteristics of a humanoid,” he said via an emailed message. Walking is "not the hardest problem to solve in humanoid robotics," said Geordie Rose, co-founder and CEO of British Columbia, Canada-based startup Sanctuary AI. “Forever more, human- centric robots like that are going to be part of human life.

Persons: hasn’t, Jonathan Hurst, “ We’re, Hurst, There’s, Brett Adcock, Elon Musk, —, “, Marc Raibert, Raibert, ”, Geordie Rose, Rose, ” Rose, Tye Brady, Damion Shelton, ” Shelton, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: Agility Robotics, tote, Amazon, Agility, Boston Dynamics, carmaker Hyundai, Robotics Locations: Oregon, Sunnyvale , California, Austin , Texas, British Columbia, Canada, Seattle

DETROIT (AP) — Pressure in rising on General Motors as the lone holdout in a strike targeting all three big Detroit automakers after a tentative contract agreement with Jeep maker Stellantis was reached with the United Auto Workers union over the weekend. The Ford agreement revives cost-of-living adjustments that the UAW agreed to suspend in 2009 during the Great Recession. At Stellantis, workers get cost-of-living pay that would bring raises to a compounded 33%, with top assembly plant workers making more than $42 per hour. Overnight, 8,200 Stellantis workers in Canada represented by a different union, Unifor, walked off the job. At the peak, about 46,000 UAW workers were on strike — about one-third of the union’s 146,000 members at all three companies.

Persons: Stellantis, ”, Erik Gordon, Ford, Shawn Fain, Fain, Chuck Browning, ” “, ” Browning, Gordon, Bruce Baumhower, ” Unifor, ____ Bajak, John Raby, Corey Williams, Haleluya Organizations: DETROIT, General Motors, Detroit, United Auto Workers, UAW, Ford, GM, Saturday, Silverado, Sierra, Vehicles, GMC Acadia, Cadillac, University of Michigan, ” “ UAW, Jeep, “ Locations: American, Spring Hill , Tennessee, Texas , Michigan, Missouri, Spring, Mexico, Arlington , Texas, Detroit, America, Stellantis, Toledo , Ohio, Canada, Unifor, Boston, Charleston , West Virginia, Sterling Heights , Michigan, Jersey City , New Jersey

DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union has widened its strike against General Motors, the lone holdout among the three Detroit automakers, after reaching a tentative contract agreement with Jeep maker Stellantis. About 14,000 UAW workers had been on strike at two Stellantis assembly plants in Michigan and Ohio, and several parts distribution centers across the country. Workers also will get cost-of-living pay that would bring the raises to a compounded 33%, with top assembly plant workers making more than $42 per hour. Like the Ford contract, the Stellantis deal would run through April 30, 2028. Negotiations between the UAW and Stellantis had intensified Thursday, the day after the Ford deal was announced.

Persons: ”, Erik Gordon, Ford, Stellantis, Shawn Fain, ” “ Everybody’s, Larry Montgomery, John Rutherford, Spring Hill didn’t, Fain, “, ” Fain, Rich Boyer, Gordon, Bruce Baumhower, Baumhower, Jermaine Antwine, Bajak, John Raby, Corey Williams, Haleluya Organizations: DETROIT, United Auto Workers, General Motors, Detroit, UAW, GMC Acadia, Cadillac, University of Michigan, GM, Ford, ” UAW, Workers, Toyota, Tesla, Jeep, Hollywood Locations: Hill , Tennessee, North America, Texas , Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, Belvidere , Illinois, Spring Hill, Stelantis, Michigan, Ohio, Stellantis, Belvidere, Trenton , Michigan, Toledo , Ohio, Sterling Heights , Michigan, Pontiac , Michigan, Boston, Charleston , West Virginia, Jersey City , New Jersey

DETROIT (AP) — Jeep maker Stellantis has reached a tentative contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union that follows a template set earlier this week by Ford, two people with knowledge of the negotiations said Saturday. Political Cartoons View All 1223 ImagesLike the Ford contract, the Stellantis deal would run through April 30, 2028. Jermaine Antwine and other Stellantis workers picketing outside the automaker’s Sterling Heights, Michigan, were excited Saturday after hearing news of a tentative deal. The union and Stellantis went into intense negotiations on Thursday, the day after the Ford deal was announced, and finalized the agreement on Saturday. Under the Ford deal, workers with pensions also will see small increases when they retire, and those hired after 2007 with 401(k) plans will get large increases.

Persons: Stellantis, Bruce Baumhower, “, Fain, Baumhower, Shawn Fain’s, ”, Jermaine Antwine, Antwine, Ford, Haleluya Hadero, Corey Williams Organizations: DETROIT, United Auto Workers, Ford, Workers, Jeep, UAW, General Motors, GM, Saturday, Kentucky, Plant, Detroit, Hollywood, Teamsters, AP Locations: Michigan, Ohio, Stellantis, Belvidere , Illinois, Toledo , Ohio, Sterling Heights , Michigan, Pontiac , Michigan, Sterling, Texas , Michigan, Missouri, Louisville, Jersey City , New Jersey

But the Fearless Fund is a tiny player in the approximately $200 billion global venture capital market. Less than 1% of venture capital funding goes to businesses owned by Black and Hispanic women, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Digitalundivided. The lawsuit against the Fearless Fund was filed by Edward Blum, the conservative activist who filed the affirmative action cases before the Supreme Court. Fearless Fund has invested more than $2 million in Thirteen Lune, founded by Nyako Griego. The combined share of venture capital funding received by Black and Latina founders briefly surpassed 1% in 2021 before dipping back below that threshold in 2022, according to Digitalundivided.

Persons: ”, Arian Simone, it's, Simone, ” Simone, Fearless, Edward Blum, Blum, ” Blum, Ben Crump, Marc Rosen, Thirteen, Sephora, Kohl's, Rosen, They’re, ” Rosen, Nyako Griego, George Floyd, Morgan Chase, Associated Press Retail Writers Anne D'Innocenzio, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: Fearless Fund, Black, Associated Press, Civil, American Alliance, Equal, AP, Fund, Court, Latina, Bank of America, Mastercard, Associated Press Retail Writers Locations: Atlanta, Texas, Florida, U.S, Lune

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