AP Business Digest
Here are the AP's top business stories that have moved or are planned to move today. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP's coverage, visit AP Newsroom's Coverage Plan.
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UPCOMING
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US TIME CHANGE-GOLF
DESCRIPTION: OMAHA, Neb. -- Every year, a slew of bills are introduced in state legislatures across the country vowing to end changing the clocks twice a year. And as long as that debate has played out, there has been a group at center of it with skin in the game: golfers. As a growing number of states weigh bills that would make Standard Time permanent, doing away with the hour of extra hour of daylight at the end of the day, many in the golf industry are pushing back -- hoping to either keep the status quo or make Daylight Saving Time permanent. By Margery A. Beck.
UPCOMING: By 03/07/2025 11:00 a.m. EST, Photo, Text
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US DESANTIS ECONOMIC CLUB FLORIDA
DESCRIPTION: DeSantis to speak at New York Economic Club event in Palm Beach. Coverage on merits.
ON MERITS: By 03/07/2025 4:00 p.m. EST, Video, Photo, Text, LiveVideo
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US FEDERAL RESERVE POWELL
DESCRIPTION: Fed Chair Jerome Powell participates in a moderated forum and Q&A on the economic outlook with the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.
UPCOMING: By 03/07/2025 12:30 p.m. EST, Video, Photo, Text, LiveVideo
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TRUMP-CRYPTO SUMMIT
DESCRIPTION: President Trump convenes a meeting between members of his administration and key players in the crypto industry who supported his campaign. The creation of a cryptocurrency reserve and more clarity on regulation are expected to be among the topics. On merits.
UPCOMING: By 03/07/2025 2:00 p.m. EST, Photo, Text
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US RETURN TO OFFICE-STATE WORKERS
DESCRIPTION: It's not just the Trump administration ordering government employees back to the office. Texas and California are rolling back remote-work flexibility for tens of thousands of state employees and expanding return-to-office mandates that are sweeping through public and private sector jobs in 2025.
UPCOMING: By 03/07/2025 4:22 p.m. EST, Photo, Text
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NEW AND DEVELOPING
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EU--FRANCE-UNEXPLODED BOMB
Paris transportation chaos ending after unexploded WWII bomb disposal operation, official says
SUMMARY: A French government minister says that train services will gradually resume and roads will reopen after the disposal operation of an unexploded World War II bomb caused transportation chaos in Paris. The disruption on Friday included the suspension of high-speed train links with London and Brussels. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said that the successful operation required the mobilization of 300 police officers. He said that "we're delighted and relieved that all this has come to an end."
WORDS: 882 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 10:22 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:d76871a93baee768df2a225922f12d89&mediaType=text
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US--TRUMP-DOGE-FAMILY STRIFE
Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing
SUMMARY: Scrambling to replace their health insurance and to find new work, some fired federal workers are running into another unexpected unpleasantry: Relatives cheering their job loss. The country's bitterly tribal politics are spilling into text chains, social media posts and heated conversations as Americans absorb the reality of government cost-cutting claiming a relative's job. Expecting sympathy, some axed workers are finding family and friends who instead are steadfast in their support of what they see as a bloated government's waste. Luke Tobin, who was fired from his U.S. Forest Service job in Idaho, says it's been one of the worst parts of the ordeal: "I've been treated as a public enemy by the government and now it's bleeding into my own family."
WORDS: 980 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 10:18 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:c41ae32800a7f170484de79572543da2&mediaType=text
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US-SCI--MOON LANDING
Private lunar lander is declared dead after landing sideways in a crater near the moon's south pole
SUMMARY: A private lunar lander is no longer working after landing sideways in a crater near the moon's south pole. The Texas company Intuitive Machines announced the news Friday, less than 24 hours after the botched landing attempt. The lander, named Athena, missed its mark by more than 800 feet and ended up in a frigid crater. It managed to send back pictures confirming its position and activate a few experiments, before going silent. Company officials say it's unlikely its batteries can be recharged and the mission is over.
WORDS: 270 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 10:09 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:88ccdbc183bfd90b7f40ad266d56ad02&mediaType=text
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US-ECONOMY-JOBS-REPORT
US employers add a solid 151,000 jobs last month though unemployment up to 4.1%
SUMMARY: U.S. employers added solid 151,000 jobs last month, but the outlook is cloudy as President Donald threatens a trade war, purges the federal workforce and promises to deport millions of immigrants. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring was up from a revised 125,000 in January. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.1%. The job market has been remarkably resilient over the past year despite high interest rates.
WORDS: 603 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 10:05 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:eed80fafbb4ffb7edcb5b0cb8bb5fa14&mediaType=text
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EU--FRANCE-FASHION-GIVENCHY
Sarah Burton's Givenchy debut is a careful, forward-looking reset of the past
WORDS: 670 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 10:05 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:31256f9aef4ead3fa34b453c89b07889&mediaType=text
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EU--DENMARK-POSTAL SERVICE
Denmark's state-run postal service will no longer deliver letters
WORDS: 328 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 10:04 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:ce78db2f2234a50e676063fac790a617&mediaType=text
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US--AIRPLANE-BATHROOM-CAMERA
Flight attendant pleads guilty to secretly recording a 14-year-old girl in plane bathroom
SUMMARY: A former American Airlines flight attendant has pleaded guilty to secretly recording video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom. Estes Carter Thompson III, of Charlotte, North Carolina, also pleaded guilty to having recordings of four other girls using aircraft lavatories. The 37-year-old former flight attendant pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of images of child sexual abuse depicting a prepubescent minor. Prosecutors say the investigation also turned up of hundreds of AI-generated images on Thompson's iCloud account depicting child sexual abuse. He's scheduled to be sentenced June 17.
WORDS: 476 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 9:54 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f590f80f8f5a330058bd9b8c0d326af4&mediaType=text
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FINANCIAL MARKETS
Stock market today: Wall Street drifts lower after job report offers no big alarms and no surprises
SUMMARY: A brutal week of big swings on Wall Street may be closing with modest moves. U.S. stocks are drifting lower after a highly anticipated report on the U.S. job market came in close to expectations. The S&P 500 was flat in early trading Friday following a punishing stretch where it swung at least 1%, up or down, in each of the last six days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 51 points, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%. The focus was on the job market, where the Labor Department said employers added 151,000 more jobs last month than they cut.
WORDS: 804 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 9:46 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:d414257dbb4c9f45b0ad075e12c63451&mediaType=text
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US--EGG PRICES-DEMOCRATS
Why should America worry about Trump? Try the price of eggs, say some Democrats
SUMMARY: Democrats are hopeful their party's road to recovery lies in the price of eggs. Party leaders across Washington are steering their core message away from Donald Trump's authoritarian tendencies and toward the everyday concerns of working Americans -- none more important than the price of eggs, which has soared to record highs. The economic message underscores a broad acknowledgment across the Democratic ecosystem the party must make changes to win back the hearts and minds of working-class voters, who shifted toward Trump's Republican Party last fall. But it's unclear whether the Democrats' newfound focus will do much to harness the energy of their party's grassroots or slow Trump's sweeping campaign to consolidate power.
WORDS: 1347 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 9:40 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:ca0e8d9c557e849f4715628d5313b622&mediaType=text
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EU--GERMANY-AIRPORT STRIKE
Berlin airport cancels flights ahead of Monday strike. 10 other airports could see disruptions
WORDS: 131 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 9:32 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:436e38c4e4800e9cfc8ba6d318013dc4&mediaType=text
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US--PHILANTHROPY-FOREIGN AID FREEZE
US foreign aid cuts leave a funding gap that private donors are unlikely to fill
SUMMARY: Charitable organizations that relied on U.S. foreign assistance are looking to other private and public donors now that the Trump administration has suspended nearly all foreign aid contracts. However, it looks unlikely that private foundations or other major donor countries are in position to fill the gap. The U.S. was the largest single funder of international development and humanitarian assistance. Private organizations and individuals would essentially need to double their commitments to make up for the recent dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The U.S. cuts have brought new attention to efforts to reform how foreign aid works.
WORDS: 1194 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 8:32 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:b76a6a1410349784f8136fb63eae41c3&mediaType=text
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EU--SWITZERLAND-WTO
World Trade Organization chief says US concerns on tariffs need to be heard
WORDS: 303 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 7:57 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:46e0637b72d83baad67818572f369326&mediaType=text
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EU--RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR
Russia bombards Ukraine's energy grid after Zelenskyy says his team will hold talks with the US
SUMMARY: Officials say Russia targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure in a large-scale missile and drone bombardment during the night. The attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that talks with the U.S. on ending the three-year war will take place next week. Ukraine's energy chief said Friday that the country came under a "massive" missile and drone attack. Authorities said at least 10 people were wounded. A child was among the injured. Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Thursday that he would travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with the country's crown prince. Zelenskyy also said that his team would stay on to hold talks with U.S. officials.
WORDS: 608 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 7:41 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:942d5fa7c9bdd42e6361e5fa7ddb3ae3&mediaType=text
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AS--CHINA-TRADE
China's exports and imports weaken in Jan-Feb as demand slides amid global trade uncertainty
WORDS: 452 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 3:29 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:b29f07b80a196b88214df1248b71077d&mediaType=text
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AS--CHINA-CONGRESS
China's foreign minister criticizes US tariffs and accuses the country of 'meeting good with evil'
SUMMARY: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China will continue to retaliate for the United States' "arbitrary tariffs" and accused Washington of "meeting good with evil" in a press conference Friday on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session. Wang said China's efforts to help the U.S. contain its fentanyl crisis have been met with punitive tariffs, which are straining their ties. He said, "No country should fantasize that it can suppress China and maintain a good relationship with China at the same time." The two countries have been reengaging in tit-for-tat retaliatory tariffs since President Donald Trump's return to office in January. The U.S. imposed flat tariffs of 20% of all Chinese imports, while Beijing has countered with additional 15% duties on key U.S. imports.
WORDS: 670 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 2:58 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:967edbb35667963f0daeb949ee5c863c&mediaType=text
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AS--CHINA-DIPLOMACY-TAKEAWAYS
China's foreign minister blasts the US over tariffs at his annual meeting with journalists
SUMMARY: Along with fulminating against the United States, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi reasserted China's South China Sea claims, blasted Japan for its past aggression and covered a wide range of other issues during his annual meeting with journalists. Wang called South China Sea tensions a "shadow play" said electronic scam centers in northern Myanmar targeting Chinese victims have been cleared out, and had scathing words for U.S. involvement in issues in the Indo-Pacific, playing on long-time complaints that speak to China's ambitions to supersede the U.S. as the center of regional power.
WORDS: 863 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 2:46 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:8261e3583defaea2df3f0d602f6bd9c8&mediaType=text
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US--SPORTS BETTING-GEORGIA
Efforts by Georgia lawmakers to legalize sports betting fizzle again
SUMMARY: It turns out 2025 isn't the year for legalized sports betting in Georgia. Efforts to send a state constitutional amendment to voters failed Thursday, as neither the amendment nor a bill laying out details ever came to a vote in the state legislature. Voters in Missouri narrowly approved sports betting in a 2024 referendum, making it the 39th state to legalize the practice. But like in Georgia, legalization faces hurdles in the other 10 remaining states that bar sports gambling. The Georgia measures could still be revived in the last month of the session, but it has become much less likely.
WORDS: 569 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 12:33 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:04c20a0eea72b3f4e56e2c25e7dd888c&mediaType=text
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US-XGR--NORTH CAROLINA-TRUMP'S AGENDA
North Carolina Republicans seek to force top Democrats to fall in line with Trump agenda
SUMMARY: North Carolina Republicans who are resolved to promote President Donald Trump's agenda want to compel the new Democratic governor to aid the president's immigration policy. They also want the new Democratic attorney general to stop fighting Trump in court. The North Carolina Senate advanced measures this week that amplify recent efforts by state GOP lawmakers to erode powers of Democratic executive branch officials. One bill would force some law enforcement agencies who report to Gov. Josh Stein to cooperate with federal immigration agents. Another would prevent Attorney General Jeff Jackson from formally challenging presidential executive orders, as he already has done. The bills would still need House support.
WORDS: 796 - MOVED: 03/07/2025 12:02 a.m. EST
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:2fd9f464dbcc80195154747109830bdb&mediaType=text
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