Visa lowers merchant credit fees for small businesses
Visa currently charges 1.5% to 2.4% in consumer credit card interchange rates, a fee that a merchant is required to pay with every credit card and debit card transaction.
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U.S. added 678,000 jobs in February in sign of economic health
The Labor Department’s report Friday also showed that the unemployment rate dropped from 4% to a low 3.8%, extending a sharp decline in joblessness as the economy has rebounded from the pandemic recession.
Indiana school ‘transparency’ legislation likely dead this session
Republican House Speaker Todd Huston said Thursday that even if language from House Bill 1134 is brought back in another proposal, it’s “highly unlikely” that House Republicans would be on board.
As vaccine demand falls, states left with huge stockpiles
As demand for COVID-19 vaccines collapses in many areas of the United States, states are scrambling to use stockpiles of doses before they expire and have to be added to the millions that have already gone to waste.
Purdue Pharma, U.S. states agree to new opioid settlement
In all, the plan could be worth more than $10 billion over time. It calls for members of the Sackler family to give up control of the Stamford, Connecticut-based company so it can be turned into a new entity with profits used to fight the crisis.
Bill would restore pension benefits to 20K Delphi retirees
The largest concentrations of affected Delphi retirees are in Michigan (5,859), Ohio (5,181) and Indiana (4,044).
Indiana lawmakers send campus free speech bill to governor
The proposal, authored by Republican Rep. Jack Jordan of Bremen, aims to codify the First Amendment and U.S. Supreme Court precedents into Indiana law, which Jordan said should guide college campus policies and ensure that free speech applies equally for all students.
Fewer Americans apply for unemployment benefits
Jobless claims fell by 18,000, to 215,000, for the week ending Feb. 26, from 233,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
Biden seeks $10B for aid to Ukraine, $22.5B for coronavirus
The Biden administration is seeking more funds to help protect Ukraine against the Russian invasion and to cover coronavirus pandemic-related expenses, two major additions to budget talks already underway.
Open school board meetings bill heads to Indiana governor
A bill that seeks to require public comment at school meetings advanced to the Indiana governor’s desk after lawmakers gave their final approval Wednesday.
Republicans revive bid for Indiana handgun permit repeal
The provisions would allow anyone age 18 or older to carry a handgun in public except for reasons such as having a felony conviction, facing a restraining order from a court or having a dangerous mental illness.
Pfizer nearing big gains in COVID treatment production
Pfizer’s new COVID-19 treatment came with a catch when it debuted late last year: Supplies were limited, and it would take months to make the tablets.
OPEC sticks to plan of gradual output hikes as crude soars
The leaders of OPEC and its oil-producing allies plan to gradually increase oil production while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rattles markets, reshapes alliances, kills civilians and sends the price of crude skyrocketing.
Powell tells Congress that Fed will raise rates this month
Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that he supports a traditional quarter-point increase in the Federal Reserve’s benchmark short-term interest rate when the Fed meets later this month, rather than a larger increase that some of its policymakers have proposed.
Ford splitting electric vehicle, traditional operations into two individual businesses
Ford plans a major restructuring with two distinct but strategically interdependent auto businesses–Ford Blue focusing on traditional combustion engines and Ford Model e, which will develop electric vehicles.
MLB cancels opening day after sides fail to end lockout
With owners and players unable to agree on a contract to replace the collective bargaining agreement that expired Dec. 1, Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled the first two series for each of the 30 teams, cutting each club’s schedule from 162 games to likely 156 at most.
Economic dangers from Russia’s invasion ripple across globe
Moscow’s war on Ukraine and the ferocious financial backlash it’s unleashed are not only inflicting an economic catastrophe on President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The repercussions are also menacing the global economy.
Indiana lawmakers send trans girls sports ban to governor
Indiana lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to a Republican-backed bill that would ban transgender women and girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identity.
Bird flu found at sixth Indiana turkey farm
Officials have begun euthanizing the 16,500 birds at the latest farm to prevent the spread of the disease.
Nations agree to release 60M barrels of oil amid Russian invasion
All 31 member countries of the International Energy Agency have agreed to release oil from their strategic reserves—half of that from the United States—“to send a strong message to oil markets” that there will be “no shortfall in supplies.”