MoneyWatch

Anthropic has won a major legal victory in a case over whether the artificial intelligence company was justified in hoovering up millions of copyrighted books to train its chatbot.  In a ruling that could set an important precedent for similar disputes, Judge William Alsup of the United States District Court …

For many Americans, Memorial Day means spending the day outside at a backyard barbecue or at the beach, if it’s warm enough.  For those hosting a gathering, it may also entail last-minute trips to the grocery store to stock up on food, or a quick stop at a local retailer …

Most Americans cannot afford to buy the homes listed for sale in the U.S., real-estate brokerage Redfin said in report on Thursday.  An analysis of listings in 97 of the most populous metropolitan areas in the country found that just 15.5% of homes for sale in 2023 were affordable for …

Wireless carrier T-Mobile said Thursday it plans to cut 5,000 jobs, or about 7% of its workforce. In email to employees shared in a regulatory filing, CEO Michael Sievert said the layoffs would come over the next five weeks and impact T-Mobile workers across the country — particularly those working …

A tentative agreement between UPS and its unionized workforce has been hailed as “historic,” with Teamsters leadership boasting that they “changed the game.”  President Biden congratulated contract negotiators and shipping customers everywhere, breathing a sigh of relief that a massive strike would likely be averted. The agreement boosts starting pay for part-timers to …

NBCUniversal’s Peacock is the latest streaming service to raise prices for consumers. The hike is the platform’s first since its launch in 2020.  A premium plan now costs $5.99, $1 more per month, effective immediately for new customers. Current subscribers will see the new pricing go into effect on August …

Some Chicken McNugget lovers who are planning their nuptials now have a new option for the marital feast: McDonald’s Indonesia is catering weddings.  “McD’ers, let’s make the wedding moment more memorable with Wedding Mekdi package!” McDonald’s Indonesia said in an Instagram post announcing the new offering.  A McDonald’s wedding package …

As the price of air travel abroad continues to climb, some passengers have found an unconventional way of saving money on their tickets by booking “hacker fares.” A hacker fare — a phrase popularized by travel site Kayak.com — is when a passenger builds their own round-trip ticket by booking two …

Allstate, one of the nation’s largest insurance companies, has joined State Farm in deciding to halt sales of property and casualty coverage to new customers in California, saying it’s too pricey to underwrite policies in the state which has seen thousands of natural disasters in recent years. Allstate quietly stopped …

Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Airbnb is promoting a suite of tools designed to crack down on parties — including a hotline for unhappy neighbors. The short-term rental company restated its policies in a Wednesday blog post titled “Anti-party crackdown for summer holidays.”  “[W]e are committed to helping our hosts …