• An offer by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to cover NASA costs of an astronaut lunar lander increased from $2 billion to upwards of $3 billion
• Bob Smith, the CEO of Blue Origin said that the company would “add valuable competition” and help in covering NASA’s “budget and funding shortfall” for the program that led to the agency selecting just one company for the HLS contract

Roblox and Nike strike deal to create virtual world called “Nikeland”

• On November 18, Nike announced that it is partnering with Roblox to create a virtual world called “Nikeland” on Roblox’s gaming platform online
• In this virtual gaming space, it will include Nike buildings, fields, and arenas for players to compete in multiple mini-games
• The company eventually plans to integrate in-play moments that emulate global sporting event

Amazon and Starbucks open chashierless coffee shop showcasing new technology

• In midtown Manhattan, New York, Starbucks is opening a pick-up cafe with Amazon that utilizes cashierless technology
• The first Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go location opens Thursday in New York City on 59th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues, with a flag outside waving both companies’ logos
• Amazon’s technology allows customers to leave without seeing a cashier and scales, cameras and shelf sensors tally up customers’ totals and charge them when they leave 

GlobalFoundries and Ford partner to increase supply of chips for vehicle production

• Included in Ford’s plans to inrease its short- and long-term supply of semiconductor chips, the company has announced a new partnership with GlobalFoundries
• This may eventually result in new chip designs specifically for Ford and an increase in the domestic production and supply of chips for the overall automotive industry

CVS plans to close 900 stores in transition to its “digital strategy”

• On November 18, CVS Health said that it will close about 900 stores over the next 3 years as it transitions to better serving online shoppers
• The chain has said that it will focus more of its funding towards digital growth and transitioning its stores into a sort of department store for health-care products
• According to CVS, store closures will begin in the spring of 2022

Ford CEO says EV production to increase to 600,000 by 2023

• According to Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, the company plans to increase production capacity of its electric vehicles to 600,000 vehicles
• Farley expects this mode to make Ford the second-largest US based EV manufacturer in the world, behind tesla
• Ford’s first three new Electric vehicles are currently the Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit, and F-150 Lightning

The post Business News – 11-18-2021 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.

Bipartisan infrastructure bill has passed so what will California receive?

• On November 16, President Joe Biden signed the $1 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which will put millions in funding to California’s roads, pipes, and wires
• The most significant amount of money being put into infrastructure will go to repairing roads, bridges, water infrastructure, and airport infrastructure

California parents across the state hold sit-out to protest kids vaccine mandate

• Amid a statewide school “sit-out” to protest the vaccine mandate for children, two California parents across the state have sent messages to Governor Newsom
• So far, California has been the first and only state to mandate vaccinations or coronavirus testing for eligible children in order to attend in-person classes in both private and public schools

Northern California health clinic gave 14 children incorrect COVID vaccine dose

• A health clinic in Northern California mistakenly gave 14 children the wrong dose when administering COVID-19 vaccines 
• In a statement, Sutter health said that the 14 children were given an “incorrect amount” of diluent, which is used to dilute the concentrated form of the COVID vaccine

California attorney says Amazon failed to notify workers on COVID cases in workplace

• On November 15, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said that Amazon has failed to notify workers and authorities about how many COVId-19 cases it had detected in its workplaces
• In a settlement, Amazon agreed to pay $500,000 towards “further enforcement of California’s consumer protection laws”, said Bonta in the press release

The post California News – 11-16-2021 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.

• On September 22, a new California law was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom making the state the first to restrict large retailers from firing warehouse workers for missing quotas 
• This measure keeps the retailers from administering discipline to workers for following health and safety laws and allows employees to sue their employer for unsafe quotas

Order to house all homeless population in L.A’s “Skid Row” by October struck by Appeals Court

• A Judicial order that would have required Los Angeles to administer some sort of housing for all the homeless in the city has been struck down by a panel of Judges 
• The judges come from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the order was originally issued by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter 

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• According to the White House coronavirus response coordinator, Jeff Zients, the kid’s vaccination program will be “fully up and running” beginning on the week of Nov. 8
• The kid’s vaccination program is intended for those ages 5 to 11 years old

Project Kulper: Amazon’s first internet satellites to launch in late 2022

• On November 1, Amazon announced its plans to launch its first internet satellites in the 4rth quarter of 2022 
• Amazon also states that the satellite program (Project Kulper) will launch with ABL space on its RS1 rocket
• This network will contain 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit in order to provide high-speed internet to anyone in any part of the world 

Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay transitions to cat food industry

• Early in 2021, American Celebrity Chef, Bobby Flay, launched his own cat food brand named “Made by Nacho”
• Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, pet ownership and spending have increased allowing the pet food and treat market to grow to more than $42 billion in value

Details on Covid vaccine mandate for businesses to be published by Biden Administration soon

• According to to the Department of Labor, on November 1, the Biden Administration will publish details in the coming days about the vaccine mandate for businesses
• Currently, the mandate would apply to businesses with 100 or more employees which are estimated to cover about ⅔ of the private sector workforce

Travel continues to be disrupted by staffing challenges despite reduced cancellations

• As of October 31, more than 136,000 airline customers were affected by disruptions and a lack of staff was listed as the reason, according to American Airlines
• On November 1, American Airlines canceled more than 460 flights or 16% of its normal schedule 
• Southwest Airlines reported that flight cancellations early in October cost the company $75 million and Spirit Airlines reported similar issues that cost the company $50 million

The post Business News – 11-01-2021 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.

• On October 26, General Motors unveiled a high-performance Z06 version of the Chevrolet Corvette set for 2023
• The car is track-focused and will be powered by a new 5.5-liter V-8 naturally aspirated engine with a 0-60 mph or 2.6 seconds

Blue Eden project worth $2.35 billion plans underwater turbines for the UK

• Just recently, a project known as the Blue Eden project will be incorporating underwater turbines and floating solar power and battery storage in the UK
• The project will be located on the waterfront of a coastal city in Wales named Swansea and is being led by a technology firm called DST Innovations 

Verizon and Amazon partner to use satellite internet systems for rural broadband

• To expand broadband access in the United States, Verizon is partnering with Amazon to use the satellite internet system that is under development
• For Amazon, Project Kulper is a network of 3,236 satellites that it plans to use to provide high-speed internet to anywhere in the world 

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• Lawmakers in California have passed new legislation that would give Amazon and warehouse workers the ability to combat speed quotas
• Critics have said that speed quotas have forced workers to skip skirt safety measures and bathroom breaks 
• California’s Assembly Bill 701 asserts that productivity demands cannot come at the expense of health and safety

The post Legislative News – 09-09-2021 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.

• A 40-year-old California man named Matthew Taylor Coleman has been charged with two counts of foreign first-degree murder of United States nationals
• Early in August, Matthew had taken his 10-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son to Mexico where it is alleged that he killed them with a spearfishing gun
• Matthew told investigators that “he believed his children were going to grow into monsters so he had to kill them.”

Larry Elder experiences racist attack and Governor Newsom stays silent

• Republican challenger, Larry Elder to Governor Gavin Newsom in the 2021 recall election was attacked by a woman wearing a gorilla mask who threw an egg at him in Venice Beach
• After the attack, Governor Gavin Newsom was asked if he condemned the attack and he did not respond

New California Bill passed aims to give Amazon warehouse workers ability to combat speed quotas

• Lawmakers in California have passed new legislation that would give Amazon and other warehouse workers the ability to combat speed quotas
• Critics have said that speed quotas have forced workers to skip or skirt safety measures and bathroom breaks 
• California’s Assembly Bill 701 asserts that productivity demands cannot come at the expense of health and safety

UC professor sues Board of Regents and the president over vaccine mandate

• A professor for the University of California school system is suing the Board of Regents and the president and argues that the Covid-19 vaccine mandate is not needed because he has natural immunity
• There is existing Data shows that those who have contracted COVID-19 may have worse adverse effects from the vaccine than those who have never contracted the virus

The post California News – 09-09-2021 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.

• Today (Wednesday), President Joe Biden has announced his new anti-crime efforts
• Biden’s plan is mainly addressing gun violence and to provide more funding to those cities who are in need of more police 
• Biden will have a “zero tolerance” policy (different from Trump’s) which will give no flexibility to gun dealers who do not comply with federal laws concerning the selling of firearms

• Today (Wednesday) A House panel was led with legislation that has the potential to take market power for from the “tech giants” such as Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Google
• This new legislation could force the companies to disconnect their platforms from other lines of their business
• This is meant to allow breathing space for new innovators in many areas of the tech industry

The post Legislative News – 06-23-2021 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.

• Microsoft expects the Nuance deal to expand its market opportunity in health care
• Nuance’s CEO will report to Microsoft cloud chief Scott Guthrie, who says both companies want to target software developers, not health-care providers themselves

• Moderna said Tuesday its Covid-19 vaccine was 100% effective in a study of adolescents ages 12 to 17
• The company said it plans to ask the FDA to expand the emergency use of its Covid vaccine for teens early next month
• It is the second vaccine behind Pfizer’s to demonstrate high efficacy in younger age groups

• Shares of Lordstown Motors have tumbled after the company cancelled its production guidance for the year and says it needs to raise additional capital
• Lordstown CEO Steve Burns said the company has “encountered some challenges” as it prepares to begin producing its Endurance electric pickup truck in late September
• Lordstown said it expects to produce only about half the number of vehicles it previously forecast for this year, while increasing its planned expenses to between $335 million and $350 million

• Domestic leisure yields for tickets issued in May surpass 2019 levels, United said
• It expects that trend to continue through the summer
• Higher revenue compared with its capacity is helping the carrier narrow its losses

Amazon’s ad revenue has now become twice as big as 4 large companies combined

• The major growth in Amazon’s advertising unit means its revenue contribution is now 2.4 times larger than Snap, Twitter, Roku and Pinterest combined, and it’s growing 1.7 times as quickly, according to Loop Capital
• Amazon’s “Other” unit, which is primarily made up of advertising but also includes sales related to other service offerings, grew revenue a massive 77% year-over-year to more than $6.9 billion in the first quarter, the company reported last month

The post Business News – 5-25-2021 appeared first on Easy Ad - Local Small Business Resources.

• In another milestone for reopening the Southern California economy, Orange County is now within striking distance of its widest reopening based on the state’s four-tiered, color-coded blueprint
• According to data released Tuesday, Orange County’s rate of new coronavirus cases — adjusted based on the number of tests performed — dropped to 1.8 per day per 100,000
• Counties making moves on the reopening road map Tuesday included Mono and San Mateo, which moved from orange to yellow, and Madera, which moved from red to orange

• Four decades after its opening, Pacific Gas & Electric is finally preparing to shut the nuclear power plant in California
• It sits near several seismic fault lines and has long stirred fears that an earthquake-driven meltdown could spread deadly radiation across the state
• This Nuclear power plant is California’s largest source of power as it has generates nearly 6% of the state’s electricity in 2019
• With just three years until the plant begins to power down, California has no plan to directly replace it

• Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner announced a groundbreaking partnership with Amazon on Monday in which hundreds of jobs will be made available for high school graduates from low-income families
• As part of the new program, students must also be enrolled to attend a community college full-time
• Amazon said they will help prepare students to apply for the jobs, which includes working at the Amazon grocery store or packaging orders
• The pay will be at least $15 an hour and industry leading benefits like paid time off and health care
• In addition to work experience, Amazon officials said they will also provide flexible hours to help students go to school and earn money to help their families
• Students will also be able to apply for scholarships after their first year of employment

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