Early in the pandemic, Americans lined up for hours outside of food banks, awaiting their chance to collect groceries. Many of them had experienced food insecurity before Covid-19. Tens of millions of others were new to such assistance. Only thanks to emergency federal intervention was a serious hunger crisis averted in 2020. As Covid drags on, their mission is ...

A chorus of business commentators has declared the “end” of the conglomerate in 2021, pointing to decisions by corporate behemoths such as General Electric and Toshiba to split into smaller, more focused companies. No, that’s not the case. In reality, the real conglomerates — the ones that gave rise to the term in the postwar US — perished many years ...

  Bloomberg US retail sales stumbled at the end of 2021, factory output weakened and consumer sentiment deteriorated at the start of the new year, illustrating a loss of traction for the economy that many analysts view as temporary. Friday’s data deluge showed how lingering shipping challenges, supply and labor constraints, the fastest inflation in decades and the Omicron variant ...

  Bloomberg Walmart Inc is losing two key executives in its US operation as the retail giant ramps up its online offerings and attempts to reverse last year’s disappointing stock-market performance. Chief Merchandising Officer Scott McCall will retire after almost three decades with the company, according to a memo to employees from John Furner, who heads Walmart’s US business. McCall ...

  Bloomberg Spain is considering taking a direct stake in Air Europa as part of a revised plan to rescue the troubled airline after the collapse of its proposed sale to IAG SA, according to people familiar with the matter. Under a new structure under discussion, state-backed coronavirus bailout loans could be converted into a government holding of about 40% ...

  Bloomberg Airlines flying to Mali, which has been placed under sanctions by West Africa’s regional economic bloc, must confirm whether they will continue to operate within 72 hours, or risk losing their landing slots. “After this deadline, their time slots will be handed to other airlines, in order to assure continued services,” Mali’s Transport Minister Madina Sissoko Dembele said ...

  Bloomberg US aviation regulators published the first aircraft-specific restriction related to new 5G service expected to begin next week, ordering operators of Boeing Co. 787 jets to update landing requirements. Equipment on the planes that could be subject to interference from 5G radio waves affects how the jet stops after touching down, the Federal Aviation Administration said in an ...

  Bloomberg Starbucks Corp. employees at three more restaurants in New York state will vote on unionization, a US labor official ruled, offering organizers a chance to expand a new labor foothold that’s already inspiring copycat efforts around the country. In her ruling, Nancy Wilson, an acting regional director of the National Labor Relations Board, rejected the company’s arguments against ...

  Bloomberg The Biden administration warned Russian actors are preparing potential sabotage operations against their own forces and fabricating provocations in social media to justify an invasion into Ukraine if diplomacy fails. As part of the plan, President Vladimir Putin’s government has prepositioned operatives trained in urban warfare and in using explosives, possibly to carry out acts of sabotage against ...

  Bloomberg Hackers linked to the Belarusian security service may be behind last week’s cyberattack against Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian official. The former Soviet nation endured a mass cyberattack at several of its ministries and public services on Friday. Preliminary findings show that a group of hackers known as UNC1151 from Russian ally Belarus may have led the operation, ...