CVS Teamsters Serving Mid-Atlantic Region Vote to Authorize Strike

 More than 500 drivers and warehouse workers at the CVS distribution center in Fredericksburg, Va. have authorized a strike via the Teamsters Union Local 592. The DC serves the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore areas, and the Teamsters’ current contract expires April 30, 2026.

The union, which represents thousands of CVS workers across the country, is seeking wage increases, higher pension contributions and fully protected benefits, on par with a contract signed in May 2025 that covers 900+ workers at a CVS distribution center in La Habra, Calif.

“If CVS keeps pushing concessions and refusing to take bargaining seriously, we will be forced on the picket line May 1,” said Chris Donald, a 38-year warehouse worker and member of Local 592 in a statement. “No one wants a strike, but if the company comes after our hard-earned benefits, we will have no choice but to fight back.”

A CVS spokesperson, noting that a strike authorization is a bargaining tool and doesn’t mean an actual strike is imminent, said: “We’re in active discussions with the union and are confident we can reach an agreement that supports workplace safety and competitive wages and benefits. We look forward to reconvening with the Local 592 to continue negotiations and hope to finalize an agreement soon.

“We have contingency plans in place to ensure that our stores and pharmacies continue to receive shipments and can serve customers and patients,” the spokesperson added. “In the event there’s a disruption to store shipments, we’ll work quickly to replenish impacted products as soon as we can.”

The Teamsters have been fairly effective in organizing unions in the often highly resistant retail industry. In December 2024, the Teamsters struck at seven Amazon facilities in a move designed to exert maximum pressure during the peak pre-holiday fulfillment period, and in January 2025, Costco Teamsters authorized a strike by its 18,000 employee members, a threat that the union claims led to increased pay for store employees.

https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/news/auto-draftcvs-teamsters-serving-mid-atlantic-region-vote-to-authorize-strike/618966/

Robinhood, Webull jump after US SEC approves removal of day-trading limit for smaller investors

 Shares of retail trading platforms Robinhood and Webull surged on Wednesday after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission paved the way for a new regulatory framework on day-trading limit for smaller investors.

Wall Street's top regulator late on Tuesday approved a proposal by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to remove restrictions that limited accounts under $25,000 to three trades within five business days.

The move will lower barriers for smaller investors and allow them to place unlimited day trades within the framework of the new margin requirements.

"The shift in intraday margin rules represents a meaningful evolution in how active traders can participate in the markets," said Anthony Denier, group president and U.S. CEO at Webull.

Retail traders have emerged as a notable force in recent years as the emergence of commission-free trading and user-friendly apps made stock investing accessible to a new generation of investors.

As part of the revamp, existing day-trading margin provisions will be replaced with new intraday margin requirements.

Once the new framework is implemented, smaller investors will be able to trade throughout the day without having to maintain a $25,000 minimum balance.

The new margin standards will require customers to have enough equity in their margin account to cover the market exposure they have at that moment.

Proponents of the rule change had supported the elimination of the $25,000 minimum balance requirement, arguing it favored wealthier investors and created an arbitrary barrier for smaller investors.

Wall Street analysts said the move is a major boost for retail brokerages and should unlock additional volume going forward.

"Long story short, more day trading equates to more orders per user per day which is a direct benefit to revenue generation," Northland analyst Mike Grondahl said.

"This new ruling should also boost engagement and retention as day traders typically log in more, trade more frequently, and are stickier than standard users."

The new system will go live after the FINRA issues the final publication of the framework.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/robinhood-webull-jump-after-us-sec-approves-removal-of-day-trading-limit-for-smaller-investors/ar-AA20YxFc

Future US nuclear reactors to be backed by federal loans

The first five or 10 new planned U.S. nuclear reactors will "almost ‌certainly" receive loans from the U.S. Energy Department's ‌lending office, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told lawmakers in a hearing ​on Thursday.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year calling for 10 new large nuclear reactors to be under construction by 2030 and for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ‌speed reactor approvals.

There ⁠are currently no approved plans to build new large reactors.

But the U.S. government struck a ⁠partnership in October with the Canadian owners of Westinghouse Electric, Cameco and Brookfield Asset Management, that aims to build at ​least $80 billion ​in reactors.

That plan was announced ​after Trump said during ‌a trip to Asia that Japan will provide up to $332 billion to support infrastructure in the U.S., including construction of Westinghouse AP1000 reactors and small modular reactors.

The last U.S. reactors that came online in 2023 and 2024, built at ‌Georgia's Vogtle site, were delayed ​by about seven years and cost ​about $17 billion more than ​budgeted, despite securing billions in loans from ‌the energy department's loan office ​during Trump's first ​administration.

The energy department's Office of Energy Dominance Financing has nearly $290 billion to loan and Wright said last ​year that "by far ‌the biggest use of those dollars will be for ​nuclear power plants."

https://finance.yahoo.com/sectors/energy/articles/first-planned-us-nuclear-reactors-170642765.html

Emergent BioSolutions refinances debt, extends maturities to April 2031 and lowers interest expense

 

• Refinancing includes a new $150 million term loan from OrbiMed to support Emergent BioSolutions' capital structure.
• An amended $50 million asset-based lending facility from Wells Fargo is part of Emergent BioSolutions' debt refinancing package.

https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=EBS&p=d

US oil industry urges Trump to oppose Hormuz toll

 United States oil executives warned President Donald Trump against allowing Iran to impose tolls on ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a meeting with the president on Thursday, according to the Financial Times.

"Imposing tolls at this critical global chokepoint would set a concerning precedent for international waterways and be detrimental for global energy markets," the American Petroleum Institute (API) said. Industry leaders stressed the priority is reopening the strait, which carries about 20% of global oil and liquified natural gas (LNG) flows.

Trump said earlier the US would not allow Iran to collect tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, warning Tehran it "better not" charge fees for ships transiting the waterway before the naval blockade was imposed.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/US-oil-industry-urges-Trump-to-oppose-Hormuz-toll/66088040

US unveils terms of Israel-Lebanon ceasefire deal

 The United States Department of State issued on Thursday the full text of the 10-day ceasefire deal that Israel and Lebanon agreed on.

According to the document, the two countries agreed, in six points, to implement the ceasefire and create an environment to enable negotiations; to extend the truce if an opportunity emerges; engage in negotiations with the US as a mediator; and recognize Lebanon's military as having exclusive responsibility to protect national sovereignty and defense. Further, Israel was allowed to take "all necessary measures" to defend itself. Lastly, Lebanon committed to preventing Hezbollah and other militant groups' operations against Israel.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon are expected to meet for talks in the next two weeks. Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored the ceasefire as a possibility for Lebanon to join the Abraham Accords in the future.

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/US-unveils-terms-of-Israel-Lebanon-ceasefire-deal/66088074

OpenAI launches AI model for life sciences research

 OpenAI unveiled on Thursday a new AI model for life sciences research designed to support studies across biology, drug discovery, and translational medicine. GPT-Rosalind, which helps analyze data and formulate scientific hypotheses, is already being used in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory.

"The model is named after Rosalind Franklin, whose rigorous research helped reveal the structure of DNA and laid foundations for modern molecular biology," the startup said in a press briefing. "We are working with customers like Amgen, Moderna, the Allen Institute, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and others to apply GPT‑Rosalind across workflows that accelerate research and discovery."

https://breakingthenews.net/Article/OpenAI-launches-AI-model-for-life-sciences-research/66088543