US Business

An artificial-intelligence company recently awarded a Chinese patent for a voice assistant similar to Apple’s Siri has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple that, if successful, could prevent the American tech giant from selling many of its products in the world’s second-largest economy.

President Trump said he was ready to approve a purchase of the U.S. operations of the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok, but only if the government receives “a lot of money” in exchange.

Fuel maker Marathon Petroleum agreed to sell its gas stations to the owners of the 7-Eleven convenience-store chain for $21 billion in the largest U.S. energy-related deal of the year.

Lord & Taylor, an industry pioneer dating back nearly 200 years, filed for bankruptcy along with its owner, the venture-backed fashion-rental subscription service Le Tote.

Covert talks began weeks ago on a transaction that could reshape the global tech landscape and further strain U.S.-China relations. After the software giant’s CEO and President Trump spoke Sunday, Microsoft said an agreement could include the video app’s operations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to close out an unprecedented test flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.

Consumers increased spending 5.6% in June but appear to have pulled back since then, restraining the economy’s recovery from the pandemic.

Microsoft has paused negotiations to buy the U.S. operations of the video-sharing app TikTok after President Trump said late Friday he opposes the deal.

Airlines are asking the government to again step in with funds to help them prevent tens of thousands of job losses.

For all of Elon Musk’s public complaining about the handling of the pandemic, Tesla is shaping up to be one of the biggest business winners of the Covid-19 era.