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Briefcase: FNB expands public finance capabilities

PITTSBURGH F.N.B. Corporation has expanded its public finance offerings with municipal bond underwriting. Building on the robust suite of products and solutions provided under the Bank’s Capital Markets umbrella, the latest addition further solidifies FNB’s standing as an elite commercial bank with expansive capabilities. Additionally, municipal bond underwriting and tax-exempt financing enhance FNB’s ability to serve its municipal clients and prospects with the capital necessary to fulfill their financing needs. FNB’s team will guide clients through the securities issuance ...

Jury finds Instagram, YouTube liable in Calif. social media trial

LOS ANGELES — Meta and YouTube must pay millions in damages to a 20-year-old woman after a jury decided the social media giant and video streamer designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well being. The California jury’s decision Wednesday in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companies of deliberately causing harm. The plaintiff, known by her initials KGM, testified at trial that she became addicted to social media as a child and that this addiction exacerbated her mental ...

Stocks rise, oil eases as Wall Street keeps yo-yoing due to war

NEW YORK — Hopes for a possible end to the war with Iran pushed stocks higher on Wall Street Wednesday, while oil prices eased. The S&P 500 rose 0.5% in its latest flip - flop after the United States delivered a plan to pause the war to Iran. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 305 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8%. But the moves were shaky, and the S&P 500 briefly came close to erasing all of its jump, which maxed out at 1.2% during the morning. Financial markets have swung sharply since the war began more than three weeks ago, and many of the reversals have ...

EPA approves sale of higher-ethanol fuel

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it would allow gas stations to continue selling slightly cheaper E15 this summer in a move that may be good for drivers and corn growers but will likely contribute to air pollution. The higher ethanol blend is usually limited to use in winter months. But the summer waiver for E15 has become commonplace in recent years, and both Republicans and Democrats have called for it to become year-round and permanent to lower prices at the pump. In some states it’s already allowed. But not all experts are convinced the move will substantially ...

Jury: Meta harms kids’ mental health, safety

A New Mexico jury determined Tuesday that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its social media platforms, a verdict that signals a changing tide against tech companies and the government’s willingness to crack down. The landmark decision comes after a nearly seven-week trial, and as jurors in a federal court in California have been sequestered in deliberations for more than a week about whether Meta and YouTube should be liable in a similar case. New Mexico jurors sided with state prosecutors who argued that ...