WEEK IN REVIEW
Monday Second round of suing
A woman who reached a settlement with Bill O’Reilly over harassment allegations sued O’Reilly and Fox News, alleging defamation and breach of contract. She said that public statements O’Reilly and the network made violated the settlement and portrayed her as a liar and politically motivated extortionist.
Tuesday Storm after the storm
In Harris County and the other hardest-hit regions of Texas, 17 percent of those who had houses damaged or suffered income loss from Hurricane Harvey reported that someone in their household had a new or worsening health condition, a sweeping new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Houston-based Episcopal Health Foundation indicated.
Regulating space
Boundary-pushing companies seeking to mine asteroids or build moon bases could face a stubbornly terrestrial challenge: getting regulatory approval. “What we’re starting to see now is a lot of companies coming up with new ideas … moon bases, asteroid mining, lots of exciting ideas,” George Nield, associate administrator for commercial space transportation at the Federal Aviation Administration, said at the third Space Commerce Conference and Exposition in Houston.
Theater giant to grow
British movie theater owner Cineworld said it had agreed to acquire Regal Entertainment Group for $3.6 billion. The deal would greatly expand the scale and geographic footprint of Cineworld, which primarily operates in Europe, and create the world’s second-largest movie theater owner to better compete with AMC Entertainment, which is owned by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda.
Imports lurch higher
Record imports pushed the U.S. trade deficit to $48.7 billion in October, its highest point since January. Imports hit a record $244.6 billion in October, and exports were flat at $195.9 billion.
Outdoor retailer slammed
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke accused outdoor retailer Patagonia of lying when it said that President Donald Trump “stole your land” by shrinking two national monuments in Utah by some 2 million acres. Zinke told reporters the land targeted by Trump remains protected because it is still under federal control.
Wednesday Walmart expunges hyphen
As it shifts from physical stores in the age of Amazon’s increasing dominance, WalMart Stores is changing its legal name effective Feb. 1. The Arkansas-based retailer said it would change its legal name to Walmart Inc. from Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
VW official sentenced
A former top Volkswagen official in the U.S., Oliver Schmidt, was sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in the German automaker’s decadelong scheme to cheat on diesel emissions tests. His sentencing was the latest turn in a scandal that has tarnished Volkswagen’s reputation and has cost it more than $20 billion in fines and settlements.
UnitedHealth makes deal
UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s largest insurer, said it would buy a network of 300 primary care and specialist clinics from dialysis giant DaVita for $4.9 billion, in the latest deal reshaping health insurance. The deal comes days after CVS Health agreed to buy health insurer Aetna for $69 billion.
Thursday Nonprofit megadeal
Catholic Health Initiatives, owner of St. Luke’s Health System in Houston, and Dignity Health said they agreed to merge operations, creating what would become one of the largest notfor-profit U.S. hospital systems. The new system would have 139 hospitals in 28 states, employ 159,000 people and boast a combined revenue of $28.4 billion.
GE pares power unit jobs
General Electric said it would cut 12,000 jobs in its power division, reducing the size of the unit’s workforce by 18 percent as part of a push to compete with international rivals in a saturated natural gas market.
Friday Hard line on Wells Fargo
President Donald Trump lashed out against Wells Fargo, insisting that fines against the bank would not be scrapped and threatening even harsher penalties.
More job gains
In November, U.S. employers added a substantial 228,000 jobs, the Labor Department said. It was the 86th straight month of gains.