Articles by Michael Smith, Natalie Wong and Amanda Gordon

Palm Beach Elite Are Raising Money to Lure Vanderbilt to Florida

Wealthy Florida residents and developers are looking to raise at least $300 million for Vanderbilt University to build a sprawling campus in West Palm Beach. Billionaire developer Steve Ross hosted a reception at his Palm Beach mansion on Monday for …

Nvidia’s $70M Florida Supercomputer Hobbled by DeSantis Law

(Bloomberg) — When Chris Malachowsky, a billionaire founder of chip giant Nvidia Corp., bankrolled one of the world’s biggest supercomputers at the University of Florida, Ron DeSantis predicted the machine would be a magnet for artificial intelligence talent. Almost four …

‘Keep Delivering’: Amazon Tornado Tragedy Raises Emergency Safety Training Questions

The messages between an Amazon.com Inc. delivery driver and her boss began about 80 minutes before a tornado struck one of the company’s warehouses in Edwardsville, Illinois, on Dec. 10, killing six workers. The dramatic exchange cast in sharp relief …

McDonald’s Has Friends in High Places in High-Stakes Labor Fight

In a television commercial that’s become part of the lore surrounding Donald Trump’s affinity for McDonald’s Corp., he embraced a purple, lumpy denizen of the fast-food chain’s “McDonaldland” and said, “Together, Grimace, we could own this town.” He was talking …

Florida ‘Dodged a Cannon’ as Irma Swerved and Weakened

Florida is drenched, tattered — but fortunate. Hurricane Irma weakened as it moved past Tampa on Monday, leaving in its wake a state that avoided the worst predictions of its destruction by sea and storm. By one estimate, the cost …

New York’s ‘Sixth Borough’ with Trophy Condos in Hurricane Irma’s Path

Beyond the bar and the palm-fringed pool, past the gold-leafed columns and floor-to-ceiling murals, workers at the grand Faena Hotel Miami Beach prepared for Hurricane Irma’s fury. Their unusual assignment: fortify the four layers of bullet-proof glass encasing a gilded, …

Rolls-Royce, Qantas Settle A380 Engine Dispute for $100 Million

Rolls-Royce and Qantas have reached a settlement over an Airbus A380 engine explosion last year that forced a jet with 469 people on board to make an emergency landing and grounded much of the airline’s fleet. Qantas said the out-of-court …

BofA Sells Balboa Insurance Portfolio to Australia’s QBE

Bank of America agreed to offload its Balboa insurance portfolio to Australia’s QBE Insurance for more than $700 million, the latest in a string of asset sales by the U.S. lender as it recovers from the global credit crisis. Bank …

Qantas Aiming to Settle with Rolls-Royce over A380 Engine Failure

Australia’s Qantas Airways is working towards a commercial settlement with Rolls-Royce over last year’s mid-air engine explosion, its chief executive said, as the airline rebuilds its image tarnished by the incident which temporarily grounded its fleet of A380 aircraft. Alan …

Insurers, Industries Affected by Australia’s Floods

Australia’s mining industry has borne the brunt of the economic impact from massive floods in Queensland state, but agriculture, construction, transport, tourism and retail have also been hit. Following is a list of sectors and companies affected: INSURERS The Insurance …