Business

(NEW YORK) — With the cost of meat and other grocery products in the U.S. steadily increasing since the onset of the pandemic, grocery retailers and the Biden administration have weighed in on the increases, which are expected to continue through the end of the year.

The spike on certain “food-at-home” categories has stores — already slammed by inflation and demand — setting sights on higher product prices through the end of the year.

On an earnings call Friday, Kroger CFO and senior vice president Gary Millerchip said the retailer will be “passing along higher cost to the customer where it makes sense to do so.”

The nation’s largest retail operator reported a year-over-year increase in produce, floral, deli and bakery sales, but Millerchip acknowledged they are juggling pressures such as higher supply chain costs coupled with the increase in theft that could drive prices in the second half of the year.

Last week, White House statistics revealed that meat constitutes half of food-at-home price increases and that, since December 2020, prices have surged on three main products — beef, which is up 14%, pork by 12% and poultry by 6.6%.

The data, supported by the latest Consumer Price Index Summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that the cost of meats, poultry, fish and eggs increased for the seventh straight month. The newest CPI statistics for August are expected to be released this week.

As many Americans buy groceries to cut costs on eating out and others cook at home to avoid contact with in-person dining, the demand for food from retailers has continued to grow.

The Biden-Harris administration noted in a release that it’s not just consumer habits driving the higher prices.

“Price increases are also driven by a lack of competition at a key bottleneck point in the meat supply chain: meat-processing,” the memo stated.

According to the White House, the four large conglomerates that control the majority of the market for these products “have been raising prices while generating record profits during the pandemic.”

The administration said it is “taking bold action to enforce the antitrust laws, boost competition in meat-processing, and push back on pandemic profiteering that is hurting consumers, farmers and ranchers across the country.”

Americans are preparing for fall, back to school, upcoming holidays and other food-related plans where retail prices will be an important index to keep an eye on.

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(NEW YORK) — If you want to find the best deals for holiday flights, experts say you will find the lowest prices of the season this week.

Airlines are being forced to drop fares this fall as business travelers that used to fill the skies are opting to work from home.

Nationwide domestic fares are projected to plummet 10% this month, with tickets expected to average $260 round trip, according to travel-booking app Hopper.

The cheapest destination this fall is Fort Lauderdale at $169 roundtrip — the only destination in the country that is still under $200.

Outdoor destinations are still overwhelming popular, Hopper says, with flights to Colorado Springs averaging $243.

International fares are also hitting record lows.

Flights from Washington D.C. to Dublin are a mere $281, and a ticket from Los Angeles to Paris will only cost you $305.

“We are seeing great prices to Europe, historically low in fact,” Hopper Economist Adit Damodaran told ABC News. “And as we approach Thanksgiving, we’re expecting prices for European travel to not only be lower than pre-pandemic 2019 airfares but also lower than 2020 airfares.”

If you are monitoring flights for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Hanukkah, analysts say these low prices won’t last long.

“We found that the absolute cheapest prices are going to start appearing around mid-September or this week,” Damodaran said. “Make sure you’re booking at least four weeks in advance, at least three weeks in advance for Thanksgiving as well.”

Hopper predicts fliers will face an 11% increase in fares by November, making Halloween the cut-off for finding any potential deals.

“We expect that prices will remain relatively low until about Halloween, so that’s kind of the day where if you know you get to Halloween, that’s when you should definitely book if you haven’t booked yet,” Damodaran said. “Because after Halloween, we’re expecting prices for Thanksgiving to start rising about 40% for domestic and international flights for Christmas.”

Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights and author of “Take More Vacations,” recommends at the very least starting to monitor flights you are thinking of taking in November or December.

“Right now we are in that sort of Goldilocks window when cheap flights are most likely to pop up,” Keyes said, “And so now is when you should be monitoring and pulling the trigger when you see a flight price that you really like that’s attractive to you for the particular route that you’re hoping to fly.”

He said you could wind up paying double the price if you wait another few weeks.

“Be one of those folks planning ahead, getting the better deals that we’re seeing pop up now,” he recommended, “and don’t be one of the folks who put it off and procrastinate and wind up paying double the price for their flights than folks who booked ahead.”

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(NEW YORK) — SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission may sound familiar, as another billionaire-backed space launch, but it’s going where neither Richard Branson nor Jeff Bezos could — into orbit.

Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Bezos’ Blue Origin sent civilians into space on brief, suborbital flights that lasted only for a few minutes.

But Elon Musk’s SpaceX is just days away from sending its first all-civilian crew on a three-day mission around the Earth multiple times.

Inspiration4 will orbit 360 miles above Earth, higher than the International Space Station, with no professional astronaut on board. It will be the first orbital space tourism flight that doesn’t have an astronaut to guide the passengers through launch and landing.

Commanding the mission is 38-year-old billionaire Jared Isaacman, an experienced pilot. He founded a payment process company called Shift4 Payments and purchased all four seats on the flight for roughly $200 million.

Isaacman wants this launch to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He has already donated $100 million to the cause, and raised an additional $13 million through a lottery to win a seat.

One seat was reserved for a St. Jude ambassador — 29-year-old Hayley Arceneaux.

Arceneaux is a bone cancer survivor who was treated at St. Jude’s as a child and now works there as a physician assistant. She will be the youngest American to go to space as well as the first person with a prosthesis.

Joining Arceneaux and Isaacman on their journey is Chris Sembroski, 41, and Dr. Sian Proctor, 51.

Proctor said she has dreamed of going to space since she was a child. She once applied to become a NASA astronaut and made it to the final 47 out of 3,500 applicants, but was cut from the final round. She burst into tears when she heard she was chosen as a member of the Inspiration4 mission.

Sembroski is an Iraq War veteran and engineer with Lockheed Martin, who won the final seat through the lottery that required a St. Jude donation to enter.

The crew has gone through partial- and full-mission simulations and has been trained by SpaceX on “the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, including a specific focus on orbital mechanics, operating in microgravity, zero gravity, and other forms of stress testing,” according to an Inspiration4 release.

They will launch from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida — the same launch pad that Apollo 11 blasted off from — sending man to the moon for the first time.

Joining Arceneaux and Isaacman on their journey is Chris Sembroski, 41, and Dr. Sian Proctor, 51.

Proctor said she has dreamed of going to space since she was a child. She once applied to become a NASA astronaut and made it to the final 47 out of 3,500 applicants, but was cut from the final round. She burst into tears when she heard she was chosen as a member of the Inspiration4 mission.

Sembroski is an Iraq War veteran and engineer with Lockheed Martin, who won the final seat through the lottery that required a St. Jude donation to enter.

The crew has gone through partial- and full-mission simulations and has been trained by SpaceX on “the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, including a specific focus on orbital mechanics, operating in microgravity, zero gravity, and other forms of stress testing,” according to an Inspiration4 release.

They will launch from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida — the same launch pad that Apollo 11 blasted off from — sending man to the moon for the first time.

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(NEW YORK) — Jennifer Aniston is known for many things, and one happens to be her iconic hair.

Known to wear her classic “Rachel” haircut during her years on the hit ’90s Friends sitcom, the actress is now introducing her very own hair care brand, LolaVie.

The Morning Show actress shared a behind-the-scenes look at a campaign shoot for the brand on Instagram, which included several models wearing all black while Aniston grabs a shot of them with her smartphone.

“This project has been in the works for a long time and I’m so excited to finally be able to introduce it to you,” said Aniston. “So much hard work from our incredible team went into making this line — and we’re really proud to say it’s been made without all the bad stuff.”

Aniston said LovlaVie products are vegan as well as free of parabens, silicone, sulfate, phthalates, gluten and cruelty.

The first product to launch is the line’s Glossing Detangler.

LolaVie’s detangling spray is infused with plant-based ingredients such as chia to protect strands from future damage, bamboo, which works as a thermal shield, lemon extract for shine and a superfruit complex that includes vegetable ceramides to aid with conditioning.

“Think of this spray as the best friend you call everyday (who always supports you and wants to see you become stronger over time),” the company captioned in a video of the spray.

LolaVie is Aniston’s first venture as a founder as well as creator. She played a role in overseeing product development, marketing and creative direction.

The brand name was inspired by many of Aniston’s friends that affectionately refer to her as “Lola” in which she feels represents confidence, fearlessness and empowerment.

Aniston joins the list of celebrities such as Tracee Ellis Ross as well as Gabrielle Union-Wade who have also previously released hair care brands.

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(NEW YORK) — You can now wear Facebook on your face – kind of.

The Ray Ban “Stories” are the result of a collaboration between the famous sunglasses company and social media giant Facebook. The new shades have tiny, forward-facing cameras that can take photos and videos, as well as speakers built into the arms that allow wearers to listen to music, podcasts – and even take phone calls – without the need for headphones. 

Facebook isn’t the first to show off smart glasses. Google Glass was met with enthusiasm – and derision – in the early 2010s. Snap, meanwhile, is on it’s fourth generation of Spectacles, which are currently being tested by developers and select Snapchat creators. Engadget Senior Editor Karissa Bell says, while the design of those devices stands out – Facebook is taking a subtler approach.

“What makes these a little different is obviously Facebook partnered with Ray Ban, so they look and feel like Ray Bans, which, you know, are very popular sunglasses. So that’s probably a good thing for Facebook,” says Bell.

What’s more, Google Glass and the latest generation of Snap Spectacles make use of augmented reality technology – projecting information onto the inside of the glasses’ lenses. Ray Ban Stories are limited to snapping pictures or capturing 30-second videos through dual 5-megapixel cameras. Users can review what they’ve recorded through the accompanying smartphone app, “View.” Naturally, the app can also post that content to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. 

Ray Ban Stories start at $299 – but Bell says Facebook has aspirations beyond simply selling units.

“They’re more concerned with trying to get this out there, trying to encourage adoption, get[ting] people excited about this technology and where it’s going more than they are about actually just trying to make money off the hardware itself,” says Bell.

Facebook could have a tough road ahead of it. The familiar Ray Ban design allows the shades to more easily blend in with conventional sunglasses – a potential privacy concern when recording devices are involved. 

“Being able to take photos out in public in this kind of new format – it looks like sunglasses, it doesn’t look like a camera to people – I think that just kind of on it’s own raises some privacy issues,” says Bell.

Facebook, for it’s part, has integrated some security features into the Ray Ban Stories, such as a small white light that illuminates when the cameras are activated. Additionally, the company says all photos and videos are encrypted. But the glasses do collect some data on wearers, though only to “make your glasses work and function,” according to a blog post from the company. That data could include users’ Facebook login information, battery status, and WiFi connectivity.

What’s more, the company also continues to face criticism for it’s past breaches of user privacy, most notably the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018. 

“There’s a lot about Facebook’s track record that makes you uncomfortable when you hear, ‘hey, Facebook made a pair of camera sunglasses,'” says Bell. 

Hear ABC News Radio’s Michelle Franzen report on the Ray Ban Stories:

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(WASHINGTON) — The number of job openings hit a record high of 10.9 million on the last day of July, the Department of Labor said Wednesday, as businesses struggle to lure back workers in the wake of COVID-19’s shock to the economy.

The latest figure on job openings beats the record high of 10.1 million that was just set the previous month in June, but may not yet reflect the impact of the delta variant’s spread on the labor market. Still, the fresh data paints a complicated picture of economic recovery as job openings soar despite unemployment levels remaining elevated.

Job openings increased across the economy, with major increases in health care and social assistance, finance and insurance, as well as accommodation and food services, the DOL said.

In addition to job openings reaching a high, the number of people leaving their jobs is also at record high levels. The quits rate in July was 2.7%, the BLS said Wednesday, tying with June and April of 2021 for the highest on record.

Economists have attributed the recent labor crunch to lingering health concerns over the virus that may have some workers not wanting to return to the workplace, a child care crisis that has disproportionately impacted working women, as well as harder-to-quantify factors as many Americans reassess what they want from a job after living through a once-in-a-century pandemic that has left more than 600,000 Americans dead.

The unemployment rate in August was 5.2%, a reflection of major improvements in the labor market compared to before the vaccine rollout, but still above the pre-pandemic 3.5% seen in February 2020. Broken down further, employment has risen by some 17 million jobs since April 2020, but the economy is still down some 5.3 million jobs compared to February 2020.

Despite the unemployment rate remaining elevated, many firms have reported struggles hiring staff — which has resulted in average wages rising, especially among service industries or jobs requiring face-to-face contact. The average hourly earnings for workers in August was some $30.73.

The latest data from the DOL also comes as enhanced pandemic-era unemployment benefits expired this week for millions of Americans. Despite the rhetoric from many Republican lawmakers, however, data indicates that yanking pandemic unemployment benefits — as a handful of states have already done — did not contribute to job growth. Researchers at JPMorgan found “zero correlation” between job growth and state decisions to drop the federal unemployment aid, the Associated Press reported.

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(NEW YORK) — Get ready to catch ’em all!

Oreo just announced the release of a limited-edition Pokémon cookie pack.

The Pokémon x Oreo cookie pack pays tribute to some of your favorite Pokémon, including Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.

There are 16 designs and each Oreo will be embossed with a different character.

Some cookies will be harder to find than others, just like in the Pokémon world.

“The rarity of the designs embossed on the cookies range from easy to find to hard to find, and the hardest to find (Mew) is featured on an extremely limited amount of the total cookies produced,” Oreo said in a press release.

Along with the collaboration, there will be an art installation with more than 8,000 3-D replicas of the cookies on the Venice Beach Boardwalk in Los Angeles until Oct. 3.

The Pokémon x OREO cookie pack will be available at retailers nationwide starting Sept 13.

Time to eat ’em all.

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(NEW YORK) — Jury selection for the trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes began last week and was completed over a three-day process, with the prosecution and the defense agreeing on seven men and five women.

Holmes was charged by the Department of Justice with 12 counts of fraud more than three years ago, accused of defrauding investors, patients and doctors. She potentially faces decades in prison if convicted. She has pleaded not guilty.

Three weeks ago, a panel of 240 potential jurors were summoned to complete a 28-page questionnaire that focused heavily on their media consumption and knowledge of those involved with the case, as well as their own medical history. The defense had originally submitted a more extensive questionnaire with 112 pages and 45 questions that presiding United States District Judge Edward Davila then trimmed.

Of the 240 potential jurors, Davila and attorneys from both the prosecution and defense called in 132 to the Robert F. Peckham Federal Courthouse for questioning. Holmes was present in the courtroom alongside her team of lawyers, who watched and took notes as potential jurors entered for voir dire.

One of Davila’s first questions to the potential jurors was related to whether any of them had seen the media coverage surrounding Holmes. About half raised their hands, including now-dismissed potential juror Michael Roccaforte.

Roccaforte spoke exclusively to ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis on “The Dropout: Elizabeth Holmes on Trial” podcast, where he described his experience throughout the process. He recalled seeing Holmes standing in front of the courthouse while he and other potential jurors were walking in.

“She was kind of staring at all the jurors as they walked in … almost looking as if she was about to greet us or something,” Roccaforte told ABC News.

Once in the courtroom, he described Holmes as “confident, poised” and “a little bit intense.”

Roccaforte, who is a radio producer in San Francisco, told Davila it would be difficult for him to do his job and avoid seeing the breaking news around the trial.

“I’m looking at my computer and it’s just Theranos, Theranos, Theranos,” he told ABC News, recalling his conversation in court.

Ultimately, Roccaforte was dismissed, and the banter between him and Davila caused some in the crowd to laugh, including Holmes.

“Elizabeth Holmes looked back at me and chuckled herself and we made eye contact for a second,” Roccaforte said.

Other potential jurors were released for a range of reasons, from their own health issues to financial hardships to biases they couldn’t put aside.

“The ideal juror for Elizabeth Holmes would be someone who would … find her to be a likable kind of person … or has either personally or knows someone close to them who believes they have been wrongfully prosecuted in a case, so they just have a general mistrust of government or authority figures,” James McGarity, a partner at the jury consulting firm R&D Strategic Solutions, told Jarvis on “The Dropout: Elizabeth Holmes on Trial.”

Defense attorney Jose Baez said the defense would benefit if the jury included a small business owner or entrepreneur.

“You want people who have the audacity to take a chance, to risk their livelihood on something that’s unproven and, at the same time, they could relate to having bad people working for you or sometimes things that are outside of your control,” Baez said.

As for the prosecution’s ideal juror, defense attorney Dick DeGuerin, who is currently representing accused murderer Robert Durst, said they would like somebody “that wants to enforce the law no matter what.”

McGarity agreed, saying the prosecution would likely seek “people who are what we call ‘law and order’ types, who invest a lot of faith in the law and law enforcement, people who believe that charges against someone like Ms. Holmes would not be brought unless there is solid evidence.”

The jury now ranges in age from 19 to about 60 years old. Of the 12 jurors, six are white, four are Hispanic, and two are Asian. There are also two jurors who said that English was not their first language, with one saying that she had to use a translation device on her phone to understand some of the words in the questionnaire.

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(DETROIT) — People looking to buy a new car, might want to pump the brakes on their search for now. General Motors announced it will temporarily shut down eight of its 15 North American assembly plants due to a microchip shortage that automakers need to build vehicles.

The shutdown takes effect Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Watch the full report from ABC’s Good Morning America:

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(WASHINGTON) — Expanded pandemic unemployment benefits, put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, expired on Monday.

Impacting approximately 12 million Americans, the benefits had been in place for more than a year, providing an additional $300 per week in unemployment insurance as well as expanded benefits for gig workers and people who have been unemployed long term.

The White House said Friday there was no plan to reevaluate the end date of these benefits.

“As you know that was temporary, the emergency unemployment benefits,” Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

“It’s important to take a step back to look at the national landscape here,” Jean-Pierre added. “In about half of all states, 24 governors have already made the decision to eliminate pandemic unemployment benefits, in the remaining 26 states, unemployment levels vary wildly from 3 to 7%.”

She also reiterated Biden’s calls for states that want to extend those benefits to use funding from the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.

Last week, new data from the Department of Labor showed a steep decline in the number of jobs added in August. Employers added just 235,000 jobs last month, down from the approximately 1 million jobs added in both June and July. These numbers come as the spread of the more contagious delta variant has appeared to slow the pace of economic recovery.

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