A lawsuit filed by Uber, Postmates and other parties against a forthcoming California law regulating gig-economy work makes a feeble case, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna told CNBC on Tuesday. His district includes parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, where Uber, Postmates and other Silicon Valley technology firms are based. On Monday, Uber and Postmates joined two contractors working for the transport apps in filing a suit alleging that the state of California’s Assembly Bill 5 is unconstitutional. Being t

Microsoft will stop releasing security patches for Windows 7, which was released in 2009, on January 14, 2020. The SQL Server 2008 database software reached end of support in July, and the Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems will hit that point on January 14, 2020. Organizations have started moving to newer products, and that has helped boost Microsoft’s Server products and cloud services revenue. The SQL Server 2008 database software reached end of support in July,

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Wednesday he will continue developing his country’s nuclear deterrent and introduce a new strategic weapon in the near future, according to the North’s state-run media KCNA. Kim’s remarks came after the United States missed a year-end deadline for a restart of denuclearization talks. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped North Korea would “choose peace.” “We will reliably put on constant alert the powerful nuclear deterrent capable of containing t

Carlos Ghosn flees house arrest in Japan, lands in LebanonThe “Squawk Box” team discusses news that ousted Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn has fled house arrest in Japan and flown to Lebanon.

U.S. government debt prices moved lower on Tuesday, the last trading day of the year. ET, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to around 1.9034%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was also higher at 2.3574%. Bond yields move inversely to prices. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, the country’s top trade negotiator, is set to visit Washington later this week to sign the agreement. In terms of economic data, investors will be looking out for consumer confidence figures for De

In his 2019 speech, Kim said he might have to change course if Washington sticks to its pressure campaign and demands unilateral action, while stressing a “self-reliant” economy, a drive he has launched amid tightening sanctions. The United States was on track to ignore a year-end deadline set by Kim, which Washington has downplayed as artificial, to show more flexibility to reopen talks aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. The upcoming speech is expected to be the cu

The video spot includes animated cameos from people including Andy Warhol, who created pieces featuring the Beetle, and Kevin Bacon, whose “Footloose” character drove a Beetle. Volkswagen is saying goodbye to the Beetle, which ended production this year, in a new ad campaign called “The Last Mile.” Volkswagen said in 2018 that it would be discontinuing the iconic Beetle compact car in 2019 as it looked toward a future with mass-market electric cars. The last Beetle rolled off the assembly line a

Wildfires burning across Australia’s two most-populous states trapped residents of a seaside town in apocalyptic conditions Tuesday and were feared to have destroyed many properties and caused fatalities. Fire conditions worsened in Victoria and New South Wales states after oppressive heat Monday mixed with strong winds and lightning strikes. Samuel McPaul, 28, was the third volunteer firefighter in New South Wales to have died in the past two weeks. Australia’s wildfires have razed more than 1,

Dozens of angry Iraqi Shiite militia supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday after smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area, prompting tear gas and sounds of gunfire. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw flames rising from inside the compound and at least three U.S. soldiers on the roof of the main building inside embassy. The embassy attack followed deadly U.S. airstrikes on Sunday that killed 25 fighters of the Iran-backed militia in Iraq

West Texas Intermediate crude futures have rallied 14% this quarter and 35% this year, putting oil on track to post its best annual performance since 2016. “Hedge funds have swung from extreme bearishness to extreme bullishness,” Ned Davis Research energy strategist Warren Pies said in a note Monday. “In two months, hedge fund short positioning in crude oil futures has gone from above 35% to below 9%.” Brent crude futures are on track to return 27% this year. RBC’s Helima Croft said that an impr

A -led consortium is taking a 10% stake in Vivendi’s Universal Music Group, valuing the music label that houses Lady Gaga and The Beatles at 30 billion euros ($34 billion) and giving the Chinese firm a global backstage pass. The deal allows both companies to expand in a recovering global music market, giving Tencent more access to U.S. artists while UMG can tap into the Asian market, including big-selling “K-Pop” Korean pop stars. The initial deal would soon be followed by a second one allowing

Shares in Australia edged lower in early trade on Tuesday ahead of an early close or holiday for major markets in Asia. The S&P/ASX 200 declined around 0.8% as almost all the sectors declined. A day of muted trading activity is expected on Tuesday, with major Asian markets already closed for 2019. Markets in Japan and South Korea are closed, while Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia are also set to end their trading day earlier on Tuesday. In economic news, China’s manufacturing and non-manufactu

Credit report errors can lower your credit score, impact your chances of qualifying for new credit and result in less favorable loan terms. Dispute credit report errorsAfter you have gathered supporting documents, it’s time to begin the actual dispute process with each credit bureau. Box 4500Allen, TX 75013 By phone: (888) 397-3742TransUnionOnline: dispute.transunion.com By mail: Download the dispute form Mail the dispute form with your letter to: TransUnion LLCConsumer Dispute CenterP.O. If the

That’s because as more companies are investing in technology to collect user data, the need for professionals to interpret said data has skyrocketed. Information security engineer: $100,553 per yearSince 2010, data breaches have compromised over 38 billion accounts, according to the cybersecurity firm Risk Based Security. These breaches, and the need to protect user data, has resulted in information security being one of the fastest-growing fields. Information security engineers work to safeguar

According to data recently analyzed by job site Monster, January and February are the most popular times for people to search for a new job. Fortunately for job seekers, job openings also increase during the beginning of a new year, as employers embrace their newly refreshed annual budgets. Job site ZipRecruiter reports that job postings typically increase by 15% from December to January. Because the number of job seekers spikes at the beginning of the year, the application process can become mo

Apple and Microsoft , which surged 85% and 55% this year respectively, together accounted for nearly 15% of the S&P 500’s advance in 2019, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. 2019 is shaping up to be a historic year for the S&P 500, and the benchmark has two stocks to thank. With the launch of Apple TV, Apple Watch and Airpods, Apple managed to offset some of the loss from waning demand for iPhones. In fact, Apple has seen the biggest increase in analyst sell ratings this year among the 40 bigge

YouTube to limit data collection on videos for children: RPTCNBC’s Josh Lipton reports on YouTube limiting its data collection on videos for children on “Closing Bell.”

Basketball star LeBron James is one of the highest paid athletes today with $89 million in career earnings. James, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Monday, received his first paycheck from Nike in 2003, the year he was drafted No. “After I hand delivered it to him, LeBron took that multimillion-dollar Nike check, deposited it and came out with maybe $2,000 in cash,” Dennis told ESPN. James, who signed a four-year, $153 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, hasn’t always had mo

On average, those working in jurisdictions with minimum wage hikes will see their annual earnings increase by $150 to $1,700, the EPI reports. “Local communities all around the country strongly support raising the minimum wage, because people see their friends, neighbors or themselves working hard but not getting ahead.” Following the increases on New Year’s Day, four states and 23 cities and counties have planned additional minimum wage increases that will kick in later in 2020. Yet for all the

It will also bring in a host of retirement changes. The good news is that you will be able to save even more in your retirement accounts next year, thanks to higher limits from the IRS. And certain age limits for who can save will disappear, thanks to changes from Congress. Meanwhile, individuals who are already in retirement could see a slight bump to their Social Security benefits. Social Security benefitsIf you are receiving Social Security, you can expect a modest increase to your checks nex