WASHINGTON – In testimony that stunned both Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday, Gordon Sondland, the U.S. Wednesday marked the third time Sondland has provided testimony to the committee, but the first time he has done so publicly. Here are the most important things Sondland revealed. Mr. Giuliani demanded that Ukraine make a public statement announcing investigations of the 2016 election/DNC server and Burisma,” Sondland testified. And while these exchanges at times sounded like political t

Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he would not order his administration to investigate Donald Trump if the former vice president is elected in 2020. “Look, I would not direct my Justice Department like this president does. I would let them make their independent judgment,” Biden said during the fifth Democratic debate in Atlanta. That’s not the role of the president of the United States,” Biden said. “If that was the judgment, that he violated the law and he should be in fact criminally prosecute

President Donald Trump hosted a previously undisclosed dinner with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook board member Peter Thiel at the White House in October, the company told NBC News on Wednesday. It is unclear why the meeting was not made public or what Trump, Zuckerberg and Thiel discussed. The White House declined to comment. The dinner was the second meeting between Zuckerberg and Trump in a month. Zuckerberg also met with the president in the Oval Office in a surprise meeting during

Jamie Grill | Getty ImagesSometimes it pays to hold off on that holiday bonus. Workers on Wall Street received an average bonus of $153,700 in 2018, according to a report from the New York State Comptroller’s office. Know your bracketIt pays to know your income tax bracket for both 2019 and 2020. This way, you lower your income tax obligation for this year. Your employer can withhold federal income taxes from your bonus at a flat 22% or may give you your bonus along with your salary and use the

President Donald Trump has scheduled a meeting Friday with vaping industry executives and public health advocates, among others, as he weighs a federal ban on flavored e-cigarettes, the White House said Wednesday. “As the President has said, there is a serious problem among our youth and their growing addiction to e-cigarettes,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. The White House hasn’t released its invite list yet. The White House earlier this month abruptly canceled meetings

Tobacco stocks rose Wednesday as the Food and Drug Administration delayed its plan to cut nicotine levels in cigarettes to minimally or non-addictive levels. The FDA’s newly updated list does not include a regulation to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes, a plan former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced in July 2017. He said the agency is reviewing comments it received in response to the proposal to cap nicotine levels in cigarettes. Gottlieb announced the plan to cap the nicotine level

And “Frozen II” looks to be its sixth. Anna and Olaf from from Disney’s “Frozen II,” voiced by Kristen Bell and Josh Gad. “Frozen II” picks up not long after the end of “Frozen,” with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leaving Arendelle to travel to an ancient forest in a far-off enchanted land. If sales and consumer interest remain high, “Frozen II” could dethrone “Incredibles 2” and become the top animated movie opening in North America of all time. The themes of “Frozen II” are more mature t

Hong Kong bill passes the HouseCNBC’s Ylan Mui and Eunice Yoon report that a bill supporting the protesters in Hong Kong has passed the House. Discussing how it will impact trade talks, with CNBC’s Melissa Lee and the Fast Money traders, Pete Najarian, Mark Tepper, Karen Finerman and Guy Adami.

Retailers Macy’s, Nordstrom and Gap report third quarter earnings on Thursday, continuing a volatile week for retail earnings. Credit Suisse is expecting Macy’s to report a loss of 1 cent, with same-store sales slowing 1.5%. Nordstrom will earn 62 cents per share and same-store sales will drop 3.6%, according to Credit Suisse. Embattled retailer Gap is expected to earn 51 cents per share and same-store sales will slow 4% this quarter, Credit Suisse said. In Q3 of 2018, Gap reported earnings of 6

Victoria’s Secret parent company L Brands rose 4% in extended trading Wednesday after the company posted mixed third-quarter results. L Brands posted adjusted earnings per share of 2 cents on revenue of $2.68 billion, compared with Refinitiv consensus estimates of 2 cents EPS on revenue of $2.69 billion. The company posted fourth-quarter revenue of $294 million, while its full-year revenue came in at $1.26 billion. Shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb rose more than 1% in extended trading after the co

Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] The fourth round of public impeachment hearings continues with Defense Department official Laura Cooper and State Department official David Hale, who are scheduled to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday afternoon. “And they were trying to find ways to engage the President on this.” Hale described in his closed-door testimony an effort by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to determine who was behind a m

So, I think that this whole story line that it’s Kohl’s and Home Depot versus, say, Lowe’s and Target is false. Moody’s lead retail analyst Charles O’Shea said Target impressed even his team with its quarterly report:”I think Target’s one of the best retailers out there right now, and I think there’s room for Target to run on all fronts. So, I think Target’s just rockin’ and rollin’ right now.” One of the best signs I see that the consumer is very healthy is that in good times, Target beats Walm

Les Wexner, chief executive of Victoria’s Secret parent L Brands, has never been under more pressure. Revenue fell short of expectations as declining Victoria’s Secret sales continued to weigh on results. Wexner’s wife, Abigail, previously worked at the law firm L Brands hired to conduct the review, Davis Polk. L Brands and Barington reached a truce in April that added the fund as a special advisor to the company. L Brands has also explored an investment known as “private investment in public eq

The first email “said that the Ukrainian embassy and House Foreign Affairs Committee are asking about security assistance,” Cooper testified. That same morning, Trump asked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a phone call to “look into” unsubstantiated allegations against former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Trump and his allies, as well as Zelenskiy himself, have argued there was “no pressure” on Ukraine by the White House. As evidence, some have claimed that Ukraine was not

Doubts about a trade agreement have been rising, particularly since the U.S. Senate unanimously voted Tuesday to support the Hong Kong protesters. I’m much more worried about Hong Kong and the persecution of the Muslims. “It’s always been a risk that the phase one deal was not a done deal. Goldman Sachs economists, in a note early Wednesday, said uncertainty around the deal increased due to the Congressional vote on Hong Kong. The later phase deal would deal with much thornier issues of intellec

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during signing ceremony committing Google to help expand information technology education at El Centro College in Dallas, Texas, October 3, 2019. Democratic congressional leaders from the Hispanic, Black and Asian Pacific American caucuses scolded Google CEO Sundar Pichai for the recent hiring of a former Trump administration official who had supported the Muslim ban. The letter from House leaders berated Pichai and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, citing reports fr

The demand for Google data, known as a geofence warrant, is a way for law enforcement authorities to take advantage of the company’s collection of massive amounts of information on its customers. Prosecutors say that the search was legal because Chatrie had opted into Google’s location services, allowing his Android phone and the company’s apps to track his movements. “The geofence warrant allowed them to solve the crime and protect the public by examining a remarkably limited and focused set of

Early Facebook employee and Silicon Valley investor Chamath Palihapitiya said Wednesday that he strongly supports Elizabeth Warren’s proposed wealth tax. Warren’s so-called wealth tax would include a 6% tax on wealth over $1 billion and a 2% tax on every dollar of wealth held between $50 million and $1 billion. The tax has landed Warren in the crosshairs of billionaires such as Omega Advisors CEO Leon Cooperman who have emotionally attacked the proposed tax. Fellow billionaire Palihapitiya, howe

PayPal is making the biggest acquisition in its two-decade history, announcing on Wednesday that it’s buying Honey Science for about $4 billion. PayPal said Honey’s technology will help it reach consumers as they begin their “shopping journeys” with personalized offers. Prior to Honey, the company’s biggest purchase was last year’s $2.2 billion acquisition of iZettle, a Swedish payments company. Founded in 2012, Honey operates a browser extension tool that automatically searches for and applies

An Uber self-driving car drives down 5th Street in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesSeveral Senators offered sharp criticism of Tesla and Uber during a Commerce Committee hearing on self-driving vehicles on Wednesday. Tesla autopilot ‘cheats’One of the most dramatic moments during the hearing on Wednesday came when Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass. In one easy Autopilot cheat, drivers affix a water bottle or orange to their Tesla steering wheel, adding weight to it. D.-N.M, sugg