Business Highlights

NEW YORK (AP) — Special circumstances — from politics to Silicon Valley's problem with diversity — have contributed to the outrage and subsequent firing of a Google engineer who blamed biological differences for the paucity of women in tech.

[...] workplace experts and lawyers say the fallout should still serve as a warning to anyone in any industry expressing unpopular, fiery viewpoints.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A member of the Federal Reserve's interest-setting committee said Wednesday it would be appropriate for the central bank to announce next month that it was starting to trim its $4.5 trillion balance sheet, but wait until December before raising a key interest rate again.

A Kentucky man and his transgender wife has sued Amazon, alleging that they endured sustained discrimination and harassment during a year as co-workers at the mammoth online retailer's warehouse in northern Kentucky.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon audit has found a British company hired to train Afghan intelligence officers billed the U.S. government for high-end cars and paid the "significant others" of the firm's top executives six-figure salaries even though there's no proof they did any work.

(AP) — Morris Communications will sell its 11 daily newspapers and other publications in those markets to New Media Investment Group, the parent company of GateHouse Media Inc., the companies announced Wednesday.

New Media said in a news release it will pay $120 million to purchase Morris Publishing Group, the newspaper division of Georgia-based Morris Communications.

Utah's $1.9 billion claim against the Environmental Protection Agency for a multi-state mine waste spill says Utah's water, soil and wildlife were damaged, but offers no specifics.

Wholesale gasoline was little changed at $1.62 a gallon, heating oil rose 2 cents to $1.65 a gallon and natural gas rose 6 cents to $2.88 per 1,000 cubic feet.