BRUSSELS—Negotiations among the European Union’s 27 leaders for recovery plans worth €1.8 trillion ($2.06 trillion) were deadlocked late Sunday, leading to tense exchanges and fears of a breakdown. After three days of talks to agree a proposed spending package to lift Europe’s economy out of a coronavirus-sparked slump, EU leaders were still divided over the…

During the past quarter-century, many American cities flourished as crime tumbled and educated young workers moved to revitalized downtowns, changing the economic and political landscape of the nation. Three major shocks now threaten to upend that urban renaissance: The coronavirus is preying on densely packed places; anger over policing is producing social unrest reminiscent of…

HONG KONG—Hong Kong teachers who backed antigovernment protests—by taking to the streets or supporting the demonstrators on social media—are being reprimanded and, in some cases, fired as China’s Communist Party moves to stamp out dissent. Many observers say they fear the city’s tradition of liberal education and critical thinking will be supplanted by Chinese-style pro-government…

New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf took a sip of water after a 2019 meeting with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and found his bottle full of salt. While he was out of the room, she had poured in, he estimated, about 17 packets’ worth. Known among some for her practical jokes, Ms. Lujan Grisham says…

New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf took a sip of water after a 2019 meeting with Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and found his bottle full of salt. While he was out of the room, she had poured in, he estimated, about 17 packets’ worth. Known among some for her practical jokes, Ms. Lujan Grisham says…

Colleges eager to cut costs amid a financial crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have settled on an easy target: low-profile sports that don’t draw many spectators, attract a disproportionate number of white or foreign athletes and are relatively pricey to operate. Schools ranging from highly selective private institutions like Stanford University to public…

As the power brokers of college football frantically maneuver to save the 2020 season, some are asking a very big favor from their athletes: accept the risk of playing during the coronavirus pandemic. A number of schools have required or encouraged athletes to sign forms acknowledging the health risks of playing during the pandemic, and…

WASHINGTON—Some government contractors took out loans from the Paycheck Protection Program even as they were paid for government work during the pandemic, a Wall Street Journal analysis shows. The forgivable loans were a lifeline for thousands of hard-hit businesses whose revenue evaporated this spring. Many contractors also judged themselves eligible even though they were working…

The hack last week that exposed Twitter Inc.’s longstanding security issues started with a process familiar to almost every internet user: the password reset. In part by manipulating Twitter employees via a technique known as social engineering, hackers were able to change the passwords on 45 accounts without the owners being aware, according to the…

Pressure is building on General Motors Co., Volkswagen AG and other major auto makers to deliver on their electric-vehicle plans, as investor enthusiasm for the technology has grown in recent months. Despite some coronavirus-related setbacks, car companies in the coming months are expected to unleash a wave of new plug-in models in an effort...

Big U.S. companies are deciding March and April moves won’t cut it. The fierce resurgence of Covid-19 cases and related business shutdowns are dashing hopes of a quick recovery, prompting businesses from airlines to restaurant chains to again shift their strategies and staffing or ramp up previous plans to do so. They are turning furloughs…

Eric Perkins believes Tesla Inc. shares have climbed too quickly, to heights the company’s earnings can’t sustain. He’s still not selling. A 44-year-old living outside San Diego, Mr. Perkins says he normally would sell to lock in a profit when a stock quadruples in four months. But after missing past Tesla rallies, he is determined…

Canada won’t allow the Blue Jays to play Major League Baseball games in Toronto this season, citing the risk posed by team players and staff traveling to parts of the U.S. where the risk of Covid-19 transmission is elevated. The country’s immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, issued the ruling Saturday, just five days before the start…

Canada won’t allow the Blue Jays to play Major League Baseball games in Toronto this season, citing the risk posed by team players and staff traveling to parts of the U.S. where the risk of Covid-19 transmission is elevated. The country’s immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, issued the ruling Saturday, just five days before the start…

Walt Disney Co. has dramatically slashed its advertising spending on Facebook Inc., according to people familiar with the situation, the latest setback for the tech giant as it faces a boycott from companies upset with its handling of hate speech and divisive content. Disney was Facebook’s top U.S. advertiser for the first six months of…

Martha Jones once had her heart set on a law career. “I thought I wanted to go to law school post-undergrad, but I wanted to get some experience working,” said the 27-year-old. After graduating from Temple University in Philadelphia, she moved to Washington, D.C., and worked first as a legal aide, then as a recruiter…

Face masks are emerging as one of the most powerful weapons to fight the novel coronavirus, with growing evidence that facial coverings help prevent transmission—even if an infected wearer is in close contact with others. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he believes the pandemic could be brought under…

MOSCOW—Tens of thousands of people in Russia’s Far East marched in protests triggered by the arrest of a popular regional governor, but that have since morphed into a wave of growing dissatisfaction over social issues and the rule of President Vladimir Putin. Saturday’s demonstrations marked the eighth consecutive day of public actions since the July…

The White House’s freewheeling approach to policy-making faces a key test next week as negotiations begin with Congress over extending emergency economic relief measures during the coronavirus pandemic. The stakes are high. Economists say the next aid package will be critical in shaping the pace of recovery from the biggest economic crisis since the Great…

Last November, a federal judge ordered an asset freeze against a California company that the Federal Trade Commission accused of pretending to be working with the Education Department and promising student-loan debt relief that never materialized. Six months later, the company, Arete Financial Group, got a lifeline from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program. Arete,…

Big banks expect the coronavirus recession to cut a wide swath through corporate America. When they reported second-quarter earnings this past week, big U.S. lenders said they don’t expect the U.S. economy to pull out of its slump soon. A protracted downturn, bank executives said, bodes poorly for all manner of American businesses, even those…

Twitter Inc. said the hackers behind this week’s attack on its systems and high-profile users walked away with some personal information, indicating that the perpetrators carried out more than a cryptocurrency-related scam. In its fullest accounting so far of the hack, Twitter said late Friday the attackers targeted 130 accounts and reset passwords on 45…

When Litisha Thomas heard through the gossip mill that the shuttered Sam’s Club where she’d worked for 11 years might be reopening in her rural North Carolina hamlet, she immediately jumped on an internet job board to see if it was hiring. It was, but this wasn’t a conventional reopening. Sam’s Club, the discount shopping…

In early 2014, the High-Impact Innovation Team in General Electric Co.’s Connecticut headquarters received an urgent call: It was time to present one of their apps to Jeff Immelt. The chief executive had an expanding interest in tech, having promised an “industrial internet” that GE would help build for the world. It was the job…

The American Hospital Association on Friday appealed a decision upholding a Trump administration rule that requires hospitals disclose the rates they negotiate with insurance companies that aren’t made public. The trade group argued the rule goes against congressional intent and is based on an unlawful interpretation of federal law, according to its filing with the…

PORTLAND, Ore.—On the 47th consecutive day of protests in this city, more than 200 people marched across the Morrison Bridge into the center of downtown to hear a speech by a Black woman who said her son had been killed by police. Most left after the event ended at dusk on Tuesday, but a couple…

The Federal Trade Commission is considering taking sworn testimony from Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg as part of its investigation into whether the social-media giant has violated U.S. antitrust laws, according to people familiar with the matter. Top Facebook officials are preparing for potential depositions and some are…

As coronavirus cases surge across the U.S., wait times for many people tested by pharmacy chain CVS Health Corp. are stretching longer than they were told to expect. CVS, the biggest retail-chain conductor of Covid-19 tests in the U.S., on Monday instructed some employees administering tests to tell customers that it typically takes five to…

The Pentagon has presented the White House with options to reduce the American military presence in South Korea as the two countries remain at odds over President Trump’s demand that Seoul greatly increase how much it pays for the U.S. troops stationed in the country, U.S. officials said. The Pentagon’s Joint Staff has reviewed the…

Saad al Jabri was America’s closest antiterrorism contact in the Arab world for more than 15 years, beginning after the 9/11 attacks. The Saudi spymaster had informants, access to billions of government dollars, close relationships with key members of the royal family and an ability to get things done that Americans found rare among their…

Now Playing 7/17/2020 7:19AM      In many places around the world, holiday travel is permitted again. So how do you travel safely if you want to go on vacation this summer? WSJ’s George Downs takes a weekend trip to find out. Photo composite: George Downs Up Next Editor Picks Shelf 5:21 South Korea’s Key Weapon to…

By Jennifer Levitz and Melissa Korn July 17, 2020 11:02 am ET Seventeen years before he pleaded guilty to running the nationwide college-admissions cheating scheme exposed by federal authorities last year in Operation Varsity Blues, William “Rick” Singer made a strong impression in Omaha, Neb., where he showed how far he was willing to go…

Now Playing 7/17/2020 7:19AM      In many places around the world, holiday travel is permitted again. So how do you travel safely if you want to go on vacation this summer? WSJ’s George Downs takes a weekend trip to find out. Photo composite: George Downs Up Next Editor Picks Shelf 5:21 South Korea’s Key Weapon to…

Netflix Inc.’s decision to elevate the company’s chief content officer to co-chief executive, sharing the power and the spotlight with co-founder Reed Hastings, highlights a relatively rare management arrangement: dual chief executives. In the S&P 500, few companies have co-CEO arrangements, and a number have recently abandoned the structure, slimming down to a lone executive…

This summer, the planets favorably align for spacecraft to reach Mars with the least amount of fuel. China is among the countries undertaking the mission while working on bigger ambitions that could challenge the U.S.’s leadership in space. ...

Money management giant BlackRock Inc.’s quarterly profit rose 21% as investors leaned on its bond funds to make new bets in volatile markets roiled by the coronavirus pandemic. The investment firm posted second-quarter profit of $1.2 billion, or $7.85 a share, up from the year-prior period of $1 billion, or $6.41 a share. Its revenue rose…