Business News at a Glance

Fed Plans to Keep Bolstering Growth, New Chief Says

Jerome H. Powell, the new chairman of the Federal Reserve, said Tuesday that his expectations for domestic economic growth have increased since the beginning of the year, citing the passage of the $1.5 trillion tax cut and stronger global growth. In testimony before Congress, Powell said that the Fed planned to continue increasing its benchmark interest rate only gradually, as it did under his predecessor, Janet L. Yellen. Powell said the Fed “will continue to strike a balance between avoiding an overheated economy” and allowing inflation to tick up toward the Fed’s target of a 2 percent annual pace.

Craft Breweries Give New Life to Cities Across the Country

Across the country, in once-bustling manufacturing centers, breweries are giving new fizz to sleepy commercial districts. If alcohol-based businesses were blamed for a breakdown of society in the Prohibition era and beyond, breweries are now being seen as a force for good. In 2016, there were 5,301 mom-and-pop beer makers, which are typically known as craft breweries. That figure rose from 4,548 in 2015, when the country surpassed its historic high-water mark of 4,131 breweries, set in 1873. Although they are small, those breweries pack an economic jolt: In 2016, they contributed about $68 billion to the national economy.

Sex-Trafficking Bill Clears House as Tech Giants Back Off

The House on Tuesday passed a bill that gives victims and prosecutors more power to sue websites that knowingly aided sex trafficking, adding a new level of accountability for internet companies. Silicon Valley had strongly opposed the bill, because it would chip away at an existing law, known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, that gives internet companies broad immunity for the content that people put on their services. Some large online companies, including Facebook, eventually backed off from their opposition to the bill after its scope was narrowed.

Sinclair Deal With Tribune Runs Into Complications

When Sinclair Broadcast Group announced its intent to buy Tribune Media in a blockbuster merger last May, the company predicted that regulators would quickly wave through the deal. But 10 months later, Sinclair remains locked in a prolonged battle with Justice Department antitrust officials over how many stations it must sell to get their approval. It is the latest cloud over Sinclair’s $3.9 billion deal, coinciding with an internal investigation at the Federal Communications Commission into the agency’s relationship with the company. The two sides are expected to come to an agreement eventually, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Amazon Buys Ring, Maker of Smart Home Products

Amazon said Tuesday that it had acquired Ring, a maker of internet-connected doorbells and cameras, pushing more deeply into the home security market. The deal is worth around $1.1 billion, according to a person briefed on the deal. Ring is best known for a doorbell with a security camera inside. Amazon has made home automation a major focus; its Echo Spot device already works with Ring doorbells. Amazon had invested an undisclosed amount in Ring through its Alexa Fund, which finances startups that integrate their products with Alexa, the Amazon intelligent assistant.

Comcast Tries Deal to Blunt Disney Push

Comcast may have found a way to disrupt Walt Disney Co.'s plan to buy most of Twenty-First Century Fox: topping Fox’s bid to buy British satellite broadcaster Sky with its own $31 billion takeover offer. The bid, plans for which were announced Tuesday, seizes upon Twenty-First Century Fox’s difficulties with British regulators in buying the piece of Sky that it does not already own. Whoever prevails, it will shake up Disney’s plans: Either Twenty-First Century Fox will have to pay more for Sky, or Disney will lose a valuable international property to Comcast.

Flying Taxis May Be Years Away, but the Groundwork Is Accelerating

Flying cars are just starting to inch their way out of science fiction. But that is not stopping some companies from planning for flying taxi services. A growing collection of tech companies, aircraft manufacturers, automakers and investors are betting that fleets of battery-powered aircraft will give rise to air taxi services, perhaps as soon as the next decade. Some of those taxis, the companies hope, may even use artificial intelligence to fly themselves. The deal-making, technology exploration and perhaps wishful thinking around this new sort of transportation are reminiscent of the work on self-driving cars just a few years ago.

NFL and Papa John’s Part Ways in Wake of Anthem Comments

The NFL has broken ties with Papa John’s several months after the company’s former chief executive suggested that its pizza sales had declined in part because of player protests during the national anthem. The league and the pizza company said they were mutually dissolving their national sponsorship deal, and that Papa John’s would focus instead on the smaller sponsorships it has with 22 of the league’s 32 teams. John Schnatter, the founder of the home-delivery pizza chain and the longtime face of the company, stepped down as chief executive at the start of this year.