Business News at a Glance

The Times and The New Yorker Share the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service

Pulitzer Prizes were awarded Monday to the news organizations that drove two of the biggest stories of the year: the high-stakes investigation into President Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia and the consequential reckoning about the treatment of women by powerful men. The prize for public service went to The New York Times and the New Yorker for their revelations of sexual harassment and abuse that had occurred in the spheres of Hollywood, politics and the media. The national reporting prize went to The Times and The Washington Post for their coverage of Trump’s possible ties to Russia.

Chinese Tech Company Blocked From Buying American Components

China’s second-largest maker of telecommunications equipment will not be able to use components made in the United States after the Commerce Department said it failed to punish employees who violated American sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The ban announced Monday, which effectively locks the company, ZTE Corp., out of American technology for seven years, is a blow to one of China’s few truly international technology suppliers. ZTE’s products for the infrastructure of telecommunications networks, as well as its smartphones, use an array of American parts, like microprocessors from Qualcomm, glass made by Corning and sound technology from Dolby.

Robots Ride to the Rescue Where Workers Can’t Be Found

When Zbynek Frolik needed new employees to handle surging orders at his factories in central Bohemia, he fanned advertisements across the Czech Republic. But in a prosperous economy where nearly everyone had work, there were few takers. So he turned to the robots. “We can’t find enough humans,” said Frolik, whose company, Linet, makes state-of-the art hospital beds. “We’re trying to replace people with machines wherever we can.” Such talk usually conjures visions of a future where employees are no longer needed. But in Eastern Europe, robots are being enlisted as the solution for a shortage of workers.

Marriott’s New Loyalty Program: Not as Bad as Starwood Fans Feared

In the two years since Marriott announced its intention to acquire Starwood Hotels and Resorts, skeptical customers have wondered: How many rewards and perks would Marriott take away from the 110 million members when it combined the loyalty programs? On Monday, we all found out: Not that many. The new rules will make it harder for some to qualify for the highest levels of elite status, and the program’s new co-branded American Express cards will not be as lucrative for people who like transferring hotel points into airline frequent flyer programs. But Marriott’s new Chase Visa will prove more generous.

Trump Nominates Monetary Expert for No. 2 Job at Federal Reserve

President Donald Trump continued a sweeping remake of the Federal Reserve’s leadership Monday by nominating Richard Clarida, a Treasury official in the administration of President George W. Bush, for the Fed’s second-ranking job. Clarida, a Columbia University economist, is a scholar in monetary policy whose expertise would complement the background of the Fed chairman, Jerome H. Powell, who is not an academically trained economist. In addition to the nomination of Clarida, the White House announced that Trump would nominate Michelle Bowman, the Kansas bank commissioner, for a seat on the Fed board to represent community banks.

Senate Bill to Curtail Labor Rights on Tribal Land Falls Short

Organized labor managed a rare political victory Monday when its allies turned back a Senate measure aimed at rolling back labor rights on tribal lands. The legislation would have exempted enterprises owned and operated by Native American tribes from federal labor standards, even for employees who were not tribal citizens. The AFL-CIO said passage of the measure, the subject of several years of tribal lobbying, would have amounted to the most aggressive erosion of labor protections since the 1940s. A package of bills containing the measure fell six votes short of the 60 needed to break a filibuster.

Starbucks Employee Who Called Police on Black Men No Longer Works There, Company Says

An employee who called police to the Philadelphia Starbucks where two black men were arrested last week is no longer working there, Starbucks said Monday, as the company’s chief executive apologized for the “reprehensible” episode. “We can confirm that she is no longer at that store,” a spokeswoman said. The chief executive, Kevin R. Johnson, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that what happened to the men was “wrong,” and that he wanted to meet with them personally to apologize. "It’s my responsibility to understand what happened and what led to that, and ensure that we fix it,” Johnson said.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar Wins Pulitzer for Music

In January, rapper Kendrick Lamar lost the Grammy Award for album of the year to Bruno Mars. “DAMN.,” Lamar’s fourth LP, was his third straight to be nominated but ultimately fall short of the trophy, considered by most to be the top prize in popular music. But perhaps not anymore. On Monday, Lamar’s “DAMN.” took home an even more elusive honor: the Pulitzer Prize for music. Lamar is not only the first rapper to win the award since the Pulitzers expanded to music in 1943, but he is also the first winner who is not a classical or jazz musician.