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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Tuesday that $20.6bn in tariff refunds is being prepared for distribution to importers that successfully filed claims through a new government web portal established after the Supreme Court overturned a large portion of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The agency also acknowledged that a previously reported $35.5bn in refund claims had been overstated by about $10bn because of a data-query error, with the corrected figure closer to $25bn. CBP said approximately $85bn in potential and certified refunds had been accepted for processing as of May 22nd, while nearly 16m import entries are currently moving through the refund program.

 

Bloomberg

Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper has reported that the European Union is planning to hand Alphabet's Google the largest penalty it has so far imposed for a ⁠breach of its Digital Markets Act (DMA). The investigation is focused on concerns that Google favors its own services in search results and seeks to ensure compliance with local rules. "The changes we've already made to Search under the DMA represent the ​biggest downgrade in the product's history, creating a ​second-rate experience ⁠for Europeans to the benefit of a few self-interested complainants," a Google spokesperson said.

 

Reuters

The U.S. government has filed a $286m claim against bankrupt auto-parts supplier First Brands Group, alleging the company undervalued imports from China to avoid paying higher tariffs. The Justice Department is seeking repayment of unpaid duties and penalties as part of the company’s ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The allegations stem from a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2022, which accused First Brands and subsidiaries Brake Parts and Centric Parts of systematically understating the value of imported auto components after acquisitions completed in 2020. The government is continuing to investigate the claims, while former executives, including founder Patrick James, have denied wrongdoing.

 

Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal

Brazilian prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against health regulator Anvisa and the federal government seeking to ban the registration, production, sale and use of glyphosate-based products, citing risks to human health, workplace safety and the environment. The move could affect companies including Bayer, which uses glyphosate in some herbicide formulations, although the group said regulators globally have repeatedly concluded the weedkiller can be used safely and is not carcinogenic. The lawsuit follows the retraction of a long-cited scientific paper on glyphosate safety and comes amid ongoing litigation in the US, where Bayer has spent more than $10bn resolving claims linked to alleged cancer risks associated with Roundup products.

 

Bloomberg

Luxembourg steel giant ArcelorMittal has pleaded guilty to pollution charges and will pay a C$100m (€62m) fine for contaminating Canadian rivers from its largest iron ore mine. This latest fine follows a C$15m penalty in 2022 for toxic discharges into a major salmon river. The company concealed the extent of its pollution from investigators, precipitating further penalties. ArcelorMittal must submit a pollution prevention plan by February 2027. CEO Mapi Mobwano said: "We are committed to improving the environmental performance of our operations," as he highlighted a C$400m investment in pollution prevention.

 

Luxembourg Times

The Treasury Department and IRS are considering a proposal that would allow identity verification provider ID.me to retain taxpayers’ biometric data for as long as IRS accounts remain active and for 36 months after deletion, a significant extension from the current policy requiring deletion within 24 hours, according to internal documents reviewed by Politico. Officials say the proposal is intended to strengthen fraud prevention and support investigations into increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence-generated scams and deepfake attacks, including through broader biometric matching techniques, but privacy advocates, lawmakers, and some IRS employees have raised concerns about data security, oversight, potential misuse, and the long-term storage of sensitive taxpayer information by a private contractor.

 

Politico

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has said it currently has no grounds to investigate Starbucks Korea over a controversial marketing campaign that critics claimed mocked the country’s pro-democracy movement, although FTC Chairman Ju Biung-ghi said the issue would be “serious” if the campaign had been intentionally misleading or offensive. Starbucks Korea withdrew the promotion within hours after backlash over phrases including “Tank Day” and “Tak on the desk!,” which were seen as references to the 1980 Gwangju uprising and the 1987 death of student activist Park Jong-cheol. Separately, the FTC said it would review Starbucks Korea’s prepaid card refund policy, while also announcing plans to create a new investigative unit focused on major fair-trade violations involving platform operators and conglomerates.

 

The Korea Times

Have I Been Pwned, which catalogues instances of cyber attacks, has reported that a data breach at 7-Eleven compromised the personal information of over 185,000 individuals. The breach, linked to the ShinyHunters group, included names, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. Jim Kastle, 7-Eleven's chief information security officer, said that hackers accessed an internal server with sensitive franchisee documents. Additionally, the breach involved Social Security numbers and driver's licences, according to listings with state attorney general offices.

 

Techcrunch

U.S. consumers are coming under growing financial pressure as tax refunds that supported spending earlier this year are being offset by rising prices and higher fuel costs linked to the Iran conflict, according to economists and retailers. Analysts said average tax refunds of nearly $3,500 had helped sustain consumer spending, but the benefit is now fading as inflationary pressures intensify. Economists warned that prolonged energy price increases could weaken consumer demand and slow economic growth. EY Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco said higher Middle East-related price pressures have effectively erased the boost from tax refunds, while retailers including Target said the positive impact from refunds is expected to diminish during the rest of the year. The report noted that spending growth has been driven largely by wealthier households, which benefited more from recent tax cuts and are less affected by rising gasoline costs. Meanwhile, middle-income consumers are increasingly feeling financial strain as recurring expenses rise.

 

PYMNTS

Ride-hailing drivers in Massachusetts have become the first in the U.S. to certify a union, marking a significant step in the gig economy's labor movement. The achievement follows the approval of a 2024 ballot measure that allows drivers to unionize while remaining independent contractors. Jean Fredo, an Uber driver, expressed hope for improved pay and protections, saying: “With the union, it will not feel like we're working for nothing.” The union could represent nearly 70,000 drivers statewide, at a time when they face challenges including rising costs and the threat of automation. Julie Blust of the App Drivers Union emphasized the importance of collective action, saying: “Drivers now have an official organization and can speak with one voice about what's happening in this industry.”

 

AP News

Fast Company

Los Angeles Times

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has activated a Level 2 emergency response due to an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. CDC Acting Director Jay Bhattacharya said the agency is expanding recruitment for volunteers to assist with enhanced screening at entry points. The outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization, which has reported 220 suspected deaths. Volunteers will monitor travelers for signs of illness and check temperatures.

 

U.S. News