A recent report by Jane King highlights several important business headlines for Friday. Firstly, many Americans are scaling back on residential pool spending, as data from Pool Corp suggests a 20% decrease in pool construction this year compared to last. This shift is attributed to Americans now spending their money on vacations and dining out instead of home renovations.
Additionally, the June jobs report released by the U.S. Labor Department shows that the economy added 206,000 jobs last month, slightly down from May’s numbers. Some economists are concerned about signs of economic weakness moving forward.
Walmart is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly overcharging customers through deceptive pricing practices. While Walmart has not commented on the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that these small price discrepancies add up to millions of dollars each year.
Heavy rainfall and flooding across the Midwest have caused crop damage in key growing areas such as Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska. It is estimated that up to 1 million U.S. corn acres may be lost due to flooding, with concerns about planting soybeans at this late stage.
Lastly, researchers have found that pasteurization effectively kills bird flu, as the virus has been detected in animals and humans across 12 states. The American Society for Microbiology conducted a study on dairy products and concluded that pasteurization can eliminate bird flu and other bacterial pathogens, providing an important tool in the fight against the virus.
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