Business news in brief

By The Associated Press

Ford recalls Maverick pickups in U.S.

DEARBORN, Mich. | Ford is recalling nearly 243,000 Maverick small pickup trucks in the U.S. because the tail lights may not illuminate.

The company says a computer can falsely detect too much current on one or both of the lights, causing them to stay dark while the trucks are moving. That can increase the risk of a crash.

The recall covers certain pickups from the 2022 through 2024 model years. Ford says it has no reports of any crashes or injuries due to the problem.

Dealers will update software to fix the problem at no cost to owners, who will be notified by letter starting May 20.

Trump awarded 36 million more Trump Media shares

WASHINGTON | Former President Donald Trump has secured another $1.6 billion worth of shares in Trump Media. That’s according to a regulatory filing this week.

Based on the company’s stock hitting certain price benchmarks, Trump was awarded an additional 36 million shares in the company that owns his social media platform Truth Social. That brings his total ownership to more than 114 million shares, which based on Tuesday’s closing price, are worth $5.1 billion. For now, the value of those shares is considered “paper wealth.”

Trump is prohibited from selling any shares for six months after Trump Media went public without securing a waiver from the company’s board.

U.S. imposes

new sanctions on Russia

WASHINGTON | The United States on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on hundreds of companies and people tied to Russia’s weapons development program, more than a dozen Chinese entities accused of helping Moscow find workarounds to earlier penalties, and individuals linked to the death of Kremlin opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The actions by the departments of Treasury and State target Russia’s military-industrial base, chemical weapons programs and people and companies in third countries that help Russia acquire weapons components as its invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the action “will further disrupt and degrade Russia’s war efforts by going after its military industrial base and the evasion networks that help supply it.”

—From AP reports