Paramount announces layoffs

Paramount said its streaming service Paramount+ posted a $26 million profit in the 2nd quarter of this year after losing $424 million during the same period last year. It expects subscriber growth in the second half of the year.

Hotel workers picket for better pay

Guests of this five-star hotel got a different kind of greeting Wednesday. The pickets from striking hotel workers filled the sidewalk from the Beverly Hilton on the north to the Waldorf Astoria to the south.

Budget deficit at $32B, Newsom says

California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state’s challenges are partly due to high inflation and a decision to let most people delay filing their taxes because of a series of winter storms.