Damage control: Starbucks wants to add training for store managers on “unconscious bias,” CEO Kevin Johnson says, as activists held more protests at a Philadelphia store where two black men were arrested when employees said they were trespassing. Johnson, who has called the arrests “reprehensible,” arrived in Philadelphia this weekend after video of the arrests gained traction online. He said he hopes to meet with the two men in the next couple of days and apologize to them face-to-face. Read more.
Waivers: The U.S. Commerce Department is facing a flood of applications from American companies seeking exemptions from President Donald Trump’s newly imposed tariffs for steel and aluminum, The Washington Post reports. More than 1,200 companies have submitted applications seeking waivers from the steel tariffs and 125 are requesting exemptions from the aluminum tariffs. Each exemption provides relief to a U.S. business but waters down the effectiveness of the tariffs. The president imposed a 25% tariff on steel and 10% tariff on aluminum. Many lawyers and business leaders involved in the steel industry say this is just the beginning of the push for greater exemptions. Read more.
Auto wars: General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. are waging war in their showrooms, Bloomberg reports. GM is offering a $10,000 discount on its Escalade SUV—a cash cow for Cadillac and the company—to some current customers in an effort to keep them from straying to Ford’s hot-selling new Lincoln Navigator. The nationwide deal applies to lessees of all 2016 model Escalades. GM has ample reason to keep Escalade buyers coming back. While the Escalade outsells the Navigator, Lincoln’s contender is quickly gaining ground. Navigator deliveries have risen 63% this year. Read more.
