The daily business briefing: December 14, 2018

1. Theresa May asks European leaders for help selling Brexit plan

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday urged European Union leaders to make concessions that would help her push a Brexit deal through Britain's Parliament. "There is a majority in my Parliament who want to leave with a deal, so with the right assurances this deal can be passed," said May, a day after surviving a no-confidence vote. She warned that failing to win lawmakers' approval would result in Britain leaving the European Union without a deal, "with all the disruption that would bring." May's European counterparts responded by noting that May's government was not offering any specifics on what could be done. "It is the U.K. leaving the EU," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. "And I would have thought it was rather more up to the British government to tell us exactly what they want."

The Associated Press

2. Bomb threats demanding money from businesses appear to be hoax

Dozens of businesses and institutions in the U.S. and Canada were evacuated and searched after receiving emailed bomb threats on Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether all of the threats were related. San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Miami, and Washington, D.C., were among the cities affected. "As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety," the FBI said. An email forwarded to CNN by an Oklahoma City business demanded $20,000 via Bitcoin. Police in New York and other departments said there was no evidence the emails represented a credible threat. "It appears to be a robo-email that has been sent throughout the area hoping to scam businesses out of money," Cedar Rapids police said.

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3. U.S. stocks head to lower open on weak economic data from China

U.S. stock-index futures fell early Friday after economic data from China came in weaker than expected, intensifying fears of a global economic slowdown. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to an opening decline of more than 200 points. The Dow rose 70 points or 0.3 percent on Thursday, while the S&P 500 was flat, slightly in negative territory, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.6 percent. Stocks started the week with more of the volatility that has plagued markets for weeks, before signs of easing U.S.-China trade tensions improved investor sentiment.

CNBC

4. Federal agencies narrow sources of E. coli in romaine lettuce

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that the strain of E. coli causing an outbreak blamed on romaine lettuce has been found in a reservoir on a farm in Santa Barbara County, California. The CDC is still advising people not to eat romaine grown in California's Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Barbara counties, and the agencies are looking for other possible sources. The outbreak has sickened 59 people across 15 states and Washington, D.C. No deaths have been reported. Ian Williams, chief of the CDC's outbreak response and prevention branch, said it was "premature" to say the outbreak is over, but that since the last illness was reported on Nov. 16, "it's moving in the right direction."

CNN

5. Trump slams GM for new focus on electric vehicles

President Trump on Thursday criticized General Motors' shift toward electric vehicles, which came as the U.S. automaker announced that it would close four U.S. plants and cut 15,000 jobs in North America. "They've changed the whole model of General Motors. They've gone to all-electric. All-electric is not going to work," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. GM plans to launch 20 new electric vehicles by 2023 to meet demand and regulatory requirements for zero-emission vehicles in China and other markets. GM CEO Mary Barra has faced a backlash from the White House and lawmakers from states where plants are shutting down.

Reuters