‘60 Minutes’ chief is ousted

CBS entered a new stage of turmoil Wednesday with the ouster of the longtime executive producer of “60 Minutes,” its flagship news brand, amid a cascading scandal over sexual misconduct that days ago ended the career of the network’s chief executive, Leslie Moonves.

Jeff Fager, who was only the second person in 50 years to oversee “60 Minutes,” was fired for sending a text message that threatened the career of a CBS reporter who was looking into allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him and Moonves. The president of CBS News, David Rhodes, told staff Fager’s departure was “not directly related” to those allegations of sexual harassment, which Fager has denied.

Trade groups turn up heat on Trump

American businesses that have been unable to stop President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs are mounting a last-ditch effort to convince him that his trade policies are hurting his political base.

In a campaign that includes television advertisements, rallies in targeted congressional districts and online persuasion efforts, companies and business groups led by the National Retail Federation are highlighting the damage the tariffs are bringing to companies and workers. The effort, called Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, focuses on the economic pain that manufacturers say is being inflicted upon industries in parts of the country that lifted Trump to the White House.

Lawsuit targets kids’ game apps

New Mexico’s attorney general filed a lawsuit claiming the maker of “Fun Kid Racing,” which lets children race cartoon cars with animal drivers, had violated a federal children’s privacy law through dozens of Android apps that shared children’s data. The suit accuses the app-maker, Tiny Lab Productions, along with online ad businesses run by Google, Twitter and three other companies, of flouting a law intended to prevent the personal data of children under 13 from falling into the hands of predators, hackers and manipulative marketers. The suit also contends Google misled consumers by including the apps in the family section of its store.

An analysis by The New York Times found that children’s apps by other developers were also collecting data. The review of 20 children’s apps — 10 each on Google Android and Apple iOS — found examples on both platforms that sent data to tracking companies, potentially violating children’s privacy law; the iOS apps sent less data overall. These findings are consistent with those published this spring by academic researchers who analyzed nearly 6,000 free children’s Android apps.

— Bulletin wire reports