mastercard inc.

Lawmakers are pushing legislation that would reform the credit card industry with the purpose of fostering greater competition, prompting widespread outcry from a diverse coalition.

Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised to protect Americans from "financial censorship" by companies colluding with the government.

Major payment processing companies have paused work on a plan to track when cardholders make purchases at gun stores, dealing a blow to gun-control advocates.

The Florida Arms and Ammo Act would prohibit financial institutions and payment processors from separately categorizing gun and ammo purchases in the state.

Retail sales rose 7.6% during the critical holiday season, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, a measure that tracks online and in-store spending.

Attorneys general from Tennessee, Montana and 22 other states warned credit card companies a plan to track gun purchases could violate consumer protection laws.

Twenty-three Republican attorneys general pushed Visa, Mastercard and American Express not to track purchases at U.S. gun stores on Tuesday, saying the data will be misused.

House Republicans asked credit card CEOs if they are going to support a move to create individual codes identifying gun purchases, making it easier to track individual buyers.

Several global shipping giants have suspended bookings to and from Russia amid the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Despite a supply chain crisis that has upended sectors of the U.S. economy, holiday retails sales this year increased 8.5% compared with last year, according to the latest figures released by MasterCard.