Senate panel looks at AT&T/Time dealWASHINGTON — Senators questioning the logic of a proposed merger between AT&T and Time Warner turned their focus to how the $85.4 billion megadeal would affect Americans.AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson assured the members of a Senate antitrust panel Wednesday that it would bring consumers better price options than what they have today.Still after hours of questioning, the skepticism of some senators seemed to deepen over what would be one of the largest media mergers ever.

Starbucks to boost number of shops NEW YORK — Starbucks plans to open 12,000 new locations within five years to boost its number of coffee shops worldwide by almost 50 percent.The Seattle-based chain also is adding more food to its menu in 2017 and soon customers will be able to talk to the Starbucks app to order a latte or cookie instead of tapping their smartphones.Starbucks outlined its five-year growth plans to investors on Wednesday, about a week after it announced that Howard Schultz, who helped build the brand, would step down as CEO in April.

Audi develops red light timer displayLAS VEGAS — Audi this week is unveiling technology that enables vehicles to “read” traffic signals ahead and tell the motorist how long the wait will be.It’s a simple display for the driver — a dashboard traffic signal icon and a timer — but the technology behind it is more complex. It uses 4G LTE cellular communication between the vehicle and a centralized traffic management control network.The company theorizes that a driver who knows when a light will turn green is more relaxed and aware.