Monday's economy & business stories

Trump's tweets, inspired by Fox News
Here's another example of the president getting his earliest daily briefing from cable news:
122 vicious prisoners, released by the Obama Administration from Gitmo, have returned to the battlefield. Just another terrible decision! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2017
And here's the inspiration, via Fox and Friends:
Former Gitmo detainee killed by a U.S. airstrike in Yemen; at least 122 former Gitmo detainees have re-engaged in terrorism pic.twitter.com/y9jb420fFZ — FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) March 7, 2017
Why it matters: As Trump continues to rage against the establishment press, he'll increasingly follow the story lines from conservative media, meaning this will only intensify.
Why it matters even more: As Miami Herald reporter Carol Rosenberg pointed out to Trump on Twitter, that 122 number isn't correct. Of those 122 Trump claimed were released by President Obama, 113 were released under President George W. Bush.

GM to lay off 1,100 workers at Michigan plant
General Motors will lay off 1,100 workers at its Lansing Delta Township assembly plant in Michigan as it shifts production of its GMC Acadia SUV, reports the Lansing State Journal. GM added 800 jobs at its Tennessee plant last year for the latest Acadia.
The Lansing plant will continue to build the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave, and workers were given a 60-day notice of the layoffs on Monday.
Note: Although GM announced in January that it would invest $1 billion in its U.S. factories, the company has introduced several cuts to its American factories in recent months.
Liberal groups get ransom demands
Russian hackers are said to be seeking hush money from liberal U.S. groups, reports Bloomberg's Michael Riley. His article points to the post-election crime wave of attackers demanding bitcoins, as well as to the Center for American Progress, a group said to have been targeted. Other findings:
- "At least a dozen groups have faced extortion attempts since the U.S. presidential election."
- "The ransom demands are accompanied by samples of sensitive data in the hackers' possession. In one case, a non-profit group and a prominent liberal donor discussed how to use grant money to cover some costs for anti-Trump protesters."
- "At least some groups have paid the ransoms even though there is little guarantee the documents won't be made public anyway. Demands have ranged from about $30,000 to $150,000, payable in untraceable bitcoins."
- "The Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank with strong links to both the Clinton and Obama administrations, and Arabella Advisors, which guides liberal donors who want to invest in progressive causes, have been asked to pay ransoms." (CAP president Neera Tanden denies her organization has been hacked/targeted for ransom).
