For: September 18, 2026 

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed higher yesterday.  Tech has been driving the broader market higher, with names like Nvidia and Amazon both rising about two-percent.  Microsoft also gained about one-percent. Meanwhile, oil prices saw a decline, with U.S. crude trading less than one-percent lower to around 101-dollars per barrel.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 316 points to 51-778.  The S&P 500 gained 85 points to 76-37.  The Nasdaq rose 439 points to 26-418.

>>Trump Administration To Hold Million Dollar Pitch Competition

(Washington, DC)  --  Five entrepreneurs from across the U.S. will compete in Washington, DC today for a million dollars in cash from the Trump administration.  The Million Dollar Pitch Competition will feature five small businesses from California, Georgia, Iowa, Maine and Wyoming pitching their products for celebrity judges including Nicki Minaj, with the event hosted by former TV Superman Dean Cain.  A news release by the Small Business Administration says the five finalists were chosen from about 12-hundred businesses across the country.  They'll be greeted by President Trump in the Oval Office and the competition, which is being taped for a TV special, will air in October.

>>Starship Test Flight Target Date Pushed Back

(Harlingen, TX)  --  SpaceX is moving back the target date for its next launch from Starbase.  The company says it is now considering September 28th for the Starship 14 test flight after initially eyeing next Tuesday, the 22nd.  SpaceX hopes this will be the first flight to send Starship into orbit around Earth.

>>Weekly Jobless Claims Fall 

(Washington, DC)  --  Fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week than expected  The Labor Department said Thursday that it received 196-thousand initial requests in the week ending September 12th.  That's about ten-thousand fewer than the previous week, and below the 207-thousand most analysts had forecast.  

>>OpenAI Finds More AI Models Displaying Concerning Behavior

(San Francisco, CA)  --  OpenAI has found six new reports of artificial intelligence models showing "unexpected or concerning" behavior.  This, as AI firms face mounting pressure to be more transparent about their development processes. The ChatGPT maker reported  models adding unrelated instructions for certain tasks, searching for exposed code to fabricate information or uploading files to the internet to cite themselves. The company noted these are individual instances rather than overall trends.

>>SEC Reveals "Innovation Exemption" For Tokenized Stock Trading

(Washington, DC)  --  The SEC is revealing its long-awaited "innovation exemption," a new order to clear a path for tokenizing stock trading in the U.S. Tokenized stocks are digital versions of real-world stocks, represented by digital tokens on the blockchain, which is the technology that forms the foundation of cryptocurrency. The Securities and Exchange Commission noted in a fact sheet that "Over the past several years, advancements in distributed ledger technology have facilitated innovations in trading across non-security crypto assets." But it suggested that these platforms could face challenges with complying with Federal securities laws without big potential changes to its business model.

For: September 11, 2026

>>Watching Wall Street    

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street, rung by people closely connected to the tragic events of September 11th, 2001.  Stocks closed lower on Thursday amid rising oil prices as the conflict between the U.S. and Iran continues.  Elsewhere, August's producer price index rose a seasonally adjusted point-four-percent for the month as we await word today on the latest data from the consumer price index.  At yesterday's closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 316 points to 52-064.  The S&P 500 fell 44 points to 75-91. The Nasdaq dropped 171 points to 26-081.

>>Trump Announces $500 ACA Refunds For Eligible Enrollees

(Dallas, TX)  --  President Trump says nearly a million people will be getting 500-dollar Obamacare refunds starting in October.  The money will go to people in 30 states that use the federally-operated exchange to buy insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, the formal name for Obamacare.  The money comes after enrollees were hit with massive insurance premiums after Congress let subsidies expire at the end of 2025.  Recipients would mostly be those in middle-income households that don't currently receive federal assistance to pay for insurance premiums.  The 500-million in payments come just before the November midterm elections.  President Trump has also said the government would pay every adult American citizen five-thousand dollars, a total cost of about one-point-two trillion dollars, if Republicans maintain control of Congress.  

>>First Flights Of Air Taxis Starting In Texas 

(San Antonio, TX)  --  Air taxis are taking to the skies in Texas.  The state is launching the first test flights for a pilot program, which has been dubbed Project Nexus.  The state transportation department says the goal is to connect urban centers, rural communities and neighboring states.  They say these initial flights will not carry passengers.  They are designed to collect data on safe flight routes.

>>Law Banning Addictive Social Media Features Signed By California Governor

(Sacramento, CA)  --  Tech companies in California will soon be banned from offering addictive social media features to children.  Governor Gavin Newsom has signed several laws, including Assembly Bill 1709, as part of a larger effort to protect kids online.  AB 1709 bans online and social media platforms from offering features that encourage compulsive use to anyone under 16.  Banned features include infinite scroll, autoplay, and any other features the state attorney general may add later.  Some groups criticize the law for limiting young people's access to the internet.  The Electronic Frontier Foundation says the law also raises privacy concerns as companies could be forced to collect more personal information for age checks.  With the dozens of digital safety laws Newsom signed into law Thursday, California now has the strongest online protections for young users in the United States.

>>OpenAI Calls For Mandatory AI Safety Requirements

(San Francisco, CA)  --  OpenAI is calling for mandatory safety requirements for its artificial intelligence technology after a series of model hackings and warnings from researchers. In a Wednesday blog post, OpenAI's chief global affairs officer said the industry has "reached a new chapter in AI capabilities" that necessitates new policies. The ChatGPT maker says it's hoping to work with Congress on national AI safety regulation.  It comes after a safety researcher at Anthropic said the chance that AI kills all humans within the next decade is greater than ten percent.  

For: September 10, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this mornign after stocks closed lower yesterday.  It comes as crude oil prices have topped 100-dollars a barrel as fighting between the U.S. and Iran ramps up in the Persian Gulf.  The escalation of the conflict is raising the risk of oil prices surging above 120-dollars a barrel as attacks on shipping intensify, according to a Goldman Sachs research head.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 405 points to 52-380.  The S&P 500 fell 37 points to 76-36. The Nasdaq dropped 168 points to 26-253.

>>Treasury Department Triples The Maximum Of U.S. Government Debt Buyback

(Washington, DC)  --  The Treasury Department is tripling the max amount of U.S. government debt it can buy back in an effort to lower surging bond yields. The department is increasing the buyback limit to six-billion dollars per operation. The day before the announcement, the 30-year Treasury bond yield surpassed 5.33 percent, the highest mark since before the 2008 financial crisis.

>>White House Proposal Could Pay Married Couple Subsidies If One Parent Stays At Home

(Washington, DC)  --  The White House may soon reveal a proposal to pay a married couple subsidies if one parent stays at home. The New York Times was the first to report on the proposal, writing that a Health and Human Services Department fund established in the 1990s could be used for the program. It's meant to help lower-income parents afford child care. It typically offers about nine-thousand dollars per child annually. The Trump administration has not revealed specific details about the program, but a new analysis by SmartAsset  used data from MIT's Living Wage Calculator to look at how much a sole working parent would need to earn across the U.S.to support a partner and one child. In Hawaii and California, that number is more than 100-thousands-dollars a year. Arkansas is the only state in which a parent could earn less than 70-thousand annually to support a family of three.

>>Apple Unveils New Products

(Cupertino, CA)  --  Apple fans will soon be able to get their hands on the company's first-ever foldable iPhone.  The tech giant unveiled the new iPhone Duo during its "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday.  It will cost about two-thousand dollars and will be available to preorder starting October 16th.  Apple also debuted the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max which will hit shelves September 18th.  The event was the first annual fall showcase to be held under new CEO John Ternus.

>>Teachers Union Reaches AI Deal With Microsoft 

(New York, NY)  --  The American Federation of Teachers and Microsoft are reaching what's considered a first of its kind agreement regarding artificial intelligence. The deal comes just days after New York City's public schools banned AI for kids in kindergarten through eighth grade. Officials say the agreement stops the tech company from tracking students, using teacher and student data to train AI models, and allowing AI systems to independently make decisions in schools without human oversight. The union says its talking with other major companies to adopt similar regulations. 

>>Walmart Partners With Dunkin

(Bentonville, AR)  --  Walmart is running with Dunkin' in a new delivery partnership.  The retail giant is expanding their restaurant delivery business with Inspire Brands, the parent company of Dunkin.'  This new partnership will now allow customers to order drinks and food along with their Walmart delivery order in the shopping app.  The rollout will start with 150 Dunkin' locations inside Walmart stores and expand to roughly ten-thousand locations across the country.  The move builds on Walmart's restaurant-delivery test with Subway and puts the retailer in more direct competition with services like DoorDash and Uber Eats.

>>Dog Supplements Recalled Over Potential Salmonella Contamination

(Topeka, KS)  --  Two supplements for dogs are recalled over a potential salmonella contamination. According to a company notice the FDA posted, the company Fi is recalling the products over an ingredient supplied to its manufacturer. The manufacturer has stopped production while it investigates. The two supplements were sold directly to consumers and also distributed through online outlets Amazon and Chewy, and they include the Fi Calming supplement for Dogs and the Fi 8-in-1 Formula supplement for. Dogs.

For: September 9, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed lower to begin the holiday-shortened trading week on Tuesday.  Rising oil prices pressured stocks ahead of a key inflation reading later in the week.  Renewed trade tensions with Canada are also in focus ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week.  At yesterday's closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 628 points to 52-786.  The S&P 500 fell 45 points to 76-73.  The Nasdaq dropped 85 points to 26-421.

>>Apple's Big Launch Event Is Today 

(Cupertino, CA)  --  Apple is preparing to roll out new devices today.  The event, called "Surprise and Shine" starts at 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern and it's expected to feature the long-awaited debut of a foldable iPhone.  It'll also be a big moment for Apple's brand-new CEO John Ternus, with this being his first launch event, after taking over for Tim Cook.

>>Americans Have Paid $100 Billion More On Fuel Since Start Of Iran War

(Providence, RI)  --  Americans have spent over 100-billion-dollars more on fuel since the start of the Iran war.  That's according to Brown University's Iran War Energy Cost tracker that has looked at fuel prices since the conflict started on February 28th.  That total comes out to just over an additional 770-dollars per household.  A little more than 55-billion-dollars of the total is from gasoline while just over 45-billion has been spent on diesel.  This comes as Goldman Sachs has warned that the price of a barrel of oil could surge past 120-dollars as tensions in the Middle East rise.

>>Florida AG Pushes For Criminal Penalties Against Some AI Chatbots

(Tallahassee, FL)  --  Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wants new criminal penalties for companies whose AI chatbots are involved in crimes.  He's out with a proposal that calls for fines, payments to victims, and court oversight.  It comes as Uthmeier investigates OpenAI and accuses ChatGPT of putting children at risk.  He also points to cases involving AI-generated child sexual abuse material and other crimes.

>>Boomtown Study

(Charlotte, NC)  --  Austin, Texas ranks number one among the nation's 50 largest metro areas in a recent LendingTree boomtown study.  Researchers evaluated metros based on population growth, housing construction, job growth, earnings and business activity.  The report found southern cities continue to dominate the rankings, with Charlotte, Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando and Nashville all in the national top ten.  

For: September 8, 2026 

>>Holiday-Shortened Trading Week Begins 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning as Wall Street kicks off a holiday-shortened trading week after closing out last week in the red.  Stocks fell Friday after a strong August jobs report raised the odds of a Federal Reserve rate hike.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 271 points to 53-414.  The S&P 500 fell 29 points to 77-18.  The Nasdaq dropped 77 points to 26-506.  Markets were closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday.

>>Economic Reports On The Horizon   

(Undated)  --  Coming up this week, noteworthy economic reports start rolling in today with the latest data on consumer credit and the National Federation of Independent Business' Index of Small Business Optimism.  Looking ahead to Thursday and the numbers on weekly jobless claims will be released along with the Producer Price Index and existing homes sales data.  The week comes to a close with Friday's Consumer Price Index and a look at the University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment survey.

>>Canada's Retaliatory Tariffs Kick In 

(Ottawa)  --  Canada's new tariffs on billions of dollars in American goods are now in effect, escalating the trade fight with the U.S.  The tariffs kicked in just after midnight and range from 15 to 50 percent, covering some 27 billion dollars in U.S. imports.  They target products including steel, dairy, appliances, farm equipment, electronics and paper products.  Canada says the tariffs are in response to the 50-percent duties imposed by President Trump on Canadian goods.  The move comes as tensions between President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney continue to rise, with trade talks stalled.

>>Gas Prices High, But Holding Steady 

(Undated)  --  Gas prices remain high with the long holiday weekend now in the rearview mirror.  The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is four-dollars-and-15-cents, according to Triple-A, same as yesterday.  Prices at the pump are highest in California where drivers are paying an average of five-86 a gallon.

>>Apple To Host Launch Event This Week

(Cupertino, CA)  --  Apple's next launch event is a day away.  It marks the first launch event under new CEO John Ternus.  Analysts anticipate the company will announce the latest iPhones and Apple Watches.  That could include Apple's first-ever folding phone.  The event is set for Wednesday at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.

>>Hunter Biden Launching Meme Coin

(Undated)  --  Hunter Biden says he's launching a new meme coin called $LAPTOP [[ laptop ]], a nod to the long-running political controversy surrounding former President Biden's son and his personal laptop.  The debut, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, was teased with a video montage of news clips and political commentary referencing the device.  The token launches Wednesday. 

>>German Rocket Reaches Orbit In Europe's First Commercial Launch

(Undated)  --  A German startup says satellite deployments will rapidly expand following the first orbital launch of its privately-developed Spectrum rocket from a Norwegian spaceport in the Arctic Circle.  Isar [[ Ee-zar ]] Aerospace's uncrewed space rocket helped achieve a milestone over the weekend for Europe's efforts to secure independent access to space, as it became the first commercial rocket to reach orbit from continental Europe.  Spectrum carried five small satellites along with an in-flight technology experiment.  This comes 18 months after Isar's first rocket dropped into the sea and exploded after blasting off from the same site.

For: September 4, 2026

>>Watching Wall Street

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher Thursday.  It comes as investors have hopes that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged later this month.  Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he'd be inclined to support holding interest rates steady barring surprises in inflation data.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 624 points to 53-686.  The S&P 500 gained 81 points to 77-47.  The Nasdaq rose 366 points to 26-584.

>>Jobs Report Due 

(Undated)  --  The government's always highly-anticipated monthly jobs report is due out today.  Most analysts are expecting to see at least 53-thousand new, non-farm payrolls added in August.  That would be a major improvement from the unexpected loss of 23-thousand jobs the month prior.  

>>Mortgage Rates Hit New High For 2026

(New York, NY)  --  Mortgage rates are hitting a new high for 2026 as they drive closer to seven-percent.  The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to six-point-seven-one-percent this week, according to Freddie Mac. It's the highest level since July 2025, putting new pressure on potential buyers and homeowners hoping to refinance. 

>>Burlington Coat Factory Moving To PA

(Burlington, NJ)  --  Burlington Coat Factory is moving its headquarters out of the New Jersey city that bears its name, and across the Delaware River to Pennsylvania.  The discount clothing retailer announced Thursday the company is investing 370-million dollars into relocating its corporate base to West Philadelphia.  Burlington was founded in 1972 in Burlington, New Jersey, and promised to continue operating stores in the Garden State.  The defection comes after Exxon Mobile and Samsung Electronics both announced plans this summer to move their American headquarters from New Jersey to Texas.  

>>Trump Coins Sold Out

(Washington, DC)  --  The Trump coins are already sold out.  The U.S. Mint released one-dollar gold-colored coins on Wednesday featuring President Trump's likeness.  The currency became available for purchase at noon and sold out within hours.  The U.S. Mint's order page says a 25-coin roll is "currently on backorder," while the 100-coin bag is "currently unavailable."  There's been no mention yet on when the coins will be restocked.

For Thursday, September 3rd, 2026

>>Wall Street Closes With Stocks Higher

(New York, NY)  --  Wall Street closed with stocks higher Wednesday. It comes as oil prices have been seeing an uptick amid renewed tensions between the U.S. and Iran. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were trading above 91-dollars per barrel, while Brent crude futures were trading above 95-dollars a barrel. Elsewhere, the benchmark U.S. ten-year Treasury note yield hit around four-point-eight-percent on Wednesday. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 295 points to 53-061.  The S&P 500 gained 35 points to 76-66.  The Nasdaq rose 118 points to 26-217.

>>ADP: Private Sector Job Grows Slows

(Roseland, NJ)  --  Private companies added fewer-than-expected jobs in August, according to payroll processor ADP.  Numbers out Wednesday show 38-thousand jobs were added, below the 47-thousand markets predicted.  It was the smallest gain since January and down from an upwardly revised 46-thousand in July.  Most of the new jobs were in healthcare, while manufacturing lost 17-thousand jobs.  

>>Chevron To Double Oil Production In Venezuela

(Houston, TX)  --  The only U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela says it plans to double its oil production in the country over the next five years.  Chevron confirmed on Wednesday that it plans to invest another seven-billion dollars in Venezuela, increasing it's oil production to about 600-thousand barrels a day.  The news comes after President Trump announced a deal last week to create a business partnership that would control Venezuelan oil fields containing about 65-billion barrels of petroleum.  Chevron CEO Mike Wirth said, "we are strengthening a portfolio that we believe can deliver attractive low-cost oil growth" and support the U.S. energy supply.

>>Trump Warns Oil Execs About Price Gouging

(Washington, DC)  --  President Trump says he warned oil executives about price gouging as gas prices continue to rise.  Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday, Trump said he warned retailers in a meeting earlier this week, and told them he wants the retail prices to come down.  According to Triple-A, the average price for a gallon of regular gas nationwide is four-12, nearly a dollar more than one year ago.  The price rise has been in effect since the start of the Iran war.

>>California-Based Uber Laying Off 10% of Corporate Workforce

(San Francisco, CA)  --  California-based Uber is laying off ten percent of its global workforce.  It amounts to about 33-hundred employees.  The layoffs do not include drivers and couriers who use the Uber platform.  Uber says the move will make the company "simpler and faster" and allow it to invest in growth opportunities.  It also says the cuts will help it consolidate management layers and trim costs, and are not related to AI.  About 14-thousand-600 of Uber's global workforce is based in the U.S.  Most work at its headquarters and offices in San Francisco and Sunnyvale.  

>>Trump Admin Backs OpenAI In NYT Lawsuit

(Washington, DC)  --  The Trump administration is backing OpenAI in a lawsuit brought by the New York Times over fair use of the news outlet's content. The Times sued OpenAI in 2023 over the artificial intelligence platform's use of its journalism to train its systems and chatbots. In a new filing, the White House signaled support for OpenAI, saying that having a "robust" AI ecosystem is essential for national security and other government priorities. The Trump administration argued that OpenAI should be able to use copyrighted content to advance its technology.

>>Pizza Hut Sale Completed

(Louisville, KY)  --  The one-and-a-half-billion-dollar sale of Pizza Hut is now complete.  Kentucky-based Yum! Brands announced earlier in the summer that the pizza chain was being sold to the private equity firm LongRange Capital.  This comes after Yum! said last year that it was looking at options for the struggling pizza chain.  In a separate transaction, Pizza Hut's mainland China locations have been sold to Yum China for one-point-two-billion dollars.  Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas and has almost 20-thousand locations around the world.

For: September 2, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell   

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed lower Tuesday as higher bond yields and rising oil prices rattled markets.  Stocks fell in a shaky start to September as global oil prices surged above 94-dollars a barrel after new U.S. strikes on Iran.  Inflation worries are also stoking concerns about the Federal Reserve's future path on interest rates.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 419 points to 52-766.  The S&P 500 fell 54 points to 76-31.  The Nasdaq dropped 271 points to 26-099

>> Greer: U.S. And Canada Trade Negotiations Stall

(Washington, DC)  --  Trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada are at a standstill after falling apart in August.   Politico reports U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said "it's more their emergency than ours," and no negotiations are currently happening. This after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took aim at Canada's prime minister, saying Mark Carney walked away from a trade deal.

>>Job Openings Held Steady In July

(Washington, DC)  --  The number of job openings held steady in July.  The Labor Department revealed yesterday that seven-point-three million jobs were available which matched expectations.  The number and rate of hires were little changed at five-point-one million for the month.  According to the JOLTS report, durable goods manufacturing led the way with the most job postings in July.  Hires decreased in professional and business services for the month.     

>>Gas Prices Rising Ahead Of Labor Day Weekend

(Heathrow, FL)  --  Gas prices are creeping up as the Labor Day holiday weekend nears.  Triple A reports the national average is four-dollars-and-12 cents today, up from yesterday's four-oh-nine.  The national average was above four-dollars a gallon every day last month.  California drivers are seeing the highest prices at the pump at five-73 a gallon.

>>Seattle Teachers Strike Avoided 

(Seattle, WA)  --  A major Seattle Public Schools strike has been averted.  A tentative contract deal between the school district and the Seattle teachers' union was reached overnight with the teachers' current contract expiring.  The teachers' union voted overwhelmingly last week to authorize a strike if a contract deal was not reached.  Classes are now scheduled to begin today for the new school year.

For: September 1, 2026

>>Wall Street Welcomes Brand New Trading Month 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning as Wall Street ushers in a brand new trading month.  Stocks closed lower Monday to cap what was otherwise a positive month.  Stocks fell as oil prices jumped after the U.S. and Iran traded strikes for the first time in over a month.  Trading remained volatile due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, but markets still posted broad gains in August.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 374 points to 53-185.  The S&P 500 fell 25 points to 76-86.  The Nasdaq lost 31 points to 26-370.

>>Jobs In Focus This Week 

(Undated)  --  The Labor Department's Jobs Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, is due out today.  That will be followed by ADP's monthly hiring survey on Wednesday, weekly jobless claims on Thursday and the government's always highly-anticipated monthly jobs report on Friday.  

>>Tim Cook's Time As Apple CEO Comes To A Close 

(Cupertino, CA)  --  Tim Cook's time as CEO of Apple is over.  In his final memo as CEO to the company on Monday, Cook praised Apple employees saying, "The truth is, whatever there is to say about my success, I know it is all because of you."  He's officially making the transition into the role of executive chairman today.  John Ternus will take over as Apple's new CEO with plans to make sweeping changes to the management team.  Ternus previously oversaw Apple's design and hardware engineering.  Cook served as the head of Apple since 2011 when he took over for Steve Jobs.  

>>Pentagon Onboards New AI Platforms

(Arlington, VA)  --  The Pentagon is bringing on Grok and ChatGPT for unclassified military use in a move to expand the number of AI assistants on the department's platform. The Pentagon said Grok for Government is meant to boost productivity and more "secure and efficient collaboration." The Department of War also said it's using ChatGPT Mil to help with "document-heavy unclassified work."

>>FTC Sues Amazon   (Washington, DC)  --  The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon.  FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson says the world's largest online retailer manipulated pricing and overcharged over a million advertisers.  The lawsuit alleges 80-percent of sponsored product ad auctions were rigged.  Twenty-two state attorneys general filed the lawsuit Monday accusing the company of making over 20-billion-dollars off the scheme since 2019.  An Amazon spokesperson says it "strongly disagrees" and asserts the FTC doesn't understand how advertising works.  

>>NYC Outdoor Dining Permanently Made Year-Round With Mayor's Signature

(New York, NY)  --  Outdoor dining is going to be allowed in New York City all year long after Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed the bill into law. The Mayor says he expects a lot of positive impacts by making outdoor dining a permanent feature of the Big Apple. Mamdani claims previous regulations under former Mayor Eric Adams increased the cost for business owners since they had to build and then tear down their roadway dining structures by November. 

For: August 31, 2026  

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed lower Friday to end the week.  Stocks fell after Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh signaled the Fed may raise rates. Speaking at the central bank's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Warsh said the Fed has "work to do" if inflation persists above its target of two-percent.  Treasury yields, which are linked to borrowing costs, moved higher following his remarks.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 9 points to 53-559.  The S&P 500 fell 19 points to 77-11.  The Nasdaq dropped 138 points to 26-402.

>>Monthly Jobs Report Out This Week 

(Undated)  --  Coming up in the business week ahead, the big story will be the government's monthly jobs report.  That's due Friday.  It's expected to show around 50-thousand new, non-farm payroll jobs were created in August.  That would be a notable increase from the 23-thousand that were unexpectedly shed the month prior.  

>>Trump Says He'll Fill Strategic Petroleum Reserve 

(Undated)  --  President Trump says he'll fill the Strategic National Reserves with Venezuelan oil. Trump made the comment in a Truth Social post on Sunday, writing that the "topping out" process will begin very shortly. The President also called it a gift from Venezuela to the people of the United States.  It comes after Trump announced that the U.S. had "secured majority U.S. control of more than 65-billion barrels of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer."  Trump has expressed a positive working relationship with the Venezuelans since the U.S. military captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on drug charges.

>>Sony, Warner Sue Anthropic Alleging 'Blatant Theft'

(San Francisco, CA)  --  Some of the largest music publishers have filed a blockbuster lawsuit against Anthropic. The Friday night filing alleges "one of the largest and most blatant ongoing thefts of intellectual property in history." Units of Sony Music and Warner Music filed the suit in federal court in northern California, naming Anthropic, CEO Dario Amodei and co-founder Benjamin Mann as defendants. The 48 page complaint claims that Anthropic pirated thousands of copyrighted musical works and asks for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damagers per infringed work. 

>>Meal Kit Companies Hit With Complaints After Customers Receive Spoiled Food, Empty Boxes

(New York, NY)  --  Two meal kit companies are getting hit with complaints and threats to cancel after customers said they received spoiled food or nearly empty boxes. Blue Apron and Marley Spoon are popular delivery services that allow customers to select recipes in advance and send an insulated box with the ingredients and instructions. But since the companies' old supplier FreshRealm filed for bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reports that their transition to a new system has been a bumpy ride with supply chain issues.

>>Americans Using less Cash Than A Decade Ago 

(Washington, DC)  --  A new study says Americans are using cash less and less. The study from the Pew Research Center says 42-percent of U.S. adults say they never use it for purchases in a typical week. The survey found that only 12-percent said they only use cash for typical weekly purchases. Higher-earning Americans are at the forefront of the cashless trend, with 58-percent of those in households earning 100-thousand dollars or more a year reporting they make none of their regular purchases with cash. People in lower-income households were more likely to use cash, with about a quarter of those earning less than 30-thousand dollars per year saying they use cash for all or most purchases. 

>>Consumer Sentiment Slips On Inflation Worries

(Ann Arbor, MI)  --  Consumer sentiment fell about six percent from last month.  The University of Michigan's final reading for August slipped mainly on inflation worries.  The survey noted declines for all political groups especially among Republicans along with older Americans and lower income groups.  Uncertainty over the Iran conflict, gas prices and trade tensions added to concerns about the economy.  Consumers expect prices to go up four-percent over the next year, which is a slight decrease from last month.  

For: August 28, 2026

>>Trading Week Winding Down (New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher on Wall Street yesterday. Nvidia's shares have been on the rise after reporting strong earnings in the second quarter of this year. The company reported nearly 90-billion dollars in revenue just from data centers. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 105 points to 53-569. The S&P 500 gained 55 points to 77-30. The Nasdaq rose 411 points to 26-541.

>>Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh Speaks In Jackson Hole

(Jackson Hole, WY) -- The markets will be watching as Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh speaks today. Warsh will deliver the keynote speech at the central bank's symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Warsh's predecessors have used the event to discuss broad policy initiatives, and to lay out conditions under which the Fed would adjust interest rates. But Warsh has signaled a more hands-off approach while placing a greater emphasis on market direction when it comes to policy so far.

>>Canada Excludes Seafood From Retaliatory Tariffs On U.S. Goods

(Ottawa) -- Canada is excluding seafood from its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. In a statement, Canada's Department of Finance said removing seafood would "protect against broader economic harms." The Canadian duties are set to go into effect on September 8th. This, after President Trump's 50-percent import taxes on goods from Canada went into place last weekend.

>>Federal Court Rejects Pharmaceutical Industry Challenge To Medicare Drug Price Negotiation

(Washington, DC) -- A federal appeals court is rejecting a pharmaceutical industry challenge to the federal Medicare drug price negotiation program. The court found that drugmakers aren't entitled to sell their products to Medicare at the price they prefer. It's the latest ruling in a slew of federal courts deciding in favor of the Medicare drug price negotiation program, established through the Inflation Reduction Act.

>>Twitter Making A Comeback, Sort Of

(Undated) -- Twitter is looking to make a come back. A new social network called Twitter.now is now looking for early access users. It's not affiliated with X, the company owned by Elon Musk that changed its name from Twitter after he bought it for 44-billion-dollars in 2022. It's run by a startup called Operation Bluebird, which includes former Twitter trademark lawyer Stephen Coates. X sued the company last year trying to keep Operation Bluebird from launching a new site called Twitter. Operation Bluebird argues that X has abandoned its trademarks including Twitter and Tweet. Coates posted that the company is not trying to rebuild the old Twitter, but a new service built on trust and transparency.

>>Callaway Golf Cuts Ties With Good Good Over Ad

(Carlsbad, CA) -- Golf company Callaway is cutting ties with its media partner Good Good Golf over an ad for a new driver that depicted violence against women. The video posted by Good Good shows a woman reaching for the driver as the company's co-founder, Garrett Clark, rushes after her and knocks her to the ground. He stands over her and says "don't touch my driver." In a statement, Callaway said it listened to individuals who shared personal experiences related to violence against women. The company committed to donate one-million dollars to organizations who work to prevent violence against women and provide resources to survivors. Good Good took the video down after widespread online backlash.

For: August 27, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell (New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after a down day on Wall Street. It comes as investors are still digesting the personal consumption expenditures price index, which increased a seasonally adjusted point-two-percent for the month of July. That puts the annual inflation rate at three-point-seven-percent. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 113 points to 53-463. The S&P 500 fell 1 point to 76-75. The Nasdaq dropped 21 points to 26-130.

>>Meta Settles Social Media Addiction Lawsuit

(Oakland, CA) -- Meta is settling in its federal trial over social media addiction. Several states sued the tech giant alleging it designed its social media platforms also including Facebook and WhatsApp to engage children and get them addicted. They also claimed Meta misled users about the safety of the apps. As part of the settlement announced yesterday, Meta denied the allegations but committed to "establishing daily limits and blocks on nighttime use for teenage users" along with "enhanced age assurance measures." Meta will also pay nearly 17-billion dollars in the settlement.

>>Apple To Host Launch Event

(Cupertino, CA) -- Apple will host its next launch event next month. Analysts anticipate the company will announce the latest iPhones and Apple Watches. That could include Apple's first-ever folding phone. This will mark the first launch event under CEO John Ternus. The event will take place September 9th at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.

>>Uber Offering Live Stream For Teen Riders

(San Francisco, CA) -- Uber is rolling out a new feature designed to give parents a little peace of mind. The rideshare company unveiled live video streaming for Uber teen accounts. That allows a linked parent or guardian to peek in on a teenager's ride in real time through the front facing camera on the driver's phone. The stream is also encrypted. The new feature will be available in nine markets including Atlanta, Orlando and Phoenix, with Uber saying they plan to expand the feature nationwide over the coming weeks.

>>Dolly Parton Streams Surge On Spotify Following Death

(Undated) -- Dolly Parton's music has surged significantly on Spotify following her death on Tuesday. Total streams increased over 12-hundred percent globally, as well as over 23-hundred-percent in the United States. "Jolene" increased 630-percent, while "9-to-5" increased 620-percent. Other songs that rose in streams include "Islands in the Stream" and "I Will Always Love You." Parton passed away at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer in Nashville.

>>United Airlines Adds 10 New Destinations

(Chicago, IL) -- United Airlines is adding ten new destinations next year. That's the largest international expansion in the company's nearly century-long history. It will introduce nonstop flights to various cities in Japan, France, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, and Italy. Aside from the cities introduced in Italy, no other U.S. airline flies directly to any of the other cities on the list. The new flights will begin operating in Spring 2027.

For: August 26, 2026 

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher yesterday on Wall Street.  Chip stocks have rallied as investors gear up for Nvidia's earnings later today.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 160 points to 53-577.  The S&P 500 gained 24 points to 76-77.  The Nasdaq rose 171 points to 26-151.

>>Instagram Head Testifies In Meta Addiction Trial

(Oakland, CA)  --  Instagram head Adam Mosseri has been called to the stand in the latest social media addiction trial against Meta playing out in federal court in Oakland, California.  Several state attorneys general are suing the tech giant, alleging it designed its social media platforms also including Facebook and WhatsApp to engage children and get them addicted.  They also claim Meta mislead users about the safety of the apps.  Meta has called those claims unsubstantiated.

>>Massive Starbase Planed On Gulf Coast

(Abbeville, LA)  --  SpaceX is building a 100-billion-dollar campus on the Louisiana coastline.  The company says the spaceport will be designed to support thousands of launches annually.  There will be five launch complexes, each with two launch pads.   It will create three-thousand new jobs over the next ten years and they're promising annual salaries starting at 92-thousand dollars. Construction starts next year.

>>Target Shares Fall After Controversial Costume Pulled

(Minneapolis, MN)  --  Target shares fell nearly four percent Tuesday after backlash over a potentially offensive Halloween costume.  The company apologized for the costume Monday, a children's clown outfit that some say evoked racist minstrel stereotypes, and pulled it from shelves and online sales.  The stock fell as much as five percent during the day's trading.  Tejal Patel, the director of Target shareholder SOC Investment Group, said the costume controversy is "another example in a chain of events where Target has lost trust with its consumer base."  

>>Golf Company Apologizes For Ad Depicting Violence Against Woman

(Frisco, TX)  --  The golf company Callaway is apologizing over an ad for a new driver that following complaints that it depicts violence against women. The video was posted by its media partner Good Good Golf shows a woman reaching for the driver as the company's co-founder, Garrett Clark, rushes after her and knocks her to the ground. He stands over her and says "don't touch my driver." Good Good Golf took the video down after widespread online backlash. Callaway didn't mention whether it's reviewing its partnership with Good Good but said it will "learn from this and do better."

>>Thyroid Tablets Recalled Over Superpotency Concerns

(Washington, DC)  --  A company is recalling a lot of thyroid tablets because they could potentially be "superpotent." The FDA announced that the high potency 30 milligram tablets could cause hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid. Consuming them could result in weight loss, heat intolerance, fatigue, chest pain, and other symptoms. Vitruvias Therapeutics is working on notifying wholesalers to stop distribution.

For: August 25, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell

(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed mixed to start the week. Declines in technology stocks pressured markets with Micron, AMD and Broadcom and other chipmakers falling two percent or more. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 140 points to 53-417 The S&P 500 lost 21 points to 76-52. The Nasdaq fell 200 points to 25-980.

>>Trump Announces 50% Tariffs On Canadian Autos

(Washington, DC) -- The U.S. and Canada are in the middle of a full-blown trade war. President Trump says tariffs on imports of cars, trucks and auto parts from Canada will increase to 50-percent starting January 1st, 2027, after talks between the two countries broke down. Trump said, "Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years." He added, "Their ridiculously high tariffs on our farmers and farm products has made life impossible for these great American patriots." Meanwhile, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. goods will start September 8th.

>>Texas Cotton Conditions Worsen In One Week

(Statewide, TX) -- Trouble's deepening for Texas cotton, a crop worth about a-billion-and-a-half dollars to the state last year. USDA data released Monday shows 44 percent of the crop is now in poor or very poor shape, worsening five percentage points in just a week. Texas is expected to produce roughly a third of all American cotton this season, giving the local decline national impact. Federal forecasts project statewide production will drop nearly 12 percent from last year, creating fresh economic strain just as growers enter the critical harvest stretch.

>>Oura Eyeing IPO

(San Francisco, CA) -- Smart ring maker Oura is looking to raise as much as three-billion-dollars in an upcoming IPO. Bloomberg reports the IPO could be as soon as next month and values the company at 16-billion-dollars. The company reported 500-million-dollars in revenue in 2024, a billion-dollars in 2025 and is expected to reach close to two-billion-dollars this year.

>>NA Box Office Breaks August Record

(Los Angeles, CA) -- The North American box office is setting a new all-time August record thanks in large part to Spider-Man. With still a week to go, this month's box office total has already reached one-point-one-billion dollars. That surpasses the previous record of one-point-zero-one-nine-billion dollars set in 2016. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" accounts for 685-million dollars of this month's box office total. The August box office is now on pace to double last August's total. 

For: August 24, 2026

>>Watching Wall Street  

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher on Friday despite what was overall a losing week.  Stocks rebounded Friday following a steep sell-off driven by rising Treasury yields and inflation fears.  Still all three major indexes lost ground last week with investors now looking ahead to this week's speech from Fed Chair Kevin Warsh at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium.  Also on tap this week: the latest data on consumer confidence, new home sales, personal income and consumer spending as well as weekly jobless claims.  At Friday's closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 517 points to 53-277.  The S&P 500 rose 33 points to 76-74. The Nasdaq climbed 113 points to 26-180.  

>>Meta Federal Trial Continues As TikTok Agrees To $400M Settlement

(Oakland, CA)  --  As a landmark trial continues today against Meta in federal court in California, TikTok is now agreeing to pay 400-million to settle a U.S. government lawsuit.  The suit alleges the company violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.  The law requires websites and online services directed at children to obtain parental consent before collecting personal information from users under 13.  The Justice Department announced Friday that TikTok will pay 300-million dollars immediately to the U.S. government, with an additional 100-million due after a court order vacates an earlier consent decree entered against TikTok's predecessor "Musical.ly" 

>>AI Companies Accused Of Hoarding And Destroying Books 

(Undated)  --  Over a dozen public interest and consumer advocacy groups are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate AI developers for destroying books used to train their language models.  In a letter to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson on Friday, the Demand Progress Education Fund and other groups said AI companies are buying books in bulk and destroying physical copies.  The letter says in some cases, the destroyed books are among the last surviving copies of original works.  The group argues that  could make it harder for the public and other AI companies to access essential source material.  They also claim the practice violates Section 5 of the FTC Act, which bars unfair or deceptive acts in commerce. 

>>Experts Warn Used Car Buyers About VIN Cloning

(Undated) -- If you're shopping for a used vehicle, experts say there's a growing scam you should know about. It's called VIN cloning, and it happens when criminals copy the vehicle identification number, or VIN, from a legitimate car and place it on a stolen or damaged vehicle. The practice can make a car appear clean on paper even if it has a hidden history. iSeeCars reports buyers may not learn they've purchased a cloned vehicle until police seize it, an insurance claim is denied, or registration problems arise. Experts recommend comparing VIN numbers in multiple locations on a vehicle and checking history reports before making a purchase. They also say deals that seem too good to be true often deserve a closer look.

>>Walmart To Let Shoppers Use Tap-To-Pay Methods 

(Bentonville, AR)  --  Walmart will soon let customers make purchases with tap-to-pay methods including Apple Pay.  The retail giant said Friday that starting on August 24th, customers at select Walmart stores will be able to choose a tap-to-pay option at checkout.  The company said it plans to roll out tap-to-pay at all Walmart and Sam's Club locations by the end of 2026. 

For: August 20, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher on Wall Street Wednesday.  It comes as bond yields have fallen after the Treasury Department said it's going to at least double the size of its government debt repurchases.  It also follows yesterday's release of the minutes from the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting.  They show some central bank officials leaning toward an interest rate hike if inflation does not show signs of improvement.  Elsewhere, Moderna's shares have jumped after an experimental cancer vaccine showed promise in a late-stage trial.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 119 points to 53-463.  The S&P 500 gained 16 points to 77-07.  The Nasdaq rose 41 points to 26-331.

>>National Debt Surpasses $40T

(Washington, DC)  --  The national debt is now more than 40-trillion-dollars.  The Treasury Department said the number was surpassed Tuesday afternoon.  It comes earlier than analysts had expected, in part because of billions not realized after some of President Trump's tariffs were invalidated by the courts.  The current federal debt limit is 41-point-one trillion dollars, at which point Congress would need to raise the debt ceiling.

>>Poll: More Americans Concerned Over Use Of AI

(Washington, DC)  --  More Americans are growing concerned over the use of artificial intelligence of daily life. That's according to a new Pew Research survey, which showed that 52-percent of respondents saying they're more concerned than excited about AI. That matches the all-time high seen in the 2023 survey. Less than 10-percent said they're more excited about AI than concerned, the lowest number ever recorded in the survey.

>>Indianapolis Puts Moratorium On New Data Center Developments, Denver Weighs Next Steps 

(Indianapolis, IN)  --  Indianapolis has placed a moratorium on new data center developments.  The Metropolitan Development Commission approved the measure Wednesday, and it took effect immediately.  The moratorium will remain in place through the end of 2027 while the city researches the potential impacts of data center development and develops new regulations.  Officials also plan to create an advisory committee and conduct community engagement before making recommendations.  Elsewhere, Denver, Colorado is forming a working group to determine how data centers will be regulated.  The city has implemented a data center moratorium until May of 2027.  The city council and the mayor's office plan to form a group of experts and community members to discuss and create recommendations for future regulations.  

For Wednesday, August 19th, 2026

>>Stocks Close Lower As Chip Sector Sells Off

(New York, NY)  --  Wall Street closed in the red Tuesday for the third straight session.  Surging bond yields and higher oil prices renewed inflation fears as hopes continued to fade for an end to the Middle East conflict.  Chip stocks slid broadly with Western Digital, Sandisk and Seagate Technology all down about seven percent or more.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 116 points to 53-343.  The S&P 500 fell 53 points to 76-91.  The Nasdaq dropped 355 points to 26-289.

>>Trump Pauses Canada Tariffs

(Washington, DC)  --  President Trump is pausing a planned wave of tariffs that was set to hit Canada overnight.  In a social media post, Trump said he had paused the 50-percent duties for three days because the two countries "have a deal," pending final documentation.  He offered no specifics about the agreement, aside from suggesting the Keystone XL pipeline "may be awoken from the grave." Prime Minister Mark Carney said progress has been made but there's still work to be done.  The suspended tariffs would have affected roughly 20-billion dollars in Canadian imports, including hockey sticks, certain building materials, liquors, and some apparel, according to the U.S. Trade Representative.

>>Social Media Addiction Trial Against Meta Underway

(Oakland, CA)  --  The landmark trial against Meta is underway inside an Oakland, California federal courthouse.  Colorado, Kentucky, New Jersey and California are seeking one-point-four-trillion-dollars in damages, alleging the company engineered Facebook and Instagram to make it addictive to children.  In her opening statement Tuesday,  California Deputy Attorney General Megan O'Neill said says Meta told Congress and parents that Instagram and Facebook were safe for kids, while "all the while it hid the truth." Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will testify in the trial. 

>>Pending Home Sales Fell 2.3% In July

(Washington, DC)  --  Pending home sales fell more than expected in July.  The National Association of Realtors says the number of homes under contract for sale dropped to its lowest level since January 2026.  The group's chief economist says the highest mortgage rates of the year hit in the middle of summer putting a damper on contract signings.  He also noted home prices are at record highs so houses are sitting on the market longer.  Pending home sales decreased two-point-three percent in July and two-point-two percent on a yearly basis. 

>>Mississippi Tops Nation for All-Cash Home Buying

(Jackson, MS)  --  Mississippi leads the nation in all-cash home purchases.  A Realtor-dot-com report released Tuesday shows cash accounted for 47-percent of home sales across the state this year, compared to 31-percent nationwide.  While that share dipped two percentage points from last year, Mississippi still tops the country.  Realtor-dot-com points to the state's lower home prices and fewer financing options in rural areas, with a median sale price of 271-thousand dollars.

>>Disney, ABC Sue FCC

(Washington, DC)  --  Disney is suing the FCC, accusing the Trump administration of waging a "retaliatory campaign" against ABC through the agency.  The lawsuit is looking to stop the FCC from moving forward with early broadcast renewal proceedings for several ABC stations.  The early renewal process started not long after President Trump criticized the network over a joke late night host Jimmy Kimmel told about First Lady Melania Trump.  A social media post from Trump complaining about Kimmel and asking if broadcast licenses should be terminated is cited in the lawsuit.  The FCC cited concerns about Disney's diversity, equity and inclusion practices as a reason for the early renewal process.

For: Ausgust 18, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell

(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed lower on the first day of the new trading week. Stocks fell while oil prices rose as the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Iran expired. The 30-year Treasury yield hit its highest level since June 2007 as international benchmark Brent crude futures topped 90-dollars a barrel. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 272 points to 53-459. The S&P 500 lost 40 points to 77-45. The Nasdaq fell 84 points to 26-644.

>>Social Media Addiction Trial Against Meta Starting

(Oakland, CA) -- Opening statements in a landmark trial against Meta begin today. California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking one-point-four-trillion-dollars in damages, alleging the company engineered its sites to foster addictive behavior in teens and children. The jury was seated last week in the federal courthouse in Oakland, California. Meta has already lost two similar types of lawsuits this year in Los Angeles and New Mexico.

>>NYC Officials Tour Planned Site Of City-Run Grocery Store

(Bronx, NY) -- Officials are one step closer to opening New York City's first city-run grocery store. City leaders and potential operators toured the future site of the Bronx's planned city-run grocery store Whichever operator is ultimately chosen will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the store. The goal is to have the grocery store open by the end of 2027. The administration of Mayor Zohran Mamdani envisions a total of five city-run grocery stores, one in each borough.

>>NFL Franchise Values Surge 31 Percent Over Past Year

(Undated) -- The value of NFL franchises continues to surge. Sportico reports the average team is worth 9.34-billion-dollars, an increase of more than 31-percent over last year. It's the largest one-year increase in at least a decade. The Dallas Cowboys lead the way at 15.5-billion-dollars, followed by the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets. The Cincinnati Bengals check in with the lowest value at 7.4-billion-dollars, but that's still more than all but six teams in the world outside of the NFL. 

For: August 17, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell   

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning as fresh trading week gets started on Wall Street.  Last week ended with stocks closing out Friday's session in the red.  It comes as retail sales numbers for last month came in lower than unexpected.  The big headline this week will be Wednesday's release of the minutes from the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting.  At Friday's closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 107 points to 53-732.  The S&P 500 dropped by 13 points to 77-85.  The Nasdaq lost 73 points to 26-729.

>>Consumer Sentiment Falls For First Time 3 Months

(Ann Arbor, MI)  --  Consumer sentiment is down for the first time in three months.  The preliminary index for August from the University of Michigan showed it fell to 51, down from July's final reading of 55-point-two.  It comes as consumers express concerns over increasing prices.  Consumers expect prices to go up four-point-three-percent over the next year, which is a slight increase from last month.  The director of the survey said the there were notable large drops in sentiment among older consumers, lower-income consumers and those without a college degree.

>>Anthropic Revenue Reportedly Jumped To Over $11.5B In 2nd Quarter

(San Francisco, CA)  --  Anthropic's revenue increased over 14-fold in the second quarter from a year earlier.  Bloomberg News reported the jump Friday highlighting the quick growth of Anthropic as it prepares for a possible public offering.  According to Bloomberg News, the AI company reported preliminary revenue of over 11 billion for its latest completed quarter, up from 787 million in the same period last year.  The outlet says the numbers are preliminary and could still change.  An IPO as soon as this fall could make Anthropic one of the first major private AI companies to hit public markets.

>>Half Of Workers Say They Will Never Fully Retire 

(Minneapolis, MN)  --  A new survey says nearly half of American workers say they will never be able to fully retire.  The 2026 Retirement Expectations Survey from financial services company Thrivent says retirement fears are high.  The survey found only 58-percent of workers think they'll have enough money to retire on time and 36-percent of workers expect to have to continue earning a paycheck in retirement.  The survey was taken by over two-thousand American adults. 

>>California Regulators Approve $34.5B Charter-Cox Merger

(Sacramento, CA)  --  California regulators are approving the sale of Cox Communications to Charter Communications.  The merger is believed to be worth 34-and-a-half-billion dollars.  After getting the green light from the California Public Utilities Commission, the consolidation is expected to be finalized before the end of the month.  It will make Charter's Spectrum the dominant broadband internet and cable television service in Southern California.  It will also solidify Charter as the nation's largest cable company, ahead of Comcast Corporation.  

>>Maryland Company Recalls Soups Sold At Walmart

(Savage, MD)  --  A Maryland company is voluntarily recalling soup kits sold at Walmart over Listeria concerns.  Kettle Cuisine LLC announced the recall of its 14-ounce soup kits, according to the FDA.  The recall impacts select Walmart stores in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and West Virginia.  The affected soup kits were sold between June 30th and July 7th, according to the recall.

For: August 14, 2026

>>Trading Week Winding Down 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher on Wall Street Thursday.  It comes as traders are digesting the producer price index, which was unchanged in July after a revised tenth-of-a-percent drop in June.  Oil prices have also been on the decline amid uncertainty surrounding the U.S. and Iran.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 69 points to 53-839.  The S&P 500 gained 50 points to 77-98.  The Nasdaq rose 214 points to 26-803.

>>Instagram Unveils First New Logo In A Decade

(Menlo Park, CA)  --  Instagram users will start to notice a bit of new look for the app.  The social media app unveiled its first new logo in a decade on Thursday.  In a post, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri said the new logo is "Cleaner and more modern, with references to the original and the simplicity and craft that's always made it Instagram."  Some users criticized the new wordmark by saying the "r" in Instagram looked more like a "z."  Other commenters told Mosseri the platform should deal with other issues like AI-generated content and bots rather than a new logo.

>>OpenAI Loses Second Senior Executive This Week

(San Francisco, CA)  --  OpenAI has lost another top executive.  The tech company said Thursday that Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser is leaving after eight months, "to pursue other opportunities."  She's the second senior executive to leave OpenAI this week.  Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap announced his departure earlier this week, saying he was going to "start something new."  The departures come as OpenAI prepares to go public, which may happen next year.

>>Man Accused Of Scamming NJ Investors Added To FBI Most Wanted 

(Newark, NJ)  --  The FBI is adding an alleged scammer who went after hundreds of investors in New Jersey to their Most Wanted Fraudsters list.  Rey Grabato the Second previously served as the president and owner of a realty investment company and authorities claim he scammed investors out of more than 650 million dollars between 2018 and 2022. The US District Court in Newark issued a warrant for his arrest back in October 2022. Federal officials said Grabato has ties to the Philippines and may be residing there. Anyone with information leading to an arrest is being offered a 150-thousand dollar reward. 

>>Whole Foods Recalling Dozens Of Items With Jalapenos

(Austin, TX)  --  Whole Foods is recalling dozens of items containing jalapenos in 12 states.  Though no cases of salmonella linked to jalapenos have been reported in Iowa, the company is recalling salsas, guacamoles, dips, and condiments containing jalapenos sold at the West Des Moines store.  No illnesses have been reported in connection to the Whole Foods products.  It affects stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.  The recall comes just days after Taylor Farms announced it would be voluntarily recalling its products that include jalapenos, which were sold at Target, Kroger, Walmart and Trader Joe's in 26 states.  A full list of recalled items is available on the FDA's website.

>>Year-Round Outdoor Dining Approved In NYC   

(New York, NY)  --  The New York City Council is approving a measure to make outdoor dining year-round.  Under regulations adopted under former Mayor Eric Adams, roadside structures were only allowed up from April until November.  Now restaurants will be able to keep those sidewalk sheds open all year and they will be able to fortify them for the winter weather.  Owners will face fines for any health violations and there is also an 11 p.m. outdoor dining curfew.  Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has previously voiced his support for year-round outdoor dining, has 30 days to sign the bill into law.

For: August 13, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed mixed on Wednesday.  Stocks related to AI saw gains, including  Dell Technologies, Micron Technology and Cisco Systems.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 21 points to 53-770.  The S&P 500 gained 20 points to 77-48.  The Nasdaq rose 143 points to 26-588.

>>PPI Due Today

(Undated)  --  Another key inflation report is due out today.  The Producer Price Index examines prices at the wholesale level, before they reach consumers, and can be a good guideline of what we'll be paying int he months to come.  It comes after the Consumer Price Index was released on Wednesday, showing inflation went up slightly from June to July.  Usually, the reports move in tandem, but not always.  Both reports are used by the Federal Reserve when it comes to determining interest rates.

>>Twitch Allows Users To "Opt Out" Of AI Training

(Seattle, WA)  --  A popular streaming platform is now letting its content creators block Amazon from using their videos to help train its AI models.  Twitch announced on Wednesday that users can now opt out by going to the settings page under 'security and privacy.'  Amazon bought Twitch in 2014, and recently confirmed that it was using its streamers' content to train its generative AI models.  

>>Grubhub App Users Could Get Payments From FTC

(Undated)  --  The FTC says it's sending money to thousands of Grubhub users to settle a lawsuit alleging that the delivery service tricked customers with hidden fees. The payments will total more than 23-million dollars.  It comes after the FTC and Illinois Attorney General accused the company back in 2024 of using illegal and deceptive practices.  The FTC says a former Grubhub executive referred to the practice as a "pricing shell game."  Grubhub was also accused of deceiving its drivers about how much money they would make and listing restaurants on its platform without their permission. 

>>President Trump's Media Company Sued For New Truth Social Product

(Undated)  --  A lawsuit has been filed against President Trump's media company.  This comes after Trump Media announced a new product that gives paying Wall Street firms faster access to the president's Truth Social posts.  The Intercept filed the suit Wednesday, saying it violates the First Amendment.  The suit also notes that the "scheme is profoundly corrupt."  The product was initially announced last month, with firms having to pay between 60-thousand to 100-thousand dollars per month to gain access to the real-time feed.  

>>Josh Kushner, Bob Iger Buying Lakers For $12B+

(Los Angeles, CA)  --  Businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger are reportedly buying the Lakers for more than 12-billion dollars.  It would be a record-breaking price, if the sale is approved by the NBA Board of Governors.  Mark Walter bought a controlling interest in the Lakers from the Buss family for approximately ten-billion dollars last October and is now agreeing to sell.  He also owns the Dodgers and parts of several other sports teams.

>>Phoebe Gates Faces Accusation

(New York, NY)  --  Bill Gates' daughter Phoebe Gates and her startup "Phia" are facing scrutiny over allegations the company improperly used "cookie stuffing" to take credit for online sales it may not have driven.   A Bloomberg report says Gates and co-founder Sophia Kianni were aware for months of features that could drop tracking cookies even when shoppers did not use Phia's coupons.  Phia initially described the issue as a software bug, but says the features were removed July 7th and that it is reviewing transactions and reversing any improper commissions.  The company disputes parts of Bloomberg's analysis, while legal experts warn cookie stuffing can potentially be prosecuted as federal wire fraud, carrying significant penalties.

>>WalletHub Study Reveals Top States To Live In 

(Undated)  --  One study is revealing the top states to live in. WalletHub based its ranking of all 50 states on 51 key metrics, including health care and location, income, and homeownership rates. Idaho took the top spot for its low real estate tax rate and highest median income growth in the country. New Jersey took the second spot for its location to economic hubs and highly rated healthcare while Wisconsin made up the top three for its affordable housing. Massachusetts and New Hampshire round out the top five on the list. 

For: August 12, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed lower yesterday. Oil prices have been on the rise amid uncertainty over the status of the conflict between the U.S. and Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.  U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures and international benchmark Brent crude were both up over one-percent. Elsewhere, shares of Alphabet and AppLovin have both seen a dip.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 184 points to 53-791.  The S&P 500 fell 24 points to 77-28. The Nasdaq dropped 159 points to 26-445. 

>>CPI Out Today 

(Undated)  --  The Consumer Price Index, one of the Fed's favorite inflation gauges, is set to be released today.  That will be followed by equally important Producer Price Index on Thursday along with the weekly look at first-time jobless claims.  

>>California's Minimum Wage Set To Go Up

(Sacramento, CA)  --  California will raise its minimum wage to 17 dollars and 40 cents per hour starting January 1st next year.  This is a 50-cent increase from the current hourly wage.  The federal minimum wage is still seven dollars and 25 cents, unchanged since 2009.  California's minimum wage goes up each year to keep up with inflation.  The amount is based on the Consumer Price Index. 

>>TikTok Ban On Government Devices Lifted

(Washington, DC)  --  The Office of Management and Budget has lifted the ban on TikTok on federal government devices.  The move follows a Justice Department opinion finding that employees can legally download TikTok under the platform's new U.S. joint venture, which is majority-owned by American investors.  TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, retains a 19-point-nine-percent stake, while Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX each hold 15-percent.  The arrangement was created to address national security and privacy concerns behind a 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok or face a U.S. ban.  The decision marks the latest development in the long-running effort to keep TikTok operating in the United States.

>>Powerball Jackpot Hits $1 Billion  

(Undated)  --  One-billion dollars is up for grabs in Wednesday's Powerball drawing.  The jackpot hit the mark after there was no grand prize winner in Monday night's drawing.  The cash value of the grand prize is 433-point-one-million dollars.  Tickets are two dollars each.  Odds of winning are roughly one in 292-million.     

For: August 11, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell (New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after a down day on Wall Street as stocks closed lower Monday to start off the trading week. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 60 points to 53-975. The S&P 500 fell 4 points to 77-53. The Nasdaq dropped 85 points to 26-605.

>>Appeals Court Declines To Dismiss Online Safety Suits Against Social Media Companies

(Washington, DC) -- A U.S. Appeals Court has declined to dismiss thousands of online safety lawsuits against major social media companies. In a ruling issued Monday, the Ninth Circuit said Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act can be used as a defense against liability, but not to avoid being sued altogether. The lawsuits allege platforms owned by companies like Meta and TikTok encourage addictive behavior, fail to properly verify users' ages and do not do enough to protect users from harmful content. Meta and TikTok argued the section should also protect them from lawsuits targeting the design of their platforms and sought to appeal before the litigation concludes. The court rejected that argument, clearing the way for thousands of cases to continue moving through the legal system.

>>Trump Media Company Reports $238M Loss In Q2

(Sarasota, FL) -- President Trump's media company, the company behind Truth Social, is reporting a nearly 240-million-dollar loss for the second quarter. Trump Media and Technology Group on Monday reported that revenue was up 89 percent compared to the same time last year. Most of those losses were attributed to unrealized losses on digital assets and equity securities. Shares dropped eight percent at market close.

>>Most In-Demand ZIP Codes For Homebuyers

(Undated) -- Realtor.com is out with a list of the most in-demand ZIP codes for homebuyers in the first half of 2026. With a 600-thousand-dollar median list price, Peabody, Massachusetts is the hottest place for U.S. home shoppers right now with views per property in the area receiving just over four times the U.S. average. For the fourth year in a row, the website's top ten hottest ZIP codes are all in the Northeast or Midwest. That's largely because fewer homes have been built in those regions, leaving buyers to compete for fewer properties. Meanwhile, buyers competing for homes in these areas tend to be financially well prepared as the average down payment was 17.1-percent across the top ten, compared with 13.1-percent nationally.

>>Powerball Jackpot Jumps To $975M

(Undated) -- The Powerball jackpot is moving closer to one-billion-dollars. There was no grand prize winner in Monday night's drawing so Wednesday's will be worth at least 975-million-dollars with a cash value of a little over 422-million. Tickets are two dollars each. Odds of winning are roughly one in 292-million. 

For: August 10, 2026 

>>Watching Wall Street 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after the trading week ended Friday with stocks higher and the S&P 500 closing at a record high.  That all came after the latest jobs report saw an unexpected loss, which is leading investors to believe the Federal Reserve won't raise rates anytime soon.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics said 23-thousand jobs were unexpectedly shed in July, against expectations of up to as many as 83-thousand new jobs created.  At Friday's closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 151 points to 54-063.  The S&P 500 rose by 47 points 77-57.  The Nasdaq gained 342 points to 26-690.  

>>Reports On The Calendar

(Undated)  --  Coming up in the business week ahead, economic reports start rolling in tomorrow with the latest data on existing home sales.  The Consumer Price Index, one of the Fed's favorite inflation gauges, is due Wednesday.  Thursday brings the Producer Price Index and the weekly look at first-time jobless claims.  The week wraps up with retail sales on Friday.

>>Taylor Farms Recalling Foods With Jalapenos

(Salinas, CA)  --  Taylor Farms is recalling food items containing jalapenos over possible salmonella contamination.  It comes after the California-based company pulled lettuce linked to the ongoing cyclospora outbreak.  Taylor Farms said the recalled products include salsas and guacamole, flagged after the fresh peppers were recalled by Coast Citrus Distributors.

>>Verizon Service Returns After Cables Were Cut

(Los Angeles, CA)  --  Verizon customers across Southern California once again have service after vandals cut fiber cables and triggered a massive disruption of mobile and home internet service.  The Downdetector site says over 12-thousand outage reports were registered yesterday.  That's likely a small percentage of the total number of people who lost service.  Verizon has not provided much information about where the cables were cut or who might be responsible for the vandalism.   

>>GAO: DOGE Overstated Savings

(Washington, DC)  --  The Government Accountability Office says Elon Musk's DOGE overstated some of its claimed cost savings from cuts.  DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, claimed 110-billion dollars saved with its cuts to federal contracts, grant programs and leases.  Overall, DOGE reported a total of 215-billion in cuts.  A new report from the GAO says there were issues with transparency that made the reported savings unreliable.  For instance, millions of dollars in reported savings from cuts to leases included leases that were already in the process of termination before DOGE was formed.  

>>Over 1M Ladders Recalled 

(Louisville, KY)  --  A Kentucky importer has announced over one-million ladders have been recalled due to potential fall risks and injuries.  Louisville Ladder, Inc. recalled the ladder in an alert late last week.  The Kentucky-based company said the aluminum or wood frame ladders with gas struts come with hand rails and fold into the attic.  On the Consumer Product Safety Commission website, the company said that the bolts on the ladders could break, causing those using them to be injured.  The attic stairway ladders were manufactured in Mexico and sold in home improvement stores between November 2012 and July 2026. 

For: August 7, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed in the red yesterday.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 464 points to 53-885.  The S&P 500 fell 13 points to 77-09. The Nasdaq dropped 15 points to 26-348.   

>>23,000 Jobs Lost Last Month 

(Washington, DC)  --  Job creation stalled last month.  The government's monthly employment report out today shows no new non-farm payroll jobs added in July.  In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says 23-thousand jobs were unexpectedly shed.  Most analysts had been expecting to see as many as 83-thousand new jobs created.  Meanwhile, the unemployment rate did slip a bit from four-point-two percent to four-point-one.

>>Meta Ordered To Pay $567M In NM Case

(Albuquerque, NM)  --  Meta is being ordered to pay a hefty fine for contributing to a "mental health crisis" among children.  A New Mexico judge ordered the owner of Facebook and Instagram to pay 567-million dollars into a child mental health fund set up to address harms caused by social media.  In Thursday's ruling, the judge called Meta's social media platforms "a significant contributing factor to the current mental health crisis among New Mexico's youth."  Lawyers for Meta say the company disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal.  

>>FCC Votes On Ownership Rule

(Undated)  --  The FCC has voted to eliminate a decades-old rule limiting how many households a single broadcaster can reach nationwide.  The previous cap restricted broadcasters from reaching more than 39-percent of the national television audience, but the FCC says the change will help TV networks compete with major digital platforms.  The agency will now use a case-by-case review process when evaluating broadcast ownership limits.  Supporters say the move will strengthen local broadcasters, while critics warn it could lead to more media consolidation and fewer independent voices.  The decision could have major implications for the future of television news and the media industry.

>>Coastal Launch Pad Proposed

(Baton Rouge, LA)  --  The governor of Louisiana is addressing reports that SpaceX is looking to build a launch pad in his state.  Republican Jeff Landry says he's open to the idea.  There have been suggestions that Elon Musk's space company has their eyes on a possible location near Vermilion Bay and Pecan Island, which is about one hour south of Lafayette.

>>$110,000 Annual Salary Needed To Afford A Home In 2026

(Undated)  --  Americans need to earn around 110-thousand-dollars to comfortably afford a typical home for sale in the United States.  That's according to a new Redfin report that looked at the annual income a household would need to purchase a median-priced home in June 2026.  The necessary 110-thousand-dollar income is just point-five-percent lower than last year's record high amount, while Redfin estimates the median U.S. household earned nearly 88-thousand-dollars in June, up four-percent from a year ago.  Affordability has improved in 24 of the 46 major metro areas that Redfin analyzed.  Seattle experienced the largest improvement, with the income needed to afford the typical home dropping seven-point-four-percent from a year earlier as home prices fell.