For: April 17, 2026
>>Trading Week Winding Down
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed mostly higher on Wall Street yesterday, with the S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq both hitting fresh record highs. It comes as investors are keeping their eyes on the war between the U.S. and Iran, with President Trump telling reporters that Iran is "willing to do things today they weren't two months ago," adding a deal could happen pretty quickly. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 115 points to 48-578. The S&P 500 climbed 18 points to 70-41. The Nasdaq rose 86 points to 24-102.
>>Netflix Chairman Stepping Down
(Los Gatos, CA) -- Netflix Chairman and co-founder Reed Hastings is stepping down this summer after 29 years. In that time it went from a service that physically mailed out DVDs to the largest paid streaming service in the world with an audience of nearly a billion people. The company said Hastings is planning to focus on philanthropy. Netflix stock dropped around nine-percent on the news Thursday.
>>UAW President Fain, Labor Leaders Urge Congress For AI Safeguards
(Washington, DC) -- United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain and other labor leaders are urging Congress to pass artificial intelligence safeguards to protect workers at risk of being left behind. Auto industry officials say AI has been being used for at least the last decade on things like troubleshooting, maintenance, and quality inspections. Fain, however, compares the technology to the start of NAFTA. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders joined the labor leaders for their Capitol Hill rally this week.
>>Anthropic Releases Claude Opus 4.7
(San Francisco, CA) -- Anthropic is releasing a new artificial intelligence model called Claude Opus 4.7. The company said Thursday it's better than past models but less capable than Claude Mythos Preview, which was deemed too powerful for public release. That model was apparently able to identify massive security flaws and breach virtual containment on its own, showing a dangerous potential for circumventing safeguards. Opus is reportedly good at software engineering and following instructions.
>>IRS Using AI To Speed Up Tax Return Processing
(Washington, DC) -- The IRS is using artificial intelligence to process tax returns following the April 15th filing deadline. The agency says the technology helps speed up reviews and identify errors that may be missed by human workers. The system crosschecks returns against existing records, including bank interest, side income, and payment app transactions. Experts warn taxpayers the technology can produce incorrect information and possibly expose sensitive personal data.
>>Paramount Skydance CEO Makes Surprise CinemaCon Appearance
(Undated) -- Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is making major pledges to global movie theater owners as he lays out his vision for a combined Paramount-Warner Bros. The mogul made a surprise appearance at CinemaCon on Thursday, and he announced that Paramount Pictures will offer a 45-day exclusive window for their movies to play in theaters. He also discussed a three-month commitment period for their movies to live on streaming video-on-demand platforms before titles head to Paramount-plus. Ellison is awaiting regulatory approval to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, and he said once the transaction is completed, the companies will make a "minimum" of 30 films for theaters across both studios.
>>QVC Files For Bankruptcy
(West Chester, PA) -- The parent company of home shopping TV channels QVC and HSN is filing for bankruptcy. QVC Group revealed the plan in a filing with the SEC. This comes as consumer habits have shifted, with video platforms on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube entering the shopping space. QVC Group laid off 900 employees last year as it planned to shift to social platforms. The company said its aim is to emerge from bankruptcy within 90 days.
>>Trader Joe's Shoppers May Qualify For Settlement Payment
(Undated) -- Trader Joe's is agreeing to a seven-point-four-million-dollar payout to settle a lawsuit. The multi-million-dollar class action lawsuit accused the grocer of violating the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act after some customers received receipts with the first six and last four digits of their credit or debit card. Impacted Trader Joe's customers will need to file a claim to receive their portion of the settlement, which is estimated to be around 102 dollars. Customers have until June 9th to file a claim.
