For: May 8, 2026
>>Trading Week Winding Down
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed lower on Wall Street yesterday as traders continue to keep an eye on the latest developments between the U.S. and Iran. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 313 points to 49-596. The S&P 500 fell 28 points to 73-37. The Nasdaq dropped 32 points to 25-806.
>>A Better-Than-Expected 115,000 New Jobs Created In April
(Washington, DC) -- The monthly jobs report is out and it has beat expectations. Most analysts were predicting around 55 to 60-thousand new jobs created in April, versus the 178-thousand the month prior. Instead, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says non-farm payrolls jumped by 115-thousand last month. As expected, the unemployment rate was unchanged at four-point-three percent.
>>SpaceX To Provide Computing Capacity To Anthropic
(Undated) -- Anthropic is announcing a new deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX. As part of the agreement, Anthropic will get access to more than 300 megawatts of computing capacity at the company's Colossus One data center in Memphis, Tennessee. The deal comes despite Musk being a vocal critic of Anthropic, and the company "expressed interest" in working with SpaceX to develop multiple gigawatts of computing capacity in space. Anthropic said the deal will directly improve capacity for its paid Claude Pro and Claude Max subscribers.
>>Microsoft Offering Employee Buyouts
(Redmond, WA) -- Microsoft is offering a buyout to nearly nine-thousand employees. It's the first time ever the company is offering a voluntary retirement program as it looks to spend more on artificial intelligence. Eligible employees would get a cash payment, continued healthcare coverage and vested stock awards. They have until June 8th to make a decision.
>>New Mexico V. Meta Continues
(Albuquerque, NM) -- New Mexico's trial against Meta continues. The state wants the tech company and social media giant to put more robust child safety measures in place. The state also wants the company to pay three-point-seven billion dollars. Meta is threatening to cut access to its social media platforms in New Mexico, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Testimony earlier this week revealed a number of cases in which children expressed suicidal thoughts in chat logs and Meta did nothing to escalate reports of the issue.
>>New Program To Earn Degrees By Phone
(Grand Rapids, MI) -- A new program will allow students to earn accredited bachelor's and master's degrees entirely on their smartphones. Cornerstone University launched the SOAR program last August and it features mini-lectures, podcasts, book reviews, and interviews with lessons broken into easily digestible pieces. According to the University's website, courses are developed by faculty with real-world experience and focus on leadership, teamwork, and ethical decision-making. The subscription-based tuition is two-thousand-400 dollars per four-month term for bachelor's degrees and three-thousand-750 dollars for master's. Cornerstone University leadership sees the first of its kind program as a way to address gaps in traditional higher education and the program is expected to add new disciplines and advanced degrees soon.
