For: July 1, 2026
>>Watching Wall Street
(New York, NY) -- The opening bell rings this morning after the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high yesterday and stocks closed solidly in the green. At the closing bell, the Dow gained 136 points to close at 52-319. The S&P 500 rose 58 points to 74-99. The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 393 points to 26-213.
>>Consumer Confidence Edges Higher In June
(New York, NY) -- Consumer confidence edged higher in June. The Conference Board reported its headline confidence index rose six-tenths of a point from May's downwardly revised reading. The board's chief economist said falling oil prices provided some relief to consumer inflation fears in June. Looking ahead, buying plans for big ticket items improved slightly with expectations for homebuying and auto purchases both trending higher for the next six months.
>>U.S. Lifts Anthropic Export Controls
(San Francisco, CA) -- The public will have access to some of Anthropic's advanced AI models starting today. The company said Tuesday the U.S. government is lifting export controls put in place over cyber security concerns. The move by the Department of Commerce to end its block on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 comes after the artificial intelligence company installed new safeguards to address vulnerabilities.
>>Trump Made Millions From Crypto
(Washington, DC) -- President Trump has made at least 635-million dollars from cryptocurrency deals in his second term. In a nearly one-thousand page financial disclosure Tuesday, Trump revealed he made the money from a licensing deal that put his name on crypto coins, giving him more than a billion dollars in total crypto holdings. The president has pushed for loosening regulations on cryptocurrency. Trump also bought and sold stock in GEO Group, a private prison company and a huge contractor with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump differs from past presidents in that he didn't divest his assets or place them in a blind trust before serving.
>>Blue Origin CEO Discusses Next Steps
(Cape Canaveral, FL) -- Blue Origin still wants to return to flight this year. That's what CEO Dave Limp said yesterday in an update he shared on the company's website. One of the company's New Glenn rockets exploded on the launch pad last month, but Limp says the company has made a remarkable recovery since that "significant anomaly," as he calls it. He says there's no word on what caused the explosion, but he's confident they'll find the root cause. Looking ahead, Limp says the road to space doesn't pause here, and they're preparing to come back stronger than before.
>>Authentic Brands Group Acquires Care Bears IP
(Undated) -- Authentic Brands Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the intellectual property of Care Bears. The sale expands Authentic reach into family entertainment and marks its first character-based franchise, previously securing IP into their portfolio that includes Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and Marilyn Monroe. They also launched Authentic Studios in 2023 to develop and produce films, television, commercials, live stage experiences and audio. The companies will play a central role in extending the Care Bears universe through new stories, audiences and fan experiences. The Care Bears has reached consumers in more than 190 countries, appearing in dozens of languages.
