The New Zealand government confirmed plans to tax agricultural long-lived gasses and biogenic methane that mainly comes from cow and sheep burps separately as part of its pledge to cut methane emissions 10% by 2030. The farm levy, which would be a world first, has angered some farmers and prompted opposing lawmakers to suspect the plan may actually increase global emissions by moving farming to other, less efficient countries. New Zealand is the world’s biggest dairy exporter, with agriculture not only playing a major role in the economy but also accounting for half the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Lawsuits, harassment, calls to change balloting procedures and demands for election records are adding pressure on U.S. election officials ahead of midterm elections. While providing information to the public is a part of the job of an election worker, election skeptics and deniers have occasionally become threatening and demanding. A new poll found four in 10 Republicans and one in four Democrats say they will blame election fraud if their party doesn’t win control of Congress in November. A deluge of threats and intimidating behavior, in battleground states particularly, has prompted increased security outside polling centers and election offices.

Late-night talk shows, once a decades-long successful franchise for network television, have taken a hit amid the rise in streaming services. Some executives have concluded that the cost to produce some late-night talk shows, particularly at 12:30 a.m., is no longer feasible in the era of sinking ratings. Streaming continues to hold the most-watched TV format – a welcome sign for the companies that have launched direct-to-consumer platforms in recent years and are vying to attract subscribers in a crowded market.

New Mexico’s governor voided four pre-statehood proclamations that targeted Native Americans Monday in a move meant to strengthen bonds with Native American communities. Many states and localities now observe the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day instead of – or in addition to – Columbus Day. A poll found support for Columbus is waning and recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day is more widespread, with 23% of U.S. adults preferring to use that designation.

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The U.S. murder rate increased at a slower pace in 2021 compared to the previous year according to data released by the FBI. Economic pressure and labor shortages within law enforcement were highlighted by some experts as major contributing factors to crime in the U.S. The new crime report is notable for including more details about crimes than before, however observers noted the amount of law enforcement agencies contributing to the report was significantly lower than past reports and consequently painted a less clear picture of crime in the U.S. Moreover, some reporters pointed out the country’s most populous metropolitan areas, Los Angeles and New York City, had their numbers estimated by the agency because some police departments in the cities did not report their statistics.

Mortgage rates surged to their highest point since the peak of the 2000s housing bubble with the average rate for a 30-year mortgage at 6.75%. Applications for home loans and refinancing plummeted as a result of steadily increasing mortgage rates. Hurricane Ian added to the falling demand, with applications from Florida dropping by roughly 31%. Wall Street firms warned the housing market is likely headed toward a significant slowdown as home prices dip from record highs and are likely to decline more as the Federal Reserve combats inflation.

Space billboards could turn a profit for companies even as their projected costs reach as high as $65 million according to new research. Russian scientists proposed a constellation of roughly 50 satellites that could arrange themselves into shapes and graphics to advertise various products and services while orbiting Earth for about three months. Observers estimate the net income of the project could reach about $111 million if 24 ads are displayed over three months at $4.6 million per ad, less than the cost of a Super Bowl ad. While some argued the paper highlights the viability of advertising in space, critics called the idea of space billboards “dystopian” and unnecessary.

Americans’ holiday travel plans are expected to change as a result of inflation according to a survey from Bankrate. Respondents said they plan to travel for less time, seek out less expensive accommodations and travel to closer locations to save money. The rising costs of gas and airfare were pointed to as principal reasons for altering holiday travel plans, although the number of Americans changing their travel plans varied heavily by income. Notably, while the cost of air travel and lodging surged in recent months, the cost of rental cars plummeted by roughly 6% compared to last year.

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Toyota Motor Corp. reinforced its dedication to its electric vehicle strategy after being criticized by shareholders and environmental groups for its slow transition. The company’s CEO said the adoption of electric vehicles depends on the consumer, and despite the company’s stated commitment to EVs, warned a transition to exclusively electric vehicles could leave some consumers behind. Toyota is one of roughly 17 companies that have begun manufacturing EVs or announced plans to do so.

Facebook parent company Meta announced a hiring freeze and budget cuts in an end to the company’s long period of rapid growth. The news came as the company suffered losses in the face of global economic setbacks and a hit to its advertising business linked to iOS privacy changes. Meta reported a 1% dip in revenue in the previous quarter, the first reduction since the company went public. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told managers to identify “weak performers” within their departments and reduce their headcounts accordingly.

President Joe Biden’s administration said it has scaled back eligibility for its student debt relief program following criticism and a lawsuit brought by six Republican-led states. The Department of Education’s new guidance affects roughly 700,000 borrowers and prevents those whose loans are not held by the department from seeking relief through the program. The lawsuit argued the program represents a significant overstep of executive powers by the administration and is unrelated to the financial burden borrowers have suffered as a result of the pandemic.

Used cars have grown too expensive for a number of U.S. consumers due to increased prices and rising interest rates. Used car dealer CarMax reported abysmal quarterly earnings Thursday, driving down its own stock as well as competitors’ stocks in a signal to the market of the growing unaffordability of used vehicles. CarMax CEO Bill Nash cited a shift in consumer spending away from large purchases as a primary reason for the dip in earnings while the company’s chief financial officer said they cut costs to align with lower sales.

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The rising strength of the U.S. dollar is feeding inflation around the world, wreaking havoc on global economies as the Federal Reserve fights to tame domestic prices. The British pound touched a record low against the dollar following the announcement of a government plan to slash taxes as the country’s new prime minister sought to solve economic woes, spurring emergency action from the Bank of England. Central banks in the 10 largest developed economies have raised rates by a combined 1,965 basis points in this cycle to date.

Mexico has emerged as the world’s deadliest country for environmental activism, according to an annual survey. Mexico saw 54 activists killed in 2021, contributing to more than 1,700 environmental activist deaths worldwide. Many of those who died were indigenous people, often involved in struggles to prevent the exploitation of their lands by mining, oil, logging or hydropower developers. Researchers believe that as the world attempts to compensate for the loss of fossil fuels in the wake of the war in Ukraine, campaigners will come under greater threats.

McDonald’s will offer Happy Meals for adults this fall in an effort to bolster sales by playing on adult nostalgia. Until Oct. 30, adults can purchase a meal box with a classic McDonald's character, underscoring the marketing power of nostalgia particularly for millennials. Many have found major success on social media platforms by drawing on memories from the late ’90s and the early 2000s.

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More brands are taking notice of California’s data privacy laws after cosmetics retailer Sephora agreed to pay $1.2 million in penalties for alleged violations of the law, which was expanded and amended as the California Privacy Rights Act to take effect on Jan. 1. Many Big Tech companies have been more focused on the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which has led to major fines for Meta and Amazon. Tik Tok is currently facing the prospect of a $29 million fine in the U.K. for failing to protect children’s privacy.

More than half of principals said in a new survey they felt their schools were understaffed at the start of the current school year, highlighting a lingering shortage after just 20% of principals said their schools were understaffed before the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday announced more than $60 million to strengthen the teacher pipeline, although some academics argue that many states’ staffing data misrepresents the true turnover rate. They say that hiring has been so difficult largely because of an increase in the number of open positions, spurred by large amounts of federal stimulus during the pandemic.

A U.S. compliance official is calling on companies and their executives to prioritize the end of forced labor in their supply chains after a law passed in June that imposes restrictions on the importation of goods from China’s Xinjiang region, where many Uyghur people are located. The number of people experiencing forced labor has grown by 10 million in the last five years, according to researchers from Geneva, bringing the total number of people in modern slavery – referring to forced labor, forced marriage and human trafficking – to 50 million worldwide.

More companies are turning to machine learning to get customer feedback, analyzing the language used in transcripts of calls and chats with AI rather than relying on customer surveys. While executives say the new solution could offer a richer report of the customer experience, many consumers have shown a reluctance to having their behavior tracked online. In Ohio, a venture operated by Alphabet Inc. that seeks to offer a “tech-enabled” approach to substance abuse through individualized approaches found that the non-technological, traditional care offered to those in the program has been most effective.

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Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni is poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister, marking the first time since World War II that the country would be governed by a far-right nationalist regime. The European Union watched the election with caution due to the nature of Meloni’s political campaigns, which have been rooted in Euroscepticism and anti-immigration policies. The economic impact of COVID and the war in Ukraine has deeply damaged centrist parties all over Europe, evident in the new far-right-wing coalition that emerged from Sweden’s national election earlier this month.

Officials in Florida are preparing for Tropical Storm Ian, closing Tampa Bay schools and alerting residents ahead of late Wednesday or Thursday, when the storm is projected to hit. If Ian quickly turns into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday, it could remain a Category 3 or higher hurricane. Computer models are divided over whether Ian will come ashore along Florida’s west coast Wednesday into Thursday or nearer the Panhandle Thursday into Friday.

U.S. housing shortages are worsening due to a shortage in available land for development, doubling the price of vacant land in areas such as the Sunbelt. Land-use restrictions and a lack of public investment in roads, rail and other infrastructure have made it harder than ever for developers to find sites near big population centers, further complicating a market hit by higher interest rates and construction costs. The affordable end of the housing market has been squeezed from nearly every side, marking the end of entry-level starter homes.

U.S. health officials are calling for action after a sharp rise in some sexually transmitted diseases. New syphilis infections rose by 26% in 2021, the highest rate since 1991. Prevention efforts had already been hobbled by years of inadequate funding, while delayed diagnosis and treatment contributed to the rise in cases during the pandemic. Officials are working on new solutions such as home-test kits to tackle a situation they say is “out of control.”

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An estimated $45.6 billion in pandemic unemployment benefits was likely fraudulently paid to criminals between March 2020 and April 2022 who used the Social Security numbers of dead people and prisoners to claim the aid. The updated figure is much higher than the $16 billion in fraudulent payments that the Labor Department cited in June 2021 and illustrates the daunting task still ahead of Washington as it seeks to recover the funds and hold criminals accountable. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits has dropped since its peak in 2020 but hiring is expected to weaken as the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates.

World Bank President David Malpass said it was clear greenhouse emissions are causing climate change, backtracking on his comments after coming under heavy criticism when he declined to say whether he accepts the scientific consensus on global warming. The comments alarmed many activists who were already urging the World Bank to do more to accelerate clean-energy ventures and halt funding for fossil-fuel projects. The comments come as the United Nations General Assembly heard calls from leaders urging countries to impose windfall taxes on fossil fuel companies.

Target said it plans to hire up to 100,000 seasonal workers across the U.S. to prepare for the holidays, a level of hiring that is consistent with last year but slightly below 2020 numbers. Target said the holiday hires will receive its new wages that range from $15 to $24 an hour. Similarly, Walmart announced it plans to hire 40,000 seasonal workers and Michaels said it's seeking 15,000 people to staff up its craft stores for the shopping period. Although most retailers have trimmed their holiday hiring, they promised to give current members extra shifts and more earning potential.

After Hurricane Fiona shut down Puerto Rico's entire power grid, which has been in bankruptcy for the last half-decade, the now Category 3 storm sideswiped Bermuda, heading straight for northeastern Canada. Canadians have been warned Fiona could be the strongest storm to ever hit the country’s coast, with experts saying it could be “Canada’s version of Hurricane Sandy” that caused an estimated $78.7 billion in damage. In Bermuda, Fiona pounded the island with heavy rains and 125 mph winds late Thursday, forcing school and office closures. Only about 32% of Puerto Rican residents had power restored as of Thursday and more than half were still without clean water.

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NASA completed a practice run of fueling its moon rocket ahead of a possible launch attempt next week despite facing challenges due to hydrogen leaks. The hydrogen leaks have pained the launch team for months, putting uncertainty on Tuesday’s liftoff. Despite great geopolitical tension caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. continued its space partnership with Russia Wednesday when a Russian capsule took an American astronaut to space.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the Fed would continue to fight toward slowing inflation after the U.S. central bank hiked interest rates for a third straight time and signaled that borrowing costs would continue to rise. Fed officials signaled they are willing to tolerate a recession to control inflation while Powell warned that the U.S. housing market would likely suffer a reversal in the wake of the hikes. U.S. mortgage interest rates reached 6.25% this week, their highest level since October 2008 as mortgage application volume increased for the first time in six weeks. Additionally, JPMorgan, Citigroup and Wells Fargo are raising their prime lending rates to the highest levels since the global financial crisis of 2008 following Wednesday's interest rate hike.

Florida asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decision against a state law aimed at stopping social media companies from restricting users' political speech. Currently, SB 7072 allows political candidates to sue social media companies if they are removed from the platform for upwards of 14 days, but Florida’s law seeks to stop tech companies from moderating content based on political views. States have increasingly tried their luck at passing content moderation laws, and the Supreme Court weighing in could unleash more efforts but social sites are pushing back. TikTok announced Wednesday that it will ban campaign fundraising on its platform and political accounts will require "mandatory verification."

A pair of new studies compared brisk walkers’ risk of disease and premature death with that of average or slow walkers and found that fast walking made a huge difference in a wide variety of health benefits. Walking 10,000 steps a day has been touted as the pinnacle of health by anyone with a fitness tracker, with the “Hot Girl Walk'' even becoming a trend on TikTok, but the research proves walking at a “brisk pace,” defined as upwards of 90 steps a minute, for 30 minutes a day greatly reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, dementia and death. Researchers determined that 9,800 steps a day offered the highest level of protection and was associated with a 50% reduced risk of developing dementia.

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U.S. single-family homebuilder confidence fell in September for the ninth straight month as the market continues to tumble. High mortgage rates and persistently high prices for building materials made new housing less affordable for first-time buyers. Economists indicated housing inflation will increase before cooling off in the coming months. Data-driven home-flipping company Opendoor Technologies has not been spared from the housing market’s sharp downturn, losing 42% of its transactions in August. The iBuyer warned investors that it expected to lose as much as $175 million in the third quarter.

U.S. authorities made upwards of 2 million immigration arrests along the southern border over the past 11 months, with migration from countries like Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua driving numbers up. In August, migrant encounters jumped to 203,598, and of those, 22% involved people who crossed more than once. The record-setting data come just days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent roughly 50 Venezuelan migrants to Martha's Vineyard without alerting authorities. A criminal investigation is being conducted following the incident where the migrants were left to fend for themselves.

Photo-sharing app BeReal aims to add in-app payments for extra features to avoid “Instagram-style advertising” after a massive surge in popularity among Gen Z users caused technical glitches. The core functionality of the app – having all of its users take a picture within a two-minute time frame once a day – will remain free to use. BeReal has grown to over 15 million daily users and has already drawn copycat features from TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. The new TikTok Now app lets users “capture the moment using your device’s front and back camera,” alarmingly similar to BeReal’s use.

Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest Monday after tens of millions of Britons came together to express their grief and gratitude. More than 100 world leaders, including President Joe Biden, attended the funeral to bid farewell to a sovereign whose 70-year reign defined an era. The British government declared Monday, Sept. 19, a public holiday for the funeral, leading to a wave of closures, service disruptions and cancellations that sparked some backlash. The last-minute decision left some employers scrambling as the government encouraged them “to respond sensitively” to time off requests for “a unique national moment.”

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Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two unannounced planes of undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts earlier this week, joining Gov. Greg Abbott in sending migrants to sanctuary cities and escalating the standoff with Biden over his border policies. The moves drew a harsh rebuke from Democrats, who criticized the “political stunts” and questioned their legality. The action served as a reminder of how ill prepared Democratic parts of the Northeast are to handle influxes of poor migrants, despite being seen as immigration strongholds. While the White House has hosted a series of high-level meetings on immigration, the topic remains a point of contention between the administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

Adobe announced it's acquiring Figma, a popular cloud-based design platform, for around $20 billion. The move sparked Adobe investor concern over the high price tag that led to a drop of more than $30 billion in the market value of the company Figma is relatively little known to the broader public but maintains a loyal following among developers and product managers that Adobe hopes will leverage its own customer base. The transaction marks Adobe’s largest acquisition and a substantial financial gain for Figma – the purchase price is double what Figma was valued at during its last funding round.

Uber is investigating a cybersecurity incident after reports that the company’s internal systems were breached. The alleged hacker, who claims to be an 18-year-old, said they breached uber for fun and is considering leaking the company’s course code. The breach comes as the Biden administration opens applications for state governments to receive a sliver of a new $1 billion cybersecurity grant program, intended to provide starter funds to craft cybersecurity strategies.

A new online atlas of bird migration illustrated the routes of more than 400 bird species in the Americas, bringing together online data from hundreds of scientific studies for the first time. On Thursday night, 228 million birds were predicted to be in flight across the U.S. as part of fall migration. The population of birds in the U.S. and Canada has dropped nearly 30% in the past 50 years, stemming from habitat loss and window collisions with new research underscoring the growing global problem of light pollution. Some researchers say the trend of using energy-efficient LED lighting is increasing blue light radiation that is associated with causing “substantial biological impacts” on both humans and animals.

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The U.S. labor force shrank by 500,000 people due to COVID-19-related illnesses, according to a new study. The economic impact will likely persist if workers continue to get sick at current rates. Consumer sentiment on the economy inched up in recent weeks as inflation appears to be easing, though just over half of Americans last month said price increases have caused financial hardship for their households. The Federal Reserve will look to inflation data, expected to decrease slightly from last month, ahead of a potential third interest rate hike in the coming weeks.

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on biotechnologies Monday to bolster his administration’s efforts to cure cancer. Biden will also name the director of a new agency focused on biomedical innovation. Administration officials highlighted a need to keep the U.S. from losing dominance in biotech manufacturing against China, which has a robust biotech development program. The urgency for a consistent strategy in biotech manufacturing emerged amid the pandemic as healthcare rapidly delivered vaccines, though the U.S. will also aim to advance biomanufacturing in agriculture, energy and other industries.

Visa announced it will implement a new merchant category code for U.S. gun retailers after approval from the International Organization for Standardization. The move follows pressure from gun-control activists who say the code will help track suspicious weapons purchases. The decision is expected to spark a political firestorm around the country and debate among banks and companies about how and when to follow the new standard.

Wildfires forced 14,000 people under evacuation orders over the weekend as the western United States continues to see intense heat. The Double Creek and Cedar Creek fires in Oregon have burned more than 200,000 acres combined while both are less than 15% contained. Despite rain offering some relief in Washington state, Seattle was shrouded in smoke and ash from the Bolt Creek fire burning roughly 40 miles away. Southern California also saw some relief from last week’s heat wave as a tropical storm moved in from the coast.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed iPhones will not be switching from iMessage to RCS messaging to fall in line with Android devices, saying demand for the switch is not sufficient. Some iPhone users have complained about messaging compatibility between their devices and Android devices used by friends and family, with green bubbles and pixelated images characterizing the cross-platform exchanges. Apple sees iMessage and a lack of flexibility surrounding RCS as a competitive advantage, with iMessage locking in customers to the Apple ecosystem. Apple’s iPhones have long dominated the smartphone market, although Samsung recently snatched up market share during select quarters over the past two years.

Ivy League university Princeton said it will cover tuition for students whose families make less than $100,000 per year, with the program scheduled to begin in the fall of 2023. Under the plan, roughly 25% of the student body will pay nothing for tuition, food and housing while students from families making over $100,000 will also pay less, according to the school. Although the news is positive for students who are accepted, Princeton’s low acceptance rate means the total number of affected students will be limited. While the new tuition coverage is significant, some financial aid experts noted the news is unlikely to be significant in the higher education world as debate over student debt cancellation has taken center stage.

Consulting firm Ernst & Young announced its plan to split its audit and consulting departments into two separate companies to reduce pressure from regulatory agencies over potential conflicts of interest. Global chairman Carmine Di Sibio said the move will fundamentally change the consulting industry and provide opportunities for clients and partners. Observers predicted the split may lead to an increase in profit and services offered from its consulting arm. The news raised the question of whether other large consulting firms such as Deloitte and KPMG will follow suit, although both companies denied having any plans for a split.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest reigning monarch, died Thursday after initial reports of her ailing health. The British crown was assumed by the Queen’s eldest son Charles who is now King Charles III. The event began a series of choreographed procedures for memorializing and transferring power to the next monarch. The Queen’s passing comes at a time of political flux for the United Kingdom following the election of Liz Truss as the new Prime Minister only days earlier. Observers noted the Queen’s passing represents the loss of a steadily neutral political actor as the country has grown more politically divided in recent years.

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Russia said it would halt all natural gas flows to Europe in a move that bodes poorly for economic growth as a range of European industries are being forced to slash production. The euro plunged to a 20-year low against the dollar and the British pound dropped to its lowest against the greenback since 1985. The European Union’s next steps for addressing the crisis are expected to be unveiled next week. European governments are calling for major energy-saving efforts – France will turn off street lamps and Normandy will heat some schools by wood stove in the winter. Google is expanding its Maps’ eco-friendly routing mode in dozens of European countries. Germany, employing various measures to combat the energy crisis, drew the line at limiting speeds on its fabled autobahns.

Target’s CEO Brian Cornell agreed to remain in his role for three more years after the board eliminated the company’s retirement age of 65. Target has grappled with huge shifts in shopping habits, cutting its forecast twice and seeing a large drop in quarterly profit. The average reported retirement age has increased from age 57 – where it was in 1991 – to age 61 in 2022. Later retirement ages come at a time when U.S. workers are not eligible for full Social Security retirement benefits until past age 65. The average age of CEOs is nearly 60 years old in the S&P 500.

New research found at least half of Americans now say they’re “quiet quitting” – performing only the tasks they’re required to and giving up on going “above and and beyond.” The portion of actively disengaged workers is now at 18%, the highest it’s been in nearly a decade. Among workers younger than 35, the percentage of actively disengaged employees rose by six percentage points, though women and other under-represented groups remain wary, saying they feel like they will suffer disproportionate setbacks. One effective intervention to boost engagement is for managers to have at least one in-depth conversation per week with each team member that lasts up to 30 minutes.

A game designer has sparked controversy after his artificial intelligence-generated art piece won the top spot at Colorado’s State Fair’s annual art competition. The winning artwork technically did not break any rules, but critics say it marks a threat to human artists everywhere. AI-generated art has been around for years, but new technology allows rank amateurs to create complex and photorealistic works by simply typing a few words into a box. Newsrooms debating the use of AI-generated illustrations remain hesitant, noting that these tools can be prone to encoded biases.

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Oil producer coalition OPEC+ announced an agreement to cut oil production by 100,000 barrels per day, backtracking on an increase approved last month. The alliance’s move suggests the member states want to stabilize global markets, and while “inconsequential” in terms of volume, shows the group is closely monitoring prices. The announcement caused a surge in oil prices and came as Russia and the West entered into an energy dispute. Russian oil company Gazprom recently announced an “indefinite” shutdown of gas supplies to Europe through its Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

Rishi Sunak was defeated by conservative candidate Liz Truss in the contest to become Britain’s new prime minister, assuming leadership as the country faces fierce economic headwinds. Her immediate challenges include addressing the cost-of-living crisis in the UK and steering the economy through a likely recession. One of the first moves expected from Liz Truss is a significant energy package for businesses in the UK as well as a cap on household energy bills. Liz Truss said she will institute tax cuts as part of her plan to grow the economy, and unlike her predecessor Boris Johnson, has expressed a more favorable view of social spending to support the country’s economic health.

California’s power grid came under pressure from a significant heat wave over Labor Day weekend with a number of locales hitting record temperatures in the triple digits. Rolling blackouts are expected this week after grid operators avoided grid shutdowns on Monday, highlighting the challenges of power grids affected by extreme weather events. The heat wave comes at a bad time for the state as the threat of wildfires looms large following prolonged drought conditions across a number of Western states. Weather experts called the heat wave the worst in the West’s history with heat warnings issued across six U.S. states and parts of Canada reporting record-breaking temperatures.

Social media app TikTok reportedly suffered a hack with roughly 2 billion user database records stolen, according to cybersecurity researchers who discovered the attack. The news prompted experts to warn users to update their login credentials and enable two-factor authentication for their accounts. Although TikTok denied the attack took place, claiming the images hackers shared as proof are publically accessible, the hackers warned they may sell the data and stolen code or release it to the public. Experts said the attack highlights the popular app’s attractiveness as a target for hackers and could contribute to the U.S.’s recent push to combat Chinese companies.

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Off-duty pilots representing six U.S. airlines are planning an “informational” picket line Thursday at airports nationwide to demand better working conditions ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend. Pilots say improving their work conditions is key to assuaging the travel woes that passengers have experienced this year – in the first half of the year, on-time arrival rates dropped for nearly every major airline and customer complaints surged. Lufthansa canceled 800 flights Friday after pilots of Germany’s biggest carrier staged a strike over better pay.

State and federal officials, along with voting rights advocates, are sounding the alarm over a growing exodus of local election officials ahead of the November midterms. In Kentucky, 23 of the state’s 120 county election clerks opted not to seek reelection this year and officials in Texas have seen a 30% turnover among their election officials since 2020. Election officials often deal with long work hours, staff shortages, limited resources and abusive phone calls – issues that some say have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Twitter announced plans to roll out a highly-requested edit button to paying Twitter Blue subscribers later this month but notes the feature will only be available for 30 minutes after posting a tweet. Twitter has struggled to monetize on its platform – its tip jar feature launched in 2021 never took off and more recently, the social media giant scrapped its idea of allowing adult content creators to sell OnlyFans-style subscriptions. Twitter made headlines recently for its continued legal battle with Elon Musk after the Tesla CEO rescinded his offer to buy the social media platform.

For the first time in 60 years, Zimbabwe embarked on an internal movement of more than 2,500 wild animals as the consequences of climate change replace poaching as the biggest threat to wildlife. Across Africa, national parks that are home to species like lions, elephants and buffaloes are increasingly threatened by below-average rainfall and new infrastructure projects. Ecologists in the U.S. are trying to “re-wild” the American West by reintroducing beavers and wolves – two animals with significant ecological benefits - to public lands, arguing the move would set the region up to be more resilient to climate change and help biodiversity.

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U.S. jobs openings and a consumer confidence gauge both topped forecasts, pointing to a strength in household and labor demand that risks sustaining inflationary pressures and raises the prospect for another interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve. The report also indicated firmer buying plans for appliances and cars, while the jump in job vacancies underscored the persistent tightness in the labor market. The U.S. economy in July recouped the 22 million jobs it lost at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the labor force remains smaller than it was leaving some businesses to deal with staffing shortages.

Resistance to nuclear power is beginning to ebb globally in the wake of unreliable electrical grids and fears about national security, forcing politicians around the world to confront the long-standing stigma surrounding nuclear plants. California’s last remaining power plant is seeing support from Gov. Gavin Newsom – a longtime opponent – after years of the state enduring rolling power outages. Germany is now debating whether to keep some plants open and Japan’s prime minister called for the reopening of idled nuclear reactors.

Republican candidates are trying to deemphasize the hardline anti-abortion stances they took during the primaries and some GOP nominees are curbing their focus on voter-fraud conspiracies and other far right or Trump-centered topics. The longstanding practice of candidates modifying their rhetoric for general-election audiences is common, but critics say this year’s messaging switch is unprecedented as bold language disappears entirely from candidates’ websites. At least nine Republican congressional candidates have scrubbed or amended references to former president Donald Trump or abortion from their online profiles ahead of the post-Labor Day sprint to Election Day.

Goldman Sachs Group will lift pandemic-era protocols at its offices effective early September, according to an internal memo. The move reflects updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which no longer distinguishes between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. Morgan Stanley told its New York staff that it will end tests and control measures last week. The CDC’s updated COVID-19 guidelines brought the country’s epidemic into what some call a soft landing, shedding the previously-required quarantine recommendation and prompting employers to reassess existing policies.

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The Greenland Ice Sheet is on course to lose hundreds of trillions of metric tons of ice and contribute close to a foot in average global sea level rise by 2100, regardless of the magnitude of greenhouse gas emissions cuts during the period. Current sea level rise has already exacerbated coastal flood events in cities like Miami and Charleston and an increase could mean destructive floods taking place five times as often. Water-related natural disasters could cause a $5.6 trillion hit to global GDP between 2022 and 2050, a new study found. All natural disasters combined in the past 50 years have caused $3.6 trillion in losses worldwide.

A group of large U.S. freight railroads reached tentative agreements with unions representing about 11% of workers in an effort to avoid a widespread strike. The White House and federal regulators have been scrambling to prevent a possible strike from jamming up a vital part of the supply chain network, stemming back to July when the Biden administration formed a presidential emergency board to keep 115,000 rail workers across the country from striking. The most recent settlement would include a 24% pay bump, succeeding three years without a raise. While the settlement marks a historic development, critics say it fails to address one of the biggest concerns – overwork and lack of time off.

An arm of the U.S. Agriculture Department attempted to roll out its updated system for reporting weekly export sales last week, releasing numbers that diverged widely from expectations and were later redacted. The garbled government data concerned traders, who worry bungled reports could add uncertainty to an already turbulent market. The pandemic underscored how essential current and accurate government data is and experts forecast the amount of data will increase exponentially as IoT devices and sensors become standard infrastructure. State and local governments are continually looking for ways to migrate services to the cloud, a trend that now represents one-sixth of all government tech funding opportunities.

Investors have struggled to find havens during 2022’s market tumult, with some turning to investments that mitigate risk in exchange for less reward. These “buffer funds'' have attracted roughly $6 billion in inflows this year, already doubling last year’s record inflow of $3 billion for the entire year. The stock market has faced a rocky year, with high inflation, rising interest rates and threats of recession contributing to its dismal performance. Stocks took a nosedive Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated the central bank would continue raising interest rates, inciting pushback from Senator Elizabeth Warren who said The Fed will tip the U.S. economy into a recession.

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The U.S. government will end its giveaway of COVID-19 at-home tests Friday due to insufficient congressional funding. A senior Biden administration official said a stockpile of the tests is being depleted and officials want to have enough on hand in the event of a fall surge. The Biden administration announced last week it intends to end its practice of paying for COVID-19 shots and treatments, shifting more control of pricing and coverage to the healthcare industry. A new federal report found the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency could lead to approximately 15 million people losing Medicaid coverage.

A mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card became the most valuable piece of sports memorabilia to be sold at auction, notching $12.6 million Sunday morning. The sale of the baseball card marks a new high for the sports collectible market, one that has been booming in recent years, especially since the beginning of the pandemic. The market – set to hit $227 billion by 2032 – is seeing a large push by NFT sports collectibles, spurred by millennial and Gen Z collectors and increased interest from international purchasers.

North American companies snapped up a record number of robots in the first half of this year as they struggled to keep factories and warehouses running in the face of an extremely tight labor market. Companies ordered 25% more units than during the same period a year ago, setting up the North American robotics market for its best first half ever. The shift to automation has prevailed globally; China, South Korea and Japan have all embraced robot adoption and electric cars are expected to provide another tailwind to the industry.

Live events and theme parks are offering a lifeline to entertainment giants struggling with Hollywood’s recession. Disney’s most recent earnings show how the strength of its parks could help mitigate investor concerns over its streaming business and its executives attribute the parks as a vital part of Disney’s pandemic-recovery story. Over the last two years, nearly a fifth of streaming subscribers have canceled three or more subscriptions, prompting streaming giants to explore alternative revenue streams. Netflix announced it would roll out an ad-supported tier, estimating it could generate an additional $2.2 billion in annual revenue by 2027.

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The state of California has approved a ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035, a step that advocates say will dramatically cut the state's climate-warming emissions and speed the transition to electric vehicles. The ban will not prevent people from using gas-powered vehicles or apply to the used car market. Major automakers were receptive to the move, following their own aggressive targets that match the state action, although experts say the mass production of affordable electric cars is a long road ahead.

Cybercriminals have stolen over $100 million in NFTs over the last year, underscoring their rising interest in blockchain-based assets. Platforms that use NFTs also face a growing threat of attack from sanctioned entities and state-sponsored groups, according to a new report. Researchers warn that the metaverse – the home of many NFTs as a means of defining digital property – could become a platform for cyber threats in an alternative Darkverse.

T-Mobile is teaming up with SpaceX in the hopes of ending cellphone dead zones. The wireless carrier will use Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's Starlink satellites to establish an entirely new network, which would eliminate the need for additional cell towers. The new service would cover remote areas of the U.S. where there currently is no coverage – a major need for firefighters and other emergency services.

Global traders canceled their happy hours and dinner plans in anticipation of Jerome Powell’s speech on Friday, underscoring how the Federal Reserve chairman’s comments could reshape views on the path of monetary tightening around the globe. From South Korea to Australia, market participants will be looking for clues about how the central bank will seek to bring down inflation down from a 40-year high.

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Scouts on a tour through the Midwest are finding the country’s corn crop stunted and browning from rough conditions throughout the season, prompting a growing concern over a production deficit. Markets are already reacting to a potential corn shortage, pushing prices higher and exacerbating concerns about global food inflation. The U.S. is the biggest producer and exporter of corn, which is used in everything from animal feed to biofuels and sweeteners. Nearly three-quarters of U.S. farmers say this year’s drought has hurt their harvest and farmers in Texas reported having to sell their cattle herds earlier than normal as hot weather dries out water sources and grass burns up.

Drought conditions at a state park near Fort Worth, Texas exposed dinosaur tracks from around 113 million years ago that were previously hidden underneath the Paluxy River. Similar tracks have been found in British Columbia and South America and the new find offers educators and researchers increased insight into dinosaur behavior. The extreme drought prompted a dip in water levels across key water reservoirs and revealed other discoveries, including human remains and a ship dating back to the second world war.

President Joe Biden on Thursday will stage his first political rally in the final stretch to the November midterm congressional elections, looking to give Democrats a boost and prevent Republicans from taking control of Congress. While midterm elections are fast approaching, potential 2024 candidates have begun making appearances in battleground states. Analysts say the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s residence at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida combined with the growing pressure on other fronts has established lanes in a 2024 field that Trump can expect to share with other politicians like Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence.

A government-led lab in the U.K. is working to create a new, more resilient way for the country to measure time. The U.K., like other countries, has relied on global navigation satellite systems to tell time. The U.S. The Department of Homeland Security said the incapacitation of any one of the communications that rely on standardized time would impact economic security and public health and safety as fears that this system could be disrupted or fail increase. Society continues to lean further into a dependency on accurate time for services like mobile networks, energy grids and emergency response.

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The U.S. is urging citizens to flee Ukraine ahead of the country’s independence day on Wednesday, which will also mark six months since Russia invaded. While the day’s celebrations will be halted in Kyiv, experts say the war’s momentum has tilted in Ukraine’s favor. Ukrainian defenders are increasingly hitting Russian logistics and bases, including in Crimea, and Western support holds firm with Russian sanctions and providing weapons.

Life expectancy in the U.S. plunged by 1.8 years in 2020, the biggest drop since World War II, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency found that life expectancy in New York worsened the most among all states, dropping three years to just under 78 years old. Coronavirus was the nation’s third-leading cause of death in 2020 behind heart disease and cancer. Increases in mortality also stemmed from drug overdoses, heart disease, homicide and diabetes.

Cities and states are still struggling to bring down homicide rates after a record 30% increase in 2020. Portland, which has long had one of the lowest homicide rates, invested $6 million in nonprofit programs and formed a new police unit last year to counter violent crime, but the rate remains stubbornly high. Other police chiefs say that gun violence continues to be their number one problem in public safety.

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci announced he will step down in December, leaving after more than 50 years of public service. Fauci became a household fixture during the pandemic and has advised seven U.S. presidents through HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus, the 2001 anthrax attacks, various bird influenza threats, Ebola, Zika and more recently, monkeypox. While Fauci drew praise for his handling of the pandemic, he also became a representation of government overreach to many on the political right, setting the stage for a more polarized experience for his successor.

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More U.S. workers are rejecting hustle culture and choosing instead to engage in “quiet quitting.” The term has recently flooded social media platforms as users share stories of how they close their laptops at 5 p.m., spend more time with family and do only the tasks assigned to them. More than 1 in 4 workers in a Resume Builder survey said they do the bare minimum or less at work, and 21% said they ascribe to quiet quitting in which they do only what they are paid to do. Some experts say the term is a misnomer and should actually be defined as setting healthy work-life boundaries.

The Internal Revenue Service is slated to receive $80 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act to help the agency recover from funding cuts, but experts say it could take years for the agency to rebuild enough to see a return on investment. The increased revenue from IRS enforcement is intended to help pay for a slew of climate-change initiatives, prompting wealthy individuals and large corporations to brace for more audits. However, those audits won’t likely happen for at least several more years.

Women around the globe are posting videos of themselves dancing and drinking to show support for Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who came under fire after a video of her dancing and singing with friends leaked on the internet. Marin took a drug test to dispel claims that she engaged in anything but drinking alcohol, while advocates argued that Marin is a public example of the unfair standard that prominent women in business and politics are held to.

The business of psychedelic drugs is heating up on Wall Street, thanks to a rapid path of mainstream acceptance forged by therapy advocates and decriminalization in numerous states. There are now more than 50 publicly traded psychedelic companies listed on U.S. exchanges, and some experts say they believe that pharmaceutical psychedelics may outpace the legalized cannabis industry. One report from Data Bridge Market Research projects that the global market for pharmaceutical psychedelics will reach $6.9 billion by 2027.

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A federal judge ordered CVS, Walgreens and Walmart to pay $650.6 million in a landmark judgment that will force three of the country’s largest pharmacy chains to bear some of the cost that the opioid epidemic wrought on two counties outside Cleveland. The award comes after a jury ruled last year that the pharmacies played a significant role in the crisis, dispensing drugs without effective controls and procedures. In Wisconsin, lawmakers are debating how to spend the state’s $31 million opioid settlement awarded to help combat fentanyl deaths.

Construction on new single-family homes fell about 10% in July, marking the third month new construction slowed. With home prices and mortgage rates both high, economists say housing affordability has plunged to the lowest levels since the late 1980s. Experts have noted a pullback in home buying activity and fewer people willing to commit to a new home that’s still under construction. While prices for commodities like lumber have eased, builders continue to struggle to fill open positions, especially more skilled roles.

Interest rates on credit cards are so high that consumers with a $5,000 credit card balance could pay an extra $1,000 in interest over the course of a year. While the Federal Reserve has aggressively raised interest rates this year in a bid to get inflation under control, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau noted more families are relying on credit cards to keep up with the high cost of living. The Credit Card Competition Act of 2022 introduced by lawmakers last month marks a bipartisan attempt to curb processing fees stemming from merchants battling banks and payment processors.

An intelligence group that monitors extremist communities online found an increase in calls for civil war and other extremist rhetoric after news broke that federal agents had executed a court-authorized search for documents at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Violent extremism in the U.S. has increased consistently since 2008, fueled by conspiracy theories and mistrust of government institutions. Former Vice President Mike Pence implored fellow Republicans to stop lashing out at the FBI as more law enforcement officials warn of an escalating number of violent threats.

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Americans retail spending remained steady in July compared to a month prior as shoppers saved from falling gasoline prices but boosted spending in the retail sector. Walmart and Home Dept reported stronger revenue in the recent quarter, signaling that Americans are still spending but are paying more for fewer products as they mitigate the effects of inflation. Stock futures saw a five-day gain streak Tuesday propelled by better-than-expected earnings from the retail giants, but the streak ended Wednesday after Target reported quarterly earnings that were much weaker than expected. Walmart’s CEO said even wealthier families are “penny-pinching” as inflation drives up the price of groceries.

The U.S. Agency for International Development said it will spend upwards of $68 million to purchase and ship grain from Ukraine, signaling the start of a July agreement to allow for renewed shipments from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The decision is the largest export deal since Russia’s invasion. Ukraine’s grain exports have fallen 46% year over year so far in the season, with Ukraine managing to export only 2.7 million tons of the crops so far. Last year, Ukraine exported 48.5 million tons. Ukraine’s Deputy Infrastructure Minister said he received applications for 30 ships to come to Ukraine to export grain, a sign that exports are looking up following the unblocking of three Black Sea ports under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv last month.

Roughly $3.4 trillion has been erased from 401(k)s and IRAs in the first half of 2022 as a pandemic, war in Europe, high inflation, recession fears and a fast rate-hiking cycle ravaged through the economy. About half of private-sector workers don't have an employer-sponsored retirement plan. New York City reported a $6 billion rise in pension costs over the next three fiscal years as high inflation and recession fears have hammered the city’s retirement plans. Americans have withdrawn around $617 from their savings accounts since the beginning of the year to cover everyday costs like groceries and gas bills. As the Baby Boomer generation retires, things are expected to get worse, with the number of Americans aged 65 and over set to increase to 73 million by 2030, composing about 21% of the population.

The Biden administration announced it will automatically cancel $3.9 billion in student loan debt for borrowers who attended ITT Technical Institute after learning the for-profit college misled students. Many borrowers outside of the institute say they thought they would receive similar compensation, taking out student loans based on the fact that President Biden campaigned on forgiving up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt per borrower. The Department of Education’s decision comes as the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has pushed back against further broad student debt relief, arguing it risks undermining a Democratic effort to combat inflation. Analysis from the fiscal watchdog found that $250 billion would be lost over the next decade if President Biden extended the pause on federal student loan repayments.

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Apple Inc. laid off roughly 100 contract-based recruiters over the past week in an effort to reduce the tech giant’s spending, underscoring a slowdown at the company. Apple joins a host of other Big Tech companies looking to cut costs amid an economic slowdown, with Peloton, Calm and LinkedIn recently adding to the layoffs. Roughly 70 HBO Max staff members were also laid off Monday as part of a wider reorganization at the cable channel’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Economists have warned that what is happening in one sector is not representative of the entire economy because many tech companies overhired during the pandemic and now need to cut staff and save money during a tougher economic cycle.

A record number of migrants are being arrested at the southwestern border as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a surge from Latin Americans seeking asylum or work. Apprehensions were down in July, but Border Patrol agents recorded 1.82 million arrests in the first 10 months of the government’s fiscal year, exceeding last year's total. A Gallup poll found more and more Americans want a decrease in the level of immigration into the U.S. Texas is currently sending buses of migrants from the southern border to Washington, D.C., and New York City, as Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warned "big blue city" mayors that they will "keep coming" until the mainstream media and White House address the crisis.

U.S. freight rates increased 28% year over year, but declined by nearly 2% month over month in July, signaling that the U.S. has likely reached peak rates. The Cass Freight report also signaled a potential slowdown in inflation. The New York Fed's Global Supply Chain Pressure Index indicated that supply chain bottlenecks are beginning to clear up as consumer spending returns to a more normal level. Some firms are renegotiating the shipping agreements inked during the early days of the pandemic as carrier capacity eases. However, Russia’s war in Ukraine paired with fewer available ships globally pushed oil tanker freight rates from the U.S. to Europe toward a two-year high.

Britain became the first country to approve a vaccine booster designed to target two different forms of COVID in an effort to curb both the original virus and the newer Omicron variant. Moderna’s “bivalent” vaccine generated a good immune response to both variants as well as the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants during clinical trials. The decision comes as the U.S. continues to report roughly 100,000 COVID infections and between 300 and 400 deaths on average each day, largely driven by the BA.5 omicron variant. Despite these numbers, the CDC loosened its guidance on quarantining and social distancing last week, putting more emphasis on personal choices to make informed decisions to protect oneself.

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YouTube is planning to launch an online store for various streaming video services and has already engaged in talks with entertainment companies about participating in the Google-owned platform. The “channel store” will give people a way to purchase a la carte streaming services from the main YouTube app. YouTube is joining tech giants like Apple in an effort to create a one-stop shop for consumers to access all of their favorite media. Despite more media giants joining the industry, roughly one-fifth of subscribers to premium streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max canceled upwards of three subscriptions over the past few years as consumers cut back on unnecessary spending.

A man crashed his car into a barricade protecting the U.S. Capitol early Sunday, firing shots into the air before fatally shooting himself. The Capitol Police later identified the individual as a 29-year-old man from Delaware but his motive remains unclear and no one else was injured. The incident comes at a time when law enforcement authorities are facing increased threats with federal officials warning about the potential of violent attacks on government buildings following the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

Research indicates that TikTok is shaping up to be a primary incubator for misleading and baseless information ahead of the midterm elections this fall. The platform’s enormous reach, short video length and robust algorithm have made inaccurate claims challenging to contain. National security concerns over the Chinese-owned video app remain unresolved as lawmakers and regulators recently called for a Federal Trade Commission investigation into the app. A new report found overlap between hundreds of employees at TikTok’s parent company and Chinese state media outlets, with at least 300 workers previously holding positions in Chinese state media.

An electrical fire ripped through a busy Coptic Orthodox church during Sunday mass in Egypt’s capital, killing at least 41 people including 15 children. The blaze blocked an entrance to the church, causing a stampede. Authorities ruled out foul play, but the Christian community in Egypt has suffered an increasing number of attacks by Islamic State militants, underscoring the need for improvements to security. Coptic activists have increasingly criticized the government for obstructing Christian rights. Accidental fires are also not uncommon in Cairo as Egypt’s poorly maintained infrastructure has suffered several deadly fires in recent years.

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Another heat wave is developing over Europe, prompting warnings as parts of the continent are expected to top 90 degrees just three weeks after breaking all-time temperature records. The heat wave has put pressure on the European power grid as residents try to keep cool. High temperatures and worsening drought conditions propelled a massive wildfire in southwestern France as firefighters work to contain the blaze that burned 18,000 acres and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. Officials in southwest England are considering restricting the water supply in the area as the country’s Environment Agency officially declared a drought across parts of western, southern, central and eastern England.

A man accused of fatally shooting two Muslim men with a potential connection to two other murders made his first appearance in Albuquerque court this week after tips from the public led to his arrest. Community members described suspect Muhammad Syed as “volatile,” and new court documents showed Syed had a domestic violence arrest warrant open for four months prior to his arrest. The Muslim community in Albuquerque is fighting to keep Syed in jail as police search for a motive and evidence of whether additional attacks were planned.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official said Thursday that the first confirmed U.S. case of polio in a decade could be one of “several hundred cases” within a New York community. Rockland County, where the case was found in late July, is known to be vaccine-resistant, and the populace has a polio vaccination rate 20% lower than the general U.S. population. The CDC is considering offering an extra shot of the vaccine for children or for certain groups of at-risk adults. British health officials will also offer a booster dose to children ages 1 to 9 after traces of the virus showed up in sewage samples in a quarter of London’s boroughs despite no confirmed cases.

The CDC relaxed its coronavirus guidance Thursday, dropping recommendations for social distancing and quarantining after exposure. The shift indicates that officials have decided the lower fatality rate amid a highly vaccinated population allows for less demanding guidelines, though the CDC acknowledged that the virus is “here to stay.” The Food and Drug Administration advised those who were exposed to COVID-19 to take three at-home tests instead of two as studies showed the previous two-test protocol can miss too many infections.

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Average gas prices reached their lowest levels for the first time in four months, according to AAA. The drop marks a dip of more that $1 since prices peaked at $5.02 in June. Falling gas prices have boosted consumer confidence in recent weeks as consumer spending and travel rebound. U.S. oil production reached a post-pandemic high last week, aiding in easing gas prices.

Disney saw its quarterly profit jump 50%, driven by record results at its theme parks and an unexpected surge in Disney+ subscribers. Disney lowered its forecast for future streaming growth due in part to losing the rights to air cricket competitions in India, though international viewers are expected to lead subscription growth. The company also raised its streaming service prices after posting an operating loss for the service. The report highlights Disney’s moves in the streaming market as other giants like Netflix lost subscribers due to their own price hikes.

Former President Donald Trump pleaded the fifth during an interview with New York state’s attorney general regarding a civil investigation into his family’s business practices. Although Trump’s silence was most likely the safest legal route, the decision could bolster the attorney general’s case in the weeks to come. The appearance was part of several investigations Trump and his family are entangled in, including the Jan. 6 committee and Mar-a-Lago. Following Monday’s FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, a group of House GOP lawmakers demanded scrutiny over the National Archive’s role in the investigation at Trump’s Florida home.

Volatile swings in the mortgage rates market drove a 4% surge in refinancing last week, though applications from homebuyers declined. Experts predict a slowing in the U.S. housing market, marking a reversal of the post-pandemic trend that saw home prices surge as buyers moved out of cities. Rental costs passed a median of $2,000 a month for the first time ever, surging nationwide at the fastest pace in more than thirty years. Rising rent rates are squeezing Gen Z and millennial consumers the most, according to Bank of America.

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Axios agreed to a deal to sell a majority of the company to Cox Enterprises. Though the companies didn’t announce the amount Cox paid, Cox will own 70% of Axios which is valued at $525 million. Axios never hired a banker for the sale and only spoke with Cox rather than soliciting other buyers. The acquisition united old and new media in an era characterized by a surge of mergers in the publishing world as one of the largest antitrust trials ever to hit the publishing industry over the merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster unfolds in Washington.

A father and son who were convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery in 2020 and committing a hate crime were sentenced to life in prison, and their neighbor who filmed the altercation received a 35-year sentence. Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Bryan Jr. asked the judge to consider sending them to a federal prison rather than the Georgia prison system due to a risk of vigilante justice, but the judge denied their request. Hate crimes skyrocketed in 2020 with the FBI reporting 2,871 hate crimes targeting Black people that year. In another case that garnered attention for the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, four current and former Louiseville police officers were charged last week with civil rights violations in the deadly raid that killed Breonna Taylor.

Indiana saw immediate political and economic fallout over the weekend over its new sweeping abortion law as one of the state’s largest employers Eli Lilly said the restrictions would force the company to hire out of state. Indiana’s law followed a vote in Kansas last week rejecting an amendment that would have said there was no right to abortion, the first public vote since the Supreme Court handed down its Dobbs ruling. Abortion rights remain in focus during midterm primaries as voters go to the polls in Wisconsin and Minnesota Tuesday.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers are calling for the Federal Reserve to issue a digital dollar to combat steps from China and other countries that could threaten the U.S.’s status as the global reserve currency. The House Financial Services Committee could vote on related legislation as soon as next month. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who is chair of the committee, called the financial area “a new digital assets space race.” After a turbulent summer on the crypto front, digital asset investors are focusing once again on the general tone of the U.S. stock market to predict moves on Bitcoin.

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China extended military drills near Taiwan for the fifth day as tensions mount between the two countries. The drills came in the wake of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last week, marking a significant turning point in China-U.S. relations. China’s People’s Liberation Army said the exercises tested its long-range air and ground strikes as Taiwan’s official news agency reported Taiwan’s army will conduct live-fire artillery drills in response. Air traffic around Taiwan returned to normal after Taiwan reopened its airspace Monday after the drills led to some flight cancellations over the weekend.

A jury ruled that far-right radio personality Alex Jones must pay $49.3 million in damages to the family of one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre for saying the country’s deadliest school shooting was a hoax. Jones had previously been found liable for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress against the family. Jones’ lawyer could face his own legal consequences after accidentally giving a digital copy of Jones’ phone records to the family’s lawyers.

President Joe Biden will visit eastern Kentucky to survey the damage from last week’s flash flooding that killed more than three dozen people. The state faced the threat of more heavy rain and flash flooding over the weekend with up to 2 inches of rain within one to three hours predicted. Firefighters rescued at least 19 people in Denver, Colo., from flash flooding as the city saw a surge of rain storms Sunday. U.S. cities are facing more frequent and extreme precipitation as a warming atmosphere supercharges weather-related disasters, and aging infrastructure appears to be increasingly outmatched against the threat.

Some big U.S. companies are saying hiring is becoming easier, with employers in hard-hit sectors like hospitality, retail and healthcare reporting an easing in hiring challenges despite an overall tight job market. The rigid labor market pushed wages up across the board but not enough to combat inflation, forcing many workers to seek second jobs and increase hours to pay for normal expenses. Lower-income households are struggling more deeply with inflation despite the resilient job market as richer households spend more and push prices up. A hot July jobs report will likely force the Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates to temper inflation and cool the labor market.

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The number of hungry Americans and the cost to feed them has spiked, according to Feeding America, one of the nation’s largest food bank networks. The president of the organization said food banks have come under inflationary pressure and saw a drop in donations as demand for their services increased. Circumstances for food banks are unlikely to improve in the short term as experts warned that many Americans are having to decide whether to pay for gas, bills or food rather than being able to afford all three.

The CFPB announced an investigation into Goldman Sachs’ credit-card business, particularly in relation to bill and refund processing and how the company reports information to credit bureaus. The news follows CEO David Solomon guiding the bank’s pivot towards consumer finance in an effort to diversify revenue sources. The bank said it is cooperating with investigators, although the investigation poses a potential problem for the bank’s six-year-old consumer financial arm which is responsible for the Apple Card. The CFPB has the power to levy millions of dollars in fines and order compensation for affected consumers.

The Bank of England predicted the UK will likely fall into a recession this year as the economy is expected to shrink until the end of 2023. The prediction came as the central bank announced its largest interest rate hike since 1995 in a testament to the urgency of the financial situation. Analysts called the bank’s dour forecast a “horror show,” while the central bank’s governor noted that although interest rate hikes tend to hurt poor citizens more, its actions are necessary to prevent worse outcomes later on.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said it is considering a voucher system to help travelers who cancel flights because of COVID-19. The update to current airline refund and credit rules would allow travelers more flexibility in rescheduling and seeking recourse after canceling a flight, ultimately protecting “the rights of travelers,” according to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. The news comes as workers in the airline industry shared stories of chaos at airports during a summer travel season characterized by mass delays.

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Applications for mortgages in the U.S. saw a surge last week with mortgage demand increasing 1.2%. The rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage reached its biggest weekly decline since 2020, although activity in the sector is still relatively low. While the dip in rates caused a small increase in mortgage activity, experts warned that home prices have not been falling, although some observers said low mortgage rates and an increase in inventory could invite a rebound in purchases.

Walmart laid off more than 100 corporate employees as part of a restructuring effort instituted after the company reduced its profit forecast last week. The U.S.’s largest employer said its restructuring measures will also create new roles as the company tries to adjust to the changing habits of shoppers. The layoffs followed similar announcements from companies such as Shopify and Robinhood, with the latter succumbing to pressure from both falling revenues and fines issued by government authorities. Observers said the surge in layoffs could signal an overall slowdown in the job market.

The average price of U.S. gas fell to almost $4 per gallon after a steady decline in prices over 50 days. Industry analysts attributed the dip to reduced oil prices, recession fears and a reduction in driving after gas prices hit an average of $5 per gallon. The drop in price has been welcomed by many Americans and President Joe Biden’s administration noted the decline was the fastest seen in a decade.

Cryptocurrency companies Nomad and Solana were struck by back-to-back cyberattacks with losses in the millions reported for the victims. More than 7,000 Solana wallets were hit by the attack while Nomad, a provider of cryptocurrency infrastructure, saw its ecosystem slowly drained in batches. The attacks drew further attention to the vulnerability of cryptocurrency assets and raised calls for further regulation within the industry. Experts warned that education among participants in the crypto ecosystem is needed to prevent and mitigate damage from attacks.

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Millions of inaccurate credit scores were sent to lenders by credit reporting agency Equifax according to sources familiar with the matter. The agency blamed a computer error for the erroneous credit scores being sent for consumers applying for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards from mid-March through early April this year. While the error represents another potential scandal for the company, which dominated headlines years ago due to a massive data breach, Equifax’s CEO said the impact is likely to be negligible.

Rideshare giant Uber reported positive cash flow for the first time in the company’s history due to an overall increase in demand and more reliance on the company’s food delivery service. The company saw a 24% increase in year-over-year rides and the company’s CEO said confidence is high that the company will stand apart from competitors in the event of economic troubles. Uber’s CEO also noted that the shift in consumer spending from retail to services has benefited the company’s prospects. The news comes even as inflation and gas prices remain a challenge for many of those in the transportation industry.

Retailers are opening stores despite economic pressure brought on by fears of a recession according to the owners of some of the largest shopping malls in the U.S. gains both in occupancy and cash flow are expected to continue with over 4,000 store openings reported so far this year compared to just under 2,000 closings. Consumers are increasingly shifting spending from online stores to brick-and-mortar locations according to economists, with investors buying into the shopping center space despite warnings of an incoming wave of retail bankruptcies. Retail expansion into the physical space is not expected to slow down as tenants presently enjoy below-market rates for retail space.

The U.S. said companies that receive funding from its new $52 billion Chips and Science Act will be required to pull back from the production of advanced chips in China in an effort to combat Chinese expansion. While limiting the shipment of memory chip-making equipment could harm companies from South Korea such as Samsung Electronics, policymakers maintain such moves are necessary to protect U.S. semiconductor manufacturing. The move comes at a time of heightened tensions between the nations as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi touched down in Taiwan on Tuesday, eliciting stark warnings and demonstrations of force from China.

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More than 50 beverage products were recalled over fears of bacterial contamination, according to manufacturer Lyon Magnus. Products including Oatly, Stumptown Coffee and Premier Protein were listed among the beverages that may have been contaminated, but no reports of illnesses or complaints have surfaced yet. The announcement closely followed the recall of Banana Boat sunscreen products by Edgewell Personal Care due to traces of a carcinogenic substance. Recalls can damage company reputations and lead to lawsuits, with Neutrogena and Revive Superfoods targeted by legal action recently. Despite the threat posed by legal repercussions, large companies tend to easily weather recall challenges compared to small businesses.

Starbucks Workers United requested the coffee company extend wage hikes and expanded benefits originally announced for nonunionized stores to unionized workers without engaging in the usual bargaining process. The company responded to the union’s request by stating that the law prohibits it from expanding benefits or wages without engaging in bargaining. Labor lawyers said the disagreement may have to be arbitrated by the National Labor Relations Board with the dispute framed by a significant increase in union activity within the last year, according to the agency.

A number of workers involved with the cryptocurrency platform Forsage were charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for attempting to defraud investors of more than $300 million. The companies’ founders were listed among those charged. The agency alleged they used money from new investors to pay back previous investors in a Ponzi scheme the SEC said was fiercely marketed and deployed on a massive scale. The charges come as the blockchain industry suffers from a reputation of being plagued by scams and leaves legitimate companies with a heavy lift in order to recruit new users.

Thousands of workers engaged in the world’s biggest trial of a four-day workweek in the UK during the past eight weeks with participants reporting improvements in their quality of life and work. Some studies have shown support for a reduced workweek is strong among American workers and demonstrated an increase in productivity and happiness as a result. However, participants in previous studies reported higher stress levels when the four-day workweek was instituted despite the rise in happiness.

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Google announced a new initiative eliciting feedback from employees on where to focus on efficiency improvements. The “Simplicity Sprint” effort was presented as a solution to remedy what the company’s CEO says is a lack of productivity following lower-than-expected earnings and ahead of an expected tougher economy. The initiative comes as a number of CEOs have taken a concerned tone about the economy as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg emphasized the impact the economic downturn is having on the company’s ad business, an industry where Google is a chief player.

Chinese factory activity shrank in July due to a sluggish global economy and disruptions from COVID-19. Observers noted that weak demand and strict pandemic restrictions drove the drop and suggested the nation is far from achieving post-pandemic normalcy. China’s Xinhua News Agency warned the nation’s economic recovery is not sound as the contraction in manufacturing has been coupled with a national mortgage revolt and drop in home purchases. China’s manufacturing dip, which has brought on a drop in oil prices, is notable given the country’s status as “the world’s factory” and has led some economists to predict the country faces challenges in achieving growth in the third quarter.

Devastating floods have knocked out power and left at least 28 people dead in Kentucky with the state preparing for more rain this week. Gov. Andy Beshear warned residents to prepare for further challenges as search and rescue efforts continued across a number of counties. Some officials called the flash floods exceptional after the state recently suffered from natural disasters such as tornadoes. Many residents have expressed concern over what their next steps will be with some having no insurance coverage to help fund the rebuilding of their lives.

The trial to block the merger of publishing giants Simon & Schuster and Penguin Random House has begun. Supporters of the suit have alleged the merger would harm both consumers and workers. The Department of Justice has argued the merger could prevent many writers from making a living in the industry by lowering advances and may reduce the variety of books published in the U.S. While the suit is in line with the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce corporate consolidation, lawyers defending Penguin Random House argued the government has not found any evidence the merger will actually harm consumers.

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The Democratic mayors of New York and Washington are asking the Biden administration to help with what they say is a surge of migrants from border states. The states of Texas and Arizona paid to send more than 6,000 migrants to the nation’s capital over the last several months in an effort to put the president on notice about border enforcement. The dispute came in advance of the Supreme Court's decision on Thursday to refuse the Biden administration’s request to restore its plan on immigration enforcement that deports people in the country illegally who pose the greatest public safety risk.

The mayor of Portland on Thursday issued an emergency declaration to address a spike in gun violence amid the continuing rise in post-pandemic violent crime. The Biden administration has crafted a $37 billion proposal to fight and prevent the rise in crime, which is affecting nearly every major city in the U.S. Local law enforcement has been particularly on edge this summer, bracing for the seasonal onslaught of crime that comes with warm weather in addition to a growing sense of lawlessness in big cities.

The return to brick and mortar shopping now threatens to upend the e-commerce warehouse system, leaving empty storage spaces that are draining the profits of online-only retailers and hitting the stocks of commercial real estate. Amazon, responsible for about 15% of industrial space net absorption in the U.S. last year, has closed or canceled the opening of 28 delivery hubs or fulfillment centers and delayed the opening of another 15 to save on labor costs. While online shopping has so far not affected the overall occupancy rates of warehouses, many company executives may grow more cautious about taking on new space.

The monarch butterfly was added to the endangered species list on Thursday, with estimates that the population in North America has declined up to 72% in the last 10 years. Conservationists say they are worried about the rapid rate of loss, driven by loss of habitat, increased use of herbicides and pesticides for agriculture, and climate change.

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Extreme heat affected more than 105 million people in 28 states across the U.S. on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Texas and Oklahoma. President Joe Biden announced some modest steps to address climate change as the nation grappled with heat-related illnesses and grass fires, revealing $2.3 billion in part for efficient air conditioners for low-income households and a project for offshore wind energy.

Tesla’s streak of record quarterly profits ended Wednesday when the electric carmaker revealed a decline in quarterly profit due to supply chain disruptions and an extended shutdown at its Shanghai plant. While a scarcity of semiconductors and raw materials slowed overall vehicle sales in June, Americans are still buying electric vehicles at a record pace, undeterred by rising prices and long waits for delivery.

Italy was plunged into political turmoil on Thursday as Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigned after failing to renew an alliance among political partners. The resignation will compound economic challenges for the country, which were already expected to balloon with the European Central Bank’s plans to raise interest rates for the first time in a decade. The increase will likely worsen Italy’s high debt situation.

Nearly a third of Gen Z Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 are living at home, according to a new study. Even in the midst of a strong jobs market, many say they consider living with parents or relatives a permanent housing situation. The percentage of young adults living with parents, grandparents, or older siblings or roommates has nearly tripled since 1971, driven mostly by financing and caregiving needs.

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Facebook’s embrace of remote work has allowed it to create a more diverse workforce, according to a company report. Remote job offers in the U.S. were more likely to be filled by people of color, people with disabilities and veterans, while remote candidates around the globe were more likely to be women. Remote work has also spurred a national wage leveling at tech companies. One study found the median compensation for startup workers in several U.S. cities was lifted to San Francisco compensation rates, although economists say many workers have opted for pay cuts in order to keep working from home.

U.S. officials confirmed that they recently disrupted the actions of a hacking group sponsored by the North Korean government, recovering $500,000 in ransom payments and cryptocurrency. The group targeted U.S. hospitals with ransomware, prompting federal authorities to encourage businesses to come forward for help if they have been hacked. While the pace of large-scale attacks that first surged in 2021 appears to have slowed, smaller targets such as hospitals continue to be affected.

Some e-commerce companies that experienced explosive growth during the pandemic are in danger of a cash crunch, underscoring a shift in consumer spending habits that have many online retailers on edge. Furniture retailer Wayfair and online used-car sellers Carvana and Vroom are among the cash-burning internet retailers that may need to raise external financing in the coming years to stay afloat. While fresh data shows that America’s e-commerce boom during the pandemic was even bigger than previously believed, physical stores dominated last year and appear to be winning the commerce war in 2022.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is ramping up his potential candidacy for president to counter former President Donald Trump, offering a diverging platform that could present a critical choice for voters in 2024. The two will hold dueling rallies in Arizona and again in the nation’s capital in the coming weeks. Maryland voters on Tuesday signaled their continuing support for Trump in the G.O.P. primary for governor, selecting candidate and Trump loyalist Dan Cox.

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is calling for an end to U.S. dependence on China for key goods, citing the need to improve supply chains and avoid the potential for Beijing to cut off supplies as it has done to other countries. Speaking in Seoul, Yellen emphasized the need to strengthen trade relationships with U.S. allies to reduce the vulnerabilities in supply exposed during the pandemic, highlighting South Korea as growing more technologically independent from China. South Korean conglomerate LG has announced plans to invest at least $11 billion in the U.S. by 2025, with a large portion devoted solely to developing battery materials.

Consumer financial health in the U.S. is holding up despite high inflation, according to new bank data. Second quarter data from the country's largest lenders show that consumers continued with strong spending habits and few signs of credit deterioration, often tapping into credit to borrow more on their credit cards. While many large banks posted lower earnings this quarter compared to one year ago, most bank leaders said they do not expect the economy to slow to a full recession.

Amazon has filed a lawsuit against the administrators of more than 10,000 Facebook groups that the company says coordinated fake reviews of Amazon products. Some groups, which reviewed products such as camera tripods and car stereos, had more than 43,000 members. Amazon has been plagued by fake reviews since the onset of the pandemic, when less-experienced online shoppers began to do more of their purchasing on the internet. Globally, fake reviews influenced up to $152 billion spent on lackluster products and services last year, according to the World Economic Forum.

Global vaccinations for key diseases have dropped to the worst rate in a generation, according to the United Nations. The decline in the key vaccine programs for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine dropped 5 percentage points to 81% in 2021, with 25 million infants missing life-saving vaccines last year. New, recurrent variants of the coronavirus threaten to continue to disrupt regular public health efforts, while the rapid spread of monkeypox also adds to the challenge.

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Climbing interest rates across the world are translating to the end of the global housing boom, with the average home price falling everywhere from Canada to Switzerland in May. The world’s central banks are all wrestling with record-fast inflation, driving up rates aggressively to prevent a pullback in economic activity. The European Central Bank is set to deliver its first interest-rate hike since 2011 this week, and markets are already preparing for further hikes amid dark economic prospects.

Democratic lawmakers are demanding that federal regulators crack down on Bitcoin mining in the U.S., saying that miners should report their energy use and emissions. The request follows a congressional investigation that found the largest Bitcoin mining companies in the country use as much energy as every home in the city of Houston. Lawmakers also cited research that a surge in cryptomining is significantly raising energy costs for residents and small businesses in Texas while straining the power grid.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a portion of federal law being used to protect transgender students from discrimination in states with laws or proposed legislation that would restrict their access to facilities and sports. The Education Department’s Title IX guidance prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, but the judge said the guidance directly interferes with states’ abilities to enforce their own laws. Advocates are calling attention to intersex youth, who they say are also being hurt by anti-trans legislation.

Americans vacationing in Europe are taking advantage of a strong U.S. dollar, splurging on luxury goods and services while it lasts. Some say they are now planning to take additional trips overseas, even as London’s Heathrow Airport joins other international airports in capping its number of departing passengers, citing an “Airmageddon” of long lines and canceled or delayed flights due to worker shortages.

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JPMorgan’s second-quarter profit fell 28% from a year earlier even as revenue rose slightly, pushing the S&P 500 to record a fifth consecutive day of declines. An unexpected pickup in inflation caused an increase in recession fears, but President Biden and his top economic advisers said the inflation rate was “out of date,” downplaying inflation readings that have caused discontent with his handling of the U.S. economy. Experts remain baffled by the contradictory signals after yesterday’s inflation numbers pointed toward a U.S recession but today, June’s U.S. retail sales grew 1% as consumers absorbed higher prices.

Britain’s national weather service issued its most severe heat warning for the first time Friday, placing parts of England under a red alert early next week. Europe's ongoing heat wave is expected to last weeks and break all-time records across the continent, posing extremely dangerous circumstances as air conditioning remains less ubiquitous than in the U.S. The onset of the heat wave fueled massive wildfires in Portugal, France, Spain and Croatia.

Only 28% of Americans’ say they have confidence in U.S. public schools, down from 41% in 2020, according to a Gallup poll. Republicans’ confidence in public schools plummeted to an all-time low of 14% this year, illustrating a growing national divide with debates over masking and open teachings about race and gender identity dividing parents. Only 1% of Republicans named education as the country's most important problem, implying that issues from inflation to abortion and guns are more prominent in influencing whether and how people vote this November.

Infectious disease experts warned that the federal and state response to the escalating monkeypox outbreak lacks access to enough vaccines, testing and treatments to keep up with the spread. San Francisco warned the city is veering toward a public health crisis due to the uncontrolled spread and in New York, the number of people identified with monkeypox jumped more than 30 fold. The World Health Organization is expected to hold a meeting next week to determine if monkeypox should be declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

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The U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo urged Congress to pass stalled legislation related to semiconductors, stressing the urgency of passing the passing the bill to shore up national security. Raimondo argued that a separate bill focused entirely on the semiconductor aspect of the CHIPS Act was a suitable path forward. Democrats noted that a failure to pass semiconductor legislation soon can adversely affect the economy and U.S. security as chipmakers have been courted by other nations to open chip plants, highlighting the U.S.’s relatively slow pace in building capacity for domestic chip production. Despite the Biden administration’s rhetoric, some scholars have questioned how much of a national security threat reliance on East Asia for semiconductor production really is for the U.S.

Delta Airlines announced it will limit its operational capacity to the levels it operated in June, citing strong demand but a challenging operational environment. Airlines have been plagued by a spate of logistical challenges during the summer travel season ranging from cancelled flights to staffing shortages. Despite the announcement, Delta said it remains optimistic that the travel rebound will persist past the summer due to a rise in corporate travel and lowering of travel restrictions related to COVID-19. Industry experts have argued that airlines can work with unions to help ease staffing shortages, particularly as flight attendants have seen their incomes affected by the wave of flight cancellations.

Cryptocurrency lending company Celsius Network filed for bankruptcy this week after halting withdrawals and transfers earlier in the month. The news came shortly after Vermont's Department of Financial Regulation said it believed the company did not have the cash on hand to pay customers and creditors. Celsius’ troubles are the latest in a string of cryptocurrency casualties as the industry has seen high-profile companies such as Voyager and Three Arrows Capital fall apart due to the rapid collapse in prices for digital currencies. Celsius said its filing of Chapter 11 will allow the company to handle restructuring for its stakeholders and stabilize its business, and while the news sent another shockwave through the cryptocurrency industry, digital currency markets handled the news well as Bitcoin jumped 1.7% on Wednesday.

The President of Sri Lanka fled the nation for the Maldives after announcing his resignation this week amid increasingly chaotic protests. Protestors took over the Presidential estate and this week stormed the Prime Minister’s office, bringing about a state of emergency as protestors vowed not to stop until a new president and prime minister are installed. The people of Sri Lanka have cited mistrust in the government and the scarcity of food and medicine, worsened by the country heading towards bankruptcy, as the reasons for their protests.Analysts said the political turmoil will likely worsen the island nation’s economic struggles. Experts warned that the chaos in Sri Lanka is not unique to the nation and offers lessons of what emerging markets can expect as a result of governmental failures.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to authorize the Novavax coronavirus vaccine, opening the door to a shot using the protein-based method typical of some traditional vaccines. The news follows the Biden administration’s announcement that it will purchase 3.2 billion doses of the vaccine in line with the president’s renewed approach to tackling COVID-19 through increased booster access and extensions of public health emergency measures. The vaccine’s trials have shown its efficacy as a booster and the company hopes Americans initially hesitant to get vaccinated will take its shot.

A new survey found that an estimated 20 million Americans expressed regret over quitting their jobs within the first five months of the year. The number of Americans who quit their job this year is roughly double that of a decade ago, and while the reasons for regretting the decision to quit varied, roughly half of those looking for jobs said they expect labor market conditions to worsen. The survey also noted that roughly 40% of employed job seekers received pay raises this year, but inflation has largely dulled the effect of those increases.

Files leaked by former Uber lobbyist Mark MacGann disclosed a web of alleged steps the rideshare company took to aggressively expand around the world. The leak revealed that Uber used technology to evade law enforcement, drew attention to the “silver linings” of violence between drivers and taxicab operators and sought out favors from government officials. French President Emmanuel Macron was highlighted as a “true ally” of the company with the leaks potentially leading to the president being subjected to a parliamentary inquiry. MacGann argued his intention behind the leak was to “make amends,” and said he hopes Uber will treat its drivers better as the company has recently challenged court rulings in favor of worker’s rights.

A new survey from the National Federation of Independent Business revealed that U.S. small business confidence dropped to its lowest point in over nine years, due mostly to concerns over inflation and hiring as business owners’ expectations have declined every month since the start of the year. Notably, survey respondents overwhelmingly reported that few or no qualified applicants applied for the position owners sought to fill. Despite the historic low confidence measures, the report included some positive news as hiring efforts have continued, a sign that customer demand is still strong, and the amount of owners raising average selling prices has decreased.

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A U.S. pharmaceutical company has asked the Food and Drug Administration to sell birth control pills over the counter for the first time in 60 years since the approval of oral contraceptives. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has placed contraceptive access at the heart of reproductive rights debates. Studies have shown more than 50% of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended and one-third of women have reported difficulties filling birth control pill prescriptions. The request from Paris-based HRA Pharma came the same day the Biden administration told hospitals they “must” provide abortion services if the mother's life is at risk.

California firefighters gained ground Monday in a fight against a wildfire on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada, with the blaze 22% contained as of Monday night. The Washburn Fire poses a threat to a grove of giant sequoia trees – some thought to be more than 2,000 years old – and the small community of Yosemite National Park. The intense flames are so powerful that they are creating their own weather system, causing updrafts strong enough to launch debris into the air. The average fire season is already three-and-a-half times longer than it was decades ago, with the number of annual large fires tripling as heat and drought fuel wildfires.

A string of robberies at 7-Eleven stores across Southern California Monday left two dead and several wounded after suspects robbed six separate locations on 7-Eleven’s 95th birthday celebration. Authorities said they were seeking the same lone gunman in at least three of the four shootings. The violence occurred the same day President Joe Biden hosted mass shooting victims and survivors at a White House event highlighting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act aimed at preventing such massacres.

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador plans to visit Washington Tuesday to meet with President Biden to discuss ways to improve infrastructure and cooperation along their almost 2,000-mile boundary as arrests at the border are reaching decade highs. The meeting comes nearly a month after López Obrador rejected Biden’s invitation to the Summit of the Americas when Biden did not invite leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The U.S.-Mexico relationship has been much more complicated since Biden took office, with disagreements over trade, foreign policy, energy and climate change heightening tensions.

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The tech industry’s rapid hiring during the pandemic is slowing as top executives warn employees to brace themselves for tougher times as fears of a recession loom. Roughly 85% of IT decision-makers predict their organization will be impacted by the cost of doing business - including pay freezes and hiring freezes. Companies like Netflix, Coinbase, Tesla and Twitter all laid-off workers in recent months. Additionally, more companies are hiring individuals without degrees as the lack of credentials is no longer shutting out workers from industries like tech, carrying implications for economic mobility and equity.

Rents have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in most major cities, but the median price for a one-bedroom apartment in the U.S. still reached an all-time high of $1,422 in June. Cities like San Francisco are lagging behind as landlords point to sky-high prices pre-covid, rent-control policies and a mass exodus of tech workers, with the city’s median rent down only 10% from March 2020. Mortgage rates saw the largest decline since December 2008 last week, pushed down by economic uncertainty. Concerns about personal finances surged while COVID fears evaporated as a top issue for Americans, with roughly 40% of U.S. adults naming inflation as a top priority of the government.

A new COVID-19 subvariant BA.5.2.1 has been discovered in Shanghai and has been described as "very high risk." With pharmaceutical companies struggling to keep up with the rapid mutations, a Cambridge, Massachusetts startup claims it can help them by using artificial intelligence to predict future variants. The discovery came a few days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval for the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents between 12 and 15 years old.

New analysis indicated one in six callers to the national mental-health crisis line do not connect with a crisis counselor, prompting calls for health officials to strengthen the overstretched network. Annual call volumes to the 10-digit line increased by 92% from 2016 to 2021. States are rolling out 988 as the new National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number this week, working similarly to how people can call 911 for emergencies. Nearly half a million lives were lost to suicide from 2010 to 2020 and the suicide death rate increased by 12%, outnumbering deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents.

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The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the subsequent criminalization of abortion in several states has sparked an increased interest in how data is being used and online privacy. Many women are concerned about their period tracking apps and some lawyers warn online search history and payment data could become problematic. Planned Parenthood said it will remove the marketing trackers on its search pages related to abortion after previously sharing data with third-party tracking companies including Google and Facebook.

Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, has reported multiple outages with its autonomous cars deployed in San Francisco. Recent internal messages show that nearly 60 vehicles were disabled across the city over a 90-minute period after losing touch with a Cruise server at the end of June. The incidents have caused traffic jams, but some worry outages could also hinder emergency vehicles and endanger motorists and pedestrians. Commercializing autonomous vehicles has proved to be more challenging than predicted a few years ago as U.S. lawmakers introduce more regulatory processes.

Global food prices dropped in June according to the United Nations, potentially offering some respite to strained households. Food prices climbed during the pandemic and spiked even higher after the war in Ukraine stifled grain exports. Global food prices are up 65% globally in the last two years and 12% this year alone.

Brands and retailers have shifted away from clipped newspaper discounts but the digital version hasn’t grown fast enough to catch up, worrying consumers who often rely on coupons. Critics say coupons are expensive, wasteful and inefficient advertising but one study found that customers who received coupons released feel-good oxytocin hormones. The shrinking coupon market includes not just the number of coupons distributed but also the share turned in at checkout. Economists predict that as consumers become increasingly time-strapped, many will not want to deal with even small hassles to save a few dollars.

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The spike in fertilizer prices sparked by the war in Ukraine is threatening to push countries around the world into famine, a U.N. official warned. Russia and its ally Belarus are the world’s No. 2 and 3 producers of a key ingredient of fertilizer. Fertilizer makers’ shares have been dragged down in recent weeks by declining crop prices, but remain above where they traded pre-pandemic. Farming margins have been high for several years, which largely offset hikes in fertilizer costs.

Gas consumption is down in nearly every state, putting the U.S. at the same levels it was at in the mid-1990s. The shift is likely the result of rising gas prices and a growing interest in alternative-fuel cars. Millions of motorists have adjusted their lives to become fuel-efficient – more than half the drivers in one survey said they are driving less and 3 in 10 said they are driving more slowly. The number of Americans interested in buying an electric vehicle is also growing as the U.S. sees improvements to its charging networks and more lower-priced EVs come to market.

Corporate commitments to carbon neutrality continue to surge as business leaders race to realign strategic priorities with consumer, investor and regulatory pressure for climate action. Companies ranging from Xerox to Walmart to Delta Airlines have pledged to become net-zero and 38% of Fortune 500 companies have delivered a significant climate milestone or publicly committed to doing so by 2030. The central African nation of Gabon plans to issue the world’s biggest carbon credit load by November, but the move has exposed the politics of the carbon market, prompting concern from market participants.

Lawmakers in Texas said families of the Uvalde shooting victims are experiencing delays in getting compensation benefits from the state. Local and state officials announced last month they would provide long-term support services to residents after the school shooting in May. Some survivors and families of victims in previous mass shootings have expressed confusion over how funds are used, as there is often no easy way to track where the money will go or what it will be spent on. Fundraising scams have also become commonplace, prompting the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to launch a centralized hub of verified fundraisers.

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Walmart announced additional charges for some of its suppliers to transport goods to its warehouses and stores in response to increasing transportation costs, saying the fees can help keep prices low for consumers. The move comes after the nation's largest retailer slashed its full-year profit outlook, blaming rising costs of labor and fuel. Many big-box retailers are rethinking their business model, with Amazon recently agreeing to add Grubhub to its list of Prime services in the U.S., aiding the e-commerce giant in acquiring a small stake in the food-ordering company.

The Food and Drug Administration said it had temporarily suspended its ban on sales of Juul Lab Inc.’s products Tuesday as the e-cigarette maker appeals the agency’s June decision saying its products were not safe, especially for youth. Critics of the ban have argued it “makes a mockery of public health” as the number of youth who vape has dropped nearly 60% in the past two years. Nearly 90% of youth don’t vape and 95% don’t vape frequently, according to the latest National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Concerns are rising among some unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. as they fear deportation if they cross state lines to obtain care after abortion bans past 15 weeks of pregnancy took effect in Florida and Mississippi Tuesday. The new state bans have worried infertility patients and doctors that it could make it easier to restrict in vitro fertilization. Lobbyists pressuring Congress on telehealth are also pleaing to stay away from abortion matters as they fear it could erase wins throughout the sector. After the ruling, companies like Amazon, Disney and Apple pledged to cover travel costs for employees who live in states where the procedure is now illegal, but now it remains unclear if they will be able to do this legally while protecting employees.

Ice cream products from Big Olaf Creamery in Sarasota, Florida have been linked to a multi-state listeria outbreak, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Numbers last week indicated that nearly two dozen people have been sickened with listeria and one has died. More than 900 million units of U.S. products have already been recalled in the first quarter of 2022, marking the highest number in the past 10 years and eclipsing average annual figures recorded.

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In one of its final rulings of the term, the Supreme Court ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in seeking to limit emissions from power plants, curtailing the agency’s ability to make policy decisions without congressional approval. The decision is expected to delay the U.S.’s transition to clean power. Local and state governments have accelerated their own efforts to combat climate change as action lags federally. National parks will bear the brunt of climate inaction as parks like Yellowstone, Glacier and Joshua Tree face climate shifts like extreme flooding, melting glaciers and intense heat.

Airbnb announced a permanent ban of parties at its properties worldwide after an initial temporary ban during the pandemic. Several shootings occurred at Airbnb parties in the U.S. over the past two years despite the ban, prompting the company to take a stronger stance to support communities, hosts and public health. Local policy reviews have outlined the negative impacts of short-term vacation rentals on communities as new policies and regulations stand to potentially interrupt Airbnb’s growth.

Game developer Unity is laying off hundreds of workers despite its CEO telling employees two weeks ago that the company was on solid financial footing. The round of layoffs follows another similar purge at Tesla, where 200 members of the autopilot team were let go earlier this week. A union contract covering 22,000 workers at nearly 30 U.S. West Coast ports expires late Friday, enhancing worries that the supply chain could be rocked again under a possible labor disruption. The unionization movement continues to ramp up in the U.S. as workers at a New Jersey Medieval Times dinner theater called to unionize the restaurant earlier this week.

Russia’s trial of Brittney Griner began Friday, where the WNBA star faces up to 10 years in prison on drug smuggling charges. Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possessing vape canisters with cannabis oil. Griner’s detainment has underscored tension in U.S.-Russian relations, and the court is expected to convict and sentence Griner in a move to force the Biden administration to negotiate for Griner’s freedom. Fewer than 1% of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and acquittals can be overturned, unlike the U.S.

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Roughly 17,000 flights were delayed and more than 1,400 were canceled over the Fourth of July weekend as more than 9 million flyers flocked to U.S. airports between Thursday and Sunday. To manage demand, Delta issued a waiver making it easier for people to rebook their travels to less busy days. As airports grapple with staffing issues and worker strikes, some U.S. lawmakers are calling for the Transportation Secretary to penalize airlines for delays and cancellations.

A gunman on a rooftop opened fire on a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois Monday, killing six people and sending more than two dozen to the hospital. The incident marks the 306th mass shooting since the start of this year, with mass shootings and gun deaths in the U.S. rivaling 2021’s record-breaking figures.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged vaccine manufacturers to create booster vaccines that include components to fight the multiple dominant Omicron subvariants that are rippling through the U.S. The FDA noted that these shots should be approved for use “starting in early to mid-fall 2022.” The data suggests these new boosters provide noticeably stronger immunity against their targeted subvariants than the primary vaccines. More than two years into the pandemic, 67% of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The U.S. is still averaging upwards of 100,000 new cases a day with high hospitalizations

Tesla will halt production at its new factory in Germany for two weeks after a disappointing quarter of deliveries, a record month of production and several weeks of downtime at multiple plants left investors uneasy. The electric car maker will also stop most production on its Model Y assembly line in Shanghai for the first two weeks of July. The decision coincides with a recent J.D. Power study that indicated battery-electric vehicles are more problematic than vehicles with internal combustion engines, with the automotive industry seeing a record number of problems this year. Recent reports showed chipmakers have seen an ease up in the two-year global semiconductor shortage that has hit car production hard.

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Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will officially retire at noon Thursday after the court announces its final decisions of the term. Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn in shortly after, making history as the first black woman on the Supreme Court. In the week since overturning Roe vs. Wade, the court handed down rulings supporting a high school football coach’s right to pray on the field, doctors prosecuted for overprescribing drugs and an Iraq War veteran suing their employer for job discrimination.

A New York federal judge sentenced singer R. Kelly to 30 years in prison on racketeering and sex abuse offenses. Prosecutors alleged Kelly used his influence for decades to sexually abuse and exploit victims, including minors. The sentencing was the second major sentencing hearing for sex abuse crimes this week as Ghislaine Maxwell received a 20-year sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. In the NFL, Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson faces an indefinite suspension after settling 20 of 24 civil lawsuits for sexual misconduct.

The new head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the agency will analyze the risks posed by automated vehicle technology to determine what regulations might be necessary as the technology advances. The agency is looking at recently reported crash data as critics of the technology call for regulators to address the growing use of driver-assistance systems on U.S. roads. Meta recently released a set of papers on a type of self-supervised learning for AI systems outlining how the system learned to reconstruct images from incomplete data. While tech companies pour billions into funding AI and automation projects, experts warn that developers aren’t adequately tempering hype on their developments.

Pfizer asked the Food and Drug Administration to grant full approval of its COVID-19 antiviral pill Paxlovid, a step closer for the drug maker to be able to sell the drug commercially. To date, Pfizer has sold Paxlovid to the federal government under emergency use authorization, and the government has been in charge of distribution. Final results of Pfizer’s testing showed Paxlovid cuts the risk of hospitalization or death by 86% when taken within 5 days of symptom onset. Pandemic adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci said he believed the drug reduced his symptoms and kept him out of the hospital after testing positive in mid-June.

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A new Commerce Department report confirmed a larger contraction of the U.S. economy in the first quarter than earlier readings, suggesting a recession is either in progress or on the way. The European and U.S. economies slowed sharply in June as surging food and gas prices weakened demand for other goods and services, pointing to the increasing risk of recessions around the world. The S&P 500 is down nearly 18% this year, marking the worst first half of the year since the 1970s. A recent survey found consumer confidence has hit its lowest point in a decade due to ongoing inflation concerns.

European Union countries agreed to back stricter climate rules that would eliminate carbon emissions from new cars by 2035, paving the way for final negotiations with the European Parliament. The UN Ocean Conference is set to issue a declaration to protect oceans against exploitation and restore ocean health after President Joe Biden signed a memorandum to crack down on unregulated fishing. The decisions come as another heat wave hits Europe with record temperatures for June. A recent poll found European citizens greatly underestimate the extent scientists agree on climate change. Respondents believed 68% of scientists agreed that man-made climate change is real, when the figure is near 100% in reality.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced Russia’s airstrike on a crowded Ukrainian shopping center as a war crime, saying Russia “cannot and should not win” the war. Russia continued airstrikes after Monday’s attack as Western allies vowed to maintain Ukrainian support. Biden announced plans to boost U.S. forces in Europe as Russia presents a persistent threat to NATO. The White House added five Chinese companies, as well as 31 other entities, to a trade blacklist for supplying Russia’s military before and during the conflict.

Delta Airlines announced it will allow customers to switch flights between July 1-4 for free as the carrier expects some challenges over the holiday weekend. Recent flight delays and cancellations have pushed travelers to their limits of patience as pandemic-era problems persist in the national air system. Travel by car is expected to be high despite elevated fuel prices with over 42 million drivers predicted to hit the road over the weekend.

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The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate an Amtrak derailment in Missouri after a train struck a dump truck, killing at least 3 people and injuring 50. Initial reports suggest the train crossing was “uncontrolled,” meaning there were no lights or mechanized arms. The incident is one of several fatal Amtrak accidents in the past week, including a collision with a car in California that killed 3 and a pedestrian who was struck and killed in Michigan.

The January 6 panel called a last-minute hearing for Tuesday to present new evidence and hear witness testimony before the committee takes a brief hiatus until July 11. The primary witness of the surprise hearing is Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows who has already provided a significant amount of information to the panel. Federal agents seized the phone of John Eastman, who advised Trump on key elements of the effort to overturn the election, suggesting the Justice Department is intensifying its criminal investigation into Trump’s efforts to remain in power.

Stocks moved up Tuesday as China eased coronavirus restrictions, bolstering investors’ confidence in global growth. China cut hotel quarantine time for international travelers to seven days followed by 3 days at home, a major easing of curbs that cut international flights into the country to just 2% of pre-pandemic levels. The move was praised by Western business lobby groups in China, while the EU is moving pandemic restrictions in the opposite direction, extending the use of COVID-19 certificates until June 2023 as cases rise in the bloc.

G-7 allies pledged to spend $4.5 billion in 2022 to ensure global food supply amid shortages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the U.S. committing more than half of the funding. Up to 40 million more people worldwide could be pushed into poverty this year due to the war, according to the White House. About 20 million people in the Horn of Africa face starvation by the end of the year. G-7 leaders expressed concerns that the food security crisis could cause geopolitical instability as poorer countries look for support from any country that can help, including China.

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The Supreme Court’s decision on Roe vs. Wade sparked a new urgency in Pride celebrations over the weekend as the LGBTQ community has seen a streak of legislative defeats in the past year. In response to the ruling, Pride events saw a surge in energy similar to the early years of Pride marches. Threats of active shooters at some of the biggest parades in the country, including New York and San Francisco, overshadowed celebrations amid concerns of previous shootings in LGBTQ spaces and the frequency of mass shootings in the U.S. Dozens were detained in Istanbul for participating in the city’s Pride parade after convening despite a longterm ban on the event.

Russia defaulted on its international bonds for the first time since 1918 as sanctions have effectively cut the country off from the global financial system. G-7 leaders will likely adopt new sanctions on Russia as the group also discusses a cap on the purchase price of Russian oil. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz aims to prove his mettle as his country hosts the G-7 conference amid the most tumultuous time in Europe since World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the summit by video, expressing that he wants the war with Russia to be over by the end of the year.

The Centers for Disease Control recommended Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for kids ages 6 to 17 and endorsed it for infants and young children. Pfizer announced its updated booster can provide protection against the omicron variant and is safe and effective. A panel of independent experts is expected to recommend updating existing vaccines to target a newer version of the coronavirus for a fall booster shot.

The price of gas is expected to hit the highest price ever for the Fourth of July weekend, though prices will be 20 cents lower than its peak in mid-June. Gas theft and reselling is increasing across the U.S. amid high prices, though analysts suggest the theft is pushing the costs onto consumers rather than the “sticking it to the man.” The California legislature is working to offer more than $1,000 in gas relief to families in its most recent budget package. As prices rise, gas stations are also boosting the amount that they hold on customers’ credit cards, reaching $175 in some cases.

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U.S. weekly jobless claims fell by 2,000 claims for the past week in what some said could be a sign that labor market pressure may be easing. While the drop marks the second straight weekly decline, observers cautioned that claims are still hovering near a five-month high while job cuts in multiple sectors have been reported. Although some economists argued the labor market has already seen its best days, others said the figures suggest the labor market is remaining strong. Some observers have noted that workers’ power relative to employers has cooled, with economic researchers arguing while workers have not lost power, they have stopped gaining it compared to the early days of the pandemic.

Streaming giant Netflix laid off more than 300 employees in order to bring costs in line with “slower revenue growth” caused by recent losses in subscribers. Netflix said it expects to lose up to 2 million more subscribers in the current quarter. Other ideas to bring costs in line with growth have been floated, including cracking down on password sharing and introducing a lower-priced account with ads. With the latter strategy set to go forward, Google and NBCUniversal have been reported as top contenders for helping Netflix develop its ad-tier service.

Intel postponed the groundbreaking of its new chip factory in Ohio while saying it plans to continue construction of the plant. Intel warned members of Congress that its delay stemmed from slow progress on the CHIPS Act, a bill designed to reinvigorate the U.S. microchip industry. Intel cautioned that the company’s Ohio expansion is heavily dependent on the funding provided by the bill which has seen a recent drop in attention from lawmakers. While President Joe Biden has emphasized the importance of U.S. domestic semiconductor production, some lawmakers appear hesitant to give the president a legislative win before the November elections.

The Ohio State University successfully trademarked the word “the,” one of the most common words in the English language. The trademark applies mainly to clothing and followed a years-long effort to combat unlicensed merchandise sellers. Intellectual property experts noted that the trademark won’t unleash a wave of litigation against anyone using the article, emphasizing that the protections have a narrow enforcement focus centered on those attempting to represent the university using the word. The school noted that the protection of its intellectual property assets remains vital to the institution's funding and overall ability to conduct research and educate students.

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Electric vehicles could account for 54% of global car sales by 2035 if demand remains high, according to a new report from AlixPartners. The report’s prediction of sales growth comes even as automakers hike prices for vehicles due to the doubling of raw material costs throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm said it expects manufacturers to push new models less and focus on profitability going forward after companies such as Ford saw profits dry up for vehicles due to commodity costs. Some industry actors have argued the consolidation of parts and increased availability of cell components can lower the cost of electric vehicles for automakers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is poised to ban Juul vaporizer products due to youth vaping concerns. Juul will have the option to pursue an appeal or challenge the decision in court, however the ban could be a significant financial blow to majority stakeholders in the company. News of the ban caused a surge in vape purchases as consumers rushed to buy up the product, although some experts said many consumers are likely to just switch to competing products on the market. Anti-smoking advocates expressed optimism over the impending ban, but supporters of vaping are concerned the decision could represent the loss of a product that could help people quit smoking.

The retail industry could face a wave of bankruptcies as the holiday season approaches, according to industry experts. Despite only four retail companies filing for bankruptcy so far this year, observers cautioned that a “perfect storm” could be brewing for some companies as low-income shoppers have been hit by inflation and high-income consumers spend more on luxury goods. Cosmetic company Revlon, which filed for bankruptcy in mid-June, enjoyed a surge in its stock price due primarily to individual investors as the newest “meme stock,” but it is unclear how high the share price will go.

Microsoft and Meta along with 35 other tech-industry organizations announced they are establishing a consortium focused on establishing metaverse interoperability standards. Notably, the consortium does not include Google parent company Alphabet or Apple even as they are expected to be dominant forces in the Metaverse when their mixed reality headsets are introduced. Executives involved with the consortium did not address how Apple’s apparent absence would affect the coalition’s goals but the group said it will focus on topics ranging from augmented reality to online economies.

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A study from Harvard medical researchers found that Medicare could save billions if it purchased drugs from investor Mark Cuban’s online pharmacy. Research has shown the costs for some name-brand drugs for Medicare nearly doubled since 2009, emphasizing the utility of the online pharmacy touted as a reliable source for safe and affordable medicine. The study’s authors said the total savings for Medicare would likely be higher than the research results, highlighting an urgent need for healthcare policy reform.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators released the text of a gun control bill after weeks of negotiation following the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. The bill calls for a number of “red flag” laws and increased background checks for gun buyers, representing the most significant piece of gun control legislation in decades if passed. Senate majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he expects the bill to pass, although the National Rifle Association said it will oppose the bill.

Microsoft announced that it is shutting down some of its AI facial analysis tools after showing signs of bias and inaccuracies. Microsoft said some AI programs, such as one that assists sales representatives in running sentiment analysis, will remain active. Experts have criticized AI-powered emotional recognition tools as “unscientific” due to a lack of consensus on how to define emotions and identify the relationship between facial expressions and feelings. Microsoft said its shutdown of some services is meant to align with its call for “responsible AI,” which industry experts have argued is necessary to support consumer trust in companies using the technology.

Average U.S. home prices reached a record high of $407,600 in May amid slowing sales of homes, particularly of previously owned properties. Mortgage rates have climbed as the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates, pricing out buyers and causing some analysts to expect further drops in home sales. Notably, sales of low-priced homes have seen the sharpest drop, suggesting price pressures are hurting low and middle-income buyers the most with prices expected to climb still.

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Google warned small businesses that utilizing its G Suite services they will need to start paying after years of free use, prompting some business owners to feel the tech giant has “strong-armed” them. Google, who later backed off of threats to force private users to pay for the services, said it will suspend business accounts that do not start paying by Aug. 1. Some small business owners, already struggling with a tightening labor market, said the cost is less of an issue than the way the company has approached the change which has been characterized as “ham-handed.”

Investment Bank Nomura predicted the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes will cause an economic recession as the central bank said it plans to raise interest rates into 2023. The investment bank lowered its GDP forecast for 2022 to 1.8% from its earlier 2.5% projection, while Bank of America global strategists said the odds of a downturn in 2023 are now at 40%. Despite financial institutions’ and economists’ forecasts, some experts have argued the likelihood of a global recession is low and can be avoided with solutions such as an increased labor pool.

Thousands of UK rail workers entered into the first day of a strike after Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected workers’ pay demands. The strike comes as a last resort after union and train companies failed to agree on pay increases and job security guarantees. Union representatives warned strikes throughout the summer will blight the UK, although research has shown the efficacy of strikes for increasing wages has plummeted since 1982.

Thousands of travelers were left stranded over the weekend amid a wave of cancelled and delayed flights. Airlines pointed to weather problems and staffing issues as the cause of more than 5,000 cancelled flights, offering an ominous forecast for a travel season airlines expected to hit record levels. Industry experts voiced concern that the record travel year is likely to be plagued by similar events, with some U.S. lawmakers saying the weekend’s problems raised questions about “airline decisionmaking.”

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The U.S. economy is beginning to slow under the combined weight of soaring inflation and climbing interest rates, with recent reports showing a sharp decline in key sectors. Borrowing costs for consumers and businesses have risen, meaning that prices for goods and services are soaring as well as the cost of loans used to buy houses, cars and other items. The Federal Reserve reiterated the central bank’s commitment to bringing down inflation Friday, emphasizing its role in the global financial system.

President Joe Biden announced plans to cut the number of fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. by 13% by 2025, potentially saving tens of thousands of lives. Part of Biden’s strategy includes the expansion of harm reduction programs, which face a complicated reality on the ground as many local governments remain resistant. Despite data supporting a sharp rise in drug overdoses across the U.S. – particularly during the pandemic – the share of Americans who view drug addiction as a “major problem” has consistently declined since 2018.

The U.S. government and many companies have spent billions of dollars on several programs intended to upgrade internet speeds in rural areas over the past decade, but flaws in the programs’ design have left many residents with a lacking broadband connection. The issue exacerbates education gaps among students as well as rural economies that are left out of the e-commerce push.

Scientists identified a distinct subpopulation of polar bears in southeastern Greenland that, in an area with little sea ice, survive by hunting from ice that breaks off glaciers. The discovery suggests a small number of bears may survive as warming continues and the ice they normally depend on disappears. Scientists continue to study record-shattering events that could link climate change to extreme weather and encourage government agencies to move into attribution studies.

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More than half of Americans are dipping into their savings, borrowing money or going into debt in order to cover their expenses, new data revealed. Consumers are facing rising costs across all categories, from everyday goods to groceries and gas. Credit card debt is back to record levels, reversing the pandemic-era trend of boosting savings with help of federal stimulus checks. More consumers are also letting their credit card debt revolve and banks have reported credit card holders are taking more time to pay down debt.

Republican candidates, specifically Trump-endorsed candidates and candidates who claim the 2020 election was fraudulent, did well in this week’s primary elections. Most notably, the result in Texas’s 34th special election flipped the seat from blue to red in a win for the GOP. Republican outside groups spent more than three times as much on the race in Texas than Democratic groups, frustrating Democratic candidates over what they deemed a lack of support from their party.

Google came under fire for boasting it does not accept advertisements for firearms ahead of an analysis that found its ad systems served up more than 100 million ads from gun makers. Between March and June of this year, 15 of the largest firearms sellers in the U.S. used Google’s systems to place ads that generated over 120 million impressions. Gun presence in GOP ads and social media has also become more prevalent. The nation’s largest gun safety group recently launched an advertising campaign that targets Republican lawmakers to act on gun-safety measures.

The web browser known for being buggy and slow was shut down Wednesday when Microsoft disabled Internet Explorer. Introduced in 1995, the retirement of Internet Explorer has prompted nostalgia, memes and jokes among internet users. In recent years, Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari have grown popular among users who find the web browsers to be faster, safer and less likely to crash. Internet Explorer held less than half a percent of the overall browser market share in recent years.

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Toyota pushed back against critics who say it has been slow to embrace battery electric vehicles, arguing consumer choice dictates its pace of electrification. Toyota said hybrids are still needed in a market where infrastructure is largely not ready to support a fast move to EVs. The overall EV adoption varies between markets – China and Europe dominate the share of EV sales with adoption running much slower elsewhere. Still, forecasts project EVs to take the road faster than previously thought due in part to more aggressive goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

The number and rate of U.S. abortions increased 8% between 2017 and 2020 after a long decline, new figures show. The number follows a draft opinion that suggested the Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. Some experts noted the numbers may be inflated due to the pandemic, which may have limited access to contraception or discouraged women from undertaking healthcare visits involved in a pregnancy.

As cryptocurrency enters the mainstream, reminders of its novelty continue to pop up – most recently, some are wondering what will happen to their digital assets in the event of an untimely death. There is currently no way to establish a way to ensure crypto is passed on to the next of kin. A Bank of America survey found that 91% of people said they expect to buy crypto in the next six months, despite how far crypto units have fallen as inflation and recession fears grip the market

New York’s top court ruled that Happy the elephant may be intelligent and deserving of compassion, but she cannot be considered a person being illegally confined to the Bronx Zoo. The closely watched case tested the boundaries of applying human rights to animals and critics warned a win could have opened the door to more legal actions on behalf of animals, including pets and farm animals. The ruling ended what appeared to be the first case of its kind in the English-speaking world to reach so high a court.

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Lawmakers, including the Biden administration, are increasingly accusing big companies of seizing on inflation to jack up prices more than necessary. Critics of those companies say “greedflation” has persisted as more consumers lose any benchmark they had for what prices should be. Some economists debunking the claim point to economic indicators – while inflation remained high, the stock market plummeted and earnings have largely disappointed investors. Skyrocketing food prices are beginning to impact Americans’ eating and grocery habits, meanwhile food manufacturers continue to “shrinkflate” – putting fewer chips or cereal in the bags and boxes we buy.

Thousands of flights are being canceled or delayed and airline ticket prices are surging – rising 38% in May compared to a year earlier – prompting an increase in complaints from customers. With a commoditized product like an airline ticket, making fliers happy does little for retention while making them angry also does little to lose them. Despite the jump in angry customers, investors are celebrating the results that they hope will recoup two years of lost profits due to the pandemic.

The Food and Drug Administration granted clearance to new software that enables Apple Watch-based tracking of Parkinson’s disease symptoms and to a new Apple software update that will feature improved sleep monitoring and enhanced heartbeat tracking. The move underscores Apple’s commitment to expanding the health and fitness uses as well as the broader trend among tech companies hoping to establish their credentials in health care. With these developments, experts warn that data collected from wearable devices like FitBits and Apple Watches have no special legal protections under HIPAA.

One-third of Americans reported feeling left behind as everyone they know moves past the coronavirus pandemic despite a rise in cases and hospitalizations. While 31% of respondents said they believe the pandemic is over, nearly half say they have returned to their normal, pre-COVID routines. International travelers boarding flights to the U.S. will no longer need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test. The move follows the Biden administration dropping its federal mask requirement on public transportation in April.

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Idaho police arrested 31 people over the weekend who are believed to be affiliated with the white nationalist group Patriot Front, after they were seen gathering near a Pride parade with gear that led law enforcement to suspect they had intentions to riot. The event prompted concerns surrounding other local Pride events, which have long been picketed by counter-protesters but historically haven’t been a major focus for armed extremist groups. While 2022 marks the return of many in-person Pride celebrations following the COVID-19 pandemic, it also brings a record number of anti-transgender bills and increased political focus on LGBTQ issues.

Google placed an engineer on paid leave after dismissing his claims that its artificial intelligence is sentient, surfacing another issue with the company’s most advanced technology. Google said its systems did not have consciousness – a topic widely debated among AI researchers. Google announced its software called LaMDA last year, which it hopes will improve its conversational AI assistants and make for more natural conversation.

U.S. lawmakers are taking up a measure that would toughen the oversight of international shipping companies in an attempt to rein in inflation. The bill would add new regulatory constraints to shipping operations and limit the ability of ocean carriers to levy fees that shipping customers say are driving up costs. DHL’s freight unit warned that port congestion will ease next year, but not enough to restore the global chain to its pre-pandemic state.

Sunday marked 50 years since the Watergate scandal, when a break-in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters led to an investigation that revealed information incriminating former President Richard Nixon. The aftermath changed the political landscape, leading to a fissure in Americans’ trust in government. A recent study found that public trust in the U.S. government is near historic lows, spawning from a decline that began around the time of Watergate.

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President Joe Biden arrived in Los Angeles to host nearly two dozen leaders from Latin America for the Summit of the Americas with the hopes to use new economic and migration announcements to show cohesion in an often divided region. Latin American leaders criticized Biden over his exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the summit, underscoring the challenges he faces to reassert leadership. The Biden administration hopes its announcement of the “Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity” framework will act as common ground among the divided countries.

The White House outlined the early stages of its plan to make COVID-19 vaccines available to roughly 18 million children younger than 5 this month. The vaccinations could begin as soon as June 21 with manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer offering 10 million initial doses. Pfizer recently reported that its three-dose coronavirus vaccine for children 6 months to 5 years old was 80% effective against omicron. Officials said they are continuing to struggle to come up with enough funding to be able to buy new versions of vaccines needed for later this year even as the White House announced $10 billion towards fall vaccine purchases.

Meta Platform’s Facebook is re-examining its pledge to pay for news, causing some news organizations to prepare for a potential revenue shortfall of tens of millions of dollars. The company has paid average annual fees of more than $15 million as part of a broader Facebook News deal. The decision comes after Meta flopped once again in a test of how to detect obviously violent hate speech in advertisements submitted to the platform. A Global Witness investigation concluded Facebook is extremely poor at detecting hate speech in the main language of Ethiopia, following suit of previous investigations in Myanmar.

The bipartisan House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack held its first prime-time hearing Thursday and detailed findings of the investigation including new video from closed-door depositions. Revelations included testimony from Trump White House officials who said the former president did not want the attack to stop, testimony of some of Trump’s closest allies saying they never believed the election was stolen and U.S. Capitol Police officer testimony. The committee is scheduled to reconvene on June 13 to continue laying out the findings of the 11-month investigation.

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A growing number of organizations have begun to accept payments in cryptocurrencies, including PayPal, Starbucks, AT&T and Microsoft, and the crypto market is expected to grow from $1.6 billion in 2021 to $2.2 billion by 2026. As digital assets gain mainstream acceptance, lawmakers have proposed stricter regulations in the effort of helping consumers make informed decisions and creating regulatory clarity for agencies. The Federal Trade Commission revealed that crypto scams have cost people more than $1 billion since the start of 2021.

The Interior Department will phase out sales of plastic water bottles and other single-use products at national parks and on other public lands over the next decade, essentially reversing a 2017 Trump administration policy. Environmental groups hailed the Biden administration’s announcement following the push for addressing the plastic pollution crisis. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to announce further initiatives at the Summit of the Americas aimed at tackling climate change and boosting clean energy.

Airlines are being forced to cancel flights heading into the summer travel season as many companies contend with staffing shortages, specifically among pilots. Southwest Airlines cut nearly 20,000 flights and Delta said it was canceling 100 daily flights from July to August. The shortage is exacerbated in airports in small cities, where some regional airlines have been forced to end service completely. Regional airlines operate more than 40% of U.S. passenger flights and feed traffic into hubs like Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas.

Economists are predicting the highest rate of employment in 15 years for high school and college students looking for summer work. Teen employment, which plummeted in the summer of 2020 as the pandemic shuttered businesses, is seeing a rebound fueled by looser restrictions and the labor crunch, which has prompted more businesses to turn to younger workers to fill jobs.

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Over 82 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines distributed across the U.S. have gone to waste since the start of the pandemic, underscoring concerns surrounding the efficacy of the vaccine rollout. CVS and Walmart were together responsible for more than 25% of the doses that went to waste and Oklahoma and Alaska each threw away more than a quarter of their doses. The overall amount of waste is in line with the World Health Organization estimates for large vaccination campaigns but public health experts remain alarmed at numbers that show less than half of fully vaccinated Americans have a booster shot.

Securitization packages of buy-now-pay-later loans from provider Affirm are falling in price after rising rates and the cost of living crisis cast a shadow over the sector. The stock slid further this week after Apple said it would enter the BNPL market, allowing iPhone users in the U.S. to make installment payments for purchases. Nearly half of Americans have used a BNPL service in the last year and 70% of those consumers admit to spending more than if they had to pay for everything upfront.

Grocery bills have swelled as food prices see an increase of almost 11% compared to last year – more than overall inflation – but the cost of meat, specifically beef and pork, has soared beyond both measures. Tyson Foods, America’s largest meat producer, attributed the company’s price hikes to higher demand as well as increased labor and fuel costs combined with the rise in price of grains fed to farmed animals. The rising costs are prompting consumers to look for alternative protein sources in chicken and plant-based meat substitutes.

Restaurant technology is rapidly redefining consumers’ concept of normal, from QR codes to ordering kiosks being some of the innovations streamlining the experience. Grab-and-go consumers are more likely to believe technology is a core positive element, even to the point of eliminating waitstaff, whereas just 29% of dine-in consumers think the same. Taco Bell opened its new digital drive-thru restaurant, which uses technology to speed up service with the goal of creating a two-minute or less drive-thru experience.

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A pair of U.S. senators plan to introduce the most comprehensive cryptocurrency legislation to date with the hopes to establish a concrete federal regulatory structure for digital assets. The bill comes as a new report found cryptocurrency scammers stole over $1 billion from 46,000 people since the start of 2021, with median individual losses totaling $2,600. The Responsible Financial Innovation Act aims to define the vast number of digital assets available to consumers but is said to be a starting point for a dialogue on the topic in Washington.

Pfizer said it would spend an additional $120 million to expand manufacturing of its COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid, with demand ramping up as infections rise. The expansion will create 250 new jobs in Kalamazoo, Mich., at Pfizer’s largest plant. The news comes after the White House announced it is doubling the number of locations where the drug is available nationally to increase drug availability. Many COVID-19 shot manufacturers are shifting their pandemic strategy, with Johnson & Johnson terminating its vaccine supply deal with contract manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration’s independent experts will review the safety and effectiveness of Novavax’s coronavirus vaccine Tuesday.

Stock futures fell Tuesday after Target warned that its current quarter’s profits would drop as it needs to cancel orders or offer discounts to remove unwanted goods, stoking fears of a potential recession. Many big retailers benefited during the pandemic as stimulus checks rippled through shoppers’ savings accounts, but now, many stores are grappling with a shift in buying behavior. McKinsey research suggests retailers like Target, Walmart and Best Buy are using their excess store space as a competitive advantage to fulfill e-commerce orders, allowing retailers to ship from locations closer to customers.

The challenges of remote work are getting harder to ignore as a growing number of corporate executives push for an end to the work-from-home revolution. The convenience that many workers have become accustomed to and demand is being tempered by the limits of virtual collaboration, with one study of Microsoft workers concluding that business units became “less interconnected” over time. Another study found remote workers put in longer hours but were less productive overall. Most workers have returned to the office, but the demand for new office spaces in major cities like San Francisco and New York remains at just 66% of the pre-pandemic average.

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The first weekend of June brought 10 mass shootings, killing at least 12 people and injuring 38 more. In South Carolina and Texas, shots were fired at a high school graduation party while in Kentucky, funeral goers were hit outside a church. The weekend's events deepened the trauma from recent massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde, with gun advocates pushing the U.S. government to take stronger measures to curb gun violence. Roughly 70% of Americans believe enacting new gun control laws is a priority over protecting ownership rights, with 72% saying gun violence is important in determining their votes for the upcoming midterms.

Mixed economic data has continued to influence the U.S. dollar, stalling an economic rally that has rippled through businesses and financial markets. American consumers are still spending money at a rapid pace with employers adding jobs, but wage growth and growth in the U.S. housing and service sectors have slowed. Fears about America falling into a recession are dominating political conversations ahead of midterm elections, with a recent poll suggesting Americans are deeply pessimistic about the U.S. economy. Even children and teenagers have voiced concerns surrounding the cost-of-living crisis.

The latest COVID-19 wave in the U.S has shifted west, with mountain and coastal states surpassing the Northeast to have the nation’s highest rate of known cases per 100,000 people. Federal data suggests the rate of breakthrough COVID infections in April was worse in boosted Americans than unboosted, underscoring the growing complexity of measuring vaccine effectiveness. Rising cases prompted Alameda County, Calif., to reinstate a mask mandate in most indoor spaces despite many arguing against restrictive measures. Over 82.1 million federal COVID vaccine doses were discarded from December 2020 through May 2022, alarming public health experts at a time when less than half of fully vaccinated Americans have a booster shot

The Commerce Department will announce plans for a new strategy aimed at boosting international tourism by streamlining the entry process and promoting more diverse destinations. The "National Travel and Tourism Strategy" said its goal is 90 million international visitors who will spend $279 billion annually by 2027. As more Americans take to the skies, airfares at the three largest domestic carriers increased nearly 50% for the week ending May 23 compared to a year ago.

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California’s first-in-the-nation reparations task force is calling for reparations for centuries of mistreatment of Black residents and urged the creation of a special office charged with providing a pathway for financial restitution. The task force interim report – which extensively chronicles centuries of racial oppression – comes as more social justice organizations press the White House to form a federal commission to study and develop reparations proposals.

Apple agreed to make work schedules at its retail stores more flexible as part of a push to improve conditions in the face of unionization efforts. Apple has made several changes in recent months to placate workers, including doubling paid sick days and upping minimum pay. While union membership remains at a multi-decade low, the majority of workers across the U.S. say they support increased unionization in their own workplaces.

Kohl’s Corp. received takeover bids from a private-equity firm and retail holding company following its announcement the store was exploring strategic options. Kohl’s also said it is planning for smaller stores as dozens of existing store leases are set to expire. The move mirrors that of other large franchises – Macy’s said at the beginning of the month it is expanding standalone stores in a way that would change how customers think of the retail chain. Analysts largely attribute department stores’ struggles to the cultural shift favoring online shopping and smaller-format stores.

Square is working with Apple to enable Tap to Pay on iPhones using technology that will give sellers more flexibility at checkout. Square said its efforts reflect its commitments to lowering the barrier to entry for new entrepreneurs, however, the company received criticism Wednesday after it suffered a two-hour outage, prompting merchants to lose out on business during peak hours. Square’s parent Block is leading the trend among fintech companies by monetizing its existing users rather than continually adding new users.

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U.S. lawmakers are proposing smaller, more targeted pieces of gun legislation in response to rising gun violence this year, focusing on age limits and red flag laws that have a higher chance of clearing their chambers. Four people were killed in a mass shooting at a medical building in Tulsa on Wednesday, marking the 233rd mass shooting of 2022.

More than one-third of Americans earning at least $250,000 annually said in a survey they are living paycheck to paycheck, dedicating most of their salaries to mortgages or other housing expenses that skyrocketed during the pandemic. The survey distinguishes living paycheck to paycheck from true financial hardship, defined by a struggle or inability to pay household expenses. The jobs market remained hot in April, driving up wages but also contributing to rising inflation, while unemployment claims in the last week edged lower.

Regulators are warning that outages could grow more common this summer as the nation’s power grid faces heat waves and other extreme weather. New Mexico’s attorney general is heeding regional utility warnings for “worst case scenarios,” while officials in North Dakota and Arkansas are preparing for rolling blackouts and other emergency energy conservation measures. Many of the nation's grid operators are not taking climate change into account in their planning, even as extreme weather becomes more frequent and more severe.

The U.S. Department of Education will forgive $5.8 billion of student loans for those who attended the Corinthian Colleges chain, marking the largest single discharge of student loans in U.S. history. The for-profit schools were found to have deceived students about their job placement rates and students' ability to transfer credits. The announcement comes as the Biden administration reportedly mulls a larger forgiveness plan that would cancel $10,000 in student debt per borrower.

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Shanghai is returning to some normalcy after a strict two-month COVID-19 lockdown that snarled global manufacturing and trade operations. Residents of China’s largest city report feeling “immense relief” at some easing of restrictions, although 650,000 people in closed-off zones are still restricted to their homes. Shanghai's lockdown froze businesses across China, dampening global factory growth and posing lingering uncertainties for the country’s economic outlook.

The Supreme Court has blocked a Texas law that sought to prevent social media platforms from censoring users based on their viewpoints. Champions of the law argued that the platforms are ​​generally liberal in outlook and often hostile to ideas that stem from the political right. The decision highlights the public’s increasing scrutiny of digital monitoring, especially after reporting revealed that Uvalde school district, the site of the deadly school shootings last week, had experimented with a social media monitoring service that alerted schools of potential threats.

More food and beverage companies are vowing to curb their advertising to children, responding to parents’ concerns about privacy and ad content as digital devices grow more common. The 20 companies that comprise the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative agreed in May to only advertise products that meet certain nutritional criteria to children under 13, and others said they will stop using influencers who primarily appeal to that age group. The World Health Organization released a report on Tuesday that warns of how healthy food behaviors are being undercut by advertising campaigns, noting that nearly 40 million children under five are estimated to be overweight.

Britain on Wednesday will celebrate 70 years on the throne for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, a royal celebration to be filled with corgis and a performance from the Sex Pistols. The 96-year-old queen is Britain’s longest-serving monarch and is broadly popular, although few young Britains say they believe the monarchy should be kept for the foreseeable future.

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The Frankfurt offices of Deutsche Bank and its asset management unit were raided by German police on Tuesday following accusations of greenwashing. The bank’s chief sustainability officer went public last year with allegations that Germany’s largest lender had labeled ESG assets that didn’t translate into meaningful action. The raid underscores a new movement among global financial watchdogs, which are calling on companies to “walk the walk” on sustainability commitments.

The Indianapolis 500 will become the first North American racing series to use 100% renewable fuel in its race cars, marking a turning point for an event historically centered on combustion engines. Still, in the race to cut emissions, the United Nations warned that companies voluntarily setting climate-friendly targets could undermine the global effort to address climate change by becoming complacent in those commitments. The organization noted that commitments could become substitutes to real change.

Rental car rates are soaring this year as tight vehicle inventory continues across the U.S. Both Hertz and Avis said their rates rose at least 25% in the first quarter compared to 2021, and experts say rates could rise further this summer. Vehicle rental rates are just one of the travel costs expected to reach new highs this summer, even as 73% of Americans say they plan to travel. While demand has returned, many pools, restaurants and camps are cutting operations or closed due to the worker shortage.

Many Chinatowns across the nation are emerging from the pandemic and anti-Asian racism with more vibrant displays and tighter communities this year. In San Francisco, Wells Fargo partnered with the Chinatown Media & Arts Collaborative to establish a heroes mural. Advocates say that with renewed attention from cities, companies and younger Asian Americans, many Chinatowns have been able to restore community voice and inject new perspectives.

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The Group of Seven leading economies pledged to end greenhouse gas emissions from their power sectors by 2035 and agreed to phase out coal-powered energy. While the original draft included a target to end unabated coal power generation by 2030, Japan and the U.S. both indicated they could not support that date. In the U.S., the Supreme Court announced it would allow the Biden administration to use a higher estimate for the costs of greenhouse gas emissions in regulatory actions. The government uses the estimate for rule making related to new drilling permits as well as assessing the costs of crop losses and flood risks.

Demand for gas hit one of its lowest levels for this time of year in nearly a decade as prices prompt some Americans to change their driving habits ahead of Memorial Day. Even as travel expenses rise, travel experts predict that millions will travel this weekend and more will plan summer trips after two years of pandemic-suppressed demand. Republicans demanded answers from the Biden administration regarding the Department of Energy’s plan to backfill the country’s petroleum reserves to ease costs at the pump.

A bipartisan group of senators met to quickly compromise on new gun laws in the wake of the Uvalde shooting. The Senate Democrats’ first attempt to pass a domestic terrorism bill that would open the debate on gun policy was blocked by Republicans. H.R. 8, a background check bill first championed after the Sandy Hook massacre, could see a similar fate after it stalled in the Senate. The National Rifle Association begins its annual convention in Houston Friday, hours away from Uvalde. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pulled out of his in-person appearance at the convention and will deliver a pretaped speech and visit the site of this week’s massacre instead.

New research suggests long COVID can occur after breakthrough infections in vaccinated people, highlighting the need for additional treatments or vaccines as the virus becomes endemic. The study also showed that older adults face higher risks for the long-term effects. A study found one in five adult COVID survivors under the age of 65 experienced at least one health condition that could be considered long COVID. The Centers for Disease Control is working to better understand the syndrome as millions of people still suffer from lingering symptoms.

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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill banning abortions after fertilization, the most restrictive abortion law in the country. The state had been a refuge for women seeking abortions in Texas after a six-week ban went into effect last year. Abortion-rights advocates vowed to challenge the ban in Oklahoma’s Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered state agencies to protect abortion access, and the University of Michigan created a task force focused on abortion-care access in the event of a statewide ban. A growing number of companies are offering abortion travel benefits as more states pass restrictive abortion laws.

The Federal Trade Commission fined Twitter $150 million for deceptively using personal account data for targeted advertising that affected more than 140 million users. Facebook and Instagram will start providing more details about how advertisers target people with political ads ahead of the midterms following years of criticism for withholding information on how campaigns use the platform for advertising.

Apple told employees it will boost pay for workers this year amid inflation and increased cost of living. Starting pay for U.S. hourly workers will rise to $22, a 45% increase since 2018, and U.S. salaries are also expected to increase. The plans reflect moves by other major companies competing in a tight labor market. Microsoft recently announced that it would nearly double its global budget for merit-based salary raises.

The Bank of Russia cut interest rates by 3% for the third time in a month, curbing a rally of the ruble as the country loosens financial protections first put in place at the beginning of the Ukraine invasion. The Russian Finance Ministry announced it will pay dollar-denomination debt in rubles after the U.S. allowed a license that permitted Russia to pay debt holders through U.S. banks to expire. The move will likely be seen by foreign investors as a default on the debts. The country is advancing a new law allowing Russia to take control of local businesses of Western companies that decide to leave the country, complicating Western companies’ attempts to quickly exit the economy without a large financial hit.

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Voters in the Georgia Republican primary rebuked former President Donald Trump, giving victories to Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger despite Trump’s efforts to remove them. In Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders received a boost from the former president, easily winning the Republican primary for governor. Alabama’s Republican Senate primary will head to a runoff between Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Katie Britt as none of the candidates were able to win more than 50% of the vote. Two top Republican candidates for governor in Michigan could be disqualified for forging thousands of signatures submitted by their campaigns.

The cost of owning a car continues to rise as gas prices struck another record high, reaching an average of $4.59 per gallon. Every state’s average now sits above $4. Gas prices have consistently hit new records since May 10. Prices at nine gas stations in California surpassed the federal minimum wage as consumers in the state pay more on average for gas than drivers in any other state. The average age of cars on U.S. roads is just over 12 years as supply chain issues force automakers to slow or stop production. The vehicle shortage pushed the average price for used cars to 23% and new cars to 13% from the year before.

An independent investigative report uncovered 20 years of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Church, sending shockwaves through the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The church’s executive committee ordered the investigation after delegates overwhelmingly voted for it last summer. The president of the Southern Baptist Convention called the independent report “long overdue,” saying the rumors were “always out there.” Leaders of the church announced they will release a list of the ministers accused and apologized for failing to address past allegations.

Pfizer announced plans to sell its patented drugs and vaccines at cost in up to 45 lower-income countries in one of the most comprehensive drug-access programs announced by a large pharmaceutical manufacturer. The program will launch in five African countries with 23 drugs for various conditions and will eventually cover everything in Pfizer’s portfolio. In a recent interview, Pfizer’s CEO warned growing complacency about COVID-19 will cost lives and lead to “constant waves” of coronavirus variants and deaths.

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Americans reported the highest level of financial well-being last fall than at any point in the last decade, leaving them better positioned to withstand an economic downturn. The survey was taken in October and November 2021 when inflation reached 6% and a wave of COVID-19 cases caused many Americans to pull back on travel and other spending. Meanwhile, the top 50 richest people in the world have lost more than half a trillion dollars on paper this year due to volatility in the market. Analysts expect to see more losses before the Federal Reserve signals a shift in monetary tightening.

The U.S. birth rate rose in 2021 for the first time in seven years, according to a new federal report. The birth rate recovered by 1% after a sharp decline in 2020, suggesting that the pandemic led to more of a baby bust than the baby boom that was initially predicted. Despite the overall gain, births among Black, Asian and indigenous women dropped. U.S. births remain well below historic highs and the replacement rate, meaning the population can only grow through net immigration.

Shipping bottlenecks that have exacerbated the supply chain crisis hit the Port of New York and New Jersey as backups at the East Coast’s busiest port reached an average of 14 vessels a day. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which faced massive delays through the pandemic, have seen some improvement in moving cargo off the docks due in part to to the threat of penalty fees. The UN warned of impending “crippling” food shortages due to inflation and supply chain issues.

Many school counselors and staff are discussing how to handle threat assessments after revelations that the shooter in last week’s shooting rampage in Buffalo was flagged for making threatening comments at his high school. A surge in mental health needs and staff shortages have stretched school resources to support students with the potential for violence. In the wake of the shooting, three-quarters of Black Americans say they are concerned that they or someone they love will be attacked because of their race. Two years after George Floyd’s death followed by a summer of protests, a majority of Black Americans feel there has been little improvement in how police treat Black people.

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The first shipment of baby formula from Europe arrived in the U.S. Sunday as New York City’s mayor declared a state of emergency over the shortage. The shipment included specialized formula for children with allergies and will feed roughly 27,000 babies and toddlers for one week. Abbott’s CEO apologized for the company’s voluntary recall that helped trigger the nationwide shortage alongside supply chain disruptions and limited competition. Some brands that specialize in organic or clean label formulas have had to temporarily stop accepting new customers as demand spiked.

A Russian soldier was found guilty of killing an unarmed Ukrainian civilian and sentenced to life in prison in the first war crimes trial since Russia’s invasion. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the world to shut off Russia’s economy and to funnel resources to Ukraine instead. The war cast a shadow over the summit as economists attempted to conduct “business as usual”.

Three doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine were 80% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in children six months to five years old, the company said. The vaccine was also found to be safe and well-tolerated by the children involved in the study. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved coronavirus booster shots for children as young as five. The FDA is expected to make a decision on initial shots for children under five in the coming weeks.

A Louisiana federal judge extended U.S. border enforcement rules known as Title 42 as President Biden moved to end the rules. The U.S. government has expelled migrants nearly 2 million times under Title 42, denying migrants a chance at asylum in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Department of Justice announced it will appeal the decision. A record 100 million people, roughly 1% of the world’s population, have been forcibly displaced from their countries, according to the United Nations.

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The 2020 census undercounted people in six states and overcounted them in eight states, a new report by the Census Bureau found. The revelations come after the population totals from a census beset by the pandemic and years of interference from former President Donald Trump’s administration have already been used to divvy up seats in the House of Representatives, as well as votes in the Electoral College for the next decade. Some data from the 2020 census is still delayed – the longest in census data memory – and the bureau said it would not be able to publish the data until at least May 2023.

Cryptocurrency’s near-$2 trillion loss in value devastated an untold number of investors and is prompting some to question if the market could trigger a broader economic slowdown. At its peak in November, the entire crypto market was valued at $3.1 trillion, and 16% of U.S. adults said they traded or used cryptocurrency. Crypto has grown mainstream enough to inspire multiple Super Bowl ads and attention from mainstream financial institutions. The incident epitomizes regulators’ concerns over crypto projects and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s call for regulation by year’s end.

The White House emphasized their commitment to resolving the uncertainty surrounding the solar industry in an effort to mitigate political fallout and avoid thwarting climate change-prevention endeavors. The effective freeze on solar panel installation projects erupted after the Commerce Department announced an investigation into whether Chinese companies are circumventing U.S. tariffs. In a report released this week, the American Clean Power Association said 10 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity set to go online last year was delayed, and the trade group expects issues like inflation, supply chain and regulatory action to have an impact on future growth.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said America faces a crisis on its roads following a report that traffic-related deaths were up last year. Americans drove about 325 billion more miles last year than in 2020, which contributed to the increase. Friday marks the annual Bike to Work Day event, meant to raise awareness around riding and celebrate the efforts of those able to avoid driving or public transit. Researchers discovered in one study that commutes involving more physical activity, like walking or biking, correlated with less stress and better performance at work.

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The European Union’s executive arm moved to jumpstart plans for the 27-nation bloc to abandon Russian energy amid the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, proposing a nearly 300 billion-euro package that would accelerate the rollout of renewable power. Germany, which relied on Russia for the bulk of its oil, natural gas and coal, brought forward its goal of 100% renewable power by more than a decade to 2035. The urgency to ditch Russian energy ratcheted up in April when the country cut off supplies to Poland and Bulgaria.

The Biden administration on Wednesday invoked a wartime tool, the Defense Production Act, in an effort to address the nationwide shortage of baby formula. The law, which Congress first passed in the early days of the Korean War, reflects the magnitude of the supply crunch. Separately, the U.S. is also launching Operation Fly Formula in an effort to increase imports of formula from abroad. For the week ending May 8, 43% of formula was out of stock at retailers nationwide, up from 31% a month ago and around 11% in November.

Federal health officials warned the number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations could get worse in the coming months, urging areas hit hardest to consider reissuing calls for indoor mask mandates. Currently, about a third of the U.S. population lives in areas considered higher risk. Officials noted that with more at-home COVID-19 tests available, most Americans are not reporting their results to officials, resulting in infection totals being undercounted.

Dozens of confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox – a disease rarely detected outside of Africa – have been recorded in the U.S., U.K., Spain and Portugal. The viral disease is typically not deadly and often detected in people who have had direct contact with an infected animal. Public-health researchers are conducting contact tracing to unearth any links between cases to prevent further transmission. The spread of monkeypox boosted shares of Bavarian Nordic A/S, which claims it’s the only company to make a vaccine approved for the viral infection.

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Finland and Sweden formally applied for NATO membership, a move, that if approved, would fundamentally transform the security landscape in Northern Europe and give the alliance a valuable edge against Russia. The bid to join breaks with a decades-long position of neutrality. Turkey’s president has been outspoken about his disapproval due to their alleged support of Kurdish militants and other groups that threaten its national security. Finland’s president is optimistic Turkey’s stance can be managed through discussions and the NATO secretary general said NATO is determined to reach a rapid conclusion.

Hospitality workers are in high demand as travel picks up again, giving workers more leverage to negotiate better pay and benefits in an industry that historically favored employers. When the pandemic began, leisure and hospitality jobs accounted for 34% of all pandemic job losses, the largest percentage of any U.S. industry. Job data from April showed growth in leisure and hospitality, driven by food services, drinking establishments and accommodations.

The pandemic’s arrival emptied coworking spaces like WeWork, but now people are lining up for low-commitment offices as the return to office trend coincides with a startup environment that faces uncertain times. Coworking spaces have trended toward a revenue-sharing model in an effort to mitigate risk, while WeWork went public. Last week, the company reported a $435 million loss but saw a jump in member sign-ups compared to the same period the year prior.

Lowe’s reported a bigger-than-expected drop in sales Wednesday after a cold and wet April dampened the demand of seasonal goods like grills and patio furniture. The current La Nina gave way to the coldest April in records going back 72 years and increased the odds of a La Nina comeback later this year, along with forecasts of an active hurricane season. The cool weather also dealt a blow to farmers globally, some of whom still struggle with the heat and flooding of last year.

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Microsoft is promising to boost employee compensation amid continued low unemployment across the U.S., announcing plans to nearly double its global budget for merit-based salary raises. Microsoft’s readiness to spend more on staff follows similar moves by rivals like Google and Amazon. Other big U.S. companies are doling out one-time awards to executives in an effort to retain high-performing leaders amid record employee turnover. Retention awards and compensation promises reflect companies’ concerns about the tight labor market.

More than half of Americans said the most important issue facing the country is inflation and 32% said their personal financial circumstances had worsened over the past year. Goldman Sachs predicts the Federal Reserve will tap the brakes on U.S. economic growth in an effort to bring down inflation. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos sparred with the White House on Twitter, criticizing the administration’s claim that raising corporate taxes would bring inflation rates down.

Economists predict the housing bubble will bottom out as interest rates rise and more people are priced out of the market. Home prices have risen sharply over the past two years – the National Association of Realtors reported an increase of 39%. The cooldown is not a sign of a housing crash, but an indication that the market will level out, research from Zillow shows. A major Wall Street firm underscored this idea, adding that home equity is at an all-time high and household balance sheets are strong.

Climate change is hurting the insurance industry, with only 8% of insurers adequately prepared for its impact, a new report found. Insured losses from natural catastrophes increased 250% in the last 30 years and nearly two-thirds of insurers said they felt climate change makes it hard to insure some areas. In California, about nearly half of all properties have a .03% or greater chance of being involved in a wildfire – a number that is expected to grow in the state and across the country as climate risks worsen.

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Despite early predictions that Zoom meetings would replace face-to-face encounters, industry trade groups and hotel companies are pointing to significant upswings of in-person small business meetings as well as larger conventions and trade shows. Airlines have also noted an increase in bookings by business travelers – a good sign for the industry’s revival, as corporate clients spent more than $1 trillion on travel pre-pandemic in 2019.

Lobbying groups representing Facebook, Twitter, Google and other tech companies filed an emergency request with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to block a Texas law that prohibits large social media from banning users based on political views. The law creates new legal risks for tech giants and fosters uncertainty about how social media will function in the state. A recent survey found a declining share of Americans favor more government regulation of tech companies, a trend most pronounced among Republicans.

The median pay package for chief executives of the biggest U.S. companies reached $14.7 million in 2021, setting a sixth-straight annual record as strong profits and robust markets boost performance measures. Calculating executive pay by factoring in goals related to climate and diversity is growing more common as investors demand action, with a quarter of U.S. companies including some form of environmental or social metric as part of their executive incentive plans in 2021, compared to 16% in 2019.

More companies are changing their outlook when it comes to AI, with Etsy, L.L. Bean and Ocado redefining the industry through a more human-focused approach. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expects the company’s robot will eventually be worth more than the car business and Uber recently began testing food delivery with robots. Investments in AI research and applications is set to hit $500 billion by 2024 and predictions indicate AI will contribute more than $15 trillion to the global economy by the end of the decade.

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Lawyers for multiple southern states recently went to court to challenge the Biden administration’s plan to lift Title 42, but immigrant advocates say these states are deliberately steering cases to federal judges appointed by former President Donald Trump where they are likely to receive a favorable outcome. More than 20 states have joined the lawsuit seeking to block the administration from ending the pandemic border restrictions, which were put in place in 2020. Title 42 underscores the Trump administration’s lasting political authority but also supports a unified front among Senate Republicans that’s grown in recent weeks.

More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, setting another record in the nation’s escalating overdose epidemic and marking a 15% increase from the year before. A growing share of deaths continues to stem from fentanyl which is often mixed with other drugs, and methamphetamine. The White House recently promoted a national drug control strategy, involving measures like expanding access to treatment and disrupting drug trafficking. The Biden administration is the first to embrace harm reduction through needle exchanges or tools to check drugs for fentanyl – an approach criticized by some as enabling drug users.

More than 40 million people left their jobs last year, but many didn’t leave work altogether. People began advocating for higher pay, stable hours and flexibility, and instead of quitting jobs, data shows a nearly one-to-one correlation between the rate of quitting and swapping jobs. A recent study found nearly half of U.S. workers have considered looking for a new job in the past six months and two-thirds say they’re considering changing their entire career paths.

Astronomers revealed the world’s first captured image of the chaotic supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, defining it as a “gentle giant.” The image confirms Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity – the black hole is precisely the size that Einstein’s equations dictate. Astronomers said the new result would lead to a better understanding of gravity and galaxy evolution and hope to eventually create videos of a black hole by the end of the decade.

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President Joe Biden plans to appeal for a renewed international commitment to attacking COVID-19 at his second virtual summit, hoping to create a new urgency for the global response. Biden also plans to order that flags at all federal buildings be lowered to half-staff until next week to honor the one million lives lost due to the pandemic. Biden’s call to action comes as South Korea announced an additional $20 billion to small businesses to make up for losses due to COVID restrictions.

A large sell-off in cryptocurrencies wiped over $200 billion of wealth from the market in 24 hours, driven by Coinbase reporting a loss of half its value in the past week and TerraUSD stablecoins’ collapse. Coinbase came under scrutiny this week after the company suggested that the digital tokens it holds for its users might not really belong to them in a bankruptcy situation. Digital tokens have continued to face selling pressure as central banks are aggressively tightening their monetary policy to fight inflation.

The global chip shortage, rising material costs and China’s COVID restrictions continue to impact carmakers, with Nissan expecting flat operating profits this fiscal year, far below analysts’ expectations. Rivian maintained its production forecasts for 2022 despite supply chain setbacks, reporting a lower-than-expected $95 million in revenue for the first quarter. Although Toyota smashed earnings records across the board in the latest fiscal year, the carmaker is slowing the pace of recovery as part of an “international pause” to achieve a more reasonable pace of output due to the chip shortage. Many have predicted the crisis will not be over before 2024.

California-based utility companies have been investing in Artificial Intelligence for wildfire mitigation but said it will likely take years to gather enough data to deploy and train AI at scale across their infrastructure. AI is increasingly being used in the U.S. to predict weather movements and prevent natural disasters at 100,000 times the speed of traditional numerical weather models. Recent forecasts predicted a 50-50 chance that Earth will temporarily hit the warming threshold that international agreements are trying to prevent within the next five years. Many scientists see AI as a tool to fight global warming and build a more sustainable world.

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Following a year of soaring goods and gas prices, inflation slowed slightly in April as gas prices and supply-chain bottlenecks eased. The Labor Department reported an 8.3% annual increase in April from the same month a year ago. Some Fed officials recently acknowledged they were too slow to respond to rapid inflation last year, forcing more economic constraints. President Joe Biden voiced his support for taming inflation, saying it is his "top domestic priority.” More Americans are struggling to pay usual household expenses, with 60% of people reporting having a difficult time due to inflation.

The House of Representatives approved a resolution that allows staffers in the lower chamber to unionize in addition to announcing an increase to their minimum salary. The decision comes after the Congressional Workers Union distributed a survey that found 91% of the 516 staff surveyed want more protections to give them a voice at work. The resolution enables over 9,000 staffers on Capitol Hill access to the same basic legal protections other workers have. It remains unlikely that the Senate will pass a similar measure.

Microsoft is aggressively tackling the problem of ransomware with a series of new managed cybersecurity services designed to assist organizations in spotting and responding to cybersecurity incidents. As one of the leaders in cloud software, Microsoft plans to offer consulting-oriented services for security software in a market where demand exceeds supply. The investment comes as many organizations are increasing security spending, with Microsoft increasing its budget for annual research and development in cybersecurity by $3 billion.

Travel and tourism company Holiday group TUI said it expects to become profitable again in 2022 as countries lift pandemic-related travel restrictions. Boeing reported it had delivered 28 of its cash cow single-aisle jets to customers in April, capitalizing on rebounding air travel as the plane-maker battles supply chain setbacks. Despite people eager to return to the sky, packed planes and expensive tickets drove down customer satisfaction with airlines for the first time in a decade. With air travel picking up, the TSA's chief predicts inevitable “hiccups” this summer as they expect the largest airport passenger crowds since the pandemic began.

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Tech-industry leaders plan to visit Capitol Hill this week to warn that the remote work trend will eventually cause many companies to internationally outsource technology workers unless the U.S. ups the number of skilled-worker visas it admits. Tech leaders worry the trend paired with limited immigration may cause candidates to favor jobs in Canada and other countries. Remote tech positions have jumped upwards of 420% since January 2020 and more than 22% of all tech jobs were listed as remote in February of this year. A new study indicated that the ability to work from home is strongly tied to happiness at work.

Uber plans to scale back hiring and reduce spending on its marketing tactics to become a leaner business and address a “seismic shift” in investor sentiment, Uber’s CEO told employees. Uber shares fell 12% Monday after the announcement, and Uber shares have fallen more than 40% so far this year. The cost of ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft increased 92% from January 2018 to July 2021 due to a shortage of drivers and recent spikes in gas prices have skyrocketed prices further. Tech companies that once powered the U.S. economy are struggling with some of the biggest challenges they have seen in years.

Pfizer announced plans to acquire Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. for more than $11 billion in cash to gain full ownership of an approved treatment for migraine headaches. Pfizer recently made billions from sales of its COVID-19 vaccine and treatments, allowing the New York drugmaker to diversify beyond pandemic products as demand dwindles. The move comes after Pfizer's acquisition of Canadian drug developer Trillium Therapeutics and a deal for drug developer Arena Pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical acquisitions have become increasingly common as treatment developers look to broaden their market share.

Teenagers are now entering the hot job market in greater numbers than they have since before the 2008 financial crisis, becoming particularly essential in the retail, tourism and hospitality sectors. The unemployment rate for teenagers aged 16 to 19 fell to 10.2% in April, just short of the 68-year low seen last May. Many young adults are choosing to take lighter course loads in college and work increased hours, with 31% of students who plan to quit school saying their reasoning is to take advantage of the strong labor market. The shift has left many experts wary of what may happen if society loses sight of the value of education.

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Electric-grid operations across the country are warning of potential blackouts as power-generating capacity is struggling to meet demand with companies attempting to transition to green energy sources. In California, heatwaves, wildfires and drought may force the state to fall short of energy demands by 1,700 megawatts, enough to power over a million California homes. In the UK, renewable energy developers are facing delays of up to 10 years to connect new capacity to the electricity grid. Inflation and supply chain shortages continue to slow the pace developers can get components needed to build renewable energy farms, heightening the risk of outages this summer.

The Biden administration announced new sanctions targeting Russian state-controlled media and banking executives while G7 nations committed to phase out imports of Russian oil in the West’s latest attempt to condemn Moscow for its war against Ukraine. The sanctions will remove American advertising dollars from “funding Russian propaganda” and force the networks to domestically source broadcast technologies. Previously imposed sanctions against Russia already took a major toll on the country’s economy, but officials intend these sanctions to change the “strategic calculus of the target.”

As nurses’ salaries, overtime and bonuses skyrocketed during the pandemic, some hospitals have been forced to raise treatment costs by up to 15%, forcing contract negotiations with health insurers and threatening higher premiums. In recent years, hospitals have typically won an average 3% price increase, but a tight labor market pushed many healthcare workers into early retirement while others left for higher-paying temporary travel jobs. Federal public health spending increased 864% from 2019 to 2020 due to the pandemic, with state and local spending rising by 4.2%.

The nation’s baby formula shortage intensified in recent weeks as major retailers including Target, CVS and Walgreens are limiting the amount of formula shoppers can purchase. Nearly 40% of baby formula inventory was out of stock nationally during the week starting April 24, up 18% from when the year started and up 11% from a month ago. Prices of formula have also spiked dramatically and the sweeping recall of Abbott Nutrition products exacerbated the situation. Roughly three in four babies are fed formula by six months old as a complete or partial substitute for human milk.

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Google will conduct employee performance reviews once a year instead of twice a year following a survey that found nearly half of Google employees didn’t think their time was well spent with the previous system. The move will require less paperwork and change the way employees are rated. As tech companies worry about hiring and retention, tech workers are acting on their increased power – last year Meta also cut back to one annual review, underscoring a study that found 75% of employees think traditional performance reviews are inaccurate.

The Food and Drug Administration limited the use of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, citing concerns over a rare but serious blood-clotting disorder. The action follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommending Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s for booster shots. While Johnson & Johnson said the FDA’s decision reflected the already-known risk of the side effect, the company has also stopped providing sales outlooks for the shot to investors in a possible sign of its own waning interest in its vaccine.

Overall plastics recycling fell by nearly 6% at the start of the pandemic – a drop of 290 million pounds – a new report shows. While the pandemic was good for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it also drove the decline in the recycling of food containers and bottles. The report comes as California begins an investigation into the fossil fuel industries for allegedly overstating the role of recycling in curbing global plastic pollution and accelerating the crisis.

SpaceX brought four astronauts home with a midnight splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, capping the busiest month yet for Elon Musk’s service ferrying for NASA. Musk’s company has now launched 26 people into orbit in less than two years, eight of which were space tourists. The head of NASA recently emphasized how an increase in competition likely represents a boon for the growing swath of space companies looking to provide low-cost services.

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Inflation continues to lift first-quarter profits for many companies, spurring better-than-expected earnings for Bud brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev and a record quarterly profit for Shell. Strong oil and gas trading has contributed to surging profits for U.S. shale companies as well as UK energy giant BP, which reported more than a double in profits despite a hit of more than $24 billion from ditching its business in Russia.

Many companies that spoke out on state laws to restrict abortion have so far remained silent on Roe v. Wade, underscoring the difficult logistical issues that some corporations could face if they vow to maintain their health care promises from coast to coast. Apple, Amazon, Citigroup and Yelp are among the companies that have publicly offered to cover some costs for employees who need to travel out of state for an abortion. With women making up more than half of the workforce, experts say the effects of abortion on business must be considered. According to one paper, women who were unable to get abortions were less likely to be employed full-time six months after denial of care.

The maker of TurboTax has been ordered to pay $141 million to customers across the U.S. who were deceived by misleading promises of free tax-filing services. An investigation of the company followed media reports that found the company was steering low-income tax filers toward its commercial products even if they qualified for federally supported free services. A spokesperson for Intuit, the maker of the tax software, said that allowing the government to provide a pre-filled tax preparation system when it is also the auditor and enforcer makes the process “fraught with conflicts of interest.”

The historic site of Jamestown in Virginia is in imminent danger due to climate change, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The organization added Jamestown to its 2022 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, noting that climate change has accelerated the rate of erosion and flooding in the area. Authorities estimate that a good portion of the fort and surrounding area will be underwater in 35 years.

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The Federal Reserve on Wednesday is expected to begin raising rates more quickly and announce the start of reductions to its $9 trillion balance sheet to address rapidly rising inflation. Analysts say the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and ongoing supply and labor shortages could dampen the effects of the organization’s efforts to curb inflation. To compete for customers struggling with high food bills, some retailers have begun to cut or cap the price of their products, hoping to stay in business with major packaged food brands.

The European Union has proposed to ban all oil imports from Russia by the end of the year in an effort to tighten sanctions, prompting a jump in oil prices. Some analysts say that severing Europe’s oil ties to Russia may lead to long-term shortages and higher prices for fuels, carrying the threat of derailing economic recovery from the pandemic. The sanctions come as Russian forces intensify their attacks in both the west and east of Ukraine, taking aim at supply lines for foreign weapons.

American shipping companies are logging major grievances with federal regulators, saying that international carriers have been taking advantage of supply chain chaos to inflate their prices. According to one watchdog organization, the five largest container-shipping companies collectively increased their profits by $41 billion from 2020 to 2021. While container lines are expected to post more all-time highs for the first quarter, some evidence points to a slowdown in the market.

A growing number of startups are emerging to challenge social media companies such as Twitter and Meta. Many challengers are employees who left those major companies in the hopes of solving the problems that they perceive with social media such as the advertising structure. The challengers come as Meta confronts a worsening advertising business and antitrust violations, and as Elon Musk shakes up the legacy of Twitter, although Musk recently told potential investors he may return the social media company to public ownership after just a few years.

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Demand for employees in the U.S. remained high in April, with private-sector estimates showing 11 million openings. The tight labor market continues to spur compensation gains and employee leverage, especially in leisure and restaurants. Compensation for jobs like cooks, waiters and hotel clerks rose more than 8% from a year ago, nearly double the average increase for workers across the board. Workers for manufacturing company CNH Industrial walked off their jobs Monday after failure to reach a new contract, joining manufacturing workers in the last year who went on strike at Chevron, Kellogg and Deere.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will add 20 people to the unit that investigates cryptocurrency fraud, underscoring the agency’s push to better regulate an industry that it calls the “Wild West” of assets. The move comes as private equity investors grow more comfortable with crypto projects, investing $10 billion globally in the first quarter. Analysts point out that investments no longer track the price of bitcoin, indicating optimism in the market.

An intense heatwave in India could deal a fresh blow to the world’s worsening food crisis, with estimates that wheat yields are down 10% to 50% this season. With wheat from Russia and Ukraine accounting for more than a quarter of global wheat exports, governments around the globe have already been scrambling to fill the gaps spurred by the conflict.

Residents of Las Vegas, N.M., are preparing to evacuate as the nation’s largest fire balloons in size, fanned by an extended period of hot, dry and windy conditions. Scientists say that wildfires have become a year-round threat in the drought-stricken West, faster and hotter than ever due to climate change.

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New Zealand is welcoming back tourists for the first time in more than two years as the country sheds most of its remaining pandemic border restrictions, some of which were the most stringent in the world. Ahead of Europe’s peak summer tourism season, Italy and Greece similarly relaxed some COVID-19 travel restrictions. New York City officials are hoping that an expansion of the city’s outdoor dining program will help still-struggling businesses and revive neighborhoods that have yet to fully reopen since the pandemic began.

U.S. senators are pleading with the Biden administration to end a probe into solar trade in China, saying that the investigation has effectively frozen the business. More than 300 solar projects in the United States have been canceled or delayed in recent weeks because of the investigation over whether Chinese companies are circumventing U.S. tariffs on their solar panels. The U.S. solar industry has warned of a more general slowdown due to other global supply chain disruptions, potentially threatening the competition of the Biden administration's climate goals.

Apple is facing a hefty fine and new requirements for its mobile payment system if European Union regulators find that the company is restricting rivals' access to its technology used for mobile wallets. This is the second antitrust charge from the EU, which has been more diligently addressing what regulators see as abusive business practices by big tech companies in recent years. Europe’s tough approach to technology regulation is slowly finding a place among American regulators, including in a major tech antitrust bill moving through Congress.

The recent political spat between Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is growing into a larger debate in many boardrooms over whether chief executives should speak out on social issues. While lawmakers have historically criticized companies that take public stands on issues such as voting access, politicians now appear more comfortable taking on business. The end result is creating an environment in which both parties are more likely to use big businesses as “political footballs,” analysts say.

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The U.S. economy shrank in the first three months of the year and continues to face threats from inflation and rising interest rates, though economists say the decline is not likely to signal a recession. Household spending rose 1.1% in March due in part to higher prices and demand for services. Economists expect employer spending to rise in the first quarter as organizations competed for workers in a tight job market.

The Food and Drug Administration proposed banning menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars Thursday. Leading health and civil rights groups praised the move, saying the tobacco industry has a history of marketing menthols to Black communities. Dozens of interest groups – including tobacco lobbyists, anti-smoking advocates, small business owners and civil rights groups – lobbied the White House in recent days, underscoring the widespread impacts of banning menthol, which makes up more than one-third of the U.S. cigarette market.

Moderna asked the Food and Drug Administration for approval on low-dose coronavirus vaccines for children under five. If cleared, Moderna will be the first company to offer the vaccine to the youngest Americans. The announcement places pressure on the FDA to move quickly as parents and pediatricians have grown increasingly impatient for vaccines and treatments for young children. Sixty percent of Americans, including 75% of children, have been infected since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a new study. Measles cases also jumped 79% in 2022 as the pandemic disrupted vaccinations for the disease.

India expanded incentives for companies investing in semiconductor manufacturing in a bid to become a key player in the global chip supply chain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for suggestions from the tech industry and other stakeholders to advance the country as a hub for production. Demand is expected to rise as the Indian electronics sector sees substantial growth in production, according to a new report. Intel’s CEO said the chip shortage will likely last into 2024 as the company reported a decrease in quarterly sales as PC purchases slowed.

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New York City is expected to delay enforcement of salary transparency until November after advocates and business leaders clashed on whether pay disclosure is the best way to close a gender pay gap. Pay transparency laws are becoming more common and expansive, with Colorado and Washington also passing similar laws. Younger workers are increasingly discussing pay, with some 42% of Gen Z workers and 40% of millennial employees having shared their salary information with a coworker or other professional contact.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California declared a water shortage emergency Tuesday and ordered limits to reduce nonessential water use as the northern part of the state endures extreme drought. Oregon’s governor also imposed emergency declarations with more than half the land area in the state now facing drought. Hundreds of professionals have gathered in Washington to advocate for sustainable water services during Water Week 2022. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said nearly 60% of the continental U.S. is experiencing some level of drought.

A major railway in Japan is now generated only by solar and other renewables, meaning the carbon dioxide emissions of Tokyu Railway’s sprawling network now stand at zero. Green energy is also being used at all of its stations for powering things like vending machines, security cameras and lighting. Samsung Electronics plans to join a group of global corporations committed to 100% renewable energy and Amazon recently announced 37 new renewable energy projects around the world.

CNN+ will be discontinued Thursday, two days earlier than parent Warner Bros. Discovery initially announced last week. Financial projections assumed CNN+ would one day attract nearly 30 million global subscriptions from a total addressable market of roughly 72 million people. Experts are concerned CNN+’s demise could hinder big news organizations’ attempts to innovate during a time when platforms must experiment to stay relevant.

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Russia cut NATO members Poland and Bulgaria off from its gas one day after the U.S. and other Western allies vowed to send more military supplies to Ukraine. The Kremlin’s move to use its most essential export as leverage – and threaten supply to other European customers – demonstrates the conflict’s broadened scope in the West. Europe, already heavily exposed to fallout from the war in Ukraine, saw gas prices surge over 20% after flows were cut. The World Bank forecasted the war to send energy prices soaring more than 50% in 2022.

Visa said it expects revenue to accelerate past pre-pandemic levels, reassuring investors of a sustained recovery and sending its shares 5% higher in extended trading. The forecast from the world’s largest payments processor underscored an upbeat quarter fueled by a rebound in consumer spending. Visa reported cross-border transactions were up nearly 50%, driven by “robust” travel and reinforcing consumers’ recent desire to choose experiences over goods. The shift in consumer sentiment contributed to UPS seeing a 7.4% decline in residential average daily volume of package delivery during the first quarter.

Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for the coronavirus Tuesday, becoming the latest high-ranking official in Washington to be infected. Aides said Harris has not been in contact with President Joe Biden in the past week, assuaging renewed concern about the president’s potential exposure. Numerous public officials have come down with COVID-19 in the past month, a spread that appeared to be linked in part to a handful of events in Washington. Despite cases rising across the country, the leading White House COVID-19 adviser warned of caution, but not overreaction as cases remain well below their January peak.

The Biden administration’s Department of Energy finalized another rollback of a Trump-era policy Tuesday, ruling to phase out older, high-efficiency incandescent light bulbs. The new rule emphasizes a transition that’s been happening for years with the rise of energy-efficient LED bulbs. The Energy Department estimates the rule will save U.S. consumers close to $3 billion on their utility bills as well as cut planet-warming carbon emissions.

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The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday about a former high school football coach who wanted to pray on the field after games, with the court’s conservative majority indicating sympathy for the coach. The court’s decision could strengthen the acceptability of some religious practices in the public school setting. The court will hear arguments Tuesday on the Biden administration’s attempts to end a Trump-era immigration measure that requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their applications are processed, a measure the Department of Homeland Security concluded is not in the U.S.’s best interests.

The Biden administration secured 20 million courses of Pfizer’s antiviral COVID-19 treatment to expand access across the country. Data released in late 2021 showed Paxlovid cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% if given to high-risk adults within a few days of thier first symptoms. Beijing ramped up testing for 20 million people as coronavirus cases rise in order to avoid a shutdown similar to Shangai. China’s aggressive approach to curb the spread through lockdowns continue to impact global supply chains and is likely to fuel further inflation in the U.S.

Ford Motor is scaling production of the electric F-150 Lightning to be the first automaker to bring a full-size electric pickup to the U.S. market and capitalize on little initial competition in the electric truck segment. Ford’s CEO said the company plans to produce 150,000 units in the next year, an increase of roughly 110,000 vehicles from its initial target. General Motors announced plans for a fully electric Corvette, though GM’s president did not indicate a date when the car would be available. A hybrid version is expected to hit markets before the all-electirc model.

Whirlpool Corp. indicated consumer demand for appliances is slowing as sales fell more than 8% in the first quarter compared to last year, though revenue remained 14% than the first quarter of 2020. General Electric warned its business will continue to be pressured by supply chain disruptions, despite reporting strong growth for its jet-engine unit as aviation recovers after the pandemic. PepsiCo raised its full year forecast for revenue growth after reporting earnings that topped analyst expectations due to higher prices on Pepsi products like Doritos and Gatorade.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill revoking Disney World’s “independent special district” status Friday as the company pushed back against the state’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Nearly $578 million in tax credits through 2040 for Disney remain intact under the bill. Although the bill is expected to undercut Disney’s autonomy, local taxpayers could be responsible for $1 billion in bond debt, according to tax officials and legislators.

Indonesia announced it will ban exports of palm oil starting Thursday, a move that is expected to lift prices of all edible oils worldwide. As markets were rocked over the weekend, the government adjusted the ban to allow certain palm oil types to be exported until the country’s domestic shortage is resolved. The decision could strain consumers in Asia and Africa that are already hit by high fuel and food prices.

Dozens of protests coinciding with Earth Day culminated Saturday to call on President Joe Biden and Congress to pass a climate bill that has stalled in the Senate since December. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) pressed for Democrats to compromise on climate action with more domestic fossil-fuel production as voters face pressure from high energy prices. Multiple states faced extreme weather conditions over the weekend as a powerful spring storm dropped up to 20 inches of snow in the Dakotas and strong winds and high temperatures fuled wildfires in four western states.

Workers switching jobs in the Great Resignation are seeing up to double-digit pay increases, fueling bargain power and threatening to keep inflation high. Roughly 64% of job-switchers said their new job provides more pay than their previous one, with nearly 9% making at least 50% more, according to a ZipRecruiter survey. The tech sector is especially accelerating wage inflation as some companies have boosted compensation by 20% or more for key roles to compete in limited worker pools skilled in areas like cloud computing and data science.

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Amazon announced a new “Buy with Prime” initiative extending the benefits of Amazon Prime membership to independent sellers that use Amazon warehouses or delivery. The move represents another action taken by Amazon to compete with delivery giants such as FedEx and its fast-growing e-commerce rival Shopify. The news came as the U.S. Postal Service said it will slow first-class package deliveries, with some observers saying the new program could allow Amazon to surpass U.S.P.S. in the package delivery space.

The number of Americans collecting jobless aid dropped to lits lowest level since 1970, demonstrating what some have called the resiliency of the U.S. economy despite a number of challenges ranging from geopolitical strife to record high inflation. Observers cited increasing demand for workers and rising wages as catalysts that have attracted more people to the workforce, but economists have warned that economic growth could hit a wall as rising average wages may prolong inflation.

Corporate travel is rebounding after a historic dip due to the COVID-19 pandemic with multiple airlines expecting a strong summer travel season. Despite signs of recovery in the travel industry, fears remain that the rise of videoconferencing will lead to permanently reduced levels of business travel. The news followed a new report that predicted hotels will still see a roughly $20 billion loss in business travel revenue in 2022.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced it will be shutting down CNN+ after only one month, ending a streaming service that suffered from low viewership since it began. The news came as HBO grew to 77 million subscribers and streaming giant Netflix reported a decline in viewership. The closure of CNN+ and Netflix’s declining subscriber numbers has led some to question how many streaming services consumers are willing to pay for and how profitable these companies can expect to be going forward.

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The Justice Department appealed to reinstate the transportation mask mandate following a ruling from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it remains necessary for public health. The majority of Americans support a mask requirement for public transportation despite showing a wide partisan divide on the issue.

Job recruiters are returning to U.S. college campuses with upgraded career fairs that include intimate gatherings and flashy presentations to persuade young adults to enter the competitive labor market. Many Gen Z students have voiced that they wish to work remotely at least part-time. Young professionals are in high demand as employers plan to hire 30% more new graduates than they did last year, with starting salaries in fields like technology, finance and consulting reaching upwards of six figures. Companies like JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup Inc. and several other banks added $10,000 to starting salaries this year.

U.S. home prices continued to sore to record highs in March while mortgage rates rose rapidly, slowing home sales to the lowest level in nearly two years, with existing-home sales falling 4.5% from a year earlier. U.S. homebuilders said materials are getting easier to find, with the pandemic-related lumber shortage easing up for now despite experts predicting prices will continue to gain upward traction. The National Association of Homebuilders reported more than 90% of builders reported delays and materials shortages in 2021.

The Food and Drug Administration said it was investigating complaints after thousands of people became ill after eating Lucky Charms breakfast cereal. Upwards of 4,000 people posted complaints on a consumer website and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received more than 100 complaints. Supply chain shortages paired with food recalls have left consumers uncertain of the future, with 77% of consumers reporting they are nervous about the availability of food and the majority in agreement that product shortages are a “new normal.”

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President Joe Biden is restoring stricter environmental standards for major infrastructure projects like highways, pipelines, power plants and oil wells – including the impacts on climate change – after the Trump administration deleted the regulations in a bid to fast-track projects and create jobs. The move comes as the administration launches a $6 billion effort to rescue nuclear power plants as a carbon-free source of power to help to combat climate change. Biden recently announced an allocation of more public land for oil drilling to temper high gas prices, leaving many environmentalists weary.

Following years of opposition to advertisements on its streaming service, Netflix said it is “open” to exploring a lower-priced, ad-supported version of the platform to boost its subscriber base. The decision comes after the streaming giant reported it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, Netflix’s first loss in more than a decade. As the supply of subscription streaming services has continued to grow, the amount consumers are willing to spend has remained consistent, forcing many households to cancel their streaming services to cut costs.

Apple Store employees attempting to organize a union at the company’s Grand Central Terminal store in New York City want workers to be paid a minimum wage of $30 per hour in addition to receiving increased benefits, according to a website for the group. Verizon recently said it would raise its minimum wage to $20 an hour amid a tight labor market and rising inflation, following the actions of Walmart and Chipotle. Apple workers are seeking to unionize at a time when workplace activism is flourishing throughout the U.S., with Amazon and Starbucks leading the charge.

Researchers are seeing an increased use case for artificial intelligence in the healthcare field, with machine learning accurately improving cancer care and patient outcomes. Over 50% of clinicians predict they will base most of their clinical decisions using tools that utilize AI over the next 10 years, but AI use in healthcare is leaving many U.S. workers apprehensive of their role in the field.

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A recent shooting in a Brooklyn subway car has revived conversations about public safety and threatens the “return to normal” messaging being promoted by officials. New York Mayor Eric Adams said he will continue riding the subway to set an example and promised to increase police presence on trains. Public transit ridership in major cities is seeing a steady increase as more people return to in-person work – New Jersey’s average transit ridership increased to about 80% as of this week.

Lawmakers are facing increased pressure amid high inflation to cancel student loan debt. While some are concerned canceling some of the estimated $1.6 trillion student loan debt would only add to inflation, Democrats are leery to bash the idea publicly and upset the party’s base. President Joe Biden recently extended the pandemic pause on payments through the end of August but stopped short of forgiving debtors. The Education Department said the pause will allow more than seven million borrowers with defaulted federal loans to get the default removed from their credit report.

Coronavirus cases are on the rise in the U.S., up 14% nationwide from two weeks ago. Philadelphia brought back its indoor mask mandate this week, becoming one of the only U.S. cities to have such a mandate. Still, less than one in 10 Americans now describe COVID-19 as a crisis, with the majority calling it a manageable problem or no problem at all. Experts are calling for businesses to implement long-term plans to deal with waves of sick workers as COVID-19 cases fluctuate.

Major American companies in every industry pledged in recent years to change hiring habits by opening the door to higher-wage jobs for people without four-year college degrees, and data shows a gradual shift but highlights the challenge of changing entrenched hiring practices. Nearly four-in-ten Americans ages 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, a share that has grown over the last decade.

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Auto industry experts predicted car supply shortages will last into the next year with the backlog of demand from consumers likely to keep inventories low even if issues such as the microchip shortage are solved soon. Modest income buyers have been largely priced out of the new vehicle market as a result of increased costs and lower supply, and the war in Ukraine has slashed already strained global auto production. With auto supplies low, wealthy buyers remain in a strong position while auto dealers have limited leasing options for some buyers due to high demand.

New York City employers will be required to list salary ranges in job descriptions within the next month following similar moves from states such as Washington. Business groups in the city warned that the requirement may harm diversity hiring efforts, though some observers argue that salary transparency provides an opportunity to promote equal pay clarity. Some experts have noted pay transparency can cause companies to hire fewer people but said transparency can also allow companies to close pay gaps and employees may also be happier as a result.

Travel industry experts forecasted a chaotic summer travel season due to high consumer demand pitted against understaffed airlines. Understaffing has not been limited to airport staff as pilot shortages have plagued the airline industry, with pilots reporting fatigue and heightening safety concerns while travel demand begins to spike. American Airlines’ CEO has promised reliability for customers as the peak travel season begins, although some analysts have raised the prospect of long lines and canceled flights becoming the new normal for travelers as airlines struggle to meet demand.

Mortgage rates reached an average of 5% for the first time since February of 2011, worsening pressure on would-be buyers already dealing with skyrocketing home prices. Although the increase in rates is predicted to cool the market by reducing demand, the reduction in price is expected to be modest as demand continues to exceed record low housing supply. Observers expect the spring buying season to be cooler than last year as less than a quarter of consumers reported to Fannie Mae that it was a good time to purchase a home.

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The price of natural gas reached its highest level since 2008 as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused global energy markets to spike. Natural gas is among a number of commodities experiencing a surge in price beside corn and wheat, placing additional pressure on already-strained gas reserves in the U.S. Experts have warned consumers to expect further surges in gas prices with some states having already suspended excise taxes on the resource to lower prices.

A U.S. appeals court ruled for the second time that scraping information from publically available data was legal in a win for archivists and journalists and a legal loss for professional networking site Linkedin. The decision also represents a win for the commercial sector where web scraping is used for market analytics and product analysis. Tech companies have opposed data scraping practices in recent years, leading some academics to accuse companies of making it difficult to research their technologies.

A new report found that large retail companies have used inflation to hike prices for consumer products and generated dizzying profits as a result. The companies analyzed all gained a cumulative profit increase of roughly $99 billion in the last two years, far beyond what the researchers determined would be needed to cover increasing business costs. The report’s release comes at a time when economic analysts and government officials have said inflation will likely remain high while consumers may continue to see hiked prices as companies probe to see how high they can push prices.

Official data revealed that China’s economy grew during the first three months of the year, although economists noted the fallout of prolonged lockdown orders in the country may darken the country’s financial outlook for the year. Some economic experts have warned the global ripples of economic turmoil from China’s isolation orders may be felt worldwide, with worsening supply chain disruptions and inflation listed as primary concerns. The International Monetary Fund lowered China’s growth forecast for the year and warned many nations may grow slower due to large amounts of accumulated debt from the pandemic.

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Starbucks ramped up the company’s campaign against a unionization push in its U.S. stores, saying new benefits being developed for chain employees legally can’t be extended to unionized locations. Amazon has also been accused of intensifying its anti-union efforts following years of cracking down on workers’ attempts to organize. Last year, the company spent $4.3 million on anti-union consultants. The National Labor Relations Board reported that from October 2021 through last month, 1,174 petitions were filed seeking union representation – up 57% from the same period a year earlier.

Amazon sellers who use the company’s packaging and delivery service will see a 5% surcharge on shipping due to growing inflation, compounding on a fee hike that took effect in January. In 2021, sellers paid Amazon about $103 billion in fees, making up about 22% of Amazon’s revenue. The move puts pressure on sellers to raise their own prices as the U.S. already sees an increase in U.S. consumer prices. Uber and Lyft added fuel surcharges last month and FedEx and the USPS also increased prices.

A bipartisan group of retired public officials is urging Congress to fund a program that would prepare the nation to meet any future viral threat head-on. The $100 billion, 10-year effort includes creating vaccine candidates, developing antiviral medications, building out manufacturing capacity and improving security in laboratories that deal with dangerous viruses. Bill Gates recently outlined steps for preventing another pandemic, including a yearly $1 billion investment in a global epidemic response team. One study suggests that outbreaks similar to COVID-19 will become more frequent due to population growth and environmental degradation.

The average American is using nearly four times the amount of energy considered to have a good life. Comparing energy use and quality of life, researchers found the magic number to be 75 gigajoules a year, comparable to about 8 gallons of gasoline – Americans are using 284 gigajoules a year per capita. Transportation is the main driver of energy use, stemming from Americans’ increased use of cars, trucks and air travel.

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Uber reached an agreement to list all New York City taxis on its app, forming an alliance that could ease the ride-hailing giant’s driver shortage and temper high fares. Uber’s shares rose on the news and marked a departure from the company’s previous goal of disrupting the U.S. taxi industry. Gig economy workers in Europe have gone on strike amid high fuel prices, saying their wages have eroded. Gas in the U.S. hit a national average high last week but has since gone down, according to AAA.

Thursday’s strong job report may push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at its next policy meeting in May, following Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s sentiment to move more aggressively to keep high inflation from becoming entrenched. Nearly half of Americans view inflation as their top concern and nine in 10 say the amount they spend on gas, fuel or energy and food has increased over the last year.

Former TikTok moderators filed a federal lawsuit seeking class-action status against the video-sharing app and its parent company, ByteDance. TikTok depends on the work of moderators who scrub the app of distressing content before its 1 billion active users see it. While moderators often work behind the scenes, there is a growing movement to hold tech giants accountable for the welfare of these workers, who can experience emotional trauma caused by reviewing hundreds of disturbing videos every week.

Google announced it will make improvements regarding which product reviews it shows in search results in an attempt to provide consumers with higher quality and more helpful information. The criteria for product reviews to be prioritized is strict and must include in-depth details, a Google software engineer said . Nearly all consumers report reading reviews when shopping online and over half read reviews while shopping in brick-and-mortar stores to assess potential purchases.

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Energy-based conglomerate Koch Industries has emerged as one of the biggest financial backers of the battery industry, analysts say. The money comes as many green startups need to spend heavily to commercialize their products. CEO Charles Koch has historically fought climate regulation and operates thousands of miles of pipelines that move oil and gas around the country. Even as green-focused firms begin to prosper, the world’s largest oil producer Saudi Aramco made a $110 billion profit in 2021 – more than double what it earned the previous year.

The Russia-Ukraine war is pushing exporters and logistics firms transporting items like auto parts and smartphones to avoid land routes passing through Russia. The new routes, often forged by sea, are adding costs and threatening to worsen the global supply chain crisis. The director general of the World Trade Center called for addressing chokepoints by bringing more countries into international production networks. Enterprises are increasing the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics in an effort to modernize warehouses.

The top editor at Buzzfeed News resigned as the digital-media company cuts staff and projects a loss of up to $20 million this quarter. The changes follow Buzzfeed’s first earnings as a public company, which fell short of what it promised SPAC investors. Several large shareholders reportedly urged Buzzfeed’s CEO to shut down the news organization despite winning several awards, including a Pulitzer Prize. Buzzfeed’s public listing continues to be a cautionary tale for digital media startups seeking new funding and looking to go public.

A new study found the use of pictures and emojis can signal less authority, with respondents overwhelmingly attributing more power to the person who chose a verbal vs. a visual representation of the message. Despite this, working remotely has prompted an increased usage of emojis to express emotion or adhere to social norms in conversations with colleagues.

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The White House announced that without additional funding approval from Congress, the administration is out of funding for COVID-19 testing, treatment and vaccines. Of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, $300 billion remains unobligated, $240 billion of which has been allocated for cities and states already. The U.S. Travel Association urged the White House to lift COVID-19 travel restrictions while health experts warned of a potential uptick in cases caused by the omicron descendent BA.2.

Traditional nine-to-five work hours are becoming less common among employees – one of the many changes to work and life that emerged during the pandemic. The flexibility is likely to persist in certain fields, like tech, public relations and consulting. More than half of U.S. adults said the ability to work from home or have flexible schedules is more important to them now than before the pandemic, while 50% of company leaders reported wanting their employees back in the office in the next year.

The City of Miami Beach declared a state of emergency in an effort to curb violence across the city this spring break. The move came after multiple shootings this past weekend. Major cities across the U.S. are contending with increases in crime rates, with New York City seeing a nearly 40% increase in overall crime when comparing January 2020 to January 2021. A shooting at an Arkansas car show on Saturday left one dead and 27 wounded, marking the largest mass shooting event in the U.S. in 2022 so far.

A recent survey found that Gen Z and Millenials are not limiting themselves to a traditional day job, with the majority of both generations reporting they are considering earning extra income in 2022. About 70% of both Gen Z and Millenials have sought out a side hustle or additional business opportunities. The music festival Lollapalooza announced that the CEO of Goldman Sachs, who occasionally moonlights as an electronic dance musician, will perform at the festival in July.

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U.S. home prices are up nearly 19% in the past 12 months and are expected to hit a year-over-year rate of 22% as soon as May. The new forecast by Zillow foresees a subtle slowdown in the rate of growth beyond the spike. Many millennials reportedly maxed out their budgets to buy a home in 2020 then later regretted the decision.

Ketanji Brown Jackson began her first day of Supreme Court confirmation hearings Tuesday, vowing to be an independent judge in her opening remarks. While she has broad support from Democratic senators, Republicans are expected to press her on her record as a public defender. Overall, 53% of surveyed individuals said they approved of President Joe Biden’s decision to make his first Supreme Court nominee a Black woman, while 80% of Black Americans approved of the decision.

No survivors have been found from the crash of China Eastern’s Boeing 737-800 that aviation experts are calling “unprecedented” given the plane’s excellent safety record. The plane’s model is considered one of the safest aircraft ever made, unlike the 737 Max. China is one of the most important markets for Boeing and has been expected to drive sales amid flattened demand in the U.S. and Europe.

Some 22 million people were under threat from the spring storm system moving through the South and as many as 80 homes in Texas have already been damaged. Louisiana’s federal and state authorities reminded the thousands of hurricane survivors living in government-provided mobile homes to have an evacuation plan ready. Experts reported severe climate-related storms and disruptions could cause ports around the world to lose almost $10 billion a year by 2050.

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Rising fuel prices are taking a toll on small businesses, with more than half of polled owners reporting that higher energy prices were affecting their businesses. The recent challenge compounds pandemic-related obstacles like supply-chain issues, a tight labor market and rising interest rates. With no further COVID-related relief funds from Congress in sight, the Small Business Administration announced it will extend the deferment periods for disaster loans once again.

Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted an uptick – not a surge – in coronavirus infections despite the current decline in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. As more mask mandates are abandoned, a new poll found Americans’ emotional and physical health is bouncing back. Nearly 65% of respondents now favor governments lifting all COVID-19 restrictions, but three in four say they’d go back to masking if infections increase.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to propose new disclosure rules that would require companies to report their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions as well as how climate change might affect their business. Allergy season is getting worse as the climate changes, according to new research. Hotter temperatures are causing some plants to produce more pollen and a study found that if carbon emissions remain high allergy season could begin 40 days earlier. Pollen seasons since the 1990s have gotten substantially longer and start earlier.

While millions of students held off going to college during the pandemic, programs at community colleges in skilled trades have seen an uptick in enrollment. In some places, it’s as high as 40% more. Interest in programs in construction, HVAC and automotive repair is increasing as many students rethink the value of college.

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President Joe Biden signed a law requiring key businesses to report when they had faced a cyberattack to the government aimed at protecting critical infrastructure in the U.S. The move comes amid a rush to prevent cyberattacks from foreign criminals and hacking groups as U.S. officials remain concerned about the impact of the war in Ukraine. According to new research, the number of cyberattacks being waged by both countries is “staggering.”

Retailers are facing price resistance as inflation remains staggeringly high, with roughly 43% of consumers saying if prices continue to increase, they will delay purchases of less importance to stick to a budget. Macy’s tried to raise prices on some of its household items by upwards of $100 but shoppers pushed back. Discount retailers including Burlington and Ross say supply-chain constraints have left their shoppers with ample merchandise as full-price competitors cope with backlogs at U.S. ports.

After years of turning a blind eye to password sharing, Netflix announced it will begin testing ways that inhibit users from sharing accounts outside of their household, making users pay for any additional members. Netflix plans to test the new option in Costa Rica, Chile and Peru over the coming weeks before introducing it globally. Netflix recently raised the price of its monthly subscriptions in the U.S., following the suit of streaming services like Amazon Prime which were once an affordable alternative to cable.

Major airlines reported a faster than expected travel demand bounce back this year, with February bookings for U.S. travel beating numbers preceding the pandemic. Industry executives expressed optimism that carriers’ worst days are behind them as demand skyrockets with low COVID-19 case numbers boosting consumer confidence. Delta reported its best day of sales in its 100-year history last week. A new survey suggests nearly all travelers say it is important their travel spending has a positive effect on the destination they visit.

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Moderna will join Pfizer in seeking U.S. appoval for a second booster shot, similarly stemming from data collected in the U.S. and Israel on the impacts of the omicron variant. In Hong Kong, the death rate is surpassing most of the world’s worst pandemic peaks at almost 300 deaths per day. The rate is overwhelming crematoriums and coffin-makers, who say they cannot keep up with the sudden spike.

Amazon has closed an $8.5 billion deal to buy MGM following nearly a year of regulatory hurdles. While Amazon Prime subscribers will likely be able to see the full MGM catalog, experts say the mergers will ultimately push prices higher for consumers while narrowing their choices. Betting that a growing streaming market could dampen profits, movie theater chain AMC announced it will diversify its business with a newly purchased stake in a mining company.

The Western U.S. is in for worsening drought this spring, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s seasonal outlook. While central and eastern states should be mostly spared from significant flooding, the agency said spring is likely to be hotter and drier. Dry conditions will be particularly tough on California, which faces a third year of water restrictions in its second acute drought in less than a decade.

Finland was crowned the happiest country in the world for the fifth consecutive year, scoring significantly ahead of other countries in the World Happiness Report 2022 ranking. Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands rounded out the top five in the report, while the U.S. moved up three places from 2021 to take 16th.

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Americans increased their retail spending in February by 0.3%, a slower increase than in January. When excluding gas stations purchases, sales fell 0.2% in February. Economists attribute the booming labor market to consumers’ increased spending power. High inflation is costing the typical U.S. household an additional $296 per month, according to a new analysis by Moody's Analytics.

The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates Wednesday to combat the worst inflation in more than 40 years, marking the first rate increase since 2018. The increase comes as inflationary pressures officials assumed would lessen on their own have instead lingered , with some getting worse. U.S. stock futures gained ahead of the expected interest-rate increase.

Pfizer asked U.S. health regulators to authorize a second booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine for people 65 and older, an effort to bolster waning immunity that occurs several months after the first booster. The request is based on recent data in Israel during the omicron variant outbreak that showed those who got a fourth vaccine dose were half as likely to become infected and four times less likely to get severely sick from the coronavirus when compared to those with only three shots.

The Senate unanimously passed legislation Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the U.S. starting in 2023, ending the twice-annual changing of clocks in an effort to promote brighter afternoons and increased economic activity. Many sleep experts say daylight saving time can disrupt our circadian rhythms, making us less alert and prone to illness. The Sunshine Protection Act needs approval from the House and the signature of President Biden to become law.

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Phased retirement programs are growing in popularity as executives grow more comfortable with flexible work arrangements and companies struggle to retain key workers amid a higher-than-expected rate of retirements. Human resource managers say the method is a way to “slow the brain drain” and manage shortages efficiently. Other employers continue to find new perks to attract top talent, such as egg freezing and other fertility benefits.

Following the two-year mark of the pandemic, education professionals say most of their fears about the impact on children at home have come true . Vulnerable and marginalized students were the most affected by disruptions in student learning and toxic environments at home, while preliminary data show that high school dropout rates trended up.

California has begun the process of building a new state agency that will be responsible for regulating Big Tech’s compliance with its consumer privacy law. A first of its kind, the agency must be built with no precedent and could serve as a model for other states that, frustrated with inaction in Congress, are enacting their own privacy laws.

Revenue from digital entertainment such as streaming ballooned last year to more than three times that of the global box office, according to a new report by the Motion Picture Association. The theatrical and digital markets for entertainment were roughly similar in size before the pandemic, but streaming subscriptions increased 14% last year.

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The 2020 census missed about 750,000 people. While the margin itself isn’t statistically significant, many groups were miscounted at significant rates, with 5% of Hispanic people, 3.3% of Black people and 5.6% of American Indians and Alaska Natives being missed. On the other hand, whites were overcounted by 1.6% and Asians overcounted by 2.6%.

Prices rose 7.9% year over year in February, the largest increase in 40 years. Inflation rose 0.8% since January, a dire sign as the report does not reflect the current strain on energy markets. Monthly rents surged by 20% across the U.S. in the past year, pricing some renters out of their homes. Goldman Sachs warned the probability of the U.S. facing a recession in the next year could be as high as 35% as the bank cut growth forecasts.

The House stripped $15.6 billion of coronavirus relief funding from the government spending bill that cleared the chamber Wednesday. The White House warned that testing capacity and the supply of monoclonal antibody treatments and antiviral pills will decline in months if that funding does not pass the Senate. Two years into the pandemic, new research suggests that the actual death toll is three times higher than the official tally, potentially topping 18 million deaths worldwide.

Major League Baseball’s player association struck a labor deal with team owners, ending the second-longest work stoppage in league history after 99 days. No games will be missed as originally feared despite missing two deadlines for the deal, and players will receive their full salaries for the season.

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Apple supplier Foxconn is halting operations in Shenzhen, China, as the government imposes fresh lockdowns to battle surging coronavirus cases. The fast-spreading “stealth omicron” variant is fueling the country’s biggest outbreak since the start of the pandemic in China’s southern technology hub, threatening negative economic consequences worldwide.

The shift to remote work continues to muddy womens’ prospects in the workplace. While more flexible work opportunities could help recover the number of women who left the workforce in the pandemic, more economists agree that workers who are strictly remote risk isolating themselves from promotions and networking opportunities.

More city leaders are taking action to address the homeless encampments that became more common in urban areas during the pandemic. Liberal cities in particular took a softer stance on tents in public spaces, but residents are calling on leaders to address a situation that they say has spiraled out of control. Cities such as Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles plan to permanently remove or ban camping in certain locations, while others are presenting new solutions to voters.

The Paralympic Winter Games came to a close on Sunday night against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prompting a closing ceremony focused on peace and unity. Ukrainian Paralympians amassed 28 medals, including 10 gold, managing to push through the fear with the sympathy and respect of many onlookers.

CONTENT FACTS.

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Rising gas prices are driving more conspiracy theories about electric vehicles. Theorists contend in Facebook and Twitter posts that President Joe Biden’s administration is intentionally driving up the price of gas to get more Americans to purchase an electric car. Even so, pent-up demand and record-low vehicle inventory levels are expected to push up electric vehicle prices and force many consumers to wait months or even years before receiving an EV.

As American companies approach the two-year anniversary of the shift to remote work, employees are reflecting on the ways in which the office environment did and did not work for them. Many say they felt like they spent their careers in spaces built for somebody else, from the temperature of the office to a “good old boy” office culture. A new Pew survey found that feeling “disrespected at work” was a major reason for 35% of respondents who left their jobs in 2021, while the most common reason for leaving was low pay.

A new survey of local election officials found that 1 in 5 local election administrators say they are likely to leave their jobs before the 2024 presidential election. They say daily harassment and death threats in a polarized voting environment has made the profession unsustainable, prompting many to call for more funding to address cyber and physical security.

The same climate trends in the Western U.S. that lead to massive wildfires in recent years are complicating efforts to prevent them. More erratic weather has removed some of the opportunity to use snowfall to safely burn off debris before the summer, complicating the job of exhausted firefighters. Those operations are a part of the Biden administration’s $50 billion plan to reduce the density of western forests and prevent wildfires.

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The global food crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is worsening as more countries move to keep vital food supplies within their borders. Indonesia tightened curbs on palm oil exports Wednesday, contributing to price hikes as the world struggles to recover from the economic fallout of the pandemic and reduced wheat supply due to droughts. Russia and Ukraine account for a quarter of the global grain trade, and Russia is also a key supplier of the world’s fertilizers.

Producers of basic necessities must face tough decisions over whether to join other multinational companies that faced pressure to close their operations in Russia. McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coke and Pepsi have joined the exodus of companies suspending their business in protest of Russia’s invasion, but the makers of supplies such as diapers and soap say they feel compelled to continue to provide necessities. Procter & Gamble and Unilever said this week they will end any new capital investments in Russia and are no longer advertising in the country.

House lawmakers released a $1.5 trillion government package early Wednesday to fund the federal government for the 2022 fiscal year and send further military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. The bipartisan package, expected to be passed by the House Wednesday and voted on by the Senate within the week, includes the biggest increase to nondefense discretionary spending in four years and a total of $13.6 billion to boost assistance to Ukraine.

Florida’s state lawmakers on Tuesday passed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, sending the legislation to the governor’s desk for approval despite outcry from LGBTQ advocates that the bill is discriminatory. The Walt Disney Company has faced backlash for funding legislators who sponsored the bill, prompting the company’s CEO to send a memo promising “unwavering support” for the company’s LGBTQ+ community.

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Minneapolis teachers and support personnel will begin striking Tuesday after the teachers’ union and district failed to reach an agreement for a new contract, with unresolved issues including providing mental health services, reducing class sizes and increasing pay. Neighboring St. Paul Public Schools averted a strike Monday after reaching a tentative agreement.

Florida’s surgeon general recommended against “healthy” children getting coronavirus vaccines, citing rare cases of myocarditis among young men and boys post-mRNA vaccination despite lower hospitalization rates for vaccinated children. Florida is the first state to break with the Centers for Disease Control’s vaccine recommendation for children.

President Joe Biden will sign an executive order outlining the government’s strategy for cryptocurrency. The White House will also look to address the threat of ransomware and other cybercrime in the industry. Cryptocurrency could see a regulatory shift following a series of reports from federal agencies examining the legal and economic impact of digital assets.

The CDC warned Americans should avoid travel to Hong Kong, New Zealand and Thailand amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in those countries. Virus hospitalizations hit a record of 750 in New Zealand as the country saw another record of nearly 24,000 daily cases, while Mainland China logged its highest number of daily new symptomatic infections in two years despite its “zero tolerance” approach to the pandemic.

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A group of truck drivers encircled Washington, D.C., via the beltway Sunday to protest COVID-19 mandates, deliberately moving slowly to impact traffic. The Capitol Police Board issued an emergency declaration warning that highways, bridges and roadways could be shuttered as the protest could last several days. An organizer said that the group plans to take up two lanes in its Monday loop as an “escalation.”

The Internal Revenue Service plans to hire 10,000 employees to address its backlog of 24 million tax returns, the majority of which linger from the 2020 tax season. Despite a projected 14% increase in the IRS workforce, the backlog will likely remain unresolved until the end of 2022.

President Joe Biden reiterated his position Friday that most Americans can safely remove masks and return to work as hospitalizations rates fell by 77% and three-quarters of American adults are now fully vaccinated. The Biden administration announced last week that federal agencies will “lead by example” with most federal employees set to return to the office in April.

Airbnb rentals have emerged as an unlikely tool to financially support Ukrainian families as the housing rental site waived fees on properties in the country. Between March 2-3, guests from around the world booked more than 61,000 nights in Ukraine, with more than half of those bookings made by Americans. Airbnb itself also offered short-term housing for free to up to 100,000 people fleeing Ukraine.

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned lawmakers that interest rate hikes are on the way, citing a strengthening labor market and rising inflation. Powell noted that it was too soon to predict how the Russian invasion of Ukraine will influence the U.S. economy although economists have said Americans are likely to see price hikes for some products. Despite Powell’s uncertainty, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester argued the invasion has increased the need for monetary-policy tightening moves.

Twitter announced it will reopen offices on March 15, although employees will still be allowed to work remotely if they choose. Twitter’s reopening is the latest in a series of tech companies’ requests for workers to return to the office. Workers at the beginning of their career have expressed concern about upward mobility in the remote work era, although some studies have found remote work can lead to “more in-depth” conversations among employees.

Producers of at-home tests reported an increase in consumer willingness to test for a wide array of conditions at home following the COVID-19 pandemic. Test manufacturers said they are developing tests for a number of medical conditions ranging from the flu to strep in an attempt to attract consumers focused on monitoring their health. The CEO of Cue Health Ayub Khattak said the shift in how consumers view at-home medical testing is one of the enduring changes brought on by the pandemic.

New York Times tech workers certified a unionization vote Thursday, creating one of the largest tech unions in the U.S. Union representatives said they plan to begin contract negotiations with a focus on pay and diversity and equity. While a spokesman for the publication said they look forward to negotiations, the vote followed complaints from the U.S. National Labor Relations Board that the Times engaged in unfair labor practices related to the unionization push.

Amid the crisis in Ukraine, Turbine Labs will provide pro bono daily media and influencer intelligence briefings for journalists reporting on the ground. We are extending that offer to our Daily Executive Briefing customers as a courtesy to keep you informed and updated on the shifting landscape. Sign up here.

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U.S. oil climbed to the highest level in more than a decade after OPEC and its oil-producing allies, which includes Russia, decided to hold production steady. With countries now shunning oil from key producer Russa, traders are concerned supply shortfalls will follow. Experts warn the average gas price in some U.S. cities will reach $5 a gallon in the upcoming weeks.

The White House released a sweeping COVID-19 plan Wednesday, marking a new era in the pandemic in which the virus is still circulating but can hopefully be managed. The plan involves the availability of free rapid tests as well as free N95 masks. If funding is secured, the plan will also include new facilities for people dealing with long COVID.

The U.S. accused Russia of launching a “full war on media freedom and the truth” by blocking independent news outlets as well as throttling Twitter, Facebook and Instagram platforms that Russian citizens rely on to access information and opinions. TikTok has shaped views of the conflict and contributed to an intense wave of global sympathy for Ukraine, enforcing the app’s role of bringing news to its Gen Z audience.

Rising food prices are emerging as a significant headwind to the economic recovery from the pandemic this year, exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is a major supplier of every crop nutrient, and soaring fertilizer prices are likely to further increase the cost of food. A new poll found consumers are overestimating food inflation and more than half of respondents said it seems like more products are out of stock at the grocery store.

Walmart rolled out a virtual dressing room, allowing shoppers to pick a person who resembles their height, shape and skin tone to see how a clothing item would fit. The development comes as more clothing companies dip their toes in the metaverse – American Eagle will soon allow consumers to create avatars and dress them in the brand’s spring collection.

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The harsh sanctions imposed on Russia and the resulting crash of the ruble forced the Kremlin to find workarounds to the Western economic blockade in gold reserves and cryptocurrency. Bitcoin jumped 13% since Monday and other cryptocurrencies moved higher following the ruble’s plunge. Analysts believe virtual currencies will gain more traction amid volatility stemming from geopolitical tensions.

To get inflation under control, Biden called on companies to lower their costs and not their wages, as well as increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Target said it will raise its minimum wage as high as $24 per hour this year, depending on the local market. The retailer hopes to buoy the growth it’s seen over the last two years by building more stores and e-commerce hubs to encourage new lines of business.

Tech giants like Google, Meta and Twitter are grappling with how to wield their power as their platforms become battlefields for a parallel information war and a vital link amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. By blocking Russian state-run media and monitoring for cyberattacks, tech companies are becoming more actively involved than corporations have been in past military conflicts.

Remote work is proving to be more persistent than anticipated, hitting the finances of U.S. cities banking on commuters getting back to the office. About 75% of the increase in telework over the course of the pandemic will likely stick, hitting municipalities that rely on revenue from tax on lunches to wages earned in city and parking fees. To proof themselves against such losses, experts suggest cities consider modernizing their tax base by taxing online goods and services.

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Economic ripples from the Russian invasion of Ukraine reverberated across global industries as automakers announced manufacturing stops and tanker freight rates soared since fighting began. The European Union and Canada additionally announced airspace closures to Russian flights while fintech companies involved in global money transfers found themselves thrust into the conflict, with transfers of money in and out of the two nations becoming more difficult.

Recruiters for large tech companies such as Amazon and Google have steadily increased cash incentives to attract talent as the “lure” of stock has become less attractive amid unsteady markets and rising inflation. Some observers argued that the move may partly be in response to cryptocurrency startups luring talent away from larger tech companies by offering up to a third more in cash bonuses.

President Biden will deliver his first State of the Union address this week framed by low approval ratings and global crises. Although the President is expected to lay out an agenda addressing significant challenges such as pandemic recovery and inflation, expectations are low that the administration will succeed, according to recent polling. Fencing was reinstalled around the U.S. Capitol building in preparation for the speech.

Microchip giant Nvidia reportedly suffered a cyberattack that affected internal systems including company emails and developer tools. The attack was not related to the ongoing Ukraine crisis, according to sources close to the incident. In a development some called “bizarre,” the hacker group that claimed responsibility for the attack said they suffered a counterattack of their own from Nvidia. Observers said this may signal a new willingness from companies to “think outside the box” when it comes to countering cyber threats.

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Economic analysts reported Russia’s economy is facing a potential “meltdown” as the Russian ruble reached a value below 1 U.S. cent and Russia’s central bank doubled a key interest rate to roughly 20%. Analysts cautioned that the economic pressure may lead to a run on Russian banks as the country’s citizens attempt to hoard cash and secure deposits. Experts predicted that Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, is likely to fail within the coming days.

Conservative justices signaled skepticism for allowing the EPA to regulate emissions of power plants without express approval from Congress during Supreme Court arguments on Monday. Experts said a ruling against the agency would be a significant blow to the EPA’s ability to regulate the energy sector at a time when climate scientists heightened warnings about the quickening pace of climate change.

TD Bank announced the acquisition of Memphis-based First Horizon in an all cash deal that analysts said will give the financial giant a significant presence in the Southeast. The deal, valued at $13.4 billion, would place TD Bank as a top six bank in the United States. TD Bank said it has no plans to close branches or let go of frontline bank employees.

Companies have recently overhired in an effort to combat uncertainty as unstable demand and high turnover rates fostered unpredictability within a number of industries. Some companies have overhired by roughly 40% with plans to “prune” staff as labor needs become more clear. While the hiring strategies provide some security for companies, hourly employees reported increased insecurity due to overhiring practices.

• Turbine Labs has tracked 16,531 media articles and blogs and 24,268 social media posts over the last 24 hours.
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U.S. consumer spending rose 2.1% in January despite price hikes and a surge in COVID-19 infections, but could cool in coming months if inflation continues to increase amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, economists forecast. Despite an increase in spending, roughly nine in 10 adults report being concerned about inflation. Additionally, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to 232,000 last week.

Federal officials plan to significantly loosen COVID-19 federal mask-wearing guidelines on Friday, including new metrics for when communities should consider recommending masks, according to officials. The new guidance will focus on loosening indoor masking requirements and come as many states have already lifted their indoor mask mandates as omicron subsides.

Thousands of flights were canceled Thursday ahead of another winter storm that was expected to create dangerous and icy travel conditions and raise the risk of power outages across the Northeast on Friday. U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,000 Thursday flights, with roughly two-thirds of them going to and from Dallas, and have already canceled 1,100 Friday flights.

U.S. mortgage applications fell to their lowest level in more than two years last week amid rising mortgage rates. Applications decreased 13.1% as mortgage rates hovered just below 4% for a second week, putting stress on potential buyers faced with high prices and low inventory. Applications to refinance dropped 15% weekly, 56% lower than compared to one year ago

President Joe Biden announced new sanctions Thursday restricting the exports of some products from the U.S. to Russia that are essential to Moscow, but Russian forces continued to move by air and land to attack Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. The sanctions also target Russian banks and elites with close ties to Putin, freezing every asset Russia has in the U.S.

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Uncertainty flooded U.S. markets after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pushing stocks down and lifting the prices of oil, gold and government bonds. Oil prices hit an eight-year high and gas prices are expected to surge even higher after President Joe Biden’s expansion of Russian sanctions. Global unrest is expected to heighten pressure on the global economy, with Europe likely to bear the brunt of the economic impact.

The Biden administration announced several new actions Thursday intended to ease supply chain disruptions and geopolitical tensions, including a “Buy American” rule that would allow the federal government to pay more for certain “critical” domestic-made products. The White House will also expand access to capital for small manufacturers, open a $450 million Department of Transportation program and use the Defense Production Act to build and expand the health resources industrial base.

U.S. companies struggling to fill job vacancies are increasingly promoting remote or hybrid work arrangements to recruit employees. One survey found 60% of firms with more than 500 employees now use work-from-home options to recruit full-time employees. Companies like Google have decided to restore office perks like gyms and massages as COVID cases continue to ease.

Extreme wildfires are expected to become more frequent and intense, increasing by around 50% by the end of the century, according to a new U.N. report. Researchers found there is an elevated risk in the Arctic and other regions that were previously untouched by wildfires. The report said that climate change, rising temperatures and changes to the way we use land will drive the threat, with the report calling for a radical reallocation of financial resources to fire prevention.

CONTENT FACTS.

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Why workers shouldn't return to offices before April: Dr. Vin Gupta - CNBC

Fidelity, Morgan Stanley prepare for continued COVID-19 concerns - Reuters

Companies Upend Plans on Covid-19 Vaccines and Office Returns, Again - The Wall Street Journal

@sharonodea: Morgan Stanley CEO says he was wrong on getting people back to the office.

A new study on longevity found nearly half of children today can expect to live to the age of 100, and that over the course of 100-year-lives, most can expect to work 60 years or more. Currently, the average retirement age in the U.S. is 62. The study comes as more lawmakers throw support behind a bill that would bring a four-day work week to America. The measure is a move toward a “modern-day business model,” that aims to improve the quality of life for many workers across the country.

More Americans see inflation as the greatest risk to retirement plans - CNBC

You're Going to Work a Long Time. Here's How to Build in Breaks. - The New York Times

@RickSmithShow: There's a bill in the House that has 100 cosponsors signed on that would change the 40-hour work week to a 32-hour work week. There isn't enough support yet for it to pass, but it's a start.

Companies are scrambling to understand the “Log4j” vulnerability, a digital flaw embedded in an incredibly popular and common software tool. Over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security discussed efforts to help private-sector partners fix the problem and urged all companies to upgrade their software. Experts hope the chaos sparks a larger conversation surrounding preparation against similar attacks in the future.

Feds scramble to assess security flaw that threatens 'hundreds of millions' of devices - Politico

Log4j exploits attempted on 44% of corporate networks; ransomware payloads spotted - VentureBeat

The Log4J Vulnerability Will Haunt the Internet for Years - Wired

Global airline seat capacity is up almost 4% this week, indicating carriers’ short-term plans haven’t been disrupted by the omicron variant. The long-term trend still remains largely dependent on potential travel restrictions. While leisure travel remains steady, corporate travel expenditures have dropped and overall, business travel remains less than a third of what it was in 2019.

Winter holiday travel will be back with a vengeance, travel groups predict - CNN

What pandemic? Miami airport sets Thanksgiving travel record - Associated Press

@MoodysInvSvc: As we look towards 2022, our outlook for the global passenger airlines industry is positive. Variants will delay, not derail, recovery of global air travel demand.

A new investigation found school enrollments across the country are declining for the second-straight year, particularly in some of the nation’s largest school systems. Educators have expressed concern over the vulnerable students who may have fallen behind amid the widespread economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic.

“Colorado's public education system is in crisis…our students don't deserve this.” - CPR News

Enrollment declines squeeze local school finances - Cal Matters

Foreign student enrollment at US universities fell 15% amid COVID-19 - Pew Research Center

"How Is Omicron Affecting Air Travel?" - The Wall Street Journal / Source: U.S. Transportation Security Administration

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 26,728 media articles and blogs and 18,829 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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Between Christmas and New Year's, doctors expect the Omicron surge to grow - CNN

As Omicron Spreads, Governments Race to Ease Staff Shortages - The Wall Street Journal

Omicron could force many workers who test positive to quarantine under federal mandate, intensifying labor shortages - USA Today

Airlines have canceled more than 4,000 flights since Christmas Eve as the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 skyrocketed sick calls from flight crews. Airlines expect the year-end holiday period to include some of the busiest days since the pandemic began – the Transportation Security Administration screened 13.6 million people over the last week.

Fauci says US should consider domestic flight vaccine mandate; more planes grounded - Reuters

Hong Kong to Make Air Cargo Crew Do 3-Day Hotel Quarantine - Bloomberg

@David_Slotnick: Delta, which was the first of the airlines to ask CDC to shorten the isolation guidelines, says it’s working to implement the new 5-day policy

President Joe Biden pledged to ease a shortage of COVID-19 tests as the omicron variant drives up cases, conceding not enough has been done this year to expand testing capacity. Biden ordered 500 million at-home rapid tests that Americans can obtain for free, but they arrived too late to mitigate disruptions of winter holiday plans.

The Biden Administration Rejected an October Proposal for “Free Rapid Tests for the Holidays” - Vanity Fair

New York expands coronavirus testing as case counts continue to climb. - The New York Times

@HannaMordoh: If you get your hands on an at-home COVID-19 test... how accurate is it? Doctors say make sure the test kit is on the FDA's approved list

The omicron variant continues to disrupt the plans of many companies that had prepared to reopen offices for hybrid or full-time in-person work in early 2022, including Wells Fargo, Clorox and Apple. Goldman Sachs, one of Wall Street’s staunchest advocates of returning employees to offices, will make COVID-19 vaccination boosters compulsory.

World Hits Record Daily Covid Cases as Omicron Mars Christmas - Bloomberg

Return to office paused (again) as COVID rages: Will we ever go back? - USA Today

NYC Tries New Approach: Vaccine Mandate for Private Employers -The New York Times

Economists expect the omicron variant to dent the global economy in early 2022, but overall predict the year to be a transition toward normalcy. Credit- and debit-card data indicate that spending in services-related categories like airlines and restaurants remained depressed last week.

Holiday shopping fuels the return of credit card debt - CNBC

China Vows Proactive Moves to Stabilize Economy in 2022 - Bloomberg

World economy to top $100 trillion in 2022 for first time: report - Reuters

A seemingly endless line of cars waits at a drive-through Covid-19 testing site in Miami, Florida, on December 22. - Vox / Source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 12,982 media articles and blogs and 18,027 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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The 'Great Redefinition' Of Work In 2022 - Forbes

After a muted New Year's weekend, US braces for more Covid disruptions as students return to school - CNN

Wastewater samples reveal record levels of coronavirus across US - NBC News

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering adding testing requirements to its new isolation guidelines for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, though it’s still unclear whether positive tests would require further isolation. The CDC has received pushback on its new guidelines announced last week that shortened its isolation recommendation to five days.

Manufacturers rush to ramp up rapid COVID test production as demand soars - NPR

'CDC Says' Jokes Trend After New Covid-19 Isolation, Quarantine Guideline Changes - Forbes

@palafo: CDC guidance has said vaccinated people don’t have to quarantine if exposed but should get tested 5 days later. Testing experts, however, say that’s not soon enough for fast-incubating Omicron. The best times to test are on Days 2, 3 and 4 after exposure.

A notable rush of funding has flooded the high-risk category of early-stage startups in the past year as investors try to get into companies before they have a staff or product. While the startup sector has been deluged with increasing amounts of cash for much of the past decade most has traditionally gone to later-stage private companies. In 2021, investors pumped $93 million into seed-stage and early-stage startups in the U.S., compared to $52 billion for all of 2020.

US Investors Revisit Africa, Helping Startups Cap Record Year - Bloomberg

Record number of unicorns and IPOs: Indian startups raised $39B in 2021 - TechCrunch

@eliotwb: I wrote a story on startups including a company that wants to recreate the wooly mammoth and has raised $16 M and its slide decks says its monetization options include “mammoth park attractions"

Experts predict 2022 will largely remain an employee’s market, but that trend will slowly fade. There are currently a lot of job openings and people looking for work can often take their pick or negotiate for what they want. The economy has seldom seen such a mismatch between so much demand for workers and so few people willing to work, prompting questions about how much some of America’s most vital sectors can continue to rely on a relatively low-paid workforce.

Stocks Face Rockier Path in 2022 as Fed Rate Increases Loom - The Wall Street Journal

What Social Trends Told Us About the American Economy in 2021 - The New York Times

Global economy and development in 2021: What we learned in Brookings Global - Brookings

Studies show many Americans are struggling to make basic decisions and having even more difficulty when it comes to major life choices, largely due to the pandemic. Experts say milestone moments, like the start of a new year, can push humans toward big-picture thinking. A new exhibit at the Smithsonian is offering a solution to those facing decision fatigue – AI that generates New Year’s resolutions.

Decision-making in the time of omicron - NPR

Going Out and Worried About Covid Safety? There’s a Calculator for That. - The New York Times

Coronavirus risk calculations get harder as a study suggests rapid tests may be less effective at detecting omicron - The Washington Post

@NHendersonWSJ: Worn out from nearly two years of the pandemic, many of us are paralyzed when it comes to major life choices and quotidian decisions alike

"The most unusual job market in modern American history, explained" - The Washington Post / Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 5,411 media articles and blogs and 16,614 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, January 4, at 9:30AM ET.

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Omicron Cases Are Hitting Highs, But New Data Put End in Sight - Bloomberg

Free at-home COVID-19 tests: When will they be here? - CNET

@jburnmurdoch: With a variant that spreads so far and so fast, the Omicron wave more than any other will be exceptionally good at seeking out the last few unprotected people, so even a small difference in the immunonaive share of the population could make a big difference to ICU pressure

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of a third booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Monday for children ages 12 to 15 in addition to narrowing the interval for booster shot eligibility to five months from six. The approval comes as many schools scheduled to return after the holiday break decided to delay this week’s in-person learning following record COVID-19 case levels fueled by the omicron variant.

‘Insurmountable’: Parents Grapple With Omicron’s Upending Force in Schools - The New York Times

@AliBaumanTV: Students are going back to school this week but many families are struggling to find a COVID test after the holidays, and then have to wait days for the results. @CBSNewYork

@charlielangton: #NEW Detroit Public Schools @Detroitk12 will be virtual starting this week and continuing until at least January 14 due to 40% #Covid_19 infection levels. @WWJ950 @FOX2News #Detroit #schools #Infection

Starbucks announced its 220,000 U.S. workers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing starting Feb. 9 to comply with the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate going into effect next week. Employees who choose to undergo weekly testing will be responsible for acquiring their own federally approved tests and submitting results.

The Supreme Court has upheld state and local vaccine mandates. That may not save Biden's. - CNN

Judge grants relief to Navy SEALs who refused coronavirus vaccine, sued Biden administration - The Washington Post

U.S. job openings are expected to have ended 2021 at a record high in a labor market where the gap between available positions and workers continues to widen. There were roughly 12 million job openings at the end of December, according to estimates, marking a 1 million increase in openings since the end of October. As the Great Resignations continues to affect the labor market, employers are gearing up to boost spending on pay in 2022, with companies setting aside an average 3.9% of total payroll for wage increases in 2022, the largest increase since 2008.

Quitting is just half the story: the truth behind the ‘Great Resignation’ - The Guardian

The flip side of the ‘great resignation’ — a small-business boom - NBC News

Mapped: States are raising minimum wage - Axios

Workplace class action settlements set a new record of $3.62 billion in 2021 compared to $1.58 billion in 2020 and $1.34 billion the year before that, according to Seyfarth Shaw’s Workplace Class Action Litigation Report. The report noted that based on volume and statistical numbers, workers scored the most success in securing certification of wage and hour class actions when compared to other areas of workplace law. The report predicts 2022 litigation trends will continue to be affected by COVID-19 in addition to an increase in government enforcement litigation.

Morgan Stanley settles personal data breach lawsuit for $60 million - The Washington Post

Riot Games will pay $100 million to settle discrimination lawsuit - The Verge

"Quitting is just half the story: the truth behind the ‘Great Resignation’" - The Guardian / Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics - Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 16,948 media articles and blogs and 27,561 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, January 5, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Only 17% of workers say their pay has kept pace with inflation. - The New York Times

Covid Drove Workers to Quit. Here’s Why From the Person Who Saw It Coming. - Barron’s

@byHeatherLong: To me, this is the most alarming chart from the Great Resignation: Skyrocketing quits in health care. Doctors, nurses, aides & more are burned out and we're still in a pandemic. Healthcare quit rate: March: 2.3% April 2.5 May 2.4 June 2.5 July 2.7 Aug 2.8 Sept 2.8 Oct 2.7 Nov: 3%

A new gauge from the New York Federal Reserve shows global supply chain pressures that have been blamed for disrupting the flow of goods and high inflation may have finally peaked. Known as the Global Supply Chain Pressure Index, the new metric suggests global supply pressures are about 4.5 standard deviations above normal but might start to moderate. The prediction comes as companies have begun testing whether the U.S. can regain some of the manufacturing output it ceded in recent decades.

Biden hungry to squelch food inflation - Axios

Covid-19, Inflation Make a Mess Out of Predictions - The Wall Street Journal

@fadde: At the end of 2021, inflation hit a 40-year high of 6.8%; adjusted pay was 1.9% lower YoY; and rent growth was 17.8% (pre-pandemic rent growth was 2.6%). Inflation is affecting everyone, especially the most economically vulnerable. Lawmakers must make this the top priority.

Officials across the U.S. have been insistent on avoiding shutting down businesses or ordering closures to contain the latest coronavirus surge, but omicron may be taking the decision out of their hands as many workers are testing positive, leading to staff shortages. To combat the spread, President Joe Biden said the U.S. will double its order for a pill from Pfizer to treat COVID infections so it has enough courses for 20 million people.

Chicago public school classes are canceled after teachers union backs remote learning - NPR

Hong Kong Bans Flights, Shutters Nightlife After Omicron Bursts Pandemic-Free Bubble - The Wall Street Journal

@luckytran: Uncontrolled transmission leads to mass closures, but more chaotically and unpredictably than if we intentionally help people to work from home and implement public health measures that keep workers safe. We either control COVID or COVID controls us.

More than a quarter of all professional job positions across North America are expected to be fully remote by the end of this year, up 18% from at the end of 2021, according to a new report from Ladders Inc. The report predicts that more than 20 million jobs will not be going back to the office after the pandemic. Many employees have grown accustomed to the more flexible working arrangements and are not willing to go back into the office full time.

Future of Work: Computer vision and machine learning may soon bolster restaurant jobs - The Washington Post

@Gleb_Tsipursky: To prevent work-from-home burnout, reframe your company culture and policies to remote work as the new normal. @TrainingMagUS #riskmanagement #emotionalintelligence #neuroscience

The number of children and teens killed by gunfire has risen sharply during the pandemic, with researchers saying the increase is a product of rising nationwide homicide rates, untreated traumas of COVID-19 and a surge in pandemic gun-buying. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 50% increase in the rate of gun death of children 14 and younger from the end of 2019 to the end of 2020 and the toll appears to have grown worse last year. Researchers say agencies and schools strained by years of the pandemic are now falling behind in addressing the roots of the current surge in violence affecting children.

Deadly surge in U.S. gun violence brings inequities of the pandemic, police violence and firearms laws into sharp focus - The Globe and Mail

America’s most underserved areas saw gun crime rise early in pandemic – study - The Guardian

"The Great Resignation rages on as a record 4.5 million Americans quit" - Fortune / Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,476 media articles and blogs and 29,110 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, January 6, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Increase in H-2B visas could ease island staffing woes - The Inquirer and Mirror

Biden to raise number of guest worker visas, with more for Haiti, Central America - Reuters

Bank of America told New York employees they will be allowed to work remotely during the holiday weeks as COVID-19 cases have spiked on Wall Street. The move follows similar announcements from financial giants Citigroup Inc. and Citadel, as well as Harvard and Syracuse universities, who have instructed students and staff to work remotely where possible into the January term.

Is it time to hire a head of remote work? - Raconteur

Some Google employees may resign if not offered flexibility over remote working - Computing

PC monitor sales slide as remote work rush fades - ZDNet

The Environmental Protection Agency strengthened the limit requirements for pollution coming from automobile tailpipes in a reversal of former President Donald Trump’s looser fuel standards. Under the rule, passenger vehicles must travel at an average of 55 miles per gallon by 2026. Following the announcement of the rule, some automobile trade associations warned further government support including consumer incentives and supply chain development would be needed to achieve the agency’s goals.

New Mexico governor seeks low-carbon fuel standard - Associated Press

Oil Prices Crash On Renewed Omicron Panic - Oilprice

@tveitdal: New Biden rule reducing climate emissions from cars and SUVs reverses major Trump rollback The EPA regulation finalized Monday marks Bidens’s single biggest step to fight global warming. But Congress has stymied his most ambitious electric vehicle plans

Inflation has continued to haunt low-income Americans as shoppers reported high prices for everyday products and gifts for the holiday season despite some retailers saying they expect record-breaking sales to end the year. Roughly 45% of Americans earning less than $50,000 annually have said they have had a harder time affording gifts this year.

How Inflation Has Changed Prices—and the Menu—at One Small Business - The Wall Street Journal

Inflation? There’s Another Explanation for Rising Housing Costs - The Washington Post

Holiday light shows have been highlighted as a “bright spot” amid rising COVID-19 cases this holiday season as industry officials and onlookers have taken notice of their number and extravagant designs across the United States. Some experts have estimated the average budget for light shows this year to be around $500,000 with a roughly 45% increase in popup events across the United States. Event planners have said the light shows offer a fun activity for the holidays with a low risk of infection amid rising coronavirus cases.

A man strung Christmas lights from his home to his neighbor’s to support her. The whole community followed. - The Washington Post

How neighborhoods are helping their communities through holiday lights - ABC 57

Omicron sweeps across nation, now 73% of new US COVID cases - Associated Press

"Inflation squeezes holiday budgets for low-income shoppers" - Associated Press / Source: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 20,211 media articles and blogs and 22,738 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, December 22 at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Pelosi hopeful of Build Back Better Act deal in 2022 - Axios

What losing Build Back Better means for climate change NPR

@kylegriffin1: In a letter to colleagues, Leader Schumer vows to bring up BBB despite Manchin's objections and "we will keep voting on it until we get something done." He adds: Every senator will have "the opportunity to make their position known on the Senate floor, not just on television."

U.S. Treasury yields ticked lower on Monday as investors and economists grew more concerned that the omicron variant could derail economic recovery. Several European countries have imposed new coronavirus restrictions such as lockdowns, curfews and the closure of nonessential businesses to stem the spread of the new variant, while more uncertainty has prompted U.S. offices to close for in-person work.

Omicron uncertainty prompts WEF to delay Davos summit to mid-2022 - Reuters

Biden admin eyes a potentially stark shift in messaging around ending the pandemic - CNN

Moderna said Monday that its coronavirus booster appears to protect against the omicron variant, sending the company's shares higher amid warnings that the new variant is “raging” through the world. While most of the world’s vaccines do offer some protection against severe illness from omicron, a growing consensus of public health experts say that those vaccines will not prevent infection. They say a new global surge not only threatens the health of vulnerable people around the world but increases the opportunity for the emergence of even more variants.

Sens. Warren and Booker test positive for breakthrough COVID - Associated Press

South Africa Hospitalization Rate Plunges in Omicron Wave - Bloomberg

'It is embarrassing': CDC struggles to track Covid cases as Omicron looms - Politico

Fear of the omicron variant is prompting some Americans to rethink their travel plans, compounding troubles for U.S. airlines as they brace for flight disruptions ahead of a new 5G cellular service slated to go live on Jan. 5. The telecom and airline industries have been in a long-lasting dispute over the new wireless signals, which air carriers say could inhibit landings in poor visibility and create a cascade of delays and cancellations.

Israel set to ban travel to US as Covid curbs widen - France 24

@SquawkCNBC: "People are still getting on airplanes, believe it or not," says @Jefferies Analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu on the #omicron variant's impact on travel $UAL, $AAL, $DAL. "It's scaring people and people are rerouting from international travel to domestic."

The new installment of the Spider-Man franchise achieved a pandemic-record opening over the weekend, marking the third-best opening in cinematic history despite the spread of the omicron variant. The blockbuster success of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” comes as live-audience performances such as Saturday Night Live return to pandemic-era recordings with no audiences.

Covid-19 Vaccine Issues Create 'General Hospital' Drama and Increased Costs on Movie Sets - The Wall Street Journal

@carlquintanilla: “Not only did more than 20 million people leave their homes to see a blockbuster .. but they faced down the Omicron variant to do it — a reflection .. of .. pent-up desire to be part of a big cultural moment @brooksbarnesNYT

"U.S. Economy Loses Fed, Fiscal Props After Powell-Manchin Pivots" - Bloomberg / Source: Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Brookings Institution

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 12,141 media articles and blogs and 13,580 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, December 21, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Vaccine holdouts in U.S. military approach 40,000 even as omicron variant fuels call for boosters - The Washington Post

DoD considering requiring booster vaccines for troops - Federal News Network

@meganranney: Let’s try this headline again: 96% of active duty military have received their first shot.

California will reinstate a month-long statewide indoor mask mandate Wednesday as COVID-19 cases jumped nearly 50% since Thanksgiving in the nation’s most populous state. New York’s indoor mask mandate went into effect Monday, although some local counties balked at enforcing the rule. New York’s mandate allows for a proof-of-vaccination exemption, but California’s mandate will be enforced regardless of vaccination status.

Bay Area says goodbye to mask-free offices and gyms - San Francisco Chronicle

Masks Now Required Inside Businesses And Venues Across New York State, But Enforcement Long Term Remains To Be Seen - CBS New York

As California’s COVID cases rise, antibody treatments go unused - Times-Herald

@Elex_Michaelson: #BREAKING California is implementing a statewide indoor mask mandate from Dec. 15-Jan. 15. If you’re unvaccinated & want to attend a mega event (1,000 plus people), you must show a negative antigen test within 1 day of the event or a negative PCR test within 2 days.

Pfizer announced its experimental pill for treating COVID-19 reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by 89% in high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial symptoms, and the pill also appears to be effective against the omicron variant. The first real-world study of the variant found that two doses of Pfizer’s vaccine gave 70% protection against hospitalization versus its 90% effectiveness in the delta wave.

How the Global Vaccination Campaign Has Succeeded—and Failed - Bloomberg

Omicron Is a Dress Rehearsal for the Next Pandemic - The New York Times

The National Football League had 36 positive coronavirus test results returned Monday, marking the highest single-day total since the league started testing last year. Just 29 players had tested positive between Nov. 14-27. With at least five teams entering into the league’s enhanced coronavirus protocols, the NFL and the NFL Players Association began discussions about how to update those health and safety protocols following the report.

NFL requires tier 1, 2 coaches, staff get COVID vaccine booster shots - Axios

@JPFinlayNBCS: Per @TomPelissero report Washington had Tier 3 employee test positive for Omicron. Per NFL Tier 3 can be operational workers, in-house media or broadcasters, field managers, etc. Full Tier 3 explanation here

Gift shoppers are spending less as retailers resist their typical holiday sales amid rising costs and supply chain challenges. Prices are higher than in past years both online and in-store as retailers adopt more personalized strategies, a shift industry insiders say could become long-term. Shippers like the U.S Postal Service, FedEx and UPS warned that online gift orders placed after Dec. 15 may not arrive in time for Christmas.

How Covid Turbocharged the American Consumer - Bloomberg

Supply Chain Disruptions, Travel, BNPL: Holiday Shopping Trends - Payments Journal

Gift giving: Is it really the thought that counts? Psychologists weigh in. - The Washington Post

"Worried About Inflation? Here’s What That May Reveal About You." - The New York Times / Source: New York Fed

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 25,037 media articles and blogs and 19,965 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, December 15, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

California’s COVID workplace rule is changing. Why some businesses say it’s not feasible - Sacramento Bee

Upcoming bill would prohibit employer vaccine mandates in Iowa - Iowa Capital Dispatch

Harvard University will extend a policy that allows students to apply without SAT or ACT scores for an additional four years — a milestone in an educational movement that aims to limit the role of standardized testing in college admissions. The university first lifted the requirement for applicants in the Class of 2025 and again for the Class of 2026, citing ongoing challenges made by the pandemic. The 2021-2022 school year marks the third year of disrupted learning for students.

Schools nationwide increase security in response to TikTok threats - The Hill

Covid Hits Europe Schools Hard as Omicron Stalks New-Year Return - Bloomberg

@MichaelGrant_CJ: Critics have long argued that they are racially and culturally biased and do not reflect the true ability of many students, but instead their ability to pay for tutoring.

The Justice Department petitioned the Supreme Court to allow a vaccine mandate for health care workers to go into effect nationwide, which the lower courts have blocked in about half the country. The request marks the first time the U.S.’s highest court has been asked to weigh in on the federal mandate aimed at getting more Americans vaccinated.

Gov. Abbott Refuses DoD Vaccine Mandate for National Guard - NBC 5

@AGEricSchmitt: The Biden DOJ has asked the United States Supreme Court for a stay on our injunction halting the vaccine mandate on health care workers - this is the first stay motion to reach SCOTUS. We're going to continue to fight at the nation's highest court to uphold that injunction.

U.S. inflation reached a 39-year high in November, driven by strong consumer demand clashing with ongoing supply constraints. The Bank of England became the first major central bank to raise interest rates since the pandemic began to counter surging prices. Turkey’s central bank has repeatedly cut interest rates, spiking consumer costs in the country by more than 21% in the year to November.

Omicron Is an Economic Threat, but Inflation Is Worse, Central Bankers Say - The New York Times

How bad is inflation? Even millionaires are worried about it. - CNBC

@BobOnMarkets: Re-upping this given the breaking news on #Turkey: Turkey's economy is in turmoil, but its quixotic president shows no sign of changing course

A cream cheese shortage is forcing grocers to limit the number of packages consumers can buy, along with other purchase limits on holiday staples like bacon, half & half and frozen pie crusts. Kraft, which owns Philadelphia Cream Cheese, is asking consumers to not make cheesecakes for the holidays, offering reimbursement for any other dessert for the first 18,000 people who sign up to counter the shortage.

Supply-chain issues and a cyberattack: Why your bagel’s cream cheese might be spread a little thin - The Washington Post

Kraft will literally pay you not to make cheesecake this holiday season - NPR

"Inflation Is Near a 40-Year High. Here’s What It Looks Like." - The Wall Street Journal / Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,540 media articles and blogs and 18,833 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, December 20, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Facebook Pushes Ahead With NYC Farley Project in Bet on Offices - BloombergWhat if we didn't build a single new building in 2022? - Fast Company

@JunkScience: "Many companies are scrutinizing their ventilation, which could involve... replacing the building’s air more frequently." Existing 'green building' calculations of energy efficiency are out the window.

New York City’s tourism industry is taking a hit as museums, concerts and Broadway theaters struggle to keep doors open amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. The city limited the number of revelers who can attend the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square to 15,000 – a fraction of the million people who packed in for celebration in years past. The Metropolitan Museum of Art re-instituted half-capacity restrictions and Broadway attendance has dropped by 23% from the prior week.

'Ain't Too Proud' to Close on Broadway as Covid-19 Takes Its Toll - The New York Times

@AliBaumanTV: Omicron is forcing some Broadway shows to cancel performances. The uncertainty is bad for business and bad for the 97,000 jobs Broadway generates.

Strong consumer demand, continuing supply chain issues and the emergence of the omicron variant threaten to prolong sharply rising prices well into 2022, potentially positioning inflation as the premier economic challenge of the new year. Snack giant Mondelez – whose brands include Oreos, Ritz and Chips Ahoy – said it is planning a 7% U.S price increase in January.

These Food Items Are Getting More Costly in 2022 - The Wall Street Journal

China's Stable Economy Clouded by Property and Export Outlook - Bloomberg

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating 86 cruise ships with reported COVID-19 cases on board, considering cruise travelers to be at high risk of contracting the virus due to close quarters. Cruises resumed sailing in the U.S. in June after more than a year of being domestically halted due to the pandemic.

CDC moves 3 more European destinations to its highest travel risk category - CNN

Why isn't vaccination proof required for domestic flights? - Los Angeles Times

@leadlagreport: Whatever you do, don’t sneeze at the buffet… A Royal Caribbean cruise ship has been denied entry to Curacao and Aruba following an outbreak that infected at least 55 crew members and passengers.

Speaking with journalists, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the CDC’s decision to reduce COVID-19 isolation time guidelines will help people get back to jobs and reiterated the decision is based on science. The updated guidelines have confused the public during a time when more people are testing positive.

CDC draws criticism for shorter COVID quarantine, isolation as omicron bears down - Ars Technica

‘Each Society Creates Its Own Pathology’: Vaccine Specialist Says Don’t Blame the CDC for Cutting Covid-19 Isolation Times - Barron’s

CDC significantly cuts estimate of omicron's prevalence in US - The Hill

"4 Charts That Explain the U.S.'s 2021 Economic Rollercoaster" - TIME / Source: Emily Barone/BLS

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 8,683 media articles and blogs and 34,968 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, December 30, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Apple temporarily closes three stores in response to rising Covid rates - CNBC

'Boost everybody.' CEOs should mandate boosters before returning office workers, Andy Slavitt says - CNN

Reddit confidentially filed paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering, saying it sits at a valuation of about $10 billion. Reddit has been seeking to build on the attention it gained when its WallStreetsBets forum became a hot spot for the individual investors who rallied around Gamestop Corp. and other stocks.

Meme stocks AMC and GameStop tumble to lowest levels in months as investors dump risky positions - CNBC

A Wild, Emotional Year Has Changed Investing—Maybe Forever - Bloomberg

@newley: The company counts Sequoia Capital, internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. and venture firm Andreessen Horowitz among its backers. Reddit, founded in 2005, in March named its first finance chief. At the time, it said it had about 52 million daily users.

Vox Media will merge with Group Nine Media Inc., a deal that unites two of the biggest players in digital publishing. In August, Vox Media agreed to acquire cocktail website Punch and has continued exploring ways to raise cash for further growth. Mergers and acquisitions in 2021 stimulated the initial post-pandemic economic recovery, hitting an all-time peak of 1.52 trillion in the third quarter.

Why publishers like Vox Media are merging with their biggest rivals - The Washington Post

SPAC merger troubles get worse - Axios

The Federal Reserve policymakers said they would cut back more quickly on their pandemic-era stimulus at a moment of rising prices and strong economic growth. A fresh set of economic projections released Wednesday showed that officials expect to raise interest rates, which are now set near-zero, three times next year.

U.S. Jobless Claims Rose Slightly Last Week From 52-Year Low - Bloomberg

Analysis: The three data reports that persuaded Powell to speed up Fed's taper - Reuters

The 2022 economy will be hotter and pricier than the Fed expected just three months ago - Insider

The National Football League, National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League have all seen a spike in COVID-19 cases that threaten to sideline major players in upcoming games, leaving many rosters shorthanded and creating competitive imbalances. The NFL, which has a vaccination rate of 94%, mandated boosters for coaches but stopped short of daily testing.

As COVID cases surge, pro sports leagues reevaluate their safety protocols - NPR

These are some of the players who will miss upcoming games due to Covid-19 protocols - CNN

@tunkuv: The Browns and Rams are suffering through outbreaks while NBA stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden are sidelined by the virus. But the games are going on—even if Covid helps determine the outcome.

"The Information’s Return to the Office Tracker: Winter 2021" - The Information / Source: company filings; The Information

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 28,005 media articles and blogs and 27,781 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, December 17, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Starbucks says it will negotiate with workers forming a union in Buffalo, New York - CNBC

American Workers Are Burned Out, and Bosses Are Struggling to Respond - The Wall Street Journal

Architects Are the Latest White-Collar Workers to Confront Bosses - The New York Times

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration warned that unruly passengers will lose their TSA PreCheck approval as incidents have spiked in the past year. With the number of holiday travelers this year expected to exceed that of 2020, the FAA’s Administrator Steve Dickson said that if passengers “act out of line, [they] will wait in line.”

Airlines Prepare for Busy Travel Week Amid Omicron Surge - The Wall Street Journal

6 warnings for travel during Christmas week - The Washington Post

@KayBurley: "Be flexible, be open minded" Telegraph's Travel Editor @IrvAtLarge gives her advice to those with Christmas holidays abroad amid the uncertainty of more COVID restrictions to come.

Retail pharmacy giants Walgreens and CVS announced a limit on the amount of at-home COVID-19 tests customers can purchase as demand spiked with the omicron variant accounting for nearly three-quarters of recent cases. Spokespeople for the companies assured customers they are working with suppliers to meet booming demand while President Joe Biden has pushed for increased testing and vaccine resources for Americans amid criticism that the federal government has failed to provide low-cost tests.

Rite Aid is closing more than 60 stores - CNN

Biden unveils Omicron plan, including free at-home COVID tests and more troops for hospitals - CBS News

The World Economic Forum postponed the Davos economic summit for the second year in a row, citing concerns over the omicron variant. The organizers will attempt to hold the meeting again in early summer of 2022 with virtual meetings planned for January on topics that were meant to be covered during the summit, including an acceleration of stakeholder capitalism and supporting an inclusive future of work.

Davos is dead - Politico

Most of the World’s Vaccines Likely Won’t Prevent Infection From Omicron - The New York Times

Candy cane makers have struggled to profit from and meet holiday demand due to a combination of a labor and sugar shortage as well as general supply chain challenges. Industry insiders have reported a spike in demand for seasonal confectionery items this year as weak sugar harvests and global shipping constraints have caused sugar prices to surge to its highest price in roughly ten years.

Candy cane shortage fueled by COVID, weak peppermint harvest - New York Post

@halanderson: Christmas is only 5 days away & there’s a candy cane shortage. I think I speak for most people when I say, why can’t it be fruit cake.

"America’s Mixed Response to the Omicron Variant Comes Down to Geography" - The Wall Street Journal / Source: Johns Hopkins University and the Census Bureau

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 22,685 media articles and blogs and 21,480 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Germany approves COVID vaccine mandate for medical staff - Deutsche Welle

Why U.S. Job Gains Are So Hard to Count During Covid-19 - The Wall Street Journal

@kylegriffin1: Dr. Rob Davidson: I'm an E.R. doc in Michigan, where the unvaccinated are filling hospital beds "I'm mad at the Fox personalities and the Republican politicians who downplay vaccination." "A vaccine mandate is the only way to break the endless cycle."

The UK reported its first death from the omicron variant as Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Britons to increase protection with boosters. Surging demand for boosters crashed the National Health Service’s appointment website. European officials warned that omicron could become the dominant variant “within days, not weeks” on the continent due to its growth advantage over the delta variant.

UK's Johnson warns of Omicron 'tidal wave', says two doses not enough - Reuters

What omicron's fast spread could mean for the U.S. – and the world - NPR

@CarlosdelRio7: First Omicron death as ‘variant to become dominant in London tomorrow’ What happens in the U.K. happens in the U.S. about 4 - 6 weeks later.

Deadly tornadoes tore through six states Friday night, killing scores of people and hurling debris as high as 30,000 feet. Nearly 40 reported tornadoes arose from a single severe thunderstorm system over Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. One tornado in Edwardsville, Ill., flattened an Amazon distribution center in the company’s peak employment season, killing six employees.

Prom photo, baby pic: Strangers find family mementos miles away from tornado wreckage - The Washington Post

FEMA administrator blames climate change for deadly tornado outbreak - Fox News

From heatwaves to floods, climate change worsened weather extremes in 2021 - Reuters

Toyota halted more production Friday at some factories in Japan due to a component shortage, cutting output by 9,000 vehicles. Though temporary, the cuts come as the automaker tries to make up for earlier supply chain disruptions. Toyota announced last week it will use blemished parts amid rising material costs, marking a departure from the company’s stringent quality control.

Europe's car industry too reliant on other regions, says Bosch chairman - Reuters

JIT Supply System Under Review, GM’s Barra Says - Ward’s Auto

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate will pass President Joe Biden’s nearly $2 trillion economic package before Christmas, though several key pieces of the bill are still under negotiation. Biden downplayed November’s surging inflation numbers, arguing that the data showed Congress must pass the Build Back Better Act to offset the U.S. dollar’s declining value.

Economist group touts Build Back Better as inflation offset - Axios

Sixty-nine percent of Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of inflation: poll - The Hill

The global economy is increasingly out of sync - CNN

@HotlineJosh: WEST VIRGINIA poll, conducted by Remington Research (R) for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors: “Do you believe the multi-trillion $ package being considered by Congress, known as Build Back Better Act, will:” Make inflation worse: 64% Decrease inflation: 14%

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/13/us/covid-deaths-elderly-americans.html

"As U.S. Nears 800,000 Virus Deaths, 1 of Every 100 Older Americans Has Perished" - The New York Times / Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 14,489 media articles and blogs and 17,007 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, December 14, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Economist group touts Build Back Better as inflation offset - Axios

The Fed’s inflation challenge: Getting the policy and the messaging right - The Washington Post

@JoeNBC: “This is not a question of demand at pre-covid levels and supply taking a while to reach back up to that pre-covid capacity.” Rather, he said, the economy is experiencing “sustained higher demand. This is not really a bottleneck story anymore.”

General Electric, Union Pacific and other large employers have suspended their vaccination requirements after a federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Biden administration’s plan to mandate vaccines for federal contractors. Amtrak told lawmakers on Thursday that if the remaining 5% of its unvaccinated employees do not get shots by the mandate’s Jan. 4 deadline, it will need to cut services and implement slowdowns beginning this winter.

Trump-appointed judges question role of vaccines in fight against Covid as they block mandates - CNN

66% of employees want better office cleaning practices - CNBC

'The days you were considered fully vaccinated with two shots are going to be a thing of the past' - Barron’s

New indicators are emerging that while the omicron variant is poised to overtake delta in the U.S., the public is growing more accustomed to living with some risk of infection. Public transit ridership in the Northeast has rebounded strongly, and air travel spiked just before Thanksgiving. Omicron’s short-lived effect on the markets had some market analysts calling it “omi-whatever.”

Opinion | We’ve Living Through the ‘Boring Apocalypse’ - The New York Times

Endless pandemic? Asia’s Omicron retreat shows COVID is political - Al Jazeera

@umairh: "Americans are acting, by and large, like Covid’s over. It isn’t. If anything, a brutal, bitter pandemic winter lies ahead."

Newly built skyscrapers in central business districts are faring well in the pandemic, with many developers saying those buildings have been filled with tenants willing to pay top rents. But thousands of older buildings continue to sit unoccupied as companies continue to push back return plans, prompting developers to convert them into warehouses, apartments or other uses. Large cities such as New York and San Francisco have a higher share of old buildings, leaving planners to question how their cities will look in the years ahead.

If the Office Is Really a Thing of the Past, These Investors Will Make a Killing - The Wall Street Journal

Officely raises $2M to help hybrid teams coordinate office time right in Slack - TechCrunch

The office holiday party is back. Kind of. - NBC News

The city-state of Dubai is enjoying an economic boom brought on by high vaccination rates, low coronavirus infections and open borders. Entrepreneurs, wealthy investors and tourists are packing bars and restaurants and working in-person, drawn to Dubai by zero income tax and relatively relaxed pandemic restrictions.

Fix the global vaccine rollout or face even worse COVID variants, experts warns - NPR

COVAX scheme needs rules to prevent vaccine hoarding - WHO advisor - Reuters

@GaviSeth: This is exactly why #COVAX calls for high quality dose donations with plenty of notice and longer shelf lives. Countries need predictable and reliable #COVID19 vaccine supply to ensure a successful rollout.

"Covid Crisis Threatens Holiday Season as U.S. Hospitals Overflow" - Bloomberg / Source: Department of Health and Human Services

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 25,992 media articles and blogs and 30,228 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, December 13, at 9:30AM ET.

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Judge weighs suit on LAUSD COVID-19 student vaccine mandate - The Lzos Angeles Times

New York and Maine deploy National Guard troops to bolster Covid response - NBC News

@SenatorBraun: No one should be forced to choose between getting a vaccine and losing their job. This mandate puts millions of livelihoods and every Americans' freedoms at stake. President Biden must heed the message the Senate sent tonight in a bipartisan vote: Abandon this overreach now.

Britain is urging people to work from home and reintroducing some measures to tackle the spread of the omicron variant. Residents will be required to wear a face mask in indoor spaces and show a vaccine pass to enter large venues in a move that the government calls Plan B. The new guidance comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s staff faces criticism for flouting the lockdown in place last year and holding an office holiday party.

WHO says omicron variant could change the course of the Covid pandemic - CNBC

The AP Interview: CDC chief says omicron mostly mild so far - Associated Press

@GuyOpperman: Clearly we all hope that the fears about Omicron will not be realised, but the strong medical advice is that, along with travel bans and other measures, the Plan B approach will slow the spread and protect both the public and our NHS 2/

Lyft will allow office employees to work remotely through 2022. A spokesperson said the change was not directly tied to the new omicron variant, but followed in step with other companies that are adjusting their reopening plans. Google has promised its staff an additional cash bonus of $1,600 after pushing back return-to-office plans and announcing several other measures intended to boost employee morale.

Few Europeans want a return to 9-5 at office after pandemic, survey shows - Reuters

One overlooked driver of the Great Resignation? Fraying office friendships - Fortune

U.S. jobless claims in the last week reached their lowest level in 52 years, totaling 184,000. The pace of the Great Resignation also slowed in October, with the portion of job quitters falling by 4.7% and the level of job openings just below an all-time high. At the same time, the freelance economy has continued to grow since the onset of the pandemic. About 36% of the labor force said in an Upwork survey that they did some kind of freelance work in the past year.

Big raises in store for US workers in 2022, report says - The Washington Post

EU plan to boost gig economy workers is latest blow to apps - Associated Press

This Inflation Defies the Old Models - The Wall Street Journal

Biden committed the federal government to net-zero emissions by 2050, signing an executive order that directs federal agencies to buy clean energy, purchase electric vehicles and make federal buildings more energy efficient. Agencies must buy only zero-emission vehicles by 2035.

Food waste becomes California's newest climate change target - Associated Press

The Climate Bill Includes Billions in Funding. Will It Be Spent Fairly? - The New York Times

@ianbremmer: US emissions are (nearly) double the EU's. What will it take for the US to reach net zero by 2050? #GraphicTruth @gzeromedia #TopStories2021

"Covid Spurs Biggest Rise in Life-Insurance Payouts in a Century" - The Wall Street Journal / Source: American Council of Life Insurers

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 31,805 media articles and blogs and 64,147 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, December 10, at 9:30AM ET.

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Glaxo Says Its Covid-19 Antibody Drug Works Against Omicron - The Wall Street Journal

Omicron v. delta: Battle of coronavirus mutants is critical - Associated Press

@CaraSantaMaria: All 53,000 attendees of Anime NYC urged to get tested after one got Omicron. #OmicronVariant #Omicron #AnimeNYC #SuperSpreader #COVID19 #PublicHealthRisk@verge

Videoconferencing capabilities offered by companies such as Zoom are shrinking in their importance to chief information officers, who are now turning to automation and artificial intelligence to compete in marketplaces reshaped by the pandemic. Analysts say that Zoom must innovate quickly to compete with other large tech companies that have added new features. The news comes as more companies delay return-to-work plans, most recently with Ford Motor Co. pushing its return-to-work hybrid plan to March.

The Great Resignation is Quickly Becoming The Great Revolt: 5 Actions Leaders Should Take Now - Entrepreneur

43% of employees say they have little opportunity for mobility at work - CNBC

Road congestion returns, but work-from-home leaves downtowns empty - Reuters

The excess savings that many Americans gained during the pandemic could run out for middle- and working-class households as early as next year, according to new research. Economists found that the fourfold increase in the nation’s personal saving rate seen in April 2020 was exhausted the most quickly by low-income families. A separate study found that the share of household wealth owned by billionaires rose by a record amount during the pandemic.

Homeownership Remains Key Asset to Americans’ Bottom Line - DS News

Meet the First-Generation Investors Teaching Their Parents About the Stock Market - Money

@RepTenney: "Filers who earned $50,000 to $100,000 received a tax break of about 15 percent to 17 percent, and those earning $100,000 to $500,000 in adjusted gross income saw their personal income taxes cut by around 11 percent to 13 percent."Read more

Instagram launched a new feature that urges teenagers to take breaks from the photo-sharing platform and other tools the company said will make the site safer for young people. The rollout comes one day before Instagram head Adam Mosseri testifies before Congress following internal company research that indicated use of the platform was linked to mental health and body-image problems in young users. Researchers in Australia found that while social media significantly shaped the pandemic experience for Millenials and Gen Z, they were also better able to navigate mis- and dis-information.

Better research into Instagram, WhatsApp effects on young users needed, academics say - USA Today

Three in four girls have been sent sexual images via apps, report finds - The Guardian

Social media use linked to depression in adults - NBC News

Lawyers and financial advisers are hearing more frequently from younger people who want to get their affairs in order in case of death. Nearly one-third of the adults under 35 who wrote a will said it was because of the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring unease brought forth by the pandemic and financial concerns such as sharply rising inflation.

Life after death: how the pandemic has transformed our psychic landscape - The Guardian

"Americans’ Pandemic-Era ‘Excess Savings’ Are Dwindling for Many" - The New York Times / Source: J.P. Morgan Chase Institute

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,075 media articles and blogs and 13,780 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, December 8, at 9:30AM ET.

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Canadian drugmaker says plant-based coronavirus vaccine is effective in Phase 3 study - MarketWatch

State rep proposes unvaccinated in Illinois pay out of pocket for coronavirus care - TheHill

A major outage in Amazon’s cloud computing network on Tuesday rippled across businesses and disrupted services for more than five hours, underscoring the increasing reliance that U.S. companies and individuals have on Amazon Web Services. The outage backlogged package deliveries and took down streaming services and household devices connected to the Internet of Things, leaving thousands of people without working fridges or doorbells. The disruption even stretched to Walt Disney theme parks, preventing people from entering the park while the system was down.

Amazon's trucking ambitions bump up against driver shortage, competition - Reuters

Amazon Emerges as the Wage-and-Benefits Setter for Low-Skilled Workers Across Industries - The Wall Street Journal

@RepKatiePorter: System failures like these threaten the stability of our economy. Amazon Web Services controls 33% of the cloud services market—and all banks use the cloud. We need more federal oversight of cloud service providers to keep our financial systems secure.

The millions of workers who were driven into early retirement during the pandemic could be key to reviving the economy, some experts say. U.S. job openings continue to far outpace the number of available workers, with nearly five million more open positions than people seeking work. People under 40 who made up the majority of the Great Resignation say they are rethinking their pursuit of wealth.

Where Are the Workers? Millions Are Sick With ‘Long Covid.’ - Barron’s

Companies Plan Big Raises for Workers in 2022 - The Wall Street Journal

@NancyLeaMond: Americans age 55+ have left the workforce in big numbers since the start of the pandemic. What remains to be seen is if the departures are permanent. Either way, this will have a big impact on their long-term retirement security.

Olaf Scholz was formally appointed on Wednesday as the first new German chancellor in 16 years, succeeding Angela Merkel after winning a majority of votes in the lower house of parliament. Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party will lead a coalition government that plans to raise the minimum wage and tackle climate issues.

Germany records highest daily COVID deaths since February - Reuters

The new government promises to be tougher on China and Russia. - The New York Times

@kaitlancollins: Having led Germany for 16 years and 16 days, Merkel has narrowly missed on becoming the longest serving post-war Chancellor, trailing Helmut Kohl by mere 10 days.

Car crash deaths have surged in the pandemic as U.S. drivers became more likely to speed, drink or use drugs and leave their seat belts unbuckled. Experts say the increase in recklessness is likely a reflection of widespread feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression.

The pandemic worsened young people's mental health crisis. - The New York Times

Pandemic stress weighs heavily on Gen Z: AP-NORC, MTV poll - Associated Press

Thinning Hair? Blame The Pandemic Or Your Wandering Stem Cells - Forbes

"Pandemic stress weighs heavily on Gen Z: AP-NORC, MTV poll" - Associated Press / Source: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 26,877 media articles and blogs and 31,584 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, December 9, at 9:30AM ET.

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Mix-and-match J&J Covid booster raised immune response after Pfizer vaccine, study finds - CNN

South Africa readies hospitals as Omicron variant drives new COVID-19 wave - Reuters

Variants, boosters turn rich-poor vaccine gap into chasm - Associated Press

Democrats are pushing for an end to foreign workers’ visa delays that they say are contributing to labor shortages and rising inflation. More than 1.3 million employment authorization applications were still pending at the end of June in addition to about 1.5 million immigrants waiting for employment-based green cards. Lawmakers are awaiting a decision from the Senate parliamentarian on whether immigration provisions can be included in the Build Back Better legislation.

The Number of Immigrant Workers With H1-B Visas Drops the Most in a Decade - Bloomberg

US needs immigration reform to prevent 9 million job vacancies over next decade: Report - Economic Times

Supply issues have reached U.S. offices with shortages in everything from ink and toner to lightbulbs, compounding challenges in getting employees back into the office. While many retailers are panicking over supply chain chaos, Amazon’s early moves to charter private cargo ships are now paying off, allowing the company to avoid the most congested ports and continue fast delivery times.

How a Cream Cheese Shortage Is Affecting N.Y.C. Bagel Shops - The New York Times

Peppermint purveyors find the ingredient in short-supply - KSDK

@crampell: One advantage of being big enough to charter own ships is you can opt for a different port if original destination is backed up. If you have 1 container on a big ship, ship goes where it goes—you can't course correct if there's a weeks-long wait to unload

The advertising market is growing much faster than forecasters had predicted, with digital advertising booming due to e-commerce. Digital ads made up 64% of total advertising in 2021, with between 80% and 90% going either to Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms Inc. or Amazon.com.

Digital land is selling for millions as people scramble to snatch up virtual real estate in the metaverse—and it could be a multitrillion-dollar opportunity - Fortune

Surface saver: How Microsoft’s deal with the NFL turned into a marketing boon for its tablet - Geekwire

@Adweek: Digital now makes up the lion's share of advertising spending and is expected to account for 64.4% of total advertising this year, up from 60.5% in 2020.

Weeks of flooding in Washington state have worsened a local economic crisis after killing dozens of cattle, prompting many in the dairy industry to lose their jobs. High prices, scant labor and choppy supply chains have made it even harder for the industry to recover.

Despite Supply Chain Chaos, Dairy Exports On Track to Hit a New Record in 2021 - AgWeb

Climate Change Data Deluge Has Scientists Scrambling for Solutions - The Wall Street Journal

"The Number of Immigrant Workers With H1-B Visas Drops the Most in a Decade" - Bloomberg / Source: Department of Labor

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 10,301 media articles and blogs and 9,510 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, December 7, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Stock futures rise ahead of jobless claims, despite omicron concerns - Fox Business

Here’s why unemployment claims hit their lowest level since 1969 - CNBC

@jbartash: LAYOFF WATCH: U.S. jobless claims jump 28,000 to 222,000 in Nov. 27 week. Still a pandemic low, but the government’s seasonal adjustments around Thanksgiving have been funky the past two weeks. New claims might not be quite that low. We'll know for sure in next few weeks ...

A fully vaccinated individual in California became the first person in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant. In an effort to combat the spread, President Joe Biden plans to tighten COVID-19 testing timelines for travelers entering the U.S. as well as extend a public transportation mask mandate. International travelers will now have to be tested within a day of departure. The travel restrictions pose a great threat to the tourism businesses that were just finding their footing after nearly two years of devastation wrought by the pandemic.

Glaxo’s Covid-19 Antibody Drug Found to Be Effective Against Omicron - The Wall Street Journal

Biden asks businesses to proceed with vaccine mandate after omicron variant arrives in US - CNBC

@kiranshaw: Travel bans do more harm than good says ⁦@WHO⁩ - vaccines can protect against severe disease even if they can’t prevent Omicron reinfection. With vaccines, oral anti virals n antibody treatments we ought not to panic n have better preparedness ⁦@doctorsoumya

A group of Republican Senators is threatening to postpone action on a spending bill necessary to avert a lapse in federal funding unless the Senate also bars enforcement of Biden’s vaccine mandate for large employers. Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over how long a temporary stopgap measure should stretch into 2022, with both parties admitting the funding deadline approaching on Friday has increased the leverage of lawmakers pressing their own agendas.

States offer jobless aid to workers fired over employer vaccine requirement - CBS News

House Democrats grow antsy to pass shutdown fix ahead of Friday cliff - Politico

@BriannaATucker: Republican senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader @SenSchumer on Wednesday and vowed “to use all means at our disposal to oppose” any bill that funds enforcement of Biden's vaccine mandate. @theodoricmeyer @jaxalemany @tobiaraji

World food prices neared a record high last month, rising for a fourth straight month in November. The Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index rose 1.2% last month, providing additional evidence that soaring inflation is making it harder for the poorest nations to import food. The rise can be partially attributed to an increase in demand for wheat and dairy products, bad weather hurting harvests, worker shortages and higher shipping rates.

'I can’t even afford to buy a cart of groceries': Spiraling inflation leaves some grocery workers struggling - NBC News

'It's like whack-a-mole': Short supply of groceries leads to increasing prices with no end in sight - Delaware Online

Return-to-work plans have been disrupted once again over concerns surrounding the omicron variant as more employers are considering implementing their own vaccine requirements. A survey of 543 employers found that 57% of all organizations said they already require or plan to require vaccinations. The average daily coronavirus counts are lower than levels seen last year but are on the rise.

Will the Vaccines Stop Omicron? Scientists Are Racing to Find Out. - The New York Times

Will The Threat Of The Omicron Variant Cause Companies To Change Their Return-To-Office Plans And Allow Everyone To Work Remotely? - Forbes

EPA union announces agreements with agency expanding work from home - The Hill

"Biden Sees Progress in Supply Crisis Amid Faster Inflation" - Bloomberg / Source: Marine Exchange of Southern California & Vessel Traffic Service L.A./Long Beach

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,770 media articles and blogs and 14,996 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, December 3, at 9:30AM ET.

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Private payrolls post better-than-expected growth of 534,000 in November, ADP says - CNBC

Google said Thursday it will not be requiring its employees to return to the office on Jan. 10 as previously announced but is instead indefinitely pushing back the January plan amid growing concerns over the omicron variant. The company’s security VP announced the delay in an email, saying Google will wait until the new year to assess when U.S. offices can safely return to a “stable, long-term working environment."

Omicron may throw wrench in companies' plans to return to office - Reuters

The Future Of Work From Home - Newsy

@JohnMarionjr: I’ve been grappling with how we can hold effective meetings in a hybrid format where some are gathering in-person and others are online. It looks like some tech help might be on the way, though I remain skeptical.

Congress passed a short-term government funding bill on Thursday to prevent a government shutdown before the imminent fiscal deadline. The Senate voted 69-28 to advance the continuing resolution after the bill was approved by the House. It will now be sent to Biden to sign to keep the government funded until Feb. 18. The successful votes ended a brief tense period that would have brought Washington to a halt Saturday.

More than $87 billion in federal benefits siphoned from unemployment system, says Labor Department - CNBC

@RepAdamSchiff: The House just averted a government shutdown. This continuing resolution will ensure that we uphold our promise to workers, families, veterans, and seniors. And it will allow us to stay focused on passing critical legislation like expanding child care and improving health care.

The Transportation Security Administration issued two new security directives Thursday that require all U.S. freight and passenger rail systems to report certain cybersecurity incidents to the Department of Homeland Security within 24 hours. The orders will affect roughly 90% of U.S. passenger rail systems and 80% of freight rail systems that are considered “high risk.”

U.S. imposes first cybersecurity rules for rail transit, despite industry pushback - CBS News

Big Tech Privacy Moves Spur Companies to Amass Customer Data - The Wall Street Journal

@ericgeller: The new rail rules don't require companies to patch any vulnerabilities they discover. A sr DHS official said this was b/c, unlike w/ pipelines, TSA didn't already publish cyber guidance for rail operators. Initial directives thus focused on “baseline requirements."

Although the retail industry is no stranger to theft and organized crime, a spate of store heists and organized mobs are hitting stores such as Nordstrom, Best Buy, Home Depot and Louis Vuitton much more often this year, shaking the retail industry and creating new challenges for law enforcement. Large-scale “smash-and-grabs” have been on the rise this year, but experts are predicting they hit a critical mass in late November when stores were piled high with holiday inventory.

Psaki says root cause of organized retail crime is the COVID-19 pandemic - Fox Business

@AGAshleyMoody: Lawlessness and out-of-control mobs are plaguing retailers in major cities outside of FL. We will not permit these types of crime sprees here. To prevent organized retail theft, today I launched FORCE—empowering investigators and prosecutors to stop ORT.

"Renewed U.S. Jobs Strength Confronts Fresh Challenge in Omicron" - Bloomberg / Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bloomberg

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 16,529 media articles and blogs and 16,811 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, December 6, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Omicron threatens to intensify supply shortages and inflation, OECD warns - Financial Times

As Omicron, Supply-Chain Problems Loom, Eurozone Inflation Hits Record - The Wall Street Journal

Time To Ready Yourself For Inflation - Forbes

@elerianm: Notable US yield curve flattening as the Fed Chair’s belated inflation U-turn coincides with Omicron growth concerns. Illustrates why it would have been so much better policy to correct the mischaraterization of inflation months ago. There certainly were certainly enough indicators

U.S. consumer confidence in November fell to a nine-month low as rising prices and coronavirus concerns fueled economic uncertainty. The confidence index dropped to a reading of 109.5, a 2.1 point drop from October and the lowest reading since the index reached 95.2 in February. The survey predicted consumers will continue to be less enthusiastic about buying a house and big-ticket items in the coming months.

U.S. Consumer Spending Powers Ahead Despite Inflation Pickup - Bloomberg

@jbartash: Americans are saying one thing but doing another. They say they worry about inflation and Covid, but they're spending and buying lots of stuff. That's why consumer confidence can fall to a 9-month low, as it did in November, but the economy keeps growing.

A labor group is accusing Amazon of reporting “misleading or grossly incomplete” data about the number of coronavirus infections spread at its U.S. facilities. Amazon had at least 20,000 employees test positive for COVID-19 last year, but said only 27 of those cases were contracted while the employees were at work, representing a “hidden pandemic,” according to a coalition of four unions.

Amazon to pay California $500,000 for 'concealing' COVID cases among workers - Los Angeles Times

Amazon touts record post-Thanksgiving sales amid lackluster Black Friday, Cyber Monday for retailers - CNBC

Amazon warehouse workers get to re-do their union vote in Alabama - NPR

For the first time dating back to when the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute began surveying Americans about national security, Americans listed China as the nation’s top national security threat and reported their trust in the U.S. military dropped to its lowest levels in three years. Just over 50% of Americans named China as the greatest threat to the U.S., a 21% increase from four years ago, while Russia received 14% of the votes.

GOP lawmakers fear China could hack U.S. government computing clouds - The Washington Post

MI6 boss warns of China 'debt traps and data traps' - BBC News

U.S. home prices rose significantly in September, signaling that the housing market is booming following last year’s coronavirus recession. Home prices rose 19.5% in September year over year, down from a 19.8% annual gain in August, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index. Phoenix reported the nation’s hottest market with a 33.1% price increase. Additionally, nearly 27% of U.S. consumers said they applied for a credit card in the past year.

Where the housing market is going in 2022 as told by 7 leading forecast models - Fortune

Mortgage refinance demand plunged 15% last week, but could now reverse - CNBC

@Jkylebass: One doesn’t need to be a highly-paid Fed Economist to realize that injecting 40% more broad money into the US monetary system results in a concomitant 40% surge in rents and asset prices. @federalreserve @usatoday #inflation #rent

"Denver metro's "true" unemployment is much higher by one estimate" - Axios / Source: Ludwig Institute, Axios

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,501 media articles and blogs and 17,741 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, December 2, at 9:30AM ET.

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Fragmented Reactions Hinder Global Fight Against Omicron Variant - The New York Times

Omicron lockdown not needed for now, Biden says - BBC News

NYC Issues Mask Advisory Due To New Omicron Variant - Forbes​​

@jeannasmialek: Jerome Powell: "The recent rise in COVID-19 cases and the emergence of the Omicron variant pose downside risks to employment and economic activity and increased uncertainty for inflation.

The Biden administration announced Monday that it would delay issuing suspensions or other serious penalties in accordance with the federal vaccine mandate until 2022. The American Federation of Government Employees said that for now, agencies will continue offering counseling and education to the roughly 3.5% of workers who have yet to receive a vaccination or request an exemption.

Most employers will require workers to get COVID shots, survey shows - USA Today

Judge temporarily blocks Biden administration vaccine mandate for health-care workers in 10 states - The Washington Post

Rising inflation is leading to price increases across the supply chain as gas prices continue to rise, but the surge in oil prices is just getting started, according to JPMorgan Chase. A report warned clients that Brent crude oil will hit $125 a barrel next year and $150 in 2023, more than double today's Brent price of $73.50. The increase can partially be attributed to more people driving, but oil-exporting countries have chosen to increase production slowly instead of opening the traps, in part due to pressure to limit environmental damage.

America’s Power Plants Are Low on Coal - The Wall Street Journal

Oil firms face workforce crunch as renewables beckon -survey - Reuters

Putting gasoline prices in perspective - Axios

@RuhleOnMSNBC: As Americans hit the road to travel this Thanksgiving weekend, gas prices were a top talker at the dinner table. @SRuhle explains what you need to know about the cost of gas. #ForFactsSake

The Federal Trade Commission asked Amazon.com, Procter & Gamble, Walmart and others for information about how they are handling the supply chain shortages as part of a study into whether the problems have led to anticompetitive behavior and higher prices. The FTC hopes the request helps them understand the reasons behind the widespread supply-chain problems hindering economic growth.

The Biden administration, under fire for supply chain woes, says stores will be fully stocked for the holidays. - The New York Times

Amazon illegally interfered with failed union vote, federal official says - CNET

FTC orders Walmart, Amazon, Kroger and more to turn over information on empty shelves, high prices - USA T​​today

The pandemic continues to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment. The number of unincorporated self-employed workers has risen by 500,000 to 9.44 million since the start of the pandemic, according to Labor Department data, the highest total since the 2008 financial crisis. Entrepreneurs are taking to online marketplaces like Etsy which has increased its active sellers by 2.6 million since 2019.

How to leverage the Great Resignation if you actually like your job and want to stay - CNBC

Remote work has a downside. Here’s why I want to go back to the office - Fast Company

@AndrewCrow: We need to change the narrative around "remote work". In a future where many people can work anywhere, everyone is remote – including those in an office. Striving for equity in collaboration experience is the new goal.

"Tracking the pandemic's unequal impact" - Axios / Source: Morning Consult, Axios, Will Chase

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 20,709 media articles and blogs and 19,103 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, December 1, at 9:30AM ET.

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How Omicron Variant Rattled the World in One Week - The Wall Street Journal

How vaccine makers plan to address the new COVID-19 omicron variant - NPR

@SeanDefoe: Ten possible cases of the Omicron variant in Ireland have been sent for full genome sequencing. They were selected from positive Covid tests as they show a thing called 'S-gene dropout' which is linked with variants, not all of which are Omicron

Inflation rose at its fastest pace in October since the early 1990s, according to the Commerce Department. Consumer spending rose 1.3% for the month. Minutes from the Fed’s November meeting showed worries about inflation dominated the monthly policy meeting, with officials saying they would be willing to raise interest rates if prices keep rising. Additionally, jobless claims plummeted to the lowest level in more than half a century at 199,000, another sign of a post-pandemic economic rebound.

High inflation? Low polling? White House blames the pandemic - Associated Press

Millennials Confront High Inflation for the First Time - The New York Times

@RBReich: We need to talk about the deeper structural reason for inflation, one that appears to be growing worse: the concentration of the American economy in the hands of a few corporate giants with the power to raise prices.

The Biden administration on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to lift the court-ordered stay on stay on the sweeping workplace COVID-19 vaccination mandate, urging the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to at least alternatively allow a masking-and-testing requirement. One day after the Biden administration’s deadline for compliance, 92% of the 3.5 million federal workers covered by the mandate reported they are at least partially vaccinated.

A flood of covid patients causes ‘almost unmanageable’ strain in Michigan as cases rise nationwide - The Washington Post

Some Hospitals Prepare to Lose Staff Over Covid-19 Vaccination Mandate - The Wall Street Journal

According to ADP’s People at Work 2021 poll, 64% of the global workforce reported being negatively impacted by COVID-19, with 28% saying they lost a job, were furloughed or were temporarily laid off. Additionally, 75% of the global workforce made changes or planned to change how or where they live. Gallup research suggests that one of the ways to combat the Great Resignation is to have a best friend at work as it links directly to how much employees put into their roles.

How the Covid-19 Pandemic Changed Employee Training - The Wall Street Journal

The benefits of not joining the Great Resignation - BBC

@mkobach: There’s a rare opportunity for most cities/states/counties to reinvent themselves by optimizing for remote work. The economic spoils will go to the places that figure this out the fastest.

Air travel in the U.S. soared over Thanksgiving, as more than 2.3 million Americans flew for the holiday, setting a pandemic record close to 2019 numbers. Airport passenger daily volumes exceeded two million people for seven straight days through Wednesday, Nov. 24, with very few flight cancelations, signaling a shift from the problems that have plagued air travel in recent months.

The Holiday Travel Crush Has Begun. Are the Airlines Up to It? - The New York Times

@StackhouseJohn: US holiday air travel 2x last year. Road traffic will be similar. How will we fuel this demand next year and beyond? #economy #ChartoftheDay

"Millennials Confront High Inflation for the First Time" - The New York Times / Source: Labor Department

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 9,603 media articles and blogs and 15,617 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, November 30, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Will Zoom be able to withstand workers returning to the office? - MarketWatch

Pandemic Stocks Have Become Passé - The New York Times

@danielnewmanUV: Big day for @Zoom. Market seems to be skeptical of its results. Last quarter 54% revenue growth was met with disdain. I would like to see that level this quarter to show strength despite reopening & increased mobility. Likely very volatile on results. $ZM #Collaboration #Earnings

With COVID-19 cases climbing, more companies are considering fees and surcharges for unvaccinated workers. The grocery chain Harmons and JP Morgan Chase are two companies telling unvaccinated employees they will pay more for health insurance if they remain unvaccinated. A September survey found nearly 20% of large companies were considering raising insurance premiums for those evading the shot.

What kind of costs can unvaccinated workers ring up for a business? - Marketplace

Vaccine-or-test work rules are proving costly for governments - USA Today

@KUOW: "This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company."

Restrictions related to voice-only telehealth loosened when state and federal governments temporarily eased privacy and security restrictions early in the pandemic, largely benefiting elderly and rural residents. Today, these rules are rapidly shifting with nearly 1,000 proposals pending before state and federal legislatures that address extending telehealth, while Medicare, for example, says it will cover audio-only visits through 2023.

Harris announces $1.5B to fight shortage of doctors in underserved communities - The Hill

Employers Beefed Up Telemedicine Benefits During Pandemic as Family Premiums Climbed - Inc.

Telehealth Rollbacks Leave Patients Stranded, Some Doctors Say - The Wall Street Journal

Thousands of people at more than 25 companies went on strike this fall as workers leveraged the national labor shortage and the Great Resignation to demand changes. A 35-day worker strike at Deere & Co. ended last week, days before the construction and equipment manufacturer reports quarterly earnings and its profit outlook for next year.

Low wage, essential workers demand better protections in California - PBS NewsHour

Strikes Sweep Labor Market as Workers Flex New Leverage - The Wall Street Journal

Labor Shortage? Depends on Who You Ask. - Entrepreneur

The online, U.K.-based bank Atom Bank introduced a four-day work week for its 430 employees without cutting their pay in an effort to improve wellbeing and retain staff. Two studies between 2015 and 2019 trailing a four-day work week at the same rate of pay found no corresponding drop in productivity among participants and a dramatic increase in employee wellbeing.

Is the Four-Day Workweek Finally Within Our Grasp? - The New York Times

What do employees say would reduce burnout? Less work - CIO Dive

"Zoom Has Some Unhappy Hours Remaining" - The Wall Street Journal / Source: Zoom; Visible Alpha

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 16,129 media articles and blogs and 17,920 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, November 29, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

'Crazy' or 'much ado about nothing'? How Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan could impact inflation. - USA Today

CBO score on Biden spending bill would be 'pretty hard' to ignore, former director says - FOX Business

@paulkrugman: Seeing some news stories leading with "CBO says BBB will raise deficit" then acknowledging that it's bc CBO is probably underestimating revenue gains from a stronger IRS. Which is true but kind of misses the bigger point: $160 billion is tiny

Apple’s return to office date for employees was delayed to February 1 of next year with a plan to initiate a hybrid work model, according to a memo from Apple CEO Tim Cook. The plan will allow employees up to four weeks of remote work per year to allow workers time to travel, see loved ones or “shake up” employee routines.

As workers return to offices, hybrid schedules take root - The Buffalo News

Report: 98% of IT leaders concerned about security challenges due to hybrid workforce - VentureBeat

Some employers opting for geo-specific pay as remote work becomes norm - TNW

The Austrian government announced a nationwide lockdown Friday morning along with a vaccine mandate, marking the first nationwide vaccine mandate for a European country. The announcement follows Germany’s rollout of restrictions for unvaccinated citizens Thursday as Europe has continued to struggle with rising COVID-19 infections and low vaccination numbers.

Greece, like some other E.U. nations facing case surges, adds restrictions for the unvaccinated. - The New York Times

FDA clears Moderna and Pfizer’s Covid vaccine booster shots for all U.S. adults - CNBC

Europe Returns to Work-From-Home to Stem Soaring Covid Cases - Bloomberg

Workers in the United States are expecting wage increases in the coming year due to employee shortages and inflation pressures according to survey data from the University of Michigan. The news comes as 88% of Americans have expressed concern over inflation and said they plan to reduce spending where possible to deal with rising prices.

Inflation Spreads to Online Retail, Once a Haven of Discounts - Bloomberg

Take Five: Gas, inflation and time to hit the shops - Reuters

Democrats urge Biden to do more about inflation - Axios

Retail pharmacy giant CVS said it will close up to 900 storefronts over the next three years as it pivots its business model more toward health services. The announcement follows competitor Walgreens Boots Alliance’s similar shift away from a retail focus and is meant to expand CVS’s health service offerings for customers by providing treatments for diabetes and chronic care among other services.

Macy’s plans to shut 10 department stores in January while delaying other closures - CNBC

@Mikey_Tay1or: CVS closing 10% of their retail due to consumers increasing demand of buying medicine online. They’re expecting to lose $1B - $1.2B Our deal flow of vacant retail increased significantly post Covid… so I’m actually not surprised by this.

"Inflation Gives U.S. Workers Ammunition in Year-End Pay Reviews" - Bloomberg / Source: University of Michigan survey

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 18,617 media articles and blogs and 21,046 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, November 22, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

You’re getting a COVID-19 booster. How about 2022 and beyond? - Fast Company

Fauci hopes COVID-19 booster increases durability to not need it regularly - The Hill

Traditional Thanksgiving meals with all the trimmings are facing grocery prices that are up 14% compared with the 2020 holiday. Inflationary factors driving up food costs include supply chain disruptions and changes in how people eat. During the pandemic, more consumers cooked and ate meals at home, which led to increased supermarket demand and higher retail food prices.

Thanksgiving Will Cost More This Year. That Could Cost Democrats, Too. - The New York Times

Holiday season poses major test for Biden economy - The Hill

Thanksgiving Will Be Pricey This Year … Unless You Wait - Bloomberg

@GannettAlbany: Food banks were prepared for inflation around the holidays, thanks to federal aid and strong state program

Supply-chain shortages once thought to be transitory are now expected to persist until next year. While consumer demand may wane after the holidays, future trouble spots include the labor contract representing around 15,000 West Coast port workers expiring next summer, new rules by the International Maritime Organization requiring ships to reduce their carbon footprints and a potential reverse logjam in Asia next year.

Cargo ship queues have been pushed 150 miles off the coast of Southern California - Insider

Today’s Shortages Could Soon Become Tomorrow's Gluts - The Wall Street Journal

@RobertGarcia: Important thread on the progress being made on supply chain congestion at ports. We are seeing significant improvements thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration and our state partners. We have a ways to go but the data headed in right direction.

A rise in COVID-19 cases has once again prompted employers to question their return to work approaches, reflecting the continued uncertainty about the pandemic’s trajectory. Though many office spaces remain empty, offices in the 10 major U.S. cities were on average 39% occupied in the week ended Nov. 10 – a pandemic-era high.

Workers are resisting being called back to the office — and some employers are scrapping their plans - The Boston Globe

'Out of Office' considers 'why' companies want to bring back remote employees - NPR

Stubborn Covid surges signal bleak winter - Politico

A resurgence of COVID-19 restrictions in a number of countries has resulted in protests across Europe – most recently in the Netherlands – with some demonstrations turning violent and leading to dozens of arrests. The protests have come in response to a three-week partial lockdown announced last weekend following a spike in coronavirus cases.

France deploys police to Guadeloupe to quell violent Covid protests - The Guardian

Protests against Italy’s health pass fizzle. - The New York Times

@PamelaFalk: Tens of thousands of people demonstrated through central Brussels on Sunday to protest reinforced COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Belgian government to counter the latest spike in coronavirus cases.

"Thanksgiving inflation: Cost of turkey feast up 14%" - Axios / Source: American Farm Bureau Federation; Sarah Grillo and Will Chase/Axios

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 8,220 media articles and blogs and 11,793 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, November 22, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Retirees are ‘unretiring’ — and that’s good for the labor market - CNBC

@profwolff: Not a worker "shortage;" rather a shortage of decent wages, job conditions for decades. So now workers say "take this job and shove it" and quit or strike or unionize. Finally!

Florida Republicans approved a bill Wednesday that aims to hinder vaccine mandates in businesses and rejected claims that businesses refusing mandates sacrifice public health. After Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the bill in the coming days, Florida will become the first state with a law imposing fines on companies that require a COVID-19 vaccination for employment.

As G.O.P. Fights Mask and Vaccine Mandates, Florida Takes the Lead - The New York Times

@jayobtv: NEW: Florida legislature passes Republican-led bill meant to thwart Biden Administration vaccine mandate. Doesn’t ban workplaces from requiring the shot, but does force those employers to allow for broad opt-outs. Bill is awaiting @GovRonDeSantis’ signature.

President Joe Biden asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate potential “illegal conduct” from energy companies as gas prices hover around a seven-year high. Fuel prices for a gallon of gasoline are averaging $3.41, according to data from the American Automotive Association. In August, the Biden administration called on OPEC to increase production and asked the FTC to monitor and address any illegal conduct.

Biden faces pressure to tap strategic oil supply as gas prices soar - Fox Business

Gas price relief on the horizon as global oil supply picks up, says IEA ​​- CNN

@SenWarren: .@ExxonMobil & @Chevron have doubled their net profit. Meanwhile, consumers are being crushed at the pump even as fuel costs have dropped. I’m glad @POTUS asked @LinakhanFTC to investigate whether greedy oil & gas giants are cheating and driving inflation.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration suspended the enforcement of Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses after a federal appeals court opposed it last week. The agency said it is confident in its authority “to protect workers in emergencies.” OSHA originally gave employers with more than 100 employees a Jan. 4 deadline to comply with the vaccine mandate and threatened thousands of dollars in fines if businesses do not comply.

Conservative-leaning appeals court to hear challenges to Biden's vaccine mandate after ping-pong ball lottery - ​​CNN

@RepRussFulcher: Alongside my Republican colleagues in the Education and Labor Committee, I am leading the effort to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify OSHA’s emergency temporary standard mandating vaccines for private sector employers.

CEO turnover spiked in the first half of 2021 as many companies restructured with hopes to navigate the aftermath of the pandemic, according to a study from recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles. Survey findings show that stressed CEOs are not immune to the worker exhaustion and lifestyle change that has been dubbed the Great Resignation. Following resignations, the report found that women are most likely to be promoted to executive roles.

What the CEOs of Walgreens, Hilton and Progressive think about the Great Resignation - Fortune

One solution to the labor shortage: teenagers - CNBC

@malas_n: As US workers keep quitting their jobs at a record-setting rate, "employers are forced to do things that they haven’t had to do before." @smasunaga reports on the wild variety of ways companies are fending off the Great Resignation.

"The Great Resignation: Why millions of workers are leaving their jobs and what to consider before quitting" - Bankrate / Source: Department of Labor via FRED, September 2021

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 22,258 media articles and blogs and 21,391 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, November 19, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Black Friday is early again this year, and maybe forever - Retail Dive

Walmart ad revenue surge helps keep prices low as sales soar - Ad Age

@jimsciutto: New: Retail sales for the month of October rose 1.7%, more than economists had expected and significantly more than the previous month. In September, retail sales grew 0.7% from the month earlier, beating economists' forecast for a 0.2% decline.

The White House is prepared to invest billions of dollars towards expanding U.S. vaccine manufacturing capacity to at least one billion doses a year starting in 2022. The Biden administration has faced mounting pressure to increase the vaccine supply in poorer nations. The move comes as the Food and Drug Administration pushes to authorize booster doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for all adults this week.

COVID vaccine can be bundled with a child's routine shots, doctors say - ABC News

Nurse Salaries Rise as Demand for Their Services Soars During Covid-19 Pandemic - The Wall Street Journal

@DataDrivenMD: Pfizer/BioNTech expect $60 billion in revenue from COVID-19 vaccine sales in 2021 & 2022. In 2023, “analysts have forecast revenue of over $6.6 billion […] mostly from booster sales.” 2/n

A federal judicial panel assigned the GOP-majority appeals court in Cincinnati to handle at least 34 lawsuits challenging the Biden administration’s vaccine and testing requirements for private businesses. The assignment casts further doubt on the survival of the vaccine mandate the White House says is central to the fight against the coronavirus.

Utah’s workplace COVID vaccine exemption bill becomes law - ABC4 Utah

Biden’s and Fauci’s supposed hypocrisy on vaccine mandates, examined - The Washington Post

Resignation rates reached record highs of 4.4 million in September, with quitting rates especially high for in-person roles in traditionally lower-paying industries such as entertainment, hospitality, trade, transportation and retail, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Great Resignation also targeted U.S. tech workers with 72% thinking about leaving their current employer in the next year, according to TalentLMS. Executives have voiced feelings that we are far from the end of the shift in worker habits.

Is The 'Great Resignation' Actually A Mass Retirement? - Forbes

The Worst of Both Worlds: Zooming From the Office - The New York Times

The CEO of the world’s biggest job portal says he has a solution to the labor shortage: getting rid of the resume - Fortune

@axios: Some 60% of firms are re-designing their offices for the post-pandemic era, according to a new report that surveyed large companies around the world. Of those, a quarter are eliminating private offices entirely.

Supply chain constraints paired with climate change are leading to a shortage of both real and artificial Christmas trees, prompting vendors to urge consumers to buy before Thanksgiving. Some businesses said that this year consumers will potentially see a 25% price increase due to the hike in transportation costs. Additionally, holiday dinners will cost more this year. Last month, the price of meat, poultry, fish and eggs rose 12% from a year ago, pork prices rose 14.1%, and beef prices surged 20.1%.

How climate change and extreme weather are crimping America’s pie supply - The Washington Post

From turkey to festive fizz: how will shortages affect UK Christmas dinner? - The Guardian

@AnnaHoffmanTV: Grocery Store workers recommend getting your Thanksgiving turkeys early to avoid impacts of a turkey shortage. Thankfully our local stores are prepared for anything this holiday season.

"The Great Resignation is hitting these industries hardest" - Fortune / Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 24,552 media articles and blogs and 23,613 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, November 18, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Biden’s reliance on I.R.S. enforcement to pay for $1.85 trillion bill hits a snag. - The New York Times

Students are still struggling to get internet. The infrastructure law could help - NPR

Biden’s infrastructure bill includes $50 billion to fight climate change disasters - CNBC

October retail surged 1.7% compared to September’s 0.7% due to early holiday shopping and high gas prices. October’s rise in retail sales signaled the third month of growth in a row. Economist Michael Gapen with Barclay argued that strong retail sales represent a positive sign that the U.S. economy is “back on track.”

After rally in U.S. retailers, investors eye upcoming reports - Reuters

Consumers rushing to complete holiday shopping due to supply chain concerns - WHSV

Supply Chain Challenges Won’t Ruin the Holidays—but They Will Change the Retail Industry - Adweek

Recent survey data highlighted a reduction in working hours as the preferred solution to employee burnout with 83% of survey participants saying a reduced workweek would help them tackle burnout in their jobs. Advocates of the 4-day workweek have argued a reduction in work hours may help employers deal with the effects of the Great Resignation, particularly when it comes to attracting new talent.

U.S. Faces Crisis of Burned-Out Health Care Workers - U.S. News & World Report

6 Strategies to Boost Retention Through the Great Resignation - Harvard Business Review

Robots Filling Vacant Jobs Amid Ongoing 'Great Resignation' - International Business Times

Senate Banking Chairman Sherrod Brown said the Biden administration is expected to announce its selection for the chair of the Federal Reserve soon, with a choice forecasted for before the Thanksgiving holiday. The two finalist candidates are incumbent Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and Federal Reserve governor Lael Brainard, both of whom were interviewed by the President earlier this month.

Inflation Prompts Growing Chorus to Call on Fed to Speed Taper - Bloomberg

Fed should hike interest rates immediately to cut stagflation risks, economist Stephen Roach suggests - CNBC

@CGasparino: BREAKING— Wall Street sets odds of a Powell reappointment to @federalreserve at just 50 50 after what was seen as a layup not long ago. We discuss why and possible impact on markets if Lael Brainard gets the nod now @FoxBusiness @TeamCavuto

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced its antiviral COVID-19 pill can be produced by generic manufacturers for 95 low- and middle-income countries through a licensing agreement with Medicines Patent Pool. The clinical trial of the company’s pill showed a reduction in mortality and hospitalization rates of 89% for adults at risk of severe disease. Despite progress on the company’s antiviral drug, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has maintained opposition to the waiving of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer to conduct trials of antiviral COVID-19 pill in Russia - Reuters

8 lingering questions about the new Covid pills from Merck and Pfizer - STAT

WHO chief calls booster distribution 'scandal' as poorer countries wait for doses - The Hill

@BogochIsaac: Pfizer signs a deal allowing their #COVID19 pill (Paxlovid) to be more accessible & "widely available in 95 low- & middle-income countries covering 53% of the world's population". Good news if those who need this can actually access it.

"The Great Resignation" - Statista / Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 26,845 media articles and blogs and 20,817 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, November 17, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

U.S. weekly COVID-19 vaccinations hit highest in nearly six months - Reuters

Vaccine mandate poses tough legal questions on employer involvement in workers’ lives - MLive

Intel to require U.S. workforce to get vaccinated for COVID-19 - KATU

@thejamesmax: A further wave of Covid is on the way. Austria has now imposed lockdown conditions on the unvaccinated. What restrictions should unvaccinated people in the UK face? @talkRADIO #earlyBreakfast

Some companies have begun designing products using lower-tech solutions as the global microchip shortage continues to drag on. Companies that manufacture snowmobiles and other automobiles said they are redesigning their vehicles without GPS screens and other microchip-enabled features. The CEO of Nvidia has predicted demand will outstrip supply through next year.

Making Acquisitions to Control the Supply Chain - Bloomberg

Supermarkets Alter Layouts, Use Decoys to Fill Gaps Left by Shortages - The Wall Street Journal

Microchip Shortage Adds to Stress for Law Enforcement Agencies - Officer

President Joe Biden’s national economic advisor Brian Deese blamed inflation woes on the coronavirus Sunday in an interview with CNN. Deese’s comments echoed those of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen who said the end of inflation depends on a successful response to the pandemic. Deese highlighted the President’s $1.75 trillion economic bill as a solution as it is expected to lower housing, child care and health care costs for Americans.

What Does Inflation Mean for American Businesses? For Some, Bigger Profits - The Wall Street Journal

Inflation Is Killing the Dollar Carry Trade in Emerging Markets - Bloomberg

Inflation raises focus on Biden Fed pick - The Hill

A hack of the FBI’s email servers over the weekend caused thousands of fake emails to be sent out alerting recipients that they had been victims of a “chain attack.” While the agency said no network data was compromised, the incident occurred just before the United States and Israel announced a cybersecurity cooperation agreement between the two countries.

Dedicated State and Local Cyber Grants Are Finally Arriving - Government Technology

As shoppers cash in on early deals, cybersecurity experts warn everyone that scammers are watching - FOX43

How to fend off cybersecurity burnout - VentureBeat

California gas prices broke the state’s previous record Monday morning, leaving the U.S’s most populous state with the highest gas prices in the nation. Senate majority leader Charles Schumer called on federal authorities Sunday to reduce gas prices in anticipation of holiday travel by tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

South Carolina gas prices slip slightly for 2nd consecutive week - WPDE

Biden Plans to Bar New Drilling Around a Major Native American Cultural Site - The New York Times

@AdamKinzinger: The @Potus needs to, immediately, release some of the strategic petroleum reserve. People are being taxed with high gas prices, this is real world…. Not time to debate the merits of fossil fuel. We can focus long term on green energy while helping people now.

"Inflation emerges as defining economic challenge of Biden presidency, with no obvious solution at hand" - The Washington Post / Source: Labor Department

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 14,294 media articles and blogs and 15,025 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, November 16, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

GE closes a defining chapter in US corporate history - Financial Times

Biden administration announces deal to provide J&J Covid-19 vaccine to people in conflict zones and humanitarian settings - CNN

The U.S. signed an international agreement on cybersecurity with 80 countries and hundreds of companies like Microsoft and Google. The agreement aims to foster an open internet and strive for better internet security through common laws and goals. The White House said the support reflects the Biden administration’s “priority to renew and strengthen America's engagement with the international community on cyber issues.”

Ransomware takes center stage in U.S. official's Middle East trip - Reuters

Bill proposes large financial institutions to report ransomware attacks, cap payments - SC Magazine

@VP: Yesterday, I announced several initiatives related to space and cybersecurity that we will undertake alongside France and other countries. This is about taking on the challenges of the 21st Century. Learn more:

The U.S. has had upwards of 10 million open jobs since June as the labor shortage persists. Last week, there were a projected 11.2 million U.S. job openings, well above their pre-pandemic peak of about 7.5 million. With many of the open jobs in warehousing, shipping and consumer-facing retail, companies are ordering a record number of robots to battle the labor shortage. North American companies ordered 29,000 robots in the first nine months of 2021, a 37% increase in orders than for the same period of 2020.

Job listings offering less than $15 an hour are starting to disappear in today's tight labor market - MarketWatch

Why Companies Are Struggling To Find Good Talent During The Great Resignation - Forbes

A new recruitment tool for employers — paying workers every day - CBS News

@libbycathey: As the holiday season approaches and employers complain of a worker shortage, President Joe Biden's COVID-19 mandates are now at the forefront of a nationwide debate on whether the government is going too far. Via @AnneKFlaherty @LukeLBarr @AmandaMaileABC

Hospitals across states from Arizona to the Great Plains and Minnesota are seeing an autumn wave of COVID-19 infections that is putting serious pressure on hospitals as intensive-care unit beds fill. Experts anticipate that with more Americans vaccinated, this year's Holiday surge is not likely to linger as long or do as much damage because there’s a higher level of protection.

Behind California's new tune on COVID boosters: fear of waning immunity and a winter surge - San Francisco Chronicle

@DrLeanaWen: After weeks of declines, #covid19 cases have plateaued. The problem is, this is far too high an infection rate: Over 70,000 new daily cases. There are still areas of overwhelmed hospitals. Deaths still top 1,000 a day. And winter is coming.

Supply chain issues have hit the North Pole. Santa bookers are overwhelmed as events and organizations hope to bring Saint Nick back to their holiday functions this year after taking last year off, but virus concerns remain high among a group of workers that skews toward older, heavier-set men. HireSanta.com reported 15% fewer Santas this year, yet the demand is 120% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Labor Shortages Reach the North Pole - The Wall Street Journal

Tree shortage on the horizon as holiday season approaches, farmers urge customers to act quickly - 47 ABC

Holidays and supply chain shortages: These items may be difficult to find this year - WDTN 2 News

"Employers Strengthen Paid Leave Benefits During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the 2021 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey" - Kaiser Family Foundation / Source: KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, 2021

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 15,736 media articles and blogs and 15,341 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, November 15, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Only 28% of New York office workers are back in the office - CNBC

As companies look to bring remote workers back to the office, a writer asks: Why? - NPR

@margotroosevelt: 300+employees at Hearst’s magazine division signed petition objecting to company’s plan to have them return to the office starting next week. Their union has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.

The Biden administration urged the court not to block its vaccine mandate on employers after an appeals court temporarily halted the mandate with a nationwide stay last week. Data regarding vaccine mandates suggest they’re working, with some organizations seeing their employee vaccination rates jump from less than half to over 90%.

The Vaccine Mandate Kicks In at 100 Employees. What If You’re at 98? - The New York Times

How Employee Unrest Over Biden's Vaccine Mandate Is Spilling Over to the Smallest Businesses - Inc.

The lawsuits attacking Biden’s workplace vaccine mandate, explained - Vox

The U.S. and China announced a joint agreement Wednesday to “enhance ambition” on climate change, saying they will work together to cut emissions this decade. A draft agreement being circulated at the United Nations climate summit calls on countries to phase-out coal power and flesh out deeper cuts in carbon emissions by next year.

U.S. airlines and Amazon join push to reduce aircraft emissions - Reuters

Public Transit Use Must Double to Meet Climate Targets, City Leaders Warn - Bloomberg

The threshold for the top federal income-tax bracket in 2022 will climb by $20,000 for married couples and apply to income over $647,850. Due to increases in consumer prices, all of the tax bracket thresholds and other key tax-code parameters are rising faster than usual. This would mark the largest increase in four years.

IRS releases new standard deductions and tax brackets as inflation soars - MarketWatch

Inflation is wiping out wage increases for many workers - The Washington Post

@NHendersonWSJ: Rising consumer inflation this year is leading to a larger standard deduction, higher tax bracket thresholds for 2022, the IRS said.

British fashion chain Ted Baker said its sales are rebounding as office and party wear become popular again and COVID-19 restrictions ease. The company continues to navigate its recovery from the pandemic, with revenues still down compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Apparel shortages to drive bumper holiday sales for secondhand retailers - Reuters

Sweatpants And Sweatshirts You Can Wear For Work, And No One Will Know - HuffPost

@Captivate: 53% of business professionals said their work attire has become more relaxed in their office compared to what they wore pre-pandemic, a new Office Pulse study of 501 white-collar workers found.

"Where Inflation Is Highest in U.S." - The Washington Post / Source: Labor Department

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 19,079 media articles and blogs and 19,308 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, November 12, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Futures extend losses after strong inflation data - Reuters

‘Meatflation’ Worsens As Beef Prices Hit Steepest Rise In 30 Years - Forbes

@byHeatherLong: Where Americans are seeing the most inflation: Fuel oil 59% (y/y) Gas 50% Utility 28% Used cars 26% Hotels 26% Steaks 24% Bacon 20% Pork chops 16% Wash machines 15% Furniture 12% Eggs 12% Fish 11% TVs 10% New cars 10% Chicken 9% Milk 6% Coffee 6% Flour 5% Rent (OER) 3.1%

Holiday travel volume is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels over Thanksgiving, a new AAA report estimates. AAA said that more than 53 million Americans are expected to travel by both car and plane. Just over half of TSA workers received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose as of last month, prompting concern over potential shortages as the Nov. 22 deadline approaches. Gas prices have also risen by more than $1 a gallon since last year.

Labor union representing TSA and other federal workers urges White House to postpone vaccine deadline until 2022 - CNN ​​

Gas prices rise to a seven-year high. Here's a look at states where drivers pay the most - USA Today

Pandemic holiday travel 2.0: How to navigate Thanksgiving this year - CNN

Airbnb plans to roll out new features, including verified internet speeds and options to search for listings up to a year in advance, as the vacation-rental company bets remote work and flexible travel is here to stay. The features were announced a day after the U.S. borders reopened to foreign tourists.

Airbnb Posts Record Results After Busy Summer Travel Season - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. Travelers Plan to Spend More Amid Remote-Work Flexibility - Bloomberg

Malta: The island welcoming digital nomads - BBC

@JoePompliano: This is a wild stat from Airbnb: Over the last six months, between 20% to 25% of all Airbnb bookings have been for one month or longer. As workforces continue to become more decentralized, Airbnb no longer competes with hotels.

Warehouse logistics face challenges as Christmas goods that came early pile up alongside spring items that arrived late. Port delays have caused warehouse vacancies to plunge and rents to soar as global trade finds its footing amid the pandemic. Every $1 billion increase in online sales equates to a need for an additional 1 million square feet of warehouse space, one group estimates.

In the supply chain battle of 2021, small businesses are losing out to Walmart and Amazon - The Washington Post

Shipping is broken. Here’s how to fix it. - VOX

Nearly 70% of full-time remote employees say they have a second job, a new survey found. Younger professionals were more likely to be working two jobs, and half of all respondents say they do it to earn extra money either for personal reasons or to pay off a debt. Working two jobs may increase productivity, with 49% of those surveyed believing they are more productive.

Remote Work and Moonlighting - HR Daily Advisor

How a Side Hustle Can Boost Performance at Your Regular Job - The Wall Street Journal

"7 in 10 Remote Workers have Multiple Jobs" - Resume Builder / Source: ResumeBuilder.com

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 22,427 media articles and blogs and 16,683 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, November 11, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

$6 million in ransom payments seized in cybersecurity crackdown - WRAL TechWire

White House Highlights Cybersecurity Benefit in Infrastructure Package - NextGov

@campuscodi: Breaking: Robinhood discloses security breach and extortion attempt -Entry point: Hacker social engineered a customer support employee -Hacker then collected the data of at least 5mil users -When discovered, hacker asked for a ransom payment

The Mexico-U.S. border reopened to non-essential travel after 20 months Monday with fewer crossings than predicted as many residents stayed home to avoid potential chaos. The travel restrictions not only kept families apart but also hammered local businesses along the border for nearly two years.

Historic division of ‘the two Laredos’ ends with border reopening - Al-Jazeera

Nonprofit Warns Puppy Smuggling Increase as U.S.-Mexico Border Reopens - NBC San Diego

@MayorToddGloria: Today, we're celebrating the safe and responsible reopening of our border with Mexico. We are a binational region with border communities that are sustained by the free flow of cross-border commerce. This will revitalize the regional economy and reunite our families. #ForAllofUs

Long hours and uncomfortable working conditions during the pandemic worsened an already-existing trucker shortage and caused supply chain issues as warehouses overflowed while waiting for transport. While recent retirements of many drivers added to the shortage, drug tests have also driven the shortage as more than 72,000 truck drivers have failed required drug tests since January 2020.

Mass. towns paying snowplow drivers up to $310 an hour amid shortage - Boston

Truckers may be exempt from federal vaccine mandates - Fortune

@jeannasmialek: Factory production should eventually meet demand. Ports ought to clear. But will there ever be enough truckers? Great read by @maddiengo @AnaSwanson

U.S. Federal Reserve officials shifted their focus to a debate over how much longer high inflation can be tolerated by consumers and businesses. Vice-Chairman Richard Clarida said Monday that although current price pressures are “transitory,” if inflation continues at its current level it will signal a policy failure.

Central bankers take sharply different readings of inflation threat - Financial Times

Consumer inflation expectations reach new high: New York Fed survey - The Hill

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a $450 million package to boost the state’s struggling tourism industry, including $2,750 payments to up to 36,000 workers who lost their jobs because of the pandemic. The package also includes $100 million in incentives for employers in the hospitality industry to hire back workers quickly, with employers receiving a $5,000 bonus for retaining workings for six months.

New York City’s Tourist Industry Is Poised To Rebound - Forbes

New York’s cultural institutions have a lot at stake as international visitors return. - The New York Times

International tourists land and industry watches for comeback indicators - Crain’s New York Business

"‘Team Transitory’ Joined by Citi Strategists in Inflation Debate" - Bloomberg / Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 19,340 media articles and blogs and 15,577 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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Lawsuits over workplace vaccine rule focus on states' rights - Associated Press

84 million workers now have until January 4 to get a Covid vaccine — but these 6 myths are holding many back - CNBC

Survey: Majority of Federal Employees Disagree With Biden’s Vaccine Mandate - Government Executive

The House passed the long-delayed $1 trillion Build Back Better Act Friday in a bipartisan victory. Biden is expected to quickly sign the bill into law after months of debate. The bill will rebuild the country’s public works system, fund new climate initiatives and expand access to high-speed internet. Democrats will likely shift their focus to the social spending package now that the infrastructure bill is behind them.

Cedric Richmond, top Biden aide, "very confident" infrastructure projects will begin by spring - Face the Nation

How Biden’s infrastructure win falls short in one big area - Politico

Biden's infrastructure win gives him some momentum. Here's why he needs that - NPR

@POTUS: My Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will build a national network of charging stations for electric vehicles and thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines for a clean energy grid. Together with the Build Back Better Framework, it will help tackle the climate crisis.

Stagnation in the job market poses a serious challenge for the Federal Reserve as policymakers work to assess how close the U.S. economy is to reaching its full employment goal. The labor force participation rate has held steady at 61.6% for months, down nearly 2 percentage points from the February 2020 level.

Americans Are Flush With Cash and Jobs. They Also Think the Economy Is Awful. - The New York Times

@BChappatta: Treasury yields are tumbling across the curve after the jobs report. Move in the front end seems a bit much. Long end makes more sense: strong jobs report means "maximum employment" could be reached mid-2022, modest tightening begins, inflation cools off, Fed stops tightening.

Amid the Great Resignation, employers are tapping into a previously overlooked group of workers: people with disabilities. With more people working from home and a tight labor market, disability advocacy groups see the current moment as a turning point for people living with a physical or developmental disability to enter or return to the workforce. Even with this shift, people with disabilities face an unemployment rate that is nearly double that of those without — 9% compared to 4.4% as of September.

A vicious job market feedback loop is making the Great Resignation even worse — for employers - CNBC

Benefits may be the answer to the great resignation - Benefits News

The Great Resignation calls for a Great Re-engagement - Raconteur

First Lady Jill Biden kicked off a pediatric vaccination tour Monday to push for more COVID-19 vaccination sites to support efforts to vaccinate children nationwide. Incentive programs around the country offered money, gift cards and tickets to attractions to incentivize children to get vaccinated. Sesame Street tweeted their support of child vaccination campaigns, prompting conservatives to label the tweets “government propaganda.”

Child Vaccine Demand Underscores Deep Divisions in U.S. - Bloomberg

Ted Cruz files bill to block COVID vaccine mandates for kids - Houston Chronicle

@BigBird: I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy. Ms. @EricaRHill even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!

"Charted: Work from home tapering" - Axios / Source: BLS; Axios Visuals

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Vaccine mandates are surging in job listings - CNBC

Health systems' trouble with vaccine mandates - Axios

@JerryMoran: The choice to be vaccinated or not is a matter of personal freedom. I joined @SenatorBraun in introducing a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn President Biden’s intrusive vaccine mandate on private businesses.

Jobless claims in the last week dipped to a new pandemic low, reaching 269,000 as the nationwide labor shortage continues. Some companies such as UPS, which pays its unionized drivers the highest wages in the industry, are still predicting a robust fourth quarter thanks to a stable workforce. Amazon is focusing its recruitment efforts on parents who left the workforce during the pandemic, debuting a program that offers more flexible scheduling for families.

Why the labor shortage may go on for much longer - Marketplace

Deere warns employees not to expect more as strike continues - Associated Press

When Bonuses and Raises Aren’t Enough, Try Manicures and Free Clothes - The Wall Street Journal

More than 40 countries pledged to shift away from coal at the COP26 climate summit, excluding some of the world’s largest coal consumers including the U.S., China, Australia and India. While global demand for renewable energy is on the rise, overall energy demand is growing faster, underscoring a problematic gap in clean energy supply as economic markets recover.

Globe bounces back to nearly 2019 carbon pollution levels - Associated Press

Tariffs to Tackle Climate Change Gain Momentum. The Idea Could Reshape Industries. - The Wall Street Journal

Research shows COVID-19 did not stop clean energy jobs from rising - World Economic Forum

A novel way to reduce emissions? China tries confiscating coal from households. - The Washington Post

Coronavirus outbreaks are now “rippling” across China, marking the country’s most widespread outbreak since the first wave of infections that began in Wuhan in 2019. As the world’s top exporter of COVID-19 vaccines, China has begun leveraging its vaccine diplomacy to protect from other diseases such as pneumonia and hepatitis.

World Economic Forum postpones China event due to COVID-19 - Reuters

Quarantine-free Thailand faces tourism hurdle: China's COVID rules - Nikkei Asia

@Robert__Rennie:Chinese authorities are ring-fencing Beijing against growing Covid-19 outbreaks now permeating in more than half nation’s provinces, seeking to protect capital gearing up for a meeting of top political leaders and Winter Olympic games in less than 100 days

Ahead of a looming supply chain crunch this holiday season, alternative retailers such as the crafts-focused online marketplace Etsy could be poised for a more profitable season. The marketplace saw a 17.9% gross increase in sales over the last year. At the same time, experts are warning consumers that counterfeit products will likely pose an even greater threat.

U.S. airline disruptions cast a pall over holiday travel - Reuters

@deniseonKOMO: Black Friday returns-for real! No Turkey-Day shopping at Walmart, Target, Home Goods or Best Buy, all staying dark leading up to the biggest shopping weekend of the year. After feasting on #Thanksgiving dinner, shoppers can find #BlackFriday deals online. #komonews

"Highly Paid Union Workers Give UPS a Surprise Win in Delivery Wars" - Bloomberg / Source: Bloomberg

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Turbine Labs has tracked 19,065 media articles and blogs and 14,503 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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The Big Question This Thanksgiving: Are You Vaccinated? - The New York Times

Country by country, scientists eye beginning of an end to the COVID-19 pandemic - Reuters

Texas voters passed a pair of constitutional amendments on Tuesday aimed at curbing some issues that arose during lockdowns last year. One measure prohibits governments from limiting religious services and another allows residents in nursing homes and long-term facilities to have an “essential caregiver” who cannot be barred from visiting. Local elections also resulted in a win for Republican Glenn Youngkin for governor of Virginia, signaling a threat to Democrats in House and Senate races next year.

Takeaways from Tuesday's elections: Bad omens for Democrats - Associated Press

In New Jersey, GOP candidate’s small lead keeps Democrats anxious - The Washington Post

The Federal Reserve is expected to announce on Wednesday its plans to reduce its bond-buying program, marking the biggest step yet in reversing pandemic-era stimulus. Policymakers must now shift their focus towards how to handle surging inflation that is lasting longer than anticipated.

Biden Says He’ll Announce Pick ‘Fairly Quickly’ for Fed Chair - Bloomberg

@thehill: .@SenSchumer: "Build Back Better will be fully paid for and will ultimately relieve our nation's inflationary pressures. Don't take my word for it. Many leading economists have made clear that this legislation would improve, not worsen inflation."

Digital real estate company Zillow will phase out its home-buying unit, citing the inability to forecast home prices due to the volatility of the market. The company said in its earnings release that with the elimination of the unit it will also cut 25% of its workforce.

Waiting for a big drop in home prices? It could be a while - HousingWire

@darrenrovell: A reminder to stick to your core business. Zillow’s core business wasn’t real estate. It was real estate DATA.

Suicides in the U.S. fell for the second year in a row in 2020, even as pandemic-related stressors took a toll on Americans’ mental health. The number of suicides dropped 3% last year after cases soared 35% from 1999 to 2018, according to the CDC. However, the preliminary data showed increases in the number of suicides among young adults as well as some people of color.

Why Won’t Employees Use Their Companies’ Mental Health Benefits? - The Wall Street Journal

@Girlguiding: Children and young people face significant gaps in mental health support despite rise in demand, warn @CYPMentalHealth. Our #GirlsAttitudesSurvey showed alarming decline in girls’ wellbeing. We want young people's wellbeing prioritised in the recovery. https://bit.ly/2ZHYaML

"The new faces of Covid deaths" - NBC News / Source: NBC News

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Turbine Labs has tracked 18,946 media articles and blogs and 22,678 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, November 4, at 9:30AM ET.

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Military weighs penalties for those who refuse COVID vaccine - Associated Press

Alabama AG files suit to block federal contractor vaccine mandate- Fox News

Federal contractors get broad flexibility to enforce Covid vaccine rules for millions of workers - CNBC

Stretched supply chains and high prices slowed manufacturing activity in October, adding more doubt to inflation forecasts. New Bloomberg Economics supply indexes show shortages at near a 20-year high in the U.S. with similarly elevated levels in Europe. The risk is most apparent in industries such as the automotive sector, where shortages could threaten growth in the broader economy because of its ripple effects on employment.

Clogged U.S. supply chains lead to cargo theft - CBS News

Bixby Schools Closed Wednesday Due To Bus Driver Shortage - News on 6

@SenDuckworth: If we’re serious about reshoring manufacturing and building resiliency in our supply chain, we must raise the bar on our Buy American policies to help ensure taxpayer dollars go back into the U.S. economy.

Tuesday marks Election Day in local communities across the U.S., with voters set to determine governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey. After the death of George Floyd, Minneapolis voters will decide whether to disband the city’s police department for a public safety agency. This year's race has the interest of political watchers across the country who are gauging the environment for the 2022 midterm elections.

Election 2021: Virginia's in the spotlight, but here are the other races to watch - Fox News

As Election Day nears, most U.S. adults say future of democracy is under threat - PBS News

Officials on alert for cyber threats ahead of election day - The Hill

Leaders from more than 100 countries pledged to end deforestation by 2030 during the first full day of the United Nations climate conference, committing nearly $20 billion of public and private funds to protect and restore forests. President Joe Biden called for more action to close the climate divides between nations during his speech, while global philanthropies including the Rockefeller and Ikea foundations pledged billions to help the energy transition in poorer nations.

Methane regulation: EPA proposes new rules to limit planet-warming gas - CNN

Corporate Climate Pledges Often Ignore a Key Component: Supply Chains - The New York Times

@AdamSchiff: The planet is on fire. We must act. Now. Our heads have been stuck in the sand, and our politics at loggerheads. The G20 conference won't change that. We need action. Let's start by passing what's in this reconciliation bill and then fight for more. It's long overdue.

About half of the flights to and from Beijing were canceled Tuesday as China tightened coronavirus restrictions ahead of the Winter Olympics. The strict “zero tolerance” policy for COVID-19 made headlines over the weekend when one positive case of the virus prompted officials to close down Shanghai Disneyland and test nearly 34,000 people who had attended the park.

Yahoo pulls out of China amid ‘challenging’ environment - Associated Press

@BonnieGlaser: At the G-20, the US & Canada are objecting to a reference to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics — requested by Beijing — “as a symbol of humanity’s resilience and global unity in overcoming Covid-19,” according to a diplomat. https://politi.co/3By9Y1g via @politico

"Supply Chain Crisis Risks Taking the Global Economy Down With It" - Bloomberg / Source: Bloomberg Economics, ISM, BLS, Census Bureau

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Turbine Labs has tracked 17,869 media articles and blogs and 14,042 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, November 3, at 9:30AM ET.

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Global stocks fall, U.S. dollar climbs on inflation worries - Reuters

U.S. Prices, Wages Rise at Fastest Pace in Decades - The Wall Street Journal

@carlquintanilla: "The market conversation will soon shift away from supply chain strains & inflation toward double-ordering, product gluts, and disinflation .." - @knowledge_vital @Reuters

American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights Sunday due to weather and staffing shortages. The airline has canceled more than 1,500 flights since Friday, highlighting the months-long struggle airlines have been facing as travel has picked up in the pandemic. With demand steadily rebounding, staff cuts from over a year ago have hampered the industry.

Australia eases international border restrictions for first time in pandemic - Reuters

@hblodget: Excellent charts from @calculatedrisk showing real-time state of US economy. Some stats: - Air travel now 82% of normal (2019) - Restaurants, hotels, gas ~90% of normal - Movies now 75% of normal - NYC subway use now 40% of normal

A Gallup Poll found 36% of U.S. employees say their employer requires all workers without a medical exception to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, a 9% increase from the same poll taken in July. Many are challenging vaccine mandates, with the Supreme Court on Friday denying a request to block a Maine rule requiring certain health care employees to be fully vaccinated.

Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates Turn Into Religious Tests at GE, Disney—Some Longer Than Others -​​ The Wall Street Journal

NYC's employee vaccine mandate is now in effect. Here's what it could mean for first responders - CNN

@toadmeister: One in six New York City public servants remain unvaccinated and are expected to be put on unpaid leave from tomorrow as the city's vaccine mandate comes into force.

Microsoft said it plans to partner with community colleges across the country to help fill 250,000 cybersecurity jobs over the next four years. Microsoft believes it can reduce the country’s workforce shortage by 50% by 2025.

Microsoft and Sega exploring strategic alliance for Azure, next-gen game development - Windows Central

Microsoft Becomes World’s Most Valuable Stock as Apple Drops - Bloomberg

The U.S. cyber workforce gap is getting bigger - The Washington Post

American’s opinions regarding the U.S. economy have become increasingly negative in the past months, with nearly half expecting economic conditions to continue to worsen in the next year, according to a new poll. Just 35% of Americans call the economy good and 65% call it poor, compared to September when 45% of Americans called the economy good.

Labor shortage, supply constraints and inflation hold back economy trying to emerge from pandemic - CNBC

Forget Q3, U.S. Economy Likely to Regain Pace in Q4: 5 Picks ​​- Zacks Investment Research

"New data show Fed's inflation debate still unresolved" - Reuters / Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, St. Louis Federal Reserve

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 10,228 media articles and blogs and 9,880 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, November 2, at 9:30AM ET.

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Consumer Spending Likely Grew More Slowly in September - The Wall Street Journal

The market is starting to price in more interest rate hikes than the Fed is indicating - CNBC

@byHeatherLong: US economy grew just 2% in Q3 -- the weakest by far in this recovery as Delta took its toll. Big declines in Federal gov't spending as stimulus starts to fade. Also big drops in biz investment, esp. weak buying of equipment & residential investment likely due to supply chain woes

Facebook Inc. has changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc., demonstrating the company’s shift from a global social network to an emerging computing platform focused on virtual reality. The change highlights Mark Zuckerberg’s desire to transition the Silicon Valley company’s focus to the next digital frontier: the unification of disparate digital worlds into the metaverse. The Facebook app that is used by almost 3 billion people around the world each month will keep its name.

Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward - The Guardian​​

Microsoft announces plan to cut cybersecurity workforce shortage in half by 2025 - CNBC

@evan_greer: I took a dive into the "Metaverse" and went on the BBC to talk about Facebook's rebranding and how we need to fight tooth and nail to ensure that the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world don't define and control the next generation of the Internet.

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey found 37% of unvaccinated workers say they will quit their jobs if their employers mandate vaccines or force weekly coronavirus tests, with 72% of unvaccinated workers saying they will quit if their employer does not offer the testing option. So far, 5% of unvaccinated adults have left a job due to a vaccine mandate. The Biden administration’s vaccine mandate rule for private-sector employers allows businesses to force workers who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine to pay for required weekly tests and masks.

Pandemic to endemic: How the world can learn to live with COVID-19 - McKinsey & Company

Iowa lawmakers pass vaccine mandate exemption bill - Associated Press

Air Force is first to face troops’ rejection of vaccine mandate as thousands avoid shots - The Washington Post

Migration to rich countries plunged last year as the pandemic closed borders and businesses, but industries that rely heavily on migrant labor are reopening, signaling a rebound from worker shortages. The number of migrants arriving in its “mostly rich-country members” in 2020 fell by almost a third to 3.7 million, the largest drop since 2003, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s annual report.

Immigrants could fix the US labor shortage - Vox

Why is Amazon stock crashing? Blame supply-chain issues and labor shortages - Fast Company

@RepLouCorrea: The immigrant story is the American story. This #NationalImmigrantsDay, we honor the enormous contributions immigrants have made and continue to make to our country. We also must take action. That’s why we need to include an immigration reform in the reconciliation package.

The White House’s Build Back Better plan announced Thursday contains a $555 billion package of tax credits, grants and policies aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the largest clean-energy investment in U.S. history. The investment is part of President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion spending bill and if passed, environmental experts said the legislation could create momentum to slash pollution levels and address climate change on a global stage.

Climate Change Became the Central Part of Biden Spending Bill - The New York Times

Research shows COVID-19 did not stop clean energy jobs from rising - World Economic Forum

"Innovating for the hybrid future of work" - MIT Technology Review / Source: ADP Research, 2021

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 19,148 media articles and blogs and 17,856 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, November 1, at 9:30AM ET.

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"New insights on cybersecurity in the age of hybrid work" - Microsoft / Source: Microsoft security research

• CONTENT FACTSTurbine Labs has tracked 23,796 media articles and blogs and 15,893 social media posts over the last 24 hours.
• The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, October 29, at 9:30AM ET.
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FDA Panel Recommends Vaccine for Children 5 to 11 - The New York Times

It Turns Out Paying People to Take the Covid-19 Vaccine Doesn’t Really Work - The Wall Street Journal

@lindy2350: Starting exposure therapy at home with my 7yo today to get ready for the Covid shot. Step one of her fear hierarchy: Smelling rubbing alcohol.

A “red hot ad market” has boosted quarterly earnings for Google and other technology companies, with digital ads skyrocketing as consumers shifted their purchases online. Spotify expects to have over 400 million users by the end of the year, with ad revenue up 75% due to the platform’s growing number of podcasts.

Futures Struggle Amid Mixed Earnings; Bonds Gain: Markets Wrap - Bloomberg

GM beats Wall Street’s third-quarter estimates, guides toward ‘high end’ of 2021 earnings forecast - CNBC

​McDonald's Q3 earnings jump as bigger orders, menu deals boost sales - Yahoo Finance

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Facebook engaged in deceptive conduct after company research identified the ill effects of the social media platform on its users. The scrutiny follows a series of leaked company documents, now dubbed the Facebook Papers, that have driven reports in the news media on their contents. Fresh media investigations suggest that Facebook chose to shelve suggestions in March over how to quell vaccine misinformation.

TikTok and Snap want to prove they’re not Facebook - The Verge

There’s a Better Way to Use Instagram (and Even Facebook) - Slate

Beijing is racing to control coronavirus outbreaks with 100 days until the Winter Olympics, compounding obstacles that China faces with growing calls for a boycott over its crackdown on Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. While the current outbreak is considered small by international standards, just one case represents a challenge to the country's zero tolerance approach for the virus.

China Covid Spike Wipes $4 Billion Off Hot Pot Firm This Week - Bloomberg

U.S. drug company Merck to share license for experimental covid-19 treatment with non-profit - The Washington Post

Australia officially allows vaccinated residents to travel outside the country - CNN

@SchreiberEvan: If you thought the Tokyo rules were strict......BEIJING (@AP) — Chinese organizers confirmed participants in the @Beijing2022 Olympics will be strictly isolated and could face expulsion for violating COVID-19 restrictions. @KATUNews #LiveDesk

Cigarette sales rose in 2020 for the first time in 20 years, most likely fueled by the pandemic. COVID-19 increased rates of anxiety and depression across the country, while less money spent on travel, gas and entertainment last year led to more “tobacco-use occasions.”

Vaccine eligibility for mood disorders underscores elevated covid risk - The Washington Post

People Are Using Marijuana to Treat Anxiety and Depression, but the Science Is Murky - The Wall Street Journal

@APA: For many Americans, the prolonged uncertainty of the #COVID19 pandemic is a significant source of stress and anxiety. Research from @kate_sweeny's Life Events Lab at @UCRiverside helps us understand the best ways to cope.

"Covid Cases Keep Falling" - The New York Times / Source: New York Times database

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Turbine Labs has tracked 22,946 media articles and blogs and 15,687 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, October 28, at 9:30AM ET.

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Ron DeSantis wants to pay anti-vaccine police $5,000 to relocate to Florida - The Guardian

Business groups ask White House to delay Biden Covid vaccine mandate until after the holidays - CNBC

@Rita_Katz: Emergency workers marched against NYC vaccine mandate today. Mandate will apply "to roughly 160,000 employees who have not yet been required to get a shot...As of last Tuesday, the overall NYPD vaccination rate was 71 percent...city workers are even lower"

Experts advising the Food and Drug Administration are set to meet Tuesday to consider whether a pediatric dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine should be offered to 5- to 11-year-olds. A positive recommendation would likely lead to a string of decisions that will expand vaccinations in the U.S. to millions of young children. Last week, the FDA confirmed the shot was found to be safe and 90.7% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in the age group.

Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine protective, safe in young children - Reuters

We asked a pediatrician about the COVID-19 vaccine for kids. Here's what he said - CBS News

@GovPritzker: As a father myself, I know this day is a long time coming for many.Thanks to scientists and doctors who’ve worked tirelessly for the last year, we are likely just days away from having the COVID-19 vaccine available for 1.1 million more Illinois children ages 5 to 11.

President Joe Biden signed an order Monday imposing new vaccine requirements for most foreign national air travelers while also lifting some travel restrictions on China, India and parts of Europe starting Nov. 8. The White House also said both unvaccinated and vaccinated Americans must obtain a negative COVID-19 test before re-entering the country. Under the restrictions, unvaccinated foreign nationals will be able to enter only in limited circumstances.

Unvaccinated Americans to face tighter COVID testing requirements in new US travel system - USA Today

Unvaccinated children and some people from countries with low rates will be exempted from new U.S. travel rules. - The New York Times

@poloconghaile: Travellers from Ireland, Britain and most of Europe can fly to the US again from November 8, provided they are fully vaccinated, show a negative Covid-19 test result and sign an attestation. Here's all we know about the new rules...

Democrats are wrapping up negotiations over their social-spending and climate bill, a first-of-its-kind proposal that taxes billionaires on the assets they own. According to tax experts and investors, the bill is expected to face challenges as it would require roughly 700 U.S. billionaires to pay taxes annually when their assets, like stocks, increase in value. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday there were up to four open issues that remain unresolved. The bill was initially drafted at $3.5 trillion and is now expected to cost between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion.

Democrats quietly scramble to include immigration provision in social spending bill - The Washington Post

Proposed Tax on Billionaires Raises Question: What’s Income? - The New York Times

Labor shortages and persistent inflation remain unpredictable, with 58% of U.S. companies reporting wage raises during the third quarter to combat resignations, an increase from 51% during the prior three months. The portion of companies reporting a worker shortage rose to 47% during the quarter as the cost of materials rose, according to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics. Investors are paying close attention to third-quarter results as COVID-19 continues to shrink the availability of labor.

Missing Foreign Workers Add to Hiring Challenges - The New York Times

How Social Agility Can Help Stem The Tide Of The Great Resignation - Forbes

@RitaTrichur: The “great resignation,” labour shortages and the widespread acceptance of remote work have rendered labour mobility restrictions inappropriate. Just try to stop your workers from finding better jobs in this new work-from-anywhere world.

"Is ‘Great Resignation’ the ‘Great Reckoning’ instead? Entry-level, minority workers more likely to leave" - Staffing Industry Analysis / Source: Mercer

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 18,122 media articles and blogs and 18,882 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, October 27, at 9:30AM ET.

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Top Wall Street analysts see upside in these stocks as earnings season continues - CNBC

From doom to boom, energy stocks power out of COVID shock - Reuters

@DaisyMaxey: U.S. stock futures creep lower; S&P 500 on course to break seven-day winning streak; American Express and Honeywell International among the companies set to report earnings ahead of open #stocks #stockstowatch #investing

Microsoft said Nobelium, the Russian-based agency behind the SolarWinds cyberattack, targeted hundreds more “resellers and other technology service providers” in its latest wave of attacks on U.S.-based computer systems. In a blog post, Microsoft said the attacks were part of a broader campaign over the summer that affected hundreds of Microsoft customers. The attacks come only months after President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on Moscow in response to a series of spy operations, hoping to limit cyberattacks.

Russian SolarWinds hackers have a new target: the global tech supply chain - Fortune

@carlquintanilla: “While we are clear-eyed that nation-states, including Russia, will not stop attacks like these overnight, we believe steps like the cybersecurity executive order in the U.S., .. have put us all in a much better position to defend against them.” $MSFT

Corporate giants including Nestlé, Verizon and Procter & Gamble are betting consumers will continue to pay more for their products if they keep raising prices into 2022, offsetting fast-growing costs amid the supply-chain crisis. So far, price increases have paid off for makers of household staples, but some analysts question whether shoppers will start to seek cheaper, off-brand alternatives. A key measure of investors’ inflation expectations suggested the consumer-price index will rise by an annual average of 2.64% over the next decade, adding to concerns about rising consumer prices.

Changing the inflation conversation - Axios

There's No 'Supply-Chain Shortage,' Or Inflation. There's Just Central Planning - Forbes

@MichaelRStrain: Consumer spending on goods was 15 percent higher in August than February 2020 (the month before the lockdowns began), and has been as much as 20 percent higher.

The shortage of child-care workers continues to disrupt the U.S. workforce, sidelining the careers of women who would otherwise remain in the labor force. Household survey data showed more than seven million adults made personal adjustments within the past month when their children under 5 were unable to attend daycare due to safety concerns. Nearly one-third of parents with safety-related daycare interruptions used paid leave to care for their kids.

House passes biz-backed bill adding protections for nursing moms - Reuters

3 ways to fix the vicious cycle that's disrupting childcare and making the labor shortage worse - Insider

@POTUS: Under my Build Back Better Agenda, parents will not have to pay more than 7% of their income in childcare. Think of the difference this is going to make in the lives of families across the country.

The build-up of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere rose to record levels in 2020, proving the world is “way off track” on climate goals despite pandemic-related lockdowns that were thought would curb emissions, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The amount of CO2 is now 50% higher than before the Industrial Revolution sparked widespread fossil fuel burning, driving up temperatures in excess of the goals of the Paris agreement and complicating the task for governments to avert dangerous levels of warming.

Why 25 Previous Conferences Have Failed to Stop Climate Change - The Washington Post

Yes, There Has Been Progress on Climate. No, It’s Not Nearly Enough. - The New York Times

@RepCasten: The science behind climate change has long been settled, but this reinforces the urgent need for Big Tech companies like @Facebook to curb the climate disinformation that takes place on their websites. Climate disinformation is killing people.

"Think Everything’s Expensive Now? Get Ready for What’s Next" - Bloomberg / Source: OECD

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 9,512 media articles and blogs and 12,598 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, October 26, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Facebook, Twitter and digital ad stocks drop sharply after Snap earnings - CNBC

Snap tumbles, drags social media giants on Apple privacy tweak worries - Reuters

@ericgarland: Facebook and Snapchat having trouble since Apple made it difficult for them to surveille you without a legal warrant. Well. GOOD.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially endorsed booster shots for both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, approving the “mix and match” approach to the inoculations that means people do not need to match the vaccine they received for their initial vaccinations. The recommendations greatly expand access to the nearly 190 million people in the U.S. who are already fully vaccinated.

Pfizer-BioNTech Booster Shot Restores Full Covid Protection - Bloomberg

Beijing offering booster shots ahead of Winter Olympics - The Hill

Poland to make COVID booster shots available to all adults - Reuters

Real estate software and data firm VTS agreed to acquire an app company that aims to simplify office life by aiding in the booking of conference rooms, ordering food and getting through security. Though the majority of workers still haven’t returned to in-person work, the rate of workers returning to the office has been gradually increasing.

Remote Work Can Be Better for Innovation Than In-Person Meetings - Scientific American

To Get Ahead at Work, Lawyers Find It Helps to Actually Be at Work - The New York Times

Want to Move to a New State But Keep Your Job? - Harvard Business Review

Facebook is planning to change its company name next week to reflect its focus on building the metaverse and to pivot from being known primarily as a social media platform. The rebrand would likely position the blue Facebook app as one of many products under a parent company overseeing groups like Instagram and WhatsApp.

Changing Facebook's name will not deter lawmaker or regulatory scrutiny, experts say - Reuters

Facebook plans to hire 10,000 in Europe to build 'metaverse' - Associated Press

Late Night Suggests a Few New Names for Facebook - The New York Times

On top of ornaments, wreaths and items for presents caught up in America’s supply chain snarls, Christmas lights are in short supply this year. Americans are ordering an unprecedented amount of physical goods, partly due to stimulus checks, combined with clogged shipping ports and issues stemming from Asia. Supply chain bottlenecks have also increased shipping costs, forcing retailers to rethink the price of the Christmas lights they are able to get.

Santa Claus Is Coming—But He’ll Skip Some Stores - The Wall Street Journal

Christmas trees, sweaters, gifts in shipping mess: How supply chain issues will affect holiday shopping - USA Today

@jdlahart: The Grinch didn't steal Christmas, and neither will retailers' supply-chain and labor woes.

"CDC signs off on Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters and says people can get a shot different from their original one" - The Washington Post / Source: CDC

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 18,221 media articles and blogs and 17,219 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, October 25, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Labor shortage, inflation pose political obstacles for Biden - The Hill

Yellen on US labor shortage: Businesses may have to pay more, but it's 'good for workers' - Fox Business

@MarkCavitt: UNEMPLOYMENT: A total of 14,256 Michiganders filed first-time jobless claims last week, a decrease of 4,457 claims from the previous week. Only Texas and California had more residents file first-time unemployment claims last week (15,657 and 80,707).

Investing became an opportunity that attracted new entrants amid the financial crisis spurred by the pandemic, many of whom were women. Female customers at Fidelity Investments increased by almost 10% between February 2020 and February 2021, and the stock trading app Robinhood saw women on its platform quadruple.

You may have always known women are good with money --- now research confirms it - MarketWatch

Women investors are still outperforming men, study finds - CNBC

America’s COVID-19 outbreak is improving, averaging a 22% drop over the past two weeks nationwide. Experts in the U.S. are cautiously optimistic, but a newly-discovered mutation of the delta variant is under investigation in the U.K. Russia also reported COVID-19 infections with a new coronavirus variant believed to be more contagious than the delta one.

The UK has more new Covid-19 cases than France, Germany, Italy and Spain combined - CNN

What Colin Powell's death can and can't tell us about COVID breakthrough cases - NPR

The pandemic reset the residential choices and aspirations of millions of Americans, prompting influencers to declare an “urban exodus”’ while others countered the name for the phenomenon as more of an “urban shuffle.” Populations in large cities fluctuated, with some urban areas gaining residents during COVID-19 and others losing residents. Experts conclude the pandemic reinforced and accelerated trends that were already underway, rather than creating new ones.

How Working From Home Could Change Where Innovation Happens - The Wall Street Journal

What I learned after running my startup while traveling for a year - TechCrunch

Employee Perk: Work From a Company-Provided RV - PYMNTS

Researchers discovered that those who viewed memes reported “higher levels of humor” and more positive feelings. Those who viewed memes that specifically referenced the pandemic also felt less stress than those who viewed non-pandemic-related memes. While experts say the pandemic is no laughing matter, they note that humor can be a powerful coping mechanism.

Laughing through the pandemic: Seniors do comedy in Greenwich Village - AMNY

Depression rates have tripled during the pandemic — how to recognize the signs and respond to them - CNBC

@Clay_Masters: Was it really the memes we made along the way?

"Covid means remote workers can live anywhere. So where’s 'anywhere'?" - Politico / Source: Census Bureau

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 20,064 media articles and blogs and 18,914 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, October 22, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Booster shots could soon be recommended for people as young as 40, source says - CNN

Will Giving COVID Booster Shots Make It Harder to Vaccinate the Rest of the World? - Scientific American

@KizzyPhD: I remember when @oldmanebro asked me which vaccine I recommended very early on, & I replied “That’s like asking me to pick between Prada and Gucci.” Re: “mix and match” of boosters…If approved, and you are in the recommended groups…don’t get picky with your protection.

New York City will require all city workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing their jobs, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced. More than 65% of New York City’s residents are fully vaccinated, well above the national average of 57%. Thousands of unvaccinated workers across the U.S. are facing potential job losses as more states, cities and private companies enforce mandates for inoculation.

Nearly 1,900 Washington state workers quit or are fired over COVID vaccine mandate - The Seattle Times

Southwest Airlines will keep workers on the jobs who apply for vaccination exemptions - NPR

Supreme Court won’t block vaccine mandate for Maine’s health care workers - Politico

The federal government is planning to announce a partnership with the Children’s Hospital Association as part of the Biden administration’s push to offer COVID-19 vaccines to children. Millions of kids ages 5 to 11 will be eligible for inoculation following federal authorization ahead of the holiday season.

Small Needles, Short Lines and Few Tears: Biden’s Plan to Vaccinate Young Children - The New York Times

@jkwan_md: Vaccine Consult Service by @sickkids provides a "safe, judgement-free space to have an open conversation" with a pediatric Registered Nurse about the COVID-19 vaccine for children & youth (available in multiple languages)

There are currently five million fewer people working than before the pandemic began, and three million fewer even looking for jobs. These numbers have resulted in workers up and down the income ladder wielding the most leverage they’ve had in decades and using it to demand higher pay, flexible hours, more generous benefits and better working conditions.

There are millions of jobs, but a shortage of workers: Economists explain why that’s worrying - CNBC

Local employers adapt to worker shortage with pay, hours, perks - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

America's factories were hurt by shortages of workers and supplies last month - CNN

Supply chain disruptions are prompting panicked retailers and manufacturers to overorder or place orders too early, which experts say could result in distorted demand forecasts and unfulfilled orders. Supply chains have been impacted by container shortages, weather, COVID-19 infections and, most recently, China’s energy crisis.

Procter & Gamble Uses Its Size to Lessen Impact of Supply-Chain Mess - The Wall Street Journal

White House has weighed tapping National Guard to address mounting supply chain backlog - The Washington Post

Double-Digit Price Hikes on China Exports Add to Inflation Risk - Bloomberg

"Number of unemployed persons per job opening, seasonally adjusted" - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,708 media articles and blogs and 16,122 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, October 21, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

The wealthiest 10% of Americans own a record 89% of all US stocks - CNBC

​Everyone Feels Like They’re Being Left Out of the Global Pandemic Recovery - Bloomberg

America's Cash Glut - The New York Times

American Express will allow employees to work anywhere they want for up to four weeks a year, the credit card giant’s CEO announced in a memo to staff Monday. The effort comes as part of the company’s push to offer greater flexibility. A survey conducted earlier this year found that roughly a fifth of AmEx staff voted to work completely remote.

Revisiting location-based pay in this era of remote work - MarketPlace

@blsuth: AmEx will let employees work from wherever they want for at least four weeks a year. Worth noting that this is a trend that airline CEOs have flagged as a possible boon to business travel. Is working from wherever the new conference?

Washington State University fired its head football coach following his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the school announced. Coach Nick Rolovich, whose salary of $3.1 million made him the highest-paid public employee in Washington, was dismissed as a state vaccine mandate was set to go into effect. Longtime ESPN reporter Allison Williams left the network after ESPN denied her request for accommodation to not get the vaccine.

'Eye-opening moment': City leaders, police departments push back over impending COVID vaccine mandates - USA Today

Police in Chicago, Seattle, LA, oppose vaccine mandates for public employees - NPR

@ColeHarvey: From this morning’s @SportsCenter , a recap of the vaccination decision that led to Washington St coach Nick Rolovich losing his job Monday. AD Pat Chun: “To be at this juncture is unacceptable on so many levels and antithetical to the WSU experience our athletes richly deserve.”

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell died Monday due to complications from COVID-19 amid an ongoing battle with cancer. Powell was the first Black secretary of state and the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell suffered from multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that studies show can make the shots less effective. One study found that only 45% of patients with active multiple myeloma developed an “adequate” immune response after being vaccinated.

The Threat, in Perspective - The New York Times

Why vaccinated people dying from Covid-19 doesn't mean the vaccines are ineffective - CNN

Colin Powell Is Proof We Need To Do Better For Immunocompromised People - HuffPost

Gyms and fitness studios are seeing a rise in check-ins, according to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association. Check-ins were 13% lower than the number recorded pre-pandemic, but the IHRSA noted these numbers will likely increase as nearly half of those who canceled their gym or fitness passes say they plan to rejoin in the next six to 12 months. About 22% of gyms permanently closed their doors during the pandemic.

The Transformation of the Fitness Industry - The New York Times

Mindbody acquires workout subscription platform ClassPass as fitness industry rebounds - CNBC

"Remote Work Persisting and Trending Permanent" - Gallup / Source: Gallup panel

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,106 media articles and blogs and 13,659 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, October 20, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Facebook on Track for Holiday Ad Surge Despite Supply Chain Woes - Bloomberg

Why Levi's is opening 100 new stores even as pandemic online sales boom keeps growing - CNBC

Grocery store shelves bare? These products may be hard to find due to supply chain issues - USA Today

China’s gross domestic product growth slowed to 4.9% in the third quarter after industrial activity in the country increased by a smaller-than-expected margin last month. Power shortages and wobbles in the property sector contributed to the Chinese economy’s slowest pace of growth in a year.

Global stocks and U.S. futures wobble on China growth fears - Fortune

China Faces Slower Growth Path as It Pursues Longer-Term Reforms - The Wall Street Journal

@dlacalle_IA: China GDP disappoints. Grew 4.9% in the third quarter from a year ago. That missed expectations for a 5.2% expansion, according to Reuters. Industrial production rose by 3.1% in September, below the 4.5% expected by Reuters.

Countries are rushing to place orders for the twice-daily antiviral pill called molnupiravir that has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death among those infected with COVID-19, but obstacles remain for broad access to poorer nations. Pharmaceutical giant Merck, which recently submitted data to the Food and Drug Administration, was criticized two decades ago for selling its H.I.V. drugs at prices unaffordable to Africa.

Fact check: Merck's molnupiravir and ivermectin are not the same drug - USA Today

The success of Merck's antiviral — and other COVID-19 pills in development — may depend on how quickly people start taking them - MarketWatch

@daniel_kraft: #Molnupiravir in trial of 775 high-risk, unvaccinated people cut the risk of hospitalization & death in half. Also accelerates the clearance of infectious virus from the nose and throat, indicating that it may also help reduce the spread of the virus.\

Thousands of workers remain on strike across the U.S. demanding higher pay and better conditions. There have been strikes against 178 employers this year according to one tracker – a trend economists attribute to the Great Resignation. While large-scale strikes have garnered attention, not all work stoppages have been successful. More than 1,000 Alabama miners have been on strike since April and out of 14 oil workers who staged a walkout in New York, eight have been fired.

A two-tier wage system roiled the auto industry. Workers today say no way - NPR

Hollywood Strike Averted As IATSE & AMPTP Reach Deal On New Film & TV Contract - Deadline

​Great Resignation Causing 'Structural Changes' to the Workforce: BofA - Insider

Furniture designer Herman Miller said office spaces are trying to remain relevant by making the barriers between the office and other places more permeable. One coworking space in Virginia weathered the pandemic by taking its desks outside. This trend has prompted office architects to experiment with landscaped terraces and open-air conference rooms.

The big idea: Is the era of the skyscraper over? - The Guardian

Meet Me in My Office, in Men’s Underwear on 5 - The New York Times

Resimercial: The Terrible Word for Today’s Trendy Office Aesthetic - The Atlantic

"U.S. retail sales beat expectations for second month in a row" - Axios / Source: FRED, Axios Visuals

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 6,112 media articles and blogs and 10,068 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

The Strike Wave Is a Big Flashing Sign That We Need More New Union Organizing - In These Times

State Senators show support of Kellogg’s employees on strike - KLKN

@lyzl: Workers across Iowa today are on strike at the Deere plant and at the Curlys/Smithfield plant. Their demands are fair pay, to retire with dignity, and fair work rules. And so far, Iowa's senators and governor are completely silent

US wholesale inflation rose 8.6% last month compared to the previous year as demand for a number of goods has outstripped supply and bumped prices up for consumer goods across multiple sectors. Logistic and economic experts said President Joe Biden’s attempts to ease supply chain constraints and rising prices in time for the holiday season are unlikely to be effective given the extent of labor shortages and supply chain congestion.

In struggle to fix supply chain, small businesses fear losing out to larger companies with more spending power - NBC News

As congestion threatens economy, Port of Baltimore is adding more ships and running smoothly - Fox Business

Over 100 workers at the Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory in New Mexico have sued over the vaccine mandate, claiming the contractor who runs the lab for the U.S. Department of Energy violated their constitutional rights by unfairly denying exemption requests. Employees have said the lab may lose up to 10% of its employees due to the vaccine mandate.

Chicago police union head urges cops to defy vaccine mandate - Associated Press

U.S. pastors, advocacy groups mobilize against COVID-19 vaccine mandates - Reuters

Covid-19 Vaccine-Mandate Bans Tread on Uncertain Legal Ground - The Wall Street Journal

The Biden administration announced an investment of $100 million in the National Health Service Corps to address the U.S. healthcare worker shortage. The news comes as labor shortages in the healthcare industry have driven labor costs up for medical facilities. Some economists have said worker participation may not return to pre-pandemic levels as 2.7 million people remained long-term unemployed in September.

The Great Resignation Is Accelerating - The Atlantic

No unemployment checks for health workers who refuse vaccine - Associated Press

The National Hockey League announced that all but four of its players have been vaccinated against COVID-19, showcasing a 99% vaccination rate as the hockey season begins. Vaccination policies in major league sports have varied across leagues as the NFL instituted a mandate for players and staff while the NBA put in place a number of restrictions for players unwilling to get vaccinated.

The Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving defends his decision not to get vaccinated. - The New York Times

‘I will play under the conditions that have been set’: Tsitsipas backs Australian Open COVID measures - The Sydney Morning Herald

@charlottecrrll: The WNBA has led the way when it comes to vaccines in sports leagues. Learn a little more on how their efforts stack up against other leagues

"Amid 'Great Resignation,' banks see lowest turnover in years" - Consulting.us / Source: Crowe’s 2021 Bank Compensation and Benefits Survey

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,749 media articles and blogs and 19,730 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, October 18, 2021 at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Boeing Deals With New Dreamliner Defect Amid Production Problems - The Wall Street Journal

Biden employer vaccine mandate could be finalized as early as next week - NBC News

Delta Air Lines CEO says 90% of employees are vaccinated against Covid without company mandate - CNBC

Stock futures rose Thursday as major banks reported earnings. Bank of America’s third-quarter profit increased 58%, suggesting banks’ lending businesses are improving from a pandemic slump. The second-largest U.S. bank earned $7.69 billion, a $4.88 billion a year increase when compared to a year earlier.

Stocks rise as Wall Street wades into bank earnings blizzard - Reuters

Economic challenges piling up for the Biden administration - The Washington Post

Those who received a Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine are better off getting a booster shot from Pfizer or Moderna, according to preliminary data from a federal clinical trial mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccinations. Although all the vaccine combinations lifted antibody levels, Pfizer's and Moderna’s boosters appeared to have a higher increase in their antibody responses more often than those who received an extra dose of J&J.

Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Booster Shot Bolsters Immune Defense, FDA Staff Say - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. FDA staff says Moderna did not meet all criteria for COVID-19 boosters - Reuters

What to expect from FDA panel on boosters for Moderna, Johnson & Johnson vaccines - ABC News

@Yamiche: A key federal advisory committee is set to begin two days of meetings that are expected to strongly influence decisions on whether at least some recipients of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines will soon be eligible for booster shots.

Soaring natural gas and coal prices are putting pressure on power-generation companies to switch to oil, a trend that could add half a million barrels a day to global demand, the International Energy Agency said. Roughly half of U.S. households that use natural gas heat can expect to spend 30% more on their bills, according to the Energy Information Administration. The IEA increased its global oil demand forecasts for this year and the next by 170,000 and 210,000 barrels a day, respectively.

From cars to gasoline, surging prices match a 13-year high - Associated Press

Biden team asks oil industry for help to tame gas prices - Politico

@ChuckGrassley: energy prices on rise incl crude oil up 64% + natural gas almost doubled in 6 mos + heating oil up 68% + coal prices at record high +Americans are paying $1 more at the pump than last yr + inflation =b4 winter weather causes prices to spike further energy independence in jeopardy

Six in seven COVID-19 infections remain undetected in Africa, according to the World Health Organization, proving the pandemic’s impact on the continent with the fewest vaccinated individuals could be underestimated. Roughly 90,000 Americans likely died from June through September for failing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. The study found the disease was the country's second-leading cause of death last month.

Most African countries missed a target to vaccinate 10 percent of their people. - The New York Times

Vaccines may have prevented a quarter-million Covid-19 cases and 39,000 deaths among seniors - CNN

@thehowie: Quietly (without much notice by most), Russia is at a new record for cases and deaths today. They are one of least vaccinated countries in the world (31% fully vaccinated).

"U.S. Consumer Prices Outpace Forecast as Inflation Dogs Economy" - Bloomberg / Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bloomberg survey

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 18,234 media articles and blogs and 16,664 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, October 15, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Sen. McConnell warns Biden the GOP won't help with debt ceiling again - MSNBC

What a U.S. debt ceiling extension means for bond markets - Reuters

@RepDLamborn: This city has a spending problem. Instead of raising the debt ceiling, we should immediately work to reduce our ballooning federal deficit.

Workers quit their jobs at a record-setting pace in August, with employment vacancies falling to 10.4 million during the month, a drop of 659,000 from July numbers. The Labor Department’s report showed quits, which are measured against total employment, hit a new series high dating back to December 2000. The quit rate is evidence of the considerable leverage workers have in today's economy.

More Americans are quitting their jobs. Here is how to do it - Reuters

'The great reimagination of work': Why 50% of workers want to make a career change - CNBC

Americans are quitting jobs at record rates, while job openings tick down - CBS News

@byHeatherLong: Serious Q: When did manufacturing jobs become so unwanted? Is it covid exposure? Vaccine mandates? Lack of flexibility? In 2021, Americans are quitting manufacturing jobs at the highest rate we've ever seen. 306,000 workers quit manufacturing in August. 300,000 quit in July.

U.S. stock futures remained mostly flat Wednesday as investors awaited the start of earnings season and a new inflation reading. A key measure of inflation expectations showed continued U.S. inflation growth in September as pandemic-related shortages of labor and materials raised prices.

The Biden administration’s scramble to tame inflation - CNN

Social Security Payments Could Increase the Most in 40 Years - The Wall Street Journal

Cargo traffic jams are hitting glass bottles too. Your pantry staples could cost more - NPR

@LizAnnSonders: Inflation surprises continue to look much worse than economic surprises … spread between @Citi⁩ Inflation Surprise and Economic Surprise Indexes has bounced off recent lows but still deeply negative

The White House is expected to announce a pledge from the Port of Los Angeles, one of the country’s busiest ports, to operate around the clock Wednesday. By operating 24/7, the Port of Los Angeles will join the neighboring Port of Long Beach, California, and major Asian and European ports that operate continually. The White House is also set to announce that Walmart, FedEx and UPS will expand their hours of operation in an effort to address supply chain shortages.

The global supply chain nightmare is about to get worse - CNN

Apple may cut iPhone 13 production by millions as US warns of Christmas shortages - The Guardian

Container ships stuck at sea as supply chain backlog hits U.S. ports - CBS News

@joncoopertweets: "As the global economic recovery continues to gather steam, what is increasingly apparent is how it will be stymied by supply-chain disruptions that are now showing up at every corner," Moody's wrote in a Monday report.

The U.S. announced it will lift restrictions at its land borders with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreign travelers in November, relaxing bans that have been in place for more than 18 months. The first phase, starting in early November, will allow fully vaccinated visitors traveling for nonessential reasons to cross land borders. The second phase, starting in early January, will apply the vaccination requirement to all inbound foreign travelers.

As International Travel Returns, Confusion Over Vaccines Reigns - The New York Times

@RepDelBene: This announcement is long overdue. After many months of hardship, reopening the northern border to our Canadian neighbors will begin to allow our border communities, especially Point Roberts, to build back better from this crisis. More details to come.

"U.S. Job Openings Post First Drop of Year, With Quits at Record" - Bloomberg / Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 18,212 media articles and blogs and 17,988 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, October 14, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Anxious And Stressed Returning Office Workers Create Challenges For Companies - Forbes

Remote work is causing anxiety levels to spike: Here’s what creative bosses are doing about it - Digiday

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Monday barring private companies from implementing vaccine mandates. The governor has asked state lawmakers to sign similar legislation into law, but urged Texans able and willing to get the vaccine to do so. Large companies with a presence in the state such as Facebook said they are reviewing the order and have not yet announced changes to their vaccine policy.

As Biden's vaccinate-or-test mandate approaches, questions arise over enforcement - NBC News

Nearly 90% of Washington state employees have complied with COVID-19 vaccination mandate - The Seattle Times

Practical Strategies for Manufacturers Managing COVID-19 Testing, Vaccine Mandates - The National Law Review

Drug manufacturer Merck applied for emergency use authorization of its antiviral COVID-19 pill Molnupiravir on Monday which, if approved, will be the first oral antiviral treatment for the disease. Observers have praised the medication and said it would be a “huge deal” if approved, although health experts warned that the drug is not a substitute for vaccination. The drug is expected to be available for U.S. residents later this year if approved by the Federal Drug Administration.

Moderna has no plans to share its COVID-19 vaccine recipe - Associated Press

AstraZeneca antibody cocktail study shows success treating COVID-19 - Reuters

@DrLeanaWen: We need antiviral treatments because #covid19 is here for the foreseeable future. An oral, outpatient medication (like molnupiravir from Merck, if authorized) is an important tool to reducing the harm caused by the virus. Importantly, it does not replace the need for vaccination.

Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio warned consumers to prepare for rising food prices as costs have increased with “inflation across the board.” Patricio cited heightened logistics costs and labor shortages in the U.S. as primary reasons for rising prices in the country. Economist Nouriel Roubini has said inflation is likely to continue ticking up while economic growth stagnates and predicted that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise interest rates.

Stocks and bonds struggle under stagflation threat - Reuters

There Is Shadow Inflation Taking Place All Around Us - The New York Times

@PeterSchiff: This is the type of nonsense peddled by the mainstream media as being expert economic analysis. Higher #inflation isn't good for the economy, and it's particularly harmful to average Americans. Unfortunately it's not transitory and it will get much worse.

Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights over the weekend due to a number of factors ranging from weather challenges to air traffic control issues. The airline noted that because it has been operating fewer flights than before the pandemic rescheduling passengers was a challenge. While the airline’s stock shares slipped on Monday the company predicted flights will normalize this week.

Pent-up travel demand could lead to holiday headaches - Axios

Southwest Airlines, union insist pilots didn’t walk out to protest vaccine mandates - The Dallas Morning News

Fauci says vaccine mandate for domestic air travel is not expected ‘immediately’ - The Washington Post

"Will this holiday sparkle? Consumers are ready to bring the shine" - PricewaterhouseCoopers / Source: PwC Holiday Outlook 2021

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 22,115 media articles and blogs and 21,727 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

Employer Asks Workers Seeking Religious Exemption from Vaccine Mandate to Swear Off Tylenol and Tums - JD Supra

Fired for refusing a Covid vaccine? You likely can't get unemployment benefits - CNBC

@JournoChrisATL: Arkansas legislation would let employees opt out of workplace Covid vaccine mandates by testing negative weekly or showing immunity through antibody tests twice annually. Similar bills are pending in Ohio and Texas

President Joe Biden encouraged more U.S. businesses to obligate workers to get COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday, saying it is vital to ending the pandemic and boosting the economy. The White House also released a report showing that vaccine mandates increased employee vaccination by more than 20 percentage points as more than 25% of businesses and 40% of hospitals have put vaccine requirements in place. Nearly 80% of eligible adults have received at least their first dose.

As Covid fears in C-suite stay high, most big companies ‘totally support’ Biden vaccine mandate: CNBC survey - CNBC

Mandating vaccines? How tracking tech can help with the next step - HR Executive

With COVID-19 mandates rolling out, what to know about religious exemptions - ABC News

@kylegriffin1: President Biden: "Here's the deal: These requirements are already proven that they work … The Department of Defense has gone from 67% of active duty force vaccinated to 97% ... Just six weeks into this vaccination requirement. That's how quickly it's moved."

U.S. employment increased less than anticipated in September as government payrolls declined, but hiring could pick up in the coming months as a wave of summer infections subside. Non-farm payrolls increased by 194,000 as the unemployment rate fell to 4.8%. Federal Reserve officials continued a balancing act between fostering a return to full employment while managing inflation.

Inflation has already cleared hurdle for rate hike, but employment criteria not met yet: Fed’s Mester - MarketWatch

Survey: Increasing Number of Top Economists Now Expecting Fed Rate Hike Over Coming Year - Bankrate

Jim Cramer says the key to taming inflation is beating Covid, not higher interest rates - CNBC

Demand for new office space reached a 15-month high in August, hitting just 13% below pre-pandemic levels. Shared office space company WeWork reached $228 million in revenue in September and reached 60% occupancy, signaling an increased demand as more employers bring workers back to shared spaces.

Portland Office Space Declines as Business Resumes - Willamette Week

Reports: Boston, Texas and Florida at forefront of office space recovery - Connected Real Estate Magazine

Toronto, Valparaiso, Berlin, Honolulu top list of best places for remote work - ZDNet

Halloween stores are urging customers to buy costumes now as a nationwide truck shortage and fewer lockdowns put pressure on costume supply. Extreme weather impacted pumpkin growth nationwide amid pandemic-related shipping delays, creating another shortage for the fall season. Costco and other retailers will likely see constraints on Christmas trees this winter following droughts and global supply chain issues impacting the entire industry.

Supply chain havoc is getting worse — just in time for holiday shopping - Vox

Oh my gourd! Pumpkin shortage could impact Halloween - WCNC

Toymakers race to get products on shelves amid supply clogs - Sentinel-Tribune

@gutavsaraiva:On today's episode of "the supply-chain chaos that might ruin Christmas," @gerryfsmith and I write about how booksellers are begging customers to shop early amid a paper shortage, congested ports and... a boom in print book sales

"Pandemic, Remote Work Not Driving Workers from Coasts to Rural Middle" - Dakota Free Press / Source: Brookings analysis of CBRE and USPS data

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 13,688 media articles and blogs and 17,778 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

Turbine Labs will be closed to observe Indigenous People's Day on Monday, October 11. The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, October 12, at 9:30AM ET.

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Biden to Speak About Vaccine Mandates in Chicago - The New York Times

Workers face mounting pressure to get their shots — or get fired - CBS News

A Mississippi news anchor is off the air after refusing a coronavirus vaccine - The Washington Post

@KayleeHartung: Get your vaccine cards ready LA

Republicans offered a short-term debt-limit extension, helping stave off immediate concerns about a possible government default and pushing U.S. stock future higher Thursday morning. Concerns over whether the Treasury would be able to raise money to pay its bills have weighed on investors this week.

What the Debt Ceiling Means for Social Security and More - The New York Times

How The Debt Ceiling Debate Impacts The Average American - Forbes

@WSJecon: Negotiations on the details of a debt-limit extension went late into the night Wednesday, but a deal wasn't finalized. “We’re making good progress...I hope we can come to an agreement tomorrow [Thursday] morning,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

Pfizer asked federal regulators Thursday to authorize emergency use of their coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 – a move that could help protect more than 28 million people in the U.S. Studies published Wednesday confirm that the immune protection offered by two doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine decreases after about two months, although protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death remains strong.

Heart risks rare after Pfizer Covid vaccination, study finds - NBC News

Pfizer study to vaccinate whole Brazilian town against COVID-19 - Reuters

Allowing people to mix COVID-19 vaccines could cut into Pfizer and Moderna’s revenue next year - MarketWatch

Complaints regarding job scams climbed during the pandemic, the Better Business Bureau warned. About 32% of complaints noted they did the work but were never paid, reporting a median financial loss of $1,000. The BBB said to verify employment offers to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft and losing money.

Who scams the scammers? Meet the scambaiters - The Guardian

Why today’s cybersecurity threats are more dangerous - CSO Online

Recent investments in electric vehicle production are boosting jobs at some factory locations as more automakers gear up to make battery-powered versions of popular vehicles. Michigan is slipping from its position as America’s automotive epicenter, exacerbated by Ford Motor Co.’s $11.4 billion investment in new electric vehicle factories that will be located in Kentucky and Tennessee. The project will employ almost 11,000 workers.

Whitmer: Michigan Wasn't Given Shot At New Ford EV Plants - CBS Detroit

GM may double revenues as it pivots to increased capacity for EV assembly at factories - Detroit Free Press

"Littler COVID-19 Vaccine Employer Survey Report – Delta Variant Update" - Littler / Source: Littler

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Here's Why Up To 6 Million Americans Who Lost Covid Unemployment Benefits Likely Won't Return To Work This Year - Forbes

Newsom approves laws to revamp California's unemployment benefits system - The Los Angeles Times

@charliebilello: ADP Private Payroll Report: 568k new jobs were added in September vs. 428k estimate. 19.6 million jobs were lost in March-April 2020. 14.1 million jobs have since been added back. Still 5.5 million to go. Good news: there are 10.9 million job openings.

Stock futures tumbled amid investor concern about rising energy prices after oil prices climbed to their highest level in nearly seven years when OPEC and its allies declined to significantly ramp up production. An offshore oil spill in Southern California threatened some of the area’s most popular beaches and renewed calls for a drilling ban.

Global Energy Crisis Is the First of Many in the Clean-Power Era - Bloomberg

Oil spill causes problems for OC businesses that rely on beach tourism - The Orange County Register

California oil spill: Pipeline wasn't shut down for more than 3 hours after pressure failure alert, feds say - USA Today

Monday’s six-hour Facebook outage that also took down Instagram and WhatsApp prompted companies that rely on the network to reconsider using these platforms as their primary tool. Many small businesses use Facebook and Instagram to advertise, connect with customers and sell products and services. Facebook – the U.S.’s second-largest online advertiser – issued an apology to the business community and said advertisers were not billed for ads during the outage.

Facebook’s outage frustrates advertisers heading into the holiday season. - The New York Times

Facebook, WhatsApp outage an annoyance for US, but a big deal in rest of the world - NBC News

@leticia: Facebook had a 101% spike in 2nd quarter profit led by a big increase in ad purchases and prices. Turns out, small- and medium-sized businesses (the same ones who had most to lose with the outage yesterday) made up a big part of that ad growth

Food trucks, like many other businesses, re-evaluated operation during the pandemic without the reliance of a lunch hour rush fueled by office workers and the weekend bar crowd. Many adapted by selling in residential neighborhoods and embracing food delivery apps. As more restaurants turn to delivery apps, cities are moving toward enacting fee caps and addressing the working conditions for delivery couriers.

Tortoise expands remote operated robotic delivery to convenience stores across the US - TechCrunch

How much should you tip the delivery person during COVID-19? This woman was dragged on Reddit for tipping 10% - MarketWatch

​‘Tired of being stepped on’: Instacart workers urge customers to delete app - The Guardian

The four-day workweek is growing in popularity as studies indicate greater productivity, less burnout and a decrease in carbon emissions. The five-day, 40-hour workweek, which has been a staple in the U.S. since the Fair Labor Standards Act set new standards in 1938, is becoming less relevant as society shifts away from the male breadwinner model that has been around since the start of industrialism.

How employers can experiment with the 4-day work week - Fortune

Is the 4 Day Work Week a Good Idea? - Gallup

@GreaterBoston: New England-based outdoor travel tech company The Wanderlust Group decided to cut Mondays from their workweek to help address pandemic burnout. “Productivity increased, happiness increased and our results speak for themselves,” CEO Mike Melillo said.”

"U.S. Companies Add Most Jobs in Three Months, ADP Data Show" - Bloomberg / Source: ADP Research Institute

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Judging 'sincerely held' religious belief is tricky for employers mandating vaccines - NPR

Dept. of Health Addresses HIPAA Applicability to COVID-19 Vaccination Information - The National Law Review

DraftKings is adding its second-largest office space in the U.S. with the plan to house more than 1,000 employees. The Las Vegas space will occupy 90,000 square feet in early 2022. DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish said the move “further exemplifies DraftKings’ investment in its employees and the future of the company, as well as the local community.”

Office space still a compelling investment — with risks - Advisor

The Great Disconnect: Many More Employers Than Workers Want To Return To Offices - Forbes

Remote work policies have enabled a mass exodus from Silicon Valley, leaving many former tech offices in San Francisco sitting empty. With the ability to work from anywhere, employees are escaping the San Francisco area, which is the most expensive real estate market in the country. However, Google employees could see a significant pay cut — anywhere from 5% to 25% — if they move from a more expensive hub like San Francisco or New York City.

39% of businesses increased productivity with remote work during covid restrictions - Acrofan

'We will never go back': These execs made big calls on remote work and are sticking to them - Dallas Business Journal

Military personnel in the UK started driving fuel tankers Monday to combat a shortage of truck drivers that has closed some gas stations and caused panic buying and long lines at others. The country also issued temporary work visas for 5,000 foreign truck drivers to address the fuel crisis. With the crisis in its second week, some consumers fear that disruptions could continue into the holiday season.

UK Braces for a Difficult Holiday Season Due to Shortages - The New York Times

U.K. Services Prices Jump at Record Pace on Supply-Chain Woes - Bloomberg

@pmdfoster: Downing St “infuriated” that only 27 of 300 immediate 3 month tanker-driver visas taken up…now the reason there are fuel shortages. (Fwiw plenty in industry suspected the scheme was set up to show immigration wasn’t solution). QED. X2. #brexit

A recent Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll found that minority-owned small businesses were negatively impacted more significantly by the pandemic than their white counterparts. The study also found that minority business owners were also significantly less likely to have applied for and received PPP loans. LGBTQ workers were 30% more likely to have lost their jobs in the pandemic, with nearly 80% of LGBTQ people of color reporting losing their jobs, according to a study by the Human Rights Campaign.

Minority-owned businesses grapple with uneven pandemic recovery - Columbus Business First

In Clearwater, Latino business owners feel effects of pandemic - Tampa Bay Times

"The Graphic Truth: 50 years of US inflation vs interest rates" - GZero / Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 16,274 media articles and blogs and 18,651 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, October 6, at 9:30AM ET.

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Remote work is popular, but ‘moments that matter’ happen onsite, say top executives - Fortune

Hybrid Work Environments Require New Communication Strategies - Forbes

@growingwisdom: Change with the times or make room for those who do. #WFH

The Office of Personnel Management issued a memo Friday noting that President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal employees can be enforced starting Nov. 9. The memo advised agencies to begin enforcement with a five-day period of counseling and education and give employees a chance to show they started the vaccination process or request an exception.

With a federal vaccine mandate coming, OSHA prepares for enforcement - NPR

Biden urges public to get vaccinated after acknowledging 700K COVID-19 deaths - The Hill

U.S. car sales dropped about 26% in September as the continued chip shortage and other supply disruptions cut into vehicle availability and fueled rising prices. Supply chain shortages will likely linger as cargo ships anchored off the West Coast could face a month-long delay to dock amid port staff shortages. Consumer prices hit a 30-year high in August as the PCE price index rose 4.3%.

Audi CEO sees chip shortage as 'perfect storm' but will get through it - Reuters

Global chip shortage hitting Samsung worse than Apple - Tom’s Guide

@ianbremmer: The last time the US & Western Europe experienced sky-high inflation was in the 1970s, @adam_tooze reminds #GZEROWorld. We're still "working off the hangover" and panicking over inflation. "We need to update our economic vision." @gzeromedia

The White House National Security Council will host a 30-country meeting to address ransomware and cybercrime, Biden said Friday. The session will also cover the illegal use of cryptocurrency. The Transportation Security Administration issued emergency regulations following a cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline shut down earlier this year to prevent further attacks, although some critics say the regulations could impact pipeline reliability.

Risky business: walking the tightrope between cybersecurity and business productivity - Teiss

Companies are using a growing number of tracking services as employees work from home - NPR

Three Tips For Equitable Digital Transformation - Forbes

More airlines announced vaccine requirements for employees last week following United Airlines’ announcement that it will terminate 600 employees who refuse to get vaccinated. American Airlines, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines will require all U.S.-based staff members and some international crews to be vaccinated. Delta Airlines is currently evaluating Biden’s mandatory vaccine order.

United CEO: Employee Vaccine Mandate Was “The Right Decision” - TravelPulse

@warrenleightTV: I'm glad American Airlines is mandating the vaccine, but they should have taken action earlier. Like many fear-based corporations, they waited to see how it would work out elsewhere. United Airlines showed true leadership here, American Airlines hedged while people died.

"Economists are optimistic about U.S. consumer spending. One reason why: lower-income households account for a significant proportion of excess savings and are more likely to spend it. An interesting chart from the Morgan Stanley team led by Ellen Zentner:" - Lisa Abramowicz on Twitter / Source: Federal Reserve Board, Morgan Stanley Research

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Turbine Labs has tracked 8,014 media articles and blogs and 12,114 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, October 5, at 9:30AM ET.

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School boards across the country are seeking help from the federal government to protect them from an influx of threats stemming from coronavirus safety restrictions. The National School Boards Association said in a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday that board members, students and staff members had experienced at least 20 instances of threats, harassment and acts of intimidation, mostly in response to mask mandates as well as critical race theory. More school districts, including California's second-largest in San Diego, are also mandating the vaccine for staff and students.

Eurozone inflation climbed to its highest level in 13 years in September, driven by the reopening of economies after shutdowns. The rise was also driven by surging energy prices, deepening concern among policymakers in the area. European officials echoed those in the U.S., saying the current spikes appear to be “largely transitory,” but some have voiced concerns that official price forecasts are too low.

Australian officials announced they will reopen the country’s borders to international travelers in November, signaling some resolve to accept the coronavirus in daily life. Travel restrictions will be dropped for fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents, with plans for restrictions on tourists, immigrants and students to be eased later.

Portugal’s vaccination campaign has nearly reached its end, with about 85% of the country’s population and about 98% of those over 12 fully protected. The high rate offers a look to other nations at what the next steps could be to contain the virus. While the country’s health officials say they have achieved a good result, many are still worried about a winter wave and a rise in hospitalizations.

CONTENT FACTS.

Turbine Labs has tracked 19,297 media articles and blogs and 15,665 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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The rate of COVID-19 deaths is projected to decrease over the next four weeks, marking a reversal in the number of cases for the first time since June. About 55% of the entire U.S. population is now fully vaccinated, with health officials employing multiple strategies to boost protection. Los Angeles officials indicated they plan to vote next week on one of the most strict measures in the country that would require proof of vaccination to enter most businesses.

The U.S. Senate reached a funding deal on Wednesday that will avoid a government shutdown, but pressure to increase the federal debt limit and avoid a government default are intensifying . Republicans said they will reject legislation in the Senate to increase or suspend the debt limit, which they hope to tie to Democrats’ massive social spending legislation.

Paint is the latest material to be added to the list of shortages across the U.S., driven by raw material constraints and price inflations. Companies continue to warn of the dual challenge ahead this holiday season, in which a shortage of labor workers could compound supply constraints.

Aladdin on Broadway was canceled on Thursday just one day after reopening due to breakthrough coronavirus cases, underscoring the struggles of the performing arts amid outbreaks. While Aladdin was the first and only confirmed cancelation for a reopened Broadway production since June, singers and other performing artists have announced a string of cancellations due to coronavirus detections.

CONTENT FACTS.

Turbine Labs has tracked 23,074 media articles and blogs and 14,712 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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Coronavirus-related shutdowns at Vietnamese factories are causing the latest supply-chain headache for retailers, who say they were already expecting delays and shortages ahead of the holiday season. Outbreaks across the globe have caused lingering supply issues and higher prices for labor and shipping costs, although many economists are forecasting that U.S. recovery will regain momentum following a delay in spending driven by the delta variant outbreaks.

U.S. Senators introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require critical infrastructure entities to report data breaches to the U.S. government. The legislation, which would mark the first requirement of its kind, comes after several high-profile cybersecurity incidents this year including attacks on Colonial Pipeline and JBS USA. Frustrated by logjams in Congress, the Federal Trade Commission is considering its own rule changes that would strengthen privacy protections for consumer data.

State lawmakers in Alabama are weighing whether to use up to $400 million in pandemic relief funds to finance the construction of more prison space, underscoring the debate over how to address high coronavirus outbreaks in prisons. Opponents are urging lawmakers to consider sentencing reform instead of building more space. The U.S. justice department sued the state of Alabama in December over conditions in state prisons that put inmates at risk of peer violence and excessive force.

U.S. officials have declared the ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 other species as officially extinct, highlighting the severity of extinction worldwide due to climate change and habitat loss. Scientists say the rise in the number of pandemics coincides with tropical deforestation, urging governments worldwide to do more to prevent the destruction of nature.

Orders placed within U.S. manufacturers for business equipment strengthened in August, extending to six months a solid run of robust capital investment that’s helping aid economic growth. The strong demand for computers and electronic products kept the spending on track – core capital goods orders increased 0.5% and shipment rose 0.7%.

For the first time in his presidency, Biden faces a trust deficit among Americans when it comes to COVID-19. Business groups are growing increasingly frustrated as Labor Department officials move forward with Biden’s vaccine requirement, criticizing the administration’s refusal to engage in dialogue with the business community.

After an initial dip in the beginning of the pandemic, advertising has soared. Digital advertising in particular is driving the boom, increasing from 48% of media spend in 2019 to 52% in 2020. As coronavirus fatigue sets in, advertisers have begun turning away from overt references to the virus. Grocery delivery service Instacart is expanding its advertising business, confident that consumers will continue to use the platform even as pandemic-related restrictions ease.

Health experts expect the upcoming flu season to be worse than last year, which experienced an unprecedented lull due largely in part to coronavirus-related precautions. The flu’s absence spared healthcare workers, hospitals and the general population a second swell of sickness atop the pandemic, but some experts say the previous season left our immune cells without an “important annual reminder.”

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Turbine Labs has tracked 20,961 media articles and blogs and 19,985 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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Lawmakers face a showdown this week over President Joe Biden’s economic agenda as the Oct. 1 deadline for a possible government shutdown looms. An expected vote on the $1 trillion infrastructure package, slated for Monday, was postponed until Thursday, underscoring the fight ahead for Democrats’ $3.5 trillion social-spending package that could be the largest overhaul of the nation’s tax and spending priorities in decades.

Providers in markets such as fossil fuels, metals and agriculture are facing an unexpected downside to booming demand during the pandemic. While last year’s demand was historic for many commodities, rising prices forced traders to borrow more money, a change that has particularly impacted smaller players. Some banks have scaled back their lending to commodities firms, while others are entering agreements more cautiously.

Soaring power and gas prices in Europe threaten to squeeze the industry and force large increases in consumer electricity bills in coming months. As exporters such as Russia move to keep more natural gas home, countries are outbidding one another, prompting experts to predict a worsening crunch when temperatures drop this winter.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives were defeated in Germany’s election over the weekend, setting off the beginning of what could be months of negotiation to determine the next leader of Europe’s biggest economy. Olaf Scholz of the center-left Social Democrats took the highest portion of votes on Sunday.

CONTENT FACTS.

Turbine Labs has tracked 10,370 media articles and blogs and 10,762 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, September 28, at 9:30AM ET.

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Why Reparations Are Needed to Close the Racial Wealth Gap - The New York Times

Democratic Leaders Scramble to Find Areas of Agreement on $3.5 Trillion Spending Bill - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. debt default could wipe out 6 million jobs and $15 trillion in wealth, Moody's says - CBS News

First-time jobless claims jumped to 351,000 last week, the highest level in a month and well above the 320,000 Dow Jones estimate. Continuing claims data also increased by 181,000 to 2.84 million as the number of people receiving benefits fell sharply with federal programs slowing. Stock Futures wavered Friday despite the uptick in jobless claims and worries surrounding the Evergrande debt crisis in China.

Labor shortages in US: Most, least impacted areas in the country - Fox Business

The Delta variant is keeping the US economy from getting back to normal - CNN

@carlquintanilla: JPMORGAN: “Since mid-June .. we have failed to find large effects in those states that ended benefits early in terms of regular jobless claims, alt-data indicators such as OpenTable dining and Google searches for ‘jobs’ .. state-level jobs and earnings growth ..”

New York City became the first U.S. city to take aggressive steps towards improving food delivery employees’ working conditions by approving legislation that will set minimum pay and address the dangerous conditions for app-based food delivery workers. Pandemic lockdowns exploded the use of the food delivery industry, with the number of delivery workers rising to over 80,000.

DoorDash now lets customers order alcohol - CNBC

DoorDash Said to Lead Round in Flink at $2.1 Billion Value - Bloomberg

@DanPriceSeattle: New York passed nation-leading protections for app delivery drivers: *Can use bathroom at restaurants *They get to keep tips *Minimum pay for trips. And that's the BEST in the nation. The gig economy really is like working in the year 1921

California Gov. Gavin Newson signed legislation addressing the working conditions for warehouse workers like Amazon by establishing new standards for companies to disclose productivity quotas. The legislation promises workers cannot be retaliated against for failing to meet an unsafe quota. It also bars the use of algorithms preventing workers from taking breaks, endangering their health and safety. E-commerce popularity skyrocketed throughout the pandemic with Amazon profits increasing nearly 200% since early 2020.

New demographic data shows continued divide at Amazon - Reuters

E-commerce fulfillment trends evolve in wake of pandemic - Talk Business & Politics

As kids return to school and workers return back to the office, the childcare industry is unable to accommodate a continuing spike in demand. The pandemic pushed upwards of 2.1 million women aged 25 to 54 out of the labor force with only half returning, but the rebound is driven by women with a college education. The child-care crisis has become a global economic debacle.

‘Can’t Compete’: Why Hiring for Child Care Is a Huge Struggle - The New York Times

Female MBA Grads Earn $11,000 Less Than Male Peers, Study Finds - Bloomberg

Australia, Germany, Canada offer blueprints for easing US childcare crisis - Fortune

@RepSylviaGarcia: Child care facilities are struggling, and that hurts both working families and child care providers. These are vital industries, and they need support. That's why we need to pass the #BuildBackBetter Act and build the #CareEconomy that works for everyone

"Ordering in: The rapid evolution of food delivery" - McKinsey & Company / Source: Edison Trends

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Turbine Labs has tracked 17,809 media articles and blogs and 20,514 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, September 27, at 9:30AM ET.

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Annual peak Covid seasons are here to stay. The world of work will pay a big price - CNBC

Most Americans will get booster shots soon, doctor predicts - TODAY

Doctors Encouraging Flu Vaccinations, Warn Of Double-Punch With COVID-19 - KPBS

@PrisonPlanet: The CEO of pharmaceutical giant Moderna says that even younger people will have to get vaccine booster shots at least once every three years, meaning that a two-tier society which punishes the unvaccinated could remain in place indefinitely.

The Fed’s rate-setting committee indicated they expect to slow the asset purchases used to support the economy, predicting a raise in interest rates next year and sending a clear signal that policymakers are preparing to taper the $120 billion in monthly asset purchases as soon as November. Federal Reserve policymakers predicted an annual inflation rate of 4.2% by year's end, a 3.4% increase over what they were forecasting in June.

US Stocks Rise as Fed Signals Possible 2022 Interest-Rate Hike - The Wall Street Journal

Fed Officials See ‘Transitory’ Inflation Lasting Quite a While - The Wall Street Journal

@johnauthers: This. The most sensible reading of what Powell just said is that the Fed starts tapering at $15billion per meeting, starting in November. That would get the job finished next June - and it's a more aggressive taper than most seem to be expecting. #FOMC

United Airlines is the latest company to face criticism as the number of religious exemptions associated with an increase in COVID-19 vaccine mandates continues to grow. Six United employees filed a class-action lawsuit in Texas federal court, alleging the airline denied religious and medical exemptions from its coronavirus vaccine requirement and made the exemptions difficult to apply for. The suit alleges that if an employee secures a religious exemption, the company effectively terminates them. United was one of the first large U.S. companies to announce a vaccine mandate for its employees back in August.

Vaccine mandates for travel are legal in the U.S. — and more are probably coming - CNBC

Nurses Are In Short Supply. Employers Worry Vaccine Mandate Could Make It Worse - NPR

Judge says NYC can move ahead with DOE vaccine mandate - New York Post

@briantylercohen: After Maine implemented a statewide vaccine mandate, of the more than 33,000 healthcare workers employed at the 2 largest healthcare providers in the state, only 65 people quit over the mandate. That's 0.19%. Vaccine mandates work.

U.S. home sales fell in August as near-record asking prices made buyers think twice, easing the frenzy the turbocharged housing market felt just a few months ago. August's existing-home sales declined 2% from July, the biggest monthly decline since April. Housing inventory declined 13.4%, but median house prices increased 14.9% in the same time frame compared to a year ago.

Most overpriced housing markets: Idaho, Utah cities top US list - Deseret News

This is how much it could cost to buy a house in the U.S. by 2030—and tips on how to start saving now - CNBC

Robotic process automation, or software bots, became a critical tool during pandemic lockdowns and office closures, with up to 40% of companies worldwide turning to bots and other forms of automation to control everyday office tasks. The adoption of bots helped ease routine office work and offered more complex help like proofreading legal contracts at much higher speeds than remote workers alone. As more companies transition to a remote work model, the robotic process automation market is expected to grow by double digits through 2024, reaching $1.89 billion in revenue this year.

Workers fear robots and automation from Covid are here to stay. But they create jobs. - NBC News

Study: As a population gets older, automation accelerates - MIT News

Lounge's new app aims to reimagine the office for the remote work era - TechCrunch

@JimPethokoukis: "Wal­greens de­ployed soft­ware bots ... in fi­nance, hu­man re­sources, the sup­ply chain and other key busi­ness ar­eas, the drugstore com­pany said ear­lier this year. Wal­greens said it plans to in­crease the use of bots in the year ahead"

"Return to Work: Consumer Insights Study" - Medallia / Source: Sense360 August 2021 Survey by Medallia

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 21,741 media articles and blogs and 22,269 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Friday, September 24, at 9:30AM ET.

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Debt-Limit Suspension Passes House, Faces Standoff in Senate - The Wall Street Journal

Congress's failure to lift debt ceiling would devastate US economy, study finds - The Washington Post

@vermontgmg: The unseriousness of the GOP in governing over the last decade is the greatest modern threat the US faces. The debt ceiling is an insane self-destruct button in the US Gov that the GOP continues to play chicken with.

Google announced plans to buy a $2.1 billion sprawling Manhattan office building on the Hudson River waterfront, one of the highest prices spent for an office building in the U.S. in recent years. Despite recently delaying plans to return to the office until January, the search engine giant joins other tech companies investing in prime real estate, signaling a jolt of optimism in the industry.

Los Angeles firm spends $490 million on Seattle office building leased by Amazon - The Seattle Times

Hines, Korean Pension Fund Bet Big on San Francisco Comeback - The Wall Street Journal

They Never Could Work From Home. These Are Their Stories. - The New York Times

Ready your organization for a hybrid work model - Fast Company

@JimmySpencer: There’s a lot of good points about remote work in 2021. Work-life balance being chief among them. But when I look at my career, if it consisted of just remote and no work-social life, there’s no way I could have grown, learned and enjoyed work the same. It’s not all or nothing.

President Joe Biden outlined a U.S. foreign-policy vision rooted in global alliances during his address to the UN, saying big issues facing the world, like climate change and the pandemic, can only be solved with countries with varying national interests working together. Biden is expected to announce Wednesday that the U.S. will purchase 500 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer to donate to developing countries. The announcement comes as pressure grows on U.S. drug companies like Moderna to share its COVID-19 vaccine technology with nations in desperate need of more shots.

Biden Tells The U.N. The U.S. Is Embarking On An Era Of 'Relentless' Diplomacy - NPR

Biden to Push Global Plan to Battle Covid as National Gaps Widen - The New York Times

More and more businesses are enforcing vaccine mandates as the coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S. Amtrak will require nearly all of its 18,000 employees to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22. The San Francisco International Airport also said each tenant and on-site contractor must immediately require all on-site personnel to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 1.

COVID-19 and the U.S. courts: challenges to vaccine requirements - Reuters

School vaccine mandates aren't new: A history of requirements - CNET

The House approved a bill Tuesday that would protect banks servicing state-legal marijuana businesses from facing penalization. The SAFE Banking Act would benefit marijuana companies that have been long hindered by the need to deal in cash due to federal restrictions. As the cannabis industry has continued to boom throughout the pandemic, businesses like Amazon urged the U.S. government to legalize marijuana to catch up with the growing number of states that have decriminalized cannabis use.

Why The Feds Love Marijuana Legalization - Forbes

Denver pandemic cannabis sales smashed records, according to new report - Denver Business Journal - Denver Business Journal

Cannabis e-commerce startup Jane Technologies raises $100M after stellar growth - TechCrunch

@RepLouCorrea: I support the Safe Banking Act. Let’s begin to decriminalize cannabis federally. All legal cannabis businesses across our country pay their employees, bills, and FEDERAL taxes with cash! Cannabis businesses and customers deserve access to a banking system!

"Fed Dot Plot to Show Debate on 2022 Liftoff: Decision-Day Guide" - Bloomberg / Source: Bloomberg survey of economists September 10-15

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 23,566 media articles and blogs and 21,941 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, September 23, at 9:30AM ET.

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Cramer says U.S. economy unlikely to face major damage from struggling Chinese developer Evergrande - CNBC

Evergrande: Asia stocks mixed as investors weigh China concerns - BBC

@PeterSchiff: Many are now worried that real estate representing 20% of the Chinese economy threatens to destabilize its economic model. Yet few are raising similar concerns about consumer spending representing 70% of the U.S. economy representing a destabilizing threat to our economic model!

The Biden administration plans to ease travel restrictions starting in November for foreign travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in an effort to lessen tensions with Europe and reunite families. Non-citizens visiting the U.S. will still be required to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test result. The travel restrictions have been active for over 18-months and cover travel from 33 countries, including members of the EU, China, Iran and South Africa. The announcement aims to add new life to the U.S. tourism industry which suffered a $500 billion loss in travel expenditures in 2020.

US extends land border restrictions with Canada, Mexico through Oct. 21 - USA Today

White House debates vaccines for air travel - The Hill

Easing restrictions will boost U.S. airlines but business travel still unclear - Reuters

@MayorToddGloria: The extension of nonessential travel restrictions at the US/Mexico border run contrary to the revised measures for air travel, further highlighting the inequity of these policies. It's time to restart travel across the border and end the harm impacting our region. #ForAllofUs

Newly released studies continue to show a desire for more remote work with 26% of HealthEquity survey respondents saying they had no plan to return to onsite work again. 77% of respondents said they did not want to return to working onsite full-time, citing time and commute costs and saying they are more productive and mentally healthier in a remote environment. Another “Return To Work Study” by Medallia found 96% of U.S. employees surveyed preferred to work on a hybrid basis.

Why workers might eventually reject hybrid work - BBC

Apple Is Working on iPhone Features to Help Detect Depression, Cognitive Decline - The Wall Street Journal

@ByronTau: In August, only about 13% of Americans were still teleworking. Even at the pandemic peak, only 35% of Americans were teleworking. The "conversation" about the future of work affects only a very narrow set of upper-income jobs requiring advanced degrees.

Vaccine developer Johnson & Johnson said a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine administered two months after the first shot is 94% effective and boosted protection against symptomatic illness among late-stage clinical trial participants in the U.S. Data from the trial showed a booster dose given six months after the first shot was increasingly more protective against the coronavirus. The discovery comes ​​after an FDA panel recommended against Pfizer boosters for those 16 and older, but booster shots remain a debate in the public health community.

New Study of Covid Booster Shots Fans Debate Over Benefits - The New York Times

Fauci: FDA vote against Covid booster shots ‘not the end of the story’ - The Guardian

States bracing for confusion about coronavirus booster rollout - The Washington Post

COVID-19 Has Now Killed About As Many Americans As The 1918-19 Flu - NPR

@angie_rasmussen: J&J recipients have often felt left behind by the dominance of discussion and recommendations about mRNA vaccines, but this is mostly because there’s much less data on J&J since fewer doses have been administered. Hopefully this changes that.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau headed towards a third straight electoral victory Monday after calling a snap election but his political gamble did not pay off as Canadian voters failed to give him the majority government he had been seeking in Parliament. The preliminary election results Monday mirrored results from the 2019 election. The Canadian dollar strengthened against the U.S. in Asian trading on Tuesday, as investors were reassured of continued economic support.

Trudeau claims victory in Canada election but falls short in bid to form majority government - CNN

Trudeau Seeks a Fresh Start, but Many Voters See a Power Grab - The New York Times

What Trudeau’s win means for Canada-U.S. relations - Politico

"Flexibility Is The Future" - HealthEquity / Source: HealthEquity Survey: Return Working in the New Normal

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Turbine Labs has tracked 20,611 media articles and blogs and 23,426 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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CVS Health to hire 25,000 ahead of flu season, COVID-19 boosters - Reuters

Cuba vaccinates children as young as 2 in strategy to reopen schools, economy - CNN

A New Covid Testing Model Aims to Spare Students From Quarantine - The New York Times

@ashishkjha: Good news many parents (including me!!) have been waiting for Pfizer data shows vaccine safe, effective for 5-11 year-olds If the full data bears this out As I've been saying for a while My 9-year will get a shot by Halloween And that'll be a treat!

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected the proposal to approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster shots for the general population on Friday, agreeing only to recommend injections for people ages 65 and older and for those at high risk of severe illness. The FDA cited concerns over a lack of evidence, saying it is too soon to justify booster shots for everyone and that it is more important to get more people vaccinated the first time around.

Covid-19 Vaccinations Boost the Global Economy, but May Not Cure It Alone - The Wall Street Journal

Vaccine mandate backlash sparks concerns of other health crises - The Hill

NIH director believes widespread coronavirus vaccine boosters will be recommended despite FDA opinion - Fox News

@DrEricDing: 💡Hopeful—“preliminary data suggesting that mixing different vaccines could offer an even stronger immune boost”. Scientists hope 3 vaccine doses gets us enough protection—hybrid antibodies appear to be more versatile and recognize more #COVID19 variants.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on Congress to raise or suspend the U.S. debt ceiling, saying the government will otherwise run out of money sometime in October. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a "dear colleague" statement calling on Congress to act in a bipartisan manner to avoid a widespread government shutdown, but the GOP said it will not budge on its vow not to help Democrats raise the ceiling before the crucial October deadline.

U.S. Default Date Is Estimate Congress Wants, Yellen Can’t Give - Bloomberg

Fed to reveal new projections with investors on alert for rate liftoff timing - Reuters

After years of being 'squeaky clean,' the Federal Reserve is surrounded by controversy - CNBC

@mattyglesias: You need layered mitigation strategies for the debt ceiling: — Republicans should vote to raise it — But it’s also unconstitutional and all bills will be paid whether or not it’s raised — And we should mint some platinum coins to put on Yellen’s to clarify she’s good for it

Natural-gas prices surged to nearly double what they were six months ago on Friday, a 17% jump just this month, prompting winter shortage worries. Rock-bottom gas prices have long been a reliable feature of the U.S. economy. Across Europe, sky-high natural gas prices and low stockpiles caused by maintenance issues at energy plants are pushing broad inflation, hurting consumers and threatening pandemic recovery.

Oil Companies to Be Sidelined at U.N.’s Climate Conference - The Wall Street Journal

Natural gas has only done this twice in the last decade, and it could mean more pain ahead, charts suggest - CNBC

Gas price rise: 'UK not seeing risks to supplies right now' - BBC

@JohnCornyn: Biden Says He’s Exploring Why Gas Prices Are High @BGOV Here's some ideas: 1) supply and demand 2) inflation 3) labor shortages 4) increased transportation costs especially for imports from OPEC 5) restrictions on domestic production 6) threat of higher taxes and regulations

To limit screen time for younger Chinese users, the maker of TikTok said the social media platform will restrict access to the Chinese version of the app to 40 minutes a day for users under 14 years old. The company also released a new youth-oriented version that promotes educational videos and allows users to like but not upload original clips. The move comes after Beijing stepped up efforts to protect minors from internet risks. TikTok’s popularity exploded during the pandemic and continues to soar.

What is TikTok? Why Is It So Popular? - Brandastic

'Devious licks' on TikTok encourages school vandals: What you need to know about the trend - CNET

@FarhadJarralPK: “To further protect minors we have introduced a minimum age requirement for using TikTok and improved upon tools such as Family Pairing that give parents the opportunity to control their children's accounts.”

"The great resignation: Boomers and Gen X stay put, while millennials and Gen Z walk away" - VentureBeat / Source: Amdocs Research: Workforce of 2022: Reskilling, Remote and More

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Turbine Labs has tracked 7,754 media articles and blogs and 29,587 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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Will Biden's mandates work? Macron's vaccine pass gamble may hold some clues - CNN

Which countries are enforcing mandatory Covid jabs – and how? - The Guardian

@ClareinItaly: Yes, Italy's new Covid green pass extension really does apply to all workplaces and no, your anti-vax colleague won't be left with a great deal of options. Here are all the details about the new rules coming in next month

Once used sparingly around the country, religious exemptions are growing in popularity as more COVID-19 vaccine mandates are implemented. An estimated 2,600 Los Angeles Police Department employees are citing religious objections to try to get out of the required vaccination, and thousands of state workers in Washington are seeking similar exemptions. No major denomination opposes the vaccine, even the Christian Science Church whose adherents largely rely on prayer rather than medicine.

This pastor will sign a religious exemption for vaccines if you donate to his church - The Washington Post

Vaccine Resisters Seek Religious Exemptions. But What Counts as Religious? - The New York Times

Transportation costs emerged as another supply-chain hurdle, overwhelming many businesses already confronting higher wages and raw material prices. Some CEOs said they expect elevated freight costs to stretch in 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to port lockdowns and container ships being taken out of service, resulting in an overall reduction capacity. The cost of shipping containers across the ocean is now higher, truck drivers are in short supply and gasoline is more expensive.

How the pandemic turned humble shipping containers into the hottest items on the planet - CNN

Get Ready for an Expensive Revenge Christmas - Bloomberg

@SahilBloom: The chart of the number of container ships stuck at anchor outside the LA and Long Beach ports is insane… It crossed 60 today—a figure that shatters all previous records—and most industry experts say there is no end in sight. Holiday shopping season could get very interesting.

Millennials were the first generation to disrupt the traditional ways of working and introduce a more purposeful approach, but now Gen Z is the largest demographic in the workplace. Unlike any cohort before them, Gen Z is a digital native generation whose formative years have been defined by the pandemic.

42% of Gen Z Prioritize Work-Life Balance Over Other Job Perks, Survey Says - GOBankingRates

What Students Are Saying About What It’s Like to Be Back in School - The New York Times

More than 30% of vaccinated Americans have in some way stopped socializing with friends, family members or acquaintances because they’re unvaccinated against COVID-19. A further 27% said they haven’t “cut ties” but that it “upsets them.” Gen Z respondents were the largest group to be vaccinated but have family members that aren’t.

Delta variant vaccinated vs. unvaccinated: This new CDC chart shows how well COVID-19 vaccines work - Fast Company

‘My Parents Wouldn’t Get Vaxxed to Attend My Wedding’ - The Cut

You’re Not the Mean Lady at Work - The New York Times

"Monitoring Incidence of COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths, by Vaccination Status" - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Source: CDC

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Turbine Labs has tracked 18,394 media articles and blogs and 51,908 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, September 20, at 9:30AM ET.

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America’s Grand Reopening, Postponed - The New York Times

China’s Economy Weakens on Delta Outbreak and Wary Consumers - Bloomberg

@JamesVGrimaldi: Resilience is the word of the day with retail sales report: U.S. re­tail sales rose 0.7% last month, a sign the economic recovery has staying power despite the Delta variant.

State and local governments have shed more than 400,000 jobs since the beginning of 2020, and those jobs have been far slower to return than the private sector positions that rebounded. Despite more Americans’ incomes falling last year, fewer people were living in poverty. The economic toll was balanced by the trillions of dollars in federal aid offered to the millions of people who were laid off.

Long-Term Impacts of the COVID-19 K-Shaped Recovery - Investopedia

How the U.S. Nailed the Economic Response to Covid-19 - The Wall Street Journal

President Joe Biden called a meeting of top business leaders Wednesday to build for a sweeping vaccine mandate that will impact most of America’s workers. The message centered on vaccine efficacy and how the stalled uptake is holding back the economy. Biden invoked commentary by Wall Street firms, which have said vaccinations have a positive impact on jobs and the economy.

EEOC Files First Lawsuit Against Employer for Failing to Accommodate Work Request due to COVID-19 - JD Supra

@LaurenSHirsch: President Biden is meeting w/ top execs from Microsoft, Disney, Walgreens & others to discuss the federal effort to require employees of large companies to be vaccinated or regularly tested.

Alaska’s worsening COVID-19 situation prompted the state’s largest hospital to implement a “crisis standard of care” in an effort to ration resources. The state reported new virus infections that were 13% higher than last week. The delta variant is affecting other states’ care as well – Idaho and Nevada both announced they would limit care amid higher-than-average hospitalization rates.

Overfilled ICUs put non-COVID patients' health at risk: "These are people suffering unnecessarily" - CBS News

Analysis: Hospital strain to test UK's vaccine-based winter COVID plan - Reuters

@AnthonyAdragna: Truly grim and tragic situation in Alaska, where hospital rooms are overflowing with Covid-19 patients.

Gov. Gavin Newsom will remain in office after California’s historical recall election, and a closer look at county-level results revealed a strong relationship between the governor’s support of COVID-19 vaccination rates. The data found a clear divide by geography along the two measures – residents in smaller, more rural places were less likely to support Newsom and get vaccinated.

California Democrats voted along broader political lines to save Newsom, CNN exit poll shows - CNN

Gov. Gavin Newsom beat California recall election effort with COVID-19, vaccine policies - MSNBC

Newsom’s Anti-Trump Recall Strategy Offers Republicans a Warning for 2022 - The New York Times

@ronlin: California counties with higher COVID-19 vaccination rates were more likely to support Gov. Gavin Newsom "Counties with the lowest vaccination rates were most eager to oust Newsom...inoculation status has became a new indicator" for votes

"Covid-19 Pandemic Aid Kept Millions of Americans Out of Poverty in 2020" - The Wall Street Journal / Source: Census Bureau

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Turbine Labs has tracked 21,823 media articles and blogs and 118,145 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

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Three big questions you probably have about Covid booster shots — and answers from top experts - CNBC

Third shot: UK to offer COVID booster jabs to over 50s - ABC News

Here’s What the Next Six Months of the Pandemic Will Bring - Bloomberg

@jburnmurdoch: Now with two injections (sorry) of nuance: 1) I don’t think it’s helpful to think of vaccine supply as a zero-sum game. Vaccine manufacturers respond to demand, and it’s not as simple as booster doses being diverted from Africa

Federal and local vaccine mandates are facing increased pushback and new lawsuits from individuals, employees and city governments. A group of employees with the Los Angeles Police Department are suing the city, claiming the vaccine mandate is a violation of their constitutional rights. Dozens of Washington State Patrol troopers are also suing Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. The lawsuits come amid a spike in officers threatening mass resignations.

Judge suspends NY state vaccine mandate for health care workers who claim religious exemption - CNN

Arizona AG files first lawsuit against Biden vaccine rules - Associated Press

Tucson says vaccine mandate is working amid lawsuit with state - KOLD News 13

Wells Fargo pushed back the date when its employees in the U.S. will return to the office to the beginning of November, marking the third time the lender has delayed its schedule. The firm has the biggest workforce of any U.S. bank. Microsoft, which announced earlier this month it was again postponing bringing employees back to the office, summed up the best reason for the delay: uncertainty.

Forget the Return to the Office. It’s a Return to Chaos - TIME Magazine

1 in 500 US residents has died of Covid-19 - CNN

@erinmulvaney: Firms delay office returns, and some law firm leaders are afraid of ‘irreparable harm’ to office culture in the long-term. In the meantime, fear of Covid-19 surges have pushed back return-to-office plans for many.

While overall airline passenger numbers have surged recently, companies appear to be taking a more cautious approach. The delta variant is likely playing a role in limiting improvements – the Chief Executive Officer of Delta Air Lines said the variant caused a “bit of a pause” on segments of business. The expected decline in business travel is prompting airline companies to try to capture more leisure travelers.

All Those Business Travel Chickens That Airlines Were Counting? They Aren't Hatching, Undercutting Forecasts. - Forbes

Boeing's Allen: Return to Office will Spur Businesses Travel - Bloomberg

@jonathanjosephs: MY LATEST: ✈️US plane maker Boeing says it expects it will take another 2.5 years for global aviation to return to pre-pandemic levels. And that a coordinated global approach on travel restrictions is "tremendously important" for the recovery.

Previously retired workers are entering the workforce again to do gig work largely due to financial situations, but also because it offers something to do. Older Americans faced more financial challenges during COVID-19 than in other wealthy nations – 19% of U.S. adults 65 and over reported using their savings during the pandemic.

America's new retirement age is 62 — or younger. The 'Great Resignation' is giving boomers their golden years back. - Insider

Opinion: Think you’ll stop working in your 60s? Get real - MarketWatch

Here’s how much money you should have in your retirement accounts by age 30, 40, 50 and beyond - CNBC

"Companies Take Cautious Approach in U.S. Business-Travel Return" - Bloomberg / Source: OAG

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Turbine Labs has tracked 27,138 media articles and blogs and 20,627 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Thursday, September 16, at 9:30AM ET.

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Stock futures jump after CPI inflation report comes in less than expected - CNBC

U.S. core consumer prices slow sharply in August - Reuters

@LizyoungStrat: CPI ex-food and energy m/m is back down to pre-crisis levels. Used cars (-1.5%), car and truck rental (-8.5%), and airfare (-9.1%) contributed to the slowdown. Some of this is a pause from Delta variant, but a cooling in multiple spots.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday threatened to fine cities and counties thousands of dollars if they impose vaccine requirements on their employees. The share of job postings requiring vaccination skyrocketed following the full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and at the end of August, the share of job postings per million recommending, rather than requiring, vaccination jumped 40% month over month.

Work in the Covid-19 Era: What the Numbers Say About Vaccine Mandates, Quitting and More - The Wall Street Journal

Companies have questions for President Biden about vaccine mandates. - The New York Times

Survey: Employers rethinking return-to-work plans as COVID-19 surges - Fierce Healthcare

The pandemic accelerated the importance of strengthening supply chains, prompting many companies to invest in resilience, including diversification or the use of advanced technologies to anticipate and minimize risks. Disruptions are slated to increase in magnitude and frequency – one study found companies are expected to experience disruptions lasting at least a month long approximately every 3.7 years.

Solar prices jumped in the second quarter, reversing recent trends, on material costs and supply chain issues - CNBC

Three Ways IT Leaders Can Help Boost Supply Chain Efficiency - Forbes

@CourtReagan: Just a heads up...COVID is still stunting supply chain speed...might be good to consider shopping early for the holidays...

Hospitals in the southern U.S. are running low on space in intensive care units after the delta variant led to spikes in coronavirus cases. One in four hospitals now report more than 95% of I.C.U. beds occupied. In Alabama, all I.C.U. beds are currently occupied.

How Well Do Covid-19 Vaccines Protect Against Coronavirus Delta Variants? Here's A New CDC Study - Forbes

N.Y.C. Virus Cases Appear to Plateau. Could an Uptick Lie Ahead? - The New York Times

@nycjim: In Texas and Florida, whose governors have done everything possible to thwart simple, common-sense tactics to thwart #COVID, hospital ICU wards are at or near 100 percent of capacity.

Vogue’s Anna Wintour said the most difficult aspect of putting on this year’s Met Gala was the “COVID protocols.” The annual fundraising gala known for its exclusivity and themes required guests to be vaccinated or provide a negative coronavirus test and wear a mask indoors.

Nicki Minaj Met Gala vaccine tweets highlight struggle against covid-19 misinformation - The Washington Post

Jimmy Fallon feels Met Gala signifies new hope after COVID - USA Today

Here's why you'll be seeing more memes from this year's Met Gala - NBC News

"Job Postings Requiring Vaccination Climb" - Indeed Hiring Lab / Source: Indeed

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Turbine Labs has tracked 22,403 media articles and blogs and 18,784 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Wednesday, September 15, at 9:30AM ET.

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Labor unions, a key Democratic ally, lukewarm on Biden vaccine mandate - NBC News

AHA concerned federal vaccine mandate could exacerbate severe worker shortage - Fierce Healthcare

A hospital says it won’t deliver babies after staffers resigned over coronavirus vaccine mandate - The Washington Post

Many companies in the U.S. are seeing an increasing number of workplace conflicts related to inoculation status, according to a new study. Oft-changing COVID-19 safety policies have cultivated a significant spike in workplace hostility, which has been exacerbated as more people return to the office. Biden’s new vaccine measures Friday prompted some company owners to express concern about the costs of technology and labor required to verify that workers are vaccinated or that they have tested negative every week.

Surgeon general: New vaccine policies neither illegal nor unusual - Politico

More than half of Americans support vaccine mandates for workplaces, classrooms and sporting events - CNN

Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate is further stressing the supply of rapid tests, prompting suppliers to increase production and pharmacies to limit purchases of at-home tests in an effort to meet demand. Americans criticized that the price of a test – which currently sits at $10 or $15 – is still too high for regular use. The Biden administration said consumers could soon get discounted tests at Amazon, Kroger and Walmart, but companies argue further federal support is needed.

Your vacation is around the corner. But first: time to scramble for a coronavirus test. - The Washington Post

From zippers to glass, shortages of basic goods hobble U.S. economy - Reuters

@hnorms: Germans pay less than $1 per test. Brits get them for free. Why do Americans still pay so much more for rapid covid tests?

While all federal employees will have to be vaccinated, a group of people who get paid out of the federal treasury will not be subject to a COVID-19 vaccine mandate – Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi previously said there would not be a vaccine requirement for members of Congress and their staff, and the president does not control the legislative branch. Though the exact number is unclear, available data indicates about 81% of the members of Congress have reported getting the shot.

What Makes Vaccine Mandates Legal? - JSTOR Daily

Can Biden legally mandate Covid-19 vaccines for workers? - Vox

Biden’s New Vaccine Requirements Draw Praise, Condemnation and Caution - The New York Times

TikTok, Reddit and Facebook have recently dealt with waves of content about ivermectin, an anti-parasite drug that has been touted as a COVID-19 treatment despite a lack of evidence. Many social media influencers who focus on natural remedies and holistic health have also promoted vaccine hesitancy. Social media platforms can target large accounts known for spreading misinformation, but find it harder to police tens of thousands of smaller accounts.

COVID, vaccine misinformation spread by hundreds of websites, analysis finds - USA Today

What happens when your prescription drug becomes the center of covid misinformation - Technology Review

Internet Vigilantes Are Fighting Ivermectin Misinformation With Memes And Explicit Horse Cartoons - Forbes

@US_FDA: You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.

"Fewer Pediatricians, More Cooks Seen in Dismal U.S. Jobs Outlook" - Bloomberg / Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Turbine Labs has tracked 10,728 media articles and blogs and 14,606 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Tuesday, September 14, at 9:30AM ET.

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Should Your Company Implement a Vaccination Mandate? - Harvard Business Review

Vaccine mandates pick up steam, but few employers say they'll fire violators - Fortune

@SherylNYT: Biden's biggest move was ordering businesses with 100+ employees to mandate vaccines or weekly testing for their workers. All told his vaccine mandates cover 2/3 of the American workforce. w/ @katierogers

Microsoft indefinitely postponed its call for employees to return to U.S. offices, citing uncertainty around COVID-19 as the delta variant drives a spike in U.S. cases. The move falls in line with similar measures taken by companies in the U.S. such as American Express and Macquarie.

Remote work made life easier for employees with disabilities. Advocates say the option should stay - Boston Globe

Study of Microsoft employees shows how remote work puts productivity and innovation at risk - GeekWire

To spur innovation, should tech workers return to the office?​ - Christian Science Monitor

Some economic observers have argued consumers are likely to have higher spending capacity in 2022 than businesses will be able to deliver in terms of goods and services. The argument falls in line with economists’ predictions that supply chain shortages will continue for the next two years due to complications stemming from the coronavirus. Rutledge cited further port closures and labor shortages as catalysts for more supply chain troubles, but said growth will be net positive.

Supply Chain Lessons Learned From The Covid-19 Pandemic - Forbes

Supply Chain, Labor Shortages Hamper Hurricane Ida Recovery - Construction Equipment

Supply chain challenges continue to plague restaurants - Restaurant Business

United Airlines said it will place unvaccinated employees seeking medical or religious exemptions from the company’s vaccine mandate on temporary unpaid leave beginning October 2 while the company implements further safety measures. The airline went on to say that employees whose exemption requests are not approved and still refuse a vaccine will be terminated.

Airlines end a strong summer, but the Delta variant stifles momentum. - The New York Times

As Travel Falters, Airlines Are Still Mustering for the Post-Covid-19 Battle - The Wall Street Journal

@Yamiche: President Biden showing a spark of anger says unruly passengers who are fighting with airline crews or TSA should "show some respect."He also announced that he is ordering TSA to double the fines for people of violate mask mandates.

Comedian Patton Oswalt cancelled shows in Utah and Florida after some venues refused to comply with the performer’s request that attendees show proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 tests. While Oswalt’s requests are in line with those that have been made by performers such as Jason Isbell and The Eagles, Live Nation’s president said demand for live shows has remained high despite vaccine policies.

Dr. Fauci: ‘I don’t think it’s smart’ to attend live sports right now. Here’s why - CNBC

Joe Biden Urges Entertainment Venues, Movie Theaters To Require Patrons Be Vaccinated Or Show Proof Of Negative Test - Deadline

@SeanPMeans: I went long on this @pattonoswalt cancellation announcement, because the way Utah law keeps @uutah venues from setting COVID-19 proof-of-vaccination requirements is interesting (and a little complicated).

"The US was a world leader in vaccination. What went wrong?" - Vox / SOURCE: Johns Hopkins University CSSE COVID-19 Data

CONTENT FACTS

Turbine Labs has tracked 17,822 media articles and blogs and 22,438 social media posts over the last 24 hours.

The next Turbine Labs Leadership briefing will be delivered on Monday, September 13, at 9:30AM ET.

Questions or feedback? Don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.

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