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☆ A three-headed economic monster lurches into the presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —With barely a month to go before the US presidential election, a trifecta of economic shocks is threatening to sap Vice President Kamala Harris’ momentum on voters’ No. 1 issue: a port strike, a hurricane and an escalation of fighting in the Middle East. Price pain could crop up elsewhere if the East Coast port strike, which began Tuesday, drags on longer than a week. “If the Boeing strike and the port strike … last through the second week of October, job growth for October could be negative,” researchers at Oxford Economics wrote Wednesday. A negative jobs report hasn’t been seen in this country since December 2020, the last full month of the Trump administration.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump hasn’t, “, ”, Harris, Emily Elconin, Harris ’, Price, Biden, Hurricane Helene, Moody’s, Helene, hasn’t, Trump, — Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Republican, Democratic, Bloomberg, Getty, Boeing, Biden, Oxford Economics Locations: New York, Georgia, East, Maine, Texas, Carolinas, Florida, Tennessee

☆ Dockworkers are waging a battle against automation. The rest of us may want to take notes
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Here’s the deal: The East Coast port strike is getting a lot of attention for its potential disruption to the economy — which is precisely the point. No dockworkers means no bananas (or whatever), which means no profits for the companies that produce and ship them. While research shows automation has obvious benefits, like lower operating costs and fewer human-related errors, port automation does not, on its own, significantly improve performance, according to a 2018 McKinsey report. But automation anxiety is rapidly spilling over into office work, where managers are adopting AI in the hopes of replacing human work or amplifying production. As Washington Post columnist Heather Long wrote Tuesday, the strike is “an early battle of well-paid workers against advanced automation.

Persons: CNN Business ’, It’s, ”, Dennis Daggett, Mark Felix, Sameera Fazili, Biden, it’s, …, ” Fazili, Heather Long Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Hollywood, McKinsey, International Longshoremen’s Association, Economic, Getty, National Economic Council, Washington Locations: New York, East Coast, China, Singapore, Europe, Port of New York, New Jersey, Long Beach, Los Angeles, AFP

☆ Silicon Valley has a plan to save humanity: Just flip on the nuclear reactors
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

No, the tech that’s going to save humanity will be powered by the tech that very nearly destroyed it. The tech industry’s solution, for now, is nuclear energy, which is more stable than wind or solar and is virtually carbon-emission-free. Amazon is working on putting a data center campus right on the site of a Talen Energy nuclear power plant in Northeast Pennsylvania. And while AI doomer predictions often get brushed off as alarmist forecasts, you can’t as readily dismiss the folks who are concerned about nuclear energy. Bottom line: There’s no AI future without a serious uptick in our power supply, which makes the expansion of nuclear power practically unavoidable.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Anna Erickson, ” Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Nvidia, International Energy Agency, JPMorgan, Microsoft, Energy, Financial Times, Founders Fund, Georgia Tech, Big Locations: New York, Harrisburg , Pennsylvania, Northeast Pennsylvania, Idaho, Big Tech

☆ We may have finally pulled ourselves out of our economic funk
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

After two years of the double pain of inflation and high interest rates, those things are normalizing. Sure, jobs were plentiful and the economy was growing, but the combination of high prices and high interest rates felt demoralizing. It’s hard to overstate how much interest rates can change the economic mood, Brendan Duke, a senior director for economic policy at the Center for American Progress, told me. And while both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have proposed ways to increase the housing supply, the process will take years. “There are economic trends like falling interest rates, and there are policies like making an investment in housing supply that can move the needle,” Duke says.

Persons: CNN Business ’, New York CNN —, Matt Phillips, Dow, That’d, Brendan Duke, ‘ it’s, ’ ”, that’s, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, It’s, ” Duke, they’re Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Dow, Wall, Center for American Progress, National Association of Realtors Locations: New York, Canada, Australia, New Zealand

☆ Another unforced error by Boeing is souring the new boss’ good vibes
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Less than two months into his tenure as CEO, Ortberg has largely understood the assignment. See here: We’re nearly two weeks into a strike by Boeing’s largest labor union. Initially, Ortberg seemed to have buy-in from labor leaders, who publicly acknowledged that the new boss was walking into a conflict that predated him by 16 years. All of that gave the new boss, who spent his first day at work touring a factory floor, a kind of pro-labor halo. “This tactic is a blatant show of disrespect” to union members and the bargaining process, the International Association of Machinists wrote Monday.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Kelly Ortberg, Ortberg, ’, ”, International Association of Machinists, “, “ We’ve, Wheaton, ” Wheaton, ’ …, ” It’s, it’s, ” Ortberg, It’s, Richard Aboulafia, ” Aboulafia, what’s, …, CNN’s Chris Isidore Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Boeing, machinists, International Association of, Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations Locations: New York, what’s

☆ Caroline Ellison, whose testimony helped convict Sam Bankman-Fried, faces her own sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —A year ago, Caroline Ellison was preparing to testify against her former boss and ex-boyfriend in one of the biggest fraud trials in US history. Ellison, who ran Alameda, pleaded guilty to seven federal counts of fraud and conspiracy shortly after FTX’s collapse. A jury last year convicted former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried on multiple counts of federal fraud and conspiracy. Over three days on the stand, Ellison, who is 29, repeatedly reinforced that throughout her years at Alameda, the buck stopped with Bankman-Fried. While sentencing is entirely up to Judge Kaplan’s discretion, legal experts say it’s highly unlikely Ellison will end up in prison.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Caroline Ellison, she’ll, FTX, Ellison, Sam Bankman, Lewis Kaplan, Ellison’s candor, Angela Weiss, “ Sam, ”, Dennis Kelleher, “, Kaplan’s, Jordan Estes, Kramer Levin, Josh Naftalis, Kaplan, Pallas, Ryan Salame, Nishad Singh, Gary Wang Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Alameda Research, Getty, Better, of, New, Bankman Locations: New York, Alameda, Bankman, of New York

☆ What happened to 23andMe?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Takes the company public. 23andMe went public in 2021, jumping on the SPAC trend of the era, when a bunch of companies went public via “special purpose acquisition companies” — essentially shell-company mergers that let firms go public in a hurry when investor appetite is strong. 23andMe co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki, pictured in 2020. Side note: I did my own 23andMe test, in 2019, motivated by a millennial compulsion to spend money on any product that promises to alleviate and/or deepen my corporeal angst. 23andMe has tried to convert one-time buyers into subscribers with the promise of continued feedback and personalized wellness plans.

Persons: CNN Business ’, it’d, Anne Wojcicki, ”, It’s, Susan Wojcicki, 23andMe, Emma McIntyre, Oprah’s, there’s …, Wojcicki, “ Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Yale, Google, Wall Street, Wall Street Journal Locations: New York, Bay

☆ The Fed’s rate cut had nothing to do with politics. That’s not holding politicians back
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But in his own way (very demure, very mindful) that is what happened Wednesday when he announced the Fed’s first rate cut in four years, a giant half-point reduction that will lower the cost of borrowing and offer financial relief for consumers and businesses. Whenever a reporter asks him about politics, Powell refuses to bite. Like on Wednesday, when he was asked whether the half-point rate cut had political motivations, he responded with something approaching exasperation. It’s just maximum employment and price stability on behalf of all Americans.”Of course, that’s unlikely to stop either party from using the rate cut news to their advantage, given that the economy is the No. Trump can continue to claim that a rate cut is a sign the economy is weak.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Jerome Powell, That’s, ” Powell, “ We’re, Republican Sen, Tommy Tuberville, “, Kamala Harris, ”, it’s, It’s, Jason Furman, Donald Trump, they’re, Pubkey, ” Trump, Powell, He’s, Joe Biden, Powell isn’t, Barack Obama, don’t, Harris, Biden, Steve Sosnick Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Republican, CNN, Trump, Fed’s, Governors, Interactive Brokers, Fed Locations: New York, America, Alabama, New York City, Trump

☆ Sam Altman’s lesser-known crypto project wants to scan the world’s eyeballs
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And when that happens, he’s got another project, Worldcoin, in the works to help fix it. To do that, it’s using its proprietary, basketball-ball sized “orbs” that scan people’s eyeballs and create a unique, immutable code based on the pattern of their irises. So I sat down (virtually) with Worldcoin’s co-founder and CEO, 30-year-old Alex Blania, to discuss the project’s origins and future. CNN: A lot of Worldcoin’s focus is future-focused — targeting problems that are hard for us to imagine today. Blania: I think there’s two pieces to that.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Sam Altman, it’ll, he’s, ChatGPT, Altman, ”, AGI, it’s, VCs, Andreesen Horowitz, Alex Blania, Joseph Nair, It’s, you’ve, Worldcoin, We’ve, there’s, There’s, You’ve Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Netflix, Worldcoin’s, CNN, Bloomberg, Getty, SpaceX, Apple Locations: New York, Singapore, Asia, Japan, Spain, Hong Kong, Malaysia, United States

☆ Trump is drowning in the misinformation swamp he helped create
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —The Republican nominee for president went on live TV and presented an unhinged, debunked Facebook rumor as fact. Scrolling on Facebook or X, it’s hard not to see some of that chaos creeping into the mainstream. Just a few weeks ago, the former president posted an AI-generated image on his Truth Social platform that suggested Taylor Swift had endorsed him. Of course, it was a fake image — the same kind of obvious AI slop that has overrun Facebook and X. Either Trump didn’t know the image was fake, or he didn’t mind lying to his followers and perpetuating the fake endorsement.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Donald Trump, ”, “, Jake Tapper, It’s, Clare Duffy, Elon Musk, ” Musk, there’s, Alex Brandon, Barack Obama, Taylor Swift, Trump, he’s, Kamala Harris, Swift, JD Vance, who’s, “ Fine Taylor Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Republican, 4chan, Meta, Trump, AP, Facebook Locations: New York, Ohio

☆ What is ‘founder mode?’ The meaning behind the latest Silicon Valley buzzword
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —The battle over “founder mode” versus “manager mode” is one of those manufactured dramas that only a small segment of the world cares about — like going to Davos or Cannes or the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. The idea is that a founder knows their company the way a parent knows their child. Graham doesn’t really define founder mode because every founder and every firm is different. I’ll offer another: Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater, one of the world’s biggest hedge funds. The most successful “founder mode” guys (they’re almost all male, as far as I can tell) seemed to always have a trusted manager by their side.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Paul Graham, Graham, ” Graham, Brian Chesky, Chesky, Steve Jobs, It’s, Graham doesn’t, Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Ray Dalio, narc, Rob Copeland, ”, Rich Hagberg, Ashley Herd, Jessica Lessin, “, Tim Cook Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Bridgewater, New York Times, LinkedIn Locations: New York, Davos, Cannes, Silicon Valley

☆ The two words Apple never mentioned at its iPhone 16 event
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Apple is wedging AI into its phones like a new U2 album no one asked for. However, given the “Apple Intelligence” highlights the company previewed in June and officially rolled out Monday, investors and customers alike may want to temper their expectations. Even Apple seemed to hedge a bit: It never mentioned the words “artificial intelligence.”The new tools look … fine. Munster expects iPhone sales will exceed Wall Street’s estimates in the coming quarters. The always image-conscious Apple knows better than to fall into the “AI” trap, even if its whole pitch for the new iPhone is AI.

Persons: CNN Business ’, you’ll, Siri, You’ll, ”, Gene Munster, Justin Sullivan, Tim Cook, ChatGPT, Apple Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Apple, Deepwater Asset Management, Munster, Apple Intelligence, Wall, of Hospitality Marketing, Management Locations: New York, Valley, Silicon Valley

☆ Dow gets a 500-point boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-09 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The Dow rose 484 points, or 1.2%, on Monday. At one point earlier in the afternoon, the Dow was up more than 600 points. This week, investors will get another look at US inflation data, starting Wednesday morning with the Consumer Price Index report. The Fed has kept interest rates high to bring price hikes under control. Because consumer spending makes up the vast majority of America’s economy, the Fed almost always plunges the economy into a recession when it hikes rates — although that’s obviously not the goal.

Persons: Dow, Fear, That’s, —, It’s Organizations: CNN — Investors, Dow, Nasdaq, CNN, Fed Locations: America

☆ Companies are caving to anti-DEI crusaders. That’s bad for business
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-06 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

(And in doing so, gave rise to a generation of hilarious “That’s why, for this pride month, I’ve partnered with” memes. But more damaging than the cringe of a tone-deaf tweet about diversity is when companies give up on the performance altogether. This week, Molson Coors, a longtime sponsor of Pride events and partner to LGBTQ+ nonprofits, joined the list. A Molson Coors representative declined to comment beyond the memo. Coors Light may have looked at its rival getting pummeled by right-wing pundits and feared being the next target.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Kendell Jenner, I’ve, John Deere, Davidson, Molson Coors, Coors, Robby Starbuck, ”, Nathaniel Meyesohn, Starbuck, George Floyd, Bud Light, Cait Lamberton, “, you’ve, pummeled, they’re, Tom Sebok, Molson, Sebok Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Pepsi, Harley, Tractor Supply, Molson Coors, Molson, Human Rights, Coors, DEI, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, The New England Consulting Locations: New York, America, United States

☆ Nvidia has more than just billions of dollars in value to lose if its stock keeps falling
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-05 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Nvidia, the nearly $3 trillion AI chip maker, is well known as a “golden handcuffs” employer. It’s worked especially well for Nvidia, a 30-year-old tech company whose specialized chips now account for 90% of AI-related chip sales. Since 2019, Nvidia’s stock has soared 3,000% — minting millionaires among its rank and file. Things got worse for Nvidia on Tuesday, when shares fell 9.5%, wiping $279 billion off its value. As my colleague David Goldman noted, only 27 companies on Earth are worth as much as Nvidia lost on Tuesday.

Persons: CNN Business ’, It’s, Jensen Huang, Per, David Goldman Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Nvidia, Bloomberg, Santa, Per Bloomberg, Wall, Google, Competition Locations: New York, ”

☆ This week could shift the focus of a key narrative for Harris and Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-04 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Those two events are the kind of thing that, in normal times, are tracked mostly by economists and Wall Street types. For former President Donald Trump and the Republicans, the narrative is simple: Anything bad you’re feeling about inflation or the job market? Harris entered the race trailing Trump on a range of issues, including the economy. If that were the whole story, Trump might have a harder time disparaging Harris’ and President Joe Biden’s economic record. If the data doesn’t behave, however, then jobs — not inflation — may become the key economic narrative that Harris and Trump will start talking about in their stump speeches.

Persons: CNN Business ’, New York CNN —, we’re, pollsters, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Harris, Price, Trump, Harris ’, Joe Biden’s, it’s, ”, Aaron Sojourner, Heidi Shierholz, Biden, — Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Federal Reserve, Republicans, Biden, Democratic, Trump, July’s, Fed, WE Upjohn, Employment Research, Economic Policy Institute, ”, of Labor Statistics Locations: New York, Washington

☆ The era of freeloading is officially over
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But thanks to the fine-tuning of the tech that Corporate America uses to police subscriptions, those freeloading days are over. Costco and Disney this month took a page from the Netflix playbook and announced they are cracking down on account sharers. Disney’s streaming business — Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ — only became profitable in the second quarter this year. Like Netflix, Costco is betting that you’re already emotionally invested in the routine and the satisfaction of getting a closet’s worth of toilet paper that can last the whole year. Last year, the store reported $4.6 billion in revenue from membership fees, and that accounts for the majority of its profit.

Persons: CNN Business ’, they’d, It’s Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Thought Police, Costco, Netflix, America, Disney, Wall Street, Amazon, Apple, HBO, YouTube, Hulu, ESPN, Costco there’s Locations: New York

☆ Customers didn’t stop spending. Companies stopped serving
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

It’s called a sector rotation, and it happens all the time as part of the natural course of a business cycle. The US economy is still pretty strong, growing at an annualized rate close to 3% in the most recent quarter. But it’s not as if Americans have stopped going to restaurants — they’re just being a bit more discerning when they do. Instead, they’re going to Texas Roadhouse, where they can sit down and have some service with their meal. Or they’re swinging through Chipotle, which saw sales shoot up 11% last quarter at stores open at least a year.

Persons: CNN Business ’, they’ve, that’s, it’s, they’re, ”, Mark Hoplamazian, Marriott’s, Disney, Hugh Johnston, — they’ve, Pete Werner, wouldn’t Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Wall, Texas, Disney, CNN, Bloomberg Locations: New York, —, Texas

☆ Why Jay Powell refuses to be bullied by Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-08 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The whole episode underscored a fundamental tension between the Fed, which is focused on economic stability, and Wall Street, which is focused on profit. The message from Powell and other policymakers is clear: We won’t be strong-armed by Wall Street. The BOJ’s deputy governor, Shinichi Uchida, citing volatility in financial markets, said the bank would not raise its policy interest rate as long as markets remain unstable. Powell (formerly in finance, hazel eyes, great ties) appears to have a real opportunity to Volcker it up even more in the coming weeks. That gives Wall Street plenty of time to sit in the corner and deal with its feelings.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Summer, Tim Walz’s, Jerome Hayden Powell, Here’s, Powell, ”, Powell’s, It’s, Paul Volcker fanboy, Shinichi Uchida, Mohamed El, “, Volcker, quieting, Powell isn’t Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Finance, Federal, Stock, CNBC, Wall, Bank of Japan, Bloomberg Locations: New York, FiDi, Powell, Japan

☆ Japanese yen carry trade: A very popular trading strategy just blew up in investors’ faces
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-07 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

When you hear commentators talking this week about the “yen carry trade” or the “great unwind,” they’re referring to a popular trading strategy that is, suddenly, blowing up in investors’ faces. The carry trade, explainedPut simply: A carry trade is when you borrow money in a place where interest rates are low and use it to invest elsewhere in assets that generate some kind of return. “That is bonkers.”The yen carry trade proved especially popular in the last four years, because Japan was the only major economy in the world offering essentially free money. The carry trade relies on borrowing, which means it’s a leveraged position. “The carry trade unwind… is somewhere between 50%-60% complete.”In other words: Buckle up, and don’t panic.

Persons: CNN Business ’, ”, John Authers, “, it’s, John Sedunov, Kit Juckes, ” Sedunov, Arindam Sandilya, JPMorgan Chase, Buckle Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Wall, ” Bloomberg, Treasury, Villanova School of Business, Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, Societe Generale, JPMorgan, Bloomberg Locations: New York, Japan, Europe

☆ The stock market is panicking, but you don’t have to
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

To be sure, the carnage on Wall Street and in equities markets around the world was real. But Monday’s panic was the Wall Street equivalent of a tantrum from a kid who just got told they can’t have ice cream for dinner. But don’t let the stock market drama fool you: The US economy is still in good shape, despite some turbulence. “And I’m not too worried about Wall Street becoming poor.”Stocks looked to bounce back Tuesday. Wall Street worked itself into a lather when ChatGPT came out two years ago.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Stocks, Dow, Wall, don’t, Rana Foroohar, That’s, it’s, Goldman Sachs, ”, Jan Hatzius, ” Goldman, There’s, Beryl, “, Beryl didn’t, Aaron Sojourner, ’ ”, ChatGPT, Rob Haworth, ” Haworth Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, CNN, Nikkei, of Labor Statistics, Coast, BLS, WE Upjohn, Employment Research, White House Council, Economic Advisers, Fed, Federal, Markets, Big Tech, Nvidia, Microsoft, Wall, Bank of Japan, US Bank Locations: New York, Japan

☆ Boeing’s new CEO just landed the best (and worst) job in Corporate America
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

You’ve just landed a job that is simultaneously the best and worst in Corporate America. There’s a laundry list of problems Ortberg will have to confront on Day One, and he’ll be operating under intense scrutiny from a rabid audience of shareholders, regulators, customers and even the FBI. “I wish I knew more about other industries to say whether he was the worst aerospace CEO or the worst CEO, period.”Under Calhoun’s watch, Boeing’s headaches have multiplied. Ortberg climbed the ranks at Rockwell Collins, an aviation tech supplier, from 1987 to 2013, when he became its CEO. Boeing’s shares rose 2% Wednesday, even after Boeing announced its losses tripled in the second quarter, reflecting Wall Street’s optimism about Ortberg.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Kelly Ortberg, You’ve, that’s, can’t, Ortberg, Dave Calhoun, Richard Aboulafia, “, Boeing didn’t, Steven Mollenkopf, Calhoun “, ”, they’ll, That’s, ” Aboulafia, Robert Clifford, Max, ” Clifford, Chris Isidore, He’s, Rockwell Collins, Ron Epstein, “ Kelly, he’ll Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Corporate, Boeing, Ortberg, FBI, Airbus, Rockwell, Industry, Bank of America, Puget Locations: New York, Corporate America, Seattle, Chicago, Arlington , Virginia

☆ Why Americans are snubbing McDonald’s and Starbucks
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —On the surface, it looks like Americans are laying off the Big Macs, booze and even — gasp! On Monday, McDonald’s reported sales fell 0.7% in the US from the same period in 2023. The once reliably cheap McDonald’s pushed its prices up, while sit-down restaurants leaned into value and convenience. Applebee’s, for one, made a direct pitch to the hordes of ticked-off McDonald’s customers who felt the chain had abused its pricing power. Now, McDonald’s is trying to win back poorer customers while appealing to more affluent customers who want something new.

Persons: CNN Business ’, McDonald’s, Johnny Walker, It’s, it’s, they’re, ”, RJ Hottovy, Jonathan Maze, I’m, —, Chili’s, “, Taylor Swift Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Starbucks, Diageo, Restaurant Business, Dine Brands, CNN Locations: New York, United States, North America, Texas, Paris

☆ Solar storm watch fuels hope of aurora sightings
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The northern lights could grace skies farther south than usual this week because of a solar storm that may affect Earth, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The center issued a strong geomagnetic storm watch, known as a G3 — the third highest level out of five — for July 29 to July 31. Strong geomagnetic storms are infrequent, the Space Weather Prediction Center said, but they’re more common than the G5, or extreme, geomagnetic storm that occurred on May 10 and May 11. If the predicted G3 conditions occur, auroras could be visible as far south as Illinois and Oregon, the Space Weather Prediction Center said. Alerts issued by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center and other agencies help the operators of power grids and commercial satellites to mitigate potential negative impacts from a solar storm.

Persons: Aurorasaurus Organizations: CNN, Oceanic, Prediction, NOAA, Met, Meteorology, NASA Locations: Illinois, Oregon, United Kingdom, Scotland, Australia, Southern, India, Sweden, South Africa

☆ We’ve been wrong about a key contributor to human happiness
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But it can really, really help. To do that, I collect large-scale data in the course of people’s everyday lives … That’s kind of the 100,000-foot view. And I think that’s the kind of thing that doesn’t really stop at any magic threshold. I think people need to think about this more of kind of like a happiness portfolio. And oh, by the way, getting some daily exercise, not living in an environment that’s really polluted, that would be good.

Persons: CNN Business ’, there’s, Matt Killingsworth, Mo, Killingsworth, jk, I’ve, Reagan, we’re, it’s, don’t Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School Locations: New York, what’s

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