Jan 31, 2019 - Technology

Amazon sales soar 20% for quarter

Amazon distribution center in Germany. Photo: Holger Hollemann/picture alliance via Getty Images

Amazon announced quarterly sales rose 20% from the same quarter a year ago, to $72 billion, in an earnings report that beat analyst's revenue predictions, with a total of $3 billion profit for the quarter, or $6.04 per share, compared to an average analyst target of $5.56.

The big picture: The growth of Jeff Bezos' e-commerce behemoth shows no sign of slowing down.

Amazon said that Echo Dot, its entry-level Alexa-powered smart speaker, was "the #1 selling product on Amazon globally, from any manufacturer, in any category this holiday season."
Amazon Web Services, the company's hugely successful cloud computing unit — whih has driven much of Amazon's recent growth in profitability — saw a 45% sales increase year-over-year, to $7.43 billion.

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Axios

Updated 15 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 10,695,608 — Total deaths: 516,225 — Total recoveries — 5,481,526 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 2,686,582 — Total deaths: 128,062 — Total recoveries: 729,994 — Total tested: 32,827,359 — Map.
Federal government: Trump says he still thinks coronavirus will "just disappear" at some point, supports another round of direct payments to Americans.
Public health: Thanks to coronavirus, your home is now your gym — Former FDA chief says 500,000 Americans may be contracting coronavirus a day.
States: Georgia and Arizona report record new coronavirus cases — California shuts down bars and indoor dining for most residents.
1 ⚽️ thing: 6 players test positive for coronavirus before MLS comeback tournament.

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Rebecca Falconer

Updated 45 mins ago - Health

U.S. daily coronavirus cases top 50,000 for first time

A medical technologist processes test samples for the coronavirus at a lab in Tampa, Florida, on June 25. Photo: Octavio Jones/Getty Images

A record 50,655 tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the United States on Wednesday, Johns Hopkins data shows.

Driving the news: The pandemic is accelerating across the U.S., with the Sun Belt being hit particularly hard. Daily coronavirus case records were reported on Wednesday in Texas (8,076), Arizona (4,878), Georgia (2,946), North Carolina (1,843) and Tennessee (1,806).

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Rebecca Falconer

Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden outraises Trump again with record $141 million June haul

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden at Philadelphia City Hall in Pennsylvania in June. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party raised $141 million in June, his campaign announced on Wednesday night.

Why it matters: It's the most the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has raised in a month. It's also more than the record $131 million President Trump's re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee raised last month.