Most Pennsylvania swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups — who all voted for President Trump in 2024 — say Republicans and Democrats deserve equal blame for the federal government shutdown.
Why it matters: Assessments like this are a gut-check for Democrats who think Americans' desire for affordable health care gives them a political halo to demand extensions of COVID-era assistance — and for Republicans who think if they don't budge the public will eventually just blame Democrats.
Target will lay off around 1,000 corporate employees and close another 800 open roles, multiple outlets reported Thursday.
Why it matters: The move — which eliminates about 8% of the workforce at Target's headquarters— is one of the largest corporate shake-ups in the retail giant's recent history.
It also signals how incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke, a longtime company insider, plans to reshape operations after a long sales slump.
Disney on Thursday warned customers that its networks, including ESPN, ABC and its entertainment channels, may be dropped from YouTube TV if the two parties cannot reach a new distribution agreement ahead of their current deal expiring next week.
Why it matters: If the two parties fail to strike a deal, millions of YouTube TV consumers could lose access to live games across a slew of major sports franchises.
The White House on Thursday said the fastest way to lower consumer beef prices was through increased imports — despite the concerns of both the domestic industry and key members of Congress.
Why it matters: President Trump firmly insists there's no inflation at the grocery store, but even he concedes beef prices have gotten too high.
There was a closed-door meeting Wednesday between the pro-crypto members of the Senate Democratic caucus and an array of leaders from the digital asset world, discussing legislation around how to structure law for the crypto market.
President Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, the founder of crypto exchange Binance, according to a statement from the White House.
Why it matters: The pardon likely provides a path for Binance to operate in the U.S. after more than a year of lobbying Trump.
Anthropic's Claude can now remember and incorporate previous conversations into all of your chats over weeks and months, as long as you're a paying subscriber.
Why it matters: Chatbots without memory are like brilliant interns who forget everything once the meeting ends.
Alex Goodwin and Ayo Ekhator both know the messiness of private market data, having worked at top shops like Blackstone and Leonard Green before meeting up at Harvard Business School.
Why it matters: Now they're building something to clean it up; and maybe to clean out some of the younger staffers who enter and analyze such data, first on the LP side and eventually on the GP side.
A new federal indictment involving sports gambling and the NBA adds to the growing cloud of suspicion hovering over the integrity of professional sports in the legal betting era.
Why it matters: The scandal threatens to undermine the momentum for the legalized sports betting industry, which has become a major source of revenue for the leagues, TV networks and state governments.
Microsoft rolled out a new AI companion Thursday called Mico, designed to be more personal, supportive and what the company calls "human-centered."
Why it matters: Microsoft's early partnership with OpenAI kept Copilot focused on productivity, leaving the friendliness to ChatGPT. This update blurs that line.
Global communications firm Weber Shandwick has inked a seven-figure, three-year deal with Google to create a custom, agentic AI platform for its employees and clients, Axios exclusively reports.
Why it matters: Every comms team is experimenting with prompt-driven chatbots, but very few have implemented AI agents — which act autonomously on a user's behalf.
NFL CMO Tim Ellis defended hosting Bad Bunny for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, saying the league isn't trying to please everyone and is focused on staying relevant to the fans driving its future.
Why it matters: The NFL's pick has drawn criticism from far-right commentators, as the Puerto Rican superstar recently has avoided touring in the continental U.S. out of concern that ICE raids could endanger his fans.
Amazon's latest AI tool promises to make shopping decisions easier — by choosing the "best" product for you.
Why it matters:Amazon has been a major player in generative AI, largely through its cloud business, but the new Help Me Decide feature marks a bigger push to bring that technology directly to shoppers.
United Airlines' Lauren Riley is at the forefront of executives evangelizing for a switch to jet fuel with less of a carbon footprint.
Why she matters: As United's chief sustainability officer, Riley has sought to position the airline — the first to publicly commit to a carbon-reduction target — as a leader on sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF.
Why it matters: Independent outlets are the primary news source and accountability holders for much of rural Iowa — sharing everything from city council scuffles to parade routes.
Circular funding is all the rage among the largest tech companies powering the S&P 500. The question is whether that could be a problem, or just a new name for an old and proven way of doing business.
The big picture: Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta are among the Big Tech firms that have poured billions of dollars into AI startups. The startups in turn spend those funds on chips and cloud services from their investors.
Top climate investors are aligning on an unusual plan to scale high-risk startups after a private coastal retreat sparked a push for joint action.
Why it matters: The investors — including Bill Gates, John Arnold and Vinod Khosla — hope that synchronized investment can break the logjam for deploying new energy projects.
Cautious unity emerged at the retreat in the face of cooling political and economic momentum for climate action.
President Trump on Wednesday defended the $300 million expansion project that includes demolition of the White House East Wing after previously saying his ballroom construction plans "won't interfere with the current building."
The big picture: Trump is facing criticism over the construction that was initially projected to cost $200 million, with the Washington, D.C.-based National Trust for Historic Preservation saying in a letter to administration officials this week that the planned 90,000-square-foot ballroom "will overwhelm the White House itself," which is some 55,000 square feet.
