European Central Bank President Mario Draghi gave hints that he may continue the central bank's bond-buying program through this year, saying the economy of the 28-member bloc is weaker than he previously expected.
What's happening: The central bank just last month began to phase out its bond purchase stimulus program that has totaled 2.5 trillion euros, in a first step toward higher interest rates. Interest rates on some deposits are still negative in the euro zone.
Why it matters: The stats only underscore the unbelievable media power of the 29-year-old House freshman. The video, meant to garner negative press on the eve of her swearing-in, backfired as an opposition play and took on new life as a meme, nearly tripling the consumption of a song approaching its 10th anniversary.
Economic data is pointing downward and investor sentiment is turning negative.
Driving the news: Perhaps most worrisome is the massive pile of highly leveraged debt that continues to grow. Bank of America-Merrill Lynch's monthly survey of fund managers finds that, for the first time since 2009, corporate leverage is the top concern among investors surveyed.
Sears Chairman Eddie Lampert won a bankruptcy auction for the ailing department store chain with a boosted $5.2 billion bid, which could save some of its 425 stores and 45,000 jobs, Reuters reports.
Yes, but: The deal could still fall apart as it still requires approval from a bankruptcy judge — and a group of creditors is objecting to the deal. A hearing is likely to take place later this week.
U.S. companies — desperate for workers despite the threat of recession — are lowering the qualifications they've previously demanded of new employees. But they arefinding that many long-term jobless Americans first require training and help in the very basics — getting to work, doing so on time, and paying for any required uniforms.
What's happening: Cities across the U.S. are stepping in with "life and employment skills" classes and assistance for Americans who have been left out of the economy — former convicts, ex-drug addicts, and others at the fringes.
The editorial boards of two major newspapers in Iowa — the Des Moines Register and the Sioux City Journal — called on embattled Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) to resign Tuesday in the wake of growing scrutiny over the congressman's racist comments in the New York Times.
The backdrop: The editorials were published on the same day the House passed a resolution condemning King, who questioned in a Times story last week when terms like "white nationalist," "white supremacist" and "Western civilization" had become offensive. The comments sparked backlash from House Democrats and Republicans, who voted Monday to strip King of his committee seats.
Walmart is prepared to remove its pharmacies from the drug benefit network owned by CVS Health, as the two retail giants spar over drug pricing terms.
Why it matters: If a new agreement isn't reached by May, millions of people who fill their prescriptions at Walmart may have to find new pharmacies, and some of them inevitably will find their way to CVS' own drugstores.
Separate hackers on a Russian-language hacker forum have offered to sell access to the content management systems of bundles of news sites since October, notes Israeli threat intelligence firm Sixgill, which would give buyers the ability to edit or upload their own news stories. One offered access to 1,425 U.S. sites.
Why it matters: "We get a sense of urgency from looking at this stuff," said Alex Karlinsky, a intelligence expert at Sixgill. "It may seem like a small thing, but in this era of political bots and trying to influence opinion, this is another way to do that."
The News Project, a full-service publishing platform specifically built for digital news publishers, has received a six-figure investment from WordPress.com VIP, the content management tech company owned by web development giant Automattic.
Why it matters: The News Project is a content management system business aimed at creating an accessible publishing platform for news companies. Publishing technology can be expensive and complicated for media upstarts or niche, local or small news companies. The investment will give The News Product customers access to the VIP services of Wordpress.
Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich is joining CNN as a contributor, serving as an analyst across the network, CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker told his team Tuesday morning.
The big picture: The 66-year-oldKasich, a former U.S. House member, has been one of cable news' most in-demand Republican voices as the party's only likely primary challenger to President Trump. John Weaver, a longtime Kasich adviser, told Axios: "The governor has strong insights to help guide conversations in our country in a positive direction and this new partnership with CNN gives him a great platform to do so."
Economists have been wearing out their keyboards over the past couple of months writing down expectations for U.S. and global economic growth.
Reality check: Alger chief investment officer Daniel Chung and director of strategy Brad Neuman point out that slower growth does not necessarily mean weak equity returns.
Major tech companies and moguls are pouring lots of money into initiatives to support quality journalism, after months of bad headlines about fake news and the longer-term struggles of business models for journalism, especially at the local level.
Why it matters: The efforts are meant to show tech's support for quality journalism, even though its products and business models often feel at odds with fostering a quality news ecosystem.
Tyson Foods is feeling the pain from the trade war and a volatile agricultural market that’s seen meat prices crater.
Why it matters: Tyson, the largest meat processor in the world — home to brands like Hillshire Farms, Jimmy Dean and Ball Park — has been particularly squeezed by the uncertainty of tariffs, plus the meat industry's growing reliance on exports from Mexico and China, two countries Trump has targeted since declaring his candidacy.
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