Local and national media outlets were quick to cover the sweeping abortion bans passed in a handful red states, resulting in public confusion about what is and isn't happening, per the Columbia Journalism Review.
The big picture: While some abortion bans passed, they aren't all active or enforceable yet. Many outlets left out details of when the abortion bans go into effect, so some people interpreted the bans to mean they were immediately effective, according to CJR.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) emphasized the threat of falling trade growth from the U.S.-China trade war at the global economic outlook forum this week, urging participating governments to "reignite multilateral trade discussions."
Threat level: OECD Secretary-General José Ángel Gurría said "the world economy is in a dangerous place" at the forum, Reuters reports. “Clearly the biggest threat is through the escalation of trade restriction measures, and this is happening as we speak."
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette of Little Rock will discontinue daily print editions by the end of the year, but will distribute free iPads to digital subscribers to access an online print replica edition, AP reports.
Details: Only the Sunday issue of the 80,000-circulation paper will be printed. Publisher Walter Hussman Jr. said he's taking the gamble to try to sustain his newsroom of 106 employees and turn a profit, which the paper hasn't done since 2017.
One of the hottest streaks in the country's current economic boom is in a surprising place: the northern plains region encompassing the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa.
Why it matters: Commentators often refer to the middle of the U.S. as a single entity, like "middle America" or, more pejoratively, "flyover country." But the economic vitality of the northern plains is all the more striking because of how different it is from the rest of the land between the coasts.
The Trump administration announced it will cut 1,100 federal jobs by eliminating a Forest Service program which trains disadvantaged young people in rural communities jobs including fire fighting, reports the Washington Post.
Why it matters: This is believed to be the largest layoff of civil servants in nearly 10 years, expected to effect Arkansas, Montana, Virginia, Washington state and Wisconsin. Members of both political parties were opposed to the plan, per the Post. Nine locations are expected to shut down while 16 are to be taken over by private operators and state governments.
President Trump allegedly pushed for North Dakota-based Fisher Industries — whose CEO Tommy Fisher donates to the GOP and regularly appears on Fox News — to be awarded a border wall contract, administration officials told the Washington Post.
Why it matters: Trump personally filed the request on multiple occasions, alarming Department of Homeland Security officials and military personnel, particularly because the contract is worth billions of dollars, the Post reports. Trump adopted Fisher's idea that a steel design could speed up the completion of the project and lessen the cost burden to taxpayers
A prominent Silicon Valley investor tells Axios that U.S.-China trade tensions are "the new Cold War."
Driving the news: In this Cold War, tech has evolved from a negotiating point (IP theft, forced transfer) into a cudgel (Huawei, rare earths, etc.). Trade tensions are also having a negative impact on startups, particularly in "hard tech" areas like AI, advanced manufacturing, IoT, machine learning, and networking.
Endeavor Group, the talent agency and live events company led by Ari Emanuel, filed for an initial public offering yesterday.
The big picture: While legacy media businesses have spent billions of dollars building "pipes" (cable networks, movie theaters), Endeavor has focused on owning premium content that can then be distributed through those pipes.
Harvey Weinstein has reached a "tentative" $44 million settlement alongside his former studio's board members encompassing lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct from more than 80 women, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: While Weinstein is facing criminal action on rape charges, much of his alleged sexual misconduct involved harassment, which is solved via civil matters such as these lawsuits. As the Times notes, "[T]he details of any settlement — such as whether it includes an admission of wrongdoing by Mr. Weinstein — would carry significant symbolism."
Having largely held up as traders bought the trade war dips, stocks tumbled on Thursday along with just about every other risk asset.
What happened: A spate of weak manufacturing reports from around the globe and more trash talk from the U.S. and China may have finally broken the camel's back.
Refinery29, the venture-backed digital media company focused on millennial women, is looking to raise up to $20 million in new funding, according to an SEC filing.
Why it matters: The company plans to use the funds to expand internationally and for its originals studio and events business, Axios has learned. The company was rumored to be in merger talks with Group Nine Media, another millennial-focused venture-backed brand recently, though there's no concrete deal at the moment, according to sources.
Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration are struggling to get international aviation regulators on the same page to certify the Boing 737 MAX globally following approval of a software fix, reports the New York Times.
Why it matters: At a meeting on Thursday, aviation regulators continued to press the FAA for more information about the flight control system — known as MCAS — thought to have led to the 2 deadly 737 MAX crashes, and how the software fix will be assessed in the future, per the NYT. A sticking point between the FAA and international regulators concerns whether to require pilots to undergo new training in flight simulators, rather than via written materials.
