Bernie Sanders made waves ahead of his time in the debate spotlight Tuesday night with a conversation on "canceling student debt, climate change and raising the minimum wage" with rapper Cardi B for an upcoming campaign video.
Why it matters: "We [are] working on a way to involve more young people in the political process," Sanders told CNN. "The future of America depends on young people. They are voting in large numbers, but not large enough numbers."
More than 50% of federal aid meant to help American farmers cope with the negative impacts of the U.S.-China trade war went to the largest and wealthiest farms, according to a new study of Department of Agriculture data.
Why it matters: The Trump administration prioritized aid to farms that produced high volumes of specific crops, leaving smaller farms behind, per the study. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) says the findings illustrate a need for "payment caps" on the aid, reports Bloomberg.
Niche media outlets are having their moment, with cross-vertical topics experiencing new room for growth.
Where it stands: The Athletic, a digital sports news subscription service, has reached more than 500,000 subscribers and expects nearly 1 million globally by year's end, thanks to heavy investments being made in the U.K.
A handful of venture capitalists have participated in the seed round for The Juggernaut, a premium subscription publication for South Asian stories and news, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It's the latest in a series of investments from venture capitalists and Hollywood giants in South Asian storylines and talent.
Beyond Meat filed for a follow-on public offering of 3.25 million shares, which had a market value of $763 million at the time of filing.
Why it matters: Those same shares at today's open had a market value of just around $600 million, down more than 20%, as investors seem unable to stomach a secondary offering announced less than three months after IPO. Beyond Meat likely thought its much better-than-expected Q2 earnings could pump its new float, but it may have been a rotten bet.
Investors are scrambling to get their hands on next-generation meatless and agrifood technology companies, but the past couple of years have proven very lucrative for old-fashioned fast-food chains.
Why it matters: While legacy brands like Kraft Heinz and Campbell's are losing market share as consumers' tastes and shopping habits change, fast-food legacy names like McDonald's and KFC/Taco Bell owner YUM! Brands are seeing all-time high stock prices.
Political groups on both sides of the aisle are throwing money and resources at propping up local, partisan websites that are often designed to appear as straight news. Some of these sites are leveraging Facebook advertising to boost their content.
Why it matters: Local news deserts in America are being displaced by big-money politics, and the trend is accelerating ahead of the 2020 election, thanks in large part to technology.
The 9/11 first responders will no longer need to swarm Congress every 5 years to extend their benefits, and it's thanks largely to the much-publicized work of Jon Stewart and the lesser-known role of John Feal.
Why it matters: There are 95,320 members enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, which was set up to help those with medical conditions linked to the attacks.
The London Stock Exchange said it's in talks to buy Refinitiv, the financial data provider that The Blackstone Group just last year carved out of Thomson Reuters (which retained a 45% stake).
Why it matters: This would put the British bourse in direct competition with Bloomberg's terminals business.
Disney's 2019 movie run has broken the all-time annual global box office record just 7 months into the year. And with more big-budget blockbusters still to come this year, and already in possession of more than a third of the world's total box office receipts, the company seems unstoppable.
What's happening: Disney's acquisitions of LucasFilm and Marvel have delivered huge wins for the company, but it's been the ability to produce live-action remakes from its own catalogue that has set the table over the last decade.
Former special counsel Robert Mueller has maintained a constant level of social media momentum in 2019, even outpacing some of the year's most buzzworthy cultural events, according to data from the social media analytics company NewsWhip.
Why it matters: It reveals just how deeply political stories have become enmeshed with traditional cultural discourse — and how the two can often seem indistinguishable.
