In an effort to revive shuttered main streets and empower mom-and-pop stores, a number of U.S. cities are passing laws to limit the rapid expansion of dollar stores in their neighborhoods.
Why it matters: Around 14 million people live in food deserts, per the USDA. Experts say one contributor to the crisis is the meteoric rise of dollar chains, which are popping up on every street corner, crowding out other retailers and grocers, and very rarely selling fresh food.
The U.S. says it will implement a 10% tariff on EU aircraft and a 25% tax on "agricultural and other products" starting Oct. 18, following a World Trade Organization's ruling allowing the U.S. to impose up to $7.5 billion in tariffs on European products each year.
The big picture: The United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the EU have each drafted lists of at least $20 billion worth of each other's products to tax in response to this WTO decision. Meanwhile, tariffs from the U.S. trade war with China are estimated to cost U.S. households $2,000 each by next year, per the National Foundation for American Policy.
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission warned 7 law firms and marketing companies that their TV ads alleging harm, and offering possible monetary relief, from certain prescription drugs "may be deceptive or unfair" and may prompt people to stop taking their medications.
Driving the news: Documents obtained by Axios under the Freedom of Information Act show the FTC was particularly concerned about personal injury ads against the diabetes drugs Invokana and Invokamet.
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Tuesday at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., that there are no guarantees that smaller family dairy farms in the U.S. will survive due to changing business models and economic struggles, per the AP.
"In America, the big get bigger and the small go out. I don't think in America we, for any small business, we have a guaranteed income or guaranteed profitability."
The private sector added more than 135,000 jobs in September, surpassing expectations of 125,000, according to a report released Wednesday by ADP and Moody's Analytics.
Why it matters: The numbers come "amid growing concerns over the strength" of the job market, which has seen hiring slow significantly in 2019, per CNBC. The year's current monthly average for private sector hiring is now 145,000 — down sharply from 214,000 for the same time period last year.
After seeing its stock price plunge 26% in Tuesday trading, brokerage firm TD Ameritrade announced it would offer free stock, ETF and options trades, starting Thursday.
Threat level: Investors are worried that the race to the bottom, now clearly in full swing, will blow a hole in the profitability of online brokerage companies. Shares of the companies already were struggling this year.
For much of the year, equity bulls bought stocks on even the faintest hint of good news about companies or the economy, pushing U.S. indexes to new all-time highs despite a slowing economy and negligible earnings growth.
Why it matters: But with the S&P 500 approaching 20% gains for the year and no real signs of growth to be found, a spirit of pessimism and increased caution looks to be gripping the market.
Meghan Markle is suing British media organization Mail on Sunday and its parent company Associated Newspapers over repeated "misrepresentations," according to a statement submitted by her husband, Prince Harry, on Tuesday.
The big picture: Markle, an American by birth, has been a target of British tabloids since marrying into the British royal family last year. Per the statement, the coverage has inflicted a "human cost. ... Because in today's digital age, press fabrications are repurposed as truth across the globe."
President Trump on Tuesday renewed his attacks on the Federal Reserve and Chairman Jay Powell, after a key U.S. manufacturing gauge signaled the second consecutive month of sector-wide contraction.
"As I predicted, Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve have allowed the Dollar to get so strong, especially relative to ALL other currencies, that our manufacturers are being negatively affected. Fed Rate too high. They are their own worst enemies, they don’t have a clue. Pathetic!"
Of all the major TV blackouts happening this year, many of the biggest conflicts are occurring between the two big satellite companies and TV networks.
Why it matters: The Pay-TV business is in terminal decline, and in some ways, satellite operators are feeing the losses more than their cable counterparts, who are able to lean more heavily on broadband sales to recoup the losses.
Major sports leagues are experimenting with airing single games on multiple TV, digital and social channels at the same time, giving rise to sports "multicasts" or different ways for the consumers to experience the same game.
Why it matters: In a traditional TV world, almost all sports coverage was delivered through one live, linear feed, with one set of announcers and analysts.
Marijuana stocks have fallen hard in 2019 and short sellers have been increasing their positions, betting the sector is overvalued and primed for further losses. Despite the passage of the SAFE Act through the House last week, Wall Street remains bearish on companies dealing in the drug.
The latest: Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysts Christopher Carey and Lisa Lewandowski downgraded Canada's Canopy Growth, the world's largest marijuana company, to neutral from buy, saying Wall Street expectations are "far too high."
The manufacturing sectors of the U.S. and China are moving in opposite directions, and data released Monday shows the gap is widening.
On one side: China's Caixin purchasing managers' index, a private survey of the country’s manufacturing activity, had its strongest reading since February 2018. The improvement was driven largely by increased domestic demand, which has picked up as foreign sales continue to sink because of the trade war.
A recent poll of more than 1,200 adults who plan to buy toys this holiday found that almost half of those purchases will be made at online-only retailers like Amazon.
By the numbers: A little more than 40% of respondents said their shopping will be done inside stores, either at a big box retailer like Target and Walmart or at a specialty toy store.
Atom Finance, a new media and financial technology company, has raised $10.6 million in a Series A round, executives tell Axios. The company had previously raised $1.9 million in an unreported seed round in February.
The big picture: The news and analysis market for high-end individual investors has been difficult to corner. While there are pricey solutions for big enterprise companies, like the Bloomberg Terminal, and free solutions for casual investors, like Google Finance, Atom execs argue that there isn't one company that truly owns the middle.
Dotdash has acquired Liquor.com, a digital media company that focuses on cocktails, spirits and entertaining, executives tell Axios.
Why it matters: It's Dotdash's fourth acquisition of this nature this year. The multi-brand digital media company, owned by Barry Diller's Interactive Corp. (IAC), has been quietly building an empire of small, niche digital publications that publish evergreen, service content — or content that helps users answer questions, give advice or find ideas.
News media companies make up 12 of the 15 most polarizing brands in America today, according to a new Morning Consult poll provided to Axios. CNN and Fox News continue to be the most divisive news companies.
