The Food and Drug Administration authorized three electronic cigarette products by Vuse Solo on Tuesday, citing benefits to adult smokers who are trying to quit tobacco.
Why it matters: It's the first such move by the agency in its effort to regulate new tobacco products. While e-cigarette manufacturers have touted the vape products as safer, the FDA has previously cracked down on them amid high rates of use among teens.
The House of Representatives followed the Senate on Tuesday, voting 219-206 along party lines to raise the federal debt ceiling and officially avert a potential default.
Why it matters: WhileCongress has pushed off the debt limit issue for now, the fight over a final resolution will be even uglier come December — when lawmakers need to address the problem once again.
Airbnb global head of hosting Catherine Powell says the "hosting economy" will include as many people as the creator economy does.
The big picture: The creator economy — businesses built by independent content creators — is currently made up of more than 50 million people, according to SignalFire, a venture capital firm.
The Los Angeles school district has extended its deadline for staff to get the COVID vaccine from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15.
Why it matters: The second-largest school district in the nation, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has struggled to fill thousands of vacancies, including teachers, counselors and maintenance staff, per the Los Angeles Times.
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines, both based in Texas, will still require employees to get vaccinated despite the state's new ban on vaccine mandates by private businesses, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a sweeping executive order Monday night banning vaccine mandates by any "entity," including private employers.
The life of influential Cuban poet and writer José Lezama Lima, who was heralded by the Cuban Revolution only to be silenced later for homoerotic writings and critiques of the regime, is celebrated in a film premiering this Friday.
The big picture: The VOCES/PBS documentary “Letters to Eloisa” is told through the haunting letters written by Lezama to his sister in exile, narrated by Alfred Molina.
Months after Glenn Greenwald’s dramatic departure, the Intercept is looking to double down on its roots in accountability journalism by pursuing more donations from philanthropic donors and licensing deals and relying less on memberships, which have leveled off in the Biden era.
Why it matters: Greenwald's departure helped the outlet focus on investigations instead of opinion, longtime editor-in-chief Betsy Reed explains to Axios.
Private equity firms are sitting on the sidelines when it comes to vaccine mandates for portfolio companies, despite often requiring shots for their own employees.
Why it matters: Private equity employs around 7% of all American workers, and is represented in almost every industry and geography, which means that PE vax mandates could have a significant impact on public health.
Magic Leap, a Plantation, Florida-based augmented reality company, raised $500 million at a $2 billion post-money valuation from unspecified "existing investors."
Why it matters: This is a company that lives up to its name, at least in terms of separating VCs from their money, as Magic Leap has now raised nearly twice as many dollars as its current valuation. Maybe that's why none of those return backers are eager to be identified.
The phaseout of internet tracking cookies is fundamentally changing political campaigns, which have for years relied on them to narrowly target potential voters across the web.
Why it matters: Ad buyers expect the 2022 midterm elections to be the first campaign cycle where connected television (CTV) ads will take a meaningful market share of political spend, in part due to the fact that cookies are being scrapped.
The creator economy was supposed to democratize media, but it turns out that a small portion of creators still reap the most revenue for their work across multiple platforms.
Why it matters: New tipping and micropayments features will hopefully make it easier for smaller creators to get paid. But for now, much of the creator economy is still supported by pricier subscriptions, forcing consumers to be selective.
China Evergrande’s debt problems aren’t an anomaly. Signs of stress are piling up in China’s real estate development sector, and more companies are signaling they may not be able to pay back their debt.
Driving the news: Fellow builder Modern Land asked its bondholders if it could delay a bond payment by three months, and Sinic said it will likely default next week, Reuters reports.
The pace of the economic recovery hinges in part on workers returning to jobs that involve dealing with an unpredictable public. But many of those workers say increasingly combative customers — angry about everything from long wait times to mask mandates — have prompted them to quit.
The big picture: Aggressive and violent clashes between customers and service workers over COVID safety protocols over the past nearly two years have led to prison sentences, fines and deaths.
Internet freedom around the world has dropped for the 11th consecutive year, according to an annual report from Freedom House, a non-profit focused on expanding freedom and democracy.
Why it matters: The findings suggest that a broader shift in power from tech companies to nation states over the past year has resulted in "a record-breaking crackdown" on freedom of expression online.
After more than a year of pandemic-related abstinence, people are in a spending mood this holiday season. The problem is there's going to be less stuff to buy.
Why it matters: Global supply chain logjams have left many retailers with empty shelves. And the bottlenecks are getting worse, not better, Bloomberg reports.
The toll of the coronavirus pandemic has spurred nurses, front-line technicians and other hospital employees to walk out or authorize strikes.
Why it matters: The pandemic has buckled a system that already faced worker shortages and burnout. Patients ultimately can't receive adequate care if workers leave from the stress and violence.
The new Superman, Jonathan Kent, will soon come out as bisexual after becoming romantically involved with his reporter friend Jay Nakamura, DC Comics announced Monday.
Why it matters: The major announcement on the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane coincided with National Coming Out Day. Writer Tom Taylor told the New York Times following the announcement that the idea of "replacing Clark Kent with another straight white savior felt like a missed opportunity."
