Axios

As the nation marks Black History Month, a look back at the history of globalization reveals economic and racial inequities that still reverberate.

Why it matters: Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by the manufacturing sector’s contraction.

Companies talk openly these days about ways to improve workers’ lives, but employers in the service sector may be ignoring a critical issue.

The big picture: Workers in the service industries — think retail and restaurants — continue to face unpredictable work schedules, seeing little change from what they experienced in 2017, according to a new study from the Shift Project, a national survey of more than 100,000 workers at the nation's biggest retailers.

Self-driving cars will be rule followers on the road.

Driving the news: Tesla is recalling more than 53,000 vehicles after federal regulators balked at the company’s Autopilot system allowing its vehicles to come to a rolling stop at intersections.

The U.S. gross national debt exceeded $30 trillion for the first time on Tuesday, according to new figures from the Treasury.

Why it matters: The nation arrived at the number far earlier than projected due to the pandemic, which amped up federal spending into the trillions, the New York Times writes. The new record comes as the U.S. struggles to deal with worsening inflation.

An estimated 31,720 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes from January through September 2021, an increase of about 12%, according to new government data released Tuesday.

Why it matters: The data represents the highest number of fatalities during the first nine months of any year since 2006 and the highest percentage increase in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which has been in use since 1975.

FedEx on Tuesday said it is pausing some freight services due to staffing shortages caused by the Omicron variant.

Driving the news: The company suspended economy domestic FedEx express freight, which includes two-day and three-day shipping services, according to the company.

Ryan Breslow is stepping up, in terms of both his job title at Bolt Financial and his battle with what he calls the "Silicon Valley mob."

Why it matters: Few tech founders eagerly poke the bear, particularly ones in the midst of raising hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding.

AT&T on Tuesday said it would spin off WarnerMedia in a $43 billion deal that would combine the media asset with Discovery, rather than split it off.

How it works: A spin-off will give AT&T shareholders a proportionate number of shares in the new WarnerMedia/Discovery company, rather than giving shareholders the option to trade their AT&T shares for discounted stock in the new venture.

The environmental group Climate Power is launching ads this week on D.C. cable and digital channels to push for Congress to invest in clean energy technologies, as a way to create jobs.

Why it matters: The TV ads are part of a $3 million campaign from a coalition of environmental groups, including EDF Action, the League of Conservation Voters and NRDC Action Fund, among others, in the run-up to the State of the Union address on March 1.

Launch House, which runs mostly in-person month-long programs for entrepreneurs and other techies, has raised $12 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, with several angel investors also participating.

Why it matters: Launch House is betting that the pandemic driven dispersion of techies across the country has created opportunities to create local communities for entrepreneurs and others looking for peers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday that Tesla is recalling and updating the software for 53,822 of its cars using the Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta program because it may allow some models to conduct "rolling stops" at intersections, posing a safety risk.

Driving the news: The company said the update would disable the controversial feature, which allowed some cars to roll through intersections with stop signs instead of braking completely.

BuzzFeed is limiting hiring to only critical positions, and will not be adding any new jobs unless there's a business-case justification, CEO Jonah Peretti told staff last week.

Why it matters: BuzzFeed is under pressure to preserve cash after a high level of redemptions from SPAC investors ahead of its IPO merger in December.

Zipline, a leading drone operator, will begin delivering prescription medicines to patients' homes in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, this year, helping usher in the long-anticipated era of routine drone drops.

Why it matters: Battery-operated drones could satisfy our demand for "instant delivery" in less than 15 minutes, while easing traffic congestion, improving safety and helping the environment.

MSNBC's highest-rated anchor Rachel Maddow said Monday she plans to take a brief hiatus from her show, beginning this Thursday, to focus on other projects with the network and the movie adaptation of her book. She'll return some time in April.

Why it matters: Maddow is expected to leave her position as MSNBC's daily 9 p.m. primetime host later this year. A hiatus now gives the network time to experiment with possible replacements.

Univision on Monday said it completed its merger with Televisa’s media content and production assets, forming a new Spanish-language media behemoth called TelevisaUnivision Inc.

Why it matters: The merger creates one of the biggest Spanish-language media companies in the world. The scale of the combined company will help Univision compete with NBCUniversal's Spanish-language network Telemundo.