Axios

If you were gobsmacked watching Rudy Giuliani’s media tour this week — which he launched on Fox News' Hannity by announcing that Trump reimbursed lawyer Michael Cohen for a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels — you weren't alone.

What we're hearing: A White House official told me there were "a couple of Mooch references" in the West Wing last week, as Giuliani’s performance recalled Anthony Scaramucci's frenzied 11-day stint last summer as White House communications director.

Amid the tightest labor market in a generation, long-strapped Americans are seeing only small wage hikes, and economists say companies seem determined to hold onto wide profit margins for as long as they can before forking over more to workers.

Why it matters: Stubbornly flat wages and living standards are one reason for broad political disgruntlement in the U.S.

"Avengers: Infinity War" shattered box office records as it crossed the $1 billion in sales mark in just 11 days, reports CNN citing Disney, adding that the Marvel film "reached the milestone one day earlier than the previous record held by 2015's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Why it matters: The movie hit the mark without sales from Chinese audiences, per CNN, as the movie opens in China (the second biggest film market globally) next week. "Infinity Wars" has surpassed the total sales of other comic book sensations including "Wonder Woman," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Guardians of the Galaxy," "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and "Justice League."