Nike's sales have surged 31% in the time since it unveiled Colin Kaepernick as one of the faces of its "Just Do It" campaign and 17% over its mark from the same time period last year, according to data from Edison Trends.
Why it matters: Critics of Nike's move to sign Kaepernick to a new deal and include him in their latest ad campaign speculated that Nike may suffer in sales and because of backlash from public disdain of Kaepernick. Though the apparel brand did take a hit in favorability, the latest data indicates that sales are still on the rise.
While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump announced he plans to move ahead with tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods and threatened further action on another $267 billion if China retaliates, the Washington Post reports.
"Now we’ve added another $200 billion. And I hate to say that, but behind that, there’s another $267 billion ready to go on short notice if I want. That totally changes the equation."
Why it matters: The trade war between the U.S. and China continues to escalate, and could ultimately have serious impacts on American workers.
The U.S. economy added 201,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate held at 3.9%. Wage growth accelerated to 2.9%. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast 191,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate falling to 3.8%.
Bottom line: The U.S. economy's longest-ever streak of job growth continues. Former Obama administration economist Jason Furman said on Twitter it's "remarkable" job growth has remained so strong for so long.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science has reversed its decision to make a new Oscars film category for "outstanding achievement in popular film" after heavy criticism, the L.A. Times' Josh Rottenberg reports.
The big picture: Many people felt that the Academy was "pandering in reaction to declining ratings" for the awards show, writes Rottenberg. But one of the Academy's board of governor members told him that it's "not about 'popular.' We're looking at ways to specifically reward comedies, science fiction and action films, among other types of movies."
Trumpworld sources tell Axios that officials rapidly shifted from trying to smoke out the author of the anonymous N.Y. Times op-ed, to using the guessing game to knife people they already hated — whispering the names of rivals and enemies as potential authors.
By last night, MSNBC counted 27 senior officials in the Trump administration (to use The Times' formulation) who had issued denials.
The anonymous New York Times op-ed that has dominated the conversation in Washington since being published Wednesday has already become one of the most-read pages on the Times' website this year, bringing in over 10 million views, according to CNN's Reliable Sources.
The bottom line: We still don't know who wrote it, but officials were quick to put their names in the "not me" column. According to Axios' Mike Allen and Jonathan Swan, Trump was made increasingly paranoid about those around him by the op-ed, and he's on a hunt to learn who's behind it.
The big picture: Scores of high-ranking officials from Vice President Mike Pence to Defense Secretary James Mattis are denying their involvement. Meanwhile, President Trump is calling on the Times to turn over the author.
CBS announced Thursday that it's debuting its first-ever show dedicated to sports gambling, called "SportsLine Edge," on its 24/7 over-the-top streaming network — CBS Sports HQ.
Why it matters: CBS is looking to capitalize on the Supreme Court's decision last May to allow states to engage in legal sports gambling by highlighting its expertise in sports picks and projections.
First Lady Melania Trump weighed in on the anonymous op-ed published in the New York Times on Thursday, saying the writer is "not protecting this country," but rather "sabotaging it with your cowardly actions."
CBS' board is in talks with CEO Les Moonves, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment, to negotiate a $100 million exit package made up of CBS stock and the appointment of COO Joe Ianniello as his interim successor, reports CNBC.
The big picture: CBS launched its own investigation into the allegations first reported by The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow, but the media giant appeared to back Moonves by allowing him to to lead its second quarter earnings call last month.
China's Ministry of Commerce has promised it will take "necessary countermeasures" if the Trump administration goes ahead with its latest round of tariffs, which would slap 25% duties on $200 billion of Chinese goods as soon as Friday, reports Reuters.
The big picture: The public comment period, which expires at 12:00 a.m. Friday, has seen hundreds of businesses and organizations speak out against the effects these tariffs would have on Americans, as they impact a greater cross-section of consumer goods than the $50 billion of China tariffs already in place. The tariffs could threaten 11 million U.S. jobs — most of which are concentrated in rural, deep-red parts of the country.
"The Vice President puts his name on his Op-Eds. The @nytimes should be ashamed and so should the person who wrote the false, illogical, and gutless op-ed. Our office is above such amateur acts."
— Jarrod Agen, Pence's communications director and deputy chief of staff
The big picture: There was online speculation Wednesday that Pence could be the author based on the op-ed's use of the word "lodestar," which Pence has used throughout his career. But as Axios' Jonathan Swan reported earlier this year, White House officials who frequently leak pay attention to their colleagues' speech patterns to divert suspicion.
