Axios

CollegeHumor, a comedy website owned by holding group IAC, is launching DROPOUT, an ad-free subscription service.

Why it matters: It's the latest example of a publisher creating a new revenue stream and a new way to connect with its audience. Many internet users have become frustrated with advertising, and are willing to pay for content they like on a subscription basis.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said at a news conference on Wednesday that "broader" measurements of income are better, but declined to comment on the White House's alternate proposal to calculate wage growth.

Flashback: Powell called tepid wage growth puzzling in recent months. The Council of Economic proposed its own methodology — accounting for non-cash benefits (bonuses, paid time off and health benefits) and a different measurement of inflation — which showed strong wage growth. That was before paychecks grew in August at a rate we haven't seen in almost a decade.

Fresh produce is the albatross around grocers' necks — it's got a razor-thin profit margin, it spoils quickly, and illnesses can prompt public hysteria. But now, they hope blockchain is a solution.

What's going on: IBM is using blockchain to track the journey of a bunch of spinach from the farmer to the shopper's cart. Knowing, and trusting, the vegetable's precise origin will reduce cases of people getting sick from food, IBM says.

President Trump said that China has been "attempting" to influence the upcoming midterm elections while chairing a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday. China's foreign minister denied the claim.

What we don't know: How they've been interfering — if at all — or for how long. President Trump claimed the Chinese "do not want me or us to win because I am the first president ever to challenge China on trade, and we are winning...at every level." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier that there's "no question" the midterms will be safe from foreign influence.

WeddingWire — a Chevy Chase, Maryland-based portfolio company of Permira and Spectrum Equity Investors — has agreed to buy XO Group (NYSE: XOXO), owner of TheKnot.com, for $933 million, or $35 per share (27% premium to Monday’s close).

The big picture: There were reportedly around 2.2 million weddings in the U.S. last year with a total spend of over $56 billion. Per the WSJ's Kimberly Chin, "Both brands will be operated as separate consumer products so that wedding professionals and their partners can have both offerings, XO Group said Tuesday. XO Group Chief Executive Mike Steib and WeddingWire CEO Tim Chi will also become co-CEOs of the combined company upon the deal’s completion."

President Trump's blunt-force diplomacy at the United Nations yesterday reflected one of the quirks of his style on the world stage.

The big picture: He shuns European allies. Stunningly, he made zero mention of Britain or France, and his only mention of the Germans was to say that if they don’t change course, they’ll become "totally dependent on Russian energy." And he saves his sweetest words for individual world leaders — even adversaries, conveying his "great respect and affection" for his "friend" President Xi Jinping of China, and thanking North Korea's Kim Jong-un for his "courage."

CBS has tapped Richard Parsons to serve as the board's interim chairman following the departure of longtime leader Les Moonves who was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women, the Associated Press reports.

The details: Parsons was one of five added to CBS' board this month as an investigation into Moonves' actions continues, per the AP. He formerly served as a chairman of Time Warner and Citicorp. Two current board members are also stepping down.