There are now active conversations in both chambers of the U.S. Congress that would provide regulatory clarity to cryptocurrency firms, particularly on the vexing question of which assets are securities and which are commodities.
Why it matters: The cryptocurrency industry has been begging lawmakers for years for updated rules that will allow decentralized assets to trade and be used by larger numbers of people.
Small vehicles and muscle cars have the highest rates of driver deaths, according to a study released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Threat level: About 38 drivers were killed per million registered vehicle years for 2020 models and equivalent vehicles. That's up from 36 when IIHS last performed the study for the 2017 model year.
Stars of director Christopher Nolan's film "Oppenheimer" left the United Kingdom premiere of the movie after an actors union voted to strike against Hollywood studios on Thursday, according to the BBC.
Why it matters: TheSAG-AFTRA strike essentially shuts down Hollywood, as it coincides with the Writers Guild of America strike, which began in May.
SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents Hollywood actors, will strike for the first time since 1980 after failing to reach a new labor deal with the major studios.
Why it matters: The actors' strike, which begins at midnight, marks the first time in 63 years that Hollywood has two unions on strike simultaneously, which is expected to bring the industry to a screeching halt. It could also lead to a quicker end to Hollywood's labor war.
Coinbase on Thursday began its defense against an SEC lawsuit that challenges the crypto exchange's right to operate.
The big picture: Coinbase asserted the Major Questions Doctrine, a principle that puts Congressional regulatory action ahead of administrative agencies, in effect, questioning the SEC's jurisdiction over the exchange and others like it.
Endless meetings aren't just crushing productivity — they're also costing companies thousands of dollars.
Driving the news: One employer's new calendar tool, which calculates for staff how much each meeting costs, is the latest move among businesses to slash waste in the era of remote work — and keep employees happy.
There's a calendar conflict over when National French Fry Day is this year, and the food fight means an extra day of greasy freebies and discounts.
The big picture: The made-up food holiday is being marked with deals both Thursday and Friday after not all restaurants got the memo about Fry Day's move to the second Friday in July from its regular date of July 13.
A split-the-difference court decision moves the years-long proceeding between the Securities and Exchange Commission and blockchain developer Ripple Labs one step closer to conclusion.
Why it matters: The Ripple case has been closely watched for its potential to move the debate around crypto token classification — a key issue driving regulation and a recent wave of enforcement actions.
The Associated Press on Thursday said it reached a two-year deal with OpenAI, the parent company to ChatGPT, to share access to select news content and technology.
Two former Celsius executives including ex-CEO Alex Mashinsky have been indicted and charged with fraud in connection with the crypto lender’s collapse.
Why it matters: Mashinsky has long been under a cloud of suspicion, hit in January with a civil suit from the New York attorney general accusing him of defrauding hundreds of thousands of investors.
Disney is weighing a sale of the company's linear TV business including broadcast network ABC, though it still plans to keep ESPN, CEO Bob Iger told CNBC.
Why it matters: Since returning as CEO last year, the industry has been waiting for Iger, one of media's biggest dealmakers, to make his first big move when it comes to the company's assets. Thursday's interview from Sun Valley shed light on the timing and scope of such a move.
Limited partners' grumpiness about VC distributions is not for naught: the industry's cashflow ratio at the end of 2022 (-$48.8 billion) was at its most imbalanced since at least 1998, per new PitchBook data.
Why it matters: Investors are giving more scrutiny to VCs in their portfolio who didn't return much cash during 2021's extraordinary market and are now asking for more.
The Southeastern U.S. is a hotbed of new business activity, home to nine of the top 10 major metro areas with the most new business applications per 1,000 residents last year.
Driving the news: That's per a new Axios analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and IRS data.
