Axios

The feverish competition among teeth straightening services has one of the industry's biggest players struggling to survive

Why it matters: SmileDirectClub filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday, having failed to profitably corner the promising but highly competitive world of removable, clear-plastic teeth aligners.

Former CNN boss Jeff Zucker has agreed to acquire a stake in newsletter startup Front Office Sports, and will serve as co-chair of the newsletter startup's board.

Why it matters: This is Zucker's splashiest deal since launching RedBird IMI, a $1 billion investment fund focused on media, entertainment, and sports.

The job market of the last couple of years has just felt different from the one that prevailed in the 2010s, with the unemployment rate staying low and workers feeling empowered.

• That much is clear from both data and anecdotes. The open questions are if it will last and what America's labor market equilibrium will look like in the remainder of the 2020s.

Beyoncé's "Renaissance World Tour" is hitting North American theaters on Dec. 1, continuing a red-hot year for superstar artists.

Why it matters: Queen Bey is extending her artistic empire into cinema, joining fellow music superstar Taylor Swift in the transition from the stage to the screen.

The Charlotte Hornets on Monday said that Feastables, the snack company created by popular YouTube star MrBeast, will be its official jersey patch partner.

Why it matters: The deal represents one of the biggest commercial partnerships brokered by the Hornets since Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the team to a private investment group led by Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin and Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall in June.

Please reset the IPO play clock to 47 days.

Driving the news: Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown that would have doubled as an IPO market shutdown.

The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission has approved Pershing Square SPARC Holdings, a novel investment vehicle from activist investor Bill Ackman. It's like a SPAC, except that investors have the right to know the target before they buy in.

Why it matters: Ackman finally is able to pursue "mature unicorns," more than two years after first floating the idea.

Kismet Group, an Australian private equity firm, has acquired the media.com domain and will launch a publishing platform for reputation management, founder James Mawhinney exclusively tells Axios.

Why it matters: The group sees value in a site focused on reputation management for individuals and businesses as they believe social media platforms are not built for and have become too toxic for people to defend themselves.

Late-night shows are set to make their post-Hollywood writers strike return Monday night, but will they have any jokes about it?

Why it matters: The writers of America's beloved late-night shows will return to work after months away, as the actors strike is ongoing.

The criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, the fallen founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, begins Tuesday in Manhattan.

Why it matters: The trial will decide whether or not one of the greatest financial boondoggles in history was, in fact, a fraud.

Public school teachers have long made less money than other professionals, but last year the gap hit its widest level since 1960, according to a new analysis of federal data.

Why it matters: The report from the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Economic and Policy Research helps explain why the nationwide teacher shortage has grown so acute.

The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case Tuesday that could crush the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Why it matters: Created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the agency is tasked with protecting consumers from the predatory shenanigans of banks and nonbank financial firms — and it looks to rein in things like the reckless mortgage lending that crashed the economy back then.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is launching its first major ad campaign in decades, its publisher and CEO Lisa Hughes told Axios, with the news organization planning to spend seven figures over three years.

Why it matters: Already, the effort is being embraced by the wider Philadelphia community, which has seen its hometown paper go through decades of triumph and turmoil.

A confluence of depressing factors — from stores closing en masse to frustrating self-checkout lanes and unwearable fashion trends — has made the time-honored tradition of a fall shopping trip lose its luster.

Why it matters: While retail sales are healthy, the industry sorely needs shoppers to return to stores rather than just buying online, lest the in-person shopping experience — so important to that magic alchemy that bonds consumers to a brand — wither and atrophy.