President Trump said Wednesday that he plans to impose 100% tariffs on "all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States" — with a big carveout for companies that have committed to making them here.
Why it matters: Semiconductor chips are essential to the production of a wide range of goods, including cars, computers, phones, health tech and AI servers.
In the next job market downturn — whether it's already starting or years away — there just might be a bloodbath for millions of workers whose jobs can be supplanted by artificial intelligence.
The big picture: In the last several economic cycles, recessions have been a period in which companies opportunistically ramped up their use of automation to lower their long-term need for workers.
If you follow markets and the economy, the only thing you've heard over the last few days is that AI spending is propping everything up, from GDP to the S&P, and that can't last forever.
Why it matters: When bubbles burst, they don't do it gently.
Colorado on Wednesday will become the second state to require pre-merger notifications, regardless of industry.
Washington became the first earlier this year, and at least five other states — including California — and the District of Columbia are considering similar rules.
Why it matters: States often lack visibility into pending mergers. These new laws aim to change that dynamic, which could increase antitrust enforcement actions.
The National Football League has agreed to sell the NFL Network and certain other media assets, including linear rights to the RedZone channel, to Disney-owned ESPN, in exchange for a 10% equity stake.
Why it matters: Media ethics professors will have a field day with this one.
As a working group begins to reimagine public schools in Indianapolis, funding and transportation are top of mind for many Marion County voters.
The big picture: State lawmakers created the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA) this past legislative session, charging the group of city government and education leaders with crafting plans that address facility and transportation management, examining governance structure and looking for increased efficiency.
The alliance is expected to recommend by the end of the year how best to deepen collaboration between public and public charter schools.
Generation Alpha influences just under half of their households' spending according to a report shared exclusively with Axios from public relations firm DKC.
Why it matters: The young cohort's $101 billion in direct spending power gives restaurants and retailers a glimmer of hope at a time when the kids' parents are fretting about the state of the economy.
The U.S. travel industry is warning that a new $250 visa fee could deter millions of international visitors just as the country gears up to host the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics.
Why it matters: The fee comes at a crucial moment for U.S. tourism, with America's 250th birthday next year.
The Titan submersible implosion that killed five people occurred in large part because operator OceanGate had failed to follow "established engineering protocols for safety, testing, and maintenance" of the vessel, a U.S. Coast Guard report finds.
The big picture: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush may have faced criminal charges if he hadn't been killed during the "preventable tragedy" that occurred during a June 2023 diving trip to the wreck of the Titanic, according to the damning report that was published Tuesday.
Chikungunya virus outbreaks have prompted the CDC to issue travel alerts warning U.S. travelers of an "elevated risk" of exposure to the mosquito-borne illness in China and several other countries.
The big picture: Some 240,000 chikungunya cases have been reported in parts of Central and South America, Africa, the Indian Ocean region and Asia this year, including 90 deaths. Officials in Guangdong province, South China, have confirmed at least 7,000 illnesses since June.
