For: July 17, 2026

>>Trading Week Winding Down 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after a down day for stocks on Thursday.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 105 points to 52-552.  The S&P 500 fell 38 points to 75-33. The Nasdaq dropped 387 points to 25-881.

>>SpaceX Stock Suffers As Starship Test Flight Is Scrubbed

(Starbase, TX)  --  SpaceX stock took a hit Thursday as the company scrubbed its first test flight since its record-breaking IPO.  Warning alarms were triggered just before the planned liftoff of the massive Starship rocket from the company's Starbase, Texas launch site.  After-hours trading saw SpaceX stock hit lows of around 126-dollars a share, falling below its initial June IPO price of 135.  

>>Verizon To Sell Off Hundreds Of Retail Outlets

(New York, NY)  --  Verizon is selling hundreds of its retail locations.  The U.S. carrier said Thursday that 274 company-owned stores will be up for sale as part of its restructuring, and about 500 corporate jobs will be cut.  Verizon will still own about a thousand stores after the sale, which goes into effect August 16th.  Verizon also has thousands of franchise stores which are mostly run by six large operators.  

>>Coca-Cola Halts U.S. Production For Fairlife

(Atlanta, GA)  --  Coca-Cola is suspending production in the U.S. for one of its brands.  The company says a third-party recently gained access to production-related systems for Fairlife, which sells milk and protein shakes.  Investigators are now looking into the impact of the ransomware attack with the help of cybersecurity experts.  Canadian production is expected to continue.

>>TSMC Investing Another 100B In Arizona

(Undated)  --  A major chip maker is shelling out more money to the U.S.  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced that it will invest another 100-billion dollars to expand their footprint in Arizona. That brings the company's total investment in the Grand Canyon State to 265 billion. TSMC currently has a campus in North Phoenix and the funds could result in four new semiconductor plants. The chip maker develops processors for tech giants like Nvidia and Apple. 

For: July 16, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher on Wall Street Wednesday.  It came as traders were digesting the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the producer price index fell three-tenths of a percent last month. Analysts were expecting the rate to remain unchanged.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 150 points to 52-658.  The S&P 500 gained 28 points to 75-72.  The Nasdaq rose 162 points to 26-269.

>>FCC Chair On California's Lawsuit Against Paramount Skydance

(Undated)  --  The chairman of the FCC does not think California's lawsuit against Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery is a "legitimate antitrust case."  Carr doubted the success of the legal challenge during an interview with The Hill while discussing California's reported stipulation to drop the lawsuit.  According to Carr citing news reports, California was floating the idea of dropping all antitrust litigation if CNN is spun off as its own media entity.  Carr quipped that he did not "understand what antitrust theory you have that says there's a problem with this acquisition that is made or broken based on one cable channel being included."

>>DC Council Approves Bill Capping Resale Ticket Prices

(Washington, DC)  --  The DC Council is capping the price of resale tickets for events and concerts in Washington, DC.  The council unanimously passed the RESALE Act this week.  In addition to capping the markup on resold tickets at ten-percent, the bill bans bot ticket purchases and the sale of speculative tickets.  It also prohibits surveillance pricing, which is the practice of adjusting ticket prices based on customer data.  The bill could take effect on January 1st if it withstands congressional review.

>>Frontier Airlines Getting Wi-Fi

(Denver, CO)  --  Frontier Airlines passengers will soon be able to use Wi-Fi.  The airline says that starting early next year, flights will offer high-speed internet through SpaceX's Starlink. Beyond watching movies on a flight, the airline says Starlink will also provide connectivity for pilots, flight attendants, maintenance teams, and ground operations.  Pricing hasn't yet been announced.

>>NFL Sets Date For Seahawks Sale Vote

(Seattle, WA)  --  NFL owners will vote next month on the proposed sale of the Seattle Seahawks.  The league has announced that a one-day owners' meeting will be held August 26th in Atlanta for the presumed vote.  The Paul Allen Trust is selling the defending Super Bowl champions to Silicon Valley's Khosla family for a record 9.6-billion-dollars.

For: July 15, 2026 

>>Watching Wall Street 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher yesterday following the release of June inflation data that came in cooler than expected.  Oil prices also eased after President Trump dropped his demand for ships to pay a 20 percent toll to transit the Strait of Hormuz.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 9 points to 52-508.  The S&P 500 rose 28 points to 75-43.  The Nasdaq climbed 233 points to 26-107.

>>Fed Chair Vows To Get Monetary Policy Right

(Washington, DC)  --  Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh is vowing to "get monetary policy right" and bring down inflation.  He made the pledge Tuesday in remarks to Congress, saying the economy is in solid shape otherwise.  Warsh told lawmakers if the Fed gets it right, "the inflation surge of the last five years will be a thing of the past."  Warsh appeared before the House Financial Services Committee yesterday and will testify before the Senate Banking Committee today.  The remarks come just two months into Warsh's as Fed chair term.  

>>Texas Lawsuit Targets So-Called Ghost Jobs

(Austin, TX)  --  The state of Texas is suing LinkedIn.  AG Ken Paxton says they're profiting from fake or misleading job opportunities.  It's something that's commonly called "ghost jobs."  And the suit points to studies that estimate they account for between one-fifth and one-third of the online listings.  LinkedIn markets a paid Premium subscription to get access to job listings.  The AG wants access to the verification practice for what employers are posting.

>>Chipotle To Open First Restaurant In Mexico

(Nuevo León, Mexico)  --  Chipotle Mexican Grill is about to open its first restaurant in Mexico.  Doors will open this Thursday in Nuevo Leon in partnership with Alsea [[ All-see  ]], a leading restaurant operator in Latin America and Europe.  Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright says they are entering the country with deep respect for their culinary heritage along with a belief that there is strong interest in high-quality food that the establishment offers.  Chipotle and Alsea are planning to expand in Nuevo Leon later this year and into Mexico City in 2027. The company currently operates more than 41-hundred restaurants across the world.

>>Warren Buffett Snubs Bill Gates Foundation With Charitable Giving

(Omaha, NE)  --  Warren Buffett is accelerating his charitable donations of Berkshire Hathaway shares with a notable exception.  The former CEO of Berkshire is donating nearly six- billion dollars in shares to four foundations but the Bill Gates Foundation is not one of the recipients.  Gates has been tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein but denies any knowledge of Epstein's crimes.  Buffett released a statement today saying his goal is to dispose all of his Berkshire shares within eight years, which are valued at 146-billion dollars.  Gates' Foundation has received over 60-billion dollars in charitable donations from Buffett in the past.

>>Researchers Warn Of AI's Potential For Economic Transformation

(Undated)  --  Economist and artificial intelligence researchers say policymakers "must act now" to address the massive economic transformation that AI could cause.  Stanford University's digital economy lab organized a letter warning that "AI may become radically more powerful over the next 10 years," and noted "it could bring risks, including large-scale job displacement, as well as opportunities such as major gains in living standards." It has been signed by more than 200 economists and AI researchers from leading organizations around the world, including 16 Nobel Prize laureates.  The letter urged industry leaders "to understand the economics of transformative AI and to build the incentives, guardrails, and institutions needed to steer AI in a direction that complements humans and benefits society."  

For: July 14, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after a down day on Wall Street with tensions escalating in the Middle East.  Oil prices surged after President Trump announced he's reinstating a blockade on Iranian ports and imposing a 20 percent surcharge on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz to cover the cost of protecting the waterway.  Tech stocks fell broadly during the session along with shares of major banks.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 138 points to 52-498  The S&P 500 fell 60 points to 75-15.  The Nasdaq dropped 408 points to 25-873.

>>Head Of Delta Says Airfares Are Likely To Stay High

(Undated)  --  It's not cheap to fly these days, and the head of one of the country's biggest carriers says it may get even more expensive soon.  Delta CEO Ed Bastian says the price of air fares isn't likely to come down, even if the cost of jet fuel does.  He tells Fox Business that fuel is only one of the many aspects of running an airline that's getting more expensive, including labor, airport infrastructure, technology, not to mention the planes themselves.  

>>States Reportedly Preparing Lawsuit to Block Paramount's Merger With Warner Bros. Discovery

(Burbank, CA)  --  Multiple state attorneys general are reportedly preparing a lawsuit to attempt to block Paramount's planned merger with Warner Brothers Discovery.  The New York Times reports California is leading the lawsuit and will be joined by New York, Washington state and Connecticut, among others.  Reuters previously reported the states could sue as early as this week.  The proposed 111-billion-dollar deal would be one of the largest media mergers in history.  A reported draft of the lawsuit currently circulating argues the merger would harm competition in the market for so-called tent pole films, the expensive blockbusters that account for a large portion of studio revenues.  A Paramount spokesperson says the company is prepared to address "legitimate antitrust issues" but goes on to say the planned acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery "raises no such concerns." 

>>Waze Adding AI-Powered Features

(Mountain View, CA)  --  Waze is adding new AI-powered features and customization updates. The navigation app will offer personalized routes based on previous trips, as well as a motorcycle mode - which includes "two-wheeler shortcuts and restrictions." The Google-owned platform will also use Gemini for "Conversational Reporting" when suggesting things like road closures or an outdated address. 

For: July 13, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed higher on Friday to end the week.  The major indexes rose as tech stocks including Meta Platforms and Nvidia added lift to markets.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 149 points to 52-637.  The S&P 500 rose 31 points to 75-75.  The Nasdaq added 74 points to 26-281.

>>This Week's Reports Will Offer Insight Into Inflation 

(Undated)  --  Coming up in the business week ahead, inflation data is in the spotlight.  The consumer price index is set for release on Tuesday.  The report is a favorite of the Fed's when it comes to determining interest rates.  Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh is scheduled to testify before the House Committee on Financial Services the same day.  Wednesday brings the producer price index, which measures prices on the wholesale level, before they reach consumers, and is also closely watched by the Fed.  Retail sales and weekly jobless claims are due Thursday, and the week comes to a close with a look at consumer sentiment, housing starts and building permits on Friday.

>>Goldman Sachs Restricting Employee Trading On Prediction Markets

(Undated)  --  Goldman Sachs is placing restrictions on what trades employees can engage in while using prediction markets.  According to reports, employees are allowed to bet on sports and entertainment but are barred from trading on markets tied to specific companies, financial markets or election outcomes.  The updated policy comes as prediction markets, like Kalshi and Polymarket, have come under heightened scrutiny in recent months over insider trading.  Lawmakers have also raised concerns about insider trading as House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer launched a probe into whether users are relying on nonpublic or classified information to place their wagers. 

>>Apple Sues OpenAI Alleging Trade Secret Theft 

(San Francisco, CA)  --  Apple has filed suit against OpenAI in federal court in Northern California.  The lawsuit filed last week alleges trade secret theft, claiming the artificial intelligence lab took the Apple's intellectual property in order to develop its own consumer hardware.  In the legal filing the company said, "OpenAI has been stealing Apple's trade secrets and confidential information."  Most of Apple's allegations in the Friday suit involve former employees who have interviewed with or joined OpenAI.  Apple claims that OpenAI's hardware chief, who is a former Apple vice president, directed Apple employees interviewing at OpenAI to share Apple secrets as part of the interviewing process. 

>>Starship Test Launch Window Opens This Week

(Starbase, TX)  --  SpaceX could launch another test flight of its massive Starship rocket this Thursday.  It would be the 13th test for the spacecraft, which will be carrying next-generation Starlink satellites into orbit for the first time.  The launch window opens at 5:45 p.m. local time at SpaceX's launch facility in Texas.

>>Thousands Of Grills At Walmart And Lowe's Recalled Nationally 

(Washington, DC)  --  The Consumer Product Safety Commission said thousands of grills sold online and at Walmart and Lowe's stores nationally are being recalled.  Over 12-hundred stainless steel Cuisinart Propel+Four Burner three-in-one Gas Grills are included in the recall.  The units include a pizza oven with tempered glass that has reportedly shattered during use, causing a serious risk of injury from lacerations.  Conair LLC, has received 37 reports of glass shattering and one report of a fire.  Consumers impacted by the recall may choose to be reimbursed for the original purchase amount or receive a 500 dollar refund by check. 
 

For: July 10, 2026

>>Trading Week Winding Down 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed higher yesterday.  It comes as investors are keeping an eye on the latest developments between the U.S. and Iran after President Trump's announcement that he considers the ceasefire over as of now.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 139 points to 52-487.  The S&P 500 gained 60 points to 75-43.  The Nasdaq rose 336 points to 26-206.

>>June Home Sales Drop As Prices Soar

(Chicago, IL)  --  Home sales for the month of June are coming in lower than expected.  According to the National Association of Realtors, sales of previously owned homes in June dropped over two percent from May despite projections of a slight gain month over month. The median price of an existing home sold in June was 440-thousand-600 dollars, which marks an increase of nearly two percent from the year before and the highest on record. High mortgage rates coupled with record-high prices are causing homebuyers to pull back. However, when looking on a regional level, home sales were down in June month over month everywhere except in the Northeast.

>>IMF Cuts Global Growth Forecast

(Washington, DC)  --  The International Monetary Fund is cutting its global growth forecast for the second time this year.  The agency blames the energy shock cause by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.  Growth is now forecast at three percent, down from three-point-one percent in April.  The outlook would have been lower but was offset by AI-driven demand.  The numbers were cut after the U.S. resumed military strikes on Iran this week, apparently bringing an end to a ceasefire and causing oil prices to surge.  Global inflation is expected to rise to four-point-seven percent this year.  

>>Groundbreaking For Last WTC Building 25 Years After 9-11

(New York, NY)  --  Construction is underway on what is the last commercial high rise building at the rebuilt World Trade Center site nearly 25 years after the 9-11 terror attacks.  A ground breaking ceremony took place Thursday for Two World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.  American Express is making the 55-story building its global headquarters when it opens in 2031, complete with ten-thousand workers inside.

>>Pharr International Bridge Named Top Produce Crossing In America

(Pharr, TX)  --  The Pharr International Bridge, which connects Pharr, Texas with Reynosa in Mexico, has been named the top crossing for produce in the United States.  The city announced the achievement during a ceremony yesterday.  Seventy percent of all avocados entering the U.S. cross the Pharr bridge.  Officials say about 110 thousand shipments of produce use the bridge each year, a number that could grow when the bridge expands in November.

For: July 9, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell  

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning on Wall Street after stocks closed mixed yesterday.  It came after President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over after the two sides traded attacks.  Oil prices have also surged in response. West Texas Intermediate futures also jumped over four-percent. At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 576 points to 52-348.  The S&P 500 fell 21 points to 74-82.  The Nasdaq gained 51 points to 25-870.

>>Survey: Confidence In Capitalism, Democracy Declining

(New York, NY)  --  Americans are losing faith in capitalism and democracy.  A new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll finds that just under half of Americans say capitalism is working very well or somewhat well, down from 60-percent a decade ago.  Just 35-percent are fairly sure that the county offers the opportunity for good jobs and the American dream.  There's even less confidence in our system of government.  Just 12-percent say democracy is working very well or extremely well.  More than two-thirds feel the U.S. is in decline.  Younger Americans were more likely to express pessimism than older Americans.

>>Airlines' Fuel Cost Soared In May

(Undated)  --  Newly released government data shows airlines' jet fuel costs are up this year.  According to the data, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics found that airlines spent six-point-six billion dollars on jet fuel in May, marking an 84 percent increase from one year ago.  Fuel is one of the industry's biggest operating expenses, and higher costs have forced carriers to raise fares.  The latest figures reflect the vulnerabilities airlines faced due to the Strait of Hormuz's closure disrupting global maritime shipping.

>>Ford Recalls 177,000 Vehicles

(Detroit, MI)  --  Ford is recalling over 177-thousand vehicles for a trio of defects.  The recall includes 2024-2026 Mustangs and 2025-2026 Mustang GTDs for a windshield wiper issue.  Mustang Mach Es model years 2021-2023 have a risk of a pinion shaft fracture.  And the 2024-2027 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid and Explorer Hybrid could suffer from a software error that can cause the pedestrian warning to malfunction.  Dealers will make repairs free of charge.  

>>Meta To Build Data Center In Canada

(Menlo Park, CA)  --  Meta plans to start building data centers in Canada.  The company announced Wednesday it plans to break ground on its first facility north of the border in Alberta.  The one-gigawatt center is Meta's 33rd in its AI build-out plan.

For: July 8, 2026

>>Watching Wall Street

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after a down day on Wall Street that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average sink back below 53-thousand.  A selloff in tech stocks along with a surge in oil prices pressured markets.  This, after the Treasury Department revoked its authorization of Iranian oil sales Tuesday following a series of attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.  At the closing bell, the Dow lost 130 points to 52-925.  The S&P 500 slid 33 points to 75-03.  The Nasdaq dropped 302 points to 25-818.

>>SpaceX Sends First Nuclear-Powered Commercial Satellite Into Orbit

(Miami, FL)  --  The first ever nuclear-powered commercial satellite is now in orbit.  The Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability, or BOHR, satellite, was launched Tuesday morning on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from  Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.  The satellite uses the radioactive decay of tritium [[ trit-ee-um ]], a hydrogen isotope, to power itself.  Designed by Florida-based City Labs, the satellite is a test of the new technology's feasibility.  

>>USPS To Raise Forever Stamp Prices Sunday

(Washington, DC)  --  The cost of mailing a letter is expected to go up.  The USPS will raise the cost of a Forever Stamp to 82 cents starting Sunday pending approval by the Postal Regulatory Commission.  That's a four-cent increase.  Other services will also see price jumps, including mailing postcards and international letters.  The increases come after the USPS warned earlier this year that could run out of money within a year.

>>St. Louis City Committee Advances Data Center Regulations

(St. Louis, MO)  --  Officials in St. Louis, Missouri are one step closer to enacting new regulations on data centers.  A city committee has advanced a proposal that would regulate noise levels, add renewable energy requirements, and put restrictions on water usage.  The proposal now goes to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen for consideration. 

>>Fiat EV For Sale In U.S.

(Hoofddorp, Netherlands)  --  Stellantis is offering the Fiat Topolino [[ Toh-poh-lee-no ]] electric vehicle in the U.S., with orders starting at 14-thousand dollars.  The tiny vehicle looks like a car and works more like a golf cart, capable of top speeds of 19 miles per hour.  A conversion kit can crank that up to 25 miles per hour to make it street-legal on roads with a 35 mile per hour speed limit.  There's also a convertible version that comes with a rope instead of a door.  

>>Toyota Expansion Brings Mexico Truck Work To Texas

(San Antonio, TX)  --  Toyota is bringing production of its popular Tacoma pickup truck back to Texas.  The automaker announced a three-point-six-billion dollar expansion to build a second assembly line at its San Antonio plant, shifting that work out of Mexico.  The move is expected to create two thousand jobs and more than double the size of the existing South Side facility by 2030.  Local production of the Tacoma will phase in over the next four years, while Toyota's second factory in Guanajuato [[ gwah-nah-HWAH-toh ]], Mexico, will keep running.

For: July 7, 2026  

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after stocks closed higher and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched a record high, topping 53-thousand for the first ever.  Dell shares jumped four percent after President Trump promoted its computers after ringing the opening bell of the stock market from the Oval Office. The historic ceremony marked the launch of new investment accounts for children.  At the closing bell, the Dow gained 155 points to 53-055.  The S&P 500 added 54 points to 75-37.  The Nasdaq rose 288 points to 26-121.

>>SpaceX Stock Getting A Big Boost This Week

(Undated)  --  It's been less than a month since SpaceX became a publicly traded company, but the rocket maker is about to join a very exclusive Wall Street Group.  Starting today, the company owned by Elon Musk will be listed as part of the NASDAQ 100.  The move automatically forces massive index-tracking funds and exchange-traded funds, with more than over a trillion dollars in global assets, to buy the company's stock.  And that creates immediate market liquidity, increasing a company's mainstream credibility.  Most companies wait years, not months to join the exchange, if they're ever invited at all. 

>>Texas Stock Exchange Opens Trading 

(Dallas, TX)  --  The Texas Stock Exchange is up and running.  The Dallas-based startup is planning a phased rollout to unfold over the rest of the month after going live on Monday.  Yesterday's trades were only open to TXSE members, including approved broker-dealers, banks, and trading firms, to trade test stocks at first.  The symbols for thousands of stocks and other equities will come online through the end of July, as the public is allowed to start trading.

>>IL Gov. Pritzker Signs Artificial Intelligence Safety Law

(Chicago, IL)  --  Illinois is taking action to protect residents from harm when it comes to advancements in artificial intelligence.  Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, signed the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act on Monday.  The landmark legislation established what officials say is the nation's strongest framework for AI safety, transparency and accountability.  The law requires the largest AI developers to identify, disclose and mitigate risks while providing independent oversight and protections for workers who report safety concerns.

>>Microsoft Cutting Thousands Of Jobs From Xbox Unit

(Redmond, WA)  --  Microsoft is slashing three-thousand-200 jobs from its struggling Xbox video game business.  The move comes as part of a broader push by Microsoft to lower its labor costs, and it also follows voluntary buyouts the company began offering to employees in May.  Microsoft will immediately eliminate one-thousand-600 positions, while other jobs will be cut as four game development studios leave the Xbox unit.  

>>Lockheed Martin Seeking Multi-Billion Dollar Ultra Maritime Acquisition 

(Bethesda, MD)  --  Lockheed Martin is announcing plans to buy the naval defense group Ultra Maritime for over three billion dollars. According to reports from CNBC, Lockheed Martin is leading the race to buy Ultra and Guggenheim, along with JPMorgan, are advising on the sell side. Ultra makes radar and electronic warfare systems as well as torpedo defense countermeasures. After the deal closes, Ultra's team will reportedly become part of Lockheed Martin's Rotary and Mission Systems business area. 

For: July 6, 2026 

>>Watching Wall Street 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after a holiday-shortened trading week wrapped up on Thursday with stocks mixed.  It came as investors combed through the latest jobs report from the Labor Department, showing the U.S. economy added just 57-thousand jobs in June.  That was well below expectations.  At the closing bell, the Dow gained 594 points to finish at a record high 52-900.  The S&P 500 added less than a point to 74-83.  The Nasdaq dropped 207 points to 25-832.

>>Trump To Host Opening Bell Ceremony 

(Washington, DC)  --  President Trump will host officials from the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq in the Oval Office this morning to mark the launch of new investment accounts for children.  The Treasury Department introduced the Trump Accounts on July 4th, enabling contributions and providing an updated app for parents to fund accounts and access financial education tools.  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the app was fully updated as of Saturday.  National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett noted that officials from both exchanges will ring their opening bells from the White House.

>>OPEC Boosting Oil Production

(Vienna)  --  OPEC-plus nations say they will boost oil production.  The group, which includes Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman, will ramp up output to 188-thousand barrels a day starting in August.  It's the fifth increase announced in five months.  OIl prices have recently dropped back down to pre-Iran war levels.

>>California Avocado Growers Want Limits On Mexican Imports

(Sacramento, CA)  --  California avocado growers want limits on Mexican imports, saying they can't compete.  They want fewer Mexican avocados allowed in during California's main harvest season which is March through September.  Growers say their costs are rising, and they're earning less.  The plan would let a certain number of Mexican avocados come in without extra taxes during California's harvest, but any more would face higher tariffs.  Mexico supplies 85 percent of avocados in the U.S., with lower costs in the region and other concerns making competition tough.  California has three thousand avocado growers and a one and a half billion dollar industry.

>>NCAA President Wants To Limit Prop Betting

(Undated)  --  The president of the NCAA is pushing back against prop betting at the collegiate level.  During an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation", Charlie Baker said the practice of sports betting has changed the "character and the culture of fandom."  Prop betting involves gambling on a player or event that's not necessarily tied to a game's final score.  Baker, who served as governor of Massachusetts from 2015 until 2023, said student athletes likely have people in their circle asking them to rig their performances for the sake of making a profit.  He called it incredibly demoralizing for student athletes, adding that he believes they're "starting to win this discussion and this debate with the public."

For: July 2, 2026

>>Ahead Of The Bell 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after a down day on Wall Street.  At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 13 points to end the day at 52-305.  The S&P 500 fell 16 points to 74-83.  The  tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 173 points to 26-040.  Markets will be closed tomorrow in observance of Independence Day.  

>>Jobs Report Due 

(Undated)  --  The government's June jobs report will be released today - a day earlier than normal due to the upcoming July 4th holiday.  Most analysts expect to see that 115-thousand jobs were added last month.  In comparison, May's jobs report showed the economy added 172-thousand new jobs.  

>>Federal Chairman Says Inflation Risks Are Declining

(Sintra, Portugal)  --  Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh says inflation risks have declined over the last few weeks.  This is due to energy prices dropping following the U.S and Iran signing a memorandum of understanding to end the ongoing war last month.  During a gathering of central bankers in Sintra, Portugal Walsh said the central bank still has more work to do, but it will stay independent regardless of what President Trump wants.  The Fed Chairman also added the Reserve is monitoring the AI industry and predicts that it will create jobs due to a boom in capital expenditures.

>>Sony To Stop Making Physical PlayStation Discs

(Tokyo)  --  Sony will stop making physical game discs for PlayStation starting in January 2028.  After that, all new games will only be available in digital format.  The switch won't affect games already released on disc.  

>>Ford Recalling Over 741,000 Vehicles Due To Park System Issue

(Dearborn, MI)  --  Ford Motor Company is recalling over 741-thousand vehicles due to a park system issue that could cause the vehicle to roll away.  The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Agency says the recall is for certain Ford Expedition, Explorer, and F-150 trucks along with Lincoln Aviator and Navigator vehicles made between model years 2018 and 2021.  Owners will get a notice in the mail.  Ford is aware of 24 instances of property damage and nine injuries.  

For: July 1, 2026 

>>Watching Wall Street 

(New York, NY)  --  The opening bell rings this morning after the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high yesterday and stocks closed solidly in the green.  At the closing bell, the Dow gained 136 points to close at 52-319.  The S&P 500 rose 58 points to 74-99.  The tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 393 points to 26-213.

>>Consumer Confidence Edges Higher In June

(New York, NY)  --  Consumer confidence edged higher in June.  The Conference Board reported its headline confidence index rose six-tenths of a point from May's downwardly revised reading.  The board's chief economist said falling oil prices provided some relief to consumer inflation fears in June.  Looking ahead, buying plans for big ticket items improved slightly with expectations for homebuying and auto purchases both trending higher for the next six months.    

>>U.S. Lifts Anthropic Export Controls

(San Francisco, CA)  --  The public will have access to some of Anthropic's advanced AI models starting today.  The company said Tuesday the U.S. government is lifting export controls put in place over cyber security concerns.  The move by the Department of Commerce to end its block on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 comes after the artificial intelligence company installed new safeguards to address vulnerabilities.  

>>Trump Made Millions From Crypto

(Washington, DC)  --  President Trump has made at least 635-million dollars from cryptocurrency deals in his second term.  In a nearly one-thousand page financial disclosure Tuesday, Trump revealed he made the money from a licensing deal that put his name on crypto coins, giving him more than a billion dollars in total crypto holdings.  The president has pushed for loosening regulations on cryptocurrency.  Trump also bought and sold stock in GEO Group, a private prison company and a huge contractor with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Trump differs from past presidents in that he didn't divest his assets or place them in a blind trust before serving.  

>>Blue Origin CEO Discusses Next Steps

(Cape Canaveral, FL)  --  Blue Origin still wants to return to flight this year.  That's what CEO Dave Limp said yesterday in an update he shared on the company's website.  One of the company's New Glenn rockets exploded on the launch pad last month, but Limp says the company has made a remarkable recovery since that "significant anomaly," as he calls it.  He says there's no word on what caused the explosion, but he's confident they'll find the root cause.  Looking ahead, Limp says the road to space doesn't pause here, and they're preparing to come back stronger than before.

>>Authentic Brands Group Acquires Care Bears IP

(Undated)  --  Authentic Brands Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the intellectual property of Care Bears.  The sale expands Authentic reach into family entertainment and marks its first character-based franchise, previously securing IP into their portfolio that includes Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali and Marilyn Monroe.  They also launched Authentic Studios in 2023 to develop and produce films, television, commercials, live stage experiences and audio.  The companies will play a central role in extending the Care Bears universe through new stories, audiences and fan experiences.  The Care Bears has reached consumers in more than 190 countries, appearing in dozens of languages.