4. Tech's troubled history with Asian workers

Red states are limiting Black history lessons in public schools at the same time scholars are producing groundbreaking new works around art, slavery, civil rights, and the Great Migration. Why it matters: A work on Black history has won a National Book Award every year since 2018 as historians find...

The US Government ordered the Pentagon to destroy the alleged Chinese spy balloon. The US Air Force shot down the balloon with a single missile as it drifted over the Atlantic Ocean. China hit back at the decision, threatening a strong retaliation. YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — Over the last few days,...

China claims the balloon was a civilian weather balloon

Disney removed an episode of '"The Simpsons" that mentions “forced labor camps” in China has been removed from its streaming platform in Hong Kong, the Financial Times first reported Monday and Axios has confirmed. Why it matters: It comes at a critical time for relations between Disney and...

In 2020, Black-owned small businesses were closing twice as fast as other businesses. But now they've bounced back harder. The big picture: The last couple of years have ushered in a Black entrepreneurship boom. In 2021, Black-owned businesses were started at the fastest clip in 26 years, The Washington Post...

The Federal Trade Commission failed to convince a federal judge to block Meta from purchasing VR fitness startup Within, per a court decision unsealed Friday night. Driving the news: Media outlets reported Meta's win last week; now it's official. Meta will be free to close on its acquisition following the decision from Judge Edward Davila in U.S. District Court in Northern California.

Black small-business owners feel more optimistic about this year than their peers, Goldman Sachs' latest 10,000 Small Businesses Voices survey shows. Why it matters: Despite higher operating costs and systemically greater financing obstacles, some Black small-business owners surveyed in late January say they’ve emerged from the last few years more confident in their ability to manage through challenges and that they see more growth opportunities than they have in the past.

The U.S. military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been flying over the U.S. since last week. China condemned the U.S. move and threatened "further actions." Plus, tribal nations face threats to funding for food security. Guests: Axios' Hans Nichols and Ayurella Horn-Muller. Credits: Axios...

Vox Media, the digital media holding company whose titles include New York Magazine, Eater and The Verge, has raised $100 million from Penske Media Corp., according to two sources familiar with the situation. Why it matters: The money will help Vox Media weather a brutal ad market while remaining independent,...

The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said Saturday that the high-altitude balloon flying over the U.S. this week that came from China is "embarrassing" for Beijing. The big picture: Pentagon has accused China of using the balloon to collect information on sensitive military sites. China has denied...

The Air Force general overseeing American air space admitted Monday that the military had failed to identify multiple Chinese surveillance balloons that flew over the U.S. in the past, calling it a "domain awareness gap." The big picture: A U.S. fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the...

The National Enquirer, the gossip tabloid that became engulfed in a 2018 "catch and kill" scandal for burying news about the Trump campaign, is being sold by its owners to a digital publishing joint venture. Why it matters: The sale marks the second time the publication has undergone ownership changes...

Former President Trump denied the Department of Defense's claims that suspected Chinese surveillance balloons had also transited the U.S. during his administration, telling Fox News Digital on Sunday that it "never happened." Why it matters: The U.S. on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina...

More than 500 tech companies have announced layoffs since July 2022. Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft will each cut more than 10,000 jobs, representing between 5 and 13% of their workforce, per tracking site Layoffs.fyi. Details: Twitter has cut at least 50% of its workforce since Elon Musk bought the...

Consumer-facing companies grow by delighting consumers and providing them with what they want. That's not how they make money, though. They make money by getting a critical mass of customers, locking them in, and then exploiting them. The delight goes away, but the profits roll in. Why it matters: This...

Amazon's new RxPass prescription service further increases the downward pressure on the cost of generic drugs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Driving the news: Last month, Amazon announced the new benefit to its Prime subscription service, allowing members access to unlimited prescriptions for generics for more than 80 conditions for $5 a month.

The U.S. on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast, the Department of Defense announced. The big picture: The balloon, which the Pentagon accused China of using to collect information on U.S. military sites, has heightened tensions between the two nations. China’s Ministry of...

Republican lawmakers reacted Sunday to the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon and criticized the Biden administration for not shooting it down sooner. Driving the news: "The message they were trying to send is what they believe internally, and that is that the United States is a once-great superpower that's hollowed out, it's in decline," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that the Senate will receive a classified briefing on China on Feb. 15 in the wake of the surveillance balloon that traveled across part of the U.S. last week. The big picture: Some lawmakers have been demanding more information related to the...

About 51% of women in marginalized racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. and four other countries said they'd experienced racism or discrimination at their current workplace, according to a new survey released last week. The big picture: The survey's stark results come at a time when some companies are...