What I Am Reading

July 24 (Monday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Rolling Recession Rolling Over Commercial Real Estate The urban office real estate niche of the commercial real estate market is increasingly distressed owing to the work-from-home trend escalated by Covid. But the problem is contained to the office districts of big cities, and we expect the fallout to be contained too: Sellers of distressed properties will take losses but find buyers, exposed banks will further increase loan loss provisions, increased M&A activity among small banks may result; but the problem won’t domino into a crisis of the banking system or the economy at large. … We detail why with our analysis of data from the Fed. … Also: Dr. Ed reviews “Oppenheimer” (+ + +). (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 17. Markets Stocks Could Climb Until the Fed Ends the Party. What to Watch. | BR Chinese Money Flees the Western World | W Global The world economy is still in danger | E US US Economic Soft Landing Hinges on Fed’s Tolerance of Inflation | B Inflation Is Here to Stay. What That Means for Investors. | BR TSMC delays US chip fab opening, says US talent is insufficient [Updated] | Ars Technica Rental Cars Are the New Airbnb | W Europe Spain Turns Right, but Not Far Right | W Japan Japan’s top currency diplomat: Inflation, wage gains overshooting expectations | R China How much trouble is China’s economy in? | E Geopolitics & trade A battery supply chain that excludes China looks impossible | E Foxconn failed India chip effort shows how hard it is for new players | C What the China-India detente means for the West | E What if China and India became friends? | E Apple’s Next Big Opportunity Could Be India | BR Russia Ends Ukraine Grain Deal. What It Means for Prices—and Putin | BR Russia’s Putin: Black Sea grain deal became meaningless | R How U.S. Drug Companies Could Tip Europe Into Recession | W Industries & companies Energy: Offshore Wind Power Has a Big Problem. Prepare to Pay More. | BR Financials: Big Regional Banks Reported Stable Deposits. For Investors, That Counts as Great News. | W Financials: Goldman Sachs Is a Mess. Why It’s Time to Buy the Stock. | BR Industrials: Why GE Shares Are Hotter Than Apple, Meta or Tesla | W Media: ‘Barbenheimer’ Debut Lifts Weekend Box Office to Four-Year High | B Media: Elon Musk Says Twitter Will Change Its Logo to X | W Media: Adieu to ‘all the birds,’ Elon Musk says as he announces Twitter logo change | C Pharma: Big Pharma Bets Big on China | W Climate Insurance Companies Are Pulling Out of Climate-Stricken Markets. How to Fix It. | BR Corporate finance M&A Deal Slump Sparks Turnover at Investment Banks Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley | B American Airlines boosts pilot contract offer by $1 billion after United deal | C Technology At Startup That Says Its AI Writes Medical Records, Humans Do a Lot of the Work | W Beyond markets It’s Taylor Swift’s Economy, and We’re All Living in It | W

July 22 (Saturday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Defense, China & Quantum Computers In these geopolitically tense times, countries need to build more formidable military arsenals to deter aggressors—which for defense contractors means surging demand. Meeting it may be a challenge, admitted Lockheed Martin on its Q2 earnings call, voicing the need for a stronger supply chain; investors were swift to punish the stock. Jackie provides context with earnings and valuation data for the S&P 500 Aerospace & Defense industry. … Also: China’s real estate crisis continues to deepen. News of the most recent property developers to default has sunk China’s junk bond prices. … And: The race for quantum computing supremacy among Google, Amazon, and IBM. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 17. Markets Dow Edges Higher, Its 10th Gain in a Row | W Central banks The Fed Is Trying to Cure Inflation Without Starting a Recession | N US Student Loan Payments Will Cut Consumer Spending, Increase Recession Odds | B Bidenomics spurred stronger GDP growth: Morgan Stanley | C Geopolitics & trade U.S. Sending More Warships, Marines to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions With Iran | W Industries & companies Autos: Lawmakers Challenge Ford and Chinese Battery Partner Over Forced Labor | N Media: Barbie movie marketing: The explosive success of the PR hype machine | VOX Pharma: Tornado at North Carolina Pfizer Plant Exposes Fragility of Drug Supply Chain | B Pharma: Sanofi expects infant RSV shot before virus season this fall | C Retail: Amazon (AMZN) Will Make Some Employees Relocate in Return-to-Office Mandate | B Technology A.I. Regulation Is in Its ‘Early Days’ | N Large majority of Americans have strong reservations about A.I. emergence, CNBC survey shows   Corporate finance ESPN had talks with NBA, NFL, MLB in search for strategic partner | C Climate Where Heat Waves Lead, Food Inflation Will Follow | W Heat-Related Illnesses Spike as 100F Temperatures Scorch US South | B

July 21 (Friday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Defense, China & Quantum Computers In these geopolitically tense times, countries need to build more formidable military arsenals to deter aggressors—which for defense contractors means surging demand. Meeting it may be a challenge, admitted Lockheed Martin on its Q2 earnings call, voicing the need for a stronger supply chain; investors were swift to punish the stock. Jackie provides context with earnings and valuation data for the S&P 500 Aerospace & Defense industry. … Also: China’s real estate crisis continues to deepen. News of the most recent property developers to default has sunk China’s junk bond prices. … And: The race for quantum computing supremacy among Google, Amazon, and IBM. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 17. Markets Stock volume Friday seen high due to index revamp, options expiration | C Gross Says Bond Bull Market Isn’t ‘In the Cards’ as Yields Peak | B China’s Lost Decade for Investors Has Already Happened | W Central banks Column: Tightening on the QT | Reuters High Rates, Low Supply Hinder Home Buying This Summer | W Fed officially launches new FedNow instant payments service | C US Housing’s Recession Already Happened | W Fastest-growing job market? Government — and that’s a disaster | P US Recession Becomes Closer Call as Economists Rethink Forecasts | B Opinion | Don’t Let Inflation Bury the Memory of a Government Triumph | N Where Is Kamala Harris? | W Trump classified documents trial set for May 2024, ahead of election | C Geopolitics & trade Inspired by Ukraine war, Taiwan launches drone blitz to counter China | R Untangling the U.S. From China’s Economy Is Messy | W ‘Nobody in Hollywood’ Like Xi Jinping | W China hackers breach emails of U.S. diplomats Nicholas Burns, Kritenbrink | C Industries & companies Airlines: Airlines Are Thriving as People Keep Traveling | N Autos: UAW contract talks: EV battery plants make for wildcard issue | C Banks: Bank Lobbying Climbs Nearly 20% Ahead of New Fed Capital Rules | B Financials: Big Regional Banks Reported Stable Deposits. For Investors, That Counts as Great News. | W Media: Streaming Brought Hollywood to a Standstill. Now Comes the Pain. | W Media: Instagram Threads lures creators, and Meta’s challenge is to keep them | C Media: Threads Is Already Losing Its Allure for Users, Adding Urgency for New Features | W Technology In Race for AI Chips, Google DeepMind Uses AI to Design Specialized Semiconductors | W How BMW uses AI to make vehicle assembly more efficient | C How to Direct A.I. Chatbots to Make Them More Useful | N Beyond markets We Will Never Run Out of Resources | W Tony Bennett, Crooner Who Bridged Genres and Generations, Dies at 96 | W How TV Writing Became a Dead-End Job | N

July 20 (Thursday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Defense, China & Quantum Computers In these geopolitically tense times, countries need to build more formidable military arsenals to deter aggressors—which for defense contractors means surging demand. Meeting it may be a challenge, admitted Lockheed Martin on its Q2 earnings call, voicing the need for a stronger supply chain; investors were swift to punish the stock. Jackie provides context with earnings and valuation data for the S&P 500 Aerospace & Defense industry. … Also: China’s real estate crisis continues to deepen. News of the most recent property developers to default has sunk China’s junk bond prices. … And: The race for quantum computing supremacy among Google, Amazon, and IBM. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 17. Markets Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Tesla Stocks to Be Tested | B Tech Stocks, Meme Stocks, Crypto: Investors Are Feeling Bold Again | W Energy Column: Brazil’s hydropower relieves European gas squeeze | R US US single-family housing starts to drop; building permits hit 12-month high | R U.S. Recession Appears Less Likely, Economists Say | N Column: Inflation undershoot? Narrative shifts again | R The Pandemic’s Job Market Myths | N Geopolitics & trade Kerry’s China Trip Restores Talks on Climate Change But Falls Short on Agreement | W Want to Win a Chip War? You’re Gonna Need a Lot of Water | WIRED US Says North Korea Has Ignored Outreach About Soldier Who Fled | B Industries & companies Financials: Goldman Sachs Isn’t Transforming Fast Enough | W Media: ‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer’ opening weekend could be huge | C Pharma: WeightWatchers’ New CEO Pushes Points and Obesity Drugs | B Technology Apple Preps Ajax Generative AI, ‘Apple GPT’ to Rival OpenAI and Google | B ‘Training My Replacement’: Inside a Call Center Worker’s Battle With A.I. | N Climate A Vast Untapped Green Energy Source Is Hiding Beneath Your Feet | WIRED Why You Should Read a 900-Page Novel About the Climate Crisis | WIRED   Beyond markets Your Boss Would Rather Work From Home | W Millennial’s dog-sitting side hustle: It’s ‘like a second salary’ | C

July 19 (Wednesday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: (Hot) Global Soft Landing Globally, economic growth has been on a downtrend since mid-2022 according to our Global Growth Barometer. Recent drags include the hot summer, Americans’ weaker demand for imports as they spend more on travel and other services, and headwinds in Europe and China unique to them. … Since we don’t expect the US to enter a recession anytime soon, we expect the bull market in stocks to continue. Our new S&P 500 targets for year-end 2024 and 2025 suggest the bull market has legs. … And: Joe explains the importance of the MegaCap-8’s expected earnings turnaround. With these eight stocks representing 27% of the S&P 500’s market cap, their outperformance could power the entire market higher. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 17. Markets There Is a Long-Term Danger Lurking in Financial Markets | W Long-run debasement of the U.S. dollar likely to get much worse | WT U.S. Rate Rises Hit the Yen Hard, but Now It’s Staging a Comeback | W   US Americans aren’t rebuilding their savings fast enough | CNN Business Party is over for Champagne as sales drop after two record years | R Biden is forgiving $39 billion in student debt — here’s who qualifies | C Geopolitics & trade India should cash in on ‘China plus one’ strategy – World Bank chief | R India’s Tata chooses UK for $5 bln Jaguar Land Rover gigafactory | R China Tries to Reassure U.S. Amid Speculation Around Missing Foreign Minister | W Industries & companies Airlines: Air Travel Can Be a Nightmare but Can Congress Fix It? | W Home Builders: Homeowners Don’t Want to Sell, So Home Builders Are Booming | W Media: Netflix gets rid of cheapest basic ad-free option in the U.S., U.K. | C Tech: Microsoft Shows AI Won’t Be a Loss Leader | W Wireless: AT&T Halts Plans to Remove Lead Cables in Lake Tahoe | W Corporate finance Microsoft, Activision extend deadline for $69 billion takeover deal | C Technology Business and Labor Square Off Over AI’s Future in American Workplace | W Advertisers Warily Embrace A.I. | N Climate Europe battles heatwave and fires, record temperatures scorch China | R Beyond markets Scenic Highway 30A in Florida Sees Explosive Rental Growth | W

July 18 (Tuesday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Dismissing The Dismal Definition Of Economics The conventional wisdom is that economics is the study of how best to allocate scarce resources—a dismal proposition. I disagree: Economics is all about using technology to create and spread abundance—a much more uplifting definition. The dismal framing taught in universities seems to have produced economists biased toward pessimism. Perhaps that’s why most—after ample evidence that the economy is thriving—are just starting to accept that a recession is not about to happen. … Today, we examine the consensus views of economic forecasters, including within the Fed, and supply context to their outlooks in the form of what inflation has been doing, especially wage inflation. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 17. Markets Dow, S&P 500 rise after upbeat earnings from big banks | R The Man Charged With Steering the Yuan Through China’s Economic Turmoil | W Central banks Jerome Powell’s Prized Labor Market Is Back. Can He Keep It? | N Fed banking regulator warns A.I. could lead to illegal lending practices like excluding minorities | C US The Biden economy is strong. Why don’t voters agree? | MSNBC Voters know Biden’s talking baloney on his economic record | P Financial Crimes That Rocked the U.S. | W These are the 10 states with America’s worst infrastructure | C Frozen food grocery sales vs. critical cold storage supply chains | C China China Evergrande Posts Losses of $81 Billion Over Two Years | yahoo.com Europe Europe on red alert as heatwave brings health warning | R Europe’s sweltering summer could send tourists to cooler climes | R Bidding Wars Get Weird in One of World’s Hottest Rental Markets | W   Geopolitics & trade The Best of Frenemies: Saudi Crown Prince Clashes With U.A.E. President | W U.S. Nuclear-Capable ‘Boomer’ Sub Visits South Korea for First Time in Decades | W U.S. Soldier Held in North Korea After Crossing DMZ | W U.S. blacklists two firms that built Meta, iOS and spyware | C   Industries & companies Homebuilders: Homebuilder sentiment rises in July, but high mortgage rates hurt | C Media: Barbie, Inc: How A $3 Toy Inspired A Multi-Billion-Dollar Dream World | FO Retail: Retail Sales Rose in June as Inflation Eased | W Tech: People Have Begun to Love Apple’s Most Hated Product | W Climate Lots of Tap Water Contains ‘Forever Chemicals.’ Take These Steps to Reduce Your Risk. | W Technology Microsoft’s Bing Chat A.I. bot now lets you search using images | C   Beyond markets Taylor Swift now has the most No. 1 albums of any female artist | C

July 17 (Monday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Transitory Inflation Sets Stage For Immaculate Disinflation Big banks’ top managements sounded relatively sanguine about the economy as they reported solid Q2 results, though JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon hasn’t totally abandoned the recession storyline that spooked investors a year ago. … There are two versions of the bearish economic script now, one seeing recession at the hands of savings-drained consumers and other seeing recession at the hands of the inflation-fighting Fed. We counter these narratives with data on consumers and liquidity and by making our case for “immaculate disinflation,” the notion that disinflation doesn’t require a recession. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 10. Markets Emerging Market Funds That Exclude China Are Beating the Index | BR Buy Freeport-McMoRan Stock. Copper Is the Future. | BR Global A Buoyant Global Economy Is Starting to Sag | W US I Companies and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Earnings Season | W Quirky Economic Indicators Suggest a Recession is Coming | BR Inflation Under Control? Consumers Don’t Think So. | BR U.S. Consumer Spending May Hold Up Even in the Face of Inflation and Recession Threats | BR Pay Raises Are Finally Beating Inflation After Two Years of Falling Behind | W US II How MAGA Republicans plan to make Donald Trump’s second term count | E The American left and right loathe each other and agree on a lot | E Why working families aren’t sold on Bidenomics | The Hill Europe Europeans Are Becoming Poorer. ‘Yes, We’re All Worse Off.’ | W China China’s frail Q2 GDP growth raises urgency for more policy support | R China reports Q2 GDP miss, another record high in youth unemployment | C China’s Economy Barely Grows as Recovery Fades | W China’s Fading Recovery Tests Policy Makers’ Economic Playbook | W China is obsessed with food security. Climate change will challenge it | E The Chinese are working more hours than ever | E Can EVs and Solar Panels Save China’s Economy? | W Geopolitics & trade Russia axes landmark Ukraine grain deal just hours before deadline | C Black Sea grain deal: Russia refuses to renew and says no guarantees for ships now  | R Industries & companies Autos: How to Turn Tesla Into a Dividend-Paying Stock | BR Media: Media industry turmoil: Strikes, streaming losses, ad slump | C Media: Elon Musk says Twitter cash flow remains negative with ‘heavy debt’ | C Media: ‘Barbenheimer’ Has Moviegoers Buzzing. How to Play the Mash-Up. | BR Pharma: John Schoonbee on why new drugs, while helpful, are no panacea for obesity | E Pharma: Big pharma is warming to the potential of AI | E Real Estate: The Market Hates Real Estate Stocks. It’s Time to Buy. | BR Restaurants: Chipotle Gets Some Help in the Kitchen—a Robot | BR Retail: Buy Walmart Stock. It’s Quietly Growing Into a Retail Tech Titan. | BR Tech: Microsoft’s Win in the Activision Case Could Spur a Merger Revival | BR Climate Climate: Italy warns of extreme heat peak as temperatures soar | C Technology Your employer is (probably) unprepared for artificial intelligence | E The AI Bubble Isn’t Big Enough. Why There’s More Upside Ahead for Big Tech. | BR AI will be the ‘biggest bubble of all time’: Stability AI CEO | C Hiltzik: AI hype is as old as AI itself | Los Angeles Times How do AI systems like ChatGPT work? There’s a lot scientists don’t know. | Vox How AI image-generators work | E In Asia data flows are part of a new great game | E Beyond markets Why has Vietnam banned the “Barbie” film? | E

July 15 (Saturday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Travel, Banks & AI Americans are traveling like never before, with record numbers flying to do so. Post-pandemic “revenge travel” has sent the valuations of travel-related stocks skyward too. Jackie takes a timely look at what could go wrong. … Also: Banks’ soon-to-be-released 2Q earnings will show investors whether large banks have continued to fare way better than small ones—shedding light on whether the valuations of the latter have been overly punished. The S&P 500 Regional Banks index has dramatically underperformed the S&P 500 Diversified Banks index ytd. … And: In our Disruptive Technologies segment, a look at how AI is being deployed to speed and improve drug development. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 10. Markets ‘Everything Rally’ in Markets Pulls in Speculative Investors | B   US Economists Are Cutting Back Their Recession Expectations | W Collective embrace of soft landing economic scenario extends 2023 rally after welcome drop in CPI | C Risk Rally: This Indicator Shows the Profit Outlook is Looking Up | B Talkin’ ’Bout Our Generations: How They Shape Our Style, Our Vacations and Why We’re Us | W The 2024 Election Is a Fight Over America’s Way of Life | W China China’s Economy Might Look Good on Paper, but It Feels Like a Recession | W Geopolitics & trade China’s Wang Yi urges EU to ‘clarify’ its position on partnership | R Paraguay ‘would love’ more China trade, Taiwan still better for development | R Would Allies Fight With U.S. for Taiwan? Japan Is Wary | W Russia’s Putin Moves to Dismantle Wagner Paramilitary Group | W Industries & companies Autos: Tesla Starts Cybertruck Production Two Years Behind Schedule | B Banks: JPMorgan Earnings: Profit Jumps 67% After First Republic Bank Rescue | W Banks: Credit Suisse inquiry will keep files secret for 50 years | R Media: Where are the billion-dollar movies? Hollywood lacks mega hits | C Wireless: AT&T, Other Telecom Stocks Sink After WSJ Investigation on Toxic Lead Cables | W Corporate finance Pfizer’s $43 Billion Seagen Takeover Faces EU Investigation | B FTC loses appeals court bid to temporarily block Microsoft-Activision deal | C Eli Lilly Is Buying Another Potential Obesity Treatment in Deal Worth Up to $2 Billion | W Climate Weeks of Extreme Heat Strain Small Businesses and Economy | W Phoenix braves relentless wave of extreme heat in US Southwest | R El Niño exacerbates global warming: Record heat, flooding, wildfires | C Crypto Binance could lay off thousands in response to DOJ probe: source | C   Technology Elon Musk plans Tesla, Twitter collaborations with xAI | C

July 14 (Friday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Travel, Banks & AI Americans are traveling like never before, with record numbers flying to do so. Post-pandemic “revenge travel” has sent the valuations of travel-related stocks skyward too. Jackie takes a timely look at what could go wrong. … Also: Banks’ soon-to-be-released 2Q earnings will show investors whether large banks have continued to fare way better than small ones—shedding light on whether the valuations of the latter have been overly punished. The S&P 500 Regional Banks index has dramatically underperformed the S&P 500 Diversified Banks index ytd. … And: In our Disruptive Technologies segment, a look at how AI is being deployed to speed and improve drug development. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 10. Markets Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: AT&T, Microsoft, JPMorgan, Citi and more | C Bank Earnings Cap a Week of ‘Everything Rally’ | B JPMorgan Asset’s Bob Michele Says Global Bond Rally Is Just Starting | B Tumbling US dollar a boon to risk assets across the globe | R Russia’s crude price exceeds G7 price cap as market braces for supply crunch | C Central banks The Real Fed Debate This Month: What Would Prompt a Rate Hike This Fall | W Fed Governor Christopher Waller Calls for Two More Interest Rate Hikes This Year | B St. Louis Fed President James Bullard Steps Down | W US If You Find the Economy Confusing, Don’t Worry: It Is | W Mellman: The economic recovery, perception and reality | The Hill Republicans Divided Over US Railroad Safety Regulations | B Biden forgives $39 bln in US student debt using program fix | R Geopolitics & trade Russia says West is sponsoring ‘nuclear terrorism’ after Ukrainian drone strike | R Hong Kong Takes Its Crackdown Abroad | W Industries & companies Consumer: WHO: Soda sweetener aspartame may cause cancer but safe within limits | C Media: Hollywood Has SAG-AFTRA, WGA Double Strike for First Time in 60 Years | B Media: The Barbie movie, the nine-dash line, and China’s influence on Hollywood | Vox Media: Bob Iger Isn’t Having Much Fun at Disney | W Pharma: The benefits of new Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi are still limited | MSNBC Climate Japan calls on China to approach Fukushima water release in ‘scientific manner’ | R Canada record heat meets record wildfires; new reality say scientists | C Climate: Kerry rules out US paying reparations to low-income nations | C

July 13 (Thursday) Latest Morning Briefing Executive Summary: Travel, Banks & AI Americans are traveling like never before, with record numbers flying to do so. Post-pandemic “revenge travel” has sent the valuations of travel-related stocks skyward too. Jackie takes a timely look at what could go wrong. … Also: Banks’ soon-to-be-released 2Q earnings will show investors whether large banks have continued to fare way better than small ones—shedding light on whether the valuations of the latter have been overly punished. The S&P 500 Regional Banks index has dramatically underperformed the S&P 500 Diversified Banks index ytd. … And: In our Disruptive Technologies segment, a look at how AI is being deployed to speed and improve drug development. (subscribers’ link) YRI Daily Markets Overview Replay of Dr. Ed’s webinar on July 10. Credit Federal funds rate signals big trouble ahead | P US As Inflation Goes Down, Soft Landing Odds Improve | W Inflation’s Fall From a Four-Decade High in Four Charts | W Inflation Eased to 3% in June, Slowest Pace in More Than Two Years | W CPI report: What the latest inflation numbers mean for you – Vox PPI June 2023: Wholesale prices rise less than expected | C Tampa: Why Gen Z and Millennial Tourists Are Flocking to This Retirement Mecca | W This Part of Bidenomics Needs More Economics | W China Xi Jinping Chokes Off Crucial Engine of China’s Economy | W India Floods force Indian capital to shut schools, offices, and plan water rationing | R Tesla looking to make about half million EVs annually in India, Times of India reports | R Geopolitics & trade As Concerns About China Grow, Germany Loosens Its Embrace | W China Hacking Was Undetectable for Some Who Had Less Expensive Microsoft Services | W Industries & companies Airlines: Delta Earnings: Travel Boom Drove Record Revenue, Airline Says | W Banks: Is the Banking Crisis Over? We Are About to Find Out | W Consumer: Amazon Prime Day: U.S. online sales surge to $12.7 billion | C Consumer: If the FTC Gets Its Way, Could This Be the Last Prime Day? | Cato at Liberty Blog Media: Disney cuts back on Marvel, Star Wars content | C Media: Disney TV assets could be for sale, Iger says | C Media: Twitter asks court to end FTC order on its data practices | C Media: Meta’s Threads Now Has to Keep Its Millions of Users Engaged | W Pharma: Over the counter birth control approved by the FDA | C   Corporate finance Disney open to finding ESPN strategic partner | C Exxon Buys Pipeline Operator, Making Big Bet on Carbon | W Technology ChatGPT owner OpenAI is being investigated by FTC | C Google’s Bard AI Chatbot Adds More Languages to Take On ChatGPT | W My A.I. Writing Robot | The New Yorker Chip wars: How ‘chiplets’ are emerging as a core part of China’s tech strategy | R Remini, the AI App That’s Triggering Baby Fever Among Gen Z and Millennials | W Crypto Founder of crypto lender Celsius Network arrested, charged with fraud | R