LeBron James is getting ready for his post-NBA media career, partner says

LeBron James’ longtime business partner has been laying the groundwork to grow the basketball superstar’s business when he steps away from the game.
In an appearance at last week’s Semafor World Economy gathering, Maverick Carter said that changes in the tech and media landscape allowed James some flexibility in terms of his next moves once he retires — which could be as soon as later this month, if the Lakers fall to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, or after next season.
Carter told Semaf

Airline adding bunk beds for economy travelers but bans snacks, smells and cuddling

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Sleep on a long-haul flight in economy class has always been a fantasy for many travelers. Air New Zealand will soon offer a solution that involves climbing into a triple-tier bunk bed wearing special socks.
The airline will soon open bookings for four-hour stints in the Skynest sleep pods and says they will be the first lie-flat beds for budget air travelers. Fliers will get cozy with their fellow passengers, however, so crumbs, strong perfumes and bedsharing are forbidden.

Poll: Trump's approval rating hits second-term low as Americans sour on the economy and Iran war

President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has sunk to a new low as Americans express growing concerns about rising costs and the war with Iran, according to an NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.
Overall, 37% of adults approve of Trump’s performance as president, while 63% disapprove — including 50% who said they disapprove strongly — putting his job rating at the lowest point of his second term in NBC News Decision Desk polling. Two-thirds of respondents also disapproved of

Iranians fear harsher regime crackdown after war with US ends

Behind peaceful scenes, Iran's economy is in tatters, and people are fearful of a new government clampdown and angry about the destructive airstrikes.
Iranians striving to maintain a semblance of normal life after weeks of US and Israeli bombing and a deadly crackdown on protesters in January remain daunted by the future as damage from airstrikes and internet cuts take a toll.
With Iran and the US wrangling over a truce extension and a deal to end the conflict, shops, restaurants, and government offices have remained open. On s

SpaceX’s $2 Trillion IPO Is Coming: These 6 Stocks Will Ride the New ***** e Economy Into Orbit

SpaceX confidentially filed for its IPO on April 1, and quickly raised its target valuation above $2 trillion. That would dwarf Saudi Aramco’s record $29.4 billion raise in 2019 and could bring in as much as $75 billion. Morgan Stanley just released a list of 60 public companies across the full ***** e supply chain — the ***** e 60 — that stand to capitalize on the opportunity, everything from raw materials to satellite services.
While all the names on that list stand to gain something from broa

This Trash‑Hauling Giant Could Be the Only Industrial Stock I'd Buy and Never Sell

Industrial stocks tend to be very cyclical. Their revenues and stock prices typically rise during an economic expansion and fall during a recession. That cyclicality makes them more difficult to buy and hold long-term, since it often makes sense to sell when the economy appears to be nearing a cyclical peak.
However, garbage collection tends to be a relatively resilient business. That's why trash-hauling giant WM (NYSE: WM) might be the only industrial stock I buy and hold forever.
Will AI create the world'

Rachel Reeves has launched a new threat to pensions – 'millions will be poorer'

Rachel Reeves has been warned her controversial pension reforms will mean “lower returns and lower pensions in future for millions of workers”, as Labour prepares for a fresh battle with the House of Lords. Peers are expected to reject plans to allow the Chancellor to order pension funds to invest in the British economy. It’s the latest round in an ongoing battle between the Commons and the Lords over the Government’s Pensions Schemes Bill.
The Lords has already removed elements of the legislation that will giv

SpaceX’s $2 Trillion IPO Is Coming: These 6 Stocks Will Ride the New ***** e Economy Into Orbit

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reported record 2025 revenue of $602M, up 38% year-over-year, with a $49B market cap driven by its vertical integration across launch vehicles, ***** ecraft systems, and orbital infrastructure. AST ***** eMobile (ASTS) generated $70.9M in 2025 revenue with guidance for $150M-$200M in 2026 and $1.2B in contracted revenue as it builds a ***** e-based cellular broadband network. Planet Labs (PL) posted record fiscal 2026 revenue of $307.7M, up 26% year-over-year, with a $900M backl

Air New Zealand introduces bunk beds for economy passengers

Air New Zealand is launching an innovative way for economy passengers to sleep on long-haul flights with bunk beds on board.
The airline will open bookings next month for its “Skynest” seats, which will allow economy class passengers to lie flat on flights.
These will debut on select ultra-long-haul flights between New York and Auckland, on sale 18 May with travel from November.
Beds on planes are nothing new – almost every airline that operates long-haul journeys provides upper-class passengers a seat which can be adjusted into

Why one ****** yst thinks the US economy will be feeling the Iran-fueled inflation shock for years to...

Chris Whalen thinks hot inflation will weigh on the US economy for years after the Iran war ends.
The veteran ****** yst says supply disruptions in the Middle East will take a long time to normalize.
He said he expected inflation to rise to the high single-digits, about double its current rate.
Investors see the Iran war as all but over, but a market vet warns the effects will be felt a lot longer than Wall Street might realize.
Chris Whalen, an investment banker, longtime ****** yst

The Latest: Standoff escalates after Iran closes Strait of Hormuz over US blockade

Iran reversed its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
The escalating standoff over the critical chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy and push the two countries toward renewed conflict, even as mediators expressed confidence a new deal was within reach.
The strait is closed until the U.S. blockade is lifted, Iran’s Revolutionary Gu

Putin finally admits Russia’s economy is in trouble and grasps for answers, after warnings about a f...

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his concerns about the economy public as he vented frustration at aides and demanded they come up with solutions.
During a televised meeting on the economy Wednesday, he revealed that GDP shrank by combined 1.8% in January and February, adding that manufacturing, industrial production and construction were negative.
“I expect to hear detailed reports today on the current economic situation and why the trajectory of macroeconomic indicators is curren

Ossoff criticizes Trump on health care, Iran, 'corruption' in Augusta

Lowering health care premiums and returning consumers to financial affordability mean electing leaders instead of rulers, the state's senior U.S. senator said during a campaign swing through Augusta on Saturday.
With public criticism mounting against the Trump administration's handling of the economy, rising health care premiums and a war with Iran, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff mounted an offensive to urge voters to fight for the ways of life he said they deserve.
"We were told MAGA was for the working class. Do you

Amid wars and soaring energy prices, IMF says the global economy is on the brink of recession

By
Rob Schmitz
,
Daniel Ofman
,

https://www.npr.org/2026/0...

Republicans enter spring legislative sprint

The House and Senate are speeding toward quick — and finite — action on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement funding and on expiring surveillance powers.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said at Semafor World Economy on Monday that he’d back the plan to send roughly $50 billion in frontloaded Immigration and Customs Enforcement and border security funding for Customs and Border Protection, a crucial conservative boost for the plan.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans are aggressively moving to “limit” the measure to help shi

Opinion: When Work Isn’t 9-to-5, Child Care Can’t Be Either

In New York City and New Mexico, policymakers are making history by rolling out ambitious universal child care plans that offer affordable care for families and invest in the providers that drive our economy. As these bold efforts expand access for young children, leaders must consider a fundamental reality of modern work: Child care that ends at 6 p.m. might not work for parents whose shifts start at sunset, stretch overnight or change week to week.
Child care during nontraditional hours — including early mornings, evenings, nigh

Stock Futures Soar After U.S., Iran Walk Back From the Brink

Oil prices plunged, stock futures surged and government bond yields sank after President Trump said he had agreed to a cease-fire with Iran if the Strait of Hormuz reopened immediately.
The pause in hostilities sparked relief among investors who feared the war was about to spiral into a dangerous new phase that could inflict even graver damage to the global economy. The immediate question for the financial world now is whether tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf can start to sail out and deliver much-needed supplies to increasing

The US Economy Is Replaying the 2000s, Not the 1970s

https://www.bloomberg.com/...

The 'annoyance economy' is costing Americans billions — here are the 3 biggest culprits stealing you...

If you’ve ever spent hours waiting on hold to talk to a customer service representative, you might have wondered whether the time it took was even worth it — or if that time spent actually cost you money.
Some experts say that it all adds up, and Americans are potentially losing billions in lost time, and fees, to the so-called annoyance economy.
Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here'

15-Point Confidence Gap Splits High- and Low-Income Consumers | PYMNTS.com

The new divide in consumer confidence is not whether Americans feel good about the economy, but whether they have enough income to turn that confidence into real spending power.

https://www.pymnts.com/con...

Efforts continue to address Iowa farmers’ demands

Iowa farmers are raising concern for what some state lawmakers are calling an agriculture economy downturn. A timely issue for farmers revolves around their access to fertilizer supplies. Nitrogen is a key import for fertilizer.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the war in Iran has disrupted fertilizer production and trade. John Whitaker is a Henry County farmer who says agriculture policy is “pragmatic” and bipartisan.
“Farmers never did like to get money from the mailbox, they want money from the market. We

Cramer says Tuesday’s stock market action gives investors a glimpse of the U.S. economy’s fate if Ir...

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Want to know what’s next for the economy if the U.S.-Iran war persists? CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Tuesday’s stock market action gave investors a warning.
Despite eking out a small last-minute gain, the S&P 500
was down for most of the session as President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to strike a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz approached with little signs of progress, dimming hopes of a resolution between the two countries. Trum

Donald Trump's good news might be short-lived

PUBLISHED
APR 07, 2026 AT 09:14 PM EDT
Oil futures tumbled on Tuesday after President Donald Trump announced a two‑week ceasefire with Iran, offering a rare moment of relief for energy markets rattled by weeks of war and threats around the Strait of Hormuz, but the administration will have to tread carefully if they want those benefits to trickle down to American consumers.
The Trump administration has been plagued by an economy that's falling well short of Americans' expectations for the president. It's contributing to the drop his approval

4 ways Trump has suggested the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened — and why they're a tough lift

President Donald Trump made clear Tuesday that the fate of the Iranian people — and their civilization — is in his hands as he threatens to bomb them back to the “stone ages.”
But the Iranian regime has a trump card too: continuing its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a global energy chokepoint so vital that decisions made today could determine the global economy for months, even years, to come. Oil and gas shortages as a result of Iran’s blockade have already caused a crisis in parts of Asia

Larry Summers Reportedly Believes Trump’s Economy Is on the Brink of Crisis

(Michel Euler/AP photo)
Larry Summers is privately warning that the U.S. economy is “worryingly fragile” and potentially nearing crisis conditions, according to a report that underscores mounting concerns about inflation and federal debt.
The former Treasury chief, who resigned from his role at Harvard University after his friendly correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein was exposed in the Justice Department’s release, has circulated updated ******* ysis to fellow economists suggesting the current economic trajectory

Key Fed Official Says Interest Rate Hike Is Possible as Gas Prices Soar

A top official at the Federal Reserve has said that soaring gas prices present a new threat to the economy, warning of a possible interest rate hike if inflation remains persistently elevated.
Oil prices have surged since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began, sparking fears of renewed inflation and roiling the stock market, which dipped on Tuesday after President Donald Trump threatened that Iran's "whole civilization will die tonight" if Tehran doesn't accept his terms.
Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, a voting

Fed’s Austan Goolsbee sees economic weakness, but not recession

Austan Goolsbee, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, sees some weakness in the U.S. economy now and he's personally uneasy about the possibility of inflation heating up as the Iran war continues.
But he remains "hopeful, slash optimistic" that the U.S. economy will keeping growing, thanks to continued consumer spending across the board.
"My concern at this immediate time is we've got to get our heads around the oil shock," Goolsbee told the Detroit Economic Club on Tuesday, April 7.
Goolsbee engaged in

Understanding The ‘Economy’ For All Of Us - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Home » Stories » Understanding The ‘Economy’ For All Of Us
The economy is everything we buy or sell and the services we use. It can be a pretty broad category and most of us struggle to understand what it all means.
The show Planet Money from NPR dives into those topics and attempts to make sense of it all. And now, the show has published a book called Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life, written by Alex Mayyasi.
WVPB News Director Eric Douglas spoke with Mayyasi and one of the sho

What Jamie Dimon sees as threats to the economy in 2026

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, put out his annual letter to shareholders this week. Now, a lot of companies provide shareholder updates, but when a letter comes from the leader of the largest bank in North America and contains insights about the economy, it tends to make headlines.
Dimon’s cautionary tone struck Ari Shwayder, who teaches economics at the University of Michigan.
“He's quite worried about inflation” — so much so that Dimon called it the “skunk at the party” — “not calming back down to the 2% level that the Fed wan

Opinion | The Gig Economy Is Affecting Our Communities

I’ve spent nine years inside the gig economy. I write from home in rural West Virginia, a place where factory jobs disappeared long ago and this new way of working arrived like the only option left. I chase payments, explain to my two daughters why we need to wait for ice cream when a client pays late and wonder sometimes if anyone on the other end of the screen knows I’m a person at all.
Before this, I spent significant time in Mississippi. Not as a journalist, but as someone who paid attention. I saw communities where people knew eac