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UnitedHealth Group, a longtime healthcare powerhouse, just took a brutal hit, missing earnings expectations and slashing its 2025 outlook. The company’s stock dropped rapidly Thursday morning, April 17, and it wasn’t just a blip — this was a full-on market reaction to what many are now calling a crisis moment. At the center of it all? A shaky Medicare business, a leadership shakeup, and the long shadow of a massive cyberattack. For years, UnitedHealth was considered untouchable on Wall Street. But now, the once-steady giant is showing signs of severe strain. Medicare Misfire Rattles Confidence In The Insurance Giant Investors didn’t just flinch — they ran. According to The Wall Street Journal, UnitedHealth stock tumbled about 18% in early trading, pulling other major healthcare players like Humana and CVS Health down. What happened? The company’s Medicare Advantage division, which manages benefits for older and disabled Americans, faces deeper issues than previously disclosed....
Millions are being impacted by an ongoing global tech outage. What Happened CNBC reports CrowdStrike, “the world’s most advanced cloud-native platform,” triggered a Microsoft operating system issue Friday, July 19, when it sent an update, causing a global outage that disrupted airlines, businesses, global banks, and emergency services. CrowdStrike Response At the time of this writing, the outage is reportedly not believed to be the result of a security incident or cyberattack, according to CrowdStrike President and CEO George Kurtz. “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We...
MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16” premiered in 2005 and, for years, had audience members captivated by the lavish celebrations designed to honor the celebrity children’s milestone birthday. Although the show has since ended, the extravagant parties for children have not ceased, and they are not limited to that critical teenage year. Parents of privilege host large-scale parties for their children at almost any age, and former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks is in that number. Park’s eldest son, Ayden, celebrated his 13 th birthday, and Parks went all out.
A recent TikTok video had users in a frenzy over one customer’s tedious Instacart demand. According to a screenshot posted by TikTok user Violetta Le’Mone (@_instaqueen_), one Instacart customer posted a series of commands to be followed by a shopper. The screenshot listed requirements such as a mandatory image of cooling bags prior to shopping, banning the shopper from batching the order, and live updates by the shopper throughout the grocery spree. “Please send me a photo of your insulated cooling bags in your shopping cart IMMEDIATELY before shopping otherwise I will call Instacart promptly and cancel this order to reschedule with a different shopper. If you don’t have the insulated cooling bags or enough of them to keep my food items temperature-controlled, or you do not have the insulated cooling bags, but only plan on using them during delivery then DON’T PICK UP MY ORDER,” the note read. Violetta Le’Mone added she did not pick up this order. Since the video’s initial posting...
Facial recognition technology has been a known issue in police conduct for years now, and the problem has yet to be resolved. New Jersey man Nijeer Parks, 33, has unfortunately become the third known Black man to be falsely identified and wrongfully-arrested for false facial recognition, according to The New York Times. The incident occurred in February 2019, when Parks was accused of allegedly shoplifting candy and trying to hit a police officer with a car at a Hampton Inn in Woodbridge, NJ. Engadget shares officers were called to the Hampton Inn where the alleged shoplifter presented them with a Tennessee driver’s license, which they eventually confirmed to be fake. State agencies then utilized facial recognition systems to analyze the photo from the ID and found an apparent match in Parks’ state ID. Despite being 30 miles from the incident at the time, officers still identified Parks as the suspect. As a result, Parks spent a total of 10 days in jail last year, and $5,000 to...
The U.S. consumer technology industry generates hundreds of billions in revenue each year. From Silicon Alley to Silicon Valley, the tech industry represents the pinnacle of success. Yet minorities remain critically underrepresented in the field, drastically cutting billions in potential tech revenue. Studies conducted by TechRepublic between 2014 and 2018 revealed the low percentages of non-Asian, minority workers at major tech companies, such as Google, Twitter, Pinterest, and eBay. A more recent study by Statista shows minority representation in the tech industry increasing slowly and steadily, but not enough to match the number of youth exploring the field. Nathan Dudley, an alumnus of The Hidden Genius Project, convinces a Bank of America employee to invest in the pivotal program. That is where programs such as The Hidden Genius Project have stepped in and made their mark. The Oakland-based program is the brainchild of Executive Director Brandon Nicholson and several other...
The return of Toys “R” Us has been heralded by many. However, the praise falls short when it comes to the former toy giant’s new video surveillance, which some say, targets children. In its new incarnation, Toys “R” has partnered with tech startup bt8a and analytics expert Retail Next to obtain information about its customers. The system’s ability to track the movement of shoppers to better understand their interests and cater to them is considered problematic, as many Toys “R” Us customers are minors, and there are laws in place to protect their privacy. As noted in a recent WIRED article, “ Collecting information on kids is a highly sensitive issue, and US law carves out various additional protections or restrictions when it comes to minors .” In addition, informed parental consent is generally required. A spokesperson for RetailNext has indicated that personal data of children is not obtained intentionally or retained, and that height parameters help ensure that children are not...
The Trump administration has repealed a Biden-era policy that guaranteed a baseline wage for workers on federal contracts, cutting the federal contractor minimum wage down from $17.75 an hour. However, the move still leaves an Obama-era rule in place that puts the minimum at $13.30 an hour. With that single change, hundreds of thousands of private-sector workers employed by federal contractors are at risk of wage reductions up to 25% — a shift that will disproportionately affect workers without college degrees and those already earning near-poverty wages, the Center for American Progress reports. The Federal Contractor Minimum Wage: A Lifeline Now Lost The now-defunct regulation, established under Executive Order 14026, raised the federal contractor minimum wage in 2021 to $15 and indexed it to inflation, bringing it to $17.75 in 2025. It was designed to ensure that janitors, cooks, maintenance workers, and other federal contract laborers earned a livable wage. More than 327,000...
The Global Gaming League (GGL), a professional gaming entertainment organization featuring celebrity team owners, has successfully raised $10 million in its SAFE round, led by the private equity group Solyco Capital, according to a news release. Founded by multi-platinum music producer and entrepreneur Clinton Sparks, in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning artist T-Pain and tech visionary Jeff Hoffman, GGL is building the first entertainment system that monetizes the world’s largest and most engaged audience: the more than 3 billion people who play video games. “There are over 3 billion gamers around the world,” Sparks said. “But there’s still no centralized platform that gives everyday players the spotlight—while authentically connecting brands, celebrities, and competition in a way that’s truly entertaining. That’s where GGL comes in.” Each GGL team has four players — including high-profile influencers , actors, athletes, artists, and casual and professional gamers — competing...
Business self-help books are essential to those who are looking to succeed in their chosen career paths. Learning from others who have already paved the way might open up new trains of thought and ways of thinking that could shake the foundation of how you run your business. Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power is a must-read for entrepreneurs looking to master strategy, influence, and leadership. If you found it insightful, here are other books—including works by Black authors—that explore power, persuasion, and success in business. The Art Of War By Sun Tzu Goodreads Rating: 4.0/5 It might seem an odd recommendation for books like The 48 Laws of Power, especially for business purposes, but The Art of War offers surprising insights that can be useful in business and entrepreneurship. A classic on strategy and competition, The Art of War offers lessons on preparation, adaptability, and psychological advantage. Entrepreneurs can apply its teachings to negotiations, business...
Reebok is making a comeback in the world of basketball. On Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, Reebok and the WNBA announced a multi-year agreement designating the global sports culture brand as an authorized footwear supplier for the league. “The WNBA continues to grow with iconic brands, and we look forward to Reebok joining us in driving women’s basketball to new heights and inspiring the next generation,” WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison said in a statement. “As we continue to capitalize on increased brand awareness, our work with Reebok is another step in bringing more fans to the game.” Reebok has been producing basketball shoes for women since the 1980s. Throughout the 1990s, the brand sponsored some of the best women’s collegiate basketball teams in the country and, in 1997, launched a signature shoe for WNBA player Rebecca Lobo. It’s no secret that Nike is the leading shoe brand among NBA and WNBA players, but other brands have a presence. As of October 2024, six active WNBA...
The Walt Disney Company, an iconic global leader in entertainment, continues to hold a strong position in the market. Market cap measures a company’s total value on the stock market by multiplying its share price by the number of outstanding shares. This metric provides investors with a straightforward way to assess a company’s size and financial standing. Internationally recognizable and a titan in the entertainment industry, what is Disney’s market cap in 2024? Here, we’ll dig into that number and what factors are at play to support it. Disney’s Diverse Portfolio Disney’s valuation is driven by its vast portfolio of entertainment assets. Its film and TV divisions, which include blockbuster franchises like Marvel, Star Wars, and beloved animated classics, remain consistent revenue generators. The Disney+ streaming platform has established itself as a major industry player, even as it faces fierce competition from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other services. All together, Disney’s...