Boxless Amazon delivery, Armenian genocide, and a suitcase TV.

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Business & Economy

Daily stock market update

US stock markets closed lower on Wednesday (S&P -0.76%, Nasdaq -1.15%, Dow -0.52%) ~ The three major indexes recorded their second consecutive losing session yesterday. (More)

Target Pride backlash adds to sales woes as culture wars rage in corporate America

Target said “negative reaction” to the their Pride merchandise hurt sales and contributed to disappointing quarterly results made public on Wednesday. However, the company stood by their decisions both to celebrate Pride month and to take some items off of shelves after customer backlash. Target declined to estimate the financial hit from the Pride merchandise response and attributed its poor quarterly results to multiple economic factors, including weaker sales due to inflation. (More)

Weekly mortgage demand drops again, as interest rates match a 22-year high

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose for the third straight week, increasing from 7.09% to 7.16%. The rate jumped to the highest level since October 2022, which also matches a high level seen in 2001. Mortgage demand from homebuyers was 26% lower than the same week one year ago, while applications to refinance a home loan were down by 35% compared to August of last year. (More)

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US News, Politics, & Government

School bus driver shortage plagues first week back to class

School districts across the country struggled to get kids to classes in their first week back due to bus driver shortages. In certain areas, shortages have been so severe that entire districts have been shut down for days at a time. Officials blame the shortage on a changing workforce, who are opting for better pay elsewhere. The average driver makes around $40,000, and that’s only when the position is full-time. (More)

Plea negotiations could mean no 9/11 defendants face the death penalty

The suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and his co-defendants may never face the death penalty, under plea agreements currently under consideration. The families of some of the victims received a letter from the FBI and the Pentagon that said the prosecutors are considering entering into pre-trial agreements, or PTAs. And that it is possible that a PTA could take the death penalty off the table. Some families of the victims said they want a resolution that holds people responsible for what happened, not a plea deal to expedite the end of the trial. (More)

Some abortion drug restrictions are upheld by an appeals court in a case bound for the Supreme Court

An appeals court in New Orleans overturned part of a lower court ruling that would have revoked the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. But it left intact part of the ruling that would end the drug’s availability by mail, restrict its use after the seventh week of pregnancy instead of the 10th, and require a doctor’s prescription. However, those restrictions won’t take effect right away because the Supreme Court previously intervened to keep the drug available during the legal fight. (More)

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World

Pressure mounts on US, others to stop Azerbaijan's blockade as expert warns of genocide

The US and other countries are facing growing pressure to do more to stop Azerbaijan's blockade of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where ethnic Armenians are facing genocide. Although Nagorno-Karabakh territory is within Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders, its population primarily consists of self-governing Armenians. The blockade has left about 120,000 people largely without food, medicine, drinking water, and other essentials. Without intervention, the group of Armenians could die of starvation. (More)

Pakistan: Mob burns churches over blasphemy claims

Thousands of Muslims in Pakistan have set fire to churches and vandalized homes belonging to Christians over claims that two men had desecrated the Quran. Videos show protestors destroying Christian buildings while police appear to watch. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan, and though no one has ever been executed for it, dozens have previously been killed by mobs after being accused of the crime. (More)

Canada calls gender violence an epidemic after triple femicide inquest

Canada’s justice minister said in a letter that gender-based violence is an “epidemic” that “has no place in our country” in response to a public investigation into a triple femicide in Ontario. The letter also stated Canada intends to pursue the criminalization of coercive control, which refers to partner violence intended to isolate, intimidate, and control victims. The investigation was launched last summer to examine the circumstances that enabled Basil Borutski to kill three women – Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam – on a single morning in 2015. (More)

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Sports & Entertainment

England defeats Australia to reach WWC final

England reached their first Women’s World Cup final after beating Australia 3-1 on Wednesday. The British will advance to face Spain after losing in the semifinals in each of the previous two World Cups. The final will be played on Sunday. (More)

Alec Baldwin may still face charges in fatal ‘Rust’ shooting after new report alleges he pulled trigger

Alec Baldwin may face charges again for the “Rust” movie set shooting. Baldwin has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger of a prop pistol that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza while on the “Rust” movie set in 2021. However, a new gun analysis report by a firearms expert found that the prop revolver had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked hammer. (More)

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ claims 16th week atop hot 100 

Wallen’s “Last Night” stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for the 16th week in a row. The song broke out of a tie with Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the sole longest No. 1 for a non-collaboration. Overall it is tied for the second-longest reign in the Hot 100’s 65-year history. (More)

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Science, Health, & Tech

For the first time, pig kidneys transplanted into a human provide life-sustaining function

Researchers at the University of Alabama successfully transplanted the kidneys of a genetically modified pig into a brain-dead patient, with the permission of his family. The pig's kidney has been functioning normally for over a month. While scientists are still unsure if the transplant will work in living patients, they insist that the research is important because it could potentially help overcome the shortage in human donor kidneys. (More)

Amazon wants to ship your orders without a box

Amazon’s latest effort to improve delivery speed and efficiency is by reducing packaging. Eventually, more deliveries will be shipped in the manufacturer’s packaging only. However, certain products will still be shipped in boxes like sharp objects, collectibles, or intimate items. Users will always have the option to add Amazon packaging to their order for no extra charge at checkout, but the default will be boxless shipping. (More)

Researchers find increase in younger people diagnosed with cancer

A new study found cancer rates in Americans under the age of 50 slightly increased by 1% between 2010 and 2019. The group with the largest increase was those aged 30 to 39, with an increase of 19%. Asian or Pacific Islander patients under 50 saw the biggest increase at 32%, followed by Hispanic patients with a 28% increase. Breast cancer had the highest case rates while gastrointestinal cancers had the fastest-growing incidence rates, with a 15% increase during this time. (More)

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Bonus Material

Today in things you didn’t know you needed: A TV in a suitcase.

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17 sets of twins prepare to start primary school in Inverclyde, Scotland.

Four ways to have a happier, calmer life.