How the world's largest asset manager is using nearly $28 billion of acquisitions to reinvent itself

Can Europe afford to defend itself without the US?

Also in this newsletter: The EU’s peace offering in Trump’s trade war

Financial Times - 22h

Unit Network raises $18M for decentralized platform enabling real-world and digital asset trading

Unit Network, a decentralized financial ecosystem enabling tradING of real-world and digital assets through tokenization, has raised $18 million.

VentureBeat - 1d

These Founders Are Reinventing Black Haircare

Banana fibers, recycling, and biodegradable collagen are just a few of the materials replacing plastic.

Inc. - 2d

To stop Trump, Democrats must reinvent themselves

Democrats can’t beat Trump and the populist right with the discredited progressive playbook they’ve been following since 2016.

The Hill - 14h

The Cryptocurrency Scam That Turned a Small Town Against Itself

How did a successful, financially sophisticated banker gamble his community’s money away?

The New York Times - 2d

How DeepSeek used distillation to train its artificial intelligence model, and what it means for companies such as OpenAI

DeepSeek's sudden emergence has put the AI industry's focus on a technique called distillation.

CNBC - 15h

How Google’s New AI Co-Scientist Tool Gives Us a Taste of Tomorrow’s Workplace

Scientists often use sophisticated technology, so an AI tool designed to help them begin new investigations may see broad take-up among the community. It’s also a hint of how many other workplaces ...

Inc. - 10h

Did the Covid-19 Pandemic Change How You Travel? Let Us Know.

The pandemic was declared in March 2020, shutting down travel for months. How did the lockdowns, and then the surge in demand, change the way you travel?

The New York Times - 8h

Kontoor Brands CEO describes growth plans for new acquisition

In a Thursday interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Kontoor Brands CEO Scott Baxter discussed the apparel company's new acquisition.

CNBC - 1d

Here's what to know about the "Feb 28 Economic Blackout" protest

A grassroots effort is asking American consumers to refrain from making purchases at major retailers for one day in February.

CBS News - 10h

Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy party takes initial step toward disbanding

Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy party took an initial step toward dissolving on Thursday

ABC News - 1d

Nearly 500 cat figurines stolen from Gordon Ramsay’s London restaurant

By Ramsay’s own estimate, he has lost more than £2,000 during one week in stolen maneki-neko cat models. Nearly 500 cat figurines were stolen in one week from Gordon Ramsay’s new London restaurant, ...

The Guardian - 1d

Energy drink stock Celsius pops more than 25% on big quarterly results, Alani Nu acquisition

Investors appear reassured by the company's potential growth prospects, given its record full-year revenue and its acquisition of a rival energy drink brand.

CNBC - 12h

Jaguars agree to terms to hire Rams' James Gladstone as new general manager

Gladstone has spent the past four years as the Rams' director of scouting strategy.

Yahoo Sports - 6h

'Ripped away': Inside the Mavericks' struggle to manage the post-Luka trade backlash

Mavs fans remain outraged over the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers. And they're looking forward to April 9, when their adopted son returns to Dallas.

ESPN - 2h

Microsoft License Key Deals - Windows 11 Pro For $10, Visual Studio Pro For $28, Office For $35

If you already own Windows 10, you can upgrade to Windows 11 for free with a PC system update. But if you are currently in the process or planning on building a PC, you'll likely need to purchase a ...

GameSpot - 9h

Tyler Herro scores 28 points as Heat beat Raptors 120-111 in overtime to snap 4-game skid

Tyler Herro scored 10 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, Andrew Wiggins added 25 points and the Miami Heat snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors 120-111

ABC News - 47m

Alibaba shares soar nearly 15% after stellar earnings as China's e-commerce sector recovers

Alibaba has been making 'significant strides' in advancing its AI cloud business after launching its Qwen 2.5-Max flagship AI foundation model, Barclays wrote in a note.

CNBC - 20h

History of Yankees' no-beard policy: George Steinbrenner's facial hair rules changed after nearly 50 years

Steinbrenner's son, Hal, announced a major change on Friday morning

CBS Sports - 9h

Once high-flying Bluebird Bio sells itself to private equity after tough times for the gene therapy maker

Bluebird Bio will sell itself to private equity firms Carlyle and SK Capital for about $30 million, the company said Friday.

CNBC - 9h

Yankees sign manager Aaron Boone to 2-year extension through 2027 season

The Yankees have made three trips to the ALCS and one World Series appearance in seven seasons under Boone.

Yahoo Sports - 1d

Yankees and manager Aaron Boone agree to 2-year contract extension through 2027 season

Aaron Boone and the New York Yankees have agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season

ABC News - 1d

With contract extension, Aaron Boone commits to two more seasons in the high-stakes, high-pressure role of Yankees manager

"I don’t like that we haven’t won a championship yet. That bothers me,” Boone told reporters Thursday in Florida.

Yahoo Sports - 1d

The Playbook, Inning 7: Fantasy baseball managers must adjust to real-life trends

How to go from fantasy baseball novice to expert in one season? Part 7 dives into MLB's new normal and how fantasy managers need to adjust.

ESPN - 13h

NIH Research Grants Lag Behind Last Year’s by $1 Billion

After weeks of disruption to scientific federal grants, the National Institutes of Health has fallen behind in funding research into treatments for deadly diseases.

The New York Times - 3d

UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage bombshell exposes $83 billion in government waste

Will Musk and Trump dare to take it on?

MarketWatch - 8h

Meta Will Build the World’s Longest Undersea Cable

Meta’s Waterworth Project will provide internet connectivity on five continents, with landing points in India, the United States, Brazil, and South Africa.

Wired - 2d

World champion Dubois out of Parker fight with illness

Heavyweight Daniel Dubois' world title defence against Joseph Parker on Saturday is in doubt with reports that the champion is ill.

BBC News - 20h

‘The World Is There for the Carving’: Two Columnists on the Trump-Putin Alliance

We’ve never seen anything like this: a president who appears aligned with a Russian dictator in targeting the weak and the vulnerable.

The New York Times - 7h

Defending Europe without the US

European capitals are attempting to fill the security gap

Financial Times - 23h

Netflix Plans to Spend $1 Billion Making Content in Mexico Over the Next 4 Years

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos says the money will go toward projects like Alfonso Cuarón’s film Roma, which was made in Mexico and went on to international acclaim.

Wired - 1d

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen hikes his personal stake in Alibaba to $1 billion, WSJ says

Cohen's sizable stake in Alibaba is a bullish bet on China's economic growth in the long run, The Wall Street Journal said.

CNBC - 1d

Senate adopts $340 billion budget blueprint for Trump's agenda after marathon 'vote-a-rama'

The Republican-controlled Senate on Friday morning adopted a $340 billion budget blueprint designed to boost funding for President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement efforts, energy production ...

NBC News - 16h

IMAX CEO expects $1.2 billion in box office receipts this year, the best in the company's history

Aiding IMAX's lofty box office goals is the Chinese title "Ne Zha 2," which has already garnered $1.6 billion globally, including IMAX screenings.

CNBC - 11h

IMAX CEO expects $1.2 billion in box office receipts this year, the best in the company's history

An “embarrassment of riches” at the box office could fuel a $1.2 billion year for IMAX, CEO Rich Gelfond told CNBC on Friday.

NBC News - 9h

Crypto exchange Bybit suffers $1.4 billion hack. Here’s why it’s troubling for the industry.

The hack of Bybit is the latest incident in which the crypto industry has been targeted.

MarketWatch - 9h

Hackers steal $1.5 billion from exchange Bybit in biggest-ever crypto heist

Bybit, a major cryptocurrency exchange, has been hit by the largest crypto heist in history.

CNBC - 5h

Hackers steal $1.5 billion from exchange Bybit in biggest-ever crypto heist

Bybit, a major cryptocurrency exchange, has been hacked to the tune of $1.5 billion in digital assets, in what’s estimated to be the largest crypto heist in history.

NBC News - 5h

Developing world urges rich nations to defy Trump’s ‘climate nihilism’

Poorer countries want rapid emission cuts and more financial help in face of US leader’s stance on global heating. Developing countries are calling on the rich world to defy the US president, ...

The Guardian - 2d

Blackpink announces world tour with July 12 stop at SoFi Stadium

The K-pop girl group is hitting the road for the first time since 2023.

Los Angeles Times - 2d

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