Shares of Google parent company Alphabet rose more than 9% after the company reported second-quarter earnings that beat estimates Thursday. Alphabet said its board of directors approved a repurchase of up to an additional $25 billion of its Class C capital stock. On a call with analysts, CFO Ruth Porat said the capital would be used to support growth and acquisitions and investments. Here are the key numbers: Earnings per share: $14.21 per share, ex-items, vs. $11.30 per share expected, per Refinitiv survey of analysts Revenue: $38.94 billion, vs. $38.15 billion expected, per Refinitiv...…Shares of Google parent company Alphabet rose more than 9% after the company reported second-quarter earnings that beat estimates Thursday. Alphabet said its board of directors approved a repurchase of up to an additional $25 billion of its Class C capital stock. On a call with analysts, CFO Ruth Porat said the capital would be used to support growth and acquisitions and investments. Here are the key numbers: Earnings per share: $14.21 per share, ex-items, vs. $11.30 per share expected, per Refinitiv survey of analysts Revenue: $38.94 billion, vs. $38.15 billion expected, per Refinitiv...WW…

What a tough month it has been for bitcoin. The world’s most popular cryptocurrency sank to $6,558.14 on Monday, its lowest level since May, according to industry site CoinDesk. It lost $3,000 in value in just a month as China accelerated a crackdown on businesses involved in cryptocurrency operations, a reversal from President Xi Jinping’s previous signal to be more open to the blockchain technology. The coin last traded at $7,150.79. Bitcoin jumped to above $10,000 briefly last month after Xi sang the praises of blockchain in a speech and called on his country to advance development in...…What a tough month it has been for bitcoin. The world’s most popular cryptocurrency sank to $6,558.14 on Monday, its lowest level since May, according to industry site CoinDesk. It lost $3,000 in value in just a month as China accelerated a crackdown on businesses involved in cryptocurrency operations, a reversal from President Xi Jinping’s previous signal to be more open to the blockchain technology. The coin last traded at $7,150.79. Bitcoin jumped to above $10,000 briefly last month after Xi sang the praises of blockchain in a speech and called on his country to advance development in...WW…

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said on Twitter Sunday he doesn’t want Breitbart to be part of Facebook’s new journalism tab, but defended the company’s choice to include it. Mosseri, who has run Facebook-owned Instagram since October of last year, initially responded to a tweet from New York Times opinion writer Charlie Warzel, who shared an article he wrote analyzing Facebook’s inclusion of the far right news outlet in its news product unveiled on Friday. Breitbart, which was previously run by President Donald Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon, has been accused of defending white...…Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said on Twitter Sunday he doesn’t want Breitbart to be part of Facebook’s new journalism tab, but defended the company’s choice to include it. Mosseri, who has run Facebook-owned Instagram since October of last year, initially responded to a tweet from New York Times opinion writer Charlie Warzel, who shared an article he wrote analyzing Facebook’s inclusion of the far right news outlet in its news product unveiled on Friday. Breitbart, which was previously run by President Donald Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon, has been accused of defending white...WW…

Twitter and Facebook have both drawn their lines in the sand on political advertising ⁠— or rather, they’ve removed the lines altogether. Taking an approach of all (in the case of Facebook) or nothing (in the case of Twitter), the CEOs of both companies have championed how their decisions will uphold a true and fair democracy. Political ads make up such a tiny fraction of their revenues, both CEOs have said, that this is a matter of principle, not profit. But here’s the subtext: Political advertising matters much less to Twitter than Facebook because political advertisers already leaned...…Twitter and Facebook have both drawn their lines in the sand on political advertising ⁠— or rather, they’ve removed the lines altogether. Taking an approach of all (in the case of Facebook) or nothing (in the case of Twitter), the CEOs of both companies have championed how their decisions will uphold a true and fair democracy. Political ads make up such a tiny fraction of their revenues, both CEOs have said, that this is a matter of principle, not profit. But here’s the subtext: Political advertising matters much less to Twitter than Facebook because political advertisers already leaned...WW…

WASHINGTON BOTTOM, W.V. – Beijing billed President Donald Trump’s 2017 trip as a “state visit-plus” — rolling out the red carpet for an unprecedented private dinner in the Forbidden City, marching a military parade through Tiananmen Square, and hosting a signing ceremony in the colossal Great Hall of the People to unveil business deals totaling more than $250 billion. One-third of that value was supposed to flow to West Virginia, an energy-rich but high-poverty state whose manufacturing and energy workers handed Trump his widest margin of victory in 2016. He captured more than more than...…WASHINGTON BOTTOM, W.V. – Beijing billed President Donald Trump’s 2017 trip as a “state visit-plus” — rolling out the red carpet for an unprecedented private dinner in the Forbidden City, marching a military parade through Tiananmen Square, and hosting a signing ceremony in the colossal Great Hall of the People to unveil business deals totaling more than $250 billion. One-third of that value was supposed to flow to West Virginia, an energy-rich but high-poverty state whose manufacturing and energy workers handed Trump his widest margin of victory in 2016. He captured more than more than...WW…

A machine at a mailing facility in Menlo Park, California, alerted employees Monday that a package might contain sarin, according to fire officials.No employees have been exposed to the substance, the Menlo Park Fire District said. The defines sarin as a "human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent." Facebook runs all of its mail and packages through a machine that can detect dangerous substances, according to the fire district. That machine notified workers that the package in question might contain the substance. Fire officials initially reported that two people may have...…A machine at a mailing facility in Menlo Park, California, alerted employees Monday that a package might contain sarin, according to fire officials.No employees have been exposed to the substance, the Menlo Park Fire District said. The defines sarin as a "human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent." Facebook runs all of its mail and packages through a machine that can detect dangerous substances, according to the fire district. That machine notified workers that the package in question might contain the substance. Fire officials initially reported that two people may have...WW…

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled a sweeping new plan on Thursday to tackle climate change, committing the retail giant to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement 10 years ahead of schedule. In what he is calling the “Climate Pledge,” Bezos also promised to measure and report the company’s emissions on a regular basis, implement decarbonization strategies and alter its business strategies to offset remaining emissions. Bezos expects 80% of Amazon’s energy use to come from renewable sources by 2024, up from a current rate of 40%, before transitioning to zero emissions by 2030. “We want...…Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled a sweeping new plan on Thursday to tackle climate change, committing the retail giant to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement 10 years ahead of schedule. In what he is calling the “Climate Pledge,” Bezos also promised to measure and report the company’s emissions on a regular basis, implement decarbonization strategies and alter its business strategies to offset remaining emissions. Bezos expects 80% of Amazon’s energy use to come from renewable sources by 2024, up from a current rate of 40%, before transitioning to zero emissions by 2030. “We want...WW…

Competition in the housing market finally began to cool this year, as listings multiplied and price gains moderated. Bidding wars became less frequent and spring sales perked up a bit. Well, forget that. The heat is on yet again. The housing shortage that fueled competition and resulted in sky-high price gains throughout 2017 and the first half of 2018 is on the horizon yet again. Supply is soon expected to drop and potentially hit a new low, according to realtor.com, after increasing in the second half of last year. The number of for-sale listings was up 2.8% annually in June, but that...…Competition in the housing market finally began to cool this year, as listings multiplied and price gains moderated. Bidding wars became less frequent and spring sales perked up a bit. Well, forget that. The heat is on yet again. The housing shortage that fueled competition and resulted in sky-high price gains throughout 2017 and the first half of 2018 is on the horizon yet again. Supply is soon expected to drop and potentially hit a new low, according to realtor.com, after increasing in the second half of last year. The number of for-sale listings was up 2.8% annually in June, but that...WW…

The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday designated China as currency manipulator, a historic move that no White House had exercised since the Clinton administration. “Secretary Mnuchin, under the auspices of President Trump, has today determined that China is a Currency Manipulator,” the Treasury Department said in a release. “As a result of this determination, Secretary Mnuchin will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions.” The formal designation — the first since President Bill Clinton’s administration in...…The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday designated China as currency manipulator, a historic move that no White House had exercised since the Clinton administration. “Secretary Mnuchin, under the auspices of President Trump, has today determined that China is a Currency Manipulator,” the Treasury Department said in a release. “As a result of this determination, Secretary Mnuchin will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions.” The formal designation — the first since President Bill Clinton’s administration in...WW…

So, just who is this top Iranian general the U.S. just eliminated? For many of us who watch and analyze news out of the Middle East daily, he was the world’s number one bad guy. Qasem Soleimani has been in control of Iran’s Quds Force for more than 20 years. His current greatest hits include helping Bashar al Assad slaughter hundreds of thousands of his own people in the Syrian civil war, stoking the Houthis in Yemen’s civil war, and overseeing the killing of hundreds of Iraqi protesters recently demonstrating against Iranian influence in their country. But most importantly for...…So, just who is this top Iranian general the U.S. just eliminated? For many of us who watch and analyze news out of the Middle East daily, he was the world’s number one bad guy. Qasem Soleimani has been in control of Iran’s Quds Force for more than 20 years. His current greatest hits include helping Bashar al Assad slaughter hundreds of thousands of his own people in the Syrian civil war, stoking the Houthis in Yemen’s civil war, and overseeing the killing of hundreds of Iraqi protesters recently demonstrating against Iranian influence in their country. But most importantly for...WW…