We've all been there countless hours of traveling. Arriving at a hotel at odd hours, tired, hungry, and tempted by the ultimate convenience the hotel has to offer the minibar. But a can of soda, a bag of stale chips and a candy bar at 3 a.m. adds up. In fact, it costs about 80% to 400% more than what you paid for at the store.You wanted it, and then you see the bill two days later. But initially, the minibar was put in rooms. It was a novelty.And then it sort of devolved into an annoyance. And Minibars got ...

Operational Efficiency & Automation - Amazon introduces Vulcan, a new robot designed to improve warehouse operations [1] - Vulcan can handle 75% of the 1 million items in the fulfillment center [2] - The robot utilizes a "sense of touch" technology to manipulate items under 8 lbs [3] - Vulcan operates at approximately the same speed as a human worker [4] Workforce & Safety - Amazon states that Vulcan will not replace workers but shift them to higher-skilled positions [3] - The company anticipates Vulcan will reduce worker injury rates by handling items on high and low shelves [3] Facility & Scale - The fulfillment center in Spokane, Washington, spans 2.6 million square feet [1] - The center handles 3.5 million items with 2500 employees [1] - Vulcan is currently in use in Spokane and in Germany [4]

Chinese EV maker BYD is on a roll and it's giving its American rival Tesla a serious run for its money in the global race to electrification. BYD outpaced Tesla in terms of total revenues last year and sold about as many EVs as Tesla did and that's only half of BYD's total volume because it also sells hybrids. BYD started out as a lowcost provider of batteries primarily, but in making cars, it's become a global leader.They sell cheap cars, they sell expensive cars, and they're becoming a serious innovator. ...

Political & Economic Conflict - The report highlights a feud between President Trump and Elon Musk over a major tax and spending bill [1] - The core of the conflict stems from the bill's cuts to tax credits for electric vehicles, impacting companies like Tesla [3] - Elon Musk is concerned about the national debt, exceeding $36 trillion, and the impact of tax breaks on revenue [4] - Musk's opposition is also linked to his desire to maintain tax credits that benefit his companies and the electric vehicle industry [4] Political Influence & Strategy - Elon Musk, a wealthy individual, has previously supported Republicans and is now threatening to oppose those who support the Trump mega bill [5] - Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson, are attempting to engage with Elon Musk to mitigate potential political challenges [6] - Congressional leadership recognizes Musk's potential to influence elections in November 2026, posing a threat to the passage of the Trump mega bill [7]

Turnaround Efforts & Strategy - Gap Inc is attempting a turnaround through marketing campaigns and hiring Zac Posen as creative director [2] - The company consolidated SKUs, rationalized styles, and improved quality to build a foundation for a creative renaissance [10] - Gap is renovating approximately 40 of its top stores and improving the online experience [16] - Viral, celebrity-led advertising campaigns are being utilized to attract social media attention [14][15] Financial Performance & Challenges - Gap has closed nearly 2500 stores since 2001 [1] - Gap's sales fell by nearly $3 billion, relying on promotions and discounts [8] - Between 2023 and 2024, Gap Inc's overall sales grew by about 1%, driven by Old Navy [20] - The company is growing that 1% on the highest gross margins in the past 20 years [21] - Potential tariffs could impact the business by $100 million to $150 million, though mitigation efforts are underway [23][24] Brand Performance & Focus - Old Navy has become the powerhouse of Gap Inc, while Gap fell out of favor [8][12] - The turnaround is primarily focused on the Gap brand [18] - Banana Republic and Athleta have faced product acceptance challenges, requiring further work [19]

Over the past three decades. US corporations set up shop in Ireland. In 1996, about 3% of US businesses with global operations had Irish affiliates.By 2022, 25% of them opened Irish businesses. You really cannot talk about US multinationals in the last few decades without talking about Ireland. Big US corporations, that's technology companies like Apple, Microsoft or big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer.Their tax strategies for, for many decades at least, were built around the role of Ireland. Something ...

This is the ore being shipped in from the Pinyon Plain mine. This ore is some of the highest-grade uranium ore that's ever come out of the United States mine. You need uranium.Well, the largest uranium mine comes out of Saskatchewan, comes over to Ontario, and then gets enriched down in the US. Uranium prices soaring more than 75% over the past year. While uranium prices have gone down since a high in early 2024, many experts remain confident that demand for uranium, which is mainly used as a fuel for nucle ...

We're here at ASML's headquarters in the Netherlands where 100% of the world's extreme ultraviolet lithography machines are made and now the next generation machines called hyena. We were the first journalists to bring cameras inside a clean room to see where hyena is made and to see the machine itself. We had to wear these bunny suits to protect these extremely precise machines from getting contaminated by our own hair and skin cells.Each one of these insanely complex high NA machines costs about $400 mill ...

President Trump and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are pushing to get the Republicans' reconciliation bill passed by July 4th, b ut several senators are saying there needs to be more spending cuts. The best way, I think, to think about the Trump megabill is that it's sort of two pieces combined. One piece are priorities that Republicans have: t hese are things like securing the border, boosting defense, boosting energy production.It's stuff that Republicans ran campaign and won on in 2024 and things they ...

We're going to invest roughly $30 billion in the United States to expand Orlando and California. This park is the most technologically advanced thing we've ever done, and we've done some pretty advanced things in our time. Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, two of the biggest names in theme parks, are about to get even bigger.We've got a lion's share of that investment coming to us. At Walt Disney World. Plans are already in the works, with expansions and facelifts being rolled out across sever ...