Month: February 2026
How the ‘K-shaped’ economy is showing up at two big U.S. gyms
Two of the largest U.S. gym operators delivered the same headline in their latest earnings reports: strong growth. But beneath the surface, Life Time Group Holdings and Planet Fitness told very different stories about the American consumer. They highlighted a widening divide between higher-income households that continue to spend freely and more price-sensitive consumers who […]
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AI just leveled up and there are no guardrails anymore
In the first two months of 2026, generative artificial intelligence has undergone a rapid scaling of capabilities, going from chatbot to full-blown executive assistant and triggering an indiscriminate sell-off across sectors, hitting software, legal, insurance and cybersecurity stocks. “AI just went through its third inflection,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC’s Becky Quick on Wednesday. […]
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Explosions heard across the Middle East as Iran retaliates against U.S. attacks; flights disrupted
TOPSHOT – An incoming projectile explodes over the water in the bay of Haifa off of the northern Israeli coastal city on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel’s public broadcaster reporting that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been targeted, as the Islamic republic […]
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‘Bigger ramifications than Venezuela’: markets brace for impact after U.S. strikes Iran
A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) – | Afp | Getty Images Market watchers are bracing for turbulence after the U.S. confirmed it has launched “major combat operations” in Iran, a move investors say could carry far greater market consequences […]
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Israel says it has attacked Iran, declares state of emergency
An aerial view of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group while operating at the Arabian Sea, escorted by two military replenishment ships and two U.S. Coast Guard vessels, as fighter jets from Carrier Air Wing Nine conducted flight operations overhead in the Arabian Sea, on Feb.6, 2026. US CENTCOM | Anadolu | Getty Images […]
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OpenAI strikes deal with Pentagon, hours after rival Anthropic was blacklisted by Trump
Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc., at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Prakash Singh | Bloomberg | Getty Images OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said late Friday that his company has agreed to terms with the Department of Defense on use of its artificial intelligence models, […]
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Jack Dorsey made the loudest case yet that AI is already replacing jobs
Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Block Inc., listens during the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami, Florida, on June 4, 2021. Eva Marie Uzcategui | Bloomberg | Getty Images The tech industry has spent the last couple years debating whether artificial intelligence will actually eliminate jobs at scale or simply be used as an excuse […]
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White House gives Democrats new DHS funding offer as partial government shutdown drags on
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., hold a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 8, 2026. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Congressional Democrats on Friday said they received a counteroffer from the White House to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The department has […]
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Trump admin blacklists Anthropic as AI firm refuses Pentagon demands
President Donald Trump said Friday that he was ordering every U.S. government agency to “immediately cease” using technology from the artificial intelligence company Anthropic. Trump said there would be a six-month phase-out for agencies such as the Defense Department, which “are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels.” Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth soon after Trump’s order […]
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How Amazon’s massive stake in OpenAI could boost its AI and cloud businesses
Amazon on Friday unveiled a strategic partnership with OpenAI that includes an investment of up to $50 billion, the latest sign of deepening ties between the tech giant and the maker of ChatGPT. As part of the deal, OpenAI will use more Amazon Web Services infrastructure, including a commitment to deploy 2 gigawatts of the […]
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