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A fusion startup backed by billions in funding is preparing for a different kind of test: capturing consumer attention.Joe Paluska is the chief marketing officer of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, an energy startup hoping to commercialize zero-carbon nuclear fusion power. CFS, which spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is developing a process that fuses hydrogen nuclei using powerful, high-temperature superconducting magnets.”My CEO and board want me to make that as exciting as the lunar landing of 1969, or as exciting as a SpaceX launch,” Paluska told CMO Insider in an interview.”The key difference is they have rockets and stuff…

US annual inflation accelerated to 4.2% last month, new consumer price index data showed, as expected. That adds to the recent trend of inflation speeding up, reaching the highest rate since April 2023. Inflation outpaced wage growth for the second straight time. Average hourly earnings increased 3.4% in May from a year ago. Real earnings fell 0.7% over the year and 0.1% over the month.Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, expects inflation to remain elevated in the near term because of supply chain disruptions in the Middle East, which could mean the trend of inflation surpassing wage growth persists.”The…

My DMs have been buzzing about Accenture Song’s planned acquisition of the creator and social agency Whalar. Industry insiders are particularly interested in what it means for the future of influencer marketing M&A.Tristan Rice, partner at the M&A firm SI Global, told CMO Insider the deal is a “coming-of-age moment for creator marketing.” He said it was evidence of big marketing budgets moving into the sector, since Accenture’s client base is weighted toward large enterprise clients.Accenture Song, the consulting firm’s marketing services arm, is somewhat late to making a big influencer marketing play, though it acquired a smaller social firm,…

Prior to the proposal, Bry and Christopher had gone engagement ring shopping at Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and Van Cleef. Though each offered stunning rings, Bry didn’t love any of them.Then they stepped into a Harry Winston boutique.”They had Champagne for us, and it was top-tier service,” Bry said. “Then they took us to the rings, and there was nothing like those diamonds. They were the most incredible, shiny things. I couldn’t even believe they existed.”Still, she never expected Christopher to propose to her with a piece from the jeweler.”He got down on one knee, opened the beautiful box that…

The shockwaves of the Covid-19 pandemic are still hitting the U.S. car market and pushing prices up, even for exceptionally old cars. The pandemic dealt a severe blow to the total supply of new cars, which has rippled down to the used market.About 8 million vehicles that would have been made for U.S. buyers during those years never were, largely due to production shutdowns and supply shortages, said Jeremy Robb, chief economist for Cox Automotive. Automakers faced with curtailed production weighted their lineups toward money-making high-end vehicles, a strategy they have largely continued. These factors have been pushing up prices…

Demonstrators attend an anti-ICE rally in Lewiston, Maine on January 24, 2026. Federal officials have acknowledged collecting information on some protesters, even as they deny maintaining a database tracking U.S. citizens. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images Last January, when federal immigration agents started an immigration crackdown in Portland, Maine, pediatric occupational therapist Xenia Pantos was driving using their spouse’s car to work when they saw masked federal agents and vehicles with tinted windows parked in the road. Worried about immigrant community members, Pantos stopped for a few minutes to observe. Pantos…

Recent grads face a tough labor market, but there’s rarely an ideal time to job hunt for the first time.”People either out of school, or early in their career, are probably most vulnerable because they don’t have the foundation of experience and skills,” Andy Kofoid, Databricks president of global field operations, told Business Insider. Andy Kofoid is president of global field operations at Databricks.  Databricks Kofoid leads worldwide sales, field engineering, marketing, customer success, professional services, and alliances. at Databricks, a data and AI company valued at roughly $134 billion. He has three children in their 20s, all who have…

If you want to get a job on Wall Street, there are two words that can go a long way towards determining your success: target school.Think Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Duke, Penn, Columbia, and MIT — elite schools where the Wall Street recruiters come to them, trusting that they’ll be provided with reliably bright young candidates.That means students who attend less prestigious schools may have a harder time getting their foot in the door of the world of high finance. It doesn’t doom their chances altogether, but a confluence of factors can weigh on job prospects: their résumé is less likely…

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates talks during a Gates Foundation event in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 22. Gates’ name is mentioned numerous times in the Epstein files. Stefan Jerrevang/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Stefan Jerrevang/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images Bill Gates is scheduled to appear before members of Congress on Wednesday to answer questions about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, as the House Oversight Committee continues its investigation into the late sex offender. Gates, who has denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes, will sit for a closed-door transcribed interview. The interview will not be…

Elin, who immigrated seeking asylum from Nicaragua, is currently awaiting his final asylum hearing in San Francisco, and now will likely need to navigate the challenge of transport to the court in Concord, Calif., which is hours away from his home in San Francisco. Brian L. Frank for NPR hide caption toggle caption Brian L. Frank for NPR Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly. SAN FRANCISCO — The speedy shuttering of the main immigration courthouse in San Francisco affects over 100,000 pending immigration cases, slowing down their consideration and leaving more immigrants in limbo and at…