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The US government has shut down, and federal workers’ jobs are once again on the chopping block.Republican and Democratic lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a plan to keep the government funded past September 30. While the GOP controls Congress and the White House, passing a funding bill requires 60 Senate votes under current rules, meaning some Democrats need to be on board.Federal workers’ jobs are on the line — they could be fired, not just furloughed, as has been the case with prior government shutdowns. The Office of Management and Budget wrote a memo to federal agencies last…

One canceled late-night host and one temporarily canceled late-night host walked into a bar, or actually set, on Tuesday.Jimmy Kimmel hosted fellow comedian Stephen Colbert on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” a week after Disney put Kimmel’s show back on the air. Colbert also hosted Kimmel on his own show, “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” the same night. The shows were taped earlier in the day on Tuesday and aired late that night.The pair swapped stories about what it was like to learn their late-night shows were getting pulled. Colbert’s contract as host of “The Late Show” was not renewed, and…

Mark Cuban is giving President Donald Trump’s new direct-to-consumer online drug store venture a “B” — for now.Trump announced on Tuesday that he plans to launch a government-run website, called TrumpRx.gov, for consumers to buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers on the site without the involvement of Pharmacy Benefit Managers as intermediaries. According to NPR, the administration expects to release the website in 2026.Cuban, the billionaire venture capitalist, commented on X that this would be good for patients and could actually boost business for his Cost Plus Drugs, which runs on a similar model. He said that the administration has…

Nike’s “Win Now” turnaround strategy comes with wins and losses.The sports giant, which is in full comeback mode under the guidance of CEO Elliott Hill, reported its earnings for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 on Tuesday. Although Nike beat analysts’ estimates, there were areas where the company shone and other places that still have a way to go.”We’re in the early stages, and our comeback will take time, and our progress won’t be linear,” Hill said as he wrapped up the call.Nike reported Q1 revenue of $11.7 billion, up 1% from the year prior and driven by success…

If the government shuts down after Tuesday, millions of federal workers will be at risk of missing a paycheck.Members of Congress, on the other hand, won’t have to worry about that.That’s in large part thanks to the US Constitution. Article I, Section 6 requires that senators and representatives “receive a Compensation for their Services,” while the 27th Amendment states that any law changing that compensation can’t take effect before the following election.Since 1981, lawmakers’ salaries have been funded via mandatory spending, which is not impacted by government shutdowns. Rank-and-file members of Congress are paid $174,000 per year, a figure that…

The booming business of betting across America has led to soaring concerns over problem gambling.Generally, ads for legitimate, licensed casinos and sportsbooks carry some kind of disclaimer that gambling is supposed to be for entertainment. The small print might offer: “Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.”That number is about as memorable and sticky as you can get. And it prompted a brief but intense legal battle over who has the right or the moral imperative to operate the closest thing the U.S. has to a national gambling hotline.The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has been running the helpline since 2022, leasing…

The Internal Revenue Service is providing extra tax relief to people and businesses affected by ongoing terror attacks in Israel, postponing until Sept. 30, 2026, a wide range of deadlines for filing federal returns, making tax payments and performing other time-sensitive tax-related actions. The extensions come after the IRS granted similar tax relief in 2023 and 2024 in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas. On Monday, President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington to discuss a possible peace deal in the Gaza Strip, but it’s unclear whether Hamas would agree to the terms,…

The publicly traded marketing tech firm Zeta Global is making its biggest-ever acquisition.Zeta is best-known as a platform that helps big companies organize their customer data and find new customers using its own dataset and adtech tools. Now, it’s looking to double down on helping brands improve their customer loyalty.On Tuesday, Zeta told Business Insider exclusively that it had entered an agreement to acquire martech company Marigold’s enterprise software business for $325 million. The assets include Marigold’s Loyalty brand, the email platforms Cheetah Digital and Sailthru, and the marketing automation platform Selligent. Marigold will continue to operate its business focused…

Corner offices are getting more crowded.In little over a week, Oracle, Comcast, and Spotify have rolled out org charts with not one, but two CEOs.The percentage of companies led by co-CEOs hasn’t changed much over the past five years, data firm Equilar found. It hovers around 1.2% of the Russell 3000 index, a broad measure of the US stock market.Yet more companies could adopt this structure, even temporarily, as forces like AI create a dizzying pace of change for leaders and prompt companies to rethink operations.”It is an arrow that more boards, I think, will keep in their quiver,” said…

Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees maintained steady job growth and hourly earnings growth this past month, according to payroll company Paychex.The Paychex Small Business Employment Watch for September found hourly earnings growth for U.S. small business workers remained largely consistent and, at 2.68%, was below 3% for the 11th month in a row.”Our latest small business employment data once again indicates a steady labor market over the past year,” said Paychex president and CEO John Gibson in a statement Tuesday. “This consistency reflects continued resilience from small businesses across the U.S. While we’re observing little change in our…