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Tag: Amazon

  • The Best New Movies And Shows To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Apple TV+, Paramount+, And Mubi This Weekend

    The Best New Movies And Shows To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Apple TV+, Paramount+, And Mubi This Weekend

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    If you’re like me, then you have multiple subscriptions to several different streaming platforms—which are all constantly adding new movies. Which begs the question each successive weekend: What do I watch?

    For me, it helps to have all of those new films in one place. So in this article, I’ll run through the biggest new movies on major stream platforms, including Netflix
    NFLX
    , Amazon
    AMZN
     Prime, Hulu, HBO, Peacock, Mubi, Disney+, Apple
    AAPL
    TV+, and Paramount
    PARA
    +.

    At the end of the article, you can find a full list of all the new films available to stream this weekend.

    The White Lotus: Season 2 (HBO)

    An all-star cast head to a resort and unleash their worst, most privileged impulses. The series is a sharp social satire following the exploits of various guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose stay becomes affected by their various dysfunctions. A week in the life of vacationers is unravelled as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. With each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees, and the idyllic locale itself.

    Wendell & Wild (Netflix)

    The two devious demon brothers Wendell and Wild (Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key) have to face their arch-enemy with the help of the nun Sister Helly, who is notorious for expelling demons. However, the brothers are not only plagued by her, but also by her altar boys.

    Run Sweetheart Run (Amazon Prime)

    After what begins as dinner with a client, a single mom finds herself hunted by a monstrous and seemingly unstoppable assailant.

    Clean (Hulu)

    A tormented rubbish man named Clean tries to live a quiet life of redemption, but when his good intentions make him the target of a local crime boss, he must soon reconcile with the violence of his past.

    Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

    Now in the care of Dave Seville’s nephew (Zachary Levi), chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore take a break from pop-music stardom and return to school. Almost immediately, the tiny tunesmiths get the giant task of saving their school’s music program by winning a battle-of-the-bands contest. Though the boys think winning it will be easy, romantic and musical sparks fly when they meet Brittany, Eleanor and Jeannette — also known as The Chipettes.

    Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues

    This documentary honours the musician’s legacy as a founding father of jazz. The film shows how Armstrong’s life spans the shift from the Civil War to the civil rights movement, and how he became a lightning rod figure in that turbulent era.

    Survival of the Dead (Mubi)

    Zombies have taken over the world, and a ragtag band of soldiers led by Sarge Crockett (Alan Van Sprang) roams the countryside trying to scavenge what they can. Constantly on guard against flesh-eaters, the group is intrigued when they hear of a safe haven on Plum Island. But when they arrive, they find the supposed paradise torn apart by a family feud between the O’Flynns, who want to exterminate all zombies, and the Muldoons, who coexist peacefully with their undead relatives.

    Every new movie and show you can stream this weekend

    Netflix

    • All Quiet on the Western Front (October 28)
    • The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (October 28)
    • Big Mouth: Season 6 (October 28)
    • Drink Masters (October 28)
    • I AM A STALKER (October 28)
    • If Only (October 28)
    • My Encounter with Evil (October 28)
    • Wendell & Wild (October 28)
    • Wild is the Wind (October 28)
    • Deadwind: Season 3 (October 29)

    Amazon

    • The Devil’s Hour (October 28)
    • Downton Abbey: A New Era (October 28)
    • Run Sweetheart Run (October 28)

    Hulu

    HBO

    • Garcia!: Season 1 Premiere (October 28)
    • The Lost Kitchen: Season 3 (October 30)
    • The White Lotus: Season 2 Premiere (October 30)

    Disney+

    • Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (October 28)
    • Marvel’s Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell (October 28)

    Apple TV+

    • Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (October 28)

    Mubi

    • The Commune (October 28)
    • Dear Diary (October 29)
    • Survival of the Dead (October 30)

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    Travis Bean, Contributor

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  • NLRB Says Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Broke Labor Laws

    NLRB Says Amazon CEO Andy Jassy Broke Labor Laws

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    The National Labor Relations Board — which runs unionization recognition and elections in the U.S. — filed a complaint on Wednesday about comments made by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, The Washington Post reported.


    Bloomberg I Getty Images

    Andy Jassy in 2021 in Seattle.

    In the complaint, the NLRB alleged that Jassy violated labor laws by making comments about unions in press interviews in April and June.

    Those interviews took place after the company’s Staten Island warehouse unionized in April, the first Amazon warehouse to do so. Amazon has pushed back against unionization efforts. It lost a bid to overturn the April union election in September.

    The NLRB has already tussled with Amazon over its unionization-related practices. This complaint specifically discusses Jassy’s mid-April interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box and one he gave on Bloomberg Television in the summer.

    In the CNBC one, he said, “At a place like Amazon that empowers employees… they can go meet in a room, decide how [to] change it and change it. That type of empowerment doesn’t happen when you have unions. It’s much more bureaucratic, it’s much slower. I also think people are better off having direct connections with their managers.”

    Jassy made relatively similar statements in the Bloomberg interview, saying “we happen to think they’re better off without a union.”

    Per labor laws, employers must follow the TIPS rule: They cannot threaten, interrogate, promise or surveil as it relates to unionization. However, employers do retain the right to express opinions about a union.

    According to Bloomberg, a representative of NLRB in Seattle said Jassy was “interfering with, restraining and coercing employees” in the text of the complaint.

    The complaint requests the company respond by November 8 or opt to appear in front of an administrative law judge. Amazon told Bloomberg the complaint is “completely without merit.”

    An attorney for the Amazon Labor Union praised the decision and told the Post that the company was being “held accountable.”

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    Gabrielle Bienasz

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  • Apple Earnings Are on Deck as Consumer Demand Softens

    Apple Earnings Are on Deck as Consumer Demand Softens

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    Apple


    shares have been remarkably resilient in the face of this year’s tech stock selloff, falling less than 15% since the end of December, and sharply outperforming rivals


    Microsoft



    Alphabet


    and


    Amazon


    which are all down from 26% to 28%.

    Apple (ticker: AAPL) sits with a $2.4 trillion market valuation—$500 billion more than Microsoft, $1 trillion more than Alphabet, and nearly double the size of Amazon.

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  • 7 Fall Trends You Can Get From Amazon, Nordstrom, and H&M

    7 Fall Trends You Can Get From Amazon, Nordstrom, and H&M

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    If you’re a creature of habit, especially when it comes to online shopping, then I have a hunch that Amazon, Nordstrom, and H&M are among some of your most frequented retailers. While we are always encouraging brand exploration and supporting smaller businesses, sometimes you just crave the comfort of the familiar, and today, that’s exactly what you’ll get. 

    Ahead, I singled out seven major fall trends that are stocked at the three aforementioned retailers: Amazon, Nordstrom, and H&M. From those chunky loafers everyone’s wearing all over Instagram to the most stunning (and affordable) faux-leather pieces you ever did lay your eyes on, I have a hunch you’ll leave here with three full carts and a smile on your face. 

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    Lauren Eggertsen

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  • New Non-Profit Organization Gives Grants to Amazon Employees in Need

    New Non-Profit Organization Gives Grants to Amazon Employees in Need

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    Press Release
    –

    Oct 25, 2022


    MUNCY, Pa., October 25, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Amazon Offsets, a new non-profit organization, gives consumers the opportunity to help Amazon employees in need. Using a model based loosely on the concept of carbon offsets, Amazon shoppers can donate to Amazon Offsets, which, in turn, gives grants to Amazon employees in need. The idea for Amazon Offsets came to Founder Kirsten Burkhart when she found herself working from home while taking care of her bedridden husband. 

    As Burkhart explains, “Like most people, I knew that I should shop at small, locally-owned businesses, but the reality was that I couldn’t. I began to order everything from cat food to shampoo from Amazon, but the more I heard about the company’s troublesome history of employee relations, the more conflicted I began to feel.” 

    Amazon Offsets, recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization, enables those shoppers to make voluntary, tax-deductible donations through the organization’s website, which will then be used to make grants to Amazon employees facing financial difficulties.

    Amazon Offsets, a private non-profit organization, is not affiliated with Amazon.com.

    For more information, visit www.OffsetHarm.org.

    Source: Amazon Offsets

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  • The Best New Movies And Shows To Stream On Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Apple TV+, Paramount+ And Mubi This Week

    The Best New Movies And Shows To Stream On Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Apple TV+, Paramount+ And Mubi This Week

    [ad_1]

    If you’re like me, then you have multiple subscriptions to several different streaming platforms—which are all constantly adding new movies. Which begs the question each successive week: What do I watch?

    For me, it helps to have all of those new films in one place. So in this article, I’ll run through the biggest new movies on major stream platforms, such as Netflix
    NFLX
    , Amazon
    AMZN
     Prime, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Mubi, Apple
    AAPL
     TV+, Peacock, and Paramount
    PARA
    +.

    At the end of the article, you can find a full list of all the new films available to stream this week.

    The Good Nurse (Netflix)

    Nurse Amy Loughren is shocked when Charlie Cullen, one of her colleagues, is foound responsible for the murder of dozens of patients over a period of sixteen years, across two states and nine hospitals, without being charged.

    Downtown Abbey: A New Era (Amazon Prime)

    The Crawley family goes on a grand journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the dowager countess’s newly inherited villa.

    The French Dispatch (Hulu)

    A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch.”

    La Pitchoune: Cooking in France (HBO)

    Four friends teach recipe-free cooking to students in Julia Child’s former vacation home in France, the place where she cooked and wrote some of her most famous recipes.

    Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Disney+)

    Now in the care of Dave Seville’s nephew (Zachary Levi), chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore take a break from pop-music stardom and return to school. Almost immediately, the tiny tunesmiths get the giant task of saving their school’s music program by winning a battle-of-the-bands contest. Though the boys think winning it will be easy, romantic and musical sparks fly when they meet Brittany, Eleanor and Jeannette — also known as The Chipettes.

    Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (Apple TV+)

    This documentary honours the musician’s legacy as a founding father of jazz. The film shows how Armstrong’s life spans the shift from the Civil War to the civil rights movement, and how he became a lightning rod figure in that turbulent era.

    Star Trek: Prodigy

    A motley crew of young aliens in the Delta Quadrant find an abandoned Starfleet ship, the U.S.S. Protostar; taking control of the ship, they must learn to work together as they make their way towards the Alpha Quadrant.

    Evil of Dracula

    In Evil of Dracula, a professor takes up a new post at an all-girls school only to discover the school’s principle conceals a dark secret and the pupils are in grave danger.

    Every new movie and show you can stream this week

    Netflix

    • Franco Escamilla: Eavesdropping (October 23)
    • The Chalk Line (October 24)
    • Barbie Epic Road Trip (October 25)
    • Blade of the 47 Ronin (October 25)
    • Fortune Feimster: Good Fortune (October 25)
    • Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (October 25)
    • Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 3 | Part 2 (October 25)
    • Fugitive: The Curious Case of Carlos Ghosn (October 26)
    • The Good Nurse (October 26)
    • Hellhole (October 26)
    • Love Is Blind: Season 3 | Part 2 (October 26)
    • Robbing Mussolini (October 26)
    • Cici (October 27)
    • Daniel Spellbound (October 27)
    • Dubai Bling (October 27)
    • Earthstorm (October 27)
    • Family Reunion: Part 5 (October 27)
    • Hotel Transylvania 2 (October 27)
    • Romantic Killer (October 27)
    • All Quiet on the Western Front (October 28)
    • The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself (October 28)
    • Big Mouth: Season 6 (October 28)
    • Drink Masters (October 28)
    • I AM A STALKER (October 28)
    • If Only (October 28)
    • My Encounter with Evil (October 28)
    • Wendell & Wild (October 28)
    • Wild is the Wind (October 28)
    • Deadwind: Season 3 (October 29)

    Amazon

    • Blacklight (October 24)
    • The Devil’s Hour (October 28)
    • Downton Abbey: A New Era (October 28)
    • Run Sweetheart Run (October 28)

    Hulu

    • Beba (October 24)
    • The French Dispatch (October 25)
    • Clean (October 29)

    HBO

    • La Pitchoune: Cooking in France: Season 1 (October 23)
    • Green Lantern: Beware My Power (October 24)
    • A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting (October 26)
    • Garcia!: Season 1 Premiere (October 28)

    Disney+

    • Dancing with the Stars: Episode 7 (October 24)
    • Eureka!: Season 1, 4 episodes (October 26)
    • Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: All Shorts Streaming (October 26)
    • Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t: Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2 (October 26)
    • The Mysterious Benedict Society: Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2 (October 26)
    • Andor: Episode 8 (October 26)
    • The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers: Season 2, Episode 5 (October 26)
    • Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (October 28)
    • Marvel’s Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell (October 28)

    Apple TV+

    • Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (October 28)

    Paramount+

    • 16 and Pregnant: Season 6 (October 26)
    • Star Trek: Prodigy: New Episodes (October 27)

    Mubi

    • The Old Dark House (October 23)
    • A Human Certainty (October 24)
    • Surviving You, Always (October 25)
    • Spectre: Sanity, Madness and The Family (October 26)
    • Evil of Dracula (October 27)
    • The Commune (October 28)
    • Dear Diary (October 29)

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    Travis Bean, Contributor

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  • Google’s New Medical Imaging Suite Will Enable A Bright Future Ahead For Healthcare

    Google’s New Medical Imaging Suite Will Enable A Bright Future Ahead For Healthcare

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    Earlier this month, Google Cloud announced its latest venture within the realm of healthcare: a new Medical Imaging Suite. This initiative builds on years of hard work by the Google Cloud team, aimed at creating a universally friendly, efficient, and value-providing platform, with an ode to interoperability and accessibility.

    The applications behind the platform are multi-fold:

    • Imaging Storage: the Suite will enable a more comprehensive way to store and access advanced medical imaging
    • Imaging Lab: in partnership with chip maker NVIDIA, the platform will make it easier to automate routine imaging tasks (e.g. labeling)
    • Imaging Datasets & Dashboards: the software will utilize advanced search tools to retrieve and view large sums of data
    • Imaging AI Pipelines: the Suite is built to support artificial intelligence capabilities in order to integrate machine learning systems and models
    • Imaging Deployment: the platform will provide a comprehensive and secure tool that can be curated to each organization’s needs

    Thomas Kurian, Chief Executive Officer of Google Cloud, has previously explained his overarching vision with the product line: “Our customers and partners put their trust in our team to deliver next-generation cloud technologies to help them become the best tech company in their industry. The combination of Google’s technical strengths, backed by its unique scale and deep experience in connecting that technology with consumer products and ecosystems, enables Google Cloud to put the tools of tomorrow in the hands of organizations today.”

    Established healthcare players are already using the software. Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, for example, hopes to use the robust Suite for prostate cancer detection.

    But AI integration and tackling data problems in healthcare are not easy tasks. Many scholars have recently expressed criticism that the so called “digital revolution” in healthcare that was especially spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic has not delivered on the lofty promises that were made; instead, healthcare technology has been difficult to integrate in a meaningful way, especially in ways that can actually impact patient care outcomes.

    Much of the challenge with AI specifically is the need for large volumes of data to create learning sets, so as to actually “teach” the AI system how to interpret data. For many organizations, their data remains disorganized, inaccessible, or in legacy formats that simply require a significant amount of “clean up” and reconciliation before they can be used in a meaningful way.

    The purpose of solutions like Google Cloud is to eventually make data interoperable and machine learning ready, so that organizations can progress away from the previous age of information technology. Whether or not healthcare pundits like it, healthcare is amidst a revolution, one that will seamlessly integrate new and advanced technologies into patient care. Now, it is upto new and established technology leaders to create this revolution in a meaningful and safe manner.

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    Sai Balasubramanian, M.D., J.D., Contributor

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  • The 10 Fall Basics You Should Buy From Amazon, Nordstrom, or H&M

    The 10 Fall Basics You Should Buy From Amazon, Nordstrom, or H&M

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    To paraphrase a popular TikTok trope, if you aren’t buying your fall basics from Amazon, Nordstrom, or H&M, then what are you even doing?! For real though, when the season’s essentials are available on three of our favorite, most affordable, and most convenient shopping sites, there’s really no reason to look anywhere else—especially when I’ve already gone ahead and done all the work for you.

    Below, you’ll find not only the top 10 fall basics worthy of your wardrobe but also the best version of each one from the three aforementioned retailers. Keep scrolling to get started and finally check all the essentials off your fall shopping list at once, from boots to button-downs to blazers and everything in between.

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    Nicole Akhtarzad Eshaghpour

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  • Amazon shuts down online store Fabric.com in move to cut costs

    Amazon shuts down online store Fabric.com in move to cut costs

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    Amazon is shutting down a subsidiary that’s been selling fabrics for nearly 30 years, the latest move by the online retail giant to cut costs.

    In a note posted on its website, Fabric.com said it will no longer sell products and directed customers to shop on Amazon instead. Thursday was the last day customers can place orders on the fabric site.

    “As part of our regular business planning, we continually evaluate the progress and potential of our offerings and have made the decision to close Fabric.com,” Amazon spokesperson Betsy Harden said in a prepared statement.

    It’s unclear how many employees will be impacted by the closure. Harden said Amazon will work with staff to help them “identify other opportunities” at the company, including at nearby warehouses. Employees who do not stay with Amazon will be given severance, she said.

    News of the closure was first reported by the Craft Industry Alliance.


    Some economists predict the U.S. will enter a recession next year

    05:23

    Cutting costs amid economic concerns

    Georgia-based Fabric.com was founded in 1993 under the name Phoenix Textiles Group. It operated as a wholesale distributor of apparel fabrics for several years before it launched its own website and began selling items directly to consumers.

    Amazon acquired the company in 2008. At the time, it said it would help the fabric site expand its selection of items and allow Amazon to offer its customers more sewing and crafting supplies.

    The closure of the business comes as Amazon is attempting to cut costs amid worries about the wider economic environment and sluggish online sales. In recent months, it has shuttered its hybrid virtual, in-home care service Amazon Care, implemented a hiring freeze on the corporate side of its retail business and axed some of its other projects.

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  • We Found the $40 Amazon Sandals Mary-Kate Olsen Loves

    We Found the $40 Amazon Sandals Mary-Kate Olsen Loves

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    We can’t remember a time when Mary-Kate Olsen wasn’t a style icon. From their early days as Michelle Tanner on Full House to their roles in early aughts classics like New York Minute and Holiday in the Sun, Mary-Kate and her twin sister and co-founder of The Row, Ashley, have always been ones to watch.

    Recently, we came across a TikTok video reminding us that Mary-Kate’s go-to sandals are not only minimalist and chic but also delightfully affordable. Available currently on Amazon for just under $40, these versatile wear-with-anything shoes can take your outfit from the city streets to a beachy vacation in, well, a New York minute—the tread is oddly perfect for both locales. 

    Ready to add some Olsen-approved affordable footwear to your wardrobe? Shop our favorite styles—including Mary-Kate’s same pair—below.

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    Drew Elovitz

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  • AG Sues Google For Allegedly Capturing Face And Voice Data Without Consent

    AG Sues Google For Allegedly Capturing Face And Voice Data Without Consent

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    Topline

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging the tech giant violated state consumer protection laws by capturing millions of users’ facial and voice data without their consent, as facial recognition technology comes under increased scrutiny.

    Key Facts

    The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Midland, Texas, claims the company’s Google Photos and Google Assistant apps, as well its Nest security camera—which records people who approach a front door—unlawfully took in biometric data from millions of Texans who use Google products.

    By doing so, Google has “blatantly” violated a state law called the Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act since at least 2015, according to the suit.

    The lawsuit alleges features such as “face grouping,” which creates albums of certain people based on facial recognition records in the Google Photos app, are both “invasive” and “dangerous” because voice and facial data, once “stolen,” cannot be erased or replaced.

    Paxton is seeking civil penalties up to $25,000 for each violation.

    Google’s biometric data serves its own “commercial ends,” Paxton claims, arguing it allows the company to enhance its face scanning abilities, driving its technological growth.

    Google did not respond immediately to an inquiry from Forbes.

    Tangent

    Paxton filed another lawsuit against Google in January, claiming false, scripted testimonials on iHeartRadio promoting its Pixel 4 smartphone violated the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act by misleading consumers. He sued the company again over allegations it “systematically” tracked users’ location without consent, even when users thought they had disabled the tracking feature on their phones.

    Contra

    More than 400 police forces across the country, including 57 in Texas, had partnered with Amazon’s doorbell surveillance company Ring—a competitor to Google’s Nest cameras—in 2019, giving them access to homeowners’ front-door video footage, the Washington Post reported. Under that partnership, police departments are required to request footage from homeowners. But that practice came under scrutiny in June, when Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey (D), sent a letter to Amazon questioning policy violations from 11 instances in which he said footage was taken without homeowners’ consent. An Amazon official claimed those instances involved “imminent danger of death or serious physical injury” in a written response to Markey’s letter.

    Crucial Quote

    “Google has a new CEO and a new ethos, having tossed (former) CEO (Eric) Schmidt’s promises into the rubbish heap alongside Google’s abandoned ‘don’t be evil’ mantra,” the lawsuit argues, referencing a promise Schmidt made in 2011 not to build a database around facial recognition.

    Further Reading

    Texas sues Google for allegedly capturing biometric data of millions without consent (Reuters)

    Texas Sues Google for Collecting Biometric Data Without Consent (New York Times)

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    Brian Bushard, Forbes Staff

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  • I’m an Expert Amazon Shopper, and These 9 Cheap Basics Never Let Me Down

    I’m an Expert Amazon Shopper, and These 9 Cheap Basics Never Let Me Down

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    I write about great Amazon fashion finds regularly. It’s part of the job. Every month I get to try, test, and give my honest reviews on the coolest pieces I unearth from the deep Amazon jungle! And there’s nothing more satisfying when I find an affordable and chic piece that I then find myself wearing all the time. There are certain Amazon items I’ve picked up over the years that I have never regretted buying—predominantly because they’re versatile, affordable, reliable, and easy to wear on a daily basis.

    Today, I wanted to share some of my absolute favorite Amazon basics—from a staple $8 white tee to an effortless black tank dress that I lean on again and again. These are ideal everyday items that are cool, I don’t feel overly precious about, and the best part? They’re all under $50. Keep scrolling for the Amazon basics that never let me down then shop more of my favorites I have my eye on right now.

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    Judith Jones

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  • The Best New Movies And Shows To Stream On Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Apple TV+, Mubi And Paramount+ This Week

    The Best New Movies And Shows To Stream On Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Apple TV+, Mubi And Paramount+ This Week

    [ad_1]

    If you’re like me, then you have multiple subscriptions to several different streaming platforms—which are all constantly adding new movies. Which begs the question each successive week: What do I watch?

    For me, it helps to have all of those new films in one place. So in this article, I’ll run through the biggest new movies on major stream platforms, such as Netflix
    NFLX
    , Amazon
    AMZN
     Prime, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Mubi, Apple
    AAPL
     TV+, Peacock, and Paramount
    PARA
    +.

    At the end of the article, you can find a full list of all the new films available to stream this week.

    The Peripheral: Season 1 (Amazon Prime)

    Set in the future when technology has subtly altered society, a woman discovers a secret connection to an alternate reality as well as a dark future of her own.

    Abandoned (Hulu)

    After a couple move into a remote farmhouse with their infant son, the woman’s struggles with postpartum psychosis begin to intensify.

    Raymond & Ray (Apple TV+)

    Half-brothers Raymond and Ray reunite when their estranged father dies — and discover that his final wish was for them to dig his grave. Together, the process who they’ve become as men, both because of their father and in spite of him.

    Love is Blind: Season 3 (Netflix)

    Singles try to find a match and fall in love — without ever seeing each other face-to-face, as emotional connection attempts to conquer physical attraction.

    The Fastest Woman on Earth (HBO)

    A story that follows Jessi Combs’ epic seven-year quest to break the land speed racing records.

    Spider-Man: The New Animated Series: Season 1 (Disney+)

    He’s Peter Parker the college student — and then he’s Spiderman, crime-fighter extraordinaire.

    The Grudge (Paramount+)

    A detective investigates a murder scene that has a connection to a case that her new partner handled in the past. The killings occurred in a haunted house that passes on a ghostly curse to those who dare enter it. Soon, the curse spreads to a terminally ill woman and her husband, and another unsuspecting couple who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    The African Desperate (Mubi)

    A sculptor struggles with success, graduation, friends, and family.

    Every new movie and show you can stream this week

    Netflix

    • Dracula Untold (October 16)
    • Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (October 16)
    • Waffles + Mochi’s Restaurant (October 17)
    • Gabriel Iglesias: Stadium Fluffy Live From Los Angeles (October 18)
    • LiSA Another Great Day (October 18)
    • Somebody Feed Phil: Season 6 (October 18)
    • Unsolved Mysteries: Volume 3 (October 18)
    • The Green Glove Gang (October 19)
    • Love Is Blind: Season 3 (October 19)
    • Notre-Dame (October 19)
    • The School for Good and Evil (October 19)
    • The Stranger (October 19)
    • 28 Days Haunted (October 21)
    • Barbarians II (October 21)
    • Descendant (October 21)
    • From Scratch (October 21)
    • High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule (October 21)
    • ONI: Thunder God’s Tale (October 21)
    • Pokémon Ultimate Journeys (October 21)
    • LOL Surprise! Winter Fashion Show (October 22)

    Amazon

    • May I Help You (October 19)
    • American Horror Story S10 (October 20)
    • Torn Hearts (October 20)
    • Modern Love Tokyo (October 21)
    • The Peripheral (October 21)
    • Argentina, 1985 (October 21)
    • Hush Hush (October 22)

    Hulu

    • Being Flynn (October 16)
    • Benediction (October 16)
    • Sinister 2 (October 16)
    • The Paloni Show! Halloween Special! (October 17)
    • Duncanville: Final 6 Episodes (October 18)
    • Annabelle: Creation (October 20)
    • Bitterbrush (October 20)
    • Matriarch (October 21)
    • Abandoned (October 21)
    • Wyrm (October 21)
    • The Hair Tales: Two-Episode Series Premiere (October 22)

    HBO

    • Mr. Pickles (October 17)
    • The Vow: Part Two (October 17)
    • Batwheels, Season 1B Premiere (October 18)
    • By Design: The Joe Caroff Story (October 18)
    • Mama’s Boy (October 18)
    • Meet the Batwheels: Season 1A (October 18)
    • Year One: A Political Odyssey (October 19)
    • Legacy: Season 1 Premiere (October 20)
    • The Fastest Woman on Earth (October 20)
    • Restoration Road with Clint Harp: Season 3 (October 21)
    • Teen Titans Go!: Season 7D (October 21)
    • Vale Dos Esquecidos: Season 1 Premiere (October 21)

    Disney+

    • Dancing with the Stars: Episode 5 (October 17)
    • Dancing with the Stars: Episode 6 (October 18)
    • Alice’s Wonderland Bakery: Season 1, 4 episodes (October 19)
    • Bear in the Big Blue House: Seasons 1-4 (October 19)
    • PB&J Otter: Seasons 1-3 (October 19)
    • Raven’s Home: Season 5, 8 episodes (October 19)
    • Spider-Man: The New Animated Series: Season 1 (October 19)
    • The Incredible Dr. Pol: Season 21 (October 19)
    • The Spectacular Spider-Man: Season 1 (October 19)
    • Wicked Tuna: Season 11 (October 19)
    • Andor: Episode 7 (October 19)
    • The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers: Episode 204 “Draft Day” (October 19)
    • Hall of Villains (October 21)

    Apple TV+

    • Raymond & Ray (October 21)
    • Acapulco: Season 2 (October 21)
    • Ghost Writer: Season 3 (October 21)

    Paramount+

    • The Grudge (October 17)
    • Drunk History: Seasons 1 – 6 (October 19)
    • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 2 (October 19)
    • PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups (October 19)
    • Inside Amy Schumer: Season 5 Premiere (October 20)
    • Blacklight (October 21)

    Mubi

    • She Mad: Bitch Zone (October 17)
    • The Gold-Laden Sheep & the Sacred Mountain (October 18)
    • Soliloquy (October 19)
    • Lake of Dracula (October 20)
    • The African Desperate (October 21)

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    Travis Bean, Contributor

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  • Animal populations have plummeted by nearly 70% in last 50 years, new report says

    Animal populations have plummeted by nearly 70% in last 50 years, new report says

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    A shocking new report paints a grim picture of the state of the planet. The world is facing “double” emergencies, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature found, as the climate crisis deepens and animal populations are declining at frighteningly high levels. 

    Animals across the planet, from deep below the ocean’s surface to those hiding in the trees of the Amazon, are dying off. The World Wildlife Fund studied more than 5,200 species for its Living Planet Report, and found that out of the nearly 32,000 populations analyzed, there was an average decline of 69% since 1970. Up to 2.5% of mammals, fish, reptiles, birds and amphibians have already gone extinct, the report says.

    And the average population numbers have only gotten worse. Four years ago, the Living Planet report found a 60% average decline. Then in 2020, the average hit 68% – a situation that was called an “SOS for nature.” 

    Now, two years later, authors of the report say the continued decline is a “code red for the planet (and humanity)” as some scientists warn that Earth is heading toward another mass extinction, mostly due to climate change. 

    “The message is clear and the lights are flashing red. Our most comprehensive report ever on the state of global vertebrate wildlife populations presents terrifying figures: a shocking two-thirds decline in the global Living Planet Index less than 50 years,” WWF International’s Director General Marco Lambertini says in the report. 

    screen-shot-2022-10-14-at-11-09-53-am.png
    The World Wildlife Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Index — which tracks populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians — found an average 69% decrease in monitored wildlife populations since 1970. 

    World Wildlife Fund for Nature


    Freshwater populations have been the hardest hit, with an average decline of 83%, the report found, with habitat loss and migration route barriers accounting for roughly half the threats they face. 

    Most of the biodiversity loss is seen in South America, which has lost 94% of its biodiversity, according to the report. The Amazon has been rapidly depleted over the years, and the report says “we are rapidly approaching a tipping point” where the tropical rainforest “will no longer function.”  

    Much of the loss is due to humans. Land use – deforestation, agrochemicals and pollution – is the biggest threat to nature, the report says, with human consumption, technology and poor environmental governance also playing a significant role. 

    The larger the human population grows and the more economic demand is sought, the more land will be destroyed for resources, the report says, and currently, “humans use as many ecological resources as if we lived on almost two Earths.” The U.S., Canada, Australia and Mongolia are among the worst culprits for over-consumption. 

    But if broad and significant climate action is not taken quickly, the report’s 89 authors expect that climate change will soon take the helm at destruction.

    “If we are unable to limit warming to 1.5ºC, climate change is likely to become the dominant cause of biodiversity loss in the coming decades,” the report says. “Rising temperatures are already driving mass mortality events, as well as the first extinctions of entire species. Every degree of warming is expected to increase these losses and the impact they have on people.”

    This crisis of nature is an “existential challenge” interlinked with climate change, Lambertini says, and must be addressed globally. For climate change, the goal is reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but for biodiversity, he said, we need an equivalent – “nature-positive by 2030.” And both must be addressed with the same ferocity. 

    Li Cohen


    li.jpg

    Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending reporter for CBS News, focusing on social justice issues.

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  • Amazon Prime Day: How to get a good deal during the October promotion

    Amazon Prime Day: How to get a good deal during the October promotion

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    Amazon is kicking off its two-day Prime Early Access sale on Tuesday, with the retailer offering discounts on products ranging from Peloton to KitchenAid appliances. But before buying, it’s key that you do your research to make sure that deal is as good as it looks. 

    The promotion is Amazon’s second Prime-linked shopping event this year, offering some holiday deals earlier than usual in hopes of convincing cautious consumers to open their wallets. With inflation running at a 40-year high, more Americans are cutting back on spending, denting sales at Amazon and other retailers. 

    Amazon is billing the two-day event as providing hundreds of thousands of discounts to its members of its Prime shopping club. But, as in its regular summer Prime Day event, this latest sale may offer the steepest discounts on Amazon’s own products, such as Kindle and Alexa devices. 

    At the same time, recent research indicates that some discounts available on Amazon might be less attractive than they appear. Some merchants even claim their products are selling at a discount when they’ve actually increased the price, researchers at the University of Florida, University of South Carolina and Arizona State University found. And some sellers appear to raise their “original” prices so that their “discounts” will subsequently look steeper, prior research indicates.

    “The misleading discount displays that we discovered are difficult for shoppers to detect because that would require tracking both prices and the presence of discount displays over time,” Jinhong Xie, a professor of marketing at University of Florida and one of the co-authors of the new study, said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. 

    “However, shoppers can avoid this trap by checking prices more thoroughly before they buy,” Xie added.

    Here’s what to know about Amazon’s Prime Early Access sale. 

    What time does Prime Day start in October?

    The event kicked off at 12 a.m. Pacific time on October 11 (3 a.m. Eastern time) and will run through the end of the day on October 12. 

    What does Prime Early Access mean?

    The two-day event is aimed at convincing Amazon Prime members to start their holiday shopping early on the site. Like its summer Prime Day event, the two-day sale is also geared toward convincing people to sign up for Amazon’s Prime membership, since the deals are available only to Prime members.

    Do I have to be a Prime member to qualify for discounts during the event?

    Yes, the promotion is only available to people who have signed up for the Prime membership plan, which costs either $14.99 a month or $139 for the year. 

    However, people can sign up for Amazon’s 30-day free Prime trial and cancel before the time period is up. After the 30 days, they’ll be charged either a monthly fee or the annual dues.

    What is on sale during Prime Early Access? 

    The retailer is touting savings of up to 70% on some of its own devices, such as the Echo Dot bundle with Amazon’s smart plug, which is selling for $17.99 during the event. Amazon says that is 72% lower than its regular price of $30.98. 

    Other brands that are on sale during the event include:

    • Up to 50% on headphones from makers such as Bose, Sony and JBL
    • Up to 50% off on toys from Hasbro
    • Up to 45% on vacuums from iRobot and Shark 
    • Up to 15% off Peloton products, including its original Bike, which is on sale for $1,225, down from $1,445
    • Kitchen items such as appliances from KitchenAid and Cuisinart are also on sale

    How do I know I’m getting a good deal?

    The most important step is to research prices for a product you are interested in. 

    One website that’s frequently used by bargain hunters is CamelCamelCamel, a price-tracking service. You’ll have to sign up for the site’s free login, but after that you can enter an Amazon URL for a product and the service will give you the price history for that product. 

    For instance, this three-pack of Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap is promoted as a Prime Exclusive Deal, selling for $8.47, or a discount of 42%. And putting the URL into CamelCamelCamel shows that the product recently sold at $14.48, but that its price also dipped as low as $7.56 in October 2021 via a third-party seller. 

    How to score $10 in freebies at Prime Early Access

    There are some ways to get a little extra purchasing power during Amazon’s Prime Early Access. 

    For instance, if you buy a $50 gift card from Amazon or other brands — including restaurants like Panera and retailers such as Gap — you’ll get a future $10 promotional credit on your account. 

    What should I avoid buying during Prime Early Access? 

    According to experts at BlackFriday.com, there are two categories where you may be better off waiting for bigger sales during Black Friday events in November: TVs and computers. They recommend holding off on buying a TV, laptop or other computers until next month, when steeper discounts may be available.

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  • This Internet-Favorite Desk Treadmill Is On Sale Right Now

    This Internet-Favorite Desk Treadmill Is On Sale Right Now

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    FYI: Deals move quickly during the Prime Early Access sale. We’ll do our best to keep this post and imagery as up-to-date as possible, but we can’t catch everything immediately. Check back now through October 12 to see our latest updates as the deals change.

    There are three things I simply cannot survive without when it comes to my workday: coffee, my standing desk and my foldable desk treadmill, which I first discovered thanks to numerous TikTok videos.

    Since purchasing this Walking Pad folding treadmill from Amazon a few months ago, my entire workday has changed. Gone are the 3 p.m. energy slumps and the aches that come with hunching over a keyboard. Instead, I get anywhere from 5,000 to 12,000 steps in while I power through my to-do list. (One day I walked an actual half marathon’s-worth of steps without even thinking about it!)

    The slim treadmill folds in half and comes with wheels, making storage easy; it’s great for anyone who lacks the space to have a bulky machine in their office space. It comes with a remote control, and you can also connect it to an app. The walking pad goes up to about 3.7 miles per hour and has two modes: automatic, which allows you to control how fast the belt goes using your own steps and walking speed, or manual, through which you can set your pace using the remote.

    If you’ve been contemplating upgrading your work setup by getting a treadmill, now is certainly the time to do it. The Walking Pad is on sale now during the Amazon Prime Early Access sale event at a great price (I paid almost $100 more than it’s going for right now!). Step up your office and get your steps in. You’ll be glad you did ― trust me.

    HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Every item is independently selected by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.

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  • Walgreens To Buy The Rest Of CareCentrix Home Care For $392 Million

    Walgreens To Buy The Rest Of CareCentrix Home Care For $392 Million

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    Walgreens Boots Alliance is buying the rest of the post acute and home care company CareCentrix for $392 million.

    The nation’s largest drugstore chain Tuesday said it has “entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining 45% stake for approximately $392 million.” CareCentrix coordinates care to the home for health plans, patients and medical care providers and is a key part of the Walgreens Health strategy unveiled by chief executive Roz Brewer last year.

    “We continue to see strong results and potential for growth from our partnership with CareCentrix,” Brewer said Tuesday. “Our full acquisition further accelerates our transformation to become a consumer-centric healthcare company, leveraging innovative platforms that extend our capabilities into fast-growing segments of healthcare. CareCentrix is key to offering services to our patients at every stage of the care continuum, and to driving long-term, sustainable growth as part of our U.S. Healthcare strategy.”

    The acquisition is the latest sign that retail healthcare providers like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Amazon are looking to further serve the outpatient needs of U.S. consumers. The acceleration of the full acquisition of CareCentrix comes a month after Walgreens rival CVS Health announced it would acquire home care company Signify Health for $8 billion, beating out Amazon and others for the company.

    In CareCentrix, Walgreens is acquiring the rest of a company that manages care for more than 19 million members at more than 7,400 provider locations, the companis said. CareCentrix offers “a suite of services on an integrated basis to support home care models – including home nursing, durable medical equipment, home infusion and in-home palliative care,” Walgreens said. In Walgreens fiscal year 2021, CareCentrix “delivered pro forma sales of $1.5 billion.”

    CareCentrix will continue as a distinct business and brand within Walgreens following the full acquisition and CareCentrix chief executive officer John Driscoll will take on the new role as executive vice president and president, U.S. Healthcare at Walgreens Boots Alliance.

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    Bruce Japsen, Senior Contributor

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  • The Best New Movies And Shows To Stream On Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Mubi, Disney+ And Paramount+ This Week

    The Best New Movies And Shows To Stream On Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Mubi, Disney+ And Paramount+ This Week

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    If you’re like me, then you have multiple subscriptions to several different streaming platforms—which are all constantly adding new movies. Which begs the question each successive week: What do I watch?

    For me, it helps to have all of those new films in one place. So in this article, I’ll run through the biggest new movies on major stream platforms, such as Netflix
    NFLX
    , Amazon
    AMZN
     Prime, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Mubi, Apple
    AAPL
     TV+, Peacock, and Paramount
    PARA
    +.

    At the end of the article, you can find a full list of all the new films available to stream this week.

    The Watcher: Limited Series (Netflix)

    A family moves into their dream home, only to be plagued by ominous letters, strange neighbors and sinister threats.

    The Northman (Amazon Prime)

    Prince Amleth is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy’s mother. Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who raids Slavic villages. He soon meets a seeress who reminds him of his vow — save his mother, kill his uncle, avenge his father.

    Grimcutty (Hulu)

    A suburban teen girl and her little brother must stop a terrifying internet meme brought to life by the hysteria of their parents.

    Fixer Upper: The Castle (HBO)

    Chip and Joanna Gaines breathe new life into a 19th-century castle in Waco, Texas, as they tackle its challenging infrastructure while preserving its original beauty.

    Noah (Paramount+)

    When God decides that mankind has become too sinful and must be wiped off the Earth, he chooses Noah (Russell Crowe), a pious man, for a great task. Noah must build an ark large enough to hold his wife (Jennifer Connelly), adopted daughter (Emma Watson), sons (Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Leo McHugh Carroll) and their wives — plus breeding pairs of every animal. When the task is completed, Noah and his family witness God’s wrath in the form of an apocalyptic flood.

    The New Mutants (Disney+)

    Five teenage mutants — Mirage, Wolfsbane, Cannonball, Sunspot and Magik — undergo treatments at a secret institution that will cure them of their dangerous powers. Invited by Dr. Cecilia Reyes to share their stories, their memories soon turn into terrifying realities as they start to question why they’re being held and who’s trying to destroy them.

    Shantaram (Apple TV+)

    XXFugitive Lin Ford looks to get lost in chaotic 1980s Bombay; alone in an unfamiliar city, Lin struggles to avoid trouble but falls for an enigmatic woman and must choose between freedom and love and the complications that come with it.X

    A White, White Day (Mubi)

    In a remote Icelandic town, an off duty police chief begins to suspect a local man for having had an affair with his wife, who recently died in a car accident. Gradually his obsession for finding out the truth accumulates and inevitably begins to endanger himself and his loved ones. A story of grief, revenge and unconditional love.

    Every new movie and show you can stream this week

    Netflix

    • Missing Link (October 9)
    • LEGO Ninjago: Season 4: Crystallized – Part 2 (October 10)
    • Spirit Rangers (October 10)
    • The Cage (October 11)
    • DEAW#13 Udom Taephanich Stand Up Comedy Show (October 11)
    • Iliza Shlesinger: Hot Forever (October 11)
    • Island of the Sea Wolves (October 11)
    • Belascoarán, PI (October 12)
    • Blackout (October 12)
    • Easy-Bake Battle (October 12)
    • The Nutty Boy (October 12)
    • Wild Croc Territory (October 12)
    • The Watcher (October 13)
    • Dead End: Paranormal Park: Season 2 (October 13)
    • Exception (October 13)
    • The Playlist (October 13)
    • The Sinner: Season 4: Percy (October 13)
    • Someone Borrowed (October 13)
    • Sue Perkins: Perfectly Legal (October 13)
    • Black Butterflies (October 14)
    • The Curse of Bridge Hollow (October 14)
    • Everything Calls for Salvation (October 14)
    • Holy Family (October 14)
    • Mismatched: Season 2 (October 14)
    • Take 1 (October 14)
    • Blippi’s Spooky Spell Halloween (October 15)
    • Under the Queen’s Umbrella (October 15)

    Amazon Prime

    • Noah (October 9)
    • Family Camp (October 11)
    • The Northman (October 11)

    Hulu

    • To Catch a Smuggler: South Pacific: Season 9 Premiere (October 9)
    • Grimcutty (October 10)
    • The Rising of the Shield Hero: Complete Season 2 (October 10)
    • Chainsaw Man: Complete Season 1 (October 11)
    • Antlers (October 11)
    • After (October 12)
    • Rosaline (October 14)
    • Dashcam (October 14)
    • Pil’s Adventure (October 14)
    • See For Me (October 14)
    • Catfish: The TV Show: Season 8F (October 15)
    • My Friend Dahmer (October 15)
    • Poetic Justice (October 15)
    • The Boy Downstairs (October 15)

    HBO

    • We Baby Bears: Season 1E (October 9)
    • Avenue 5: Season 2 Premiere (October 10)
    • Oh Hell: Season 1 Premiere (October 10)
    • 38 at the Garden (October 11)
    • Blippi Wonders: Season 2A (October 14)
    • Fixer Upper: The Castle (October 14)
    • Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! (October 15)

    Disney+

    • Dancing with the Stars: Episode 4 (October 10)
    • Big City Greens: Season 3, 4 episodes (October 12)
    • Sofia the First: Seasons 1-4 (October 12)
    • Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion: Season 1, 6 episodes (October 12)
    • The Villains of Valley View: Season 1, 5 episodes (October 12)
    • Big Shot: Season 2 Premiere, All Episodes Streaming (October 12)
    • Andor: Episode 6 (October 12)
    • The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers: Episode 203 “Coach Classic” (October 12)
    • She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Episode 9 (October 13)
    • Into the Woods (Sing-Along Version) (October 14)
    • The New Mutants (October 14)

    Apple TV+

    Paramount+

    • NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 14 Premiere (October 9)
    • Noah (October 10)
    • Where the Scary Things Are (October 11)
    • Never Seen Again: Season 3 Premiere (October 11)
    • Beavis and Butt-Head Classic: Seasons 5, 7 (October 12)
    • YO! MTV Maps premiere (October 12)

    Mubi

    • Rams (October 9)
    • A White, White Day (October 10)
    • The Vampire Doll (October 11)
    • Rosa Rosae. A Spanish Civil War Elegy (October 12)
    • When a Stranger Calls (October 13)
    • Center Stage (October 14)
    • Earwig (October 15)

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  • Amazon to kick off holidays with Prime Day-like shopping event in October

    Amazon to kick off holidays with Prime Day-like shopping event in October

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    Amazon said Monday that next month it will hold a second Prime Day-like shopping event, making it the latest major retailer to offer holiday deals earlier this year to entice cautious consumers struggling with tighter budgets.

    During the October 11-12 event, Amazon Prime members will get early access to discounted items. The “Prime Early Access Sale” follows Amazon’s annual Prime Day in July.

    The Seattle-based e-commerce giant has long used these kinds of sales events to lure people into its Prime membership, which offers faster shipping and better deals for $139 a year. But October’s event will be the first time it has holds a major sales drive twice in a year.

    Amazon’s retail business had slowed down in recent months. The addition of the October shopping bonanza signals a recognition that the company needs to provide more deals to inflation-hit consumers in what’s expected to be a challenging holiday shopping season for retailers.


    Inflation remains high in August despite ongoing drop from June

    05:14

    Last week, Walmart and Target announced they would begin offering deals and price-matching offers earlier this year to keep up with Americans pressed by soaring inflation. 

    Target said it would begin offering holiday deals in early October and plans to hire up to 100,000 seasonal employees in stores and distribution centers this holiday season, in line with a year ago. Meanwhile, Walmart is expanding its window for gift returns to between October 1 and January 31, compared with last year’s return window of November 1 to January 24.

    “Holiday kickoff”

    “What Amazon wants to do is be part of that early crowd and get a bite of the cherry,” said Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail. “And the best way to do that is, rather than having little deals here and there, is to have a big day that’s almost like a holiday kickoff.”

    This year marks the second year in a row consumers are expected to shop earlier for holiday deals. Last year, Americans started shopping earlier to avoid shipment delays caused by supply-chain snafus. This year, analysts expect many budget-conscious consumers to do the same, aiming to spread out their spending and snag gifts before prices rise later on.


    Goldman Sachs’ Lloyd Blankfein on inflation, the Fed and supply chain issues

    06:10

    Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, said the company will offer deals on digital items and products that are “particularly relevant for the holiday season,” as opposed to its Prime Day event in July, which, for example, focused on back-to-school items. He declined to say whether a fall discount event will be a permanent fixture for Amazon going forward.

    “We’re just focused on having a great event this year,” Ghani said. “I can’t say what’s going to happen in the future; we aren’t really thinking about it.”

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  • California sues Amazon, alleging its dominance pushes up prices

    California sues Amazon, alleging its dominance pushes up prices

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    California is suing Amazon, accusing the company of violating the state’s antitrust and unfair competition laws by allegedly stifling competition and forcing sellers to maintain higher prices on their products on other sites.

    In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court, California Attorney General Rob Bonta claims that Amazon uses contract provisions to effectively bar third-party sellers and wholesale suppliers from offering lower prices for products on non-Amazon sites, including on their own websites. That, in turn, harms the ability of other retailers to compete, according to the complaint. 

    “Without basic price competition, without different online sites trying to outdo each other with lower prices, prices artificially stabilize at levels higher than would be the case in a competitive market,” the complaint states. 

    According to the suit, merchants who don’t follow Amazon’s pricing policy could have their products stripped from prominent listings on Amazon and face other sanctions, such as suspensions or terminations of their accounts. The suit seeks to stop Amazon from entering into contracts with sellers that harm price competition, as well as a court order to compel Amazon to pay damages to the state for increased prices. State officials did not say how much money they are seeking.

    The 84-page lawsuit mirrors another complaint filed last year by the District of Columbia, which was dismissed by a district judge earlier this year and is now going through an appeals process.

    But officials in California believe they won’t encounter a similar fate, partly due to information collected during a more than two-year investigation that involved subpoenas and interviews with sellers, Amazon’s competitors as well as current and former employees at the company.

    “Blocking competition”

    Seattle-based Amazon controls roughly 38% of online sales in the U.S., more than that of Walmart, eBay, Apple, Best Buy and Target combined, according to the research firm Insider Intelligence. A report from Democrats in Congress estimated Amazon’s share at about 50%. About 2 million sellers list their products on Amazon’s third-party marketplace, accounting for 58% of the company’s retail sales.

    During a news conference on Wednesday, Bonta said some vendors have expressed they would offer lower prices on other sites with lower seller fees, but don’t do so to avoid punishment from Amazon.

    “Amazon has stifled its competition for years, not by successfully competing, but by blocking competition on price,” Bonta said. “As a result, California families paid more, and now Amazon must pay the price.”

    He said the lawsuit is also a message to other companies who “illegally bend the market at the expense of California consumers, small business owners and the economy.”

    Amazon did not immediately reply to a request for comment from the Associated Press. The company has said in the past that sellers set their own prices on the platform. It has also said it has the right to avoid highlighting products that are not priced competitively.

    Despite that defense, Amazon’s market power has been a subject of scrutiny from lawmakers and advocacy groups calling for stricter antitrust regulations. Earlier this year, congressional lawmakers urged the Justice Department to investigate if the company collects data on sellers to develop competing products and offer them more prominently on its site. Critics have also lambasted the increasing fees Amazon imposes on sellers, which makes it more difficult for merchants to enter the market.

    Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been pushing bipartisan legislation aiming to limit Amazon and other Big Tech companies, including Apple, Meta and Google, from favoring their own products and services over rivals. The bill has cleared key committees but has languished in Congress for months amid intense pushback from the companies.

    Meanwhile, regulators have also been looking into Amazon’s business practices and deals. In July, the company offered concessions to settle two antitrust investigations in the European Union, including a promise to apply equal treatment to all sellers when ranking product offers on the site’s “buy box,” a coveted spot that makes items more visible to shoppers.

    In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission is investigating Amazon’s $3.9 billion acquisition of the primary health organization One Medical as well as the sign-up and cancellation practices of Amazon Prime, the company’s paid subscription service that offers deals and faster shipping.

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