GOOD DAY FOR: Two million workers, as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents today, to $6.55, its first increase since 1997. (CNNMoney.com) The minimum wage is now about a third of the average U.S. wage; it was about half the average wage in the 1950s and 60s. Some 2 million workers will be affected by the increase. (The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
BAD DAY FOR: U.S. bragging rights, after Toyota said it sold 4.8 million cars and trucks worldwide in the first half of 2008, trouncing General Motors, which sold 4.54 million. Both automakers have been dented by the sagging U.S. market, but Toyota has weathered the shift to smaller cars more successfully. Toyota is well on its way to dethroning GM from its 70-plus years as the world’s top auto seller this year. (MarketWatch)
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Murdoch's conservative son wins succession battleSpeed Read Lachlan Murdoch will get control over the media empire that includes Fox News and The Wall Street Journal following his father's death, while his siblings will receive payouts
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
