1. Stocks futures edge down after Trump fires Comey
U.S. stock index futures slipped after President Trump unexpectedly fired FBI Director James Comey Tuesday. S&P 500 futures edged down by 0.2 percent early Wednesday, suggesting a lower open following gains that have pushed stocks into record territory. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped by 0.2 percent, and Nasdaq-100 futures fell by 0.1 percent. Bipartisan criticism of Trump's decision threatened to undermine his support, casting fresh doubt on the prospects of promised tax and regulation cuts that have lifted markets since Trump's election. The stock ripples show how "markets are still wary of an unpredictable president," said Hantec Markets analyst Richard Parry in a note.
2. Disney takes a hit as ESPN costs rise, cable subscriptions fall
Subscribe to 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.
3. Tunnel collapses at nuclear waste site in Washington state
4. Court orders Spirit pilots back to work
5. ABC is bringing American Idol back for a 16th season
-
Does Trump have the power to end birthright citizenship?Today's Big Question He couldn't do so easily, but it may be a battle he considers worth waging
-
2024: the year of romantasiesIn the Spotlight A generation of readers that grew up on YA fantasy series are getting their kicks from the spicy subgenre
-
US won its war on 'murder hornets,' officials saySpeed Read The announcement comes five years after the hornets were first spotted in the US
-
Why Assad fell so fastThe Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
-
Romania's election rerunThe Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
-
Russia's shadow war in EuropeTalking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the seaIn the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikesSpeed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
-
Cuba's energy crisisThe Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
