Actors on strike

Hollywood actors on strike, Tucker Carlson's new media company, and more [What makes a subscription to The Week so valuable now? Click here.]( [The Week Logo]( [Subscribe to The Week magazine]( [Subscribe to The Week magazine]( Daily business briefing 1. [Hollywood actors go on strike, joining writers guild]( Actors represented by SAG-AFTRA went on strike at midnight on Friday, joining an ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America as Hollywood grapples with the changes in business and technology from online streaming and artificial intelligence. Talks with the Hollywood studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), broke down early Thursday, when the current contract expired. All work on SAG-AFTRA TV and film projects has halted, and the actors guild, which represents about 160,000 performers, instructed members not to promote finished projects, go to awards shows, or attend film festivals during the strike. The stars of "Oppenheimer" walked the red carpet at the London premier Thursday night, [then left](. Actors will start picketing Friday morning. The last double writers-actors strike was in 1960. [[Los Angeles Times]( [Variety]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Hollywood+actors+go+on+strike,+joining+writers+guild&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=business_briefing_newsletter_20230714&utm_source=business_briefing_newsletter) 2. [Tucker Carlson reportedly creating Twitter-based media company]( Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Daily Caller publisher Neil Patel are seeking investors for a new media company that will use Twitter as a main source of distribution, The Wall Street Journal reported. Carlson and Patel, who were college roommates and cofounded The Daily Caller, are reportedly looking to raise hundreds of millions of dollars. The media company would use Twitter to post a mix of videos for paid subscribers and all Twitter users. A Carlson spokesman told the Journal they don't want to use YouTube because they fear the content would be censored. Carlson is still under contract with Fox News, which pulled his show in April. Fox sent him a cease and desist letter in June when he started posting videos on Twitter. Carlson responded through a lawyer that he wouldn't "be silenced by anyone." [[The Wall Street Journal]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Tucker+Carlson+reportedly+creating+Twitter-based+media+company&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=business_briefing_newsletter_20230714&utm_source=business_briefing_newsletter) Advertisement from wisebread [Earn $200 After Spending $500]( [Advertisement from wisebread]( 3. [FDA OKs first over-the-counter oral birth control tablet]( The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday it has approved norgestrel birth control tablets for over-the-counter sales, a first in the U.S. The FDA said consumers will be able to purchase the oral contraceptive at drug stores, convenience stores and grocery stores, as well as online. The medicine, branded as "Opill," is expected to be available in early 2024, its manufacturer, Perrigo, told The New York Times. While no price for the medication has been announced, Frederique Welgryn, Perrigo's global vice president for women's health, said the company is committed to making Opill "accessible and affordable to women and people of all ages." Norgestrel was initially approved for prescription use by the FDA 50 years ago. [[The New York Times]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=FDA+OKs+first+over-the-counter+oral+birth+control+tablet&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=business_briefing_newsletter_20230714&utm_source=business_briefing_newsletter) 4. [WHO says aspartame is a 'possible carcinogen' but safe in moderation]( The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said Thursday that the popular sweetener aspartame is a "possible carcinogen," based on recent studies that suggest it may be linked to a higher risk of liver cancer. But another WHO agency, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), said it is not changing its guidance that people can safely consume about nine to 14 cans of aspartame-sweetened diet soda a day. "Our results do not indicate that occasional consumption should pose a risk to most consumers," Francesco Branca, director of the department of nutrition and food safety at the WHO, said Wednesday. But the risk isn't zero and heavy aspartame consumers should probably cut back, he added, and everyone would be better off drinking water and eating naturally sweet food like fruit. [[The Washington Post]( [USA Today]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=WHO+says+aspartame+is+a+'possible+carcinogen'+but+safe+in+moderation&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=business_briefing_newsletter_20230714&utm_source=business_briefing_newsletter) ADVERTISEMENT from wisebread [Earn $200 After Spending $500]( [ADVERTISEMENT from wisebread]( 5. [Stock futures wobble as investors await big bank earnings reports]( U.S. stock futures edged lower Friday morning, with those for the S&P 500, the Nasdaq-100, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average all down about 0.1%. Investors were waiting for second-quarter earnings reports from JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and other big banks, expected Friday. "Expectations for this season are downbeat," CNBC reported, "with analysts forecasting a roughly 7% year-over-year drop in S&P 500 earnings."  [[CNBC]( [MarketWatch]( [Share to Facebook]( [Share to Twitter]( [Send in email](mailto:?Subject=Stock+futures+wobble+as+investors+await+big+bank+earnings+reports&body=Read the story here: utm_campaign=business_briefing_newsletter_20230714&utm_source=business_briefing_newsletter) [Read more business stories at theweek.com]( MOST POPULAR [Related image]( [Did Americans have anything to celebrate on Independence Day?]( Theara Coleman [Related image]( [Secret Service investigating after cocaine found in White House]( Brigid Kennedy [Related image]( [Brain disease linked to head injuries diagnosed in female athlete for first time]( Justin Klawans [Related image]( [The troubling rise of review bombing]( Theara Coleman [Related image]( [The movement to make A/C energy efficient]( Devika Rao [Speed reads banner] [Article image]( [FDA OKs first over-the-counter oral birth control tablet]( July 13, 2023 [Article image]( [Top Russian generals killed, fired, disappeared after aborted Wagner mutiny]( July 13, 2023 [Article image]( [Hollywood actors to strike after contract talks end without deal]( July 13, 2023 [Article image]( [San Francisco's iconic Anchor Brewing is closing after 127 years]( July 13, 2023 [Read more of today's best articles at theweek.com]( [What makes a subscription to The Week so valuable now? 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