On this day in 1690, America’s first newspaper published its very first issue.
Four days later, the government shut it down.
Apparently it printed a few things the authorities didn’t appreciate, which is a pretty strong opening performance for American journalism.
Nobody has shut us down yet. A few unsubscribes, sure. But the republic holds.
So while we still have publishing privileges, let’s get into it.
CarMax Is Cutting Jobs.
AutoZone Likes What It Sees.Till
DebtDo Us PartCan AI Fix the
Friendly Skies?PlayVideo Games.Goto College.ConfuseYour Parents.Your Excavator Has
**Wall Street’s Attention****And from Around the Web:**Rich People, Robo-Potties, & Really Fat Bears
The news shaping business, finance, and technology, for better or considerably worse.
CarMax is ** cutting 145 white-collar jobs**, about
New CEO Keith Barr, a former hospitality executive who took over in March, is trying to get sales and profits moving again by running leaner. The cuts hit CarMax offices in Richmond, Dallas and Atlanta. The company operates more than 250 dealerships nationwide.
Last fiscal year, revenue fell about 2% to $25.9 billion, while gross profit per used vehicle dropped 2.5% to $2,253.
Meanwhile, AutoZone is seeing the other side of the same wallet problem. Its **fiscal fourth-quarter sales missed Wall Street expectations **as consumers pulled back on repairs, but sales improved later in the quarter and the company expects growth to accelerate across its regions this year.
Apparently, if the new car is too expensive, the old one gets another year of life. Grab a wrench. The data has spoken, gearheads.
When a big-ticket purchase gets too expensive, consumers don’t always stop spending. They move the money somewhere else.
🔗 See what CarMax is cutting, what AutoZone is betting on, and what drivers are doing instead.
Weddings have never been cheap, but apparently we’ve decided to really commit to the bit.
The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study, based on nearly 11,000 U.S. couples who married in 2025, puts the average wedding at $34,200.
Here’s where the money typically goes:
Venue and rentals: 29%
Catering, cake and drinks: 24%
Photo and video: 10%
Flowers and decor: 9%
Music: 6%
Attire and beauty: 6%
Wedding rings: 5%
Wedding planner: 5%
Guest entertainment: 3%
Transportation: 2%
Stationery: 1%
Officiant: 1%
And that still doesn’t cover things like the honeymoon or rehearsal dinner.
Location matters too. The average runs about $17,000 in Wyoming, $57,000 in New Jersey and a modest, perfectly reasonable **$88,000 **in New York City.
Speak now, or start reviewing financing options.
Weddings are a nice reminder that consumers will still spend enormous amounts of money on moments they care about, even while complaining about the price of eggs.
🔗 See where the other $34,200 disappears before somebody says “I do.”
The FAA is getting SMART.
This week, the agency began limited use of Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes, and Trajectories, or SMART, in the Washington, D.C., region. The AI-supported system is part of a 12-year, $875 million contract with Air Space Intelligence to modernize how the FAA manages flight traffic.
SMART pulls together weather, flight paths, airport capacity, and other data to spot congestion before it becomes your three-hour gate delay. It can suggest schedule or route changes, but FAA staff still make the call.
The rollout includes Reagan National, Dulles and BWI, with plans to gradually expand elsewhere.
Not everyone is ready to buckle in. Rep. Don Beyer, whose Virginia district includes Reagan National, called for SMART to be suspended after saying he was told air traffic controllers were not consulted on its design or trained before rollout. The FAA says SMART cannot replace controllers or take control of aircraft.
Air Space Intelligence has some experience here. Its Flyways AI software already helps Alaska Airlines dispatchers plan routes, save fuel and avoid congestion.
But helping manage flight flow across the national airspace system is a slightly larger group project. SMART, indeed.
AI can improve a complicated operation, but rolling it out before the people using it feel ready is a pretty reliable way to create a second problem.
Turns out “get off the video games and do something with your life” has aged poorly.
High school gamers are now landing college scholarships for esports, much like traditional athletes. And no, these are not kids casually playing Fortnite after homework.
The National Association of Collegiate Esports was founded in 2016 and now represents more than 200 schools. At a recent recruiting event in New Jersey, 29 colleges handed out 181 offers worth a combined **$99,000 **for esports, e-casting and design. Two students received full rides.
Going pro is still a long shot. **But gaming has grown into a much bigger career pipeline than just playing. **Colleges and industry groups are putting money behind students interested in game design, engineering, broadcasting, music, animation and other jobs tied to the business.
Electronic Arts and other game companies are also** funding scholarships and nonprofit programs** aimed at building the next generation of talent.
So yes, Mom. Apparently the controller can stay.
What used to be dismissed as screen time is turning into a recruiting tool, scholarship market and career pipeline.
🔗 Meet the kids turning hours behind a controller into something their parents can finally brag about.
One minute of money talk. Several expensive mistakes avoided.
with Matthew R. Meehan
KKR is putting $350 million behind a new equipment finance company aimed at small and midsize businesses buying industrial equipment, specialty trailers, and other expensive things businesses need to, you know, actually operate.
**Why does that matter? **Because big money sees an opportunity in a part of the lending market where traditional banks have pulled back.
They go to their bank. The bank says no. And they assume that means they can’t finance the equipment.
It doesn’t. It means THAT bank said no.
There are banks, equipment lenders, private credit firms, and specialty finance companies all looking at these deals differently. Different credit boxes. Different industries. Different equipment. Different terms.
That’s why I wouldn’t shop an equipment deal by asking who has the lowest rate and calling it a day.
What’s the down payment? What’s the monthly payment? How long is the term? Can you pay it off early? And how much cash are you pulling out of the business just to get the equipment in the door?
Saving half a point on the rate isn’t much of a win if you emptied the checking account to do it.
So if you’re looking at equipment right now, **don’t wait until after your bank says no to start comparing options. **Send me the quote, invoice, or equipment details and let us take a look.
Get up with Credit Banc before you sign anything.
The internet’s least supervised corner. Useful? Debatable. Entertaining? Always.
Flatiron, Fat Wallet:The Flatiron Building is becoming37 luxury homes, with prices starting around**$11 millionand climbing past$50 million**. Preservationists sayluxury housing helped make saving the landmark possible, proving once again that history is priceless,provided somebody can afford the HOA.Ready, Set, Go:New York City is rolling out17 high-tech public bathroomsthat open by phone or tap cardas part of a$4 million pilot**. You get 10 minutes inside before the lights flash, a voice warns you, and the door opens anyway. Plan accordingly. 👀**March Madness, But Fatter:**Fat Bear Week is back, withbefore hibernation. Defending champ Chunk, roughly 1,200 pounds of salmon and ambition, is back to protect his crown. Finally, a bracket where16 chunky brown bears battling for Alaska’s most prestigious titlegaining weight improvesyour seeding.
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