Forbes

UFC’s ultimate broligarch sounds off on why he’ll always be in Donald Trump’s corner, his passion for high-stakes risk-taking and how he’s already building America’s next great combat sport. https://lnkd.in/eSrSgdyj

NFL teams don’t have to work all that hard to cover their expenses these days, with each collecting an estimated $323 million from the league’s national media and sponsorship deals during the 2023 season before selling a single ticket. But the Dallas Cowboys aren’t thinking about breaking even—they’re breaking the bank. The world’s most valuable sports team, worth $10.1 billion, is also the world’s most profitable, with Jerry Jones’ ’Boys hauling in an estimated $564 million in operating income in 2023. The second-most-profitable team, the Los Angeles Rams, barely reached half that figure, at $286 million, while the New England Patriots landed at No. 3 with $261 million. In all, the 20 most profitable sports teams feature nine NFL franchises, along with five from the NBA, three from the NHL and three from England’s Premier League. Together, they generated an estimated $3.9 billion in profit during the most recent season with available data, or an average of $195 million per team—up 12% from the previous year’s top 20. Take a closer look: https://trib.al/C1ywDZw

NEW: Why Elon Musk’s China Ties Are DOGE’s Biggest Conflict Of Interest The electric-car maker, the main source of the mercurial billionaire’s wealth, is relying on China to stay profitable as sales sink elsewhere. That, and the preferential treatment the company gets in China, create massive concerns as his DOGE minions rip through federal databases. #musk #doge

When the Covid pandemic hit, immigration abruptly stopped, and demand for Nova Credit’s tech vanished. Banks’ usage of Credit Passport dropped by 75%, pulling Nova’s revenue down from $2 million on an annualized basis to about $500,000. “We had no market to sell into,” recalls Nova cofounder and CEO Misha Esipov, speaking from the startup’s bare-bones New York office. “Part of me wanted to run away.” Instead of quitting, Esipov, now 37, led his team on a search for new product ideas, asking lenders about issues they faced–problems that a hungry startup might help solve. That summer, a SoFi executive said that with the big jump in unemployment caused by the Covid lockdowns, it desperately wanted to know which consumers still had jobs so it could assess their current (as opposed to historical) creditworthiness. Nova used some of the data-transfer technology it had already built to create a service that verified consumers’ income, rolling it out for SoFi in just four months. Keep reading: https://trib.al/rJfywp0

The billionaire is wielding immense authority over federal agencies, but unlike cabinet members, doesn’t have to publicly disclose his investments or potential conflicts. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eVmg_dzC

From Mount Olive, North Carolina to Anchorage, Alaska, each of the top 10 banks on Forbes’ ranking of 100 publicly traded banks are relatively tiny institutions with less than $25 billion in assets. https://trib.al/7zzvoOb

The beekeeping industry is in a panic as a shocking number of bees die. 🐝 Commercial beekeepers saw well over 50% losses this winter. As California prepares for almond season, and for fruits like blueberries and cherries after that, not enough bees could mean higher prices at the grocery store. My latest on Forbes https://lnkd.in/eAn2EshE

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court granted the government's application for a stay of a Texas ruling in the Fifth Circuit that had blocked the beneficial ownership interest (BOI) reporting requirements in the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). That gave the impression that the government could again begin requiring businesses to comply—but another Texas court had issued a ruling that upended the government's victory. The government has now appealed the second case—also in the Fifth Circuit. And this time, they're suggesting that FinCEN would be willing to add a grace period for compliance.

Commercial beekeepers saw well over 50% losses this winter. As California prepares for almond season, and for fruits like blueberries and cherries after that, not enough bees could mean higher prices at the grocery store.

Two California women are suing Procter and Gamble, alleging that it “exploits mid-life women by selling them useless Menopause Tests.” Procter and Gamble’s “Menopause Stage Indicator” is a urine-based test similar to a pregnancy test stick, and is sold under the Clearblue brand for $30 at mainstream retailers like CVS. The device, which Procter and Gamble claims is the first of its kind, was first released in August 2023 and can purportedly tell women which “stage” of menopause they are in based on a urine sample that looks for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, which typically increase with age. But the lawsuit, filed last week in federal court in Oakland, claims that “FSH levels cannot indicate a menopause stage as Clearblue claims,” rendering the company’s test “worthless.” Medical professionals who spoke to Forbes said there’s only one definitive way to determine whether someone is menopausal – a full 12 months without experiencing a menstrual period.