The special counsel Robert Mueller has nearly 50 substantive questions he wants to ask President Donald Trump as part of the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
The New York Times obtained a list of those questions and published some them on Monday night.
Among the key inquiries, Mueller wants to know whether the Trump campaign sought help from Russia during the 2016 election. "What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign," one question reads, according to The Times.
That question is at the crux of the Russia probe at large, because it hits at the primary concern of the US intelligence community. The agencies said in a 2017 report that Russia engaged in a targeted effort to influence US voters through propaganda and other means, in order to swing the presidential election in Trump's favor.
Signs the Trump campaign and the Kremlin were in contact:
A timeline later emerged, as Mueller focused on what, and how much, Trump knew about WikiLeaks and the DNC hacks.
Interactions with Michael Flynn, Jeff Sessions, and James Comey
Other key questions revolve around Trump's relationships with his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, attorney general Jeff Sessions, and James Comey, the FBI director that Trump fired in May 2017.
Mueller reportedly planned to ask Trump about a dinner and meetings he had with Comey, for example — the details of which make up a thread of the obstruction-of-justice case against Trump.
Trump made a number of public statements about his interactions with Comey, Flynn, and Sessions:
On Comey: Trump fired the FBI director in May 2017, citing his handling of the Clinton email probe, but later said on national television that he had the Russia investigation in mind when he did it. Memos that Comey recorded documenting his interactions with Trump later revealed that Trump sought his personal loyalty, and asked him to drop the FBI's investigation into his ousted national security adviser, Michael Flynn.
On Flynn: Trump said Flynn was forced out of the White House for lying to Vice President Mike Pence and the FBI, but later said on Twitter that Flynn should "ask for immunity." Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian operatives during the presidential transition. He is believed to be cooperating with Mueller.
On Sessions: Trump has frequently criticized the attorney general in public and online for recusing himself from the Russia investigation. According to multiple news reports on the matter, Trump had seen Sessions — who was the first sitting US senator to publicly endorse him during his campaign — as someone who would protect him from the Russia probe.
Mueller also wants to know about the two publicly known occasions in which Trump moved to fire the special counsel, the questions show, according to The Times.
The questions offer a broad view of how Mueller will try to interpret Trump's state-of-mind during some key moments of his campaign and first term in office. Trump's legal team is reportedly back to negotiating terms of a one-on-one interview with Mueller, after previously indicating the president would refuse the request.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received intense scrutiny during his appearance at the historic inter-Korean summit last week, and his actions during the event reveal that he was keenly aware that the world was watching.
Case in point: Kim, who is known to be a chain smoker, was seen having only one smoke break during the hourslong summit.
Around 8:00 p.m. local time, Kim quietly left a lighthearted dinner with 30 South Koreans and 24 North Koreans, and was seen smoking for the first time since the summit began.
"Although I heard Chairman Kim was a heavy smoker, it appeared he refrained from public smoking after considering the symbolism of the inter-Korean summit and the many South and North Koreans," a South Korean official said, according to the South Korean news outlet Donga-Ilbo.
Kim is reportedly a habitual smoker and has been seen many times — including at day care centers and hospitals — pointing at various objects with a cigarette in hand. Kim smoked and drank when he was in his mid-teens, according to Kenji Fujimoto, the personal chef of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, who also claims to have smoked with Kim.
According to a source familiar with a dinner attended by Kim and a South Korean envoy in March, Kim reportedly received a light-hearted rebuke from his wife, Ri Sol Ju, after the subject of smoking came up: "I always ask that it would be good if he quit, but he does not listen," Ri said.
South Korean officials had already prepared ashtrays at various points of the summit where Kim and Moon held private discussions, according to The Ilbo. But Kim never appeared to indulge himself a quick smoke during the event
One South Korean presidential staffer also said that Kim did not smoke in rooms with reporters, as a sign of respect, nor did he smoke when he was with Moon, meaning that the "34-year-old Chairman Kim considered [65-year-old] President Moon much more of an elder than himself," and thus deserving of the courtesy.
However, South and North Korean officials indulged themselves in alcohol — including Kim, who reportedly "did not once refuse a drink."
Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas (L) embraces China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi after a signing ceremony where they formally established relations, in Beijing on May 1, 2018. GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images
Taiwan lost one of its largest diplomatic allies when the Dominican Republic cut ties to officially establish relations with China instead.
Within the communique to create diplomatic relations with China, which was signed by the Dominican foreign minister in Beijing on Tuesday, was the declaration that "the Government of the Dominican Republic severs 'diplomatic relations' with Taiwan as of this day."
Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu said his government is "deeply upset" about the two countries new ties.
Taiwan's political situation is highly contentious as the democratic island is self-ruled, and a pro-independence party has been in power since 2016.
But Beijing considers Taiwan to be a province of China that will eventually be fully reunified.
As a result, China refuses to have diplomatic relations with nations that deal diplomatically with Taiwan, as that treats the island like an independent country. And if Taiwan's global recognition increased, that could jeopardize China's claim to the island.
A statement released by the Dominican Republic confirmed the nation's changed allegiances.
"The Dominican Republic recognizes that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory," the statement read.
Without the Dominican Republic, there are only 19 remaining countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, notably Guatemala, Burkino Faso, and Haiti.
Dollar diplomacy may have been a factor
Panama and Taiwan ended diplomatic relations in June 2017 after the nation established ties with China. Rodrigo Cuel/Shutterstock
The statement released by Taiwan's foreign ministry hints at the nation's growing frustration at China.
While being headlined and initially formatted the same as similar statements in the past, it's roughly twice the normal length and overtly calls out China's method of picking off Taiwan's allies.
"We strongly condemn China's objectionable decision to use dollar diplomacy to convert Taiwan's diplomatic allies," the statement read. "Developing nations should be aware of the danger of falling into a debt trap when engaging with China."
China has a pattern of picking off Taiwan's allies when a democratic party is in power, and using what's commonly called "debt trap diplomacy" to offer aid and loans for infrastructure to poorer countries in an effort to build its global Belt and Road Initiative.
But it appears Beijing may be using the same techniques to now lure countries away from Taiwan, with what the island calls "false promises of investment and aid."
"This was the result of China's efforts in offering vast financial incentives for the Dominican Republic to end their 77 years of diplomatic relations with Taiwan. It also follows China's actions last year in establishing diplomatic relations with Panama."
Taiwan's foreign ministry warned that former allies Costa Rica and Sao Tome and Principe have yet to receive more than $1 billion worth of assistance from China.
Earlier Tuesday, The Australian reported that the Solomon Islands, one of Taiwan's six allies in the Pacific, is looking to China for investment for an airport, a move that could worry Taipei.
White House physician Ronny Jackson. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
US Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson's professional conduct is under renewed scrutiny after Vice President Mike Pence's physician was reported to have had a series of heated interactions with Jackson, according to a CNN report Monday.
According to internal memos, the physician documented the interactions with Jackson, President Donald Trump's physician, which included an incident in which Jackson may have violated federal privacy rights for the second lady, Karen Pence.
The memos reported that Jackson stepped out of line by intervening in a medical situation involving Karen in September 2017, according to CNN. The memo continued to say that Jackson may have violated her privacy rights by briefing "multiple parties" from the White House on her medical information.
Pence's physician took issue with the incident and confronted Jackson, but was left intimidated by his unprofessional conduct that made it an "uncomfortable" situation, according to CNN.
Karen, who was told about the encounter, "also expressed concerns over the potential breach of privacy of her medical condition," the memo said.
Jackson's supporters defended him by saying he and the physician had a "strained relationship," and that the incident was merely a dispute between two doctors, according to CNN.
Last week, Jackson withdrew his nomination as Trump's pick to lead the Veterans Affairs department after allegations of excessive drinking at work, contributing to a hostile work environment, and improperly dispensing medications were leveled against him. Jackson and White House officials, including Trump, have continued to deny the reports.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon's inspector general received word of the accusations and is assessing whether a formal investigation is necessary, according to The Washington Post. As an active duty naval officer, Jackson is still subject to the Pentagon's oversight and justice system.
The Bears, Panthers, and Packers all received high marks for their 2018 draft picks, while experts were unimpressed with the Seahawks and Cowboys, who both left serious needs somewhat unaddressed. David Goldman/AP
The 2018 NFL Draft is now over, with 256 young athletes welcomed to the league.
As always, some teams drafted better than others, with every pick sparking a new round of expert analysis and critiquing.
Below, we've put together a consensus draft grade for every team in the NFL, based on the grading and analysis of five experts: NFL.com's Chad Reuter, CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., Sports Illustrated's Andy Benoit, and Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports.
Take a look below and see how the experts think your team fared as they gear up for the 2018 season.
Botox-maker Allergan reported its first-quarter earnings on Monday, announcing a better-than-expected profit and raising its forecast for the year. Still, the company's stock fell by 3% Monday morning.
Over the past year, Allergan's stock has fallen 36%, while over the same period the Nasdaq Biotech Index has risen by 5%. In response to the stock's performance, some of Allergan's top shareholders have approached activist investors to get involved in pushing for change at the company, Business Insider reported on Thursday.
Allergan CEO Brent Saunders acknowledged the disconnect between how the company's performed and its stock price. He said the company's "deep into the process" of reviewing its strategic options for the company, including divesting certain businesses and splitting the company outright. Though he didn't give a set timeline, he said he'd give an update at the next earnings call in a few months if not before.
"Everything is on the table," Saunders said Monday, reiterating what he said at a March investor meeting.
Saunders broke out the potential options into five categories.
Share buybacks, something Allergan's done recently. Saunders said he didn't see this as a primary strategy, but it could be used to boost the company incrementally.
Divestitures of some of the non-core Allergan businesses. Saunders considered its "big four" businesses to be eye care, aesthetics, diseases of the central nervous system, and gastrointestinal conditions, while women's health and anti-infectives are "less strategically important."
Splitting up the company is also on the table. "If we pursue it will take the longest time to complete and most disruptive," Saunders said. Something that makes it especially tricky: Botox fits into both the aesthetics and the CNS businesses, because it's used to treat conditions like chronic migraine. That would make a split along Allergan's cash-pay businesses and its therapeutic businesses tricky.
Acquisitions, likely not through a large merger but through smaller deals.
Continuing as the company stands now.
If the last two options become the strategy, it's likely investors won't be too pleased.
"This is going to increase debate which we have already seen based on incoming emails and add risk that a 'do nothing' option or resumption of bolt-on deals could be the answer - we would expect push-back from investors if either were the case," RBC Capital Markets analyst Randall Stanicky said in a note Monday.
When it came to Allergan's announcement earlier in April that it was in the "in the early stages of considering a possible offer" for the UK-listed Shire, only to say four hours later that it wouldn't make an offer, Saunders said that the company was only in the "cursory review" phase of checking out the deal. Because Takeda put Shire into pay, the company took the steps to feel it out. Saunders said it's standard practice at Allergan to look at every company that comes up for deals, "even if it's just a remote possibility."
President Donald Trump's administration will announce Monday that it would extend exemptions to steel and aluminum tariffs for some of the US's closest allies, avoiding the start of a possible trade war according to a new report.
According to multiple reports,Trump decided to postpone imposing the tariffs and extend exemptions that will allow the countries to continue exporting metals to the US without being subject to a 25% tariff on steel and 10% tariff on aluminum.
The exemptions will be extended until June 1, according to the reports, and would give the US and the exempted nations more time to work out deals to help reduce trade imbalances.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump originally did not plan to exempt any countries. But similar to his other moves on trade, Trump backed down on the threat. A half-dozen allies were eventually granted a temporary exemption: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico.
As part of the agreement, South Korea will also secure a permanent exemption from the tariffs in exchange for an annual quota on Korean metal exports to the US.
The exemptions are significant because the countries represent a large percentage of imported steel and aluminum. Five of the top 10 steel exporters to the US were provided exemptions and two exempted countries, Canada and Argentina, make up 55% of all aluminum imported by the US.
In addition to the direct economic consequence of the exemptions, the move also prevents those countries from taking retaliatory action against the US.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were in Washington, DC, to meet with Trump last week, and both stressed the need to keep open the trade channels between the EU and the US. But, in the event that Trump did not grant extensions, the EU threatened to impose tariffs on the US.
For now, these actions, and a probable trade war, are likely to be delayed by Trump's extension.
There were four themes that were obvious at this year's Space Symposium conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
1) The rising influence of tech billionaires like Bezos, SpaceX's Elon Musk and Virgin Group's Richard Branson;
2) The fact that between trade shows and the space industry, augmented reality and virtual reality have found their business use case — especially both, together.
3) Everyone is working on putting humans on Mars;
4) Space-based businesses are booming, with billions of dollars of venture funding pouring in annually.
Here's a look at my trip to the Space Symposium, and what I learned:
Being nice will help your career — but being a pushover will hurt it. Netflix
There's a pervasive stereotype that being nice at work means you're a pushover.
If you're too nice, startup investor and long-time media executive Fran Hauser says people think "you're a pushover, you're a people-pleaser, you're weak."
But in her new book, "The Myth of the Nice Girl," Hauser argues that "when you're nice at work, it's actually a superpower" because it helps you build relationships, which are the key to career success.
Of course, there's a big difference between being nice at work and letting your co-workers and boss walk all over you— AKA being a pushover.
"To me, being a pushover is about failing to maintain boundaries in your professional life (or failing to draw any boundaries in the first place)," Cynthia Pong, a career coach and founder of Embrace Change, told INSIDER. "Being nice simply means not being rude, inconsiderate, or a jerk to people around you."
"Being a pushover is like being nice purely for the sake of having a reputation for being nice (i.e. being a people-pleaser) - with complete disregard for what is actually appropriate, proportionate, and fair."
You can be nice without letting people walk all over you. Shutterstock/Jack Frog
This behavior is actually self-destructive and can hurt your career, career coach Donna Sweidan told INSIDER.
"You will burn out, resent others by ultimately wondering why you 'have to do so much,' prevent you from asking for raises, possibly result in passive-aggressive behaviors, and ultimately impede your chances of gaining the respect you would like to earn from your colleagues," Sweidan said.
Here are seven signs that you might be a pushover at work — and what to do about it.
1. You have a hard time saying "no" to people.
One of the easiest ways to tell if you're a pushover at work is if "you feel guilty if you say no to a request to do something (or you're actually unable to say no)," Pong said.
If you try to do too much in order to please everyone, it won't ultimately turn out well.
If you can't tell people "no," you'll likely suffer from burnout. Shutterstock/TORWAISTUDIO
You might say 'yes' without even realizing that doing so could cause your work to suffer overall, career coach Ashley Stahl said.
"The irony is that this person is the one that will burn out the fastest, and all their temptation to say 'yes' could eventually turn into low performance that completely undermines their shine," Stahl told INSIDER.
2. Your coworkers ask you to help get their work done.
It's not a good sign if your job feels like a high school group project — where you suddenly find yourself doing all the work while other people slack off.
Pong said if, "you're the person that everyone goes to at the last minute when they need something done because they know you will sacrifice your time, energy, and other plans to get it done," it could be an indication that you're seen as a pushover.
Do people know you're the one who will sacrifice everything to do them a favor?Twentieth Century Fox via IMDb
If you continue to take on more than your share of work, you might start to "feel resentful that you're being asked to do more work than others, that you get stuck with more of the things no one else wants to do," she said.
Women in particular struggle with this, according to Sweidan.
"There is also a very clear line between being helpful and being subservient," Sweidan said. "Women (and men) have been socialized into thinking that it's a woman's role to take care of everyone. So, if you're one of the few women in the office, and your male colleagues are looking at you as the one who's going to get the coffee, and you are obliging when that is not your job, then you have crossed that line."
3. You're constantly trying to prove yourself.
Do you feel like you're constantly working so hard to prove yourself, but you never get any recognition for it?
It might be the case that "you're always trying to do more to please or 'prove yourself' to others at work," but you "feel like you're a 'sucker' at work and no one respects you or your time," Pong said.
You might even see coworkers you started with being awarded and promoted ahead of you.
4. You say "sorry" all the time — for no real reason.
This is one many people struggle with, including Hauser.
When she realized how often she said "sorry" for trivial things, Hauser decided to start replacing the word with what she really meant.
There's no need to apologize for trivial things or things that are out of your control. Shutterstock/Nasir_Shaq
"Really what I've found is, when I really thought about what I was trying to say, it was really 'thank you' in a lot of situations," Hauser told INSIDER. "It was more like, 'thank you for inviting me' or 'thank you for reaching out' as opposed to going to, 'I'm so sorry I can't make it' or 'Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you.'"
Hauser said she soon found that it was a stronger and more positive way of communicating.
5. You don't speak up or give your opinion.
Do you avoid giving your opinion because you don't want to upset anyone? That's not being "nice" — it's trying to please everyone by quashing your own valid viewpoints.
If you don't speak up at work, you might be seen as a pushover. NBCUniversal
"You routinely silence yourself and your opinions because you want people to like you and you avoid confrontation," Pong said.
6. You only give completely positive feedback.
If you do happen to speak up at work, it doesn't count if you "sugar coat anything you have to say that could be perceived as critical," Pong said.
This doesn't mean you should be constantly criticizing people, but you're allowed to have an opinion.
7. You take your self-deprecating jokes too far.
Another indication of a pushover is taking humility way too far.
"While it may seem funny and comforting to others in the beginning — as you try and make others not feel threatened by you — you undermine your abilities in order to not sound like a brag or too ambitious," Sweidan said. "Because then you'll be perceived as aggressive, and women want to avoid that at all costs."
Making fun of yourself too much can actually make people view you more negatively. NBCUniversal
Making too many self-deprecating comments can be damaging, she added.
"Others will start to perceive you in the negative light you're presenting yourself and it can directly impact your performance and relationships at work," Sweidan said.
The solution to being a pushover is learning to set boundaries.
You can still be kind and helpful without letting people take advantage of you — it just requires boundaries.
"There is a difference between taking 15 minutes to help a coworker with a new program and completing their task for them," Hallie Crawford, career coach and founder of Create Your Path, told INSIDER.
Pong added that it might take some time to re-establish healthy boundaries if you've let them go completely, and it's OK to take small steps. One easy way to get started is to write down the changes you want to make in your behavior at work.
Write down the things you'll no longer put up with. Liderina/Shutterstock
"Set aside some time, sit down with pen and paper or your computer, and write down what you are no longer willing to tolerate," Pong said. "Then, put them in order of priority, from the thing you want to stop doing immediately to those you can bear doing for a bit longer."
Once you've set your boundaries, practice saying "no."
After you've established what you'll no longer put up with, you need to learn how to say "no" — politely yet firmly.
Since it may not come naturally to you, Pong recommends preparing and practicing ahead of time.
"Think of a few firm, but polite, ways to say no, and write them down," she said. "Here are a few to get you started: 'Unfortunately, I can't take that on anymore,' 'My schedule is too full.' Or, keep it short and sweet: 'No, I'm unable to.'"
It's OK to tell people "no" sometimes. Shutterstock/Antonio Guillem
Pong suggested reading these statements to yourself daily, so that next time someone asks you to something above and beyond what you should be doing, you can set that boundary.
Practice asserting yourself in your personal life.
You can start advocating yourself with people you trust in your personal life, such as your family and friends.
"It's OK to start small to build up your skills in this area," Pong said.
Start by sharing with a friend or family member that you don't like something that they do like, she recommended.
"Again, there is nothing wrong with having your own opinion about something or with voicing it," she said. "Nothing about that is inherently mean or cruel or inappropriate. Simply saying, 'Actually, I don't like bowling, I'd rather go to the movies,' in a kind tone of voice shouldn't lead to conflict or drama (and if it does, that's a big red flag)."
When you're more comfortable, apply these skills to your professional life.
After some practice, try it at work.
"Offer your opinions more freely, especially when they are different from others," Pong said. "Be a little bolder: learn what you can do without asking for permission first and then do those things without asking for permission."
Be bold. NBCUniversal
Just remember that you can stand up for yourself and assert yourself in your career and still be nice.
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His name may be most closely associated with the Peace Prize he founded, but Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel first became famous for creating a less-than-peaceful invention: dynamite. However, this game-changing explosive wasn't the result of deliberate action, but rather a surprising accident.
Nobel spent several years attempting to stabilize nitroglycerin, a liquid compound with explosive properties. After considerable trial and error (resulting in multiple accidental detonations with casualties), Nobel found the solution while transporting nitroglycerin to a new lab facility in the mid-1860s.
One of the cans used to hold the nitroglycerin popped open during transit, and upon opening the cargo area to assess the damage, Nobel realized that the packing material surrounding the cans — a soft but solid compound of sedimentary rock known as kieselguhr — absorbed the liquid nitroglycerin in just the right way to stabilize it. This discovery led to further experimentation, and once Nobel figured out how to merge nitroglycerin and kieselguhr without compromising the former's potency, he had the recipe for dynamite.
As it turns out, Nobel's legacy relied on mistakes more than once. In 1888, Nobel's brother passed away, and a French newspaper erroneously claimed that Alfred Nobel died instead.
In the incorrect obituary they published for Nobel, they dubbed him a "merchant of death" and assigned Nobel blame for the destructive potential of his most famous invention. Deeply upset and ashamed by this reaction to his life's work, Nobel revised his own last will and testament, bequeathing the bulk of his estate to future winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Stormy Daniels and her lawyer, Michael Avenatti. Mary Altaffer/AP
Porn star Stormy Daniels escalated her legal battle against President Donald Trump on Monday, claiming in a new lawsuit that Trump defamed her by calling her claims that she had sexual relationship with him a "total con job."
The president tweeted for the first time about Daniels on April 18, a day after she and her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, released a composite sketch of a man Daniels says approached her in a parking lot in 2011 and threatened her to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump.
Trump retweeted a photo of the sketch alongside a picture of Daniels' former boyfriend and wrote, "A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!"
In her new lawsuit, Daniels — whose real name is Stephanie Clifford — is accusing Trump of making a "false and defamatory" statement about her claiming that she fabricated her story, which is a criminal offense under New York law.
"Mr. Trump knew that his false, disparaging statement would be read by people around the world, as well as widely reported, and that Ms. Clifford would be subjected to threats of violence, economic harm, and reputational damage as a result," the complaint reads.
The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, seeks $75,000 in damages.
"We look forward to requiring Mr. Trump to answer questions under oath about his conduct," Avenatti told Business Insider on Monday.
Daniels first told CNN in March about the alleged 2011 threat, which came soon after Daniels attempted to sell her story about the affair to InTouch magazine. The magazine reportedly buried the story after Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, threatened to sue.
Daniels alleged that a man approached her outside a fitness class she was attending with her infant daughter and delivered the threat, which shook her.
"A guy walked up on me and said to me: 'Leave Trump alone. Forget the story,'" Daniels told CNN in March. "Then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, 'That's a beautiful little girl — it'd be a shame if something happened to her mom.' And then he was gone."
Daniels says she had unprotected sex with Trump once in 2006, a few months after Melania Trump gave birth to the couple's son, Barron, and continued to see Trump for several months. Just ten days before the 2016 election, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 through a Delaware-based entity he established to facilitate the transfer of what he says was his personal money.
The porn star first sued the president on March 6, arguing that the nondisclosure agreement she said was designed to conceal the affair is invalid because the president never signed it. The suit claims Trump "purposely did not sign the agreement so he could later, if need be, publicly disavow any knowledge of the Hush Agreement and Ms. Clifford."
Trump, who denies having had any relationship with Daniels, has said that he did not know about the $130,000 payment and that he does not know where Cohen got the money.
Welcome to Digital Health Briefing, the newsletter providing the latest news, data, and insight on how digital technology is disrupting the healthcare ecosystem, produced by Business Insider Intelligence.
Have feedback? We'd like to hear from you. Write me at: lbeaver@businessinsider.com
FDA EXPANDS OVERSIGHT FOR AI, DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS IN HEALTHCARE: In an effort to catch up with rapid digital innovation in the healthcare industry, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expanding its pre-certification program and establishing a new incubator for digital health technology. The FDA introduced the pre-certification program in 2017 to streamline the regulatory process of bringing digital health products to market.
The expansion dovetails with the FDA’s efforts to increase its control over new digital health products. While it will help to accelerate the introduction and marketing of innovative products, it will also give the FDA oversight of software solutions that historically sit outside of its authority, FDA regulation expert Bradley Merrill Thompson told POLITICO. It could also pave the way for the agency to gather more insight into these companies’ records and processes — a potential requirement for the precertification process.
The FDA’s announcement addresses three areas that will impact the future of healthcare in the US and aims to ensure the regulatory oversight of the digitization of care delivery.
Expanding the purview of the pre-certification for medtech. Many new and existing health products have multiple functions, some that are covered by the FDA’s oversight, and some that aren’t. The agency is putting draft provisions in place that will address the gap in tools that have multiple functions, and describe how and when the FDA intends to look at non-regulated functions and services.
Encouraging and preparing for the development of health products and services that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI). AI is increasingly being incorporated into new health tools and products. The FDA is working to facilitate the inclusion of AI in digital health tools by looking into how it can apply its pre-certification program for tools based on AI.
Exploring how digital health tools and services could be better integrated with prescription drugs. The use of data and smartphone apps to complement prescription medication, known as digital therapeutics, is a fast-growing segment of health. The FDA is investigating how to best include these offerings in the pre-certification program with the goal of adding the framework by the end of 2018. The agency also launched the Information Exchange and Data Transformation (INFORMED) incubator that will focus on tools to improve cancer treatment and drug development.
FITBIT TO USE GOOGLE’S HEALTHCARE CLOUD OFFERING: Wearables maker Fitbit announced Monday that it will be using Google’s Cloud Healthcare API to make it easier for the doctors to access wearable data. Google introduced its dedicated healthcare cloud offering during the HIMSS 2018 conference in March. The product aims to facilitate health data interoperability by automating the process of collecting and storing patient data and then making it easier for physicians to pull actionable insights gleaned through machine learning algorithms. For Fitbit, the move will be a step forward in its efforts to become further entrenched in healthcare delivery. The company has been looking to the health industry to help generate revenue as shipments of its fitness trackers falter. Fitbit’s troves of health data are also becoming increasingly valuable to payers, research institutions, and hospital networks, looking to glean consumer health insights. Lastly, although device shipments fell YoY, Fitbit's community of active users rose 9% YoY during Q4 2017, from 23 million to more than 25 million users. This is the second cloud health deal Fitbit has made this year, following its acquisition of Twine Health in February. Twine’s HIPAA-compliant platform connects consumers diagnosed with chronic illnesses, like diabetes and hypertension, with doctors and coaches. These healthcare professionals can develop lifestyle strategies and programs to help patients monitor and manage their illnesses. The addition of Google’s Cloud Healthcare API and its machine learning processes will make Fitbit’s health data that much more valuable to researchers, physicians, and insurers looking to leverage insights to improve healthcare delivery and accelerate precision medicine offerings.Business Insider Intelligence
AMERICAN WELL ACQUIRES AVIZIA, MOVING INTO HOSPITAL-BASED TELEMEDICINE: US telehealth provider, American Well is buying acute care telehealth provider Avizia, the company announced during the American Telemedicine Association 2018 (ATA2018) conference in Chicago. American Well’s existing platform connects patients with doctors from a home setting. The acquisition will provide American Well with an acute care platform, allowing clients to access doctors and specialists from around the world within hospitals, meaning the service will be able to support more urgent care cases. The announcement comes as American Well accelerates its efforts to broaden the reach of its telehealth services. In January, the company partnered with Philips to embed its solutions with Philips digital health products. And during its January funding round, American Well received more than $59 million from insurer Allianz to build its telehealth platform. The company also partnered with Apple and Stanford Medicine to power the Apple Heart Study. Telemedicine services have grown rapidly over the past few years as health systems look to tech to boost hospital efficiency and drive customer growth and retention. In 2017, around 75% of US health systems either already were, or intended to implement a telehealth offering, according to a survey by Foley & Lardner. That’s a significant shift in sentiment compared to findings in the first survey in 2014 when 87% of respondents said that patients wouldn't want virtual care services in 2017. As acquisitions and expansion efforts increase, we expect 2018 to be the tipping point for telehealth in the US — by 2023 telehealth offerings will be used by around 57% of the US population, representing an annualized growth rate of 75% over the next five years. Business Insider Intelligence
SMARTPHONE-BASED GP AT HAND IS PLANNING EXPANSION: Just months after launching in Fulham, UK, GP at Hand, a smartphone solution that allows patients to consult with their general practitioner (GP) via a video link, is planning to expand to two more areas by end of year, according to Digital Health. Early adoption of the offering has been strong, and the 24-hour service could eventually provide more than 3 million patients across the greater London area access to a video consultation within two hours after a user inputs their symptoms. Virtual consultations are on track to become a much larger part of the healthcare system in the UK, not only because they appear to be popular with patients — in Fulham, where GP at Hand was trialed, 90% of patients gave the service a five star rating, according to the Daily Mail — but also because major resources are going into building out the digital health capability. For example, in October the National Health Service (NHS) launched a £45 million ($59 million) fund that will be used to launch digital consultation services.
Jeff Bezos has faced his fair share of criticism ever since he launched Amazon as an online book-seller in 1994, competing with the likes of Barnes & Noble, and he's since created a strategy for dealing with harsh feedback.
"At that time all of the headlines ... the funniest were about how we were about to be destroyed by this much larger company," Bezos said in an interview with Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner at a recent awards event in Berlin, Germany.
The headlines about Amazon getting destroyed didn't turn out to be true, of course. In the last eight years alone, Amazon added 530,000 employees and is now one of the most valuable companies in the world. But that kind of rapid growth also opened Bezos and the e-commerce giant up to scrutiny from consumers, unions, and even the President of the United States.
Throughout it all, Bezos says his approach to criticism and what he preaches to Amazon employees has been, "when you're criticized, first look in a mirror and decide, are your critics right? If they're right, change. Don't resist."
He expanded on that to say that there are two kinds of critics: the well-meaning ones, and the self-interested ones. When these critics share feedback, a focus on what can actually be controlled and what's in the best interest of the customer makes it easier to tease the two apart.
When the Kindle launched, for example, the book 1984 was taken off of the digital e-readers by Amazon in the middle of the night because of copyright issues, but no notice was given to consumers. In retrospect, Bezos believes that was the wrong move.
When it comes to the unions who argue that Amazon doesn't pay its employees well enough, though, Bezos says he believes that his company has good communication with its workers and doesn't need a union to be an intermediary.
Bezos says the company and its executives "would be very naïve" to think that Amazon wouldn't be criticized, and that he welcomes scrutiny from the government now that Amazon is a large corporation, because it's something he knows comes with the territory.
"If you're going to do anything new or innovative, you have to be willing to be misunderstood. If you cannot afford to be misunderstood then for goodness' sake, don't do anything new or innovative."
You can read — or watch — the full interview with Bezos right here.
Costco uses a machine to apply sauce to its pizzas. Costco
Costco shoppers can't get enough of its pizza.
The store is known for its low-cost but highly rated food courts, where customers can find respite from their shopping to enjoy a slice of pizza or a hot dog.
Because of Costco's large store count, it's considered the 14th largest pizza chain in the United States. A slice of one of its three flavors — cheese, pepperoni, or "combo" — costs $1.99, or $9.95 for a full 18-inch pie.
In a comparison with Sam's Club's pizza slices, Business Insider's Hollis Johnson dubbed Costco the winner because of its low price, selection, and overall taste.
"It's a good slice: unwieldy, but cheesy, salty, and extremely filling," he wrote.
But there is one secret to Costco's success in keeping its pizza slices consistent and tasty, and that is its mechanical saucing process, which distributes tomato sauce over the base of the pizza, Readers Digest reported.
This system not only makes it easy to prepare pizzas in bulk but ensures the sauce is spread evenly and all the way to the crust.
While this technique may be a good way to craft a tasty pizza, it's a chilling reminder that retail jobs are a prime target for automation.
In 2017, investment advisory firm Cornerstone Capital Group put together a report that indicated that between 6 million and 7.5 million retail jobs could become automated in the coming years, which would leave a large portion of the retail workforce at risk of becoming "stranded workers," it said.
About 16 million people, or one in 10 American workers, are employed in the retail industry.
Fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's and Wendy's have even started to automate the customer-facing side of their businesses by installing self-ordering kiosks. Smaller chains such as Eatsa and CaliBurger are working on automating the entire restaurant experience.
"With government driving up the cost of labor, it's driving down the number of jobs," then Carl's Jr. and Hardee's CEO Andy Puzder told Business Insider in 2016. "You're going to see automation not just in airports and grocery stores, but in restaurants."
The pizza process at Costco isn't entirely done by a machine, however, as employees do apply the cheese by hand.
Watch the pizza preparation video here:
According to Thrillist, Costco has other clever tricks for making its famous pizza.
Each pizza base is loaded into a flattening machine that presses it with 130 degrees of heat for seven seconds to ensure the thickness is consistent in each pie. And for pepperoni pizzas, you should expect to find exactly 60 pieces on each pie.
"Avengers: Infinity War" did better than its $250 million record-breaking weekend estimates.
Disney reports the official weekend numbers for the movie at $258.2 million.
That includes a record-breaking $69.2 million Sunday take.
Things just keep getting better for "Avengers: Infinity War."
After Disney released estimates on Sunday that its latest movie from Marvel Studios took in $250 million to become the biggest opening weekend movie of all time domestically, it looks like the studio was being modest.
Final numbers posted on Monday indicate that the movie took in $258.2 million, according to boxofficepro.com. It was helped by a record-breaking Sunday take of $69.2 million.
And with the movie taking in $382.7 million overseas, its global weekend opening is at an astounding $640.9 million.
The Sunday performance by "Infinity War" domestically tops the previous record holder, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which had $60.5 million.
I'm one of those people who dreams every night. I don't know if it's because I have an overactive imagination, or I drink too much caffeine, but every morning I wake up knowing my mind has been somewhere else for the duration of my sleep.
What's really annoying, though, is waking up knowing you had an intriguing, vivid dream, and then feeling it slip away. It's like trying to catch a snowflake — once it starts disappearing, it's gone forever.
According to a new study, taking one particular vitamin could help you remember those dreams you keep losing. The research, published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, found that taking high-dose vitamin B6 supplements before going to bed helped people remember their dreams.
Researchers at the University of Adelaide recruited 100 people, half of which took 240mg vitamin B6 pills for five consecutive days, while the other half took a placebo. It was a small study, but the results did show those who took the vitamins could better recall their dreams than the placebo group. (Neither group knew what they were taking.)
Participants said of their experiences that their dreams were "clearer and easier to remember," and they didn't "lose fragments as the day went on." Another said "My dreams were more real, I couldn't wait to go to bed and dream!"
The study's author, Denholm Aspy from the University's School of Psychology, added: "Vitamin B6 did not affect the vividness, bizarreness or colour of their dreams, and did not affect other aspects of their sleep patterns."
Aspy added that this is the first time a study into the effects of vitamin B6 and other B vitamins on dreams has been carried out on "a large and diverse group of people."
Productive dreaming
The average person spends around six years of their lives dreaming, according to Aspy, meaning if we work out how to control them, we could use them more productively.
"Lucid dreaming, where you know that you are dreaming while the dream is still happening, has many potential benefits," he said. "For example, it may be possible to use lucid dreaming for overcoming nightmares, treating phobias, creative problem solving, refining motor skills and even helping with rehabilitation from physical trauma."
But in order to effectively dream lucidly, you need to first be able to consistently remember your dreams. Adding more B6 to your diet could be one way to do this, according to the study. It's found in foods like whole grain cereals, legumes, bananas, avocado, spinach, potato, milk, cheese, eggs, red meat, and fish.
According to an article in Scientific American, dreams are notoriously difficult to recall because the processes that allow us to create long-term memories are not occurring while we sleep. For example, the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which is important for remembering, is at very low levels when we sleep.
Also, we are more likely to remember a dream that is more emotional or logical. Vivid, emotional dreams or nightmares mean your brain and body are more stimulated, which means you're more likely to wake up — and waking up straight from a dream means you are more likely to remember it.
There are some techniques that can help you recall your dreams better, such as reminding yourself just before you go to sleep that you want to remember your dreams. Also, keep a notepad and pen by the bed, so you can jot down anything you immediately remember when you wake up.
"Even if you do not think you can remember a dream, take just a minute to see if there is any feeling or image you can describe," said Deirdre Barrett, author of "The Committee of Sleep, in Scientific American."
"Following these simple steps may cause an entire dream to come flooding back."
Some scientific research has shown how you're likely to be attracted to people who share similar facial characteristics as you. One theory for this is that we associate people who look like us with our parents, and thus have more positive feelings towards their features.
Similarities are also important for friendships. You may look around your friendship group and wonder how it is you all share the same sense of humour, or you all agree about certain things.
This mayl be because we gravitate towards people with similar interests and opinions, but science could also have something to do with it.
Friends share similar brainwaves
A recent study, published in the journal Nature Communications, found how neural responses could factor into our friendships.
Researchers from the University of California and Dartmouth College recruited 279 students to take a survey about who they were friends with in their classes. A smaller group of 42 students were then asked to watch video clips while the researchers used function magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to see what was happening in their brains at the time.
Results showed the friends who watched the clips reacted in strikingly similar ways. Areas of their brains associated with learning, motivation, memory, and affective processing lit up. In fact, the brain patterns were so similar, the researchers said they could predict who out of the group had called each other friends in the survey without looking at their answers.
"Neural responses to dynamic, naturalistic stimuli, like videos, can give us a window into people's unconstrained, spontaneous thought processes as they unfold," said Carolyn Parkinson, the lead author of the study. "Our results suggest that friends process the world around them in exceptionally similar ways."
They are also likely to be genetically similar
The sign of a strong friendship could also lie in your DNA. According to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, friends tend to be more genetically similar than strangers.
Researchers from Stanford, Duke, and the University of Wisconsin carried out a series of genetic comparisons between pairs of friends using a dataset of 5,500 American adolescents.
They found many more genetic similarities between the friends than between pairs who didn't know each other. Also, friends were about two thirds as similar as married couples, who have been found to share similar DNA.
One reason for this happening could be because people are drawn to others who come from a similar background, had the same level of education, or are of a similar height and weight — a phenomenon known as social homophily.
Another reason could be social structuring, which is when we forge friendships within shared social environments, such as schools or the place you live.
Friends share personality traits
A study that looked at behavioural data from social media, published in the journal Psychological Science, found that people are more like their friends than research previously thought.
Decades of research suggested there was no evidence that friends and romantic partners had similar personalities, according to Youyou Wu from the University of Cambridge, the lead author of the study.
However, the researchers suggested this could be because people tend to compare themselves to people around them when answering questions like "are you well organised?" So, they decided to observe people's behavior via their social media accounts, rather than relying on questionnaires.
They collected Facebook data from 295,320 participants, and gathered information about their personality traits from people's "likes" and status updates.
"People who like 'Salvador Dali' or 'meditation,' for example, tend to score high on openness to new experiences; those who write about 'partying' or 'weekends' a lot tend to be extroverted," said Wu, according to The Association for Psychological Science. "The advantage of this approach is that everyone is being judged against a universal standard, leaving less room for subjective judgment."
Overall, the results showed there was a substantial similarity in personality traits between both friends and romantic partners.
Similar interests are more important than how much you like each other
It may sound obvious, but sharing interests is very important for solid friendships. Back in 2010, researchers looked into people's Facebook habits to try and work out why this is.
The study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, concluded that we change friends throughout our lives because we form friendships through similarities in our professions, interests, hobbies, religion, or political affiliation. However, our interests are always in flux, and our personalities change throughout life.
"It was fascinating to see how the cliques could form without any one person organising everything," said Seth Bullock, a researcher at School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, and one of the authors of the study. "We saw individuals moving from one clique to another. Over time some cliques disappeared while new ones were established."
In other words, as we grow up and our interests change, our friends are likely to be in keeping with that.
The boards of T-Mobile and Sprint have put the finishing touches on a massive merger agreement that values the combined company at $146 billion.
T-Mobile USA chief executive officer John Legere made the announcement by tweeting a seven-minute video breaking down the merger, while also including a link to a website further explaining the combination. Deutsche Telekom owns two-thirds of T-Mobile, and will control the newly formed firm.
Legere will be CEO of the combined entity, which will keep the T-Mobile name, and have headquarters located in both Bellevue, Wash. and Overland Park, Kan.
The deal, which will combine the third- and fourth-largest US wireless carriers, is expected to come under serious scrutiny from antitrust regulators. For evidence of that, one need not look further than how fervently the Trump administration has opposed AT&T's proposed mega-acquisition of Time Warner.
It marks the culmination of four years of on-again, off-again discussions between T-Mobile and Sprint — and serves as the third time the two rivals have tried to merge.
With 127 million customers between them, the two newly teamed firms are expected to compete directly with Verizon— the nation's number one carrier — and second-place AT&T.
"This isn't a case of going from 4 to 3 wireless companies — there are now at least 7 or 8 big competitors in this converging market," Legere argued on Sunday.
The agreement involves T-Mobile exchanging 9.75 Sprint shares per unit of T-Mobile. Deutsche Telekom will own 42% of the combined company, while SoftBank — which controls 85% of Sprint — will own 27%. The remaining 31% will be held by the public.
Sprint and T-Mobile discussed a potential deal in November 2017, but talks broke down amid disagreement over who would control the new company. A Wall Street Journal report suggests that SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son may have since become more willing to give up control amid mounting pressure on Sprint to roll out 5G technology.
"This combination will create a fierce competitor with the network scale to deliver more for consumers and businesses in the form of lower prices, more innovation, and a second-to-none network experience — and do it all so much faster than either company could on its own," Legere said in an official statement. "We intend to bring this same competitive disruption as we look to build the world's best 5G network that will make the US a hotbed for innovation and will redefine the way consumers live and work across the US, including in rural America."
The all-stock transaction values Sprint at 0.10256 per T-Mobile share, or $6.62 a share, based on T-Mobile's last closing price. That valued Sprint at around $26 billion. T-Mobile had a market value of $55 billion as of Friday's close, and the two companies have roughly $60 billion of combined debt.
Sprint's stock has surged 26% since the Wall Street Journal reported on April 10 that the two companies had rekindled merger talks, while T-Mobile's has risen 8% over the same period.
Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on April 13, 2017. AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton, has said that the US will use Libya as a model for denuclearizing North Korea — but it may have been a dark, even threatening message to Kim Jong Un.
North Korea's Kim has performed an about-face since last year— when he and Trump traded nuclear threats across the Pacific — to pursuing peace and diplomacy broadly and willingly. Accompanying Kim's peace push have been a number of promises from the North Korean leader, though as yet there has been little follow-through.
So far, Kim has agreed to denuclearize and seek a peace treaty with the South, but has yet to actually take steps to disarm. Although North Korea announced it would invite the US and South Korea to watch its nuclear test site dismantled, it has taken similar steps before only to back out of deals later.
Other steps Kim has taken, like switching back the country's special time zone, have been unilateral and unsubstantial, but enough to warrant positive press coverage.
The horror of Gaddafi's fate, and how Kim could meet the same
Muammar Gaddafi at a military parade in Tripoli, Libya, in 2009. Associated Press
Bolton, a noted North Korea hawk who vocally pushed for war with the country, made an unsavory comparison that Kim is sure to have picked up on in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation".
"I think we're looking at the Libya model of 2003, 2004," for denuclearizing North Korea, Bolton said.
"In the case of Libya for example and it's a different situation in some respects... one thing that Libya did that led us to overcome our skepticism was that they allowed American and British observers into all their nuclear-related sites."
Just after the US invaded Iraq and deposed Saddam Hussein, another leader who had pursued weapons of mass destruction, Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, agreed to have international inspectors visit his country for the purpose of certifying that his nuclear and chemical weapons programs had halted.
In 2011, a popular uprising in Libya got US and some NATO backing, and a salvo of cruise missile strikes pummeled Gaddafi's regime. Within months of the US action, Gaddafi was filmed being dragged out into the streets by rebels, who defiled his body with a bayonet while killing him.
Fred Hof, former US ambassador to Syria and Atlantic Council expert, told Business Insider: "That the Libyan people rose up against Gaddafi had its roots in his brutality, corruption and incompetence: Not the fact that he had come to agreement years earlier with Washington, or that the US had somehow double-crossed him."
"The same could hold true for a denuclearized North Korea."
Kim knows what Libya means
Libyan soldiers from the government which succeeded Gaddafi fighting against ISIS in 2016. Goran Tomasevic/Reuters
Disarmament bought Gaddafi a few years in the world's good graces, as well as increased trade and investment. In 2009 Gaddafi gave a broad speech at the UN for on his ideas for how the world should work, a remarkable comeback from being an international pariah years earlier.
But the images of Gaddafi's brutal death have no doubt reached North Korea. In 2011, after Gaddafi's death and just months after Kim took power, North Korea said it was a mistake for Libya to disarm, and that the arms control deal with the West was "an invasion tactic to disarm the country."
Bolton, during the CBS interview, admitted that Libya is much different than North Korea. In fact, the two countries, leaders, and situations are so different that Bolton didn't have to bring up Libya at all if he didn't want to.
Bolton does not trust Kim and is sensitive to the US wasting time in unproductive diplomacy.
But Bolton knowingly invoked Libya, almost certainly knowing the historical linkages with North Korea, and Gaddafi's potential linkage with Kim.
Kim will almost certainly pick up on the talk of Libya, where he witnessed a once-powerful dictator killed and sexually assaulted in the street after giving up his nuclear and chemical weapons to the US.
Singapore Airlines is set to launch the world's longest flight — and it will be in the air for 19 hours.
Airbus is due to unveil its new A350-900 Ultra Long-Range (ULR) jet later this year, and Singapore will reportedly be the first airline to receive the plane, which had its first test flight earlier this month.
This means that Singapore Airlines plans to connect Singapore and New York by the end of the year, covering a whopping 9,521 miles in 19 hours.
The aircraft is able to fly up to 11,150 miles, about 1,800 more than the standard A350.
According to Travel + Leisure, the airline plans to operate two classes on the flight — business and premium economy. The plane will also reportedly be "fitted with lighting to combat jet lag and an air circulation system that renews the air every two minutes."
The longest flight in the world is currently Auckland, New Zealand to Doha, Qatar with Qatar Airways, which travels 9,032 miles and takes 18 hours, closely followed by Qantas' Perth, Australia to London, England leg, which flies 9,009 miles and takes just over 17 hours.
Singapore has apparently ordered seven of the ULR jets, and will use them to increase its long-haul service, including a non-stop 15-hour flight to Los Angeles starting in 2019.
From left: Sainsbury's CEO Mike Coupe, Walmart International CEO Judith McKenna, and Asda CEO Roger Burnley. Sainsbury's
LONDON — Sainsbury's, the UK's second-biggest supermarket, has reached a deal with Walmart to merge with Asda, the discount UK supermarket owned by the US retail giant.
News of the transaction was broken by Sky News on Saturday and all parties confirmed the deal on Monday.
Asda is valued at £7.3 billion ($10 billion) on a debt-free basis in the transaction. Sainsbury's will buy the bulk of shares from Walmart for £2.9 billion ($3.9 billion) and Walmart will receive a 42% share of the combined businesses. Walmart will remain a "strategic partner and long-term shareholder."
Walmart has owned Asda since 1999 when the US retail giant bought it for £6.9 billion ($9.5 billion). Recently Asda has struggled, posting its worst annual results since the takeover last year. Walmart said it expects to take a non-cash loss of $2 billion on the deal, although it cautioned that this figure could "fluctuate significantly due to changes in the fair value of the equity consideration to be received and changes in currency exchange rates."
Sainsbury's shares jumped 15% on Monday morning following news of the deal.
Markets Insider
'This deal could easily unravel acrimoniously'
The deal will have to clear the UK's Competition and Market's Authority (CMA) but if approved would create one of the biggest companies in Britain, with a market value of around £13 billion ($17.8 billion) and annual sales of £50 billion ($68.7 billion).
Bruno Monteyne, an analyst with Bernstein, said in a note to clients: "Local competition, within 10 to 15 minutes' drive time, remains the key driver of store disposals. We think the potential gamble will depend on how the CMA treats discounter stores. In the past, they were largely excluded (as being too small and therefore not a comparable one-stop shop).
"57% of Asda stores have a large Sainsbury's store within 12.5 minutes drive time, leading to ~15% of store disposals. If they can convince CMA to include discounters, then it could be ~8%."
He added: "This deal could easily unravel acrimoniously if the CMA sticks to its old rules and parameters. At 13% store disposals, the deal would stop being accretive."
Both the Asda and Sainsbury's brands will be retained. Asda is one of the lowest priced major UK supermarkets and generally targets working-class customers in the North. Sainsbury's targets middle-class customers in the South East.
'A unique and bold opportunity'
Sainsbury's touted cost savings of £500 million ($687.7 million) in synergies but said it will not close stores as a result of the deal. It said the greater scale of the business post-merger would allow it to invest in lowering prices. The supermarket said it expects to lower prices by up to 10%.
Sainsbury's chairman, CEO, and CFO will lead the combined business. Sainsbury's chairman David Taylor said in a statement: "As one of the largest employers in the country, the combined business will become an even greater contributor to the British economy.
"The proposal will bring together two of the most experienced and talented management teams in retail at a time when the industry is undergoing rapid change. We welcome Walmart as a significant shareholder and look forward to working closely with them."
Walmart International CEO Judith McKenna called the deal a "unique and bold opportunity, consistent with our strategy of looking for new ways to drive international growth."
UBS and Morgan Stanley advised Sainsbury's on the deal. Rothschild advised Walmart.
The mega-merger comes amid a frenzy of deal activity in the UK supermarket sector. Last year Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket chain, won CMA approval for its £3.7 billion ($5 billion) merger with wholesaler Booker and Sainsbury's bought catalogue retailer Argos for £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) in 2016.
Employees' brain waves are reportedly being monitored in factories, state-owned enterprises, and the military across China.
The technology works by placing wireless sensors in employees' caps or hats which, combined with artificial intelligence algorithms, spot incidents of workplace rage, anxiety, or sadness.
Employers use this "emotional surveillance technology" by then tweaking workflows, including employee placement and breaks, to increase productivity and profits.
At State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power in the southeast city of Hangzhou, company profits jumped by $315 million since the technology was introduced in 2014, an official told the South China Morning Post.
Cheng Jingzhou, the official who oversees the company's program, said "there is no doubt about its effect," and brain data helps the 40,000-strong firm work to higher standards.
According to the SCMP, more than a dozen businesses and China's military have used a different programme developed by the government-funded brain surveillance project Neuro Cap, based out of Ningbo University.
"They thought we could read their mind. This caused some discomfort and resistance in the beginning," Jin Jia, a professor of brain science at Ningbo University told the Post.
"After a while they got used to the device... They wore it all day at work."
Jin also said that employees' brainwaves can be enough for managers to send them home.
"When the system issues a warning, the manager asks the worker to take a day off or move to a less critical post. Some jobs require high concentration. There is no room for a mistake."
Another type of sensor, built by technology company Deayea, is reportedly used in the caps of train drivers on the high-speed rail line between Beijing and Shanghai. The sensor can even trigger an alarm if a driver falls asleep.
Widespread use of emotion monitoring may mark a new stage in China's surveillance state, which has largely been focused on facial recognition and increasing internet censorship.
It's unknown if all employees subjected to the technology are aware they are being monitored, but even if they were China's privacy laws would be unlikely to help.
The notoriously lax privacy laws, and the country's large sample population, have helped China leap ahead with its artificial intelligence research.
According to a report by CB Insights, China applied for five times as many AI patents as the US in 2017.
