fortune--2020-01-11--Apple Talks About Privacy and App Store Sales

Some weeks, the headlines about Apple are dominated by its plans, or supposed plans, for its next iPhone or iPad. Other weeks, the news about Apple is full of surprises and quirks.
This past week falls into the latter category.
Rather than articles about Apple’s next big thing, there was talk about Apple’s China business growing, thanks to stronger iPhone 11 sales. And in a strange twist, Apple, which has, for years, declined to put executives on stage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, decided to participate in a panel on privacy.
Meanwhile, a new report said Apple is planning a major overhaul to the Apple Pencil stylus that works with its iPads. And after 40 years of doing business in Ireland, Apple is getting an award there.
Read on for more about Apple this week:
A little help from China
This week, the Chinese government said sales of Apple iPhone had grown 18.7% year-over-year to 3.2 million—mostly because of the iPhone 11. Despite strong iPhone sales, however, overall smartphone sales in China fell 13% in December to just under 30 million.
App Store soars
Apple said this week that its App Store sales hit a record high on New Year’s Day, with global sales topping $386 million. In a statement touting that success, Apple also said that App Store shoppers spent $1.4 billion between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and overall, Apple has shared $155 billion in App Store revenue with developers since the marketplace opened in 2008.
Accusations Against Apple
Apple was sued this week for allegedly stealing secrets from competitors and using the information to power health-related features in Apple Watch. The plaintiffs, healthcare technology companies Masimo and Cercacor Laboratories, allege that Apple hired away the companies’ key employees to steal information related to 10 patents for oxygen monitoring technology and heart rate sensors. The plaintiffs seek unspecified damages and an injunction on the sale of Apple Watch Series 4 and Apple Watch Series 5. Apple has yet to respond to the lawsuit.
A CES surprise
Apple doesn’t participate in CES, the technology industry’s biggest annual consumer electronics show. But this year, Jane Horvath, Apple’s top privacy executive, participated in a panel at CES about user privacy and security. Horvath defended Apple’s strict encryption policy and its decision to not help law enforcement decrypt iPhones, saying that “backdoors” used to give law enforcement access to devices during investigations wouldn’t improve police efforts.
Big Apple Pencil improvements
Apple’s Pencil stylus may be getting a major overhaul, if a recently discovered patent is any indication. In a patent application Apple filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the company described a new Pencil version that would interpret user gestures, like double tapping on a screen or sliding a finger along the Pencil. In one example, Apple said one set of taps could tell the software to copy a recently written sentence, and in another, it could be used to paste the sentence elsewhere in a document. Apple also said the Pencil could be equipped with a camera, but exactly what that would be used for is unclear. Currently, Apple Pencil is a rather basic stylus that lets users digitally write and annotate documents on the iPad. But at $99, it’s not cheap. Disclaimer: Ideas presented in patent applications often never see the light of day in products.
Apple’s award
Ireland will give Apple an award later this month to commemorate its 40th year of doing business there, according to Bloomberg. Apple CEO Tim Cook will accept the award. The tech giant’s relationship with Ireland has been scrutinized by the European Union over Apple’s use of Ireland as a tax haven. The company has been forced to pay back 13 billion euros in unpaid taxes to Ireland, which is currently being held in escrow while Apple appeals the EU’s decision. Ireland is also appealing the decision and has said Apple pays its fair share of taxes in Europe.
One more thing…
Apple has partnered with the Red Cross to let users donate to Australia’s efforts to fight its devastating bushfires. Through iTunes or Apple’s App Store, users can donate between $5 and $200 to the Red Cross, Apple said this week.


fortune--2020-01-11--The Chef at One of Philadelphia’s Best Restaurants Swears You Can Cook His Food at Home

In 2014, Nicholas Elmi won season 11 of Bravo’s Top Chef. Elmi—who has cooked in acclaimed restaurants from New York to Paris and spent over a decade working for legendary chef Georges Perrier in Philadelphia—now owns three restaurants in the city: Laurel, In the Valley, and Royal Boucherie. Elmi’s first cookbook, Laurel: Modern American Flavors in Philadelphia, was published in September.
But before all that, it started with tequila and $5,000 in cash.
In 2013, Elmi had just finished filming the show, which had yet to air, and was playing poker with Lee Styer, his friend and former sous chef at Perrier’s landmark Le Bec-Fin. At the time, Styer was relocating his own restaurant, Fond, to a bigger space, and after hours of drinking tequila together, he agreed to give Elmi the lease on his old space for $5,000. Despite the rounds of liquor, Elmi, who no longer drinks, still vividly recalled the agreement, and the next morning he arrived at Styer’s restaurant with the money.
Four months later, Elmi opened Laurel on Philadelphia’s East Passyunk Avenue. Though the neighborhood’s dining scene is thriving now, back then it was just starting to bloom, and Laurel was one of its pioneers.
Chef Nicholas Elmi Courtesy of Neal Santos
Rooted in French technique, the modern American restaurant highlights the region’s best ingredients with six- and nine-course tasting menus. After opening with an à la carte menu, the chef added a tasting menu a few months later, and then made the difficult choice to offer only a tasting menu. At the time, Philadelphia didn’t have many tasting-menu-only restaurants. (Marc Vetri’s namesake Italian spot was perhaps the only notable exception.)
“Everybody is telling me no,” Elmi recalls. “They said, ‘There’s a reason why no one else is doing it. This is Philadelphia. You’re not going to get away with this here.’ And I was like, You know what? All of you are wrong.”
Inside Laurel’s kitchen. Courtesy of Neal Santos
Elmi had data to back him up, though. Most diners were opting for the tasting menu anyway, and this direction was more aligned with what he viewed as the ethos of the 22-seat Laurel. Situated on a tight block in South Philly, the building was once a row house.
“This used to be someone’s house,” says the chef. “And if you came to my house, you would sit down and you eat whatever I cooked for you.” With this format, Elmi and his team had the freedom to really show diners what they could do.
It turned out Elmi’s instinct was right, and the new structure was a boon for the restaurant, landing it on a roster of best restaurant lists in both local and national outlets. Tasting menus also make up the format of Elmi’s first cookbook, which he worked on with Adam Erace, a Philadelphia-based food and travel writer. (Erace contributes to several publications, including Fortune.)
From the cookbook: black trumpet mushroom–stuffed Dover sole with chicken jus and whey onions. Courtesy of Neal Santos
It represents one year at Laurel, with four tasting menus that each reflect the region’s changing seasonal ingredients. Erace’s goal in approaching the book was to present Elmi’s highly creative, technique-driven recipes in a compelling, comprehensive way. For his part, Elmi’s goal was to give readers at least one great idea or technique, which is what he looks for from a cookbook: “I want anybody, from a novice to an experienced chef, to be able to go through this book, and at least get one or two ideas. It’s building your repertoire and expanding your knowledge.”
The Drunken Farmer cocktail. Courtesy of Neal Santos
And while there are recipes like cardamom leaf–cured bream with peaches prepared four ways—pickled, pureed, salt-cured, and steeped with chamomile—that might appeal to more experienced chefs, the duo underscore that the book is for home cooks too.
Elmi recommends starting with the ricotta gnocchi, which is also Top Chef judge–approved: “Once you get that technique down, it’s a recipe that you can use over and over again. It’s super simple, and it keeps really well.” Elmi adds that gnocchi are perfect for dinner parties, where you can make them ahead of time and pull them out of the fridge to warm up with sauce right before serving.
From the cookbook: duck breast. Courtesy of Neal Santos
Erace suggests the caramelized white chocolate pudding, but he also says the lobster, served with bourbon apple glaze, is a good start. Plus, the glaze is versatile enough to be used with other proteins. “You can pull the recipes apart, and take your favorite things,” he says. “It can make you a better cook.”
Besides giving readers ideas and techniques that can boost their culinary skills and offer a window into Laurel, Elmi hopes the cookbook communicates something about his city’s dining scene.
“For me, this was an opportunity to show what Philly is. Not that we’re championing and pioneering what’s going on in Philadelphia. More like we are Philadelphia,” says the chef. “I think it was cool to be able to say, ‘This is what can happen in Philadelphia.’”
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—The most anticipated books of 2020, according to Goodreads
—Why this sustainable Icelandic sea salt is becoming a chef favorite
—The magic of the wedding industry’s most exclusive conference
—Just in time for Dry January: No-alcohol whiskey and gin alternatives—The best travel destinations for every season of 2020
Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.


fortune--2020-01-11--How to Watch NFL Divisional Playoff Games Live Online for Free—Without Cable

Two Billionaires Are Banking on Cash to Win the 2020 Democratic Nomination .
Will It Work ?

Last weeks’s wild card games might be some of the most exciting in recent memory. And that puts a lot of pressure on the divisional round this weekend. After the Patriots fell short and New Orleans lost in overtime, it’s going to be hard to match that level of drama. But this season has been loaded with drama.
Because this week’s games are being split between Saturday and Sunday, you might have other things to do when some are on. That doesn’t mean you have to miss them, though. There are plenty of alternative ways to view. Here’s a look at who’s playing this week—and several different ways to watch the games.
Which NFL teams are playing this week? And what channels are airing the games?
Jonnu Smith #81 of the Tennessee Titans catches a touchdown over Brandon Carr #39 of the Baltimore Ravens in the first quarter of the AFC Divisional Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. Will Newton—Getty Images
The Vikings and Titans surprised a lot of people last week, staking their claims on the dark horse role in this year’s post-season. But they’re going to need that luck to continue as they face some of the most dominant teams in the NFL this weekend.
Here’s a look who’s playing this week. (The home team is listed second.)
Saturday, January 11
Minnesota Viking vs. San Francisco 49ers, 4:35 p.m. ET on NBC
Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens, 8:15 p.m. ET on CBS
Sunday, January 12
Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 3:05 p.m. ET on CBS
Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers, 6:40 p.m. ET on Fox
How can I watch my local NFL team for free—even if I am out of market?
Playoffs aren’t blacked out in any market, so you shouldn’t have to worry about finding the game, even if your home team is playing. Regardless, the best way to watch any NFL game for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. Local and regional games are broadcast by CBS, NBC and Fox—meaning you’ve got a good chance of capturing the game over the air, which costs nothing beyond the equipment prices. Be sure to test the antenna in multiple locations in your home to find the most reliable signal.
How can I stream NFL games live online if I don’t have a cable subscription?
There are loads of online options to watch NFL games, some completely free and others with free trial periods. If you’re not near a TV, you can log into Fox.com to watch the game or use the Fox Now app. CBS offers its All Access streaming service, which has a one week free trial, followed by a $6 monthly charge. Another option? Yahoo Sports and the NFL have teamed to stream live NFL games on mobile devices this year. Just download the Yahoo Sports app or Yahoo Fantasy Football mobile app and watch all local and primetime games on phones and tablets. Prefer another method? Here are a few that work just as well.
Locast.org
This free service lets you watch local broadcast channels with no monthly fees or contracts. The hiccup is: It only services part of the country.
Hulu with Live TV
You can try the service free for a week. Once that’s up, you’ll pay $45 per month.
YouTube TV
After a seven day trial, you can expect monthly charges of $50.
Sling TV
Dish Network’s Sling is one of the OG cord cutter options. It has an extensive selection of ESPN options in its lower tiered “Orange” plan. That will run you $30 per month, but you won’t get Fox Sports in that bundle. (For that, you’ll also need to subscribe to Sling’s “Blue” plan, which bumps the cost to $45-per-month.) You’ll have a 7-day free trial first.
AT&T TVNow
Formerly known as DirecTV Now, AT&T’s streaming service will run you $65 per month and up after a 7-day free trial.
Disney+
Disney’s bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ can be enjoyed for free for seven days, after which you’ll pay $12.99 per month for all three combined
Fubo TV
This sports-focused cord cutting service carries CBS in most markets. There’s a seven-day free trial, followed by monthly charges of $55.
Can I watch NFL games on Amazon?
Not anymore, for this season at least. Amazon struck a deal with NBC to air select Thursday night games this season, but the last one was broadcast on the retail giant’s streaming service on Dec. 12. There are, at this time, no plans to jointly air any playoff games.
Does the NFL offer any viewing packages to watch the games I want?
Kind of.
NFL App
The NFL App will let you stream games that are being broadcast locally in your market on Sundays. If you want to watch an ‘out of market’ game, you’ve got two choices.
There are couple hitches with this service. You can’t use it to watch live games, but you can watch anything once its main broadcast ends. There’s a seven day free trial, after which you’re looking at a $100 charge per season.
DirecTV customers have access to it, but if you’re not a subscriber and live in an area where it’s not available, you can watch any NFL game live, online or on TV for $73.49 per month or $293.36 for the entire season.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—25 ideas that will shape the 2020s
—USPS could privatize as early as next year
—UPS’s $20 billion bet on e-commerce is paying off
—Airbnb copes with a bad trip on the road to a 2020 IPO
—The Trump administration is targeting anti-Trump Facebook users
Subscribe to Fortune’s forthcoming Bull Sheet for no-nonsense finance news and analysis daily.


fortune--2020-01-12--Restaurant Review: San Francisco’s Nari Is the Rare Sequel as Good as the Original

The 2010s went out with a bang and a social media upwelling of decade retrospectives of accomplishments and failures, habits shed and fed, relationships fractured and nurtured.
Pim Techamuanvivit’s recap would go something like this: wound down an award-winning jam business and food blog; opened the Thai restaurant she couldn’t find in America, Kin Khao, in San Francisco with zero hands-on experience in the industry; received her first Michelin star; beat breast cancer; became the chef at (arguably) the most famous restaurant in Thailand, Nahm; earned her second Michelin star; and finally, last summer, opened the larger San Francisco restaurant, Nari, whose name is Thai for “women,” an homage to Techamuanvivit’s grandmother, aunt, and, she says, “all these little old Thai ladies who I learned to cook from in their houses.”
This was a culinary education deferred. Techamuanvivit grew up in Thailand and left at 19 to study cognitive science in California, but, as she says, “rather than just coming back to Bangkok like the good little boys and girls we all are after we’re done with school, I wanted to forge my own way in life.”
Her way, from tech researcher to chef-restaurateur, leads us to gaeng gradang. Thai women make this special headcheese in the northern mountains in the winter—the only place and time the sultry country will give the natural gelatin permission to set, according to Techamuanvivit. The temperatures are more accommodating at Nari, where she makes and cuts the traditional pig-face terrine into neat cubes, packs them in panko, sends them to the deep fryer, and plates them under a cloak of watercolor pickles and chrysanthemum greens.
Gaeng gradang (headcheese). Nari
You crunch through the shell and encounter the pork, and for a moment, it’s just you, a broken shard of breading, and the pork—creamy, fatty, with the edge of gaminess that tells you this ain’t tenderloin. The curry paste with which the pig’s head was cooked lingers a split second, like the trail of an extinguished candle. Then the pickles rush in, jade cucumber ribbons and blushing pink shallots, and the acid wipes you clean for the next bite.
And many more bites after that.
Second act
Like Kin Khao, Nari lives in a hotel, the Kabuki, in San Francisco’s Japantown. But unlike its snug sister restaurant, Nari spreads its 100 seats throughout a human-size terrarium of warm wood, polished concrete, shaggy greenery, and glass. A gymnastics troupe would have enough room to practice around the cloverleaf banquettes, and even when full of swooning fans, the dining room never feels uncomfortably full. The spaciousness extends to the back of the house, where all the ideas there weren’t room for at Kin Khao and “all of that pent-up creativity,” Techamuanvivit says, has gone to live.
The miang are an example: four spade-shaped betel leaves slightly overlapping on a pewter-colored ceramic plate. Each leaf holds a glittering clutch of trout roe, pomegranate seeds, diced persimmon, and coconut flakes tossed with lemongrass, makrut lime, and a dressing of tamarind and “sea sauce,” Nari’s kombu-based vegan version of fish sauce. They’re sweeter and less salty than you think—lime and a bit of chili might bring everything into balance—but certainly tasty, beautiful to look upon, and representative of the restaurant, where the foundation is Thai and the interior decorating Californian. This is Nari in a nutshell. Or a lettuce wrap.
Miang, a traditional Southeast Asian snack from Thailand and Laos. Nari
This year, with Nahm on firm footing and Nari still young, Techamuanvivit is planning to spend 20% of the year in Thailand. Plenty of chefs struggle to operate a restaurant on each side of the San Francisco Bay—let alone one on each side of the Pacific Ocean—but Techamuanvivit has a strong leadership team in place, starting with chef de cuisine Meghan Clark, who came over to Nari from Kin Khao.
Clark and Techamuanvivit have been developing the dishes that would become Nari’s menu from before Nari was even a thought: meaty mushroom-and-puffed-rice laab crowned with tentacle-y orange cordyceps; crispy sweetbreads glazed in Kin Khao’s zingy house-made sriracha-tamarind sauce; a crunchy and bitter salad of shaved green mango and chrysanthemum greens lit up with chili and lime. Each is a wild little ride.
Bumbai (eggplant curry). Nari
Bar manager Megan Daniel-Hoang handles the drinks—29 of them, each named after a woman character from Thai literature. Some are kooky, like the Suphan, a Thai tea spiked with gin, navy-strength rum, and banana liqueur. Others are suave. The Kinnari is done in the sherry-and-vermouth school of a classic Bamboo, with an added whiff of mint and pine from Greek mastic liqueur. I’d keep all five nonalcoholic cocktails and cut the rest of the list in half.
If dinner at Nari is a round of bumper cars, pastry chef Sean Ehland’s desserts are a soothing carousel. Restrained sweetness is a defining feature, whether in a scoop of impeccable strawberry sorbet scented with Thai basil or in the pumpkin sangkaya. For the latter, Ehland guts a kabocha squash and fills it with smooth coconut custard; it’s served in a thick, spoon-able slice accessorized with candied pumpkin seeds. Winter gourds appear again, with pomegranate in pate de fruit form for the wan yen. The jellies hide with frozen raspberries and fresh kiwi and Asian pear under a bank of coconut ice. When the server pours coconut cream and pandan puree into the cup, the dessert transforms into a slushy, green-and-white tie-dyed treasure hunt.
Diverse inspiration
In 2007, Techamuanvivit wrote a story for Food & Wine about a ritzy ski trip to Lake Tahoe, Calif., with her then partner, Manresa chef-owner David Kinch. “I write a food blog called Chez Pim, chronicling my culinary adventures from street stalls around Southeast Asia to my longtime favorite Michelin three-star, L’Arpège in Paris,” she wrote. “I also cook a mean pot of curry.”
While there are other entrées on the menu, like the rib eye and namprik ong, an overly sweet dip of pork and tomatoes surrounded by colorful crudités and chicharrones, the curries are Nari’s bread and butter. Most are served with bowls of warm rice, while the khao tung and ngob (seafood curry) comes with big, crackling, brown-rice crackers, the way Techamuanvivit’s grandfather used to like it. A boat of pleated banana leaves cradles hunks of sustainably farmed trout and Gulf prawns prickly with wild ginger. Grilling the packet gently cooks the seafood, which gets smothered with coconut cream and scattered with pungent matchsticks of makrut lime leaf.
Ngob (mixed seafood curry). Nari
The massaman curry, meanwhile, tips its hat to Techamuanvivit’s grandmother, whose heirloom curry paste, heavy on dried spices, is the dish’s foundation. The aromatics may have been toasted too hard, though; melted into coconut milk, the paste produces a batch of mahogany curry that mumbles instead of sings. A lamb shank the size of a badminton racket accompanies, its naked bone protruding from the bowl like the handle of a shovel stuck in the mud. The shiny braised meat is tender and decorated with slices of fresh yellow plum, interludes of natural California sweetness between rich straps of glazed lamb.
Techamuanvivit also pulls inspiration from old Thai cookbooks, like the recipe for gaeng bumbai, a vegetarian curry whose paste is a literal mashup of Thai aromatics (lemongrass, galangal) and warm Indian spices (cinnamon, cardamom) lavished on creamy fried eggplant whose crackly skin comes from tapioca starch and rice flour. The dry chicken-and-bamboo curry is another cookbook find, earthy and herbal as it leans into turmeric and basil.
She’s building a library of these old tomes for her cooks at Nahm, but it is, in effect, cross-pollinating ideas across the Pacific. Living part of the year in Thailand for the first time in her adult life has been valuable personally and well as professionally. “My parents are getting older,” she says. Her mother, who has Alzheimer’s, “doesn’t really remember that I cook for a living anymore. My dad still finds it amusing that he sent me to all these schools and I cook now, but he’s very proud.”
Though traveling is difficult for Techamuanvivit’s father, he made the trip to San Francisco to see Nari open in August. He keeps a collection of all his daughter’s accolades, including New York Times clippings and Michelin guides from each year Kin Khao has won a star. What the next decade holds for Techamuanvivit is uncertain, but at the rate she’s moving, her dad is going to need a bigger keepsake box.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—The most anticipated books of 2020, according to Goodreads
—Why this sustainable Icelandic sea salt is becoming a chef favorite
—The magic of the wedding industry’s most exclusive conference
—Just in time for Dry January: No-alcohol whiskey and gin alternatives—The best travel destinations for every season of 2020
Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.


fortune--2020-01-13--High-Tech Fitness Offerings Are the Newest Luxury Hotel Must-Have

The Toughest Job in America ?
Boeing ’ s New CEO Faces an Epic To-Do List as He Takes the @ @

Hotel gyms have come a long way. In the past, a hotel may consider the gym an afterthought in its otherwise grand plans. Even supremely luxurious hospitality brands wouldn’t commit to much more than windowless rooms that might have a smattering of weights to complement a couple of treadmills.
But in today’s world, when wellness has become top of mind for many travelers, those windowless rooms simply won’t do. In response, the world’s best hoteliers are elevating their fitness offering with gyms bigger, more comprehensive, and more high-tech than before.
The summer 2019 opening of Equinox’s first hotel only serves to underscore the vital role fitness now plays in hospitality. When Equinox Hotels Hudson Yards (from $700 per night) was unveiled, it included a 60,000-square-foot Equinox Fitness Club next to it. (It’s the world’s largest Equinox gym.) Technically, it’s not inside the hotel; but overnight guests have full access to the club during their stay. And considering what membership entails (fitness classes, pools, and even a group run up and down the Vessel before it opens to the public), it’s a significant amenity that would seduce the most ardent fitness enthusiast.
Shangri-La at The Fort Manila Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
In 2011, Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts introduced its Kerry Hotels offshoot in Shanghai and Beijing, which were outfitted with the equally brand-new Kerry Sports concept, adjacent clubs offering thoughtful fitness programs free to hotel guests and available to the public via membership.
The 2017 opening of the 576-room Shangri-La at the Fort (from $222 per night) saw the third location of Kerry Sports—this time a multi-floor complex that measures over 86,000 square feet. Workout spaces that stock 90 units of professional-grade equipment, an 82-foot lap pool, an NBA-grade indoor basketball court, tennis courts, squash courts, and studios for yoga, Pilates, spin, boxing, and mixed martial arts are just some of the amenities that make this a destination unto itself.
The Field House David Evan McDowell
“Over the years, guest expectations [of hotel gyms] have shifted dramatically,” says David Gutstadt, founder of Fitler Club, a recently opened membership club in Philadelphia. Those booked into any of its 14 design-driven hotel rooms (from $400 per night) become members during their stay. “We’ve learned that maintaining routine makes travel easier while improving mood and performance,” he explains. And thus, “the better the gym, the happier the guests.”
So Gutstadt, who was involved with conceptualizing Equinox Hotels before striking out on his own, developed the 25,000 square-foot Field House to deliver that heightened fitness experience to Fitler Club. Because the hotel makes up only a portion of the club’s operations, the fitness program is foremost an amenity for club members. It’s all about a world-class workout here—from the climbing wall to the hot-and-cold plunge pools to the expert private trainers to the variety of classes. “All of this happens in a very exclusive and elevated environment,” Gutstadt adds. “There is no waiting for machines or fighting for floor space.”
Hilton McLean Tysons Corner: The Five Feet to Fitness kiosk Courtesy of Hilton
Temporary members are invited to become part of that world. For travelers who crave a local connection while on the road, going to a gym that is also attended by the local community remains a compelling perk. “Going into an empty hotel gym at 6 a.m. is far from inspiring,” Gutstadt says. “Immersing in an activated club is much more energizing.” (Plus, a gym that is generating its own revenue—whether hotel guests use it or not—could be a successful business strategy if the company has a product that can compete with existing fitness centers.)
But for some travelers, even if the gym is as fully fleshed out as the aforementioned, getting in there could still require herculean effort as far as finding motivation is concerned. And that’s why some hotels have cut out the middleman, by putting mini-gyms in some of their rooms. At that point, there’s no excuse for missing a workout. In 2017, Hilton Hotels & Resorts announced Five Feet to Fitness, a brand-wide initiative putting workout equipment within arm’s reach of its guests—20,000 of whom were surveyed to determine how Hilton will elevate its in-hotel fitness amenities.
Hilton McLean Tysons Corner: Five Feet to Fitness yoga Courtesy of Hilton
“Before we launched, we tested several different types of rooms—such as a room with a yoga mat and ball as well as a room with a spin bike,” says Teresa Flyger, director of global brand wellness at Hilton. “But guests said that wasn’t sufficient and that they wouldn’t pay a premium for a room that was set up for a single activity. We found that they wanted a more integrated workout experience, which led us to create what is now known as Five Feet to Fitness, a full-fledged in-room gym with 11 different fitness equipment and accessory options.”
Over 20 hotels across Hilton’s portfolio—from Parc 55 San Francisco to Hilton Shanghai Hongqiaocome—with this new room category with plans to expand to many more. A Gym Rax storage bay is filled up with various accessories, including mats, weights, TRX straps, and more. There’s also a touchscreen kiosk loaded with over 200 exercise tutorials and fitness classes.
The Vitality Suite fitness room Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts
Similarly, in 2016, Swissotel unveiled the Vitality Suite in its Zürich property. This has since been fleshed out to Chicago and Singapore, which is home to six of the eight suites. The Chicago iteration (from $1,200 per night) is especially robust. The 1,700 square-foot retreat comes with a Wellbeing Wall, which is furnished with a Peloton bike, a rowing machine, and weights. But with that much space, guests here can also book private in-room sessions with yoga instructors and the hotel’s personal trainer.
The Chicago location’s Vitaly Suite, however, was built for a more holistic wellness experience with specific amenities, such as pajamas made from particular textiles designed to moderate body temperature and alleviate restlessness. After all, spending all that time lifting weights won’t count for much if someone’s not getting enough sleep.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—The most anticipated books of 2020, according to Goodreads
—Why this 100% sustainable Icelandic sea salt is becoming a chef favorite
—The magic of the wedding industry’s most exclusive conference
—Just in time for Dry January: No-alcohol whiskey and gin alternatives
—The best travel destinations for every season of 2020
Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.


fortune--2020-01-13--Nissan Considers Leaving Renault Alliance as Ghosn Saga Drags On

Nissan Motor Co. executives have examined the possibility of breaking away from Renault SA amid concerns that relations with the longtime French partner have turned dysfunctional after the ouster of former chief Carlos Ghosn, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Since last year, Nissan has been exploring the pros and cons of sustaining the alliance, particularly when it comes to engineering and technology sharing, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential matters. Those studies predate Ghosn’s escape from Japan and were preliminary, so no decision has been made, the person said.
It’s unclear how feasible any separation would be given that Renault is Nissan’s biggest shareholder and the French partner has been pushing for a repair of ties.
Still, the comments illustrate the fragile state of the relationship between the Japanese and French auto giants after Ghosn, who balanced the world’s largest automotive alliance for years as head of both companies, was arrested late 2018 in Japan on allegations of financial misconduct. Ghosn’s legal odyssey took a dramatic turn recently when he fled Japan for Lebanon and became the world’s most famous fugitive.
Since Ghosn’s downfall, the two carmakers have struggled financially — their shares were the two worst performers among major automakers last year — and drifted apart at a time when the costs of electrification and autonomous driving are pressuring incumbent carmakers to team up or consolidate.
Relations between the two companies are “broken and likely beyond the point of repair,” Evercore ISI analyst Arndt Ellinghorst wrote in a note on Monday.
Nissan didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, a holiday in Japan. Renault declined to comment. The Financial Times reported earlier that Ghosn’s escape from Japan had spurred Nissan executives to accelerate secret contingency plans to potentially split from Renault.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—Geopolitical events just don’t bounce oil prices like they used to
—As investors shrug off Iran concerns, analysts find the complacency ‘disconcerting’
—Greenpeace ranks China’s tech giants on renewable energy
—Laws meant to close down tax havens and shut loopholes could have opposite effect
—7 M&As that defined a decade of dealmaking and reshaped the economy
Catch up with Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily digest on the business of tech.


fortune--2020-01-13--Aston Martin Enters Last-Ditch Funding Talks With China’s Geely and Formula One Owner as It Runs Low

Aston Martin Enters Last-Ditch Funding Talks With China’s Geely and Formula One Owner as It Runs Low on Cash

Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc is making a last-ditch effort to bring in fresh funding, with billionaire Lawrence Stroll closest to committing to buying a stake in the struggling U.K. luxury-car maker, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Canadian investor and owner of the Racing Point Formula One team is in advanced discussions to inject about 200 million pounds ($260 million) as part of a capital increase by the automaker, said one of the people, asking not to be identified because the talks are confidential.
Separately, Chinese tycoon Li Shufu’s Geely Group has held preliminary discussions about a possible investment in Aston Martin, the people said. Geely, which controls Sweden’s Volvo, Britain’s Lotus Cars and holds a minority stake in Daimler AG, is primarily interested in a technology-sharing deal that could benefit businesses such as Lotus, they said.
Aston Martin’s profit warning last week underscored the urgency for the carmaker to secure new investors to help pare debt and finance the production of the DBX sports utility vehicle. The $189,000 DBX is at the heart of Aston Martin’s turnaround plans, which include more than doubling annual output to 14,000 autos by 2023. Aston Martin has received 1,800 orders for the model, meeting a condition for the carmaker to obtain a follow-on loan for $100 million.
“We remain in discussion with potential strategic investors in relation to building longer term relationships which may or may not involve an equity investment,” Aston Martin said in an e-mailed statement over the weekend.
A representative for Racing Point didn’t immediately respond to requests seeking comment outside of business hours. Geely declined to comment.
Talks with various investors may not lead to a transaction and the size of any stake sale could change, the people said.
Aston Martin’s stock has tumbled more than 60% over the past 12 months. Its sterling bonds jumped on Friday after Financial Times reported on a possible investment by Geely. Sky News reported over the weekend that Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. may take a stake in Aston Martin. A CATL representative denied the report.
Stroll built his fortune by investing in fashion labels including Pierre Cardin, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger through Global Brands Acquisition Corp. The tycoon may seek a seat on Aston Martin’s board of directors if he goes ahead with the investment, one of the people said.
Aston Martin made clear the depth of its troubles as it reported a severe decline in profit in its first full year as a listed company on Tuesday. Its avenues for financing have narrowed amid weak operating performance and its year-end cash balance stood at 107 million pounds, according to January’s trading statement.
Alongside declining profit, Aston Martin is facing the prospect of raising additional debt funding which may bring its total outstanding debt to over 1 billion pounds. It is set to pay a 15% coupon on the planned $100 million of debt financing.
Private equity firms Investindustrial and Kuwait’s Adeem control more than 60% of Aston Martin. European investment firm Investindustrial is expected to participate in a capital increase, two of the people said.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—Geopolitical events just don’t bounce oil prices like they used to
—As investors shrug off Iran concerns, analysts find the complacency ‘disconcerting’
—Greenpeace ranks China’s tech giants on renewable energy
—Laws meant to close down tax havens and shut loopholes could have opposite effect
—7 M&As that defined a decade of dealmaking and reshaped the economy
Catch up with Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily digest on the business of tech.


fortune--2020-01-13--The Toughest Job in America? Boeing’s New CEO Faces an Epic To-Do List as He Takes the Helm Today

Aston Martin Enters Last-Ditch Funding Talks With China ’ s Geely and Formula One Owner as It Runs Low on @

Beginning today, David Calhoun steps into the cockpit as CEO of Boeing, the company’s fourth chief executive in just under five years.
Calhoun is highly seasoned. His path to Boeing follows a long and distinguished career at high-profile companies in multiple industries. He’s held top positions at Blackstone Group, Caterpillar and Nielsen Holdings, to name a few.
From those who know him well, Calhoun gets high marks as both a smooth operator, adept at making the numbers work, and as a kind of Mr. Fix-It. Calhoun will have to rely on both skills if he’s to right America’s most troubled company.
Just yesterday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin dropped a timely reminder of just how much is riding on Boeing’s turnaround. “There’s no question that the Boeing situation is going to slow down the GDP numbers,” Mnuchin said in a Fox News interview. “Boeing is one of the largest exporters, and with the 737 Max, I think that could impact GDP as much as 50 basis points this year.”
Calhoun is heir to one of the biggest messes, not only in the company’s history, but in modern business. Just before Christmas, the Boeing board asked him to step in and achieve a seemingly impossible metric: pilot the aviation and defense giant beyond the twin tragedies of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes that killed 346 people, and into less turbulent times.
To do so, he must regain the trust of investors, suppliers, consumers and employees. He has to repair relationships with regulators, fix the dysfunctional, we-know-best culture that’s created a toxic rift between management and the workforce that was best summarized by a recently released internal employee message that referred to the 737 MAX designers as “clowns” and the company’s supervisors as “monkeys.” Oh, and he’s got to do what his predecessor, Dennis A. Muilenburg, couldn’t—get the 737 MAX back into the air.
He’s under a huge time constraint, too.
Calhoun needs quick progress because of a major cash burn—the company had a cash burn of $4.1 billion in the third quarter—and growing impatience with the company on all sides. He is about to become one of the most scrutinized figures in business, and one who will likely feature in many a b-school case study for a long time to come—whether he likes it or not.
New Boeing CEO David L. Calhoun Boeing
Insider for an outsider’s job
Some suggest that Calhoun isn’t the best choice because of his 10 years on the Boeing board, which oversaw the MAX fiasco. There’s also criticism that he hasn’t run an aerospace company before, and lacks that most Boeing of pedigrees—an engineering background.
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean for leadership studies and Lester Crown professor in the practice of management at Yale, disagrees. “He is universally admired within and outside the company in every critical constituency,” Sonnenfeld says. “He has a huge amount of good will in Wall Street and in the engineering world. He still comes at it with all the authority of his GE aerospace days.”
Calhoun also has deep experience in managing corporate crises, such as during his time as chairman of Caterpillar when multiple federal agencies raided the company over claims of tax fraud in 2017.
Although not an engineer, during a 26-year tenure at GE, Calhoun ran the company’s aircraft engines and transportation (aircraft and rail) divisions. Jay Apt, a professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, says that an engineering background isn’t necessarily key to success at Boeing.
“Engineers throughout the organization were in charge during the 737 MAX software issues,” Apt says. “What one really needs is a safety culture. That safety culture can be led by someone who is seriously committed by safety, whether they are an engineer or not. It requires complete commitment from the board, the CEO, and the chief risk officers to say, ‘Schedules are important but [a lack of] safety can kill the company.'”
Another advantage of Calhoun is that a full outsider would lack knowledge of the operations and culture of a sprawling company that employs over 130,000. “The learning curve is 18 months for an outsider to master the [CEO] job, and that’s if you pick the right person,” Sonnenfeld says. Calhoun is a known quantity and has support from Boeing chairman Lawrence Kellner—a former head of Continental Airlines—and CFO Greg Smith (Smith served as interim CEO over the past three weeks). That backing is vital, Sonnenfeld says, calling Calhoun “a culture carrier of the best of the old Boeing.”
Time is of the essence for the company, which is burning through cash. In the first nine months of 2019, Boeing had a negative operating cash flow of (negative) -$226 million, compared to $12.4 billion in the same period of 2018. Boeing is reportedly looking to raise as much as $5 billion in debt to cover costs.
The “sudden drop in the firm’s operating cash flows [is] causing the firm to take on significantly more leverage and potentially disrupt its relationships with suppliers,” according to a client note from Management CV, which analyzes senior management performance at public companies.
The financial problems are in the commercial aircraft division, source of more than 60% of the company’s overall revenues. Until the MAX begins flying again, the financial shortcoming will be impossible to fix without drastic steps like layoffs, which so far have been avoided.
Cash flow isn’t the only issue. Ivan Feinseth, chief investor officer and director of research at Tigress Financial Partners, which advises large investors and also holds some Boeing stock for clients, thinks that by next month the company needs to show a plan to get the MAX back in the air by early summer at the latest.
Bridging the trust gap
Getting the MAX airborne and restoring a sense of trust with others will be difficult. Relations with the Federal Aviation Administration and other regulator bodies around the world have been fractured. “The number one priority Boeing had was to repair its relationship with its regulator,” says Mark Dombroff, partner and co-chair of the aviation law practice at Fox Rothschild.
He noted the recent damning batch of internal Boeing emails that indicate Boeing was above regulatory scrutiny. “Some of these emails, to the extent one interprets them that way, are commenting on the FAA oversight.”
It wouldn’t be a first time that Boeing was truculent with a regulatory body. “We had a very tough relationship with them,” says Peter Goelz, currently a senior vice president of government and public relations firm O’Neill and Associates and a former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1996 to 2000. The NTSB dealt with two crashes of Boeing 737s in the 1990s that involved a malfunctioning rudder power control unit that, under certain circumstances, would force the rudder in the direction opposite to what the pilots wanted, a situation in many ways similar to the current one. “They battled us right up until the end,” Goelz says.
The FAA now controls whether and when the MAX returns to the air. Repairing that relationship is critical. So is regaining trust with everyone else involved with the plane’s performance. Airline customers the world over have been burned by having to ground MAX planes or hold off on delivery of new planes that they badly needed, messing with business operations. American Airlines Group, for one, fought Boeing in the courts for damages (the airline says the MAX grounding shaved $540 million from its 2019 pretax profits), before reaching a partial settlement.
The shutdown is impacting consumers, too. Some airlines have had to stop flying to certain destinations that would have been serviced by the MAX. Others are having to cut costs and/or boost ticket prices. And, the flying public is leery of ever boarding a MAX again.
Then there are Boeing’s thousands of vendors.
“Boeing typically is super-duper tough with their suppliers,” says Joseph Smith, aviation director at investment banking firm Cassel Salpeter & Co. As the MAX grounding has stopped production, a host of vendors are feeling the pain. Boeing’s biggest supplier, Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, just laid off 2,800 workers, or 20% of the workforce.
Calhoun has to address all these problems at the same time and under a tight deadline. Sonnenfeld calls the task facing Calhoun an “heroic quest.”
Welcome to your first day on the job.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—How Nissan-Renault became a ‘masquerade of an alliance,’ according to Ghosn
—Investors see a 2020 recession coming—but think they’ll make money
—As investors shrug off Iran concerns, analysts find the complacency ‘disconcerting’
—Laws meant to close down tax havens and shut loopholes could have opposite effect
—What a $1,000 investment in 10 top stocks a decade ago would be worth today
Subscribe to Fortune’s forthcoming Bull Sheet for no-nonsense finance news and analysis daily.


fortune--2020-01-13--Oscar Nominations 2020: Here’s What to Expect

Who will be celebrating Oscar morning? Brad Pitt for sure. Jennifer Lopez almost certainly. And very possibly the Obamas, too.
Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards, which will begin at 8:18 a.m. EST Monday, should bring plenty of star power to the Feb. 9 ceremony — a good thing, too, since the show will for the second straight year go without a host.
Thankfully, this Oscar year isn’t lacking for drama. Netflix is gunning for its first best picture win, a year after Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma fell just short. It has not just one but at least two contenders led by Martin Scorsese’s elegiac crime epic The Irishman and Noah Baumbach’s intimate divorce drama Marriage Story.
But in the lead up to Monday’s nominations, much of the momentum has gone to a pair of movies that exalt the big screen with showmanship and celebrity: Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, with Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, and Sam Mendes’ continuous World War I thrill ride, 1917. Hollywood, in the midst of a streaming upheaval, has so far favored the traditionally released movies.
Still, no definite front-runner has emerged, and nominations morning could tip the scales anew in a rapid-paced awards season that, while not lacking for the usual battery of parties, screenings and Q&As, is more condensed than usual.
The nominations, to be read by Issa Rae and John Cho, will be live streamed on Oscar.com, Oscars.org and the academy’s digital social platforms. The second wave of nominees will begin at 8:30 a.m. EST and be carried live on Good Morning America.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences select anywhere from five to 10 nominees for best picture, depending on how many first-placed votes a film gets. That’s usually meant eight or nine movies. This year, the precursor guild nominations have suggested the sure things are Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, 1917, The Irishman, Taika Waititi’s JoJo Rabbit and Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite.
That leaves a few slots to be battled out by Joker, Little Women, Ford v Ferrari, Knives Out, Bombshell and The Farewell.
Parasite will be the first Korean film ever nominated for an Oscar but it’s likely to land several nominations, including Bong for best director and possibly Song Kang Ho for best supporting actor.
The director category will be especially closely watched. Though Greta Gerwig (Little Women) is a possibility, the academy is expected to nominate an all-male field despite a year in which women made significant gains behind the camera. The academy has nominated only men for best director in all but five years; Gerwig was the last woman nominated, two years ago.
In the acting categories, Renee Zellweger (Judy) has consistently led the best actress contenders. Should Awkwafina be nominated, she would be only the second woman of Asian descent nominated in the category. (The first, 1936 nominee Merle Oberon, hid her South Asian heritage.)
Pitt has a lock on the supporting actor Oscar, which would be his first ever. Laura Dern (Marriage Story) and Lopez have led the supporting actress nominees. A nomination would be the first for Lopez.
The best actor category, after a few lackluster years, has been especially competitive, with Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) and Adam Driver (Marriage Story) as the most entrenched nominees in a field including DiCaprio, Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory), Christian Bale (Ford v Ferrari), Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name), Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems) and Robert De Niro (The Irishman).
While a similar result Monday is unlikely, the British Film Academy last week nominated an all-white field of acting nominees. Widely criticized, the BAFTAs pledged to review its awards process.
Beyoncé will likely add an Oscar nomination to her many honors, for her Lion King song. American Factory, the first release from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, is likely to be among the documentary nominees.
After the most dominant box-office year in Hollywood history, the Walt Disney Co. will have reasons to celebrate Monday, though their top films — including the record-setting Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Endgame — are expected to be largely relegated to categories like best visual effects. The studio, which has never won a best picture Academy Award, does have a few contenders via its acquisition in April of 20th Century Fox. Both Ford v Ferrari and Jojo Rabbit (released by specialty label Fox Searchlight) will compete in the top categories.
The 92nd Academy Awards will take place Feb. 9 in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre. ABC will again broadcast the show, viewership for which last year rose 12% to 29.6 million.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—Could Disney have more faith in X-Men spinoff The New Mutants than Fox did?—Inside 1917: Designing a World War I battlefield
—Greta Gerwig and cast reveal how they reinvented Little Women
—How Neil Young’s eccentric online home was born
—How Netflix transformed the peak TV terrain in the 2010s
Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.


fortune--2020-01-14--House Expected to Vote Wednesday to Send Articles of Impeachment to Senate

Disney Is Ready to Roll Out New ‘ Star Wars ’ Sagas as One Story Ends

The House is preparing to vote Wednesday to send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate to start the historic trial, several people told The Associated Press.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was meeting privately Tuesday at the Capitol with House Democrats about next steps, ending her blockade almost a month after they voted to impeach Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Pelosi suggested the House vote on Wednesday to transmit the charges and name the House managers for the case, according to one Democratic aide unauthorized to discuss the closed-door meeting.
The action will launch the rare Senate proceeding, only the third presidential impeachment trial in American history, a dramatic endeavor coming amid the backdrop of a politically divided nation and the start of an election year.
The trial would begin in a matter of days. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is meeting behind closed doors later Tuesday with GOP senators as they negotiate the terms of the trial.
Senate Republicans are signaling they would reject the idea of simply voting to dismiss the articles of impeachment against Trump as he has suggested. They are considering whether to allow a vote on such a motion to dismiss and another to subpoena testimony from new witnesses.
“I think our members, generally are not interested in the motion to dismiss. They think both sides need to be heard,” Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who is part of the GOP leadership, said Monday.
Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House last month on charges of abuse of power over pushing Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden and obstruction of Congress in the probe.
With the impeachment trial starting in a matter of days, senators are still debating the rules of the proceedings. GOP senators are conferring privately about whether to allow a motion to dismiss the charges against the president or to call additional witnesses for testimony.
Trump suggested over the weekend he might prefer simply dismissing the charges rather than giving legitimacy to charges from the House, which he considers a “hoax.”
It was an extraordinary suggestion, but one being proposed by Trump allies with support from some GOP senators, including McConnell.
But it is clear McConnell does not have the votes needed from his GOP majority to do that.
Key Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, said they, too, would oppose a motion to dismiss the charges.
Collins is leading an effort among some Republicans, including Romney and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, to ensure the ground rules include plans to eventually consider voting to call witnesses.
“My position is that there should be a vote on whether or not witnesses should be called,” Collins said.
Romney said he wants to hear from John Bolton, the former national security adviser at the White House, who others have said raised alarms about the alternative foreign policy toward Ukraine being run led by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
“I’ve said I’d like to hear from John Bolton,” Romney told reporters Monday. “I expect that barring some kind of surprise, I’ll be voting in favor of hearing from witnesses after those opening arguments.”
Democrats have been pushing Republicans, who have the majority in the Senate, to consider new testimony, arguing that fresh information has emerged during Pelosi’s monthlong delay in transmitting the charges.
McConnell drafting an organizing resolution that will outline the steps ahead. Approving it will be among the first votes senators take after they are sworn as jurors by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for the Court of Impeachment.
Republicans control the chamber, 53-47, and are all but certain to acquit Trump. McConnell is hesitant to call new witnesses who would prolong the trial. He prefers to model Trump’s trial partly on the process used for then-President Bill Clinton’s trial in 1999.
Senators says if witnesses are allowed, some Republicans may also try to subpoena Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a gas company in Ukraine while his father was vice president.
Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been pursing theories about the Bidens, but other Republicans are cool to embrace his work. The claims against the Bidens are unfounded.
It takes just 51 votes during the impeachment trial to approve rules or call witnesses. Just four GOP senators could form a majority with Democrats to insist on new testimony. It also would take only 51 senators to vote to dismiss the charges against Trump.
Most Republicans appear willing to go along with McConnell’s plan to start the trial first then consider witnesses later, rather than upfront, as Democrats want.
Collins is pushing to have at least the promise of witness votes included in the organizing resolution. She and the others appear to be gathering support.
“I’ve been working to make sure that we will have a process that we can take a vote on whether or not we need additional information, and yes, that would include witnesses,” Murkowski told reporters.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters the House vote might come Wednesday. “Could be,” he said.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—Donald Trump and the power of incumbency
—Just six candidates qualify for the January Democratic debate
—The wealthiest members of Congress—and how they made their millions
—USPS could privatize as early as next year
—2020 Crystal Ball: Predictions for the economy, politics, technology, and more
Get up to speed on your morning commute with Fortune’s CEO Daily newsletter.


fortune--2020-01-14--Disney Is Ready to Roll Out New ‘Star Wars’ Sagas as One Story Ends

House Expected to Vote Wednesday to Send Articles of Impeachment to Senate

When Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion in 2012, little did it know it would need to reboot Star Wars less than a decade later.
Story lines involving beloved characters George Lucas first introduced in 1977 wrapped up in December’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, forcing Disney to figure out what to do with its sci-fi saga.
The company has built a robust business around Luke, Leia , and Han Solo that has sold a lot of lightsabers. But without the familiar Jedi clan and their friends, Disney must spend the next several years introducing new characters and story lines that will keep new and existing fans of Star Wars satisf i ed.
Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo), Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), Rey (Daisy Ridley), and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Jonathan Olley—Lucasfilm
It’s already given us a taste of what that might look like with bona fide hit The Mandalorian on the recently launched streaming service Disney+. Here’s what else is in the works:
Movies
After signs of Star Wars fatigue with Solo in 2018, Disney backed off plans to release a new Star Wars movie every year.
A new Star Wars film isn’t planned for release until December 2022, giving Disney some breathing room to build up anticipation. Details about the film are expected to be announced soon.
Two more cinematic Star Wars flagpoles have been planted for December 2024 and 2026.
Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca and director Rian Johnson, on the set of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” 2017. David James—Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Lucasfilm Ltd. /Courtesy Everett Collection
While details are scarce, Rian Johnson, who recently scored with Knives Out and helmed Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is still expected to return to direct another Star Wars film or two, while Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige is also developing his own Star Wars concept.
In fact, Lucasfilm is embracing Marvel’s cinematic universe for Star Wars with the next films not anticipated to be part of a traditional trilogy but rather a larger collection of stories with characters who weave in and out of movies over the next decade.
The move should help Disney expand its Star Wars fan base while loosening up the creative burden on filmmakers who’ve had to adhere to a strict plot that impacts the efforts of subsequent directors, as happened with Johnson and J.J. Abrams for the last two films in the Skywalker saga.
J.J. Abrams and Oscar Isaac on the set of “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker,” 2019. Jonathan Olley—Lucasfilm
“We’ve got various things we’re looking at and various ways in which we can begin or not,” Lucasfilm head Kathleen Kennedy, who holds a tight grip over the future of the Star Wars franchise, told Rolling Stone in November. “The universe is never-ending. It’s liberating, it’s exciting, and it creates a lot of pressure and anxiety as well.”
Much of that stress is due to the fact that the films have pretty much powered Disney’s other divisions. How the studio proceeds will determine everything from TV-show and video-game spinoffs to new novels and toys that will appear on shelves.
Altogether, 12 Star Wars films, including the animated Clone Wars, have generated more than $10 billion at the global box office.
Television
A second season of The Mandalorian is coming this fall on Disney+ and will bring back Baby Yoda, or The Child, as he’s officially recognized.
Additional Star Wars–themed shows also in the works will flesh out characters seen in the films, like Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi, to be played again by Ewan McGregor, and pilot and Rebel Alliance officer Cassian Andor, portrayed by Diego Luna in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Deborah Chow, who received high praise for her episodes of Mandalorian, will shepherd the Obi-Wan show.
Disney sees Disney+ as a way “to bring Star Wars to people in new ways,” according to Disney chief Bob Iger on a recent episode of the YouTube series The Star Wars Show. “It’s not the same places or the same characters.”
If shows on the streaming platform succeed, expect Disney to explore ways to adapt them for the big screen.
Meanwhile, the animated series Clone Wars has already had quite an unusual history.
Launched as a feature-length film in 2008 and debuting shortly after as a series on the Cartoon Network, the show came to an abrupt, unsatisfying end when Disney purchased Lucasfilm after five seasons.
The Internet clamored for more, inspiring Netflix in 2014 to pick the show up for a sixth season. With another incomplete story line, fans still felt dissatisfied. Six years later, they are finally getting the closure they desire: This February, Disney+ will begin weekly streaming of the seventh (and final) season’s 12 episodes.
The show will feature returning characters Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul in a conflict known as “the Siege of Mandalore.”
The series follows the end of two other animated series, Star Wars: Rebels and Star Wars: Resistance, which ended their runs in 2018 and 2020 respectively.
Theme Parks
One of the more immersive Star Wars experiences these days is Disney World’s Galaxy’s Edge, a themed land meant to weave in new and familiar story lines from the franchise.
Inside the canyons of the outpost, parkgoers can pilot the Millennium Falcon, make and wield their own custom lightsabers, and grab a glass of blue milk after getting harassed by Stormtroopers.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disneyland Park in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida puts guests in control of the fastest ship in the galaxy. Matt Stroshane—Disney Parks
Main attraction Rise of the Resistance , open now at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, in Orlando, and coming to Anaheim’s Disneyland Jan. 17, is arguably one of the world’s most immersive ride experiences available to date .
At almost 20 minutes beginning to end, this trackless fleet transport ride is one of Disney’s longest theme park experiences and throws riders directly into the clutches of the evil First Order.
Most of the stars from the recent film trilogy make an appearance of some kind to help, or hinder, riders’ missions.
Not far from Disney’s Hollywood Studios park will be the company’s first Star Wars hotel .
Inside Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Disney guests take the controls aboard the fastest ship in the galaxy at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened in 2019 at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc./Lucasfilm Ltd.
Opening in 2021, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will bring guests on board the spaceship Halcyon for a two – night stay where they will be able to experience multiple character-driven story lines that can unfold across the hotel.
Their choices here will affect their stay, and even their day-trip to the land of Batuu at Galaxy’s Edge can have varying consequences. Or, for the less adventurous, one could simply chew on some galactic-inspired treats and gaze out the window at the passing stars and planets. ( May the choice be with you. )
Also, in the parks, Star Tours continues its tradition of adding new quests and footage from the new films to keep it feeling fresh. Rise of Skywalker updates hit Disney parks across the globe to coincide with the film’s release.
Blue Milk and Green Milk can be found in the Black Spire Outpost market inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. David Roark—Disney Parks
For full immersion without full park prices, Downtown Disney and Disney Springs feature The Void’s “Star Wars VR: Secrets of the Empire” experience.
This four-person virtual reality experience combines state-of-the-art technology with elements like heat, wind, and water to truly trick you into feeling as if you’re a part of the action in helping take down the empire.
Video Games
Electronic Arts’ Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, released in late 2019, has been a major hit for the gamemaker. During an earnings call, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen projected the title will sell 6 to 8 million units by the end of the fiscal year this March. The Jedi-powered fantasy broke records for the publisher in its first several weeks of release, selling more digital downloads than any other Star Wars game to date. With such numbers and positive online reactions, additional DLC and sequels seem inevitable.
The game’s success has prompted a sigh of relief from EA, which has had an exclusive 10 -year license to produce Star Wars games for Lucasfilm since 2013. EA has pulled the plug on two major titles during this time.
So while details on the next new cinematic adventure may seem far, far away, the Star Wars universe will continue to live and expand across many multimedia forms for fans to enjoy.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—With Joker laughing it up at the Oscars, Sony teases Jared Leto’s Morbius
—Indie movies and diverse performers mostly absent from 2020 Oscar noms
—Picard promises less tech, more humanity with “hope the dominant emotion,” according to Patrick Stewart
—When it comes to streaming media, Quibi made the most of CES
—Hulu will exclusively stream new FX series—and other updates from peak TV land
Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up-to-date on the latest news and analysis.


fortune--2020-01-14--Russians Hacked Gas Company Key to Ukraine Scandal, U.S. Cybersecurity Researchers Say

A U.S. cybersecurity company says Russian military agents have successfully hacked the Ukrainian gas company at the center of the scandal that led to President Donald Trump’s impeachment.
Russian agents launched a phishing campaign in early November to steal the login credentials of employees of Burisma Holdings, the gas company, according to Area 1 Security, a Silicon Valley company that specializes in e-mail security.
Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. vice president and Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden, previously served on Burisma’s board.
It was not clear what the hackers were looking for or may have obtained, said Area 1’s CEO, Oren Falkowitz, who called the findings “incontrovertible” and posted an eight-page report. But the timing of the operation suggests that the Russian agents could be searching for material that damaging to the Bidens.
The House of Representatives impeached Trump in December for abusing the power of his office by enlisting the Ukrainian government to investigate Biden, a political rival, ahead of the 2020 election. A second charge accused Trump of obstructing a congressional investigation into the matter.
“Our report doesn’t make any claims as to what the intent of the hackers were, what they might have been looking for, what they are going to do with their success. We just point out that this is a campaign that’s going on,” said Falkowitz, a former National Security Agency offensive hacker whose company’s clients include candidates for U.S. federal elected offices. In an earlier interview, he told The Associated Press that the campaigns of top candidates for the U.S. presidency and House and Senate races in 2020 have in the past few months each been targeted by about a thousand phishing emails.
Falkowitz did not name the candidates. Nor would he name any clients.
Russian hackers from the same military intelligence unit that Area 1 said was behind the operation targeting Burisma have been indicted for hacking emails from the Democratic National Committee and the chairman of Hillary Clinton’s campaign during the 2016 presidential race.
Stolen emails were released online at the time by Russian agents and WikiLeaks in an effort to favor Trump, special counsel Robert Mueller determined in his investigation.
Area 1 discovered the phishing campaign by the Russian military intelligence unit, known as the GRU, on New Year’s Eve, said Falkowitz, who would not discuss whom he notified prior to going public. He said he followed the industry standard process of responsible disclosure, which would include notifying Burisma.
In the report, he said the GRU agents used fake, lookalike domains in the phishing campaign that were designed to mimic the sites of real Burisma subsidiaries.
Falkowitz said the operation targeting Burisma involved tactics, techniques and procedures that GRU agents had used repeatedly in other phishing operations, matching “several patterns that lots of independent researchers agree mimic this particular Russian actor.” Area 1 says it has been tracking the Russian agents for several years.
The discovery’s timing — just weeks before presidential primaries begin in the United States — highlights the need to protect political campaigns from targeted phishing attacks, which are behind 95 percent of all information breaches, said Falkowitz.
“This is a real specific, timely case that has real implications,” he said. “To discover it and potentially get out in front of it is a significant departure from what’s typical in the cyber security community, where someone just tells you, yeah, you’re dead.”
In phishing, an attacker uses a targeted email to lure a target to a fake site that resembles a familiar one. There, unwitting victims enter their usernames and passwords, which the hackers then harvest. Phished credentials allow attackers both to rifle through a victim’s stored email and masquerade as that person.
Area 1 said its researchers connected the phishing campaign targeting Burisma to an effort earlier last year that targeted Kvartal 95, a media organiza tion founded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
In this case, the Russian military agents, from a group security researchers call “Fancy Bear,” peppered Burisma employees with emails designed to look like internal messages.
In order to detect phishing attacks, Area 1 maintains a global network of sensors designed to sniff out and block them before they reach their targets.
In July, the U.S. Federal Elections Commission gave Area 1 permission to offer its services to candidates for federal elected office and political committees at the same low rates it charges non-profits.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—Donald Trump and the power of incumbency
—Just six candidates qualify for the January Democratic debate
—The wealthiest members of Congress—and how they made their millions
—USPS could privatize as early as next year
—2020 Crystal Ball: Predictions for the economy, politics, technology, and more
Get up to speed on your morning commute with Fortune’s CEO Daily newsletter.


fortune--2020-01-14--Visa’s $5.3 Billion Acquisition of Plaid Will Send Shockwaves Through the Industry

This article originally ran in Term Sheet, Fortune’s newsletter about deals and dealmakers. Sign up here.
We live in a time of epic deals. I audibly gasped yesterday when I found out that Visa agreed to buy Plaid, a fintech company that connects users’ bank accounts to apps and services, for an eye-popping $5.3 billion. That’s two times more than Plaid’s most recent private valuation — a huge win for its venture investors.
In late 2018, Plaid raised $250 million in Series C funding at a $2.65 billion valuation. The round was a who’s who of Silicon Valley: Mary Meeker led the financing (from Kleiner Perkins’s growth fund), and was joined by investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Goldman Sachs, NEA, and Spark Capital.
It was later revealed that competitors Visa and Mastercard both bet on Plaid through “strategic investments” in the same round. Visa said it was determined to “stay relevant” as its industry evolves. “Companies like Plaid wake up every day thinking about these [factors],” Bill Sheedy, executive vice president of Visa’s strategy group, told Fortune at the time. “It’s very different from how we’ve thought about product innovation in the past.”
My colleague Rey Mashayekhi reports that the deal is about expanding Visa’s services beyond its debit and credit card solutions and into a broader consumer experience.
“We are increasingly trying to move from being strictly focused on payments, to being focused on the movement of funds for any purpose around the world,” said Visa CEO Al Kelly in a conference call on Monday. “As big as Visa is in terms of the bank accounts that we can reach, we’re not as big as we need to be if we want to be a formidable player in money movement around the world.”
While much of tech press is focused on covering flashy companies like WeWork and Away, there are huge things happening on the non-consumer front that are arguably as exciting (and important). This is a massive power play by Visa that goes beyond the sticker price — it shows that Visa might also believe that cardless payment forms could one day fully replace their plastic cards.
I would pay good money to see what’s going on at Mastercard’s offices today. This acquisition will send shockwaves throughout the entire financial services industry.
Polina Marinova
Twitter: @polina_marinova
Email: polina.marinova@fortune.com
VENTURE DEALS
- Concerto HealthAI, a Boston-based real-world-data and enterprise AI technology solutions for precision oncology, raised $150 million in Series B funding. Declaration Partners led the round, and was joined by investors including Maverick Ventures, AllianceBernstein PCI, and SymphonyAI Group.
- Trusona, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based developer of passwordless multi-factor authentication technology, raised $20 million in funding. Georgian Partners led the round, and was joined by investors including Kleiner Perkins, M12, OurCrowd and Seven Peaks Ventures.
- SimpliField, a Paris-based retail performance platform provider, raised $11 million in Series A funding. Five Elms Capital led the round.
- Locale, an Austin-based upscale aparthotel brand, raised $11 million in Series A funding. Amplo Ventures led the round, and was joined by investors including Susa Ventures, Malkin Holdings, Rogue Insight Capital and Metropolis Capital Partners.
- Nicoya, a Canada-based provider of advanced analytical instruments for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, raised $10 million in Series A funding. Whitecap Venture Partners led the round, and was joined by investors including Garage Capital, MaRS IAF, Laurier Startup Fund, and University of Waterloo Student Venture Fund.
- Containous, a France-based cloud-native networking company, raised $10 million in Series A funding. Balderton Capital led the round, and was joined by investors including Elaia and 360 Capital Partners.
- Curricula, an Atlanta-based provider of a security awareness training and phishing simulation platform, raised $3 million in funding, from RCP Equity.
HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES DEALS
- Inflammatix, a Burlingame, Calif.-based molecular diagnostics company, raised $32 million in Series C funding. Investors include Khosla Ventures, Northpond Ventures, Think.Health Ventures, and Grey Sky Venture Partners.
- Kyverna Therapeutics, a San Francisco-based cell therapy company, raised $25 million in Series A funding. Investors include Vida Ventures, Westlake Village BioPartners, and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD).
- Codagenix, Inc., a Stony Brook, N.Y.-based clinical-stage biotechnology company developing prophylactic vaccines and oncolytic virus therapies, raised $20 million in Series B funding. Adjuvant Capital led the round, and was joined by investors including Euclidean Capital and Topspin Partners.
PRIVATE EQUITY DEALS
- Midland Industries, a portfolio company of Wynnchurch Capital, acquired Stainless Adapters Inc, a Houston, Texas-based supplier of stainless steel hydraulic adapters and pipe fittings. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
- MacNeill Pride Group, a portfolio company of Centre Partners, acquired Outdoor Recreation Company of America, a Nashville, Tenn-based supplier of coolers, drinkware and other outdoor accessories. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
OTHER DEALS
- ICF (NASDAQ:ICFI) agreed to acquire Incentive Technology Group, LLC, an Arlington, Va.-based provider of cloud-based platform services to the U.S. federal government, for $255 million.
FIRMS + FUNDS
- Siguler Guff, a New York-based private equity firm, raised $1.575 billion for its Small Buyout Opportunities Fund IV.
- Drive Capital, a Columbus, Ohio-based venture capital firm, raised $300 million for its fund, Overdrive Fund I.
PEOPLE
- Preeti Rathi joined Icon Ventures as a general partner. Previously, she was at Ignition Partners.
- Tyler Lancaster was promoted to principal at Energize Ventures.
- TSG Consumer Partners promoted Alec Barnett, Sam Pritzker and James Zelnick to vice president.
- Palladium Equity Partners promoted Chris Allen, Leon Brujis, Caleb Clark, Justin Green, Daniel Ilundain and Adam Shebitz to partner.
- Tony “T2” Thomas will join Lux Capital as a venture partner.
- Sorenson Ventures named Vidya Raman as its newest principal today.
IF YOU LIKE THIS EMAIL...
Share today’s Term Sheet with a friend.
Did someone share this with you? Sign up here. For previous editions, click here.
For even more, check out Data Sheet, Fortune's daily newsletter on the latest in tech news. Sign up here.


fortune--2020-01-14--Netflix Crashes Hollywood’s Oscar Party

Netflix Crashes Hollywood’s Oscar Party

This is the web version of Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the top tech news. To get it delivered daily to your in-box, sign up here.
Good morning. Fortune tech writer Danielle Abril filling in for Adam today. In about a month, Hollywood will come together for arguably the biggest night in the movie business: the 92nd annual Oscars.
And to the surprise, and in some cases frustration, of many, Netflix will arrive at the awards packing the most nominations of any movie studio. The online streaming service raked in 24 nominations this year, including two for best picture, eclipsing big blockbuster producers like Disney and Sony.
This is the first time a streaming service is the studio to beat at the Academy Awards.
Netflix is up nine nominations from last year—proving that streaming services aren’t pulling any punches when it comes to the content they’re producing. They’re taking on the big dogs via a slew of original films boasting star-studded casts including Robert DeNiro, Adam Driver, and Scarlett Johansson (and that’s just on Netflix!).
Not everyone is excited about the new nods from Hollywood’s elite. You might remember last year, following the Best-Picture nomination of Netflix’s Roma, Steven Spielberg argued that movies created by streaming services shouldn’t be eligible for an Oscar. His reasoning: Those films are made for the television screen, not big productions designed to be consumed by mass audiences in large theaters.
Still, while Netflix has managed to capture critics’ attention, it has yet to prove it can sweep.
Last year, Netflix won four of its 15 nominations, with Roma earning three. But it lost the coveted Best Picture award to Universal Picture’s Green Book. While Netflix likely will scoop up some serious hardware this year for The Irishman and Marriage Story, at the Golden Globes, those films took a backseat to Universal Picture’s World War I film 1917 for Best Motion Picture. Netflix only won two of the 34 awards for which it was nominated.
But the 2020 Academy Awards have already proven to be a historic moment for a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. Streaming services are now pushing out polished content that is capturing acclaim from critics and the public. They may need just a little more time to woo the Academy.
Danielle Abril
Twitter: @DanielleDigest
Email: danielle.abril@fortune.com
* * *
A note from Adam about yesterday’s email:
I know full well that Goldman Sachs, not J.P. Morgan, is Apple’s partner in its newly issued credit card that uses Mastercard’s network. I know this in part because I interviewed Harit Talwar, the head of Goldman’s Marcus consumer bank, at the Fortune Brainstorm Finance event in Montauk, N.Y., last summer. I can’t explain why my brain told my fingers to type “J.P. Morgan,” other than perhaps because my own company uses a J.P. Morgan-issued Mastercard. I apologize for misinforming you.
This edition of Data Sheet was curated by Aaron Pressman.
NEWSWORTHY
Ka-ching. Monday was a big payday for one of the leading financial tech startups. Credit card giant Visa said it would pay $5.3 billion for Plaid, which helps connects thousands of consumer apps to consumers' bank accounts. That's just about double Plaid's most recent private valuation from a 2018 fundraising round.
Refreshing the desktop. After seven straight years of shrinkage, sales of personal computers grew in 2019. Research firm Gartner, which includes 2-in-1 tablets like the Microsoft Surface in its tally, said shipments increased to 261 million units, almost up 1% from 2018. Rival market tracker IDC, which includes Google Chromebooks but not tablets in its count, said sales increased 3% to 267 million. One factor was Microsoft's looming deadline ending support for Windows 7 this month.
Out of order. Startup law firm Atrium is cutting most of its in-house legal staff as it attempts to pivot beyond the legal services market, Axios reports. CEO Justin Kan, a Twitch co-founder, plans to focus on software instead.
Looking for a backdoor. In a deja vu episode of the long-running encryption wars, Attorney General William Barr blasted Apple on Monday for not helping crack the security on two iPhones that belonged to the shooter in last month's Pensacola naval base attack. Apple said it had given law enforcers "all of the data in our possession."
Fooled me once. Speaking of deja vu, Russian government hackers have attacked Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company at the center of one of President Trump's conspiracy theories about the Biden family. The hacking attempts began in November, as Trump's impeachment defense focused on former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter being on the board of Burisma.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
For 25 years while writing a column about the luxury industry for the Financial Times, Lucia van der Post has witnessed revolutionary changes in the market due to technological and social advances. With cashmere sweaters available in cheap department stores and smoked salmon in every supermarket, the definition of luxury service has changed, she explains in an essay marking the quarter-century anniversary of her column.
The new generation of luxury consumers are tech savvy and time impatient. They want the internet to meet their material needs, yet still expect exceptional service. Today, if you log onto Net-a-Porter or any of the bigger online suppliers you can chat in live time, discuss sizes and get styling advice on demand. Deliveries to many urban centres are now met within minutes. The arrival of TOSHI (only in inner London so far) has added yet another layer to the online experience. With your new dress, handbag or pair of designer shoes arrives a real person to check that they fit and to offer accessories that might further appeal.
ON THE MOVE
Intel hired Archana "Archie" Deskus as its new chief information officer and senior vice president, reporting to CFO George Davis. Deskus comes from Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, where she was CIO since 2017...Alphabet's life sciences unit Verily hired former Tesla CFO and Ford Motor exec Deepak Ahuja as its new CFO... Amazon Web Services is losing its vice president of worldwide marketing, Ariel Kelman, to rival Oracle. Kelman will be chief marketing officer, replacing Rupal Shah Hollenbeck. At AWS, Rachel Thornton replaces Kelman...Separately, Avaya chief technology officer Chris McGugan is also joining Oracle, as senior vice president and general manager of service clouds... Alphabet's chief legal officer, David Drummond, will depart at the end of the month after accusations that he violated company policy in a relationship he had with another employee.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
An Explosion of Knowledge: Multiplexed Interventional Genomics By John Stuelpnagel and Bryan Roberts
Forget Policymakers. Greta Thunberg and Her Allies are Targeting CEOs Now By Christiaan Hetzner
What Was Carlos Ghosn Thinking in Pulling off His Great Escape? A Former Colleague Offers Clues By Eric C. Evarts
How Freelancing Can Help Your Career By Sarah Fielding
These $50 ‘Strawberries’ Are Popping Up on Michelin-Starred Menus By Anna Ben Yehuda Rahmanan
BEFORE YOU GO
In a deja vu episode of our streaming entertainment reality, CBS is just weeks away from debuting its newest Star Trek series. Patrick Stewart returns to the role of Jean-Luc Picard in the series, called Picard. Fortune's Stacey Wilson Hunt got some of the inside story of how the show came together. "Picard and I became melded," Stewart says. "He never left me, so there was actually nothing strange about stepping into this role again. It's been far easier than I expected."
Aaron Pressman
On Twitter: @ampressman
Email: aaron.pressman@fortune.com


fortune--2020-01-14--Tonight’s Democratic Debate: How to Watch, Start Time—And 4 Key Issues to Watch for During It

This article is about the Jan. 14 Democratic debate. For information on the Feb. 25 debate, click here.
A pending impeachment trial in the Senate, a possible conflict with Iran, and a battle brewing between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren will likely highlight the seventh Democratic presidential debate tonight.
Tuesday’s debate begins at 9 p.m. E.T. and will be co-hosted by CNN and The Des Moines Register at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, CNN political correspondent Abby Phillip, and Brianne Pfannenstiel, the Register‘s chief political reporter, will moderate.
The seventh Democratic debate comes precisely three weeks before the Iowa Caucuses, the first primary of the 2020 election season, take place across the Hawkeye state.
There is a four-way fight among candidates in the latest Iowa Poll, with Sanders maintaining a narrow lead over Warren, Buttigieg, and Biden. Meanwhile, the latest Monmouth Poll of Iowa voters has Biden well ahead of his rivals.
Tuesday’s debate comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran following and as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prepares to send the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate possibly this week.
“It’s not only an incredibly busy week, but the question will also become which candidate can create a narrative that will be an inspiration for voters going forward,” said Dan Sena, former executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Which candidates qualified for tonight’s debate in Iowa?
Daniel Acker—Bloomberg via Getty Images
Six candidates—one fewer than last month’s debate—have qualified for Tuesday’s contest:
Once again, requirements were much stricter to qualify for Tuesday’s debate than last month’s. The candidates had to hit at least 5% in four approved Democratic National Committee (DNC) polls, or 7% in two early-state (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina) polls.
Candidates also needed to have 225,000 donors—an extra 25,000 donors from last month’s debate.
DNC Chair Tom Perez told MSNBC last week there were at least 20 polls that candidates could have qualified for, compared to only five polls before the Democratic debate in Iowa in 2016.
“We have set the rules out. They have been very transparent,” Perez said on MSNBC’s Velshi and Ruhle on Jan. 7. “We’ve given unprecedented access.”
With New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker on Monday announcing his sooner-than-expected departure from the presidential race, tonight’s debate will be the least diverse so far with six white candidates sparring.
While Booker did meet the donor requirement, he again missed getting on the debate stage by not meeting the polling threshold (tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang also met the donor requirement, but not the polling threshold).
Nonetheless, Booker bowing out follows the departure of former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, the only Latino candidate in the field, who dropped out of the race on Jan. 2 (and endorsed Warren four days later). Last Friday, self-help author Marianne Williamson ended her long-shot campaign bid.
Meanwhile, these candidates failed to qualify for the January Democratic debate:
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet
Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick
Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg, who has spent a reported $200 million in advertising, has even gone so far to say the current primary structure favors Trump, not the Democratic candidates.
DNC Chair Tom Perez told MSNBC that Bloomberg “obviously has the resources to do a lot of advertising, and that is obviously his right. What we are going to find out, again, we’re less than a month from voting, and the voters will make their choices very clearly.”
Perez thinks there will be a record voter turnout in Iowa and the other early primary states.
“It’s basically a 90-day sprint to the end of April,” Perez said. “We will have 90 percent of the delegates allocated, and it’s a question the voters will answer.”
“The enthusiasm is off the charts,” Perez said Jan. 7. “Women are coming out in great numbers…We have the wind at our backs and we’re going to keep organizing. I look forward to this debate.”
How to watch tonight’s Democratic debate online—even without cable
The January Democratic debate will air live on CNN, CNN en Español, and CNN International.
You can watch the debate for free online via a live stream available at CNN.com and at DesMoinesRegister.com.
The debate is also viewable on mobile devices, including CNN’s and the Register‘s iOS and Android apps.
YouTube and SiriusXM channels 116 and 124, and TuneIn, will also carry tonight’s debate.
4 things to watch for during the debate
The last two debates didn’t bring that much excitement, but tonight the gloves might come off.
1. Will we finally see that ‘Clash of the New England Senators?’
Expect the debate moderators to instigate a possible clash between Warren and Sanders, and watch whether either candidate takes the bait. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images
Sanders denied reports Monday that he privately told Warren in 2018 a woman can’t win the presidency.
On Monday, Sanders said in a statement that it’s “ludicrous” to think that at the same meeting he had when Warren told him she was running for president that a woman couldn’t win.
“It’s sad that, three weeks before the Iowa Caucus and a year after that private conversation, staff who weren’t in the room are lying about what happened,” Sanders told CNN. “What I did say that night was that Donald Trump is a sexist, a racist, and a liar who would weaponize whatever he could. Do I believe a woman can win in 2020? Of course. After all, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump by 3 million votes in 2016.”
Previously, reports surfaced that Sanders’ campaign volunteers were encouraged to question Warren’s ability to expand the Democratic party’s coalition beyond highly educated voters.
Warren later told reporters Sunday in Marshalltown, Iowa, that she was “disappointed” to hear the Sanders campaign was apparently “out to trash” her.
“I have never said a negative word about Elizabeth Warren, who is a friend of mine,” Sanders told reporters during a rally in Iowa.
Still, expect the debate moderators to instigate a possible clash between Warren and Sanders, and watch whether either candidate takes the bait.
What’s at stake for the two New England progressive candidates? Not only winning in Iowa, but New Hampshire as well. Keep in mind that every Democrat in U.S. history who has won both the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries has eventually become the presidential nominee.
Sena believes Warren and Sanders will do their best to remain civil to each other.
“I think they both know they are their voter bases second most-favorite candidate,” Sena said. “Given the caucus format, they will do whatever they can because they know there is a mutual benefit to keep their messages positive and clear.
“However, post-Iowa, all bets are off between the two of them.”
2. Was the Soleimani killing justified?
The candidates will definitely use the debate stage to state their individual positions on the Trump Administration’s decision to kill Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and to strike back at Trump, who called Democrats disloyal.
Trump said the U.S. took “a monster” out, who threatened to harm to Americans.
“We killed the number one terrorist in the world by every account. We killed him, and when the Democrats try to defend him, it’s a disgrace to our country,” Trump told reporters on Monday at the White House.
Earlier, Trump tweeted, “The Fake News Media and their Democrat Partners are working hard to determine whether or not the future attack by terrorist Soleimani was “imminent” or not, & was my team in agreement. The answer to both is a strong YES., but it doesn’t really matter because of his horrible past!”
Look for a possible unified stance among the Democratic candidates who will be doing their share of fact checking the President’s position. However, a candidate like Sanders may not resist and call out Biden for voting to authorize the Iraq war in 2003.
If Biden continues to struggle coming up with a good answer, it could potentially lead to this past weekend’s popular hashtag, #JoeVotedForTheWar, to start trending on social media again.
3. Impeachment defense
As Pelosi prepares to hand over impeachment articles to the Senate, the candidates will undoubtedly defend the House Speaker’s actions, and rail against Trump, who wants the two charges against him dismissed, and the Republicans supporting him.
Surely, there will be one candidate during Tuesday’s debate who will echo Pelosi’s televised statement on Sunday, “This president is impeached for life,” which led to a furious tweetstorm by Trump (and the hashtag #ImpeachedForLife to start trending on Twitter).
As three of the six Democratic candidates are sitting senators, each could give an outline of what they expect during the trial and what role they plan to play.
4. Accusations of billionaire Democratic candidates trying to buy the nomination
Money and politics will inevitably come up during Tuesday’s debate as Bloomberg and Steyer are flooding the airwaves with their commercials.
“The alternative is Michael Bloomberg’s version of democracy, and that is billionaires who decide among themselves, who’s going to reach into their pocket and throw a few hundred million on the table and buy, what, a nomination? An election?” Warren said on MSNBC last week, echoing similar comments she’s said on the campaign trail.
“If that’s the case,” Warren continued, “then our democracy becomes something that only works for a tiny number of people, and it’s going to shut everyone else out.”
Perez, the DNC chair, said on MSNBC last week that “the person who is going to win the Democratic primary—I don’t know who that will be—is going to be the person who garners votes across the broad quilt of the Democratic party.”
If you look at the polling, Perez said, it reflects that sentiment.
“Whoever is able to do that, is going to win,” he said. “The voters are speaking very clearly, and we’ve had the most inclusive process in American history.”
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—Donald Trump and the power of incumbency
—Just six candidates qualify for the January Democratic debate
—The wealthiest members of Congress—and how they made their millions
—USPS could privatize as early as next year
—2020 Crystal Ball: Predictions for the economy, politics, technology, and more
Get up to speed on your morning commute with Fortune’s CEO Daily newsletter.