In the market for a new TV? Samsung is known for its high-quality TVs, but often, those TVs can get pretty expensive. For a limited time, however, Walmart is discounting a 50-inch Samsung 4K TV by a whopping $430. Considering its original price of $749.99, that means the TV is more than half off, and the TV is now a very affordable $319.99.

The Samsung UN50NU7100 TV has a 4K resolution and supports HDR, plus it has a powerful upscaling engine for non-4K content. It's also a smart TV, so it can connect to your Wi-Fi network and has popular streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu.

The fact that it has a 50-inch screen is also pretty huge, especially for this discounted price. Sure, there are bigger TVs out there, but not for this price, and besides, not everyone needs a 60-inch+ TV. It has a slim bezel and a simple, sturdy stand. You can also mount it on the wall if you prefer.

There's plenty of connectivity on the TV, too. You'll get three HDMI inputs, meaning you can connect your streaming box, gaming system, and cable box without the need for a receiver or other device. There are also two USB ports to power your smart streaming sticks, which is handy.

We don't know how long this deal will last. Also, note that you have to add the TV to your shopping cart on Walmart's site to see the sale price.

Get the Samsung UN50NU7100 from Walmart for $319.99 (originally $749.99) [You save $430]

Soon enough, you may be able to run iPad apps on your Mac laptop or desktop. The move, reportedly called "Marzipan" internally, will enable developers to write apps for both operating systems using the same code, according to Bloomberg.

Apple previously mentioned the effort in a presentation at last year's WWDC, and news of the project was reported by Bloomberg as far back as 2017.

It would be a significant change that could make both the iPad and Apple's Mac computers more useful. Apple has been pushing the iPad as being a productivity tool ever since it launched its larger-screened iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

But one of the biggest criticisms in using the iPad in place of a laptop is that the software isn't as well-optimized for certain tasks as desktop operating systems. Allowing developers to easily create apps for both could potentially change that.

It also echoes the approaches taken by Microsoft and Google with their mobile and desktop products. Developers can write apps that work across Windows 10 tablets and laptops, and Google has made its mobile Android apps compatible with Chromebooks in recent years.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

It has been a particularly active year for mega initial public offerings, with four companies, including Uber and Lyft, raising more than $1 billion.

While tech unicorns, or tech companies with private valuations north of $1 billion, were responsible for most of 2019's high-profile initial public offering, other sectors were also represented. These include share offerings for companies as like Levi's and Beyond Meat, which has been the top-performing IPO of 2019.

As of Tuesday's close, Beyond Meat had gained 244% since its May 1 IPO, while Uber and Lyft, the two most-anticipated debuts of they year, have left investors in the red with losses of 9% and 21%, respectively.

Lead underwriter Morgan Stanley blamed the poor performance of Uber's IPO on the recent stock-market volatility. The ride-sharing giant went public on a day where renewed trade tensions caused the Dow to fall as much as 700 points. Shares of the company fell 8% on their first day of trading, and have not yet recovered.

CNBC reported that Morgan Stanley employed the rare tactic of naked short selling to support Uber's IPO. This involved the bankers selling more shares than what was allotted in the IPO, and then buying them back as effective "support" in the open market. Morgan Stanley and Uber declined to comment on the report.

Other unicorns expected to go public this year include Slack, Casper, and WeWork.

In a further test of the market for public issuances, Alibaba has recently announced plans to raise up to $20 billion of capital through a Hong Kong listing while SoftBank has floated the idea of listing its gargantuan Vision Fund at a valuation north of $100 billion.

Bloomberg

New York City's subway system is getting a big upgrade that will allow passengers to pay for subway fare with a simple tap rather than a swipe.

On May 31, patrons taking the 4, 5, and 6 trains — a popular subway line that stops at busy stations like Grand Central Terminal, Wall Street, and Barclays Center — will be able to enter the subway by holding their smartphone or wearable device near a reader rather than swiping a Metro Card.

It's the beginning of a pilot program for the Metropolitan Transit Authority's new OMNY contactless fare system, which will accept digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay as well as contactless credit cards from major companies such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

For Apple device users, that means you'll be able to board the subway by holding your iPhone or Apple Watch near the reader, similar to the way you can digitally scan your boarding pass for a flight through Apple's Wallet app. The feature, which Apple is calling Apple Pay Express Transit, works very much like the standard version of Apple Pay.

Just choose the card you'd like to use to pay for subway fare, and your Apple device will know to charge that card specifically when your phone or Apple Watch is held near one of the MTA's contactless readers. You don't have to wake your phone or watch in order for this to work, just holding it near the reader will do the trick.

The launch comes after Apple announced in March that it will soon make its Apple Pay service compatible with public transit systems in New York, Chicago, and Portland.

As part of this pilot program, the service will be available at 16 stops along the 4,5,6 line between Grand Central terminal in Manhattan and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It will also be present on all Staten Island buses.

The new fare system currently only supports single fare tickets, but will eventually support other options as well. After the public pilot ends, the MTA is aiming to roll out the new readers to the rest of the 4,5,6 line and additional buses in 2020.

It's a notable step forward for New York's public transit system, which will join other major cities such as London and Sydney that already offer contactless payments for their respective transit systems.

Here's a look at what Apple device users should do to get started.

Add NBC News to the list of media companies jumping on the live news bandwagon to lure young cord cutters.

Today it's launching NBC News Now, a new streaming service aimed at young news junkies. People will access it through NBC News' existing news app on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV, as well as NBC News' own site. It'll be free to viewers and ad-supported; Citi will be one of the first advertisers.

"There's finally a digital-first news product for people who are news junkies but don't necessarily have broadcast or cable," said Rashida Jones, SVP of specials for NBC News/MSNBC and the executive in charge of NBC News Now.

Read more: 'This is a big swing': A New York Times exec explains the company's push into prestige TV that starts with 'The Weekly' on FX and Hulu

It's possible NBC News' strategy with Now might change once its parent company NBCUniversal launches its own streaming media service, which is set to come in 2020. Jones said NBC News wanted to launch Now immediately to capitalize on the fact that people are flocking to over-the-top streaming, and that it wanted to be ready for the highly anticipated 2020 election.

NBC News' rivals already have 24/7 streaming services

NBC News is entering a space populated by rivals CBS and ABC, which have 24/7 streaming news networks already, while NBC News will start with eight hours a day on weekdays, with a goal of becoming 24/7. There also are several born-on-digital streaming news services like Altice's Cheddar, E.W. Scripps' Newsy, and Bloomberg's TicToc.

The three big networks will need to adapt their institutional voice to appeal to young viewers — and each argues they have distinct advantages.

Jones pointed out that NBC News already has an OTT presence, so it's been learning what its audience wants. NBC News also has experience with placing bets on news for young people; its Snapchat news show "Stay Tuned" has averaged as many as 35 million viewers each day. Jones contended that NBC News Now will have more original content than its competitors and a bigger media organization to pull from, with properties like the "Today" show and CNBC.

"We are more digital-first," she said.

In terms of programming, she said NBC News Now will emphasize explainers and behind-the-scenes taped pieces, stories that go longer than a traditional TV broadcast, and topics of interest to young viewers. Examples include pieces on how SXSW is becoming a key stop on the Presidential campaign trail; and "weird details" about the college cheating scandal. It'll explore having a full-time host for the show this summer.

But EVP and GM of CBSN (CBS' streaming news service), Christy Tanner, said that four-and-a-half-years' experience with live streaming news on apps gives CBSN a big advantage. By getting in early, it's learned to make the stream work on different platforms and mobilize its entire news team fast when news breaks. CBSN also has been launching local versions of its national broadcast in big cities like New York and Los Angeles.

"I wouldn't underestimate the technical expertise of CBS News and Interactive," Tanner told Business Insider. "We know how to react when a big story breaks. Being able to own a breaking story across all platforms is something we've had practice at. We're comfortable and nimble."

ABC News Live said it differentiates with its content that's tailored to people in their 20s and 30s. To do that, it frequently splits the screen with its year-old streaming service when there's breaking news so viewers can see the live streams alongside scheduled programming. It's also developing series about topics of particular interest to young people and is about to introduce a new headline show that's updated every half hour.

In this way, Colby Smith, SVP of content & partnerships, ABC News, maintains that ABC News is the No. 1 streaming news channel in America — even if he can't prove it because of measurement limitations.

"If someone's coming to our channel, we want them first and foremost to see live moments — it's nice to have fresh programming," Smith said.

News is a big draw for live viewers

Media companies have long used news as a way to attract and keep people's attention and that they'll continue to have to do so today in the race to grab viewers as they migrate to streaming services, a new research paper from Harvard's Shorenstein Center argues. A survey by Vimeo and New York magazine found news was the most popular live content, watched by 56%, followed by conferences and concerts at 43%.

The pie is likely to keep growing as the rate of cord-cutting increases and connected TV advertising scales up, as eMarketer has predicted.

"News is a critical vertical for all streaming services," Smith said. "If you want to stand up a streaming service, you've got to have robust news coverage, and that's because millennials and Gen Z, the people who are turning to streaming services, they have never been more interested in news and politics than previous generations have been."

That's why insiders like Smith think the field is still open.

"Right now, there's opportunity for everyone to win new eyeballs because the market is going to grow for the foreseeable future," Smith said.

China dropped its most obvious hint yet that it will restrict exports of rare earths to the US as a strategy in the trade war, a move that could cripple the American tech, defense, and manufacturing industries.

Rare earth materials — which consist of 17 elements on the periodic table — are one of the most important Chinese exports to the US as they are found in products from batteries to smartphones, electric cars, and fighter jets. The minerals are used in tiny amounts but can be crucial to the manufacturing process.

China is the world's largest supplier of rare-earth materials — accounting for 90% of global production — and the US relies on China for 80% of its rare-earth imports, according to Bloomberg.

There had been speculation that Beijing would weaponize rare earths in its ongoing trade war with Washington since last week, when Chinese President Xi Jinping and his top economic adviser, Vice Premier Liu He, made a highly-publicized visit to a rare earth factory in eastern China.

Read more: Xi Jinping may have shown how he plans to cripple US tech and defense giants in the trade war with a visit to a Chinese magnet factory

Xi and his top economic adviser, Liu He (second from right) visited the JL MAG Rare-Earth factory in Ganzhou, eastern China, on May 20, prompting speculation that China could weaponize its rare-earth materials in the trade war. Xinhua/Xie Huanchi via Getty

Beijing officials further fueled the flames this week by mentioning rare earths again in a series of state media articles and comments on social media.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which oversees the country's economic policy, said in a Q&A published in the state-run People's Daily on Wednesday: "Do you suggest that rare earths will become a part of China's countermeasures against the US's unwarranted pressure?"

"What I can tell you is that if someone wants to use our rare earths to manufacture products and use them to curb China's development, then the people of the revolutionary soviet base and all the Chinese people will not be happy," it continued.

"There are no winners in the trade war," the NDRC added.

Read more: US companies pay 'almost entirely' for tariffs on Chinese products, new IMF study shows — blowing a massive hole in Trump's favorite justification for the trade war

High-level Chinese and US negotiators, led by Xi and Trump, at a working dinner in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in December 2018. Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the nationalistic, state-owned Global Times tabloid, also tweeted on Tuesday night: "Based on what I know, China is seriously considering restricting rare earth exports to the US. China may also take other countermeasures in the future."

The Global Times suggested last week that Xi's visit to the rare-earth factory "has been widely viewed as a form of leverage for China in the trade war with the US."

Stocks in Chinese rare-earth companies have skyrocketed ever since Xi's visit.

Rare earths, clockwise from top center: praseodymium, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, samarium and gadolinium. U.S. Department of Agriculture / Peggy Greb

The US and China have levied billions of dollars' worth of tariffs on each others' goods since March 2018.

Washington raised tariffs to 25% from 10% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods on May 10, and Beijing said three days later that it would raise tariffs on $60 billion of American goods from June 1. Hours after that, the US drew up a list of prospective tariffs on another $300 billion worth of goods.

The US did not include Chinese imports of rare-earth materials in either list of tariff targets, illustrating its reliance on China for them.

Huawei is fighting back against US President Donald Trump's administration by saying that blacklisting the company will hit US industry hard.

Huawei has locked horns with the US government after the Department of Commerce placed the company on an "entity list," preventing American firms from doing business with Huawei without first seeking government permission.

Read more: "No gun, no smoke, only speculation": Huawei ups its legal battle against the US over federal ban

At a press conference in Shenzen on Wednesday, Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping upped the ante against the US government, warning that the ban will hurt billions of users and potentially put Americans out of work.

"This decision threatens to harm our customers in over 170 countries, including more than three billion consumers who use Huawei products and services around the world," Song told reporters, according to the BBC.

"By preventing American companies from doing business with Huawei, the government will directly harm more than 1,200 US companies. This will affect tens of thousands of American jobs," added Song.

At the same conference, he announced that Huawei was ramping up efforts in a lawsuit it filed against the US in March, objecting to a government ban on military and official personnel using Huawei devices. Huawei argues it is unconstitutional.

People are spending less time on Facebook.

That's according to a new report from eMarketer, which found that the average daily time US adults (those aged over 18 years old) spend on Facebook fell by 3 minutes in 2018 to 38 minutes a day.

eMarketer is expecting this number to flatline in 2019 and drop to 37 minutes by 2020.

eMarketer

"Facebook's continued loss of younger adult users, along with its focus on downranking clickbait posts and videos in favor of those that create 'time well spent,' resulted in less daily time spent on the platform in 2018 than we had previously expected," said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer principal analyst.

A spokesperson for Facebook did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

It supports a gloomy trend for Facebook. The platform had its slowest 12 months of user growth since its 2012 IPO last year, with the rise in daily active users falling below 10% for the first time. Facebook had 2.32 billion daily active users in 2018.

Read more: We can see what it looks like when Facebook and Snapchat stop growing

Meanwhile, a set of charts that were shared its most recent earnings showed how daily active users in the US and Canada have flatlined for the past two years; monthly active user data followed a similar pattern in 2018. Most of the growth during the quarter was reserved to countries outside of the US, Canada, and Europe.

It was not all bad news for Facebook, however. Instagram was a bright spot for the company after users spent more time with the social network, according to eMarketer. It is also taking share from its competitors such as Snapchat.

"Features like Stories, influencer content and video are all contributing to more engagement and a slow but steady uptick in time spent on Instagram," Williamson said.

Huawei escalated its legal battle against the US on Wednesday, calling on the US courts to rule that the federal government ban of the Chinese tech giant is unconstitutional.

Huawei has become ensnared in mounting trade tensions between the US and China. US officials have long voiced concerns that Huawei technology could be used as a backdoor for Chinese government espionage — allegations that Huawei has repeatedly denied.

In March, Huawei filed a lawsuit against the US government over recent legislation which bans US government agencies from buying or using Huawei equipment.

The suit zeroes in a law known as the The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which specifies the annual budget and policies of the US Department of Defense and the agencies which operate under it. A provision known as Section 889 was signed into law by President Donald Trump in August, and prohibits the use of equipment or services explicitly from Huawei to any federal agencies or their contractors.

Read more: Here are the Huawei products at risk thanks to Trump's ban and the brewing tech Cold War

Song Liuping, Huawei's chief legal officer, said in a press conference in Shenzen on Wednesday local time that the US is using legislative action against the company in an attempt to put it out of business.

"Politicians in the US are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company," Song said during the conference. "This is not normal. Almost never seen in history."

He added that the US has not provided evidence to back up claims that Huawei poses a national security threat. "There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation."

During the press conference, the company announced that it filed a motion for summary judgment of its case against the US, seeking a ruling that Section 889 of the NDAA as unconstitutional. According to CNBC, the motion was filed in the Eastern District of Texas court.

Huawei also called on the US to "halt its state-sanctioned campaign" against the company, stating that a US ban will do nothing to increase American cybersecurity.

Friction between the Trump administration and Huawei heightened this month, after the US Department of Commerce added Huawei to a trade blacklist, which prevents the company from buying parts and components from American companies without US government approval. The move could have a dramatic effect on Huawei's operations, as the company relies heavily on US parts.

Song addressed the US trade blacklist, which has been postponed for 90 days, in his comments to the press, saying that the move sets a "dangerous precedent" for other companies and industries.

The placement of Huawei on the US trade blacklist has led to many major US tech companies and suppliers — including Google— to cut its ties and a flow of critical software to the company.

Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei responded to the clashes between Huawei and US tech companies, telling Chinese media that the company is " fully prepared" for a clash with the US, which he considers inevitable as the company works towards becoming a global tech leader.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was roasted once more by lawmakers after declining to answer their questions at an international committee hearing in Canada.

Representatives from numerous countries — including Canada, the UK, Singapore, Ireland, Germany, Chile, Estonia, Mexico, Ecuador, Morocco, St Lucia, and Costa Rica — were present at the Grand Committee on 'Big Data, Privacy, and Democracy' on Tuesday.

The committee set out to question Facebook and other tech firms on their handling of personal user information and the spread of disinformation online. It follows the giant Cambridge Analytica data breach last year and election meddling on social media platforms.

Facebook sent the head of policy for Canada Kevin Chan and global policy head Neil Potts to the hearing in Ottawa in place of Zuckerberg and Sandberg, which was also attended by representatives from Google and Twitter. Chair of the committee Bob Zimmer said the pair's absence was "abhorrent."

Read more: Facebook's former security chief says Mark Zuckerberg has too much power and needs to step down as CEO

"It was very clearly communicated to them that they were to appear today before us. A summons was issued which is already an unusual act of the committee to do, and I think it's only fitting that there's an ongoing summons, so as soon as they set foot — either Mr Zuckerberg or Ms Sandberg — into our county, they'll be served and expected to appear before our committee," said Zimmer.

"If Mr Zuckerberg or Ms Sandberg decides to come here for a tech conference or to go fishing the parliament will be able to serve that summons and have them brought here," added Canadian MP, Charlie Angus.

Zuckerberg already drew the ire of the committee in November when he didn't show up to a hearing in the UK. Lawmakers from the committee have repeatedly chastised Zuckerberg for sending lower-level executives to answer questions in his place. Potts and Chan were not spared the committee's outrage, with Zimmer telling them "we're told you're not even in the top 100" executives at Facebook, according to CBS.

"Shame on Mark Zuckerberg and shame on Sheryl Sandberg for not showing up today," said Zimmer.

Facebook did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

"We are grateful to the Committee for the opportunity to answer their questions today and remain committed to working with world leaders, governments, and industry experts to address these complex issues. As we emphasized, we share the Committee's desire to keep people safe and to hold companies like ours accountable," a Facebook spokesman told Business Insider.

A pilot urged Ethiopian Airlines senior managers for more training on the Boeing 737 Max aircraft, following the doomed Lion Air Flight 610 crash that killed all 189 passengers two months earlier, according to emails and documents seen by Bloomberg News.

Bernd Kai von Hoesslin, the Ethiopian Airlines pilot and 737 instructor, reportedly warned managers in December that more training was required following the Lion Air crash in October. He also suggested greater communication between crew members. Three months after von Hoesslin delivered the warning, Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 crashed and killed all 157 passengers.

Von Hoesslin was concerned with how pilots would handle an issue with the 737 Max's flight-control feature in conjunction with cockpit warnings, according to the emails seen my Bloomberg.

"It will be a crash for sure," von Hoesslin said in an email in December, Bloomberg reported.

Read more: Boeing reportedly let some of its mechanics inspect their own work, and it's causing problems for the manufacturer at the worst possible time

Von Hoesslin also expressed his concerns on aircraft maintenance and pilot fatigue in 418-pages of communications. Von Hoesslin reportedly left the airline in April and included his previous advice with his resignation letter. He declined to comment for the Bloomberg story.

"Some of these concerns were safety-related and well within the duty of the airline to adequately address," von Hoesslin said in his resignation letter, according to Bloomberg.

An Ethiopian Airlines spokesman told Bloomberg they could not comment on the story.

Initial news reports suggest that a faulty reading from a sensor could have played a role in both crashes. The reports indicate that the faulty sensor may have triggered the plane's automated system, which would point the nose downward after takeoff to prevent the plane from stalling.

Von Hoesslin mentioned the aircraft's sensor from the automated safety system — a feature currently being scrutinized by investigators. However, it is unclear if the Ethiopian Airlines crash would have been prevented if the airline heeded his warning, Bloomberg noted.

Boeing has been under intense scrutiny following the crashes. Multiple news reports have revealed problems in the production process, including for the 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Errors on the production line included debris in airspeed sensors, rags and bolts in planes, and loose cabin seats, The Post and Courier reported earlier in May. Tires with cuts in them, untested gears, and malfunctioning hydraulics systems were also spotted by workers, some of whom were allowed to self-inspect their work.

Tensions between the United States and China are running high, as industry experts warn that the Trump administration's ongoing trade war, and its recent blacklisting of tech giant Huawei, could led to a full-blown tech Cold War between the two countries.

It's against that backdrop that Roblox, the video game platform most recently valued at $2.5 billion, announced on Tuesday that it will form a new, jointly-owned company with Chinese tech giant Tencent.

This new company, which does not appear to have a name just yet, will be based in Shenzhen, and have "an initial focus on education to teach coding fundamentals, game design, digital citizenship, and entrepreneurial skills," according to the press release.

The eventual goal, the companies said in the announcement, is to bring Roblox to China, where it does not currently operate.

Roblox now has 90 million active users, many of which are kids and pre-teens, putting it on a par with mega-hits like Microsoft's "Minecraft" phenomenon. Getting access to China's roughly 800 million internet users would definitely give Roblox the opportunity to take things to the next level.

Read more: A video game turned this self-taught 23-year-old programmer into a budding mogul who can support his mom and brother

It's important for Roblox to have a powerful ally like Tencent in doing so, too — China has very strict rules around allowing foreign companies like Roblox to do business in the country; having Tencent as a local partner could smooth the way.

In the interim, the two companies say that this joint venture will focus on using Roblox to teach coding. To that end, the two are sponsoring a scholarship program for 15 Chinese students to attend a week-long camp taught at Stanford University this summer, where they will learn about game design and 3D world creation.

"MeepCity" is one of the most popular games on Roblox. Screenshot/Matt Weinberger

For its part, Tencent is no stranger to working with foreign game companies: Back in 2012, Tencent bought a 40% stake in Epic Games, the creator of the smash-hit "Fortnite." Tencent also licensed the Chinese rights to "PUBG Mobile," a very popular battle royale game for smartphones, from South Korean developer Bluehole. It's even been reported that Tencent will help Nintendo bring its Switch console to China.

Still, the partnership between Roblox and Tencent is striking given the political uncertainties and heated rhetoric that currently rule the day.

It's also worth noting that China has also recently put new restrictions on the video game industry, and Tencent isn't immune: The company recently discontinued its support for "PUBG Mobile" in the country, after it failed to get approval from regulators to monetize the game. Instead, Tencent launched "Heping Jingying," a very similar title, with more patriotic overtones.

The US trade war with China will provoke Chinese citizens to turn away from Apple and buy domestic mobile brands instead, according to an analyst note from Citi on Monday.

The analysts predicted that Apple's brand is already being damaged in China and that this is a recent deterioration. According to their calculations, China accounts for 18% of all Apple sales, but that figure could halve thanks to the trade war.

"We are proactively slashing our iPhone unit sales as we believe the US/China trade situation will result in a slowdown of Apple iPhone demand in China as China residents shift their purchasing preference to China national brands," they wrote.

"Our independent due diligence now shows a less favorable brand image desire for iPhone and this has very recently deteriorated," they added.

They maintained a "buy" rating on Apple shares, but slashed the target price to $205 from $220 and warned that could go lower.

Citi's analysts said the confusion about whether Android would continue to work on Huawei's handsets could help Apple sell more iPhones. Anyone worried about whether Google could suddenly pull the plug on OS support on Chinese handsets could hedge their bets and switch to an iPhone, the thinking goes.

But they said it's likely other Android phone makers (think Samsung) who would more likely benefit from this confusion. Apple would gain 5% of phone unit sales at most, they estimated.

And overall, the drop in Chinese sales could trim iPhone sales by up to 10 million units for 2020.

Other analysts have separately predicted that the Trump administration's decision to blacklist Huawei could backfire and hurt Apple. They argued that China could ban US technology sales, and the trade war could affect Apple's Asian supply chain, too.

Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei said in an interview that he would be the "first to protest" if his home country retaliated against Apple.

Netflix is the first major US studio to speak out against the antiabortion laws that are making their ways through states such as Georgia, Alabama, and Missouri.

In Georgia, a major US production hub for TV and film, Netflix said it would consider pulling its productions from the state if the "heartbeat bill," which was signed into law in May, went into effect.

Georgia's heartbeat bill would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into the pregnancy, when women may not yet know they are pregnant. The American Civil Liberties Union has vowed to challenge the law, which goes into effect in 2020. The law has raised concerns that women who seek abortions or miscarry could face criminal charges.

"We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law," Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer, said in a statement to Variety. "It's why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we'll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we'd rethink our entire investment in Georgia."

Read more: Meet the power players at Netflix leading the streaming giant's defense against Disney and other rivals

Netflix has filmed series such as "Stranger Things" in Georgia, which is a popular place to film movies and TV shows because of the tax breaks offered by the state.

Other major US studios approached by Variety would not comment on Georgia's antiabortion law, the publication wrote. Many of the studios film in Georgia, including Disney, which has shot Marvel movies such as the box-office topping "Avengers: Endgame" in the state.

In 2018, 455 TV and film projects were completed in Georgia, adding about $9.5 billion to the economy, according to state officials.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos may be the richest person, but he isn't well-known for his billion-dollar donations and philanthropic efforts like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

Additional light was recently shed on Bezos' charitable donations after news that his ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos, had signed the Giving Pledge, in which participants promise to give away more than half of their wealth during their lifetimes or in their wills.

Among the five richest people in America, Jeff Bezos, who has a net worth of $114 billion, is the only one who hasn't signed on to the philanthropic commitment.

It's not clear why Bezos has avoided joining the Giving Pledge, an initiative started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett almost a decade ago. His charitable history has "remained largely a mystery," The New York Times wrote in 2017 after Bezos posted a "request for ideas" for philanthropy on Twitter.

A nonprofit bearing Bezos' last name, the Bezos Family Foundation, has given millions of dollars to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. However, the fund is run entirely by the Amazon CEO's parents and hasn't received contributions from Bezos himself, according to Inside Philanthropy.

Additionally, Bezos had never appeared on the annual list of America's 50 largest donors until 2018, when he took the top spot with the launch of a $2 billion fund for education programs for the homeless. Still, that donation represented only about 1.3% of his net worth at the time, according to Quartz.

Here are all the major donations Bezos is known to have given to charity since becoming a billionaire in 1997:

Say you're riding shotgun in your friend's car. It's Friday night, and you're playing music from your favorite YouTube playlist. Then, someone asks you to look up directions. Since your iPhone is already connected to the car's stereo, once you leave YouTube, the music stops and everyone in the car collectively sighs.

YouTube lovers have long expressed dismay over this inconvenience. There used to be a way to get around this by navigating to YouTube using Safari instead of the YouTube app and playing music from there, but that trick has since been patched out.

That means that, unfortunately, the only way to play music from YouTube in the background is to sign up for YouTube's paid subscription service, YouTube Premium.

YouTube Premium costs $11.99 a month for a single account ($6.99 a month if you're a student), or $17.99 a month for six accounts in a "Family Plan." Signing up will get rid of all ads on YouTube videos, allow you to download videos to watch offline, and give you access to both "YouTube Original" videos and YouTube Music, the site's music streaming service. And, of course, you'll receive the ability to listen to audio from YouTube videos in the background, even while using other apps.

Here's how to sign up for YouTube Premium, and start listening to YouTube whenever you want in the background.

How to play YouTube in the background using YouTube Premium

First, you need to sign up for YouTube Premium.

1. Navigate to the YouTube Premium homepage, which can be found here.

2. Click the blue button that says "TRY IT FREE," which will open a window for you to enter your payment information.

Go to the YouTube Premium homepage to start the signup process. William Antonelli/Business Insider

3. Enter your payment information and zip code. YouTube Premium offers a one-month free trial, so if this is your first time signing up, you won't be charged the $11.99 fee until a month has passed. YouTube may, however, charge you a $1 fee at first to make sure that the payment information you've given them is valid — this dollar should be refunded within a few days.

Enter the payment information that you want to be used to pay for Premium. William Antonelli/Business Insider

4. The YouTube account you used to sign up for Premium will be immediately granted access to all the new features of Premium.

Now, here's how to play songs in the background.

5. Open the YouTube app.

6. Navigate to the video that you want to listen to in the background.

7. Once it starts playing, feel free to return to your phone's Home screen, and open other apps. You can pause and play the video's audio from the iPhone's Control Center, by opening it and holding your finger down on the music tab for a moment.

You can control volume and playback from the iPhone's Control Center. William Antonelli/Business Insider

As long as you're subscribed to YouTube Premium, you'll be able to listen to YouTube videos without having the app open.

Voracious readers, get ready to become voracious listeners, too. For all the times that you couldn't put your book down but had to because — despite your best efforts — you cannot, in fact, drive and read at the same time, there is now a solution. Audible, the company behind the largest selection of audiobooks and original audio shows (nearly 500,000, to be exact), is here to save you from cliffhangers.

While I've always purported to prefer reading to listening, I'll admit that listening to Meryl Streep read Nora Ephron titles is something that I cannot do in my own head. Similarly, while I have yet to score tickets to "Hamilton," I like to think that listening to Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo narrate "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz comes as a close second.

There are also some pretty solid Audible originals. For the political junkies in the room, there's "Conversations with Joe," which offers the highlights from Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden's tour across the US, in which he spoke of his son's Beau's life and battle with brain cancer. Or, there's the extremely popular "Heads Will Roll," featuring Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne, which listeners have called "TV for your ears" and "unbelievably funny."

In short, regardless of what content you like to read or hear, you can probably find it on this Amazon-owned service. Here's how to get Audible and use it on your devices.

Audible

Sign up for an Amazon membership

In order to use Audible, you'll have to be an Amazon member, but not necessarily an Amazon Prime member. Unlike many of Amazon's other offerings, this isn't an add-on service that is contingent on your having a Prime membership. Rather, all you need is a standard Amazon account.

In order to get set up, you'll want to navigate your way over to the top righthand corner of the Amazon home screen, where you'll see an option that reads Hello, Sign In. If you roll over that, you'll see text that says, New Customer? Start here. From there, you'll just need to enter your name, email, and password, and you're all set.

Note that while you don't have to be a Prime member, a Prime membership would grant you free access to Audible content, so if you're on the fence about it, this may sweeten the deal in one direction or another.

Sign up for Audible

If you're not interested in going the Prime route, then you'll simply need to sign up for an Audible account by heading over to this new member page. You'll be granted a 30-day free trial, after which you'll begin paying the monthly $14.95 fee.

Start searching for titles

Every month that you're an Audible member, you'll receive one credit, which is good for any title, regardless of price. But of course, you'll want to listen to more than just one book a month. In that case, you'll have to buy these additional titles. The good news, though, is that they stay in your permanent collection, so you can go back to them time and time again and build the library of your dreams.

Amazon

You can listen to Audible on all these devices

As it stands, you can use Audible on any iPhone or Android device, thanks to the Audible app. The service is also compatible with a wide range of other devices, including:

How to use the Audible app

Malarie Gokey/Business Insider

To start listening, simply find the title on your My Library page or the Cloud tab on your mobile application. You can then either download the audiobook onto your computer to listen or transfer to another device; stream and listen via the Audible Cloud Player, which can be found on the My Library page; find the title in the cloud on your mobile device for downloading; or, if you're going old school, burn the audiobook onto a disc. Note, though, that you can only use the last option with iTunes software.

Sign up for a 30-day free trial of Audible here and pay $14.95/month after the trial ends.

Sign up for an Amazon Prime membership here.

If you're not on the iPhone bandwagon and aren't impressed by the Samsung lineup, fret not — there may be a better option for you yet. The Google Pixel lineup has emerged as a very real contender for the best smartphone you can buy.

Although Google recently introduced the budget-friendly Pixel 3a and 3a XL smartphones for $400 and $480 respectively, many Android fans are eagerly awaiting the launch of its high-end Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones.

The Pixel 4 and 4 XL are slated to be released later this year, and there are plenty of rumors circulating about when we can expect these two smartphones to hit the market, and how much they'll cost. We're keeping an eye on when Google may drop its newest devices, but here are our predictions.

When will the new Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL come out?

While there's no certainty around the Google Pixel 4's release date quite yet, we do know that it'll be sometime in the fall. If history is any indication, we can expect an announcement in early October, and an actual release a few weeks later. For example, the Pixel 3 was announced on October 9 and was subsequently available in stores on November 1. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL followed a similar timeline as well.

The folks over at GottaBe Mobile have a hunch that the launch event will be the second Tuesday in October (October 8) and that the actual release in stores will follow in mid-October.

It seems as though Google wants to keep up with Apple and Samsung's design and technology ethos, so it looks like we'll have a new Pixel that has no bezels and edge-to-edge display. A Google patent also recently revealed a bezel-less phone with dual front-facing speakers, so this could be the design that we're in for.

9to5Google also reported that there will be a second camera in the back for better photography and that both the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL will feature the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, wireless charging, water-resistant properties, and alas, no headphone jack.

How much will the new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL cost?

If the technology and design of the new Pixel phones are set to match that of Apple and Samsung, then we can only expect the price to also be on par. That means that the newest Pixel will be quite expensive, with experts suggesting a starting price of at least $799. The Pixel 4 XL, of course, will be even more expensive given its larger size, its additional cameras, and longer battery life — that model could start around $899.

For folks looking to tack on additional RAM and storage, prices will probably increase by another couple hundred dollars.

The good news, however, is that we can probably expect older generations of the Pixel to be discounted as a result of the new release.

Check back regularly, as we'll update this post when we know the official launch and release date of the 2019 Pixels.

Which Pixel phones are currently available to buy?

You can currently buy the high-end Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, which were released in 2018, or you can pick up the newly released budget-friendly Pixel 3a and 3a XL phones for a much lower price. The Pixel 3a series phones start at just $399 and $479, which is much cheaper than the $799 to $899 price tags of the flagship Pixel 3 and 3 XL.

We recommend going for the Pixel 3a or 3a XL if you prefer to save a bit of money. Those of you who want a flagship phone will want to wait for the Pixel 4 and 4 XL.

Check out the Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL on Amazon for $399 and $479 or the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL at Best Buy for $799 and $899.

Whether you need a pair of white pants or simply want to give your closet a spring refresh, you'll have all the clothing, bag, and jewelry sale choices you could possibly want this Memorial Day.

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Amour Vert: 20% off sitewide from May 25 through May 27

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Athleta: 20% off swim through May 27

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Banana Republic: 40% off everything through May 28

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Ban.do: 25% off Summer Favorites + a gift with purchases of $50+ through May 28

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Chrome Industries: 25% off new styles + an extra 30% off sale items through May 27

Coach: Up to 50% off women's and men's items through May 27

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Macy's: Up to an extra 20% off select departments with code " MEMDAY" through May 27

Manduka: Up to 50% off sale items through May 28

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Nike: Extra 25% off sales styles with code " SAVE25" through May 29

Nisolo: 15% off select styles with code " SPRING15" through May 27

Nordstrom: Up to 50% off sitewide during the Half Yearly Sale through June 2

Old Navy: 50% off all tees, tanks, shorts, and swim through May 31

Pact Apparel: Through May 27, take 20% off sitewide, plus an extra 10% off orders of $100+

Paravel: 20% off sitewide through May 27

Primary: 50% off the Warehouse Sale through May 27

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Rocksbox: Get your first month free through June 9

Soko: Extra 20% off all sale products through May 27

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ThinkGeek: Extra 75% off Clearance items with promo code " DOORBUSTER" through May 27

Timbuk2: 25% off hardmarked items through May 30

True & Co: 20% off sitewide (some exclusions apply) through May 28

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Zappos: Up to 50% off sitewide through May 27

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