Mission Everywhere

Black McDonald's franchisees say they were forced to close or sell more than 200 McDonald's locations due to "systematic and covert racial discrimination." Samantha Lee/Business Insider 52 Black former McDonald's franchisees are suing the fast-food giant, seeking more than $1 billion in damages.  The franchisees say they were forced to close or sell more than 200 McDonald's locations due to "systematic and covert racial discrimination."  Black franchisees were at such a significant disadvantage, one franchisee said in the complaint, acquiring McDonald's locations as a Black franchisee was a "financial suicide mission."  McDonald's did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.  Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . McDonald's is facing a new lawsuit from Black former franchisees, claiming they faced decades of discrimination at the fast-food chain.  A complaint filed by

Javed, a middle-aged man, worked as a driver before losing that job earlier this year as coronavirus spread across India, prompting New Delhi to enforce a nationwide lockdown and temporarily curb several business activities. There are millions of people like Javed in India today who have lost their livelihood in recent months. They are low-skilled workers and are currently struggling to secure another job. An Apple alum thinks he can help. Through his app startup Apna , Nirmit Parikh is helping India’s workers learn new skills, connect with one another, and find jobs. Parikh’s app is already changing lives. Javed, who could barely speak a few words in English before, recently posted a video on Apna app where he talked about his new job — processing raisins — in English. In less than one year of its existence, Apna app — available on Android — has amassed over 1.2 million users. The startup announced on Tuesday it has raised $8 million in its Series A financing round led by Lights

Bloomberg : Sources: Apple is building ~75M 5G iPhones for later this year, along with two new Apple Watch versions, iPad Air with edge-to-edge screen, and smaller HomePod   —  - Headphones, new Watch models, iPad Air, smaller HomePod coming  — Supply chain, consumer interest hold up in pandemic, recession from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3jy3XJv

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch : Walmart unveils its new membership service Walmart+, launching Sept. 15 for $98 per year, will offer free, unlimited same-day delivery, fuel discounts, and more   —  Walmart today officially unveiled its new membership service and Amazon Prime rival, which it's calling “Walmart+.” from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2QL1Fdq

This one is unusual: Laird Superfood , a five-year-old, 100-person, Sisters, Ore.-based startup that was cofounded by famed surfer Laird Hamilton and which makes plant-based packaged beverage products, filed today to raise up to $40 million in an IPO. We’d reported on this company early last year in large part because it had attracted backing from WeWork, the co-working company that famously made a number of bets that were very afield from its business (including a maker of wave pools ) before suffering a major meltdown last fall. In fact, according to Crunchbase, WeWork Labs provided Laird Superfood with a whopping $32 million — the bulk of the $51 million it has raised altogether, per Crunchbase. (WeWork founder Adam Neumann has said that he surfed with Hamilton in Hawaii.) At that time, WeWork’s investment was the strangest thing about the business, a largely direct-to-consumer business that makes “superfood” coffee creamers, beverage supplements like “performance mushroom

Thomas Macaulay / The Next Web : Stanford launches Cable TV News Analyzer, a free AI-powered online service for querying the screen time of public figures or specific topics on cable TV news   —  A new AI-powered tool can show you how much screen time different public figures and topics are getting on TV. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/3lDFTqz

A sheriff's deputy in Orange County put an unauthorized patch on his uniform that references far-right paramilitary organizations. Twitter/The Democratic Party of Orange County; Insider A cop in Southern California who wore a patch on his uniform in June referencing far-right extremist groups will not be fired, the Orange County Sheriff's Department announced. "Although I cannot go into the specific details of the investigation, I can tell you that there is no evidence revealed that show that [the] deputy had extremist views or racial views," Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said. The patch, which images showed the officer wore on his uniform while policing a protest against the killing of George Floyd, referenced the "Three Percenters" and "Oath Keepers," paramilitary organizations that have at times embraced vigilante violence. Barnes said Orange County deputies would undergo training on the threat posed by such organizations. "The

Walmart+ is launching September 15. Walmart Walmart is launching Walmart+, a membership program costing $98 annually, on September 15 nationwide.  Many analysts see Walmart+ as a direct competitor to Amazon Prime, which costs $119 annually. The program's biggest perks include fuel discounts of up to $0.05 per gallon and free unlimited delivery on orders of more than 160,000 items, including groceries and general merchandise.  Walmart+ orders can be delivered as soon as the same day. Walmart typically charges customers a grocery delivery fee of $7.95 to $9.95 per order. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . Walmart plans to launch its highly anticipated membership program, Walmart+, nationwide on September 15, the company said Tuesday. Walmart+ will cost $98 annually, or $12.95 monthly, and offer fuel discounts as well as free unlimited delivery on orders of groceries, toys, and more. Walmart typically charges customers a grocery delivery fee of $7.95

Amazon Prime; Walmart; Alyssa Powell/Business Insider Walmart+ is Walmart's answer to Amazon's popular Amazon Prime subscription service . Walmart + will go live on September 15, after the coronavirus pandemic delayed its initial springtime launch. Walmart + members will receive perks like free delivery and discounts on gas. "Walmart+ will bring together a comprehensive set of benefits where we see the greatest needs from our customers and where our scale can bring solutions at an unprecedented value," Chief Customer Officer Janey Whiteside said in a statement sent to Business Insider. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . When it launches on September 15, Walmart+ is slated to become a major competitor for Amazon Prime . But how will the two rival services stack up? Amazon Prime dates back to 2005. Amazon has had 15 years to establish and refine its perks .  On August 31, Walmart chief customer officer Janey Whiteside announced that