{"id":127660,"date":"2026-03-19T01:28:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T04:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/900353092"},"modified":"2026-03-19T01:28:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T04:28:40","slug":"federal-program-funding-small-tech-businesses-passed-by-us-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/03\/19\/federal-program-funding-small-tech-businesses-passed-by-us-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal program funding small tech businesses passed by US House"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Senator
Senator Ed Markey speaks during a news conference on Social Security at the Capitol in Washington on March 26, 2025.<\/span>ERIC LEE\/NYT<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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GOVERNMENT<\/span><\/p>\n

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Federal program funding small tech businesses passed by US House<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A bill that would revive the federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs for five years is now heading to President Trump\u2019s desk. The House of Representatives passed the bill on Tuesday, after an impasse on the Senate side was resolved between Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa and Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts. The so-called SBIR program had been pumping $4 billion a year into small- and mid-sized tech businesses via research grants and contracts. But the program had expired at the end of September after Markey and Ernst, the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate\u2019s small business committee, could not reach an agreement over whether frequent users of the program should be allowed to keep applying. Last year, Ernst had proposed a $75 million lifetime cap on company participation, a measure that would have boxed out a number of Massachusetts businesses. Markey fought against that limit. In the end, Ernst agreed to a version that instead leaves it up to individual federal agencies to decide how to cap SBIR proposals from a particular company \u2014 by fiscal year, topic, or number of applications. \u2014 JON CHESTO<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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RETAIL<\/span><\/p>\n

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Macy\u2019s posts strong fourth-quarter results but a reserved outlook reflects uncertainty around tariffs, Iran war<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Customers
Customers walk into the Macy’s flagship store on Nov. 21, 2025, in New York.<\/span>Yuki Iwamura\/Associated Press<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Macy\u2019s reported stronger-than-expected profits in the crucial fourth-quarter and comparable sales rose again. The department store said an overhaul of its merchandise and improved customer service led to more spending by shoppers. The company, which also operates upscale Bloomingdale\u2019s and the beauty chain Bluemercury, offered a mixed outlook for the year \u2014 projecting sales above Wall Street expectations, but a conservative outlook on profits. Macy\u2019s CEO Tony Spring said the reserved outlook reflects the \u201ctension\u201d between Macy\u2019s relatively healthy business and external economic volatility, namely uncertainty from President Trump\u2019s tariffs and the war in Iran that has sent energy prices soaring. \u201cSitting here today, there\u2019s more unknown than there is known,\u201d Spring told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. Shares rose 4.7 percent in Wednesday trading. Spring, entering his third year leading Macy\u2019s and attempting to recharge the storied retailer, said Wednesday that Bloomingdale\u2019s booked its highest holiday sales performance on record. Some of that outsized performance has been attributed by industry analysts to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of the company that runs Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. \u2014 ASSOCIATED PRESS<\/span><\/p>\n

ENTERTAINMENT<\/span><\/p>\n

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Disney\u2019s new CEO sees broader role for streaming business<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Josh
Josh D’Amaro at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., on July 17, 2025.<\/span>MARK ABRAMSON\/NYT<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Walt Disney Co.\u2019s new chief executive officer Josh D\u2019Amaro outlined his vision for the entertainment giant, one that involves a broader connection between subscribers of the flagship Disney+ streaming service and the company\u2019s other offerings. \u201cDisney+ will continue to evolve beyond a traditional streaming service to become the digital centerpiece of our company \u2014 a portal that connects our stories, experiences, games, films, and more in entirely new ways,\u201d D\u2019Amaro said Wednesday at his first annual meeting as CEO. His goal is to \u201cdeliver a more connected, personalized, and immersive experience to our consumers \u2014 wherever they are and whenever they would like to engage with us.\u201d At the meeting, shareholders elected all 11 board nominees proposed by the company, including former CEO Bob Iger. They approved Disney\u2019s executive compensation plans but rejected proposals that would have studied the company\u2019s disability and gift matching programs. They also rejected a proposal to allow shareholders to concentrate their votes for one board member. The annual meeting marked a formal passing of the baton as D\u2019Amaro takes over from Iger, who received a video tribute at the start of the event. He\u2019s leaving his successor with a long to-do list. After two decades at the top of one of the world\u2019s largest entertainment companies, Iger hands D\u2019Amaro a business with an expanded and thriving film studio, a growing and successful global parks operation, and a profitable streaming service. And yet the company\u2019s shares have underperformed the broader market and its peers since Iger returned for a second stint as CEO in 2022, reflecting investor anxiety about the shifting media landscape that Disney once dominated. \u2014 BLOOMBERG NEWS<\/span><\/p>\n

HOLLYWOOD<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ratings for Oscars slide 9%, first drop in 4 years<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Conan
Conan O’Brien hosts the 98th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 15.<\/span>PHILIP CHEUNG\/NYT<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Oscars drew 17.9 million viewers on Sunday night, a 9 percent decline from last year\u2019s telecast, according to Nielsen. The ratings snapped a four-year rise for the Oscars and followed declines for this year\u2019s Grammy Awards and Golden Globe Awards as well. It was the first time in several years that viewership fell for all three major award shows. Oscars organizers pushed the ceremony to a later date this year to avoid a conflict with the Winter Olympics. But a different sporting event may have created some unwanted competition. The World Baseball Classic \u2014 a tournament that takes place every few years and is quickly becoming baseball\u2019s version of the World Cup \u2014 concluded Tuesday night with Venezuela defeating the USA. When the Oscars aired Sunday night, a close semifinal game between the United States and the Dominican Republic was featured. That game drew 7.4 million viewers, Nielsen said, a significant number for cable. A decade or two ago, when the Oscars reliably attracted more than 30 million or 40 million viewers, media companies were reluctant to program a major sports event or TV series opposite the show. But at this point, the Super Bowl is the only event that media companies will go out of their way to avoid. The Grammys dropped to 14.4 million viewers this year; that show attracted nearly 17 million two years ago. The Golden Globes drew 8.7 million viewers this year. Still, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars, does not have to sweat the ratings decline as much as it would have in the past. ABC\u2019s half-century partnership with the Oscars will end after 2028. In 2029, the Oscars will begin streaming exclusively on YouTube. The Nielsen\u2019s ratings figure includes the audience that watched the ceremony on ABC and streamed it on Hulu. \u2014 NEW YORK TIMES<\/span><\/p>\n

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE<\/span><\/p>\n

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2,400 Kaiser mental health professionals strike in Northern California over AI concerns<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

About 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health professionals were striking Wednesday in Northern California over concerns that the health care giant is replacing therapists with artificial intelligence. Kaiser says the union claim is false and AI will not replace human assessment or make care decisions for patients. Facilities are open, the company said. The two sides have been negotiating a new contract since last summer. The mental health professionals were joined in their one-day strike by more than 23,000 Kaiser nurses. The therapists, who include social workers and psychologists, provide mental health and addiction medicine treatment for an estimated 4.6 million patients in the San Francisco Bay Area, central valley, and Sacramento regions. Oakland-based Kaiser does not currently use AI for therapy, but the National Union of Healthcare Workers fears the technology will become good enough to make it an attractive option for the company. Katy Roemer, a nurse in adult and family medicine, said the California Nurses Association shares concerns raised by mental health professionals and want to ensure that humans provide care for other humans. \u201cIs AI going to benefit patients? Is AI going to benefit the people that work for Kaiser Permanente? Or is AI going to benefit the bottom line of the corporation?\u201d she said. \u201cSo we want AI that\u2019s transparent, that is allowing people to do their jobs.\u201d In a message sent this week to employees, management said they have hired more mental health workers. \u201cWe see technology \u2014 and AI, in particular \u2014 as a way to support you in managing your practice and provide you with tools that facilitate greater access to care and connection with patients,\u201d reads the message sent on behalf of Lionel Sims, senior vice president, Human Resources, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals, and Priya Smith, chief employee human resources officer, The Permanente Medical Group. \u2014 ASSOCIATED PRESS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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… Federal program funding small tech<\/span> businesses passed by US … Research and Small Business Technology<\/span> Transfer programs for five … small- and mid-sized tech<\/span> businesses via research grants … health workers. \u00e2\u0080\u009cWe see technology<\/span> \u00e2\u0080\u0094 and AI, in particular \u00e2\u0080\u0094 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127660\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}