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Dick’s Sporting Goods saw its strongest holiday on record, but it’s expecting profits to be lower than Wall Street anticipated in 2025.
The sporting equipment and apparel retailer said its guidance takes into account sliding consumer confidence and the impact tariffs could have on spending.
Executive chairman Ed Stack told CNBC “it’s just a bit of an uncertain world out there right now.”

Dick’s Sporting Goods branded water bottles are displayed in a store on September 04, 2024 in Daly City, California. 
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Dick’s Sporting Goods on Tuesday said it’s expecting 2025 profits to be far lower than Wall Street anticipated, making it the latest retailer to forecast a rocky year ahead as consumers contend with tariffs, inflation and fears around a potential recession. 
In an interview with CNBC, Executive Chairman Ed Stack said the company’s exposure to China, Mexico and Canada for sourcing is very small, but it recognizes that falling consumer confidence could impact spending.

“I do think it’s just a bit of an uncertain world out there right now,” said Stack. “What’s going to happen from a tariff standpoint? You know, if tariffs are put in place and prices rise the way that they might, what’s going to happen with the consumer?”
Shares of the company fell about 5% in premarket trading.
Despite the weak guidance, the sporting goods retailer posted its best holiday quarter on record. Its comparable sales rose 6.4%, far ahead of the 2.9% growth that analysts expected, according to StreetAccount. 
Here’s how Dick’s did in its fiscal fourth quarter compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Earnings per share: $3.62 vs. $3.53 expected
Revenue: $3.89 billion vs. $3.78 billion expected

The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Feb. 1 was $300 million, or $3.62 per share, compared with $296 million, or $3.57 per share, a year earlier.  

Sales rose to $3.89 billion, up about 0.5% from $3.88 billion a year earlier. Like other retailers, Dick’s benefited from an extra week in the year-ago period, which has skewed comparisons. But unlike many of its peers, Dick’s still managed to grow both sales and profits during the quarter, even with one less selling week. 
In the year ahead, Dick’s is expecting earnings per share to be between $13.80 and $14.40, well short of Wall Street estimates of $14.86, according to LSEG. It anticipates net sales will be between $13.6 billion and $13.9 billion, which at the high end is in line with estimates of $13.9 billion, according to LSEG. Dick’s expecting comparable sales to grow between 1% and 3%, compared with estimates of up 2.5%, according to StreetAccount. 
The gloomy earnings outlook comes after a wide array of other retailers gave weak forecasts for the current quarter or the year ahead amid concerns about sliding consumer confidence and the impact tariffs and inflation could have on spending. Kohl’s also offered a weak outlook for the year ahead on Tuesday, leading its shares to plummet 15%.
Some retailers blamed an unseasonably cool February for a weak start to the current quarter, but most recognized they’re also operating in a tough macroeconomic backdrop, and it’s tougher than ever to forecast how consumers are holding up. In February, consumer confidence slid to its lowest levels since 2021, the jobs report came in weaker than expected and unemployment ticked up. Over the last few years, a strong job market has led many economists to brush away concerns about rising credit card delinquencies and debt, but those cracks could grow deeper if unemployment continues to rise. 
On Monday, some of those concerns triggered a stock market sell-off, extending losses after the S&P 500 posted three consecutive negative weeks. The Nasdaq Composite saw its worst day since September 2022, while the Dow lost nearly 900 points and closed below its 200-day moving average for the first time since Nov. 1, 2023.
In a news release, CEO Lauren Hobart said the company’s guidance “reflects strong confidence in our strategies and operational strength” but also takes into account “the dynamic macroeconomic environment.”
Further, Dick’s plans to invest more heavily in its “House of Sport” concept and e-commerce in the year ahead, which it also expects will weigh on profits. The massive, 100,000-square-foot stores are a growth area for the company and include features like rock climbing walls and running tracks. 
In the year ahead, Dick’s plans to spend $1 billion on a net basis building 16 additional House of Sport locations and 18 Field House locations, which take some of the experimental elements of the House of Sport but fit it into the size of a traditional Dick’s store. 
The strategy comes at a strong point for sports in the country, which is expected to be a tail wind for the business. The 2026 World Cup will be held in North America, women’s sports are more popular than ever, and consumers are increasingly focused on health and wellness. 
“We’re going to have a moment here in the next three or four years, from a sports standpoint, that I think is going to put sport on steroids,” said Stack. “We’re going into a sports moment right now, and we are investing very heavily into that sports moment over the next several years because this is going to last through [2030] and maybe beyond.”
— Additional reporting by CNBC’s Courtney Reagan.

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Kohl’s earnings and revenue topped estimates for the fourth quarter, but it issued disappointing guidance for 2025.
Revenue came in at $5.18 billion for the fourth quarter and $15.39 billion for the full year.
The retailer said it expects revenue to fall 5% to 7% in fiscal 2025.

A worker pushes a cart outside of Kohl’s store on November 26, 2024 in San Rafael, California. 
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Kohl’s posted an earnings and revenue beat for the fourth quarter on Tuesday, but its stock plunged as it issued much worse-than-expected guidance for the year ahead.
Shares of the company fell more than 15% in premarket trading on Tuesday.

For 2025, Kohl’s expects revenue to fall 5% to 7%, compared with Wall Street estimates of a 1.6% decrease, according to LSEG. The company projected comparable sales will fall 4% to 6%, while analysts anticipated a 0.9% decrease, according to StreetAccount. Kohl’s expects earnings per share to come in between 10 cents and 60 cents, a miss compared to a midpoint Wall Street estimate of $1.23, according to LSEG.
Here’s how the retailer did compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

Earnings per share: 95 cents adjusted vs. 73 cents expected
Revenue: $5.18 billion vs. $5.15 billion expected

Kohl’s has navigated significant turmoil in the last few months. The retailer in November named Ashley Buchanan its new CEO as of Jan. 15, replacing Tom Kingsbury after he spent two years leading Kohl’s. In January, the company announced that it had cut nearly 10% of its corporate workforce and would close 27 underperforming stores by April.
Shares of the company have fallen over 50% in the past year.
Kohl’s also became the latest retailer to say it expected a turbulent 2025, following Dick’s Sporting Goods earlier Tuesday. Falling consumer confidence, President Donald Trump’s tariff policy and weaker-than-expected job growth have all raised fears about a potential recession.

Kohl’s fourth-quarter net sales of $5.18 billion fell from $5.71 billion during the same period in 2023. Full-year 2024 sales came in at $15.39 billion, down from $16.59 billion in 2023. Both the fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2023 were one week longer than their 2024 counterparts.
Quarterly comparable sales, defined by Kohl’s as sales from e-commerce and stores open for at least 12 months, fell 6.7% year over year. Wall Street expected a 6.8% decrease, according to StreetAccount.
Kohl’s reported a net income for the fourth quarter of $48 million, or 43 cents per share, compared with a net income of $186 million, or $1.67 per share, during the fourth quarter of 2023.
Adjusting for costs associated with impairments and store closures, Kohl’s reported fourth-quarter earnings of 95 cents per share. More

A new report by EDO found TV advertisers spent $244 million on women’s sports in 2024, a year-over-year increase of 139%.
Basketball, soccer and tennis were among the top sports for ad engagement.
Advertisements that were contextually relevant and featured women athletes performed especially well across the board.

The New York Liberty celebrate after winning the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center.
Wendell Cruz | Usa Today Sports Via Reuters Con

Women’s sports enjoyed a marquee year across the board in 2024, but especially in television advertising, according to TV marketing firm EDO.
In a report released Tuesday, EDO found that TV advertisers spent $244 million on women’s sports in 2024, a year-over-year increase of 139%, with basketball receiving the most investment of any sport. That corresponded with a 131% year-over-year increase in women’s sports TV viewership, according to EDO’s estimates.

Ads during women’s sports programs were 40% more impactful than the average primetime advertisement, according to EDO, as measured by searches for brands after an ad aired.
Women’s sports is on track to become one of the most valuable areas for advertisers, said Laura Grover, senior vice president and head of client solutions at EDO.
“What really jumped out to me is that a lot of the brands that are really seeing gains are ones that have had a very minimal presence on TV in the past,” Grover said. “They’re leaning into these new opportunities in women’s sports, and they’re really paying off.”
The top-spending industries on women’s sports in 2024 were autos, pharmaceuticals, internet and telecommunications, financial services, and insurance, according to the report. The highest-spending brands were State Farm, AT&T, Allstate, Nike and AbbVie’s Skyrizi, while the most effective brands for engagement were Skims, Poppi, Oura, Fabletics and Bombas.
Overall, the most engaging women’s sports events for advertisers were college lacrosse (25% more effective than the average 2024 women’s sports program), the U.S. Open semifinals and finals (20% more effective), the NCAA Tournament for basketball (19% more effective), college gymnastics and the WNBA Finals (both 18% more effective than the overall category).

Basketball leads

Although ad spending and viewership growth expanded across all women’s sports, basketball made notable strides with both programming and star power. The decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals was the most-watched Finals game in 25 years, and the league set a regular-season record for unique viewers in 2024.
According to EDO, ads that aired during the WNBA playoffs created 24% more engagement per person than the average primetime spot, and engagement rates for ads during the WNBA’s regular season, playoffs and finals all grew year over year.
As brand ambassadors, individual WNBA athletes also boosted advertisers. The most influential WNBA players in terms of ads were Cameron Brink of the Los Angeles Sparks, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. Ads that featured Brink, such as commercials for Skims and New Balance, were significantly more effective than the average WNBA ad, according to EDO.
Advertisements that were contextually relevant and featured female athletes performed especially well across the board. Commercials starring WNBA players during WNBA games were 103% more effective than ones that didn’t, the report said. In soccer, ads with National Women’s Soccer League players that aired during NWSL games were 39% more effective than ads without them.
“When you’re bringing in the talent and you’re present in an environment in an authentic way, which a lot of times is through contextual advertising, we tend to see that that is really impactful with audiences,” Grover said.
At the collegiate basketball level, EDO found that ads during the 2024 women’s NCAA Tournament were 18% more effective than the average primetime ad. The tournament championship was the most-watched NCAA women’s college basketball game ever.
Restaurant chains lead the pack in engagement for the current college basketball season, with Marco’s Pizza, Restaurant Brands International’s Popeyes, Papa John’s and McDonald’s claiming four of the top five spots.
Current college basketball stars are also driving engagement with ads. Grover said State Farm’s ad featuring JuJu Watkins of USC has been 20% more impactful than the average State Farm commercial.
NCAA women’s gymnastics, lacrosse and volleyball also rose in popularity. Gymnastics and lacrosse both saw double-digit gains in ad engagement compared to 2023, while commercials during the 2024 volleyball championship were 250% more impactful than the average primetime ad. More

Delta Air Lines cut its first-quarter profit and sales forecasts on weaker domestic travel demand.     
Delta maintained its full-year outlook.   
The carrier noted that both corporate and leisure bookings were down.

Delta Air Lines planes are seen parked at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on June 19, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.
Kent Nishimura | Getty Images

Delta Air Lines slashed its first-quarter revenue and profit outlooks, citing weaker domestic demand, backing up growing concerns about lackluster sales in some corners of the travel industry.
Delta expects revenue in the quarter ending March 31 to rise no more than 5% from last year, down from a forecast in January of 6% to 8% growth. It slashed its adjusted earnings forecast to 30 cents to 50 cents per share from a previous guidance of 70 cents to $1 a share. Delta’s shares were off more than 13% in after-hours trading after falling more than 5% in the regular session on Monday.

“The outlook has been impacted by the recent reduction in consumer and corporate confidence caused by increased macro uncertainty, driving softness in Domestic demand,” Delta said in a securities filing.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on Monday that he does not expect a recession but said consumer confidence has weakened and that both leisure and business customers have pulled back on bookings.
He said concerns about safety “somewhat exacerbated the impact on us” after the deadly midair collision between a regional jet and an Army helicopter in January in Washington, D.C., as well as Delta’s crash on landing in Toronto last month that was not fatal.

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Bastian’s comments come after a broad market sell-off.
Delta’s forecast, delivered after the market closed on Monday, comes a day before a JPMorgan airline industry conference in which CEOs are expected to update investors on current demand trends. Delta said in a filing that demand for premium travel, international travel and loyalty revenue growth is still in line with its expectations.

American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are among the other carriers that will also update Wall Street on demand trends.
Airline shares prices have dropped sharply in recent days as growing signs of weaker consumer spending hit the sector, which had been resilient compared with other industries in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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UAW President Shawn Fain showed support for President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which include 25% levies on automobiles and supporting parts.
The union leader is one of the only high-profile supporters of the trade policy in the auto industry.
“Tariffs aren’t the end solution, but they are a huge factor in creating, fixing the problem,” Fain said.

United Automobile Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain speaks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19, 2024. 
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

DETROIT — The head of the United Auto Workers has become an unexpected ally for President Donald Trump’s plans for North American tariffs.
UAW President Shawn Fain, who was boisterous about his disdain for Trump during the president’s campaign, is openly voicing approval of the tariffs, which include 25% levies on automobiles and supporting parts.

“Tariffs are an attempt to stop the bleeding from the hemorrhaging of jobs in America for the last 33 years,” Fain said Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week,” referring to the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1992. “Tariffs aren’t the end solution, but they are a huge factor in creating, fixing the problem.”

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Tariffs for auto companies that currently meet standards under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, are paused until April 2, following Trump speaking with leaders from General Motors, Ford Motor and Stellantis.
The April 2 delay, which occurred a day after implementation of broader 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, aligns with other Trump-initiated automotive tariffs for vehicles and parts being imported from outside of North America.
Fain on Sunday said he had not spoken directly to Trump, but “has been working with his team.”
Fain’s comments follow the union releasing a statement supporting the tariffs earlier in the week, saying it’s up to companies to handle any additional costs that may occur.

The union, which had endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris, said it’s in “active negotiations with the Trump administration about their plans to end the free trade disaster.”
“We are glad to see an American president take aggressive action on ending the free trade disaster that has dropped like a bomb on the working class,” the union said Tuesday. “There’s been a lot of talk of these tariffs ‘disrupting’ the economy. But if corporate America chooses to price-gouge the American consumer or attack the American worker because they don’t want to pay their fair share, corporate America bears the blame for that decision.”
Fain is one of the only high-profile supporters of Trump’s tariffs among automotive leaders. Auto executives as well as trade associations supporting automakers have described the tariffs as adding unnecessary chaos and additional costs to the industry.
“President Trump has talked a lot about making our U.S. auto industry stronger, bringing more production here, more innovation in the U.S., and if his administration can achieve that, it would be one of … the most signature accomplishments,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said last month. “So far what we’re seeing is a lot of cost, and a lot of chaos.”
Fain has previously condemned the North American Free Trade Agreement — which has been superseded by Trump’s USMCA trade deal since 2020 — saying such trade agreements have caused the country to lose jobs and manufacturing.
Fain and Trump have been at odds and publicly trading remarks since the union leader was elected in 2023. Trump called for Fain to be fired during a speech last year at the Republican National Convention.
Fain has regularly called Trump a “scab” and billionaire who doesn’t care about American workers, but his comments Sunday on Trump show his stance may have softened.
“The election is over. Donald Trump is the president, and we want to get to work to fix the problems that are wrong with this country, with our economy,” Fain said. “And the American people expect that. They expect leaders to stand up and lead. They don’t expect us to sit back.”
The UAW remains under a federal monitorship following a yearslong investigation into the union involving embezzlement, bribery and other charges ahead of Fain’s election. That probe resulted in several convictions of union leaders and Fiat Chrysler executives, including two past union presidents.
Federal monitor Neil Barofsky last year disclosed an investigation into Fain as well as other union leaders, accusing them of obstructing the probe and interfering with access to information.
In January, the monitor’s office said it would provide further updates on its investigative activities in a subsequent report. More

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s new top health official, could further erode already falling U.S. vaccination rates against once-common childhood diseases, health policy experts said.
Kennedy, a prominent vaccine skeptic, now leads the Department of Health and Human Services and wields enormous power over the federal agencies that regulate vaccines and set shot recommendations. 
Some health policy experts said his early moves as HHS Secretary are concerning and suggest that he could undermine immunizations in less direct ways. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, on the day he is sworn in as secretary of Health and Human Service in Washington, D.C., U.S., Feb. 13, 2025. 
Nathan Howard | Reuters

The nation’s new top health official could further erode already falling U.S. vaccination rates against once-common childhood diseases, a development that comes as a growing measles outbreak has led to the first U.S. death from the disease in a decade.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic, now leads the Department of Health and Human Services and wields enormous power over the federal agencies that regulate vaccines and set shot recommendations. 

Kennedy tried to distance himself from his previous views during his Senate confirmation hearings, claiming that he isn’t “anti-vaccine” and would not make it “difficult or discourage people from taking” routine shots for measles and polio. 
But some health policy experts said his early moves as HHS Secretary are concerning and suggest that he could undermine immunizations in other, less direct ways, which could increase the risk of children catching preventable diseases.
“The steps that he’s taken so far seem to be in line with his views of skepticism about vaccines and their safety, of wanting to allow for parents to not get their children vaccinated. It’s all things he’s championed,” said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy at KFF. “There might be more dominoes to fall coming.”
Kennedy has said he will review the childhood vaccination schedule, and is reportedly preparing to remove and replace members of external committees that advise the government on vaccine approvals and other key public health decisions, among other efforts. Some experts said he could also amplify data highlighting the risks of vaccines, promote unfounded claims about shots and undermine legal protections for vaccine makers. 
If rates drop even more, there could be major consequences, such as renewed outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses in certain communities.

“Within the next couple of years, we could see major drops in childhood vaccination rates,” Lawrence Gostin, professor of public health law at Georgetown University, told CNBC. “He has all the powers he needs to sow public distrust in vaccines. He has a history of doing that and he has a desire to do it.”
“This could lead to significant outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases throughout America, with the disproportionate impact on red states that President Trump carried in the 2024 election,” Gostin added. 
Kennedy has a long track record of making misleading and false statements about the safety of shots. He has claimed they are linked to autism despite decades of studies that debunk that association. Kennedy is also the founder of the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, the most well-funded anti-vaccine organization in the U.S. In a government ethics agreement in January, he said he stopped serving as chairman or chief legal counsel for the organization as of December.
But vaccines have saved the lives of more than 1.1 million children in the U.S. and saved Americans $540 billion in direct health-care costs over the last three decades, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research released in August.
States and local jurisdictions set vaccine requirements for school children, but the federal government has a longstanding system for approving and recommending shots for the public. That includes creating the childhood vaccination schedule, which recommends when children should receive certain shots. It’s used by states, pediatricians and parents. 
The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Why have childhood vaccination rates fallen?

Childhood vaccinations and the state requirements in place for them have been “one of the greatest public health success stories” in the U.S., allowing the country to eliminate many diseases that people once feared, such as polio, according to William Moss, professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Rates stayed relatively steady for nearly a decade before the Covid pandemic, as about 95% of kindergarten children were up to date with all state required vaccines, Moss said. That includes separate shots for polio and varicella, a vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella – called MMR – as well as a jab that protects against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
But the share of kindergarten children who are up to date on their vaccinations has dipped since the pandemic, according to data collected and aggregated annually by the CDC from state and local immunization programs. Less than 93% of kindergarteners had received all state required vaccines in the 2023-2024 school year, data shows.
Exemptions from school vaccination requirements, particularly non-medical exemptions, have also increased, according to the CDC. The share of U.S. children claiming an exemption from one or more shots rose from 2.5% in the 2019-2020 school year to 3.3% in the 2023-2024 school year, the highest national exemption rate to date. Nearly all of that increase was driven by non-medical exemptions, such as religious or personal belief reasons.

That decrease appears consistent with the public’s perception of childhood immunizations. A Gallup survey released in August found only 40% of Americans said they considered childhood vaccines extremely important, down from 58% in 2019 and 64% in 2001. 
The overall decline is fueled in part by vaccine skepticism, a trend that “certainly existed far before the pandemic,” KFF’s Michaud said.
Vaccine hesitancy and the anti-vaccine movement have been around globally for decades. They are often intertwined with political, moral and spiritual ideas around the rights of an individual versus the community, the limits of government power over bodily autonomy, mistrust of medical institutions and misinformation about shot safety and efficacy. 
The politicization of the pandemic only fueled more doubts about vaccinations. 
It created a partisan divide on the public’s acceptance of the Covid vaccine, according to Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on infectious diseases. Social media and public figures amplified misinformation about Covid jabs, and some of those “falsehoods about Covid shots spilled over to an extent to other types of vaccinations,” he said. 
“There was a very precipitous drop [in vaccination rates] right when the pandemic hit, in those first few months afterwards,” O’Leary said. “And we never really completely caught up.” 
O’Leary noted that the vast majority of parents on both sides of the political spectrum continue to vaccinate their kids. 
Still, surveys suggest that the partisan division on immunizations has deepened in recent years. In 2024, 63% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters said childhood vaccinations were “extremely important,” compared to just 26% of Republicans and GOP leaners, according to the August Gallup survey. 
Five years earlier, enthusiasm was just slightly higher among the Democratic group at 67%, and double among Republican respondents at 52%. 
There are “certainly political ideologies that are driving vaccine policy in certain areas of the country,” which has a “clear downstream impact on vaccination levels,” said Dr. Neil Maniar, a public health professor at Northeastern University. 

Over three-quarters of U.S. states, or 39, had vaccination rates for the MMR shot below the “Healthy People 2030” target rate of 95% during the 2023-2024 school year. That refers to the level needed to prevent community transmission of measles, a highly contagious and deadly virus. 
The data means that roughly 280,000 school children were unvaccinated and unprotected against measles during that school year, according to the CDC. MMR vaccination rates among kindergarteners vary across states, ranging from a low of around 80% in Idaho to a high of more than 98% in West Virginia. 

Moss noted that clusters of unvaccinated people within a specific community increase the risk of disease outbreak. 
“That’s where you’re going to get these larger outbreaks like we’re seeing in Texas right now with measles,” Moss said. 
A child who wasn’t vaccinated died in the outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said in late February, the first U.S. death from the disease since 2015. The childhood vaccination rate for measles in Gaines County, the epicenter of the current outbreak in Texas, is just below 82%.
A second patient, an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico, tested positive for measles after death, state officials said Thursday.
Kennedy last week said shots protect communities from measles, but emphasized that the decision to vaccinate “is a personal one.” He also pushed unconventional treatment regimens for measles, including cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamin A. 

Kennedy could target vaccine advisory panels

Kennedy’s HHS already appears to be targeting a key part of U.S. vaccine policy: external advisors to the government health agencies that approve shots and set recommendations for them. 
The government postponed a meeting of vaccine advisors to the CDC and a separate meeting of advisors to the Food and Drug Administration, the latter of which is crucial to determining the flu strains in next season’s shots. It is unclear why the meetings were canceled or when they will be rescheduled.

FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seen in Silver Spring, Maryland November 4, 2009. 
Jason Reed | Reuters

One “clear step” Kennedy can also take to undermine vaccinations is removing members of those advisory panels that shape the government’s shot recommendations, including which jabs are covered at no cost by different types of insurance, according to Georgetown’s Gostin. 
Several reports have said Kennedy plans to replace members whom he perceives to have “conflicts of interest,” though it is unclear how many people will be outed or when. 
Gostin called conflicts of interest one of Kennedy’s “code words” for “simply purging hard working, experienced scientists from advisory committees and replacing them with those that are more skeptical of shots.” All HHS agencies and their advisory panels have rigorous policies for conflicts of interest, and there have been no related issues for years, he noted. 
Kennedy’s shake-up of advisory committees could produce “bogus recommendations” that highlight the harms rather than the benefits of shots, according to Gostin. He said those recommendations could influence governors, legislatures and school boards in red states, which could adopt policies that reduce childhood immunizations and “create wide-open opt outs of shots.” 
Those recommendations could also create greater distrust in the CDC and Trump administration among scientists and public health experts, including Gostin himself, he said.

Sherry Andrews prepares a MMR vaccine at the City of Lubbock Heath Department in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. Feb. 27, 2025. 
Annie Rice | Reuters

“It will have a longer-term corrosive effect on the value of science in America, which is already under severe attack,” he said. 
Kennedy is also reviewing the childhood immunization schedule. Experts said that could lead to removing recommendations for certain vaccines or changing their suggested use from “routine” – when the default approach is to vaccinate – to more of an individual choice guided by discussions with a health-care provider. 
The hope is that officials on the state and local level influence policy or implement practices to drive higher vaccination rates, said Northeastern’s Maniar. State and local governments may need to “expand the work they do” in some cases to “make up lost ground” and advocate for vaccinations, he added.

Cherry-picking data

Kennedy could also cherry-pick data, studies and any other information about vaccines that “create the misleading impression that shots aren’t safe and cause severe side effects,” according to Gostin. He said Kennedy could include them in official government announcements to undermine the public’s faith in shots. 
On the campaign trail, Kennedy said he wanted to “restore the transparency” around vaccine safety data and records that he accused HHS officials of hiding. Gostin called transparency another “code word” for “highlighting dubious scientific studies.” 
He added that Kennedy’s wording suggests that the government’s existing vaccine information is not transparent, when databases recording adverse events and immunization rates have long been fully open to the public. 

Antonio Perez | Chicago Tribune | Tribune News Service | Getty Images

Kennedy is reportedly shelving promotions for a variety of shots, including a campaign touting seasonal flu jabs. He wanted the CDC’s advertisements to promote the idea of “informed consent” in vaccine decision-making instead, STAT News reported in February. That refers to giving patients important information, including possible risks or benefits of a medical treatment, such as adverse events associated with shots. 
Experts have said while informed consent is important, shifting the framing of advertisements for shots that the CDC has long recommended to focus more on the potential risks could undermine people’s willingness to get vaccinated.
“When a parent exercises informed consent not to have their child immunized with measles, it certainly puts that child at risk, but it puts every child in that school with them at risk,” Gostin said. 
Kennedy would need approval from Congress to change the existing legal liability protections in place for vaccine makers, but he could still undermine them in other ways, experts said. HHS’ National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program currently pays patients injured by standard childhood vaccines and shields drugmakers from litigation. 
As HHS secretary, Kennedy can remove or add to the list of vaccines and injuries included and covered by that program, Michaud said. Any changes to the list could change some liability protections for vaccine makers, potentially spurring a wave of litigation over alleged injuries from the shots, he added.  More

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is facing a rapidly changing business with new technologies and increased competition from low-cost countries such as China.
The question now is if the 127-year-old company can transform itself to be more efficient, profitable and competitive.
Hype is building on Wall Street for Goodyear, but many investors remain on the sidelines waiting to see if the company’s recent efforts will pay off.

A Goodyear blimp flies 
Goodyear 

AKRON, Ohio — Does the Goodyear blimp sell tires?
That was one question veteran auto executive Mark Stewart had when he started as CEO of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. a little more than a year ago, seeking to lead a transformation plan for the quintessential American company.

For a century, Goodyear Tire has used more than 300 helium-filled airships to tout its brand. Stewart wanted to ensure consumers connected the blimps to the company’s products and services, which it has increasingly done as Goodyear celebrates the 100-year anniversary of its first blimp, called Pilgrim, in 1925.
“The answer is yes it can, and yes it does,” Stewart told CNBC during an interview at the company’s headquarters. “It really is about using one of our most powerful marketing icon pieces, the blimp, both here as well as in Europe, to in fact sell tires.”
The blimp question was an easy one to answer compared with the rest of the challenges Stewart, who has become known for transformation plans, has tackled since joining the company in January 2024.

Goodyear CEO Mark Stewart speaks as Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford look on during an announcement at the Goodyear Canada Inc tire production plant in Napanee, Ontario, Canada August 12, 2024. 
Cole Burston | Reuters

Much like automakers and related suppliers, Goodyear’s business is rapidly changing with new technologies, increased competition from low-cost countries such as China and investor skepticism on whether a legacy company can transform itself to be more efficient, profitable and competitive.
Goodyear’s answer, which was prompted by activist investor Elliott Investment Management revealing a stake in the company in 2023, is “Goodyear Forward” — a two-year transformation plan that ends in December.

The plan includes doubling operating income margin to 10%, enacting top-line and cost reductions of $1.5 billion, and bringing in gross proceeds of $2 billion in business asset sales. It’s also reducing its debt load by $1.5 billion, net of approximately $1.1 billion for restructuring.
To assist, the company is investing in and deploying artificial intelligence technologies and 3D-printing for things such as tread teeth, as well as using simulation to speed development and production of its products.
Roughly halfway through the initial plan, Stewart said Goodyear is ahead of schedule for its benchmarks, including upping the cuts by $200 million. But investors remain skeptical amid geopolitical uncertainty such as tariffs and a disbelief in the longevity, or “stickiness” in tire terminology, of the changes.

Pilgrim, Goodyear’s first branded public relations airship, took its first flight June 3, 1925.

Stewart believes Goodyear is at a “show me” period with investors, which he plans to continue to deliver on as the company has reported five consecutive quarters of margin growth and its best retail performance in more than 20 years.
“We’re continuing to execute, and I think we’re doing a better job of communicating in terms of our single and double hit wins as we go through the Goodyear Forward, and structurally changing the business,” said Stewart, whose father worked at an Alabama plant for Goodyear’s recently sold Dunlop brand. “It’s continuing to stack those up.”
Shares of Goodyear received a 17% boost after the company reported its 2024 and fourth-quarter results. But shares of the company are down 30.3% since the plan’s announcement, and 33.4% since Stewart became CEO.
A spokesperson for Elliott, which has taken board seats at companies including Southwest Airlines and eBay, declined to comment on Goodyear. Goodyear reached a cooperation agreement with Elliott, which FactSet reports retains a roughly 9% stake in the company, that included adding three directors to its board.
Stewart succeeded Goodyear CEO Richard Kramer, who retired after 14 years leading the company.

Goodyear blimps

What started out as a new emerging aeronautics business for Goodyear in 1910 has grown into a cultural icon as the company’s Goodyear blimps have flown over major sporting events and historical landmarks.
The first Goodyear blimp, called Pilgrim, took flight in 1925 from a hangar the company continues to use near Akron, Ohio.
Goodyear has built more than 300 blimps, also known as airships, including over 200 for the U.S. Navy to patrol oceans during World War II.
There have been five major generation changes of the blimps, according to Gerald Hissem, a chief pilot who has flown Goodyear blimps for 27 years.
“The technology really has advanced,” he told CNBC during a tour of the company’s hangar in Ohio. “It’s totally different flying.”
Today’s airship debuted in 2014 and feature a “fly-by-wire” system that eliminate many physical parts, according to Hissem. They were designed by Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH in Germany to Goodyear’s specifications, followed by a joint team constructing them in the U.S.
The blimps are powered by three four-cylinder engines — left, right and back — that are each capable of 200 horsepower. They can travel at speeds of up to 73 miles per hour. Other blimp facts include:
Airship bases: Pompano Beach, Florida; Carson, California; Suffield, Ohio; and Essen, Germany.
Names: America, Columbia, Defender, Eagle, Enterprise, Europa, Mayflower, Pilgrim, Rainbow, Ranger, Reliance, Resolute, Spirit of Akron, Spirit of Goodyear, Volunteer.
Longest flight? In March 1957, an airship called Snow Bird went 11 consecutive days in flight. It flew from Weymouth, Massachusetts, to Europe, Africa and Key West, Florida, without refueling or landing.
Want to ride? Goodyear’s current blimps have a bathroom, room for two pilots and typically six to eight passengers. To be a blimp passenger is by invitation only, but the company also donates “ride certificates,” largely for nonprofit causes.

‘Forward’ progress

Goodyear is well on its way to achieving its plan, but its success is not guaranteed. In addition to achieving its own targets, it’s unclear how changing regulations such as President Donald Trump’s tariffs will impact the tire company’s business.
Stewart, prior to the implementation and then delay of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico for automakers and suppliers, declined to go into detail on Goodyear’s preparation and potential contingency plans for such tariffs on North American operations as well as other countries.
“We’re running all the scenarios with that right now,” Stewart said. “And bottom line is we’ll continue to add projects into Goodyear Forward to keep marching on our journey.”
Goodyear has built up an international business from its humble beginnings 127 years ago in Akron, Ohio. The company employs about 68,000 people and manufactures its products in 53 facilities in 20 countries, with major operations in North and South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe.
Its manufacturing operations in the Americas, which represented roughly half of its tire sales in 2024, include making tires in eight plants in the U.S., two plants in both Canada and Mexico and a plant each in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

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Goodyear’s stock in 2025.

The Goodyear Forward plan reaches across the operations, aiming to achieve the goals through a mix of cost cutting, headcount reductions and making the business more efficient through new processes and technologies.
In addition to those targets, Stewart also has set priorities to re-establish focus on its retail business, increase fleet business, including telematics, and ink high-profile business deals such as Goodyear’s first launch in decades on a Ferrari sports car.
“Goodyear Forward is just getting embedded into our DNA,” Stewart said. “What’s next for us is we are going to get aggressive about growth in retail and service. We are getting aggressive in growth in the high-end [tires].”

Evolving business

Tires — Goodyear’s main business — seem simple. Rubber is made into different shapes and treads, put on wheels and then put on a vehicle. They’re literally where the rubber meets the road.
But the process, material chemistry and production of tires continue to evolve. Goodyear has expanded its top-tier products to include massive tires for off-road vehicles such as the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, as well as the Tesla Cybertruck and large SUVs that feature 22-inch or 24-inch wheels such as the Cadillac Escalade.
Such businesses are highly profitable for the company, which is investing an unspecified amount into a facility in Oklahoma to expand production by 10 million units annually and modernize the plant.

A Goodyear employee works at a machine inside the company’s racing tire production facility at its headquarters in Akron, Ohio on Feb. 27, 2025.
Michael Wayland / CNBC

“We will ensure we’re running at the optimal level of output and efficiency, and we’re running the products that will yield the highest opportunities for profitability this year,” Stewart said last month on the company’s quarterly call.
In Asia–Pacific, where its newest plants are located, the company has been able to capitalize faster on such business. It increased its segment operating income by 37% last year to $277 million, with an operating margin of 11.4% — a juxtaposition from Western automakers with escalading problems in the region, specifically China.
While its Asia–Pacific business is a tailwind at the moment, products from competitors and nearby nations are not. Similarly to how Chinese automakers have expanded outside their own country, tire manufacturers such as Sumitomo and Yokohama have been increasingly exporting products.
Tires from that region have undercut Goodyear, as companies rushed to purchase them ahead of potential tariffs. Low-end imports outperformed the U.S. industry last year and grew 11%, CFO Christina Zamarro said during the company’s quarterly earnings call.

Racing tires displayed inside the factory floors of Goodyear’s headquarters in Akron, Ohio on Feb. 27, 2025.
Michael Wayland / CNBC

The company said low-cost imported tires are largely sourced from Southeast Asia, including from a number of countries that are either not subject to antidumping or countervailing duty tariffs.
“As we look at the top line this past year, we’ve seen growth in the low-end imports impacting the consumer replacement industry in the U.S., Europe, as well Brazil,” Stewart told investors. “The inflows at the low-end of the market over the last two years are unprecedented.”
Goodyear’s the last major U.S. tire company: Its largest competitors globally are France-based Michelin; Bridgestone Corp., which is a subsidiary of a Japanese-based company; and German-based Continental.

From wooden floors to tireless testing

At Goodyear’s headquarters, three floors of a historic building for the company that was built in 1916 continue to produce racing tires, most notably for NHRA professional classes and the top three series for NASCAR.
The processes in this facility are traditional, with a lot of human interaction compared to newer plants with more automation like the company has at facilities in Luxembourg and China, and is expanding to the U.S.
Down the road from the factory, which features wood floors similar to those in the factory in Detroit where Henry Ford started building the Model T in 1900s, is a different Goodyear.

Goodyear’s VI-grade DiM250 Dynamic Driving Simulator in Akron, Ohio. 

Walking into the nondescript building in the shadow of the headquarters is a glimpse into the future Stewart wants for the company.
In the building is Goodyear’s simulation machine, a multimillion investment that promises to cut research and development costs and time, while improving product profits.
To be clear, no actual tires are used in the simulator and the “vehicle” cockpits — a hatchback and a pickup truck — are held up by hydraulics, surround by 270 degrees of screens.
“The goal is to be able to evaluate and test tire designs and theories virtually before ever having to spend the money to build a mold or build the tire,” said Patrick Renz, a senior engineer at Goodyear. “We’re really using this now to win [automaker business].”
Goodyear has worked with many of the major automakers on such virtual development, including Ferrari, according to Renz. He said the earlier in the development Goodyear can work with a company, the more impactful the virtual testing can be.

Concept tires displayed at Goodyear’s “Innovation Center” at its headquarters in Akron, Ohio on Feb. 27, 2025.

Mahesh Kavaturu, Goodyear senior director of global performance and simulation technology, said such simulations, as well as AI, aim to transform Goodyear’s processes.
“We actually have a lot of capabilities on physical tire testing, and now we are getting into artificial intelligence, machine learning,” he told CNBC in the company’s “Innovation Center” that includes conceptual and unique products made by the company such as airless tires. “In Goodyear, [AI] is not a buzz word.”
On Wall Street, hype is building for Goodyear, but many investors remain on the sidelines waiting to see if the company’s recent efforts under Goodyear Forward can be ingrained in the company as much as its blimps.
Goodyear’s stock is rated overweight with a target price of $11.47 a share, according to nine analysts compiled by FactSet.
“The company has reported inconsistent levels of profit growth over the past several years. But, we believe that an inflection point developed with the reporting of fourth quarter 2024 results, which were much better than we expected,” Argus analyst Bill Selesky said in a Feb. 14 investor note upgrading Goodyear to buy. More

The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted flights to several Florida airports after SpaceX’s Starship exploded in space.
The incident marks the second time this year that SpaceX experienced a mishap during a flight test of Starship resulting in debris raining down and commercial flights disrupted.
SpaceX was working on a mishap investigation into what caused the earlier incident but was allowed by the FAA to proceed with the new test flight before completing the inquiry.

The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted flights to several Florida airports on Thursday night after a SpaceX Starship testing failure.
The incident marks the second time this year that SpaceX experienced a mishap during a flight test of Starship resulting in debris raining down and commercial flights disrupted.

Affected airports included Miami International Airport, which is an American Airlines hub, and airports serving Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, Florida.
The regulator said, in a statement on Thursday, it is now requiring SpaceX to “perform a mishap investigation into the loss of the Starship vehicle during launch operations on March 6.”
During the event, the FAA said, it “activated a Debris Response Area and briefly slowed aircraft outside the area where space vehicle debris was falling or stopped aircraft at their departure location. Normal operations have resumed.”
SpaceX said, in a post on X on Thursday night: “During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses.”

SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its Super Heavy booster is launched on its eighth test at the company’s Boca Chica launch pad in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., March 6, 2025. 
Joe Skipper | Reuters

The Elon Musk-led aerospace and defense contractor also said it plans to “review the data from today’s flight test to better understand” the root cause of the mishap.

Starship took off from the company’s spaceport near Brownsville, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. ET for its eighth test flight.
In a livestream showing the test flight, several engines appeared to cut out as the upper-stage Starship vehicle was still climbing. The company then lost communication with the spacecraft but was able to successfully use the arms of its launch tower to catch the rocket’s Super Heavy Booster.
On Jan. 16, dozens of flights were diverted after SpaceX’s Starship rocket broke up, and the FAA warned of “space vehicle debris” falling. The regulator had warned pilots of “dangerous area for falling debris of rocket Starship.”

The Super Heavy booster returns to its launch pad after the SpaceX Starship continued to space after it was launched on its eighth test at the company’s Boca Chica launch pad in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., March 6, 2025. 
Joe Skipper | Reuters

Commercial airlines, private planes and the space industry compete for airspace, particularly in the congested area off of Florida.
SpaceX was working on a mishap investigation into what caused the earlier incident but was allowed by the FAA to proceed with the eighth test flight before completing the inquiry.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for further information.
The tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched, Starship is critical to SpaceX’s ambitions. When it is stacked on the Super Heavy booster, Starship stands 403 feet tall and is about 30 feet in diameter.
SpaceX founder Musk is also a senior Trump advisor, tasked by the president with making sweeping cuts to government agencies. His reach into regulatory agencies, including the FAA, has drawn criticism and concern from Democratic lawmakers worried about conflicts of interest, security risks and more. More