• Nike Inc. said it will stop selling its products on Amazon.com Inc., bringing a two-year pilot program to an end as the athletic brand rethinks its retail strategy. The breakup also follows the hire of former EBay. Inc. CEO John Donahoe as Nike’s new chief executive, signaling that the brand is moving more aggressively into e-commerce sales. (Bloomberg)

• A group of female workers in Michigan is suing McDonald’s Corp. for $5 million, alleging that the company allowed systemic sexual harassment in the workplace and contending that ousted CEO Steve Easterbrook’s consensual relationship with an employee is an example of how McDonald’s “creates and permits a toxic work culture from the very top.” McDonald’s said in a statement that it is conducting new safe-workplace training to all corporate-owned restaurants and is urging franchisees to do the same. (Reuters)

• Dean Foods Co., the country’s largest milk producer, filed for bankruptcy protection, citing a “challenging operating environment” because of declining U.S. milk consumption. As milk alternatives and other non-dairy beverages have grown in popularity, U.S. consumers drank 146 pounds of milk on an annual per capita basis in 2018, down 39 percent over the past 40 years and the lowest level on record, although dairy consumption grew nearly one-fifth during that time as people purchased more yogurt and cheese. (The Wall Street Journal)

Burgers, Not Sex, Will Be the Focus of New Carl’s Jr. Ads
Tiffany Hsu, The New York Times

With sales slipping, a fast-food chain notorious for featuring scantily clad women has decided on a food-centric message.

State Farm Gives Brand Creative Duties To The Marketing Arm, Dealing Blow To DDB
Adrianne Pasquarelli, AdAge

State Farm is switching up its agency roster. The Bloomington, Illinois-based insurer has named the Marketing Arm as its brand creative agency as it prepares new ads for the first quarter of 2020.

“I Would Love For This To Be As Big As Politico”: Politico’s Founder Is Launching A Tech Site—Into A Very Crowded Market
Joe Pompeo, Vanity Fair

With talent poached from Wired, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, etc., and coverage written for “C-suite kinds of folks,” Protocol is Robert Allbritton’s latest dream. But is it late to the tech-journalism gold rush?

Apple TV+ in Talks to Add Ex-HBO Boss Richard Plepler to Producer Lineup
Joe Flint, The Wall Street Journal

Former HBO Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Plepler is in advanced talks to sign an exclusive production deal with Apple Inc.’s new TV+ streaming service, according to a person familiar with the matter.

ESPN reporters including Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski promote Disney Plus streaming service in eyebrow-raising tweets
Tyler Lauletta, Business Insider

Disney launched its new streaming service Disney Plus on Tuesday, pitting the company against the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Facebook unites payment service across apps with Facebook Pay
Ayanti Bera, Reuters

Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it was launching Facebook Pay, a unified payment service through which users across its platforms including WhatsApp and Instagram can make payments without exiting the app.

Next in Google’s Quest for Consumer Dominance—Banking
Peter Rudegeair and Liz Hoffman, The Wall Street Journal

Google will soon offer checking accounts to consumers, becoming the latest Silicon Valley heavyweight to push into finance.

Schumer concerned by Army’s use of TikTok, other Chinese social media platforms
Emily Birnbaum, The Hill

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday raised concerns over U.S. Army personnel using the massively popular Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok to recruit young people into their ranks. 

US startups are already trying to displace TikTok
Matthew De Silva, Quartz

TikTok, the social video app, is reportedly undergoing a US national security review for censoring politically sensitive content. 

One Google Staffer Fired, Two Others Put on Leave Amid Tensions
Ryan Gallagher, Bloomberg

Google said it has fired an employee for leaking staffer names and personal details to the media and placed two others on leave for allegedly violating company policies, evidence of escalating tension between management and personnel engaged in labor-related activism.

Microsoft Reveals Its Gender Diversity Gap Between Workers and Management
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune

It’s been more than five years since some of the biggest companies in technology started issuing annual diversity reports that break down the composition of their workforces by gender and ethnicity. 

Trump, Apple CEO Tim Cook to tour Apple operations in Texas: sources
Alexandra Alper and David Shepardson, Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook are expected to tour facilities in Texas where Apple products are made as soon as next week to showcase companies that keep jobs in America, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald takes an ownership stake in Ready Nutrition sports drink company
Jabari Young, CNBC

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald is expanding his playbook off the field, taking an ownership stake in Ready Nutrition — a Pennsylvania-based startup that makes protein-infused sports drinks, protein powder and snacks. 

Celebrity Board Members Engaged in Big-Ticket Transactions With NRA
Mark Maremont, The Wall Street Journal

Gun-rights group’s board didn’t approve deals with Tom Selleck and Ted Nugent until at least a year later.

Why Etsy gives its social-impact goals equal standing with its financial performance
David Lidsky, Fast Company

The artisanal marketplace had always been known for its values-driven DNA, and then CEO Josh Silverman elevated its good work into measurable metrics.

Race discrimination standards hang in the balance as Supreme Court takes up Comcast suit
Taylor Telford, The Washington Post

Media mogul Byron Allen is suing the cable giant for $20 billion under a Reconstruction-era civil rights statute.

Can a credit card be sexist?
Lena Felton, The Lily

The Apple Card controversy illustrates how a history of bias in credit lending, coupled with discriminatory AI algorithms, hurt women.

How to Get Die-Hard Meat Eaters to Try Impossible Burgers: Trick Them
Heather Haddon and Sarah E. Needleman, The Wall Street Journal

The rise of plant-based protein is inspiring people to dupe family and friends; not everyone is pleased.

Even Nobodies Have Fans Now (For Better or Worse.)
Jamie Lauren Keiles, The New York Times

Online fan culture clings to everything. Case in point: podcasts.