Google sends mixed signals amid ad revenue slump

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, reported higher-than-expected profits yesterday, leading to a big stock buyback being authorized by CEO Sundar Pichai. However, that’s a seemingly contradictory move to the extreme cost-cutting measures the company announced this year in response to a slowdown in ad revenue, including layoffs of over 12,000 employees. Plus, a look at how the airline industry is doing amid widespread delays and flight cancellations. And, why fire insurance is increasingly hard to come by for companies that conduct controlled burns to prevent wildfires.