The Open Technology Institute at the New America Foundation conducts a study every year comparing broadband speeds and prices nation- and world-wide. The study, in its third year, finds that, as was the case last year, our national average broadband speeds are still lower, and our prices higher, than what customers in similarly sized cities in Europe and Asia have.

Mercedes's performance division, AMG, has launched what it's billing as a "long-term partnership" with Italian motorcycle manufacturer Agusta Motor SpA. The deal will give Mercedes-AMG GmbH a 25% stake in Agusta. Mercedes had a previous alliance with Ducati before Audi grabbed the Italian motorcycle brand. "The partnership provides us with an entry into a world of additional high-performance enthusiasts," said Tobias Moers, chief executive of Mercedes-AMG.

General Mills and Target are among top-tier brands featuring biracial and same-sex partners in campaigns that reflect the changing definition of what constitutes "traditional." "Family is just family, no matter how it shows up," said Jennifer Johnson, a former agency creative director who now teaches advertising and brand strategy at the University of Minnesota. "Advertising professionals tell stories that come from the truth. And when clients give us the green light to tell the whole story, we step on the gas."