GoKawiilThis is CNBC's Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox. Happy Tuesday. JetBlue won the LaGuardia Airport slots left open by Spirit Airlines. I'll be keeping an eye on whether it also moves to the airport's Art Deco-style Marine Air Terminal, which I've visited many times for Spirit flights. Stock futures are rising this morning. The market is coming off a down day. Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Iran watch
US President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 19, 2026. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images
2. Into high gear
The General Motors logo on GM's global headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, Jan. 12, 2026. Jeff Kowalsky | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Shares of General Motors are higher before the bell after the automaker beat expectations for the second quarter and raised its full-year forecast, citing strong North American sales. GM reported $3.57 in adjusted earnings per share on $48.03 billion in revenue, both more than Wall Street estimates. In an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box" following the results, GM CFO Paul Jacobson said the company's earnings per share for the first half was 25% higher than any other first half in its history. He also said GM's "momentum is palpable." As CNBC's Mike Wayland reports, the automaker hiked its forecast for full-year adjusted earnings before interest and taxes, as well as for adjusted automotive free cash flow. But GM lowered its forecast for net income attributable to stockholders for the second straight quarter.
3. Resignation letter
The Google AI Studio application is displayed on a mobile phone with Google in the background, in this photo illustration in Brussels, Belgium, on October 26, 2025. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images
CNBC confirmed yesterday that Chris Fall, the head of the Center for AI Standards and Innovation, resigned just three months after taking the role. As CNBC's Ashley Capoot notes, the exit creates further uncertainty around who is the White House's point person for artificial intelligence as the Trump administration takes an increasingly hands-on role on the technology's regulation. Arvind Raman, the director of National Institute of Standards and Technology, will step in as acting director of the center, according to a Commerce Department spokesperson. Elsewhere in AI, Alphabet shares rose yesterday following a report that the Google parent is developing a new server chip referred to internally as "Frozen v2." That comes ahead of Alphabet's earnings scheduled for after the bell tomorrow.
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