Profits, Not D.E.I., Are Why Companies Exist

A prominent group of chief executives said almost six years ago that making profits for shareholders was only part of their business — and not necessarily the main part. Speaking collectively as the Business Roundtable, C.E.O.s from companies like Johnson & Johnson, FedEx, Wells Fargo and Amazon said that, really, they were devoted to serving … Read more

I.R.S. Fires 6,700 Employees Ahead of Tax Filing Season

The Trump administration started firing about 6,700 employees at the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter, extending its cost-cutting measures to the federal agency responsible for collecting tax revenue from millions of Americans. The job cuts at the I.R.S. are hitting probationary employees who were recently hired around the … Read more

Trump Meets With Tiger Woods About Merging PGA Tour with LIV Golf

Trying to finalize long-simmering and contentious plans to unite the PGA Tour with the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Golf circuit, President Trump met with the leader of the kingdom’s sovereign-wealth fund at the White House on Thursday, according to five people who were briefed on the gathering. The meeting included the wealth fund official, Yasir al-Rumayyan, … Read more

Nominee for Deputy Transportation Secretary Comes Under Fire for Handling of Boeing

Democratic senators on Thursday questioned Steven Bradbury, President Trump’s nominee for deputy secretary of the Transportation Department, about his handling of the congressional investigation into two Boeing Max plane crashes in 2018 and 2019, and his safety record during his previous tenure at the agency. The Boeing investigation occurred during Mr. Trump’s first administration, when … Read more

Trump Labor Nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer Faces Pressure at Senate Hearing

President Trump’s pick as labor secretary faced pointed questions from both parties at her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday over her past support for pro-union legislation, an issue that could complicate her nomination. The nominee, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican congresswoman, was pressed repeatedly about her stand on the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, … Read more

Airbus Says U.S. Tariffs Would Be ‘Lose-Lose’ for Airline Industry

Airbus, the world’s largest commercial airplane maker, said on Thursday that it was preparing for the possibility of new U.S. tariffs and would be able to “adapt accordingly,” including passing on higher costs to its American airline customers. In a wide-ranging media conference at Airbus’s headquarters in Toulouse, France, the company’s chief executive, Guillaume Faury, … Read more

Trump Tests Fed’s Independence With Order Expanding Authority Over Agencies

The Federal Reserve’s independence from the White House has long been enshrined in the law. But an executive order that President Trump signed this week seeking to extend his administration’s reach over independent agencies is prompting concerns about how much further he will go to challenge that separation. Mr. Trump’s directive took aim at regulatory … Read more