For more than 80 years, Voice of America transmitted the news into countries, many of them authoritarian, where reliable sources of information about the outside world were often hard to come by. Now those broadcasts — long viewed as an important part of U.S. efforts to promote democracy and transparency overseas — are flickering out. … Read more
During President Trump’s first week back in the White House, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency identified an early focus of the cost-cutting operation: canceling leases for federal buildings that were considered underused. Mr. Musk’s team has since claimed credit for terminating leases for hundreds of properties across the country, including some that house federal … Read more
When Eleanor H., 66, called the Social Security Administration last month seeking details about her retirement benefits, she didn’t expect to comfort the representative who answered. The woman started sobbing. “I asked her what was wrong, and she said she and her co-workers were informed by email to accept a taxable $20,000 payout or risk … Read more
Just days after President Trump won the 2024 election, Jerome H. Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, sidestepped a question about how the central bank would grapple with a toxic combination of high inflation, stagnating growth and rising unemployment. “The whole plan is not to have stagflation,” Mr. Powell told reporters. “Knock on wood, we’ve … Read more
How A.I. Companies Are Turning Into Energy Companies
Forever 21’s operator in the United States filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, as the apparel company, which helped popularize fast fashion in the United States, struggles to compete with online retailers. F21 OpCo, the operator, as well as some U.S. subsidiaries, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Bankruptcy Court of Delaware, court documents show. … Read more
The Chinese government and the Communist Party jointly issued a lengthy list of planned initiatives on Sunday to get people to spend more, in yet another move by Beijing to offset potential harm from its escalating economic warfare with Washington. The road map for economic stimulus included larger pensions, better medical benefits and higher wages … Read more
After the dot-com bubble burst in the early 2000s, Lars Staack decided to play it safe and invest his retirement savings in S&P 500 index funds, which are diversified and carry lower risk than owning individual stocks. It was a strategy that brought him peace of mind for more than two decades — until President … Read more
After climbing into a Tesla Model S last week, President Trump pledged to buy one. The next day, the Fox News host Sean Hannity said he had bought a Model S Plaid to support the embattled company, saying a Tesla “has more American parts in it than any other car made in our country.” In … Read more
President Trump has promised to create an age of American exceptionalism with policies that put the United States first, and ahead of other nations. But Mr. Trump’s moves in the early days of his administration have had the opposite outcome for the American stock market. The S&P 500, which for years had been soaring above … Read more