An Elon Musk Friend, Antonio Gracias, Joins His Effort on Social Security

A private equity investor who is one of Elon Musk’s closest confidants has taken a new role in the Social Security Administration, a development that could be politically combustible given the program’s popularity with voters and Mr. Musk’s apparent intent to make major changes at the agency. The investor, Antonio Gracias, who has served on … Read more

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Drops as Inflation Anxiety Soars

Policy uncertainty and tariff whiplash are making consumers less confident about the economic outlook and more worried about inflation, new data from the University of Michigan showed on Friday, the latest evidence that Americans are bracing for pain in President Trump’s second term. A new survey released on Friday showed consumer sentiment plummeting 11 percent … Read more

Hope for a Trump Energy Boom Is Marred by Anxiety About Tariffs

Tariff threats. Growing uncertainty about the economy. And a push for much lower oil prices. For all of their bravado about U.S. energy dominance and enthusiasm for deregulation, American energy executives are beginning to worry about President Trump’s agenda. Their concerns crept into conversations in hotel meeting rooms and over private meals this week in … Read more

Tesla, Tariffs and a Market Meltdown

The Trump family is said to be in talks to invest in Binance. The discussions revolve around the family taking a stake in the U.S. arm of the crypto exchange, which had pleaded guilty to violating anti-money-laundering laws and whose founder, Changpeng Zhao, served time in prison, according to The Wall Street Journal. (It’s unclear … Read more

Mercedes’s Most Affordable Sedan Will Be Electric

Mercedes-Benz said on Thursday that the latest version of its least expensive sedan would be available first as an all-electric car and then as a hybrid. And the company will no longer sell a gasoline-only version of the car. That’s a big break from how Mercedes and other established carmakers have typically operated. Until recently, … Read more