McDonald's revenue disappoints as U.S. sales see worst drop since pandemic
McDonald’s on Monday reported disappointing quarterly revenue, dragged down by weaker-than-expected sales at its U.S. restaurants following an E. coli outbreak just weeks into the quarter. But shares of the company rose more than 4% in morning trading as executives predicted sales would improve in 2025.
Judge modifies order allowing Senate-confirmed political appointees access to payment systems
A New York federal judge modified a temporary restraining order Tuesday that prevented President Donald Trump and the Treasury Department from granting political appointees and special government employees access to the department's payment systems. The amended order was issued by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, an Obama appointee, previously issued a temporary restraining order Saturday that sided with 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE "full access" to the treasury’s payment systems violates the law.
Nokia picks Intel's AI and data center leader Justin Hotard as new CEO
Finnish telecoms company Nokia on Monday said Pekka Lundmark would step down as CEO, and that it has appointed Justin Hotard to take over his role. Hotard, who will take up the position on April 1, is currently the executive vice president and general manager of Data Center & AI Group at Intel, according to the chipmaker's website. Telecom gear makers, struggling with lower sales of 5G equipment, have been looking for ways to diversify their markets and break into growing areas such as artificial intelligence.
Trump says he has directed U.S. Treasury to stop minting new pennies, citing rising cost
President Donald Trump says he has directed the Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies, citing the rising cost of producing the one-cent coin. “For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful!” Trump wrote in a post Sunday night on his Truth Social site. “I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.” The move by Trump is the latest in what has been a rapid-fire effort by his new administration to enact sweeping change through executive order and proclamation on issues ranging from immigration, to gender and diversity, to the name of the Gulf of Mexico.
Wasabi worries and truffle troubles: Tariffs threaten crops that U.S. farmers struggle to grow
Tibor Fischl has been growing goji berries in Sonoma, California, and Washington’s Yakima Valley since 2013. “I don’t recommend it,” he said. The nutrient-packed East Asian fruit, which is typically sold dried and blitzed into smoothies or sprinkled over granola, is among the many specialty foods that consumers in the United States rely on foreign growers to provide. A handful of American farmers grow small volumes of those ingredients domestically, from truffles and lavender to wasabi. Many say it’s tough going, and warn there’s no way they could satisfy U.S. demand at reasonable prices if shifting trade policies were to make their products’ foreign-grown counterparts pricier or harder to get.
LARRY KUDLOW: Elon Musk is here to stay — Democrats just have to deal with it
Donald Trump likes Elon Musk, and trusts Elon Musk. President Trump totally supports the Elon Musk efficiency audit that has already uncovered fraud in numerous areas inside agencies where there's been spending on items that Congress never mandated. In fact, Mr. Trump is going to expand Musk's remit to include auditing the Education Department and the Pentagon. And there may well be more.
Musk-led group of investors submit unsolicited bid of $97.4B to take over OpenAI: report
A group of investors led by billionaire Elon Musk has offered $97.4 billion to take control of OpenAI, fueling his feud with Sam Altman over ChatGPT, which is behind the artificial intelligence (AI) company, according to reports. The Wall Street Journal reported that Marc Toberoff, Musk’s attorney, said he submitted a bid on Monday to the board of directors at OpenAI. While the offer was unsolicited, it could interfere with Altman’s plans for the future of OpenAI, which included turning it into a profitable company. He also reportedly planned to spend up to $500 billion on infrastructure to support AI through Stargate, a joint venture Altman is part of.
AI will help lower prices, but could be used by authoritarian governments, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says
"Although some industries will change very little, scientific progress will likely be much faster than it is today; this impact of AGI may surpass everything else," he noted. Altman suggested that while prices for many goods will decrease, some things, such as land, could see significant price increases. "The price of many goods will eventually fall dramatically (right now, the cost of intelligence and the cost of energy constrain a lot of things), and the price of luxury goods and a few inherently limited resources like land may rise even more dramatically," he wrote.
Boeing warns of hundreds of layoffs amid NASA’s Artemis program delays
Boeing on Saturday warned employees involved in its Space Launch System moon rocket program that it expected to lay off around 400 people. The news comes amid delays and rising costs for NASA’s Artemis program, which was established during President Trump’s first term, and aims to send astronauts back to the moon. Its budget is expected to be around $93 billion through the end of the year.
Fashion's most hated garment — the skinny jean — is making a comeback
The vilified linchpin of millennial and Y2K fashion — the skinny jean — might be on its way to a comeback. Over the last few months, a range of skinny styles, including pants and jeans, have cropped up on fashion runways, influencer videos and Google search trends, indicating the divisive garment could soon be a closet staple again. Part of the buzz around skinny jeans undoubtedly came when TikTok star and Gen Z influencer Alix Earle debuted a pair of exclusive skinnies with denim brand Frame at the end of January, but the hype was already building before that.