Today’s ‘economic blackout’ began from an unlikely source. But it’s tapped into Americans’ anger
In early February, John Schwarz, a self-described “mindfulness and meditation facilitator,” proposed a 24-hour nationwide “economic blackout” of major chains on the last day of the month. Schwarz urged people to forgo spending at Amazon, Walmart, and all other major retailers and fast-food companies for a day. He called on them to spend money only at small businesses and on essential needs.
‘This is a family issue’: Allegations are flying behind the scenes at Goya Foods
Earlier this week, the controversial former boss of Goya Foods self-published a mysterious press release about his departure from the company. Robert “Bob” Unanue said that after nearly five decades at the family business, he was suddenly informed that his “employment” at the company was over and he had “no real answers” as to why, noting Goya did not publicly indicate he was no longer leading the company. “While the (board’s) decision has left many questions unanswered,” Unanue, a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, continued on X, “one thing is certain — I will not waver in my fight against child trafficking,” referencing his view that open border policies lead to exploitation and trafficking.
7-Eleven owner says founding family unable to secure massive funding for buyout
Japan’s Seven & I Holdings said on Thursday its founding Ito family could not secure the financing required for a $58 billion management buyout, and it would consider a rival offer from Canada’s Alimentation Couche-Tard. “There is no actionable proposal from Mr. Junro Ito and Ito-Kogyo for 7&i to consider at this time,” the company said in a statement. “7&i remains committed to exploring all opportunities to unlock value for shareholders and continues to assess a full range of strategic alternatives, including the proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard.” Itochu, a major Japanese trading house, said in a statement it had ended its consideration of participating in the Seven & I founding family’s buyout proposal.
Pentagon plans to remove transgender service members under new policy
The Pentagon plans to kick out currently serving transgender service members who don’t meet specific requirements under its new policy, according to official guidance made public in a Wednesday court filing. “Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service,” says a memo outlining the policy, which was signed by the official performing the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. The memo was included in a court filing as part of an ongoing lawsuit over the Pentagon’s policy.
Trump, Starmer at odds over security guarantees for Ukraine ahead of critical talks
A bust of Winston Churchill will gaze at Keir Starmer on Thursday as he executes one of the trickiest visits by a British Prime Minister with a US president since the days of the great World War II leader. Starmer has a critical mission in the Oval Office — to peel Donald Trump away from Russian President Vladimir Putin, to extract security guarantees for Ukraine following an eventual peace deal and to save the transatlantic alliance.
DOGE’s heavy-handed approach is not likely to make the government more efficient
Whether or not you agree with the assertion that the US federal government should be shrunk dramatically because it is bloated and inefficient, the attempt to do so by Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency has been chaotic, confusing, abrupt and publicly contemptuous of federal agencies, their employees and the work they do. But will the DOGE attempt at a breakneck-speed transformation succeed in turning the federal government into a lean, efficient organization?
AG Bondi dismisses DEI lawsuits brought against police, fire departments under Biden administration
Typically acknowledged in the proposed consent decrees, the departments used neutral selection tools, such as credit checks, exams and physical exercises, to choose candidates for the open positions, and White men tended to score or perform better. For example, a case filed in October against the City of Durham (North Carolina), alleged "unintentional" discrimination against Black applicants because they did not pass the written test with a score of 70% or better as often as White candidates did, which resulted in fewer Black employees.
Epstein client list release could be imminent after Blackburn pushes transparency: 'Let's get them jailed'
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., advocated for the Trump administration to release the full, unredacted records related to sexual predator and financier Jeffrey Epstein as Attorney General Pam Bondi now says the Department of Justice could release the records Thursday. "I think tomorrow…breaking news. Right now, you're going to see some Epstein information being released by my office. What you're going to see, hopefully tomorrow, is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot, a lot of information. But it's pretty sick what that man did," Bondi told Fox News' Jesse Watters Wednesday night.
Dem support likely to push Trump's pro-union labor pick past key vote
President Donald Trump's nominee for labor secretary is expected to pass a key vote before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Thursday after picking up Democrat support from Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. Lori Chavez-DeRemer's past support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act jeopardized her confirmation last week, when Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he would not vote for her if she continued to support the PRO Act. Paul's reluctance meant Chavez-DeRemer would likely need a Democrat's vote to pass a key confirmation hurdle.
Subway is bringing back discounted footlongs
Subway is resurrecting its discounted footlong promotion, as stubbornly high inflation has led to a sluggish start to the year across the fast-food industry. Restaurant chains have scrambled over the past year to attract customers who are fed up with high prices. Although some have succeeded with limited-time promotions, others like McDonald’s, Chili’s and Taco Bell have found more success with offering value meals. Americans continue to be willing to spend – if they feel like they’re getting good bang for their buck.