Tuesday, February 25

Author: Grace Thompson

White House says Elon Musk serving as a ‘special government employee’
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White House says Elon Musk serving as a ‘special government employee’

Washington Elon Musk is a "special government employee," according to a White House official, working for the Trump administration. With this status, Musk, the tech entrepreneur and ardent Trump supporter whom Trump has sent on a federal government cost-cutting mission, is neither a full-time employee nor a volunteer. workers of special government are expected to adhere to ethical and conflict of interest rules that are often less stringent than those of federal workers. Some of the disclosure requirements for full-time positions are circumvented because it is a temporary post. Musk was appointed head of Trump's "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), an advising commission outside the government. The Congressional Research Service reports that special federal employees are constrai...
Papier sale: 13+ discounted photo books, planners, notebooks and more
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Papier sale: 13+ discounted photo books, planners, notebooks and more

You can discover just what you're searching for during Papier's Valentine's Day sale, whether you're attempting to arrange for the new year or hoping to locate a thoughtful Valentine's Day gift for your loved one. Stationery basics, photo albums, recipe cards, journals, and unique and customizable notebooks are currently up to 30% discount. (However, if you want your Valentine to receive their gift on time, make sure to place your order as soon as possible.) I've compiled a list of some of the finest sales below, including Papier items that our NBC Select employees enjoy and use, as well as best-selling items that I believe are worthwhile purchases. GO Ahead and SkipThe greatest bargains on Papier Valentine's Day | More Papier offers | Why Is NBC Select Reliable? Selected. Our top pi...
MLB umpire fired for sharing gambling account with friend who bet on baseball
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MLB umpire fired for sharing gambling account with friend who bet on baseball

Major League Baseball fired umpire Pat Hoberg on Monday for purposefully erasing electronic messages related to the league's investigation and for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games. Hoberg did not officiate last season, and the sports book alerted MLB to the matter, which prompted the league to launch an inquiry in February. On May 24, MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill suggested that Hoberg be dismissed, despite MLB claiming the investigation found no proof that Hoberg directly wagered on baseball or affected games. On Monday, Commissioner Rob Manfred declared that he had upheld Hill's ruling. Hoberg is eligible to ask for reinstatement no early than 2026 spring training, and he is one of the best umpires at estim...
Some Canadians are boycotting U.S. products in protest of looming tariffs
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Some Canadians are boycotting U.S. products in protest of looming tariffs

In protest of President Donald Trump's impending tariffs, some Canadians have started to boo the U.S. national anthem at professional athletic events and boycott American goods. Pierre Oliver, one of the many irate citizens of the U.S. ally country, expressed his frustration on Sunday by responding to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's appeal to prioritize purchasing Canadian goods in retribution for Trump's executive order imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. Oliver, a 67-year-old business owner from Ontario, added, "It's a drop in the bucket." However, it's our only option. Trump declared on Saturday that imports from Canada and Mexico would be subject to a 25% duty, with the exception of Canadian energy items, which would be subject to a 10% tariff. Citing the contribution of al...
American Airlines engine and fuselage lifted from Potomac in effort to recover all victims of D.C. midair collision
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American Airlines engine and fuselage lifted from Potomac in effort to recover all victims of D.C. midair collision

American Airlines Flight 5432's fuselage and engine were lifted out of the Potomac River on Monday, starting the difficult task of clearing the remaining debris after a military helicopter struck it and crashed last Wednesday. In order to recover all 67 people who perished in the airborne accident in the Washington, D.C., region, officials believe what's left of the jet must be removed from the crash site. According to officials, the effort started at daylight on Monday. At a press conference on Sunday, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly stated, "We're going to recover everyone." The bodies of 55 victims have so far been positively identified. "If we knew where they were, though, we would already have them out, so we have some work to do as the salvage operation goes on, and we will abs...
Markets fall following tariff turbulence
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Markets fall following tariff turbulence

In tumultuous trading on Monday, stocks dropped in response to President Donald Trump's tariff announcements. The S&P 500 as a whole dropped 0.8%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%. 1.2% was lost by the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100. Wall Street's fear barometer, the Cboe Volatility Index, which predicts significant market swings, surged past 18 and approached two-year highs. Gold reached a record high of $2,818.27 an ounce. Following a sell-off that lasted through the night and into Monday morning, bitcoin prices also increased. With a 10% levie on Canadian energy imports, Trump imposed a 25% tariff on all commodities imported from Canada and Mexico, the two biggest trading partners in the United States, on Saturday. A 10% tax on all Chinese-sourced goods was also announced by ...
Trump moves to develop sovereign wealth fund to ‘create value for American citizens’
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Trump moves to develop sovereign wealth fund to ‘create value for American citizens’

In order to better distribute regular cash to regular individuals, President Donald Trump announced Monday that he would establish a sovereign wealth fund, which would be a collection of assets similar to those found in other nations. However, comprehensive information about the fund's operation was not readily available. During a ceremony in the Oval Office, Trump made the news. During his 2024 presidential campaign, he had proposed the establishment of such a fund. At the event, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave a quick overview of the fund. "It will be a combination of liquid assets, assets that we have in this country as we work ... to bring them out for the American people," he stated. "The extraordinary size and scale of the U.S. government and the business it does with companies...
What is USAID, the foreign assistance agency the Trump administration wants to shut down?
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What is USAID, the foreign assistance agency the Trump administration wants to shut down?

As part of a broader drive to reduce federal bureaucracy, the Trump administration has threatened to close the U.S. Agency for International Development as an independent agency and possibly transfer it under the U.S. State Department. This has left the agency at the heart of a political controversy. At a fraction of the total federal budget, USAID sends billions of dollars in humanitarian help abroad, which advocates say is a vital lifeline to over 100 countries. However, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who leads his government efficiency program, termed USAID a criminal organization, and President Donald Trump denounced it over the weekend as being managed by a group of extremist lunatics. The future of the agency is unknown. More than a dozen individuals have told NBC News that officials i...
Millennials reimagine retirement: ‘The end game might not be … sitting on my Adirondack chair’
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Millennials reimagine retirement: ‘The end game might not be … sitting on my Adirondack chair’

Millennials are doing very well financially by many metrics. Nonetheless, fewer young folks are considering traditional retirement. According to Wells Fargo's head of consulting and planning, Michael Liersch, retirement is becoming less important. "That was always the top goal ten or fifteen years ago," he remarked. Nowadays, embracing life in the now is more important. The ultimate goal may not be to stop working and rest in my Adirondack chair, he added, despite the fact that this generation is highly focused on accumulating riches. It might not be that. According to a 2024 survey from Edelman Financial Engines, 37% of Americans expect their retirement to look different than it did in prior generations. A more active and adventurous lifestyle is what most people think that entails. Acco...
Kyrsten Sinema’s campaign spending report includes a Saudi hotel and Taylor Swift merch
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Kyrsten Sinema’s campaign spending report includes a Saudi hotel and Taylor Swift merch

Former Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat who later became an independent, spent much in the desert in the months leading up to her retirement. This included Saudi Arabia as well as Arizona, the state she served as a representative for in Congress for over 10 years. Approximately 10% of the nearly $700,000 Sinema's campaign reported spending in the last three months of 2024 went toward hotel, including over $20,000 at the upscale Le M Ridien in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. According to her campaign finance filing, an additional $756 was sent to a limited liability business associated with Marriott that operates in the nation. Although it's unknown where the services were incurred, the report reveals that Sinema's campaign also paid $4,000 on car services to two international businesses, one in Pa...