Many federal employees were aware that a Trump administration would target diversity, equality, and inclusion positions within their own agencies. The only questions were when and how far he would go. According to a message from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), it happened for the majority of employees at 5 p.m. on Wednesday when they received notice that they would have to take paid vacation. The message came after President Donald Trump's executive order that terminated federal agencies' diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives. A government employee who has been on leave from the agency where he has worked for more than 20 years declared, "I'm mad." He asked to remain anonymous because he was worried about losing his government job in the future. I have dedicated twenty-t...

Following President Donald Trump's appeal for lower interest rates and cheaper oil prices, the S&P 500 surged to all-time highs on Thursday. For the second consecutive day, the broad market index hit an all-time intraday high, rising 0.53%. At 6,118.71 at the end of the day, the benchmark surpassed its previous closing high of 6,090.27 set in early December. The Nasdaq Composite increased 0.22% to 20,053.68 while the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 408.34 points, or 0.92%, to 44,565.07. All three of the major indices had their fourth consecutive winning session on Thursday. After Trump declared in a virtual speech to the World Economic Forum on Thursday that he would insist on an immediate reduction in interest rates, stocks surged. Additionally, the president stated that he wo...

Five expectant mothers and a number of immigration organizations have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, claiming that Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship may make some asylum-seekers' unborn children "stateless." Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship, the executive order that Trump signed on Monday, aims to restrict birthright citizenship to those who have at least one parent who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. Additionally, it declares that children born to parents who are temporarily but lawfully in the nation would no longer be automatically granted citizenship. The birthright citizenship restriction order was temporarily stopped by a federal district court in Seattle on Thursday, delaying its implementatio...

DETROITA new $80,000 performance version of General Motors' all-electric Cadillac Lyriq was unveiled Thursday. The Detroit carmaker hopes to become the top-selling premium EV brand in the United States this year. With a growing array of electric cars, including the performance Lyriq-V, Escalade IQ SUV, and the impending entry-level Optiq crossover, Cadillac hopes to meet that goal. In 2025, we plan to establish Cadillac as the top-selling luxury electric vehicle brand in the United States. Let me reiterate: Cadillac Vice President John Roth stated at a press meeting that the brand would be the top-selling premium EV in 2025. The possibilities in the premium EV market are virtually limitless. However, the opulent area might not be as obvious as it seems. In response to Roth's remarks, Cadi...

Following the intentional murder of its former CEO, Brian Thompson, in Manhattan in December, UnitedHealthcare appointed Tim Noel, a veteran of the organization, as its new CEO on Thursday. At UnitedHealthcare, the biggest private health insurer in the US, Noel oversaw Medicare and retirement. It is the insurance division of UnitedHealth Group, which, according to sales and market capitalization of over $480 billion, is the largest health care conglomerate in the country. According to a statement from UnitedHealth Group, Noel, who joined the firm in 2007, brings unmatched experience to this position, a solid track record, and a strong dedication to enhancing the way health care functions for patients, doctors, employers, governments, and other partners. The business is still in shock over ...

In a recent settlement to litigation concerning the toll of the potent prescription painkiller, New York Attorney General Letitia James stated that the family members who own Purdue Pharma, the firm that makes OxyContin, had agreed to pay up to $7.4 billion. The agreement, which was approved by Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family members who own the business, and attorneys for state and local governments as well as thousands of opioid crisis victims, is more than $1 billion more than a previous settlement agreement that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected last year. Purdue agreed to pay $900 million, while the Sacklers agreed to pay up to $6.5 billion, for a total of $7.4 billion. In a series of lawsuits filed by local, state, and Native American tribe governments, as well as others, to hold cor...

London A judge in England sentenced a teenager to more than 50 years in jail Thursday for what he described as the most severe, appalling, and exceedingly dangerous crime: stabbing three young girls to death at a dancing class with a Taylor Swift theme. According to Judge Julian Goose, 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana intended to attempt mass murder of contented, innocent young females. Goose stated that as Rudakubana was younger than eighteen at the time of the offense, he was unable to impose a life sentence without the possibility of parole. However, the judge ruled that he will probably never be released because he must spend 52 years, less the six months he has been detained, before becoming eligible for parole. Rudakubana killed Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe...

Washington The Senate approved the second high-level nomination for the new Trump administration on Thursday, voting to confirm John Ratcliffe as the next director of the CIA. Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as Trump's director of national intelligence for the final eight months of his first term, won the vote 74–25. Together with their Republican counterparts, twenty-one Democrats endorsed the nomination. After the confirmation vote, Vice President JD Vance swore Ratcliffe in, the CIA announced in a statement Thursday night. This week, Republican leaders had to clear certain procedural hurdles after failing to secure unanimous support to expedite Ratcliffe's nomination to the floor. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stated that he opposed Ratcliffe not becau...

President Donald Trump urged the kingdom Thursday to boost its U.S. investment, saying he would encourage the Saudis to round out their promised $600 billion to almost $1 trillion, one day after he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In virtual remarks to corporate and international executives at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump stated, "I think they'll do that because we've been very good to them." According to a Saudi government readout, the crown prince, the de facto head of the country, promised Trump he will invest at least $600 billion in the United States over the next four years during the call on Wednesday, which was Trump's first with a foreign leader since his inauguration on Monday. Speaking to an audience in Davos on Thursday, Trump also pro...

An officer was suspended by the U.S. Capitol Police on Thursday for allowing an armed man to enter the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday. The individual, who was taken into custody on Tuesday, managed to bring a gun into the Library of Congress. Go here to watch live political coverage. A lookout for a man "with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area" was sent out on Tuesday, according to a statement from USCP. "The individual was discovered heading towards his automobile at around 2:15 p.m., following the tour of the Library of Congress. He was halted, searched, and taken into custody. According to the statement, a tiny 9mm handgun was found hidden in his waistband. The individual was seen visiting the Capitol Visitor Center earlie...