Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
The Trump administration’s decision to return $790 million in previously frozen federal funds to Northwestern University marks a rare reversal in a high‑stakes clash between Washington and a major research institution. The agreement not only restores a critical revenue stream for the university, it also signals how far the White House was willing to push,…
Starbucks is facing a high-stakes test of its brand as a progressive employer, with Senator Bernie Sanders spotlighting a pay gap that puts nearly $96 million in compensation for the company’s chief executive alongside thousands of workers still waiting for a first union contract. The clash is no longer just about one coffee chain, it…
A sweeping recall of Airbus jets is rippling through U.S. aviation, pulling hundreds of workhorse aircraft into an unexpected maintenance spotlight and touching fleets at American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and other major carriers. The move is forcing airlines, regulators, and passengers to confront how a highly technical safety issue on a European-built airframe can…
President Donald Trump is touting a $75 million settlement with Northwestern as proof that his administration can bend elite universities to its civil-rights agenda, while the school is framing the same deal as the price of preserving core academic autonomy. The agreement restores a crucial stream of federal funding that had been frozen during an…
Cracker Barrel’s former chief executive says she lost her job not just in a boardroom, but in the court of public opinion, after a sweeping redesign collided with a conservative customer base that saw the changes as an attack on tradition. Her claim that she was effectively “fired by America” captures a broader clash between…
Ford is staring at a rare kind of supply chain crisis, with a second blaze in roughly two months at a critical aluminum supplier now threatening to turn a manageable disruption into a multibillion dollar earnings drag. The company has already warned that the first incident could slice as much as $2 billion from profit,…
Big Tech’s artificial intelligence boom is being sold as a revolution in productivity, but the numbers suggest it is also a carefully engineered financial machine. Michael Burry has zeroed in on how a handful of platforms are using AI narratives, accounting choices, and capital spending cycles to magnify reported profits and market power in ways…
SoftBank has just delivered one of the starkest reminders yet that even the loudest AI narrative cannot defy gravity in public markets. After a feverish run-up on the promise of artificial intelligence, the group has now seen its shares sink roughly 40% from their recent peak as investors reassess the risks of its concentrated bets….
Uber is moving beyond test tracks and pilot programs, putting fully driverless rides into regular circulation on the streets of Abu Dhabi. The launch turns the United Arab Emirates capital into one of the first cities where everyday Uber users can hail a commercial robotaxi, signaling how quickly autonomous vehicles are shifting from experiment to…
Walgreens is cashing out of its namesake pharmacy chain for a reported $10 billion, then turning around and asking its remaining workforce to live with less. The sale price signals how valuable the brick-and-mortar network still is, yet the company’s next move has been to trim benefits and perks that employees say helped make the…