Author: potus
A screen displays the company logo for Toast Inc. during the company’s initial public offering at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on Sept. 22, 2021.Brendan Mcdermid | ReutersEconomic concerns are hitting the stock market broadly, but they’re having an outsized impact on fintech companies that are tied closely to consumer spending and small and medium-sized businesses.While the Nasdaq fell 2.1% on Thursday, putting the tech-heavy index on pace for its worst week since September, shares of Shift4, Toast and Bill.com suffered much steeper drops, losing 6.7%, 6.2% and 4%, respectively. President Donald Trump’s disjointed rollout of…
President Trump said Thursday he saw “good signals” toward finalizing a 30-day cease-fire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, as U.S. officials visiting Moscow were expected to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.The remarks, delivered in the Oval Office while meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, came as Mr. Putin made clear he was in no hurry for a cease-fire, laying out numerous conditions before he could agree to a truce.“It doesn’t mean anything until we hear what the final outcome is, but they have very serious discussions going on right now with President Putin and others, and…
For the second time this week, President Trump has threatened to disrupt trade with a close ally for retaliating in a trade war that he started — a tactic that could lead to compromise, or to economic spats that spiral further out of control.On Thursday morning, Mr. Trump tried to cow the European Union into submission, threatening in a social media post to put a 200 percent tariff on European wine and Champagne unless the bloc dropped a 50 percent tariff on U.S. whiskey. The European Union had imposed that tariff in response to levies that Mr. Trump put on…
March, the third month in the Gregorian calendar, is well-known for its unpredictable spring weather (“in like a lion and out like a lamb”), NCAA basketball (a.k.a. “March Madness”), and, of course, St. Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras celebrations. But March is also tied to ancient beginnings, historic events and even animal antics. Here’s a closer look. The Origins of MarchThe name March comes from the Latin “Martius,” named for Mars, the Roman god of war, as military actions often resumed after winter. Initially, it was the first month of the ancient Roman 10-month calendar. But in the 7th century B.C.E.,…
On March 14, 1951, Albert Einstein was sitting in the back of a car, getting ready to leave his 72nd birthday party at Princeton University. Photographers had been asking Einstein to pose for the camera all evening, and when UPI photographer Arthur Sasse turned his camera on him, the theoretical physicist playfully stuck out his tongue.The lighthearted photo Sasse captured pleased Einstein so much that he ordered multiple prints to send to friends. In an inscribed copy Einstein gave to news anchor Howard K. Smith, he hinted at what the photo meant to him. “This gesture you will like, because…
The fate of thousands of Afghans waiting to reach the United States after serving with American troops was thrown into limbo after President Trump took office. Now military veterans are scrambling to bring as many of them as possible to the country before the administration introduces a travel ban that could restrict their entry.In an executive order on Jan. 20, Mr. Trump instructed cabinet members, including the secretary of state, to compile a list of countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those…
Is Elon Musk planning to use artificial intelligence to run the US government? That seems to be his plan, but experts say it is a “very bad idea”. Musk has fired tens of thousands of federal government employees through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and he reportedly requires the remaining workers to send the department a weekly email featuring five bullet points describing what they accomplished that week. Since that will no doubt flood DOGE with hundreds of thousands of these types of emails, Musk is relying on artificial intelligence to process responses and help determine who should remain…
Cheerful, prank-loving leprechauns are beloved symbols of luck and prosperity in Ireland and for the millions of Americans with Irish roots. But centuries-old legends about the diminutive shoemaking creatures painted them differently, as mischievous and sometimes menacing tricksters.Irish folklore, rich with medieval accounts of dark fairies and goblins, portrayed the mythical humanoids—always described as no more than two or three feet tall—as were fearful beings. The leprechaun’s image has since evolved, blending ancient Celtic mythology with modern cultural charm.The fairy-like creatures with red beards and green clothes are known for guarding pots of gold and granting wishes to people who…
In the weeks after President Emmanuel Macron called a snap election last summer that resulted in a deeply divided French Parliament, if his name came up it was often to call for his resignation.The unpopular president, long derided by critics as aloof, all-controlling and arrogant, looked certain to ride out the final three years of his term as a lame duck atop an unstable government of his own creation, with a rotating cast of prime ministers, and little to show for it.But President Trump has changed that. The American leader has abruptly reversed 80 years of friendly policy toward Europe,…
President Trump’s cabinet has been busy rolling back regulations that will make it far easier to extract and produce fossil fuels. But who will buy them?Nearly everyone, it turns out, particularly under the threat of tariffs.At an annual energy-industry conference in Houston, executives spoke openly about how companies from around the world are seeking to buy American liquefied natural gas as a way of placating Mr. Trump’s demands to either balance trade or face punitive measures.Nations with a trade imbalance with the U.S. are “all asking themselves, ‘What can we do to try to level the playing field?’” said Meg…