Posts by Kim Browne
Republicans in Revolt as Elon Musk’s DOGE Wreaks Havoc
The timing is suspicious, because Bolsonaro, formerly the president of Brazil, was indicted Tuesday on charges of attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election. Bolsonaro’s case is now being decided by the Brazilian high court, and de Moraes is not only overseeing that indictment, but also multiple other criminal investigations into the former president.…
Read MoreUSDA Desperately Trying to Rehire Bird Flu Experts DOGE Purged
Donald Trump’s administration can’t stop mis-firing. The Department of Agriculture is scrambling to rescind the terminations of “several” agency employees who were working to address the bird flu outbreak, amid sweeping layoffs at the behest of Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency. A USDA spokesperson released a statement Tuesday saying, “Although several…
Read MoreTrump Eyes a Bigger, Better Trade Deal With China
During the Biden administration, Donald J. Trump would sit in his mirrored and gold-trimmed salon at Mar-a-Lago where he had once hosted China’s leader, Xi Jinping, brooding to visitors about the outcome of the trade agreement he signed with China in 2020. Mr. Trump would castigate “stupid people” in the White House for failing to…
Read MoreIs Russia Open for Business — and at What Cost?
We’re taking a look at President Trump’s plans to consolidate control over many of the agencies that oversee business, including the S.E.C., the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. For years, industry has complained about the alphabet soup of agencies, which often compete with one another. Some officials…
Read MoreNikola, Electric Truck Maker, Files for Bankruptcy
Nikola, an electric vehicle start-up that had once hoped to become the Tesla of heavy trucks, filed for bankruptcy protection on Wednesday. Founded in 2015, Nikola promised to develop long-haul semi trucks powered by hydrogen and electricity, and listed itself on the stock exchange in 2020 before it had sold a single vehicle. Its share…
Read MoreThe U.N. Expert on Palestine Who Captured the World’s Attention
Also, you’ve got to do it for free; it’s a volunteer position. At Lynk’s urging, Albanese applied and won the appointment. In many ways, Lynk said, she is typical of her predecessors: an expert in international and human rights law, with an academic pedigree. But there are differences. Most notably, she is the first woman…
Read MoreStruggle Over Americans’ Personal Data Plays Out Across the Government
Last week, Michelle King, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration, sought to reassure Democrats on Capitol Hill about the presence of two of Elon Musk’s allies at her agency. The Social Security Administration keeps medical information, bank account numbers and other sensitive personal data about the roughly 70 million Americans it provides with…
Read MoreThe Cryptocurrency Scam That Turned a Small Town Against Itself
In the Wichita courtroom, Hanes offered his only public reflection on the bank collapse. Wearing a gray suit, he walked up to the lectern, glancing nervously at his former friends in the gallery. “I’m sorry,” he told the judge. Until the very end, he explained, he thought he was involved in a legitimate business deal.…
Read MoreRight-Wing Media Praises U.S.-Russia Talks as ‘Breath of Fresh Air’
News that the Trump administration had agreed with Russia to try to negotiate a peace settlement for Ukraine, without including Ukraine in the talks, was a revelation that many believed reversed years of efforts to isolate Moscow. But prominent voices in the right-wing media world interpreted the development this week as cause for celebration. “Every…
Read MorePGA Tour and LIV Golf Look for Merger Deal Under Trump
The PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund are racing to reshape their plans to combine their rival golf circuits, emboldened by President Donald J. Trump’s eagerness to play peacemaker for a fractured sport, according to four people familiar with the matter. Since the start of secret talks in April 2023, PGA Tour executives…
Read MoreHP to Buy Humane, Maker of the Ai Pin, for $116 Million
Humane, the ambitious start-up behind the Ai Pin device that aimed to one day replace smartphones, agreed to sell parts of its business to HP for $116 million, the companies said on Tuesday. HP said it planned to buy Humane’s “A.I. capabilities,” including its software platform, intellectual property, patents and some employees. The Ai Pin…
Read MoreSenate Confirms Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary
The Senate on Tuesday voted 51 to 45 to confirm Howard Lutnick to be President Trump’s commerce secretary, putting in place one of the administration’s top economic officials who will help oversee an agenda around tariffs and protectionism. Mr. Lutnick, who was the chief executive of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, became a central…
Read More