Pentagon’s New Cyber Certification Rules Raise Costs For Small Defense Suppliers, Risking Bottlenecks
New U.S. cybersecurity requirements for the defense industrial base are forcing some small manufacturers and specialty suppliers to reconsider whether military work is worth the price of compliance, raising concerns about resilience and competition across the defense supply chain. The rules are part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s long-delayed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) […]
US Readies “Freedom.gov” Portal to Let Europeans View Content Their Governments Ban
The U.S. State Department is developing an online portal designed to help people in Europe and other regions access online material their governments have blocked — including content categorized as illegal hate speech or terrorist propaganda. The project, hosted at freedom.gov, is framed inside the Trump administration as a pushback against what it calls foreign […]
Democrats Choose Virginia’s New Governor to Answer Donald Trump After His Prime-Time Address to Congress
Virginia’s newly elected governor, Abigail Spanberger, will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address, giving Democrats a high-profile chance to rebut the White House’s message on a night when the president commands the biggest audience. Party leaders framed her selection as a strategic choice: Spanberger won statewide by a […]
Big Food Pivots to “Smaller, Cleaner, Higher-Protein” as GLP-1 Drugs Reshape American Eating
Major packaged-food and beverage companies are rapidly retooling products and marketing as appetite-suppressing GLP-1 drugs spread through the U.S., changing what—and how much—people buy. It’s a shift from “wait and see” to “act now,” with companies emphasizing shorter ingredient lists, smaller pack sizes, and more protein- and fiber-forward foods designed to keep consumers fuller longer. […]
Fifth Circuit Cracks Down on “AI Hallucinations,” Saying Lawyers Can’t Plead Ignorance Anymore
U.S. federal appeals court has sanctioned a lawyer for filing a legal brief riddled with AI-generated errors, warning that fabricated citations and “hallucinated” material in court filings remain a growing problem. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ordered attorney Heather Hersh to pay $2,500 after concluding she used […]
With Midterms Looming and Economic Ratings Low, Trump Tries to re-Sell His Cost-of- Living Message in Georgia
President Trump is traveling to Georgia on Thursday to deliver what the White House describes as a fresh economic message focused on lowering household costs—an issue that is increasingly central to Republicans’ hopes of holding Congress in the November 2026 midterm elections. The speech, scheduled in Rome, is the latest in a run of economic […]
Microsoft Defends its ICE Ties, Says Policies Bar Civilian Mass Surveillance and Urges Clearer Legal Guardrails
Microsoft said it does not believe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is using the company’s technology for “mass surveillance of civilians,” responding to a report that raised fresh questions about how federal immigration enforcement is using modern cloud and AI tools. Microsoft emphasized that its policies and terms of service prohibit its technology from being […]
White House Fires Back at NY Fed Research Arguing Americans Shoulder Most Tariff Costs
A political clash is brewing between the White House and central-bank researchers after Kevin Hassett publicly suggested punishment for the authors of a Federal Reserve Bank of New York analysis that challenges the administration’s tariff narrative. In a February 18 interview with CNBC, Hassett said the research was “an embarrassment,” called it “the worst paper” […]
New CEO, High Expectations: Walmart Signals a Cautious 2026 Outlook Despite Strong Momentum
Wall Street has spent months bidding up Walmart shares, but investors are bracing for a more measured tone when the retailer delivers its annual outlook alongside quarterly results. The key reason is timing: this is the first earnings report under new CEO John Furner, who took over at the start of February and inherits a […]
US Factory Output Jumps Most in 11 Months, Signaling a Tentative Manufacturing Rebound
U.S. manufacturing activity showed a noticeable pulse of life in January, with factory production posting its largest monthly gain in 11 months—a result that offers some optimism for a sector that has been pressured by higher borrowing costs and trade frictions. According to data, manufacturing output rose 0.6% in January after being flat in December, […]
