DoJ says it will not ask US supreme court to rehear tariffs case despite president’s complaint on Truth Social The Trump administration said businesses seeking refunds of tariffs struck down by the US supreme court “will take time,” according to court documents filed by the justice department on Friday. The justice department did not say it plans to ask the supreme court to rehear the case, despit...
DoJ says it will not ask US supreme court to rehear tariffs case despite president’s complaint on Truth Social The Trump administration said businesses seeking refunds of tariffs struck down by the US supreme court “will take time,” according to court documents filed by the justice department on Friday. The justice department did not say it plans to ask the supreme court to rehear the case, despite Donald Trump’s comments earlier on Friday. Continue reading...
Funtap/iStock via Getty Images All nine One Choice Portfolios posted positive returns in the fourth quarter. Market Environment Global stocks advanced in the fourth quarter. Non-U.S. developed markets equities outperformed U.S. stocks. Large-cap equities outperformed small- and mid-cap stocks in the quarter, while value-oriented stocks outperformed growth. The U.S. economy continued expanding, but...
Funtap/iStock via Getty Images All nine One Choice Portfolios posted positive returns in the fourth quarter. Market Environment Global stocks advanced in the fourth quarter. Non-U.S. developed markets equities outperformed U.S. stocks. Large-cap equities outperformed small- and mid-cap stocks in the quarter, while value-oriented stocks outperformed growth. The U.S. economy continued expanding, but growth slowed somewhat as the quarter progressed. The U.S. government shutdown that began in October and dragged into early November did not dramatically deter investors, even as it delayed or eliminated key government economic data. The Federal Reserve, reacting to weakness in the U.S. labor market, reduced its benchmark interest rate twice during the quarter. Bonds had a positive quarter across the board. Nearly all sectors of the bond market advanced. Treasuries slightly outperformed investment-grade corporates. Corporate bond returns were limited by the same economic uncertainty that weighed on U.S. equities during the period. Investment-grade U.S. bonds outperformed non-U.S. bonds on a currency-neutral basis. Key Contributors International holdings led the way. Top absolute performers in the applicable portfolios were International Value, Non-U.S. Intrinsic Value, Emerging Markets and Focused Dynamic Growth. Nearly all bond positions gained. Across fixed-income holdings, Emerging Markets Debt, High Income and Short Duration were top performers. Key Detractors Few absolute detractors for the quarter. In a strong environment for both equities and bonds, only Heritage, Small Cap Value, Inflation-Adjusted Bond and Global Real Estate generated negative returns during the quarter. Outlook and Dynamic Risk Management Process We continue to see innovation and opportunity in equity markets. The financial markets delivered positive returns in 2025 despite the backdrop of geopolitical and policy uncertainties. Similarly, U.S. economic growth remains resilient. Economic and marke...
Actor, originally charged on two counts, accused of battery against third person in bar incident, sources say New Orleans police on Friday obtained a new warrant to arrest actor Shia LaBeouf in connection with a case that had already left him facing two counts of battery. The new warrant brings the number of people whom LaBeouf is accused of battering to three, multiple sources told Guardian repor...
Actor, originally charged on two counts, accused of battery against third person in bar incident, sources say New Orleans police on Friday obtained a new warrant to arrest actor Shia LaBeouf in connection with a case that had already left him facing two counts of battery. The new warrant brings the number of people whom LaBeouf is accused of battering to three, multiple sources told Guardian reporting partner WWL Louisiana . The Guardian independently verified the information with a criminal justice source with direct knowledge of the warrant. Continue reading...
At a current price of $67,000, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is now 46% below its all-time high of $126,000 from October. For more than four months now, there has been steady selling pressure on Bitcoin. So it's perhaps no surprise that prediction market traders think Bitcoin has almost no chance of hitting $150,000 this year. But what if they're ignoring the bull-case scenario hiding in plain sight? Righ...
At a current price of $67,000, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) is now 46% below its all-time high of $126,000 from October. For more than four months now, there has been steady selling pressure on Bitcoin. So it's perhaps no surprise that prediction market traders think Bitcoin has almost no chance of hitting $150,000 this year. But what if they're ignoring the bull-case scenario hiding in plain sight? Right now, Polymarket traders are giving Bitcoin a 10% chance of hitting $150,000 by the end of this year. That's remarkably low. By way of comparison, they are also giving Bitcoin a 10% chance of hitting $20,000 this year. In other words, they say it's just as likely that Bitcoin soars in value by 120% as it is that Bitcoin declines in value by another 70%. Continue reading
Will China Come To Iran's Rescue? Via Middle East Eye As tensions between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance approach a critical juncture, a question echoes through global capitals, newsrooms and policy circles: will China come to Iran’s rescue? And if so, what would that assistance look like? The answer defies the binary expectations of traditional military alliances. China is unlikely to di spatch...
Will China Come To Iran's Rescue? Via Middle East Eye As tensions between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance approach a critical juncture, a question echoes through global capitals, newsrooms and policy circles: will China come to Iran’s rescue? And if so, what would that assistance look like? The answer defies the binary expectations of traditional military alliances. China is unlikely to di spatch troops or engage directly in any conflict , but to interpret this as passivity would be to misread the nature of 21st-century great power competition. China's support for Iran is real, multifaceted, and in some ways more sustainable than military intervention ; it just operates on a different strategic wavelength. At the UN Security Council, China has consistently deployed its most potent weapon: the veto-wielding power of principle. In an emergency meeting last month, Chinese Ambassador Sun Lei delivered a stark message to Washington: "The use of force can never solve problems. It will only make them more complex and intractable. Any military adventurism would only push the region toward an unpredictable abyss ." This is not empty rhetoric. China’s official position explicitly supports "safeguarding Iran’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity”, while opposing “the threat or use of force in international relations”. By anchoring its stance in the UN Charter and international law , China provides Tehran with something invaluable: legitimacy on the world stage, and a powerful counter-narrative to western pressure. Strategic alignment The diplomatic calculus shifted fundamentally when Iran was formally approved in 2021 as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), joining China, Russia and Central Asian nations. This was followed by Tehran’s inclusion in the Brics bloc . These are not military pacts, but they create something perhaps more enduring: a framework for permanent consultation and strategic alignment. Last year, Chinese, Russian and Ir...
Anthropic PBC started this year on a winning streak, with surging sales, multiple viral products and a large funding round all giving the startup a big advantage in the costly global AI race. On Friday, the Trump administration handed down back-to-back directives that threaten to curb growth for one of the country’s most successful artificial intelligence firms. First, President Donald Trump order...
Anthropic PBC started this year on a winning streak, with surging sales, multiple viral products and a large funding round all giving the startup a big advantage in the costly global AI race. On Friday, the Trump administration handed down back-to-back directives that threaten to curb growth for one of the country’s most successful artificial intelligence firms. First, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s software, which has become popular particularly as a programming assistant. Shortly after, the Pentagon declared the AI developer a supply-chain risk — a designation typically reserved for companies from countries the US views as adversaries. The moves, which followed a tense showdown between the San Francisco-based startup and the Pentagon over AI safeguards, aim to not only to cut off Anthropic’s sales from the US government, but also numerous other firms. “No contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a social media post late Friday. The full impact on the company — and the AI ecosystem — remains to be seen. At minimum, rivals such as OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Elon Musk’s xAI now have an opportunity to take on government work that had previously gone to Anthropic. But some legal and policy experts warned the fallout could be far more dire if the Pentagon follows through on its declaration. Barring Anthropic from working with corporate customers that do business with the Defense Department would be “a death blow” to Anthropic’s business, said Charlie Bullock, a lawyer and senior research fellow at the Institute for Law & AI, a Boston-based think tank. As laid out in Hegseth’s post, the Pentagon’s policy would effectively prevent Anthropic from working with some of its biggest partners, such as Amazon.com Inc. , Bullock said. Dean Ball , a former White House adviser who helped create the...