Unusual Whales

IRS to lay off 6,000 employees

IRS to Lay Off 6,000 Workers as Part of Trump Administration Cuts The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is set to lay off approximately 6,000 employees on Thursday, following an order from President Donald Trump directing government agencies to reduce staff. The layoffs have been planned for about a

USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them

USDA Accidentally Fires Key Bird Flu Response Workers Amid Federal Layoffs Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mistakenly fired several employees who were actively working on the federal government's H5N1 avian flu response. The agency is now scrambling to reverse the terminations and reinstate

Microsoft, MSFT, has announced its first quantum computing chip

Microsoft Unveils Majorana 1: A Breakthrough in Quantum Computing Microsoft has introduced Majorana 1, a quantum processor powered by its new Topological Core architecture, marking a significant leap forward in quantum computing. "It utilizes the world’s first topoconductor—a groundbreaking material capable of observing and controlling Majorana particles,

Apple AAPL announces its new iPhone 16e starting at $599

Apple Unveils Budget-Friendly iPhone 16e to Boost Sales Apple (AAPL) officially announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, a new budget-friendly smartphone aimed at reviving handset sales. The news, which had been widely anticipated, had little impact on Apple stock, which saw only a modest change. The Cupertino, California-based tech giant

Sam Altman's World Network says 1 in 4 people are flirting with chatbots online

Flirting with AI: The Rise of Romantic Chatbots By 2023, romantic chatbots had gained massive popularity, with Replika alone boasting 676,000 daily active users. On average, each user spent two hours a day engaging with the AI companion, according to Apptopia. But it's not just Replika users—

MBA grads are struggling to find work,

Even Ivy League MBA Graduates Struggle to Find Jobs India has long faced challenges in skill development, but the issue is now global. According to a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report, even fresh MBA graduates from top US business schools—including Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton—are struggling to find

DOGE head Elon Musk said he would ask President Donald Trump about a proposal for a “DOGE Dividend” that would give taxpayers a refund check of $5,000 funded by the savings from his Department of Government Efficiency

Elon Musk to Discuss Tax Refund Proposal with Trump Elon Musk announced plans to consult President Donald Trump on a proposal that would send tax refund checks to Americans using funds saved by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting advisory group he oversees. In a Tuesday post on

U.S.-Russia peace negotiations include discussions on withdrawing from or not deploying U.S. troops in countries that joined NATO after 1990

US and Russia Agree to "Normalize" Relations, Begin Talks on Ukraine War US and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for high-stakes discussions, agreeing to "normalize" relations and initiate talks on the war in Ukraine, according to the US State Department. US Secretary of

Elon Musk says DOGE to audit the money sent to Ukraine

Hawley Calls for Special Watchdog to Track U.S. Spending in Ukraine With federal spending and foreign aid under scrutiny, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley says it’s time for a dedicated watchdog to account for the billions the U.S. has sent to Ukraine. "I want to know where

President Trump to revoke federal approval of New York City’s congestion pricing program

Trump Administration Revokes Federal Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing The Trump administration officially revoked federal approval for New York City’s congestion pricing program on Wednesday, delivering on Donald Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate the tolls that require drivers to pay a $9 daytime fee to enter Manhattan south

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has fired at least 20 employees who were involved in reviewing Elon Musk's brain implant company, Neuralink

FDA Staff Overseeing Neuralink Review Dismissed Amid Federal Workforce Cuts Several FDA employees reviewing Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant company, were dismissed over the weekend as part of a broader effort to reduce the federal workforce, according to two sources familiar with the situation. FDA Neurological Devices Division Hit

The US is among the worst middle- and high-income countries on depression and anxiety prevalence, faring worse than about 90% of other countries—and is the country reporting the world’s highest rate for fatal drug overdoses

Report: U.S. Excels Economically but Struggles in Well-Being and Trust The State of the Nation Project has released its annual progress report, painting a picture of America as a nation of extremes—marked by both exceptional successes and stark failures. “Our national trends are improving in more areas than

Americans in disaster-prone areas are paying 82% more for home insurance than those in low-risk zip codes

Climate Crisis Drives Soaring Insurance Costs, Leaving Homeowners Vulnerable Homeowners across the U.S. are struggling to afford skyrocketing insurance premiums as the climate crisis fuels a surge in natural disasters, according to new federal data from the U.S. Treasury Department. Sharp Rise in Premiums for High-Risk Areas The

The Social Security Administration’s acting leader stepped down from her role over requests from the Department of Government Efficiency to access recipient data

Social Security Chief Steps Down Amid DOGE Data Access Dispute The acting head of the Social Security Administration (SSA) has stepped down, reportedly over requests from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access recipient data, multiple sources report. Commissioner’s Departure Michelle King, the SSA’s acting commissioner, resigned

NASA says there's now a 3.1% chance that asteroid 2024 YR4 will hit Earth in 2032

NASA Raises Odds of City-Destroying Asteroid Impact in 2032 NASA has increased the estimated probability that a major asteroid impact could occur in 2032, with the latest data suggesting a 1 in 32 chance (3.1%) that asteroid 2024 YR4 will collide with Earth. Rising Impact Probability On Feb. 7,

70% of single people struggle to afford housing payments, compared to 52% of married people

Survey: Single and Divorced Americans Struggle More with Housing Costs Than Married Couples A recent survey by Redfin found that nearly 70% of single, divorced, or separated individuals face challenges in affording housing payments—a significantly higher percentage than the 52% of married individuals who report similar difficulties. Financial Struggles

Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to let him to fire the head of the agency that protects government whistleblowers

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Approve Firing of Federal Whistleblower Chief The Trump administration has petitioned the Supreme Court to uphold the removal of Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), in what marks Trump’s first appeal of his new term and a major

The IRS is poised to hand over unlimited access to taxpayer data to an adviser from Elon Musk’s government efficiency group

IRS Weighing Request to Grant Musk’s DOGE Team Member Access to Taxpayer Data The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reportedly reviewing a request to grant a member of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to sensitive taxpayer records. According to The New York Times and The

Trump administration may ban the use of food stamps for purchasing junk food

Food Stamp Recipients May Face Ban on Sugary Drinks, Junk Food Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Friday that the federal government may restrict food stamp recipients from purchasing sugary drinks and junk food as part of a broader effort to promote healthier eating. Speaking outside the White House, Rollins emphasized

Delta, DAL, plane crashes at Toronto Pearson International Airport

Plane Crashes, Flips at Toronto’s Pearson Airport, Injuring 18 A Delta Air Lines flight crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon, flipping onto its back and injuring 18 passengers, according to officials. Runway Closures and Response The incident temporarily halted departures and arrivals on the airport’s

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: “We welcome DOGE and Elon to the Pentagon"

Federal Judge Skeptical of Effort to Block Musk, DOGE from Government Data and Firings A federal judge signaled doubt over efforts to block President Donald Trump’s administration from accessing federal data and removing federal employees, as arguments were heard in court on Monday. Judge Tanya Chutkan has not yet

Elon Musk says millions of people over 140 years old are receiving Social Security benefits

Musk Claims Social Security Database Lists Millions as Centenarians Elon Musk took to X on Monday, suggesting that millions of individuals in the Social Security database are recorded as being over 100 years old—with their “death field” still set to FALSE! "According to the Social Security database, these

Powell said this week: once we lower rates, mortgage rates will come down

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell carefully avoided addressing the potential economic impact of President Donald Trump’s policies on Tuesday, while reiterating that the central bank is not rushing to reduce interest rates. When questioned about the possible effects of Trump’s import tariffs on the economy or inflation, Powell

Trump's administration has identified 15,000 IRS employees to potentially fire next week

The Trump administration expanded its efforts to terminate thousands of probationary federal employees on Thursday, directing agencies to proceed with layoffs during a conference call. Targeting probationary workers—those employed for less than a year, or up to two years in some cases—has become a key strategy, as these

Trump: The reason Canada doesn’t pay that much for military is they assume we’ll protect them

Trump Reaffirms Interest in Canada Becoming the 51st State President Donald Trump reiterated his seriousness about Canada joining the United States as its 51st state during an interview aired Sunday as part of the Super Bowl pre-show. “Yeah, it is,” Trump told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier when asked