Unusual Whales

Trump has fired 17 inspectors general in a late-night purge of the internal government watchdogs

The Trump administration has dismissed approximately 17 independent inspectors general across various federal agencies, a sweeping move that has drawn concerns from Congress about potential violations of federal oversight laws. The firings took effect immediately as of Friday night, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke on

CIA now favours ‘lab leak’ theory to explain Covid-19 origins

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced Saturday that it has revised its previous stance and now believes the Covid-19 virus was likely leaked from a Chinese laboratory before it spread globally. However, the agency emphasized that it has “low confidence” in this conclusion. "The CIA assesses with low

Trump has told the World Economic Forum U.S. doesn’t need Canadian oil, gas, autos or lumber

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States no longer requires Canadian imports of oil, gas, autos, or lumber. “We’re going to demand respect from other countries... Canada has been tough to negotiate with over the years,” Trump said during his virtual address at the World Economic

All federal agencies have received a memo requiring the termination of remote work options, with return-to-office plans due by end of day today

Trump Administration Orders Federal Employees Back to the Office A new directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is ordering federal employees to return to in-person work, following President Donald Trump’s “Return to In-Person Work” memorandum. In a memo to all department and agency heads, acting

Stargate, a $500 billion AI project unveiled by Donald Trump, will exclusively and only serve OpenAI

Trump Administration Unveils $500 Billion AI Initiative, but Questions Loom One of the first major announcements from President Donald Trump’s new administration aligns with the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. On his second day in office, Trump unveiled a $500 billion AI project backed by SoftBank (SFTBY), Oracle (ORCL), and

Gen Z workers think showing up 10 minutes late to work is as good as being on time

Punctuality Perceptions Vary by Generation, Study Finds How you feel about being 10 minutes late to work might reveal your age. While baby boomers often see tardiness as a sign of disrespect, Gen Z doesn’t think it’s a big deal. In fact, a 2024 study found that the

Putin has said: If Trump's 2020 win wasn't 'stolen,' there’d be no Ukraine war

Putin Open to Meeting Trump, Calls for ‘Calm’ Talks on Energy and Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he is open to meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss key issues, including energy prices and the war in Ukraine. "It would be better for us to

Trump has terminated Dr. Anthony Fauci's security deal

Trump Ends Fauci’s Security Detail, Says He Can Pay for His Own Protection President Donald Trump has terminated the security detail provided to Dr. Anthony Fauci by the National Institutes of Health, a source familiar with the decision told CNN. The protection was pulled on Thursday night. Despite ongoing

Trump announces he will sign an executive order to "fundamentally and overhaul reform" or "get rid of" FEMA

Trump Suggests Eliminating FEMA, Calls Agency ‘A Disaster’ President Donald Trump said Friday he is considering signing an executive order to "fundamentally reform" or even eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), criticizing its disaster response efforts during a visit to hurricane-damaged areas in western North Carolina.

Trump: I would love to see Canada become the 51st state… the Canadian citizens… would have much better health coverage

Trump Suggests Canada Would Have ‘Much Better’ Health Coverage as the 51st State U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that Canadians would receive “much better” health coverage if Canada became the 51st U.S. state. Speaking in North Carolina during a briefing on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, Trump made

44 states and the federal government are now suing property management companies over their use of an AI pricing tool to raise rents, with Utah being the newest to join

Utah renters could feel the effects of a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which accuses major property management companies of using an AI-driven pricing tool to inflate rents. The amended DOJ complaint names six large landlords, including one with rental units in Utah. The lawsuit

Trump demands a voter ID law in California as a condition for the state to receive federal funding after deadly wildfires

On Friday, President Trump outlined two conditions he wanted met in California before offering federal assistance to Los Angeles as it battles devastating wildfires. “I want to see two things in Los Angeles: Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the

Menthol cigarette ban withdrawn by Trump administration

The Trump administration has officially withdrawn the proposed rule that would have banned menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, according to the regulatory docket. Banning menthol was previously identified as a “top priority” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Biden administration. The agency sent its finalized

SEC has repealed SAB 121, allowing banks to custody crypto assets

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 122 (SAB 122), which rescinds prior accounting guidance for custodial crypto assets outlined in SAB 121. This revision introduces greater accounting flexibility, reducing the compliance burden for firms, including regulated banks, that are considering offering crypto

A House Republican, Representative, Andy Ogle, has introduced a proposed change to the Constitution that would allow President Trump to seek a third term in office

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) has introduced a resolution aimed at amending the 22nd Amendment to permit former President Donald Trump to serve a third term in office. Ogles announced the resolution on Thursday, explaining that if enacted, it would make Trump the first president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt to

Taliban rejects Trump’s demand to return US weapons worth $ 7 billion

In 2021, U.S. military equipment worth over $7 billion was left behind in Afghanistan following the hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops after two decades in the region, a source familiar with the matter stated. The recommendation to provide the Taliban with more advanced weapons to combat ISIS-K—

Berkshire Hathaway has invested in Nu Holdings, a Brazilian digital banking company that has its own cryptocurrency platform and supports the cryptocurrency market

Warren Buffett, CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, has long been vocal about his skepticism toward cryptocurrency, famously labeling Bitcoin as “probably rat poison squared” during Berkshire Hathaway’s 2018 annual shareholder meeting. “In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say with almost certainty that they will come to a

The bottom 50% of households hold 2.4% of US wealth

The wealth disparity in the United States continues to grow. As of the first quarter of 2023, "69% of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10% of earners," according to Statista, while the "lowest 50% of earners owned just 2.4%

Blackrock, BLK, CEO Larry Fink says I want the SEC to rapidly approve the tokenization of bonds and stocks

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset management firms, has urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to approve the tokenization of stocks and bonds. In a recent interview, Fink emphasized that such a move would “simplify” access to tokenized digital assets for

22 million Americans are millionaires

According to UBS' 2024 global wealth report, nearly 22 million people in the U.S.—or approximately one in 15 Americans—had a net worth of over $1 million last year. While this is a decrease from 22.7 million in 2022, the U.S. still accounted for 38%

President Donald Trump says he'll 'demand that interest rates drop immediately'

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will call for lower U.S. interest rates, intensifying pressure on the Federal Reserve despite its traditional political independence. During a virtual address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump demanded a reduction in interest rates while also calling for lower

Trump says US will be world capital of AI and crypto

Today, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” marking a significant move in the cryptocurrency space. The EO officially bans the creation and issuance of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the United States, defining a CBDC as “a form

A federal judge in Seattle has blocked, temporarily, President Donald Trump’s attempt to rescind birthright citizenship to illegals

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order that aimed to end the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, regardless of the immigration status of a child's parents. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour issued the ruling in a case brought by the

Trump has said he will approve power plants for AI through emergency declaration

President Donald Trump announced plans to fast-track the construction of power plants dedicated to artificial intelligence through an emergency declaration, emphasizing that these plants can use any fuel source, including coal. "We're going to build electric generating facilities. I'm going to get the approval

Trump has just said he is now signing an executive order on crypto

Today, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (EO) titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” marking a significant move in the cryptocurrency space. The EO officially bans the creation and issuance of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the United States, defining a CBDC as “a form