Michelle Obama addressed why she skipped President Trump's second inauguration during the latest episode of the former first lady's podcast that was released Wednesday.
The big picture: She was speaking on "IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson," which she hosts with her brother about how she's been working on saying "no" to people and overcoming worries that she needed to do more.
Major food companies haven't officially agreed to ditch artificial dyes despite Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to ban them, though several of the nation's largest companies signaled they're committed to a conversation about it.
Why it matters: President Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration is working with industry to eliminate synthetic dyes from the American food supply over the next two years.
A coalition of 12 states sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over what they called "illegal tariffs."
Why it matters: The attorneys general are seeking acourt order to block President Trump from being able to enact the tariffs, claiming that he lacked the authority to set them.
The Official Trump meme coin is up nearly 50% Wednesday on news that its biggest holders get to have dinner with Donald Trump, the President of the United States.
Why it matters: The big question everyone had about this crypto token was whether or not buying it would offer privileged access to the president, and now we have an answer.
Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got into a heated shouting match in earshot of President Trump and other officials in the White House last week during a dispute about the IRS, two witnesses and three sources briefed on the matter tell Axios.
"It was two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing," one witness said of the argument last Thursday. (Bessent's net worth is actually $520 million.)
Why it matters: The clash — with both men in each other's face — showed how much Musk's personality and style have rankled some senior administration officials since he began running roughshod through agencies with DOGE.
Viewers across the U.S. are getting ready for the next Pope to be announced by binge watching the fictional drama "Conclave."
Why it matters: The Oscar-award-winning film that depicts how the Catholic Church chooses its leader has seen a massive spike in daily viewership since Pope Francis died earlier this week.
Financial market reality remains a constraint on President Trump's most aggressive impulses. But that doesn't mean the economy is out of the woods.
The big picture: Tuesday brought a presidential climbdown on both his threats to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and to slam Chinese imports with tariffs so high as to virtually shutter trade between the world's biggest economies.
Teenagers have to pass a driving test before they can get a license.
For autonomous vehicles, the standard of achievement is when it's better than a human driver.
Why it matters: Absent federal regulations on autonomy, AV companies are essentially self-regulated. They get to decide when "safe" is "safe enough," which is hard to prove and naturally leaves room for interpretation.
Drivers along a 200-mile stretch of I-45 between Dallas and Houston should get ready for something new: The semi-truck in the next lane might not have anyone in the driver's seat.
Why it matters: Autonomous trucking companies have been testing their fleets on Texas highways for several years, but always with backup safety drivers in the cab.
Now, one company, Aurora Innovation, says it plans to go completely driverless, a key milestone that promises to reshape the trucking industry.
Driving the news: After years of development, Pittsburgh-based Aurora is launching driverless operations this month on a popular freight route between Dallas and Houston.
Teenagers have to pass a driving test before they can get a license.
For autonomous vehicles, the standard of achievement is when it's better than a human driver.
Why it matters: Absent federal regulations on autonomy, AV companies are essentially self-regulated. They get to decide when "safe" is "safe enough," which is hard to prove and naturally leaves room for interpretation.
"Just trust us" isn't very convincing to the majority of Americans who are afraid of self-driving technology, according to a AAA survey.
Driving the news: Aurora says it won't launch its driverless trucks until its safety case is fully closed.
Elon Musk expects that millions of Teslas will be driving autonomously by the latter half of 2026.
In the meantime, the company aims to launch a modest robotaxi pilot with just a handful of cars in Austin, Texas, starting in June.
Why it matters: Tesla no longer sees itself as an electric vehicle company, but rather an AI-driven robotics company focused on large-scale production of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots.
Yes, but: The Tesla CEO has been predicting a million robotaxis on the road since 2019.
While Tesla's been talking about it, Waymo already has a robotaxi service that provides more than 200,000 rides per week in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. In 2024, it racked up more than 4 million paid passenger trips.
🇨🇳 Trade war, safety concerns take center stage at Shanghai auto show — Reuters
⚖️ California New Car Dealers Association files lawsuit against Scout, VW Group — Automotive News
🚕 Archer lays plans for NY air taxi service — Axios
📸:
XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng and XPeng's humanoid AI robot IRON are swarmed at the XPeng booth during the Shanghai auto show Wednesday. Photo: VCG/VCG via Getty Images
With tariffs expected to drive up the price of imported cars, the Kentucky-built Camry is a solid choice — affordable, dependable and surprisingly stylish, considering its rather stodgy reputation.
What's new: All Camrys are now hybrids. You can't buy a gasoline version anymore.
Key stats: The Camry gets up to 51 miles per gallon in the LE front-wheel-drive model. The all-wheel-drive XLE version I drove got 44 mpg.
Pricing starts at $29,835, but the higher-trim model I drove started at almost $35,000. With a premium option package, it topped out just over $41,000.
💭 My thought bubble: It might seem crazy, but if you want to stand out from the crowd, buy a sedan. Everyone else is driving SUVs.
The bottom line: Consumers are going to be looking for value, and at least the base Camry, under $30,000, fits the bill.
Drivers along a 200-mile stretch of I-45 between Dallas and Houston should get ready for something new: The semi-truck in the next lane might not have anyone in the driver's seat.
Why it matters: Autonomous trucking companies have been testing their fleets on Texas highways for several years, but always with backup safety drivers in the cab.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said the Trump administration would leverage its power to "push" the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in a new direction.
Why it matters: Bessent's comments offer the strongest hint yet of the White House's intention to try to nudge the groups to align better with the Trump agenda.
Boeing early last year was at yet another low point, after it was revealed that part of an Alaska Airlines plane had blown off mid-flight because of missing bolts.
That incident may have been the genesis of Boeing's decision to sell most of its digital aviation business to private equity firm Thoma Bravo for $10.55 billion, which was announced Tuesday.
OpenAI would be interested in buying Chrome, if Google is forced to sell the browser as a remedy to its antitrust violations, OpenAI's head of product said yesterday in court.
Why it matters: This could solve one antitrust problem and begin building another.
State of play: Craft beer production declined 4% in 2024, the largest drop in industry history outside the pandemic, according to data released this month by the Brewers Association.
Two of the world's largest oilfield services companies — Halliburton and Baker Hughes — have offered specifics on how they see tariffs hitting their business.
Why it matters: Trade wars are a double threat for oil producers and their contractors.
Merchandise trade between China and the U.S. is likely to collapse if the current tariffs on both sides remain in place.
How much of that collapse has already started, however, is unclear.
The big picture: While some transpacific container-shipping routes have been canceled or changed to avoid U.S. ports, many ships are still headed for Long Beach, Oakland, and other U.S. destinations.
President Trump got a scare from CEOs and markets on Monday. On Tuesday, he bluntedsome of his sharpest threats — signaling a softer stance on China and retreating from fiery rhetoric targeting the Fed.
Why it matters: The president is resolute in his goal of reshaping the economy. But he's sensitive to the movement of the markets and the pleas of powerful corporate leaders and investors who fear the worst from his sweeping efforts.
Voice of America workers who were placed on leave or fired should return to work and the Trump administration must restore funding to the VOA and other U.S. government-funded news outlets, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The ruling effectively halts the Trump administration's plan to gut the VOA and its parent, the government-funded U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
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