The White House is pulling the Wall Street Journal's spot in the press pool covering President Trump's trip to Scotland, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.
The big picture: The decision came after Trump sued the news outlet Friday over a story describinga letter bearing his name that the WSJ says was given to Jeffrey Epstein. The president has maintained the letter is "fake."
Southwest Airlines announced that passengers will have assigned seats starting Jan. 27.
Why it matters: The budget airline first announced last year that it would be assigning seats for the first time in its 54-year history without confirming a specific start date.
Polymarket is poised to legally return to the U.S. as prediction markets become an increasingly popular place for Americans to chase riches based on future outcomes.
Why it matters: Polymarket has technically been blocked for Americans, but an unknown number of users have found ways to use the platform.
The U.S. has reached an "inflection point" that demands "swift and decisive action" to reverse erosion of industrial capacity and tech leadership, warns a major new report from the nonprofit Securing America's Future Energy.
Why it matters: "The rise of China as a global economic and military competitor presents one of the most existential challenges the United States has faced in its history," it finds.
The stock market rallied during President Trump's first six months in office this year, despite a volatility spike in April, but a new poll shows Main Street doesn't feel the same optimism.
Why it matters: While investors are pricing in a post-tariff rebound, the general public are still concerned about economic issues like inflation, a reminder that the stock market is not the economy.
Second-quarter earnings season could be a "show me" moment for artificial intelligence, as companies outside of the large-cap technology sector tout their adoption of AI as a profit margin expansion tool for the first time.
Why it matters: The margin risk presented by tariffs may have acceleratedAI adoption last quarter, according to a midyear outlook from ETF company Global X, which could lead to greater margin expansion this earnings season.
The unofficial start of fall has a date: Tuesday, August 26, when Starbucks will bring back the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Why it matters: The Seattle-based coffee giant announced its fall menu Monday — more than a month ahead of the PSL's in-store return — marking its earliest pumpkin reveal.
The gutting of federal funding for public broadcasters is expected to cause hundreds of local station groups to significantly scale back or shutter across the country, often in rural places where there isn't any other local news source.
Why it matters: Public broadcasters don't just provide news, but also critical information alerts that can mean life or death for local communities.
The U.S. still intends to put a baseline tariff of 10% on many smaller countries, despite recent suggestions it could go higher, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday.
Why it matters: It's a small sign of relief for the market, which has watched nervously as President Trump repeatedly suggested in recent days that baseline rates could go to 15% or even 20%.
