A MAGA-world civil war erupted over Christmas when a social media post on American culture turned into a pitched battle over race, immigration and billionaires versus the working class.
Why it matters: The fight exposes one of the MAGA movement's deepest contradictions: It came to prominence chiefly via the white, less-educated, working class but is now under the full control of billionaire technologists and industrialists, many of them immigrants.
Kim Kardashian no longer is helping to manage a private equity firm she co-founded in 2022, according to the firm's website and new regulatory filings.
The big picture: Kardashian's name recognition and success with clothing brand Skims never translated into fundraising achievements for SKKY Partners, which she launched with former Carlyle Group dealmaker Jay Sammons.
School voucher programs championed by President-elect Trump have faced stiff headwinds from voters but remain a priority for the incoming Republican-led Congress and the White House.
Why it matters: Republican supporters often cite "universal school choice" when backing these measures. Opponents of vouchers say they deepen inequality and siphon public schools' already scant resources.
Nippon Steel on Thursday delayed the closing date for its proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, as it waits to learn if President Biden will block the deal on national security grounds.
Why it matters: The Japanese steelmaker is trying to play nice with the White House, rather than trying to force a quick decision by sticking with its original closing date of year-end 2024.
Apple is closing in on a $4 trillion stock market valuation, powered by investors cheering progress in the company's long-awaited AI enhancements to rejuvenate sluggish iPhone sales.
Why it matters: The company has pulled ahead of Nvidia and Microsoft in the race to the monumental milestone, thanks to an about 16% jump in shares since early November that has added about $500 billion to its market capitalization.
A pet food company in Oregon has issued a voluntary recall of its raw and frozen products, as state officials investigate the bird flu death of a cat that they linked to its food.
The big picture: Northwest Naturals' recall of its 2lb Feline Turkey Recipe brand also prompted Los Angeles County health officials to warn pet owners not to feed their animals raw food.
President-elect Trump's inauguration is drawing donations from an array of blue-chip companies, and it's likely to exceed all past ceremonies in terms of fundraising.
Russian companies are using bitcoin to evade Western sanctions, thanks to a new law, the country's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov confirmed in a television interview.
Why it matters: Russia's economy has been hampered by difficulties in making and receiving international payments, even with countries like China that don't use the U.S. dollar as their reserve currencies.
The big picture: Major chains including Chili's, Taco Bell, Chipotle, Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse are closed for the holiday while many McDonald's, Wendy's, Starbucks and Dunkin' are open Wednesday.
