President Trump has put the world on alert as he's threatened countries across the globe with possible U.S. military action.
The big picture: Following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last weekend, President Trump has suggested multiple Latin American countries might be next, citing the so-called Donroe Doctrine, a play on the Monroe Doctrine.
President Trump on Wednesday said he's "taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes," linking the move to housing affordability.
Why it matters: Real estate investors — including both large and small-scale operations — bought about 1 in 3 single-family homes sold in the second quarter of 2025, according to a report by market intelligence firm C.J. Patrick using BatchData figures.
Kalshi's CEO on Wednesday endorsed a prediction markets ban on insider trading by government officials, saying his company already disallows it.
Why it matters: Prediction markets have come under scrutiny after multiple recent examples of traders apparently making a fortune by betting on markets with inside information.
My dog is smart, but without an opposable thumb, he still can't open the door to let himself out. Humanoid robots have a similar problem.
Why it matters: Despite huge breakthroughs in artificial intelligence that enable these clever machines to learn from human feedback or their environment, their clawlike hands are still too clumsy for most jobs.
The final months of 2025 offered plenty of reasons for labor market alarmism. Job creation slowed to a near halt, the unemployment rate edged to its highest level in four years, and the business news wires were chockablock with AI-inflected layoff announcements.
But the job market looks more stable than those headlines would suggest.
The big picture: Private-sector data for December points to some stabilization in demand for workers — and certainly suggests that labor demand isn't falling off any kind of cliff.
House Democrats are scrambling for levers to block the Trump administration from reprising its Venezuelan incursion across Latin America and beyond.
Why it matters: Trump's threats to intervene militarily in Greenland, Colombia, Mexico and elsewhere have attracted some bipartisan opposition, which Dems see as a rare opening to get something passed.
Pundits and politicians are getting ahead of themselves in crowing about how U.S. companies, particularly in the energy sector, could profit from this past weekend's events in Venezuela.
The big picture: No one knows how this will play out, nor even if the Trump administration has a solid strategy beyond the grab-and-go on Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. plans to directly control Venezuelan oil sales and revenue via U.S.-controlled accounts, but those moves will benefit the country's people as well, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday.
Why it matters: His comments are among the Trump administration's most expansive descriptions of its approach to Venezuela's oil sector since the toppling of President Nicolás Maduro.
24 Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov and private equity firm LongRange Capital have agreed to buy the gym chain he founded and sold more than 20 years ago.
Hunger is breeding creativity in the race to fuel AI data centers and meet rising U.S. power demand — with repurposed naval reactors and aircraft engines among the latest examples.
Why it matters: Companies are exploring fresh ways to repurpose existing tech used in other sectors, even as more familiar sources — like traditional gas, solar, and nuclear plants — play starring roles in the data center boom.
The status of the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency is increasingly at risk, as central banks and investors continue to see America prioritizing its own interests, most recently in Venezuela.
Why it matters: It's an advantage to have the world's central banks keep their investments in your currency. Losing that would have broad implications for markets and the economy.
Chains from Dunkin' to Subway are opening the year with protein-packed launches as the trend pushes deeper into everyday menus.
Why it matters: Protein is having a restaurant menu moment — and it's getting bigger. Now shorthand for "better-for-you" eating, it's reshaping menus as consumers dine out less, scrutinize value more and increasingly use GLP-1 drugs.
President Trump on Tuesday said that Venezuelan interim authorities will "be turning over" between "30 and 50 MILLION" barrels of oil to the U.S.
The big picture: Trump said on Truth Social the sanctioned oil will be sold at market price, and the resulting revenue will be controlled "by me, as President of the United States" to "ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!" — without elaborating further.
The Trump administration is pressing Venezuela's interim government to dismiss all suspected spies and other intelligence agents from China, Russia, Cuba and Iran from the South American country, a U.S. official told Axios.
The big picture: The move, which does not apply to regular diplomatic personnel, marks the administration's latest effortto force the oil-rich nation to meet U.S. demands following last week's raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration sent out letters Tuesday night to five blue states, freezing about $10 billion in funding for child care and social services programs pending a "thorough review," citing concerns over "systemic fraud."
Why it matters: The suspension of the funds could hurt low-income families in those states, depending on how longthe freeze lasts, advocates say.
