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Today, federal funding that states receive is under constant scrutiny. The Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding to Democratic-led states over issues like immigration, while also pursuing Medicaid reductions under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.Ultimately, the amount of federal aid states receive varies widely by size and region, and across party lines.A WalletHub study, released earlier this month, determined how “federally dependent” each US state is, based on two categories: state residents’ dependency on federal funding and state governments’ dependency.They determined the first category by calculating each state’s return on federal taxes paid, a metric WalletHub…

2026-02-17T22:18:52.982Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Berkshire Hathaway bought a stake in The New York Times in Warren Buffett’s final quarter as CEO. The legendary investor’s company also pared its stakes in Apple and Bank of America again. Buffett stepped down at the start of this year after six decades in charge. Warren Buffett’s final…

The Supreme Court on Friday overturned the centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, ruling the federal government illegally collected over $133 billion in taxes from American businesses.Now comes the battle over refunds for tariffs paid, which Trump on Friday predicted could take years.”I guess it has to get litigated for the next two years,” he said at a White House press conference, while blasting the ruling as “terrible” and “defective.”US Secretary of the Treasury went a step further, saying about refunds: “I’ve got a feeling the American people won’t see it.”One reason: Over 1,000 companies have filed lawsuits to…

Private student-loan companies are gearing up for a big year ahead.President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to roll out its sweeping student-loan repayment changes beginning in July. Those changes include new repayment plans and caps on federal borrowing for advanced degrees.Some companies see those changes as an opportunity for the private lending industry. During an earnings call last week, Jonathan Witter, the CEO of lender Sallie Mae, said that the company is “excited about the opportunity created by the recent federal student lending reforms.””These changes should reduce the likelihood of students and families taking on unsustainable levels of student debt,”…

Fox has teamed up with a top creator to help it crack the micro drama business.The entertainment company is partnering with Dhar Mann Studios in a multiyear deal to create scripted video series. The initial slate involves 40 series and will debut on micro drama platform My Drama. After that, Fox’s distribution arm will be able to sell it to other platforms.The deal represents a convergence of a couple of big trends in Hollywood. Traditional film and TV companies like Netflix and NBCUniversal have been stepping up work with independent creators to win back viewers from YouTube. They’re also exploring…

In a way, Tekmerion Capital is a throwback to an earlier era of hedge funds.Before mega funds like Millennium and Citadel shifted the $5.2 trillion industry toward more institutional “skill factories,” hedge funds were dominated by quirky characters trading niche markets and esoteric instruments.Zachary Squire certainly fits that bill. The chief investment officer of Tekmerion Capital, which will spin out of Brevan Howard next month with $1 billion in assets, Squire has the investing bona fides — with stops at D.E. Shaw, Bridgewater, and HBK — that would catch any allocator’s eye.Even in the eccentric world of macro investors, though,…

At 1:13 p.m. PT on Thursday, a member of “Square Mafia” sent a news article to the Slack group’s #general channel along with a single word: “Whoa!”The article detailed sprawling cuts at Jack Dorsey’s payment processing company, Block, which had previously rebranded from Square Inc. five years ago. At least 4,000 Block employees were laid off last week, nearly half of the company.The message received seven middle-finger emoji reactions. The most popular reaction was the Pokémon Psyduck, often used to convey confusion or stress, with 13 emojis. A screenshot of the “Square Mafia” Slack group, comprising former employees of Jack…

After visiting Spain several times, I’d absolutely fallen in love with the country. By late 2024, I’d decided to leave the US and move there.Perhaps I should’ve been worried since I had no friends or family in the country, and I didn’t speak the local language — even basic phrases such as “¿Cómo estás?” and “¿Cómo te llamas?” were far beyond my scope.I just figured everything would work itself out, and it mostly has. However, the past year (and change) since I moved has been complicated. Being an English speaker in a place where Spanish is the primary language has…

Meta’s earnings sent a clear signal to Wall Street on Wednesday: while its core advertising engine is still firing on all cylinders, the price tag for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s AI ambitions will skyrocket in 2026.The company reported $59.89 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025, topping Wall Street’s forecasts. Meta’s stock jumped as high as 10% in after-hours trading.Alongside the upbeat numbers, Meta laid out how hard it plans to push in 2026. The company said it expects to spend $115 billion to $135 billion next year on capital expenditures — largely on the computers and data centers…

A line in Trump’s State of the Union address could be good news for hopeful retirees.President Donald Trump proposed an expansion of retirement savings for Americans without 401(k)s and other employer-provided retirement plans during his Tuesday speech. He said the federal government will soon match individual savings up to $1,000 a year. Over 40 million Americans who work full-time don’t have a retirement plan, and nearly 49 million don’t have employer matching, according to the Economic Innovation Group.”Next year, my administration will give these often forgotten American workers, great people, the people that built our country, access to the same…