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Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11. Bondi has defended the Justice Department’s prosecutions during her tenure. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Win McNamee/Getty Images Some of the nation’s leading defense lawyers have been trying to wrap their heads around what they consider abnormal behavior by the U.S. Department of Justice over the past year. Now, they’re debuting a tool to help track criminal cases that appear to involve irregular charging practices, including aggressive legal theories and possible political retribution against President Trump’s foes. “We created the Case Tracker…

The European Union is going after Shein for hooking customers with what it calls “addictive design.”In a press release on Tuesday, the European Commission announced that it had launched a probe into Shein under its Digital Services Act.The Commission said it would investigate Shein for “addictive design, the lack of transparency of recommender systems, as well as the sale of illegal products, including child sexual abuse material.”Shein’s platform is addictive because it uses points and rewards for engagement, the Commission said in the press release, which could jeopardize consumer well-being. Shein, a Chinese fast fashion brand, is headquartered in Singapore.The…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lauren Rose Kocher, 39, an American entrepreneur and CEO of Vegas PR Group in Tokyo. Her words have been edited for length and clarity.I grew up in a small town in Indiana, but my interest in Japan started early. I still remember watching a “Sesame Street” episode where Big Bird visits Japan. That image stuck with me.In college, that curiosity took shape: I studied Japanese at the University of Chicago and spent a summer in Hokkaido. After graduating, I moved to Japan in 2008 to teach English, though a career in…

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. took a chance on me as a 19-year-old college student.At that age, as an intern in 2009, I should’ve been pouring coffee, maybe making copies. Instead, he put me to work on college affordability policy, youth violence prevention, and immigration reform at his Rainbow PUSH (People United to Serve Humanity) Coalition on the South Side of Chicago.That was nearly two decades ago. This week, he passed away.A few weeks ago, I sat with him in the hospital. He was extremely present even as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy disorder had taken his voice — the same instrument that…

Nevada gambling regulators sued the prediction markets company Kalshi on Tuesday, saying the platform’s rapid growth forced their hand.The Nevada Gaming Control Board and the state attorney general sued in Carson City District Court shortly after a federal appeals court rejected a request by Kalshi to stop the state from taking action. The state is seeking an order to stop Kalshi, the country’s largest prediction market, from operating what it sees as an unlicensed sports betting operation.”Kalshi has continued to dramatically expand its business, rather than attempting to maintain any kind of status quo,” Nevada authorities said in a letter…

I’m calling it: If you haven’t already, you’re going to start seeing highland cows in toy aisles around the country.After visiting one of the industry’s largest fairs earlier this week, I think I’m qualified to say: The shaggy cow is taking over as the hot new animal for plush toys.If you’ve been paying attention to toys — or if you have kids — you probably already know capybaras are big, but they’ve been the hot thing for more than a year now. Same with axolotls, the eerily cute pink salamanders. Those trends are peaking, though.Stuffed animals seem to go in…

The rivalry between xAI and OpenAI is heating up again — this time, over wood-fired pizza.Over the weekend, Elon Musk and an OpenAI engineer jockeyed on X about wood-fired crusts, dough fermentation, and campus chefs.On its face, it was a lighthearted back-and-forth about free pizza for lunch. Underneath, it encapsulates a trend playing out in Silicon Valley: rival AI companies are publicly pitching culture — and perks like free lunch — in the talent war for top engineers.The exchange began when Musk reposted a video of an xAI engineer calling his job the “opportunity of a lifetime.””Join @xAI,” Musk wrote.…

2026-02-17T22:16:02.868Z 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. The American Teachers Federation is asking for an SEC probe into Apollo’s past Epstein disclosures. In 2021, Apollo said its Epstein risk was limited to then-CEO Leon Black, the union said. The union said the DOJ’s latest files suggest more exposure than previously revealed. A union with 1.8 million…

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is proposing raising New York City’s property taxes for the first time in more than two decades and is looking to raid the city’s reserve funds to fill a roughly $5 billion budget gap.Processing Content”He’s put a pretty extreme option on the table, which is a combination of raising property taxes and taking money from reserves and relying on some pretty aggressive revenue projections to boot,” said New York City Comptroller Mark Levine. The proposed 9.5% property-tax hike, which Mamdani called an option of “last resort,” would take effect in the fiscal year that begins…

Average tax refunds increased more than $200 in the first two weeks of filing season compared to the same time last year, as Republicans pin their midterm pitch to voters on delivering big tax savings.Processing ContentImpressions taxpayers form this filing season could be politically pivotal since it will be their first experience under President Donald Trump’s new tax regime. The president has promised a generous boost in refunds from new and expanded tax breaks. The IRS also faces the tall task of quickly and seamlessly delivering on Trump’s promises of huge tax refunds, amid steep staff cuts, leadership turnover and slashed…