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President Donald Trump’s move Thursday to sign an executive order easing federal restrictions on marijuana — and clearing the way for a Medicare pilot program covering CBD — caps a coordinated, yearlong push by the cannabis industry that combined traditional lobbying, sizable political donations, data-driven messaging and direct outreach to the president’s inner circle, industry insiders told CNBC.Despite long-standing GOP opposition to loosening drug laws — including a small wave of bills from lawmakers seeking to tighten rules after the executive order — industry advocates have claimed a victory. They see the order as a success in reframing marijuana not…

Finance and accounting leaders ranked artificial intelligence, digital transformation and need for new skills above innovation and growth as the top issues facing the profession, in a recent poll.Processing ContentThe Association of International CPAs & Chartered Institute of Management Accountants held the Future of Finance Summit last week, where they surveyed 175 senior finance and accounting leaders on the biggest challenges facing the profession and the skills most needed for the future.Nearly three-quarters (73%) of leaders identified generative AI and AI as the top issue, 60% named the acceleration of digital transformation, and 58% named the need for new skills…

While discounts drive purchasing in the early days of the holiday shopping season, consumers are shifting into more thoughtful, quality gifts in the back half of the season as total spending growth slows.U.S. consumers had spent $187.3 billion so far online between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12, up 6.1% from the same stretch last year, according to Adobe Analytics. Total holiday season e-commerce spend is still expected to cross $253 billion, which would be 5.3% above last year, with the growth rate slowing later into December as delivery in time for Christmas gets tighter. E-commerce sales typically “slow sharply” from…

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2005. Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images The Justice Department has begun to publish documents from the Epstein files in its possession regarding the life, death and criminal investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. NPR is reviewing the website the Justice Department created to make the documents publicly available. The Epstein Library includes documents broken into Court Records, DOJ Disclosures, Freedom of Information Act Records and House Disclosures, including files already released by the House Oversight Committee. Under the law, the DOJ was required to put the…

Is TikTok really selling its US business? Kind of.TikTok has reached an agreement that would give it a new set of owners in the US as part of a joint-venture agreement. Larry Ellison’s Oracle, Abu Dhabi investment firm MGX, and private-equity firm Silver Lake are all coming on as managing investors in the US spin-off.But how much influence will these investors have over the money-making side of the business? Not much, according to an internal memo TikTok CEO Shou Chew sent to employees on Thursday, viewed by Business Insider.The new investors will focus on national security-related tasks, such as data…

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump delivered remarks on lowering prescription drug prices during the event. Alex Wong | Getty ImagesSeveral of the largest U.S. and European-based drugmakers inked deals with President Donald Trump on Friday to voluntarily sell their medications for less, as his administration pushes to link the nation’s drug prices to cheaper ones abroad.That includes Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, Gilead, GSK, Sanofi, Roche’s Genentech, privately-held Boehringer Ingelheim and Novartis. In exchange, the companies agreed to a three-year grace period…

Trucking is one of the hardest businesses out there, with one of the worst turnover rates in the US. For every driver that enters the industry, one leaves or switches companies. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) told me that this is because wages are low, drivers can’t get paid overtime, and hours are long.Lisa Otto has over 20 years, 48 states, and 3 million miles under her belt. Over seven days, she can easily clock in 70 hours of driving. She lives out of her truck, which she bought for $230,000, for weeks at a time. She doesn’t have…

A poster seeking information about the campus shooting suspect is seen on the campus of Brown University on Dec. 17, 2025, in Providence, R.I. Robert F. Bukaty/AP/AP hide caption toggle caption Robert F. Bukaty/AP/AP A Reddit post by an observant witness helped lead investigators to the gunman officials say was responsible for the killing of two students during the shooting at Brown University on Saturday and for the fatal shooting of an MIT physics professor two days later. That’s according to an affidavit from the Providence Police Department. Brown students Ella Cook, 19, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, were killed…

Two former bankers were convicted in Germany over their roles in striking Cum-Ex deals by Fortis Bank, causing €45 million ($52.7 million) of damage to the country’s taxpayers.Processing ContentThe Frankfurt Regional Court sentenced Thomas S. to two years and seven months while Peter H. was sentenced to two years and six months for their crimes. Under German media law, the men can’t be fully identified.”You didn’t care about the amount of damage you caused, you just wanted to make as much money as possible,” Judge Eva-Marie Distler said on Friday. “Pure greed drove you to do this, which is punishable…

A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.The strength in the classic-car market is expected to continue in 2026 as a new generation of collectors revs up demand, said the CEO of Hagerty.Auctions and online sales of collectible cars surged 10% in 2025 to $4.8 billion, according to Hagerty, the classic-car insurance company and collector platform. Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty said based on the sales pipeline and activity in the private classic-car market, demand appears strong…