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In Lisbon, Portugal, on January 12, 2025, people sit by a McDonald’s storefront. McDonald’s rolls out new value deals, like the McValue Menu, to combat economic challenges and attract budget-conscious customers, as global sales face pressure amid shifting consumer trends. Luis Boza | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesMcDonald’s will soon assess its franchisees on how their prices deliver value as the company updates its franchising standards as part of a larger bid to win over cash-strapped diners.”Effective January 1, 2026, we are enhancing our global franchising standards across all Segments to reinforce accountability for value leadership,” Andrew Gregory, McDonald’s senior vice…

A screenshot of what ICEBlock looks like for iPhone users. Provided by ICEBlock hide caption toggle caption Provided by ICEBlock A screenshot of what ICEBlock looks like for iPhone users. Provided by ICEBlock The developer of ICEBlock, an iPhone app that anonymously tracks the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, has sued the Trump administration for free speech violations after Apple removed the service from its app store under demands from the White House. The suit, filed on Monday in federal court in Washington, asks a judge to declare that the administration violated the First Amendment when it threatened…

The big red billboard planted by a solar company alongside a Southern California freeway warns passersby that the “Solar Tax Credit Is Expiring,” beckoning homeowners to install solar panels and batteries before the Trump administration eliminates the generous incentive on Jan. 1. The deadline has helped drive a big spike in business for solar installers as buyers rush to qualify for the 30% tax credit before it disappears. But California installers said lengthy utility permitting times could imperil customers’ tax credits if their systems aren’t in place by Dec. 31.  “Clients are concerned about potentially missing the tax credit deadline,” Anthony Del…

Paramount Skydance is launching a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery after it lost out to Netflix in a monthslong bidding war for the legacy assets, the company said Monday. Paramount will go straight to WBD shareholders with an all-cash, $30 per share offer. That’s the same bid WBD rejected last week and equates to an enterprise value of $108.4 billion. The offer is backstopped with equity financing from the Ellison family and the private equity firm RedBird Capital as well as $54 billion in debt commitments from Bank of America, Citi and Apollo Global Management, Paramount said in…

A traveler speaks to an agent at the United Airlines desk at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on November 25, 2025, ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Kamil Krzaczynski | Afp | Getty ImagesUnited Airlines is joining Delta Air Lines in holding steady its requirements to earn elite frequent flyer status next year after it raised the bar in 2025.Airlines have spent years making it more expensive to get high-tier status, which comes with perks like early boarding, free first-class upgrades (when they’re available), waived baggage fees or even airport lounge access.But hordes of elite travelers in the wake…

Wall Street sign in New York with American flag and Christmas tree lights in the background.Mwelsh | Istock | Getty ImagesRising stock markets, a return of merger activity and flowing inheritances helped create 287 new billionaires this year, bringing the global total to over 2,900, according to a new report.Billionaire wealth reached a record $15.8 trillion as of the end of the third quarter, up 13%, according to the UBS Billionaire Ambitions Report 2025. Of the world’s 2,919 billionaires, 2,059 are self-made and 860 inherited their wealth, according to the report.This year marked the second-highest total of newly minted billionaires…

The decades-old watchmaker behind the “official” clock at the home of the New York Yankees filed for bankruptcy last week.E. Gluck Corporation, the maker of the Armitron watch line and the manufacturer of timepieces for fashion brands like Anne Klein and Nine West, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Manhattan federal bankruptcy court last Monday.The family-owned company, founded by late Holocaust survivor Eugen Gluck in 1956, said in legal filings that it has been squeezed as consumers have drifted away from traditional watches, thanks to the rise of smartwatches and other devices.This financial strain, the watchmaker said, was compounded…

It was Friday afternoon, and I’d just hit send on my weekly report to Amazon’s Retail vice presidents, detailing what the Global Merchandising team I’d created had accomplished that week.I was 38, and the role — which oversaw standards, best practices, and technology for Amazon’s 200+ site merchandisers — was the biggest of my life by far, one I’d been thrust into just three months after my arrival in Seattle and at Amazon.I was thrilled (and a bit terrified) by the size of the opportunity, and threw myself into it. Two years in, my team had 18 sizable projects underway.…

Rebecca Kelly Slaughter was appointed in 2018 to fill a Democratic seat on the Federal Trade Commission. She was removed from her position by the Trump administration in March. Elizabeth Gillis/NPR hide caption toggle caption Elizabeth Gillis/NPR The Supreme Court hears Monday arguments in a case that could end the independence of independent agencies, overturn a 90-year-old precedent, and reshape the balance of power between Congress and the president. At issue is whether President Trump can fire Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, whom Trump appointed in 2018, during his first term, to fill a Democratic seat on the Federal Trade Commission. President…

The CEO of OnlyFans has a rule on how to rake in big bucks with a tiny team: don’t hire middle managers. Keily Blair, OnlyFans’ chief executive, spoke with Jeff Berman, the host of the Masters of Scale podcast, during the November Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon. Blair said in the interview that OnlyFans, a subscription-based content platform founded in 2016, has only 42 full-time employees. Berman chimed in, saying that it was “very powerful” that the company was making $7 billion in annual revenue with such a lean team. Blair said she was proud of her team, which…