The Trump administration wants to redistribute $2.4 billion it pulled from California’s high-speed rail project as part of a new $5 billion program announced Monday to fund rail projects to boost passenger rail traffic nationwide.
The new program’s rules for states and others wanting to participate remove any mention of diversity or climate change dating to the Biden administration. The new program will also put a priority on projects in areas with higher rates of birth and marriage and projects that improve safety at railroad crossings.
The Trump administration has removed climate change and so-called DEI language from other grant requirements, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy took a jab at that Biden-era language and California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rail project in his announcement.
Our new National Railroad Partnership Program will emphasize safety our number one priority without the radical … DEI and green grant requirements. Instead of wasting dollars on Governor Newsoms high-speed rail boondoggle, these targeted investments will improve the lives of rail passengers, local drivers, and pedestrians,” Duffy said.
The biggest chunk of this money, the Federal Railroad Administration announced, comes from the $4 billion that was pulled from the California project. The rest of the money comes from a combination of what was announced last year and what is in this years budget.
President Donald Trump and Duffy have both criticized the decades-old California project for its cost overruns and many delays that have kept the train that’s designed to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles from becoming a reality.
California officials said they will fight the effort to redistribute money they believe should be going to their project. They had already filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to pull federal funding from the rail project.
The FRAs decision to terminate federal funding for California high-speed rail was unlawful, unwarranted, and is being challenged in federal court. Now, their attempt to redirect a portion of that funding, currently the subject of litigation, is premature, said Micah Flores, a spokesman for the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The Authority has been prepared for this possibility and will take imminent legal action to block this misguided effort by the FRA.
The focus on areas with higher birth and marriage rates reflects Trump’s executive orders that make spending that benefits American families a priority in his administration, according to an FRA spokesman.
The Federal Railroad Administration said railroad crossings are important to address because more than 200 people a year are killed when trains collide with vehicles or pedestrians at crossings. That has long been something the government and railroads have worked to address, but it is costly to build bridges or underpasses that allow cars to safely bypass the tracks.
Even though the money is targeted toward improving passenger rail, some of it will almost certainly go to improvements on the nation’s major freight railroads because Amtrak uses their tracks for most of its long-distance routes across the country.
The administration also said it would give priority to projects that improve the traveling experience for families by adding amenities like nursing mothers’ rooms, expanded waiting areas and children’s play areas in train stations.
Applications for this money are due by Jan. 7.
Josh Funk, AP transportation writer
Associated Press writer Sophie Austin contributed to this report.
When PayPal recently posted a job opening for head of CEO content, it signaled more than a new hire. It marked a shift in how companies are thinking about leadership visibility. The role, which blends strategic communications, personal brand development, and thought leadership, reflects a growing recognition that the CEOs voice is not just a corporate asset, it is a leadership imperative.
This isnt a new idea. Executive communications has long been a behind-the-scenes function, often housed within corporate affairs or PR. But what is changing is the velocity and visibility of CEO-led storytelling. In an era where attention is fragmented and trust is hard-won, the CEO brand is emerging as a distinct and powerful lever. It is no longer enough to speak on behalf of the company. Todays leaders are expected to speak as themselves.
The challenge is that many CEOs are surrounded by noise. Between investor relations, media cycles, internal messaging, and social platforms, the risk of dilution is real. When a CEOs voice is filtered through too many layers or outsourced without strategic alignment, it can lose its edge. Worse, it can become indistinguishable from the corporate brand itself.
3 PRINCIPLES FOR A LEADERS BRAND
That is why the rise of external head of CEO content roles is both promising and precarious. On one hand, it reflects a desire for precision, clarity, and influence. On the other, it raises questions about authenticity and ownership. A CEOs brand should complement the company, not compete with it. It should be shaped with intention, not just polished for optics.
So how can CEOs navigate this shift and build a leadership brand that is both authentic and effective? Here are three key principles:
1. Separate the voice from the company but stay aligned
A CEOs brand is not a mirror of the corporate brand. It is a lens. While the company may speak in terms of products, markets, and performance, the CEO speaks in terms of vision, values, and leadership. That distinction matters. The most effective CEOs articulate their own point of view on issues that transcend the business, whether it is innovation, inclusion, sustainability, or the future of work. They do so in a way that reinforces the companys mission without being confined by it.
2. Build a content engine, not just a communications plan
Thought leadership is not a quarterly op-ed or a reactive LinkedIn post. It is a system. CEOs who lead with influence invest in a content engine that supports their voice across channels and formats. That includes speeches, investor letters, internal town halls, media interviews, and digital presence. The goal is consistency without repetition, and resonance without noise. Every message should reflect the CEOs strategic clarity and leadership philosophy.
3. Choose partners who elevate thinking, not just polish words
Behind every compelling CEO brand is a trusted thought partner, someone who understands the business, challenges assumptions, and helps shape the narrative. This is not a ghostwriter or a PR handler. It is a strategic confidant who brings intellectual rigor and editorial precision. The best partnerships are built on trust, discretion, and shared ambition. They help CEOs make confident decisions and communicate with impact in moments that matter.
As the CEO brand becomes more visible, the stakes get higher. Leaders are no longer judged solely by company performance. They are judged by how they show up, what they stand for, and how they lead in public. The rise of roles like head of CEO content reflects that shift. But the real work happens behind the scenes, in the conversations, decisions, and stories that shape a leaders legacy.
In the end, the CEO brand is not about visibility. It is about voice. And in a world of noise, clarity is power.
Beth Jannery is founder and president of Titan Strategic Communications.
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Compass, Americas largest residential brokerage by sales volume, is making its boldest move yet. On Monday, Compass announced it will acquire Anywhere Real Estate, the second largest residential brokerage, for $1.6 billion. The combined company will have some 340,000 real estate professionals worldwide and represent over 1.2 million home transactions annually.
Its the biggest brokerage consolidation in U.S. history, bringing Anywhere Real Estates brands like Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Sothebys International Realty, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, and Corcoran under the same roof as Compasss tech-driven platform. Compass says the merger will diversify its revenue with Anywheres sprawling franchise, relocation, and title and escrow businesses, while unlocking $225 million in cost synergies. Pending shareholder and regulatory approvals, the deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
For Compass, the transaction is likely as much about leverage as it is about scale. The company has long positioned itself as a tech-enabled alternative to traditional brokerages, pouring resources into digital marketing, back-office software, and its network of Private Exclusivesoff-market listings shared only within Compasss network, allowing sellers to quietly test pricing and attract serious buyers without (or before) going public. Acquiring Anywhere Real Estate also gives Compass national brand diversity and global reach.
Here’s what Amanda Orson, CEO and founder of Galleon, tells ResiClub about the news:
The obvious storyline in Compass acquiring Anywhere is broker consolidation. The bigger story is leverage, not just against Zillow but against the MLS itself.
Compass on its own is already the largest residential brokerage in the U.S., representing 18% of all sales volume in the 2025 RealTrends ranking . . . Together [with Anywhere] youre looking at the number one and number two players combining under one roof, representing a dominant share of U.S. transactions.
Zillows Listing Access Standards [ZLAS] were aimed squarely at Compass exclusives. But Mike DelPretes data shows Compass still peaked at 26% of listings earlier this year despite them. If the same model applies across Anywheres transactions, Zillow risks driving a critical mass of inventory into a competing ecosystem.
That puts Zillow in a bind. A merged Compass and Anywhere could normalize off-MLS inventory at national scale. Zillow will either maintain its ZLAS standards and train consumers to search multiple places for listings, or relax its standards and concede that it no longer has leverage.
The overlooked angle is what this means for the MLS. Zillow risks losing leverage, but the MLS risks irrelevance if the largest broker consortium keeps a significant share of listings outside the system that was supposed to be the single source of truth. The headline is not just that private exclusives are becoming more inclusive. It is that the era of portal dominance and centrally controlled MLS is beginning to unbundle.
A showdown with Zillow
In April 2025, Zillow updated its listing standards, banning properties from appearing on its platform if they had been marketed privately for more than 24 hours before hitting the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The policy was aimed directly at Compass, which has leaned heavily into Private Exclusives that circulate inside its agent network before going public. Zillow argued the policy was about fairness for buyers: If a listing is online, it should be online everywhere.
In June 2025, Compass filed suit against Zillow, claiming the home-search giant conspired to suppress competition and protect its dominance by banning private listings from later appearing on its platform.
The Compass deal announced today could be another strike at Zillow: By acquiring the Anywhere Real Estates brands, Compass could gain the scale and leverage needed to fortify its private listings ecosystem and push past Zillows resistance.
The MLS under threat
The merger doesnt just challenge Zillow. It could also weaken the traditional role of the MLS, which has long functioned as the industrys single source of truth for listings.
If Compass-Anywhere normalizes off-MLS inventory at scale, it could accelerate the industrys fragmentation. For sellers, that might mean more control over how and where homes aremarketed. For buyers, it could mean a more fractured search experiencewith fewer guarantees that Zillow.com or the MLS reflects the near full universe of available properties for sale.
What it means for the housing market
The deal comes at a turbulent time for housing. Existing home sales are at their lowest level since 1995, affordability is stretched, broker margins are under pressure, and the market is still adjusting to the post-NAR 2024 settlement era.
By merging, Compass and Anywhere are betting that size, diversification, and technology can deliver efficiencies in a margin-squeezed environment. But the competitive dynamics may prove more consequential than the balance sheet. If Compass successfully integrates Anywhere, it wont just be the largest brokerage in America. It could be another counterweight to Zillows consumer-facing dominanceand perhaps reshape the MLS itself.
Thats why this merger isnt just about creating a bigger company. It could be about rewriting the rules of how homes get marketed, how buyers find them, and who really controls the flow of housing inventory in the U.S.
Nvidia is set to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI and supply it with data center chips, in a deal that gives the chipmaker a financial stake in the world’s most prominent AI company, which is already an important customer.
Investments in systems powering AI have surged since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, on expectations that companies across sectors will integrate the technology into their products and services.
Here is a list of multi-billion dollar AI, cloud and chip deals signed recently:
Nvidia and Intel
Nvidia will invest $5 billion in Intel, giving it roughly 4% of the company after new shares are issued.
Oracle and Meta
Oracle is in talks with Meta for a multi-year cloud computing deal worth about $20 billion, underscoring the social media giant’s drive to secure faster access to computing power.
Oracle and OpenAI
Oracle is reported to have signed one of the biggest cloud deals ever with OpenAI, under which the ChatGPT maker is expected to buy $300 billion in computing power from the company for about five years.
CoreWeave and Nvidia
CoreWeave signed a $6.3 billion initial order with backer Nvidia, a deal that guarantees that the AI chipmaker will purchase any cloud capacity not sold to customers.
Nebius Group and Microsoft
Nebius Group will provide Microsoft with GPU infrastructure capacity in a deal worth $17.4 billion over a five-year term.
Meta and Google
Google struck a six-year cloud computing deal with Meta Platforms worth more than $10 billion, Reuters had reported in August.
Intel and SoftBank Group
Intel is getting a $2 billion capital injection from SoftBank Group, making the Japanese tech investor one of the top-10 shareholders of the troubled U.S. chipmaker.
Tesla and Samsung
Tesla signed a $16.5 billion deal to source chips from Samsung Electronics, with the EV maker’s CEO Elon Musk, saying that the South Korean tech giant’s new chip factory in Texas would make Tesla’s next-generation AI6 chip.
Meta And Scale AI
Meta took a 49% stake for about $14.3 billion in Scale AI and brought in its 28-year-old CEO, Alexandr Wang, to play a prominent role in the tech giant’s artificial intelligence strategy.
Google and Windsurf
Google hired several key staff members from AI code generation startup Windsurf and will pay $2.4 billion in license fees as part of the deal to use some of Windsurf’s technology under non-exclusive terms.
CoreWeave and OpenAI
CoreWeave signed a five-year contract worth $11.9 billion with OpenAI in March, before the Nvidia-backed startup’s IPO.
Stargate datacenter project
Stargate is a joint venture between SoftBank, OpenAI and Oracle to build data centers. The project was announced in January by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said that the companies would invest up to $500 billion to fund infrastructure for artificial intelligence.
Amazon and Anthropic
Amazon.com pumped $4 billion into OpenAI competitor Anthropic, doubling its investment in the firm known for its GenAI chatbot Claude.
Juby Babu, Reuters
I’ve been out of school for decades, but I still take tests. Sometimes I take actual tests, like when I took the three-hour Class A Contractor’s License test last year.
More often they’re “tests”: talking to event organizers considering me for a keynote, a potential ghostwriting clients, or making important decisions, etc. (And even to self-testing, since research shows testing yourself when you’re trying to learn is a great way to improve retention and recall.)
So yeah: like you, I take plenty of “tests.”
But I rarely think about when I should take them, which, according to a study just published in Frontiers in Psychology, is a mistake.
The researchers analyzed the results of over 100,000 oral exams conducted at an Italian university and found a clear bell curve in pass rates that peaked at noon, regardless of the test taker’s chronotype. (More on that in a moment.) Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. is the sweet spot; any earlier or later and the chances of passing significantly decreased. In fact, the earlier or later in the day students took a test, the less likely they were to pass.
Why? Partly that’s because your cognitive performance improves over the course of the morning, and then declines in the afternoon. Falling energy levels are also to blame. And if you have a “test” scheduled for late afternoon, you probably stress about it during the day, and stress inevitably leads to poorer performance.
And then there’s the person who evaluates you. As the researchers write:
The progressive decline in passing rates observed in the afternoon may be due to ego depletion, as students’ and assessors’ cognitive resources become fatigued by the examination stress, which is known to impair self-control, ultimately leading to reduced passing rates.
Specifically, the growing rigidity or reduced flexibility associated with cognitive resource depletion may result in a higher rejection bias in assessors, consistent with findings suggesting judges in a state of ego depletion were more likely to make decisions that were less favorable to defendants.
The peak in passing rates around midday may reflect the optimal balance between chronotype alignment and mental depletion, according to the explanations provided above.
The last sentenceespecially the “chronotype alignment” partadds an interesting twist, because the cognitive performance and fatigue level of the person who “grades” your test also matters. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that prisoners who appeared before a parole board first thing in the morning had their parole granted about 70% of the time . . . but as the day went on, and even though it did spike back up for the first case or two after lunch, the rate of favorable rulings fell to almost zero.
That’s another reason the mid-day hours are best for taking “tests.” You’ll be at your peak level of performanceand so will the person who evaluates you.
All of which means deciding, whenever possible, when you’ll take a testwhether an actual test, or an important meeting, or an interview with a job candidate, a sales or investor pitch, etc.could be the difference between passing and failing.
By Jeff Haden
This article originally appeared on Fast Company‘s sister publication, Inc.
Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
The long history of bourbon production at Buffalo Trace Distillery has been connected to the Kentucky River summed up as a blessing and curse by a plaque on the grounds.
In the 1800s, long before the Buffalo Trace name was attached to the distillery, the river served as a floating highway to bring in grain and other production essentials and to transport barrels of whiskey to markets along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Even today, river water cools down production equipment. But the river flowing past the distillery flashed its destructive side in April.
A massive flood, caused by days of unrelenting rain, sent the Kentucky River surging over its banks, inundating most of the 200-plus-acre distillery grounds on its main campus in Frankfort. Nearly every phase of production was impacted, as were several warehouses where whiskey is aged.
It was just something that was hard to process, but we knew we couldnt take too much time to process it,” said Tyler Adams, a distillery general manager. He said they had much to do to recover from the reservoir of murky water that swamped the bourbon-making campus.
Whiskey production bounces back
Five months later, production at the distillery is back to normal, including some of the most sought-after bourbons. Its lineup includes the namesake flagship brand, Buffalo Trace, as well as Eagle Rare, W.L. Weller, and Blanton’s. Pappy Van Winkle bourbons are distilled and aged at Buffalo Trace while the Van Winkle family remains in control of the coveted brand.
The distillery recently filled its 9 millionth barrel of bourbon since Prohibition, just two and a half years since filling the 8 millionth barrel. It has also introduced new whiskeys to its catalogue and is renovating a campus building into a cafe and events center.
The cleanup enlisted hundreds of plant employees and contract workers. Buffalo Trace fans swamped the distillery with offers to pitch in, Adams said. The distillery politely declined and suggested they might assist area residents instead.
Crews removed debris, sanitized equipment and pumped out what was left after floodwaters receded. Bourbon barrels swept into the parking lot caught some attention, Adams said. No chance for sneak samples, though the barrels were empty.
Few visible reminders remain of that mud-caked, debris-strewn mess.
Some filled whiskey barrels touched by floodwaters were still being cleaned and tested, but the meticulous task of examining thousands of barrels was nearly complete, the distillery said. Quality control assessments found only small amounts of aging whiskey were impacted. High water marks are etched into some buildings and tour guides casually remind visitors of the epic event.
Danny Kahn, a master distiller for Buffalo Trace’s parent company, says he still experiences “a little PTSD when recalling those frantic days. River flooding has been a sporadic part of the distillery’s history including big ones in 1937 and 1978, but in early April, the floodwaters surged to previously unseen heights. Buffalo Trace had also just completed a decade-long, $1.2 billion expansion to double distilling capacity.
It actually looked kind of calm, but I knew that it was not calm because we could see buildings were under 10 feet (3 meters) of water,” Kahn said. “It was really quite overwhelming.
Activating their flood plans, workers shut down the distillery and did what they could to safeguard equipment. After that, all they could do was watch and wait. Distillery officials observed the devastation from higher ground and via drone footage.
Once the river crested, it took a few days for the floodwaters to fully recede, but operations gradually sprung back to life. Finished whiskey shipped out the day after the rain stopped. Bottling soon resumed and a makeshift gift shop opened until the visitors’ center was repaired. Tours eventually resumed. But bourbon production halted for about a month as the cost for cleanup and repairs surpassed $30 million.
Several storage tanks shifted off their foundation. Some were repaired, others replaced. Dozens of electrical control panels were destroyed. About three-fourths of gift shop inventory was lost.
It was just defeating to watch all this flooding and to realize that were going to be down for a while,” Kahn said. Just the apprehension of how much work this is going to be to fix. And when we finally got it done, it was really a sigh of relief and we get back to business as normal.”
Hard times in the whiskey sector
For the American whiskey industry as a whole, it’s been anything but business as usual.
After years of growth, prospects turned sour for the sector amid sluggish sales and trade uncertainties as President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs.
In 2024, American whiskey sales in the U.S. fell nearly 2%, the first such drop in supplier sales in more than 20 years, the Distilled Spirits Council said. Initial data for the first half of 2025 showed a continued decline, it said. American whiskey exports dropped more than 13% through July of this year compared to the year-ago period, it said. The American whiskey category includes bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and rye whiskey.
Lower domestic sales stem from a mix of market challenges, including supply chain disruptions and changes in consumer purchasing trends, said Chris Swonger, the council’s CEO.
While theres ongoing debate about whether these are temporary headwinds or signs of a more fundamental shift in consumer behavior, large and small distilleries across the country are under pressure, Swonger said in a statement.
Kentucky distilleries producing such prominent brands as Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Makers Mark, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey and Four Roses can weather downturns better than small producers.
Heaven Hill Brands, another large producer, recently celebrated its new $200 million distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, taking a long view of market prospects by significantly boosting bourbon capacity.
As an independent, family-owned company, we dont have to chase quarterly trends; were building for the next generation,” said Kate Latts, co-president of Heaven Hill Brands, whose brands include Evan Williams and Elijah Craig. This distillery reflects that philosophy.
At Buffalo Trace, its future is entrenched alongside the Kentucky River, realizing that more floods could come in the years ahead. The distillery learned lessons to be even better prepared next time.
This area being a National Historic Landmark, being right on the river, theres only so much you can do to hold back that water,” Adams said. “Your best bet is to prepare for it, do what you can. But holding back that water? Its really inevitable its going to make it into some spaces.
Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press
If youre a fan of Amazon Fresh, the e-commerce giant’s chain of cashier-less of grocery stores, 2025 is turning out to be a pretty rough year for youand the brand.
After closing some Amazon Fresh locations in the United States earlier this year, Amazon announced that it expects to close all Amazon Fresh locations in the United Kingdom. Heres what you need to know about the Amazon Fresh closures.
Amazon moves to close UK grocery stores
Today, Amazon abruptly announced that it launched a consultation with employees for the proposed closure of all Amazon Fresh locations in the United Kingdom. (UK laws require consultation periods in cases of large layoffs.) The company currently has 19 UK Amazon Fresh stores.
In a blog post, Amazon states that the proposed closures are the result of an evaluation of its business operations, as well as the very substantial growth opportunities in online delivery.
However, the post doesn’t make clear if the move is definite. Rather, the company states: In case of closure [emphasis added], our goal is to offer redeployment opportunities to as many affected employees as possible.
The company continues, As part of the Fresh Stores closure proposal, in addition to expanding online grocery services, were also proposing to convert five Amazon Fresh locations to Whole Foods Market.
Fast Company has reached out to Amazon for clarification on whether the decision to close the stores has been made.
Under the proposed closure, 14 Amazon Fresh stores in the UK would cease to operate entirely, and the remaining five Amazon Fresh stores would be rebranded and turned into Whole Foods stores, the U.S. grocery chain that Amazon bought back in 2017.
It should be noted that whether or not all Amazon Fresh stores close in the UK, the company will still operate its Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service in the country.
Proposed UK closures follow U.S. store shutterings
The closure of Amazon Fresh stores in the UK wont be the first locations to close in 2025. The majority of Amazon Fresh stores operate inside the United States, and this year, Amazon has closed at least three U.S. locations.
In March, GroceryDive reported that Amazon was in the process of shuttering two Fresh stores. The Amazon Fresh store in Manassas, Virginia, closed on March 16, and the Thousand Oaks, California, store closed on April 27.
We remain committed to Amazon Fresh and our broader grocery strategy, and will continue to refine our portfolio of stores as we learn which locations and features resonate most with customers, an Amazon spokesperson told the publication at the time of the report.
Then, in June, GeekWire reported that Amazon closed its Amazon Fresh location in Federal Way, Washington.
Certain store locations work better than others, and after an assessment of our offering weve decided to close our Amazon Fresh store in Federal Way, an Amazon spokesperson said at the time.
Amazon still has more than 60 U.S. locations
Despite the earlier U.S. closures, the company still has more than 60 locations within the United States.
Amazon Freshs store locator tool shows that the company currently operates 64 grocery stores across nine states, with California having the most stores by far:
California (27)
Illinois (10)
Maryland (5)
New Jersey (4)
New York (3)
Pennsylvania (6)
Virginia (5)
Washington (3)
Tennessee (1)
After announcing the proposed closure of all of its Amazon Fresh UK locations, Amazons stock (Nasdaq: AMZN) is currently down about 2.2% in morning trading.
However, the extent to which the proposed closures are related to Amazons stock price drop is debatable. As of the time of this writing, many Big Tech stocks are currently flat or trading down slightly for the day.
Besides Amazons 64 Fresh locations, the company currently operates more than 500 Whole Foods Markets locations around the world.
Amazon’s move comes as brick-and-mortar retailers on both sides of the Atlantic are struggling with headwinds from rising operating costs, more price-conscious consumers, tariff uncertainty, and other factors.
In January, the Guardian reported that the UK lost 13,500 shops in 2024, a 28% increase over the year before.
President Donald Trump on Monday used the platform of the presidency to promote unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism as his administration announced a wide-ranging effort to study the causes of the complex brain disorder.“Don’t take Tylenol,” Trump instructed pregnant women around a dozen times during the unwieldy White House news conference, also urging mothers not to give their infants the drug, known by the generic name acetaminophen in the U.S. or paracetamol in most other countries. He also fueled long-debunked claims that ingredients in vaccines or timing shots close together could contribute to rising rates of autism in the U.S., without providing any medical evidence.The rambling announcement, which appeared to rely on existing studies rather than significant new research, comes as the Make America Healthy Again movement has been pushing for answers on the causes of autism. The diverse coalition of supporters of Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. includes several anti-vaccine activists who have long spread debunked claims that immunizations are responsible.The announcement also sheds light on Trump’s own long-held fascination with autism and his trepidation about the childhood vaccine schedule, even as the president has taken pride in his work to disseminate COVID-19 vaccines during his first term.Medical experts said Trump’s remarks were irresponsible. New York University bioethicist Art Caplan said it was “the saddest display of a lack of evidence, rumors, recycling old myths, lousy advice, outright lies, and dangerous advice I have ever witnessed by anyone in authority.”Trump announced during the event that the Food and Drug Administration would begin notifying doctors that the use of acetaminophen “can be associated” with an increased risk of autism, but did not immediately provide justification for the new recommendation.Evidence for potential link between Tylenol and autism is not conclusiveSome studies have raised the possibility that taking acetaminophen during pregnancy might increase the risk of autism but many others haven’t found that concern, said autism expert David Mandell of the University of Pennsylvania.One challenge is that it’s hard to disentangle the effects of Tylenol use from the effects of high fevers during pregnancy. Fevers, especially in the first trimester, can increase the risk for miscarriages, preterm birth and other problems, according to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.Trump also urged not giving Tylenol to young children, but scientists say that research indicates autism develops in the fetal brain.Responding to Trump’s warnings, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine said they still recommend Tylenol as an appropriate option to treat fever and pain during pregnancy. The president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said Monday that suggestions that Tylenol use in pregnancy causes autism are “irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.”Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Monday evening that the administration “does not believe popping more pills is always the answer for better health” and that it “will not be deterred in these efforts as we know millions across America are grateful.”Tylenol maker Kenvue disputed any link between the drug and autism on Monday and said in a statement that if pregnant mothers don’t use Tylenol when in need, they could face a dangerous choice between suffering fevers or using riskier painkiller alternatives. Shares of Kenvue Inc. fell 7.5% in trading Monday, reducing the company’s market value by about $2.6 billion.Kennedy announced during the news conference that at Trump’s urging, he was launching a new all-agency effort to uncover all the factors that could be contributing to autism, a question scientists have been researching for decades.
Trump administration explores the potential role of folate
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary also took the stage to announce it was taking the first steps to try to approve a folic acid metabolite called leucovorin as a treatment option for patients believed to have low levels of folate in the brain. That may include some people with autism.Leucovorin is used to counteract the side effects of various prescription drugs, including chemotherapy and other high-dose medications that can negatively impact the immune system. It works by boosting folate levels, a form of vitamin B that’s critical to the body’s production of healthy red blood cells.Women already are told to take folic acid before conception and during pregnancy because it reduces the chances of certain birth defects known as neural tube defects.In recent years a handful of studies have suggested positive results when high-dose folic acid is used to treat children with autism, with researchers in China and other countries reporting improvements in social skills and other metrics. Those small studies have been quickly embraced by some parts of the autism community online.The theory is that some, not all, children with autism may not properly metabolize folate, Mandell said. But the recent studies “are really tiny,” he said. To prove an effect, “we would need an independent, large, rigorously controlled randomized trial.”
Decades of studies show no link between vaccines and autism
During the press conference, Trump said he’s a believer in vaccines but claimed without evidence that giving vaccinations close together at the recommended ages has a link to autism. Spacing out shots as he suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit.Though anti-vaccine activists, including Kennedy, have long suggested a link between vaccines and autism, widespread scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there isn’t one.Autism is not a disease but a complex developmental condition that affects different people in different ways. It can include delays in language, learning or social and emotional skills. For some people, profound autism means being nonverbal and having intellectual disabilities, but the vast majority of people with autism experience far milder effects.The disorder affects 1 in 31 U.S. children today, a sharp rise from just a few years ago, according to the CDC. Experts say the increase is mainly due to a new definition for the disorder that now includes mild cases on a “spectrum” and better diagnoses. They say there is no single cause to the disorder and say the rhetoric appears to ignore and undermine decades of science into the genetic and environmental factors that can play a role.The announcement is the latest step the administration, driven by Kennedy and his supporters, has taken to reshape America’s public health landscape.Beyond cutbacks at federal health agencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been roiled by disagreements over Kennedy’s vaccine policies. An influential immunization panel stocked by Kennedy with figures who have been citical of vaccines last week changed shot guidance for COVID-19 and other diseases.Swenson reported from New York. Associated Press writers Matthew Perrone and Laura Ungar contributed to this report.
Ali Swenson and Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press
The Trump administration’s hefty new visa fees for H-1B workers have prompted high-level talks inside companies in Silicon Valley and beyond on the possibility of moving more jobs overseas precisely the outcome the policy was meant to stop.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced the change to the visa program that has long been a recruitment pathway for tech firms and encouraged international students to pursue postgraduate courses in the United States.
While the $100,000 levy applies only to new applicants not current holders as first announced the confusion around its roll-out and steep cost are already leading companies to pause recruitment, budgeting and workforce plans, according to Reuters interviews of founders, venture capitalists and immigration lawyers who work with technology companies.
“I have had several conversations with corporate clients where they have said this new fee is simply unworkable in the U.S., and it’s time for us to start looking for other countries where we can have highly skilled talent,” said Chris Thomas, an immigration attorney at Colorado-based law firm Holland & Hart. “And these are large companies, some of them household names, Fortune 100 type companies, that are saying, we just simply cannot continue.”
About 141,000 new applications for H-1B were approved in 2024, according to Pew Research. Though Congress caps new visas at 65,000 a year, total approvals run higher because petitions from universities and some other categories are excluded from the cap. Computer-related jobs accounted for a majority of the new approvals, the Pew data showed.
FIRMS WILL CUT H-1B WORKERS
The Trump administration and critics of the H-1B program have said that it has been used to suppress wages and curbing it opens more jobs for U.S. tech workers. The H-1B visa program has also made it more challenging for college graduates trying to find IT jobs, Trump’s announcement on Friday said.
The visa previously cost employers only a few thousand dollars. But the new $100,000 fee would flip the equation, making hiring talent in countries like India where wages are lower and Big Tech now builds innovation hubs instead of back offices more attractive, experts and executives told Reuters.
“We probably have to reduce the number of H-1B visa workers we can hire,” said Sam Liang, co-founder and CEO of popular artificial intelligence transcription start-up Otter. “Some companies may have to outsource some of their workforce. Hire maybe in India or other countries just to walk around this H-1B problem.”
BAD FOR STARTUPS
While conservatives have long applauded Trump’s wide-ranging immigration crackdown, the H-1B move has drawn support from some liberal quarters as well.
Netflix co-founder and well-known Democrat donor Reed Hastings who said he has followed H-1B politics for three decades argued on X that the new fees would remove the need for a lottery and instead reserve visas for “very high value jobs” with greater certainty.
But Deedy Das, a partner at venture capital firm Menlo Ventures that has invested in startups such as AI firm Anthropic, said “blanket rulings like this are rarely good for immigration” and would disproportionately affect startups.
Unlike large technology companies whose compensation packages are a combination of cash and stock, pay packages of startups typically lean towards equity as they need cash to build the business.
“For larger companies, the cost is not material. For smaller companies, those with fewer than 25 employees, it’s much more significant,” said Das. “Big tech CEOs expected this and will pay. For them, fewer small competitors is even an advantage. Its the smaller startups that suffer most.”
INNOVATION AT RISK
The policy could also mean fewer of the talented immigrants who often go on to launch new firms, analysts said.
More than half of U.S. startups valued at $1 billion or more had at least one immigrant founder, according to a 2022 report from the National Foundation for American Policy, a nonpartisan think tank based in Virginia.
Several lawyers said startups they represent are pinning hopes on lawsuits that argue the administration overstepped by imposing a fee beyond what Congress envisioned, betting courts would dilute the rule before costs cripple hiring.
If not, “we will see a pullback from the smartest people around the world,” said Bilal Zuberi, founder of Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Red Glass Ventures, who began his career in the U.S. on an H-1B visa.
Additional reporting by Krystal Hu
Aditya Soni and Echo Wang, Reuters
President Donald Trump’s contentious relationship with U.S. news organizations has led to a host of legal battles and disputes, the latest of which came with ABC’s suspension and days later return of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show.Trump had celebrated the suspension of Kimmel, a veteran late-night comic and frequent critic of the president and his policies, calling it “great news for America.”Kimmel was pulled last week after a monologue included a reference to the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and compared Trump’s grief to “how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.”FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, said his agency had a strong case for holding Kimmel, ABC and its parent company Walt Disney Co., accountable for spreading misinformation. Nexstar and Sinclair, two of ABC’s largest affiliate owners, said they would pull the show from their stations.But by Monday, ABC said the show would be back on starting Tuesday.Here is a look at some of the key disputes Trump has had with media over his second term:Sept. 22: ABC reinstates Kimmel’s late night show
ABC said in a statement that the decision to reinstate the show came after days of “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel, who has hosted his show on ABC since 2003.Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Kirk, said in a statement on X: “Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel back on the air is not surprising, but it’s their mistake to make. Nexstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.”Sinclair announced on X on Monday that it plans to replace the show with news programming, saying that “discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”Nexstar and Sinclair did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.Word of Kimmel’s return came after hundreds of movie, TV and stage stars as well as comedians, directors and writers added their names to an open letter Monday from the American Civil Liberties Union that says it is “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”Sept. 19: Judges tosses Trump’s lawsuit against New York Times
A Florida federal judge tossed out a $15 billion defamation lawsuit that Trump filed against The New York Times. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that Trump’s lawsuit was overly long and was full of “tedious and burdensome” language that had no bearing on the legal case.“A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally,” Merryday wrote in the order. “This action will begin, will continue, and will end in accord with the rules of procedure and in a professional and dignified manner.”The judge ruled that Trump has 28 days to file an amended complaint that should not exceed 40 pages in length.The lawsuit targeted four of the newspaper’s journalists, a book and three articles published within a two-month period before the 2024 presidential election.The book and an article written by Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig focused on Trump’s finances and his pre-presidency starring role in television’s “The Apprentice.”Trump also cited an article by Peter Baker last Oct. 20 headlined “For Trump, a Lifetime of Scandals Heads Toward a Moment of Judgment” and a Michael S. Schmidt piece two days later featuring an interview with Trump’s first-term chief of staff, John Kelly, headlined “As Election Nears, Kelly Warns Trump Would Rule Like a Dictator.”The Times has called the lawsuit meritless and an attempt to discourage independent reporting.
July 18: Trump sues The Wall Street Journal
Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch whose News Corp owns the paper. The move came a day after the Journal published a story reporting on his ties to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The article described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album compiled for Epstein’s 50th birthday.The Justice Department had earlier asked a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts in Epstein’s sex trafficking case. The Trump administration had announced it would not be releasing additional files from the case.
July 18: ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ canceled
CBS announced it would cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” next May. Colbert is one of Trump’s most prominent and persistent late-night critics. CBS said “Late Show” was canceled for financial reasons, not for content. However, the announcement came three days after Colbert criticized the settlement between Trump and CBS parent company Paramount Global over the “60 Minutes” story.
July 2: CBS owner agrees to settlement with Trump
Paramount Global decided to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit regarding editing of a CBS’ “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris last October. At the time Harris was the Democratic candidate for president.Trump’s lawyers claimed he suffered “mental anguish” following the interview and sued for $20 billion. The company was hoping to put the issue to rest as it sought administration approval of a merger. Paramount, which owns CBS, said the money will go to Trump’s future presidential library and to pay his legal fees.
May 1: Trump slashes funding for PBS and NPR
Trump signed an executive order aimed at slashing public subsidies to PBS and NPR and alleged “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting. His order instructed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and further requires that that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations.Later that month, NPR and three of its local stations sued Trump, arguing that the order violated their free speech and relies on an authority that he does not have. This summer, Congress approved eliminating $1.1 billion allocated to public broadcasting.
Feb. 12: Trump removes the AP from White House press pool
Trump decided to remove the AP from the White House press pool. That meant AP journalists no longer would have access to theOval Office, Air Force One and other events not open to a full press corps. The move was in retaliation for AP’s decision not to follow his lead in changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in all instances.The AP Stylebook calls for referring to the body of water by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump chose. The reasoning is that AP disseminates news around the world and must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences.The wire service later sued Trump and a district court sided with the AP in April, affirming on First Amendment grounds that the government cannot punish the news organization for the content of its speech. A federal appeals court in June stayed that decision.
December 2024: ABC agrees to settle defamation lawsuit
ABC News agreed to pay $15 million toward Trump’s presidential library as part of a defamation lawsuit settlement over anchor George Stephanopoulos’ inaccurate on-air assertion that the president-elect had been found civilly liable of raping writer E. Jean Carroll. The network also agreed to pay $1 million in legal fees.The settlement agreement described ABC’s presidential library payment as a “charitable contribution.”Trump sued ABC and Stephanopoulos in a Miami federal court in March 2024 after the network aired the segment in which Stephanopoulos repeatedly misstated the verdicts in Carroll’s two civil lawsuits against Trump. Neither verdict involved a finding of rape as defined under New York law.
Associated Press
