Author: News Room

Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has ordered an investigation into the diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Comcast, the parent company of NBC News and Universal Studios.In a letter sent to Brian Roberts, Comcast’s chairman, on Tuesday, Mr. Carr said the F.C.C. would look into D.E.I. practices broadly at many companies it regulated, starting with Comcast.“I want to ensure that your companies are not promoting invidious forms of discrimination in violation of F.C.C. regulations and civil rights laws,” Mr. Carr said in his letter.Comcast confirmed it had received Mr. Carr’s letter.“We have received an inquiry from…

The No. 2 official at the National Institutes of Health abruptly resigned and retired from government service on Tuesday, in another sign that the Trump administration is reshaping the nation’s public health and biomedical research institutions.The official, Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak, a dentist and researcher, was long considered a steadying force and had weathered past presidential transitions. In a letter that Dr. Tabak sent to colleagues on Tuesday, he did not give a reason for his decision. One person familiar with the decision said Dr. Tabak had been confronted with a reassignment that he viewed as unacceptable.“It has been an…

For the Federal Aviation Administration, Jan. 29 was the beginning of one of the most challenging stretches it has faced in decades.That night, an American Airlines regional jet collided with an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, resulting in 67 deaths. In a news conference the next day, President Trump pointed his finger at the F.A.A., even though the crash investigation was just beginning.On Jan. 31, a medical jet crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood shortly after takeoff, killing all six on board and one person on the ground. While it remains unclear whether the F.A.A.’s lack of…

Chevron, the second-largest U.S. oil and gas company, said on Wednesday that it would lay off as much as 20 percent of its work force as part of a broader cost-cutting effort.The company, which employed roughly 45,600 people at the end of 2023, said that it expected the cuts to take place over the next two years.“Chevron is taking action to simplify our organizational structure, execute faster and more effectively, and position the company for stronger long-term competitiveness,” Mark Nelson, the company’s vice chairman, said in a statement.Chevron recognized $715 million in severance charges in fourth quarter of 2024.This is…

Linda Sun, a former aide to two New York governors, faces new allegations related to charges that she used her position to benefit the Chinese government, according to a superseding indictment against Ms. Sun and her husband unsealed Tuesday.Ms. Sun, who served as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s deputy chief of staff and in lower-level positions in the administration of her predecessor, Andrew M. Cuomo, is accused of bribery and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, according to the indictment, unsealed in Federal District Court in Brooklyn. While the indictment does not include new criminal charges against Ms. Sun, prosecutors charged her…

The Associated Press on Wednesday accused the White House of violating the First Amendment and called on the Trump administration to stop blocking its reporters from press events.Julie Pace, the executive editor of The A.P., said in a letter addressed to Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, that the White House had blocked A.P. journalists from attending two press events with President Trump on Tuesday: an executive order signing in the Oval Office and an evening press event in the Diplomatic Room.Ms. Pace said that the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, had earlier informed an A.P. reporter…

For years, journalists have written about the social media posts of government employees to help reveal the positions, motivations and actions of public officials.But when a journalist recently trained that same lens on Elon Musk’s new government efficiency program, the billionaire suggested that the reporting might be illegal, joining other powerful figures connected to the Trump administration who have made similar claims in recent weeks.The offense, they argue, is doxxing: publishing private information about someone with malicious intent. The term refers to a revenge tactic, originally used by hackers, to bully, harass or intimidate people online, and can incite third…

Karen Huebner did not want to raise the price of omelets.Even as she was paying more for eggs week after week, she held prices steady on over-easy dishes and breakfast burritos and other customer favorites at the Hot Grillz Diner, the small, restaurant her family owns in Walton Hills, Ohio, about 15 miles southeast of Cleveland.But this week, the cost of her order of eggs jumped to nearly $1,000, up from $300 just a few weeks ago. The moment had arrived.“I said I wasn’t going to do it, but this is crushing me,” Ms. Huebner said. “My loyal customers would…

Stocks on Wall Street slumped at the start of trading on Wednesday, dragged lower by data that showed consumer prices rose more than expected in January, leaving the Federal Reserve little cause to lower interest rates again soon.The S&P 500 fell roughly 1 percent as trading got underway. The Nasdaq Composite index, which is chock-full of tech stocks that have come under pressure recently from rising global competition to develop the chips that will power the development of artificial intelligence, also fell around 1 percent.Fresh inflation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday showed that prices rose 3…

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is widely known for amassing his fortune through Tesla, his electric car company, and SpaceX, the rocket ship company he founded.But he started his career trying to disrupt consumer finance as a co-founder of a digital financial services company that later became PayPal. Now, he’s working to transform X.com, his social media platform, into a virtual wallet where people can send money to each other.These types of digital payment platforms, which other tech companies like Apple and Meta also run, have come under intense scrutiny by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.But that scrutiny is…