Author: News Room

President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, to begin an investigation into whether foreign production of copper and imports of the material into the United States pose risks to America’s economic and national security.White House officials said that, depending on the results of the investigation, new tariffs could be applied on copper, a material that is widely used in manufacturing and construction and is crucial to the U.S. military and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.White House officials were scant on details during a call with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, including when the investigation might…

In news about the Trump administration’s job-slashing effort, one class of federal workers comes up repeatedly: “probationary” employees.At the Internal Revenue Service, 6,700 people with that status are being let go. At the Department of Health and Human Services, reports indicated the total could be 5,200. The Pentagon announced last week it would terminate 5,400. At the Forest Service, 3,400 may be cut.These workers, who generally have fewer than one or two years of service in their current positions, are particular targets among civil servants because they have the weakest protections. Here’s what else we know about the people being…

The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said on Tuesday that the Trump administration would start handpicking which media outlets were allowed to participate in the presidential pool, the small, rotating group of journalists who relay the president’s day-to-day activities to the public.The change announced by Ms. Leavitt breaks decades of precedent. The White House Correspondents’ Association, a group representing journalists who cover the administration, has long determined on its own which reporters would participate in the daily pool.Because presidents often hold events in smaller settings like the Oval Office, where not every reporter who covers the president can fit,…

The calls, texts and emails start coming in before 6 in the morning: restaurants, bakeries and others desperate to find eggs.Brian Moscogiuri is an egg broker. A vice president for the wholesale company Eggs Unlimited, he works the phone in his home office in Toms River, N.J., until late into the evening, trying to connect hopeful buyers with farms that have eggs to spare.But as avian influenza has led to egg shortages and record wholesale prices — an average of more than $8 a dozen, up from $2.25 last fall — Mr. Moscogiuri’s job has been less making matches and…

The shrimp cocktail at the comically exclusive Polo Bar in Manhattan is an imposing specimen, the crustaceans arriving tightly shingled on a steeple of ice accented by a celery spire. To devour one in a single bite would be gluttonous. Each requires at least three bites to enjoy — and to ensure the tail meat is excavated.The hefty Gulf shrimp at the Polo Bar appear to be “U-10s,” a size classification that indicates there are fewer than 10 to a pound. Each bite will run you $2.83, roughly the price of the MetroCard swipe to get there (though Polo Bar…

Fresh off the worst inflation shock in decades, Americans are once again bracing for higher prices.Expectations about future inflation have started to move up, according to metrics closely watched by officials at the Federal Reserve. So far, the data, including a consumer survey from the University of Michigan and market-based measures of investors’ expectations, does not suggest that price pressures are perceived to be on the verge of spiraling out of control.But the recent jump has been significant enough to warrant attention, stoking yet more uncertainty about an economic outlook already clouded by President Trump’s ever-evolving approach to trade, immigration,…

Almost nine years ago, a Minneapolis writer revealed a family skeleton to a podcast host.Steve Marsh had a “secret sister” — an older sibling his parents had placed for adoption before they were married, when they were not ready to raise a child. He wanted help finding her.Luckily for Mr. Marsh, his thorny problem fit neatly into the premise of a new podcast: “Heavyweight” was dedicated to ultra-personal quests, confronting regrets and healing resentments. It was hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, a longtime audio journalist who blanketed the show’s vulnerability in dry humor.“This conceit of having this nervous Jewish fellow who…

Organic farmers and environmental groups sued the Agriculture Department on Monday over its scrubbing of references to climate change from its website.The department had ordered staff to take down pages focused on climate change on Jan. 30, according to the suit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Within hours, it said, information started disappearing.That included websites containing data sets, interactive tools and funding information that farmers and researchers relied on for planning and adaptation projects, according to the lawsuit.At the same time, the department also froze funding that had been…

The carrot and stick approach Investors finally seem to be getting the message: Don’t underestimate President Trump’s tariffs threat. The S&P 500 fell on Monday to its lowest level since his inauguration on jitters that a new round of the Trump trade war would kick in next week.The slump comes even as Trump offered a carrot to corporate America on Monday, insisting that as part of his efforts to help end the Russia-Ukraine war, his administration is already working on deals to gain access to those nations’ valuable natural resources.Trump said that tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports “are going…

Bolton Valley Resort, about 30 minutes east of Burlington, Vt., has long been overshadowed by larger, more famous neighbors.The family-owned ski area is halfway between Stowe Mountain Resort and Sugarbush, both owned by ski conglomerates that rely on multimountain passes. Stowe takes Epic and Sugarbush takes Ikon, and each resort has more than 100 trails, a vertical drop of over 2,000 feet, a dozen or more lifts, and luxury slope-side lodging.Bolton Valley is comparatively humble, with six lifts, 71 trails, a vertical drop of 1,700 feet and a 60-room hotel. It is one of the most popular ski areas on…