Author: Staff Writer

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after its top executive was skeptical about oil investment efforts in the country after the toppling of former President Nicolás Maduro.“I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida. “They’re playing too cute.”During a meeting Friday with oil executives, Trump tried to assuage the concerns of the companies and said they would be dealing directly with the U.S., rather than the Venezuelan government.Some, however, weren’t convinced.“If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks…

Read More

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Sunday the Department of Justice has served the central bank with subpoenas and threatened it with a criminal indictment over his testimony this summer about the Fed’s building renovations.The move represents an unprecedented escalation in President Donald Trump’s battle with the Fed, an independent agency he has repeatedly attacked for not cutting its key interest rate as sharply as he prefers. The renewed fight will likely rattle financial markets Monday and could over time escalate borrowing costs for mortgages and other loans.The subpoenas relate to Powell’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June,…

Read More

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. In recent weeks Modern CEO has published predictions for 2026 from CEOs across industries and a list of books that can help leaders get ready for the year ahead. We invited readers to share their own prognostications and book…

Read More

Yes, there are the New Year’s traditions of setting ambitious goals and ditching bad habits, but one evergreen resolution that ought to top lists is to banish bad design. Why endure something that simply doesn’t work (or is an affront to aesthetics) any longer than we have to? In the spirit of fresh starts, we polled experts in architecture, tech, industrial design, and urbanism on the everyday annoyances and the big-picture issues that they think are in desperate need of a refresh in 2026. (Top on my personal list? Eye-searing headlights.) Design is inherently an optimistic act, and by fixing…

Read More

Roblox, a gaming app used by nearly half of the entire U.S. population of under-16s, has rolled out a new mandatory safety feature to put a stop to children communicating with adults on the platform. Starting on January 7, players in the U.S. were required to submit to facial age estimation via the app to access the chat feature, although age verification remains optional to play the games themselves.  Users in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands are already required to complete an age check to chat with other users, but the requirement will now roll out to…

Read More

The Department of Justice has opened a CRIMINAL investigation against Chairman Powell of the Federal Reserve. I have totally disagreed with trump on interest rates and he assumes that the Fed can just lower rates counter-trend to the world economy. I understand he is acting on what was taught in school under Keynesian Economics. But that has totally failed and even Keynes admitted before he died that he was wrong. Using the Department of Just as the Biden Administration did against him is one thing when we are looking at the attempt by the Neocons to prevent him from office…

Read More

Great Britain has caved to Islamist radicals to such an extreme extent that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it must limit its funding for universities in the United Kingdom. The Muslim Brotherhood is active in the UK as the government refuses to ban the radical group. The UAE is legitimately concerned that young men will go abroad to the UK and return with radicalized, jihadist values. The Under the Terrorism Act (2000) states that organizations can be banned if they are “concerned in terrorism.” A 2015 review found that the Muslim Brotherhood has an “ambiguous relationship with violent extremism,”…

Read More

COMMENT: We had a similar referendum past November initiated by the young extreme leftists for a 50% (!) inheritance tax for wealthy above $50m – despite the fact that we pay already a wealth tax every year! Well Swiss people realised that the billionaires have feets and can walk away similar to what you write in the California case: Some 84.1% of Swiss voters said no to the civic duty proposal, while 78.3% rejected the inheritance tax initiative. REPLY: Switzerland became wealthy precisely because it respected property rights, capital mobility, and legal stability. The moment you threaten those pillars, the…

Read More

President Trump’s announcement that he wants to push the U.S. defense budget to $1.5 trillion in 2027 is being framed as a necessary response to “very troubled and dangerous times” and a way to build what he calls a “Dream Military.” He claims that tariff revenues generated by his trade policies can help fund the increase and even allow for debt reduction while maintaining economic growth. There is a reason that Washington wants to increase its budget drastically, and the timing aligns perfectly with our computer model. The proposal represents a roughly 50% increase from the $901 billion defense budget…

Read More

When considering the ideal format for a Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI), it’s essential to recognize the balance between quantitative and qualitative data. A well-structured survey should include clear, concise questions that target various aspects of customer experience. Furthermore, incorporating weighted scores for key attributes can improve the analysis. Comprehending how to effectively collect and interpret this data will provide valuable insights. But how do you guarantee that your CSI truly reflects customer sentiments? Key Takeaways The ideal CSI format includes a structured survey with clear, concise questions addressing multiple aspects of customer satisfaction. It should utilize reliable data collection methods…

Read More