Cracks are forming in America’s economy. Trump is a big reason why
CNN
America’s nearly five-year economic boom is starting to show its age.
America’s nearly five-year economic boom is starting to show its age. Cracks are forming in the economy’s foundation: Layoffs are mounting, hiring is slowing, consumer confidence is eroding and inflation is picking up speed. Although all of those things would almost certainly be happening if former Vice President Kamala Harris had won the election, the uncertainty that President Donald Trump’s economic policy has unleashed is exacerbating those problems. Tariffs — particularly the on-again, off-again nature of Trump’s dictates — are sowing confusion for businesses, consumers and investors alike, and they’re stoking concerns about inflation at a time when consumer prices have been stubbornly on the rise again. Trump’s immigration crackdown threatens key industries, including agriculture, construction and health care, which have been struggling to hire. And steep cuts to federal workers and government aid could hurt the most vulnerable Americans who are least insulated from price hikes. “Federal government job losses could be larger than expected, and laid-off workers could pull back on their spending, leading to slower job growth in other industries,” said Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC, in a note to investors Friday. “Uncertainty about the outlook for tariffs could lead businesses to slow their hiring. And restrictions on immigration could limit the supply of labor available, weighing on employment gains over the next few years.” Trump’s policy poses real risks for the strong, yet wobbling, economy he inherited.
The United States is considering whether to strike Iran as turmoil intensifies for the country’s authoritarian regime.
The US has completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil since the US attached Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, earlier this month, according to an administration official.
President Donald Trump enacted a new 25% tariff on “certain advanced computing chips” on Wednesday, according to a White House fact sheet. That includes Nvidia’s H200 chip and AMD’s MI325X. However, chips imported to support building up the US technological supply chain would be exempt.
Verizon said some of its wireless services were down Wednesday, leaving many customers without access to voice and data services.
YouTube will now let parents limit the amount of time their teens can spend scrolling through its short-form video feature, Shorts, or block them all together.
Last month, Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson penned a first-person piece about her long year as “the federal government whisperer,” receiving tips from hundreds of federal workers. On Wednesday, the FBI searched her home, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
Price hikes picked up speed for US-based businesses toward the end of last year, a potential signal that inflation has yet to peak and prices could soon rise faster for consumers.
Trump is threatening to take “strong action” against Iran just after capturing the leader of Venezuela. His administration is criminally investigating the chair of the Federal Reserve and is taking a scorched-earth approach on affordability by threatening key profit drivers for banks and institutional investors.
Perhaps no data point better encapsulates the American economy right now than this nugget from Delta’s quarterly earnings:
China recorded the world’s biggest ever trade surplus in 2025, as well as a 20% jump from 2024, capping off a year in which the world’s largest manufacturer defied US trade pressure by ramping up exports to other global markets.
Saks Global, the parent company of luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue, filed for bankruptcy protection late Tuesday, according to court documents filed in US Bankruptcy Court in Houston, Texas.
China on Wednesday reported a strong export run in 2025 with a record surplus of nearly $1.2 trillion, as producers braced for three more years of a Trump administration set on slowing the production powerhouse by shifting US orders to other markets.
Microsoft says it will ask to pay higher electricity bills in areas where it’s building data centers, in an effort to prevent electricity prices for local residents from rising in those areas. The move is part of a broader plan to address rising prices and other concerns sparked by the tech industry’s massive buildout of artificial intelligence infrastructure across the United States.