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Today — 31 January 2025News

Trump's calendar: When tariffs, RTO, buyouts, and a TikTok cut-off are set to go into effect

✇Latest News
By: John L. Dorman
31 January 2025 at 10:27
Trump at the White House.
 President Donald Trump quickly rolled out myriad efforts to reshape the federal government.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

  • President Trump is steering the federal government in a distinctly conservative direction.
  • Upon entering office for his second term, he signed a slew of executive orders to achieve this goal.
  • There are many key dates to look out for as the administration rolls out its agenda.

Only two weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump's sweeping agenda has already started to take shape, with the president signing executive orders on everything from return-to-office mandates to tough immigration measures.

Here's a look at some of the key dates for initiatives and plans put into place by the Trump administration:

Feb. 1, 2025: Tariffs set to be announced for Canada and Mexico
President-elect Donald Trump at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2024.
Trump's tariffs would have a significant cost on the US automaking industry, Wells Fargo analysts have said.

Allison Robbert-Pool/Getty Images

Shortly after the November election, Trump vowed to impose 25% tariffs on imported goods from Canada and Mexico, two of the United States' leading trading partners.

Trump said both countries have allowed drugs and migrants to pour into the US, which ties squarely into the president's hard-line stance on immigration issues.

Last week, Trump also said he was considering a 10% across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods to begin on Feb. 1.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Feb. 1 was "still on the books" as the day the president planned to enact the tariffs. She reiterated that deadline during a press conference on Friday.

Feb. 3, 2025: Funding for federal programs will continue through this date
Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, and Andy Kim
At a press conference on Tuesday, Democratic senators decried Trump's freezing of federal grants.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

A federal judge on Jan. 28 temporarily put on hold the Trump administration's freeze on federal grants from taking effect that year. This decision means that funding for affected programs will continue until Monday, Feb. 3.

The decision came after a group of nonprofit, healthcare, and small business advocacy groups sued the Office of Personnel Management over the move, which caused widespread confusion across Washington.

Feb. 6, 2025: Deadline for federal workers to accept buyout
DOJ building.
Federal employees have a limited timeframe to accept a buyout offer.

Valerie Plesch/picture alliance via Getty Images

The Office of Personnel Management on Jan. 28 issued a letter offering all federal employees payouts and giving them a Feb. 6 deadline to accept the offer.

Federal employees who accept the administration's offer by the deadline "will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason)," the letter on the OPM's website read.

Workers who resign by Feb. 6 will have their severance paid through Sept. 30.

The offer comes as Trump ramps ups his efforts to not only reduce the size of the federal workforce but also install loyalists in key positions within the government.

Feb. 7, 2025: First jobs report under Trump
woman applying to jobs
Trump made the economy a centerpiece of his 2024 presidential campaign.

Maria Korneeva/Getty Images

The first employment situation report under Trump's second term will be released on Feb. 7. January's jobs numbers will be included in the report, which means that the bulk of the report will feature employment data from former President Joe Biden's last month in office.

As of December 2024, the unemployment rate in the US sits at 4.1%.

Feb. 7, 2025: Agencies should have plans for federal workers to come back to the office
Office workers sit around a desk
Trump wants to see federal workers back in the office.

Hinterhaus Productions/Getty Images

The Trump administration has set the date of Feb. 7 for federal agencies to have plans for how they'll adhere to the president's return-to-work order for employees.

The implementation plans are set to be vetted and approved by the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget.

March 7, 2025: First jobs report for Trump for his first full month in office
President Donald Trump in the White House.
The jobs report for February 2025 will be released on March 7, 2025.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The February jobs report, which will include Trump's first full month in office, will be released on March 7.

Trump ran on tamping down inflation and lowering food costs, as well as making the broader economy more prosperous for a wide swath of Americans. It'll still be incredibly early in Trump's term when the report is released, but the report could set the tone for how he messages his economic policies throughout the rest of the year.

March 21, 2025: Deadline to eliminate most DEI offices and positions
Donald Trump
Donald Trump

Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

On Inauguration Day, Trump signed an executive order to end "illegal and immoral discrimination" Biden-era programs implemented to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Trump and many of his Republican allies have rallied against DEI initiatives. Their pressure campaign has begun to spill over into corporate America, with top companies like Target rolling back some diversity-focused efforts.

Some agencies have already put employees on paid leave. Officials are also submitting lists of names to the White House, Government Executive reported.

By late March, Trump's EO calls for each agency head to the maximum extent allowed by the law to carry out the terminations of covered positions and programs.

April 5, 2025: End of a 75-day extension of the TikTok ban
The TikTok logo duplicated many times over.
The TikTok ban had some users contemplating their scrolling habits.

Osmancan Gurdogan/Anadolu via Getty Images

Trump on Jan. 20 signed an executive order to pause the TikTok ban for 75 days, which would allow further efforts to find a US buyer for the highly popular social media platform.

The end of the 75-day period would be April 5, 2025.

Sometime in 2025: GOP hopes to pass a reconciliation bill addressing tax cuts
Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana in the House chamber.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana will play a critical legislative role during the first two years of Trump's second term.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump is pushing for Republicans to pass a massive reconciliation bill that would lower taxes, dramatically roll back green energy measures, and make cuts to safety net spending.

While cuts to Social Security or Medicare are very likely off limits in the plans, Democrats could find their political footing in critiquing whatever plan emerges from the GOP congressional leaders.

July 4, 2026: The Department of Government Efficiency will sunset
Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency.
Tesla chief executive Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency.

CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has grand plans for the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, as it aims to cut at least $1 trillion in spending from the federal budget.

While the DOGE is still in the earliest stages of its work, the commission isn't designed to be a permanent fixture of Washington.

When Musk and onetime co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy wrote about the DOGE in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last year, they said the commission would be phased out next year — on July 4, 2026.

"There is no better birthday gift to our nation on its 250th anniversary than to deliver a federal government that would make our Founders proud," the two men wrote at the time.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Think the skies are crowded now? Just wait

✇Axios News
By: Joann Muller
31 January 2025 at 09:53

This week's midair collision between a commercial plane and an Army helicopter in Washington, D.C., underscores the complexity of the National Airspace System — and that's before lots of drones and electric air taxis are added to the mix.

Why it matters: Despite Wednesday's tragedy, the Federal Aviation Administration has a stellar safety record when it comes to commercial aviation.

  • But as people travel in record numbers, and drones and new types of aircraft take to the skies, managing all that congestion will become more challenging for an air traffic system that's already overextended.

Catch up quick: Companies like Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation and Beta Technologies are preparing to bring electric air taxi services to cities including New York and Los Angeles within a couple of years.

  • Air taxis would relieve road congestion, help the environment and make people's lives easier by whisking commuters over traffic in quiet, clean, speedy vehicles, the companies say.
  • The new battery-powered aircraft are called eVTOLs — for electric vertical takeoff and landing — and are a mix between a helicopter and plane.
  • Multiple electric rotors help them take off and land vertically, but less noisily than a traditional chopper. Once airborne, they fly more like traditional planes.
  • They'll have a human pilot initially, but could eventually fly autonomously, with ground-based monitors.

Reality check: It will be years — perhaps even a decade — before large fleets of air taxis are zipping passengers across cities and suburbs.

  • "At the very beginning these operations are not going to change the operations of a city," advanced air mobility expert Sergio Cecutta, founder of SMG Consulting, told Axios.
  • On-demand air transportation will start slowly in 2026 or 2027, he said, with just a handful of air taxis in operation.
  • By the mid-2030s, however, there could be thousands of eVTOLs in the sky, which is why the industry and FAA are working to develop an unmanned traffic management system for urban air mobility.
  • "We're not just going to throw more stuff in the same pot and not expect it to overflow," Cecutta said.

Zoom in: Reagan National Airport has the country's busiest runway with more than 800 daily takeoffs and landings — about one every minute — on its main strip.

  • Military helicopters, sometimes carrying government VIPs, routinely share the air space with passenger planes.
  • Last year, despite worries about overcapacity, Congress approved an expansion to Reagan airport, adding five more long-haul daily flights.

By the numbers: While D.C.'s situation is unique, congestion is a problem at many airports.

  • There are about 5,000 airports in the U.S., but the vast majority of air traffic flies in and out of 30 major hubs.
  • The FAA, which has about 14,000 air traffic controllers, said in October it had hired 1,800 new controllers. But due to attrition and retirements, the net increase was just 36, The Air Current reported.
  • They manage more than 45,000 flights a day and up to 5,400 planes in the air at peak times.

Zoom out: Besides commercial jets, private planes and military aircraft, the FAA also has to manage the impact of the growing space industry.

  • There were a record 259 rocket launches in 2024 — each one requiring an interruption or redirection of commercial air traffic.
  • SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's ambition is 1,000 launches per year.

Drone activity is increasing too, with more than 1.1 million registered commercial and private drones in the United States.

  • In Europe, authorities aim to segregate drones from other types of aircraft. But in the U.S., safely integrating them into the national airspace is the FAA's goal.
  • The FAA won't directly manage individual drones, though, which is why a drone traffic management system is needed.

What to watch: With all these new aircraft elbowing their way into the airspace, the FAA has a lot of work to do.

This startup is bringing AI agents to banks and money managers including UBS, Blue Owl Capital, and T. Rowe Price. Here's the deck it used to raise $8 million.

✇Latest News
By: Bianca Chan
31 January 2025 at 10:04
A woman poses in her head shot inside an office setting with a green background.
Chandini Jain, CEO of Auquan.

Auquan

  • Auquan was founded in 2018 by Chandini Jain, a former analyst and derivatives trader.
  • It launched an AI product in late 2023 that can automate research work usually done by analysts.
  • It has since inked deals with UBS, Blue Owl Capital, and T. Rowe Price.

The wave of fintechs building autonomous agents for finance firms designed to do the work of a junior analyst or banker is swelling.

One such startup, Auquan, uses generative AI to automate the time-consuming but ubiquitous task of gathering and processing data and putting that information into a written template, like a due diligence report, an investment committee memo, or a pitch book.

Demand for this kind of technology is heating up in the finance industry, which is often bogged down with manual processes around data management, processing, and analysis. Since launching in October 2023, Auquan has brought in close to $2 million in annual recurring revenue and secured UBS, T. Rowe Price, and Blue Owl Capital as customers, according to CEO and cofounder, Chandini Jain.

From banking to software engineering to research, finance firms are keen to implement AI assistants that can carry out multi-step processes. While it's still too early to tell just how much the technology will impact adopters' bottom lines, venture-capital investors are writing checks to get in on the ground floor of what some industry leaders are calling a revolutionary technology.

In addition to scoring big-name clients and its revenue stream last year, Auquan also closed $8 million in seed funding. The round was led by Peak XV and included Neotribe Ventures.

Auquan has made inroads with various divisions at financial firms, from private-market investing to investment banking, as well as risk and compliance, and investor relations, Jain said. Across those functions, it's most heavily used by analysts or associates to produce documents or templates for their MDs, partners, or division heads.

Due-diligence reports are a big use case for Auquan. The startup automates the creation of 3,300 due diligence reports for 20 different clients, saving them a cumulative 55,000 hours of work, according to customer estimates.

How Auquan works behind the scenes

Auquan is built to try to mimic the humans whose jobs it is doing, Jain said.

The first step is accessing the raw data. Auquan pulls data from providers, like FactSet, CapIQ, and Pitchbook, as well as public data sets from government agencies and news sites. It can also plug into a client's internal file systems.

The second part involves the user stating an intent with an example, such as "I want to create an investment committee memo and I want it to come out looking like this template document," Jain said. Under the hood, the tech relies on an "agent super orchestrator" that breaks down the specific jobs to be done and organizes several "mini agents" to take on each of those jobs, Jain said.

In the investment committee memo example, there might be an agent that identifies the fields that need to be filled, another to run searches on underlying vendor data, another that scans public data, and a writing agent that takes all of the info and puts it into a company-specific format based on the template, like if a section should be presented in bullet points or a table. It's exported in the desired interface, such as a PowerPoint presentation or a Google Doc with the proper corporate branding. All of this happens automatically without human intervention, Jain said.

The first draft is presented to the user as a starting point. The user can make edits and tweaks for future documents, she said. The agent super orchestrator will assign new mini agents as needed, she added.

Pricing for Auquan is based on clients' estimated desired outcomes, Jain said. Examples of outcomes are producing one slide deck, one report, or one compliance check. Once the client chooses what workflow to automate, Auquan charges a dollar amount for that outcome, and multiplies it by how many times that process is expected to run, she said.

Too much data, not enough people

Jain knows firsthand how labor intensive it is to extract insights from data. Before Auquan, she worked as an analyst at Deutsche Bank and derivatives trader at the Dutch market-maker and proprietary trading firm Optiver, where she was drowning in information with not enough time or help to distill it.

"If I or anyone on my team could make the case for why we thought any data set would help us make better decisions, we could buy it no questions asked," Jain said. "What we didn't have a lot of was resources or time to go through that information," she said.

She would learn from conversations with financial clients that she wasn't alone in that problem. The broad applicability has won over investors.

Here's the pitch deck Auquan used to raise $8 million.

Auquan pitch deck opening slide
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck slide about finance industry labor inefficiencies
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck slide about typical analyst work
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck slide about aggregating data
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck about benefits of using AI to automate research workflows
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck slide about customer testimonials
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck about customer testimonials
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck slide
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck slide about data vendors
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Auquan pitch deck slide about different languages offered
Auquan pitch deck

Auquan

Read the original article on Business Insider

11 times Melania Trump broke White House traditions and defied expectations of the first lady role

✇Latest News
By: Talia Lakritz
31 January 2025 at 09:42
Melania Trump wearing sunglasses
Melania Trump.

Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images

  • First lady Melania Trump strayed from White House traditions during Donald Trump's first term.
  • She didn't move to the White House right away in 2016 and arrived at events separately from Trump.
  • She has indicated she will not live at the White House full time during her husband's second term.

In many ways, Melania Trump was a traditional first lady during her husband's first term as president.

She wore a ball gown to the inauguration and donated it to the National Museum of American History's "First Ladies" exhibit. She took up the cause of children's wellness with her "Be Best" campaign. She led White House restoration projects, renovating the Rose Garden and designing a new rug for the Diplomatic Reception Room.

However, the fiercely private first lady also remained something of an enigma and made the role her own by straying from presidential protocol and long-held White House traditions.

Melania Trump is once again serving as FLOTUS now that President Donald Trump has begun his second, non-consecutive term. Having been largely absent from the 2024 campaign trail, her exact level of White House involvement remains to be seen. However, her new official White House portrait suggests she's "ready to embrace her position," its photographer told BI.

Here's how Melania Trump has defied expectations as first lady thus far.

The Office of Melania Trump and representatives for the Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

Melania Trump made occasional appearances during Trump's presidential campaigns but largely remained out of the spotlight.
Former US President Donald Trump joins former First Lady Melania Trump onstage during a campaign rally.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump at a 2024 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden.

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

First ladies often act as representatives of their husbands' campaigns, traveling the country to deliver speeches and meet voters at events. During all of Trump's presidential campaigns, Melania was noticeably absent, making only occasional appearances.

The New York Times reported in 2023 that while Melania Trump privately supported Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, she rejected his offers to campaign with him.

When asked about Melania Trump's absence, Donald Trump told "Meet the Press" in 2023 that he likes to keep her away from the campaign trail because "it's so nasty and so mean."

"She's a private person, a great person, a very confident person, and she loves our country very much," he said of his wife.

When Donald Trump was first elected in 2016, Melania Trump didn't move into the White House right away.
Melania Trump waves from a stage as Donald Trump stands next to her.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump at an inaugural ball.

Kevin Dietsch - Pool/Getty Images

While Donald Trump moved into the White House after the inauguration, he told reporters that Melania Trump stayed behind in New York with their then-10-year-old son, Barron Trump, so that he could finish out the school year.

Washington Post reporter Mary Jordan wrote in her book, "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump," that Melania Trump also used the time to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement.

In 2018, Melania Trump arrived at the State of the Union address in a separate motorcade.
Melania Trump arrives for the State of the Union in 2018.
Melania Trump at the 2018 State of the Union.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

In January 2018, The Wall Street Journal broke the news that one of Donald Trump's lawyers, Michael Cohen, transferred a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to keep her from speaking about their alleged 2006 affair.

After reports emerged of Donald Trump's alleged affair, which he denied, Melania Trump backed out of a trip to Switzerland and other public engagements. She also arrived at the 2018 State of the Union address in a separate motorcade in a break from the tradition of presidents and their spouses arriving together.

Melania Trump's then-director of communications, Stephanie Grisham, said that the first lady did not travel with her husband because she was accompanying the guests of honor, the BBC reported.

Donald Trump was later found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up the payment to Daniels. After the hush-money trial reached its verdict in May, Donald Trump continued to deny the affair and called the trial a "witch hunt."

Melania Trump broke protocol again weeks later by arriving at Marine One separately from Donald Trump.
Donald Trump Marine One
Donald Trump outside Marine One in 2018.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

After The New Yorker published a report detailing a former Playmate's alleged affair with Donald Trump, which he denied took place, Melania Trump once again did not appear publicly by her husband's side.

Instead of taking the traditional walk with Donald Trump across the White House lawn, she arrived at the presidential helicopter in a separate vehicle.

"With her schedule, it was easier to meet him on the plane," Grisham told CNN of Melania Trump's separate route.

Melania Trump's White House Christmas decorations broke the mold of traditional holiday decor.
Melania Trump's White House Christmas decorations.
Melania Trump's White House Christmas decorations.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

For her first Christmas in the White House in 2017, Melania Trump lined the East Colonnade with bare white branches that cast shadows on the hall. In 2018, she filled the East Colonnade with dark-red trees that garnered comparisons to costumes in the dystopian TV series "The Handmaid's Tale." The following year, clear acrylic panels lined the hall, and her final White House Christmas featured potted plants.

Her avant-garde Christmas decorations garnered some criticism, while others praised her unconventional choices.

"Everyone has a different taste," Melania said of the critical responses to her Christmas decorations at a town hall event hosted by Liberty University in 2018.

In a speech at the First Baptist Church in Dallas in 2021, Donald Trump said that Melania Trump "didn't get exactly a fair shake" when it came to her Christmas decor choices.

"She would make the most beautiful Christmas decorations," he said. "And I remember she made these magnificent red trees, and the media said, 'Oh, that's terrible.'"

While first ladies have long used clothing to send subtle messages, Melania Trump's "I really don't care, do u?" jacket seemed more overt.
Melania Trump wears a green jacket that says "I really don't care. Do U?"
Melania Trump's infamous jacket.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Throughout US history, first ladies have chosen outfits with deeper meanings that reflect their values. Laura Bush wore red to help bring awareness to the dangers of heart disease. Michelle Obama chose to highlight up-and-coming designers from underrepresented backgrounds. Jill Biden appeared at campaign events wearing boots emblazoned with the word "vote."

Melania Trump's "I really don't care, do u?" jacket, worn while traveling to visit immigrant children at the US-Mexico border in 2018, seemed an unusually combative wardrobe choice for a first lady.

Melania Trump wrote in her 2024 memoir that her press secretary wouldn't let her clarify that the jacket's message was directed at the media.

"The media claimed the jacket meant I did not care about the children or the border, which was clearly not true," she wrote.

When Joe Biden won the 2020 election, she didn't invite Jill Biden to the White House as Michelle Obama had done for her.
Melania Trump and Michelle Obama at the White House.
Melania Trump and Michelle Obama at the White House.

Chuck Kennedy/The White House

After Donald Trump won the 2016 election, the Obamas hosted the Trumps at the White House in a long-held tradition ensuring a smooth transition of power.

While Barack Obama and Donald Trump met in the Oval Office, Michelle Obama hosted Melania Trump for tea in the Yellow Oval Room and discussed raising children in the White House.

When Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, he refused to concede and did not invite the Bidens to visit the White House ahead of the inauguration.

The Trumps skipped Joe Biden's inauguration, opting to fly to Mar-a-Lago instead.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump leave the White House on Biden's inauguration day.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump did not attend Joe Biden's inauguration.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Outgoing presidents and first ladies have traditionally attended presidential inaugurations even after painful defeats.

Upon leaving the White House, Donald Trump and Melania Trump skipped Joe Biden's inauguration, held their own farewell ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base, and flew to their Palm Beach home.

Unlike previous years, she attended only the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention and did not deliver a speech.
Melania Trump at the RNC, wearing a red skirt suit.
Melania Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Melania Trump delivered speeches at the 2016 and 2020 conventions. In 2024, she only attended the final day of the Republican National Convention and did not speak.

After Donald Trump won the 2024 election, Melania Trump declined Jill Biden's invitation for tea at the White House, citing a scheduling conflict with her book tour.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden meet at the White House.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden at the White House.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump accepted Joe Biden's invitation to meet at the White House as part of Joe Biden's pledge to ensure a peaceful transfer of power. However, Melania Trump, who released her memoir, "Melania," in October 2024, turned down the first lady's offer to meet for tea.

"Mrs. Trump will not be attending today's meeting at the White House," Melania Trump's office wrote in a statement on X. "Her husband's return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging, and she wishes him great success. In this instance, several unnamed sources in the media continue to provide false, misleading, and inaccurate information. Be discerning with your source of news."

Before the inauguration, Melania Trump indicated that she may not live at the White House full time during her husband's second term.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump at an inaugural ball.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump on Inauguration Day.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

In November, CNN reported that Melania Trump was "unlikely" to move into the White House full time.

A week before the inauguration in January, when asked by Ainsley Earhardt of Fox News about her plans, Melania Trump said that she would primarily live at the White House, but would also divide her time between Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago.

"I will be in the White House," she said. "And, you know, when I need to be in New York, I will be in New York. When I need to be in Palm Beach, I will be in Palm Beach."

She added that her "first priority" was to be a mom, first lady, and wife and to "serve the country."

Read the original article on Business Insider

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