❌

Reading view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.

2 Israeli Embassy staff killed near Capital Jewish Museum in D.C., officials say

Two Israeli Embassy staff were fatally shot at close range while leaving a Jewish event at the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C., on Wednesday night, the embassy's spokesperson in Washington Tal Naim Cohen told Axios.

The latest: A suspect shouted "Free Palestine" while being taken into custody, said D.C. police chief Pamela Smith at a live online briefing. Officials at the briefing said the fatally shot man had planned to propose to his partner, who was also killed as they left the museum.


  • Police named the suspect as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, of Chicago, Illinois.

The big picture: Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, in a post to X called the shooting "a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism" and said he's "confident that the U.S. authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act."

  • Cohen said Israeli officials had "full faith in law enforcement authorities on both the local and federal levels to apprehend the shooter and protect Israel's representatives and Jewish communities throughout the United States."
  • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X her department was "actively investigating and working to get more information to share" on the "senseless" killings.

Zoom in: The FBI's D.C. office said on X its agents responded to the shooting with local police and determined that there was "no ongoing threat to public safety."

  • Representatives for the Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment late Wednesday, but confirmed on X that a shooting investigation in the vicinity of the museum was under way.

Zoom out: The museum was hosting the annual Young Diplomats Reception, an event that "brings together Jewish young professionals ... and the D.C. diplomatic community for anΒ evening dedicated to fostering unity and celebrating Jewish heritage," per a post from the American Jewish Committee.

Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump "giving very serious consideration" to bringing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac public

President Trump said Wednesday he's "giving very serious consideration" to bringing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage giants, public.

The big picture: Trump said on Truth Social he'll speak with officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and the Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte, about the matter "and will be making a decision in the near future."


  • He added, "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are doing very well, throwing off a lot of CASH, and the time would seem to be right. Stay tuned!"

Why it matters: These two companies combined support some 70% of U.S. mortgages.

Between the lines: Messing with the structure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac poses risk to the economy β€” and at the very least could raise mortgage rates even further, per Axios' Felix Salmon and Emily Peck.

Flashback: Before Trump took office, there was a broad-based desire to wrest Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from federal control and the Biden Treasury Department and Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees the two companies, released a roadmap for how privatizationΒ could work.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Klarna's CEO leans into his company's image, using an AI doppelganger to deliver earnings highlights

Screenshot of AI avatar of Klarna CEO.
Klarna said it used an AI doppelganger of CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski to report its updated quarterly earnings.

Klarna

  • Klarna said it used an AI avatar of its CEO to report quarterly earnings in a YouTube video.
  • Klarna brands itself as an AI company and has "streamlined" its workforce by 40% since 2022.
  • Klarna's Q1 results show revenue growth but see a spike in net and credit losses.

Buy now, pay later services company Klarna said it used an AI doppelganger of CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski to report its quarterly earnings on Monday.

The AI avatar appeared in a video on Klarna's official YouTube channel to deliver earnings highlights. It wore a brown jacket reminiscent of one in Siemiatkowski's corporate headshots, and aside from a lack of blinking and suspect lip syncing, there were no significant giveaways.

"Our AI-first strategy is driving exceptional returns, we're outpacing competitors, our merchant network is scaling rapidly, and our next-gen products are reshaping money management for millions," a presumably human Siemiatkowski said in a press release.

The move comes as Klarna, which last month put its IPO on ice due to economic uncertainty, tries to brand itself as anΒ AI company. In the earnings press release, Klarna said it has "streamlined" its workforce by around 40% since 2022.

In 2022, 800 employees were fired, while some were quietly offered an exit package last year after being placed into a "talent pool." In February 2024, Klarna announced that its OpenAI-powered AI customer service agents could do the equivalent work of 700 full-time human employees.

Klarna has recently ramped up partnerships with platforms like Walmart, eBay, and DoorDash, but consumer watchdogs have long been concerned about the potential for overspending under BNPL services. Under the Biden administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau treated BNPL providers as credit card lenders, which required stricter protections around disclosures and disputes. On May 6, the CFPB said in an announcement it would no longer enforce the rule and would consider rescinding it.

The Federal Reserve found in 2024 that users of BNPL services are more likely to rely on high-interest financing tools and are more financially fragile. LendingTree, an online lending marketplace, also found in an April survey that 41% of BNPL users in the US paid late over the last 12 months, up from 34% a year ago.

Klarna's latest Q1 results also show that an increasing number of people may not have been paying their loans. While revenue grew 13% year over year and it reached 100 million active users, Klarna also doubled its net losses from $47 million in Q1 2024 to $99 million in Q1 2025 β€” a 110% increase.

During the May 19 earnings call, Klarna attributed the spike in losses to several one-off costs related to depreciation, share-based payments, and restructuring.

Klarna's consumer credit losses have also jumped, which its Q1 financial report said is "driven by the accelerated expansion of Pay Later and Fair Financing products." Klarna's first quarter saw a 17% year-on-year increase in credit losses from $117 million to $136 million.

Klarna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Trump floats taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public as deficit fears grow

trump in Oval Office
President Donald Trump said he was considering taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

  • Trump said he's considering taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public.
  • The move would privatize the mortgage giants, which have been under government control since 2008.
  • Critics have said privatizing the companies could increase mortgage rates.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was "giving very serious consideration" to taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public and would make a decision soon.

"Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are doing very well, throwing off a lot of CASH, and the time would seem to be right," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

The president said he would speak to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, William Pulte, as well as others, regarding the decision.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public would mean removing the mortgage giants from the government conservatorship they have been under since 2008 and privatizing them.

Previous attempts, including under Trump's first term, have been made to remove the companies from the government's control. Critics say the move could lead to higher mortgage rates.

During his confirmation hearing in January, Bessent said that "no conservatorship should be indefinite. However, any actions pursued should be carefully designed and executed." He also told Bloomberg in February that the decision to release the firms would depend on the impact it would have on mortgage rates.

Pulte, who heads the agency that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, told CNN in March that privatizing the companies was not a top priority.

"Fannie and Freddie shouldn't be in conservatorship forever," Pulte said. "But it's critical to ensure any discussion about exiting conservatorship needs not only to ensure safety and soundness but how it would affect mortgage rates."

BI previously reported that shares in the firms have increased dramatically this year and could soar even further if the conservatorship ends. Analysts at Pimco said re-privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be good for shareholders but could lead to increased costs for borrowers.

Trump's comments on taking Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public come as fears over the federal deficit continue to grow. The president is pushing major legislation through Congress that would add trillions to the deficit.

Bankers have estimated that the government could make hundreds of billions by selling its shares in the companies, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Republicans rename $1000-per-baby MAGA Accounts to "Trump Accounts" in tax bill

House Republicans made a last-minute change to the $1,000-per-baby MAGA Accounts in their sweeping tax bill: Calling them "Trump Accounts" instead.

Why it matters: It's the latest in a series of attempts by congressional Republicans to display their loyalty to the president through legislation β€” and the one that is most likely to be signed into law.


Driving the news: House Republicans tucked the renaming into an 11th-hour amendment to their "One, Big Beautiful Bill" β€” a hulking fiscal package to extend the Trump tax cuts and cut $1.5 trillion in spending.

  • House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is moving to hold a vote on the package as early as early Thursday morning after GOP hardliners softened their opposition on Wednesday.
  • The Trump Accounts would seed $1,000 for every American baby born starting in 2026. The original name β€” MAGA β€” stood for "money account for growth and advancement."

The other side: Democrats railed against the late-stage change at a Rules Committee hearing on the amendment.

  • "You all would be screaming bloody murder if we named savings accounts after Barack Obama," said Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.).
  • Said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.): "Why don't we call it the Trump Diaper Savings? It could be TDS, because I think the only way you end up with a stupid name like this is if you have TDS."

WATCH: Axios interviews Lutnick, Sen. Shaheen, CIA official Michael Ellis and more

Tune into Axios' event looking at the evolving trade landscape's ripple effect on the global economy, the optimism of business investors, and AI's increasing role in building supply chain resilience.

Featured speakers include Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, 26th Sec. of the Army Dan Driscoll, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), deputy dir. of the CIA Michael Ellis & Bayer CEO Bill Anderson.

❌