Trump administration tells big consulting firms to cut the ‘gobbledygook’ and justify their contracts
The General Services Administration is asking consulting firms to cut the jargon and get to the point when reviewing their government contracts. The Trump administration has asked 10 of the federal government’s highest-paid consulting firms to justify their spending on contracts using language stripped of “gobbledygook” that “a 15-year-old should be able to understand.” In…
Airbnb called rival Vrbo ‘desperate’ for putting a sarcastic billboard outside its office
Vrbo put a pointed billboard outside Airbnb’s San Francisco offices. Vacation rental company Vrbo took a swing at its main competitor, Airbnb, this month with a provocative billboard campaign. It may not have worked. “Think of us as Airbnb’s hotter, cooler, friendlier, long-lost twin, that never has hosts,” reads a sign outside Airbnb’s headquarters in…
Elon Musk jumps into 2 closer-than-expected House elections in Florida
Musk’s super PAC has begun spending on “texting services” in two House special elections in Florida that have become more competitive than expected. If you live in northern Florida, you may be about to get a text from Elon Musk’s super PAC. The DOGE leader’s “America PAC” is spending more than $10,000 apiece on two…
Why Venice’s mayor is reassuring locals ahead of Jeff Bezos’ wedding
Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez are set to marry in Venice. As the city of Venice confirmed it is gearing up to host the wedding of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez this summer, the local mayor attempted to reassure residents amid the ongoing battle with overtourism. In a statement on Saturday,…
I’m a veteran and military spouse. Getting fired by the government makes me feel like the US doesn’t care about us who’ve served.
Kira Carrigan was fired from the Office of Personnel Management. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kira Carrigan, 36. It has been edited for length and clarity. B-17 has verified Carrigan’s identity, employment, and the termination of her role. A request to comment from B-17 to the Office of Personnel Management went…
Why an analyst sees the record-setting gold rally headed for a 38% crash in coming years
Gold has become a surprise winner of the Trump trade as investors seek shelter amid the policy chaos, but there are longer-term trends that threaten to drag the metal back down to earth. Jon Mills is an analyst at Morningstar with a particularly downbeat forecast for gold prices. While the rest of Wall Street is…
Artillery was Russia’s ‘god of war’ long before Ukraine
The tactics of heavy barrages that pummel Ukrainian troops and trenches trace their roots to the First World War. The Russian cannon were murderous, recalled a survivor. “All this time the formidable artillery of the redoubts in the center of the enemy’s line was working such fearful havoc in our ranks.” The date was Sept.…
How YouTube paranormal investigators Sam and Colby created a $20 million revenue empire
Sam and Colby, who’ve brought their YouTube videos to the big screen, attended the premiere of “The Legends of the Paranormal” in 2024. As shy high schoolers growing up in Kansas, Sam Golbach and Colby Brock became best friends exploring abandoned sites around town. Forging friendships by doing scary things together — “getting off your…
Black Americans describe how being a federal worker was their path to the middle class — and the heartbreak of losing it
Trump’s DEI scrutiny and workforce reductions threaten to upend the American dream for Black workers who achieved middle-class prosperity through federal jobs. When BreAntra Jackson started working at the Internal Revenue Service last October, she was excited to have secured a coveted position in the federal government. “Working at the IRS was one of the…
