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Dems move to set limits on Trump’s donor-funded White House ballroom, claiming ‘bribery in plain sight’

Democrats are seeking to put limits on private donations to foot the bill for President Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom amid what they say are bribery concerns.  Trump announced in October that construction had started on the ballroom — leading to the demolition of the White House’s historic East Wing — and would be privately funded at an estimated cost of $300 million. That was up from the $200 million estimate first provided in...

Currency traders bet against sterling ahead of Reeves’ tax-raising Budget

Currency traders are increasing their bets against sterling ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, fearing that Rachel Reeves’ tax and spending plans could further weaken the UK’s already fragile economic outlook. Data from CME Group shows trading volumes in put options — contracts that profit from a fall in the pound — have outpaced bullish call options by more than four to one over the past week. The surge suggests investors are bracing for a Budget that...

AI could replace half of American jobs, McKinsey warns

Artificial intelligence and robotics could automate more than half of all work carried out in the United States — with existing technology — according to a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute. The research finds that 57% of US work hours could be automated today if organisations redesigned workflows around the capabilities of AI agents and robots. The analysis suggests that nearly half of American jobs sit within occupations facing significant disruption from automation....

Installio raises £1.5m Seed round to accelerate national clean-energy rollout

Clean-energy installation specialist Installio has raised £1.5 million in an oversubscribed Seed round led by Verb Ventures, as the fast-growing London-based company prepares to scale nationally amid surging demand for heat pumps and home-energy retrofits. Founded to tackle the biggest bottleneck in the UK’s clean-heating transition — inconsistent, low-quality installations — Installio combines specialist engineering expertise with a technology platform that streamlines complex heat-pump projects from end to end. The company provides real-time project visibility,...

New taxi VAT rule would hit vulnerable passengers hardest, warns lawyer behind landmark Uber case

A leading solicitor involved in the Supreme Court victory that shielded regional taxi firms from blanket VAT charges has warned that Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ proposed “taxi tax” could have damaging consequences for small operators and vulnerable passengers. Layla Barke-Jones, Dispute Resolution Partner at law firm Aaron & Partners, represented Delta Taxis in the landmark case that confirmed private hire operators outside London are not automatically required to charge VAT on all fares. The ruling provided...

Chancellor urged to use AI to ‘Make Britain Great Again’ as Budget looms

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is being urged to seize the moment and use artificial intelligence to “Make Britain Great Again”, as business leaders and technology experts warn that AI may be the only route to growth in a Budget constrained by Labour’s tax promises. The calls come as the government prepares to announce thousands of new AI-related jobs and billions of pounds of investment in a bid to boost productivity and reboot the stalled UK economy....

Qatar invests millions in new British venture capital fund backing quantum start-ups

A new British venture capital fund has secured major backing from Qatar to accelerate investment into quantum computing start-ups, marking a significant vote of confidence in one of the UK’s fastest-growing deep-tech sectors. Firgun Ventures, co-founded by academic and former Culture Trip founder Kris Naudts and ex-Goldman Sachs banker Zeynep Koruturk, has closed its first investment round at $70 million (£53 million). The largest contribution came from the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), with further backing...

DOJ files motion to unseal Epstein docs in latest step toward release

The Justice Department asked a federal judge to unseal grand jury materials and lift protective orders in the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell cases after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Signed by Trump on Nov. 19, 2025, the law requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all unclassified records, communications and investigative materials related to Epstein within 30 days. The order allows limited redactions for victim privacy or to protect active...

Trump launches ‘Genesis Mission’ to supercharge US scientific AI innovation

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday aimed at bolstering U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives as it unveiled its new ‘Genesis Mission’ to accelerate AI use for scientific purposes.  The ‘Genesis Mission’ will direct the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and their national labs to work with private companies to share federal data sets, advanced supercomputing capabilities, and scientific facilities.  ‘The private sector has launched artificial...

How one Alabama senator’s quiet diplomacy helped end longest shutdown in US history

One Senate Republican proved that it’s still possible to bridge the chasm between the aisles after brokering an end to the longest government shutdown in history. The 43-day impasse in Congress may have ended in the House, but it was in the Senate that Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., worked to build an old-fashioned bipartisan coalition to jump-start the stalled chamber. It took several weeks, numerous conversations and reconstructing broken trust between Senate Republicans and Democrats...