Every time Lucia publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox! By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. President Donald Trump has demanded that Netflix remove former US ambassador and national security advisor Susan Rice from its board, stepping up his criticism of the streaming giant as it seeks to merge with Warner Bros. Speaking on the "Stay Tuned with Preet Bharara" podcast published Thursday, she said corporations that "take a knee" to the president and skirt the law should expect consequences, predicting an "accountability agenda" if Democrats take back power. "There is likely to be a swing in the other direction," and these companies are "going to be caught with more than their pants down," Rice said." She served in the Clinton administration from 1993 to 2001, including roles at the National Security Council and as assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. She later served as head of the Domestic Policy Council under Biden. She worked in management consulting for McKinsey and Company before entering government. In her 2019 memoir, "Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For," she wrote that she was a frequent "villain" for conservative media. She also faced scrutiny by Trump and his allies for "unmasking" senior Trump officials to understand why the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York in 2016. Unmasking is when senior government officials ask to learn the identity of a US citizen whose name has been withheld in intelligence reports about communications, such as intercepted calls. In some situations, national security officials argue that knowing the person's identity is necessary to interpret and assess the intelligence information. As UN Ambassador, Rice supported US intervention against Muammar Gaddafi. In a 2025 column in The New York Times, Rice accused members of Trump's national security team of "reckless negligence" after they discussed sensitive national security matters on Signal. Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, the CEO of Business Insider's parent company, is a Netflix board member.

Every time Taylor publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox! By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Federal officials said they suspended TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Sunday morning at 6 a.m. "As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly." Los Angeles International Airport said Saturday on social media that it was diverting all TSA PreCheck customers to general screening lanes. San Francisco International Airport said on X that all TSA PreCheck and Global Entry "remain operational." Every time Taylor publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox! Stay connected to Taylor and get more of their work as it publishes. By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Travel chaos at airports is often an impetus to end government shutdowns. TSA and customs agents are considered essential employees and are working without pay during the partial shutdown, as they did for 43 days during the full shutdown in October. The 2019 shutdown ended soon after mass callouts temporarily halted travel in New York. Social media posts showed that PreCheck lanes were still operating at major airports on Sunday, including Minneapolis, Washington, DC, and Orlando, hours after the 6 a.m. cutoff. Airlines like JetBlue and Delta have preemptively said some flights in the region will be canceled and have offered travel waivers to affected flyers. If the lanes close, wait times at airports could increase significantly. DHS said passengers with active memberships will be able to fly using standard security or immigration lines. CLEAR, a separate, privately run expedited checkpoint, appears to be operating. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the agency is "making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions" and prioritizing the "general traveling population" at airports.

Authorities fatally shot a man who was carrying a shotgun and a gas cannister as he tried to enter President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida early Sunday morning, the Secret Service said. The president maintains a residence at Mar-a-Lago, and frequently dines and hosts events at the Palm Beach club. The man, who was in his early 20s, was shot by Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff deputy at around 1:30 a.m. ET after entering the secure perimeter around Mar-a-Lago near its north gate and then raising the shotgun at an officer, authorities said. Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw told reporters at a press conference on Sunday that "a deputy and two Secret Service agents on the detail went to that area to investigate." "He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position." "Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump's home," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X. "It's shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department," Leavitt said. DHS has been shuttered for more than a week. Democrats are demanding changes to how the department conducts immigration enforcement operations before agreeing to fund the agency, after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis. A Secret Service sniper killed the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks. Two months after that attempt, another would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, was arrested less than an hour after a Secret Service agent fired at Routh as he lay in wait with a rifle outside a golf course where Trump was playing. Routh was convicted of trying to kill Trump. He was recently sentenced to life in prison. We want to hear from you. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.

The Transportation Security Administration said on Sunday that its PreCheck airport screening lanes are operational, hours after the Department of Homeland Security said the faster security checkpoint services would be paused amid the partial government shutdown. "At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public," TSA officials said in a statement. "As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly. Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America's skies." The pause in the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs was initially scheduled to take effect at 6 a.m. The move comes as the U.S. Northeast braces for a massive winter storm that could disrupt airline flights for days. TSA PreCheck has more than 20 million active members, according to an agency count in 2024. "PreCheck members accounted for 34 percent of passengers screened at airport checkpoints," The New York Times reported in August 2025, citing a TSA spokesman. The pause in TSA PreCheck and Global Entry security programs is a result of the partial government shutdown that began on Feb. 14, following congressional lawmakers' failure to reach a deal to fund DHS. Airlines have canceled more than 6,000 flights through Monday and waived cancellation and change fees for airports spanning Virginia to Maine ahead of the East Coast blizzard. Travel industry members sharply criticized the move, which comes just months after last year's federal government shutdown affected air travel and dented bookings, according to executives. "A4A is deeply concerned that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs are being suspended and that the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown," said Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu. "The announcement was issued with extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly, which is especially troubling at this time of record air travel," he added. Those disruptions affected about 6 million travelers. The U.S. Travel Association, which represents major hotel chains and many other businesses in the industry, called DHS's move "extremely disappointing." "We are disgusted that over the last 90 days, Democrats and Republicans have used air traffic controllers, TSA, CBP and the entire travel experience as a means to achieve political ends," it said in a statement. We want to hear from you. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.

The Transportation Security Administration said on Sunday that its PreCheck airport screening lanes are operational, an about-face hours after the Department of Homeland Security said the faster security checkpoints were paused amid the partial government shutdown. Travel industry leaders said they received little, if any, warning of the changes to PreCheck, a program that allows its 20 million pre-screened members to pass through airport security faster than at standard lanes. Industry members spoke with DHS officials in the past few hours and expressed alarm about the sudden decision, people familiar with the matter said. "At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public," TSA officials said in a statement. "As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly. Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America's skies." DHS early Sunday said that PreCheck and Global Entry and other program suspensions were scheduled to take effect at 6 a.m. ET, its updated statement still included a suspension of Global Entry but it had removed its mention of PreCheck. "We are glad that DHS has decided to keep PreCheck operational and avoid a crisis of its own making," Geoff Freeman, chief executive of U.S. Travel, an industry group whose members include major airlines, hotel chains like Hyatt and Marriott International and tourism boards around the country. The move comes as a partial U.S. government shutdown that has left thousands of DHS workers, including TSA airport screeners, working without pay since it started on Feb. 14. DHS did not say whether it expected to reverse its suspension of Global Entry or what prompted the change. The White House didn't immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. Travel industry experts sharply criticized the move before it was reversed, which comes just months after last year's record federal government shutdown cost airlines millions of dollars and hurt bookings, according to executives. The sector's leaders have repeatedly complained about how air travel has ended up at the center of repeated shutdowns and have pushed lawmakers to ensure that essential government workers are paid during funding lapses. Those disruptions affected about 6 million travelers. "A4A is deeply concerned that TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs are being suspended and that the traveling public will be, once again, used as a political football amid another government shutdown," said Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu. "The announcement was issued with extremely short notice to travelers, giving them little time to plan accordingly, which is especially troubling at this time of record air travel," he added. The U.S. Travel Association said earlier: "We are disgusted that over the last 90 days, Democrats and Republicans have used air traffic controllers, TSA, CBP and the entire travel experience as a means to achieve political ends," it said in a statement. The measures come as a massive winter storm bears down on the Northeast U.S., which could disrupt airline flights for days. Airlines have canceled more than 6,000 flights through Monday and waived cancellation and change fees for airports spanning Virginia to Maine ahead of the East Coast blizzard. We want to hear from you. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox

Investors have been grappling with volatility amid fears of artificial intelligence disruption in a range of sectors, but attractive opportunities abound if they can look beneath the surface. Ignoring the ongoing noise, investors with a long-term horizon can track the recommendations of top Wall Street analysts, who take several aspects into account and conduct in-depth research before assigning a buy rating to a stock. Here are three stocks favored by some of Wall Street's top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Artificial intelligence-powered observability and security platform Datadog (DDOG) is this week's first pick. Following the company's Investor Day event on Feb. 12, Baird analyst William Power reiterated a buy rating on Datadog stock with a price target of $180. The analyst stated that while Datadog didn't provide any new long-term forecasts at the event, it continues to target an adjusted operating margin of over 25%, reflecting a balanced approach between investing for future growth and near-term profitability. Power noted solid demand for Datadog's existing products and growing opportunities in AI, logs, developer tools and security. He added that given Datadog's notable advantage in contextual data compared to rivals, the company is well-positioned to help enterprises as AI is increasing complexity within IT stacks. The five-star analyst believes that Datadog has the ability to address enterprises' security needs, supported by its broad observability platform and significant data insights. Power highlighted that while the company currently has about 8,500 security customers, including 70% of customers with over $1 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), security makes up only 2% of total ARR from these large customers, reflecting that vast expansion opportunity. "We remain positive on the company's leadership position in the observability market, the continued success of its land and expand motion, and long-term opportunities across new products (especially security)," said Power. 459 among more than 12,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. AI infrastructure company Vertiv Holdings (VRT) provides power and cooling solutions to data centers. VRT recently rallied after reporting upbeat results for the fourth quarter of 2025, with organic orders surging 252%. Citing solid order growth and insights from Vertiv's 10-K filing, Bank of America analyst Andrew Obin reiterated a buy rating on VRT stock and raised his price target to $277 from $250. "To grow on top of 2025's $17.8bn in orders (+81% y/y organic) would be an impressive feat," said the analyst. He noted CEO Giordano Albertazzi's commentary that the pipeline was not depleted even after many large orders in the fourth quarter of 2025. The analyst explained that even this modest year-over-year growth will result in significantly favorable backlog statistics. For Q1 2026, Obin projects $4.3 billion of orders (+52% year-over-year organic growth). Among the key takeaways from the 10-K filing, Obin highlighted that aside from tariff and economic uncertainty, AI, and thermal product expansion, Vertiv mentioned three new trends: strengthening services capabilities, strategic deals with Nvidia (NVDA) and Caterpillar (CAT), and prefabricated product development. 87 among more than 12,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Finally, we look at Arista Networks (ANET), which provides networking solutions to large AI and data center environments. The company impressed investors with market-beating Q4 results and issued strong guidance. Following the decline in ANET stock in reaction to the announcement that Nvidia will supply Meta Platforms (META) GPUs, CPUs, and networking solutions, Needham analyst Ryan Koontz said that he expects the deal to have "little to no impact" on Arista's solid supplier position with Meta. It is worth noting that the analyst had recently raised his price target for Arista stock to $185 from $165. Koontz highlighted that the Meta Platforms-Nvidia deal sparked concerns as Arista is a major networking supplier to the social media company. The analyst estimates that Meta accounted for 16% of Arista's 2025 revenue. Based on several industry checks following the deal's announcement, Koontz continues to view ANET as a "dominant" supplier to Meta Platforms for its AI back-end spine and scale-across applications. "Our checks indicate that the bulk of NVDA networking sales to Meta have been and will continue to be NICs [network interface cards] that bridge NVDA xPUs to a first layer of Spectrum-X switches, which are backed by the ANET spine and scale-across networks," noted Koontz. The five-star analyst added that the announcement doesn't reflect anything notably new in networking, and is in fact a follow-up to a similar announcement in October 2025 from the Open Compute Project (OCP) conference, when Nvidia announced that Meta would deploy Spectrum-X. 277 among more than 12,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox

Former Apollo executive and longtime New Yorker Gregory Beard says he wouldn't have left the private sector for just any job. But opportunity came knocking in the form of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who tapped Beard to run the Office of Energy Dominance Financing. Beard first joined the EDF as a senior advisor in April 2025 from bitcoin miner Stronghold Digital Mining, before officially taking over as director on Jan. 29. "If I didn't feel passionately about Secretary Wright's message and why the president chose him, I'd still be in the private sector," Beard said in an exclusive conversation with CNBC. Beard has only been at the helm for a few weeks, but he has big plans for the agency, including dispensing capital at a record rate. All told, roughly $30 billion in conditional loan commitments were either canceled or withdrawn by the applicant, with about $53 billion worth of loans restructured, the DOE said. The agency has acted as a bridge of sorts for U.S. companies that might struggle to secure financing via traditional capital markets due to perceived risks. In theory, the rigorous process to secure an EDF loan could be seen as a stamp of approval from the government, opening up additional funding to help nascent companies and technologies get off the ground. Over its more than 20 years there have been hits — including a 2010 loan to Tesla — and misses, most notably backing solar manufacturer Solyndra, which ultimately went bankrupt. Under President Joe Biden and his climate-focused administration, the agency was supercharged, acting as a green bank of sorts. Staff quadrupled, and the Inflation Reduction Act grew available funds by tenfold. "Every project that we do will make energy more affordable for Americans, will help us win AI and will bolster the grid and get us out from under the China strategy to dominate certain critical minerals," Beard said. "Everything we do will have a very specific focus." But now, Beard said, the office is ready to get going. The office has about 80 active loan applications in its pipeline, according to Beard. It's a mix of new projects as well as those that have been reframed to meet the administration's priorities, he said. The reorganized EDF has dispensed three loans to AEP, Constellation Energy and Wabash Valley Resources. All three originated during the prior administration. But Beard said the pace will soon pick up, hinting that an upcoming announcement could be the agency's largest-ever loan. "The initial quarters were really a turnaround job for fixing what this office had done in the past," he said. The first soup-to-nuts loan from the EDF will likely act as a starting point for a "wave of loans around affordability, reliability and increased generation on the grid," Beard said, adding that a "big portion of capital" will end up focusing on power costs. Affordability is becoming a bigger issue as the midterms approach. Electricity prices are rising faster than overall inflation, becoming a pain point for consumers who are feeling pinched on all sides. For years, power demand grew at a steady clip, giving utilities, which plan sometimes decades in advance, visibility into future needs. Power demand is rising for a few reasons, including the voracious power needs of artificial intelligence, reshoring of manufacturing and broader electrification. A lack of accessible power is seen as one potential bottleneck in the AI arms race with China. Increasingly frequent and severe storms, attributed to climate change, are another source of stress on the power grid. The Trump administration has announced a host of initiatives it says will help meet the demand, including earlier in February ordering the Defense Department to purchase coal power and keep coal-fired plants running. U.S. coal use has been declining for years thanks to competition from cheaper gas and renewables. Beard hopes his EDF can address the supply crunch. One avenue is to focus on maximizing existing generation, he said. "We need to refurbish and refresh existing generation, not shut if off. Newbuilds are also part of the picture, he said. So that's really what we're pushing," he said. Many regions in the country have a yearslong backlog of projects that want to connect to the grid. Amid the supply crunch, some have criticized the administration's decision to cancel several offshore wind projects that were more than 90% complete. (Judges have since ordered construction to resume.) Critics think the administration should be more open to wind and solar, which can be produced at lower costs and in some cases connect to the grid faster. One way to compare costs across energy sources is by looking at the levelized cost of energy, or LCOE. According to widely cited data from Lazard, new utility-scale solar ranges in cost from $38-$78 per megawatt-hour. However, the LCOE fails to take into consideration the value of dispatchable resources as well as capacity factor, or the amount of time an asset is producing at its maximum output. The EDF has traditionally been an important backer of capital-intensive nuclear projects, which have at times come in over budget and behind schedule. And now, with the Trump administration throwing its weight behind nuclear and calling to quadruple U.S. capacity by 2050, nuclear is a priority for the agency. Tech companies also have turned to nuclear to power their data centers given it's the only source of emissions-free baseload power. Hyperscalers have signed power purchase agreements with the likes of Constellation and Vistra at above-market prices, indicating how desirable nuclear power is — reactors are online 24/7, unlike wind and solar power. Big tech has also backed small modular reactor companies, or SMRs, which promise faster timelines and controlled costs. The EDF in November finalized a $1 billion loan to Constellation Energy to restart its shuttered reactor at Three Mile Island, now known as the Crane Clean Energy Center. At present there are no commercial-scale reactors under construction in the U.S., although Westinghouse — maker of the AP1000 reactor — said it plans to build 10 large reactors, with construction beginning in 2030. He said the EDF plans to support these long lead time projects. "We spent the last year costing out and creating the incentive structures to let this industry flourish again," he said. Another key focus for the EDF will be critical minerals, as part of a broader push for the U.S. to shore up domestic supplies and move away from foreign dependence. China has weaponized metals in the past by restricting exports of rare earths, and given it dominates metal supply chains — especially when it comes to refining — there's fear they could curb other exports. Beard said that the Department of Defense is working on solving "crisis-level issues," but that EDF plans to back companies seeking to break China's chokehold on metals key for everything from consumer products to the power grid and AI. "If China is in year 10 of a 20-year plan, we will intervene and support those projects and companies that interrupt that strategy," he said. Although the agency's reorganization meant a reduction in staff, Beard said it won't slow the pace of loans or hurt the quality of projects it backs. Instead, he said, fewer people will be needed because the EDF will focus on projects that can be replicated, rather than one-of-a-kind projects that don't make economic sense. "The discipline is make sure we are doing projects that benefit Americans and will be repaid." Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to explore legal questions arising from the fraught history of U.S.-Cuban relations when it considers the scope of a 1996 law that lets U.S. nationals seek compensation for property confiscated by the communist-led Cuban government. One of the law's provisions, called Title III, allows for lawsuits in U.S. courts against entities that "traffic" in property confiscated by the Cuban government after the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959. While the two cases focus on distinct legal issues, both raise the question of just how powerful a remedy Congress intended Title III to be. In both cases, the Supreme Court has the opportunity to eliminate barriers that claimants face in bringing Helms-Burton Act lawsuits. But President Donald Trump, who has taken a hard line toward Cuba, lifted that suspension during his first term in office, unleashing a wave of about 40 lawsuits filed in 2019 and 2020 that have slowly made their way through the courts. Trump's administration has declared Cuba "an unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security, cutting off the flow of Venezuelan oil to the Caribbean island nation and threatening to slap tariffs on any country supplying it with fuel. Following the revolution, Cuba's new communist government nationalized U.S. property that now is worth billions of dollars, including factories, sugar mills, oil refineries and power plants. Title III created a legal remedy for U.S. nationals whose property was confiscated. Such plaintiffs can seek enhanced damages in federal courts from entities that knowingly use the property, including both Cuban state-owned entities and multinational companies. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all suspended Title III, seeking to avoid diplomatic conflicts with allies like Canada and Spain whose companies have invested in Cuba, before Trump lifted the suspension in 2019. In one of the Supreme Court cases, Exxon is seeking more than $1 billion in compensation from CIMEX, a Cuban state-owned firm, for oil and gas assets seized in 1960. Exxon, which filed its suit in Washington in 2019, has asked the justices to reverse a lower court's 2024 decision finding that Cuban state-owned enterprises facing Helms-Burton Act claims can raise the defense of foreign sovereign immunity. That legal doctrine generally shields foreign governments and their agents from being sued in U.S. courts. The lower court's decision "imposes yet another in a long line of barriers to recovery for victims of the Castro government's illegal confiscations," Exxon's lawyers said in a 2024 court filing. CIMEX has argued in court filings that the 2024 decision should be upheld because it "both respects and safeguards congressional judgment in this sensitive area." Legal experts said the 2024 decision and other rulings interpreting Helms-Burton have made it costly and time-consuming for U.S. businesses to seek compensation from Cuban entities. "The amount of time and resources that has been required is overwhelming for a lot of claimants," said Washington lawyer Jared Butcher, who represents clients in commercial litigation. The other case being argued on Monday does not implicate sovereign immunity because the cruise company defendants are private companies, rather than state-owned entities. At issue in that case is whether a Helms-Burton Act claimant must establish that it would have a present-day property interest in the assets at issue if they had not been nationalized. The four cruise operators used the docks from 2016 to 2019, after Obama eased travel restrictions on Cuba. In a joint court filing, the companies said it defies common sense that they "should pay hundreds of millions of dollars for following the executive branch's lead in reopening travel to Cuba." A federal judge found the cruise companies liable for a combined $440 million, saying they had trafficked in confiscated property. An appeals court threw out those judgments last year, highlighting the difficulties Helms-Burton Act claimants face. "Plaintiffs are having a hard time recovering under the Helms-Burton Act for a wide variety of reasons, and it's probably more difficult to recover than Congress had anticipated when it passed the act in 1996," said Vanderbilt Law School professor Ingrid Brunk. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox

India's trade negotiators will reschedule their planned visit to Washington, D.C., aimed at firming up an interim trade deal with the U.S., a person familiar with the development told CNBC.The development comes after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs as illegal on Friday. Within hours, Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to first impose a 10% global import tariff, before increasing that to 15%.The "meeting will be rescheduled at a mutually convenient date," the source told CNBC Sunday. CNBC has reached out to India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry for a comment.India's chief negotiator, Darpan Jain, and his team were scheduled to start the three day-meeting in the U.S. later this week.India is currently facing a 25% reciprocal tariff, which was due to be cut to 18% after the two sides agreed to an interim deal earlier this month, with room for alterations. "In the event of any changes to the agreed-upon tariffs of either country, the United States and India agree that the other country may modify its commitments," read the joint statement issued on Feb. 6, by the U.S. and India.At this stage, it appears that India, like other countries, will be facing a 15% tariff in addition to the most-favored-nation status rates (usually around 2-3%), said Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative and a former Indian trade negotiator. Since the Feb. 6 announcement, both sides had been meeting virtually to discuss the path forward, according to a local media report. "The 18% tariff negotiations were based on a certain premise of some benefits which is now gone. Now, both sides have to rethink their strategy, and the U.S. has to deal with more pressing issues," Srivastava said. Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.

Every time Jacob publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox! By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. At one point, during Michele Wilke's post-layoff job search, she had less than $2,000 in her bank account — and was worried about being evicted from her studio apartment in Chicago. To stay afloat, Wilke launched a GoFundMe that raised nearly $3,000 and borrowed money from friends, eventually accumulating more than $20,000 in personal debt. Last September, after eight months of searching, she landed a catering sales manager role. Wilke's experience underscores how quickly a prolonged job search can unravel someone's finances — especially for workers without much savings to fall back on. Nearly half of Americans don't have three months' worth of expenses set aside in an emergency or "rainy day" fund, according to the latest Federal Reserve survey data from 2024. Those facing joblessness are in an ever-more precarious position; the typical unemployment stint is getting longer as US companies are hiring at one of the lowest rates since 2013. At the same time — though inflation has eased — costs for housing, food, and other essentials are squeezing household budgets. Over the past year, I've spoken with dozens of laid-off workers. Some have since felt significant financial strain, including several who had built emergency savings. As unemployment spells lengthen, the financial risks of a prolonged job search are rising for many Americans. Some job seekers are having an even harder time: As of January, a quarter of unemployed Americans had been looking for work for 27 weeks (nearly seven months) or more, up from below 18% in 2023. The typical jobless period in 2026 could weigh on many Americans' finances. Fifty-five percent of US adults said they had set aside money to cover at least three months of expenses in an emergency fund, according to Federal Reserve survey data. Among adults who reported not having a three-month cushion, some said they could cover expenses by borrowing, selling assets, or drawing on other savings — but the majority said they would be unable to cover that amount by any method. While layoffs remain low by historical standards, an uptick could leave many Americans struggling to cover expenses — even if severance or unemployment benefits offer temporary relief. More than two years later, she was still looking for work. When Todd made a mid-career pivot to tech, family members who worked in the industry warned her that layoffs were fairly common. So she made an effort to build a "just-in-case" savings fund over the years. Todd said she's managed to cover her mortgage and student-loan payments by dipping further into savings or selling stocks. "When my washer and dryer broke last year, I had to buy a new set on a payment plan — something I'd never done before," said Todd, who's in her 40s and lives in New Hampshire. Last year, Todd decided to scale back her job hunt and began focusing on launching a website development business. Joanelle Cobos is earlier in her job search, but she's bracing for a prolonged period of unemployment. When she started at Amazon as a design manager in 2021, she had just spent nine months unemployed, which had taken a toll on her finances. By the time she was laid off last October, her emergency fund had grown to about $25,000. But if her job search stretches on, she knows that sense of security will gradually fade. "My job search feels like a ticking time bomb," she said.

Iran and the United States have differing views over sanctions relief in talks to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Sunday, adding that new talks were planned in early March as fears of a military confrontation grow. Iran and the U.S. renewed negotiations earlier this month to tackle their decades-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme as the U.S. builds up its military capability in the Middle East, fuelling fears of a wider war. Iran has threatened to strike U.S. bases in the Middle East if it is attacked by U.S. forces. "The last round of talks showed that U.S. ideas regarding the scope and mechanism of sanctions relief differ from Iran's demands. Both sides need to reach a logical timetable for lifting sanctions," the official said. "This roadmap must be reasonable and based on mutual interests." Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday that he expected to have a draft counterproposal ready within days, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering limited military strikes. While rejecting a U.S. demand for "zero enrichment" - a major sticking point in past negotiations - Tehran has signalled its readiness to compromise on its nuclear work. Washington views enrichment inside Iran as a potential pathway to nuclear weapons. Washington has also demanded that Iran relinquish its stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU). The UN nuclear agency last year estimated that stockpile at more than 440 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity, a small step away from the 90% that is considered weapons grade. Iranian authorities have said that a diplomatic solution delivers economic benefits for both Tehran and Washington. "Within the economic package under negotiation, the United States has also been offered opportunities for serious investment and tangible economic interests in Iran's oil industry," the official said. However, he said Tehran will not hand over control of its oil and mineral resources. "Ultimately, the U.S. can be an economic partner for Iran, nothing more. American companies can always participate as contractors in Iran's oil and gas fields." Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox

Centerview Partners and former junior banker Kathryn Shiber have reached a settlement, ending a closely watched lawsuit about Wall Street work culture that was set to go to trial in Manhattan federal court on Monday. The case centered on allegations that the boutique investment bank violated disability discrimination laws when it fired Shiber in 2020 after she said she needed eight to nine hours of sleep each night because of an underlying mood and anxiety disorder. Court filings and depositions in the case offered a rare look into the grueling demands placed on first-year analysts, including testimony that they typically work between 60 and 120 hours a week and that "in some projects, you are working 24 hours a day." Emails between Shiber and her higher-ups highlighted the unpredictable nature of the job, with her associate saying in one exchange that "there will always be more for you to do." But we are nonetheless happy to put this distraction behind us and focus on delivering for our clients." The resolution means a jury will not weigh in on questions about Wall Street's long hours and workplace accommodations, and that top bankers won't have to take the witness stand. Tony Kim, the co-president of the investment bank, was among those expected to testify.Junior bankers, more formally known as investment banking analysts, tend to be recent graduates starting at the bottom rung of Wall Street's high-stakes dealmaking operations. They are often charged with grunt work, such as reformatting pitch decks or gathering data for a more senior coworker.Shiber joined Centerview in July 2020 and was assigned to an active deal nicknamed "Project Dragon." After working till about 2 am for several days in a row, she logged off at around 1 am on a Friday without first communicating her plans to the team leads, court filings said. After she reached out to human resources, the bank granted her a work accommodation from midnight to 9 am, but dismissed her weeks later.