AURN News

(AURN News) — The Golden Arches hit a sales rough patch as McDonald's saw U.S. sales dip 1.4% in the fourth quarter, the company said in its latest earnings report.

“Accelerating the Arches continues to be the right strategy as we focus on growing market share,” McDonald’s Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a press release. “We’re playing to win, focusing on our customers with outstanding value, exciting menu innovation and culturally relevant marketing.”

Global comparable sales rose 0.4% in the quarter, though the company's full-year 2024 global sales showed a slight decline of 0.1%. U.S. sales for the full year increased 0.2%.

Diluted earnings per share remained unchanged at $2.80 for the quarter.

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The Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t make history with a three-peat, but Kendrick Lamar certainly did. The Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper delivered a halftime show for the ages, calling out the current administration while featuring Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam to narrate his bold performance.

Lamar also brought out SZA and surprised fans with an appearance from Serena Williams, while Drake’s reported attempt to block the performance through Universal Music Group failed.

The pre-show was a love letter to New Orleans and Black History Month, featuring performances by Ledisi, Trombone Shorty, Jon Batiste, and Harry Connick Jr.

And of course, congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles on their Super Bowl victory!

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Music producer and Murder Inc. founder Irv Gotti has passed away at 54. His family confirmed his passing but has not disclosed the cause of death. Gotti, known for producing hits for Ashanti, Ja Rule, DMX, and Jay-Z, leaves behind a lasting legacy in hip-hop.

Meanwhile, the estate of Notorious B.I.G. is suing major retailers, including Target, Nordstrom, and Home Depot, for unauthorized use of the rapper’s “King of New York” photo. The lawsuit alleges that the image has been unlawfully reproduced since 2015.

Stay tuned for more updates on these stories.

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President Donald Trump is reigniting his trade war, announcing new 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports—an escalation that could drive up costs for American manufacturers and consumers.

"I'll be announcing probably Tuesday or Wednesday at a news conference, reciprocal tariffs. And very simply, it's if they charge us, we charge them," said Trump. "Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a 25 percent tariff. Aluminum too."

Trump said the tariffs would take effect immediately, impacting nearly 80% of U.S. aluminum imports. He previously imposed similar tariffs during his first term, but later granted exemptions to allies like Canada and Mexico. Former President Joe Biden later replaced them with quota agreements to stabilize trade.

Trump is set to announce his full plan this week, setting the stage for a potential global trade war. The question remains: Will this move strengthen American industry, or could it backfire on the U.S. economy?

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According to the Associated Press, groups representing South Africa’s white minority rejected President Donald Trump’s offer of refugee status in the U.S., saying, “thanks, but no thanks.”

Trump’s executive order, signed Friday, halted all aid to South Africa, citing “rights violations” against white citizens. His administration accused the government of permitting attacks on white Afrikaner farmers and passing a law that enables property seizures without compensation.

South Africa denied these claims, calling them misinformation. Afrikaner groups dismissed Trump’s offer, stating their commitment to staying in South Africa.

Trump’s sanctions, backed by his South African-born adviser Elon Musk, sparked criticism, with South Africa’s Foreign Ministry highlighting that whites remain economically privileged.

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The Trump administration’s war on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) just escalated. Attorney General Pam Bondi has issued sweeping directives aimed at eliminating DEI programs, not just within the Department of Justice (DOJ), but also in private companies, nonprofits, and universities that receive federal funding.

Under Bondi’s orders, the DOJ will investigate, penalize, and potentially pursue criminal cases against DEI programs that it deems discriminatory. Internally, the DOJ will purge DEI policies, training programs, and hiring initiatives, replacing them with identity-neutral guidelines.

This directive raises legal and civil rights concerns. Critics warn it’s a thinly veiled attack on corporate diversity programs and affirmative action efforts that have already been under fire after the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.

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A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's deadline for federal employees to accept a controversial deferred-retirement offer. The decision comes just hours before workers were supposed to respond to the program, which would allow them to resign while still receiving full pay and benefits until September 30.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is now informing employees that the deadline has been paused while legal proceedings unfold. The program, aimed at over 2 million federal workers, has already drawn criticism from unions representing hundreds of thousands of employees who argue it violates federal law and could lead to a loss of expertise in key government functions.

About 40,000 workers have accepted the offer, but that number may grow. Critics, including state attorneys general, have labeled the offer as misleading, raising concerns about the lack of clarity and guarantees surrounding it.

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(AURN News) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's buyout program for federal workers who decline to return to office work, just as officials report tens of thousands have already accepted the deal.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday morning that more than 40,000 federal employees had accepted buyout offers before the program was paused.

"We expect that number to increase, and that alone, just the 40,000 again, we expect it to increase. It's going to save the American people tens of millions of dollars," Leavitt told reporters outside the White House.

The administration's severance package offers eight months of pay and benefits to federal workers, aiming to reduce the federal workforce by 5-10% as part of what officials describe as cost-saving measures.

U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole Jr. in Massachusetts issued the temporary block, with a hearing scheduled for Monday to further address the matter. The original deadline for workers to accept buyouts had been set for Thursday night.

The program emerged after the administration ended remote work options for federal employees in an effort to cut the cost and size of the government.

"We encourage federal workers in this city to accept the very generous offer. If they don't want to show up to the office, if they want to rip the American people off, then they're welcome to take this buyout, and we'll find highly competent individuals who want to fill these roles," Leavitt said.

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“I know some of y’all have been frustrated and you’ve been saying, ‘Where are the Democrats? Where are the leaders?’ Well, I’m here to tell you that we ain’t never left y’all,” Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett said outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. “We are here. We are also going to make sure that they uphold the law. We are not going to sit around while you go ahead and desecrate our Constitution or look at the laws that have been passed and say, ‘Never mind, we’ll just ignore that.’ Instead, we are going to be in your face.”

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett joined the 50501 Movement, where thousands of people protested across all 50 states and U.S. territories against President Donald Trump‘s executive orders, Project 2025, and the growing influence of Elon Musk within the administration.

Organizers say more protests are planned and emphasize that this is not just about a single day of action—it is about standing firm against policies they believe threaten democracy and civil rights.

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“It’s something that should have been done a long time ago,” President Donald Trump said as he signed an executive order aimed at shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Late Tuesday, a directive was issued ordering all direct-hire employees worldwide to go on leave by Friday night and return to the U.S. within 30 days. Contractors, who make up a significant portion of the agency’s workforce, have already been laid off.

The move is part of Trump’s push to dismantle USAID entirely, folding its operations into the State Department, now led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Meanwhile, families are being uprooted, and employees overseas are scrambling to determine their next steps. Critics warn that freezing foreign aid could have severe consequences for global stability.

While Trump cannot legally shut down USAID without congressional approval, the uncertainty raises questions about who benefits from dismantling the U.S.’s largest foreign aid organization—and who will handle emergency disaster relief abroad. Many of these programs also serve U.S. national interests.

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