Happy New Year 2025

Category: Business

PSA Airlines: What to know about the carrier involved in the DC midair collision

Boyd Group International President and aviation expert Mike Boyd discusses the FAA’s role in the plane crash near Reagan National Airport as the investigation transitions into a recovery mission.

An American Airlines flight operated by PSA Airlines was involved in a midair collision with an Army helicopter Wednesday night near the nation’s capital.

American Eagle Flight 5342 was on approach to runway 33 at the Washington, D.C.-area’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at the time of the collision, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The Bombardier CRJ700 was carrying 64 people, including passengers and crew.

Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed last night on approach to Reagan National Airport on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Officials said those on Flight 5342 and the helicopter are presumed dead.

PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, according to the airline’s verified LinkedIn page.

RECOVERY EFFORTS UNDERWAY AFTER AMERICAN AIRLINES JET, MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDE MIDAIR NEAR DC

A helicopter flies near the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The airline said it has a “team of more than 5,000 employees who do a tremendous job of operating more than 800 daily flights to nearly 100 destinations on behalf of American Airlines.”

Its fleet consists of Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900 jets.

As of August 2024, PSA Airlines had 61 CRJ700 and 80 CRJ900 jets, according to a screen capture from the airline’s website.

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The airline’s flight crews are based in five cities: Dayton, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, North Carolina; Philadelphia and Dallas, according to its LinkedIn.

The control tower at the Reagan National Airport after the crash of an American Airlines plane on the Potomac River as it approached the airport on Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Its president and CEO is Dion Flannery.

PSA Airlines said on Wednesday that its headquarters, which is currently located in Dayton, Ohio, would be relocated to Charlotte next year, according to The Charlotte Observer.

EXPECT PUTS ONUS ON FAA FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES, HELICOPTER CRASH: ‘BAD MANAGEMENT’ IS ‘PUTTING US AT RISK’

The regional airline has been a subsidiary of American Airlines since the mid 2010s.

“This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said of Wednesday’s midair collision. “Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones.”

January 30, 2025
Fed hits pause on interest rate cuts for now

Fed holds on further interest rate cuts. (iStock)

Interest rates will stay higher for longer as the Federal Reserve pauses further interest rate cuts to give inflation room to drop closer to its 2% target rate.

The Federal Reserve held interest rates at 4.5% to 4.75%, prompted by strong economic indicators that gave the central bank more room to wait. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said at a press conference on Wednesday that the Fed intends to remain cautious about additional rate cuts so long as the job market remains solid and prices continue to climb.

“Over the course of our three previous meetings, we lowered our policy rate by a full percentage point from its peak,” Powell said. “That recalibration of our policy stance was appropriate in light of the progress on inflation and the rebalancing in the labor market. With our policy stance significantly less restrictive than it had been and the economy remaining strong, we do not need to be in a hurry to adjust our policy stance.”

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annual rate of 2.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024, slightly lower than the expected 2.6% growth rate. In December, annual inflation increased to 2.9%, rising modestly above the 2.7% annual inflation rate of the previous month, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The labor market is stable, and unemployment is low, at 4.1% in December.

“The nation’s economy continues to be resilient against long-term economic setbacks, which means that the Fed is in no imminent need to continue its rate cuts,” CoreLogic Chief Economist Selma Hepp said. “And with the economic activity expected to remain robust and continue to post a 2%+ growth rate, the case for further monetary loosening in the coming months is increasingly less compelling.”

If you’re worried about the state of the economy, you could consider paying down high-interest debt with a personal loan at a lower interest rate. Visit Credible to speak with a personal loan expert and get your questions answered.

BIDEN CANCELS MORE STUDENT LOANS WITH ONE WEEK LEFT TO HIS TERM

Mortgage rates likely to remain elevated

Interest rates are likely to remain untouched until the second half of the year, which could delay relief for homebuyers, according to David Sober, the SVP of Enterprise Business Development at Voxtur Analytics.

“Interest rate reductions [are] not expected until the second half of the year,” Sober said. “This keeps the housing economy in an extended period of malaise, with affordability at its lowest point in memory. Independent mortgage banks will continue to dominate the mortgage market due to the ability to offer more innovative ways to buy homes. It will be a pleasant surprise if mortgage rates dip to 6% in 2025.”

One bright spot is that the incoming President Donald Trump administration could spur more substantial economic growth and, therefore, higher incomes, giving Americans more buying power. Moreover, lower household tax rates are anticipated to boost disposable household income even if incomes don’t rise, according to the Realtor.com Housing Forecast.

Beyond those scenarios, Hepp said home builders continue to add more new homes to supply and are offering rate buydowns on new construction, keeping those sales strong.

Homebuyers can find competitive mortgage rates by shopping around and comparing options. You can visit an online marketplace like Credible to compare rates with multiple lenders at once.

FHFA ANNOUNCES HIGHER MORTGAGE LOAN LIMITS FOR 2025

What higher rates mean for your wallet

President Donald Trump said in a speech to economic leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland earlier this month that he would “demand that interest rates drop immediately.” Powell declined to comment on the speech but said the Trump administration had not contacted him.

“As the economy evolves, we will adjust our policy stance in a manner that best promotes our maximum employment and price stability goals,” Powell said. “If the economy remains strong and inflation does not continue to move sustainably toward 2%, we can maintain policy restraint for longer.”

Consumers who may have anticipated a more aggressive rate reduction policy in 2025 will have to wait longer for relief from the high borrowing costs incurred during the rate increases that the Fed implemented in recent years to combat inflation.

“While inflation concerns have significantly abated, they still remain,” Michele Raneri, vice president and head of U.S. research and consulting at TransUnion said in a statement. “As a result, it is quite possible that there will be fewer rate cuts over the course of next year than anticipated only a few months ago. Consumers should continue to monitor their own credit scores and credit reports to make sure they are in the best possible position to act when rates do come down.”

Using a personal loan to pay off high-interest debt at a lower rate could help you reduce your expenses and put money back in your wallet. You can visit Credible to find your personalized interest rate today.

SENIORS TO GET MODERATE COST OF LIVING BUMP IN SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS NEXT YEAR

Have a finance-related question, but don’t know who to ask? Email The Credible Money Expert at [email protected] and your question might be answered by Credible in our Money Expert column.

January 30, 2025
LARRY KUDLOW: President Trump will be the one really running HHS

All eyes were on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today in his hearing before the Senate Finance Committee to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.

People on the left and the right have taken potshots at Mr. Kennedy over past statements down through the years.

One respected conservative editorial page attacked Mr. Kennedy for his views on climate change, and argued that he prevented New York from drilling oil and gas in his days as an environmental lawyer.

That may well be true. But it has nothing to do with the duties and responsibilities of the Health and Human Services Secretary.

Here’s where I come out on the RFK nomination: I support it. Why? Because President Donald Trump wants him to run HHS.

‘Kudlow’ panelists Alex Marlow, Byron York and Ben Domenech discuss controversy over President Donald Trump’s HHS secretary pick.

Mr. Trump won the election, convincingly. He has a right to his nominees, barring any clear personal legal problems. And Mr. Kennedy has said time and again that he will execute President Trump’s policies at HHS.

This may be an old-fashioned viewpoint, but that’s the way the system is supposed to work.

Mr. Trump won the election, not Mr. Kennedy. Trump tells Kennedy what he wants at HHS — and Kennedy is there to implement Trump’s vision.

Things he said years ago and has now backed off, such as autism and vaccinations, are unimportant. Because people do change. And because he has assured the President that he will carry out the President’s policies.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 29: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, returns to his seat following a break during his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)

One example of that showed up at the hearing today on the question of Medicaid.

Medicaid has gotten too big with 10 million more people than pre-COVID. Total spending has grown by 60% to $963 billion — a sum larger than the defense budget.

And it’s quite likely that Mr. Trump will restore incentives to work for the able-bodied, and that includes Medicaid — which is supposed to be a poverty program for those who are physically incapable of work.

Mr. Kennedy addressed his desire to reform and reduce Medicaid — as per President Trump’s policy — several times during the hearing.

“Our ship is sinking. Our 60% increase in Medicaid over the past four years – it’s the biggest budget line, and it’s growing faster than any other… We have the highest chronic disease burden of any country in the world… This is an existential threat economically, to our military, our health, to our sense of well-being, and it is a priority for President Trump. And that’s why he asked me to run the agency, and if I’m privileged to be confirmed that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

– Robert F. Kennedy, Jr

President Trump asked him — and, if he’s privileged to be confirmed, that’s exactly what he will do. That’s how our Cabinet system works.

And, by the way, RFK is going to have some really smart people on his team. Sabarni Chatterjee, who will run the National Institutes of Health. And Marty Makary, who will run the Federal Drug Administration. These will be top-flight grade-A lieutenants who will assist Mr. Kennedy.

Kennedy also emphasized time and again that he wants HHS to be completely transparent and a major provider of reliable health-related information.

And, by the way, if he can get hospitals and doctors to provide transparent prices for their services, that would be a great leap forward in holding down health costs.

And then, finally, I confess to liking the fact that Mr. Kennedy is a Democrat, or at least a former Democrat, in President Trump’s Republican Cabinet. There’s just something about having a Kennedy serve under President Trump that strikes my fancy.

But, at the end of the day, Mr. Trump won the election, big time. He is going to enact his policies, using his designated advisers and agency heads. And, if they don’t understand that, they will soon be gone.

Get it? I got it.

January 30, 2025
Expert puts onus on FAA for American Airlines, helicopter crash: ‘Bad management’ is ‘putting us at risk’

Boyd Group International President and aviation expert Mike Boyd discusses the FAA’s role in the plane crash near Reagan National Airport as the investigation transitions into a recovery mission.

As more than 60 people are feared dead following a tragic midair plane collision over Ronald Reagan National Airport, one aviation expert is sending a “wake-up call” to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“It’s our system that is bad and that’s what has to be looked at. To be honest with you… we need to take a bulldozer to the front of the FAA. This is bad management, and it’s putting us at risk,” Boyd Group International President Mike Boyd said in reaction on “Mornings with Maria,” Thursday.

“This is a problem we have with air traffic control. Mr. Duffy has to do something about this,” he continued. “We messed around with air traffic control for 30 years. Now we have deaths in the Potomac because of it. So this is a wake-up call for the new administration, which means, fix the FAA and fix it soon before more people die.”

An American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter outside Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday evening. Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter and a massive search and recovery operation is now unfolding in the Potomac River.

AMERICAN AIRLINES C.E.O. SAYS COMPANY IS FOCUSED ON NEEDS OF PASSENGERS, FAMILIES AND CREW AFTER MIDAIR COLLISION

John Donnelly, chief of the District of Columbia Fire Department, said Thursday that “we don’t think there are any survivors from this accident,” adding that at least 27 bodies have been recovered.

A helicopter flies near the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Getty Images)

The Army told Fox News Digital that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter was “from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir” and was conducting a “training flight.” They were a “fairly experienced” crew and reportedly had night vision googles aboard the helicopter.

As federal investigators prepare to review communications between the two aircraft, Boyd expanded on how the FAA holds the majority of responsibility for the crash.

“We had two flying machines run into each other over the Potomac. That is the FAA’s job to avoid those things,” he argued. “We have all kinds of human issues here. But the fact is, we’ve had near-miss after near-miss for the past 20 years. Now we’ve had a collision. The collision is the responsibility of the FAA and the air traffic control system. Somebody failed.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provides details during an update on the midair collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Helicopter.

“There was a major failure here, and that helicopter shouldn’t have been there. The airplane should have, but not the helicopter.”

Newly-appointed U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in a Thursday morning press conference that both the American Airlines plane and Army helicopter were in a “standard flight pattern” when they collided in midair. Duffy also told reporters: “Do I think this was preventable? Absolutely.”

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Aviation expert Captain Mike Coffield breaks down the response process and investigation following a midair collision between a regional airline jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

“Something was wrong with the system, and that means people died because of it. Which means Mr. Duffy has to turn around and say, ‘Something was really wrong here. We have to change it and change it right now,’” Boyd said.

“I fear he’s just going to warm that seat like his predecessors did. And I hope I’m real wrong. But he never even mentioned that at his hearings. He never said anything about the dangers in air traffic control or other things. So this is a wake-up call for the Trump administration.”

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

Fox News staff contributed to this report.

January 30, 2025
American Airlines regional jet, Army helicopter collide near Washington, DC

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More than two dozen bodies have been recovered from the Potomac River after an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided Wednesday night near Washington, D.C., according to officials.

American Eagle Flight 5342 was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to the nation’s capital when it was “involved in an accident” at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, American Airlines said.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, authorities recovered 27 bodies from the plane and one from the helicopter, D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John A. Donnelly said.

“The district office of the medical examiner has lead on reuniting these bodies and these people, with their loved ones,” Donnelly said during a press conference. “And we will continue to work to find all the bodies and collect them and reunite them with their loved ones.”

There were 60 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft, which was operated by American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines.

The Army told Fox News Digital that the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, carrying three soldiers, was “from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion, out of Davison Army Airfield, Fort Belvoir” and was conducting a “training flight.”

DC PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATORS TO REVIEW COMMUNICATION BETWEEN 2 AIRCRAFT: SENATOR

Donnelly said authorities do not believe there are any survivors from the crash, and despite the immense effort from hundreds of first responders, authorities switched from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.

Emergency personnel and divers work at the site of the crash after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River, outside Washington, D.C., on (REUTERS/Carlos Barria / Reuters)

LIVE UPDATES: AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE, MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDE NEAR REGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT IN WASHINGTON, DC

American Airlines is asking people to call the airline if they believe they had loved ones on board the flight.

Emergency personnel work at the site of the crash after a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Eagle flight 5342 approaching Reagan Washington National Airport collided and crashed in the Potomac River, outside Washington, Jan. 30, 2025. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

“I’d like to express our deep sorrow about these events. This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines. And our efforts now are focused now entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, partners, first responders, along with their families and loved ones,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said in a video statement Wednesday evening.

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Isom said that at this early stage he doesn’t have many answers, but that the airline is working with federal, state and local authorities.

President Donald Trump said he has been “fully briefed” on the incident and that the crash “should have been prevented.”

January 30, 2025
US economy grew 2.3% in the fourth quarter, slower than expected

The Claman Countdown panelists Jonathan Corpina and Ashish Shah unpack the cause of market volatility and discuss the Federal Reserves decision to leave rates unchanged.

The U.S. economy grew slower than expected in the fourth quarter, according to new data released on Thursday.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis released its advance estimate for fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP), which found the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 2.3% in the fourth quarter, which runs from October through December.

Economists surveyed by LSEG had expected the economy to grow at a 2.6% rate in the quarter.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

January 30, 2025
Trump Burger chain in Texas serves up support for president

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on President Trump’s priorities and plans to tackle the Washington bureaucracy.

A small burger chain in Texas is serving up ground beef and fries with a side of support for President Donald Trump, the restaurant’s namesake and for whom the eatery is themed.

Inside, Trump-stamped burgers are on the menu, and there is memorabilia honoring the 45th and 47th president.

“We’re huge Trump supporters,” owner Roland Beainy, who was born and raised in Lebanon and moved to the United States in 2019, told FOX Business. “He’s a gentleman that makes peace. Even before he took office, he made peace in the Middle East already between Lebanon and Israel.”

FOX Business has reached out to the White House for comment.

A LOOK AT THE TRUMP FAMILY’S EMPIRE

Burgers are cooked during lunch at Trump Burger in Bellville, Texas, outside Houston. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Beainy opened the first Trump Burger restaurant in 2020 during Trump’s first term in Bellville, a town a little more than an hour outside Houston. A second location followed in Flatonia, near San Antonio, and another is slated to open in Houston in a few weeks.

Beainy plans to open a fourth location in Kemah, a city on Galveston Bay with a sprawling entertainment complex filled with waterfront restaurants, theme park rides and retail stores. The chain is not affiliated with Trump.

Regarding Trump, Beainy said he also likes that the president is an entrepreneur and supports his economic policies. He noted that in 2020 he would pay around $15 for a gallon of cooking oil.

A Trump Burger restaurant is seen in Bellville, Texas, on July 28, 2022. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

“Once Biden took over, we started to pay $50 to $52, and now it’s down to $28,” he said. “It’s still too high.”

Prices for chicken and beef, particularly Angus beef, have also increased, said Beainy, who has worked in the food industry for 20 years and has restaurants in Dubai and Lebanon.

Like most burger joints, Trump Burger serves typical American fare. A “Trump Burger” consists of an 8-ounce Angus beef patty, two slices of American cheese with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce. The “Trump Tower” is the same as the “Trump Burger” but with 16 ounces of Angus beef.

AMERICANS ARE ANNOYED WITH ‘TIPPING CULTURE’ AND ARE LEAVING FEWER GRATUITIES

People order lunch at Trump Burger in Bellville, Texas, on July 28, 2022. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

The buns are also branded “Trump.”

Other menu items include the Philly cheesesteak and “First Lady chicken sandwich.” In a dig at the Biden-Harris administration, the “Harris Burger” consists of 1 ounce of beef “topped with tomato and our oldest buns unavailable due to cheating and inflation,” according to the menu.

That burger, which is a joke, costs $50.99, the menu states.

Reaction to the chain has been generally positive, said Beainy. Local police departments have assisted when some people choose to cause a disturbance, he said. He said he doesn’t respond to hate comments.

Donald Trump-themed shirts are shown for sale at Trump Burger in Bellville, Texas, on July 28, 2022. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

He decided to open a Houston location after increased demand from locals who had to drive more than an hour to the Bellville location.

Beainy said he will continue to support Trump and is confident that costs for businesses like his will eventually come down.

Brian Hajek has lunch at Trump Burger in Bellville. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

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“You can tell the difference,” he said of Trump’s first week in office. “It’s like the world has changed in a few days.”

January 30, 2025
American Airlines CEO says they are focusing on the needs of those involved in wake of midair collision

This is the first US plane crash since 2009.

A massive search and rescue effort is underway after an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines jet at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday evening.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom provided an update regarding flight 5342 before departing for Washington, D.C. early Thursday morning.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport (DCA) around 9 p.m. local time.

REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT CRASH: MILITARY BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER COLLIDES MIDAIR WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES JET

Emergency response units assess airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport on January 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. ( Andrew Harnik/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Isom says the aircraft was operated by PSA airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, and departed from Wichita, Kansas. He went on to express his concern about the events taking place and that the company is now focusing on the needs of those involved, the first responders and their loved ones.

“Flight 5342 was under the command of 4 crew members and carried 60 passengers for a total of 64 people on board. We are actively working with local state and federal authorities on emergency response efforts and the American Airlines care team has been activated to assist our passengers and their families,” said Isom.

64 PEOPLE ON DOWNED AMERICAN AIRLINES JET, FIRST US COMMERCIAL PLANE CRASH SINCE 2009

A screenshot from an EarthCam appears to show the moment an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair with an American Airlines jet at Reagan Washington National Airport. (Credit: EarthCam)

He also said he knows there are many questions and that although he can’t answer all of them at this time, they are working to get those questions answered, and he will continue to provide updates. He said that it is important they report accurate information because they owe that to everyone involved.

“We’re cooperating fully with the national transportation safety board in its investigation and will continue to provide all the information we can. Our cooperation is without pause, and we want to learn everything we can about today’s events. That work will take time, but anything we can do now, we’re doing and right now, that means focusing on taking care of all passengers and crew involved as well as their families. Members of our go team will be on their way to Washington D. C, and I’ll be heading there shortly as well,” he added.

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Two rescue boats pull debris in the water after an air crash over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, on January 29, 2025. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines, and it departed from Wichita, Kansas. There was no immediate word on casualties or the cause of the collision.

American Airlines has set up a special helpline that friends and family can call at 1 800 679 8215 if you believe you’ve had friends or family on board the flight.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

January 30, 2025
Meta employees ‘protest’ removal of tampons from men’s rooms by bringing their own: ‘Subtle resistance’

New York Post columnist Miranda Devine discusses Mark Zuckerberg’s policy changes at Meta, the SEC’s lawsuit against Elon Musk and special counsel Jack Smith’s report on Trump’s election case.

After Meta removed tampons from men’s bathrooms in company office buildings earlier this month, some employees started coordinating “quiet rebellions” by bringing in their own, according to a new report.

In early January, CEO Mark Zuckerberg overhauled a variety of Meta’s internal and external policies, ranging from lifting restrictions on speech to “restore free expression” across his platforms to changing its “Hateful Conduct” policy to allow criticism of gender identity.

One internal move that irked woke Meta employees was the removal of women’s sanitary products from men’s bathrooms, which the company had previously provided for nonbinary and transgender employees.

META ENDS CORPORATE DEI PROGRAMS

Amid a company-wide shift away from far-left social agendas, Meta management were reportedly ordered to remove tampons from men’s bathrooms. (Zuckerberg photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Tampons photo by Martin Schutt/picture alliance via Getty Images)

According to The New York Times Wednesday, “To protest Mr. Zuckerberg’s actions, some Meta workers soon brought their own tampons, pads and liners to the men’s bathrooms, five people with knowledge of the effort said. A group of employees also circulated a petition to save the tampons.”

The vice president of workplace services reportedly emailed the petition signatories directly, suggesting that while it had “not been the intention of Meta leadership to make employees feel unwelcome or excluded in our offices, at this point we do not have plans to revisit our on-site amenities offerings.” The email, however, did promise to “share your feedback with leadership.”

“The sanitary products were emblematic of the quiet rebellions that Silicon Valley workers have staged as they grapple with the rightward shift of their bosses,” The Times reported, describing the tech giants’ embrace of Trump and attendance of his inauguration as “a major departure for a tech industry that has typically leaned left and liberal.”

But while company leadership is normalizing relations with the president in the public eye, employees, according to the Times, are engaged in “subtle acts of defiance.”

“The quiet dissent underlines who wields the power in Silicon Valley these days: the bosses,” The Times observed, noting that this “subtle resistance” is a stark contrast to tech employees’ more public protests during the first Trump administration.

INTERNET ROASTS NYT HEADLINE ABOUT FACT-CHECKERS RULING META CRITICISM OF FACT CHECKS ‘FALSE:’ ‘BEYOND PARODY’

Guests including Mark Zuckerberg, Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk attend the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as t (Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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The Times claimed that according to an internal poll, one question that Meta employees wanted to ask of Zuckerberg at an upcoming company Q&A was how women at Meta could provide “masculine energy” to the office.

During an interview with Joe Rogan on Jan. 10, Zuckerberg had argued that “masculine energy” is a positive force.

The Times reported the company changed how employees could participate and “said it would ‘skip questions that we expect might be unproductive if they leak.’”

January 30, 2025
WalletHub study finds Florida, Minnesota ideal to retire in, plus Colorado and Wyoming

FOX Business’ Ashley Webster talks to diners in The Villages in Florida about retirement after a Northwestern Mutual survey claims it will take $1.46 million to retire comfortably.

Looking to retire, but not crazy about living in Florida? Financial analysts recently put together a study highlighting the best states in which to retire.

Personal finance company WalletHub recently published a research summary determining which U.S. states are the best to retire in 2025.

While Florida remains a popular retirement location, the study found that four other states — one Midwestern and three Western — were also ideal locations.

The study, Best and Worst States to Retire, prioritized three key categories: affordability, quality of life and healthcare. A total of 46 relevant metrics were used, and analysts weighed the population of senior citizens per state and the adjusted costs of living heavily.

Here are the results of WalletHub’s study, in order of the worst to best states in which to retire:

WalletHub analyzed every U.S. state to determine which were best to retire in and found a Midwestern state ranked second. (iStock / Getty Images)

STUDY RANKS US STATES WITH MOST FINANCIALLY-DISTRESSED RESIDENTS — SEE THE LIST

50. Kentucky

49. Louisiana

48. Mississippi

47. Washington

46. New Mexico

45. New Jersey

44. Rhode Island

43. West Virginia

42. Arkansas

41. Hawaii

40. Indiana

39. Oregon

38. Tennessee

37. Alabama

36. Maryland

35. New York

34. Illinois

33. Oklahoma

32. George

31. Kansas

30. Arizona

29. Connecticut

28. Nevada

27. Nebraska

26. Texas

25. Michigan

24. Idaho

23. Massachusetts

Affordability was considered a key metric of the study. (iStock / iStock)

22. Montana

21. California

20. South Carolina

19. Ohio

18. Utah

17. Vermont

16. Iowa

15. Maine

THESE US AIRPORTS RANK HIGHEST FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

14. Alaska

13. Missouri

12. North Carolina

11. Virginia

10. Wisconsin

9. North Dakota

8. Delaware

7. New Hampshire

6. Pennsylvania

5. South Dakota

4. Wyoming

3. Colorado

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Florida ranked high on WalletHub’s list of best states to retire in. (iStock / iStock)

2. Minnesota

1. Florida

While the Sunshine State still reigns as the best state to retire in, the other four top states – one Midwestern and three Western – may be surprising.

Analysts found that Minnesota’s health resources made it an attractive state to retire in.

“Minnesota has the most health care facilities, the second-most nursing homes, and the third-most home health care aids per capita,” the study said. “Its geriatrics hospitals also rank as the fifth-best in the nation.

“Due to the great health care conditions within the state, Minnesota has the third-lowest percentage of seniors with a disability, the fourth-lowest percentage with poor mental health, and the fifth-highest percentage who are in good physical health.”

For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxbusiness.com/lifestyle.

WalletHub noted that Colorado has no inheritance or estate tax, making it an attractive option for retirees. (iStock / iStock)

WalletHub said Colorado was a “great state for retirees’ physical and mental health,” and noted the lack of estate and inheritance taxes there.

“It has one of the lowest rates of social isolation for seniors, and it boasts the 10th-best geriatrics hospitals in the country,” the study said of the Centennial State. “It also has the fourth-highest percentage of seniors who are in good health and the third-highest percentage who are physically active.”

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Researchers also found Wyoming ranked highly for quality of life and affordability, though it ranked relatively low for healthcare. South Dakota was the opposite, having slightly above-average quality of life and affordability scores but rating highly on healthcare.

January 30, 2025