Business

A Day Without Immigrants

Protests against Trumps Policies took place this week.

You might have noticed some businesses were closed on Monday, as part of a loosely organized day of protest against President Donald Trump’s new immigration policies. 

It was dubbed the “day without immigrants,” taking place on the heels of Sunday’s street protests in California (and elsewhere). However, this particular protest was somewhat half-assed, as many owners, and even employees, said they needed the income. 

“If I don’t go to work today, that’s one day less that I have to be able to pay for my next rent. I didn’t see this big rallying around being able to do that, or having the luxury to be able to do that,” explained Noel Xavier, organizing director for the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters.

Jamie di Paulo, president of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, noted that while small restaurants and retailers in Chicago did close, most major employers continued to operate as normal.

“This is only hurting our own community,” di Paulo explained. 

Furthermore, many of these same communities/businesses have also felt the impact of migrants being afraid of venturing outside. Some schools have even been affected. 

Schools were also involved in Monday’s protest, as some students and their families participated in Chicago and San Diego.

(Though, editors note: not sure what point it proves to skip school. Other people’s children can still learn the same. The school can still operate as normal, unlike a business. You’re only hurting yourself by skipping school… as fun as it might be.)

El Burrito Mercado, which is regarded as one of the most widely recognized restaurant, catering and grocery businesses in St. Paul, Minnesota remained open (with a skeleton crew), as many staffers were concerned about losing a work day and depriving people access to groceries. 

A good idea, but maybe one that wasn’t entirely thought out.

TikTok Millionaire

How a $400 TikTok coach helped one person grow a 6.5 million dollar business.

Here’s a new career path to consider: TikTok coach. And there’s already one success story.

Charlotte Trecartin hired a TikTok coach for (only) $400 a month, to help grow her water bottle accessory company CharCharms. She was advised to begin posting three times per day, helping her account to grow to 80k followers. Along the way, she was also able to grab the attention of retailers like Dick’s Sporting Good and Target, where CharCharms’ products are now available. 

Trecartin, who is now 25, appeared on an episode of ABC’s Shark Tank last week, showing off her products: straws, straw toppers, charms and pouches that attach to water bottles, etc.

And despite one investor judge/skeptic, Kevin O’Leary (“Mr. Wonderful”), saying “there’s a lot of crap like this on the market,” the others might not be doing so well. Trecartin said that CharCharms was on track to make millions in profit in 2024 (at the time of filming). She told CNBC that her business brought in $6.5 million in revenue last year (the American dream).

Trecartin was asking for $300k in exchange for 10% of the company, as she was hoping to find a business “partner” on the show to “invest in me,” just as much as the business itself. Two of the sharks, including O’Leary, made an offer (though neither were as friendly as Trecartin was searching for). Trecartin ended up leaving the tank without a deal.

Her two biggest takeaways from the TikTok coach: post frequently and use playlists to organize the videos as a way of attracting users who want to follow specific niches.

And boom! You’re now on your way to becoming a TikTok coach… or an entrepreneur with a company making $6.5 million for trinkets. You’re welcome.

Around the Water Cooler:

🚫 Temu steers users to 'local' products after Trump shuts tax loophole.

📈 Bank of England restarts monetary easing, cutting key rate to 4.5%.

Tech

Musk Takes OpenAI to Court

The lawsuit may be a stretch, but that hasn’t stopped him.

AI has now made its way to court… as Elon Musk’s lawyers faced off with OpenAI in court this week. Musk was requesting a court order that would block OpenAI from converting itself to a for-profit company. 

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers called it a “stretch” for Musk to claim he’ll be irreparably harmed if OpenAI is able to transition from a nonprofit research lab. However, she also raised concerns about OpenAI and its relationship with business partner Microsoft, allowing the case to move to trial (as soon as next year).

“It is plausible that what Mr. Musk is saying is true. We’ll find out. He’ll sit on the stand,” Gonzalez Rogers explained. 

This is the latest in the ongoing drama between Musk and OpenAI, a company he was once a board member and early investor of. Musk first sued the company last year (first in a California state court and then later in federal court), claiming it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good.

Musk had invested nearly $45 million in the company from its start until 2018. 

He then added new claims and defendants to the lawsuit, asking for a court order to stop OpenAI’s conversion plans. Musk even added his own AI company, xAI, as a plaintiff. 

Gonzalez Rogers did voice her “significant concerns” with two people connected to Microsoft being on OpenAI’s board (Reid Hoffman, who is also on Microsoft’s board, and Deanna Templeton).

Gonzalez Rogers was appointed to the federal bench in 2011 by then-President Barack Obama.

What’s New:

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💣 Silicon Valley Leans Into ‘Lethal’ Tech While Europe Waits on a Defense Plan.

Politics

One Step Closer For RFK

A Senate panel voted to advance his nomination on Tuesday in a 14-13 vote.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s path to becoming health and human services secretary just took a big step forward.

The vote was consistent with the number of political party members involved, as the one swing voter, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.), was swayed in RFK Jr’s favor. Cassidy, who is a doctor, held reservations over Kennedy’s qualifications. However, following “very intense conversations” with RFK Jr., and a series of promises, Cassidy voted in his favor. 

“Mr. Kennedy and the administration committed that he and I would have an unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship if he is confirmed,” Cassidy explained. “We will meet, or speak, multiple times a month. This collaboration will allow us to work well together and therefore to be more effective.”

Sounds like Cassidy was just holding out for the good deal…

He also promised that he would “rebuff any attempt to remove the public’s access to lifesaving vaccines without ironclad causational scientific evidence that can be accepted and defended before the mainstream scientific community and before congress.”

Cassidy had said last week that he needed to hear an unequivocal statement from Kennedy that vaccines do not cause autism and that he would listen to well-established science on the matter. While that has not occurred publicly, it’s unclear if that statement from RFK Jr. was part of their private conversation/negotiation. 

Cassidy is up for re-election in 2026. He has already drawn a GOP primary challenger, after voting to convict Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial.

From The Hill:

🙅‍♂️ Trump takes action to ban transgender women from women’s sports.

😡 Protesters in cities across the US rally against Trump’s policies, Project 2025 and Elon Musk.

U.S. News

Tariff War

A real tit for tat going on here.

The battle over tariffs lingers on, as Trump’s new imposed tariff of 10% was enacted Tuesday. Following that becoming official, China placed its own tariffs of 10-15% on some U.S. products.

Those products include a long list of agricultural machines and tools (including tractors and fertilizer) and larger cars and pickup trucks. Coal and liquefied natural gas will be subject to a 15% tariff.

Trump said he is “in no rush” to speak with China’s Xi Jinping on the matter. He also called these tariffs “an opening salvo,” adding “if we can’t make a deal with China, then the tariffs would be[come] very, very substantial.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Trump did pause his planned tariffs on Mexico on Canada for 30 days, as the countries attempt to work out a deal. Both Canada and Mexico did agree to bolster their border security and to take other steps to prevent drug trafficking, as part of the deal. 

Trump did speak with the leaders of the two countries. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the deal came together after she agreed to send 10k troops to the border to help defend against illegal immigration and drug trafficking. 

Canadian Prime Minister (for now) Justin Trudeau said that nearly “10,000 frontline personnel are, and will be, working on protecting the border,” and that he signed a directive “on organized crime and fentanyl” that will be backed by $200 million.

Around the Country:

🤔 US immigration is gaming Google to create a mirage of mass deportations.

✋ Judge blocks Sandy Hook families’ settlement over Alex Jones bankruptcy.

Finance

Googles Parent Stock Slides

Alphabet revenue has been a disapointment.

Google’s parent company, Alphabet, reported fourth-quarter earnings that topped analysts’ estimates. However, its cloud revenue came in short, sending shares lower on Tuesday. 

The company saw revenue grow 12% year-over-year to $96.5 billion! This was roughly in line with the analyst consensus compiled by Visible Alpha. Alphabet’s earnings of $26.5 billion ($2.15 per share) rose from $20.7 billion ($1.64 per share) a year earlier, beating projections.

On the flip side, Google Cloud’s 30% revenue growth to $11.9 billion missed expectations, if you could believe it or not, as did Google’s Search and Other segment revenue ($54 billion).

Alphabet also announced that the company plans to invest nearly $75 billion in capital expenditures in 2025 to “accelerate our progress.” $16-18 billion of that investment is expected to come in the first quarter, with a majority of the funds going towards expanding infrastructure, including serves and data centers.

From The Street:

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