News

Reuters

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee to support President Trump's $1.5 trillion FY2027 defense budget, outlining a shift from bureaucratic to business-model procurement, major private sector industrial investments, and expanded drone warfare capabilities while defending recent operations against Iran.

TechCrunch

Biotics AI CEO Robbie Bustami shares strategies for navigating FDA clearance for their AI ultrasound co-pilot, emphasizing early regulatory engagement, integrating clinical studies with go-to-market plans, and maintaining team motivation through multi-year approval timelines.

Reuters

ECB President Christine Lagarde announced the central bank will hold interest rates steady while awaiting clearer data on Middle East conflict impacts and energy price shocks, despite acknowledging intensifying upside inflation risks and extensively debating a potential rate hike.

Forbes

Nicole Valentine, Senior Director of Fintech at the Milken Institute, discusses her role as a 'translator' between Washington policymakers and financial innovators, exploring how stablecoins, prediction markets, and regulatory modernization are shaping the future of global finance.

Yahoo Finance

Starbucks CEO Brian Nichols attributes 7.1% same-store sales growth to an 18-month operational turnaround focused on speed and experience, while SoFi CEO Anthony Noto reports 41% revenue growth but maintains cautious guidance assuming zero Fed rate cuts, highlighting heavy investments in crypto and stablecoin infrastructure.

Forbes

Teresa Barrera explains why companies should avoid 'random acts of AI' and instead transform workflows before deploying technology. She details how Publicis Sapient deconstructed work into 900 tasks to let AI handle 80% of tactical work while experts train agents, enabling staff to focus on high-value activities.

Reuters

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced the central bank is holding interest rates steady at 3.5-3.75%, citing elevated inflation and uncertainty from Middle East conflicts, while defending the Fed's independence amid legal attacks by the administration and confirming his plans to remain on the board after his term as chair ends May 15.

Bloomberg Technology

Four tech giants report earnings simultaneously after the bell, with markets focused on whether $600B+ in AI capital expenditures is generating measurable revenue growth and productivity gains amid supply chain constraints and macroeconomic uncertainty.

Yahoo Finance

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at 3.5%-3.75% as Chair Jerome Powell warned of elevated inflation and geopolitical uncertainty during his final press conference, announcing he will remain a governor after his term ends to protect the central bank's independence from unprecedented political pressure.

Reuters

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine testified on the Pentagon's $1.5 trillion FY27 budget request, facing sharply divided reactions as Republicans framed historic spending increases as essential deterrence against China while Democrats condemned the administration's Iran war strategy as fiscally reckless and diplomatically isolating.

Bloomberg Technology

OpenAI-linked stocks plummeted after reports that the AI giant missed its internal sales and user growth targets, raising questions about whether massive infrastructure investments can be justified by current revenue growth rates.

Reuters

Authentic Brands Group CEO Jamie Salter reveals how the company leverages AI across all operations—from M&A due diligence to content creation—to drive efficiency and accelerate toward its $100 billion sales goal, while mandating universal employee adoption to remain competitive.