Author: GT

The Department of Energy has told employees that documents used by DOGE to assess the agency’s grants and contracts should be marked with “legal privilege” to prevent them from being disclosed under Freedom of Information Act requests.  DOGE has supplied the agency with spreadsheets, which are to be completed by agency officials, to identify grants and contracts that could be flagged for termination or renegotiation. The department’s acting general counsel, David R. Taggart, outlined the DOE’s DOGE-related procedures in a memo sent on March 17, which was obtained by Axios. The memo directs political appointees to determine whether grants and…

The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently lifted key restrictions on banks engaging with crypto, marking a major turning point in the relationship between traditional finance and digital assets. With this decision, banks can now explore a wide range of crypto services, including stablecoin issuance, custody solutions, global payments, and asset tokenisation, without requiring prior approval. Banking has opened up a crypto future. Liat Shetret, director of Global Policy and Regulation at Elliptic, believes that for banks, this shift is both an opportunity and a challenge. While regulatory clarity makes it easier to enter the crypto…

Gold bull and economist Peter Schiff celebrated his 62nd birthday on March 23. However, the Bitcoin skeptic didn’t forget to engage with the crypto community on the day. Schiff asked for Bitcoin as gifts on his birthday to build a “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” in a “budget-neutral way.” He wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he moved his reserve from an exchange to a hardware wallet. As President Donald Trump signed an executive order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve on March 7, Schiff remarked on X that a country diverting money to crypto is lessening its capital to “fund the production…

Fortescue Metals Group non-executive Chairman, Andrew Forrest, speaks during a Sustainability Week conference in London on March 11, 2025.Adrian Dennis | Afp | Getty ImagesAustralian mining tycoon Andrew Forrest, founder and executive chairman of Fortescue, says Big Oil is getting it wrong on renewables — at a time when European energy majors are doubling down on fossil fuels to boost near-term shareholder returns.Britain’s BP and Norway’s Equinor have both recently outlined plans to slash renewable spending in favor of oil and gas. London-listed Shell, meanwhile, has also scaled back green investment plans.U.S. oil majors such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron,…

DNA and genetic testing firm 23andMe is in turmoil following a 2023 data breach and its ongoing financial decline. The once-pioneering giant now faces an uncertain future as bankruptcy looms over the company, intensifying concerns about what might happen to the genetic data of 23andMe’s some 15 million customers. Best known for its saliva-based test kits that offer a glimpse into a person’s genetic ancestry, 23andMe has seen its value plummet more than 99% from its $6 billion peak since going public in early 2021 after failing to turn a profit. That lack of profit was attributed to waning consumer…

OSLO, Norway (AP) — A private European aerospace company scrubbed its attempt on Monday to launch the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle from Norway.Unfavorable winds meant that the Spectrum rocket couldn’t be launched from the island of Andøya in northern Norway, Munich-based Isar Aerospace said.The launch is subject to weather, safety and range infrastructure. The company said it could also conduct the test flight later in the week. Another date hasn’t yet been set.The 28-meter (91-foot) Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle designed for small and medium-sized satellites. The company has largely ruled out the possibility of…

Several major US artificial intelligence companies have expressed fear around an erosion of America’s edge in AI development. In recent submissions to the US government, the companies warned that Chinese models, such as DeepSeek R1, are becoming more sophisticated and competitive. The submissions, filed in March 2025 in response to a request for input on an AI Action Plan, highlight the growing challenge from China in technological capability and price. China’s growing AI presence Chinese state-supported AI model DeepSeek R1 has piqued the interest of US developers. According to OpenAI, DeepSeek demonstrates that the technological gap between the US and…

A reads “Do Not Travel To Heathrow Airport” at Hounslow Central London Underground station on March 21, 2025. Jaimi Joy | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesHeathrow Airport had enough power to remain open on Friday, after the London hub spent most of the day closed due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, according to Britain’s National Grid.Heathrow — Europe’s busiest airport — closed down last week after a fire broke out at a nearby electrical substation that supplies it with power.In comments first reported by the Financial Times, National Grid CEO John Pettigrew said that although the substation in question…

Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and chief executive officer of 23andme Inc., during the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, US, on Friday, March 10, 2023. Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesEmbattled genetic testing company 23andMe, once valued at $6 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Missouri federal court on Sunday night.The company’s CEO, Anne Wojcicki, has resigned from her role as chief executive effective immediately, though she will remain a member of the board. Joseph Selsavage, 23andMe’s chief financial and accounting officer, will serve as interim CEO, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange…

Cadillac’s new IQ portfolio of all-electric vehicles — notably the compact Optiq SUV and grandaddy full-size Escalade IQ — has put the company on a techier, more advanced, and luxurious plane. And the shift couldn’t have come soon enough.  The slate of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles that have come out of Cadillac in recent years hasn’t quite matched the levels of luxury and tech of its rivals.  Cadillac aims to change that with its debut of the compact Optiq SUV as well as the Escalade IQ, which take big swings on tech and advanced features. Importantly, Cadillac gave these…