Lawyer in Saudi trans student’s suicide note had embassy links
Lawyer in Saudi trans student’s suicide note had embassy links
Katy Ling
BBC Eye Investigations
X
Eden Knight took her own life in 2023 after returning to Saudi Arabia with lawyer Bader Alomair
When a prominent Saudi trans woman posted her suicide note on X, her friends and followers were devastated. The note, viewed by millions, said a lawyer in the US – where she had been trying to claim asylum – had persuaded her into returning home to a family and country that would not accept her identity.
The BBC World Service has identified this man as Bader Alomair, who has worked at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington DC, evidence suggests. He is linked to controversial returns from the United States of several other Saudi students – including two later accused of committing ******* during their time at university.
Mr Alomair has not responded to the allegations raised in our investigation.
Eden Knight was from one of the Middle Eastern kingdom’s most respected families. After moving to Virginia in 2019 on a Saudi government scholarship to study at George Mason University, Eden made the decision in early 2022 to transition from presenting as a man to presenting as a woman, by wearing feminine clothes and taking female sex hormones.
Eden found a community on X and Discord where she felt accepted and started to grow a following online. In one post, she shared a picture of her Saudi ID photo next to her new feminine look and the post went viral.
X
This tweet from Eden Knight sparked a trend for posting old ID photos by transgender people around the world
Being transgender in Saudi Arabia is not tolerated by either society or the government – we have spoken to several transgender Saudis, now living outside the kingdom, who told us about the harassment, and in some cases violence, they had experienced.
Returning to Saudi Arabia could therefore have been difficult for Eden. We understand her student visa expired at around the time of her viral tweet so she decided to seek asylum in the US in order to stay there permanently.
Eden said she was messaged by an old friend who put her in contact with an American private investigator Michael Pocalyko. He offered to help with her asylum claim, and mend the relationship with her family – according to another friend, Hayden, who Eden was living with in Georgia at the time.
Supplied
Eden’s friend Hayden (left) says he overheard Eden’s initial conversation with private investigator Michael Pocalyko
Other friends have shared messages with us from Eden, which say Mr Pocalyko told her she needed to move from Georgia to Washington DC in order to lodge her claim.
According to the final message she posted on X, in late October 2022, the private investigator met Eden off the train in the US capital. He was accompanied by a Saudi lawyer named Bader, she wrote.
“I genuinely was optimistic and believed this could work,” Eden said in her final post. She said Bader put her up in a nice apartment near Washington DC and took her sightseeing.
But over time it seems she began to question his motives. Eden wrote to friends, in messages shared with the BBC, that Bader was “detransitioning” her. She told them that Bader tried to throw out all of her feminine clothing and told her to stop hormone therapy.
Eden also told friends that Bader advised her she could not apply for asylum in the US and that she must return to Saudi Arabia to do this. A US immigration expert said such advice would be incorrect.
In December 2022, Eden messaged friends to say: “I am going [back to Saudi] with a lawyer and wishing for the best.” Her suicide note on X makes clear that the lawyer in question was someone called “Bader”.
It was not long before Eden was telling friends that returning was a mistake.
She messaged them to say her parents had taken her passport and the government had instructed her to close her X account. Eden told friends she had evidence her parents had hired people to get her back to Saudi Arabia, though she never shared that evidence.
“The lawyer that was helping me with asylum was working with my parents behind my back,” she told one of them.
Over the next few months, Eden’s friends say, she lost any hope of escaping Saudi Arabia.
She worked in a junior position at a tech company and in public assumed her original male identity. Eden messaged a friend to say she was trying to continue taking female hormones, but that her parents repeatedly confiscated them. Eden told friends that she suffered constant verbal abuse, and sent the friends a video – which we have seen – that she secretly recorded of a family member shouting that she had been brainwashed by Western ideas.
Eden took her own life on 12 March 2023.
We wanted to find “Bader” – the lawyer who Eden accused of detransitioning her and persuading her home, to ask him more about the events running up to her death.
We searched for lawyers of that name in the DC area, and one came up: Bader Alomair. There was limited information about him online, but an outdated directory for professionals working in Riyadh gave his full name in Arabic – which in turn led us to an inactive Facebook account showing a photo of him at Harvard Law School.
In texts Eden sent to friends, she mentioned her lawyer had been Harvard-educated.
Then, a source shared a crucial photo – taken by Eden from the apartment Mr Alomair had installed her in. We were able to geolocate it to a residential block on the outskirts of Washington DC.
One person there told us he had known Eden and had seen her with Mr Alomair.
He said Eden owned feminine clothing, jewellery and make-up, but would have to hide it when Mr Alomair came over. He made her cut her hair and told her not to shave, the witness said.
We repeatedly tried to contact Mr Alomair, but he did not respond. When we visited the address listed on his DC Bar registration, we saw a man matching photos of him get into an SUV and drive away.
The code on Bader Alomair’s number plate helped us to find out more about him
We followed, noting the car’s unusual number plate – its code indicated the car was issued by the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington DC, and that the vehicle’s owner was embassy staff.
Mr Alomair’s role in the embassy was to support Saudi students in the US – a lawyer who previously worked with him told us.
We discovered news articles highlighting instances of Mr Alomair helping those left homeless by a hurricane in Florida, for example. But we also discovered his assistance had extended to more controversial situations.
On 13 October 2018, two Saudi students were questioned by US police over the death of an aspiring rapper in North Carolina – stabbed, reportedly after an altercation with the pair.
Some two months later, Abdullah Hariri and Sultan Alsuhaymi were charged with *******, but by then had left the US.
Just four days after the stabbing, Mr Hariri was on a flight back to Saudi Arabia, an email shared with us suggests. It includes details of the flights home which our source told us Mr Alomair organised for both Mr Hariri and Mr Alsuhaymi.
Neither student has ever commented publicly on the case.
Mr Alomair was sent an invoice for the flights a month later, another email shows, which our source says he would have needed to get reimbursement from the Saudi embassy.
Supplied
A photo of Bader Alomair, shared with us by an anonymous source
Another source says he has worked with him to represent dozens of other Saudi students in the US against charges ranging from speeding to drink-driving.
“Bader would come to the meetings with an Arabic form headed by the Saudi embassy for students to sign [which] promised to pay back legal fees to the Saudi government once they returned home.”
The source told us the students would appear at their first hearing but vanish before any subsequent hearings, though we do not know if Mr Alomair had any role in this.
In 2019, the FBI warned that Saudi officials likely facilitated the escape of Saudi citizens from US legal proceedings.
“The FBI assesses that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia officials almost certainly assist US-based Saudi citizens to avoid legal issues, undermining the US judicial process. This assessment is made with high confidence.”
Sources have told us Mr Alomair continues to live and work in the US. He owns multiple commercial properties around Washington DC and in August 2024 appears to have set up a new law firm in Virginia, where he is a named partner.
Michael Pocalyko, Bader Alomair and the Saudi embassy in Washington DC did not respond to our questions.
We contacted Eden’s family to ask if they wanted to take part in this story but they did not respond.
BBC 100 Women names 100 inspiring and influential women around the world every year. Follow BBC 100 Women on Instagram and Facebook. Join the conversation using #BBC100Women.
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Donald Trump signs order shifting US back towards plastic straws
Donald Trump signs order shifting US back towards plastic straws
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order ending a US government effort to replace plastic straws and other items with materials such as paper.
The order, which takes effect immediately, reverses a measure signed by former President Joe Biden, who had called plastic pollution a “crisis”.
Last week, Trump – who sold branded plastic straws during his 2020 election campaign – said paper straws “don’t work” and “disgustingly” dissolve in the mouths of consumers.
In 2024, Biden ordered a gradual end to US government purchases of plastic straws, as well as plastic cutlery and packaging.
“We’re going back to plastic straws,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
“These things don’t work, I’ve had them many times, and on occasion, they break, they explode. If something’s hot, they don’t last very long, like a matter of minutes, sometimes a matter of seconds. It’s a ridiculous situation,” Trump said.
As part of a wider effort to target plastic pollution, the Biden administration last year announced that it would gradually phase out single-use plastics from food packaging, operations and events by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.
Trump has been a long-standing critic of paper straws.
During his campaign to be re-elected president in 2020, which he ultimately lost, “Trump” branded plastic straws were sold – at $15 for a pack of 10 – as a replacement for what he called “liberal” paper straws.
In total, the campaign reportedly nearly $500,000 from straw sales in the first few weeks alone.
Some statistics place the number of disposable drinking straws used in the US at 500 million a year – although that figure is hotly disputed and the true total could be about half that.
A number of US cities and states – including Seattle, Washington; California; Oregon; and New Jersey – have adopted rules that limit the use of plastic straws or require that businesses provide them only after being asked by customers.
UN Environment Program statistics show that 460 million metric tonnes of plastic are produced every year, contributing to waste in the ocean and microplastics which can affect human health.
Some studies have shown that paper straws, however, contain significant amounts of “forever chemicals” such as polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
PFAS can stay in the environment for decades, contaminate water supplies and cause a variety of health issues.
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Renault reveals funky, futuristic family of vans, but *********** plans unclear
Renault reveals funky, futuristic family of vans, but *********** plans unclear
Renault has revealed an electric successor to its more than decade-old Trafic, plus a pair of vans with retro names but futuristic styling.
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Trump loosens enforcement of US law banning bribery of foreign officials
Trump loosens enforcement of US law banning bribery of foreign officials
By Steve Holland and Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to pause prosecutions of Americans accused of bribing foreign government officials while trying to win or retain business in their countries.
Trump’s order pauses enforcement of the nearly half-century-old Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review current and past actions related to the law and prepare new guidelines for enforcement.
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The law, enacted in 1977, prohibits companies that operate in the United States from bribing foreign officials. Over time, it has become a guiding force for how American businesses operate overseas.
“It’s going to mean a lot more business for America,” Trump told reporters while signing the order in the Oval Office on Monday.
Trump wanted to strike down FCPA during his first term in office and has previously called it a “horrible law” and said “the world is laughing at us” for enforcing it.
Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said FCPA made the United States a leader in addressing global corruption.
Trump’s executive order “diminishes—and could pave the way for completely eliminating—the crown jewel in the U.S.’s fight against global corruption,” Gary Kalman, Executive Director of Transparency International U.S. said in a statement.
A White House factsheet said the law makes American companies less competitive and creates an uneven playing field.
Trump’s directive calls for “revised, reasonable enforcement guidelines” from the Justice Department that won’t hamper American firms competing abroad, the factsheet said.
Over the years, a wide range of multinational firms have come under Justice Department scrutiny over the law, including Goldman Sachs, Glencore and Walmart.
In 2024, the Justice Department and the Securities Exchange Commission filed 26 FCPA-related enforcement actions, and at least 31 companies were under investigation by year end, the White House factsheet said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Nandita Bose in Washington; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio, Matthew Lewis and Micael Perry)
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Trump’s cuts continue sweeping through the US government, and even the penny is not spared
Trump’s cuts continue sweeping through the US government, and even the penny is not spared
Rolls of US pennies are seen in this photo illustration in Washington, DC, February 10, 2025.
Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty Images
It’s been just over three weeks into the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump, and the flurry of announcements from the White House shows no sign of abating.
The administration is set to pause enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, President Trump has removed the director of the government ethics office, and (gasp!) even the humble penny is not spared, with Trump ordering a halt to penny production.
For investors, the dismantling of ethics regulations would definitely raise questions. How would U.S. companies now conduct themselves, especially in markets where corruption is more rampant? Will more brown envelopes be slipped under tables, all in the name of retaining or winning business? Will the rule of law be superseded by the amount of business brought in by a company?
There are no straight answers to these questions, but expect to hear experts and economists’ two cents in the coming days.
Well, at least when the penny is still around.
— Lim Hui Jie
What you need to know today
Altman declines $97.4 billion offer for OpenAI by Musk-led investorsTesla CEO Elon Musk is leading a group of investors in offering to buy control of OpenAI for $97.4 billion, CNBC confirmed. The offer is for the nonprofit that oversees the artificial intelligence startup behind ChatGPT. However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman wrote on a post on X, “no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.” Musk then replied to the OpenAI chief on X calling him a “swindler.”
Steel stocks surge on Trump’s tariffs Steel and aluminum stocks surged Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he will impose 25% duties on all imports of the metals into the U.S. The aluminum tariff would add nearly 30 cents per pound to prices, not including transportation and other costs, according to JPMorgan. The bank expects domestic production of aluminum to increase as a result of the tariffs.
Trump to pause enforcement of Foreign Corrupt Practices ActTrump is set to sign an executive order directing the Department of Justice to pause enforcing a nearly half-century-old law that prohibits American companies and foreign firms from bribing officials of foreign governments to obtain or retain business. The pause in criminal prosecutions will be implemented to avoid putting U.S. businesses at an economic disadvantage to foreign competitors.
Markets shrug off tariff fearsU.S. stocks rose on Monday, powered by major tech names and as traders looked past the latest U.S. tariff threat from President Donald Trump. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.38%, led by a 4.8% gain in McDonald’s. The S&P 500 gained 0.67%, and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.98%. European stocks closed at a record high, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 up 0.58% at a record high of 545.92 points and with all sectors in the green.
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Traders lower rate cut expectationsInvestors are lowering their expectations even further for interest rate cuts out of the Fed this year, as they grow more concerned about tariffs and the effect they could have on inflation. Economists have warned that a wide-scale trade war could significantly raise prices, and consumers appear to be worried as well. The Bottom Line
And finally…
Pennies are displayed at Glenview Coin & Collectibles July 6, 2006 in Glenview, Illinois.
Tim Boyle | Getty Images News | Getty Images
What the end of the penny means for the economy, your piggy bank, and the way America prices items
President Donald Trump has ordered the Treasury to stop minting new pennies, which could have an impact on prices, cash consumers, and those coins still under your couch cushions.
Experts predict a mild inflationary impact, as more prices are rounded to the nearest five cents. People at the bottom of the economic ladder will probably feel any penny pinch the most, as they are either unbanked or unable to access debit or credit cards or a digital wallet.
» Read more
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Trump loosens enforcement of US law banning bribery of foreign officials – Reuters
Trump loosens enforcement of US law banning bribery of foreign officials – Reuters
Trump loosens enforcement of US law banning bribery of foreign officials ReutersTrump to pause enforcement of law banning bribery of foreign officials CNBCTrump to Loosen Enforcement of US Law Banning Overseas Bribes BloombergTrump Curbs Enforcement of Antibribery Law The Wall Street Journal
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APRA probes spending at Cbus as it gains undertaking to fix risk failings at $100m industry fund
APRA probes spending at Cbus as it gains undertaking to fix risk failings at $100m industry fund
The prudential watchdog has widened its probe of Cbus after unveiling its latest attempts to address chronic risk management failings at the $100 billion industry super fund.
The *********** Prudential Regulation Authority revealed it was also investigating expenditure management practices at the building industry fund for possible breaches of laws governing the $4 trillion superannuation industry.
APRA revealed on Tuesday it had gained a court enforceable undertaking from Cbus management company United Super to address risk management failings identified as far back as 2019.
And the watchdog said it lodged a breach report with the *********** Securities and Investments Commission on Christmas Eve after Cbus identified an insurance administration error by its third-party provider.
These alleged insurance breaches come on top of the Federal Court action launched by ASIC in November against United Super and insurance services administrator *********** Administration Services.
Cbus has been chaired by former Federal treasurer Wayne Swan since January 2022, when he took over from former Victorian premier Steve Bracks.
In the twin peaks model of regulating super in Australia, ASIC oversees the finance services end of the industry and APRA scrutinises the risk management practices of the giant funds.
Unveiling the corporate undertaking and its widened Cbus probe on Tuesday, APRA deputy chair Margaret Cole said it expected fund trustees to have robust governance, compliance and risk management frameworks in place
“Where an entity’s practices are found wanting, APRA will not hesitate to take action to protect members’ interests,” Ms Cole said.
The enforceable undertaking points to findings from an APRA prudential review in December that accused United Super of “incomplete risk profiling and over-reliance on informal methods of risk management and third-party risk management deficiencies”.
While not identifying the external providers, APRA said they “gave incomplete and inconsistent information” about risk, controls and compliance”.
And the United Super board “demonstrated insufficient oversight and challenge of operational risk, including follow through to ensure that previously identified weaknesses had been appropriately rectified”.
“Many of the issues identified by the 2024 prudential review were similar to those issues identified three years earlier as part of the 2021 prudential review,” the undertaking said.
With the help of experts approved by APRA, United Super has agreed to prepare an integrated plan to fix its problems based on the various APRA reviews and an analysis designed to find the root cause of the problems.
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Vance in Paris after questioning authority of U.S. judicial system
Vance in Paris after questioning authority of U.S. judicial system
Vice President Vance landed in Europe on Monday for an artificial intelligence summit after questioning the authority of the U.S. judicial system in a social media post. CBS News White House reporter Olivia Rinaldi has more from Paris. Then, Dave Weigel, politics reporter for Semafor, and Sabrina Rodriguez, national political reporter for The Washington Post, join to unpack Vance’s comments.
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Trump says ****** should free all hostages by midday Saturday or ‘let hell break out’
Trump says ****** should free all hostages by midday Saturday or ‘let hell break out’
President Donald Trump said on Monday that ****** should release all hostages held by the militant group in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose canceling the Israel-****** ceasefire and “let hell break out.”
Trump cautioned that Israel might want to override him on the issue and said he might speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But in a wide-ranging session with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration with the condition of the last group of hostages freed by ****** and by the announcement by the militant group that it would halt further releases.
“As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock, I think it’s an appropriate time. I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out. I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday,” Trump said.
He said he wanted the hostages released en masse, instead of a few at a time. “We want ’em all back.”
Trump also said he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don’t take ************ refugees being relocated from Gaza. He is to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday.
The comments came on a day of some confusion over Trump’s proposal for a U.S. takeover of Gaza once the fighting stops.
He said Palestinians would not have the right of return to the Gaza Strip under his proposal to redevelop the enclave, contradicting his own officials who had suggested Gazans would only be relocated temporarily.
In an excerpt of an interview with Fox News channel’s Bret Baier broadcast on Monday, Trump added that he thought he could make a deal with Jordan and Egypt to take the displaced Palestinians, saying the U.S. gives the two countries “billions and billions of dollars a year.”
Asked if Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza, Trump said: “No, they wouldn’t because they’re going to have much better housing.”
“I’m talking about building a permanent place for them,” he said, adding it would take years for Gaza to be habitable again.
In a shock announcement on Feb. 4 after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Trump proposed resettling Gaza’s 2.2 million Palestinians and the U.S. taking control of the seaside enclave, redeveloping it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Ignite the region
Trump’s suggestion of ************ displacement has been repeatedly rejected by Gaza residents and Arab states, and labeled by rights advocates and the United Nations as a proposal of ethnic cleansing.
Senior ****** official Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump’s statement that Palestinians would not be able to return to Gaza was “irresponsible.”
“We affirm that such plans are capable of igniting the region,” he told Reuters on Monday.
Netanyahu, who praised the proposal, suggested Palestinians would be allowed to return. “They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza,” he said the day after Trump’s announcement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will depart later this week for his first visit to the Middle East in the office, said on Thursday that Palestinians would have to “live somewhere else in the interim,” during reconstruction, although he declined to explicitly rule out their permanent displacement.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the disparity between Rubio and Trump’s most recent remarks on the plan.
Trump’s comments come as a fragile ceasefire reached last month between Israel and ****** is at risk of collapse after ****** announced on Monday it would stop releasing Israeli hostages over alleged Israeli violations of the agreement.
Israel’s Arab neighbors, including Egypt and Jordan, have said any plan to transfer Palestinians from their land would destabilize the region.
Rubio met Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Washington on Monday. Egypt’s foreign ministry said Abdelatty told Rubio that Arab countries support Palestinians in rejecting Trump’s plan. Cairo fears Palestinians could be forced across Egypt’s border with Gaza.
Trump said in the Fox News interview that between two and six communities could be built for the Palestinians “a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is.” “I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent,” he said.
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Trump’s agenda faces legal challenges as president announces new tariffs – CNN
Trump’s agenda faces legal challenges as president announces new tariffs – CNN
Trump’s agenda faces legal challenges as president announces new tariffs CNNTrump says he is considering tariff exemptions on *********** steel and aluminum The HillTrump Tariffs Live Updates: Trump Approves 25% Steel And Aluminum Tariffs Forbes
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Trump says ****** should free all hostages by midday Saturday or ‘let hell break out’
Trump says ****** should free all hostages by midday Saturday or ‘let hell break out’
President Donald Trump said on Monday that ****** should release all hostages held by the militant group in Gaza by midday Saturday or he would propose canceling the Israel-****** ceasefire and “let hell break out.”
Trump cautioned that Israel might want to override him on the issue and said he might speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But in a wide-ranging session with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration with the condition of the last group of hostages freed by ****** and by the announcement by the militant group that it would halt further releases.
“As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock, I think it’s an appropriate time. I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out. I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday,” Trump said.
He said he wanted the hostages released en masse, instead of a few at a time. “We want ’em all back.”
Trump also said he might withhold aid to Jordan and Egypt if they don’t take ************ refugees being relocated from Gaza. He is to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah on Tuesday.
The comments came on a day of some confusion over Trump’s proposal for a U.S. takeover of Gaza once the fighting stops.
He said Palestinians would not have the right of return to the Gaza Strip under his proposal to redevelop the enclave, contradicting his own officials who had suggested Gazans would only be relocated temporarily.
In an excerpt of an interview with Fox News channel’s Bret Baier broadcast on Monday, Trump added that he thought he could make a deal with Jordan and Egypt to take the displaced Palestinians, saying the U.S. gives the two countries “billions and billions of dollars a year.”
Asked if Palestinians would have the right to return to Gaza, Trump said: “No, they wouldn’t because they’re going to have much better housing.”
“I’m talking about building a permanent place for them,” he said, adding it would take years for Gaza to be habitable again.
In a shock announcement on Feb. 4 after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Trump proposed resettling Gaza’s 2.2 million Palestinians and the U.S. taking control of the seaside enclave, redeveloping it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Ignite the region
Trump’s suggestion of ************ displacement has been repeatedly rejected by Gaza residents and Arab states, and labeled by rights advocates and the United Nations as a proposal of ethnic cleansing.
Senior ****** official Sami Abu Zuhri said Trump’s statement that Palestinians would not be able to return to Gaza was “irresponsible.”
“We affirm that such plans are capable of igniting the region,” he told Reuters on Monday.
Netanyahu, who praised the proposal, suggested Palestinians would be allowed to return. “They can leave, they can then come back, they can relocate and come back. But you have to rebuild Gaza,” he said the day after Trump’s announcement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will depart later this week for his first visit to the Middle East in the office, said on Thursday that Palestinians would have to “live somewhere else in the interim,” during reconstruction, although he declined to explicitly rule out their permanent displacement.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the disparity between Rubio and Trump’s most recent remarks on the plan.
Trump’s comments come as a fragile ceasefire reached last month between Israel and ****** is at risk of collapse after ****** announced on Monday it would stop releasing Israeli hostages over alleged Israeli violations of the agreement.
Israel’s Arab neighbors, including Egypt and Jordan, have said any plan to transfer Palestinians from their land would destabilize the region.
Rubio met Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Washington on Monday. Egypt’s foreign ministry said Abdelatty told Rubio that Arab countries support Palestinians in rejecting Trump’s plan. Cairo fears Palestinians could be forced across Egypt’s border with Gaza.
Trump said in the Fox News interview that between two and six communities could be built for the Palestinians “a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is.” “I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent,” he said.
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Trump’s order leaves expecting Indian immigrant parents in limbo
Trump’s order leaves expecting Indian immigrant parents in limbo
Savita Patel
Writer
Reporting fromSan FranciscoBBC
Akshay and Neha say they are worried about their child’s future
Neha Satpute and Akshay Pise felt ready to welcome their first child.
Having worked in the US for more than a decade, the Indian couple who are engineers on H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, expected their son – due on 26 February – to be born an American citizen.
Employed at a large tech firm with a supportive parental leave policy, they had carefully built their life in San Jose, California.
But President Donald Trump recently threw a wrench in their American dream by announcing a rule that would deny automatic US citizenship to children born to temporary foreign workers. Until now, birthright citizenship had been a given regardless of parents’ immigration status.
A federal judge in Maryland has blocked the order, extending an initial two-week block imposed by a Seattle court. This means the ruling cannot take effect until the case is resolved in court, although there remains a possibility of a higher court overturning any decision.
The looming uncertainty, along with the multiple lawsuits and legal challenges, have left Akshay, Neha and thousands of others in limbo.
“This impacts us directly,” says Akshay. “If the order takes effect, we don’t know what comes next – it’s uncharted territory.” Their biggest question: What nationality will their child have?
Their concern is valid, says New York-based immigration attorney Cyrus Mehta: “US law has no provision for granting non-immigrant status to a person born here.”
With their baby’s due date fast approaching, they consulted their doctor about an early delivery. The advice? If all goes well, they could induce labour in the 40th week, but they’ve chosen to wait.
“I want the natural process to take its course,” says Neha. Akshay adds: “My priority is a safe delivery and my wife’s health. Citizenship comes second.”
Getty Images
Trump has said that children born to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily can’t be US citizens
Dr Satheesh Kathula, president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), reached out to obstetricians of Indian origin in the US after media reports of families seeking early C-sections. Except for “a few instances in New Jersey”, most doctors reported no such inquiries.
“In a country with strict medical laws, I strongly advise against preterm C-sections just for citizenship,” said the Ohio-based doctor. “Our physicians are ethical and won’t perform them unless medically necessary.”
US citizenship is highly coveted, especially by skilled H-1B visa holders. Indians are the second-largest immigrant group in the US.
Immigration policy analyst Sneha Puri warns that a birthright citizenship order would hit Indians hard – more than five million Indians in the US hold non-immigrant visas.
“If enforced, none of their future US-born children would get citizenship,” she told the BBC.
South Asian parents-to-be are flooding online groups with concerns about the order’s impact and next steps.
Trump’s executive order says it does not affect the ability of the children of lawful permanent residents to obtain documentation of US citizenship.
But Indians in the US face the longest wait of any foreign nationality to receive a green card conferring lawful permanent residency.
Current US rules mean that the number of green cards given to people of any one country cannot exceed 7% of the total number of green cards awarded.
Indians receive 72% of H-1B visas annually. According to the Cato Institute, Indians made up 62% of the employment-based backlog of people waiting for green cards – that’s 1.1 million – in 2023. Indians receiving employment-based green cards today applied back in 2012.
In his report, Cato’s director of immigration studies David Bier warns: “New Indian applicants face a lifetime wait, with 400,000 likely to die before getting a green card.”
In contrast, most other immigrants get permanent residency within a year, speeding their path to citizenship.
If implemented, Trump’s executive order would also affect undocumented migrants in the US, whose US-born children had previously automatically gained citizenship – and who could then go on to sponsor their parents to apply for a green card when they turn 21.
Pew Research estimates 725,000 undocumented Indian immigrants in the US as of 2022, making them the third-largest group. In contrast, the Migration Policy Institute puts the number at 375,000, ranking India fifth. Unauthorised immigrants make up 3% of the US population and 22% of the foreign-born population.
The main concern for Indians on H-1B or O visas is their children’s quality of life.
Such visa-holders must leave the US periodically to have their visas stamped in a US embassy abroad. Those who return to India for this purpose frequently face delays in getting an appointment for this purpose.
These immigrants don’t want their US-born children to endure the same bureaucratic struggles.
Priyanshi and Piyush, who are expecting their first child, say they are searching for clarity on potential changes
Waiting in the green card ****** for several years, Akshay is aware of the ease US citizenship brings.
“We have been here for more than 10 years. As I see my parents getting older, it’s very important for me to have citizenship. Travelling becomes tricky for us with coordinating visa stamping timings, and now with my baby it might be more difficult,” he said.
Many physicians in the US oppose Trump’s decree, highlighting the role foreign skilled workers play in providing vital services.
Dr Kathula says Indian doctors in rural areas such as North and South Dakota are crucial. “Without them, healthcare would collapse. Now, they’re in limbo about starting families,” he said.
He is calling for the process of getting a green card to be sped up and for these workers’ children to be granted birthright citizenship because of their parents’ contributions to America.
Trump’s order has also heightened anxiety among Indians on student and work visas, already aware of their precarious legal status. The one guarantee – their US-born children’s citizenship – is now in doubt.
San Jose resident Priyanshi Jajoo, expecting a baby in April, is searching for clarity on potential changes. “Do we need to contact the Indian consulate for a passport? Which visa applies? There’s no information online,” she said.
Counting the days until her son’s arrival, Neha said the uncertainty was an additional source of anxiety.
“Pregnancy is stressful enough, but we thought after a decade here it would get easier – then this happens on top of everything,” she said.
Her husband Akshay adds, “As legal, tax-paying immigrants, our baby deserves US citizenship – it’s been the law, right?”
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Trump’s proposed buyout plan for federal workers in limbo
Trump’s proposed buyout plan for federal workers in limbo
Trump’s proposed buyout plan for federal workers in limbo – CBS News
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A federal judge is weighing extending the pause on President Trump’s “deferred resignations” for federal workers. Weijia Jiang is following the latest developments at the White House.
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The high cost of using military planes for deportation
The high cost of using military planes for deportation
The high cost of using military planes for deportation – CBS News
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President Trump says he is looking to eliminate wasteful spending in the federal government., but that may be at odds with what he’s doing to keep another campaign promise. Jason Allen has been investigating what it’s costing American taxpayers to deport immigrants who are in the country illegally.
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Debate on if this means the end of the post-war free trade world
Debate on if this means the end of the post-war free trade world
Dharshini David
Chief Economics Correspondent
BBC
President Trump’s sweeping set of tariffs are intended, in part, to protect American industries, raise money and – as we’ve seen – be used as a bargaining chip.
The Republican has already imposed tariffs on imports from China, announced plans for a 25% duty on all steel and aluminium imports, and threatened to place 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. We don’t yet know how far he will go, but if what is already on the table comes to pass then it would raise average tariffs to their highest since the 1940s, signalling a new chapter for global trade.
Since the end of World War Two in 1945, tariffs have been broadly viewed as leading to higher consumer prices, less choice and – amidst the inevitable retaliation – backfiring on the industries they were meant to protect. But are we turning our backs on this era?
I hosted a debate with two economic experts in trade policy to unpick the implications of Trump’s policies on America and the world, and explore differing views on who among us might be the biggest winners or losers.
Meet the participants
Meredith Crowley is Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge. She believes tariffs could lead to a much heavier economic burden on the lowest income people.
Jeff Ferry is Chief Economist Emeritus at the Coalition for A Prosperous America. He believes tariffs can trigger growth and rebuild the US manufacturing industry.
Trump’s ambitions
Dharshini David (DD): President Trump described tariffs as ‘the most beautiful word in the dictionary’ – which is really intriguing. What’s the attraction for him?
Jeff Ferry (JF): I think Trump has made it pretty clear that he thinks tariffs are a ‘beautiful’ thing for several reasons.
Firstly, because they can revive and rebuild the US manufacturing industry. He also sees the US is running a huge trade deficit. In 2024, we had a record goods trade deficit of $1.2 trillion which means the rest of the world, and particularly trade surplus countries, is generating large amounts of revenue by selling to the US market. This gives the US a powerful negotiating tool and we’ve seen him use that, regarding drugs and immigration with Canada and Mexico in the last few days.
Meredith Crowley (MC): My presumption is that what is really concerning Trump is the decline in manufacturing jobs within the United States over the last 40 years.
He observed that lots of jobs that used to exist in the US have migrated to other lower wage countries like Mexico and China and I think his hope would be that by imposing tariffs he could stimulate the creation of jobs.
Retaliation
DD: We know countries are thinking of retaliatory measures as well. To what extent will these measures impact Trump’s economic goals?
JF: There is no doubt that a tariff policy, coupled with an investment and growth strategy policy and a national security policy, will grow the US economy and do a better job of delivering productivity growth than we’ve seen in the last 25 years, which frankly have been abysmal by traditional US standards.
500 years of history shows that the economics profession, in its obsession with short term equilibrium, has done a disservice to not just American workers and the American people, but actually, to British people and British workers – and workers in many countries.
DD: In the post-war era, we saw the tearing down of trade barriers and the idea that globalisation was good. Are we now seeing a backlash against this?
JF: We are seeing a historic shift away from the post WW2 consensus, which stemmed from the ******* when America was way ahead of the rest of the world – and America was very worried about the ********** threat.
So what you call ‘free trade,’ and I would call the Bretton Woods fixed exchange rate consensus, was designed for America to support and even subsidise the growth of European economies and other economies.
We’ve now moved to a new stage where it’s well known the US economy started to falter in the 1970s, and China has risen to become the world’s number one manufacturing power basically through exploiting all the rules in the system.
We need a new system.
MC: I have a different diagnosis of what happened in recent history.
Over the past 40 years, it’s clear more protection is very popular. Between 1981 and 1994, the US restricted imports of automobiles from Japan and that ultimately had two consequences.
One, it raised the price of automobiles for Americans. Two, in the long run, it led to investment by Japanese manufacturers in the US, and today, the US has a vibrant automobile industry. You could support US industry much more directly by having direct government support.
Trump has now created uncertainty that ********* manufacturers will have access to the US market in the future. And because Trump made good on his threats in 2018 to impose tariffs on China, major corporations might be revising plans to expand operations in Canada or Mexico to serve the US market. There will be a pullback on real economic activity in those trading partners.
Higher prices
DD: Meredith, Trump has acknowledged there may be ‘a little pain’ for Americans in the short term because as you mentioned, tariffs tend to mean higher prices.
MC: A study on what happened in round one of Trump’s tariffs on China in 2018 showed, in the first two years, that most of the cost increase was absorbed by importers and distributors and it didn’t get passed on to consumers. The price increases though, tend to come more gradually.
Once you realise the tariff is in place permanently, the manufacturer realises everyone’s going to have to pay it and they gradually raise their prices.
One of the concerns economists have is people who buy a lot of goods rather than services tend to be lower income people. So when you put a tariff on things like kids’ trainers, backpacks and clothing, these kinds of consumer items, you’re really placing a much heavier tax burden on the lowest income people in the country, rather than somebody who’s spending their money on vacations and private education for children.
Trade war
DD: Jeff, are you concerned about a global trade war that could backfire on Trump’s aims?
JF: We have been in a trade war since 2001, since China entered the world trading community. The trade war is long-standing. Now America is taking action and a lot of people are throwing up their hands, not because they are concerned about a trade war, but because they’re concerned they might lose a valuable market for their own products.
But I want to go back to consumer prices.
People focus purely on the negative. The purpose of the tariff is to stimulate domestic industry, so on the positive side, you create brand new investments in domestic industry. On the negative side you get a price increase. So it depends critically on the numbers in both cases.
What we know from round one of Trump’s tariffs, between 2018 and 2019, is the price of tariff goods went up, such as steel, but companies committed to building new factories like steel mills which have hired several hundreds of people – great blue collar jobs for people who generally speaking do not have a college degree.
The current phase of globalisation which began around 1990 was just a huge mistake. The idea that the US could compete with Mexico on salaries, particularly to manufacturing workers, was just crazy.
DD: Lets get Meredith’s view on this. Would you agree that for higher wage economies, frankly, globalisation has not been a great idea since the 1990s?
MC: I understand Jeff’s point, that the only concern of the president should be the wellbeing of Americans. But, between 1990 and 2023, the number of people around the world living in extreme poverty on less than $2.15 (£1.75) a day fell from two billion to around 700 million. Over a billion people exiting poverty because of increasing globalisation is an astounding achievement of humanity.
It is completely clear to everyone that within American society the benefits of globalisation have not been equal and so there is a real need within the US to think about how do we improve the wellbeing of less skilled people, and how do we get jobs into the economy to help them.
Where I differ with Trump is I think there are more effective tools. You need an industrial policy or subsidies to production. American productivity is so high because we are constantly investing in labour saving technology but the consequence is that the less skilled have been left behind and their lives are materially worse than they were thirty years ago.
JF: I agree one hundred percent with Meredith.
Equality
DD: This is fascinating. If we see the kind of trade barriers that Trump wants to put in place, what does that mean for this issue of equality?
MC: Once you start putting barriers between countries you create a lot of opportunity for what in the economics world we call monopoly profits. Once you limit entry, the existing producers get to jack up their prices and exploit consumers.
If the US goes into a trade war with China, what’s going to happen to imports from countries the US isn’t interested in having a trade war with?
If the US and China deepen their trade war, this could affect the supply chain participation of sub-Saharan African countries with the US and China, meaning it is going to be one of the areas of the world that bears some of the brunt of this trade war.
So the spillover effects could be very, very negative.
DD: Jeff, is this a price worth paying? What kind of impact could we see on growth?
JF: I don’t think of it as a price worth paying, I think of it as an evolution of the world system where hopefully we’ll get higher growth everywhere. And this is where I differ with the mainstream economics view which focuses far too much on trade and on minor productivity gains.
The world has grown through the success of industries. The US prosperity from 1900 to 1970 was due largely to the automobile industry. What you saw was huge productivity gains as Henry Ford and all his successors invented and developed mass production. You saw wage increases and spending increases and we had the most prosperous economy in the world.
So what we need is industrial growth and when you look at a national security framework, we cannot be dependent on China for as many goods as we are today. We are far too dependent on China here in the United States, Europe is far too dependent on China. So what’s the resolution? Well the resolution is pretty obvious – we need to make certain goods here in the US.
Produced by: Rosemary McCabe, Rhoda Buchanan and Harriet Whitehead
Top picture credit: Getty Images
This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
BBC InDepth is the home on the website and app for the best analysis, with fresh perspectives that challenge assumptions and deep reporting on the biggest issues of the day. And we showcase thought-provoking content from across BBC Sounds and iPlayer too. You can send us your feedback on the InDepth section by clicking on the button below.
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Biotech giant CSL still expects double-digit earnings growth despite weak flu vaccine sales
Biotech giant CSL still expects double-digit earnings growth despite weak flu vaccine sales
Low immunisation rates in the US has dented first-half sales for CSL’s flu vaccine business, but the biotech giant says it’s on track to deliver double-digit earnings growth this year.
CSL — Australia’s third-biggest company by market capitalisation at $130 billion — said revenue rose 5 per cent to $US8.48b ($13.5b) in the six months to the end of December, with net profit lifting 6 per cent to $US2.01b.
The company operates three divisions: Seqirus is its flu vaccine business, Vifor focuses on iron deficiency and nephrology products, while Behring collects and processes blood plasma.
CSL chief executive Paul McKenzie reaffirmed its guidance for the full financial year, with net profit expected to be in the range of about $US3.2b to $US3.3b, representing growth of 10 to 13 per cent.
Revenue for Seqirus fell 9 per cent to $US1.66b, which Dr McKenzie blamed on the decline in vaccination rates for influenza in the US, particularly in the 18 to 64 age cohort. The result was 15 per cent below consensus.
“After increasing sharply during the COVID pandemic, vaccination rates have declined for various reasons, with consumer apathy and reduced access being two of the main factors,” he told analysts on Tuesday.
“Lower vaccination rates have also led to competitive pressures in the market.
“This weak market backdrop has led to a disappointing result CSL Seqirus this *******.”
Dr McKenzie added the incidence of influenza and hospitalisation rates were up.
“This poses a significant public health risk. In Europe, there are signs that vaccination rates are stabilising and overtime, we expect to see a similar recovery in the US,” he said.
At the Behring division, sales rose 10 per cent to $US5.7b, while Vifor revenue grew 6 per cent to $US1.01b.
“While the market conditions for CSL Seqirus remain challenging, influenza will continue to be a burden to public health systems. We believe our differentiated strategy is well placed to grow market share,” Dr McKenzie said.
“For CSL Vifor, the iron market growth remains strong and we expect to maintain a leadership position. We will also build on the momentum in our nephrology business.”
In the past six months, shares in the company have fallen 12.4 per cent to $270.79.
CSL will pay an interim dividend of $US1.30 a share.
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DOJ appeals judge’s order to unfreeze federal grants
DOJ appeals judge’s order to unfreeze federal grants
The Justice Department on Monday appealed a federal judge’s order to unfreeze federal grants, hours after the judge ruled that the Trump administration had not complied with his directive.
In a short notice, DOJ lawyer Daniel Schwei indicated that the government would appeal U.S. District Judge John McConnell’s key orders — the first blocking the White House budget office’s order to pause the disbursement of grants and the second directing the government to follow the first order and “immediately” end the funding pause.
It marks the second DOJ appeal of a lawsuit challenging major Trump administration actions. Schwei said the Justice Department would seek to pause McConnell’s orders pending its appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, which would keep the funding freeze in effect.
In a memo last month, the Office of Management and Budget told federal agencies to pause the disbursement of grants as the administration assessed its spending to ensure it aligned with President Trump’s agenda. The sweeping directive drew quick legal challenges and widespread confusion.
Though the memo was later withdrawn, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt cautioned on social media that the administration’s rescission only referred to the memo itself, not the entire freeze. McConnell said the reversal was “in name only,” citing her post.
“The substantive effect of the directive carries on,” the judge wrote in his initial order.
In his new order Monday, McConnell told the Trump administration to “immediately” cease any pauses in federal funding until after he determines whether to indefinitely block the freeze while litigation is ongoing.
He pointed specifically to funds appropriated under two laws championed by former President Biden — the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — and funds intended for institutes and other agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as examples of withheld funds that must be restored.
“The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country,” McConnell wrote.
Democratic attorneys general in 22 states and Washington, D.C., challenged the freeze and later said the Trump administration was not complying with the judge’s initial command. The coalition is led by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), who has taken Trump himself to court for business fraud and won a multimillion-dollar judgment against him.
The government opposed the states’ motion to force its abidance, writing in court filings that it had made “good-faith, diligent efforts” to comply.
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Justice Department orders charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams dismissed
Justice Department orders charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams dismissed
New York City Mayor Eric Adams arrives for Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s “State of the NYPD” address on January 30, 2025 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a senior Justice Department official said Monday evening.
The order is for all charges against Adams to be dismissed, and the dismissal is without prejudice, the official said, meaning charges could be refiled in the future.
The charges have not yet been dismissed and federal prosecutors in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A dismissal would have to come in a motion from prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, where the charges were brought. A motion to dismiss would also have to be reviewed by a judge.
Adams, a former New York Police Department captain elected mayor in 2021, was charged with bribery, fraud and other counts in an indictment in September. The indictment accused Adams of taking $100,000 worth of free plane tickets and luxury hotel stays from wealthy Turkish nationals and at least one government official in a nearly decade-long corruption scheme.
Adams has pleaded not guilty. He has said that he is innocent, that the charges are politically motivated and that he would fight the charges.
The senior Justice Department official said Monday that the charges would be reviewed when a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney is confirmed.
Damian Williams, the Biden-appointed U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who brought the charges against Adams, resigned after President Trump won the 2024 election.
An attorney for Adams in late January contacted Justice Department leadership about dropping the criminal case against him, NBC News has reported.
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Trump Administration Live Updates: News on Tariffs, Funding Freeze Order and More – The New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: News on Tariffs, Funding Freeze Order and More – The New York Times
Trump Administration Live Updates: News on Tariffs, Funding Freeze Order and More The New York TimesJudge extends restraining order to ban Trump admin buyout offer to federal workers Fox NewsJudge extends deadline for federal workers to accept Trump administration’s ‘buyout’ offer CNN
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Man dodges jail over $3.4m Malaysian kickback plan
Man dodges jail over $3.4m Malaysian kickback plan
A man who provided a $3.4 million kickback to Malaysian businessmen to ensure his student accommodation building was sold will not spend a day behind bars.
Boon “Dennis” Teen, 72, was in negotiations to sell his Melbourne site to a Malaysian government-owned investment company when contracts stalled in January 2013.
The Malaysian businessmen acting as intermediaries in the ***** informed Teen he would need to pay them if he wanted the ***** to go through.
That meant the site’s ***** price increased from the agreed $17.85 million to $22.6 million, with the extra $4.75 million going to the intermediaries.
About $3.4 million of the $4.75 million payment was considered to be illegitimate, given the intermediaries did not provide services to Teen’s business Wanissa Properties.
Teen agreed to the deal but was concerned about how to document the payments for tax purposes.
So between March and August 2013, he helped the intermediaries draft four invoices.
Three of the invoices were considered to be false.
Federal police began investigating the student accommodation ***** in 2015 and Teen was charged in July 2020.
He pleaded guilty to a single charge of false accounting in November 2024 following a sentence indication hearing in the Victorian County Court.
On Tuesday, Judge Michael O’Connell sentenced Teen to a wholly suspended prison term of 21 months behind bars.
The 72-year-old will need to be of good behaviour for the duration of his sentence otherwise he will be taken into custody.
Judge O’Connell described Teen’s offending as serious, deliberate and sustained.
“What you did was cover up a kickback engineered by the Malaysian intermediaries at the detriment of the Malaysian government,” he said on Tuesday.
But the judge accepted Teen did not instigate the offending, nor did he receive extra money or other benefits as a result of the agreement.
Judge O’Connell noted the student accommodation project had caused financial difficulties for Teen and his business, and the 72-year-old was eager to sell.
“The agreement was put to you when you were in a very vulnerable position,” the judge said.
There have been “extraordinary” delays in the case and it was clear Teen had rehabilitated himself while the prospect of jail was hanging over his head, Judge O’Connell said.
“You have not put a foot wrong in over a decade,” he said.
Teen was also in remission for renal ******* and required regular medication to ensure his condition did not deteriorate, so jail would be more difficult for him.
Judge O’Connell was satisfied a wholly suspended jail term was appropriate, given the nature of the offending, the delays, Teen’s plea and personal circumstances.
Teen, who was supported in court by his wife, was expressionless as he learnt of his sentence.
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Former Treasury employee says DOGE access raises “real security questions”
Former Treasury employee says DOGE access raises “real security questions”
Former Treasury employee says DOGE access raises “real security questions” – CBS News
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Elon Musk’s access to the Treasury’s payment system is raising concerns about federal funding and personal data. Major Garrett speaks to a former Treasury employee about the role of the agency and the sensitive data it handles.
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Why Trump is going after the penny
Why Trump is going after the penny
Why Trump is going after the penny – CBS News
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President Trump ordered the Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies, citing the rising cost of production. Kelly O’Grady explains.
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Gladstone Commercial (GOOD) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
Gladstone Commercial (GOOD) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
Gladstone Commercial (GOOD) closed at $16.14 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.55% move from the prior day. The stock’s performance was behind the S&P 500’s daily gain of 0.67%. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.38%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.98%.
Shares of the real estate investment trust witnessed a gain of 3.38% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Finance sector with its gain of 5.69% and outperforming the S&P 500’s gain of 2.07%.
Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Gladstone Commercial in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company’s earnings report is set to be unveiled on February 18, 2025. The company’s earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $0.35, reflecting a 2.78% decrease from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $37.45 million, up 4.29% from the prior-year quarter.
It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Gladstone Commercial. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts’ confidence in the company’s business performance and profit potential.
Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To take advantage of this, we’ve established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection remained stagnant. As of now, Gladstone Commercial holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Gladstone Commercial has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.23 right now. This signifies a discount in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 11.43 for its industry.
Investors should also note that GOOD has a PEG ratio of 1.87 right now. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company’s expected earnings growth trajectory. By the end of yesterday’s trading, the REIT and Equity Trust – Other industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.14.
The REIT and Equity Trust – Other industry is part of the Finance sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 171, putting it in the bottom 32% of all 250+ industries.
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Women in media under-represented at senior levels
Women in media under-represented at senior levels
A deep dive into *********** media has revealed women hold just 30 per cent of CEO positions despite making up 49 per cent of the core workforce.
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