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3,028
The ranks of the monocle-wearing class are growing: Forbes has found there are now 3,028 billionaires on the planet. That’s a whole lot more than the 140 the magazine located when it started keeping a list in 1987. Twenty years later, there were 1,000 in total, and by 2017, the roll of the richest had reached 2,000. As of last year, there were 2,781. And it’s not just that there are more billionaires, it’s also that those in the rarest air are even richer than in years past—as of March 7, the world’s billionaires boasted a combined worth of $16.1 trillion, which is almost $2 trillion more than a year ago.
20
“National security adviser Mike Waltz’s team regularly set up chats on Signal to coordinate official work on issues including Ukraine, China, Gaza, Middle East policy, Africa and Europe, according to four people who have been personally added to Signal chats,” Politico reports. “Two of the people said they were in or have direct knowledge of at least 20 such chats. All four said they saw instances of sensitive information being discussed.”
71%
A new Pew Research survey finds about seven-in-ten adults say they have been following news about the actions and initiatives of President Trump’s administration very (31%) or fairly (40%) closely. The major reasons cited: 62% said Trump news is “relevant to my life,” 43% said “it’s hard to avoid,” 36% said “I like what the administration is doing,” and 25% said “it’s entertaining or interesting.”
31
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on Wednesday announced nearly three dozen deregulatory moves that he said would spur the U.S. economy by rolling back rules that have unfairly burdened industry, reported the Associated Press. Many of the moves would affect landmark regulations aimed at protecting clean air and water.
+$1 trillion
“The U.S. debt and deficit problem worsened during President Donald Trump’s first month in office, as the budget shortfall for February passed the $1 trillion mark even though the fiscal year is not yet at the halfway point,” CNBC reports.
172,000
The U.S. had ~172,000 layoffs in February, up 245% from January and the most in a single month since the Covid pandemic in 2020, according to a report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That’s also the most job cuts in the month of February since 2009, during the financial crisis. More than a third of those layoffs (~62,000) came from the Department of Government Efficiency’s federal headcount reduction. But it wasn’t just federal workers who were laid off: Retail was also hit hard, losing nearly 40,000 roles. Per CNBC, the sector has lost six times more jobs so far this year than it did in the same period last year.
240,000
“President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation,” Reuters reports. “The move, expected as soon as April, would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden’s administration.”
71%
A new Hart Research poll found 71% of voters who backed Donald Trump said cutting Medicaid would be unacceptable. Voters overall were even more opposed to it, with 82% saying so.
$26.8 billion
“Thank you, Uncle Sam. Someday your nieces and nephews at Berkshire hope to send you even larger payments than we did in 2024. Spend it wisely. Take care of the many who, for no fault of their own, get the short straws in life. They deserve better. And never forget that we need you to maintain a stable currency and that result requires both wisdom and vigilance on your part,” wrote Warren Buffet in his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.
