By Siddharth Cavale NEW YORK (Reuters) -Walmart Inc, Amazon.com and fast-growing e-commerce sites Shein and PDD Holding’s Temu saw record-breaking sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to spending data, suggesting that they may finish the holiday season on a much stronger note than Target and Best Buy, which struggled. Holiday shoppers largely browsed at brick-and-mortar stores, making more online purchases at some retailers, snapping up such items as pre-owned Rolex watches, Pokemon cards … Read more…

By Tim Reid and Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Elon Musk spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help Donald Trump win November’s presidential election, according to new filings, underscoring the influence one of the world’s wealthiest people had on this year’s White House race. The billionaire owner of electric car maker Tesla and SpaceX gave $259 million to groups supporting Trump’s 2024 campaign, according to new Federal Election Commission filings released late … Read more…

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin no longer plans to travel to South Korea, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Thursday, following South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched attempt this week to impose martial law. One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said planning had been underway for a trip in the near term but it was determined now was not the appropriate time. The official said … Read more…

WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland signed a $4 billion loan under the United States’ Foreign Military Financing program that will help finance the transformation of its armed forces, the Polish defence minister said on Thursday. “This is another proof of enormous trust and strong alliance between Poland and the United States of America,” Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz posted on X. Kosiniak-Kamysz said that in total the United States has provided Poland with over $11 billion to finance armament … Read more…

(Reuters) – Alphabet’s Waymo said on Thursday it will expand its autonomous ride-hailing services to Miami, Florida, adding another city to its operations as it seeks to gain an edge in an increasingly competitive market. The company plans to introduce its vehicles to Miami’s streets early next year and aims to launch services to riders in 2026, offering ride-hailing through the Waymo One app. Waymo’s expansion comes at a crucial time as the firm is … Read more…

(Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump met with the chief executives of U.S. drugmakers Pfizer and Eli Lilly as well as industry lobbying group PhRMA on Wednesday night, Axios reported on Thursday. Anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick to lead the United States’ top health agency, was also present at the meeting, according to the report. Eli Lilly, Pfizer and PhRMA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Trump and the … Read more…