The Daily Money: A fight over Hawaiian ancestral lands
Sara Kehaulani Goo's family has owned land in Hana, Maui, for nearly 200 years. It was a gift from a Hawaiian king in 1848, but several years ago, they almost lost it all.
In 2019, while working as a journalist in Washington, D.C., Goo received an email from her father saying the property taxes on the 10 undeveloped acres had skyrocketed over 566%, from $300 to $2,000 in a year.
So began a four-year-long journey for her family to fight for their ancestral lands.
Private equity is coming to your 401(k)
In the past, the private equity world has been largely populated by ultra-rich investors, endowments and pension funds. That may be about to change.
Retirement savers with 401(k) accounts are gaining access to the private investment market, which mostly pivots on privately held companies, rather than public ones. And the Trump Administration is expected to sign an executive order in coming days that would call for federal guidance on adding private investments to 401(k) plans.
Here's a rundown of what it means, and what retirement savers should do.
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This could be good news for fans of Mexican Coke: President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar for its sodas sold in the U.S.
"I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added, "This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!
When can cola fans expect the change?
About The Daily Money
Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.
Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA Today.
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Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Better Trump-Connected Meme Stock: Newsmax vs. Trump Media
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Newsmax went public via a traditional initial public offering (IPO) on March 31, and it soared from its debut price of $10 to a record closing price of $233 the following day. Trump Media went public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) on March 26, 2024. It started trading at $70.90 -- which marked a 42% gain from its premerger closing price. But today, Newsmax and Trump Media trade at about $14 and $18, respectively. Both stocks crumbled under the weight of their skyrocketing valuations. But which is the better buy? Newsmax faces a lot of near-term challenges Newsmax operates both linear TV and digital streaming channels, and it generates most of its revenue from ads, cable licensing fees, and subscription fees. It claims to reach 40 million Americans through its media channels and print publications. Nielsen data from April found that Newsmax was tied with Fox News among 35- to 64-year-old viewers for "prime engagement." Newsmax's viewership grew significantly during the first Trump administration, but it was also criticized for promoting conspiracy theories regarding the 2020 elections, the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the risk of COVID-19 vaccines. Voting system makers Smartmatic and Dominion sued Newsmax over its claims about the 2020 election. It reached a $40 million settlement with Smartmatic last year, but it hasn't settled with Dominion yet. In 2023, Newsmax's revenue stayed flat at $135 million as its net loss more than doubled to $42 million. That slowdown was largely caused by DirecTV temporarily dropping its channels in a carriage fee dispute. Newsmax had wanted to transition from a free-to-air model to a paid one as its popularity grew, but DirecTV rejected those new carriage fees. Newsmax eventually agreed to revert back to its original free model (and earn a split of the carrier's ad revenue) to return to DirecTV. In 2024, Newsmax's revenue rose 27% to $171 million as the U.S. election cycle heated up again and drove more viewers to its linear and digital channels. However, its net loss widened to $72 million as its settlement with Smartmatic and the costs of expanding its infrastructure to handle its growing audience crushed its operating margins. In the first quarter of 2025, Newsmax's revenue rose 12% year over year to $45 million. It narrowed its net loss from $51 million to $17 million, but that was mainly due to its easy year-over-year comparisons to the Smartmatic settlement. Analysts haven't provided any forecasts for the rest of the year, but it could face a lot of pressure as it laps the election, ramps up its spending, and deals with the legal costs in its ongoing dispute with Dominion. Trump Media is still leaving its investors in the dark Trump Media generates most of its revenue from Truth Social, but it doesn't disclose its monthly active users (MAUs) or any other core social media metrics. According to it only served 6.3 million MAUs this January. It recently launched its Truth+ streaming media platform, but the Android version of its app has only been downloaded about 50,000 times. Rumble (NASDAQ: RUM), the conservative-leaning streaming video platform, says it reached 59 million MAUs in its latest quarter. In 2023, Trump Media only generated $4.1 million in revenue as it racked up a net loss of $58.2 million. In 2024, its revenue declined to $3.6 million as its net loss widened to $401 million. That decline was caused by Truth Social's stagnating growth, competition from bigger social media platforms like X and Meta Platforms' Facebook, and a renegotiated ad revenue sharing deal with an "undisclosed" advertising partner. Its massive net loss was caused by its ballooning stock-based compensation expenses, higher legal costs, changes to how its warrants and convertible debt was valued, and soaring interest charges on its debt. In the first quarter of 2025, Trump Media generated just $821,000 in revenue with a net loss of $31.7 million. But in early July, it submitted a filing for a new crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) that would bundle Bitcoin with several other cryptocurrencies. If approved, that ETF might boost its cash flows while diversifying its business away from its sluggish social networking and streaming media businesses. The better buy: Newsmax With a market cap of $1.85 billion, Newsmax isn't cheap at 11 times last year's sales. But it's more reasonably valued than Trump Media, which is worth $5.13 billion -- or 1,475 times last year's sales. So while Newsmax's future is still murky, it certainly looks like the better buy. 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Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Papa Johns announces wild new menu deal to win back customers
As kids, many of us saw pizza as a delicacy we would only earn for behaving well, accomplishing an achievement, or celebrating a birthday party. Some may fondly remember class pizza parties as a reward for reaching the monthly reading goal, or a family pizza night granted because we went through an entire day without getting in a fight with our siblings. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter As we got older, many of us realized that what felt like a grand reward was also a way for adults to feed us a cheaper meal and trick us into thinking it was special. Related: Little Caesar's makes move to win Domino's, Pizza Hut customers Nonetheless, the memories are worth more than the $5 pizza they came with. To this day, pizza chains are still releasing value deals to keep us hooked, but these days, it may be because many are struggling to make ends meet. Image source: Bloomberg/Getty Images Papa Johns (PZZA) has been struggling lately, with North America comparable sales dropping nearly 3% year over year during the first quarter of fiscal 2025. The company attributed this decline to ongoing economic uncertainty and market volatility. Consumers remain financially challenged, prompting them to scale back on their spending, while competition among rival pizza chains intensifies. All these factors combined have impacted Papa Johns' sales in the U.S. market. More Food News: Popular Mexican restaurant chain expands to new marketBurger King menu adds wild kids' meal toys parents will want tooPopular chicken chain is begging customers to give it another chance "While there is still work to be done to unlock our full potential, we are moving forward with a sense of urgency and confidence in our ability to deliver on our promise to be the best pizza makers in the business," said Papa Johns CEO Todd Penegor in an earnings call. To reverse declines and widen its price range, the company has strategically created a better balance between full-priced menu items and value offerings. In March, Papa Johns heavily promoted its Epic Stuffed Crust Pizza, priced at around $13.99, alongside its $6.99 Papa Pairings deal, which it says helped increase pizza orders during the national promotion. Papa Johns has launched a limited-time promotion where customers can get a free large one-topping pizza by purchasing any large pizza at regular menu price, allowing them to get two pizzas for the price of one. This deal can be redeemed until July 27 at all participating Papa Johns locations nationwide when ordering through the app or official website. However, Papa Johns is not the only pizza chain using this deal strategy to lure customers into its doors. Related: Coca-Cola brings back controversial Coke flavor Rivals like Pizza Hut, Domino's, and Little Caesars have also joined the promotional train to defeat this concerning consumer trend, adding fire to the competition. Yum! Brands' (YUM) Pizza Hut recently released the "$2 Tuesday Deal," which lets customers get a one-topping Personal Pan Pizza for $2 every Tuesday in July. Domino's (DPZ) launched its "Mix & Match Deal," where customers can choose any two or more select menu items for $6.99 each. Little Caesars entered the value meal trend by unveiling the new "More for $9.99," which lets customers mix and match multiple items to create their pizza feast for $9.99. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
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White House Push for Cane-Sugar Coke Reignites Soda Wars
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