Trump's crypto bills: what does he stand to gain?
Trump hasn't always been a fan of crypto but after his sons caught on and tens of millions from the crypto industry poured into his re-election campaign, he's gone all in. Now, he's got multiple ventures but none as big as World Liberty Financial, the start-up that's earned his family an estimated $500 million so far.
But who is he striking these deals with? And why are some Democrats calling it all a "vehicle for corruption"? To untangle this complex web of policymaking, moneymaking and influence, we're joined by Jacob Silverman, the co-author of "Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud" and the host of The Naked Emperor, CBC Understood's four part podcast series about the rise and fall of FTX CEO Sam Bankman Fried.
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Globe and Mail
26 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Palantir Just Hit a Record High. What's the Smart Move Now?
Key Points The tech company's revenue growth rate accelerated in Q1. Palantir's commercial business in the U.S. is seeing explosive growth. The stock's wild valuation leaves no room for error. 10 stocks we like better than Palantir Technologies › Data and artificial intelligence company Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR) seemed to defy gravity in 2024. Shares more than quadrupled, rising a staggering 340%. With such an incredible rise, you'd be forgiven for guessing that the stock would cool off in 2025. But, so far, the opposite is true. Shares are heating up, rising by more than 105% year to date as of this writing. This has given the tech stock a gain of approximately 800% since the start of 2024. With shares trading at record highs. What should investors do? Does it make sense to buy more shares and hope the momentum continues? Or should investors take a more cautious approach and hold or even sell the stock? Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Soaring sales One thing Palantir really has going for it is its top-line growth. The tech company posted first-quarter revenue of $884 million, up 39% year over year. Highlighting the company's momentum, this was an acceleration from 36% year-over-year growth in the previous quarter. Fueling Palantir's first quarter of 2025 was 55% year-over-year growth in U.S. revenue. Accounting for $628 million of the quarter's total revenue, the U.S. market is vital for Palantir. Supporting this market was a 71% year-over-year increase in commercial revenue and a 45% jump in government revenue. Zooming out to all of the company's markets, Palantir said in its first-quarter update that it closed 139 deals worth $1 million or greater, 51 deals worth at least $5 million, and 31 deals worth $10 million or more. With these strong results now behind it, management had the confidence to raise full-year revenue guidance. The company said it now expects 2025 revenue to be between $3.890 billion and $3.902 billion. This compares to revenue of about $2.9 billion in 2024. The midpoint of management's 2025 revenue guidance range, therefore, assumes about 36% growth. This impressive top-line growth is bolstering profits. Palantir's first-quarter net income was approximately $214 million, more than double its profit of about $106 million in the year-ago quarter. Comments from Palantir co-founder and CEO Alexander Karp in the company's first-quarter earnings call suggest he believes the company is still in its early innings. "We are in the middle of a tectonic shift in the adoption of our software, particularly in the U.S..." Karp noted. "We are delivering the operating system for the modern enterprise in the era of AI." A valuation problem While Palantir's top-line momentum is certainly impressive, there's one big problem for investors: The market seems to have already priced in more rapid growth for years to come. Today, Palantir's market capitalization sits at about $365 billion -- more than 93 times the high end of management's guidance range for full-year 2025 revenue. Using the company's trailing-12-month sales, Palantir currently has a price-to-sales ratio of 123. This would be a high figure even for a price-to- earnings ratio. And what is Palantir's price-to-earnings ratio? It's 672. Yes, you heard that right. It's safe to say that investors have already bid up the stock to a level that prices in the most optimistic assumptions for this company. So, what should investors do? The decision is a personal one -- one that you'll have to make on your own. However, if I owned the stock, I'd sell. And for those who don't own shares, I'd avoid them like the plague at this price. Of course, I could be wrong. It's always possible that Palantir exceeds even my most bullish assumptions. Still, I believe there are likely better places with less risk and greater upside potential for investors to allocate their capital. Palantir is a great company. But expectations are simply too high. Investors would be wise to wait to see if they can buy shares at a better entry price. Should you invest $1,000 in Palantir Technologies right now? Before you buy stock in Palantir Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Palantir Technologies wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $652,133!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,056,790!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 15, 2025
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Family of a man crushed at an Atlanta homeless encampment sues the city
Family members and activists protest the death of Cornelius Taylor, an unhoused man killed when the city cleared an encampment last week, in front of City Hall in Atlanta on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File) ATLANTA — The family of a homeless man who died after a bulldozer crushed his tent during an encampment sweep sued the city of Atlanta on Friday over his death, calling it 'tragic and preventable.' The lawsuit filed by Cornelius Taylor's sister and son alleges that city employees failed to look to see if there was anyone inside the tents in the encampment before using a bulldozer to clear it. Taylor, 46, was inside one of the tents and was crushed by the truck when his tent was flattened, the lawsuit says. City officials had called for the clearing of the encampment in preparation for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The encampment was blocks away from Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King had preached. An autopsy report later revealed Taylor's pelvic bone had been broken and that he suffered damage to organs and internal bleeding. 'A tent that was occupied by a human being was crushed by this heavy equipment. That's obviously wrong,' attorney Harold Spence said. 'Nobody looked inside the tent, and if someone who looked inside had taken 10 seconds to do so, this tragedy could have been averted. And if you don't know what's inside, you don't crush it.' The lawsuit filed in Fulton County State Court asks for a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages, as well as repayment for medical expenses, funeral costs and legal fees. It was filed against the city and seven unnamed city employees, including the driver of the bulldozer. A spokesperson for Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement 'the incident involving Mr. Taylor was a tragedy' but that he could not comment on pending litigation. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that cities across the country can enforce bans on homeless camping. But clearings are controversial. Taylor's death sparked outrage among local advocates and neighbors at the encampment, who called the city's policies on clearing encampments deeply inhumane. They said the city faces a dire affordable housing shortage that makes it inevitable that people will end up living on the streets. The family's lawyers described the lawsuit as a call for city leaders to treat homeless people as deserving of 'respect and dignity' instead of rushing to clear their communities 'as if they were invisible.' City officials have said they are doing that. Right after Taylor's death, the city put a temporary moratorium on encampment sweeps. With the FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta next year, the city has since resumed clearing encampments with the controversial goal of eliminating all homelessness in the downtown area before then. Last week, the city closed the camp where Taylor lived and said officials co-ordinated with the local nonprofit who leads the city's homelessness services to offer people living there housing with supportive services. Lawyers said they were grateful for the city's efforts, but more work is needed. Members of the Justice for Cornelius Taylor Coalition said they are still paying for hotel rooms for eight former encampment residents. Taylor's lawyers and family called on Dickens' administration cut through red tape such as issues with documents and help the others get housing. Taylor's sister Darlene Chaney teared up during a Friday news conference where lawyers announced the lawsuit as she re-listened to descriptions of the gruesome injuries her brother suffered. She said Taylor loved to read everything from science fiction to the Bible. He was eager to leave the encampment to rebuild his life, and stayed positive about his future even as barriers such as getting him an ID slowed that process down, she said. She misses his 'annoying' weekly calls — and said now she only has one brother to annoy her. She misses having two. 'We're here, just because someone, in my own personal opinion, was lazy,' Chaney said. -—- Charlotte Kramon, The Associated Press Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Is Mexican Coke really better than the U.S. version? We put it to the test
Published Jul 19, 2025 • 3 minute read Ahhh, the allure of the glass-bottle Coke. Photo by Jennifer Beeson Gregory / The Washington Post Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This week, President Donald Trump delivered an out-of-the-blue announcement: He had spoken with Coca-Cola executives, he said, and they had agreed to start making Coke in the United States with cane sugar, instead of with high-fructose corn syrup. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account There was much to unpack in this declaration – for starters, whether Coca-Cola was actually on board with the move. (The company released a statement thanking the president for his 'enthusiasm' and promised unspecified 'new innovative offerings' in the future.) And, some skeptics wondered, was Trump just attempting to score a win on a popular matter to distract from a particularly tumultuous week, in which even his die-hard supporters are agitated over his handling of the case of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein? The proposed change also seemed to echo Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose campaign to 'Make America Healthy Again' includes weeding out high-fructose corn syrup, along with artificial dyes and other additives, from U.S. food products. Kennedy has blamed corn syrup for diseases including obesity and diabetes. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Whatever Trump's motivations and however real the prospect, many cola quaffers were delighted by the idea. Coke made in Mexico, where it is still produced with cane sugar, has a devoted following stateside. People have long raved about its more natural, authentic taste, compared with the formula used in the United States since the mid-1980s that has relied on high-fructose corn syrup for sweetness. Coca-Cola makes its products with sugar, not corn syrup, in other countries, including Britain and other parts of Europe. U.S. customers are probably more familiar with the Mexican version because it is widely imported. But wait a second, we thought. Was it possible that we were collectively deluding ourselves, perhaps persuaded by our bias toward a more natural, less processed product? Scientists have said that there is minimal nutritional difference between sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. Were we seduced by the nostalgia factor that Mexican Coke's glass bottles evoke? Maybe we were victims of the all-too-human inclination to feel just a tiny bit superior by declaring the status quo to be inferior. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. We decided to test the premise widely held by some food-loving folks: that Mexican Coke is far better than the domestic stuff. Regular (short) and Mexican (tall) bottles of Coca-Cola, made with high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar, respectively. Photo by Jennifer Beeson Gregory / The Washington Post The differences Coke made in Mexico lists the following ingredients: carbonated water, cane sugar, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavours and caffeine. U.S. Coke lists the same ingredients, except for the sweetener: carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavours and caffeine. Mexican Coke typically comes in glass bottles, whereas the U.S. variety is often found in plastic bottles or cans – although it is available in eight-ounce glass bottles, too. Some fans claim that glass is a superior vessel that does not impart any off flavours, unlike plastic or aluminum, although Coca-Cola insists that the cola is exactly the same regardless of the container and suggests that our 'perception of taste' can be influenced. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. We purchased imported Mexican Coke (which is widely available; ours came from a local Giant), as well as U.S.-made Coca-Cola, opting for the glass-bottled version to make the taste test as apples-to-apples as possible. We invited six colleagues – including a couple of sworn aficionados of Mexican Coke – to a blind taste test in which we served two samples, labeled only as 'A' and 'B.' Each was served, freshly opened and poured, in a plain drinking glass, to remove any visual cues that might affect drinkers' perceptions. We asked which one they thought was which – and which one they preferred. The verdict Five out of six correctly identified the Mexican Coke, and all five judged it to be their favourite. The lone outlying taster, a self-declared Mexican Coke superfan, unwittingly picked the U.S. version as his favourite. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The quality of the sweetness was the determining factor, according to our tasters. Mexican Coke had 'more of a natural sugar taste,' said one, while another found it showed off 'a more pleasant sweetness – almost like a deeper, more dimensional sweetness.' Tasters thought the U.S. version, by contrast, had a 'flat' sugary character and gave off 'a syrupy smell.' Another clocked a 'lingering aftertaste' in the domestic drink. A couple of tasters thought the Mexican version was pleasantly fizzier and lighter-bodied than the U.S. version. 'Slightly more carbonated,' as one put it. The extra bubbles elevated it, they found: 'It tastes crisper.' World MMA Toronto & GTA Tennis Celebrity
