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The U.S. Treasury Department imposed a $7.1 million fine on a New York-based property management firm Thursday, accusing it of violating sanctions by managing luxury real estate properties for oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who has close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control said Gracetown Inc. had received 24 payments between April 2018 and May 2020 totaling $31,250 on behalf of a company owned by Deripaska. OFAC says it gave Gracetown notice that dealings with Deripaska were prohibited, but the firm proceeded anyway. Justice Department filings from 2022 connect Gracetown Inc. with U.K. businessman Graham Bonham-Carter, who was arrested in October 2022 for conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions imposed on Deripaska as well as for wire fraud connected to funding Deripaskas U.S. properties and efforts to expatriate the oligarchs artwork to New York. A lawyer who has represented Deripaska previously didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Gracetown couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Deripaska has faced economic sanctions since 2018, when the Treasury Department accused him of acting for or on behalf of a senior Russian official and operating in the energy sector of the Russian economy. All of his assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction were blocked, and U.S. people and firms are prohibited from dealings related to Deripaska, his properties and his interest in properties. Deripaska sued The Associated Press in 2017 over a story that March about his business dealings with Paul Manafort, a former campaign chairman for President Donald Trump. Deripaska said the AP article was inaccurate and hurt his career by falsely accusing him of criminal activity. A federal judge dismissed the defamation and libel lawsuit that October. In 2022, Deripaska and three associates were criminally charged in New York with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions and plotting to ensure his child was born in the United States. Treasury says its Thursday enforcement action against Gracetown highlights the importance of following OFAC-issued guidance and the significant consequences that can occur from failing to do so. John K. Hurley, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial Intelligence, said “we will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who enable sanctioned actors. Gracetown was established in 2006 to manage three luxury real estate properties in New York and Washington, D.C., that Deripaska acquired around the same time through various legal entities. Fatima Hussein, Associated Press
Category:
E-Commerce
Its been less than two months since President Trump began his demolition of the White Houses East Wing to make room for his big, beautiful White House Ballroom, and the President is already parting ways with the original architect behind the project. On December 4, a White House spokesperson confirmed to The Washington Post that the original ballroom architect, McCrery Architects, has been traded in favor of the firm Shalom Baranes Associates. The swap comes after multiple reports that Trump and Jim McCrery, CEO of McCrery Architects, clashed repeatedly over the size and scope of the new ballroom. A screenshot of Shalom Baranes Associates portfolio site. [Screenshot: sbaranes.com] The construction of a giant ballroom is only one part of Trumps plan to remake the White House in his image. Over the past several months, hes updated the buildings interiors with his own Rococo-inspired aesthetics, overhauled the Oval Office into a gold-laden spectacle, and turned the Rose Garden patio into a Mar-a-Lago lookalike. Still, his plans to tear down the White Houses East Wing to build a $250 million, 90,000-square-foot ballrooma process thats already underwayis by far his most extreme renovation. And now, it seems hes opting for a new architect whos more willing to bend to his personal vision for the project. Heres everything you need to know about the shake-up, in a handy timeline: July 31 Late this summer, the Trump administration officially announced its plans to construct a White House ballroom. At the time, the administration named McCrery Architects as the team heading up the project. McCrery himself has been a vocal supporter of President Trumps push to make classical architecture a federal standard, once stating, Americans love classical architecture because it is our nations formative architecture and we love our nations formation. His firm is most known for designing Catholic churches and academic buildings. [Rendering: whitehouse.gov/McCrery Architects] October 20 In October, the Trump administration began tearing down major sections of the East Wing to make way for the massive ballroom. The move came despite both Trump and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitts earlier assurances that the project would not interfere with the existing structure. November 26 The Washington Post was the first to report tensions between McCrery and Trump. According to the publication, four people close to the project reported that McCrery repeatedly advised Trump to bring down the proposed size of the ballroom, pointing out that a 90,000-square-foot addition would overshadow the original White House. In a later report from The New York Times, further details about the disagreement emerged. Several sources told the publication that Trumps plans for the ballrooms size have grown dramatically since the plan was first proposed. In addition, Trump reportedly told people working on the ballroom that they did not need to follow permitting, zoning, or code requirements, and encouraged contractors to work quickly to meet the tight timetable of completion before 2029. It appears that McCrery may have always been doomed to exit the project at some point. One source told The Post that the small size of his workforce made it difficult to meet such intense deadlines. On top of that, McCrery Architects’ relative inexperience with a project of such massive scale and inherent public scrutiny likely set the stage for problems down the line. Construction continues on the White House grounds in Washington, D.C., in late October 2025. [Photo: Celal Gunes/Anadolu/Getty Images] December 4 Trumps split with McCrery Architects was officially confirmed to The Washington Post via a statement from White House spokesperson Davis Ingle, who named Shalom Baranes as the next in line to head up the project. Per The Post, McCrery will remain tied to the effort on a consulting basis. Baranes, who runs the firm Shalom Baranes Associates, is most known for leading a $1 billion renovation of the Pentagon back in 2001, though his firm has worked on other large-scale projects throughout D.C. Unlike McCrery, hes embraced a neo-traditionalist style. Back in 2017, he subtly spoke out against Trumpsimmigration ban in an op-ed for The Washington Post, wherein he described himself as a refugee and argued that his own success would be impossible without his fellow immigrants. My hope is that the Trump administration will take actions to ensure that the travel ban is indeed temporary, so that good, hard-working individuals fleeing tyranny can find a new home as I didand that each of them will be given the same opportunity to help build this great nation that I had, Baranes wrote at the time.
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E-Commerce
The year is quickly coming to an end, and that means tech platforms are tripping over themselves to roll out their year-end recapsall hoping to capture the virality that Spotifys Wrapped year-in-review recap commands each year. Already in December, weve seen Spotify Wrapped, Apple Music Replay, Amazon Music Delivered, and YouTube Recap, with more, like the popular Snapchat Recap, set to debut in the coming weeks. One of those debuts has occurred today, as well. Popular chat platform Discord has now released its personalized Wrapped-like recap: Discord Checkpoint. Heres what to know about it and how to view yours. Discord announced Discord Checkpoint 2025 Discord has announced that its personalized Discord Checkpoint recap will be rolling out to its users over the next few days. In previous years, Discord has announced a Checkpoint recap, but the start it released for it encompassed its global user base. Discord Checkpoint 2025 is the first time the platform is offering a year-in-review personalized for each of its individual users, provided they were active on the service enough to generate a Checkpoint recap, and that their privacy settings allowed the use of their data. What’s included in my Discord Checkpoint 2025? [Art: Discord] There are two main components of your Discord Checkpoint 2025. The first is a recap of your usage and interactions on the platform. Heres some of what your Discord Checkpoint 2025 will show you: How many messages you sent How many minutes in voice chat you spent How many emojis you posted What other Discord users you spent the most time with The servers you used the most But Discord 2025 Checkpoint will also display one of 10 Checkpoint cards. These cards represent 10 different types of Discord users. Your card will come with a matching avatar you can choose to display on your profile so other Discord users can see if youre in the same group. How can I access my Discord Checkpoint 2025? To access your Discord Checkpoint 2025, make sure you have the latest version of the desktop or mobile app. If you are using the desktop app: Click the flag option in the top-right corner. Your Checkpoint will be displayed. If you are using the mobile app: Tap the You tab in the bottom-right corner. Tap the Checkpoint banner. Your Checkpoint will be displayed. Can I share my Discord Checkpoint 2025? Yes, users can choose to share their Discord Checkpoint 2025. To share your Discrod Checkpoint, tap the Share button on the Summary page and then choose where youd like to share it. Discord Checkpoint 2025 will be available to Discord users until January 15, 2026.
Category:
E-Commerce
Being tired is practically a personality trait in corporate Americaespecially in 2025. Everybody is exhausted, it seems. Folks are doing fiftyleven jobs. Youre always juggling tasks, always late for the next meeting because the last one ran long. But when youre one of the few Black employees at the gig, theres a subconscious fear of looking like youre in over your head, especially with the looming fear of layoffs. So you push through, even when youre running on fumes. You go harder, telling yourself youll rest once you get through the busy patch. But thats a lie. The job is a perpetual busy patch.For months, I kept telling myself I was just tired. Regular tired. The kind of tired you fix with a good nights sleep and maybe a WFH power nap between meetings. But one random Tuesday, as I stared blankly at my laptop trying to decipher a three-sentence Slack message like it was hieroglyphics, it hit me: This wasnt normal fatigue. My mind was cooked. The exhaustion hit back in the spring, but it was nothing like the dramatics you see in movies. There were no panic attacks in the bathroom or conference room crashouts on Kyle. It showed up subtly, in little ways that I dismissed. Id reread emails multiple times because the words refused to connect in my mind. I had the attention span of a goldfish. Id get irrationally annoyed by people asking me perfectly reasonable questions. I was just . . . over it. I chalked it up to adulting, the natural byproduct of ambition and bills. This too shall pass, I thought.The breaking point wasnt cinematic. I was in a brainstorming session when I realized my mind felt blank. I managed to offer a few contributions to the meeting, but they were all cliché rehashes, none of the outside-of-the-box ideas Id usually bring to the table. I felt like Charles Barkley in Space Jam after the Monstars stole the NBA players skillslike a whole scrub. Shortly after, I took a week off. Booked a trip. But a change of scenery didnt fix anything. I came back just as fried, which was more depressing. I tried damn-near all of the things Solange sings about in Cranes in the Sky. Then I realized I required a factory reset. I began to make some real changes to improve my work-life balance. It wasnt just that I needed time away from the office; I needed better boundaries and mental-health maintenance. I began closing my laptop at a designated time, and keeping it closed until it was time to clock in the next day. I blocked off meeting-free focus time during workdays. I got a biweekly gym routine going. I stopped thinking of myself as a machine that could operate nonstop. Somewhere along my come up, I had convinced myself that I needed to treat my job like I was back in college. In those undergrad days, I felt the need to pile on electives and explore diverse fields of study. I wanted to be well-rounded and sure of my career path. But once I was in the workplace, it became about being marketable. I took on fringe projects outside of my job description to open myself up to new opportunities and, ideally, more moola. The game plan served me well until it didnt. Ive been taking it easy since then. I have nothing to prove to anyone else, or to myself. So I stay in my lane. I delegate more. I turn down things that arent my responsibility. Ive unlearned the foolish idea that rest is a reward, something I had to earn by pushing myself to the brink. Doing the most is a thing of the past. It took burning out for me to learn a simple truth: Nothing at work is worth losing yourself over. Not the project, not the promotion, not the pat on the back. Protect your energy like its finite, because it is. If youre feeling the kind of tiredness that sleep cant fix, follow the sage guidance of Ice Cube: Check yourself before you wreck yourself.
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E-Commerce
Every year, open enrollment forces Americans to confront a familiar dilemma: Pay more for coverage that delivers less, or gamble on going without it. This year, that choice has become even starker. Employers are shifting more costs to workers, marketplace premiums are poised to rise, fewer prescription drugs are covered by insurance, and 3.8 million people could lose insurance annually if Affordable Care Act subsidies arent extended. Together, these developments represent a structural break in the U.S. healthcare system. Its a perfect storm that will price many Americans out of health insurance altogethermany involuntarily, but some voluntarily. Fed up with skyrocketing premiums and deductibles that offer little protection, they’ll instead pay out-of-pocket for medical needs, hoping that they won’t face catastrophic expenses. Whats emerging is not a temporary coverage gap. Its a permanent coverage squeeze. One that will fundamentally reorder consumer behavior and redefine what access means. The implications for healthcare organizations are profound, and those who fail to adapt will struggle to stay relevant. SHIFT FROM COVERAGE TO CONTROL For decades, the U.S. healthcare model has been built on the assumption that insurance is the gateway to care. But when premiums and deductibles reach levels that rival a second mortgage, consumers start to ask a different question: What am I actually getting for this? Increasingly, the answer feels out of step with consumer expectations. High deductibles mean many people pay full price for most of their care anyway. Network limitations constrain choice. Surprise bills erode trust. And the complexity of benefits makes it nearly impossible to be an informed consumer. As a result, were seeing a quiet but significant reorientation. Consumers are moving from a coverage-first mindset to a control-first mindset. They want to understand costs upfront. They want to choose where they go for treatment. They want the ability to pay in ways that fit their budgets. And when the value equation breaks, theyre willing to bypass the system entirely. THE CONSUMER HEALTHCARE MARKET WILL EXPAND If current trends hold, 2026 could mark one of the largest expansions of the uninsured and underinsured population in more than a decade. But instead of disengaging from the healthcare system, these consumers are building a parallel path through it. They are demanding the same things they expect from the best retail and digital experiences: clarity, predictability, immediacy, and trust. This creates a massive opportunity, and a significant responsibility, for the industry. Companies that can simplify access, make pricing transparent, and deliver affordable pathways to care will become essential partners. Those that cling to legacy models built around opaque reimbursement flows will watch consumers go elsewhere. We already see evidence of this shift. People are embracing subscription-based care for predictable costs, using telehealth for speed and convenience, and relying on platforms like GoodRx to access lower prescription prices. Services like my company GoodRxs newly-launched telemedicine subscriptions for erectile dysfunction, hair loss, and weight loss are examples of how companies are meeting this demand, offering affordable, accessible healthcare options outside traditional insurance frameworks. WHAT HEALTHCARE LEADERS MUST DO NOW Healthcare has historically been built around the needs of institutions, not individuals. That era is ending. The organizations that thrive in the next phase will redesign around consumer agency and economic reality. Three shifts are essential: Make cash pricing a standard, not a contingency. If people are paying out-of-pocket, they need to see the cost clearly, consistently, and upfront. Transparent pricing should be a baseline expectation across providers, pharmacies, and manufacturers. Embed affordability into clinical decision making. Cost isnt a back office issue. It should be integrated into prescribing tools, clinical workflows, and patient conversations. Providers need real-time insights into cash prices and savings options so they can help patients make informed choices before they reach the pharmacy counter. Build care models that meet consumers where they are. Telehealth, retail clinics, asynchronous care, and hybrid models represent the way consumers want to access routine, preventive, and even chronic care. Healthcare companies must expand their presence in these channels or risk losing relevance. BUILD A CONSUMER-CENTRIC FUTURE The coverage squeeze is exposing something important: Consumers are demanding value, not just benefits. They want care that feels intuitive and affordable. They want to make decisions with clear information rather than insurance complexity. And they want healthcare that adapts to their lives. If we meet that demand, we have a chance to rebuild trust and deliver a healthcare experience that works for more people, regardless of their coverage status. If we dont, consumers will continue to chart their own path, with or without the traditional system. The next chapter of American healthcare wont be defined by the rise or fall of insurance premiums. It will be defined by whether we, as industry leaders, embrace a radically simple idea: When we design for the consumer first, everyone benefits. Wendy Barnes is president and CEO of GoodRx.
Category:
E-Commerce
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