Discount strategy: Beginning in April, McDonald’s plans to roll out a new round of deals and discounts to stay competitive in the fast-food spending market. The effort will include a value menu featuring items priced at $3 or less, designed to give customers more flexibility and choice. The company is also preparing to introduce new $4 breakfast meal deals as part of the initiative. The move is part of a broader strategy the company has pursued for nearly two years to reinforce its reputation for affordability after franchisees, who set their own prices, raised menu prices during the inflation surge that followed the 2020 pandemic. Read more from The Wall Street Journal.
$1 trillion: For the fiscal year to date, the U.S. budget deficit totaled $1.004 trillion, about 12% lower than the comparable period in 2025, as government revenues rose faster than spending. Helping narrow the gap was a sharp increase in tariff collections. Customs duties totaled $151 billion through the first five months of the fiscal year, up about $113 billion, or 294%, from a year earlier. The recent Supreme Court decision striking down many of President Donald Trump’s tariffs has not shown up in the data yet. CNBC has the complete story.
AI regulations: Louisiana could risk roughly $800 million in federal broadband funding if lawmakers approve artificial intelligence regulations the Trump administration considers overly burdensome, according to state officials and policy advocates. The warning centers on the state’s allocation from the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, known as BEAD. The funding is overseen in Louisiana and is intended to expand high-speed fiber internet access in rural areas. According to Louisiana Economic Development, a December executive order from the Trump administration signaled that states could lose access to certain broadband funds if they enact restrictive AI laws. The Center Square has the full story.
