President Donald Trump fired Gail Slater, his top antitrust enforcer, on Thursday over concerns she was failing to aggressively pursue his affordability agenda, according to multiple sources.

Slater announced her departure on X on Thursday, saying she was leaving with “great sadness and abiding hope” and that it was the “honor of a lifetime to serve” in her role. But her ouster was unsurprising to those familiar with the antitrust division.

Slater, a one-time policy adviser to Vice President JD Vance, left a string of controversies in her wake, and, according to conversations Fox News Digital had with multiple sources, she was seen as too lax on the issue of affordability in the eyes of Justice Department leadership, leading to her termination.

MIKE DAVIS: HOW THE TRUMP DOJ IS HOLDING GOOGLE ACCOUNTABLE

In one heated controversy, Slater opposed the DOJ settling a lawsuit that would have blocked a merger between Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks. But Attorney General Pam Bondi and national security officials wanted to move forward with the settlement and overruled Slater, sources said. The sources said the dispute fractured Slater’s relationship with leadership and became so contentious that it led to the ouster of two of her deputies.

In November, as part of the administration’s broader push to lower consumer costs, Trump accused “foreign-owned meat packing cartels” of colluding to drive up beef prices, prompting the DOJ antitrust division to reopen a meatpacking case first brought during his previous administration.

The case is centered on bringing the price of meat down, but the antitrust division’s investigation has been moving slowly under Slater, frustrating leadership, sources said.

Asked for comment on Slater’s exit, Bondi reiterated Trump’s antitrust priorities in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“On behalf of the Department of Justice, we thank Gail Slater for her service to the Antitrust Division, which works to protect consumers, promote affordability, and expand economic opportunity,” Bondi said.

Other internal disputes have involved Slater’s decision to travel with staff to Paris, despite objections from leadership, and prematurely announcing the departure of her chief of staff on social media before Bondi overruled Slater and extended the staffer’s tenure.

Some of the criticisms made about Slater’s approach to lowering costs are in tension with ideas she outwardly promoted. Slater said in November that average Americans’ expenditures on housing, transportation and food were at “front of mind” and that her division had been working hard “to lower costs for American families.”

But one source summed up the internal grievances with Slater, saying she was “unwilling” to coordinate and cooperate with DOJ leadership and did not prioritize Trump’s goals of “economic prosperity and affordability” zealously enough.

Slater declined to comment for this story.

The antitrust division, which will now be led by acting chief Omeed Aseffi, is known for handling high-profile civil litigation with major tech companies, including Google, Apple and Meta, and is responsible for reviewing and approving large-scale corporate mergers.

Upon nominating Slater, a longtime antitrust lawyer, Trump touted her populist bona fides, noting her ties to Vance and her work on his National Economic Council. Trump praised her at the time for being tough on big tech, in particular, saying she would look out for so-called little tech companies and “Make America Competitive Again.”

SCOTUS ALLOWS TRUMP TO FIRE BIDEN-APPOINTED FTC COMMISSIONER

Some of Slater’s allies have indicated that during her time at the DOJ, she faced headwinds from lobbyists who say they are aligned with Trump but, in reality, shun a populist agenda.

Roger Alford, Slater’s former No. 2, said last year that she worked to “remain true to President Trump’s populist message that resonated with working-class Americans.”

“Antitrust enforcement that applies equal justice under the law can deliver tangible results for millions of Americans,” Alford said. “The MAGA-in-name-only lobbyists and the DOJ officials enabling them are pursuing a different agenda.”

Slater has also, however, leaned on former Democratic lobbyist and antitrust hawk Luther Lowe for outside advice, two sources said. Lowe has donated at least $150,000 to Democrats and none to Republicans, according to public records. Luther denied advising Slater in a statement.

“I’ve known Gail Slater professionally for years, but I’ve never served as an outside advisor to her in any capacity,” Lowe said. “Any suggestion otherwise is false.”

Another point of contention has been Slater’s communication with Robert Barnes, a vehemently anti-Trump lawyer, two sources said. Mike Davis, a Trump ally who has been celebrating Slater’s exit, also told Fox News Digital she had been engaging with Barnes.

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Slater had been welcomed into the antitrust division last March after gaining bipartisan support during the Senate nomination process and being confirmed 78-19.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said on X he was “sorry to see her leave” and that she looked out for rural America, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Mn., likewise called Slater’s exit a “major loss,” noting that Slater was in charge when the DOJ secured a landmark court victory against Google.

Russia has blocked the U.S.-based messaging app WhatsApp, the Kremlin announced Thursday, claiming the Meta-owned company failed to comply with local laws.

The move follows six months of pressure on WhatsApp and comes after Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram were banned in Russia in 2022 following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Due to Meta’s unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed taken and implemented,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

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Peskov instead urged Russians to use MAX, the country’s state-owned messaging app.

“MAX is an accessible alternative, a developing messenger, a national messenger, and it is available on the market for citizens as an alternative,” he said.

WhatsApp, Russia’s most popular messenger app, said in a statement that the Russian government “attempted to fully block” the app “in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app.”

“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” WhatsApp posted on X. “We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected.”

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Critics have claimed that MAX is a surveillance tool, which Russian authorities have denied.

Russian authorities have pushed for a communications infrastructure in which foreign-owned tech companies comply with local laws or face bans.

Other platforms, including Snapchat and YouTube, have also been blocked or restricted by Russian authorities. Meta was previously designated as an extremist organization in Russia.

Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, began restricting WhatsApp and other messenger services last August, according to Reuters, making it impossible to complete phone calls on them.

In December, Roskomnadzor accused WhatsApp of violating Russian law and of being a platform used “to organize and carry out terrorist acts on the territory of the country, to recruit their perpetrators and to commit fraud and other crimes.”

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WhatsApp has also been fined in Russian courts for failing to delete banned content.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The system was developed by Devon fisheries conservation experts Fishtek Marine

A ‘fish disco’ to deter marine life being sucked into pipes belonging to Hinkley Point C nuclear plant is “highly effective”, according to research carried out by scientists.

Sea trials by Swansea University have shown the ultrasound technology – developed by a Devon company – is able to keep target species away from the power station’s underwater tunnels.

The system is a network of speakers that play sounds under water to deter fish in the Severn Estuary from swimming close to cooling pipes.

It was developed by Totnes-based fisheries conservation firm Fishtek Marine and can be deployed and maintained without using divers. It is also more compact compared to earlier proposed systems that used more than 250 underwater loudspeakers, according to the Bridgwater plant.

The ‘fish disco’ is one of three separate protection systems being used by Hinkley Point C and is set to cost developer EDF, which commissioned the research, £700m.

The Somerset nuclear plant says it is already able to slow the speed of water entering the cooling tunnels, allowing fish to escape from as close as two metres in a 20-kilometre-wide channel, with a return system transferring fish back to the sea.

According to Dr David Clarke, fisheries scientist and marine ecologist at Swansea University, the early results are “very encouraging”. He added: “The system [is] clearly working.”

According to EDF, testing of tagged fish showed that after the acoustic deterrent was turned on, only one tagged twait shad came within 30 metres of the intake heads, compared to 14 when the system was off.

Successful completion of the testing, which will continue this year, would mean the power station can meet all its planning obligations on fish protection and the project believes further compensation measures should not be required.

Chris Fayers, head of environment at Hinkley Point C, said: “The successful testing of the acoustic fish deterrent is good news for the environment and for communities and farmers up and down the Severn.

“Because the system works even better than we had hoped, it means we can meet all of our planning obligations and should not need to create 900 acres of saltmarsh as environmental compensation. And it’s good news for a power station that will generate the reliable, low carbon electricity that the country needs.”

The results of the research, as part of an application for system deployment, will be submitted for regulatory consideration and approval later in the year.

Pete Kibel, managing director of Fishtek Marine, added: “We have now developed a highly effective system that will protect fish in the Severn Estuary and potentially be an option for many more power stations throughout the world.”

Hinkley Point C is Britain’s newest nuclear power station and is due to be open by 2031. It is set to provide six million UK homes with zero-carbon electricity when finished, but has been plagued by cost overruns and delays since it received government approval in 2016.

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Federal regulators said nearly 23,000 pounds of raw ground beef are being recalled over potential E. coli contamination.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Class1 recall Wednesday, warning that the product poses a high risk of causing “serious, adverse health consequences or death.”

The affected packages were produced on Jan. 14 by Idaho-based CS Beef Packers and were shipped to distributors in California, Idaho and Oregon.

Officials said the products were intended for further distribution to foodservice locations, such as restaurants and cafeterias, rather than for direct retail sale at grocery stores. 

THOUSANDS OF POPULAR PRODUCTS, INCLUDING DIET COKE, PRINGLES, RECALLED OVER RODENT CONTAMINATION CONCERNS

As of Wednesday, there have been no confirmed reports of illness associated with the recalled product, USDA said. 

The recalled items include 10-pound cylindrical packages, or chubs, of “Beef, Course Ground, 73L,” 10-pound chubs of “Fire River Farms Classic Beef Fine Ground 73L” and 10-pound chubs of “Fire River Farms Classic Beef Fine Ground 81L, with case codes 18601, 19583 and 19563, respectively.

All products have a “Use/Freeze By” date of Feb. 4, 2026, with time stamps between 07:03 and 08:32, printed on two stickers on the outside of the cardboard cases.

All products have a “Use/Freeze By” date of Feb. 4, 2026, with time stamps between 07:03 and 08:32. The date and time stamps appear on the clear packaging of the meat products and on two stickers on the outside of the cardboard cases.

RECALL OF CHEESE PRODUCTS UPGRADED TO HIGHEST DANGER LEVEL OVER LISTERIA-CAUSING BACTERIA: FDA

The issue was identified during testing by the department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at a downstream customer, with results showing the presence of E. coli O145.

Foodservice locations should check their freezers and not serve any of the suspicious products, regulators said, adding that customers should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

E. coli O145 infection typically causes diarrhea, often bloody, and vomiting two to eight days after exposure, with an average of three to four days.

Doctors usually diagnose the infection with a stool test. Treatment typically involves vigorous rehydration and other supportive care, and most people recover within a week.

POPULAR SALAD DRESSINGS, SOLD AT COSTCO AND REPORTEDLY PUBLIX, RECALLED OVER ‘FOREIGN OBJECTS’

In rare but serious cases, older adults, children under 5 and people with weakened immune systems can develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). It is marked by easy bruising, paleness and decreased urine output.

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Officials also stressed that consumers should always cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 °F to kill harmful bacteria.

Q4: 2026-02-12 Earnings Summary

EPS of $0.61 beats by $0.02

 | Revenue of $1.84B (16.56% Y/Y) beats by $39.87M

This article was written by

ET Intelligence Group: HUL‘s year-on-year sales volume growth recovered to a multi-quarter high of 4% in the December quarter after staying flat in the prior quarter, reflecting traction across major business segments.

However, it reported 70 basis point contraction in operating margin before depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda margin) at 23.3% driven by labour code related charges; the margin still remained above the company’s guidance band of 22-23% indicating lack of any stress from operating costs such as raw material prices and inventory management.

The FMCG major expects second half of the current fiscal year ending in March 2026 to be better than the first half and to report even better numbers next year. Its optimism is driven by progress in portfolio and channel transformation, and better macroeconomic scenario including improved consumer sentiments and better consumption demand in rural regions and improving urban traction.

The company’s shares fell 2% on Thursday after it reported a 30% YoY decline in net profit for the December quarter, largely on account of a one-off impact from labour code provisions. Excluding this and one-time gain from sales of the ice cream division, net profit grew by a modest 1%.
HUL’s inorganic growth strategy to expand in new consumer segments is paying off. The acquisition of Minimalist in January last year has helped the company to gain traction in the premium skincare space. The brand has grown faster under HUL. Its sales are not disclosed separately but is included in the beauty & wellbeing division. This division’s revenue grew fastest among all categories, rising 11% year-on-year and 5.3% sequentially. This segment’s share in total revenue has gradually increased to 24.2% in the December 2025 quarter from 20.8% in March 2025.

HUL’s decision to buy the remaining 49% stake in Zywie Ventures (Oziva), appears to be a part of the same strategy to drive long-term growth.