For many Americans, 2025 wasnt a great year financially. The affordability crisis and general economic concerns became defining themes of the year as people dealt with rising costs and a worsening job market.
But for billionaires, 2025 was a boon to their already exuberant wealth.
The 15 richest billionaires in the United States saw their wealth grow by more than $1 trillion over 2025, according to a new analysis from the Institute for Policy Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank
As of the end of 2025, those 15 billionaireseach with assets over $100 billionhave a combined wealth of $3.2 trillion, up from $2.4 trillion a year ago.
Thats a gain of 33%, which is more than double the growth of the S&P 500 in the same time period, the Institute for Policy Studies notes. Over 2025, the S&P 500 rose 16%. (A double-digit gain is strong, but it is down from recent years; the S&P 500 returned 23% in 2024, and 24% in 2023.)
How the wealth of the top 5 richest billionaires has changed
Not only did billionaires get richer in 2025, but more Americans became billionaires.
At the end of 2024, there were 813 billionaires in the U.S., according to an Institute for Policy Studies analysis of Forbes data. Those billionaires had a combined wealth of $6.72 trillion.
By the end of 2025, there were 935 billionaires in the U.S., and their combined wealth totaled $8.1 trillion.
When Forbes first began tracking the 400 wealthiest Americans in 1982, there were just 13 billionaires on the list.
The top five wealthiest billionaires have changed over the last year, too. At the beginning of 2025, the top wealthiest billionaires were Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Google cofounder Larry Page.
This year, Zuckerberg was bumped off that list, and Google cofounder Sergey Brin joined its ranks; 2025 was the best year for Googles stock since 2009, with shares growing 65%, buoyed in part by the tech giants push into artificial intelligence.
In contrast, the stock price for Zuckerbergs Meta Platforms grew about 13%. Though Meta also focused on AI, its strategy was more scattershot, experts have said, leading to internal confusion and the tech company falling behind other AI leaders.
In its analysis, the Institute for Policy Studies broke down the current top five billionaires, and how their wealth increased from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2026. They are:
Elon Musk of Tesla/X and SpaceX: worth $726 billion, up from $421 billion a year ago
Larry Page of Google: worth $257 billion, up from $156 billion a year ago
Larry Ellison of Oracle: worth $245.billion, up from $209 billion a year ago
Jeff Bezos of Amazon: worth $242.billion, up from $233.5 billion a year ago
Sergey Brin of Google: worth $237 billion, up from $148.9 billion a year ago
The rich got even richer all around the world. According to a Bloomberg analysis, global billionaire wealth increased $2.2 trillion. (That analysis was released several days before December 31.)
An affordability crisis for average Americans
This stark increase in wealth among the already wealthy comes as many Americans are struggling with affordability.
Nearly half of Americans surveyed in a November 2025 Politico poll said they find it difficult to afford groceries, utility bills, healthcare, housing, and transportation.
Last year was filled with these stories: about grocery prices increasing, utility bills skyrocketing, and healthcare premiums surging ahead of the expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.
This crisis is expected to get even worse, experts say, as cuts to programs like Medicaid and food stamps will take effect in 2026. Those cuts are part of President Trumps budget bill, which he called the Big Beautiful Bill and signed into law 2025.
The cost-of-living crisis has led to a new public focus on both affordability and wealth inequality. That was seen in the election victory of Zohran Mamdani, who was sworn in as New York City mayor on January 1.
Mamdani campaigned on making New York more affordable, and received notable support from public figures, including Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former labor secretary Robert Reich, both of whom have frequently criticized billionaires.
More everyday Americans seem to be paying attention to inequality and criticizing billionaires, too.
In a 2025 Harris Poll, nearly three-quarters of Americans said wealth inequality is a serious national issue, and 67% said billionaires are “creating more of an unfair society.”
Americas National Parks offer some of the countrys most impressive vistas and that fact draws hundreds of millions of people to the parks each year. But more changes are on the way for the National Parks in 2026 and visitors arent likely to be happy with all of them.
Anyone traveling to visit a destination thats part of the park system especially from abroad should expect to see an array of new policies implemented under the Trump administration, which already made sweeping cuts to the parks budget and began to weave its America first agenda into some of the countrys most cherished places in 2025.
On some level, the Trump administration is trying to reshape the National Parks system into a microcosm of its own ideology, with perks for Americans, higher costs for everyone else, and a new aesthetic that puts a very specific idea of patriotism at its center.
Entry changes on the way this year
Starting in 2026, the parks will offer more dates with free entry for visitors, but only U.S. residents will get in for free. The Trump administration will remove existing free admission dates on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, while adding a new holiday for President Trumps birthday. The new patriotic fee-free dates, are as follows:
Presidents Day (February 16, 2026)
Memorial Day (May 25, 2026)
Flag Day/President Trumps birthday (June 14, 2026)
Independence Day weekend (July 35, 2026)
110th Birthday of the National Park Service (August 25, 2026)
Constitution Day (Sept. 17, 2026)
Theodore Roosevelts birthday (Oct. 27, 2026)
Veterans Day (November 11, 2026)
For days with normal admission, entry into the parks can be obtained through a day pass (previously $35 or less for a vehicle with a lower cost for visitors without a car) or with the annual America the Beautiful pass. While some parks dont charge admission at all, the most visited parks do and thats where park visitors are likely to notice the changes.
In many instances, day pass pricing will go up for non-U.S. residents, who will now need to pay $100 per person to get into 11 of the most popular parks. Parks with higher day fees starting this year are Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion National Parks. The annual pass will continue to cost $80 for U.S. residents, but the price will shoot up to $250 for visitors who dont live in the U.S.
President Trumps leadership always puts American families first, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said. These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.
Motorcycle riders will also get special status under the 2026 changes. Starting this year, one annual pass covers entry for two motorcycles, making national park adventures more accessible for riders and families who travel on two wheels.
While that news is a boon for motorcyclists, it may also put an additional burden on parks where two-wheeled accidents are common. Because many of Americas most beautiful places also feature winding roads, dramatic cliffs and quick-changing weather, motorcycle accidents feature prominently in the incident reports that track injuries and fatalities in the National Parks.
Changing a well-loved design to be patriotic
Controversially, the administration will also change the design for the annual passes, which traditionally feature animals and nature scenes showcasing a particular parks natural beauty.
This year, the Trump administration will introduce new, modernized graphics for all annual passes, featuring bold, patriotic designs, a change that has many annual passholders on social media brainstorming workarounds to avoid a possible Trump-centric design, including vinyl stickers that raise money for the National Parks Foundation. Many annual parks pass holders, author included, collect the passes from year to year and enjoy discovering each years fresh nature design.
The look and price of the annual pass isnt the only thing changing. This year will be the first to introduce a digital version of the America the Beautiful pass. The system previously relied on National Parks visitors holding onto a credit card-sized pass for a full calendar year, with little recourse if they misplaced it. The digital pass option, new designs notwithstanding, is one of the only new pass changes that even Trumps critics will probably appreciate in 2026.
Many changes already swept the National Parks in 2025
2025 was a year of dramatic change to the National Parks system, which is still reeling from the government shutdown, budget cuts and additional strain to its already tight resources.
In March, the Trump administration directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to remove any displayed signage, books, monuments or installations that “inappropriately disparage Americans, past or living.” In an executive order, the Trump administration claimed that a corrosive ideology spread by political opponents like the Biden administration unfairly painted a picture of America as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.
Instead of capturing accurate historical accounts that place the national parks into context, the Trump administration prioritizes painting America in a positive light and glossing over the more complex human story of many of the countrys most beautiful places, which often sit on land once occupied by Native American tribes.
A rocky year for parks employees
New policies reshaping the National Parks in 2026 may do little to address the underlying problems the NPS faces, many of which have been worsened by the Trump administration itself.
An investigation by The New York Times found that over 90 National Parks reported problems between April and July 2025 related to federal budget cuts, staff departures and a freeze on hiring. Those problems include reduced visitor center hours, skipped visitor fees, vanishing educational programming and even dirtier bathrooms, as a smaller parks workforce is spread even thinner than before.
Since Trump took office, the NPS has lost a quarter of its permanent workers, including many who accepted the administrations buyout offer for federal employees. At least 20 percent of the national parks were understaffed or significantly strained in 2025, according to internal interior department data obtained by the Times. Many parks also face other serious issues that could impact visitor safety, including a growing backlog of trail maintenance tasks and a reduced emergency services response a risky proposition in some of Americas wildest landscapes.
Outgoing director of the National Park Service Charles F. Chuck Sams, the first Native American named to lead the NPS, expressed deep concern about the impact on park staff in an interview with Underscore Native News early this year.
How can the national parks be healthy and happy if their staff are not healthy and happy? Sams asked. I have great concerns for the staff of the National Park Service. You can feel their angst, their confusion and their frustration and their anger.
This new year comes with a new moon. Skywatchers are in for a treat this weekend as 2026 rings in the first supermoon of the year, along with a Quadrantid meteor shower.
The January full “wolf moon” is forecast to appear overnight into tomorrow morning Saturday, January 3, peaking at 5:03 a.m. ET when it will be at its fullest, according to EarthSky.
However, don’t be fooled: It will appear full both nights, due to its close proximity to Earth (making it appear 14% larger), and proximity to Jupiter and Gemini’s twin starsall of which will make it appear even brighter.
All that light, however, could make it harder to see the Quadrantid meteor shower: bright, short-lived fireballs that can streak across the sky at up to 120 per hour, and come from debris left behind by asteroid 2003 EH1.
January’s supermoon is, technically, the last in a string of four consecutive supermoons that started in late 2025. Simultaneously, it’s the first of three supermoons on deck for 2026. The others follow in November and December.
Why is it called a wolf moon?
January’s annual “wolf moon” is thought to be named after the animal, which is known to howl during long winter nights, per the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Native Americans used the moons to track the seasons, and the wolf moon may have gotten its name from European settlers.
How to view this ‘wolf moon’
To view the wolf moon, look to the eastern horizon tonight at dusk, Friday January 2, right before sunset.
“It will appear particularly large while close to the horizon thanks to a phenomenon called the “moon illusion,” a visual effect that makes low-hanging moons seem oversized,” according to Space.com. (Also, check out the sunset on Saturday, January 3, for same effect.)
This winter’s supermoon will be easier and more convenient to see because it will be visible low in the sky once its dark, and then climb higher in the sky, according to BBC’s Sky at Night magazine.
President Donald Trump has spent much of his two-week vacation in Florida golfing. But when he gets back to the White House, there’s a military golf course that he’s never played that he’s eyeing for a major construction project.
Long a favored getaway for presidents seeking a few hours solace from the stress of running the free world, the Courses at Andrews inside the secure confines of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the White House are known as the president’s golf course.” Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Joe Biden have spent time there, and Barack Obama played it more frequently than any president, roughly 110 times in eight years.
Trump has always preferred the golf courses his family owns spending about one of every four days of his second term at one of them. But he’s now enlisted golf champion Jack Nicklaus as the architect to overhaul the Courses at Andrews.
Its amazing that an individual has time to take a couple hours away from the world crises. And theyre people like everybody else, said Michael Thomas, the former general manager of the course, who has golfed with many of the presidents visiting Andrews over the years.
Andrews, better known as the home of Air Force One, has two 18-hole courses and a 9-hole one. Its facilities have undergone renovations in the past, including in 2018, when Congress approved funding to replace aging presidential aircraft and to build a new hangar and support facilities. That project was close enough to the courses that they had to be altered then, too.
Trump toured the base by helicopter before Thanksgiving with Nicklaus, who has designed top courses the world over. The president called Andrews a great place, thats been destroyed over the years, through lack of maintenance.
Other golfers, though, describe Andrews grounds as in good shape, despite some dry patches. Online reviews praise the course’s mature trees, tricky roughs, and ponds and streams that serve as water hazards. The courses are mostly flat, but afford views of the surrounding base.
“They all like to drive the cart”
The first president to golf at Andrews was Ford in 1974. Thomas began working there a couple years later, and was general manager from 1981 until he retired in 2019.
He said the Secret Service over the years used as many as 28 golf carts as well as the president’s usual 30-car motorcade to keep the perimeter secure.
Its a Cecil B. DeMille production every time, said Thomas, who had the opportunity to play rounds with four different presidents, and with Biden when he was vice president.
He said the commanders in chief generally enjoyed their time out on the course in their own unique ways, but they all like to drive the cart because they never get an opportunity to drive.”
Its like getting your drivers license all over again,” Thomas laughed.
Trump golfs most weekends, and as of Friday, has spent an estimated 93 days of his second term doing so, according to an Associated Press analysis of his schedules.
That tally includes days when Trump was playing courses his family owns in Virginia, around 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the White House, and near his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago, where he’s spending the winter holidays. It also includes 10 days Trump spent staying at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where his schedule allowed time for rounds of golf.
Trump has visited Andrews in the past, but the White House and base have no record of him playing the courses.
Another of Trump’s construction projects
Andrews military history dates to the Civil War, when Union troops used a church near Camp Springs, Maryland, as sleeping quarters. Its golf course opened in 1960.
The White House said the renovation will be the most significant in the history of Andrews. The courses and clubhouse need improvements due to age and wear, it said, and there are discussions about including a multifunctional event center as part of the project.
President Trump is a champion-level golfer with an extraordinary eye for detail and design,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement. “His vision to renovate and beautify Joint Base Andrews’ golf courses will bring much-needed improvements that service members and their families will be able to enjoy for generations to come.
Plans are in the very early stages, and the cost of and funding for the project haven’t been determined, the White House said. Trump has said only that it will require very little money.”
The Andrews improvements join a bevy of Trump construction projects, including demolishing the White Houses East Wing for a sprawling ballroom now expected to cost $400 million, redoing the bathroom attached to the Lincoln bedroom and replacing the Rose Gardens lawn with a Mar-a-Lago-like patio area.
Outside the White House, Trump has led building projects at the Kennedy Center and wants to erect a Paris-style arch near the Lincoln Memorial, and has said he wants to rebuild Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, the Trump administration ended a lease agreement with a nonprofit for three public golf courses in Washington which could allow the president to further shape golfing in the nation’s capital. The White House, however, said that move isn’t related to the plans for Andrews.
Presidential pers of golfing at Andrews
When the president is golfing, Andrews officials block off nine holes at a time so no one plays in front of him, allowing for extra security while also ensuring consistent speed-of-play, Thomas said.
That’s relatively easily done, given that the courses aren’t open to the public. They’re usually reserved for active or retired members of the military and their families, as well as some Defense Department-linked federal employees.
Thomas remembers playing a round with the older President Bush, a World Golf Hall of Fame inductee known for fast play, while first lady Barbara Bush walked with Millie, the first couples English Springer Spaniel. George W. Bush also played fast, Thomas said, and got additional exercise by frequently riding his mountain bike before golfing.
When he wasn’t golfing at Andrews, Obama tried to recreate at least part of the experience back home. He had a White House golf simulator installed after then-first lady Michelle Obama asked Thomas how they might acquire a model that the president had seen advertised on the Golf Channel. Thomas gave her a contact at the network.
Obama famously cut short a round at Andrews after nine holes in 2011 to hustle back to the White House for what turned out to be a top-secret review of final preparations for a Navy SEAL raid on the compound of Osama bin Laden.
But, while Thomas was golfing with presidents, he said he never witnessed play interrupted by an important call or any major emergency that forced them off the course mid-hole. There also were never any rain-outs.
If there was rain coming, theyd get the weather forecast before we would, Thomas said. They would cancel quick on that.
By Will Weissert, Associated Press
A new year has brought a new pay rate for more than 8.3 million Americans.
The minimum wage is going up in 19 states this week which will see workers in Hawaii earning as much as $2 more an hour. Collectively, these pay increases will boost pay checks by a total of $5 billion, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
While the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour hasnt budged in nearly two decades, and still applies in eight states, many states and cities have steadily been increasing their minimum wages to well over double that amount. Seattles minimum wage, at $21.30 per hour, is now nearly triple that federal threshold.
As is the case with Seattle, 47 cities and counties around the country have also increased their minimum wages, effective January 1. Heres a look at whats changed.
PAY IS GOING UP MOST IN HAWAII
Hawaii leads the 19 states with the biggest pay increase for workers this year, as its minimum wage has jumped to $16 per hour, up from $14 previously. And more than 21% of its workforce will benefit from this new legislation, according to the Economic Policy Institute.
But not all pay increases are alike. Several states have increased their minimum wages by less than 50 cents an houran amount that adds up to a difference of only several hundred dollars per year in gross earnings. Minnesota workers are only seeing a 28 cent hourly increase, for example.
Arizona 2026 minimum wage: $15.15, up 45 cents from $14.70 in 2025
California 2026 minimum wage: $16.90, up 40 cents from $16.50 in 2025
Colorado 2026 minimum wage: $15.16, up 35 cents from $14.81 in 2025
Connecticut 2026 minimum wage: $16.94, up 59 cents from $16.35 in 2025
Hawaii 2026 minimum wage: $16, up $2 from $14 in 2025
Maine 2026 minimum wage: $15.10, up 45 cents from $14.65 in 2025
Michigan 2026 minimum wage: $13.73, up $1.25 from $12.48 in 2025
Minnesota 2026 minimum wage: $11.41, up 28 cents from $11.13 in 2025
Missouri 2026 minimum wage: $15, up $1.25 from $13.75 in 2025
Montana 2026 minimum wage: $10.85, up 30 cents from $10.55 in 2025
Nebraska 2026 minimum wage: $15, up $1.50 from $13.50 in 2025
New Jersey 2026 minimum wage: $15.92, up 43 cents from $15.49 in 2025
New York 2026 minimum wage: $16, up 50 cents from $15.50 in 2025
Ohio 2026 minimum wage: $11, up 30 cents from $10.70 in 2025
Rhode Island 2026 minimum wage: $16, up $1 from $15 in 2025
South Dakota 2026 minimum wage: $11.85, up 35 cents from $11.50 in 2025
Vermont 2026 minimum wage: $14.42, up 41 cents from $14.01 in 2025
Virginia 2026 minimum wage: $12.77, up 36 cents from $12.41 in 2025
Washington 2026 minimum wage: $17.13, up 47 cents from $16.66 in 2025
WASHINGTON CITIES LEAD WITH HIGHEST PAY
The $21.30 per hour minimum wage that went into effect in Seattle this week isnt even the highest in Washingtonthe pay in several localities are even higher. In Tukwila and Burlen, two Seattle suburbs, certain employers must pay workers a minimum of $21.65 and $21.63, respectively, in 2026.
While some cities, like San Francisco and Los Angeles, updated their minimum wage thresholds at the mid-year mark, most opt for pay changes to coincide with the calendar shange. Some localities explicitly tie their increases to inflation, as measured by the consumer price index that grew at a less-than-3% rate in 2025.
Workers in major metropolitan areas can potentially earn several dollars more than the states minimum wage. Employers in the following cities must pay their workers more this week.
New York City, Long Island, and Westchester 2026 minimum wage: $17, up $1 from $16 in 2025
San Jose 2026 minimum wage: $18.45, up 50 cents from $18.95 in 2025
Denver 2026 minimum wage: $19.29, up 48 cents from $18.81 in 2025
Minneapolis 2026 minimum wage: $16.37, up 40 cents from $15.97 in 2025
Even when Americans have health insurance, they can have a hard time affording the drugs theyve been prescribed.
About 1 in 5 U.S. adults skip filling a prescription due to its cost at least once a year, according to KFF, a health research organization. And 1 in 3 take steps to cut their prescription drug costs, such as splitting pills when its not medically necessary or switching to an over-the-counter drug instead of the one that their medical provider prescribed.
As pharmacy professors who research prescription drug access, we think its important for Americans to know that it is possible to get prescriptions filled more affordably, as long as you know how before you go to the pharmacy.
Cost of copays ranges widely
When you have health insurance and have to pay for a prescription drug at the pharmacy, youre usually covering the cost of your copay. This is the amount patients or their caregivers are expected to pay after insurance covers the rest of the tab.
If you get your health insurance through Medicaid, the government program that covers low-income Americans and people with disabilities, you should not have to pay anything at all to obtain prescription drugs. If there is a copay, it should be low probably less than US$5.
And if youre insured through Medicare, the government program that mainly covers people who are 65 and older, or get your coverage through a private health insurance company, its important to understand what to expect when you visit a pharmacy.
Most private insurance companies charge US$5 to $50 for prescription drug copays. The copays are tiered based on what the drug costs. Brand-name and specialty medications have higher copays; older generics have lower copays.
Some generic drugs and vaccines may even require no copay at all. While a copay is a flat fee, it can change over the course of the year based on whether or not you have met your deductible. The deductible is the amount of money you have to pay out of pocket before your insurance starts covering your prescriptions. Before your deductible is fully paid, you may be responsible for the full cost of your medications. After youve met your deductible for the year, you will only be required to pay the copay.
As newer, more expensive drugs enter the market, cost-sharing at the pharmacy has increasingly shifted from a copay to coinsurance.
In contrast with a flat copay, coinsurance means your insurance company will cover a certain percentage of the drugs cost, and youll pay the rest. Since the patients share is based on a percentage of the medications price, coinsurance often results in higher out-of-pocket costs than copays do.
New help for patients with Medicare coverage
Two new government programs could help make prescription drugs more affordable for millions of older Americans.
Starting in 2026, people who are insured through Medicare will pay no more than $2,100 out of pocket on prescription drugs over the year. That cap may be much lower than $2,100 due to a quirk in Medicares rules. Prescriptions filled after someone has paid the maximum allowable amount will cost them nothing at all.
In addition, the government launched the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan in 2025. This program, which is available to people over 65, helps spread what patients spend out of pocket on prescription drugs throughout the year, making that expense more predictable and easier to budget for.
Early data indicates that very few Americans are enrolled in the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. Patients insured through private companies do not have similar opportunities.
Consumers should find out if they qualify for state or federal programs on their medications.
Coupons and discount cards
What if you cant afford a copay for your prescription drug?
Before giving up on ever getting it, ask the pharmacist about your options.
It may be worth trying to use a free online tool, such as RxAssist, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, or a discount card from GoodRx, which is a publicly traded company.
GoodRx cards are free. They help people compare local pharmacy prices and to locate coupons that make prescriptions more affordable.
GoodRx works by searching for the lowest available price for the prescription at various pharmacies. Other copay coupons provided by the drug manufacturer may also work similarly by lowering the cost of the medication. On some occasions, the cash price at the pharmacy may actually be cheaper than the copay, and the pharmacist should be able to help you navigate these options.
Heres what you should know before giving GoodRx a try:
GoodRx collects individual data on patients, raising significant privacy concerns.
Some pharmacies do not accept GoodRx. You may have to visit more than one pharmacy to be able to activate its discounts.
These cards may make the most sense for uninsured or underinsured patients, but do not always help those whohave insurance because you might not get a better price. Whats more, if you use a discount card, the amount you pay may not count toward your insurance deductible for the year.
You should weigh the caveats closely depending on your circumstance.
Prescription assistance programs
Prescription assistance programs provide another cost-saving tool for Americans.
Drugmakers, nonprofits, and government agencies sponsor those programs, which help patients who are uninsured or underinsured even if they are on Medicare fill prescriptions either at a discount or for free.
These programs include manufacturer-specific programs as well as charitable pharmacies like Dispensary of Hope, NOVA Scripts Central, and the Patient Advocate Foundation. Qualifying criteria vary for these programs, but typically you must have a low income and be a citizen or a legal U.S. resident.
The Patient Access Network Foundation and RxAssist, two nonprofits that help Americans pay their medical bills, also offer helpful tools to identify programs that could work for you.
Assistance from these programs could cut your copay or even provide a prescription drug at no cost.
Separately, the Trump administration announced in November 2025 that a new White House prescription drug pricing program will soon begin to connect consumers to companies that have agreed to sell certain prescription drugs at a big discount.
Many experts dont expect the program, known as TrumpRx, to help people who have health insurance. Instead, it could be most likely to help those with no insurance at all. The new government program is slated to begin to roll out in 2026.
Direct-to-consumer models
Beyond coupons and assistance programs, a more radical shift is in the works: direct-to-consumer platforms and cash-payment models.
In 2025, several manufacturers offered to sell medications directly to patients on websites and patient portals at cash prices. For example, the drug manufacturer Eli Lilly is offering its popular weight-loss medication, Zepbound, on its website.
These websites have out-of-pocket costs that can run upward of $300 a month, making them too high for many, if not most, Americans to afford. And insurance companies have so far refused to cover them.
To be sure, the systems underlying these programs are still being built. We believe that the Trump administration would need to make a bigger effort to make it easier for millions of Americans to be able to afford filling their prescriptions.
Sujith Ramachandran is an associate professor of pharmacy administration at the University of Mississippi.
Adam Pate is a clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Mississippi.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Tesla lost its crown as the worlds bestselling electric vehicle maker on Friday as a customer revolt over Elon Musks right-wing politics, expiring U.S. tax breaks for buyers, and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row.
Tesla said that it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year earlier.
Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 million vehicles last year, is now the biggest EV maker.
It’s a stunning reversal for Musk, who once dismissed BYD as a threat as Tesla’s rise seemed unstoppable, crushing traditional automakers with far more resources and helping make him the world’s richest man.
For the fourth quarter, sales totaled 418,227, falling short of the 440,000 that analysts polled by FactSet expected. The sales total was impacted by the expiration of a $7,500 tax credit that was phased out by the Trump administration at the end of September.
Tesla stock was up 0.5% at $451.60 in early trading Friday.
Even with multiple issues buffeting the company, investors are betting that Tesla CEO Musk can deliver on his ambitions to make Tesla a leader in robotaxi service and get consumers to embrace humanoid robots that can perform basic tasks in homes and offices. Reflecting that optimism, the stock finished 2025 with a gain of approximately 11%.
The latest quarter was the first with sales of stripped-down versions of the Model Y and Model 3 that Musk unveiled in early October as part of an effort to revive sales. The new Model Y costs just under $40,000 while customers can buy the cheaper Model 3 for under $37,000. Those versions are expected to help Tesla compete with Chinese models in Europe and Asia.
For fourth-quarter earnings coming out in late January, analysts are expecting the company to post a 3% drop in sales and a nearly 40% drop in earnings per share, according to FactSet. Analysts expect the downward trend in sales and profits to eventually reverse itself as 2026 rolls along.
Investors have largely shrugged off the falling numbers, choosing to focus on Musk’s pivot to different parts of business.
He has been saying that plunging car sales dont matter as much now because the future of the company lies more with his new driverless robotaxis service, the companys energy storage business and building robots for the home and factory. To make his task worthwhile, Teslas directors awarded Musk a potentially enormous new pay package that shareholders backed at the annual meeting in November.
Musk scored another huge windfall two weeks ago when the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a decision that deprived him of a $55 billion pay package that Tesla doled out in 2018.
Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire later this year when he sells shares of his rocket company SpaceX to public for the first time in what analysts expect would be a blockbuster initial public offering.
This story has been corrected to show that BYD sold 2.26 million vehicles last year, not 2.26.
Associated Press
A group of about 19 Buddhist monks and their rescue dog, Aloka, are walking from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to promote world peace. Their planned route spans approximately 2,300 miles across 10 states and is expected to take 120 days to complete.
Here’s what to know about their journey and how to follow along in real time:
Why are the monks walking?
The group has been sharing updates about their journey on their official Walk for Peace Facebook page. According to the Facebook page, the walk is intended to promote the awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world.
Their movement has drawn massive support across social media, attracting more than 575,000 Facebook followers and over 618,000 Instagram followers. The group even has social media accounts for their furry companion, Aloka the Peace Dog, who has some 210,000 followers on Facebook.
They use the Facebook page to share updates, photos, and messages of hope with their supporters. The monks are accepting support along the way. The group welcomes anyone, regardless of their beliefs, to show support by donating, volunteering, or sharing their message.
When did they start walking and how long will it take?
The group left the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and should arrive in Washington, D.C., in mid-February.
Theyre walking at a mindful pace of 20 to 30 miles each day. Along the way, the monks have been greeted by crowds of supporters.
The walking journey has not been without obstacles
In November, while walking about 30 miles east of Houston, Texas, two monks were injured after a car hit one of the groups escort vehicles.
Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan, a senior monk, was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital. His injuries were severe, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. After spending over a month in the hospital, he returned to his home temple in Snellville, Atlanta.
The renaming group members have continued their mission while he offers support from afar. Earlier this week, the group stopped to visit with him when they passed through his city.
Since the incident occurred, local police departments have stepped up to volunteer to escort the monks as they continue their cross-country endeavor.
Where are the monks now?
Today, theyre making their way to Monroe and Good Hope, Georgia, according to an early-morning post on Facebook.
How can I follow the monks along their journey?
Despite encountering some challenges along the way, the monks are now more than halfway through the planned journey.
You can track their progress and see where the monks are in real time on a live interactive map created with Google Maps. Their Facebook page is the best resource for up-to-date information on the daily route.
After years of career experiments, two clear life paths stand out to me. Just two choices people make, sometimes without realising it. Decisions that define almost every area of our lives. The most successful people pick one of these paths early. And stick around long enough for it to work. Everything that follows grows from those two decisions. The work you do. The skills you build. And the doors that open for you. Ive seen both work. Different roads. But they can all help you build the life you want. You dont need to have it all figured out. You cant. No one can. But once you understand these two choices, you start aiming for what you want.
Choice one: Be the best at one thing
Hone your specific knowledge. This path cannot be any clearer. You pick one skill. One craft. One path. And you go all in. Not ten things. One. You wake up thinking about it. You go to sleep obsessing over it. You become it. And own it. This choice scares people. It feels limiting. Like youre closing doors. You are. Thats the point. Choice one is the engineer whos been solving similar problems for decades. Or the writer whos still honing her craft after everyone quits. The rewards compound over the years. Skills stack in your favour. Reputation grows. Doors open because people trust you to deliver. When you commit to one thing, you know what to say yes to. You know what to ignore. That alone puts you ahead of most people. But you have to get it right from the start. Think ten, twenty years down the line. Are you still happy doing the same thing? Will automation reduce the demand for your skill?
Specific knowledge matters. It runs the primary systems we all rely on. For a writer, its their voice. For a surgeon, its a skill. The stuff people cant Google in five minutes. If you become the best at something, really the best, you can be so good they cant ignore you. But the process takes time. You need more than ten thousand hours for that. Being the best takes sacrifice. Years. Maybe decades. Youll have to say no to almost everything else. And hope AI doesnt disrupt your path to the life you want. This route works. But its rare. And its not for everyone.
Choice two: Master meta-skills
You build range on purpose. You are not great at just one thing. But youre very good at two or more. You stand out by combining many strengths. Meta-skills are skills that help you learn other skills faster. They travel with you. Things like learning how to learn, writing clearly, thinking in systems and talking or listening to people. Mastering meta-skills means you are not attached to one identity. You know how to ask good questions, how to break problems down. And how to teach yourself new things. You switch between different sets.
You collect experiences. You learn fast by adapting. Different roles. Different industries. Different people. Ive seen friends do this well, too. They easily go from design to marketing to product. They are good at connecting dots that other people miss. You dont need to be the smartest person in the room. You need to adapt faster than the room changes. And it changes a lot.
If youre good at coding and public speaking you have leverage. Most programmers cant pitch. You can. That becomes your strength. Or maybe youre solid at business strategy and strong at storytelling. That combination makes you unstoppable. The secret is to stack rare but useful skills. It creates a mix thats hard to copy. Thats how you become irreplaceable. Be interesting and useful in a combination of ways.
How the two choices work together
This is the part people struggle with. If you only pick one thing, you risk getting stuck when things are changing. But you can still win if you pick right. And hone a few meta-skills too. If you only collect meta-skills, you stay indispensable. Together, they compound. Your specific skill makes you extraordinary. Your meta-skills give you range. You become irreplaceable without getting rigid. You can pivot without starting from zero. Thats how careers last. Thats how confidence grows.
Ive changed my one thing more than once. Each time, the meta-skills came with me. If you are already on a specific path, what skills would make you better at learning anything else later? Keep an open mind. Designing your extraordinary life is not really about which option is better. But the path that works better for you. For the life you want.
By all means, pick one thing. And own it. But then, look up. Learn the skills that let you keep moving. Use your specific knowledge as a foundation.
A great life is the work youre known for, connected by the wisdom you apply daily. Dont let your one amazing skill become your entire personality. Let it be the foundation. Then build everything else on top of it with the meta-skills.
President Donald Trump signed a New Year’s Eve proclamation delaying increased tariffs on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for a year, citing ongoing trade talks.Trump’s order signed Wednesday keeps in place a 25% tariff he imposed in September on those goods, but delays for another year a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture and 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and vanities.The increases, which were set to take effect Jan. 1, come as the Republican president instituted a broad swath of taxes on imported goods to address trade imbalances and other issues.The president has said the tariffs on furniture are needed to “bolster American industry and protect national security.”The delay is the latest in the roller coaster of Trump’s tariff wars since he returned to office last year, with the president announcing levies at times without warning and then delaying or pulling back from them just as abruptly.The Trump administration on Wednesday also signaled it may back away from a steep tariff proposed on Italian pasta that would have put the rate at 107%. The U.S. had threatened to add a heavy tariff on Italian pasta makers after the U.S. Commerce Department launched what it said was a routine antidumping review based on allegations that the pasta makers sold product into the US at below-market prices and undercut local competitors.A final decision on the sanctions was scheduled for Jan. 2, with the option of extending it.The Commerce Department said Wednesday that based on a new review, the rates would be lowered to between 2.26% and 13.89% for the pasta makers because they had addressed many of the department’s concerns. A final decision is now set for March 12.Italian farm lobby Coldiretti and another food industry association, Filiera Italia, welcomed the development. The two lobby groups had strongly objected to the original tariffs and urged the Italian government to intervene.The two associations said the original proposed tariffs would have doubled the cost of a plate of pasta for American families, “opening the door to Italian-sounding products and penalizing the authentic quality of Made in Italy.”They reported that in 2024, Italian pasta exports to the U.S. amounted to 671 million ($787 million).“Coldiretti and Filiera Italia will continue to defend our premium pasta exported to the U.S. market, which we have also supported with a strong campaign in the international media,” the associations said in a statement.
Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report.
Michelle L. Price, Associated Press
