Trump did not reveal his final choice to replace Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, but said he would like to keep Hassett in his current role.

“I see Kevin’s in the audience, and I just want to thank you. You were fantastic on television today,” the president said during remarks at the White House on Friday.

Former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh soared ahead in prediction markets betting on the next Fed chair Friday morning. Bloomberg via Getty Images

“I actually want to keep you where you are, if you want to know the truth.”

The odds of Warsh clinching the nomination jumped to 59% on Polymarket, while traders placed just a 15% chance that Hassett would land the job – following weeks in which markets placed better odds on Hassett.

Even current Fed Governor Christopher Waller, who has been considered a long shot, beat out the odds of a Hassett nomination with 15.6% on Polymarket. Traders also saw less than a 10% chance that BlackRock exec Rick Rieder could win the role.

Warsh also jumped to 59% odds on Kalshi, another prediction market. Hassett and Waller got 16% and 15% odds, respectively.

Trump has not set a specific date to name his pick for the next chairman. Powell’s term at the helm expires in May, though he could choose to stay on the board through 2028. He has so far declined to comment on whether he will remain a Fed governor.

On Sunday, Powell publicly shared that he’s under criminal investigation for allegedly lying during congressional testimony last summer — a stunning development that came after years of Trump blasting the chair for failing to lower interest rates quickly enough.

President Trump said Friday he would like to keep Kevin Hassett in his current role at the National Economic Council. AP

For weeks, the president has signaled he is looking at either Warsh or Hassett to replace Powell, adding that he has ruled out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “because he wants to stay where he is.”

Rieder and Waller have also been interviewed for the role.

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While Trump said he’d like to keep Hassett in his current job, it’s not impossible for him to win the nomination.

After Fed Governor Adriana Kugler unexpectedly resigned last summer, Trump tapped Stephen Miran, then a top White House economic adviser. Miran refused to fully resign from his White House role, instead taking an unpaid leave of absence.

Addressing White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Friday, Trump said, “We don’t want to lose him [Hassett], Susie, but we’ll see how it all works out.”

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With any potential changes to taxation in a nation, there comes a sharp intake of breath from those who might lose out, and a rising chorus from campaigners to ensure their particular stance benefits from any alteration to the current rates applied to the industry.

Gambling is a massive industry in the UK, and betting runs deep in societal norms around watching or following sports. The industry’s Gross Gambling Yield (GGY), according to the Gambling Commission, is £15.1 billion ($19.84 billion).

As part of a recent article, International Coinbase found that the industry employs 58,000 people, according to the Office for National Statistics/CV Maker’s most recent use of Office for National Statistics data.

On one side of the argument are the established entertainment brands that have been adapting to the online gambling boom and the accessibility changes from physical brick-and-mortar stores to the era of mobile devices.

On the other side of the table are political and regulatory bodies seeking changes to gambling tax rates and additional measures that could yield societal benefits and enforce new regulations.

The discussion, along with a raft of campaign actions from groups such as the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), has continued to drive the narrative ahead of the UK Chancellor’s 2025 budget.

What is at stake for gambling in the UK as UK gambling tax reform looms?

As we reported, Ministers from the Treasury Select Committee interviewed a panel comprising medical specialists, former owners of gambling brands, and current regulatory figures.

One of those figures, the current CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council, Grainne Hurst, was questioned on key topics by Dame Meg Hillier MP, chair of the session, and the committee members, including Members of Parliament (MPs) Yuan Yang and John Grady.

Hurst said this can include financial pitfalls, mental health concerns, and ripple effect issues for friends and family who are impacted by the darker side of gambling.

The CEO of the BGC addressed the effect of the industry and the brands, citing that a “small minority” was touched by the perils of gambling harm and addiction.

This stance was questioned by Yang and Grady, with both on the same page that negative connotations can come with gambling, and the industry should pay a higher rate of tax to fund safeguards for gamblers at risk.

“Our CEO, Grainne Hurst, was clear throughout the session that the industry recognises gambling can cause harm and has a role to play in mitigating it. The BGC’s priority remains raising standards, promoting safer gambling, and protecting consumers.” – BGC statement to ReadWrite

“A proper tax on online slots and predatory practices would raise money while also combating problem gambling,” said Yang.

Grady followed suit, saying, “The industry must be regulated and taxed to ensure that individuals are protected and that the online gambling industry pays its fair share.”

The UK Chancellor, Rachael Reeves, also publicly stated the “fair share” message in response to questions from ITV about the upcoming budget.

‘I do think there’s a case for gambling firms to pay more,’ said the chancellor when asked if she would consider increasing the taxes gambling firms pay

‘They should pay their fair share of taxes, and we’ll make sure that that happens’ pic.twitter.com/iNPyki9EVN

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) September 29, 2025

The BGC says takes social harm seriously

In the wake of the committee meeting, a BGC spokesperson told ReadWrite: “The BGC takes the issue of gambling related harm incredibly seriously.

“Our CEO, Grainne Hurst, was clear throughout the session that the industry recognises gambling can cause harm and has a role to play in mitigating it. The BGC’s priority remains raising standards, promoting safer gambling, and protecting consumers.”

Hurst has now released a statement via the BGC site, looking at the illegal gambling market, saying, “If you want safer gambling, driving punters to the black market isn’t the answer.”

The CEO continued, “I appeared before MPs alongside those calling for a massive tax hike on betting and gaming. The contrast between our positions could not have been more stark.”

That position from the BGC chief shows the widening divide between government policymakers and industry leaders who believe illegal routes will become stronger in the wake of change.

Hurst also refers to those across the table in this conversation as “opponents,” who are arguing for “punitive tax rises of up to 50% on online gaming. They claim it will curb gambling-related harm and raise billions for the Treasury. In reality, it risks achieving the exact opposite.”

Analysis by economic consultants EY warns that higher taxes could put 40,000 jobs at risk, divert £8.4 billion in stakes to the black market and wipe £3.1 billion from the sector’s contribution to the UK economy.https://t.co/nNFbMUckVb pic.twitter.com/SKlLK3Am7v

— Betting and Gaming Council (@BetGameCouncil) November 13, 2025

Hurst cited that the BGC’s stance would be up to 40,000 jobs lost, £3.1 billion ($4.1 billion) wiped from the economy, and as much as £8.4 billion ($11.1 billion) in stakes diverted to the black market if the rumours of a 50% tax increase are made real.

The CEO also mentioned that statistically, “1.5 million Brits stake around £4.3 billion a year with illegal operators.”

Rob Wood, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy CEO of Entain Group, speaking on BGC’s platform, was also cautious about the impact illegal markets could have in a retaliatory or reflexive response to taxation.

“The Netherlands raised its gambling tax to 35% this year. The result? A surge in illegal operators, now accounting for 50% of the market, and falling tax revenue. Once the black market gets a foothold, it’s hard to dislodge. We shouldn’t repeat that mistake,” he said.

As we reported, the Dutch gambling regulator Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa) was vocal around the illegal gambling sector seeing a rise in players as a result of new mechanisms introduced to halt problem gambling.

Conflicting stance from the UK Gambling Commission

In a conflicting report published by the Gambling Commission (GC), the body references a study concluded on November 6, 2025, that explored the impact of the illegal market.

Whilst the four-part approach was exploratory, the GC admitted that their in-depth delve into consumer awareness, drivers and motivations, engagement and trends, and the disruption of illegal online gambling yielded inconclusive figures and results.

Saying, “Reliable data is limited, and assumptions are often required to fill gaps — meaning that confidence in any single estimate is inherently constrained.”

Limited data on any topic means the results are difficult to define, especially with the limited data, as this restrains bodies like the GC from painting a complete picture of the estimated impact of the illegal betting scene in Britain.

The GC’s work also showed that there was no change in the metrics for visits to 1,000 unique illegal sites monitored.

“Our data shows that, by July 2025, estimated visits to illegal gambling websites had returned to broadly similar levels as in July 2024 — in other words, no overall increase was observed.”

Dr Carsten Jung, Interim Associate Director for Economic Policy and AI at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), was also interviewed by the Treasury Select Committee.

When asked by Yang about why the IPPR believed that gambling in the UK was “under-taxed,” at a rate of 22% Dr Jung responded.

“Gambling is a social harm,” he said. Raising taxation on remote gambling to 50%, increasing the gambling betting duty from 15% to 25%, and taxing other forms of gambling would raise £3.2 billion ($4.2 billion).

“This wouldn’t be a punitive taxation; it would recognize the social harms that gambling exerts on society,” concluded Dr Jung.

Hurst is firm in her position, saying that the British gambling sector is “world-class precisely because it combines entertainment with high standards of consumer protection. We should be proud of that success, not jeopardise it through fantasy economics and punitive taxes.”

A new future for British gambling economics might become a stark reality if the UK Chancellor decides to increase the tax rate. If that does come to pass, shareholders will be bracing for a little less in their pockets as a result of redefined quarterly results, and the UK gambler might be affected by the trickle-down effects.

Regulators, operators, and the average gambler will have to hold their breath just a little longer to find out if the Chancellor doubles down on betting tax levies in her budget in late November.

Featured image: Adobe Firefly

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The ‘Players Era in Vegas Leaderboard’ has been launched and will run through November 9, with the contest rewarding 25 winners with a trip to Las Vegas for the championships, including tournament tickets, a four-night stay, and $1,500 in withdrawable funds for travel.

The actual event, however, will take place November 24-27 and will be hosted by MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas.

.@BetMGM launched a new promotion tied to the @Players_Era Championships – a multi-day event Nov. 24–27 hosted by @MGMResortsIntl in Las Vegas.

Now through Nov. 9, the “Players Era in Vegas Leaderboard” contest will reward 25 winners with a trip to Las Vegas for the… pic.twitter.com/RtpzlLwpKU

— BetMGM News (@BetMGMNews) November 6, 2025

“BetMGM is focused on delivering legendary experiences for sports fans, and the Players Era Men’s and Women’s Championships – right in our Las Vegas backyard – is the ideal stage,” said Raymond Doyle, BetMGM Senior Vice President of Sports. “This promotion gives BetMGM players a chance to show off their skills for an up-close look at one of college basketball’s most exciting events.”

BetMGM’s leaderboard has opened, with the main event to take place soon

A leaderboard-style contest isn’t anything new for operators, but it is the latest offering from MGM team. The company has said within the news announcement that while it continues to expand and introduce new features, responsible gaming remains a key focus.

Lance Evans, MGM Resorts’ Senior Vice President of Sports, said, “As the home to some of the biggest live championship events, we look forward to, once again, hosting the Players Era Men’s and Women’s Championships at MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. Our MGM Resorts Live Event Ventures team remains focused on delivering new-to-market programming while delivering college basketball fans nationwide an exciting sports betting promotion.”

The event comes at a busy time in the brand’s calendar, as MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas has also just announced it will be hosting nightlife experiences during the Las Vegas Grand Prix which is the weekend before the new contest.

Featured Image: Credit to ‘groundzero’ on Wikimedia Commons, 2.0 CC license

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Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker — a vocal opponent of Trump’s use of federal troops for both immigration enforcement and fighting big-blue-city crime — has lately touted double-digit declines in Chicago crime rates where “shootings and homicides on our highways are down 60, 70, 80% depending on where you look.”

But the number of felonies in Chicago — not to mention New York, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore. — is declining only because woke prosecutors are knocking down felonies to something less severe for political reasons, DOJ sources say.

Famous among them is Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who has continued to allow ­violent offenders to plead to mis­demeanors instead of felonies even after committing robberies or violent assaults.

One Trump DOJ source pointed to the recent case of David Mazariegos, the sword-wielding maniac who was arrested last week for the allegedly unprovoked killing of straphanger Nicola Tanzi, stomping him on the head repeatedly outside a Brooklyn subway station.

Mazariegos has a long criminal record and yet this past July, just before his latest alleged wanton act, an NYC judge lowered his bail in an assault case because prosecutors didn’t charge him with a felony and instead settled for a mis­demeanor.

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People inside the Trump DOJ say Mazariegos isn’t an outlier, but the norm in big cities run by leftist politicians who are purposely obscuring the results of their lax policing policies.

“If these public officials were CEOs who purposely manipulated losses into earnings, they would face serious criminal fraud charges,” said one Trump DOJ official who asked not to be quoted by name.

A White House spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter.

A spokesman for the Manhattan DA didn’t return a request for comment.

Exodus from blue cities

When the DOJ’s stats are released, possibly in the coming weeks, they should be a wake-up call for the Democratic Party.

That’s because these big-city economies will continue to sour as more taxpaying residents leave for places that provide safety.

Of course, the Dem leadership must also find the necessary guts to push back against the woke policies and policing edicts of far-leftists like AOC and Zohran Mamdani who are ascendant in their party.

DOJ sources believe Pritzker’s recent talking points are part of a concerted effort by the national Dems to hide the various forms of blight created by their support for police defunding measures to appease the social justice types who believe law enforcement is racist.

In the meantime, maybe they can change public perception enough that they can win back the House and the Senate in the upcoming midterms.

What’s equally unsettling is that even in the fugazy stats touted by the Dems, you can see significant increases in violent crimes when the numbers are put into proper context.

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Take the felony stats in NYC, which have recently been touted by Mayor Adams’ police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, on the NYPD website as reaching historic lows in all major categories.

“Murders are down citywide by more than 17.7% (241 vs. 293) year-to-date . . . Burglary dropped 3.8% (9,410 vs. 9,783) for the year . . . Felony assault is down by 0.8% (22,389 vs. 22,580) for the year,” she said in a press release.

No one doubts that Tisch both means well and has done a good job given the bad hand she was dealt: a crime epidemic that exploded after the 2020 social justice movement embraced by former lefty mayor Comrade Bill de Blasio, who instituted rules that prevent cops from doing their jobs (aka no stop-and-frisk).

But Tisch’s hands, to a large extent, are still cuffed — even with de Blasio out and Adams, a former cop, in charge of the NYPD.

That’s because she’s been big-footed by the policies of Bragg, who refuses to fully prosecute criminals like David Mazariegos as violent felons.

Horrible data

Meanwhile, Teuta Dedvukaj of Fox Business uncovered proof that even the “good” crime stats are actually horrible, crunching other data on the NYPD website for “reported” acts of murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary and grand larceny.

They actually rose every year between 2020 and 2023.

Even with the decline in 2024, crime is still significantly higher than it was in 2013, the last year Mike Bloomberg was mayor that marked the beginning of the end of Rudy Giuliani’s crime crackdown.

With the Maoist, cop-hating Zohran Mamdani poised to bring back the bad old days in full as NYC mayor, look for further increases in crime, more people leaving NYC, and more evidence that the Democratic Party is out of touch with ­reality.

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The tournament will kick off on December 4 and will run until December 18, with it being based at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

There will be a full slate of 15 WSOP gold bracelet events taking place throughout. This year’s WSOP Paradise will also feature an expanded partnership with Triton Poker, the high-stakes tournament operator.

Last year, two gold bracelet events were curated by Triton, and this number is to increase to six in 2025. The WSOP bracelets will go to the winners of Event #2 Triton PLO, Event #3 Triton PLO Main Event, Event #5 Triton NLH Invitational, Event #8 Triton NLH 7-Handed, Event #9 Triton NLH Main Event, and Event #10 Triton NLH 8-Handed.

“With the WSOP Paradise at Atlantis Paradise Island tournament schedule now set, the countdown to The Bahamas IS ON! This year’s line-up delivers an unbeatable mix of world-class events, record-breaking guarantees, and unforgettable poker moments in one of the most iconic destinations on the planet.

“From seasoned pros to newcomers, players from around the globe will find their place in paradise, and their shot at history,” said Joe Brunini, Chief Gaming & Customer Development Officer, Atlantis Paradise Island, in a press release.

What are the key events of WSOP Paradise 2025?

According to the newly released schedule, the key events will be on these dates, with the buy-in listed too:

GGPoker will also once again serve as the exclusive international satellite partner, aiming to send more than 1,000 players to the Super Main Event. The WSOP Express and Road to Paradise qualifier tournaments are currently underway in the brand’s lobby.

It’s thought that over 500 players will qualify for the Circuit Championship through WSOP Circuit gold ring events, which run from July 1 all the way through to December 2. ClubGG plans to send more than 400 players to the same event.

For those who are watching at home, it has been confirmed that WSOP Paradise 2025 will have a live stream, which can be viewed on the WSOP YouTube channel. CBS Sports Network television coverage has been planned for distribution in early 2026, too.

Featured Image: Credit to Bohao Zhao on Wikimedia Commons 

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The two countries have been trying to negotiate an end to an escalating tit-for-tat tariff war that has upended global trade and supply chains.

The two sides have discussed a potential meeting between the leaders in the region this year, but they have not confirmed a date or location yet, according to a person familiar with the matter.

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019. REUTERS

Trump has sought to impose tariffs on US importers for virtually all foreign goods, which he says will stimulate domestic manufacturing and which critics say will make many consumer goods more expensive for Americans.

He has called for a universal base tariff rate of 10% on goods imported from all countries, with higher rates for imports from the most “problematic” ones, including China: imports from there now have the highest tariff rate of 55%.

Trump has set a deadline of Aug. 12 for the US and China to reach a durable tariffs agreement.

President Donald Trump has set a deadline of Aug. 12 for the US and China to reach a durable tariffs deal. Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment about the reported plans for a meeting with Xi in the autumn.

The two countries’ most recent high-level meeting was on July 11, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had what both described as a productive and positive meeting in Malaysia about how trade negotiations should proceed.

Rubio said then that Trump had been invited to China to meet with Xi, and said that both leaders “want it to happen.”

On Friday, China Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said China wants to bring its trade ties with the US back to a stable footing and that recent talks in Europe showed there was no need for a tariff war.

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This comes as President Trump said on Friday he will start talking to China on Monday or Tuesday about a possible TikTok deal.

He said the US “pretty much” has a deal on the sale of the TikTok short-video app.

TikTok plans to launch the new app in the U.S. on Sept. 5, according to The Information. REUTERS

Last month, Trump extended to Sept. 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of TikTok.

TikTok has developed a plan to launch the new app to US app stores on Sept. 5, the report said.

The report added that TikTok users will eventually have to download the new app to be able to continue using the service, although the existing app will work until next March, though the timeline could change.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

President Trump said Friday that he will begin talking to China this week about a possible TikTok deal. AP

A deal had been in the works earlier this year to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new U.S.-based firm, majority-owned and operated by U.S. investors. That was put on hold after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump’s announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.

Trump said the U.S. will probably have to get a deal approved by China.

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Pakistan faces a potential 29% tariff on its exports to America because of a $3 billion trade surplus with the U.S., following the tariffs Trump announced last month against countries around the world.

Trump noted that he would have no interest in making a deal with Pakistan or its neighbor, India, if they were to reignite a war with each other.

The two countries were involved in a conflict for four days earlier this month, using fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery to conduct their worst fighting in decades.

“As you know, we’re very close to making a deal with India,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Friday after departing Air Force One.

Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal visited Washington recently to advance trade talks, with both sides seeking to sign an interim agreement by early July.

President Donald Trump said that Pakistani officials will visit the U.S. next week in order to negotiate lower tariffs imposed against the country. Bloomberg via Getty Images

Last month, Trump announced that multiple countries across the globe will face a potential 29% tariff on their exports to America because of a $3 billion trade surplus with the country. CTP – stock.adobe.com

Trump has imposed a 26% tariff on India’s shipments to the U.S.

India is likely to allow U.S. firms to bid for contracts worth over $50 billion, mainly from federal entities, as it negotiates a trade deal with the Trump administration.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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