USA DAWN: NEWS AND UPDATES

The Dow Jones industrial average reached 20,000 for the first time ever. The Washington Post's Ylan Mui breaks down what that means for investors.  (Jorge Ribas/The Washington Post) NEW YORK — The closely watched Dow Jones industrial average reached historic levels Friday, breaching 20,000 points for the first time in a week when President Trump began to put his agenda in place. Shortly after the election, investors dubbed a surge in stock prices the “Trump rally,” pushing U.S. stocks to new heights in anticipation that the new president would work with the Republican-led Congress to lower taxes and pass more business-friendly policies. But just as the Dow appeared ready to breach the 20,000 threshold, there was a retreat. Then, this week, as Trump vowed to rewrite trade agreements and revive pipelines, the markets began to rev again. For the Dow, an index of 30 large publicly traded companies, topping the 20,000 level holds more symbolic than pr...

It’s that time of year again. The time when you book your flight, gather with family, stuff your face with turkey, and shop till your heart’s content. And thanks to modern consumerism, the Thanksgiving shopping glut that used to end with Black Friday now extends through Cyber Monday. But in recent years it has been extended by a day to flex your charitable spirit. It’s called Giving Tuesday and it was created five years ago to bring back the spirit of giving to Thanksgiving weekend. This one-day annual movement has spread to 70 countries, over 700,000 donors, and last year, raised over $116 million (up from $45 million the previous year). But as you settle into a turkey coma on that comfy couch, glancing at your phone, you may notice an endless stream of #GivingTuesday appeals cluttering your inbox from your favorite charities. One after the other, the message tend to be the same: "Flex your charitable spirit and give us money because we do great things and help ...