If you’re a Microsoft 365 user, this Monday may have been a little more frustrating for you than usual.

The product family of software announced early Monday morning that it is investigating an issue impacting Exchange Online and Microsoft Teams users. Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook and Teams, are heavily relied on by many places of work around the world.

In an afternoon update, Microsoft 365 said it is “facing delays” in its effort to address the issues.

‘We understand the significant impact of this event to your businesses and are working to provide relief as soon as possible,’ Microsoft said on X.

Downdetector, an online platform that monitors website and service outages, says user reports indicate issues with Microsoft 365, Outlook and Teams. Problem reports for the services seemed to spike just before 1 p.m.

Users posted in the comment sections on the Downdetector website to share the issues they’ve been facing this work day.

‘It is almost 2:00 PM EST. I am still unable to get access to Outlook,’ one commenter wrote in the Microsoft 365 comment section.

Another commenter from Michigan said their Outlook account has been down since around 10 a.m. EST.

This is developing story. Please check back in for updates.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will provide rebates to residents if President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration does away with a federal tax credit for electric vehicles.

In a news release issued Monday, Newsom said he would restart the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, which provided financial incentives on more than 590,000 vehicles before it was phased out late 2023.

‘We will intervene if the Trump Administration eliminates the federal tax credit, doubling down on our commitment to clean air and green jobs in California,’ Newsom said. ‘We’re not turning back on a clean transportation future — we’re going to make it more affordable for people to drive vehicles that don’t pollute.’

The federal rebates on new and used electric vehicles were implemented in the Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. When Trump’s second term in office begins next year, he could work with Congress to change the rules around those rebates. Those potential changes could limit the federal rebates, including by reducing the amount of money available or limiting who is eligible.

Limiting federal subsidies on electric vehicle purchases would hurt many American automakers, including Ford, General Motors and the EV startup Rivian. Tesla, which also builds its automobiles in the United States, would take a smaller hit since that company currently sells more EVs and has a higher profit margin than any other EV manufacturer.

Newsom also announced earlier this month that he will convene a special session in December ‘to protect California values,’ including fundamental civil rights and reproductive rights, that he said ‘are under attack by this incoming administration.’

‘Whether it be our fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, or climate action — we refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked,’ Newsom said on X on Nov. 7.

A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This isn’t the first time California will be taking action against the Trump’s administration concerning clean transportation legislation.

In 2019, California and 22 other states sued his administration for revoking its ability to set standards for greenhouse gas emission and fuel economy standards for vehicles, The Associated Press reported.

California sued the Trump administration over 100 times during his first term, primarily on matters including gun control, health care, education and immigration, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Macy’s on Monday said an employee responsible for managing accounting for small package deliveries concealed up to $154 million in expenses over the course of nearly three years.

The person who allegedly hid the money is no longer with the company, the department store operator said Monday morning, ahead of its third-quarter earnings report. The company, whose statement on the matter didn’t say when the person left the job, declined to comment beyond the announcement.

The news comes at a difficult time for Macy’s, which is indelibly tied to the holiday season through the film “Miracle on 34th Street” and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, while investors look for clues about how consumers are shopping for the holidays. Macy’s sales have slumped as the company has underperformed for the past decade.

The company was due to deliver results before U.S. stock markets opened Tuesday morning, but it has delayed releasing its full results until Dec. 11 to allow an independent investigation to wrap up.

Macy’s said it discovered the issue while preparing its financial report for the quarter ending Nov. 2. It did release preliminary findings for the period, saying overall net sales declined 2.4% year-over-year.

The company said the employee, who was responsible for the accounting of small package delivery expenses, ‘intentionally made erroneous accounting accrual entries’ to hide about $132 million to $154 million from the fourth quarter of 2021 through the most recently completed quarter. That is small relative to the $4.36 billion in overall delivery expenses Macy’s recorded during that period. However, it is greater than the $105 million in net profit the company recorded for its full fiscal year that ended Feb. 3.

The independent investigation hasn’t identified any other Macy’s employee, the company said.

‘At Macy’s, Inc., we promote a culture of ethical conduct. While we work diligently to complete the investigation as soon as practicable and ensure this matter is handled appropriately, our colleagues across the company are focused on serving our customers and executing our strategy for a successful holiday season,” CEO Tony Spring said in a statement Monday morning.

Macy’s is attempting a turnaround amid broader shifts in the retail industry, particularly as shoppers buy more online. In February, the retail chain said it would close 150 stores nationwide in a reorganization initiative to focus on luxury sales.

The move will leave 350 Macy’s locations, as well as Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury beauty and skin care stores, which the company said have been “outperformers” within the Macy’s portfolio.

A federal judge said Monday he may hold an evidentiary hearing next month to help determine whether to approve the sale of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ media company to satirical publication The Onion.

Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston clarified the sale, which comes after a Nov. 13 auction, remains in limbo until such a hearing, when interested parties can make their case and he can decide which of Jones’ assets, if any, can be sold. A date was not immediately set.

He also declined to immediately rule on Jones’ request for a temporary restraining order to disqualify the Onion’s bid, and said ‘whatever was status quo pre-auction remains status quo’ — essentially allowing Jones to remain broadcasting from his flagship platform, Infowars, for the time being.

‘Firing folks a week before Thanksgiving is not what we do, but it sounds like that’s not what occurred,’ Lopez said. ‘Folks are continuing to work.’

Another bidder, First United American Companies, a limited liability company affiliated with Jones’ dietary supplements business, had challenged the results of the auction after it said it bid twice as much cash as the Onion.

At stake is the ownership of Infowars’ intellectual property, including its website — the prized asset in the auction in which proceeds are largely meant to help satisfy defamation verdicts awarded to several families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The families won lawsuits against Jones in 2022 after he repeatedly called the massacre that left 20 children and six staff members dead in Newtown, Connecticut, a ‘hoax’ on his Infowars broadcast. He filed for bankruptcy in his home state of Texas in the wake of the nearly $1.5 billion in legal judgments.

Jones’ company, Free Speech Systems, was set to go to the Onion, which has often mocked him in its faux news coverage, after bankruptcy trustee Christopher Murray announced the winning bid.

But First United American Companies quickly contested the results, saying in an emergency filing attempting to block the sale that it had offered $3.5 million in cash — compared to the Onion’s $1.75 million.

The auction process approved by Lopez did not require Murray to automatically select the bidder that submitted the highest amount, and the trustee could reject the bid that was ‘contrary to the best interests’ of the estate creditors.

Lopez said Monday that the focus of an evidentiary hearing will be on Murray’s business judgment in regard to how the auction was held. He said he may decide to approve the sale, order another auction or hold additional hearings.

‘I want a fair and transparent process, and let’s see where that process goes,’ Lopez said, adding, ‘Everyone will have their day in court.’

At a prior court hearing following the auction, Murray said, ‘the creditors ended up significantly better off’ under the Onion’s bid. He also explained in a filing that the majority of Sandy Hook families were willing to forgo their share of the sale proceeds and instead take a percentage from future revenues from a revamped Infowars, which would allow the other creditors to collect more money.

The Onion estimates its total bid value is $7 million.

But Walter Cicack, a lawyer for First American United Companies, said in its filing that the arrangement amounts to a ‘Monopoly’ money bid since any future revenues are undetermined.

‘This was not simply collaboration,’ he said of the Onion’s support from Sandy Hook families, ‘this was outright collusive bid rigging.’

Chris Mattei, an attorney for some of the victims’ families, said in a previous statement that the Onion did ‘a public service’ by spearheading the purchase and ‘will meaningfully hinder Jones’ ability to do more harm.’

Lawyers for the Onion said in a filing Sunday that the company has been ‘harassed and threatened by the Debtor and members of his audience since their winning bid was announced.’ They argued that the sale should proceed, writing that a joint bid ‘does not amount to collusion’ and disputing the idea that there was a lack of transparency because the auction used a sealed bid process.

‘Sealed bids maintain the competitive tension between bidders and force bidders to offer up their best terms irrespective of where other bids sit,’ the lawyers wrote, adding, ‘Far from maintaining this process in secrecy, once the Trustee selected the Successful Bidder, the Trustee publicly disclosed all information about the Qualified Bids, including by disclosing copies of the initial and final bids submitted by each Qualified Bidder.’

Onion CEO Ben Collins — who previously covered disinformation and conspiracy theories for NBC News — had said on social media that while ‘the judge had some questions about process and assets,’ its ‘bid with the families is clearly the best.’

Collins also wrote that the Onion plans to relaunch Infowars as ‘the dumbest website on the internet.’ A person with knowledge of the sale told NBC News the new platform will include well-known internet humor writers and content creators. 

In announcing the sale, the Onion put out a news release written in the voice of a satirical CEO of Global Tetrahedron, the publication’s Chicago-based parent company.

Infowars was briefly shut down after the sale was announced before it resumed operating with Jones, who claimed the site was ‘hijacked.’

Meanwhile, Jones — who built a small media empire off of promoting conspiracy theories and misinformation — has claimed that Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump are investigating the bankruptcy auction in his favor after Musk’s X Corp. filed a notice of appearance in the case. X Corp. is presumed to be an interested party because Jones uses X to broadcast his show and the case involves the potential transfer of Jones’ X handle in the sale.

Lawyers for Jones filed a request last week for a temporary restraining order to invalidate the Onion’s bid, and asserted that First United American Companies should be the successful bidder. Jones described the auction process as ‘fraudulent,’ but told his audience that regardless of what happens with Infowars, he won’t be silenced.

Spanish retailer Mango is embarking on a bold expansion plan in the U.S. as it looks to shed its fast-fashion image and position itself as a premium brand.  

The privately held company, headquartered in Barcelona, plans to open 42 new storefronts in the U.S. by the end of the year and aims to launch 20 more in 2025, primarily in the Sun Belt and Northeast, Mango CEO Toni Ruiz told CNBC in an interview. 

The $70 million expansion plan includes a new logistics center outside of Los Angeles and about 600 new jobs, bringing the company’s U.S. headcount to about 1,200 employees by next year. 

“This is a long-term commitment,” Ruiz said. “We have also the opportunity to have bigger stores in the U.S.,” he noted, adding Mango will open some multiline stores that feature men’s and kids’ items.

Mango’s sales grew more than 10% in the U.S. this year and the company expects to see double-digit growth again next year. 

Currently, Mango’s largest market is its home base in Spain. While the U.S. is among its top five markets, the company is aiming to grow sales in the region so it can breach the top three. The goal is part of a larger strategic plan at Mango focused on growing sales from about 3.1 billion euros annually to 4 billion euros by 2026.

Mango, known for its European chic basics, is looking to reposition itself as a premium brand and signal to consumers that it is not a fast-fashion label. Its design process takes between seven and eight months, and everything is designed in-house in Barcelona, Ruiz said. 

“Internally we have all the design, all the patterns, all the fittings — this is very important for us so 100% is done here. We also have 500 people taking care of the product from end to end,” said Ruiz. “We are trying to elevate. What does it mean, elevate? We think that our customer appreciates a lot this creativity, this design, this own style. So this is why we are pushing a lot, not only in terms of quality, design and also, why not prices? Because our proposal is getting better.” 

Ruiz said Mango’s U.S. growth plans are focused on stores because a physical presence will allow the company to get closer to its consumer and tell its story in a new way.

The company follows a string of other international competitors such as Sweden’s H&M, Spain’s Zara and Japan’s Uniqlo that have turned to the U.S. market for growth. They are all competing to win over the average American household, which spends on average about $2,000 annually on clothes, according to a Lending Tree study.

Mango has opened stores in Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; and Massachusetts, but has turned its sights to the Sun Belt for its next phase of growth, driven by insights from e-commerce.

Mango’s website now represents about 33% of overall sales and helps the retailer determine where its customers are shopping from and what they are buying, said Ruiz. 

“It’s a big challenge for us, because we have understood that every state in the U.S. is like a country in Europe, so because of the customer, because of the way of dressing,” said Ruiz. “It’s very important to understand the difference between the states. … So this is why we try to go step by step.”