Last month, I set out to buy my father, an avid Before the Bell reader, a non-fungible token, or NFT. We’d spent lots of time discussing the various signs of market mania that had cropped up in the past year — including the rush into NFTs, the digital tokens feeding a boom in virtual art.
Continue ReadingIf you are not eligible to be vaccinated against Covid-19, you will be soon if you live in the United States. All 50 states plan to open vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and older, and several states have already done that, including Alaska, Mississippi and Georgia. According to President Joe Biden, 90% of all adult
Continue ReadingThe economic recovery in the United States and China is gaining steam, triggering a wave of upgraded forecasts and optimistic commentary. Meanwhile, economists watching other parts of the world are getting worried. “While the outlook has improved overall, prospects are diverging dangerously not only within nations but also across countries and regions. In fact, what
Continue ReadingAn argument between two groups of men at an Alabama park devolved into gunfire, with more than 30 gunshots fired — killing a woman and wounding five other people, including four children. The chaos started around 7 p.m. Sunday at Patton Park in Birmingham, police said. “At the time the shooting occurred, hundreds of people
Continue ReadingMcDonald’s is expanding its lineup of sweet treats with a new McFlurry flavor. Beginning May 3, the chain is adding a Caramel Brownie McFlurry to its menus at US locations for a limited time. McDonald’s says the dessert combines vanilla soft serve ice cream with brownie pieces and caramel topping that’s blended throughout. Prices vary
Continue ReadingCiting several contributing factors, Delta Air Lines canceled approximately 100 flights Sunday. “Delta teams have been working through various factors, including staffing, large numbers of employee vaccinations and pilots returning to active status. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and the majority have been rebooked for the same travel day,” a Delta spokesperson
Continue ReadingPresident Biden, sometimes called “Amtrak Joe” for his train enthusiasm, appears to be living up to the name. The $2 trillion infrastructure plan Biden released this week calls for $80 billion to improve American train service. Rail experts say it’s the biggest commitment to rail travel in more than a generation and will revitalize a
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Justice Democrats, the progressive group that launched Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s historic 2018 campaign, made its first splash of the 2022 midterms on Monday by endorsing Nashville activist Odessa Kelly as she kicked off her Democratic primary challenge to longtime Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper. Kelly is the co-founder and executive director of Stand Up Nashville, a
Continue ReadingRussia is amassing unprecedented military might in the Arctic and testing its newest weapons in a region freshly ice-free due to the climate emergency, in a bid to secure its northern coast and open up a key shipping route from Asia to Europe. Weapons experts and Western officials have expressed particular concern about one Russian
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Japan just saw the earliest bloom of its legendary cherry blossoms in 1,200 years. Pretty — but also a sign of climate change. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily.
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Growing up in the small community of Harrow in southern Australia, 86-year-old Lachie Turner spent his childhood hearing legends of the great Aboriginal cricketer Johnny Mullagh. “The story used to be that he could win a match, batting with just the handle of a pickaxe,” said Turner, with a smile. Mullagh was a hero in
Continue ReadingMusic legend Cher has apologized for a tweet in which she theorized that she could have prevented George Floyd’s death. Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in police custody in May last year after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes during his arrest. Chauvin, 45, is
Continue ReadingThe two best teams in men’s college basketball all season long will meet in the national championship game Monday night when the Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Baylor Bears. Though March’s tournament is known for its madness and upsets, this title matchup is no surprise. Preseason rankings from back in November pegged Gonzaga and Baylor
Continue ReadingWhen Pastor Kenneth J. Flowers took to the pulpit on Easter Sunday, tapping a tambourine along with a choir singing “he got up,” the morning represented resurrection in more ways than one. “This time last year, we couldn’t come to the sanctuary,” he preached to his congregation at Detroit’s Greater New Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist
Continue ReadingChadwick Boseman posthumously won the SAG Award on Sunday for outstanding performance by a leading man for his work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Boseman, 43, died in August after a private battle with colon cancer. Boseman’s wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the award on his behalf with a moving speech. “‘If you see the
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Think of Japan in the spring, and the image that comes to mind is likely the country’s famous cherry blossoms, also known as “sakura” — white and pink flowers, bursting across cities and mountains, petals covering the ground. The flowers, which experience a “peak bloom” that only lasts a few days, have been revered in
Continue ReadingA driver whose truck was allegedly involved in a deadly train crash in eastern Taiwan has issued a tearful apology, saying he is “deeply remorseful.” Authorities are investigating a crane truck that slid down an incline and fell into the path of a passenger train carrying 498 people. In total, 50 people died in Friday’s
Continue ReadingTaiwan’s transportation minister Lin Chia-lung has offered to resign after a deadly train crash Friday killed at least 51 people and left scores more injured according to the country’s state run Central News Agency (CNA). Lin offered his verbal resignation in a phone call Sunday with Taiwan’s premier Su Tseng-chang, CNA reported, saying he wished
Continue ReadingA woman is dead and five others, including a 4-year-old, were injured at a shooting in a park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Easter Sunday, police said. Officers responded to a shooting at Patton Park around 7 p.m., where hundreds of people were gathered, Birmingham Police Sgt. Rod Mauldin said at a news briefing. Officers believe
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A defining political clash took shape Sunday over Joe Biden’s latest effort to reshape the US economy, with Republicans mobilizing against a massive infrastructure plan that could put the President in historic Democratic company. GOP office holders launched a broad assault on the package, arguing it was too expensive and was stuffed with overly partisan
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