February
15
,
2:29 am
Chris Harrison, long-time host of the Bachelor, has resigned after being canceled for allegedly defending racist behavior
Harrison said that he was "not the woke police" in response to a photo that showed one of the show's contestants at an Old South-themed sorority party on a former plantation
In response to Harrison's statements, people circulated an online petition that gained tens of thousands of signatures, calling for his resignation
Harrison subsequently resigned allegedly under pressure from the show's producers, saying, "By excusing historical racism, I defended it"
March
4
,
12:44 am
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that he will not step down after 3 women accused him of sexual harassment
Cuomo, who is in his third term, said, “I wasn’t elected by politicians. I was elected by the people of the state of New York. I’m not going to resign”
The 3 aides made various allegations against him, including that he asked to play strip poker, made inappropriate comments, and gave one a kiss
Cuomo said that he "learned an important lesson," and understands his mistakes. The state attorney general is now investigating him
March
2
,
10:39 pm
President Biden announced that he expects all Americans will have access to the Covid vaccine by May
This comes after the approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and an announcement that J&J would partner with its competitor Merck to produce more shots
Before, Biden had said he expected total shot availability by July
"Today’s announcements are a huge step in our effort to beat this pandemic," he said
March
2
,
10:34 pm
Governor Abbott of Texas announced the end to all state-wide Covid restrictions beginning March 10
Texas has had a mask mandate since July, and businesses have had to operate at limited occupancy
With a population of 27M people, Texas has recorded 44k deaths and 2.7M cases, although real case numbers are far higher. 13.4% of the state has received a shot
“It is now the time to open Texas 100%...State mandates are no longer needed," Governor Abbott said
March
4
,
12:19 am
Large chains in Texas are going to continue requiring patrons to wear masks, despite the Governor's ending of all mask mandates
Earlier this week, Governor Greg Abbott announced the "100%" opening of Texas. President Biden called the decision a "big mistake"
Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels, CVS, and Target have all announced that they will be keeping mask mandates in place
All state Covid restrictions will end by March 10. Since September, businesses have operated at up to 75% capacity, with a statewide mask mandate
March
4
,
12:00 am
Exxon Mobil, one of the world's largest fossil fuel companies, announced that it is launching a branch dedicated to capturing and storing carbon
Exxon has been heavily criticized for its contributions to climate change and seen as resistant to climate change concerns
Until now Exxon has maintained that investing in carbon-capture tech, which removes fossil fuel-produced carbon from the atmosphere, has not made economic sense
Yesterday, Exxon said that they expect the carbon capture market to hit $2T by 2040, and that carbon capture will become to most cost-effective way to reduce emissions
March
2
,
10:50 pm
Almost exactly 1 year after lockdowns began, Lyft announced that the last week of February was their best since then
Ridesharing companies like Lyft and Uber have been crushed by the pandemic, as social events and office work came to a halt
While Uber has benefited from its role in the food delivery space with Uber Eats, Lyft hasn't had the same cushion
Even so, Uber's stock is up 60% over the last year, and Lyft's is up 50%
March
1
,
11:49 pm
Yesterday, Instagram announced a new group-streaming feature called "live rooms," which will allow groups of up to 4 to live-stream together
The move is seen as a response to Clubhouse's growing popularity. On Clubhouse, groups of users can hold public conversations, which their followers can join
Beyond Clubhouse, celebrities and politicians have taken to group streaming on YouTube and Twitch during the pandemic
"We hope that doubling up on Live will open up more creative opportunities - start a talk show, host a jam session or co-create with other artists," Insta said in a statement
March
1
,
11:40 pm
Last week, stocks dropped as investors moved to safer assets
That trend was reversed yesterday, with US markets having their best day in about 9 months
With an economic rebound on the horizon, investors are facing uncertainty about how to respond
Many stocks have benefited from low interest rates over the last year. With low interest rates, stocks are relatively more attractive than leaving money in bonds or banks
February
28
,
11:26 pm
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced a new plan to have companies create cities and run them on cryptocurrencies
Sisolak has dubbed these cities “Innovation Zones," where companies would use the newest tech to run everything from the schools to the government
The zones would require companies to invest $1B over 10 years and acquire 50,000 acres of connected uninhabited land
“Companies can collaborate on a future together that would make Nevada not just a national but global leader in Blockchain technology," Sisolak said
February
28
,
10:13 pm
Last week was Bitcoin's worst since March, with It dropping over 9% after hitting an all-time high of $58k last Sunday
The crypto continued to fall over the weekend, bottoming out at $43.2k last night
Appearing to drive the dip was a broader sell-off of assets, including stocks and bonds
Elon Musk's statement last week that the price of Bitcoin seemed "high" may have also played a role
February
25
,
4:40 pm
ByteDance has settled for $92M over allegations that TikTok illegally collected teenage users' data
The accusers alleged that TikTok wrongly took personal information from minors, including face scans
There were 21 class action law suits filed against TikTok representing teens across the United States
The attorneys had alleged that TikTok collected children's data to target advertising and content in a way that was illegal
February
24
,
11:22 pm
The GameStop saga isn't quite over, with the stock jumping over 100% yesterday
Driving the jump was a shake-up at the company. On Tuesday, GameStop announced that the company's CFO was resigning
Trading of the stock was stopped yesterday after it jumped 103.9%. After the market closed, it jumped another 83%
GameStop is reportedly replacing its CFO with someone with a tech background in an attempt to boost the struggling company's online sales
February
24
,
1:08 am
At the company's annual shareholder meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook said they have acquired about 100 companies over the last 6 years
At that rate, Apple has been acquiring companies every 3 to 4 weeks on average since 2014
Cook said the acquisitions are generally to acquire talent and tech, which it often then incorporates into Apple products
Apple's notable acquisitions include companies like Beats Headphones and Shazam, the music identification app
February
24
,
12:30 am
Tesla stock fell 8.6% on Monday in its worst day since September, wiping over $15B off Elon Musk's net worth. The stock fell from $781 to $652 between Friday and Tuesday morning
Tesla stock surged over 700% last year and an additional 25% to start 2021, but lost nearly all of this year's gains on Monday
Musk's net worth peaked at $210B in January, at which point he surpassed Jeff Bezos as the world's richest person
Since then, Musk and Bezos have been trading spots at the top of the rich list
February
23
,
1:05 am
Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr, head of the Oklahoma-based Cherokee Nation, has said that Jeep "does not honor us by having our name plastered on a car"
“I think we’re in a day and age in this country where it’s time for both corporations and team sports to retire the use of Native American names, images, and mascots," Hoskin said
This is the first time the tribe has asked for Jeep to change the name since the vehicle launched in the 1970s
A Jeep spokesperson said that the car celebrates "Native American people for their nobility, prowess and pride”, and didn't comment on if they company would change the name
March
4
,
12:12 am
Amazon is set to pay up to $1B per year to secure exclusive rights to Thursday night NFL games beginning in 2023
The games would be available only on local TV in the teams' markets, and on Amazon streaming
Amazon has been aggressively trying to enter the sports streaming market, and has been streaming some Thursday night games in conjunction with Fox
Fox, NBC, and CBS are all set to resign contracts with the NFL, too. They are each expected to pay about $2B a season over the next decade, up from roughly $1B today
March
3
,
12:15 am
How do you win 7 Super Bowls? Only one player in history claims 7 rings (nobody has even 6), and it's Tom Brady. We just got another glimpse into his mentality that has taken him to 7
Brady reportedly called the Bucs QBs coach just hours after leaving the Bucs postgame party on Super Bowl Monday to talk about next season
The coach, Clyde Christensen, recalls Brady saying, "I was just sitting here thinking, and I think we can really be better next year. I think we’re going to be a better team"
Brady was already thinking about his eighth ring just hours after winning his seventh. He thinks the Bucs will have the horses to do so
March
1
,
10:59 pm
Alabama's athletic director Greg Byrne announced the Crimson Tide's plan to have full-capacity home football games this fall
The SEC paved the way for all major football conferences to compete this past fall during the Covid-stricken season
Bama's home stadium, Bryant-Denny, has a capacity of 101,821. They plan to fill every seat this year
Their biggest home game is against the LSU Tigers on November 6. Good luck finding an empty seat for that one!
March
4
,
12:06 am
2 of the world's largest travel markets - the EU and China - announced that they are enacting vaccine passports
The EU expects the plan to kick in within 3 months; China's timeline isn't clear. Travelers will have to show proof of vaccination or provide a negative Covid test result
The IATA, which governs international air travel, will soon release an app where travelers can upload and verify proof of their vaccinations
The US hasn't yet said if it will enact a similar plan
March
2
,
11:29 pm
The mayor of Paris has clashed with the French government over a tightening of Covid restrictions in the French capital
The French government wants to implement a stay-at-home lockdown across the city and its suburbs from Friday nights through Monday mornings
The mayor of Paris has called the plan "inhumane," saying residents should have the right to spend their weekends outside
Last weekend, over 64 French towns were put under lockdown from 6 PM on Friday to 6 AM on Monday. Paris has been subject to curfews throughout the pandemic
March
2
,
10:46 pm
President Biden announced that the US was sanctioning various Russian officials and organizations implicated in the August poisoning of Alexei Navalny
Navalny is the country's most notable Putin critic. In August, he fell ill on a flight after being poisoned with a chemical weapon
Navalny returned to Russia in January and was quickly thrown in jail. “Russia’s attempt to kill Mr. Navalny follows an alarming pattern of chemical weapons use by Russia," a US diplomat said
Working with the US, the EU announced sanctions of their own on Russian officials close to Putin
March
3
,
11:46 pm
A study found that the squid-like cuttlefish is one of the few animals known to possess self-control
In the study, researchers offered cuttlefish food under 2 different conditions
Under 1, the food would be immediately accessible; under the other, the food would only be reachable after a delay
The cuttlefish quickly realized that they needed to wait to get the food under the second condition, indicating self-control and a level of intelligence associated with animals including humans, chimps, and parrots
March
2
,
11:00 pm
The world's largest LSD microdosing study has shown that the supposed positive effects may be nothing more than placebo
Imperial College London conducted the trial. It looked at whether consuming small LSD doses brought actual mental and physical benefits
It found that while study participants experienced a boost to mood and creativity, there was not a notable difference between those who consumed LSD and those who consumed a placebo
191 participants micro-dosed LSD or a placebo over a 4 week period, and recorded the effects. Microdosing has exploded in popularity after becoming trendy in Silicon Valley
February
28
,
11:31 pm
The FDA has signed off on the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine, the first approved in the US that is administered in 1 shot
The J&J vaccine will be distributed immediately. Beyond requiring just a single shot, it can be refrigerated at normal temperatures, unlike the others, which are kept at extremely cold ones
J&J will provide 100M doses to the US by June, 500M to the international Covax plan, and additional doses to the UK, Canada, and EU
The vaccine appeared 66% effective at preventing moderate Covid, and 85% effective at preventing serious Covid. In the trial, it was 100% effective at preventing death from Covid
March
4
,
12:36 am
The obesity rate among American adults eclipsed 40% for the first time and now sits at 42.4% -- one of the worst rates in the world
WalletHub recently released a list of the country's fattest cities. Leading the (fat) pack were 1) McAllen, TX 2) Memphis, TN 3) Baton Rouge, LA
The South dominated the top 20 claiming almost every spot -- Tulsa, OK and Wichita, KS snuck into the list as reps of the Great Plains/Midwest
The only city with over a million residents that cracked the top 20 was San Antonio, TX -- Coach Pop needs to get to work!
March
4
,
12:14 am
Fly me to the moon! You can now apply to do just that with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa (founder of Zozotown and ZOZO)
Applications are due by March 14th to have a chance to make the 2023 voyage on one of Elon Musk's spaceships with Yusaku and seven other randos
Yusaku spoke of the trip on Tuesday, “It will take three days to get to the moon, loop behind it, and three days to get back. I will pay for the entire journey"
The SpaceX Starship spacecraft has ended in two crash landings thus far, but Elon aims to work his magic to get it ready to go by 2023
March
3
,
11:58 pm
TikTok's royal couple Addison Rae and Bryce Hall, or "Braddison" as they are collectively known, is under heat
Bryce Hall traveled to Las Vegas to film a vlog in February and returned to LA along with rumors that he cheated on Addison with influencer Samantha Salvador
He denies the allegations, but is Addison Rae buying it? She deleted several cryptic tweets over the weekend on the rumors such as "disappointed but not surprised" and "figures"
The TikTok paparazzi have descended on both of them in public to pepper them with questions. Addison was visibly bothered by one such encounter this week
March
4
,
12:44 am
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that he will not step down after 3 women accused him of sexual harassment
Cuomo, who is in his third term, said, “I wasn’t elected by politicians. I was elected by the people of the state of New York. I’m not going to resign”
The 3 aides made various allegations against him, including that he asked to play strip poker, made inappropriate comments, and gave one a kiss
Cuomo said that he "learned an important lesson," and understands his mistakes. The state attorney general is now investigating him
March
4
,
12:36 am
The obesity rate among American adults eclipsed 40% for the first time and now sits at 42.4% -- one of the worst rates in the world
WalletHub recently released a list of the country's fattest cities. Leading the (fat) pack were 1) McAllen, TX 2) Memphis, TN 3) Baton Rouge, LA
The South dominated the top 20 claiming almost every spot -- Tulsa, OK and Wichita, KS snuck into the list as reps of the Great Plains/Midwest
The only city with over a million residents that cracked the top 20 was San Antonio, TX -- Coach Pop needs to get to work!
March
4
,
12:19 am
Large chains in Texas are going to continue requiring patrons to wear masks, despite the Governor's ending of all mask mandates
Earlier this week, Governor Greg Abbott announced the "100%" opening of Texas. President Biden called the decision a "big mistake"
Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels, CVS, and Target have all announced that they will be keeping mask mandates in place
All state Covid restrictions will end by March 10. Since September, businesses have operated at up to 75% capacity, with a statewide mask mandate
March
4
,
12:14 am
Fly me to the moon! You can now apply to do just that with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa (founder of Zozotown and ZOZO)
Applications are due by March 14th to have a chance to make the 2023 voyage on one of Elon Musk's spaceships with Yusaku and seven other randos
Yusaku spoke of the trip on Tuesday, “It will take three days to get to the moon, loop behind it, and three days to get back. I will pay for the entire journey"
The SpaceX Starship spacecraft has ended in two crash landings thus far, but Elon aims to work his magic to get it ready to go by 2023
March
4
,
12:12 am
Amazon is set to pay up to $1B per year to secure exclusive rights to Thursday night NFL games beginning in 2023
The games would be available only on local TV in the teams' markets, and on Amazon streaming
Amazon has been aggressively trying to enter the sports streaming market, and has been streaming some Thursday night games in conjunction with Fox
Fox, NBC, and CBS are all set to resign contracts with the NFL, too. They are each expected to pay about $2B a season over the next decade, up from roughly $1B today
March
4
,
12:06 am
2 of the world's largest travel markets - the EU and China - announced that they are enacting vaccine passports
The EU expects the plan to kick in within 3 months; China's timeline isn't clear. Travelers will have to show proof of vaccination or provide a negative Covid test result
The IATA, which governs international air travel, will soon release an app where travelers can upload and verify proof of their vaccinations
The US hasn't yet said if it will enact a similar plan
March
4
,
12:00 am
Exxon Mobil, one of the world's largest fossil fuel companies, announced that it is launching a branch dedicated to capturing and storing carbon
Exxon has been heavily criticized for its contributions to climate change and seen as resistant to climate change concerns
Until now Exxon has maintained that investing in carbon-capture tech, which removes fossil fuel-produced carbon from the atmosphere, has not made economic sense
Yesterday, Exxon said that they expect the carbon capture market to hit $2T by 2040, and that carbon capture will become to most cost-effective way to reduce emissions
March
3
,
11:58 pm
TikTok's royal couple Addison Rae and Bryce Hall, or "Braddison" as they are collectively known, is under heat
Bryce Hall traveled to Las Vegas to film a vlog in February and returned to LA along with rumors that he cheated on Addison with influencer Samantha Salvador
He denies the allegations, but is Addison Rae buying it? She deleted several cryptic tweets over the weekend on the rumors such as "disappointed but not surprised" and "figures"
The TikTok paparazzi have descended on both of them in public to pepper them with questions. Addison was visibly bothered by one such encounter this week
March
3
,
11:46 pm
A study found that the squid-like cuttlefish is one of the few animals known to possess self-control
In the study, researchers offered cuttlefish food under 2 different conditions
Under 1, the food would be immediately accessible; under the other, the food would only be reachable after a delay
The cuttlefish quickly realized that they needed to wait to get the food under the second condition, indicating self-control and a level of intelligence associated with animals including humans, chimps, and parrots
March
3
,
11:42 pm
Hunters in Wisconsin killed 216 wolves in under 60 hours, despite a state hunting quota of 119 wolves
The wolf hunting season was meant to last 7 days, but authorities had to end it 4 days early
Wisconsin's goal was to cull the wolf population by allowing the hunting of 200 wolves
Of the 200, 81 were saved for Native Americans, and the remaining 119 for hunters at large. Despite the overkill, authorities say the population remains "robust"
March
3
,
11:28 pm
Several Buckingham Palace staffers have accused Meghan Markle of bullying and reducing them to tears during her time as a senior royal
An article in the Times of London alleging that she created a toxic and manipulative atmosphere for royal aides has prompted Buckingham Palace to investigate her conduct
Two senior palace staff members allege Meghan Markle pushed them out of their posts, and another says Markle "publicly humiliated" her
Meghan Markle's camp has dubbed this probe an "orchestrated smear campaign" in advance of her interview with Oprah this coming weekend which could shine an unfavorable light on the Royal Family
March
3
,
12:49 am
It's a bad day to be a python, iguana, or anaconda in Florida as the state is officially cracking down on their ownership
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted last week to restrict the ownership of the above-mentioned animals and other exotic species
Current owners of these animals can keep them as pets until they die but need to get a permit and a transponder chip so the animals can be identified in the meantime
Most pythons, iguanas, and anacondas that infest Florida -- threatening humans and ecosystems -- were originally pets
March
3
,
12:35 am
Shark researchers discovered three different species of shark off the east coast of New Zealand in January
One of these species, the kitefin shark, grows up to 6 feet and is the largest luminous vertebrate known to scientists
All three sharks live in the "twilight zone" of the ocean which exists 650 to 3,300 feet beneath the surface
Bioluminescence is advantageous to these sharks for scanning the ocean floor in search of food -- especially the kitefin shark which likely has no predators
March
3
,
12:15 am
How do you win 7 Super Bowls? Only one player in history claims 7 rings (nobody has even 6), and it's Tom Brady. We just got another glimpse into his mentality that has taken him to 7
Brady reportedly called the Bucs QBs coach just hours after leaving the Bucs postgame party on Super Bowl Monday to talk about next season
The coach, Clyde Christensen, recalls Brady saying, "I was just sitting here thinking, and I think we can really be better next year. I think we’re going to be a better team"
Brady was already thinking about his eighth ring just hours after winning his seventh. He thinks the Bucs will have the horses to do so
March
2
,
11:40 pm
Nike executive Ann Hebert resigned on Monday over reports that her 19-year-old son used her corporate card to buy $100,000 worth of vintage Nike sneakers for his resale business
Ann was vice president and general manager of Nike North America with 25 years of experience at the company
Her teenage son Joe runs "West Coast Streetwear" for which he resells the truckloads of unworn, limited-edition Nike sneakers that he bought with his mom's Nike corporate card
The extent of Ann's role in her son's business dealings is unclear, though Nike dubbed it significant enough to send her packing
March
2
,
11:29 pm
The mayor of Paris has clashed with the French government over a tightening of Covid restrictions in the French capital
The French government wants to implement a stay-at-home lockdown across the city and its suburbs from Friday nights through Monday mornings
The mayor of Paris has called the plan "inhumane," saying residents should have the right to spend their weekends outside
Last weekend, over 64 French towns were put under lockdown from 6 PM on Friday to 6 AM on Monday. Paris has been subject to curfews throughout the pandemic
March
2
,
11:19 pm
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which owns the rights to Dr. Seuss' books, will stop publishing 6 of the author's books over "racist and insensitive" images
The books are: "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!,” and “The Cat’s Quizzer”
The books have been accused of including images that stereotype minorities, like bare-footed African men in skirts or Asian men in cone hats with chopsticks
Dr. Seuss' books still bring in $33M annually, with Forbes listing him the second highest-paid dead celebrity last year, after Michael Jackson.
March
2
,
11:00 pm
The world's largest LSD microdosing study has shown that the supposed positive effects may be nothing more than placebo
Imperial College London conducted the trial. It looked at whether consuming small LSD doses brought actual mental and physical benefits
It found that while study participants experienced a boost to mood and creativity, there was not a notable difference between those who consumed LSD and those who consumed a placebo
191 participants micro-dosed LSD or a placebo over a 4 week period, and recorded the effects. Microdosing has exploded in popularity after becoming trendy in Silicon Valley
March
2
,
10:50 pm
Almost exactly 1 year after lockdowns began, Lyft announced that the last week of February was their best since then
Ridesharing companies like Lyft and Uber have been crushed by the pandemic, as social events and office work came to a halt
While Uber has benefited from its role in the food delivery space with Uber Eats, Lyft hasn't had the same cushion
Even so, Uber's stock is up 60% over the last year, and Lyft's is up 50%
March
2
,
10:46 pm
President Biden announced that the US was sanctioning various Russian officials and organizations implicated in the August poisoning of Alexei Navalny
Navalny is the country's most notable Putin critic. In August, he fell ill on a flight after being poisoned with a chemical weapon
Navalny returned to Russia in January and was quickly thrown in jail. “Russia’s attempt to kill Mr. Navalny follows an alarming pattern of chemical weapons use by Russia," a US diplomat said
Working with the US, the EU announced sanctions of their own on Russian officials close to Putin