Another delay for ex-deep-sea treasure hunter stuck in jail

The long-running case of a former deep-sea treasure hunter marking his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of missing gold coins has hit yet another roadblock. Research scientist Tommy Thompson has been held in contempt of court since Dec. 15, 2015, for that refusal. A hearing held Monday in hopes of helping draw the case to a conclusion ended with a federal judge giving Thompson two months to find a new attorney ahead of yet another hearing.

NFL’s Odell Beckham Jr. took his $750,000 salary in bitcoin — how much did that end up costing him?

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made headlines last November when he announced he would be converting his 2021 NFL salary into bitcoin. The problem for Beckham: that bitcoin (BTCUSD) prices are plummeting. Ether was down 8% over the past 24 hours, and bitcoin prices fell below $35,000, including a 4% drop in the past 24 hours.

Jon Stewart once told Jeff Bezos at a dinner with the Obamas that workers wanted fulfillment, not jobs running errands for rich people: 'It's a recipe for revolution'

Jon Stewart once told Jeff Bezos that his vision for the economy was a "recipe for revolution." Stewart said during a recent podcast episode that President Barack Obama agreed. In recent years, Amazon employees have gone on strike, filed lawsuits, and attempted to unionize.

Sheldon Silver, NY power broker sent to prison, dead at 77

Former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the most powerful figures in state government for two decades before his conviction on corruption charges, has died in federal custody. Silver died Monday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Silver's supporters had said he was in failing health from multiple medical conditions.

Move Over MyPillow Guy: Aaron Rodgers Is Trumpworld’s Hot New Election Conspiracy Theorist

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is very good at football. He's probably going to be named the NFL's MVP in a few weeks, an award he also won last year, and in 2014, and in 2011. This year's been a little different, though, as his play on the field hasn't been near as big of a story as his judgement off of it.

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  Another disappointing Aaron Rodgers playoff loss, as Packers are shocked by 49ers

  Yahoo Sports
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  Is that it for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay?

  ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Plaid must pay $58 million to users of Venmo, Robinhood and other apps

Even if you've never heard of a company called Plaid, they may owe you part of a multi-million dollar lawsuit settlement, Fast Company has reported. Plaid, which connects consumer bank accounts to services like Venmo, Robinhood, Coinbase and other apps, was accused of collecting excessive financial data from consumers. While denying any wrongdoing, it agreed to pay $58 million to all consumers with a linked bank account to any of its approximately 5,000 client apps.

Florida Congresswoman Gets Sworn In to Seat After Winning Special Election By a Landslide, But Republican Opponent Still Won’t Concede

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was sworn in as the first Black woman to represent the predominantly Democratic 20th District in Florida on Tuesday, but her Republican opponent she defeated by a landslide the week before, still has not conceded the race. Cherfilus-McCormick won the special election for the 20th District on Jan. 11, securing 78.7 percent of the vote over Jason Mariner's 19.6 percent. “People are supposed to have a fair shake at choosing governance,” Mariner told reporters in a video posted on his campaign Facebook page.

Merrill Lynch wealth adviser arrested, fired after calling teen smoothie shop worker an ‘immigrant loser’ and throwing a drink at her

A Merrill Lynch wealth adviser who was arrested over the weekend for allegedly throwing a drink at a Connecticut smoothie shop employee, calling her a “f—ing immigrant loser” and attempting to force his way behind the counter after his son suffered an allergic reaction to his drink, has been fired by the company. The Fairfield Police Department received “numerous calls” from employees at the Robeks smoothie outlet on 2061 Black Rock Turnpike just before 2:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, with workers complaining that a customer was “throwing things, yelling at employees and refusing to leave,” according to the police report.

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  Merrill Lynch executive arrested after racist attack on store workers over smoothie order is caught on video

  The Independent
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  Merrill Lynch Cuts Ties With Advisor Arrested After Altercation at Smoothie Shop

  Barrons.com

US puts 8,500 troops on heightened alert amid Russia tension

At President Joe Biden's direction, the Pentagon is putting about 8,500 U.S.-based troops on heightened alert for potential deployment to Europe to reassure allies amid rising fears of a possible Russian military move on Ukraine. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday no final decisions had been made on deployments, which he said would happen only if the NATO alliance decides to activate a rapid-response force “or if other situations develop” in connection with tensions over Russia's military buildup along Ukraine's borders. “What this is about is reassurance to our NATO allies," Kirby said, adding that no troops are intended for deployment to Ukraine itself.

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  U.S. puts 8,500 troops on alert to deploy amid Ukraine tensions

  Reuters
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  NATO sends reinforcements and U.S. puts troops on alert as Ukraine tensions rise

  Reuters

Pilot forced to bail out of F-35 stealth jet after 'landing mishap' on US Navy aircraft carrier in South China Sea

An F-35C experienced a "landing mishap" on the deck of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson Monday. A US Navy pilot bailed out of an F-35C stealth fighter after a landing mishap on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson while it was conducting operations in the South China Sea, the sea service said Monday afternoon. USS Carl Vinson is the first US Navy aircraft carrier to deploy with the F-35C, a variant of the fifth-generation fighter designed specifically for carrier operations.

Omicron's Incubation Period Is Short: Here's Why That Matters

There's so much public health officials are still learning about the Omicron COVID-19 variant, but one thing is certain: It spreads really quickly. Omicron now causes 99.5% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S.—a staggering number considering that this strain was only detected in the country in early December. With that, it's understandable to wonder about Omicron's incubation period, i.e.

New space telescope reaches final stop million miles out

The world's biggest, most powerful space telescope arrived at its observation post 1 million miles from Earth on Monday, a month after it lifted off on a quest to behold the dawn of the universe. On command, the James Webb Space Telescope fired its rocket thrusters for nearly five minutes to go into orbit around the sun at its designated location, and NASA confirmed the operation went as planned. The mirrors on the $10 billion observatory still must be meticulously aligned, the infrared detectors sufficiently chilled and the scientific instruments calibrated before observations can begin in June.

Gov. Ducey sues Biden for the right to use federal funds to help spread COVID-19

Ducey, having long ago given up on science, ascended to a whole new level of bizarre in August as the school year got under way and school districts began requiring masks. A new state law barring mask mandates hadn't yet taken effect and until it did, certain school boards reasoned that it only made sense to try to protect against the spread of COVID-19, as recommended by federal, state, county public health departments as well as the American Academy of Pediatrics and other health care groups. Ducey dreamed up 3 programs to move kids So, naturally, Ducey, desperate to appease to his political base, dreamed up two new inducements to ignore that advice, using federal COVID-relief funds.

Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance says 'our country is kind of a joke' in justifying his off-color tweets

Vance publicly criticized Donald Trump's divisive rhetoric during the 2016 presidential election. Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance dismissed criticism of his increasingly harsh online rhetoric as attempts at comedy and "realness," despite his past criticism of former President Donald Trump's crude language. Vance, whose bestselling memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" won him widespread attention in 2016, told a Spectrum News reporter at a campaign event on Monday that voters should expect politicians to be "real people" and have a "sense of humor."

My wife of 5 years will leave her house and life insurance to her kids. I help with property taxes and utilities. Do I have any rights?

Texas is a community-property state, so anything you or your wife purchased prior to your marriage is deemed separate property. You have paid the utilities and property taxes. In some states, contributing to the upkeep of the property can commingle that asset — that is, turning it from separate property into marital/community property.

Workers at a Wisconsin hospital sought new jobs with higher pay — then the hospital sued to stop them from leaving

A Wisconsin court granted a hospital's request to block 7 healthcare workers from starting jobs at a competitor. ThedaCare said its workers leaving has strained the hospital as COVID-19 cases rise in Wisconsin. 1 in 5 healthcare workers quit their job during the pandemic, some due to poor work environments.

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  Canadian hospitals strain as Omicron hits health workers

  Reuters
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  What to know about the battle over Wisconsin health care workers now playing out in court

  The Post-Crescent

Harmony Montgomery disappearance narrowed to 13-day window

Adam and Kayla Montgomery, together with two children of their own and Adam's daughter, Harmony Montgomery, age 5 at the time, were evicted from a Manchester home on Nov. 27, 2019, the office said in a news release. “Multiple individuals have reported seeing Harmony with Adam and Kayla in the following days; however, by approximately December 6–10, 2019, Adam and Kayla apparently had only their two common children, and Harmony was no longer with them," the office said. “This information leads police to believe that it was sometime during this window of approximately November 28–December 10, 2019, that Harmony Montgomery disappeared," it said.

Cartoonistry: Gaslighting is blinding too many in our polarized country

Gaslighting is a colloquialism that was made popular by the movie "Gaslight" (1944), in which a husband schemes to make his wife think she's crazy with a series of lies and dirty tricks so he can get her committed to an asylum and steal her money. Mr. Srinivasan has indeed outlined a common phenomenon in today's media-soaked culture and politics.

Lawsuit: Video shows Lake Worth police officer run over unarmed man with vehicle

A federal lawsuit was filed Monday against a Lake Worth police officer, accusing him of using excessive force by running over an unarmed man with a sport utility vehicle during a foot pursuit in November 2020. Dustin Bates of Denton County suffered three fractured ribs, a broken right leg and a fractured spine in the incident, video of which was captured on the officer's dash camera. The lawsuit identified the Lake Worth officer as Jonathan Granado.

AT&T is rolling out multi-gig fiber internet to more than 70 cities

Following the activation of its C-band 5G network last week, AT&T is now upgrading its fiber-based broadband service with two new plans that top out at 2Gbps and 5Gbps, respectively. The company says its new multi-gig fiber broadband will be available in more than 70 metro areas including Dallas, LA and Atlanta. Currently, AT&T's fiber broadband covers around 15 million customers across 90 markets, with the ISP looking to expand its network to reach more than 30 million customers by 2025.

Trump says the Ukraine-Russia crisis never would've occurred under him, but he withheld military aid from Kyiv and experts say he emboldened Putin

Former President Donald Trump said the Ukraine-Russia crisis never would've happened on his watch. Experts said Trump's presidency emboldened Putin. Former President Donald Trump on Monday said the escalating Russia-Ukraine crisis never would've happened on his watch, ignoring the fact that he was impeached over a scandal involving the withholding of military aid to Kyiv, while pressuring it to investigate his political rivals.

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  Trump – impeached for trying to blackmail Ukraine – hits out at Biden over Russia crisis

  The Independent
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  In the Ukraine-Russia crisis, Biden bumps against the limits of U.S. power

  LA Times

Justin Timberlake Made an Insane Profit on His NYC Penthouse, and This Picture Explains Why

Justin Timberlake is likely feeling the lyrics to his hit tune “Can't Stop the Feeling!” these days, particularly the part that goes, “'Cause I got that sunshine in my pocket.” According to property records obtained by the New York Post, Timberlake and his wife, Jessica Biel, sold their swanky four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom apartment in Tribeca just before Christmas for an eye-watering $29 million. The couple must have learned from their real estate mistakes, as they clearly picked a winning property this time around.

Taxes 2022: Important changes to know for this year's tax season

Tax season is upon us and there are some key changes in 2022 — including this year's deadline — but most largely stem from pandemic-era tax legislation. “The pandemic significantly shifted the tax landscape as billions of dollars in aid were processed by tax returns,” Kathy Pickering, the chief tax officer at The Tax Institute at H&R Block, recently said in a webinar hosted by the National Consumers League (NCL). For Maine and Massachusetts residents, the tax deadline is April 19 due to Patriots' Day, a holiday in both states.