BusinessTechCrunch'We probably pissed away $200 million,' Better.com CEO told employees in layoffs meeting
When Better.com CEO Vishal Garg laid off 900 employees, or about 9% of the company's staff, in early December, the startup world was shocked by his callous delivery. Now a video of Garg and CFO Kevin Ryan addressing the remaining employees right after the chief executive performed those layoffs has emerged, confirming many reports of his brash style and harsh words about those affected. In a video obtained by TechCrunch, Garg is seen addressing the layoffs and admitting to making a number of mistakes.
U.S.OxygenNewlywed Virginia Beach Couple Found Gunned Down In Their Apartment And One Of The Victim's Brother Has Disappeared
A newlywed Virginia Beach couple was found gunned down in their apartment—and police are now searching for the missing brother of one of the victims. Talon Rodgers and Alisa Wash, both 23, were discovered dead in their apartment Monday night around 6:30 p.m. by Virginia Beach Police officers in what is being described as a “double homicide,” according to a statement from police. Just two days after discovering the bodies, police issued a missing persons alert for Collin Q. Rodgers, who they described as an “endangered adult.”
WorldBusiness Insider60 elite Russian paratroopers refused to fight in the invasion of Ukraine, report says
At least 60 Russian paratroopers from a unit in Pskov province refused to fight in Ukraine, a report says. The troops were fired and some are being threatened with criminal prosecution, a Russian newspaper reported. Russian forces have suffered heavy losses and reports suggest that morale is deteriorating.
WorldYahoo Life SEAMalaysian influencer apologises for wearing Vietnamese national dress provocatively
Malaysian influencer Siew Pui Yi has apologised for wearing the Vietnamese national dress ao dai provocatively, saying that she will be “more sensitive” to local cultures. The former Penthouse cover model, better known as Ms Puiyi on her social media accounts, wore only an ao dai gown while she was releasing lanterns on the Hoai River in Hoi An, Vietnam. She posted two photos of her outfit on her social media accounts, drawing a barrage of criticisms from Vietnamese netizens for disrespecting their culture and traditions.
ScienceINSIDERScientists rejuvenated the skin of a 53-year-old woman to that of a 23-year-old's in a groundbreaking experiment
Babraham Institute in Cambridge announced on Thursday researchers had successfully rejuvenated skin cells. Scientists reprogrammed adult skin cells to look and behave 30 years younger than the original. A team in the Babraham Institute in Cambridge has successfully rejuvenated a 53-year-old woman's skin cells to look and behave like a 23-year-old's, the research center announced on Thursday.
U.S.PeopleWill Smith Responds After Academy Bans Him from Attending Oscars Until 2032 Over Chris Rock Slap
Will Smith accepts his decade-long ban from the Academy Awards. The 53-year-old Best Actor winner responded Friday after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' board of governors decided to ban him from Oscars ceremonies and other Academy events for the next 10 years after he struck Chris Rock onstage during last month's award show. "I accept and respect the Academy's decision," Smith said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
WorldReutersRussians bury dead soldiers as Kremlin admits major losses in Ukraine
Russian families buried relatives killed in Ukraine with automatic gun salutes and military brass bands on Friday, a day after the Kremlin admitted for the first time that it had lost significant numbers of troops. Russia sent tens of thousands of soldiers into Ukraine on Feb. 24 on what it calls a "special operation". Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the losses were "a huge tragedy for us."
PoliticsHuffPostRand Paul Held Up Ketanji Brown Jackson's Senate Vote, And Twitter Was Not Having It
The Senate may have confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, but no thanks to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky. Although Jackson was confirmed in a 53-47 vote, the Kentucky Republican made his fellow senators wait over 15 minutes before the vote could be concluded, according to Politico. Video: Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court Paul, who was inexplicably absent when the vote stood at 53-46, eventually showed up and voted against Jackson — from the cloakroom, because he wasn't wearing a suit.
BusinessOrlando Sentinel‘Very, very, very bad’: Red Lobster CEO Kelli Valade resigns after only 8 months
Red Lobster CEO Kelli Valade is resigning after just eight months at the helm of the Orlando-based seafood chain, a quick departure that one industry analyst called “very, very, very bad.” “We've accomplished a lot in a short period of time, including building a great leadership team that alongside the board will carry the business forward to achieve our vision,” Valade said in the release. Valade took over as CEO in August after the retirement of the brand's longtime leader Kim Lopdrup.
WorldYahoo NewsUkraine: A killing ground for Russian armor. Are tanks now obsolete?
Despite having only the fourth-largest military in the world, Russia is the superpower when it comes to its supply of tanks, with 12,950 in 2020 — more than double the number of the U.S., which came in second with 6,333 vehicles. As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues into its seventh week, it appears that President Vladimir Putin's military forces might be taking a toll. Pictures of destroyed Russian tanks have been posted and shared across social media since the beginning of the war.
WorldINSIDER71 Chinese inmates on death row had their hearts or lungs removed during executions before being declared dead, new study says
China, which carries out the most executions in the world, killed more than 71 inmates by removing their organs. A study revealed that the inmates were not officially brain dead before their organs were removed for transplants. At least 71 death row inmates in China had their vital organs removed, to be used for transplants, before they were officially declared dead, according to a study published in the American Journal of Transplantation.
U.S.Popular MechanicsThe Most Expensive Warship Ever Built Is (Finally) Ready for Action
The U.S. Navy quietly declared the controversial aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford ready for combat in late 2021. Ford, whose keel was laid in 2009, suffered from cost overruns and technical headaches that put it years behind schedule. It's a mystery why the Navy did not announce the news about the aircraft carrier until now.
WorldReutersRussia says it would have to 'rebalance' if Finland and Sweden join NATO
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that if Finland and Sweden joined NATO then Russia would have to "rebalance the situation" with its own measures. Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which it says aims among other things to degrade Ukraine's military potential and prevent it becoming a bridgehead for a NATO attack, has prompted the two Nordic countries to consider joining the U.S.-led alliance. If the two countries join, "we'll have to make our western flank more sophisticated in terms of ensuring our security," Peskov told Britain's Sky News.
U.S.Miami HeraldA 74-year-old woman screamed while snorkeling off Key West. Two people tried to save her
For the third time in a week, a visitor to the Florida Keys died while exploring the waters. On Thursday afternoon, 74-year-old Carol Murrell Maillet, of Seattle, died after snorkeling at Dry Tortugas National Park, a remote spot 70 miles west of Key West that can be reached only by boat or seaplane. She was snorkeling along a Fort Jefferson wall by the beach when people heard her screaming, according to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.
U.S.INSIDERVideo shows the shocking moment when a DHL cargo plane split in 2 after making an emergency landing
A shocking video has emerged of a DHL cargo plane breaking cleanly in two on an airport runway. The plane made an emergency landing at the Juan Santa Maria international airport in Costa Rica. A DHL plane split cleanly in two after it skidded off the runway and came to an abrupt halt at the Juan Santa Maria international airport in Costa Rica.
PoliticsAssociated PressOhio GOP Senate hopeful: Middle class doesn't pay fair share
Mike Gibbons, a leading Republican Senate candidate from Ohio, said at a media event last fall that middle-class Americans don't pay “any kind of a fair share” of income taxes. The top 20% of earners in the United States pay 82% of federal income tax — and, if you do the math, and 45% to 50% don't pay any income tax, you can see the middle class is not really paying any kind of a fair share, depending on how you want to define it,” Gibbons said. The comments by Gibbons, a millionaire investment banker from Cleveland, were made in a September episode of “The Landscape” podcast by Crain's Cleveland Business.
U.S.Idaho StatesmanFor Ammon Bundy, who thinks society’s rules don’t apply to him, finally justice served
Ammon Bundy likes to talk a lot about holding elected officials accountable. Bundy, who is running for Idaho governor as an independent, was found guilty Thursday of contempt of court and was sentenced to 10 days in jail and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. Bundy had argued — laughably — that his stops made during his gubernatorial campaign satisfied his court-mandated community service.
- WorldLas Cruces Sun-News
Scuffle follows manslaughter trial acquittal in district court
A scuffle between the victim's family and the defendant's lawyers ensued after a judge dismissed the charges on April 5, 2022.
WorldReutersRussia complains to Turkey over drones sales to Ukraine -Turkish bureaucrat
Russia has complained to Turkey over its sale of Bayraktar TB2 armed drones to Ukraine, a high level Turkish bureaucrat said on Friday, but added the sales were by a private Turkish company and not state-to-state deals. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 on what he called a "special military operation" to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine. Kyiv and the West say Putin launched an unprovoked war of aggression.
U.S.The Daily BeastAlex Jones Accused of ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Scheme to Hide Money From Sandy Hook Families
InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones talks a lot about preparing for the apocalypse, selling his fans all manner of ways to stock their bunkers ahead of the end of the world. But now plaintiffs for Sandy Hook families suing Jones allege that he's “doomsday prepped” his own business ahead of hefty legal judgments, illicitly moving money out of InfoWars into shell companies to avoid paying his victims. In a court motion filed Wednesday in Texas, the families claim that he has concealed InfoWars' assets to make the company appear to be nearly bankrupt.
BusinessMarketWatchThree things to take care of when you retire—your future self will thank you for it
Even longtime do-it-yourselfers should consider getting expert retirement planning advice, says Catherine Azeles, a certified financial planner and investment consultant in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Although your days may be simpler without workplace demands, your finances often become more complex. There's a lot more that goes into the distribution phase of retirement than the accumulation phase,” Azeles says.
WorldReutersRussian Patriarch says Orthodox faithful are holding back the antichrist
The head of the Russian Orthodox faith was quoted as saying on Thursday that his church and its faithful were holding back the antichrist. Patriarch Kirill was speaking six weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has forced over 4 million people to flee, killed or injured thousands and left cities and towns destroyed. While he was not quoted specifically referring to Ukraine, Kirill's comments backed the Kremlin line on the war by implying that Russia's actions there were a forced response to a foreign aggressor.
U.S.LA TimesProposed bill would shorten California workweek to 32 hours. Here's what you need to know
A proposed bill winding its way through the state Legislature could make California the first state in the nation to reduce its workweek to four days for a large swath of workers. The bill, AB 2932, would change the definition of a workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours for companies with more than 500 employees. A full workday would remain at eight hours, and employers would be required to provide overtime pay for employees working longer than four full days.
U.S.INSIDERAmtrak livestreamed a seemingly empty railroad to show it's being held 'hostage' by freight-train companies
On Wednesday, Amtrak joined Twitch to stream an empty railroad in Mississippi. The company is fighting to restart passenger service between Mobile and New Orleans. Freight companies argue that the service would "unreasonably impair" their operations.
WorldReutersRussia facing most difficult situation in three decades, PM says
Russia is facing its most difficult situation in three decades due to unprecedented Western sanctions, but foreign attempts to isolate it from the global economy will fail, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Thursday. Western countries are progressively broadening an array of economic sanctions imposed to try to force Russia to end its military operation in Ukraine and withdraw its forces. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.
“In the wake of global movements against racism ... perhaps it’s finally time for the monarchy to reckon with its history.”
“The appeal of monarchy remains potent; its adaptability to changing times is a hereditary trait.”
“The survival of the monarchy is dependent on it staying modern and responding to issues that people care about.”
“Maybe it’s good for the world to see the British monarchy for the symbolic mess that it is, an outdated relic of imperialism.”
“Royalty is mystical and ancient: if it is not magnificent, what’s it for?”