Business

OpenAI's ChatGPT briefly goes down for users across the globe

Feb. 06, 2025

ChatGPT users around the globe were reportedly experiencing issues with the OpenAI chatbot late Wednesday. According to Down Detector, users began reporting problems at OpenAI around 8:30 p.m. The San Francisco-based company said it was investigating the issues as users from Japan to Australia were reporting issues. Around 15 minutes later, the company said it was "starting to see recovery in API and Sora," adding: "We are continuing to investigate this issue."

Health

USDA detects second bird flu strain in dairy cows

Feb. 06, 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has detected a bird flu strain in dairy cattle that previously had not been seen in cows, the agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on Wednesday. Before this detection, all of the 957 bird flu infections among dairy cow herds reported since the outbreak began last year had been caused by the same strain of the virus, according to the USDA. Nearly 70 people in the U.S. have contracted bird flu, most of them farm workers, as the virus has circulated among poultry flocks and dairy herds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bird flu has also killed tens of millions of egg-laying hens and has driven egg prices to record highs. The USDA said in a release that genome sequencing of milk from Nevada had identified a different strain present in dairy cows for the first time. Reuters reported news of the detection of the second strain on Wednesday ahead of the agency’s announcement.

Entertainment

‘Wheel of Fortune’ fans outraged after host Ryan Seacrest ‘robbed’ player with brutal pronunciation ruling

Feb. 06, 2025

Wheel of Fortune" fans were upset and disappointed over the actions of host Ryan Seacrest. Earlier this week, a player named Arzice Salonga – a law student and single mom from Medina, Ohio – missed out on the game’s first toss up round worth $1,000. The "Wheel of Fortune" category was "Event," as the two-word puzzle read, "A F _ I _ _ N / _ A _ A _ _."

Entertainment

Entertainment ‘Price is Right’ host Drew Carey reveals former fiancée’s murder ‘destroyed’ him, says he still doesn't date

Feb. 05, 2025

"The Price is Right" host Drew Carey made a vulnerable revelation about his former fiancée who was murdered in 2020. Carey, 66, shared how his view on love was left "damaged" after the death of his ex, Amie Harwick. "I think about her every day. It’s such a loss. Her death still affects me and my ideas about relationships and intimacy," Carey told US Weekly in a new interview.

Business

GM cuts 50% of Cruise staff after ending robotaxi business

Feb. 05, 2025

General Motors is laying off roughly half of the employees who remain at its discontinued Cruise robotaxi business. The plans come two months after GM said it would no longer fund Cruise after spending more than $10 billion since acquiring the self-driving car business in 2016. “Today, Cruise shared the difficult decision to part ways with approximately 50% of its workforce,” Cruise said in an emailed statement. “We are grateful for their passion and contributions to help us reach this stage, and our focus is on supporting them into their next chapter with severance packages and career support.”

Business

Job openings decline sharply in December to 7.6 million, below forecast

Feb. 05, 2025

Job openings slid in December while hiring, voluntary quits and layoffs held steady, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. Available positions tumbled to 7.6 million, the lowest since September, and below the Dow Jones estimate for 8 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. The decline left the ratio of open jobs to available workers at 1.1 to 1. Though the report runs a month behind other jobs data, the Federal Reserve watches it closely for signs of a slack or tight labor market.

Business

Boeing's Starliner losses top $2 billion after spacecraft program reports worst year yet

Feb. 05, 2025

Boeing has lost more than $2 billion and counting on its Starliner spacecraft after a rough year in which the capsule’s first astronaut flight turned into a headache for NASA. The Starliner program reported charges of $523 million for 2024 — its largest single-year loss to date — Boeing reported in a filing on Monday. The company noted that Starliner is under a fixed-price contract from NASA, so “there is ongoing risk that similar losses may have to be recognized in future periods.” Since 2014, when NASA awarded Boeing with a nearly $5 billion fixed-price contract to develop Starliner, the company has recorded losses on the program almost every year.

Business

As Trump considers ways to dismantle the Education Deparment, here's what to know about your student loans

Feb. 05, 2025

With the Trump administration looking for ways to close parts or all of the U.S. Department of Education, many of the country’s 42 million federal student loan borrowers are likely feeling on edge. One of the Education Department’s functions is underwriting the loans that enable millions of people each year to attend college and graduate school. It also administers the country’s $1.6 trillion outstanding education debt tab. “The anxiety levels are pretty high for borrowers right now,” said Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a nonprofit that helps borrowers navigate the repayment of their debt.

Business

Disney tops quarterly profit estimates but starts to lose Disney+ streaming subscribers

Feb. 05, 2025

Disney posted fiscal first-quarter earnings Wednesday that beat on the top and bottom lines, but revealed the beginnings of expected streaming subscriber losses at Disney+. The company’s streaming business reported another quarter of profitability despite a 1% decline in subscribers for Disney+, the company’s flagship service. While domestic subscriptions for the platform increased around 1%, international numbers declined around 2%. Disney warned during its fiscal fourth-quarter report in November that it expected a “modest decline” in subscriptions during the December period. Disney told investors Wednesday that it expects another “modest decline” in subscribers during the second quarter.

Business

Postal Service to resume accepting China shipments

Feb. 05, 2025

The U.S. Postal Service has agreed to resume accepting shipments from China, less than 12 hours after announcing it would stop doing so. "Effective February 5, 2025, the Postal Service will continue accepting all international inbound mail and packages from China and Hong Kong Posts," it said in an updated statement Wednesday morning. "The USPS and Customs and Border Protection are working closely together to implement an efficient collection mechanism for the new China tariffs to ensure the least disruption to package delivery." The Postal Service had earlier announced it would stop accepting packages from China, as well as Hong Kong, in the wake of the Trump administration's decision to impose a new round of 10% tariffs on all goods coming from the country.