Business

Travelers are hunting harder for bargains — or taking the bus

Feb. 01, 2025

Consumers are looking for ways to travel on tighter budgets. Many are ditching first-choice options like flights for cheaper ones, like long-haul bus rides. Others are just staying home. Travel demand fell in the second half of last year, when even high-income households spent less on hotel rooms, Morning Consult recently found. It’s the latest sign that consumers are making tough choices when they run out of affordable substitutes for everything from airline tickets to eggs.

Sports

Bill Belichick wins over UNC fraternities with free pizza ahead of Duke basketball game

Feb. 01, 2025

Bill Belichick has found a way to win over students at the University of North Carolina long before he makes his debut as the Tar Heels' new head football coach. The former New England Patriots coach is catering a pizza night for UNC fraternities as they watch the men’s basketball team take on second-ranked Duke Saturday night, according to an email shared on social media.

Sports

TCU star whose brother was killed in New Orleans terror attack catches game-winning touchdown in Senior Bowl

Feb. 01, 2025

A month to the day that Tiger Bech was killed in the New Orleans terror attack, his brother etched his name in Senior Bowl history. Jack Bech, a wide receiver at TCU, caught the game-winning touchdown in Saturday's Senior Bowl as time expired and was named the game's MVP. "My brother has some wings on me. He gave them to me, and he let that all take place. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Tiger, nothing else but them. They're the reason I did what I did today. I attribute it all to them," Jack said after the game.

Health

CDC site scrubs HIV content following Trump DEI policies

Feb. 01, 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday is scrubbing a swath of HIV-related content from the agency’s website as a part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to wipe out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government. The CDC’s main HIV page was down temporarily but has been restored. The CDC began removing all content related to gender identity on Friday, according to one government staffer. HIV-related pages were apparently caught up in that action. CDC employees were told in a Jan 29. email from Charles Ezell, the acting director of the U.S. office of personnel management, titled “Defending Women,” that they’re not to make references or promote “gender ideology” — a term often used by conservative groups to describe what they consider “woke” views on sex and gender — and that they are to recognize only two sexes, male and female, according to a memo obtained by NBC News.

Health

Some federal websites temporarily go dark after order to comply with Trump DEI directive

Feb. 01, 2025

Some government webpages briefly went dark Friday after federal agencies were told to comply with a White House order on removing certain language pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion. Pages for the Federal Aviation Administration, the Census Bureau and the Justice Department were among those that went blank. The FAA and Justice Department later came back online. President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week that stated only the genders male and female are to be recognized by the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) distributed a memo, obtained by NBC News, ordering that all federal government references to “gender ideology” be removed by 5 p.m. Friday. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the duration of any website changes.

Business

Omnilert CEO talks AI and school safety in wake of Antioch High School shooting

Feb. 01, 2025

Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee, was the latest to experience a deadly shooting. In the wake of the tragedy, many have questioned the efficacy of Omnilert, the artificial intelligence-powered weapons detection system that was used in the school. Now the company’s CEO, Dave Fraser, is speaking out about the advantages – and limitations – of AI security systems. "The way our system works is it’s monitoring video cameras, and if you think about it, it’s essentially playing the role of a human being," Fraser told Fox Business. "But for it to work, it has to be able to actually see a weapon in the same way that a human would need to see the weapon."

Entertainment

Rediscovered Books offers a variety of book clubs, including 'Morbid and Curious'

Jan. 31, 2025

Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way, and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities. Each week we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations.

Automotive

Tesla’s Q4 automotive revenue declines 8% YoY

Jan. 31, 2025

Tesla reported an 8% year-over-year decline in Q4 revenue for its core automotive business, the company said Wednesday. For the full year, Tesla’s automotive revenue fell by 6% YoY to $77 billion in Q4. The company cited a reduced average selling price for its vehicles, increased investments in vehicle manufacturing capabilities, AI and other R&D projects as reasons for the revenue decline. Tesla’s automotive revenue drop was offset by significant jumps in the company’s energy generation and storage business. Overall, Tesla saw revenues increase by 2% YoY.

Automotive

Nissan offers buyouts as US production scales back

Jan. 31, 2025

Nissan Motor Co. is offering voluntary buyouts to workers at its manufacturing plants in Smyrna, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi, to scale back production and cut costs amid cooling global sales, company spokesman Brian Brockman told Automotive Dive. The automaker, which is in merger talks with Honda Motor Co., does not plan to shutter the two plants, which combined employ 10,000 workers, Brockman said in an email to Automotive Dive. Instead, Nissan intends to cut one shift from each site and has long-term plans to continue building vehicles at both locations.

Automotive

Sales growth in the forecast for EVs, hybrids

Jan. 31, 2025

More U.S. consumers are choosing battery electric vehicles and it appears policy changes may simply slow the transition but not discourage purchases, experts say. In the final three months of 2024, 365,824 electric vehicles were sold in the U.S., a best-ever quarterly sales mark, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book. For the year, 1.3 million EVs were purchased, a 7.3% year-over-year increase.