Travel

A New Zealand mountain has been granted personhood. Here’s why that matters

Jan. 30, 2025

Mount Taranaki — now known as Taranaki Maunga, its Māori name — is the latest natural feature to be granted personhood in New Zealand, which has ruled that a river and a stretch of sacred land are people before. The pristine, snow-capped dormant volcano is the second highest on New Zealand’s North Island at 2,518 meters (8,261 feet) and a popular spot for tourism, hiking and snow sports. The legal recognition acknowledges the mountain’s theft from the Māori of the Taranaki region after New Zealand was colonized. It fulfills an agreement of redress from the country’s government to Indigenous people for harms perpetrated against the land since.

Business

From Delta Air Lines to Costco, some companies say they'll stick with DEI

Jan. 30, 2025

While several major companies and organizations are eliminating or scaling back diversity programs under conservative pressure and amid a push to exorcise them from the federal government, some others, including Delta Airlines and the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, say they’re standing firm in the shifting political winds. “DEI is not something that’s going to stop at Delta Airlines,” said Eric Hendricks, Delta’s director of pilot outreach, adding that the airline still has recruiting and training events for marginalized groups scheduled throughout the year. “We’re pressing on,” Hendricks said.

Business

GDP grew at a 2.3% pace in the fourth quarter, less than expected

Jan. 30, 2025

U.S. economic growth slowed a bit more than expected in the final three months of 2024, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Gross domestic product, a measure of all the goods and services produced across the sprawling U.S. economy during the period, showed that the economy accelerated at a 2.3% annualized inflation-adjusted pace in the fourth quarter. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting an increase of 2.5% after growth of 3.1% in the third quarter. The report closes out 2024 on a somewhat downbeat note, though growth held reasonably solid. For the full year, GDP accelerated 2.8%, compared with 2.9% in 2023. Growth was 2.5% from Q4 of 2023 to Q4 of 2024. Thursday’s release was the first of three estimates the department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis will provide.

Sports

Best non-Super Bowl 2025 bets, predictions by Chris "The Bear" Fallica

Jan. 30, 2025

With a little over a week until Super Bowl LIX on FOX, let’s take a step away from football and see what other betting possibilities exist out there. Here are a few wagers I have in my pocket right now. Iga Swiatek was a loser to eventual Australian Open winner Madison Keys in a classic semifinal,

Automotive

Mitsubishi weighs decision to be part of Honda, Nissan merger

Jan. 29, 2025

As merger talks continue between Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Corp., uncertainty surrounds whether Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will also be a part of that combination. A Jan. 24 news report said that the automaker was considering withdrawing from the merger talks. However, Mitsubishi in a statement said it did not release any information about its future involvement and indicated it is “studying various options and no conclusion has been reached.” While it’s still unclear if Mitsubishi will be part of the combination, the merger may benefit both Honda and Nissan. Sharing resources could help each automaker remain competitive in a evolving global auto market where China is becoming a major force, experts say.

Automotive

GM expects to save $1B by shutting down Cruise robotaxi

Jan. 29, 2025

General Motors expects shutting down its Cruise robotaxi unit will lead to $1 billion in annual savings, CEO Mary Barra said during a call with analysts on Tuesday. The move, however, doesn’t mean the automaker is abandoning autonomous technology, the CEO said. Instead, GM is shifting its strategy to advance its development of personal vehicles to capitalize on the popularity of the Super Cruise hands-free driving system. “We see it being consumer demand driven,” Barra said. “When people arrive at their destination after using Super Cruise, they’re more rested, which is why 80% of our customers say they either wouldn’t buy a car without it or they strongly would desire it to be on their next vehicle.”

Automotive

NHTSA launches safety probe of Ford’s BlueCruise

Jan. 29, 2025

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation has opened a safety probe of Ford Motor Co.’s BlueCruise automated driving feature after the agency received notice of two fatal collisions last year involving Mustang Mach-E vehicles. In both of the accidents, a Mustang Mach-E collided with a stationary vehicle while traveling over 70 mph on a “controlled-access highway” at night with BlueCruise engaged. Analysis of data from the vehicles found that neither the driver or BlueCruise system applied the vehicle’s brakes prior to impact, according to the NHTSA.

Business

Small investors bought the dip in Nvidia by a record amount Monday

Jan. 29, 2025

The buy-in from individuals came as Nvidia suffered its biggest one-day loss, tumbling around 17%, since the onset of the Covid pandemic in March 2020. Retail investors rushed into Nvidia on Monday, signaling Main Street support for the chipmaker despite the emergence of an artificial intelligence model from China that battered its shares and caused a historic, $600 billion loss in market value.

Business

Restaurants are rebounding but Starbucks and McDonald's still have work to do

Jan. 29, 2025

Most casual dining chains have been in turnaround mode, hoping revamped menus and new marketing plans will reinvigorate sales. Starbucks is expected to report its quarterly earnings on Tuesday, kicking off several weeks of reports from restaurant companies as investors anticipate improving demand for dining out. A handful of restaurants released preliminary results earlier in January ahead of presentations at the annual ICR Conference in Orlando. For many, like Red Robin and Noodles & Company, their early report showed sales trends improved during the fourth quarter, giving investors more confidence and pushing their shares higher. Only Shake Shack saw its stock fall; its outlook disappointed shareholders, who were hoping for higher targets.

Business

Over 3 million Social Security Fairness Act beneficiaries may wait more than a year for higher payments, agency says

Jan. 29, 2025

More than 3.2 million people will see increased Social Security benefits, under a new law. However, individuals who are affected may have to wait more than a year before they see the extra money that’s due to them from the Social Security Fairness Act, the Social Security Administration said in an update on its website. “Though SSA is helping some affected beneficiaries now, under SSA’s current budget, SSA expects that it could take more than one year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits,” the agency states.