Entertainment

How Booked is building a community one stellar reading recommendation at a time

Jan. 17, 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. This week we have Booked in Evanston, Illinois!

Health

For many USMNT World Cup hopefuls, the audition for 2026 begins now

Jan. 17, 2025

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Outside of major competitions like the World Cup, it is exceedingly rare for national team coaches to enjoy the luxury of multi-week training camps with their players. Even then, it doesn't always happen; the squads that competed at soccer's last signature event in 2022 had only a few practices to prepare for some of the biggest games of their lives, what with that tournament scheduled in the middle of the European season to avoid the searing summer temperatures in Qatar.

Entertainment

Japanese TV network to open independent probe into alleged sexual misconduct by celebrity host

Jan. 17, 2025

The head of Japan’s Fuji Television network announced plans on Friday for an independent investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against one of the country’s top celebrities and company officials’ suspected involvement. Masahiro Nakai, a former member of the SMAP boy band who is now a popular TV host at the network, has been linked by local media reports to allegations of sexual assault at a party which it is alleged was arranged by a member of staff at Fuji TV.

Science & Tech

SpaceX loses its Starship rocket in test flight but catches its booster after launch

Jan. 17, 2025

SpaceX launched the seventh test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost communication with the upper stage of the rocket that continues on into space. The company’s webcast showed data stopped transmitting from Starship about nine minutes into the launch. “We can confirm that we did lose the ship,” SpaceX senior manager of quality systems engineering Kate Tice said.

Entertainment

Movie Review: Cameron Diaz is ‘Back in Action’ with Jamie Foxx as glam spies turned dorky parents

Jan. 17, 2025

But, we do Wordle!! Er, OK. That’s how former secret agent Matt (Jamie Foxx) explains that he and wife Emily are now living a boring, mundane, glamour-free life and nobody would ever be looking for them. To which the rest of us Wordle players say: Whoa, speak for yourself, Matt! Lots of us play Wordle and we don’t think WE’RE boring or mundane. Anyway! More to the point is that Matt’s explanation obviously doesn’t work, because within a moment he and Emily are, yes, “Back in Action.” It’s not only the title of director Seth Gordon’s film, but the story of Foxx’s co-star, Cameron Diaz. Back in movies after more than a decade, Diaz retains her easy charm and has chemistry with Foxx. But this doesn’t mean their lines are funny or logical. Often, they are neither. We start 15 years ago, in a pre-credits sequence featuring our ultra-cool co-spies (also lovers). Their job is to pose as French arms dealers visiting the home of a shadowy Russian terrorist — then break into a safe and steal a key to the entire world’s infrastructure or something.

International News

Russia and Iran sign a partnership treaty to deepen their ties in the face of Western sanctions

Jan. 17, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation pact Friday as their countries deepened their partnership in the face of stinging Western sanctions. Russian and Iranian officials say the “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” covers all areas — from trade and military cooperation to science, education and culture.

Science & Tech

SpaceX says its Starship spacecraft broke up midflight as videos of debris emerge online

Jan. 17, 2025

SpaceX said Thursday that its Starship space vehicle broke up during a flight meant to test the megarocket's capabilities. The rocket system's upper stage appears to have disintegrated somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico or possibly the Caribbean Sea. Shortly after SpaceX said it lost touch with the spacecraft, videos emerged on social media showing debris streaming across the sky. Elon Musk, SpaceX's founder and CEO, shared a video of the debris on X, writing: "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!"

Sports

5 most infamous fan moments in sports

Jan. 17, 2025

The controversy surrounding Philadelphia Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell for berating a female Packers fan during a game is just the latest incident of scandalously unruly fan behavior in sports. Other deranged fans have engaged in physical altercations with athletes, with one incident even resulting in the stabbing of an athlete.

Sports

American tennis star Taylor Fritz pledges to donate Australian Open prize money to LA wildfires relief fund

Jan. 17, 2025

American tennis star Taylor Fritz is the latest athlete to contribute to the relief funds for the wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area. Fritz, 27, said on Thursday that he is donating the prize money he earned for his first-round victory at the Australian Open – about $82,000 – toward the relief funds.

Health

CDC urges faster testing to find human bird flu cases

Jan. 17, 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday urged labs nationwide to determine within 24 hours of admission whether people hospitalized with the flu have seasonal influenza or are infected with the bird flu that's behind an escalating outbreak in dairy cows and poultry. The guidance for labs to do this type of testing has been in place since last fall, but the process has been slow, with many hospitals sending flu samples out for testing in bulk every few days. By the time those results come back, patients have often already been sent home, Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC’s principal deputy director, said during a media briefing Thursday.