Author: KnowledgeHippo

The Supreme Court tried on Friday a law that could determine the fate of TikTok, a wildly popular social media platform that has about 170 million users.Congress enacted the law out of concern that the app, whose owner is based in China, is susceptible to Chinese government influence and poses a national risk. The measure would effectively ban TikTok from operating in the United States unless its owner, ByteDance, sells it by January 19.Here are some key takeaways:The court seemed likely to uphold the law.While justices across the ideological spectrum asked tough questions of both sides, the overall tone and…

You may be among the millions of people who have seen a surprisingly specific warning like this one on the labels of the medications you take:Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice while using this medicine.Such warnings are issued for dozens of substances, including docetaxel, an anticancer drug. erythromycin, an antibiotic. and some statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to more than a third of American adults over 40.The problem is a set of molecules, the furanocoumarins. High levels of furanocoumarins interfere with human liver enzymes, among other processes. In their presence, drugs can build up to unhealthy levels in the…

This year is just getting started, but it’s already shaping up nicely for US airlines.After several setbacks, the industry closed 2024 in a fairly strong position due to healthy demand for tickets and the ability of many airlines to control costs and raise fares, experts said. Barring major problems, airlines – especially the bigger ones – should enjoy a great year, analysts said.”I think it’s going to be pretty blue skies,” said Tom Fitzgerald, an airline industry analyst for investment bank TD Cowen.In recent weeks, many major airlines have upgraded their forecasts for the all-important final three months of the…

Ukrainian authorities on Saturday announced the capture of two North Korean soldiers in Russia, saying they were the first captured alive since Pyongyang sent troops to aid Moscow’s war effort.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two soldiers, who were wounded, were captured in western Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops are fighting to hold territory they seized during a surprise cross-border incursion last summer.In his post on various social media channels, Mr. Zelensky said the soldiers had received medical treatment, as required by the Geneva Conventions, and had been taken to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, for questioning.Ukraine’s internal intelligence service,…

Sean Karaman, a freshman at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, didn’t always pay close attention to his credit card costs. But after taking a personal finance class on campus last fall, he said, he’s much more likely to pay as he goes.”I’ve become my debit card’s best friend,” said Mr. Karaman, 21, who plays on the UNLV hockey team.More than two-thirds of states require high school students to take a personal finance course before graduation, according to the Council on Financial Education. Now, personal finance courses, offered mostly as electives, are springing up in public and private colleges nationwide…

The fundamental building block for Jeff Bezos’ space dreams is finally ready to launch.A New Glenn rocket — built by Blue Origin, the rocket company started by Mr. Bezos nearly a quarter of a century ago — sitting on a launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida. It is as tall as a 32-story building, and its massive nose cone can carry larger satellites and other payloads than other rockets in operation today.In the pre-dawn darkness on Sunday, it may head into space for the first time.”This was very much expected,” said Todd Harrison, senior fellow at…

Constellation Energy, the nation’s largest operator of nuclear plants, has agreed to buy another power producer, Calpine, for $16.4 billion, a deal that shows how quickly demand for energy is growing, in part as a result of data centers that are built for artificial intelligence. has far-reaching effects on the economy.The cash and stock deal, announced on Friday, ranks among the largest in the energy sector and shows that natural gas is likely to play a bigger role than many expected a few years ago in meeting the country’s electricity needs . That could undermine efforts to tackle climate change…

To a large extent, the electric vehicle market in the United States operates on democratic policies. There are federal tax credits for car buyers. Subsidies for the manufacture of batteries. Cheap loans to build electric car factories. Grants for chargers. Regulations that push automakers to sell more zero-emissions vehicles.All that support — in the hundreds of billions of dollars — could disappear as soon as President-elect Donald J. Trump is sworn in, despite his close relationship with Elon Musk, chief executive of electric car maker Tesla.Mr. Trump and Republicans in Congress say they plan to eliminate most federal aid for…

James Arthur Ray, an Oprah-backed motivational speaker who spent two years in prison for manslaughter after three people died in 2009 at a sweat lodge, the culmination of a three-day spiritual program he held in the Arizona desert, has died in January. 3 in Henderson, Nev. It was 67.His brother, Jon Ray, announced the death on social media. He did not say where in Henderson Mr. Ray died or give a cause, but said the death was unexpected.Mr. Ray was struggling to make it as a motivational speaker when he appeared in “The Secret,” a 2006 documentary made by Australian…

Exploring a new country can be exciting, but that excitement comes with risks. Most of the nearly 100 million Americans who traveled abroad in 2023 experienced nothing more than an upset stomach or a common cold. But what happens if you get injured or sick? How do you find a doctor and who pays for your care?These tips can help you prepare for your trip, navigate health care systems in foreign countries, and reduce your chances of being stuck with a huge bill.Not all medicines are available or welcome abroadSome medicines can be difficult to find abroad. That’s why it’s…