How bitcoin and gold went from a slump to an MVP week in just a few days
Bitcoin and gold shot higher this week, with both getting a boost from some frantic action surrounding the bond market, and the cryptocurrency also benefiting from activity in Washington. Both bitcoin and gold had fallen sharply from their highs set in January. They each got a jolt Wednesday when the Treasury Department announced plans to significantly increase bond purchases to push down interest rates. Bitcoin got more help from President Donald Trump, who urged Congress to move quickly on crypto legislation. A dollar sell-off also help gold and bitcoin as investors moved toward alternative assets.
Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO is mentally fit for sex trafficking trial, judge says
NEW YORK (AP) — The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch has been ruled mentally competent to stand trial for alleged sex trafficking after being hospitalized for months for dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms. U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury ruled Thursday that Michael Jeffries “clearly possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings” and is a “reasonably intelligent person and skilled communicator.” The Long Island judge said she reviewed testimony and written reports from medical experts and listened to hours of phone calls Jeffries made while detained at a federal prison hospital in North Carolina. Jeffries' lawyers didn't immediately comment.
Philanthropist Nancy Kissinger, wife of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, dies at 92
NEW YORK (AP) — Philanthropist Nancy Kissinger, the wife of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, has died. She was 92. The daughter of a New York City lawyer, Nancy Maginnes met Henry Kissinger while working for New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. The couple wed in 1974. Nancy Kissinger was a strong presence on the New York philanthropy scene and was often seen at high fashion openings. She made headlines in 1982 when she tried to throttle a woman who harassed her and her husband with insulting questions at Newark Airport. She was acquitted of assault.
Move over bears. Fat Marmot Week puts a spotlight on the alpine rodents
GOTHIC, Colo. (AP) — Fat Marmot Week is coming soon. Last winter was tough for the groundhog-like rodents living in the Colorado mountains. Researchers say there wasn't enough snow to keep marmots' burrows warm while they hibernated, causing many of the animals to freeze to death. The marmots that survived are doing well. They've fattened up, gaining the critical weight they need to make it through next winter. To drum up interest in their work, marmot researchers are launching an online contest for the public to vote for their favorite critter — Fat Marmot Week. It begins Monday.
Archaeologists unveil skeletal remains believed to be ritual offering in Peru
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Archaeologists in Peru have unveiled skeletal remains near Huaca Pucllana, an ancient pyramid in Lima. They believe the remains are of a man sacrificed in a ritual linked to a ceremonial pool. Gladys Paz, who led the excavation, says the bones will help researchers understand the rituals of the Lima culture. The body was found inside a canal, positioned with the skull facing the pyramid and the Pacific Ocean. The Lima culture thrived between the first and seventh centuries, long before the Inca Empire. Huaca Pucllana was a key ceremonial center and is now a tourist site.
Airplane pilot killed in collision with Pennsylvania police helicopter near runway
Authorities say an airplane pilot has died after a violent collision with a Pennsylvania state police helicopter near a runway at a small airport. Officials say both state troopers aboard the helicopter survived the crash Wednesday. The state’s acting police commissioner says the plane was coming down on the runway and veered into the helicopter that was close to the ground. The FAA and NTSB called it a midair collision but state police didn’t clarify if the plane was off the ground. Photos on social media showed a helicopter on its side near aircraft debris and a line of emergency vehicles near Carlisle.
What beats seeing eclipses from space? Try the northern and southern lights
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Eclipses may be wondrous, but nothing beats seeing the northern and southern lights from space. That's the word from a pair of NASA astronauts living aboard the International Space Station for the past six months. Astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway told The Associated Press from orbit on Wednesday that the space station's position prevented them from seeing totality during last week's solar eclipse, but they still enjoyed a partial eclipse. They'll try to catch next week's lunar eclipse, too. Meir says the best cosmic shows are auroras. The two will return to Earth once their replacements arrive next month.
Concerns about the New World screwworm have put Texas pet adoptions on hold
The first New World screwworm outbreak in Texas in 60 years is hindering efforts to move rescued dogs and cats out of crowded animal shelters to states where they would be adopted. U.S. officials have emphasized the parasite’s threat to the nation’s $113 billion cattle industry, but the screwworm fly can lay eggs that hatch into flesh-eating larvae in the wounds or mucous of any mammal. Several dogs have had infestations in southern Texas and southeastern New Mexico. All but a handful of states have placed new restrictions on importing animals. That's complicating the annual flow of dogs and cats from Texas to other states.
Florida's Jellyfish Museum is dedicated solely to the mesmerizing floating predators
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Floating tentacled predators pulse and swirl in hypnotic patterns in the dark museum space, lit primarily by images projected on walls and the light from the saltwater tanks. The private Jellyfish Museum is located in Pompano Beach, Florida, just north of Fort Lauderdale. Its owners believe it is the first museum in the United States dedicated solely to the translucent invertebrates, and one of the few such spaces in the world. The nearly 10,000-square-foot Jellyfish Museum opened this past spring. It houses roughly 20 unique species of jellyfish found in Florida waters and other parts of the world. Different species can be rotated through the museum’s 21 tanks. Some current occupants include Japanese sea nettles, moon jellyfish, spotted jellies and upside-down jellyfish.
ESPN co-founder Bill Rasmussen dies at 93 from the effects of Parkinson’s disease
LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. (AP) — Bill Rasmussen, who co-founded cable TV sports giant ESPN, has died at the age of 93. ESPN historian Mike Soltys says Rasmussen died Tuesday at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Rasmussen and his son Scott came up with the idea of a network carrying sports around the clock, and it would revolutionize Americans’ TV-watching habits. ESPN debuted in 1979. But the Rasmussens didn’t stick around long. They were forced out after only a year by ESPN majority owner Getty Oil. Bill Rasmussen and ESPN were estranged until 1999, when company executives invited him to the 20th anniversary celebration. Rasmussen was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025.
