Millions of Americans’ location data compromised in apparent hack
A new hack and data breach by Russian cybercriminals has threatened the private information of millions of people around the world. Gravy Analytics, one of the largest companies that tracks peoples’ data through smartphone location data collected from widely used mobile apps like games and dating apps, was hacked last week.
The full scale of the breach is not yet known. However, an alleged hacker posted a gigabyte of data on a Russian-language cybercrime forum last week and threatened to share terabytes more unless Gravy Analytics paid a ransom.
The amount of the ransom was not specified and the post has since been removed, raising suspicion among analysts that Gravy complied.
Cybersecurity experts who downloaded the information before it was removed and analyzed it have said the hack appears authentic.
Gravy’s parent company, Unacast, which has an office in Norway, has not publicly acknowledged the breach in America. However, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported on Saturday, Jan. 11, that it had disclosed the breach to Norway’s data protection authorities as required under the country’s law.
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission accused Gravy Analytics and its subsidiary, Venntel, of illegally collecting and selling Americans’ location data. The FTC said some people gravy tracked were monitored going into sensitive locations like government buildings, health clinics and places of worship.
At least 24 dead as strong winds return to fuel California wildfires
Fire crews continue to battle deadly wildfires in Southern California as the death toll rises and strong winds are set to return. And a potential end to the Israel-Hamas war could be in sight as progress was made toward a ceasefire and hostage release deal. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Jan. 13, 2025.
At least 24 dead as strong winds return to fuel Los Angeles area wildfires
At least 24 people are now confirmed dead and dozens more At least 24 people are now confirmed dead and dozens more are missing as multiple fires continue to rage in Southern California. Firefighters said they’re making progress against the wildfires that have now been burning for almost a week in the Los Angeles area.
Still, the threat remains high as dangerous Santa Ana winds will pick up again starting Monday, Jan. 13.
Weary fire crews said it’s not safe enough in many areas to assess the true total damage. Three fires continued to burn into Monday, Jan. 13: the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires, all of which broke out last Tuesday, Jan. 7.
The Palisades Fire remained the biggest and least contained, at more than 23,000 acres with only about 13% containment. Officials expanded evacuation orders for the Palisades Fire as it moves east, threatening the Brentwood and Encino areas.
The Eaton Fire was just over 14,000 acres and 27% contained on Monday. According to CalFire, the two fires are now the second and fourth most destructive in state history.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said flames destroyed more than 7,000 buildings in the Eaton Fire alone. Investigators are only about a quarter of the way through their damage assessment.
The county is now under a public health emergency over smoke and particulate matter, which could cause long-term harm.
Progress made in Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks, officials say
Mediators with the U.S., Qatar and Egypt said they’ve made significant progress in brokering a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. However, nothing has been finalized just yet.
The deal would result in the release of dozens of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip ever since the terror group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
It is believed there are a total of 98 hostages; however, as many as three dozen are feared dead.
Officials briefed on the negotiations said there was a breakthrough in Doha early Monday morning following talks between Israel’s spy chiefs, President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff and Qatar’s prime minister.
In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden spoke about the cease-fire deal on the phone Sunday, Jan. 12.
Officials said negotiators for Israel and Hamas took a proposed final draft of the deal back to their leaders for approval. However, this is not the first time a deal to end the war has been closely considered. The U.S. has said several times over the past year that a deal was imminent, only for it to fall through.
An Egyptian official said an agreement will likely take a few more days and both sides are aiming for a deal before Trump’s inauguration next Monday, Jan. 20. However, Hamas said there are still issues it says need to be resolved, including an Israeli commitment to ending the war and details about the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the hostage-prisoner exchange.
JD Vance, Christopher Wray speak on Jan. 6 ahead of Trump inauguration
Incoming Vice President JD Vance and outgoing FBI Director Christopher Wray shared their thoughts with Fox News and CBS News with just one week until President-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day.
In his first interview since leaving the Senate, Vance spoke to Fox News Sunday of executive orders concerning illegal immigration on day one of the Trump administration and of being hopeful there soon will be a cease-fire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. Vance was also asked about Trump’s plans to pardon those convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.
“I think it’s very simple,” Vance said. “Look, if you protested peacefully on January the 6th and you’ve had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned. If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned. And there’s a little bit of a gray area there but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law and there are a lot of people, we think, in the wake of January the 6th who were prosecuted unfairly. We need to rectify that.”
On 60 Minutes, FBI Director Christopher Wray explained his decision to step down three years before the end of his 10-year term. Trump appointed Wray in 2017, during his first administration.
The FBI director then oversaw investigations into Trump, as well as President Joe Biden and Biden’s son Hunter. Trump intends to replace Wray with former aide Kash Patel.
“Well, my decision to retire from the FBI, I have to tell you it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Wray said on 60 Minutes. “I care deeply, deeply about the FBI, about our mission and, in particular, about our people. But the president-elect had made clear that he intended to make a change, and the law is that, that is something he is able to do for any reason or no reason at all. My conclusion was that the thing that was best for the Bureau was to try to do this in an orderly way, to not thrust the FBI deeper into the fray.”
Wray was also asked about Trump’s plans to pardon many of the roughly 1,500 people charged with federal crimes in the Jan. 6 riots.
“I do think it’s important to step back and remember that we’re talking about hundreds of people who are convicted, most of them pled guilty of serious federal crimes,” Wray said. “Heck, I think 170 or so of them pled guilty to assaulting law enforcement, dozens of them with dangerous or deadly weapons. And there’s a whole bunch that were convicted of seditious conspiracy.”
After Vance’s interview aired on Fox, the vice president-elect responded to a critic on X saying Trump will be looking at each case concerning Jan. 6 individually.
Special counsel Jack Smith resigns as fight to block Trump report continues
Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the criminal investigations into Trump, resigned from the Department of Justice. While his departure was expected, it comes as Trump and his allies continue efforts to block the release of Smith’s final report on his investigations.
Smith’s resignation was made public Saturday, Jan. 11, in a brief footnote of a DOJ court filing to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon of Florida. She was appointed to the bench by Trump.
Cannon issued an order last week temporarily blocking the DOJ from releasing Smith’s investigation into Trump’s interference in the 2020 election results. The DOJ filed an emergency motion late Friday, Jan. 10, asking a federal appeals court to reverse the order.
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin scrubs New Glenn launch attempt
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin called off the planned launch of its New Glenn rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday morning. The company scrubbed the launch due to a “few anomalies” found during the countdown.
The delay of the rocket’s inaugural attempt to reach orbit could last at least 24 hours or longer. The launch, when it does happen, will include an attempt to land New Glenn’s first stage booster on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
In an interview with Reuters before the launch attempt, Bezos said that the booster landing is “the thing we’re most nervous about.”
A wild ending to NFL’s wild-card weekend with 1 more game to go
The NFL’s wild-card weekend saw one wild finish Sunday night. Five teams advanced to the divisional round, and a final wild-card game will be played Monday night.
On Saturday, the Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12 in the opening game of wild-card weekend. Then the Baltimore Ravens moved on with a convincing 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills dominated the Denver Broncos 31-7 while the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-10.
Late Sunday night, a last-second field goal — with the ball hitting off the uprights and going through, known as a “doink” — gave the Washington Commanders the 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was Washington’s first playoff win since 2005.
Monday night, the Minnesota Vikings will meet the Los Angeles Rams in a game that was moved from Los Angeles to Arizona due to the wildfires.
Mark Zuckerberg details Biden admin censorship on Joe Rogan podcast
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has criticized the Biden administration’s approach to social media content moderation. He described the pressure his company faced from the White House during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Zuckerberg detailed instances where government officials demanded the removal of certain posts. They include content he described as humorous or truthful.
“These people from the Biden administration would call up our team and, like, scream at them and curse,” Zuckerberg said on the show. “And they’re like, ‘No, you have to take that down.’”
Zuckerberg cited one example involving a meme featuring actor Leonardo DiCaprio. It implied that COVID-19 vaccine recipients might later qualify for a class-action lawsuit.
According to Zuckerberg, despite requests from the Biden administration to remove the meme, Meta declined to do so, with their CEO stating, “We’re not going to take down humor.”
He also noted instances where the administration requested the removal of posts discussing vaccine side effects, even when the information was accurate.
“We were like, no, we’re not gonna take down things that are true, that’s ridiculous,” Zuckerberg said.
Zuckerberg described the situation as “brutal,” claiming that multiple government agencies investigated and scrutinized Meta during this period.
The podcast appearance comes as Meta undergoes significant policy shifts, including the disbandment of its fact-checking team and the termination of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
Employees react as Meta’s new policy allows LGBTQ+ to be called mentally ill
In the days following Meta’s changes to its free speech and moderation policies, LGBTQ+ employees are calling out their bosses. Tech outlet 404 Media spoke with five current Meta employees who said others have taken to internal message boards to raise concerns, with one employee describing it as “total chaos internally.”
Meta’s new guidelines, announced on Tuesday, Jan. 7, by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, reduce the company’s moderation on sites including Facebook and Instagram. In some cases, the company said it would explicitly allow language it had previously banned.
“We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said while announcing the policy. “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech. So we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
Employees said one change that sparked particular anger is allowing users to claim that being LGBTQ+ denotes mental illness.
“We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird,’” Meta’s updated policy on hateful conduct says.
LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD called the changes alarming. The group said that the term “transgenderism” was a particular red flag, describing it as “hateful.”
404 Media’s report says employees criticized Meta for making the changes without much input from its workforce.
The Intercept also reported it received leaked training materials showing specific examples of allowable posts.
The news organization alleges the company displayed examples of stereotypes about various ethnic groups as examples of what is now permissible. The Intercept’s report also alleges that the documents specifically say that one anti-transgender slur no longer violated the policies.
404 Media’s report said Meta did not immediately respond to questions about the new policies.
A Meta spokesperson referred The Intercept to a blog post about the policy by Meta’s newly-appointed policy head, Joel Kaplan.
“We’re getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate,” Kaplan wrote. “It’s not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms.”
Supreme Court justices express concern about ‘secret evidence’ in TikTok case
Two Supreme Court justices expressed concern about redacted evidence the government presented in the TikTok case, which attorneys for the app were not able to review. According to an attorney representing TikTok users, the evidence is classified and a lower court agreed to make its decision solely based on the public record.
“I’m concerned about the government’s attempt to lodge secret evidence in this case without providing any mechanism for opposing counsel to review it,” Justice Neil Gorsuch said. “I noted that there are mechanisms to read in counsel and that other countries, including our allies, often do that.”
The subject was first raised when Gorsuch asked the attorney representing TikTok a question that he could not answer.
“Well, Your Honor, the problem there is everything that follows what you just read is redacted, and so I don’t know what it says,” Noel Francisco of Jones Day, which represents TikTok, said.
Gorsuch later said the government has made an increased number of appeals to secret evidence in recent years and therefore it’s something Congress should pay attention to.
Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar made reference to a sealed appendix while she was making her case before the justices. She never said exactly what it contained, she gave a brief overview and urged the justices to read it.
“If you look at that information, it was a wealth of data about Americans that was going to have to go back to China in order for the platform to just continue its basic operations,” Prelogar said.
Prelogar went on to explain that there was factual evidence to show that even when the company said it walled off its U.S. data from China, employees at TikTok’s parent company in China surveilled U.S. journalists in an attempt to learn who was leaking information from inside the company.
“You get to look at it, but your friends on the other side don’t get to look at it,” Chief Justice John Roberts responded to Prelogar. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
“That’s the sealed appendix, Mr. Chief Justice,” Pregolar responded. “So it’s their information. They can look at it. It’s just under seal to protect their proprietary business information.”
Over 3,000 sexually explicit ads seen on Europe’s Facebook last year: Report
Sexually explicit advertisements have shown up on Facebook in Europe, which raises the question of whether Meta is profiting from material its policies typically prohibit users from posting. The European nonprofit research group, AI Forensics, reported that despite the platform’s community standards, over 3,000 pornographic ads were approved and distributed on Meta platforms in the past year, reaching as many as 8 million users.
The report found the ads were shown mostly to men over the age of 44, because of its ad-targeting process.
When researchers tried to post the same images and videos to Facebook and Instagram they were quickly taken down, which they say suggests the company is not applying the same moderation tools to paid advertisers as it does to regular users.
Researchers also looked into the company’s compliance with European regulations. The EU’s Digital Services Act says the largest online platforms must disclose key aspects of their content moderation practices, perform risk assessments of potential harms and take steps to lessen them.
In its risk assessment of Facebook and Instagram, Meta said that it proactively reviews all advertisements before they get published.
“Bad actors are constantly evolving their tactics to avoid enforcement which is why we continue to invest in the best tools and technology to help identify and remove violating content,” a spokesperson for Meta said.
The spokesperson also said Meta does review ads before approving them, but admits its systems are primarily automated, noting users can report problematic ads which can lead to further review, including humans in some cases.
A past report from AI Forensics found that Meta was also failing to properly label many political ads, leading to an ongoing investigation by the European Commission.
This comes as Meta announced this week that it will replace its third-party fact-checking program with community notes later this year.
Meta kills DEI programs in its latest appeal to Trump
Meta is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion programs effective immediately in the company’s latest swing away from traditionally left-leaning causes. The company announced the policy change in an employee memo first reported by Axios.
“The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” the memo reads. “The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”
The move comes just days after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta would end third-party fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in favor of what looks more like X’s community notes. He also announced plans for a loosening of the platforms’ hateful conduct policy.
“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point toward once again prioritizing speech,” Zuckerberg said. “So we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
This was seen as another move in President-elect Donald Trump’s favor, and Trump responded in kind.
“Honestly, I think they’ve come a long way – Meta, Facebook – I think they’ve come a long way,” Trump said.
When asked if Trump thought the fact-checking move was done in direct response to his threats to Zuckerberg and Meta, Trump said, “Probably.”
Trump has previously called Facebook “a true Enemy of the People” and threatened Zuckerberg with prison if he or his company tried to influence the election in any way. Since those comments, the two have made inroads, especially following the first assassination attempt on Trump.
“On a personal note, seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life,” Zuckerberg told Bloomberg.
Meta also donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, something the company had not done for Trump’s first inauguration or for President Joe Biden’s.
The company also promoted longtime Republican executive Joel Kaplan to lead global policy for Meta, replacing former deputy prime minister of the U.K. Nick Clegg, a member of the Liberal Democrats political party.
Supreme Court casts serious doubt on TikTok’s free speech arguments
Supreme Court justices cast serious doubt on TikTok’s free speech arguments in a case that will decide the future of an app that is used by 170 million Americans. TikTok is fighting a law passed by Congress last year that requires its parent company to sell the app or be prohibited from operating in the United States.
The justices were skeptical from the very beginning, when Justice Clarence Thomas asked the app’s lawyers, “What is TikTok’s speech?”
The attorneys argued their speech is their algorithm, which suggests content for users based on their personal traits, preferences and consumption habits. Thomas responded by saying they are converting the restriction on ByteDance’s ownership of the app as TikTok’s speech.
Chief Justice John Roberts pointed out that the free speech argument does not address Congress’ stated intention for passing the law.
“It seems to me that you’re ignoring the major concern here of Congress which was Chinese manipulation of the content and acquisition and harvesting of the content,” Roberts said.
“I don’t think you are supposed to ignore that at all, but I also don’t think that it changes the analysis,” said Noel John Francisco of Jones Day, which represents TikTok.
“I don’t know if it’s directly affecting the company’s speech or the speech of third parties,” Roberts said.
The law is often described as a TikTok ban, although that’s not technically accurate. The law prohibits distributing, maintaining or providing internet hosting services for an app that’s under the control of a foreign adversary. In this case, the app is TikTok, which is owned by ByteDance, a company based in China, the foreign adversary.
If ByteDance sold the app to an American company, TikTok would be allowed to operate in the United States exactly as it does today.
“TikTok can continue to operate on its own algorithm, on its own terms, as long as it’s not associated with ByteDance. So isn’t this really just all about association?” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson proposed to TikTok’s attorneys.
Jackson then cited arguments from government attorneys who said the real problem is foreign adversaries manipulating content that is shown to Americans.
“Are you saying those are not compelling government interests?” Jackson asked.
“I am 100% saying that content manipulation is not just not a compelling governmental interest, it is an impermissible governmental interest,” Francisco said.
Arguing on behalf of the federal government, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said the law has a “laser-like focus” on the national security threat.
“No one disputes that the [People’s Republic of China] seeks to undermine U.S. interests by amassing vast quantities of sensitive data about Americans, and by engaging in covert influence operations,” Prelogar said. “And no one disputes that the PRC pursues those goals by compelling companies like ByteDance to secretly turn over data and carry out PRC directives.”
Those realities mean that the Chinese government could weaponize TikTok at any time to harm the United States.
Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar
The justices also pointed out holes in the government’s case, particularly the argument that content manipulation would be covert.
“If you just mean what’s covert is the fact that there’s China behind it, I mean, honestly, really, like everybody does know now that there’s China behind it,” Justice Elena Kagan said.
Justice Gorsuch questioned Prelogar’s reasoning that manipulated content could be harmful.
“If that’s true, then wouldn’t that be true for all social media companies for all content,” Justice Gorsuch asked.
If the TikTok ban takes effect Jan. 19, current users will still have the app on their phone and will likely be able to use it.
The law prohibits new downloads and updates. So it should keep working for current users until they update their phone, which will make it no longer compatible with the phone’s operating system, at which point it will stop working.
Ford unveils $325,000 Mustang GTD in tribute to turbojet-propelled cars
Ford unveiled its latest muscle car at the Detroit Auto Show this week. It’s not just any muscle car. It’s the Mustang GTD called Spirit of America, which is a tribute to the turbojet-powered cars from decades ago.
The white two-door muscle car has red and white stripes down the center that are meant to mimic the overalls that professional race car driver Craig Breedlove wore when he broke the 500 mph and 600 mph barriers in the 1960s.
The new Mustang has a 5.2 liter, V8 engine with 815 horsepower. It’s the most powerful Ford Mustang in history with speeds capable of hitting 200 miles per hour. The company urges potential buyers to “explore Ford Mustang history” with a video that features its Mustang series.
Ford said it has already received about 7500 applications for both the 2025 and 2026 Mustang GTD. Drivers will have to shell out $325,000 for a chance to take the ritzy ride on the road.
At least 10 dead as major wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles area
The death toll rises as the onslaught of fires continues in Southern California, destroying complete neighborhoods. And President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced for his conviction in the New York hush money case after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid to stop the proceeding. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
Death toll rises as wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles area
Flames have destroyed entire neighborhoods, obliterating 10,000 homes and buildings between the Palisades and Eaton Fires alone. Firefighters made some progress as the Santa Ana winds weakened, but wind and dry conditions are expected to continue through the weekend. This will make it difficult for crews to battle the flames.
The biggest and most destructive fire in Pacific Palisades now spans nearly 20,000 acres, which is more than 30 square miles and is only 6% contained.
Nearly 180,000 people in Los Angeles County are under evacuation orders and another 200,000 are on standby to leave their homes if necessary. The wildfires and strong winds fueling them have led to mass power outages.
Entire stretches of Pacific Ocean beachfront property along Malibu have been charred, as well as homes and neighborhoods up and down the Pacific Coast Highway.
The latest fire to break out, the Kenneth Fire, sparked Thursday afternoon, Jan. 9, in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, near Calabasas. That fire spans 1,000 acres and is 35% contained, according to CalFire’s last update. Police arrested one man on suspicion of arson in connection with that fire.
It’s not just those in the fires’ paths in danger. Polluted air poses a threat even to those far away.
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to halt sentencing in hush money case
Trump’s sentencing on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to porn star Stormy Daniels will proceed as planned.
The judge overseeing the case, Juan Merchan, said earlier this month he would not sentence the president-elect to prison time, saying incarceration is not an option.
Instead, the judge is expected to impose a no-penalty sentence called an unconditional discharge.
Trump vowed to appeal his conviction, claiming evidence and testimony was admitted that implicated his duties as president during his first term. The Supreme Court ruled over the summer presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for some official acts.
Appeals court allows release of election interference case report
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit rejected a bid to block the release but kept in place the judge’s order for a three-day delay, giving time for additional appeals. That means Trump could seek the Supreme Court’s intervention in the matter.
Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the election interference case was eventually dismissed following his victory in November’s presidential election due to a Justice Department policy that forbids the prosecution of a sitting president.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said he plans to release the report to the public once he is permitted to do so. In response, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said Thursday night that it’s time for Garland and President Joe Biden to “do the right thing and put a final stop to the political weaponization of our justice system.”
Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in TikTok ban case
With less than two weeks until a ban on the social media app TikTok is slated to take effect, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments against the legislation Friday, Jan. 10. TikTok looks to show the justices that, despite claims from the federal government, it is not a national security threat to the U.S.
It is unclear when the court will deliver its ruling.
TikTok faces a nationwide ban in the U.S. that is expected to go into effect on Jan. 19, impacting roughly 115 million monthly users. That is unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells the platform, as required by the law signed by President Joe Biden last year, or SCOTUS rules in favor of TikTok’s position that the law is unconstitutional.
Supporters of the ban believe the app allows China to access vast amounts of data from Americans and possibly influence public opinion in the U.S.
Trump opposes the ban and has met with TikTok’s CEO in recent weeks.
Macy’s to close 66 stores
Macy’s confirmed it will close 66 stores across the U.S. The department store chain said Thursday that the move is part of its “bold new chapter” strategy, which was announced in February of last year. The strategy will see the closure of approximately 150 underperforming stores, or about a third of its locations, over a three-year period.
Tony Spring, the retailer’s chairman and CEO, said that while “closing any store is never easy,” this will allow the company to focus its “resources and prioritize investments” in its other locations.
Macy’s told Axios clearance sales will begin this month and run for up to 12 weeks.
Friends, family remember President Jimmy Carter at state funeral in Washington
Family, friends and fellow lawmakers honored former President Jimmy Carter on Thursday, a National Day of Mourning, during a state funeral in Washington, D.C. All five surviving presidents attended the service at the National Cathedral.
President Joe Biden, who declared Thursday a National Day of Mourning, delivered a eulogy for his late friend.
“Jimmy Carter’s friendship taught me and through his life taught me the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold. It’s a strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity. Respect that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot, not a guarantee, but just a shot. You know, we have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor. And to stand up to — my dad used to say was the greatest sin of all — the abuse of power. That’s not about being perfect as none of us are perfect. We’re all fallible. But it’s about asking ourselves ‘Are we striving to do things, the right things? What value, what are the values that animate our spirit? Do we operate from fear or hope, ego or generosity? Do we show grace? Do we keep the faith when it’s most tested?’ Or keeping the faith with the best of humankind and the best of America is a story, in my view, from my perspective, of Jimmy Carter’s life.”
Carter’s grandchildren also spoke about their late grandfather.
“They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from no matter what happened in their lives,” Jason Carter said. “But I recognize that we are not here because he was just a regular guy. As you’ve heard from the other speakers, his political life and his presidency for me was not just ahead of its time, it was prophetic. He had the courage and strength to stick to his principles, even when they were politically unpopular.”
Following a private funeral in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, Carter was laid to rest next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn.