Mikaela Shiffrin did something she hardly ever does the morning after taking home the gold in slalom in Milan. She stumbled over a sentence.She used the f-word on live television as she talked about a peaceful, spiritual moment she had before her race, talking to her late father in the silence of a hospitality tent. Then she immediately recognized it and followed it with another. She put her hand over her mouth. She said she was sorry. CategoryDetailsNameMikaela Pauline ShiffrinBornMarch 13, 1995SportAlpine SkiingOlympic AchievementThree-time Olympic gold medalist (2014, 2018, 2026)Context of IncidentLive “Today” show interview following 2026 Olympic slalom goldNotable…
Author: Jack Ward
On paper, the $56.85 million Wells Fargo settlement announced this month resolves a class action lawsuit regarding the reporting of specific mortgage forbearances in the early months of the pandemic. Strictly speaking, it is not an admission of guilt. That’s what the bank says. However, settlements are rarely isolated. The CARES Act was rushed through Congress in March 2020 with the simple goal of allowing struggling borrowers to pause payments without negatively impacting their credit scores. It was required to report accounts that were placed in pandemic-related forbearance as “current.” That word was important. A credit report is more of…
On Olympic ice, most people don’t notice Alysa Liu’s teeth right away. Sharp, self-assured jumps that land with a snap that reverberates subtly throughout the arena are the highlight. However, when cameras pan in during the kiss-and-cry or medal ceremony in Milan’s high-definition broadcasts, her smile appears as a flash of silver. And all of a sudden, that little detail turns into a headline. They were viewed as tooth gems. Perhaps braces. A decorative object adhered to enamel. They were mistaken. The frenulum piercing, also known as a “smiley” piercing, is what gives it its shine. It is inserted into…
Just after 7 p.m., the sirens began to sound, breaking through the soft murmur of traffic on Bloomington’s West Third Street. All afternoon, the air had been heavy, unusually warm for February, the kind of damp, uneasy warmth that makes veteran Hoosiers look suspiciously up at the sky. The wind had already started to push against storefront windows when the first tornado warning flashed across phones. Reports of a large tornado close to the city were confirmed by the National Weather Service, which described the situation as “particularly dangerous.” It’s a powerful phrase in the Midwest. It isn’t used carelessly.…
Seven years after Woody’s journey appeared to come to an end, Toy Story 5 reappears with a recognizable pull and a slightly uncomfortable grin. In the new trailer, Bonnie is shown with her toys strewn all over the bedroom carpet like lost artifacts, while she is bathed in the bluish glow of a tablet. Although it’s a minor detail, it’s telling. Now the light is different. Digital and softer. This installment, which was directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, who once moved viewers to tears with a lone robot in WALL·E, feels more like a question mark than a victory…
There is more to the tale of Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew than just two people. It concerns proximity, power, and the consequences of long-standing institutions coming under public scrutiny. In the early 2000s, when she was 17, Giuffre claimed that she had sex with Andrew as part of the abuse she endured from Jeffrey Epstein, who trafficked her. Andrew has repeatedly refuted those accusations, saying he doesn’t remember ever meeting her or challenging her claims. CategoryDetailsFull NameAndrew Albert Christian Edward (Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor)Former TitleDuke of York (title later removed)BornFebruary 19, 1960FamilySon of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince PhilipCareerRoyal Navy officer…
Storms are frequently given names before they manifest. The name can seem dramatic at times. It seems routine at times. Météo-France characterized Storm Pedro as a “non-exceptional winter storm,” at least on paper. Nevertheless, it didn’t feel normal at all while traveling through parts of southwest France this week. When Pedro arrived, the ground in France was already saturated from the longest period of rain in history, which lasted for 35 days in a row. Levels of soil moisture rose to levels not seen since 1959. Rivers simply had nowhere else to send the water when the new system pushed…
Something about the term “city-killer asteroid” is unnerving. It has an almost exaggerated, cinematic sound. However, the atmosphere changes when NASA representatives use it coolly during scientific meetings. During an American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting recently, NASA’s planetary defense leadership confirmed what has been known in private for years: approximately 25,000 near-Earth asteroids with a diameter of at least 140 meters most likely orbit in the cosmic neighborhood of Earth. Of them, only about 40 percent have been found. NASA Asteroid Monitoring — Key Facts CategoryDetailsAgencyNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)Planetary Defense OfficeEstablished 2016Estimated Mid-Sized Near-Earth Asteroids~25,000…