Inequality in the U.S. is Finally Lessening

If 2022 was the year the U.S. economy came roaring back like a lion, 2023 is more of a lamb. Modest job growth, consistent inflation, falling home prices, slowing GDP growth—meh.

February was another month of meh, the government reported Friday, with personal incomes increasing 0.3% in February after growing 0.6% in January. In addition, consumer spending grew 0.2% in February.

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Rupert Murdoch to Step Down

NEW YORK — Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Australian media magnate whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down as leader of both Fox’s parent company and his News Corp. media holdings.

Fox said Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman emeritus of both companies, effective at board meetings in November. His son, Lachlan, will become News Corp. c…

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Fossil Fuel Companies Say Hydrogen Made From Natural Gas Is a Climate Solution. But the Tech May Not Be Very Green

As a committee of climate scientists and environmental officials deliberated over how to drastically cut New York State’s carbon footprint last summer, natural gas industry representatives were putting forward a counterintuitive pitch: hydrogen, made from fossil fuels.

The concept was simple, explained natural-gas proponents serving on the state’s climate-action council. Indus…

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Texas Considers ESG Insurance Ban

Over the past year, the backlash against so-called ESG investing has swept through red states as legislatures enacted laws punishing investment firms that use environmental, social, and governance metrics in their decision making.

As the saying goes, it’s bigger in Texas.

After banning 10 ESG-friendly financial firms from doing business with the state last summer, right-wing …

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Warren Buffett Takes Path With $27 Billion Buybacks

Bloomberg — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., lacking the blockbuster deals that have galvanized the billionaire investor’s renown, embraced a “mildly attractive” way to deploy its vast cash pile last year via a record-breaking level of buybacks — and showed little sign of changing course.

Berkshire bought back a total of $27.1 billion in 2021, …

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The Marvels Post-Credit Scene, Explained

At the end of The Marvels, the audience sees Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) closing the wormhole opened by Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) that poses a risk to the fabric of space and time, causing a rift in the space-time continuum. Toward the end of the movie, Monica explains to Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) that the only way to close it is from the inside. She u…

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Unilever May Launch Ice Cream From Cow-Free Dairy in a Year

Food giant Unilever is planning a dairy ice cream that uses milk that doesn’t come from a cow.

The company is working on a process called precision fermentation that uses substances like yeast and fungi to produce milk proteins in a vat. A product could be available in about a year, according to Andy Sztehlo, head of Unilever’s research and development in ice cream.

If s…

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The NFL Will Survive Jon Gruden’s Bigotry. But It Must Force Change

The NFL has a nightmare on its hands, thanks to bigoted missives from one if it most prominent (now former) coaches. It started on Friday, when the Wall Street Journal reported that then Las Vegas Raiders coach Gruden sent an email to former Washington Football Team president Bruce Allen that included a racist trope about NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith. Grud…

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The Story of the Black and White Ball

The third episode of Feud: Capote vs. the Swans centers on Truman Capote’s famed Black and White Ball, a glittering social event that’s still referred to as “the party of the century.” The masked ball, which took place at the Plaza Hotel on Nov. 28, 1966, was not only the most glamorous (and coveted) invite of the year, but an affirmation of Capote’s celebrity and ascension to the high…

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The True Story of ‘The Devil on Trial’

Netflix has billed its new horror documentary, The Devil on Trial, as the first and only time demonic possession was used as a defense in a U.S. murder trial. In that case, however, the judge ruled that it was not an acceptable defense, and that he would not permit any evidence related to possession.

The trial, which took place in 1981 in Brookfield, Conn., became known as the â…

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