Dow jumps 300 points as firms rally against GameStop stock transactions

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 300.19 points while the S&P 500 climbed 0.98% and the Nasdaq Composite increased 0.50% as U.S. markets rebounded on Thursday.  Brokerage firms took steps to restrict an influx of transactions on heavily shorted stocks, after the stock trading app Robinhood restricted trades involving GameStop, AMC, Blackberry, and Nokia.  All …

First cases in the U.S. of South African COVID-19 variant reported in South Carolina

Health officials in South Carolina announced Thursday that they have identified two cases of a COVID-19 variant that emerged recently in South Africa. The two cases are the first found of the mutated virus in the United States. According to South Carolina’s Department of Health and Environmental Control, federal officials identified the B.1.351 variant in …

Kris Kristofferson has officially retired from music

With no fanfare, actor and singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson has officially retired from music. According to a report regarding his estate, Kristofferson – who turns 85 this June – permanently stepped out of the spotlight in 2020. Kristofferson’s estate is now being represented from a management standpoint by Morris Higham Management, and his son, John Kristofferson, …

Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley hoping to bring country musical ‘May We All’ to the big screen

Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley hopes to bring the country-music musical “May We All” to life as a stage production, as well as a movie version to be developed simultaneously. Kelley and his partners announced they have teamed up with director Andy Fickman for the film version, whose credits include directing and exec-producing CBS’ TV …

Brett Young and Wife Taylor Expecting Baby No. 2

Brett Young and his wife, Taylor, are expecting their second child. The couple, who tied the knot in 2018, are already parents to a daughter, 1-year-old Presley. “And then we were 4,” 39-year-old Brett wrote on Instagram. “It seems like just yesterday we found out our little Presley was on her way. We are beyond …

Randy Travis and wife Mary appear on Dan Rather’s “The Big Interview”

Country music icon Randy Travis and his wife Mary appeared on an all-new episode of The Big Interview With Dan Rather for a rare sit-down on Wednesday, January 27.  Filmed remotely utilizing both Zoom and in-person camera teams, Travis, through his wife, explains his road to recovery and the fight to regain his mobility, speech, …

Pamela Anderson announces marriage to bodyguard Dan Hayhurst on Christmas Eve

53-year-old Pamela Anderson announced she secretly married her bodyguard, a bodybuilder and fellow Canadian, Dan Hayhurst, in an intimate ceremony on the grounds of her home on Vancouver Island, British Columbia on Christmas Eve,  The marriage marks the fifth marriage and ninth wedding ceremony in 25 years for Pamela. The actress was previously married to …

TV and Film icon Cloris Leachman dies at 94

Cloris Leachman, best known for her role as Phyllis Lindstrom on the 1970s sitcoms “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and its spin-off “Phyllis,” died Wednesday at her home near Los Angeles. She was 94. Her manager, Juliet Green, confirmed Leachman’s death in her sleep from natural causes. Leachman was primarily a TV actress in the …

Federal judge temporarily blocks Biden’s 100-day deportation ban

On Tuesday, a federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked President Joe Biden’s 100-day pause on deportations. Federal Judge Drew Tipton granted a temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit by state Attorney General Ken Paxton, which in part cited an agreement between Texas and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that required the agency …

Antony Blinken confirmed by Senate as 71st secretary of state

On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Antony Blinken to serve as President Joe Biden’s secretary of state, with an overwhelming 78-22 vote. Blinken served as deputy secretary of state under former President Barack Obama. Blinken, 58, a foreign policy expert, played a key role in crafting U.S. foreign policy actions in the Middle East. He is …