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Lead Over the past year, a number of Silicon Valley startups have rolled out informal workplace perks — from “no shoes” policies to stocked nicotine pouches and etiquette classes — as they readjust after calling staff back to offices. Companies including Cursor, Notion, Gusto, Supercell and several AI startups have been named in reporting as … Read more

Lead: A state review released on Friday, January 2, 2026, found that Minnesota child care centers targeted in a viral video alleging widespread fraud were operating as expected when inspectors visited. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) said children were present at all but one site, which had not yet opened for the … Read more

In January 2026, a previously healthy 18-year-old who worked as a welder nearly died after infection with a Bacillus-group bacterium that produces the anthrax toxin. Public health investigators say the new case fits an unusual cluster first highlighted by CDC researchers in 2022: since 1997 there have been multiple toxin-producing Bacillus infections concentrated among metalworkers. … Read more

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff runs from Dec. 19, 2025, through the CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The bracket, released on Dec. 7, is the second season of the expanded 12-team format; opening-round games began Dec. 19-20, quarterfinals were played Dec. 31–Jan. 1, and … Read more

Lead On Jan. 2, 2026, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin unveiled the 25-player U.S. men’s hockey roster for Milano Cortina 2026, saying team chemistry — especially the group that competed at last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off — guided his selections. Twenty-one of the 25 named played in the 4 Nations, where the United States … Read more

Lead At CES 2026, Clicks unveiled its first smartphone, the Communicator, and a companion MagSafe-compatible accessory, the Power Keyboard. The Communicator is a 4-inch, Android 16 handset built around a tactile physical keyboard and hardware-level encryption, positioned as a ‘communication, not consumption’ secondary device. Clicks opened reservations for the phone at $399 (rising to $499 … Read more

Jan. 6, 2021 — A federal magistrate judge on Friday denied a request to free Brian J. Cole Jr. before trial after prosecutors accused him of placing two pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters just hours before the Capitol riot. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh concluded that no set of conditions could … Read more

Netflix’s Stranger Things series finale hit both the streaming platform and roughly 600 cinemas on New Year’s Eve and held encore screenings on Jan 1, generating an estimated $20 to $25 million at the box office and providing a rare holiday lift for U.S. theaters. The show’s simultaneous theatrical release relied on mandatory food and … Read more

Lead Marc Metrick, who led Saks Fifth Avenue since 2015 and became chief executive of the combined Saks Global group, stepped down on Jan. 2, 2026, after the company missed an interest payment and began weighing its options, including bankruptcy. Richard Baker, the executive chairman who orchestrated the 2024 acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group, has … Read more

Lead A reanalysis led by Dr Scott Williams of New York University, published in Science Advances, examines thigh and forearm bones attributed to Sahelanthropus tchadensis from the Djurab desert in Chad. The team finds anatomical features consistent with upright walking in specimens dated to about 7 million years ago, strengthening the species’ claim as an … Read more

Lead: On Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026 at Noon ET in Miami Gardens, No. 5 Oregon defeated No. 4 Texas Tech 23-0 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. The Ducks (13-1) combined a stingy defense with timely special-teams kicking to produce the shutout, while Texas Tech (12-2) managed only 215 … Read more

Lead New York State reported a record single-week surge in flu hospitalizations, with 4,546 people admitted during the seven days ending Dec. 27, state health officials said on Friday. That figure is a 24% increase from the 3,666 hospitalizations reported the prior week and follows a week in which the state logged 72,133 confirmed influenza … Read more

Lead: In mid-November at The Sun Rose in West Hollywood, seven leading men gathered for The Hollywood Reporter’s Oscar-season Actors Roundtable to discuss careers, craft and risk. The participants—Dwayne Johnson, Jacob Elordi, Mark Hamill, Michael B. Jordan, Wagner Moura, Adam Sandler and Jeremy Allen White—each delivered what many are calling a career-best performance in a … Read more

Lead: After nine years and five seasons, Stranger Things has concluded, but the Duffer brothers have confirmed a television spinoff is in development. The series finale revealed a pivotal origin scene — a glowing black rock tied to Henry Creel’s awakening — which the Duffers say will feed into the new project. The spinoff will … Read more

Lead Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 1 December named military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his new chief of staff in Kyiv, shifting a top presidential role toward security leadership. The move follows the resignation of Andriy Yermak on 28 November after his residence was searched amid a broad anti-corruption probe. Zelensky said the appointment … Read more