updated 06/01/2016 AT 11:00 AM EDT

•originally published 05/31/2016 AT 10:55 PM EDT

A baby girl born in New Jersey with defects linked to Zika is the first child delivered in the tri-state area to suffer from the effects of the virus, according to reports.

Medical officials at Hackensack University Medical Center reported to

in Philadelphia that the baby was diagnosed with microcephaly, a condition in which the child is born with a partially developed brain and head which causes a smaller head size.

The baby also reportedly has intestinal and visual problems.

, the mother, 31, contracted the virus when she visited Honduras and was admitted to the hospital on Friday during her current vacation in the United States. She reportedly welcomed her daughter on Tuesday.

Doctors in Honduras believed there were issues with the skull in utero, but the diagnosis of microcephaly was not confirmed until the mother was admitted to the high-risk department at HUMC, the network reports.

The child born in New Jersey is the first in the tri-state area; she is not the first child in the U.S. born with defects linked to the rampant virus. According to

, a U.S. woman who contracted the virus overseas gave birth in February to a child who suffered microcephaly.

that a pregnant 17-year-old in Danbury, Connecticut tested positive for Zika but refused to terminate her pregnancy.

"I'm not happy that my baby is going to be born with Zika but God has given me a miracle," Sara Mujica told PEOPLE. "Doctors said that I would never get pregnant so this is a big miracle for me."

Summary: The baby girl was born with microcephaly, a condition that causes the brain and head to be partially developed at the time of birth.


When we think of a child passing into adulthood, we usually picture independent living — perhaps with roommates, alone or eventually with a partner or spouse. Today that picture might need some adjustment.

A Pew Research poll released last week found that American men age 18 to 34 are more likely to be living with their parents than in any other living situation.

What’s going on? What’s happening to men? And, just as important: Why?

It seems like men don’t know whom they’re supposed to be anymore. While they get a lot of specific advice during different stages of their life, perhaps more than even women do, there’s no longer a sense of a “big picture” for men to try to live up to.

For example: Women are encouraged to “have it all,” a ridiculous goal, but a goal nevertheless. Women are told to aim for family, career, a perfect body, strong friendships.

But men? Men are told to put off family until they have a career, as if those two things couldn’t possibly run in parallel. Meanwhile, women outpace men at colleges but don’t seem to have the same pressure to have figured everything out before they look for a commitment.

In a job market that no longer favors them, men are stuck in limbo waiting to have a stable career before a stable relationship.

That results in a cycle in which women continue outpacing men while men are being told to close that gap as a precondition for settling down with women.

As for taking care of themselves, sure, men are encouraged to work out, but if they don’t, they could still end up with a celebrated “dad bod.” Friendships should be taken seriously, but not too seriously. Bro culture is in, emoting about problems is not.

At the core of this is a perhaps odd-sounding question, but it really is quite serious: What does it mean to “be a man”?

Men still playing the field in their late 30s are more likely to get an “attaboy” from their friends while women will get tips on how to “find the one.” It might be more fun being a guy at that point, but at least women know what the societal expectations of them are. Whether they choose to live by those expectations is another matter — but men just don’t have the same guidelines.

Today, in 40 percent of families with children under 18, mothers are the primary breadwinners. The problem is that, despite this shift, a majority of Americans continue to say that men should be the primary breadwinners.

This is, of course, in direct contrast to the message from popular culture, which is always telling us these are the outmoded beliefs of the Unfrozen Cave Man. But people still live by them — even if they won’t admit it. No wonder men seem lost.

And even more than the economy, it’s these cultural expectations and trends that weigh on young people stuck at home with their parents.

As FiveThirtyEight’s Ben Casselman wrote Friday, “The recession wasn’t what led millennials to move back into their old bedrooms (or to not leave in the first place). Rather, long-run shifts in demographics and behavior have been pushing them in that direction for decades. Most importantly, Americans are waiting longer to get married, a trend that long predates the recession.”

Let’s not just expect that boys can grow into men without any information on what that means. We over-focus on girls at the peril of our boys, and when they fail to launch, it’s a problem for us all.

Our message to boys should be similar to what we instill in our girls. Be a productive member of society. Develop a career that fulfills you. Find a partner who will support you and whom you can support.

And, for goodness’ sake, don’t live at home with your parents into your 30s.

Summary: When we think of a child passing into adulthood, we usually picture independent living — perhaps with roommates, alone or eventually with a partner or spouse. Today that picture might need some adj…


Given the tremendous buzz and interest in reality programs such as Netflix’s Making a Murderer, about the exoneration and then murder conviction of Steven Avery, HBO’s The Jinx, about eccentric millionaire and possible serial killer Robert Durst, and Serial Season 1, about the case of convicted murderer Adnan Syed, it is clear that true crime shows are tantalizing to millions of people. This conclusion is supported by the passionate and loyal following demonstrated by Investigation Discovery network, which is entirely devoted to the true-crime genre of programming.

If you spend any amount of time watching true crime TV, you will quickly notice that the shows almost always involve one particular type of crime: murder. Often, too, the focus is on exotic, bizarre and especially grisly or disturbing incidents of murder.

In the extreme, the tales of murder depicted in true crime TV shows involve the gruesome and notorious exploits of serial killers such as the late Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy (The Killer Clown), Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker) or David Berkowitz (Son of Sam). The morbid stories of these prolific killers have become popular culture legends.

Can we conclude that people are fascinated with death, and that this alone explains why true-crime shows are so popular with the public? I think not. As a criminologist and college professor who also is a former network television executive, I spent several years conducting my own research on the allure of true crime. More specifically, I focused on what many people would consider to be the most heinous of all true crimes: serial murder.

My research has determined that the public’s fascination with serial killers on television is multifaceted and complex. Serial killers tantalize people much like traffic accidents, train wrecks or natural disasters. The public’s fascination with them can be seen as a specific manifestation of its more general fixation on violence and calamity. In other words, the actions of a serial killer may be horrible to behold but much of the public simply cannot look away due to the spectacle.

People also receive a jolt of adrenaline as a reward for witnessing terrible deeds. Adrenaline is a hormone that produces a powerful, stimulating and even addictive effect on the human brain. If you doubt the addictive power of adrenaline, think of the thrill-seeking child who will ride a roller coaster over and over until he or she becomes physically ill. The euphoric effect of true crime on human emotions is similar to that of roller coasters or natural disasters.

The public is drawn to true crime because it triggers the most basic and powerful emotion in all of us—fear. As a source of popular culture entertainment, it allow us to experience fear and horror in a controlled environment where the threat is exciting but not real. For example, the stories of real-life killers are often for adults what monster movies are for children. Moreover, by following an investigation on TV, people can play armchair detective and see if they can figure out “whodunit” before law enforcement authorities catch the actual perpetrator.

After much consideration, I believe that for many people, including me, true crime shows generally offer guilty pleasure to thrill-seeking adults. Why is there guilt? It feels wrong or inappropriate for us to delight in the horrors inflicted on real people in true crime shows. Yet many of us relish watching these shows anyway. But although we may feel a bit guilty about indulging in them, we simply cannot stop.

Summary: Its effect on human emotions is similar to that of roller coasters


Kristen Carroll Wiig was born on August 22, 1973 in Canandaigua, New York, to Laurie J. (Johnston), an artist, and Jon J. Wiig, a lake marina manager. She is of Norwegian (from her paternal grandfather), Irish, English, and Scottish descent. The family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before settling in the Rochester, New York. When Wiig was 9 years old, her parents divorced and she lived with her mother and older brother Erik.After graduating from Brighton High School in Rochester, Wiig attended the University of Arizona as an art student. She took her first acting class, as an elective, and was soon encouraged by her teacher to pursue acting. Years later, she moved to Los Angeles and Wiig worked as a main company member of the Los Angeles-based improv and sketch-comedy troupe The Groundlings. As a Groundlings alumna, she joins the ranks of such SNL cast mates as Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Phil Hartman, and Jon Lovitz.Wiig made her big-screen debut to universal high praise as Katherine Heigl's passive-aggressive boss in Judd Apatow's smash-hit comedy Knocked Up. Additional film credits include Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It, starring Ellen Page; Greg Mottola's Adventureland, with Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg; David Koepp's Ghost Town, with Ricky Gervais; and Jake Kasdan's Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, another Apatow-produced film, in which she starred opposite John C. Reilly. She has also guest-starred on the Emmy-winning NBC series 30 Rock, the HBO series Bored to Death, with Jason Schwartzman, and Flight of the Conchords.Wiig joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 2008, and was known for playing such memorable characters as the excitable Target clerk, Lawrence Welk singer Doonese, the hilarious one-upper Penelope, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Suze Orman, among others. Wiig earned two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on the show. She left the show in the spring of 2012.In 2011, Wiig co-wrote and starred in Bridesmaids, along with Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, and Rose Byrne. The film was a box office hit and won several awards, plus earned two Oscar nominations (Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay), and two Golden Globes nominations (Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and Best Actress).Wiig also appeared in such notable films as Greg Mottola's Paul, opposite Simon Pegg and Nick Frost; Andrew Jarecki's All Good Things, opposite Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella; DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon, with Gerard Butler and Jay Baruchel; the Universal Pictures' animated feature film Despicable Me, starring Steve Carell and Jason Segel; and Jennifer Westfeldt's Friends with Kids, opposite Jon Hamm, Megan Fox, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph and Westfeldt. See full bio on IMDb »

Summary: Kristen Wiig on TMZ, your go-to source for celebrity news, photos, & videos. Latest Story: Kristen Wiig -- She Ain't 'Fraid to Suck Face  (PHOTOS)


Officials in the central Russian city of Nizhnevartovsk have called off all yoga classes held in both private and municipal facilities as part of a crackdown on “religious cults.”

According to the Moscow Times, which cited a report in the Russian Kommersant daily, the owners of two of the city’s main hatha-yoga studios received letters from government officials telling them to immediately cease their classes because the practice of yoga could “spread new religious cults and movements.”

Yoga classes have also been taking place at a stadium and public meeting hall in Nizhnevartovsk. However, the heads of the local departments for physical culture and education received letters as well, the Moscow Times says, describing yoga as “inextricably linked to religious practices” and having a distinct “occult character.”

Hatha yoga is based in Hindu tradition, but is mostly practiced as a physical exercise that promotes flexibility and deep breathing.

Suspicion of yoga is not shared among all Russian apparatchiks, however. Last year, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Interfax news agency that Americans upset about the annexation of Crimea should “spend more time in the open,” and “practice yoga.”

Summary: Sun salutations are off the menu in the central city of Nizhnevartovsk.


The staff of Fortune recently assembled its predictions for 2016. Here’s one of our forecasts.

Four states, plus Washington, D.C., have recently legalized recreational pot, and Colorado and Washington are already raking in millions of dollars in tax revenue from their legal markets. Several more states could join the party next year, when the presidential election will increase turnout among younger, pot-friendly voters. Initiatives to land marijuana legalization on 2016 ballots are well underway in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Nevada, while a handful of other states could also put legalization to a vote. For various reasons, Ohio’s recent “no” vote isn’t a reliable bellwether of national opinion. With public support blossoming— the latest Gallup poll shows 58% of Americans back legalization— it’s not difficult to envision another six states opening their arms and their treasuries.

This article is part of the 2016 Fortune Crystal Ball, a package of 33 predictions about business, politics and the economy by the writers and editors of Fortune. To see the entire package, click here.

Summary: High voter turnout (no pun intended) will help the legalization cause.


Move over, Mean Girls. It turns out that boys might actually be the crueler ones.

A new study from the University of Georgia (UGA) published in the journal Aggressive Behavior reveals that when it comes to being mean to your peers, it’s not girls who rule the school, but boys.

It has long been speculated by social researchers that boys are more physically aggressive while girls are more relationally aggressive. To put that in middle-school terms: boys are more likely to shove you into a locker, while girls are more apt to spread a rumor that you didn’t wear deodorant to gym class. Relationally aggressive behavior is the stuff that Mean Girls is made of — malicious rumors, social exclusion and rejection — and it turns out that boys are pretty good at it too.

In fact, as researchers followed a group of boys and girls from middle school to high school, they found that, at every grade level, boys engaged in so-called relationally aggressive behavior more often than girls. The boys were also more physically aggressive than the girls, which leads to an interesting side note: the study seems to have scientifically proved what many have known to be true — middle school ain’t fun. The UGA study shows that the highest levels of physical and relational aggression are present in students from sixth through eighth grade, with all levels of aggression declining throughout high school before reaching a low during senior year. In short, aggressive behavior is at its worst in middle school, but it gets better.

Pamela Orpinas, a professor of health promotion and behavior in the College of Public Health at UGA, led the study and analyzed data collected from 620 students randomly selected from six northeast Georgia school districts. Student participants completed yearly surveys, which allowed the UGA researchers to identify and group them in distinct trajectories for relational aggression and victimization as they progressed from Grade Six to 12 trusting the students to self-report both physically and relationally aggressive behavior and victimization.

“Overall, we found relational aggression to be a very common behavior,” says Orpinas, who notes in an interview with TIME that for the most part, middle school and high school age children are not particularly aggressive, even if they may make snide comments about a classmate at some point. “Almost all of the students surveyed, 96%, had passed a rumor or made a nasty comment about someone over the course of the seven-year study.” Her study revealed that a majority (54%) of the students were unlikely to be perpetrators of relationally aggressive behavior and only 6.5% were ranked “high” as likely perpetrators. Among those students who were perpetrators of violence, the study found that boys were more likely to be both moderate perpetrators (boys 55%, girls 45%) and high perpetrators (boys 66.7%, girls 33.3%) of relationally aggressive behavior.

Still, the study has its limitations: it’s based on a relatively small sample size of students from Georgia schools, rather than looking at a nationally representative sample. Orpinas notes there’s little research on mean boys so far, but hopes to look more closely at the phenomenon in the future. For now, with the “mean girls” myth dispelled, she recommends boys be included in the same school-based programs that have traditionally been used to keep girls from being mean to each other. And maybe that Mean Girls sequel should be called Mean Boys, which would be so fetch.

For more parenting stories and advice on raising a child in today’s world, check out the new TIME for Family subscription.

Summary: Debunking the "Mean Girls" myth


"House of Cards" star Robin Wright may have been dealt a winning hand — a starring role in the highly anticipated "Blade Runner" sequel.

The actress is in talks to star opposite Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling in the follow-up to the 1982 sci-fi classic, Variety is reporting.

Wright's schedule on "House of Cards" has been a major obstacle for producers, but they've since worked out a potential schedule, according to the report.

The actress has enjoyed a full dance card between seasons of the acclaimed Netflix drama, and is currently filming a major part in "Wonder Woman."

But given the reverence for "Blade Runner," with the return of original director Ridley Scott in a producing role and original star Harrison Ford, there is as much scrutiny on the movie opening Jan. 18, 2018, as there is on the superhero flick.

Ford is reprising his role as Rick Deckard, the titular ex-cop navigating a world in which illegal artificial humans called replicants are hunted down.

"Prisoners" director Denis Villeneuve is taking over behind the camera for original director Ridley Scott, who is still on board as a producer.

Screenplay writer Hampton Fincher, who adapted Phillip K. Dick's novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" into the first "Blade Runner," collaborated on the sequel's script with Michael Green.

Summary: "House of Cards" star Robin Wright may have been dealt a winning hand -- a starring role in the highly-anticipated "Blade Runner" sequel.


Is that his final answer?

Alex Trebek’s career as a game show host was in jeopardy earlier this month when he threatened to quit the game show he’s been tied to for the last 30 years, according to sensitive Sony emails leaked by hackers.

"If I'm making mistakes and saying things you don’t like, maybe it's time for me to move on," Trebek wrote in a terse exchange with producers.

"It's not a threat, but I want to let you know how I'm feeling."

The 74-year-old Trebek was upset after he was asked to re-tape a segment of 'Jeopardy!' when the mom of a young contestant wrote a letter complaining about the host’s lack of empathy when the contestant had to bow out after two rounds, Radar Online reported.

The girl ran off visibly upset backstage during a segment of 'Jeopardy! Kids Week', which took place Dec. 1-5.

"If he had taken the time, he would have known, like you do, that my daughter is not a sore loser, and does not become emotional solely over losing a game," the mom wrote to a producer, according to emails obtained by Radar Online.

"She was upset about not being able to completely play the game to the end. "

The producer asked Trebek to re-tape the episode, which sent the veteran TV personality into a tizzy.

"If you all think I should retape the opening, I will," Trebek responded. "But I want to say that for 30 years I've defended our show against attacks inside and out. But it doesn’t seem to operate both ways. When I'm vilified, corporate (and certainly legal) always seems to say 'don't say anything and it'll blow over,' and I'm not feeling support from the producers, and that disappoints the s—t out of me."

Summary: Alex Trebek’s career as a game show host was in jeopardy earlier this month when he threatened to quit the game show, according to a report.


We’ve been hearing a lot lately about the state of the Great Barrier Reef and the major threat it faces. Sometimes it feels overwhelming – reefs are dying and it seems nothing can be done.

Actually there is much that can be done, from the Australian government really putting our money where its mouth is, to understanding that science must be at the basis of all action.

Here I outline five things that need to be done right now to save the Great Barrier Reef:

Inshore reefs of the central Great Barrier Reef have suffered dramatically from fertiliser and pesticide run-off and from high sediment loads caused by land clearing. A major challenge is to dramatically improve water quality in reefs adjacent to this land.

Related: The Great Barrier Reef: a catastrophe laid bare

But it’s not going to be cheap, with one recent estimate recommending a $10bn effort spread over 10 years to make any real difference (though new estimates of the real worth of the GBR makes this look like a worthwhile investment).

This makes the prime minister’s commitment of $1bn over ten years (subtracted from the budget of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation) and opposition leader Shorten’s $500m over five years grossly inadequate for what really needs to be done to improve the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef.

If we are really serious about saving the Great Barrier Reef, the first thing we are going to have to do is to put our money where our mouth is and dramatically increase funding to restore the GBR.

It is beyond question now that the three greatest threats to coral reefs worldwide are overfishing, pollution, and climate change. For the first two, there are tangible ways to affect positive outcomes by management of coastal zones, and through fisheries management.

But many scientists believe that even with these “local” efforts, and the observation that healthy ecosystems are better equipped to deal with thermal stress than disturbed ones, global climate change can quickly overwhelm even the best managed reefs. Part of any strategy to save coral reefs is to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to do it now. The COP21 conference agreement in Paris late last year provided a glimmer of hope by recognising that limiting global warming to 1.5C represents our best hope at maintaining ecosystems.

Australia has a special responsibility to cut emissions as the 2016 and earlier bleaching events illustrate that global warming has already had a huge negative effect on the Great Barrier Reef. But we also have a unique opportunity to play a global leading role by keeping coal in the ground and refusing foreign investors to develop what will amount to substantial increases in global CO2 gas emissions.

So the second thing Australia needs to do is to place a moratorium on coal – greenhouse gases need to be cut now, and Australia can play a vital role.

The third thing we can do is prioritise the management of the Great Barrier Reef by rebuilding the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, whose funding and “authority” have dramatically declined over the past several years.

Budget cuts, staff layoffs, and the ceding of governance responsibility to state agencies keen on the economic benefits of coal extraction is not in the best interest of the reef and may undercut the reputation Australia has had for “best practice” in coral reef management.

A strong and independent marine park authority is in the best interest of everyone who has a stake in the reef. Of particular urgency is stronger management links across the land and the sea.

The fourth thing we can do is to support the link between science and government. Now more than ever science needs to underpin decision-making in all facets of society.

No one person or segment of society can claim to be totally free of bias and self-interest, and scientists are no exception. However, the checks and balances within the scientific community are stringent and tend to weed out ideas that are not based on rigorous evaluation and testing of competing hypotheses.

Government provides funding for this process in the way of scientific research into societal concerns, such as economic or environmental. The outcomes of that research are made freely available and should provide the basis for decision-making.

Finally, one of the most difficult challenges we all face is news fatigue. We seem to be constantly bombarded with bad news whether it be economic issues, terrorism or environmental crises.

In time our focus shifts, as does our “baseline”, toward accepting the world as it is, instead of as it should be. In 2012 we learned that live coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef had decreased by 50% over the past 27 years. Shocking news. Now we are told that, again, over the entire Great Barrier Reef almost 25% has been lost over the span of a few weeks during the 2016 bleaching event.

Related: The Great Barrier Reef and the subtle power of 'psychological distance' | Don Hine

Reactions to this range from, “oh well, the reef survived 50% decline and so it should survive 25% decline – what’s the fuss?” to “the tourism industry should pack up and go home – there’s nothing left to see”. Both of these points of view have been raised with me by the media. And they are both understandable given the bad news coming out of the reef lately. But they are both grossly misguided and represent the exact opposite of how we should be thinking about the problem.

Nothing happens politically without constant communication and education about issues. For the Great Barrier reef, it is imperative that we fight through our initial reactions to the recent spate of bad news and begin to tackle the problems confronting the reef at multiple levels.

So the urgent thing for all of us to do is to set aside our “news fatigue” and help convince our government about the gravity of the challenges facing the reef and to implement the recommendations I have outlined above. The coming general election provides an excellent starting point to begin this dialogue.

Summary: It can be easy to tune out when you think a problem is too big, but there are five things that need to happen now to save the reef


Peyton Manning officially called it quits on his Hall of Fame career Monday with a tearful and at times revelatory press conference in which the legendary quarterback declared the moment to hang up his cleats had arrived.

“I have fought the good fight, I finished my football race, and after 18 years, it’s time,” Manning said during the roughly hour-long ceremony at the Broncos’ headquarters in Englewood, Colo.

Manning, who turns 40 this month, rode out on top after adding a second Super Bowl ring last month to the host of awards and NFL records the former No. 1 overall pick amassed over 18 years with the Colts and Broncos.

“I thought about it a lot, prayed about it a lot … it was just the right time,” Manning said. “I don’t throw as good as I used to, don’t run as good as I used to, but I have always have had good timing.”

Monday’s ceremony was just the start of Manning’s NFL send-off. The Colts announced they also plan to honor Manning with a retirement celebration March 18 at their headquarters to honor his 14-year stint in Indianapolis, which included a Lombardi Trophy for Super Bowl XLI.

Tributes from around the NFL, which had begun Sunday when news of Manning’s plans first leaked, continued to flood in Monday.

Eli Manning made his feelings known in an emotional video tribute to his older brother on ESPN in which the Giants quarterback said “the records and awards don’t define his story or explain his passion.”

Eli didn’t make the trip to Colorado for his brother’s press conference due to what the Giants said was a stomach illness.

“I’ll miss watching him play,” Eli said, according to a statement released by the team. “I’ll miss talking football during the week or talking about a common opponent that we might be playing, or just calling him on the bus when we both had away games.

“I am happy that he was able to kind of go out on his own terms,” Eli added. “I know it was tough for him, but I’m proud of the way he handled [it]. You could see that it’s going to be tough for him, but I think it is good timing and he’s getting out at the right time.”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, never one for emotion, released a fawning statement about Manning in which he said the quarterback “raised the bar as a performer.”

“I can honestly say that I never ‘enjoyed’ our meetings, but the respect I have for Peyton Manning as a competitor was, and will likely remain, second to none,” Belichick said, according to the team.

Manning also appeared to confirm some reported friction with first-year Broncos coach Gary Kubiak after Manning — gimpy from a foot injury and struggling mightily on the field — was benched in favor of Brock Osweiler midway through last season.

Manning regained the job in Week 17 and quarterbacked Denver to a victory over the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, but not until after he was forced to rehab on the side for six weeks with practice-squad wide receiver Jordan Taylor and low-level football staffers.

Kubiak would film those workouts and critique them, leading Manning to give his coach the middle finger on camera the week of the final regular-season game.

“I took it as, ‘Hey, I’m ready to play, coach,’’’ Kubiak said, laughing as he turned back to Manning. “He was right. He was right. … Thanks for doing it. I know it was tough. You were special along the way.”

But that was after Broncos general manager John Elway effusively thanked Manning for signing with Denver as a free agent after missing the entire 2011 season due to neck surgery.

The Broncos went 50-15 in Manning’s four seasons and reached two Super Bowls, winning one. Manning also set the NFL single-season record with 55 TD passes in 2013, although Denver was routed by the Seahawks 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium that season.

Manning ended the ceremony with his signature “Omaha!” audible call, then posed for pictures with several former Broncos and Colts teammates who flew in for the occasion.

“We will miss watching you play quarterback,” Broncos team president Joe Ellis told Manning. “You have been a joy.”

Summary: Next stop: Canton. Peyton Manning officially called it quits on his Hall of Fame career Monday with a tearful and at times revelatory press conference in which the legendary quarterback declared th…


Greg Smith is on a mission to fix the nation’s 401(k) problem. And this time he says he’s not going to quit.

Three years ago, Smith famously announced in a harshly worded New York Times Op-Ed that he was leaving Goldman Sachs. He accused the Wall Street powerhouse of regularly ripping off its clients, who traders often derided as “muppets.” He also said he was good at ping-pong.

Smith published a book with the same title as the Op-Ed about six months later, in which he offered some details, but not much, of misconduct at Goldman GS and elsewhere. (Goldman denied the charges.) And then Smith mostly disappeared.

Now he’s back. And this time, he’s taking on a much more intractable foe, the nation’s troubled retirement system. Last month, Smith joined Blooom, an Overland Park, Kansas-based firm that is looking to help people improve the performance of their retirement accounts. He will serve as the firm’s president.

Americans have a collective $4.6 trillion socked away in 401(k) plans, which have become the nation’s go-to retirement savings vehicle. That’s up from $1.7 trillion a decade-and-a-half ago. Recently, Fidelity detailed what it takes to save as much as $1,000,000 in a 401(k) account. It ain’t easy.

In fact, the average 401(k) account has just over $91,000 in it, not nearly enough to retire on. At the same time, many Americans have more than one retirement account, so that stat may be misleading. Still, Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research recently estimated that 52% of Americans are at risk of not having enough to maintain their living standards in retirement.

Smith said he was initially interested in working with public pension funds when he first left Goldman. Some of the funds had been his clients. And one of his points in his book was that Wall Street often treats its clients differently, reserving the best products and investment ideas for hedge funds, which were deemed the smart money. Pension funds and mutual funds, Smith said, often got the worst products at the worst prices.

He said he signed on as an informal advisor to then-mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio and drew up a plan to improve the investment choices and lower fees for New York City’s pension funds. Smith largely believes investors are better off in lower fee index funds. But he said that he quickly realized that the investment process in which New York and other places wind up paying high fees is as much about politics as it is about getting better returns.

Instead, Smith has set his sights on the 401(k) business, where he said individuals have the ability to choose for themselves but often aren’t given the tools to figure out where to put their money. Smith says the biggest problem is that investors have too many options, with little description of what those options are or how they differ from one another. Smith carries around a screenshot on his phone of the investment selection page for the retirement plans available to workers at Baltimore’s public schools. Among the investment options are ultra, heritage, and equity market neutral, with no description of what those investments actually are. There is one investment option that just says “Veedot.” Smith says he still hasn’t figured out what that is supposed to be. (It’s a stock fund managed by American Century.)

“People log onto their retirement accounts get bewildered and then make no choice at at all,” says Smith. “Or it’s essentially a game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”

About nine months ago, Smith says he saw a presentation given by Chris Costello, Blooom’s founder, at a conference. He liked the simple visual displays the company created for its clients.

Blooom’s main offering is a service that, for $15 a month, will take control of your 401(k) and manage it for you. (The fee drops to $1 a month for 401(k) accounts of less than $20,000.) The company uses a computer program to devise an asset allocation (bonds vs. stocks, for example) for each of its clients. It then looks at the investment options in your 401(k) plan, deciphers what they are, and separates those choices into categories. Blooom then, essentially, picks out the fund in each category with the lowest fees and puts your money there. Blooom’s investing algorithm doesn’t seem to take into account how those particular investments have performed. But I guess the assumption is the lowest cost option will be an index fund, so performance really doesn’t matter.

Right now, Blooom charges $15 a month for each 401(k) account you have, but Costello says the company is working on an offering that will manage all of your 401(k)s together for one fee. The company now manages $80 million in retirement account assets, up from close to zero last fall.

Blooom’s service does seem to address one of the problems with 401(k) plans, which is that companies have abdicated the responsibility of providing a plan for their employees and have instead forced us all to be DYI investment managers, a job that few of us have the time or knowledge to perform adequately. The question is whether something like Blooom is enough to truly fix the problems with 401(k) plans.

If your company offers a crappy 401(k) plan, Blooom can’t change that. It can steer you to the best options, but it can’t force your company to change its plan provider or up their match. Blooom’s Costello has a quick retort for criticism that his company’s service just heaps more fees on top of a system that is already too costly for investors. The Obama Administration has recently targeted high fees as a problem with 401(k) plans. Costello says that even after Blooom’s monthly charge, the company’s clients’ expenses drop because Blooom is able to identify the lowest cost funds, which isn’t always self-evident.

Smith agrees that everyone giving investment advice should be a fiduciary, something the Obama Administration is pushing for as well. But Smith says a decent allocation, even if it is spread among a bunch of less than perfect investment options, is a huge step in the right direction for most people. And Smith says he is happy with his switch from perhaps the most sought-after employer in finance to a company that most people have yet to hear of.

“A lot of what Wall Street does is to get people to trade things back and forth just to generate fees,” says Smith. “We’re not just trying to get people to trade more stocks with a fancy app. This is about helping people better their lives.”

Summary: The banker who very, very publicly quit Goldman Sachs has joined a new company, Blooom, that wants to fix your retirement savings plan.


Tyga says the eviction lawsuit his landlord filed against him is bogus, because he's NOT a renter ... he's a homebuyer ... and if he's right it's the most screwed up home purchase ever.

According to Tyga, he plunked $200,000 down on the Calabasas mansion a full year ago and the landlord told him he could move in during escrow, without paying any rent.

If that makes no sense, get this. Tyga says the escrow was supposed to close many months ago, but didn't because the seller didn't provide Tyga's bank with info that would allow the loan to be processed.

The landlord begs to differ, and says Tyga is a squatta.

His lawyer, Lee Hutton, tells TMZ, "We evidently live in a world where a man's word is no longer your bond."

And that reinforces the age-old maxim ... get it in writing.

Summary: Tyga says the eviction lawsuit his landlord filed against him is bogus, because he's NOT a renter ... he's a homebuyer ... and if he's right it's the…


Happy birthday to the Goddess of Pop! Today is Cher’s 70th, and she’s had quite an impressive career. Since her debut in 1962, Cher has released 28 solo albums and six with her onetime husband, the late Sonny Bono. Overall, she has sold 200 million albums worldwide, and been featured on the Billboard Hot 100 list 33 times and on the Billboard 200 list 29 times.

And it’s not just music Cher has been creating. In the 70s, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour debuted and ran for four years. In 1987, Cher starred in the film Moonstruck, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress.

Cher achieved fashion notoriety for wearing extravagant and revealing (for the time) fashions by designer Bob Mackie. It was reported on Oscar night that her outfit could cost her entire salary for her next picture.

In 2006, Cher auctioned off everything she owned for charity. Of note is the sequined, fishnet, and cloth black Bob Mackie design that sold for $60,000.

Summary: MONEY takes a number-centric look at the Goddess of Pop.


05/30/2008 AT 10:15 AM EDT

Continuing health problems have forced Toni Braxton to cancel the rest of her Las Vegas show "Toni Braxton: Revealed." Following an April 7 hospitalization for chest pain, the 40-year-old singer canceled shows at the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel until June 6, when she was scheduled to return, the Associated Press reports. A spokesperson for Harrah's, which operates the Flamingo Lounge, has confirmed the singer will not return, but would not comment on the singerâs current condition. According to the AP, Braxton's two-year run at the Flamingo ends in August. In the past, the six-time Grammy-winner has been treated for hypertension and pericarditis, a viral inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart. On April 8 she was released from the hospital after undergoing precautionary tests at a Las Vegas medical facility. At the time, she was said to be recovering at home. Like this story? Click on the Yahoo Buzz! button below to Buzz it up!

Summary: Citing continuing health problems, the singer takes some time off


Lender GE Capital is no longer “too big to fail.”

The U.S. government on Wednesday removed its “systemically important” designation, a label born of the financial crisis given to institutions with the potential to wreck the economy in the event of distress.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council, made up of all the heads of the major regulatory agencies, voted unanimously to remove the label it put on the General Electric ge unit in 2013, according to the U.S. Treasury. One member was recused.

“The council will remove a designation when that company no longer poses risks to U.S. financial stability,” Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in a statement. “When it identifies a company that could threaten financial stability, it acts; when those risks change, the council also acts.”

A designation can trigger stricter oversight and requirements to hold more capital.

In March GE Capital, formally asked the U.S. government to remove the “too big to fail” label, saying it had shrunk to the point where it would not pose a major threat to the nation’s financial stability if it experienced distress. Lifting the designation is expected to allow GE Capital to free up cash from its balance sheet and allow parent company GE to deploy it for other uses, particularly share buybacks.

Since the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law was passed in 2010, regulators have designated only four non-banks as systemically important. GE Capital was the first to apply to have the designation removed. A federal judge has ruled the label does not apply to life insurer MetLife, a decision the U.S. government recently appealed.

Insurers American International Group aig and Prudential Financial pru are also deemed systemically important. AIG nearly collapsed during the 2007-09 financial crisis and received a federal bailout of $182 billion.

The council annually reviews designations, and can also add other institutions to the list.

It decided to designate GE Capital because of its “reliance on short-term wholesale funding and its leading position in a number of funding markets,” Lew said.

“Since then, GE Capital has made fundamental strategic changes that have resulted in a company that is significantly smaller and safer, with more stable funding,” he added.

GE in April 2015 said it would sell off some $200 billion in GE Capital financing assets and hang onto businesses that overlapped with its industrial manufacturing focus in aviation, energy and healthcare.

Summary: Financial arm is no longer considered systemically important.


A few months back, an intrepid team of scientists declared that mozzarella is the best cheese for pizza because it melts, bubbles and browns better than any other varieties. Now, some other scientists from the American Chemical Society have taken an even closer look at the chemistry of everybody’s favorite cheesy food with this new video, part of the organization’s Reactions series.

“Whether it’s a plain cheese, a deep-dish stacked with meats or a thin-crust veggie delight, there’s just something about pizza that makes it delicious,” the video description explains. “There’s a lot of chemistry that goes into everything from dough to sauce to toppings to, of course, cheese.”

In particular, as the video explains, there’s something called the Maillard Reaction at work — and that’s what we all have to thank for the magical taste we encounter in every bite.

Summary: A look at the chemical reactions that lead to that magical, magical taste


Every new business owner needs to know the fundamentals. Forbes.com is breaking down those building blocks by answering eight core questions related to a given industry. Taken together, the information will give budding entrepreneurs a head start on making those first critical steps.

What are the three most important performance metrics? Big national retailers use metrics like sales per square foot or year-over-year same-store sales growth to measure the health of their businesses, but, in general, these metrics arent applicable for smaller retailers. Instead, you should keep an eye on the basics for any small business: Cash flow, profit margins and inventory turnover.

In the beginning, the most important metric will be your operating cash flow. This measures how much money is coming in (and going out) on a day-to-day basis. Even if your clothing store is operating at a net loss–which it will be at the beginning–if cash is coming in, you will be able to cover immediate costs like buying inventory, paying the rent, payroll and utility bills. Home-office accounting programs like Intuit‘s QuickBooks or Microsoft‘s Small Business Accounting programs can help you calculate your cash flow.

In the longer term, the most important metric will be your net profit margin, or the percentage that profits make up of each dollar in sales. Net margins vary dramatically by industry. Grocery stores are lucky to net 1% to 2%, but financial services companies can have margins in the 12%-plus range. Profit margins for apparel retailers range from 4% to 13%, according to analysts at the investment firm Imperial Capital, with average net margins at just below 8%.

Finally, watch your inventory turnover rate. Inventory that sits on your shelf for too long costs you money, and if it doesnt move for a long time, you might have to resort to deep discounts. To calculate how quickly you are turning over your merchandise, divide total sales by the year’s average inventory value.

Keep in mind that how quickly you can sell your merchandise also depends on your product mix. If your product mix is right, you’ll turn over your inventory more quickly.

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Summary: Cast a cold eye on your operating cash flow, net margins and inventory turnover.


07/13/2016 AT 11:55 PM EDT

A photo showing the scene of a fatal motorcycle accident in Kentucky is going viral as viewers claim to see the victim's spirit leaving his body.

Saul Vasquez captured the photo while travelling along the road and shared it on Facebook where it has since received over 5,000 shares.

"I took this picture just a few minutes ago from the cab of my truck it was an accident between campon and Stanton on the service road just off of the mountain parkway," Vasquez wrote. "Zoom in and pay attention to the shadow just off the top of the state trooper hat. All I say is I hope everyone involved is okay."

Above the trooper's hat is a white, translucent-like object.

, a local publication, the accident happened around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and involved a motorcyclist who later died at a nearby hospital.

Vasquez told the Lex 18 that the photo has not been doctored in any way.

Summary: The photo has been shared over 5,000 times as people speculate.


Sports fans are accustomed to seeing ticket prices go bonkers when the stakes are the highest—specifically, when a championship is on the line. Courtside seats to the Game 7 of the NBA Finals have sold for $30,000, even $80,000 in recent years. Even the “cheap seats” for the Super Bowl in 2015 were going for over $4,000 on the secondary market.

This week, however, the resale prices of tickets to two NBA games have spiked to unprecedented heights, and the playoffs haven’t even started yet.

The games in question both take place in California on Wednesday, and they will close out the 2015-2016 regular season. While obviously no titles are at stake, history is expected to be made—including what are being heralded as the most expensive NBA regular season games ever.

In fact, the Golden State Warriors have already made history this week, beating the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday to earn their 72nd win of the season—matching the best record ever, held by Michael Jordan and the 1996 Chicago Bulls. If the Warriors can win on the home court over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, they will grab victory #73 and take the crown for the best regular season record in NBA history.

Understandably, there are plenty of basketball fans who’d love to be on hand to see such a momentous event. Stephen Curry and the Warriors have been magnets for fans around the country all season long, with ticket prices spiking by a factor of as much as 10 compared to other teams. During the Warriors’ run at the all-time best record, seat prices on the secondary market have been averaging $300 to $500 apiece, according to the ticket resale site TiqIQ.com. And for the final game of the season, on Wednesday versus the Grizzlies, list prices at TiqIQ have been averaging a whopping $1,594.

A look on Tuesday at other secondary market sale sites, such as Vivid Seats and StubHub, shows that the cheapest tickets for Wednesday’s Warriors’ game were in the mid-$300s, and some tickets were listed at over $15,000.

Read next: Guess Who Is to Blame for Fewer Fans Watching Sports on TV

Meanwhile, further south in California, ticket prices are even higher for a Wednesday night game—and the home team Los Angeles Lakers aren’t even headed to the playoffs. Instead, history is being made in the form of Kobe Bryant (#24) playing in his final NBA game.

According to TiqIQ.com, the average list price on the secondary market for Wednesday’s Lakers-Utah Jazz matchup at the Staples Center in L.A. has been a staggering $2,110. As of Tuesday, the lowest-price ticket available was running just under $900, and a courtside seat was listed at upwards of $25,000.

A message from TiqIQ sent to the media this weekend stated what many fans probably already guessed: Prices for these two NBA matchups are “the most expensive regular season games we have ever tracked.”

Summary: The two key numbers are #24 and #73.


In a visit to an Indiana town that has seen a huge drop in unemployment during his administration, President Obama aggressively defended his policies and blasted Donald Trump, calling one of the real estate mogul’s proposals “crazy.” […]

And Obama, while not using Trump’s name, repeatedly referred to the “Republican nominee” and specifically denounced his proposals. Obama called deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants a “fantasy,” and dismissed the mogul’s view that large numbers of native-born Americans are losing their jobs to immigrants.

It’s a record Obama is clearly eager to tout during the campaign season, even while condemning the Republican vision. (Yesterday’s speech did not reference Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders by name.)

But as it turns out, the president’s remarks in Indiana also made a little news. These comments, in particular, pointed to a White House position we hadn’t heard before:

“We can’t afford to weaken Social Security; we should be strengthening Social Security.,” Obama said. “And not only do we need to strengthen its long-term health, it’s time we finally made Social Security more generous, and increased its benefits so that today’s retirees and future generations get the dignified retirement that they’ve earned. And we could start paying for it by asking the wealthiest Americans to contribute a little bit more. They can afford it. I can afford it.”

In progressive circles, expanding Social Security has become an important cause – it’s a policy endorsed by both Clinton and Sanders, as well as prominent Democratic lawmakers like Ohio’s Sherrod Brown and Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren – though the White House has held back from endorsing the goal. Yesterday, that changed, suggesting this popular idea is slated to be a key component of the 2016 message for Democrats.

It’s also part of an unexpected evolution. Keep in mind, in the president’s first term, after the massive Republican gains in the 2010 midterms, Obama was willing to accept a conservative shift in how Social Security benefits were calculated (a policy known as “chained CPI”) as part of a debt-reduction compromise with GOP lawmakers. The far-right eventually killed the agreement – House Republicans weren’t willing to accept any concessions at all – only to have Mitt Romney run on a platform of more severe Social Security cuts.

On this issue, as yesterday helped make clear, the left is winning.

Summary: President Obama is eager to "explode onto the scene" to help elect his successor, and he did just that yesterday, making some important news in the process.


A recent survey from the Pew Research Center showed that the refugee crisis and the threat of terrorism were becoming intertwined in the minds of many Europeans.

Right-wing parties have been achieving electoral success in a growing number of nations.

In eight of the 10 European nations covered, more than half of those surveyed said they believed that the presence of refugees — mostly from Syria, Iraq and other poor and war-torn Muslim nations — increased the likelihood of terrorism in their country. Fears were highest in Hungary and Poland.

In Poland, the right-wing government is already locked in bitter disputes with the European Union over freedom of speech and the rule of law.

As the grisly details in Nice became clear, Poland’s interior minister swiftly blamed “decades of multi-culti policy” and those “who lit up the Eiffel Tower” after earlier attacks in Paris.

“They haven’t learned anything from terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, when those in power just burst into tears,” the minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, told Polsat News, a private TV channel. “We need to focus on guaranteeing people’s safety.”

That is best done, he argued, by emulating Poland and Hungary, keeping migrants out and preventing crime.

“We, unlike Western Europe, don’t experience such problems; we don’t have districts ruled by a different law than Polish law; we don’t have no-go zones that Polish police cannot enter,” Mr. Blaszczak said, alluding to debunked reports of such areas in Western Europe.

Pawel Kukiz, leader of the self-described patriotic opposition party Kukiz’15, which won seats in Parliament last fall, used the Nice attack to call for a referendum asking Poles whether they agree to accept any refugees.

Hungary was already due to hold a similar plebiscite in the fall, and Prime Minister Victor Orban — the first European leader to build fences last year to keep out waves of Middle East migrants — is urging Hungarians to vote against European quotas for taking in newcomers.

That vote is scheduled for Oct. 2, the same day that neighboring Austria will hold a rerun of its presidential election. That contest pits a former Green Party leader against a far-right politician, Norbert Hofer, who could become the first rightist elected head of state in Europe since 1945.

Amid a migrant crisis and discontent with the European Union, many far-right parties have achieved electoral success. Here are eight of the most noteworthy.

Even if Mr. Hofer does not prevail, his Freedom party is still No. 1 in opinion polls in Austria, well ahead of the mainstream parties that have governed Austria since 1945 but were eliminated in the first round of presidential voting in April.

Even in prosperous and conservative Germany, Europe’s No. 1 power, politics have become more fractured. The far-right Alternative for Germany, mired in internal disputes, has slipped to between 9 percent and 12 percent in opinion polls, down from 15 percent. But that is still well above the 5 percent barrier for winning seats in next year’s national elections.

Support for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her conservative bloc has strengthened slightly since the British referendum, as the public saw the economic and political aftermath of that vote.

But Ms. Merkel is still widely blamed for a policy that allowed some one million migrants to arrive in Germany last year. Desperate to stanch the flow, she enlisted Turkey to help keep migrants from entering Europe. How that agreement will fare now that Turkey’s military has tried to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was one of many open questions.

In Britain, one of the biggest challenges facing Prime Minister Theresa May’s new government is how to balance a desire for continued access to the European single market with the European Union’s requirement of open-border policies that allow European citizens to live and work anywhere they please within the bloc. Shutting off immigration was one of the most powerful motives behind the vote to leave the European Union, and the attack in Nice seemed likely to harden the position of those advocating strict border control.

Well before the British referendum, the refugee crisis had put an acute strain on European unity, and in particular on Europe’s Schengen border-free travel zone. The attacker in Nice was living in France legally.

But the assault followed other terror attacks in which some attackers had crossed the Belgian-French border, and two of the attackers in the assault on Paris in November had apparently entered Europe in last year’s migrant wave.

As a result, criticisms of Europe’s open-border policies have taken root not just on the far right but among more mainstream parties.

“All the Schengen countries have now free circulation of people,” Pierre Lellouche, a former minister and member of France’s center-right Republican party, told the BBC on Friday. “But it is turning into free circulation of terrorists. We don’t know who enters.”

As for improving border control or sharing more information among European intelligence agencies, he added: “Nothing is happening.”

Follow Alison Smale @asmalenyt and Stephen Castle @_StephenCastle on Twitter.

Alison Smale reported from Berlin, and Stephen Castle from London. Joanna Berendt contributed reporting from Warsaw.

A version of this article appears in print on July 17, 2016, on page A12 of the New York edition with the headline: Attack Builds Political Power of Anti-Immigrant Movements in Europe. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

Summary: The killing in Nice came at a time of political flux and gives populist movements and the far right new opportunities to press their case.


Lake Kivu, straddling the borders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, offers a landscape of extraordinary beauty, framed by towering volcanoes and lush green slopes rich with tea, coffee and banana plantations. But deep beneath the surface of the lake lurks a terrifying menace: waters saturated with methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gas. If released, this toxic combination could take the lives of the more than two million people that live along the lake’s shores.

For the moment the gas-laden water is trapped beneath a layer of heavy saline that prevents it from rising to the surface. But that barrier could be easily breached by an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, or even the growing pressure of the gases themselves. In Cameroon in 1986, a cloud of carbon dioxide exploded from Lake Nyos in a 100-meter fountain, killing almost 2,000 people as far as 25 kilometers from shore. Lake Kivu’s highly flammable methane mix presents an even greater risk to the region. Venting and flaring off the gas would minimize the risk of an eruption, but it’s environmentally irresponsible, as methane is a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.

To the government of Rwanda, the methane rich waters present not just a threat to be mitigated, but an opportunity. The country, like much of Africa, lacks sufficient power to meet its growing population’s needs. Tapping the estimated 60 billion cubic meters of methane in the lake’s depths could power the country at current rates for 400 years — a transformative prospect in a country that has few alternatives to the costly import of diesel fuel.

But Lake Kivu’s unique geological conditions are found nowhere else in the world; designing a system to exploit the energy potential of the methane while stabilizing the lake and protecting the environment took seven years and hundreds of million dollars. “Many came and concluded that this thing could not be done,” says Joseph C. Brandt, C.E.O. of Contour Global, the U.S. energy company that had been approached by the government of Rwanda to take on the project. And it wasn’t easy, he says. “We tried, and when we failed, we kept trying.” Eventually, he says, “Possibility became probability and then certainty.”

Energy industry insiders lauded the idea as a noble undertaking, but expressed doubt it would actually work, or be cost effective if it did. Contour Global and the government of Rwanda proved them wrong. When the project, called KivuWatt, flipped the switch on December 31, 2015, it exceeded expectations, producing energy in excess of the planned 25 megawatts from day one. On Monday, Rwandan President Paul Kagame presided over the official inauguration.

“Twenty five megawatts won’t address our energy problems,” the President told a crowd of international energy experts, ambassadors and government officials from neighboring Congo after a visit to the offshore barge that siphons the gas to the surface, “but it is an indication of what is possible in trying to address these challenges.” He then announced that the project would scale up to 100 megawatts, nearly doubling the country’s energy capacity, by 2020.

KivuWatt’s 3000-ton extraction barge, moored 13 km from Lake Kivu’s shoreline, draws the gas-laden waters from a depth of 350 meters. As the waters come closer to the surface, where there is less pressure, the gas bubbles out, much like what happens when a champagne bottle is uncorked. The gas is siphoned off for cleaning while the degassed water is injected back into the lake to maintain the ecosystem. Finally, the purified gas is piped back to the mainland where it fuels generators that supply electricity to the national grid. In a developed country, the current 25 megawatts would provide enough energy for 45,000 people. In largely rural Rwanda, it is already enough to radically transform livelihoods.

Noting that the project was plagued with doubters from the start, Kagame lauded the extensive scientific research and technological innovation that went into turning a potentially hazardous greenhouse gas into a commodity that could power the country’s development. He turned their challenges into an object lesson for a country seeking to overcome a troubled past to become Africa’s technological pioneer. The team behind the $200 million project, he said, “tried so many times, and they failed so many times. In the end we all succeeded. It is in the same spirit we try to live by, all of us, here in our country. We keep trying, we keep trying, and we don’t give up.”

The methane’s potential, both good and disastrous, has been known for decades. A local brewery, Bralirwa, tapped the underwater methane to fuel its factory for more than 40 years before production stopped in 2006. But scaling production to industrial standards was far more difficult. For Contour Global’s Brandt, the challenge, and the lake’s potential, was irresistible.

“If you think about Rwanda’s limited options for electricity, this is a great one. Because we are ameliorating the risk of methane release as well as generating power.” And proving that when it comes to powering Africa, sometimes it’s worth taking risks in order to manage them.

Summary: Gases accumulating beneath the surface of Lake Kivu were a threat, until now


General Motors gm raised its forecast for full-year earnings after reporting a record second-quarter profit that handily beat Wall Street expectations.

Shares in the world’s third-largest automaker rose more than 6 percent to $33.45 in premarket trading.

GM said it expects adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of $5.50 to $6.00 per share for full-year 2016, up from a previous forecast of $5.25 to $5.75 per share.

GM said second-quarter net income rose to $2.87 billion, or $1.81 a share, from $1.1 billion, or 67 cents a share, a year ago. Adjusted earnings were $1.86 per share while Wall Street expected $1.52 per share.

More than 90 percent of its pretax profits came from North America, where profit margins rose to 12.1 percent from 10.5 percent a year before. The improvement was driven by demand for pickup trucks and large sport utility vehicles.

GM also reported its first quarterly profit in Europe in five years, but warned that currency and market disruptions caused by Britain’s decision to quit the European Union could slash $400 million from second-half results in Europe.

Chief financial officer Chuck Stevens told reporters that the cost of the acquisition of Cruise Automation to develop self-driving vehicles was about $581 million, which was split evenly between cash and stock.

Summary: And why they could go higher


Kentucky is the latest state to restore voting rights to ex-felons — part of a nationwide move against felon disenfranchisement laws that affect nearly 6 million Americans.

Gov. Steve Beshear announced Tuesday morning that he’s signed an executive order that will restore the right to vote and to hold public office to ex-felons who have served out their sentences. The order does not cover those convicted of violent or sex crimes, bribery, or treason.

RELATED: Study: North Carolina polling site changes hurt blacks

“The right to vote is one of the most intrinsically American privileges, and thousands of Kentuckians are living, working and paying taxes in the state but are denied this basic right,” Beshear, a Democrat, said at a press conference. “Once an individual has served his or her time and paid all restitution, society expects them to reintegrate into their communities and become law-abiding and productive citizens. A key part of that transition is the right to vote.”

Beshear’s order will immediately restore voting rights to around 140,000 Kentuckians, and another 30,000 will become eligible for rights restoration over time, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. The group called the announcement “an incredible breakthrough in the movement to end criminal disenfranchisement policies nationwide.”

The governor is acting just two weeks before he’ll leave office. Matt Bevin, a Republican, is set to be sworn in Dec. 7. Bevin has said he supports restoring gun and voting rights to felons.

Kentucky’s constitution bars those convicted of a felony from voting, affecting an estimated 180,000 people, who are disproportionately poor and non-white. Felons who want to vote have to apply directly to the governor, who has sole authority to decide the issue.

RELATED: California set to automatically register millions of voters

Kentucky’s junior senator, Rand Paul, had pushed state lawmakers in recent years to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would restore felon voting rights. But those efforts have stalled in the legislature.

Other states, too, have seen efforts to liberalize their rules on felon voting — part of a broader reassessment of harsh criminal justice policies. Since 2014, Virginia Gov. Terry McAulliffe has announced several steps designed to make it easier to regain the right to vote. Maryland lawmakers this year passed a bill to restore voting rights to may ex-felons, but it was vetoed by Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. In Florida, whose law disenfranchises nearly one in four African-Americans, there’s a grassroots push to get a constitutional amendment onto the 2016 ballot.

Voting rights groups cheered Beshear’s move.

“The ACLU-KY applauds Gov. Beshear for taking an important step toward breaking down barriers to ballot boxes in Kentucky,” said Michael Aldridge, Kentucky executive director of the ACLU. “We know the Commonwealth’s disenfranchisement policies, some of the harshest in the country, have negatively impacted families and communities, especially those of color, by reducing their collective political voice. Studies have shown that individuals who vote are more likely to give to charity, volunteer, attend school board meetings, serve on juries and are more actively involved in their communities.”

Summary: Kentucky will restore voting rights to around 170,000 ex-felons, its governor said. It's the latest win in a national push to end felon disenfranchisement.


It should have been a great year to be an airline.

Instead, on both sides of the Atlantic, plunging fares, terrorism fears and currency swings are buffeting big legacy carriers and budget airlines alike.

Shares of Southwest Airlines Co., the largest hauler of domestic U.S. passengers, sank 11% Thursday after the company said it expects...

Summary: Carriers continue to benefit from cheaper fuel but their fortunes have swooned amid plunging fares, terrorism fears and currency swings.


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

Snap-arazzi: Best celeb Snapchats of the week (5/20 - 5/26)

Kim Kardashian wore a revealing lace dress to Scott Disick's birthday party on Thursday...

Seriously, it showed some major cleavage...

...she narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction!

We need to get our hands on some Ramona Pinot, tbh

Serena Williams: Beautiful with or without makeup (as if we didn't know that already!).

Kylie Jenner made Kourtney Kardashian a profile on Bumble without asking her. DEAD.

OMG! Shawn Mendes and Nick Jonas' face-swap is literally everything: terrifying, cute, mind-bending...

Meanwhile, we're still listening to "Cake By The Ocean" on repeat...

Fifth Harmony celebrated the release of their new album, 7/27, with a ride around London on a double decker bus.

Andy Cohen helped co-host "Live with Kelly" and did a face swap with his bestie.

Blac Chyna showed off her growing baby bump in this mirror selfie.

Kourtney Kardashian had quite the night in Vegas this week.

Scott blowing out his candles with help from his daughter, Penelope!

Apparently Lionel RIchie had himself a take your child to work day this week.

Ariana Grande got her own Snapchat filter last week when her album Dangerous Woman came out!

Andy Cohen loves the Cardinals and he got to go on the field this week with his parents.

If you're a Kardashian-Jenner and don't use a waist trainer, what's even the point?

Hailey Baldwin looking fresh-faced on her beach vacation.

Serena Williams made a fake cooking show with a friend in her Paris apartment during a day off from the French Open and it was absolutely hilarious.

Sibling love, courtesy of the Hadids.

1/2 of Little Mix making use of the secret dog filters.

Mood: Anwar Hadid walking around L.A. in a lush bathrobe.

Blac Chyna revealed her 20-pound weight gain (so far) as she continues along with her pregnancy.

DNCE + The Fat Jewish = SQUAD

In case you were living under a rock and weren't already aware, Chrissy Teigen is not one to shy away from the no-f*cks selfie.

Serena Williams gearing up for the French Open by making use of Snapchat filters, duh!

Jessica Alba hung out with Zendaya at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday.

Jessica Alba went to the J.Lo's show in Vegas after the Billboard Music Awards and we couldn't be more jealous.

Nick Jonas hanging out with Fifth Harmony after the Billboard Music Awards.

Eva Longoria on the morning after her Mexican wedding! This is what happiness looks like!

Kate Hudson loves her a good face mask, y'all.

Matthew Broderick made an unexpected cameo on Andy Cohen's Snapchat story this week, and we are not mad about it.

Nobody does the puppy filter like Paris Hilton. Nobody.

Rob Kardashian turned into an X-Men character this week because of course he did.

Reese Witherspoon having the time of her life with her friends while on a trip this week. So cute!

Andy Cohen attended a black tie dinner this week...in a mint green suit. To be fair, he had no idea it was black tie!

If you can't handle the truth, you can't handle Bethenny Frankel.

Loved this shot from Karlie Kloss' story this week.

Chelsea Handler, ever the jokester.

Kylie Jenner showed off the newest shade from her ever-growing Lip Kit empire this week. It has "blue undertones."

Ariana Grande and Christina Aguilera ahead of their show-stopping performance on the finale of "The Voice"!

Wine for lunch is the best way to go.

Alicia Keys' Snapchat story is the most positive celebrity Snapchat story in existence.

Gigi Hadid lives her life between work and airports.

Mood: One of Paris Hilton's taking up her bed (which has Barbie pillows on it).

Not sure what Kate Hudson has under her eyes, and we're not sure Kate Hudson knows either.

Kourtney Kardashian laying on the floor in a thong. Just gonna leave this one here.

Austin Mahone watched his model girlfriend doing a waterside photo shoot in a sexy bikini.

Naomi Campbell on Red Nose Day at the top of the Empire State Building.

On set vibes, courtesy of the "Pretty Little Liars" cast.

We love the Hadid family so much.

Karlie Kloss in a room full of gold balloons because why not?

Jessica Alba loves herself a good spin class.

LOL! Obsessed with this brother-sister shot.

Kylie Jenner's many many car keys. Tough life!

The caption says it all.

OMG! This is too precious.

North West had phone with her mom's Snapchat story before Scott Disick's birthday.

Kate Hudson is obsessed with Snapchat filters. We're obsessed with Kate Hudson.

Goals: Kris Jenner's "workout closet."

On the way to Scott Disick's birthday party, which was in Malibu, not Cuba.

Not a bad look for you, Joe Jonas.

This week in the world of celebrity Snapchats was pretty tame, compared to usual: The Billboard Music Awards brought about some cute backstage snaps and some after party fun. Nick Jonas hung out with Fifth Harmony and face-swapped with Shawn Mendes, and Jessica Alba hit up Jennifer Lopez's Vegas show and hung out with Zendaya between commercial breaks.

The Kardashian-Jenners were up to their usual antics: The reality stars waist-trained, worked out, took selfies and bared a lot of skin. On Thursday, they all attended Scott Disick's birthday party at Nobu Malibu, which brought about some fun Snaps, too.

SEE ALSO: Here are all of the celebrities on Snapchat

Elsewhere, Kate Hudson and Chrissy Teigen did various beauty treatments, John Legend took a handful of naps, Andy Cohen drank Ramona Pinot and helped Kelly Ripa host her show "Live! With Kelly" and Fifth Harmony and Ariana Grande celebrated their respective album releases.

Watch the video below for more on how the Kardashians celebrated Scott Disick's birthday:

Want to add any of these celebrities to your own Snapchat friends lists? Check out the gallery below for all of their usernames:

Snap-arazzi: Best celeb Snapchats of the week (5/20 - 5/26)

Kylie Jenner (@kylizzlemynizzl): Kylie Jenner is the undisputed queen of Snapchat and her snaps give us a first-hand look (even more "personal" than "KUWTK") into her Lip-Kit-filled world. She's a must-add.

DJ Khaled (@djkhaled305): DJ Khaled became universally beloved at the end of 2015 for his motivational Snapchat account in which he talks to his lion statue, lays in his hammock, waters his plants, urges his followers to "bless up," provides shameless plugs for his apparel line, and insists that "they" don't want you to have literally anything.

Justin Bieber (@rickthesizzler): The Biebs' Snapchat game is on point -- albeit sometimes kind of emo -- though sometimes his inspirational messages leave us scratching our heads and asking, "What do you mean?"

Bethenny Frankel (@bethennyfrankel): The "Real Housewife of New York" is a huge fan of Snapchat, and she is one of our new favorite celebrity Snapchatters. Her assistants, her doorman, her driver and her dog all take centerstage and provide some truly hilarious moments.

Rihanna (@rihanna): RiRi is a little bit inconsistent with her Snapchat usage, but when she's active, there's nothing funnier. Usually it's her friend/assistant manning the phone, but we get a hilarious look into Rihanna getting ready, getting krunk and messing around with her friends.

Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian): Kim Kardashian just joined Snapchat in March of 2016, and, if her first few snaps are any indication, she's going to make great use of the drawing feature.

(Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)

Ashley Benson (@benzo33): We're pretty sure that Ashley Benson, who plays Hannah on "Pretty Little Liars," is recording her life on Snapchat 24/7 ... not that we're complaining, though -- we love watching her mess around with the "PLL" crew.

Gigi Hadid (@itsgigihadid): Gigi Hadid's life is just as glamorous as she is, as proven by her effortlessly chic Snapchat account. The model is a huge fan of mirror selfies and documenting her world travels.

(Photo by Rabbani and Solimene Photography/WireImage)

Joe Jonas (@joseadam): The middle JoBro and frontman of DNCE is known to be quite the jokester, and that reputation continues on his hilariously weird Snapchat. It doesn't hurt that his bandmates are also just as funny.

(Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Kendall Jenner (@kendalljenner): Kendall isn't as active on Snapchat as her little sister, Kylie, is, but she holds her own with fierce selfies, behind-the-scenes shots on set and shenanigans with her famous family.

Reese Witherspoon (@snapsbyreese): The Oscar-winner only Snapchats a couple times a week, but it's quality over quantity, right?! In Reese's case, that's so right. A must-add!

(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for EIF)

Ariana Grande (@moonlightbae): Ariana is another one of those stars on Snapchat who seems to post pretty much everything she does. She makes sure to document her recording process, car rides, hangouts with her brother Frankie and everything else in between.

(Photo by C Flanigan/Getty Images)

Rob Kardashian (@robphuckedme): The infamously reclusive Kardashian reappeared in early 2016 on Snapchat and, though he doesn't post that often, it gives you a fascinating look into his life as he works on getting back into shape and hangs out with new girlfriend Blac Chyna.

Lady Gaga (@ladygaga): Lady Gaga joined Snapchat in the lead-up to her amazing Super Bowl "National Anthem" and has been active ever since. We especially love seeing how she puts together her most outrageous looks.

Khloe Kardashian (@khloekardashian): Khloe Kardashian was the last of the Kardashian-Jenner clan to give into the pressure of getting a Snapchat, and boy are we glad she hopped on board! She frequently makes use of Snapchat lenses and posts funny videos of Lamar, Kylie and Kourtney.

(Photo by J. Countess/Getty Images)

Shay Mitchell (@officialshaym): Just like her "Pretty Little Liars" costar, Ashley Benson, Shay is notorious for documenting the hilarious behind the scenes moments on the hit ABC Family show. Got a secret, can she keep it? No, she'll probably post about it on Snapchat.

(Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)

Kate Hudson (@khudsnaps): The actress' amazing Snapchat account follows her fabulous life and celebrity BFFs (and mom Goldie Hawn) from event to event, and we love every second of it.

Meghan Trainor (@mtrainor22): The "All About That Bass" hitmaker is all about fooling around and making fun of her friends on Snapchat, and it makes us love her even more. Consider us as having jumped aboard the M-Train.

(Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)

Chris Pratt (@chrisprattsnap): "Jurassic World" star Chris Pratt is just as hilarious on Snapchat as he is on screen, documenting his hard work in the gym and on set.

Diplo (@diplo3000): Another one of those stars that is literally always active on the social media platform, Diplo is a fan of posting pretty much anything. The DJ is especially fond of taking selfies ... but, let's be real, who isn't?!

Ryan Seacrest (@ryanseacrest): The TV personality and media mogul isn't that consistently active on Snapchat, but when he's at a big event -- like an iHeartRadio concert or hosting gig -- he documents the backstage happenings as well as anyone.

Blac Chyna (@blacchynla): Rob Kardashian's new girlfriend and Kylie Jenner's life ruiner Blac Chyna is the queen of trolling the Kardashians on Snapchat, posting tease-worthy photos of Rob Kardashian, Amber Rose, etc.

(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Fifth Harmony (@fifthharmony): We love the 5H girls, but we really wish they would post on their band's Snapchat account more often. Some of the girls have individual accounts that they're active on, though, which prove that they're still "Worth It."

(Photo by C Flanigan/Getty Images)

Serena Williams (@serenaunmatched): The tennis legend joined Snapchat at the end of last year and posts hilarious selfie confessionals while lying in bed with her pups. And, yes, her sister Venus does make an occasional cameo.

(Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardashian): The reality TV star and mother of three just joined Snapchat midway through March, and she's already a pro: We love the behind the scenes look at her life with her kids, hanging out with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick and messing around with her famous sisters.

Jason Derulo (@derulo_jason): The "What To Want Me" singer is low-key hilarious on Snapchat, holding very little back and documenting his intense workouts, backstage shenanigans and over-the-top bling.

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Hailey Baldwin (@haileybisboring): The up and coming model, who's been linked to Justin BIeber, is anything but "boring" on Snapchat. She's totally worth the add.

Calvin Harris (@calvinharris): The celebrity DJ and boo thang of Taylor Swift pushes the envelope on Snapchat with his ruthless pranking of friends and shameless shirtless selfies.

(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Paris Hilton (@realparishilton): The socialite turned reality star turned celebrity DJ is always on the move -- it's hard to keep up with her globetrotting ways (seriously, she's literally always in Dubai), but it's worth trying. We particularly like it when she has someone else film her while she proclaims she's "killing it."

Eva Longoria (@realevalongoria): The "Telenovela" star is refreshingly candid on Snapchat, which makes us love her even more ... but also makes us wonder what it would've been like for her "Desperate Housewives" character, Gabrielle Solis, to have had an account.

Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler): The unfiltered comedian continues her #FreeTheNipple-heavy social media presence on Snapchat, providing hilarious commentary on her everyday life. Our favorite part of her Snapchat? When she talks to her adorable dogs!

(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival)

Bella Hadid (@babybels777): Gigi's younger sister and fellow model Bella keeps her super stylish ways alive on her Snapchat account, documenting her many photoshoots and trips around the globe.

Christina Aguilera (@xtina): Christina Aguilera is hilarious on Snapchat, putting her diva-licious looks, backstage "Voice" antics and more on her account.

(Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Gwen Stefani (@itsgwenstefani): The singer and "Voice" coach loves to share photos and videos of her adorable children with her ex-husband Gavin Rossdale.

Selena Gomez (@selenagomez): The "Good For You" singer is super adorable in her selfie videos on Snapchat, usually taken behind the scenes of a photoshoot or one of her lively concerts. Unfortunately, there haven't been many Bieber sightings though.

Nick Jonas (@jicknonas): The youngest of the Jonas Brothers clearly has fun with his Snapchat account. If you decide to add him, you'll definitely become "Jealous" of his lifestyle.

Bella Thorne (@bellathornedab): The rising star doesn't hold anything back on her Snapchat account, hilariously documenting her post-gym fast-food runs and selfies with boyfriend Gregg Sulkin.

(Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images)

Austin Mahone (@yungmahone): The popular teen idol is always on the move, and is a big fan of revealing new information about his upcoming releases (#TracklistTuesday) or singing snippets of new songs for his followers.

Shawn Mendes (@shawnmendes1): The youthful singer, who was discovered online, is all smiles on his active Snapchat account and tends to document his every move during his busy schedule.

Alicia Keys (@akstreetgoddess): Alicia Keys only dabbles in using her Snapchat, but when she does it's always super positive and up-lifting.

(Photo by: Theo Wargo/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Chris Brown (@bpchrisbrown): The hip-hop bad boy joined Snapchat early in 2015, and though his Snapchat account isn't that active, he's worth the follow just in case he posts something outrageous.

(Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Drai's Beachclub-Nightclub)

Keke Palmer (@keekthesneak): The "Scream Queens" star is a Snapchat fanatic, heavily documenting her daily workouts and yoga sessions, hilarious car rides and ample red carpet events. Keke Snapchats a lot, but she's hilarious so we love it.

Brody Jenner (@nextjenneration): There's another member of the Kardashian/Jenner clan on Snapchat, and it's former star of "The Hills," Brody. When he announced he joined the social media platform he said it was "time to get weird on Snapchat," but he doesn't post that often on his account, so ...

Ansel Elgort (@anselelgort): The "Fault In Our Stars" actor, DJ and perpetual goofball isn't afraid to get silly on Snapchat while traveling the world and hanging out in Brooklyn with his girlfriend.

Tyga (@lamboluxury): Rapper and boyfriend of Kylie Jenner may not be able to keep up with his girlfriend's Snapchat game, but he still holds his own. The couple isn't afraid to show affection on Snapchat, either, even if it makes headlines.

(Photo via Barry King via Getty Images)

Jennifer Lopez (@jlobts): Jenny from the Block shares fun behind the scenes looks at her life as a mother, "American Idol" judge and all-around amazing human.

Chrissy Teigen (@chrissyteigen): The model and Twitter favorite is pretty inactive on Snapchat, though she'll occasionally post a selfie video of someone doing her makeup or an inside look at one of her epic cooking sessions.

Little Mix (@littlemix_offic): The girls of British band Little Mix are totally playful on Snapchat and it's hilarious. It's fun to watch the quartet enjoy each other's company and not take life too seriously.

Nicole Richie (@itsnikkifresh): One of the funniest celebrities there is, Nicole Richie gives her followers a behind the scenes look at the filming and promotion of her show "Candidly Nicole."

Niall Horan (@niallhoran): One Direction cutie Niall Horan joined Snapchat in March and doesn't post that much, but he's worth the add just for his occasional smiley selfie. Something we've learned from his account? He takes the London Tube!

(Photo by Mark Davis/DCNYRE2016/Getty Images for dcp)

David Guetta (@davidguettaoff): The superstar DJ shares a low-key look into his charmed life with videos of screaming fans, crashing yachts and bass-thumping light shows.

(Photo by Cedric Ribeiro/Getty Images)

Derek Blasberg (@derekblasberg): BFF to all of the world's top models is constantly globetrotting (as seen through his Instagram), and his hilarious Snapchat provides commentary on his daily happenings.

Nick Grimshaw (@grimmers): The British TV host and radio personality's Snapchat account is full of jokes, famous faces, swanky locales and British accents -- need we say more?

Jessica Alba (@jessicamalba): The age-defying beauty provides an unfiltered look into her life on Snapchat, pairing her funny moments with equally as creative captions.

5 Seconds of Summer (@wearefivesos): The boys of 5 Seconds of Summer document their hilarious antics on their joint Snapchat account, though they have individual accounts, too.

The Weeknd (@xo.official): Usually manned by one of his crew members, The Weeknd's Snapchat account provides a behind the scenes look at his energetic shows and interviews.

(Photo by Johnny Louis/Getty Images)

Rita Ora (@officialritaora): British singer Rita Ora documents her enviable world travels on her Snapchat, as she's frequently jet-setting from England to New York to L.A. She also knows how to take a mean selfie!

Blake Lively (@livelybk): Though she doesn't post that often, the former "Gossip Girl" star will make you feel like you're living a life of luxury when she does post to her Snapchat. We like to think that her "Preserve" aesthetic lives on through her account.

(Photo by Theo Wargo/NBC/Getty Images for 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon')

Michael G. Clifford (@michaelgcliffor): The 5SOS member posts similar things as his band's account which means more silly, more antics and more jokes. Count us in.

Rixton (@rixtonofficial): The British band behind the hit "Me and My Broken Heart" doesn't use their official Snapchat account that often, but we follow them just in case they happen to out of the blue.

Normani Hamilton (@maniloves31): The Fifth Harmony standout loves to post on Snapchat and gives a fun look at her daily life as a member of the world's best girl band.

(Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Cameron Dallas (@camerondallas): Vine star Cameron Dallas is hilarious on Snapchat and loves to have fun with his pack of guy friends by doing things like having rowdy pillow fights in hotel rooms.

One Direction (@onedirection): The boys of 1D are about to go on a "hiatus," which probably explains why their Snapchat account is pretty much inactive, but we still like seeing them on our friend list to trigger our favorite memories as Directioners.

(Photo by Mark Davis/DCNYRE2016/Getty Images for dcp)

The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (@fallontonight): Ever wondered what goes on behind-the-scenes of your favorite late night talk show? Now you have your chance to see for yourself.

(Photo by: Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Sofia Richie (@srichieee): Nicole Richie's effortlessly cool younger sister is a sporadic Snapchat user, but if you follow her you can depend on a couple of cute snaps a week of her boyfriend, a hair color change or some cool bonfire she's at.

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Material Girl)

Ed Sheeran (@teddysdaytoday): Though the singer is taking a break from his phone (and, thus, all forms of social media), his Snapchat was a dependable source of ridiculousness in the best way possible. Here's to hoping he makes a triumphant return to the Internet very soon!

(Photo by Glenn Hunt/Getty Images)

Alana Hadid (@thelanzybear): Gigi and Bella Hadid's older half-sister Alana is a designer, founder and all-around amazing person. Follow her for some hilarious selfies and secret moments with her popular sisters.

(Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Lou & Grey)

Tyler Blackburn (@thetblackburn): Tyler, who plays Caleb on "Pretty Little Liars," is way too cool on Snapchat and documents his adventures with on-screen girlfriend and off-screen BFF Ashley Benson, among many other entertaining things.

(Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Hollister)

Avicii (@timbling): The world-famous DJ posts videos and selfies from his gigs around the world, and we love living vicariously through him.

The Vamps (@thevampsband): The British boy band post everything from behind the scenes moments at rehearsals to secret videos of their fans waiting outside their hotels and pack every video with humor and tons and tons of Snapchat lenses.

Jared Leto (@jaredleto): The unfiltered actor's snapchat is a goldmine of world traveling, scenic hikes, funny doodles and unexplained randomness -- and we love every second of it.

(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Leisure Opportunities)

Chantel Jeffries (@chanteltaleen): Model Chantel Jeffries is very active on Snapchat and provides hilariously insightful commentary on her busy day-to-day life.

Gregg Sulkin (@gsulkin): Star of MTV's "Faking It" and Bella Thorne's boyfriend, Gregg Sulkin is a great Snapchatter and we love getting a peak into his day-to-day life as an up-and-coming actor.

Naomi Campbell (@iamnaomi): Famed supermodel Naomi Campbell is still figuring out the best way to use her Snapchat, but we frequently get selfie videos while in the car and at fancy dinner parties.

Ramona Singer (@ramonamsinger): The "Real Housewife of New York" is hilarious on Snapchat, documenting her everyday exploits on the Upper East Side.

(Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)

More from AOL.com: Snap-arazzi: Best celeb Snapchats of the week (5/13 - 5/19) Snap-arazzi: Best celeb Snapchats of the week (4/30 - 5/5) Snap-arazzi: Best celeb Snapchats from inside the 2016 Met Gala

Summary: From behind-the-scenes at the Billboard Music Awards to Scott Disick's birthday, we have all of the best celebrity Snapchats of the week.


Mark Cuban continues to needle Donald Trump via Twitter, this time taking direct aim at the Republican presidential candidate’s prowess as a deal-maker. And he used Trump’s favorite medium, Twitter.

The Shark Tank judge had said earlier this year that he’d be open to a conversation with either Trump or Clinton about serving as their vice president, but has since turned almost completely against his fellow billionaire.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday evening, Cuban used Clinton’s tax returns to laud her (and her husband Bill) as expert business people, and gave his theory for why Trump still refuses to release his tax returns:

1) Lots of people concerned how much money the Clinton's have made. More interesting to me they have paid 43mm IN TAXES since 2007

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 26, 2016

2) I'd bet the 43mm in TAXES the Clinton's paid is not only more taxes than @realDonaldTrump has paid. I'd bet they made more too

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 26, 2016

3) it's not a tough argument looking at their taxes and fec filings that the Clinton's are much smarter business people and negotiators

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 26, 2016

4) I get offers almost daily (at same $ as clintons) to give speeches Organizations want knowledge and insight. It's a great business

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) July 26, 2016

Summary: This one has got to hurt.


Angela Eagle, the shadow business secretary, has said women want to hear the facts about what is at stake in June’s EU referendum, not a “noisy playground spat” between “Tory blokes”.

Appearing alongside three other senior Labour women, including the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Seema Malhotra, she warned that women’s rights at work and hundreds of thousands of jobs would be at risk if Britain left the EU – yet men’s voices had overwhelmingly dominated the debate.

“Women’s voices have been drowned out by the unmistakably masculine and noisy playground spat that is taking place between Tory blokes who are fighting a proxy leadership election,” said Eagle, who will confront George Osborne at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday. “Sometimes they appear to be more worried about their own futures than everybody else’s.”

With both Osborne and Boris Johnson thought to be using the campaign to burnish their credentials as the next Tory leader when David Cameron steps down, Eagle said the campaign so far had been between “Boris and his blunderbuss and the chancellor and his diminishing hopes”.

Asked whether Theresa May, the home secretary and the most senior woman in the government who supports the remain camp, should play a more prominent role, instead of leaving Cameron and Osborne to make daily speeches on the issue, Eagle said: “I’d like to see Theresa May get out there and do some campaigning.”

She said that the government had focused on increasingly alarming warnings about the consequences of Brexit, but women she met at school gates and on doorsteps wanted to hear a more measured argument about what was at stake on 23 June.

Related: Project Fear: no longer the sole preserve of Tory patriarchy?

Eagle argued that the EU had been crucial in strengthening rights to equal pay and maternity leave; protecting pregnant women against discrimination; and introducing other protections, such as agency worker regulations, which had disproportionately helped women.

“Over the course of the campaign, the leave campaign have let the cat out of the bag,” she said, pointing to claims by Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith that ditching EU regulations could save employers millions of pounds a year.

“Today I’m issuing a challenge to the leave campaign: I want them to come clean with British workers and women in particular. They need to tell us which rights for working women they want to scrap. They can’t have it both ways: they need to level with the public and tell us who will lose out.”

Former Labour interim leader Harriet Harman chaired Tuesday’s event. She said: “The EU has been a strong friend to women at work and a key element in the progress women have been able to make in their lives over the last few decades.”

She underlined the argument that women’s voices had not been heard loudly enough. “We think it’s very important to hear what women think about this and not have men pushing women out of the debate,” she said, accusing male politicians of “sucking up all the oxygen”.

Related: Tory men dominate EU referendum coverage, study finds

Harman has written to Ofcom to demand the media regulator scrutinise the issue of whether broadcasters should ensure a better gender balance in EU referendum discussions.

Kate Green, Labour’s equalities spokeswoman, also appearing at the event in Westminster, said the EU had been important in securing the principal of gender equality.

Summary: Proxy leadership election is dominating a campaign almost bereft of female voices, says shadow business secretary