U.S. airlines cancelled nearly 900 flights today, the fewest in six days, after improved staffing among air traffic controllers reduced delay rates to 1 % on Tuesday from an average of 5 %.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently enforcing a flight-capacity cap of 6 % at the nation’s 40 busiest airports, down from a planned 8 % cut scheduled for Thursday. Some carriers expect the cap may rise to 10 % by Friday if the staffing situation worsens.
The staffing issues are the result of a sustained federal government shutdown, which has left many air traffic controllers working without pay and contributed to a shortage of approximately 3,500 controllers.
Mega Millions Jackpot Nears $1 Billion as Lottery Fever Sweeps the Country
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No one hit Tuesday night’s Mega Millions jackpot, sending the prize soaring to an estimated $965 million for Friday’s drawing. This is the eighth-largest bounty in the game’s history. The cash option stands at about $445 million, before taxes. The winning numbers were 10, 13, 40, 42, 46 and Mega Ball 1. While millions of players are hoping to strike it rich, the odds of taking home the top prize remain a sobering 1 in 290 million. The surge in ticket sales is filling state coffers and fueling national lottery fever as another billion-dollar drawing looms.
Skims Scores $225 Million as Valuation Jumps to $5 Billion
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Kim Kardashian’s shapewear and apparel brand Skims has raised $225 million in a new funding round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, boosting its valuation to $5 billion. The company, co-founded by Kardashian and entrepreneur Jens Grede, plans to use the investment to expand beyond its signature shapewear into beauty, activewear, and physical retail stores worldwide. Skims is on track to surpass $1 billion in net sales this year, outpacing legacy rivals like Victoria’s Secret and Under Armour. The deal cements Kardashian’s transformation from reality star to serious business mogul, and it positions Skims as a global lifestyle powerhouse.
The Penny Is About to Drop Out of Circulation
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The U.S. Mint has officially struck its final penny, ending more than two centuries of production for America’s smallest coin. The decision comes after years of debate over cost. It now takes nearly four cents to make a single one. While pennies will stay in circulation for the foreseeable future, no new ones will be minted, saving taxpayers an estimated $50 million a year. The change marks the quiet death of fishing for spare change at the register. Some stores are already rounding prices to the nearest nickel, signaling the start of a post-penny era.
Atlanta Fed Head Raphael Bostic Announces He Will Retire
Photographer: Desiree Rios/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Raphael Bostic is calling it quits. The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta announced he will retire at the end of his term on February 28, 2026. His departure creates an open seat on the key monetary policy body Federal Open Market Committee one position the organization will fill through its internal process. Bostic has served since 2017 and is noted for his dual focus on price stability and employment within the dual mandate. He emphasized that inflation remains his primary concern amid a slowing labor market.
Legendary Brooch Once Lost by Napoleon Sells for $4.4 Million at Sotheby’s
Photo by PIERRE ALBOUY / AFP) (Photo by PIERRE ALBOUY/AFP via Getty Images
A diamond brooch that Napoleon left behind during his retreat after the Battle of Waterloo sold for more than 3.5 million Swiss francs (about $4.4 million) at Sotheby’s Geneva auction Wednesday. The piece features an oval diamond over 13 carats, surrounded by smaller cut diamonds, and was once part of Napoleon’s personal possessions left behind in a carriage stuck in muddy roads during his flight. The brooch later entered the collection of the Prussian royal House of Hohenzollern for over two centuries.
U.S. airlines cancelled nearly 900 flights today, the fewest in six days, after improved staffing among air traffic controllers reduced delay rates to 1 % on Tuesday from an average of 5 %.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently enforcing a flight-capacity cap of 6 % at the nation’s 40 busiest airports, down from a planned 8 % cut scheduled for Thursday. Some carriers expect the cap may rise to 10 % by Friday if the staffing situation worsens.
The staffing issues are the result of a sustained federal government shutdown, which has left many air traffic controllers working without pay and contributed to a shortage of approximately 3,500 controllers.
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