New York    Alphabet, the parent company of Google, bounced back from an absolutely dreadful day for tech shares, as its stock surged Thursday after the closing bell. All it had to do was to hand out billions of dollars to investors. The tech giant announced its first quarterly cash dividend, saying it will pay $0.20 per share on June 17 to shareholders of record as of June 10, as well as a $70 billion share buyback. Buybacks and dividends help to boost stock prices by rewarding investors with cash just for holding the stock but they’re widely criticized for…

Last updated: April 25, 2024 23:21 EDT | 1 min read The infamous “Buy Bitcoin” sign held up by Christian Langalis during Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s Congressional testimony in 2017 has been sold for a staggering $1 million. Langalis, also known as the “Bitcoin Sign Guy” auctioned off the Bitcoin sign sketched on a yellow legal pad between April 18-24, 7 pm ET. The final bid closed at 16 Bitcoin approximate value of $1,027,150.27, according to Scarce City, an online marketplace for Bitcoin goods and Bitcoin non-fungible tokens. The sign was sold to an unknown buyer.  And that’s a wrap…

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Thursday cautioned that markets are too optimistic about the odds of a soft landing as the U.S. economy continues to battle still-high inflation and interest rates. “The odds of a soft landing, the market kind of prices in 70%. I think it’s half of that,” Dimon said during an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “It looks a little bit more like the ’70s to me, and I point out to a lot of people, things looked pretty rosy in 1972 – they were not rosy in 1973.”At that time, unemployment and inflation were…

Last updated: April 25, 2024 23:41 EDT | 2 min read The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning to Americans regarding the use of crypto money-transmitting services that are not registered as Money Services Businesses (MSBs) in accordance with United States federal law. These laws, outlined in 31 USC § 5330 and 31 CFR §§ 1010 and 1022, mandate adherence to anti-money laundering requirements.FBI Urges Caution When Using Cryptocurrency Services Before using an unlicensed cryptocurrency service, the #FBI advises users to check whether the service is registered as a money-transmitting business with the U.S. Treasury Department. Learn…

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Texas authorities have released more details in the line-of-duty death of a Harris County deputy who was hit by a truck while working a crash earlier this week.Deputy Investigator John Coddou, 50, died on Tuesday after he was hit by a man driving a Chevrolet Silverado 2500 while investigating a minor crash in the northbound lanes of Highway 99 at around 9:36 a.m., a traffic report from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said.Coddou positioned his patrol vehicle on the left shoulder of the highway with the right side of his car partially blocking the first northbound lane before getting out…

While the NFL draft kicks off tonight in Detroit, Michigan, some draft picks have to consider how much they’ll have to pay in taxes – depending on the state they are drafted to.  Former Baltimore Ravens head coach Brian Billick previewed this year’s highly anticipated draft night, which is expected to generate an estimated $200 million for the city of Detroit. “The draft itself is incredible. You think there’s going to be probably close to 60 million people watching tonight. And this is a show about making a list. Probably on tonight’s draft itself is going to be about 15 million.…

APPLE VALLEY, Calif. () — An Inland Empire woman is struggling to recover after she was shot twice in an apparently random attack at an Apple Valley gas station.Brenae Smith, 21, stopped at a Shell gas station on the evening of April 16 on her way to buy groceries.Suddenly, shots rang out.The first one missed her, passing right by her feet. The second hit her in the face. The third struck her back.Witnesses told police they saw the gunman flee the scene. Sheriff’s deputies later arrested 42-year-old Michael Bullock. They believe the shooting was random, as victim and suspect don’t…

Among the thousands of people lining up at the station for a ticket Thursday was Donna Porter-Mutchler, a tourist from Tennessee, who told NBC News she thought the charge was “a wonderful idea.”  “Venice deserves to be taken care of,” she said. “I think it’s more than worth it. I come here often, and I’ll pay every time.” While there will be no limits on the number of people who can register, officials hope the fee will put people off on days it applies. “We are not looking to collect money, tax people or introduce a police state,” Simone Venturini, Venice’s tourism councilor,…

Last updated: April 26, 2024 01:18 EDT | 1 min read Cboe plans to close its spot crypto trading platform by Q3, with cash-settled crypto futures moving to the Cboe Futures Exchange by 2025.Cboe also plans to streamline its digital asset operations, it said on Thursday. Its digital asset derivatives will be integrated into its broader Global Derivatives and Clearing business. Cboe stated these adjustments are part of a strategic evaluation, considering regulatory uncertainty in the digital asset market.Additionally, John Palmer, currently president at Cboe Digital, will head the company’s US derivatives market. He will report to Cathy Clay, executive…

Laurel Krause, the sister of an anti-war protester who was killed by law enforcement during the infamous 1970 Kent State University massacre, this week warned against the militarized police response to peaceful college campus demonstrations over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.Inspired by Columbia University, whose students set up a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” on campus while protesting the more than 200 days of war, a growing number of college students across the country are holding similar demonstrations at their schools. Participating students and organizers have said that the demonstrations are meant to center Israel’s ongoing violence against Palestinians, to call for…

Savannah Chrisley, Lindsie Chrisley. Getty Images (2) Savannah Chrisley gave some insight on why sister Lindsie Chrisley was not in attendance at their parents’ recent hearing. “I most certainly told her privately to not attend. I told her that she was not wanted, that my dad did not want her there, and that he didn’t care to have a relationship with her,” Savannah, 26, said via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, April 24. “So, I said all of these things. I am more than happy that I said them and it’s my parents’ appeal. They have the right to say…

Lawyers for an American believed to be held by the Taliban for nearly two years are asking a United Nations human rights investigator to intervene, citing what they say is cruel and inhumane treatment.Ryan Corbett was abducted Aug. 10, 2022, after returning to Afghanistan, where he and his family had been living at the time of the collapse of the U.S.-backed government there a year earlier. He arrived on a valid 12-month visa to pay and train staff as part of a business venture he led aimed at promoting Afghanistan’s private sector through consulting services and lending.AMERICAN NEARING 600 DAYS…

Duke Energy, one of the nation’s largest energy providers, is warning that the Biden administration’s newly finalized power plant regulations will threaten the reliability and affordability of power supplies.The North Carolina-based company — which serves more than eight million residential and commercial customers across several states, mainly in the Southeast — warned that the regulations could further present challenges given the growing electricity demand nationwide. On Thursday morning, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House unveiled the rules targeting fossil fuel-fired power plants.”Duke Energy’s 8.4 million customers expect and deserve affordable, reliable and increasingly clean energy,” Duke Energy…

A Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles had a “rough landing” earlier this week at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the airline confirmed.  The Boeing 747-8 was caught on camera Tuesday by LA-based Airline Videos Live, bouncing off the runway and attempting to land again before taking off, circling around the airport and then finally landing safely after its second attempt. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” the video’s commentator said. “That is the roughest landing I think we have ever caught on our broadcast. Holy moly.” Flight LH 456 had 326 passengers and 19 crew members on board during what was referred…