April 19 will mark the official beginning of Taylor Swift's new era with the release of her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The LP is to be released at 12 a.m. ET and listening parties from New York City, Washington, D.C., and beyond are ready to hear what the singer-songwriter du jour has up her cardigan sleeve. Swift is no stranger to attention: her music, her tour and her boyfriend are the main topics of interest for the legions of adoring, friendship bracelet-wearing fans. She even has a new song on the LP, "Clara Bow," that just could be about her status as an "it girl." One a ..read more

Key takeaways Debt consolidation puts multiple debts into a single account to make your payments easier. Debt consolidation can lower your credit score temporarily, but your score will improve if you make payments on time. Other tools like debt management plans and bankruptcy can help you manage debt. You’re not alone if you’re carrying large amounts of debt across multiple credit cards and loans. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, total household debt reached $17.5 trillion in Q4 2023. Credit card balances stood at $1.13 trillion. TransUnion reported that the average ..read more

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported late on Thursday, citing a U.S. official, days after Iran launched a drone strike on Israel in response to an attack at the Iranian embassy in Syria. Iran's Fars news agency said an explosion were heard at an airport in the Iranian city of Isafahan but the cause was not immediately known. Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Several flights were diverted over Iranian airspace, CNN reported. Over the weekend, Iran launche ..read more

[BBC] An adult film star. Alleged secret payments. A turncoat lawyer. And a candidate for president of the United States. Donald Trump's very first criminal trial - and the first of a former US president - involves charges of white-collar crime, but it features some of the most eye-catching details in any of the four criminal cases against him. The case revolves around a $130,000 (£104,000) hush-money payment from Mr Trump's lawyer to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006.  But that payment was not actually illegal. Instead, the blockbuster cas ..read more

Over 100 people were arrested and issued summonses for trespass — including Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughter — after protesters set up an encampment at New York’s Columbia University in support of Gaza, police said. The demonstrators occupied the space on the university's South Lawn for 30 hours, Mayor Eric Adams said after the arrests Thursday. Columbia asked the NYPD for help and said the students had been suspended and were refusing to leave, police said. “Columbia University’s students have a proud history of protests and raising their voices,” Adams said, but he said that they don’t have the ri ..read more

How are Tesla's (TSLA) corporate directors responding to this month's massive delivery miss, a rash of layoffs, reports of an end to a lower-priced family sedan, and a sinking stock price? They are urging shareholders to make sure CEO Elon Musk gets a hefty pay package.  In a proxy statement filed Wednesday, Tesla's board of directors made it clear that Musk is here to stay, even as calls grow louder from some investors and analysts for a leadership change. But Tesla's rough week extends beyond questions of Musk's stewardship and the board's accountability. Tesla's stock is priced for a ..read more

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how two jetliners were put on an apparent collision course as they were leaving Reagan National Airport Thursday morning, prompting air traffic controllers to frantically radio each plane to stop. Air traffic control audio recordings detail controllers shouting for a JetBlue flight to stop its takeoff run as a Southwest Airlines flight began taxiing across the runway in front of it. The two planes stopped about 400 feet apart, according to data compiled by FlightRadar24, which also shows at least the “forward fuselage” of the Southwest fligh ..read more

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania school district has canceled an upcoming appearance by actor and children's book author Maulik Pancholy after district leaders cited concerns about what they described as his activism and “lifestyle.”  Pancholy, who is gay, was scheduled to speak against bullying during a May 22 assembly at Mountain View Middle School in Cumberland County. However, the district's school board voted unanimously Monday night to cancel his talk after some members voiced their concerns and others noted the district's policy about not hosting overtly political events, n ..read more

Scientists say they have found new evidence that there is a hidden planet in our solar system. For years, some astronomers have been suggesting that unusual behaviour on the edge of our solar system is best explained by another, undiscovered planet. That helps explain the orbits of objects that lie at the very far reaches of our solar system, more than 250 times away from the Sun than we are. Now Konstantin Bogytin, an astronomer who helped popularise the theory, says that he and his team have found yet more evidence that suggests that planet exists. The new work represents “the strongest stat ..read more

Turkey vultures in the United States. A wildlife rehabilitation group were worried they were dealing with two dying vultures when they came upon the birds "unable to balance" and "passing out," they said in a post to social media. But, it turns out they were just drunk after "dumpster diving," the group said.  A Place Called Hope posted a message calling the vultures "the dynamic duo" after they found the birds just before last Monday's eclipse on April 8 "literally drunk," the group said.  The birds were said to be unable to stand up and workers initially thought they were "actively ..read more