As police scoured New England this week for the gunman who killed two people at Brown University, a parallel manhunt erupted online, falsely targeting a Palestinian student.
Authorities say the real suspect, a Portuguese national also linked to the slaying of an MIT professor, was found dead Thursday in New Hampshire.
Why it matters: Social media influencers who play detective after tragedies are getting it disastrously wrong — falsely accusing innocent people of crimes with little evidence, massive reach and virtually no accountability.
The prediction markets battle is unfolding on multiple fronts as sportsbooks, trading platforms and regulators test the boundaries of U.S. betting law.
Why it matters: DraftKings, one of the nation's largest sportsbooks, launched its long-anticipated prediction market Friday, embracing a fast-growing alternative to traditional online gambling.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) drove the most search engine attention this year compared to her fellow House members, according to data from Google Trends.
Why it matters: AOC has long known how to capture America's attention. This year's interest comes as her team has been preparing for a future Senate or presidential run, as Axios has reported.
Travelers who booked American Airlines basic economy tickets on or after Dec. 17 at 12am CT will no longer earn AAdvantage miles or Loyalty Points, according to the airline's website.
Why it matters: Airlines are increasingly stripping perks from their cheapest fares, and American's move means some travelers will no longer earn loyalty rewards on flights they already view as bare-bones.
Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sparked more Google searches than any other senator this year, according to data from Google Trends.
Why it matters: The progressive powerhouse has spent the year loudly protesting President Trump, and stepping into the vacuum of Democratic leadership created by the disastrous 2024 election for the party.
DraftKings — which runs one of the two largest sportsbooks in the U.S. — has launched its long-anticipated prediction market, embracing a surging alternative format to traditional online gambling.
Why it matters: The rise of prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi has upended the betting landscape, allowing users to risk money on sports outcomes even in states that haven't legalized wagering.
Friday is a "triple-witching day" when over $7 trillion of stock options, index options and index futures are set to expire at the same time as portfolios and indexes are rebalanced.
Why it matters: That probably sounds awfully technical, but this quarterly convergence can trigger huge volume while investors roll positions, hedge exposures, or let contracts expire. Things can get crazy!
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are restructuring their charitable organization, the Archewell Foundation, and renaming it Archewell Philanthropies.
Why it matters: The organizational shift is the latest example of the couple's tendency to pivot, following a pattern of initiatives that have been launched and then reworked or abandoned.
An unexpected cooling in the delayed inflation data out on Thursday has investors hopeful that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates deeper than previously expected next year.
Why it matters: More interest rate cuts would be bullish for stocks and could broaden the gains beyond Big Tech, as long as the economy keeps growing.
If you're splurging on a new car for a loved one this holiday season, you might want to wrap it with a giant red bow like the ones you see in TV commercials.
Why it matters: Sure, a new car is a generous gift, but it's the recipient's emotional reaction that often turns a lavish purchase into an unforgettable moment.
TikTok has signed a deal to divest its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors, per an internal memo seen by Axios.
Why it matters: A deal would end a yearslong saga to force TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the company's U.S. operation to domestic owners to alleviate national security concerns.
