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By Michael Ballaban, CNN (CNN) — Big Bad Brody King stood in one corner, long gray-streaked beard jutting out, all hulking muscle and tattoos above his barbed-wire logo trunks. In the other corner, hair combed neatly back and beard tidily trimmed, stood Maxwell Jacob Friedman, the reigning All Elite Wrestling World Champion. With the two

By Julian Torres, CNN New York (CNN) — Not everyone loves the gooey, heart-shaped version of Valentine’s Day. Even for those who celebrate, the pressure to deliver the picture-perfect night can — quite frankly — stink. This Valentine’s Day, some nonprofits and businesses are siding with the jaded lovers of the world. Those skipping romance

By Ramishah Maruf, CNN (CNN) — Affordable beauty brand e.l.f. has unlocked something that’s mystified many retailers: how to win over the ever-persnickety Gen Z. E.l.f.’s formula has included low price points for high-quality items, TikTok-viral dupes of products from expensive brands, and popular marketing campaigns that manage not to make its youngest audience cringe.

By Hadas Gold, CNN (CNN) — AI company Anthropic announced this week it is giving $20 million to a political group campaigning for more regulation of the technology – but its main rival, OpenAI, is telling its employees it won’t be making similar donations. In a memo to staff on Thursday, OpenAI’s chief global affairs

By Jordan D. Brown, CNN (CNN) — Ring, the Amazon-owned video doorbell company, has canceled its partnership with technology firm Flock Safety, the company said Thursday. The termination comes after weeks of backlash over the partnership and Ring’s Super Bowl commercial last Sunday, which advertised a feature for finding lost pets that sparked concerns on

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN (CNN) — Wendy’s said Friday that it plans to shutter between 5% and 6% of its restaurants in the first half of the year. The closures are part of a previously announced turnaround plan, which the fast-food chain said in November would include closing hundreds of restaurants. Twenty-eight stores closed during

By Whitney Wild, Andi Babineau, CNN St. Paul, Minnesota (CNN) — Don Lemon pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges stemming from his presence at a protest at a St. Paul, Minnesota, church last month. He appeared in court flanked by his attorneys, wearing a dark suit with a red tie and his signature black-framed

By Sana Noor Haq, CNN (CNN) — A tycoon from the United Arab Emirates whose intimate friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was revealed in the latest release of files by the US Justice Department has been replaced in his post as head of one of the world’s largest port operators. Sultan Ahmed

By Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN (CNN) — On the surface, the Trump administration’s bet on immigration and jobs seems like simple math: If a swath of workers are removed from the country, employers will need to turn to the workers still in the United States to backfill those jobs. That’s not what’s happening, though. American workers,

By Matt Egan, CNN New York (CNN) — Chocolate lovers are experiencing sticker shock this Valentine’s Day. Consumer prices for chocolate have spiked 14.4% year-over-year during the January 1 to early February window, according to market intelligence firm Datasembly. That’s a significant acceleration from the 7.8% price hike during the same period last year and

By Brian Stelter, CNN (CNN) — A version of this article first appeared in the Reliable Sources newsletter. You can sign up for free right here. Paramount CEO David Ellison returned to the White House last week to meet privately with President Donald Trump, amid Paramount’s ongoing hostile takeover bid for CNN and the rest

By Sophie Tanno, Anna Chernova, CNN (CNN) — Russia has confirmed that it has blocked instant messaging app WhatsApp in the country, instead directing Russian citizens to use its state-backed Max app. The news comes days after it emerged that Russian authorities were restricting access to Telegram, another instant messaging app that is used by

By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN New York (CNN) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to tackle huge problems in New York City like housing, mass transit and child care. His starting point? Public bathrooms. There’s a shortage in New York —just one bathroom for every 8,500 residents. Many are musty and the toilets don’t flush. Some double

By Tami Luhby, CNN (CNN) — Laura Kotting figured her home heating bill would be higher than usual because of the recent polar temperatures. But she was not prepared for the latest monthly tab to jump nearly 30% to $200 compared to last year. “My first thought was ‘I’m not going shopping. I’m going to

By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN (CNN) — When it comes to their federal income tax returns, tens of millions of US households pay for tax preparation and filing. Yet many might qualify to do so for free through IRS-approved programs. So why don’t they use them? One reason might be the complexity of the tax code.

By Samantha Delouya, Clare Duffy, CNN Los Angeles (CNN) — Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified on Wednesday that he does not think users can be “clinically addicted” to the social media app. Mosseri is the first executive to testify in the landmark social media addiction trial against YouTube and Instagram parent company Meta

By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN New York (CNN) — Kraft Heinz is calling off its planned breakup and keeping the company together. The food giant that owns Kraft, Heinz, Oscar Meyer and Philadelphia cream cheese said last year that it was splitting its business in two. The company’s sales had slumped for years, and a breakup

By Chris Isidore, CNN (CNN) — You may not know what neodymium is (or even how to pronounce it). But you have plenty of it in your home. Neodymium is a rare earth, one of the minerals near the bottom of the periodic table that are crucial for everyday life. The element is among the