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Ever since “Star Wars” premiered in 1977, kids and adults alike wanted to get their hands on a lightsaber. The “elegant weapon for a more civilized age” is one of the most famous props in movie history and pop culture — and now Disney has apparently created a “real” one. Disney Parks released a very

Bill and Melinda Gates are ending their marriage after 27 years, the pair announced in a statement on their verified Twitter accounts. “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the statement reads. The couple founded their philanthropic organization, the

Theater fans eager for Broadway’s reopening will have to wait a few more months. New York’s theater owners on Tuesday said they are still planning to reopen in the fall even after the state government said it would lift restrictions on the venues later this month — much faster than many in the arts community

Let’s say you’re shopping for something on Walmart.com — maybe t-shirts. Under the category on the site, you’ll see a number of options shipped and sold by Walmart itself. Then, there are others. You can get a Ford Mustang tee from a third-party seller named Wild Bobby, or one boasting Disney’s Stitch character from the

Concerns about looming gun control legislation and rising crime continued to fuel gun sales in America throughout the month of April, according to industry observers. The FBI conducted more than 3.5 million gun-related background checks last month, a 20% year-over-year increase from April 2020, according to the latest FBI figures released Monday. Nearly 1.7 million

It looks like most Goldman Sachs workers will be back in Lower Manhattan by mid-June, marking another milestone in the reopening of New York City and the broader economy from the Covid-19 pandemic. Goldman Sachs is asking US employees who have not already returned to the office to be prepared to do so by June

In the market for a new car, smartphone or washing machine this year? A global shortage of computer chips could mean you have to wait a while and pay more. A growing number of manufacturers around the world are having trouble securing supplies of semiconductors, delaying the production and delivery of goods and threatening to

Cryptocurrency is having a moment. Between the meteoric rise of dogecoin, Tesla accepting bitcoin as payment for its vehicles and PayPal allowing users to buy crypto on Venmo — all of which happened in just over a month — there is growing attention on and interest in the digital asset space. Mainstream adoption of crypto

Pandora produces more jewelry than any other company in the world. And on Tuesday, it announced a major change: It won’t use any more mined diamonds in its products. The Copenhagen-based company said it’s instead shifting toward the use of diamonds created in labs, which it emphasized have the same “optical, chemical, thermal and physical

Big banks and accounting firms do most of their business in New York, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo. But they wouldn’t be able to function without their back offices, many of which are located in Covid-stricken India. Financial services firms have outsourced a huge number of information technology and operations jobs to India in recent

Twitter, known for instant and short-form expression, is investing more in the media business and long-form journalism. The company announced Tuesday it’s acquiring Scroll, a startup that offers ad-free viewing of news sites for a monthly fee. Scroll launched last January and essentially offers online readers an ad blocker that publishers agree to and benefit

From the price of stocks to ethereum, it’s no secret that markets continue to look extremely frothy. What’s happening: The S&P 500 remains just below its all-time high, while the cryptocurrency ethereum notched a new record on Tuesday, jumping above $3,400. That may seem like good reason for investors to consider taking money off the

A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. You can sign up for free right here. “Yesterday wasn’t the end. Yesterday was the first battle of the war.” That’s what John Douglas Wright told his local newspaper on January 7. Wright, 54, who operates a shuttle bus company in Ohio, vowed

One of Eleven Madison Park’s most iconic dishes has been whole roasted duck with daikon and plum — it’s a classic of the restaurant, and one its most long-standing offerings. But when the restaurant reopens next month after more than a year, that dish, and many others it has become known for, will no longer

The Los Angeles Times has its new top editor: Kevin Merida of ESPN will start as executive editor in June, the paper announced Monday. Merida brings more than 40 years of experience in media into the role. He most recently worked at ESPN as a senior vice president and as editor in chief of The

Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman Charlie Munger are not big fans of short-term trading and the popular Robinhood app. But it appears that Robinhood has no time for Buffett or Munger either. Buffett said in Saturday’s annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting that the rise of Robinhood is “a very significant part of the

Verizon is exiting the media business, announcing Monday that it’s selling the unit for $5 billion to private equity firm Apollo Global Management. The sale includes AOL and Yahoo, which Verizon bought for a combined $9 billion in recent years. Verizon will retain a 10% stake in the spin off and the Verizon Media Group