The post Cat of the Week: Mike appeared first on edhat.

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Buying concert tickets these days is, to be blunt, the worst.

It’s become a task of overcoming hurdles — from presale codes and fees to ridiculously long digital queues and heartburn-inducing prices on resale sites. It all makes ticket-buying stressful, a feeling that in many cases should be cured by the act of seeing live music.

A glimmer of hope: On Wednesday, a New York federal jury found that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally operated as a monopoly and overcharged fans. While questions remain about what this means for the future of buying concert tickets, we hate to break it to you: It’s probably going to be a while before you see any real change.

When will tickets be cheaper?

One day — maybe.

During the next stage of the trial, Judge Arun Subramanian will determine what penalties Live Nation will face. One could see the companies, which merged in 2010, split once again.

The breakup would be significant because it would allow competition — like SeatGeek and AXS — to come back into the fold in a meaningful way, according to former federal prosecutor and podcaster Alyse Adamson. More competition ultimately drives down costs.

“If that happens, I think we as consumers can eventually expect to see some more reasonably priced tickets on the market to all those shows you want to see,” she told CNN following the verdict.

In March, Live Nation and Ticketmaster also reached a settlement with federal authorities that included putting a cap on service fees, which will have a slight effect on prices.

Will I get any money back?

Nope. Sorry!

This case is different than a class-action lawsuit, where if the plaintiffs won, you’d get a payout. This case was brought on by state and federal governments, so the consumer won’t get paid by Live Nation. The states will.

What are the next steps?

There is a lengthy legal process ahead involving the remedies phase of this trial, which will likely take several months and determine what penalties Live Nation will face as a result of the jury’s verdict.

Live Nation has indicated that they plan to appeal any rulings that aren’t in their favor, which would make it even longer before fans see any tangible change.

The DOJ settlement, the details of which are murky and has been criticized for stopping short of splitting the two companies, also needs to be approved by a judge.

Outside of the legal proceedings, it will take a lot longer than the duration of this trial before fans see any meaningful change, possibly years, according to Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a visiting antitrust professor at Harvard Law.

In Allensworth’s view, competition drives innovation, but that takes time.

“If there was better competition in this market, you might see more technological solutions to those problems when there’s a big crush of demand,” Allensworth told CNN, adding that “it is very hard to say, even beyond that year or so of delay, when these new innovations or lower prices would really come about.”

Ultimately, Allensworth thinks the jury’s verdict is a good thing for consumers.

“It is the next step in restoring competition to an important market that has for too long been dominated by a monopolist that does not feel the pressure to deliver value to consumers.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Kara Scannell

The post Calpers Sent Retirees ‘Shocking’ Bills. They’re Getting Their Money Back appeared first on edhat.

Por Kaanita Iyer y Aleena Fayaz, CNN

El presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, participará esta semana en una lectura pública de la Biblia, en el marco de la continua integración de la religión, en particular el cristianismo, en los asuntos oficiales.

Según un comunicado de prensa de los organizadores, el 21 de abril, el presidente Trump leerá pasajes bíblicos mediante un mensaje de video desde la Oficina Oval, a las 6 p.m. El evento se llama “Estados Unidos lee la Biblia”.

La participación de Trump en la lectura que durará una semana es particularmente notable dado su reciente enfrentamiento con el papa León XIV por el conflicto con Irán y la reacción negativa que recibió a principios de esta semana por publicar, y luego borrar, una imagen generada por inteligencia artificial que lo representaba como Jesús.

En el mensaje de video, Trump, según los organizadores, leerá un pasaje de 2 Crónicas 7:11-22, que incluye el versículo 14, citado con frecuencia: “Si mi pueblo, que lleva mi nombre, se humilla, ora, busca mi rostro y se aparta de sus malos caminos, entonces yo oiré desde el cielo, perdonaré su pecado y sanaré su tierra”.

Ese versículo también captó la atención pública cuando el fundador de “Cowboys for Trump”, Couy Griffin, oró por la multitud durante los disturbios del 6 de enero de 2021 en el Capitolio de Estados Unidos.

Pero, según el Christian Post, la relación de Trump con este versículo se remonta aún más atrás. Poco después de su victoria en 2016, la evangelista Anne Graham Lotz, hija de Billy Graham, afirmó que era una señal de que Dios estaba respondiendo a la oración de su pueblo, tal como se describe en 2 Crónicas 7:14.

Bunni Pounds, fundadora y presidenta de Christians Engaged, quien ayudó a organizar el evento, declaró a Fox News que “necesitaban a alguien especial para leer el capítulo siete del Segundo Libro de las Crónicas” y que reservaron ese pasaje para que lo leyera Trump.

Margaret Susan Thompson, profesora de Historia y Ciencias Políticas en la Escuela Maxwell de la Universidad de Syracuse, declaró a CNN que muchos cristianos evangélicos consideran este versículo como una “justificación para pedirle a Dios que bendiga a su nación”.

Si bien el Gobierno de Trump ha recurrido recientemente a un lenguaje cristiano en asuntos públicos, Thompson señaló que, anteriormente, líderes estadounidenses como el expresidente Jimmy Carter y el expresidente George W. Bush habían integrado sus convicciones religiosas en una mentalidad que daba forma a sus objetivos para la nación, pero que los líderes públicos individuales no habían convertido su fe en un mandato.

“El problema surge cuando se prescribe para toda la nación como norma o como una doctrina religiosa de carácter obligatorio”, dijo Thompson.

Según el comunicado de prensa, numerosos funcionarios de la administración acompañarán al presidente durante la lectura, entre ellos el secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio; el secretario de Defensa, Pete Hegseth, y la secretaria general de la Casa Blance, Susie Wiles.

La semana pasada, Trump se vio envuelto en dos asuntos religiosos, que comenzaron con una disputa con el papa León XIV, quien se ha manifestado en contra de la guerra con Irán.

El presidente criticó al papa y declaró a los periodistas: “No nos gusta un papa que diga que está bien tener un arma nuclear”, y añadió: “No soy fan del papa León”.

El papa respondió que no le teme al Gobierno de Trump.

Posteriormente, el presidente tuvo que defender

By Tami Luhby, CNN

(CNN) — Although tensions are easing in the Middle East — at least for now — US gas prices will remain far above pre-war levels for weeks, if not months.

But you can ease the pain at the pump now if you know how to shop smart for gas.

The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline was $4.05 on Sunday, down from a recent peak of $4.17 but much higher than the $2.98 drivers were paying before the US-Israeli conflict with Iran began on February 28.

There are multiple ways to knock off at least a few cents, including finding the least expensive gas station in your neighborhood, filling up at certain retailers and joining loyalty programs.

“Nobody should be paying the retail price,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at online price tracker GasBuddy. “There are so many different ways to save.”

GasBuddy, along with Google Maps and Waze, allows drivers to compare prices in certain areas so they can find the cheapest place to fill their tanks. GasBuddy also offers a free card or a paid membership service that provides additional savings at the pump.

Fuel prices can vary widely. In Tampa, Florida, for instance, the cost ranged from $3.75 to $4.39 a gallon within a few miles on Thursday, De Haan said.

Warehouse club discounts

Warehouse clubs, such as Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s, offer members discounted gas as part of their benefits. Low-priced gas has added benefits for retailers, like getting people out of their cars to shop in stores. Fuel at Costco costs 34 cents less than the national average, while the price at Sam’s Club and BJ’s is 26 cents lower, according to the latest data from the Oil Price Information Service, or OPIS, a Dow Jones company.

Gas sales at Costco shot up in the mid to upper 20% range between March 2 and April 5 compared to the same period last year, said Gary Millerchip, the company’s chief financial officer. The increase was fueled by a combination of higher prices and higher sales. The average number of gallons pumped daily jumped a little over 10% during that time.

“We’ve tried to either delay or minimize the level of the increase in prices that we’ve taken at the pump,” he told CNN.

One tradeoff, however, is the frequent long lines at these stations, said Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at OPIS. Drivers have to decide whether it’s worth their time to wait.

Loyalty programs

Supermarkets and convenience stores also provide incentives that turn into savings at the pump.

Kroger, for instance, has had a fuel rewards program for more than two decades. Shoppers can earn one point for every $1 spent on groceries, which they can then redeem for up to $1 off per gallon of gas at Kroger’s fuel stations and certain Shell stations. The supermarket chain has also offered special deals in recent weeks that allow shoppers to earn more fuel points with purchases.

Fuel at Walmart costs about 18 cents less than the national average, according to OPIS. But shoppers who purchase a Walmart+ membership can receive 10 cents off per gallon at more than 13,000 stations, including Exxon, Mobil, Walmart and Murphy. (Drivers in Alabama receive a 5-cent discount.)

Major gas companies also provide loyalty programs that provide either instant savings or allow drivers to rack up points for discounts down the road. Some also partner with other groups to offer deeper discounts.

The 8 million members in BP’s earnify rewards program, for instance, receive 5 cents off per gallon at BP and A