CNN

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

Many Americans will enjoy a day off for the federal holiday today, but there’s little agreement on what to call it. Depending on the state, it may be known as Presidents’ Day, President’s Day or Presidents Day — a subtle shift in apostrophe placement that has fueled decades of debate.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

1⃣ Nancy Guthrie

The search for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has now stretched into a third week after she was abducted from her Arizona home. Nancy’s daughter, “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, appeared to address her mother’s alleged captors in another video posted to social media on Sunday. “It is never too late to do the right thing,” she said. Meanwhile, investigators hope DNA from a glove recovered about two miles from Nancy’s residence will lead them closer to a suspect. Investigators have still not zeroed in on a leading motive for her disappearance, a source told CNN.

2⃣ DHS shutdown

The Department of Homeland Security is shut down amid a bitter policy fight over immigration reforms. The funding lapse will not affect nationwide ICE enforcement, border czar Tom Homan said. While Homan has stressed that he is not directly involved in the funding negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House, he has rejected several of the Democrats’ proposed conditions. A major sticking point is whether immigration agents should wear masks during enforcement operations. “I don’t like the masks either,” but threats and assaults against ICE officers are rising, he told CBS. “These men and women have to protect themselves,” he added.

3⃣ Board of Peace

The Trump administration is planning its first meeting of the “Board of Peace” this Thursday in Washington, as the multinational organization tasked with resolving global conflicts faces lingering questions about its broader mission. The board, chaired by President Donald Trump, was originally pitched as a limited body tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was devastated by the Israel-Hamas war. However, according to a draft of its charter, its mission has since expanded to address conflicts worldwide. On Sunday, Trump said the board will unveil a $5 billion pledge for Gaza’s reconstruction and that member states “have committed thousands of personnel” to bolster security in the enclave.

4⃣ Severe weather

Multiple storm systems are set to slam the Pacific Coast this week, bringing heavy rain and potential flooding as they push inland. Winter weather alerts are in effect across parts of California, Nevada and Oregon ahead of two systems expected in the coming days. Meanwhile, some scientists are raising concerns after the Trump administration announced plans to remove a key supercompute

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

Many Americans will enjoy a day off for the federal holiday today, but there’s little agreement on what to call it. Depending on the state, it may be known as Presidents’ Day, President’s Day or Presidents Day — a subtle shift in apostrophe placement that has fueled decades of debate.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

1⃣ Nancy Guthrie

The search for missing 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has now stretched into a third week after she was abducted from her Arizona home. Nancy’s daughter, “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, appeared to address her mother’s alleged captors in another video posted to social media on Sunday. “It is never too late to do the right thing,” she said. Meanwhile, investigators hope DNA from a glove recovered about two miles from Nancy’s residence will lead them closer to a suspect. Investigators have still not zeroed in on a leading motive for her disappearance, a source told CNN.

2⃣ DHS shutdown

The Department of Homeland Security is shut down amid a bitter policy fight over immigration reforms. The funding lapse will not affect nationwide ICE enforcement, border czar Tom Homan said. While Homan has stressed that he is not directly involved in the funding negotiations between congressional leaders and the White House, he has rejected several of the Democrats’ proposed conditions. A major sticking point is whether immigration agents should wear masks during enforcement operations. “I don’t like the masks either,” but threats and assaults against ICE officers are rising, he told CBS. “These men and women have to protect themselves,” he added.

3⃣ Board of Peace

The Trump administration is planning its first meeting of the “Board of Peace” this Thursday in Washington, as the multinational organization tasked with resolving global conflicts faces lingering questions about its broader mission. The board, chaired by President Donald Trump, was originally pitched as a limited body tasked with overseeing the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which was devastated by the Israel-Hamas war. However, according to a draft of its charter, its mission has since expanded to address conflicts worldwide. On Sunday, Trump said the board will unveil a $5 billion pledge for Gaza’s reconstruction and that member states “have committed thousands of personnel” to bolster security in the enclave.

4⃣ Severe weather

Multiple storm systems are set to slam the Pacific Coast this week, bringing heavy rain and potential flooding as they push inland. Winter weather alerts are in effect across parts of California, Nevada and Oregon ahead of two systems expected in the coming days. Meanwhile, some scientists are raising concerns after the Trump administration announced plans to remove a key supercomputer from the National Center for Atmospheric Research — one of the world’s top weather and climate research centers. The administration views the center as a source of climate change alarmism, even as researchers say it benefits the American people by leading to more accurate forecasts of extreme weather

By John Towfighi, CNN

(CNN) — When Howard Silverblatt first started working on Wall Street, the S&P 500 was at 99.77 points. The week before he retired, the benchmark index was up by 70 times that, to 7,000.

That’s an eye-popping increase — but maybe not surprising, considering Silverblatt started his career on May 17, 1977.

This January Silverblatt hung up his hat after a nearly 49-year run at Standard & Poor’s — now S&P Dow Jones Indices. He’s a legend on Wall Street as a markets analyst, a trusted source for journalists, and a well-documented data wizard.

It’s all left him uniquely positioned to share the lessons he’s learned from a career stretching across booms, busts, and a transformation in investing. As for the Dow, the blue-chip index traded in the 900s when Silverblatt began his career, and crossed 50,000 points one week after his retirement.

Silverblatt, a native of Brooklyn, New York, spoke with CNN by phone from Florida.

Know how much risk you can stomach

Know what you’re buying — and know the risks.

There are fewer publicly traded companies on the stock market now than when Silverblatt began his career in the ’70s. But there are endless offerings of exchange-traded funds, derivatives and other securities that investors can buy and sell in an instant. That has made it all the more critical for investors to remain vigilant about where they’re putting their money, he said.

Record highs in the stock market — which the Dow and S&P recently hit — are great opportunities to review your portfolio and ensure it is well-diversified.

“Am I still on track with what I want, and all my allocations? Or did the market change it? And do I want to change it back?” he said. “You really need to know your risk tolerance and liquidity.”

Keep an open mind and strive to learn

Silverblatt said he was always good with numbers, stemming from his father’s job as a tax accountant.

“I remember, literally, my first job was at home when I’m seven, eight years old, putting physical checks in order,” he said.

After graduating from Syracuse University, Silverblatt entered a training program at S&P in downtown Manhattan in the late 1970s.

Silverblatt stayed at the company for the entirety of his career. He said developments in communications, information and technology were the most notable shifts across his career, and it is reflected in the US market: There are 10 American companies worth more than $1 trillion, and eight of those are tech companies.

It’s great when stocks go up. Are you prepared for when they go down?

The Dow reaching 50,000 is an amazing milestone, Silverblatt said. But he noted a key fact of the math — a 1,000-point increase from 49,000 to 50,000 is a change of 2%. It’s much less significant than, say, the Dow going from 1,000 to 2,000, which is a 100% increase. It’s a reminder to keep your eye on percent changes in the market instead of points.

Over time, as the Dow hitting 50,000 exemplifies, the market tends to climb higher. As for market exuberance, Silverblatt emphasized the need for investors to be cautious and well-informed.

Silverblatt said Black Monday — the biggest single-day stock market drop in history on October 19, 1987 — still stands out as one of the most eye-opening and memorable moments of his career. The S&P 500 plunged 20.47% in one day.

He remembers it as an analyst — and as a personal investor. He didn’t lose anything that fateful Monday, he joked, because he‘d already sold everything by Friday.

After Black Monday, two memorable Wall Street moments for Silverblatt were Lehman Brothers and Bear Sterns going under amid the 2008 financial crisis, and the advent and development of brokerage houses and how they changed access to the stock market.

Por Elizabeth Hartfield y Lex Harvey, CNN

Ya pasaron 16 días desde que se reportó la desaparición de Nancy Guthrie, y los investigadores que trabajan en el caso que ha captado la atención nacional se enfrentan a una combinación única de desafíos.

La zona apartada de Arizona donde vive Guthrie y donde aparentemente fue secuestrada en las primeras horas del 1 de febrero sigue presentando obstáculos, al igual que el intenso escrutinio mediático. Más recientemente, los informes sobre tensiones entre el FBI y la Oficina del Sheriff del condado de Pima han acaparado los titulares.

El analista jefe de Cumplimiento de la Ley e Inteligencia de CNN, John Miller, expuso lo que considera los tres mayores desafíos que enfrentan los investigadores al entrar en la tercera semana de la cada vez más frustrante búsqueda de la madre de la presentadora del programa televisivo “Today”, Savannah Guthrie.

“El primer desafío de los investigadores es si se puede localizar a la víctima y cuál es su estado en este momento”, dijo Miller.

Guthrie tiene 84 años, lleva un marcapasos y requiere medicación diaria, según las autoridades y su familia. No hay indicios de que Guthrie haya recibido esa medicación en más de dos semanas, ya que fue dejada atrás cuando aparentemente fue llevada de su casa.

“La víctima es lo primero”, añadió Miller. “En este momento, el estado de la víctima, dónde está y en qué condición se encuentra, es un punto ciego para los investigadores”.

Otra preocupación es la aparente falta de comunicación entre las fuerzas del orden y la familia Guthrie con los posibles secuestradores.

“Hasta ahora, los investigadores —que sepamos— han perdido contacto con las personas que decían ser los secuestradores. No se ha ofrecido ninguna prueba de vida, hasta donde sabemos”, señaló Miller, en referencia a dos notas de rescate enviadas a medios poco después de que se reportara la desaparición de Guthrie.

Aunque la autenticidad de las notas aún no ha sido verificada, la pérdida de cualquier posible línea de comunicación no es una buena señal.

La avalancha de pistas generadas en el caso —impulsada aún más por la publicación esta semana de imágenes captadas por la cámara del timbre de Guthrie— es tanto positiva como negativa para las fuerzas del orden.

Los investigadores quieren recibir la mayor cantidad de pistas posible —hay miles en este caso— y la historia ha demostrado que, a veces, una sola pista puede cambiar toda una investigación.

Pero revisar muchas pistas lleva mucho tiempo, incluso con un gran número de personas involucradas, y el tiempo no está del lado de los investigadores.

Y nunca está claro cuál será la pista que lleve a los investigadores al lugar correcto.

“Como hemos aprendido una y otra vez, a veces es la pista más oscura, la que queda más abajo en la pila, la que tiene la respuesta”, dijo Miller. “La única manera de llegar es revisarlas lo más rápido y minuciosamente posible”.

“Este puede ser el secuestro de mayor perfil en Estados Unidos desde el caso del bebé Lindbergh, debido a la naturaleza de la víctima y su familia”, señaló Miller, destacando la notoriedad de Savannah Guthrie como presentadora de “Today”.

Simplemente hay una cantidad extraordinaria de atención mediática, lo que implica escrutinio y puede dificultar que los investigadores retengan información.

“Uno de los riesgos en una investigación como esta es que gran parte debe hacerse tras bambalinas, (y) es importante que ciertos detalles no se filtren. Y

CNN

By Lilit Marcus, CNN

(CNN) — It was when she got to San Diego, of all places, that Elizabeth Gilbert realized everything had changed. She had left home as the author of a reasonably successful, year-old memoir titled “Eat, Pray, Love,” a first-person fusion of travelogue, confessional, and self-help manual, tracing her post-divorce journeys to Italy, India and Indonesia. On tour to promote the book’s paperback release, Gilbert recalls, she’d been speaking to audiences of “10, 15, 20 people.”

Now, heading to yet another appearance, she saw “people like three deep wrapped around the block.” Gilbert was confused: “I said to the driver, ‘what’s going on tonight in San Diego? Is there some kind of a concert or show?’ And he said, ‘No, they’re here to see you.’”

Suddenly “Eat, Pray, Love,” which came out 20 years ago this week, was no longer Gilbert’s idiosyncratic personal project — ”I remember just thinking, nobody’s going to want to read this, yet I have to do it anyway” — but a phenomenon that would span the globe. The book took on a life beyond its pages, in the hotels, cafes, spas, and beaches where legions of its readers set off seeking their own transformative journeys.

‘A human permission slip’

In 2019, Gloria Caseiro, a Portugal-born New Jersey resident, was the mother of two grown kids, and she had gotten divorced after the children moved out. On her own and newly retired, she says she found the answer about what to do next in the form of an “Eat, Pray, Love” paperback: “I decided, ‘You know what? I’m now going to go to all the places that I’ve never gone to.’” At age 51, she set off on her first-ever solo holiday, to Italy.

That sort of experience — not the millions of copies sold or the $200 million box office gross of the 2010 film adaptation, starring Julia Roberts as Gilbert and Javier Bardem as the new love she made on her travels — was what made “Eat, Pray, Love” an enduring sensation. Gilbert says that friends describe her as a “human permission slip” — someone who essentially told an entire generation of women it was OK to just travel for the sake of traveling.

“There’s an old blues song that says, When a man gets the blues, he grabs a train and rides, when a woman gets the blues, she hangs her head and cries,” Gilbert says. “And so much of that is because women couldn’t grab a train ride.”

By the time the book appeared in 2006, the world had started to congratulate itself on how “easy” it had become for a woman to travel alone for leisure — a claim that says more about the restrictions that came before than about any great leap forward. Only recently had many countries stopped treating solo female travelers as a problem to be managed, no longer refusing them hotel rooms when traveling without a man, or denying them credit cards to pay for it.

Globalization and the growing democratization of travel made it easier to get to distant places, and ever smarter mobile devices with SIM cards and Google Translate made it easier for travelers to get around when they got there.

One word kept coming up among women who talked about their journeys in those years. It wasn’t just more socially acceptable for a woman to travel alone, they