Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and co-founder & CEO of Square, speaks during the crypto-currency conference Bitcoin 2021 Convention at the Mana Convention Center in Miami, Florida, on June 4, 2021.
Marco Bello | AFP | Getty Images
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey approves of Elon Musk’s deal to buy the social media site for $44 billion.
Reacting to news of the takeover agreement on Twitter, Dorsey posted a Spotify link to the Radiohead song “Everything In Its Right Place,” and said Musk is the “singular solution I trust” to run the company he co-created in 2006.
“I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness,” he said.
On Monday, Twitter management accepted Musk’s offer to acquire the company and take it private at $54.20 a share.
The deal has attracted both scrutiny and praise from a myriad of voices ranging from senior political figures to Twitter’s own user base.
While Musk and his supporters see the takeover as a return to free expression on the internet, critics are concerned it will give the world’s richest man too much influence over online discourse.
Dorsey stepped down as Twitter’s CEO last year and has since shifted his focus to solely managing his payments company Block, formerly known as Square.
The Silicon Valley entrepreneur said his “biggest regret” was how Twitter operated as a company.
“It has been owned by Wall Street and the ad model,” Dorsey said. “Taking it back from Wall Street is the correct first step.”
“In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter,” he added. “It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company.”
As far as the company goes, however, Dorsey says he’s in favor of Musk running things.
“Elon’s goal of creating a platform that is ‘maximally trusted and broadly inclusive’ is the right one,” he said, thanking Musk and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal for “getting the company out of an impossible situation.”
“This is the right path… I believe it with all my heart,” Dorsey added.
Dorsey, a vocal supporter of bitcoin, has previously envisioned the creation of decentralized social media protocols to address the problem of a handful of powerful tech companies controlling the most popular online services. An initiative called Bluesky was set up in 2019 with funding from Twitter to develop the standards to bring this vision to life.
On Monday, Bluesky issued a series of tweets clarifying its relationship with Twitter in light of Musk’s deal to acquire the company.
Though backed by Twitter, Bluesky is an “independent company” and its funding from the tech giant is “not subject to any conditions except one: that Bluesky is to research and develop technologies that enable open and decentralized public conversation,” the project said.
U.S. Treasury yields dipped on Tuesday morning, with investor focus remaining on the Covid-19 outbreak in China and concerns over a global economic slowdown.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note fell under a basis point to 2.8335% at 3:45 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond moved less than basis point lower to 2.9048%. Yields move inversely to prices and 1 basis point is equal to 0.01%.
Treasury yields slumped on Monday, along with a sell-off in stock markets. This came on the back of concerns that a Covid-19 breakout in Beijing, China, could see a lockdown and slow economic growth in the region.
Beijing announced late Monday that it would be expanding mass testing for the virus.
The potential drag on economic growth from higher inflation and rising interest rates also remains a concern for investors.
David Pierce, managing director at GPS Capital Markets, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Tuesday that he believed the Federal Reserve would hike interest rates by 50 basis points at both of the next two policy meetings.
However, Pierce said these hikes could “really precipitate a turnaround in the economy and slow things down so much so that they might have to back those off very quickly — it is a really volatile situation right now.”
Stock picks and investing trends from CNBC Pro:
In terms of economic data releases due out on Tuesday, March’s durable goods order numbers are set to come out at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The S&P/Case-Shiller February home price index is expected to be out at 9 a.m. ET.
March’s new home sales data and the CB April consumer confidence index are slated for release at 10 a.m. ET.
Developments in the Russia-Ukraine war also continue to be a focus for investors. At a high-level meeting in Kyiv on Sunday, the U.S. pledged just over $700 million in military financing to help Ukraine and other allied countries in central and eastern Europe involved in the war effort.
The U.S. State Department approved a potential sale of $165 million in ammunition to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, an auction is scheduled to be held on Tuesday for $48 billion of 2-year notes.
— CNBC.com staff contributed to this market report.
Bloodworms are not for the faint-hearted. These fleshy-looking marine tubes might look harmless from a distance, but don’t be deceived.
Bloodworms (aka ‘bristle worms’ of the genus Glycera) are carnivores that burrow deep into the mud along the seabed, emerging to grasp prey and competitors in their fearsome jaws that are partially composed of copper – and laced with paralyzing venom.
Even scientists who study these creatures for a living do not speak highly of bloodworms.
“These are very disagreeable worms in that they are ill-tempered and easily provoked,” says biochemist Herbert Waite from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“When they encounter another worm, they usually fight using their copper jaws as weapons.”
Close-up of a bloodworm fang. (Herbert Waite/CC BY-SA)
In a new study – led by first author William Wonderly, a graduate student in the Waite Lab – researchers investigated how the bloodworm species Glycera dibranchiata acquires the copper for its jaw, which makes up about 10 percent of the jaw’s overall structure, with the rest consisting of protein and melanin.
It’s previously been noted that the combination of copper and melanin in bloodworm jaws gives the fangs considerable abrasion resistance, which helps the teeth last for the animal’s lifespan of up to around five years.
In the new research, the team dissected bloodworms, analyzed the jaw tissue, and studied cultured cells in vitro, identifying a structural protein that helps these different chemical components come together so successfully.
The protein in question – called multi-tasking protein (MTP) – is so effective, it could help point the way to new material-manufacturing processes, the researchers suggest.
“We never expected protein with such a simple composition, that is, mostly glycine and histidine, to perform this many functions and unrelated activities,” says Waite.
“These materials could be road signs for how to make and engineer better consumer materials.”
According to the researchers, MTP performs numerous chemical roles in the end-to-end jaw production process.
These include binding copper (which is harvested from marine sediment), catalyzing melanin formation, and acting as an organizer and fabricator, assembling the resulting blend of protein, copper, and melanin that make up the jaws in the bloodworm’s proboscis.
It’s a formidable trick, the researchers say, and one which would take a lot of work and different equipment to replicate in a laboratory setting, using conventional equipment.
If we can figure out how to replicate it, though – somehow harnessing natural MTP or mimicking similar chemical functionalities – it could be a big step forward in materials science.
“The concerted activities of MTP in the construction of Glycera jaw architecture present a compelling opportunity to rethink the design of processing technologies needed for high-performance and sustainable composite and blended polymeric materials,” the researchers write in their paper.
“The combination of chemical simplicity and functional versatility in MTP holds tremendous potential for bio-inspired and natural materials processing.”
It’s amazing to think that all this ingenuity somehow evolved inside the mouth of a bloodworm. Maybe they’re not so bad after all.
“You’ve got a little worm that’s making a jaw that’s as hard and stiff as bronze, and some ceramics as well,” Waite told New Scientist. “And they’re doing this autonomically.”
U.K. dismisses Lavrov’s ‘bravado,’ says there’s no imminent threat of nuclear war
Britain’s armed forces minister has played down Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s warning that the war with Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear one.
Lavrov said late on Monday that the risks of nuclear war are now “very, very significant and should not be underestimated” but the remarks were dismissed as “bravado” by U.K. minister James Heappey.
“Lavrov’s trademark over the course of 15 years or so that he has been the Russian foreign secretary has been that sort of bravado. I don’t think that right now there is an imminent threat of escalation,” James Heappey told the BBC Breakfast program on Tuesday.
When asked about whether Russia would use a tactical nuclear weapon, Heappey said he thinks there’s a “vanishingly small” possibility of that sort of escalation.
— Holly Ellyatt
City of Kreminna believed to have fallen to Russian forces
The snow-bound city of Kreminna, which is believed to have fallen to Russian forces, is seen here from a birds eye view. The city is located in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.
The city of Kreminna in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine is believed to have fallen to Russian forces, according to the latest intelligence update from the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence on Tuesday.
“The city of Kreminna has reportedly fallen and heavy fighting is reported south of Izium, as Russian forces attempt to advance towards the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk from the north and east,” the ministry said has said in an update on Twitter, though it did not give any more details.
Russian forces are likely attempting to encircle heavily fortified Ukrainian positions in the east of Ukraine, the ministry said, adding that Ukrainian forces have been preparing defences in Zaporizhzhia, a city on the Dnipro river in southeastern Ukraine, in preparation for a potential Russian attack.
— Holly Ellyatt
Russia and India were reportedly in talks to restart coking coal trade
A worker walks atop a pile of coal at a coal yard near a mine on November 23, 2021 in India. Russian and Indian officials met last week hoping to resolve coking coal supply issues, a trade source and an Indian government source said, according to Reuters.
Ritesh Shukla | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Officials from Russia and India met last week in hopes of resolving coking coal supply issues, Reuters reported citing sources.
Russian coking coal exports to Indian steelmakers have stalled since March due to payment methods, a trade source and an Indian government source said, according to Reuters. That’s despite New Delhi signing a plan last year to import coking coal from Russia.
Coking coal is essential in the production of steel, and Russia typically supplies about 30% of the coking needs of the European Union, Japan and South Korea.
Russian trade officials are reportedly concerned about the sanctions from the West and requested that India continue with the deal, the sources said.
Indian officials were invited to visit Russia to strategize how to secure smooth shipments of coking coal, sources said, according to Reuters.
— Chelsea Ong
Risk of nuclear war now ‘very, very significant,’ Russia’s foreign minister says
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference after his talks with Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani in Moscow, Russia, April 7, 2022.
Alexander Zemlianichenko | Reuters
The risks of nuclear war are now very significant and should not be underestimated, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a Russian TV channel on Monday.
“The risks are really very, very significant,” Lavrov told Channel One. However, he also added that there was a danger the risks were being “artificially” inflated.
“The danger is serious, it is real, it cannot be underestimated,” Lavrov said in comments reported by Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.
— Holly Ellyatt
UK says Ukraine’s grain harvest is likely to be about 20% lower than in 2021
A wheat sample being inspected on March, 18, 2022. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has “significantly” disrupted Ukrainian agricultural production, the British defense ministry said in an intelligence update.
Shannon VanRaes | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Russia’s invasion has “significantly” disrupted Ukrainian agricultural production, the British defense ministry said in an intelligence update.
“The Ukrainian grain harvest for 2022 is likely to be around 20 per cent lower than 2021 due to reduced sowing areas following the invasion,” the U.K. ministry said.
Reduced grain supply from Ukraine — the world’s fourth largest producer and exporter of agricultural goods — would not only cause inflationary pressures and elevate the global price of grain, but also impact global food markets, the ministry said.
Grain prices have surged since the invasion began, and Morgan Stanley expects grain prices to remain above last year’s levels till 2023.
“High grain prices could have significant implications for global food markets and threaten global food security, particularly in some of the least economically developed countries,” the British ministry said.
— Chelsea Ong
‘We want to see Russia weakened,’ U.S. Defense Secretary Austin says
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 24, 2022.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | Reuters
Washington wants to see Russia “weakened” as part of its aims in arming and supporting Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday during a visit to Kyiv, the first such high-level visit from a U.S. official since the war began.
“We want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country able to defend its sovereign territory. We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it cannot do the kinds of things it has done in invading Ukraine,” Austin told the press.
“It has already lost a lot of military capability, and a lot of its troops, quite frankly. In terms of our — their ability to win, the first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so, they believe that they can win, we believe that they can win, if they have the right equipment.”
The visit saw the U.S. pledge more military and diplomatic support to Ukraine as the Russian invasion entered its 60th day.
— Natasha Turak
Schumer expects ‘swift, bipartisan’ passage of next Ukraine aid bill
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he expected “swift, bipartisan” passage of another bill to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia once President Joe Biden submits a new funding request.
— Reuters
Mariupol officials say new mass grave found
Maxar satellite imagery of another mass grave site expansion just outside of Vynohradne, Ukraine — just east of Mariupol. Sequence — 3 of 4 images.
Maxar Technologies | Getty Images
Officials in the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol say a new mass grave has been identified north of the city.
Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in the grave about 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) north of Mariupol.
Satellite photos released over the past several days have shown what appear to be images of other mass graves.
Mariupol has been decimated by fierce fighting over the past two months. The capture of the city would deprive Ukraine of a vital port and allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.
A massive tranche of texts from former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows obtained by CNN shows how former President Trump’s allies went from pleading for a stop to the violence on Jan. 6 to affirming their support for Trump in the aftermath.
Why it matters: The more than 2,300 texts offer a rare glimpse into the communications between the White House and a network of Trump associates, Fox hosts and lawmakers in the period after the 2020 election.
Meadows turned over the texts to the Jan. 6 select committee before ceasing his cooperation, prompting the House to refer him to the DOJ for contempt of Congress.
A Jan. 6 committee spokesperson declined Axios’ request for comment.
Driving the news: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was in frequent contact with Meadows during this timeframe, the texts show.
On Dec. 31, 2020 she texted him, “We have to get organized for the 6th.”
On Jan. 6, 2021 she texted, “Mark I was just told there is an active shooter on the first floor of the Capitol Please tell the President to calm people This isn’t the way to solve anything.”
Later that day, however, she backtracked and began espousing an unfounded conspiracy theory about the rioters: “Mark we don’t think these attackers are our people. We think they are Antifa. Dressed like Trump supporters.”
By the next day, Greene had already integrated the “Antifa” narrative into her thinking and was apologizing to Meadows for failing to overturn the election.
“I’m sorry nothing worked. I don’t think that President Trump caused the attack on the Capitol. It’s not his fault … He has been the greatest President. I will continue to defend him,” she texted.
She said she denounced the violence, but “when people try everything and no one listens and nothing works, I guess they think they have no other choice.”
On Jan. 17, Greene texted Meadows that “several” lawmakers said in a members-only chat said “the only way to save our Republic is for Trump to call for Marshall law [sic],” calling for Trump to “declassify as much as possible so we can go after Biden and anyone else!”
Other House members andTrump associates also texted Meadows on Jan. 6 to call for a stop to the violence.
Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney: “Mark: he needs to stop this, now. Can I do anything to help?”
Former White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus: “TELL THEM TO GO HOME !!!”
Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.): “The president needs to stop this ASAP”
Donald Trump Jr.: “This his one you go to the mattresses on. They will try to fuck his entire legacy on this if it gets worse.”
But some members took Greene’s route of quickly adapting their support for Trump to the new normal.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) texted on Jan. 6: “Cap Police told me last night they’d been warned that today there’d be a lot of Antifa dressed in red Trump shirts & hats & would likely get violent.”
“I would like to pass to POTUS that we are still with him, I believe in him and I want to encourage him,” Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) texted on Jan. 9.
Editor’s note: This post was corrected to reflect that Rep. Andrew Clyde texted Meadows on Jan. 9, not Jan. 6.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — The suspect caught on video taking a baby boy from his San Jose apartment kidnapped the infant while his grandmother was unloading groceries, police said in a press conference Monday.
“The baby was wearing a white onesie with dinosaurs on it, long sleeves, that’s who we are looking for right now,” said Sgt. Christian Camarillo of the San Jose Police Department.
Family members shared photos of the baby with ABC7 News. Officers say Brandon’s grandmother had taken him grocery shopping with her and the two had just arrived back home.
“She took the baby into the apartment, went downstairs to unload some groceries, and in that short amount of time someone entered the apartment,” said Sgt. Camarillo.
Police say the boy’s grandmother who had been watching him while his mother was at work, called around 1 p.m to report the child had been taken. They say she took 3-month-old Brandon Cuellar inside a bedroom while she was unloading groceries from her car. Officers say the baby was taken in just a couple of minutes time period.
Officers say the grandmother did not see the suspect enter the apartment.
VIDEO: SJPD gives update on 3-month-old kidnapped from home
Officers say at this point the surveillance images are all they have to go on and tell us the family does not recognize the individual in the video. They say an Amber Alert has not been issued because there is no vehicle description to give out.
Neighbors we spoke with reacted to the video.
“If you saw the video, he was walking down, facemask hat tugged in the jacket, almost knew what he was looking for or knew what he wanted to do because he didn’t look around,” said Rachel Rosete who lives nearby.
“I don’t recognize ever seeing him around here before but like I said every now and then we’ll get somebody I haven’t seen. They’ll typically be riding through on a bicycle,” said Jerry Jaszkowski.
** Kidnapping Incident**
Officers are currently working this incident. The male you see in these images captured from a surveillance camera entered a residence in the 1000 block of Elm St.
He left with a 3 month old baby. The family does not recognize this suspect. pic.twitter.com/BJ0R44JOP2
— San José Police Media Relations (@SJPD_PIO) April 26, 2022
Police say Brandon’s mother was at work when he was kidnapped. They say Brandon’s dad is currently incarcerated but would not elaborate on that, only saying they will be talking with him.
Officers making a desperate plea to the public Monday night.
“Today someone is walking around with a 3-month-old baby that they did not have yesterday. If you have this baby, please give that baby back to it’s mother. We can deal with consequences after. Anybody who is a mother or father, you don’t love anything more than you love your child, this mother is going through a very very bad time, as well as grandma. Grandma was left in charge of the baby and baby is now gone,” said Sgt. Camarillo.
Anyone with information is asked call SJPD at 408-277-4166 or 911.
San Jose police have also opened up several other hotlines to submit tips:
408-537-1142
408-537-1916
408-537-1282
408-537-1522
408-537-9066
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
Mike D’Antoni was watching the Brooklyn Nets’ season-ending loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday night from his living room in Austin, Texas, a world away from the drama his protégé, Nets coach Steve Nash, had just lived through.
A year ago, D’Antoni had been on the Nets’ bench alongside Nash as the two-time MVP coached what will go down as one of the greatest teams that never was to within a shoe size of the Eastern Conference finals.
Nine years ago, D’Antoni had been on the Los Angeles Lakers’ bench for another notoriously star-crossed season, when Nash, Kobe Bryant, Paul Gasol and Dwight Howard flopped their way to a first-round sweep.
But this year, this Nets season, was like nothing D’Antoni had ever seen.
“The situation was just so strange,” he said. “When you throw all the things that happened to them this year … and then having to fight for their lives for a month just to get into the play-in game … I don’t think it’s odd that they struggled.”
After it was all over Monday night in Brooklyn, Nash and the Nets’ superstars took their turns at the lectern, making similar allusions to the off-the-court drama that overwhelmed the Nets this season and left them exhausted on every level by the end of it.
Kyrie Irving called it “being the polarization of the media scrum” and “noise.”
Kevin Durant referenced a lack of “continuity.”
Nash spoke directly about “all those things off the floor” and how they affected the team on the court.
“Our guys wore down,” Nash said. “They’re tired.”
The final minutes of Monday’s game brought all of it to the fore.
With 2:45 to go, and Boston leading 109-103, Brooklyn caught a massive break when referee Sean Wright called the sixth foul on Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
On the next play, a resurgent Blake Griffin muscled a key offensive rebound over Boston’s Al Horford, leading to an Irving 3-pointer that cut the lead to three points. When Durant stole the ball from Jaylen Brown and hit a 14-foot floater to cut the lead to one with 1:28 to go, it seemed the momentum had swung toward Brooklyn.
But instead of salvation, the Nets found more exasperation in a season defined by it.
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1:16
Kevin Durant reacts to how the Nets’ season ended and whether or not Steve Nash is the right coach for the team going forward.
Durant missed back-to-back 3-pointers and a key free throw, Irving failed to box out Horford on an offensive rebound and putback after Griffin had kept Marcus Smart from converting a fast-break layup, and all that was left to do at the game’s end was shake hands and credit the superior team on a series sweep.
Afterward, Durant was asked if he had any regrets about the season, the series or the game.
“No regrets,” he shrugged. “S— happens. We’ve been through a lot this year. Everyone in the organization knows what we’ve been through.”
Durant started to list the things that have happened to the Nets this season, but he quickly lost interest in the recap: Irving’s battles with the city of New York over its vaccine mandate, the James Harden trade, the uncertainty over Ben Simmons’ back injury as well as his mental health, a COVID-19 outbreak, injuries, a lack of consistency and most glaringly, camaraderie that proved impossible to develop.
“I wish we were more healthy as a group,” Durant said. “I wish we had more continuity as a group. But that’s just the league. Every team goes through that.”
He seemed both tired of talking about the drama and uninterested in making excuses. Aside from his injuries, Durant had been the Nets’ most consistent player.
Only he knows how much of a physical and mental toll it took on him. Monday night he wasn’t in the mood to admit to any fatigue or use that heavy load as an excuse.
Nash, however, was blunt.
“Over the course of the season,” Nash said. “There were just too many [things].” In many ways the basketball world performed a season-long autopsy on what went wrong for the Nets.
But the premise of those analyses is flawed.
It isn’t what went wrong for the Nets, or what happened to them. It’s about the decisions that allowed these team- and culture-shattering problems to exist in the first place.
Whether it be Harden quitting on the team and asking to be traded midseason, Irving being unable to play in games in New York City and Toronto due to his vaccination status, or even Simmons’ decision to force a trade from Philadelphia after last season and drawn out a “ramp-up” process to play again, which never came to fruition.
The Nets’ management and ownership have tried to support their stars throughout the season. Generally, superstar players appreciate that kind of respect. But outside of Durant, the Nets’ superstars did not make good on the deference they were shown, and that’s a problem for a team built as a star system.
Just think how much time and energy the Nets wasted on off-the-court issues that could have been spent on basketball. How many hours were spent discussing Irving’s vaccination status? How much energy was spent deliberating on what to do with Harden? How many hours were spent deciding whether Simmons would play in Game 4, rather than how the Nets were going to adjust to the Celtics’ swarming defense?
play
1:07
Kyrie Irving admits his status was a distraction to the Nets this season and remains adamant he will return to Brooklyn in the fall.
Irving alluded to the toll and his responsibility in it after the game.
“It was just really heavy emotionally this season,” he said. “I felt like I was letting the team down at a point where I wasn’t able to play.
“I never want it to be about me, but I feel like it became a distraction at times.” Irving then reaffirmed the power he and Durant have been given within the organization.
“When I say I’m here with Kev, that entails us managing this franchise together — alongside Joe and Sean,” said Irving, who was referring to Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks.
“We need to really be intentional about what we’re building.”
Irving spoke of his motivation to build a better team and culture next season, and not just relying on individual performance as the Nets so often had to this year. But he was clearly speaking as a star who has been fully empowered by his franchise, which is great when things work out but uncomfortable when they end as badly as the Nets’ season did.
If that sounds familiar, it is.
The West Coast version of the Nets — the Lakers — fizzled out in much the same way this season.
It’s ironic for a coach such as Nash, who made a name for himself as a player in a system as democratic as D’Antoni’s “Seven seconds or less” Phoenix Suns, and a general manager like Marks, who was reared in the San Antonio Spurs’ culture hive, to have built a team like this.
Like everyone else, they will each reflect on what they could have and should have done differently. Then they will try it all again next season, hoping the lessons from this season will matter.
“The tough part is we all grew a tremendous amount, we just weren’t able to benefit from it this year,” Nash said postgame. “To have gone through everything we went through this year, to say goodbye is tough. Because we fought hard to stay together.”
Nash is right. The Nets fought. They just weren’t always fighting the opponents on the floor.
D’Antoni, for his part, still has faith in Brooklyn’s superstar-laden roster.
“You’ve not seen anything of what they can do,” D’Antoni said. “It needs to have a chance. But it’s New York, and New York is, ‘What have you done for me yesterday?’
Springtime comes with an uptick in stuffy noses and scratchy throats, and for many it has nothing to do with Covid-19. There are 19.2 million adults and 5.2 million children in the United States who suffer from seasonal allergies, also called hay fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some of the symptoms of allergies, like congestion, coughing and a runny nose, overlap with warning signs of Covid-19, but if your nose turns into a leaky faucet every spring, then allergies are the likely culprit.
Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends. Several studies show that pollen seasons are getting longer and more intense across the country. Climate change and rising carbon dioxide emissions are expected to boost the growth of trees and grasses in many areas, which will mean higher pollen concentrations.
“For people who have been managing seasonal allergies for a long time, they may have already noticed allergy symptoms starting earlier, lasting longer and being more intense than even a few years ago,” said Kenneth Mendez, the president and chief executive of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
In the Southeast, pollen counts start rising as early as January for some trees, including cedar and juniper. Elm, maple and oak trees have pollen seasons that can run from March to May. And in the northern United States, several types of grasses also start releasing pollen in late spring or early summer, according to the A.A.F.A. (Though flowers are often blamed, they don’t usually trigger seasonal allergies because their pollen is large and sticky, designed to attract insects rather than float through the air.)
You cannot avoid pollen entirely, but there are ways to prevent or reduce symptoms. And you may just have to take these steps a little earlier every year, Mr. Mendez said.
Find medication that works for you.
Several over-the-counter and prescription medications can help with allergy symptoms. Many doctors recommend nasal steroid sprays like Nasonex (with a prescription) or Flonase as the first line of treatment, said Dr. Sandra Hong, an allergist at the Cleveland Clinic.
But they may take a few days or weeks to provide relief from stuffiness and sneezing, so it is best to begin using them early in the season, before your symptoms become severe. Antihistamines — whether sprays like Astelin; pills like Allegra, Claritin or Zyrtec; or eye drops like Optivar — are other alternatives to take when needed, because they have a more immediate effect, she said.
Decongestants like Afrin or Sinex can also come to the rescue in a pinch. But Dr. Hong recommended these drugs last because they can have a rebound effect. After a few days of using decongestants, the blood vessels in your nose become less responsive to the medication and you may feel severe congestion again. So limit these medicines to no more than three days in a row.
It takes some trial and error to find the best medication regimen. “If patients have tried one medication and it doesn’t seem to be working for them, they should absolutely try other types to see if they’re more effective,” Dr. Hong said.
You should also talk to your doctor about prescription options if you have already tried several over-the-counter allergy medicines. An allergy specialist can help you formulate a plan for your specific allergies ahead of time.
Give your sinuses a bath.
For a medication-free option, consider nasal irrigation. The practice traces back thousands of years to the Ayurvedic medical traditions of India and its effectiveness is backed by research. To try it yourself, use a neti pot, bulb syringe or squeeze bottle and pour a saline solution in one nostril, letting it drain out the other.
“It seems like a simple concept, but it helps flush out mucus, pollen and other allergens in your nasal cavity,” said Dr. Laura Chong, an allergist at the Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic in Oklahoma City.
The result is that you feel less congested and you may need less allergy medication, Dr. Chong said.
Plan time outdoors wisely.
Many popular weather apps and websites provide “allergy forecasts” or pollen counts. On the National Allergy Bureau website there is a list of more than 80 stations throughout the United States that provide more detailed daily pollen updates based on different species of plants. You can select the station closest to you and receive notifications for the particular pollen allergy you have.
Pollen counts tend to be at their highest between early morning and midmorning, as well as on hot, dry, windy days, Dr. Chong said. If you can exercise indoors during those times or run errands later in the evening, you will reduce the amount of pollen you inhale, she added.
If you are prone to allergy symptoms and have to go out in the morning or do yardwork, wear a high-quality N95 mask — the kind you may already have for protection against the coronavirus. This will help filter out pollen.
Reduce pollen at home.
Avoid bringing pollen back inside after you’ve been outdoors. Take your shoes off and change your clothes when you get home. Shower before going to bed to remove pollen from your body. And don’t have your furry pets sleep with you, Dr. Hong said. “Even if you’re not allergic to your pets, there is pollen on their coats.”
In order to sleep better, you can try zipping up your mattress and pillows in hypoallergenic encasements, washing bedding in hot soapy water once a week and using a dryer instead of a clothesline.
Dr. Hong also recommended cleaning and replacing your air-conditioner filter with one that has a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of 11 or higher. These filters are capable of capturing tiny pollen particles. If you have severe allergies, you may even want to splurge for a professional-style HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter in your bedroom. HEPA filters typically have a MERV rating of 17 or higher and remove 99 percent of pollen, as well as animal dander, dust and other particles.
Consider allergy immunotherapy.
If allergies are taking a toll on your everyday life, you may want to talk to your doctor about immunotherapy for long-term relief.
After confirming exactly which types of pollen you are allergic to with a skin prick exam or blood test, your doctor may recommend subcutaneous allergy immunotherapy, or allergy shots. This involves a series of injections given every week or every month containing minuscule amounts of the pollen you are allergic to. The dose is gradually increased, helping your immune system become less sensitive to the allergen over time.
In the last decade, the Food and Drug Administration has started to approve another form of immunotherapy, known as sublingual immunotherapy. Here, tiny amounts of pollen come in tablet form, placed under the tongue for one to two minutes and then swallowed as they dissolve. Currently, the only approved tablets are for allergies to dust mites, ragweed and northern pasture grasses like timothy, although more tablets are being tested in clinical studies.
Both types of immunotherapy require patience. It may take six months or a year to see a reduction in symptoms, Dr. Hong said. Still, you may need to stay on the treatment for three to five years before your body can reliably ignore your triggers.
When it works, immunotherapy can be amazing, Dr. Hong said. People who once suffered yearly stuffy noses and itchy eyes can, after successful treatment, enjoy the spring again.
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies promised to play Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott regularly when both made the Opening Day roster.
They said they would not jeopardize the development of either player by letting one sit and rot on the bench.
The Phillies on Monday optioned Stott to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to play every day. Stott is the organization’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 44 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. But he had not started since April 18 in Colorado. He had not played since a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth inning on Tuesday at Coors Field.
He was hitless in his last 18 at-bats.
Bohm, meanwhile, seized the everyday job at third base, and Johan Camargo entrenched himself at shortstop while Didi Gregorius recovered from a bruised left hand. Gregorius has been cleared to play, giving the Phillies an opportunity to make this move.
“We knew that there was going to be a balancing act with development and Major League wins,” Phillies general manager Sam Fuld said. “It’s a really difficult juggling act. I don’t know if there’s a right answer. There is a lot of development that happens just by being around the best players in the world, even if you’re getting 40 percent of the reps here that you would in Triple-A. There’s value in being around the best in the world.
“We just felt like at this point it was a good opportunity to get Stott to Lehigh, get back into a routine, get regular reps and continue his development. But it was all contingent on Didi’s readiness, and we got that green light this afternoon.”
The Phillies selected the contract of outfielder Roman Quinn to take Stott’s place on the 28-man roster. To make room for Quinn on the 40-man roster, they placed left-hander Ryan Sherriff on the 60-day injured list.
“To Didi’s and Camargo’s and Bohm’s credit, they’ve all created this good problem to have,” Fuld said. “They’ve performed well. We knew that we could live out a situation like this one. It’s why you just continually monitor it and again juggle those two criteria. We felt like this was the time to do it. But obviously this doesn’t happen without Bohm, Camargo and Didi’s performance.”
Fuld said the majority of Stott’s time at Triple-A will be spent at shortstop, although he will continue to see some time at third and second.
Fuld was asked if there was any regret in carrying both Bohm and Stott to the start the season.
“There’s always learning experiences,” Fuld said. “A lot of the game’s great players will tell you that their first bout of adversity at the Major Leagues was a positive learning experience when all is said and done. You never want that. You never root for that, but I think this brief look at the Major Leagues, this brief bout with some struggles, I think will be beneficial in the long term for Bryson. Clearly, [he] earned his spot on the team given his performance of last year and Spring Training. So we don’t have any regrets and we knew this outcome was a possibility.”
Quinn, whom the Phillies drafted in 2011, rejoined the organization after being granted his release from the Marlins at the end of Spring Training. He spent the first five seasons of his career with Philadelphia. He ruptured his left Achilles in a May 2021 game in Tampa Bay, ending his season.
“We’ve all seen the ability to impact the game that Roman has,” Fuld said. “One, he’s shown that he’s healthy and back to the elite athlete that he was coming off this injury. We have as much confidence that he can impact the game with his legs in the same capacity as previous years. If it’s pinch-run, if it’s defensive replacement, it’s obviously a versatile bat with his switch-hitting. Just a lot of ways that he can impact us, especially late in games. And with the DH spot you just get a little more flexibility to use a guy with Roman’s unique skill set.”
Twitter users voiced a mix of excitement, worry and skepticism on Monday about Elon Musk’s takeover of the site. And perhaps unsurprisingly, the reaction reflected the divided political and cultural nature of the running conversation on the platform.
The news generated multiple trending topics on Twitter, including Mr. Musk’s name and the hashtags #RIPTwitter and #twittersold.
Many raised questions about Mr. Musk’s plans for the company.
Jack Dorsey, a founder of Twitter who twice served as its chief executive and is on the company’s board, tweeted a link to the Radiohead song “Everything in Its Right Place” and thanked Mr. Musk “for getting the company out of an impossible situation.”
“This is the right path,” he added. “I believe it with all my heart.”
In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.
— jack⚡️ (@jack) April 26, 2022
John Scott-Railton, a researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, wrote: “Does Musk plan to let Trump back on the platform? Will he look at the DMs of perceived enemies?” he asked, referring to Twitter’s private, direct messaging feature.
Two questions:
– Does Musk plan to put Trump back on Twitter? – Will he look at the DMs of perceived enemies?
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) April 25, 2022
Officials and policymakers, in the United States and beyond, shared their opinions, showing how the site had become a sort of political battleground.
Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, posted a poll for Twitter followers, asking: “Is Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter a good thing?” The two answer choices — “Yes” and “No, I hate free speech” — seemed to suggest his support for the move.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican of Florida, wrote that Elon Musk’s offer to buy Twitter was “a good deal for shareholders and raises the prospect that the platform will be a place where free speech can thrive, not a tool for narrative enforcement.”
.@elonmusk’s offer to buy Twitter is a good deal for shareholders and raises the prospect that the platform will be a place where free speech can thrive, not a tool for narrative enforcement.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 25, 2022
Nigel Farage, the British politician who pushed for a hard-line break with the European Union, wrote on Twitter: “Great news. Many congrats, Elon Musk. Let’s hope this marks a turning point.”
On the other side of the political spectrum, lawmakers were concerned about Mr. Musk’s motives and his wealth. “Tax the rich,” wrote Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington. “It’s absurd that one person can afford to buy Twitter for more than $40 billion while working families across this country have to choose every day between buying groceries or their prescription drugs.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, shared a similar message: “This deal is dangerous for our democracy. Billionaires like Elon Musk play by a different set of rules than everyone else, accumulating power for their own gain. We need a wealth tax and strong rules to hold Big Tech accountable.”
Robert Reich, a labor secretary under former President Bill Clinton, touched on many progressives’ fears when he wrote on the site: “When billionaires like Elon Musk justify their motives by using ‘freedom,’ beware. What they actually seek is freedom from accountability.”
When billionaires like Elon Musk justify their motives by using “freedom,” beware. What they actually seek is freedom from accountability.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) April 24, 2022
In the business world, allies of Mr. Musk were optimistic. Keith Rabois, a venture capitalist who worked at PayPal with Mr. Musk, earlier on Monday posted, “Ok, now I can finally start to Tweet.”
The entertainment world also took notice. Ice Cube, the rapper and actor, wrote on Twitter: “Free at last!” He tagged Mr. Musk and wrote, “Take off my shadow ban homie,” referring to a subtle form of limiting a user’s posts without letting them know.
Others voiced fears about harassment on the platform, after Mr. Musk said he would change content moderation. Users of social media sites like Twitter, Instagram and TikTok have long complained that harassment is rampant, even with current content moderation efforts.
Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccine researcher who has frequently spoken publicly about receiving threats online after speaking about pandemic safety measures, has said he is forced to block two to four people or groups most days “due to their menacing tweets or threats.” He said on Twitter that he would seek an alternative to the site if the hateful responses to him significantly increased.
My take on Twitter: Each day I block 2-4 individuals or groups on average due to their menacing tweets or threats. That increases X10-20 when FoxNews anchors send out an evening dog whistle/attack. If under Elon Musk things remain as is, I suppose I will probably tolerate it, but
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) April 25, 2022
And some voiced concerns that people would leave the platform. “This is like a season finale of Twitter,” wrote Jane Manchun Wong, a technology blogger and researcher.
But others called quitting Twitter a dramatic response. “I doubt anyone’s really leaving Twitter,” read a post from the Twitter account for Spawn Wave, a YouTube platform mostly for tech reviews and video game content. “There’s just too much stuff for us to complain about nowadays.”