SpaceX made an early holiday delivery to the International Space Station on Sunday, dropping off super muscular “mighty mice,” pest-killing worms and a smart, empathetic robot. The station commander, Italy’s Luca Parmitano, used a large robot arm to grab onto the Dragon three days after its launch from Cape Canaveral. “Whenever we welcome a new vehicle on board, we take on board also a little bit of the soul of everybody that contributed to the project, so welcome on board,” Parmitano told Missi

The future of the U.S. wireless industry is at stake as T-Mobile and Sprint prepare to argue why their $26.5 billion merger should be approved over the arguments of state attorneys general. The states plan to argue the wireless industry is already too consolidated to further squeeze four main competitors — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint — down to three. Still, cable companies can only offer wireless service because of an agreement the cable companies struck with Verizon in 2011. Comcast, Cha

DSPs can purchase inventory available through Google’s ad exchange, but not in its “walled gardens” that are only available through Google’s own tools, like YouTube or search. That’s because there’s no standardized requirement for digital ad providers to disclose political spending on their products as legislation addressing the issue is still making its way through Congress. A Google spokesperson confirmed that any of its inventory bought through a third-party DSP would be subject to that platf

Wall Street will be monitoring the all-important retail sales report due on Friday, especially as the holidays draw near. And a monthly survey of small business owners is scheduled for release on Tuesday. Economists forecast a big increase in consumer spendingWhat’s happening: The monthly retail sales report for November is scheduled for release on Friday, December 13. Small business owners may feel more optimisticWhat’s happening: A monthly report that measures confidence among small business o

I’ve read that online banks average about 2% interest on savings accounts, and the average brick-and-mortar bank is paying .09%. Other than that, is there any reason to not move my funds into an online savings account? What specific things I should know about online savings accounts, especially regarding the ease of contributing to or taking money out of my account? Many national banks offer higher interest rate savings accounts to new customers online but don’t promote it to their core customer

The best way to give a gift is to give people what they want, not what you think they should have, says Elaine Swann, an etiquette expert. Across all generations, money for personal spending is the No. 1 present when ranked against tangible gifts, experiences, and money for bills or experiences, according to the Zelle study, but younger people are on record as being the most excited. “Millennials have definitely changed the landscape in terms of the way we give gifts now,” says Swann. Here are s

Suzanne Kreiter | Boston Globe | Getty ImagesBiogen pleased shareholders this week after it presented more data on its late-stage Alzheimer’s drug, aducanumab. The data, presented at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference in San Diego, were somewhat mixed, analysts noted. The FDA has approved Alzheimer’s drugs aimed at helping symptoms, not actually reversing or slowing the disease itself. But public pressure alone may not be enough for Biogen’s drug to get approved, one analyst s

The gunman, who was killed in the incident by responding sheriff’s deputies in the incident, was identified by several law enforcement sources as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. In other news about the investigation into the shooting, a number of Saudi training students were led away by authorities after the incident, according to a source familiar with the matter. “There have always been international students training here because it’s a good place to train. One of the victims killed is being remem

North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations said on Saturday that denuclearization is off the negotiating table with the United States and lengthy talks with Washington are not needed. Tensions have risen ahead of a year-end deadline set by North Korea, which has called on the United States to change its policy of demanding Pyongyang’s unilateral denuclearization and demanded relief from punishing sanctions. On Tuesday, Trump once again called Kim “Rocket Man” and said the United States reser

Citi is boosting its stock forecast for 2020, despite growing uncertainty about the future regulatory environment for business as the U.S. barrels toward a contentious presidential election. The bank raised its year-end 2020 S&P 500 target slightly to 3,375 from 3,300, because of the better gains this year versus the 3,050 objective for 2019. The S&P 500 closed slightly positive on Friday at 3,145.91, erasing its losses for the week after a blockbuster jobs report. Higher taxes and tighter regul

Brad Smith, President, Microsoft, on Future Societies stage during day two of Web Summit 2019 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal. SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Amazon’s decision to protest the Pentagon’s cloud computing contract hasn’t delayed Microsoft from working on the colossal Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, deal. The JEDI contract, which could be worth up to $10 billion for services rendered over as many as 10 years, was awarded to Microsoft on October 25. Last month, Amazon

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos gave a dismal outlook for the nation if U.S. tech companies decide to not support the Pentagon’s war business. “If big tech is going to turn their backs on the Department of Defense, this country is in trouble, that just can’t happen,” Bezos said at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California. As Silicon Valley courts a closer relationship with the Pentagon, tech firms have faced backlash for pursuing lucrative Defen

A bank employee counts U.S. currency and Chinese currency notes at a bank on August 6, 2019 in China. China’s foreign exchange reserves fell $9 billion in November to $3.096 trillion, central bank data showed on Saturday, as Washington and Beijing remained locked in negotiations over an interim trade agreement. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected China’s reserves, the world’s largest, would fall $4 billion to $3.101 trillion in November. The value of the country’s gold reserves fell to $91.4

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday called for the World Bank to stop loaning money to China, one day after the institution adopted a lending plan to Beijing over Washington’s objections. The World Bank on Thursday adopted a plan to aid China with $1 billion to $1.5 billion in low-interest loans annually through June 2025. “Why is the World Bank loaning money to China? “World Bank lending to China has fallen sharply and will continue to reduce as part of our agreement with all our shareholders

The majority of top foods ordered this year were vegetarian or vegan, Grubhub says (seven of the top 10 compared to three in 2018). Spicy Brussels sprouts followed cauliflower pizza on the top 10 list, then portobello mushroom empanadas, black bean and sweat potato tacos and miso pork ramen. Source: GrubhubIn New York, the most ordered dish this year was a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich — which was also the most ordered breakfast on the platform, according to Grubhub. Chicken macaroni and cheese

Generally, budget airlines aren’t known for having great food. But AirAsia, a low-cost airline based in Malaysia, is so confident about the quality of its in-flight meals that the company opened a fast-food restaurant featuring its signature in-flight dishes. On Monday, AirAsia opened Santan (which means coconut milk in Malay) in a megamall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AirAsia said it plans to open four more locations by end of 2020, and then 100 franchise-operated restaurants and cafes within the

Klay Thompson remembers the number on his first NBA paycheck: $35,000. “I still have that to this day,” said Thompson, who was 21 when he was drafted to the NBA in 2011. Even today, after nearly a decade in the league and having collected three NBA Championships with the Warriors, “I’m pretty simple,” Thompson said. Today, Thompson spends his millions on experiences or things that add value to his and other people’s lives. Don’t miss: Celtics star Jayson Tatum saves 100% of his $7.8 million NBA

In 1995, Adam Sandler, then 28, was fired from NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” after five years on the show. “He was talking to me, and I said ‘Yeah, next year on the show, blah blah blah.’ After years of refusing to go back to SNL, Sandler returned to host May. Sandler then sang a song he called “I Was Fired”: “I was fired, I was fired. After SNL, Sandler co-wrote and starred other hit comedies like “Happy Gilmore” (1996) and “Big Daddy” (1999).

Kumiko Love, founder of financial advice website The Budget Mom, knows this well. Within eight months of getting serious about eliminating her debt, Love, who’s a single mom to a 6-year-old son, paid off $77,281. Source: The Budget Mom “Having a reminder, something you can see every day, helps me stay motivated,” Love tells CNBC Make It. Any time you experience a major life change, your financial goals should be reevaluated. “Any time you experience a major life change, your financial goals shou

Astronomical auction prices may have defined the art market in recent years, but new research shows that over the long-term the value of art has steadily climbed, delivering returns relatively in-line with bonds. Impressionist art averaged 5.0%, while the art market as a whole returned 5.3% annually. Chesnot | Getty ImagesIn 2018 the art market hit $67.4 billion, according to estimates from UBS, which was the second highest on record. “Periods of falling and/or low real rates have coincided with