Weather

Major storms kill dozens over the weekend in the US

The storms mark some of the worst in recent memory. Over the weekend, at least 42 people died as intense early spring storms—including tornadoes, wildfires, and rain and dust storms—struck the central and southwest US.

Senseless tragedy

The massive storm system ripped through parts of the US, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake and destroying hundreds of homes. Over 200,000 people were without power late Saturday, and 130,000 were still without it Monday morning. Unfortunately, that was the least of the chaos:

• At least 12 people were killed following an EF-3 tornado outbreak in Missouri, where winds of over 140 mph were measured.

  • 30 more were injured and three died in Cave City, Arkansas after a tornado and winds of 165 mph ripped through the city on Friday.

• Eight died and dozens were injured in Kansas after a dust storm reduced visibility and caused a massive collision. Over 71 vehicles were involved.

• Winds approaching 70 mph and 2-inch hail were reported in some areas of Indiana and Kentucky.

As of this writing, the strong winds fanned over 130 wildfires, injuring 140 and killing four in Oklahoma alone (see video). Over 400 homes and structures have been destroyed by the fires and more than 50 million Americans were still under fire alerts yesterday evening.

What’s being done? President Donald Trump noted in a statement that his office was monitoring the situation and deployed the National Guard to several areas yesterday to assist with clean-up and recovery efforts.

Retail

Forever 21 is closing all of its US stores amid bankruptcy

This is proof that no one can stay 21 forever. For the second time in six years, Forever 21 has filed for bankruptcy. This time though, it’s liquidating all of its US stores and said e-commerce giants Shein and Temu are to blame.

Pushing 40

Forever 21 was credited as a leader in fast fashion and known for its almost essential presence in American malls, becoming a go-to location for American teens. At its peak, Forever 21 had over 40,000 employees and generated over $4 billion in annual sales.

• However, its prominence has since faded, and for the last several months, the company has been seeking an acquisition, talking to more than 200 potential buyers.

However, without someone to buy them out, the retailer was forced to file for bankruptcy. The pandemic, stiff competition from Chinese retailers, and high inflation have all contributed to its demise:

• The company has lost more than $400 million in the last three years, racking up $1.58 billion in debt.

  • It lost $150 million last year alone and was on track to lose $180 million this year, according to court documents.

• The company said liquidation sales would begin immediately at its ~354 US stores.

What did Shein and Temu do? Stephen Coulombe, the company’s co-chief restructuring officer, said in a court filing that Shein and Temu's usage of the de minimis exemption (see overview) "undercut" Forever 21's business and "negatively impacted" the company.

• The company reportedly faced “significant losses” due to the surge in popularity of the two Chinese e-commerce platforms.

Together forever: Forever 21 is the latest retailer to liquidate stores, joining Party City, Kohl's, Macy's, JCPenney, and Joann in closing up a majority of their locations. Around 15,000 shop closures are anticipated this year, over double last year’s amount, according to Coresight Research which was obtained by Axios.

Space

The ‘Blue Ghost’ goes dark after lunar mission

At least it got some cool pictures of the moon first. After two weeks of lunar experiments, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander went dark over the weekend, becoming the first private lunar lander to complete a successful moon mission.

A successful trip

As a part of NASA’s lunar payload program, Firefly’s Blue Ghost launched from Cape Canaveral in late January. It was the company’s first attempt at a lunar landing, and it passed with flying colors, completing every single mission objective (see timeline):

• Out of the ten NASA-sponsored payloads, the spacecraft returned over 119 terabytes of data, including 51 gigabytes of science and technology data.

  • Each payload included an instrument, ranging from a drill to a vacuum, to collect lunar samples.

• They also had cameras to monitor the material plume the spacecraft's engines sent up during its lunar landing (see video).

After several failed attempts by other corporations in recent years, Firefly became the first private company to land on the moon without crashing. It joins just five nations (the US, Russia, China, India, and Japan) that have successfully landed.

Firefly already has two more lunar lander missions planned with NASA:

• Blue Ghost 2, which will attempt a landing on the lunar farside, is scheduled for next year, and Blue Ghost 3, which is scheduled to take off in 2028.

The spacecraft also did a little side quest: Early Friday morning, the lander was able to observe the lunar eclipse from the Moon, seeing the sun covered by the Earth, forming a shining ring as sunlight passed through the Earth’s atmosphere. See the captivating photos here.

Grab Bag

TikTok still doesn’t have a buyer as US ban looms

Is it too late to bring Vine back? With two and a half weeks to go until the April 5th “sale-or-ban” deadline President Trump gave TikTok, the platform is still struggling to find a serious buyer.

To ban or not to ban

Since the law requiring TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to sell the uber-popular video-sharing app or risk being banned went into effect on January 19th, no one has really known what the platform's fate will be.

• After he took office, President Donald Trump granted TikTok a 75-day extension, postponing the law's enforcement until April 5th by way of executive order.

In theory, the extension was supposed to buy the platform some time so it could find an American buyer, although, TikTok doesn’t seem to be entertaining any offers. However, that doesn’t mean people aren’t interested:

• Earlier this month, Reid Rasner, a Wyoming billionaire, offered $47.5 billion for the platform.

  • He joins a long list of wealthy clients like Frank McCourt, Shark Tank investor, Kevin O’Leary, and even the popular YouTuber Mr. Beast.

• Tech companies like Walmart, Oracle, and Microsoft have made it known they would possibly buy the video-sharing app.

• Even the US government is in the running, as the Trump Administration said its potential US sovereign wealth fund could take a majority stake in the app.

The VP might have some insider info: Earlier this week, Vice President JD Vance said he is hopeful a deal will get done before the deadline, saying, “there will almost certainly” be a “high-level agreement” that would enable an “American TikTok enterprise.”

• Vance didn’t comment on who the prospective buyers could be and neither TikTok nor ByteDance have yet to comment.

  • The app’s parent company has remained firm on its position that it has no intention of selling the app

It could be awhile: President Trump said earlier this month he would “probably” extend the deadline again if a sale can’t be reached.

Spirit looks to take advantage of Southwest’s bag charge

I think Spirit needs to do a self-improvement retreat first. Fresh off of bankruptcy, Spirit Airlines is looking to tackle competitors. According to its CEO, it all starts with its most helpless rival, Southwest Airlines, which just started charging for checked bags for the first time in its 54-year history.

A battle of… budget airlines?

Since Southwest decided to end its “Bags Fly Free” policy for its customers, those who fly with the airline (and even those who don’t) we’re shocked, appalled, and dismayed at the decision.

That being said, I don’t necessarily blame Spirit for the jabs its CEO, Ted Christie, took at them on a CNBC interview last week. Christe said the airline hopes to win over some of Southwest’s customers, but it has a long flight ahead of them:

• Southwest has an average of around 3,600 flights daily, while Spirit has an average of 700 flights daily, according to Flights From.

  • Spirit also wrestles for business with Southwest in several cities, mainly in the Midwest.

• Additionally, Spirit reported a net loss of more than $1.2 billion last year, which was more than twice as much as it lost in 2023.

But it’s not just Spirit that wants to steal customers: At a JPMorgan industry conference on Tuesday, Glen Hauenstein, president of Delta Air Lines, stated that customers who fly Southwest because of its free bag policy are "up for grabs."

Fast Facts

Airplane Animal: TSA confiscated a living turtle that a man had stuffed in his pants at an airport. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.

Storied Stone: A 200 million-year-old boulder with 47 different dinosaur footprints sat right next to a high school in Australia... and they've never noticed.

Love Your Corn Hole: As younger generations grow tired of dating apps, a corn hole league meant for singles has sold out in over 20 cities.

Law & Order: The number of applications to the almost 200 law schools in the US rose 20.5% over last year. Hope you aren’t competing with a Harvard grad.

Coffee Coin: A California man who suffered severe burns from coffee at a Starbucks drive-thru will receive a $50 million settlement from the company.