New Home Sales Rise, Housing Recovery Still On Track

OMAHA, Neb. — The problem of kids working in dangerous slaughterhouses continues to be a concern as the Labor Department announced its third agreement this week with a company in the industry agreeing to pay a penalty and reform its practices to help ensure it won’t hire underage workers again. On Thursday, the Department said investigators found that another slaughterhouse cleaning company called QSI had employed 54 children at 13 meatpacking plants in eight states on overnight shifts sanitizing the industrial carving and slicing machines companies use to produce beef and chicken between 2021 and 2024.

Justin Baldoni. Evan Agostini/Invision/APJustin Baldoni has sued Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds. The suit makes claims, including that Lively hadn't read "It Ends With Us" well into production. It also appears to reference Lively's close friend and confidant Taylor Swift. Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's legal brawl deepened Thursday, as Baldoni and a group of plaintiffs sued his former "It Ends With Us" costar for $400 million.

Ryan Reynolds as Nicepool, Reynolds as Deadpool, and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in "Deadpool & Wolverine."Marvel StudiosJustin Baldoni's new lawsuit against Blake Lively references Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool" franchise. The suit compares reported creative differences on "Deadpool 2" to Lively's battles with Baldoni on "It Ends with Us."Baldoni also recently claimed that the "Deadpool & Wolverine" character Nicepool was created to mock him.

Pam Bondi, Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Justice. Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesPam Bondi owned $3.9 million in Truth Social stock as of mid-December, per financial documents. She also earned more than $1 million last year from lobbying. Her total net worth in December was more than $12.1 million. President-Elect Donald Trump's nominee to be the next attorney general of the United States, Pam Bondi, disclosed owning more than $3.9 million in stock in Trump's "Truth Social" platform in December.

Meta slashed its DEI team in January. Fabrice COFFRINI/AFP/Getty ImagesA TikTok ban could happen as early as January 19. A ban could mean the migration of users — and billions of ad dollars — to competitors. Meta could gain up to $3.38 billion solely through freed up ad revenue, eMarketer estimated.

President Joe Biden announced his final student-loan forgiveness action. Alex Wong/Getty ImagesBiden announced an additional $600 million in student-loan forgiveness. The relief impacts defrauded borrowers and borrowers on income-based repayment plans. This marks Biden's final student-loan forgiveness action before he leaves the White House. Student-loan forgiveness under President Joe Biden has officially reached the end of the road.