Today’s Big Story

Let’s Look on the Bright Side

The world is chaotic, but there’s still good news to be had

If your Monday is feeling as tough as mine, then let’s try to focus on some good news. Because, yes, the world is chaotic, but there’s still good news to be had. For instance, a city in Canada halted traffic on a busy roadway for several weeks—not due to construction or road repairs, but to protect a tiny, delicate creature: the Jefferson salamander, which is endangered in Ontario. The small amphibian’s population “isn’t very large, so even one salamander being hit would have an impact,” said Gabby Zagorski, an Ontario-based ecologist. How’s that for the politeness of Canadians?

And speaking of the animal kingdom, researchers in New Zealand saw a colorful blob on top of a shark’s head. When they looked closer, they realized it had eight arms. Yes, it was an octopus that was hitching a ride. Did the shark realize it? We’re still not sure. But the marine biologists nicknamed it the “sharktopus” and said it was one of the strangest things they had ever seen in the ocean.

In other under appreciated news, a recent study by the American Immigration Council determined that immigrants contribute significantly to the U.S. economy. This much we knew, but just how much? The analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data uncovered almost 48 million immigrants generating nearly $1.6 trillion in activity. They also contributed $651.9 billion in local, state and federal taxes.

Since we’re talking about money and math, these next two stories are the ideal closer: You see, a Pennsylvania teacher has become known for her $20 Kindness Challenge, which she began in 2018 in memory of her sister, who died in a car accident. Kristina Ulmer has her students read the dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and then gives each of them twenty bucks—the catch? They have to use it for kindness. “I told them the way we prevent our world from becoming like the world in ‘Fahrenheit 451’ was through empathy and kindness,” Ulmer told the Washington Post. And the kids, she says, run with it. Some students made homemade treats for pets at a local animal shelter, while others used their $20 to buy toiletries and food for unhoused people. “Another girl knitted a bunch of little red caps for babies with heart problems, so they could be easily spotted in the NICU.” It shows you just how far a little money and effort goes.

U.S. Delegation to Visit Greenland

Prime minister says trips by the second lady and national security adviser are a ‘provocation’

U.S. national security adviser Michael Waltz and second lady Usha Vance will travel to Greenland this week, the White House said Sunday, further straining relations over President Trump’s improbable vow to acquire the Danish territory “one way or the other.”

Speaking on Sunday to the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq, Greenland’s prime minister, Múte Egede, called the visit a “provocation.” He said the delegation’s presence in Greenland alone will certainly make the Americans believe in Trump’s mission, and the pressure will increase after the visit. “The only purpose is to show a demonstration of power to us,” he said. “And the signal is not to be misunderstood.” As The Guardian reminds us, Greenland’s strategic location and rich mineral resources could benefit the U.S. It lies along the shortest route from Europe to North America—vital for the American ballistic missile warning system.

Even as Denmark, a NATO ally, insisted it wasn’t for sale and the people of Greenland continue to make it known they’ve firmly rejected Trump's takeover plans, Vice President JD Vance said Sunday that Trump “doesn't care” what the Europeans think. He told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures that Denmark is “not doing its job” with Greenland and “not being a good ally,” and “if that means that we need to take more territorial interest in Greenland that is what President Trump is going to do.”

Food Banks Left Scrambling to Feed People

USDA halts millions of dollars worth of deliveries

Food banks across the country are scrambling to make up a $500 million budget shortfall after the Trump administration froze funds for hundreds of shipments of produce, poultry and other items that states had planned to distribute to needy residents. USDA had previously allocated the money for 2025’s food bank deliveries through The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Now, the food bank leaders say many of those orders have been canceled.

The USDA confirmed to Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks and 60,000 meal programs, that the agency is reviewing the funding, said Vince Hall, chief government relations officer at the nonprofit. Hall said some local food banks and food pantries were told that USDA deliveries of commodities such as cheese and meat are being canceled at least temporarily. Many others were not notified by federal officials that their deliveries were not coming, he said. Groups working in rural areas, which rely more on government food than gleaning, would be especially hard hit by a lack of commodities, he said.

The halting of these deliveries, first reported by POLITICO, comes after the Agriculture Department separately axed two other food programs, ending more than $1 billion in planned federal spending for schools and food banks to purchase from local farmers.

A Historic Team Sale

Record Celtics sale to tech mystery man shocks sports world

The Boston Celtics will have a new owner for the first time in more than two decades. Bill Chisholm, the managing partner of Symphony Technology Group, will buy the franchise at a $6.1 billion valuation, ESPN reported late last week. “I’ve never heard of the guy,” said one top executive at a major sports franchise. Which is why people are asking if Chisholm has the money necessary to make the deal work. The sale—if approved by the NBA's board of governors after a thorough vetting process—would provide the family that currently owns the team with a 1,700% return on $360 million it paid in 2002. That process likely would not be completed until the summer, at the earliest.

According to The Athletic, the sale price is the largest for a North American sports franchise, topping the $6.05 billion a group led by Josh Harris paid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023 and far surpassing the $4 billion valuation the Phoenix Suns got when Mat Ishbia bought the team in the same year. It could also set a new baseline for NBA team sales as the league weighs whether to expand and could push prices up for those potential new franchises.

Boston Basketball Partners LLC announced last summer that it intended to sell the majority of the Celtics either late last year or early this year, then would sell the balance of its shares in 2028. Wyc Grousbeck, whose family leads the ownership group, is expected to remain the Celtics' governor through the 2027-28 season.

Worth a Look

The world’s best photography

The Sony World Photography Awards has just announced the winners from their open competition, recognizing the best images across 10 categories in 2024 from over 419,00 entries spanning 200 countries and territories.

Take this as a reminder.