Retail sales:Â The Commerce Department reported this morning that retail sales in the U.S. went up by 3% in January, about one-third more than what had been anticipated. On a yearly basis, retail sales were up 6.4%, just about matching the inflation rate.
MSU shooting: The investigation into the shooting on the campus of Michigan State University continues, with police still seeking the motive for 43-year old Anthony McRae to have shot and killed three students on campus Monday night. McRae later committed suicide. Police did find a note on his body threatening to attack two schools he had attended in New Jersey.
News survey:Â A survey released today that was prepared by Gallup and the Knight Foundation finds that only 23% of Americans believe national news organizations are acting in the best interests of the public. Only 32% said they pay a great deal of attention to local news. And, 55% said they believe news coverage has political bias.
Twitter:Â Elon Musk, speaking via video to the World Government Summit in Dubai this morning said he plans to hire a CEO to run Twitter by the end of the year. Musk described Twitter as not yet being stable after his takeover.
Chinese mum:Â A Chinese spokesperson again this morning refused to identify which agency of the Chinese government was responsible for controlling the balloon that was shot down by the U.S. off the South Carolina coast. The spokesperson again insisted it was a weather balloon that was blown off course.
Tesla chargers: The White House announced this morning that Tesla, for the first time, will open a portion of its U.S. Supercharger and Destination Charger network to electric vehicles made by other companies. Tesla plans to make at least 7,500 chargers available for use by any electric vehicle by the end of 2024.
