The Washington Post

“It was like a horror movie,” said one Pacific Palisades homeowner who was glued to her security camera footage for hours.

Andrey Kagan knows people gawk at him. He’s aware that racing around public parks on a one-wheeled electric skateboard — while picking up trash using a samurai sword — is bizarre. But look, he says, he’s helping the environment. Plus, he’s got a huge following. “I decided to pick up trash and treat it like a fun scavenger hunt,” said Andrey Kagan, who now has an online following for his weekly outings.

The U.S. surgeon general wants to warn consumers about the health risks associated with alcohol. But many Americans — especially younger ones — may have already gotten the message. Statistics show that consumption of alcoholic drinks was trending downward long before Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy’s recent call for rethinking recommended limits and adding warning labels about cancer risks.

The energy drink is consumed by politicians, journalists and even the speaker of the House, who maintains his own stash.

In the new year, travelers should expect a bit more red tape and some extra fees, depending on their destinations. Scott Keyes, an airfare expert and founder of the cheap-flight service Going, predicted that the year will bring some good (less-crowded planes, cheaper flights to Europe) along with the bad (slightly higher airfare overall). He attributes his airfare expectation to struggles that budget airlines have been facing; Spirit filed for bankruptcy last year.

Activists who oppose affirmative action are suing McDonald’s in federal court, alleging that the fast-food giant’s scholarship program for Hispanic and Latino high-schoolers is racially discriminatory. The lawsuit comes shortly after McDonald’s announced an overhaul of its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, joining a growing list of big-name firms such as Meta and Amazon that have rebranded policies and moved away from programs based on race and identity.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg warned employees Tuesday that the company is planning to push out “low performers” faster — a move that will lead to thousands of job cuts in a layoff that could affect 5 percent of the company. Zuckerberg said he has decided to “raise the bar on performance management,” as the company forges ahead in building out AI-powered services and immersive devices, according to a memo posted internally and seen by The Washington Post. “This is going to be an intense year, and I want to make sure we have the best people on our team,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Former first lady Michelle Obama will not attend president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week, her office announced Tuesday. “Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies. Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration,” a statement from the Obamas’ office read. Michelle Obama’s planned absence Monday follows another notable absence last week at the state funeral of former president Jimmy Carter, which was held at Washington National Cathedral. Barack Obama was at the service, as were Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Melania Trump, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush also attended the service.

The threat of a ban on TikTok this coming Sunday has young Americans migrating to an unexpected destination: RedNote, another Chinese-owned app, which is heavily censored and used almost exclusively by Chinese-speakers. American users who call themselves “TikTok refugees” have signed up to RedNote in droves, making it the most downloaded free app on Apple’s app store in the United States over the weekend. The trend began after the Supreme Court on Friday indicated it was likely to rule in favor of a law that forces ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to divest ownership of the app or face it being shuttered on Jan. 19.

According to a recent study by Fidelity Investments, two-thirds of women in the boomer generation started investing in their 50s or later. These late starts, combined with the persistent gender wage gap over the course of a career, result in women having roughly 30 percent less income in retirement than men. Read our full findings: