Day: June 7, 2024

Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter attend the 2024 Met Gala.

Kevin Mazur / MG24 / Getty Images for The Met Museum / Vogue

• Sabrina Carpenter seemed to confirm her relationship with Barry Keoghan in her latest music video.
• Fans have speculated for months that the pair are dating after multiple red-carpet appearances together.
• Here’s a timeline of their relationship.

Sabrina Carpenter seemed to take on the rumors that she is dating Barry Keoghan, featuring him in her latest music video.

On Friday, Carpenter released “Please Please Please,” a single from her upcoming album “Short n’ Sweet.”

In the song’s video, Carpenter falls for a convict, played by Keoghan, who keeps committing crimes and getting arrested.

Though the pair have been rumored to be dating for months, it is the first time Carpenter publicly nodded at a relationship.

Representatives for Keoghan and Carpenter did not immediately respond to a comment request from Business Insider.

In 2024, both Carpenter and Keoghan had an abrupt rise in popularity.

Keoghan’s leading role in 2023’s “Saltburn” brought him to a new level of fame. Carpenter’s star has risen on the back of slots at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Coachella, plus her hit summer song “Espresso.”

Here’s what to know about the pair.

We like to stock up on low-cost items at Aldi.

Anthony St. Clair

• My family travels the US full-time in a motorhome, so we have limited storage space and no oven.
• We like shopping at Aldi for low-cost, balanced meals. 
• We love buying items like the Fusia frozen sushi, Bake Shop cakes, and Southern Grove trail mix.

My wife and I are content creators who travel full time with our 9- and 12-year-old kids.

Although we love to travel the world, we get around in our 25-foot motorhome when we’re stateside. This means grocery shopping can sometimes get tricky, as we have limited storage space and no oven.

Like a quarter of US consumers, we like to shop at Aldi for low-cost, balanced meals. Here are 11 items from Aldi that help us enjoy dining on the road on a budget.

Here’s what every key witness said at Donald Trump’s hush money trial  The Associated Press

Trump demands prosecutions for Cheney, Jan. 6 committee members  MSNBC

Evangelicals Don’t Love Donald Trump Enough  ChristianityToday.com

George Conway’s Chilling Prediction About Second Trump Term: ‘Like You’ve Never Seen’  HuffPost

Give us 5 minutes, and we’ll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

WASHINGTON — America’s employers added a strong 272,000 jobs in May, accelerating from April and a sign that companies are still confident enough in the economy to keep hiring despite persistently high interest rates.

Last month’s sizable job gain suggests that the economy is still growing steadily, propelled by consumer spending on travel, entertainment and other services. U.S. airports, for example, reported record traffic over the Memorial Day weekend. A healthy job market typically drives consumer spending, the economy’s principal fuel. Although some recent signs have raised concerns about economic weakness, May’s jobs report should help assuage those fears.

Still, Friday’s report from the government included some signs of a potential slowdown. The unemployment rate, for example, edged up for a second straight month, to a still-low 4%, from 3.9%, ending a 27-month streak of unemployment below 4%. That streak had matched the longest such run since the late 1960s.

President Joe Biden is still likely to point to Friday’s jobs report as a sign of the economy’s robust health under his administration. The presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump has focused his criticism of Biden’s economic policies on the surge in inflation, which polls show still weighs heavily in voters’ assessment of the economy.

Hourly paychecks accelerated last month, a welcome gain for workers although one that could contribute to stickier inflation. Hourly wages rose 4.1% from a year ago, faster than the rate of inflation and more quickly than in April. Some companies may raise their prices to offset their higher wage costs.

The Federal Reserve’s inflation fighters would like to see the economy cool a bit as they consider when to begin cutting their benchmark rate. The Fed sharply raised interest rates in 2022 and 2023 after the vigorous recovery from the pandemic recession ignited the worst inflation in 40 years.

Friday’s report will likely underscore Fed officials’ intention to delay any cuts to their benchmark interest rate while they monitor inflation and economic data. Although Chair Jerome Powell has said he expects inflation to continue to ease, he has stressed that the Fed’s policymakers need “greater confidence” that inflation will fall back to their 2% target before they would reduce borrowing costs. Annual inflation has declined to 2.7% by the Fed’s preferred measure, from a peak above 7% in 2022.

“This report is going to complicate the Fed’s job,” said Julia Pollak, chief economist for ZipRecruiter. “No one’s getting those very clear signals that they were hoping for that a rate cut is appropriate in July or September.”

Last month’s hiring occurred broadly across most of the economy. But job growth was particularly robust in health care, which added 84,000 jobs, and restaurants, hotels and entertainment providers, which gained 42,000.

Governments, particularly local governments, added 43,000 positions. Professional and business services, which includes managers, architects and information technology, grew by 33,000.

One potential sign of weakness in the May employment report was a drop in the proportion of Americans who either have a job or are looking for one; it fell from 62.7% to 62.5%. Most of that drop occurred among people 55 and over, many of whom are baby boomers who are retiring.

A surge in immigration in the past three years has boosted the size of the U.S. workforce and has been a key driver of the healthy pace of job growth. (Economists have said it isn’t clear whether the government’s jobs report is picking up all those gains, particularly among unauthorized immigrants.)

When the Fed began aggressively raising rates, most economists had expected the resulting jump in borrowing costs to drive unemployment to painfully high levels and cause a recession. Yet the job market has proved more durable than almost anyone had predicted. Even so, Americans remain generally frustrated by high prices, a continuing source of discontent that could imperil Biden’s reelection bid.

The economy expanded at just a 1.3% annual rate in the first three months of this year, the government said last week, a sharp pullback from the 3.4% pace in last year’s final quarter. Much of the slowdown, though, reflected reduced stockpiling by businesses and other volatile factors, while consumer and business spending made clear that demand remained solid.

In April, though, consumer spending, adjusted for inflation, declined. That raised concern among economists that elevated inflation and interest rates are increasingly pressuring some consumers, particularly younger and lower-income households.

A key reason why the economy is still producing solid net job growth is that layoffs remain at historic lows. Just 1.5 million people lost jobs in April. That’s the lowest monthly figure on record — outside of the peak pandemic period — in data going back 24 years. After struggling to fill jobs for several years, most employers are reluctant to lay off workers.

Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the official end of slavery in the U.S., is now a nationwide celebration spotlighting unity, freedom and creativity. And Brooklyn’s got its own slate of festivities planned.

Here are some ways Brooklynites can celebrate Juneteenth on or around June 19.

Juneteenth NY celebration

Various times and locations

Juneteenth NY, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring the holiday, is returning to the borough host its annual weekend festival with the theme, “Unveiled: Understanding the Journey From Our Roots.”

The commemoration begins on June 13 with a Black Kings Award Ceremony, highlighting 28 men who serve as leaders and pioneers in their communities. The party continues on June 15 with a free festival featuring over 60 vendors, activities for neighbors of all ages, a concert, a parade and a fashion showcase. On June 19, the hosts will wrap up the event with a virtual summit.

Throughout the week, families are invited to dine at one of 20 locally-owned eateries participating in a restaurant crawl.

Head over to the event website to find more details and ticket information. 

Get ready to dance, sing and smile at these Juneteenth events. Photo by Alex Bershaw

Brooklyn Children’s Museum celebration

Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave.

June 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free.

It’s never too early to join in on a Juneteenth celebration. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Crown Heights community organizations are inviting the entire nabe to a special commemoration at Brower Park on June 19.

Bring the whole family out for a vibrant Juneteenth celebration featuring live music, dance, workshops, performances, and art projects. Explore creativity through these interactive workshops and art projects, and be mesmerized by special performances featuring local artists, musicians, and poets.

This celebration is free and open to all.

Juneteenth Jubilee

Nautilus Playground, from West 29th Street to West 32nd Street

June 19, noon. Free.

If you’ll be in Coney Island for Juneteenth, head over to the Nautilus Playground between W. 29th Street and W. 32nd Street. Community partners, small businesses, and performers are offering a fun day in the sun. 

Enjoy an afternoon of delicious food, giveaways and camaraderie.

We outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth

The Plaza at 300 Ashland Place

June 15, 2-8 p.m. Free.

651 ARTS, Brooklyn’s premier institution for the African Diasporic performing arts, is partnering with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and The Soapbox to host their fourth annual Juneteenth celebration.

Come out for a full day of programs and activities for the entire family held at the infamous Brooklyn venue, The Plaza at 300 Ashland Place on June 15.

We outside! A celebration of freedom, creativity and unity returns for the annual event on June 15.Photo by Alex Bershaw

Some highlights to look forward to include Young, Gifted and Black, a workshop honoring the culture found in educational institutions made for African Americans by African Americans, discussion on music within the Black community starting as early as ancestral songs of protest, and a marketplace with some of Brooklyn’s finest creatives. 

“The term ‘We Outside’ represents a terminology not only coined by community but one that represents the very spirit of freedom and exuberance! And in that spirit, this year we wanted to delve deeper into how that manifests itself through Black creativity and individual expression. With that in mind, I think we designed a really special program,” Toya A. Lillard, executive director of  651 ARTS’ said. “As this is our fourth year commemorating Juneteenth, it is fast becoming a tradition in Brooklyn — one which our patrons are now looking forward to every year.”

Brooklynites can RSVP online. 

Get a taste of Brooklyn

Shell’s Loft, 120 Hamilton Ave.

June 20-23, various times. Tickets start at $81.

Try some of the best spirits and liquors in the borough during the 10th edition of Taste of Black Spirits running from June 20 until June 22.

Day one starts with Spirited Women in Supply Chain, a panel discussion where female business leaders will reflect on their professional journeys and provide expert insight into the spirit industry. The event continues with The Liquid Forum Brooklyn, a retail and distribution event unpacking the spirit industry’s investment, money and capital.

Wrap up the weekend with a sampling expo where tons of Black-owned spirit brands will be offering exclusive tastes of their goods.

“Underrepresentation and a lack of diversity has long been an issue in the spirits industry ‘The Taste of Black Spirits,’ continues to build on the remarkable legacy of African American master distillers and industry leaders to generate equity for Black entrepreneurs,” LAZAR Favors, chief executive curator of Black Spirits Legacy, said in a statement.

It’s going to be a weekend of outdoor fun and festivities starting June 13. Photo by Alex Bershaw

Juneteenth food festival

Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Ave.

June 15, 11 a.m. Free.

Weeksville Heritage Center and Black-Owned Brooklyn are presenting a Juneteenth Food and Festival on June 15. 

This delicious celebration will offer Brooklyn bites, culture and community from over 40 different vendors and artisans. Barbecue, seafood dishes, homemade ice cream and desserts are just a few tasty treats attendees can expect. 

Come hungry and ready to be entertained with live DJ sets, various performances, art-making projects, wellness activities and more. Reserve your spot today using their website.

As the nation reflects on the significance of Juneteenth, community celebrations across Brooklyn offers plenty of ways to honor the ongoing fight for freedom, equality and justice.