For five years, a New York City man managed to live rent-free in a landmark Manhattan hotel by exploiting an obscure local housing law. But prosecutors this week said Mickey Barreto went too far when he filed paperwork claiming ownership of the entire New Yorker Hotel building — and tried to charge another tenant rent. On Wednesday, he was arrested …

2023 was not a great year for the mortgage market. Thanks to elevated inflation and the highest interest rates in decades meant to tame it, mortgage interest rates surged, hitting their highest point since 2000. And while they’ve dropped slightly since, they’re still exponentially higher than they were in 2020 and 2021, for example. The long-term forecastfor rate cuts and …

CBS News senior foreign correspondent Debora Patta conducted a rare interview with a Hamas commander and recruiter in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, four months after the group launched its bloody terror attack on Israel, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza. The militant said the war was helping draw new members to Hamas in the West Bank — a point one …

Moscow — President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia would prefer to see President Joe Biden win a second term, describing him as more experienced than Donald Trump. Speaking in an interview with a correspondent from Russian state television, Putin declared that he will work with any U.S. leader who is elected, but noted that he would prefer a Biden …

A country radio station in Oklahoma that received criticism earlier this week for not playing Beyoncé’s new song“Texas Hold ‘Em”is now playing the tune. KYKC-FM added the song to its country playlist, Roger Harris, a general manager for South Central Oklahoma Radio Enterprises, which oversees KYKC, told CBS News in an email Wednesday. Harris said it was also included in …

A NASA mission that was retired in 2022 has helped scientists detect water on the surface of two asteroids. Researchers from the Southwest Research Institute were able to use data from the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, a joint project between NASA scientists and the German Space Agency at DLR, to discover the water molecules, according to a news …

Just days after Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce won another Super Bowl, his older brother, Jason, told his sibling that he “crossed the line” when he bumped into his head coach Andy Reid in middle of the game. Jason Kelce, who himself won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles six years ago, said his brother’s behavior was “not …

Washington — Federal investigators responded to over 400 threats to federal judges across the country in 2023, nearly 300 more than in 2019, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) and obtained by CBS News. There were 457 incidents targeting federal judges that were investigated last year, up from just 300 in 2022 and 179 in 2019. …

A few months ago, Derek Carrier started seeing someone and became infatuated. He experienced a “ton” of romantic feelings but he also knew it was an illusion. That’s because his girlfriend was generated by artificial intelligence. Carrier wasn’t looking to develop a relationship with something that wasn’t real, nor did he want to become the brunt of online jokes. But …

Washington — A former top U.S. diplomat who is accused of spying for Cuba for decades pleaded not guilty on Wednesday. Victor Manuel Rocha, the former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, wasindicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 5 on charges that he allegedly spied for Cuba’s intelligence agency for four decades. In a court document filed Wednesday saying he …

Kingsley Ben-Adir is known for his diverse roles, from playing former President Barack Obama to playing a Ken doll in the “Barbie” movie. Now, he takes on the challenge of portraying reggae legend Bob Marley in the much-anticipated biopic “Bob Marley: One Love.” Set in the 1970s, the film explores the aftermath of an assassination attempt on Marley, showcasing his …

It’s Valentine’s Day, and some couples might be going out together for the first time. The special occasion brings up an age-old question as the unwritten rules of dating change: Who should pay on the first date? As it turns out, a majority of Americans still hold traditional views on that topic. Over 70% of Americans believe that in heterosexual …

What a difference a zero can make. Lyft shares enjoyed a short-lived pop after Tuesday’s closing bell, surging as much as 67% after the company issued an outlook mistakenly projecting that its margins would expand an astounding 500 basis points. Less than an hour later, the ride-sharing provider offered that the estimate had missed the mark — by a lot, …

After winning Super Bowl LVIII,not to mention attracting feverish interest inhis romantic relationship with Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce is setting his sights on Hollywood. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is making his foray into the movie business as executive producer on “My Dead Friend Zoe,” an independent film set to premiere at the South by Southwest film festival in …

The fur is flying in a legal dispute between two rival toymakers. Kelly Toys, the Berkshire Hathaway-owned company behind the popular Squishmallows stuffed toy, is suing Build-A-Bear, alleging the company rips off its mega-popular design. Kelly Toys claims Build-A-Bear’s recently launched Skoosherz line copies its own products, including using “same distinctive trade dress,” according to a lawsuit filed Monday in …