Wallace Amos Jr., founder of Famous Amos cookies, dies at 88
(NEW YORK) — Wallace “Wally” Amos Jr., the founder of Famous Amos cookies, has died, his family said Wednesday. He was 88.
He died “peacefully” at home following a battle with dementia, his family said.
Amos, a native of Tallahassee, Florida, opened the first Famous Amos cookie shop in Hollywood, California on the famed Sunset Blvd. in 1975. Amos’ cookie brand exploded in popularity over the years, becoming known for its signature beige packaging and blue lettering.
“With his Panama hat, kazoo, and boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story, and a source of Black pride,” read a statement from the Amos family.
The statement continued, “It’s also a part of our family story for which we will forever be grateful and proud. Our dad taught as the value of hard work, believing in ourselves, and chasing our dreams. He was a true original Black American hero.”
The statement also asked for contributions to Alzheimer’s Association.
“We also know he would love it if you had a chocolate chip cookie today,” the statement finished.
Amos was recognized as the Horatio Alger Award recipient in 1987, an award who recognizes Americans who are “contemporary role models whose experiences exemplify that opportunities for a successful life are available to all individuals who are dedicated to the principles of integrity, hard work, perseverance and compassion for others.”
Amos’ membership page on the award’s website details a career as a music agent prior to Famous Amos. The founder also authored several books including The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched a Thousand Chips, The Cookie Never Crumbles: Practical Recipes for Everyday Living and The Man with No Name: Turn Lemons into Lemonade.
(NEW YORK) — Shares of Tesla fell 12% in early trading on Wednesday after an earnings release showed slumping profits in the face of strengthened competition and sluggish sales.
The earnings report fell short of Wall Street expectations for profit.
“There have been quite a few competing electric vehicles that have entered the market and mostly, they have not done well, but they have discounted their EVs quite substantially, which has made it more a bit difficult for Tesla,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk told analysts on Wednesday.
Tesla shares plummeted more than 25% at the outset of 2024 but the company had recovered all of those losses this month after it released a better-than-expected report on vehicle deliveries. The stock price decline on Wednesday puts shares at their lowest level in more than three weeks.
The earnings results released on Tuesday mark two consecutive quarters of declining profits. Revenue from government credits increased to $890 million in the most recent quarter, accounting for more than half of the company’s profits.
Gordon Johnson, CEO and founder of data firm GLJ Research, who is bearish on Tesla, said the boost in revenue from government credits afforded the company a financial lifeline even as it struggled in its main line of business: selling vehicles.
“What is the core business doing?” Johnson told ABC News, suggesting the decline in performance was even worse than the earnings indicate.
Critics say demand for the company’s vehicles has slowed as a result of its failure to release a new, affordable model, as well as a softening in the overall EV market. As competitors roll out alternatives, Tesla faces a difficult path to regain its previous breakneck growth, analysts previously told ABC News.
Proponents, however, point to the company’s record of industry-leading innovation, suggesting the breakthroughs that fueled its sprint ahead of the competition could reemerge as it readies for new EV models and perfects its autonomous driving software.
Dan Ives, a managing director of equity research at the investment firm Wedbush, who is bullish on Tesla, downplayed the weaker-than-expected earnings report and highlighted potential gains from the company’s development of autonomous vehicles.
“We were not looking for major fireworks this quarter from Tesla,” Ives said on Wednesday in a note to investors. “The next phase of the Tesla growth story is around autonomous, Robotaxis, and AI playing out for Musk & Co. in our view and that vision is on the doorstep.”
Speaking to analysts on Tuesday, Musk said the company had made “a lot of progress” on its full self-driving software over the most recent quarter.
“We think customers will experience a step-change improvement in how well supervised full self-driving works,” Musk added.
That product has faced challenges, however. In December, Tesla recalled about 2 million cars over a safety issue tied to its autopilot system. Two months later, the company recalled about 360,000 more cars over crash risks tied to its self-driving system. Musk said on Tuesday that the company is delaying the launch of its Robotaxi service until October.
Johnson, of GLJ Research, voiced skepticism about the Robotaxi initiative.
“Tesla doesn’t have one Robotaxi on the road,” Johnson said.
(NEW YORK) — The stock price of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike plummeted in early trading on Friday amid a global IT outage that has affected clients worldwide.
Shares fell nearly 15% on Friday morning, dropping the price to its lowest level since May.
“The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed,” CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz said in a post on X.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Holland America has created some picture perfect cruise itineraries for travelers with celestial events on their adventure bucket list such as seeing the northern lights or a total solar eclipse from the high seas.
The Seattle-based cruise line announced a new slate of celestial cruises on Monday that will take guests to prime locations throughout Europe to experience three different natural phenomena firsthand.
Three new Holland America solar eclipse cruises
Following the success of Holland America’s 2024 eclipse cruises, the company’s chief commercial officer, Beth Bodensteiner, said the team put together the 2026 lineup for more guests “to get a front-row seat for some of the world’s most special natural spectacles” with “in-depth exploration of exciting destinations.”
Three ships from the fleet will be positioned under the path of totality for the Aug. 12, 2026, total solar eclipse.
They include the Oosterdam, which will take guests for a 13-day Mediterranean cruise departing off the eastern coast of Spain, at sea in the path of totality between Alicante and Barcelona; the Nieuw Statendam, which is set to explore Northern Europe for a 28-day cruise, sailing off the northwest coast of Iceland at sea in the path of totality; and the 35-day Voyage of the Vikings, a roundtrip cruise from Boston aboard the Zuiderdam, will sail under the path of totality off the west coast of Iceland, just before arriving at Grundarfjörður.
Guests aboard each excursion can expect lectures from scientific experts, themed activities and proper safety equipment for viewing the total eclipse.
The Voyage of the Vikings sets sail July 18, 2026, and has calls at Portland, Maine; Sydney, Corner Brook, Red Bay, St. Anthony, St John’s and Halifax in Canada; Paamiut (Frederikshåb), Nanortalik and Qaqortoq (Julianehåb) in Greenland; Reykjavik, Seydisfjördur, Húsavík and Grundarfjørdur in Iceland; Eidfjord, Norway; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Dublin, Ireland; and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Scandinavian Solar Eclipse departs July 25, 2026, from Dover, England, or Rotterdam aboard the Niew Statendam, with multiple calls in Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Scotland.
The shortest of the three voyages through the Mediterranean will have calls at Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Montenegro.
Holland America debuts Northern Lights cruises
“As 2026 is predicted to be a highly active period for auroras, a growing number of travelers plan to prioritize seeing them on vacation. Guests seeking to pair that adventure with an in-depth exploration of Norway can do so on one of two Northern Lights cruises aboard Rotterdam and Nieuw Statendam,” Holland America announced. “The cruises feature an overnight in Alta, also known as The City of the Northern Lights, and spend five days above the Arctic Circle.”
The first of the two cruises, a 14-day journey departing Oct. 4, 2026, will sail from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. The 15-day option departs Oct. 16, 2026, from Dover to Rotterdam.
Summer Solstice Holland America cruise above the Arctic Circle
The Nieuw Statendam will take passengers on a 14-day cruise crossing the Arctic Circle to celebrate the summer solstice in Honningsvåg, Norway, one of the northernmost cities on the planet, to experience the maximum amount of daylight on the longest day of the year.
The cruise line is offering some early booking discounts for a limited time on premium packages for its Mariner Society loyalty members, which includes an up to $400 onboard credit for bookings made by Oct. 29, 2024.