Raphael Stevens

In this articleNFLXRege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor star in Netflix’s “Bridgerton.”NetflixLady Whistledown has a new announcement: Netflix has renewed “Bridgerton” for a third and fourth season.”‘Bridgerton’ swept us off our feet,” said Bela Bajaria, the vice president of global TV at Netflix, in a statement. “The creative team, led by Shonda [Rhimes], knew the material and delivered a beautiful, emotional, romantic drama for our members. They have some exciting plans for the future, and we think audiences will continue to swoon for this show. We’re planning to be in the ‘Bridgerton’ business for a long time to come.”Already, Netflix is in production of season two of the Shondaland series, which will focus more on Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s romantic endeavors and introduce new characters.The news of two additional seasons comes just a week after the formal announcement that leading man Rege-Jean Page would not return to the drama to reprise his role as Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. His role would have likely been diminished in the new seasons, as “Bridgerton” is based on a series of books by Julia Quinn, which each focus on a different one of the eight Bridgerton siblings.”Bridgerton” is the first series to launch as part of Rhimes’ overall deal with the streaming service and is set to go back into production in the spring. During Netflix’s most recent earnings report in January, the company teased that “Bridgerton” had “proven immensely popular.”The streaming service had previously reported that the series was projected to reach 63 million households within the 28 days of its Christmas debut. Netflix’s metrics count a “viewer” as someone who spent at least two minutes watching a show or film. More

Passengers board an American Airlines flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on April 11, 2021.Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty ImagesAirline and other travel stocks fell Tuesday after U.S. authorities called for a pause in the use of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine due to rare reports of blood clotting.The Food and Drug Administration asked states to halt use of the single-dose vaccine after six people in the U.S. developed a rare blood clotting disorder after receiving the shot. J&J said “no clear causal relationship” has been identified between the blood clots and the vaccine and said it is working with regulators to assess the issue.The recommendation comes just as airlines and other travel companies have reported improvement in bookings after coronavirus cases fell from the peak earlier this year and more people are vaccinated.Shares of Delta Air Lines were down more than 2%, while United Airlines was off less than 1% in late morning trading. American Airlines shares were down more than 2%. The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier on Tuesday estimated its first-quarter revenue was 62% lower than during the first quarter of 2019.American said expects to post a net loss of $2.7 billion to $2.8 billion for the quarter, excluding federal payroll aid for the sector. The airline said its daily cash burn in the quarter averaged about $27 million a day, including $9 million a day in debt and severance payments, below the $30 million it previously estimated.Cruise operators Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line were each down less than 1%, while Marriott was off more than 1% and Hilton fell less than 1%. The S&P 500 was up 0.1% in late morning trading. More

A person takes a photo in front of a piece by Mashkow, during a press preview on March 25, 2021 of the grand opening of Superchief Gallery NFT, a physical gallery dedicated exclusively to NFT (non-fungible tokens) artwork in New York.Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty ImagesSales of digital nonfungible tokens soared to more than $2 billion in the first quarter — more than 20 times the volume of the previous quarter, according to a report from NonFungible.com.There were $93 million in transactions in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the website, which tracks NFT transactions and marketplaces.Its first-quarter total does not include sales of NBA Top Shots — the video highlights that are being turned into NFTs and traded. Those trade on the Flow platform and racked up sales of $472 million in the first quarter, according to NonFungible.com. It also does not include the $69 million NFT sold by Beeple at Christie’s in March, since it was traded through a partnership with Nifty Gateway.Despite recent data showing a big drop in average prices from February, sales of NFTs at the start of the year showed an explosion of interest and buying. NonFungible.com said there were more than twice as many buyers than sellers in the first quarter, with 73,000 buyers for 33,000 sellers. The imbalance, according to the company, “is a signal of massive interest in newcomers, but also of the desire of current owners to keep their assets, which creates a phenomenon of scarcity in the market.”A digital artwork featuring Scooter frontman H.P. Baxxter is up for auction on a website. Scooter will be the first band in Germany to release digital, animated artwork to accompany the new Scooter album “God Save the Rave” starting April 9. The artwork will receive a certificate of authenticity using NFTs, Non-Fungible Tokens, which cannot be manipulated.Jens Kalaene | picture alliance | Getty ImagesThere were nearly 150,000 active wallets in the first quarter — more than 1.5 times the number from a year ago.NonFungible.com said the industry is largely dominated by the art and collectibles segments, and specifically projects such as CryptoPunks and SuperRare.Despite the recent price drops from the February highs, NonFungible.com said the average price of NFTs “increased significantly” during the quarter, with a work of art on SuperRare selling for an average of $1,231 in the fourth quarter, and $6,585 in the first quarter on the secondary market. More

In this articleBAUnited Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner landing in London Heathrow International airport in England, UK.Nicolas Economou | NurPhoto | Getty ImagesBoeing’s March aircraft sales outpaced cancellations for the second month in a row as some airlines turn their attention to the industry’s recovery from Covid-19’s toll on travel.The manufacturer on Tuesday reported gross orders of nearly 200 of its bestselling 737 Max aircraft, including a 100-plane sale to Southwest Airlines. Accounting for cancellations, conversions and other order changes, it posted net positive orders of 40 planes.Boeing’s backlog stood at 4,054 planes at the end of last month, up from 4,041 at the end of February.Deliveries in March totaled 29 aircraft, including two 787 Dreamliners for United Airlines. Boeing resumed handovers of the Dreamliners to customers late last month, a process that it paused last year after it detected production problems.That’s up from 22 deliveries in March and welcome news for the aerospace giant. The bulk of an aircraft’s price is paid upon delivery and the company is still struggling from the pandemic’s impact on jetliner demand and the 20-month grounding of its bestselling 737 Max plane.Last week, airlines temporarily grounded more than 60 Max planes after Boeing flagged a manufacturing issue that could impact a backup power unit. More

[The stream is slated to start at 10 a.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are holding a joint press briefing Tuesday after U.S. health officials asked states to temporarily halt using Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine.The recommendation from U.S. health officials came after six women, ages 18 to 48, developed a rare blood-clotting disorder after getting the vaccine. J&J said in a statement that “no clear causal relationship” has been identified between the blood clots and the vaccine.”Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the FDA said in a joint statement with the CDC. “COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.” More

Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the FDAAdam Jeffery | CNBCDr. Scott Gottlieb said Tuesday that people should be “cautious not to overinterpret” the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to temporarily halt use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine.”Let’s start with what the FDA didn’t do,” Gottlieb, the former FDA commissioner and current member of Pfizer’s board of directors, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “They didn’t revoke the emergency use authorization. They didn’t order this off the market.””This was a requested pause, which is an awkward regulatory step but I think it reflects the level of caution on their part to not to appear to act too forcefully here,” he said of the decision, which came after six women, out of millions vaccinated, developed blood clots.But Gottlieb predicted that the move will nonetheless “fuel the hesitancy” from some people to get a Covid vaccine.”Even if there isn’t a causal relationship, even if this is exceedingly rare, I think we’re going to see that whole conversation now get ignited on social media,” he said.The single-dose vaccine is being paused “out of an abundance of caution” after six women in the U.S. developed a rare blood clotting disorder following their vaccinations, the FDA said Tuesday morning. All of those cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48, with symptoms developing six to 13 days after they received the shot.Nearly 7 million doses of J&J’s vaccine have been administered, making the adverse events “extremely rare,” the FDA stressed in a joint statement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Gottlieb said that he believes the J&J vaccine could come back into use “with some additional, perhaps, restrictions on its target populations in the interim while they continue to investigate this.”This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and is a member of the boards of Pfizer, genetic testing start-up Tempus, health-care tech company Aetion Inc. and biotech company Illumina. He also serves as co-chair of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings′ and Royal Caribbean’s “Healthy Sail Panel.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. More

Dr. Kavita Patel told CNBC on Tuesday she believes the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation that states pause the use of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot Covid vaccine is likely to have lasting impacts on the nation’s efforts to combat the pandemic.”This is a devastating blow to this J&J vaccine effort in the United States,” Patel, a primary care physician in Washington, D.C., said in an interview on “Squawk Box.” She also worked on health-care initiatives in the Obama administration while serving as director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement.Patel said the supply of the two-shot vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna won’t be able to quickly make up the demand created by the J&J pause. This will delay U.S. vaccination efforts, she added.The FDA’s recommendation, issued earlier Tuesday, came after six people in the U.S. developed rare and severe blood clotting issues after they received the J&J vaccine.In a tweet, the U.S. regulator said it’s action was being taken “out of an abundance of caution.”All six cases occurred in women between the ages of 18 and 48, with symptoms developing six to 13 days after they received the shot.As of now, J&J said there’s “no clear causal relationship” between these rare events and the vaccine. The U.S. drug giant also said it’s working with regulators.Patel said the halt — even if it proves just temporary — could further complicate initiatives to combat vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. “To anybody who is hesitant, I would tell you: Think about the fact we are still dealing with deaths, hospitalizations and the effects of even mild cases of Covid,” Patel said. “Vaccines have been shown to be effective in all those situations. Preventing death is a much better option.”While she expects Moderna and Pfizer will be able to “pick up some of that slack” eventually, Patel stressed “it will take time” for those other vaccine makers to have additional doses available in the U.S.One particular challenge with halting the administration of J&J’s vaccine is that it requires just a single shot, Patel said, whereas Moderna and Pfizer’s mRNA vaccines require two doses for full immunity protection.”In the next one to three weeks, we just can’t substitute it,” said Patel, an NBC News medical contributor and nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution. “This will delay our vaccination efforts.” To compensate, the U.S. may want to consider pushing back the administration of second doses for recipients of Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines, Patel suggested.White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has opposed calls to do so at earlier points in the pandemic.Moderna’s second dose is supposed to be given four weeks after the first, while it’s three weeks apart for Pfizer.”You’re going to hear a renewal for calls to delay that second shot so we can get as many first shots into the arms. It’s not an unreasonable thing to do, to consider now,” said Patel.”If we push out the second doses of Moderna or Pfizer one or two weeks, this could actually still help us pick up some of that slack in a faster pace,” she added. More

In this articleJNJMedical staff watch and advise walk-in patients who received their COVID-19 vaccination at a pop-up clinic at Western International High School on April 12, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.Matthew Hatcher | Getty ImagesAs U.S. Covid cases rise, the country is also administering the vaccine shots aimed at preventing the spread of the virus at the swiftest pace ever. Cases are on the rise in 27 states, with Michigan continuing to lead the nation in daily new cases per capita.U.S. Covid casesFollowing more than 70,000 coronavirus cases reported on Monday, the seven-day average of daily new cases in the U.S. is 68,960, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That figure is up 7% from one week ago.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsMichigan again reported the highest level of daily new Covid cases on a per capita basis, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins data. On Monday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the state should “shut things down” as it deals with the surge and that a boost in Covid-19 vaccinations alone will not stop the spread of the virus.Michigan is recording nearly 7,300 average daily new cases, close to the state’s pandemic high of more than 8,300 per day in December. Hospitalizations and deaths are also on the rise in the state.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsU.S. Covid deathsThe seven-day average of daily reported Covid deaths in the U.S. is 962, Johns Hopkins data show.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsThe latest trend in the death toll is being impacted by a bulk data release of about 1,800 deaths from Oklahoma, which occurred because the Oklahoma State Department of Health is transitioning to data reporting guidelines in line with CDC requirements. Those deaths are all currently being reported for April 7, even if they occurred previously.Prior to this reporting anomaly, the daily Covid death toll in the U.S. had been trending downward from the record levels seen in January.CNBC Health & Science Read CNBC’s latest coverage of the Covid pandemic:CDC chief says Michigan should ‘shut things down,’ vaccinating alone won’t stop Covid surgeWHO says Covid pandemic is growing ‘exponentially’ at more than 4.4 million new cases a weekIndia overtakes Brazil to become the second-worst hit country as Covid cases soarU.S. hits daily vaccination record over the weekend as case counts reach summer peaksU.S. vaccine shots administeredCDC data show 2.6 million vaccine doses reported administered on Monday, bringing the seven-day average of reported doses administered in the U.S. to a record 3.2 million per day.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsThe Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it is asking states to temporarily halt using Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine “out of an abundance of caution” after six women in the U.S. developed a rare blood-clotting disorder. “Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare,” the FDA said in a joint statement with the CDC.U.S. share of the population vaccinatedMore than 120 million people, or 36% of the U.S. population, have received one or more doses of a Covid vaccine. More than 1 in 5 Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsNearly 80% of those 65 and older have received at least one dose, and 62% are fully vaccinated. More