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Dont call TrueCar (TRUE) the next Carvana (CVNA), or Vroom (VRM).

The car-buying service is an online platform linking car buyers to dealers, using its database of pricing information to give both parties an accurate, fair price of cars on the platform. Buyers and dealers can use an offer the system creates, or come to their own during the negotiation process.

TrueCar says 60% of its users want to complete the full car buying process online. Thats where a new pilot program in Florida called TrueCar+ comes into play.

There's been a trend for more and more of the shopping experience to move online and with TrueCar+, we're bringing the entire experience and the ability to buy the vehicle, TrueCar CEO Mike Darrows said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. [Consumers] can start their research on our site, find a vehicle that meets their needs, they can actually calculate a real monthly payment, either a loan or a lease, get a cash value for their trade-in, actually apply for financing directly online and then sign a buyer's order on our platform.

A TrueCar certified dealer

What TrueCar does not do, however, is acquire cars to sell directly to its users - thats what the 13,000 car dealers on its network are there to do. TrueCar calls its model asset light versus those competitors, but that doesnt mean the company isnt trying to amp up its services.

We sit right in the middle of supply and demand, we want to be the technology and the platform, the marketplace, if you will, that connects consumers with our retail partners and enables that transaction to happen, Darrow says. We'll continue to advance it from a digital perspective and allow consumers to do more and more of that from the comfort of their home.

Drilling down into what consumers are currently buying, as fuel costs have skyrocketed, consumer interest and purchasing of electric vehicles (EV) has risen concurrently. Recent data from Experian has been bearing that that out, with EV registrations jumping 60% in the first quarter this year compared to a year ago.

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A new Tesla Model 3 is shown at a delivery center on the last day of the company's third quarter, in San Diego, California, September 30, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

According to Darrow, another factor fueling the rise is an actual jump in EV supply.

We are starting to see the original set of EVs that were sold new, come back to the market, he says. So I think as gas prices stay up, as more and more EVs come back as used cars, they'll be viable alternatives on the used car market.

As for the company itself, TrueCar has avoided the recent pitfalls of Carvana and Vroom due to its asset-light business model, and fiscal prudence. But operating in a highly discretionary market like auto sector means the company isnt immune from economic and market forces.

TrueCar stock is down 8% year-to-date, though it is easily outpacing the performance of its competitors Carvana and Vroom, and even the S&P 500 (^GSPC), which at the time of this writing is down 17%.

We're certainly feeling some of the pressure of what's going on in the marketplace, Darrow says when discussing the companys stock performance. We're fortunate in that we've got a really strong balance sheet, we've got a lot of cash on hand and no debt, so we're trying to stay focused on what we want to accomplish.

Pras Subramanian is a senior autos reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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TrueCar CEO explains why his company isn't the next Carvana or Vroom - Yahoo Finance

PHOENIX The Dallas Mavericks had their bags packed for San Francisco while the favored Phoenix Suns were ready for Bora Bora, 10 minutes into an elimination game.

With every basket, the Suns got tight and the Mavericks got more confident, squeezing on the Suns All-Star backcourt until they were dry except it was the first quarter, with Chris Paul and Devin Booker looking out of sorts and out of answers.

The lead couldve ballooned to 60 if Dallas wanted it to, playing loose and free while the Suns couldnt muster the magic that garnered them a trip to the NBA Finals last summer blowing a 2-0 lead and surrendering a 123-90 Game 7 loss at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

We basically played the worst game of the season tonight, Suns coach Monty Williams said, matter-of-factly.

Every team loses four of five during the regular season; its too many games, schedule quirks, travel inconsistencies and randomness for it not to happen. And every team has a worst game, even the eventual champions.

Never, ever do both instances occur on the same evening and never in May. A funny thing happened on the way to June.

The Suns collapsed, both from the pressure of the charging Mavericks and their growing on-floor leader Luka Doncic, and perhaps from within. Williams was curt when asked why soon-to-be-restricted free agent Deandre Ayton played only 17 minutes.

Its internal, Williams said, quickly turning the page.

Williams is the Coach of the Year, rightfully so, and tried his very best to own this unexpected disaster, as true to his character. As he conducted his news conference, with his two stars Paul and Booker standing to the side waiting their turn, Williams claimed he mightve pushed his players too hard during the regular season.

I probably rode these guys too much this year, Williams said. From a minutes standpoint, expectations standpoint. They wanted that. We all just had an off night tonight.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul reacts during the Suns' loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals at Footprint Center in Phoenix on May 15, 2022. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Nights like this are more costly for Paul, honestly. By the time he connected on his first field goal in the third quarter, his team was down 40 they needed the steady hand he provided through the season and he played with no sense of urgency, almost resigned to the fate the Mavericks provided in the first quarter when Doncic (35 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie (30 points) blitzed the Suns into indecision and panic.

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Its easy to have games where putting up 10 shots seems admirable in the name of getting everyone else involved, but Paul's team needed him to do more, be more and perhaps its too much to ask at this stage of his career.

Thats why hes augmented with youth, with Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and Ayton, while Booker is the leader of that pack, but he had nothing for the Mavericks relentless defense.

They followed the game plan, did a good job of getting the ball out of my hands, Booker said. I try to make the right play, but it wasnt the right play every time. I missed a few open ones I got.

It was probably too much to ask even when Paul was in his prime, given how this is the fourth time hes played a full series and his team has blown a 2-0 lead. Hes lauded for his control on the game, but so many times hes been powerless when his teams lose control.

This, like the others, doesn't fall only on him but as time goes on and the details fade, the standing memory is the historical point guard failing to maximize opportunities.

This aint tennis, this aint golf, we need everybody, Paul said. I think Mont said its on him. I think thats on me, the point guard, the leader of the team to get the right shots. It is what it is."

Williams granted his point guard some pregame bail when asked if the wear and tear affects him more now than before.

I would imagine, yes, Williams said. I used to have hair. I dont. When we were younger, things were different. I would imagine. But you cant live there.

Doncic lived in the Suns heads and in their nightmares, though, scoring the same amount as the Suns at halftime (27) while Booker and Paul were 0-for-11 in 40 combined minutes.

Youth is serving all through the league, even though the older guys are playing longer and more effectively than in previous eras. The defending champions went out due in large part to Jayson Tatum putting it together, and the three-time champion Warriors mightve very well been joining Milwaukee if Ja Morants body didnt fail him.

This title window seemed like Pauls best chance at launching himself into an upper echelon of greats, and instead he looked like food to Doncic and Jalen Brunson on defense. At the start of the series, Brunson was getting trash talked by Booker following blocked shots 11 days later felt like 11 years later for the likes of Paul.

I do think when you see the lead building, your guys cant hit shots, it is deflating, Dinwiddie told Yahoo Sports. If thats what yall mean by choking, sure.

We put CP into actions, we had a stifling defense. When somebody says choking, its like they froze. Im never gonna say that about a team thats competing. But its inevitable. I think they started getting out of character. They thought theyd try to shoot threes and get back. Remember, wed been up in this building and then we folded.

The Mavericks kept going all-in with their hands, with Doncic hitting step-back threes that youd prefer he take, and Dinwiddie being the player hes long told everyone who would listen that he could be.

Those are daggers, he said. Youre up 12, 15 and then it turns to 24 we werent gonna let up.

It feels like an easy strategy when the opposing teams point guard is closer in age to the Hall of Fame point guard coaching Dallas than the future Hall of Famer (Doncic) hes facing. It didnt seem like it or look like it when Paul was motioning for Kidd to call timeout in Game 2, putting the finishing touches on a sterling playoff performance, but Kidd was playing the long game the whole way. He just had to make sure his team hung around long enough to take advantage.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul looks to pass against the Dallas Mavericks during Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals series on May 15, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Its a tightrope to walk when turning over a team to Paul, especially one that didnt have a footprint in the NBAs landscape before a trade for him fell into their lap. Hell elevate your program, streamline your processes and his control over a game is peerless at times.

But the back end can be predictably painful, especially when it matters most. Either his play will crater, or his body will, or both. Andscape reported he was dealing with a left quad injury, which would be part of the explanation for his play.

He didnt look like himself the last five games of the series, and cruelly, the downturn began on the day he turned 37 years old. Putting up 9.4 points and 5.8 assists with 16 turnovers since going up 2-0 can be a main culprit for Phoenixs collapse.

The last time Paul had this level of playoff impotency, it was last years first round when an injured shoulder prevented him from fully participating in the upset of the the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in Round 1.

A week later, he was carving up the Denver Nuggets, piece by piece.

A week from now, hell still be processing this loss while Golden State and Dallas engage in an unexpected tussle for a spot in June.

How far can a team go when its heavily dependent on an aging point guard who gets hurt? Paul's value isnt as a decoy, so even bringing in another shot creator alongside Booker would minimize the things he does best.

With three more years on his contract at around $30 million each, its a tough spot for the Suns to be in. He still voiced resilience, and doesnt want to wear the label of being the next great loser.

You play long enough and dont win, every time you lose theyll say it was your best chance, Paul said. Ill tell you this, Ill be back next year. Im not retiring tomorrow.

Tomorrows comes for everyone and eventually, you run out. If today belongs to Doncic, tomorrow seems like it will, too.

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Chris Paul runs into Father Time and the future as another title window closes - Yahoo Sports

For more than a year now, the original COVID-19 vaccines have held up remarkably well even miraculously so against a Greek alphabet of new variants: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta.

But now experts say something is changing. Since the start of 2022, the initial version of Omicron, known as BA.1, has been spinning off new sublineages BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, BA.5 at an alarming pace.

Earlier variants did this too. But it never really mattered, because their offshoots had no functional consequence, according to Eric Topol, founder of Scripps Research Translational Institute. They did not increase transmissibility or pathogenicity.

Todays rapidly proliferating Omicron mutants are different, however. They all have one worrisome trait in common: Theyre getting better and better at sidestepping immunity and sickening people who were previously shielded by vaccination or prior infection.

The virus, in other words, is now evolving faster and in a more consequential way than ever before. Given the increasing speed of immune evasion, and what this pattern portends for the future, experts warn that the time has come to rethink our reliance on the vaccine status quo and double down on next-generation vaccines that can actually stop infection.

A computer-generated image of multiple copies of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. (Getty Images)

As difficult [as] it is to mentally confront, we must plan on something worse than Omicron in the months ahead, Topol wrote on May 15. We absolutely need an aggressive stance to get ahead of the virus for the first time since the pandemic began instead of surrendering.

The brewing storm of BA sublineages isnt all bad news. COVID cases have been rising nationwide since the beginning of April, nearly quadrupling over the last six weeks to more than 90,000 per day on average. Yet both COVID deaths (about 300 per day) and ICU patients (about 2,000 total) are still at or approaching record lows even though other countries with bigger gaps in previous exposure or vaccination have been hit hard, and even though new research shows that Omicron and its spinoffs are not, in fact, intrinsically less severe or deadly than prior variants, contrary to early assumptions.

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Clearly, existing immunity is still valuable. Along with new therapeutics like Paxlovid, its the major factor that makes 2022 different, and much less deadly, than 2021 or 2020.

A skeptic might say thats all that matters. A low rate of death and severe disease? Mission accomplished, the argument goes. COVID really is no worse than the flu now. Americans are right to unmask and return to normal.

The problem with this approach is that it ignores the viruss new direction and what science can do to redirect it. It succumbs to a complacency that could, in time, become deadly itself.

Passengers on a New York City subway train without face coverings in April. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Just a few months ago, it was possible to believe COVID was running out of steam. Fresh off a massive winter BA.1 wave, the world was flooded with new antibodies, which seemed to slow the next version of Omicron, BA.2, to a crawl. It felt like the beginning of the end: the first big step toward endemicity, or a less dangerous, disruptive and predictable coexistence with COVID. Like the flu.

But the near-simultaneous and near-immediate emergence of BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 has upended those expectations. All three strains share several mutations with BA.2, but they also boast additional alterations in a key amino acid called L452, which may help explain why all three dodge immunity so well. As Gretchen Vogel of Science magazine explained in a recent story titled New versions of Omicron are masters of immune evasion, L452 is part of the receptor-binding domain, the part of the spike protein that locks onto cells, enabling infection. The domain is also a key target for protective antibodies.

The disturbing thing about these L452 mutations is that they didnt happen to just one strain in one place. They occurred in at least four different sublineages in four different countries, all at the same time: Belgium, France, South Africa and the U.S. (specifically New York). This strongly suggests that the mutations werent random, but rather a Darwinian adaptation meant to help the virus sidestep the very thing that seemed to be keeping cases low in the first place: the huge amounts of Omicron immunity generated over the winter.

The independent appearance of four different mutations at the same site? Thats not normal, immunologist Yunlong Richard Cao of Peking University told Science magazine. Already, Omicron and its descendants should be called SARS-3, added Linfa Wang, a bat coronavirus researcher at the Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore an entirely distinct virus.

And the fact that the virus responded this way once suggests that it can keep responding the same way in the future.

People walk by a COVID-19 testing site in New York Citys Times Square on May 12. (Liao Pan/China News Service via Getty Images)

We can be certain that [future variants will] continue to be more and more capable of immune escape, explained Kristian Andersen, who studies viral evolution at Scripps Research.

This new trajectory toward immune escape with little pause for a breather after a big wave isnt a return to square one. But its risky for several reasons.

For most of the pandemic, a previous infection provided real protection against reinfection, even by a different variant. Yet initial studies indicate that theres little cross-immunity between BA.1 and BA.2.12.1, BA.4 or BA.5 meaning that those infected with the first Omicron variant are already reporting second infections with the newer versions of the variant just a few months later, according to the New York Times.

In turn, those people may go on to have third or fourth infections, even within this year.

It seems likely to me that thats going to sort of be a long-term pattern, Juliet Pulliam, an epidemiologist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, told the New York Times.

Needless to say, getting infected multiple times a year with a virus that has the potential to cause a host of other health problems including long COVID in roughly 10% of those it infects is not optimal.

Combine frequent reinfections with rising breakthrough cases, meanwhile, and the viruss overall burden on society will soar both in terms of sick days at work and school and the threat of more serious outcomes, including death. Even now, Omicron and its descendants arent just evading immunity against infection (even shortly after a booster shot). Theyre showing they can erode at least some protection against severe illness as well.

In a crowded Times Square, a news ticker highlights that the U.S. has reached 1 million COVID deaths on May 12. (Michael Nagle/Xinhua via Getty Images)

A major misconception is that the vaccines are holding steady to protect against severe disease, hospitalizations, and deaths, Topol wrote Monday in the Guardian. They are not. When a booster was given during the Delta wave, it fully restored protection against these outcomes, to the level of 95% effectiveness. But for Omicron, with a booster (or second booster) the protection was approximately 80%. While still high, [that] represents a major, fourfold rise in ineffectiveness, from 5% to 20%.

Extrapolate this fourfold reduction in protection to the entire U.S. population roughly 70% of which is unboosted, including 20 million seniors and it means more tragic outcomes, especially if COVID is allowed to spread unchecked. In Massachusetts, one of Americas most vaccinated states, hospitalizations are up 56% over the last two weeks which is when BA.2.12.1 overtook BA.2 to become dominant. ICU numbers are up 97%.

Finally, the more the virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to develop more dangerous properties. Its overly optimistic to think well be done when Omicron variants run their course, Topol explained. Not only are they providing further seeding grounds for more variants of concern, but that path is further facilitated by tens of millions of immunocompromised people around the world, multiple and massive animal reservoirs, and increased frequency of recombinants the hybrid versions of the virus that we are seeing from co-infections.

Every single time we think were through this, every single time we think we have the upper hand, the virus pulls a trick on us, Andersen added. The way to get it under control is not Lets all get infected a few times a year and then hope for the best.

So what is the way forward? Not what the U.S. is doing now, experts insist.

Currently, theres only one new vaccine in the regulatory hopper: an Omicron booster based on the BA.1 variant, which is up for approval this summer. Yet BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 may have already rendered it obsolete a mismatch that will become only more pronounced as the virus continues to evolve.

A nursing student administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Las Vegas last year. (John Locher/AP)

Then theres Congress, which has refused to approve the Biden administrations request for $10 billion in new COVID funding. As a result, the White House is now preparing to ration the forthcoming Omicron booster, according to Politico.

Unfortunately, America is getting it backward here. Instead of spending less on behind-the-curve shots, the U.S. should be spending more to get ahead of the virus. How? By investing in next-generation vaccines that can stop new variants from dodging our immune defenses.

One promising path is a nasal vaccine a simple spray that would enter the mucus layer inside the nose and help the body make antibodies that capture the virus before it even has a chance to attach to peoples cells, according to Akiko Iwasaki, a professor of immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine whose team has been developing just such a vaccine.

We have shown in animal studies that we can spray the viruss so-called spike proteins into the nose in a previously vaccinated host and significantly reduce infection in the nose and lungs as well as provide protection against disease and death, Iwasaki wrote in a New York Times op-ed. Using the nasal spray as a booster potentially over the counter every four to six months may make the most sense for this pandemic.

The second major avenue would be a variant-proof vaccine based on the many neutralizing antibodies that scientists have discovered since the start of the pandemic, which have a high likelihood of protecting against any future variant, according to Topol.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, left, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with other members of the House on the Capitol steps on May 12 to honor the nearly 1 million lives lost in America due to COVID. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Such vaccines are clearly in our reach, but the lack of investment in a high priority and velocity initiative is holding us back, he has explained.

Three nasal vaccines are in late-stage clinical trials; four variant-proof vaccines recently started trials too. They could be used in concert: the latter for the initial doses, the former as boosters. But theres been no Operation Warp Speed for any of them and federal COVID funding is about to run out.

Given how fast the virus is changing, Topol and others say its time for that to change too. The immune protection many Americans were relying on when they removed their masks and returned to normal isnt what it used to be. So unless theyre fine with getting repeatedly reinfected and spreading the virus to other, more vulnerable friends and family members next-generation vaccines are starting to look like the smartest exit strategy.

We need to focus on broadening our immunity, [and] we really, really need to get going, Andersen told Science magazine. Simply letting the virus do what viruses do continue to infect us, and likely several times a year just isnt an option in my playbook.

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Future COVID variants will likely reinfect us multiple times a year, experts say unless we invest in new vaccines - Yahoo News

Yahoo Sports Dan Wetzel and Sports Illustrateds Pat Forde discuss coaches who are heading into the 2022 college football season including Louisvilles Scott Satterfield, Arizona States Herm Edwards, Nebraskas Scott Frost, and Auburns Bryan Harsin.

[YAHOO SPORTS LOGO JINGLE]

DAN WETZEL: We know Jeff Brohm is the head coach at Purdue. And Jeff Brohm is a-- from the Brohm family of Louisville. His father, Oscar, brothers, Greg, and Brian, his son-- everybody. Everybody in Louisville knows the Brohms, right?

PAT FORDE: Yes. And every male Brohm who has ever thrown or caught a pass did it at the University of Louisville.

DAN WETZEL: He's speaking at the Louisville Flaget High School Alumni Association. Somebody asked, "How much pressure did you feel when the Louisville job opened in 2018?"

"You know what? After being at Purdue two years when it came open, that was a tough call," Brohm said. "It was just too early to leave Purdue for Louisville at that point. Now, we're on year-six-- at Purdue-- I love this town, this area. I'm an alumnus of Louisville, so anything can happen in the future."

PAT FORDE: Boom.

DAN WETZEL: This is all from a column by the great Rick Bozich, who writes for WDRB. But he used to write for "The Courier-Journal" for years.

PAT FORDE: That is an eye-opening comment, for sure. [CHUCKLES] And it sends a clear signal to Scott Satterfield. Better win big this year, pal.

DAN WETZEL: So Satterfield had a enormous success at Appalachian State. Gets to Louisville. He's 18 and 19. He's 6 and 7 last year. Took an L in the First Responder Bowl, which is always such a classic.

PAT FORDE: [LAUGHS] A lot of fan investment in that First Responder Bowl.

DAN WETZEL: Came in last place in the First Responder Bowl.

PAT FORDE: [LAUGHS]

DAN WETZEL: Yeah, he's got a win. Brohm has basically just stated I'll take the job.

PAT FORDE: Yeah. On the list of potential openings now, Louisville moves up a couple notches, I think, just based on Jeff Brohm's rhetoric.

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DAN WETZEL: You got to put Satterfield at number one on the hot seat, if only because of this.

PAT FORDE: Right.

DAN WETZEL: Herm Edwards at Arizona State, with all the scandals and the transfers out-- I thought-- he's got 40 guys on the roster or something now. [CHUCKLES]

PAT FORDE: Yeah. I mean--

DAN WETZEL: Total mess.

PAT FORDE: They have just been-- yeah. They've been gutted by transfers, they've had staff turnover, they have an ongoing NCAA investigation. And things had only been going OK for Herm. It was not like he was lighting anything on fire there. So Herm is at or near the top as well.

Scott Frost, right?

DAN WETZEL: Scott Frost.

PAT FORDE: Scott Frost has like a month, I think, to either keep the job until the end of the season or to get fired quickly. The referendum will come quickly on him. He's lucky that he still has the job this season.

[SWISH]

DAN WETZEL: 4 and 8, 5 and 7, 3 and 5, 3 and 9. I mean, if he gets to 6 and 6, that's going to be progress enough. He's going to be back.

PAT FORDE: Why should 6 and 6 be good enough to be back?

DAN WETZEL: Why was 3 and nigh good enough to be back?

PAT FORDE: Well, because of the buyout, mostly. But now, OK, the buyout's gotten lower. And eventually-- look, it's-- at some point in time, they've got to show something, don't they? Here's their September schedule-- actually, start in August.

They're playing in Dublin, Ireland, against Northwestern. Very important game for Scott Frost. Then, North Dakota, Georgia Southern. You got to win those two, obviously.

Then, Oklahoma comes to Lincoln, and then they have the Bye Week, and that's-- the old Bye Week firing. We've seen that a few times there. You plug in the interim coach.

If they are 2 and 2 at that point, I think he's gone.

DAN WETZEL: Wow.

PAT FORDE: I do.

DAN WETZEL: Who else you got that needs a win? Harsin. Brian Harsin, down at Auburn.

PAT FORDE: Brian Harsin.

DAN WETZEL: They tried to fire him.

PAT FORDE: The boosters were dying to fire him. So much they just kept leaking stuff to try to make Brian Harsin's life miserable and untenable and to get him pushed out.

DAN WETZEL: I don't hold anything that happens this year-- much of it-- against Brian Harsin because he's been literally undercut by his school. So I don't know. Those seem to be the big ones.

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Coaches on the hot seat heading into the 2022 season | College Football Enquirer - Yahoo Sports

Abbott (ABT) has reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that could allow it to get baby formula products, currently in shortage, to customers in about two months, once it restarts a Michigan plant which shut down in February.

A nationwide shortage of baby formula has been growing in recent weeks as a domino effect of Abbott's plant closure and ongoing supply chain constraints has left store shelves bare.

Abbott announced a potential timeline of two weeks to restart the plant and six to eight weeks before products make it back on shelves.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said Monday evening he believes these goals are doable.

"We believe those timeframes are reasonable," he said, but added that he cannot commit to a timeline.

But, he said, the FDA expects overall supply to improve "in the next couple of months."

Califf added that the FDA was working with outside consultants to gain realtime updates on the company's progress to resolve the safety concerns, and the agency would give the green light as soon as Abbott meets all the requirements.

Abbott voluntarily shut down its plant and recalled some of its infant formula products after reports of four cases, including two infant deaths, following the use of its formula. The company has maintained that the subsequent investigations show that the strains found by the FDA did not match the strains of infection in the babies.

FDA officials told reporters on Monday that there were many types of strains found at the plant, but because Cronobacter sakazakiior is not a reportable disease, except in Minnesota, the data do not exist for a definitive conclusion. The FDA only had two samples from the four cases to work with, and the database of the bacteria only has 238 strains identified.

"We simply don't have the evidence to demonstrate that causality. But again, the data are so limited with sequencing only available for two out of the four cases," said Susan Mayne, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

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ARLINGTON, VA - MAY 16: A view of nearly empty shelves at a giant grocery store due to shortage in the availability of baby food Monday, May 16, 2022, in Arlington Virginia. Parents in much of the U.S. are scrambling to find baby formula. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The U.S. government has taken several steps in the past week in efforts to alleviate the situation.

Last week, the White House met with major retailers and manufacturers to determine how to increase production domestically. Meanwhile, the FDA has been looking abroad to find supplies that meet regulatory requirements, as well as increasing flexibility to add more domestic production partners.

A White House official told reporters on background Monday that since President Joe Biden's calls with manufacturers and retailers last week, there have been follow-ups to help determine how to get products in areas of critically-low formula supply.

That includes production and distribution from manufacturers like Abbott, the largest maker, and Rickett, Mead Johnson, Nestl/Gerber, and Perrigo, which make the in-house brands for Amazon (AMZN) and Walmart (WMT). Those retailers and Target (TGT) have also been contacted by the president about helping with distribution to ensure supplies are reaching where they need to as well, officials said.

The White House said last week that the U.S. produces 98% of the baby formula it consumes, both for infants and for adults with certain health issues. The remainder comes from overseas including, The Netherlands, Chile, Mexico and Ireland.

In addition, two U.S. House committees have sent letters to the product makers to understand what has caused the severe shortage in addition to pandemic-related supply chain constraints. The companies have until next week to reply.

The FDA is also working on ways to diversity the infant formula supply in the U.S. going forward.

Califf said the topic will be "much discussed and needs to be considered" in light of the last few months' events.

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FDA expects baby formula shortage to improve in 'next couple of months' - Yahoo Finance

Some fathers just can't give up the tough love, even in their kids' biggest moments.

Matthew Tkachuk scored a hat trick to lead the Calgary Flames to a 9-6 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in a wild Game 1 of the Battle of Alberta in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The crowd at the Saddledome was loud throughout the contest and erupted when Tkachuk notched the hat trick in an empty net to seal the win. A storm of hats hit the ice, barring one; the 24-year-old did not get the one off the head of his father, Keith Tkachuk.

The former NHL star forward was caught on camera refusing to throw his hat on the ice to celebrate his sons hat trick.

The entire Tkachuk family, including younger brother Brady of the Ottawa Senators, was there to cheer on Matthews from the stands, with the younger Tkachuk working the crowd before puck drop.

Matthew Tkachuk was all over the ice, not only finding the back of the net but also getting under the Oilers' skin, especially forward Evander Kane. Both players were handed offsetting minors for roughing in the third period after a stoppage in play. After going chirping back and forth in the box for the duration of the penalties, Tkachuk was allowed to leave the sin bin before teammate Oliver Kylington, who had also been assessed a minor penalty prior to the scrum between Tkachuk and Kane. According to NHL rule 16.2, a team is allowed to declare which of their players can leave the box first when penalties are assessed at the same time.

The gritty Flames forward jumped on the ice and scored his second of the game with Kane left to witness the tally from the penalty box.

Almost nine minutes later in the period, Tkachuk sent the puck in an empty net, getting the hat trick and wrapping up a wild first game in the Battle of Alberta.

Calgary leads the series 1-0 with Game 2 set for Friday night at the Saddledome.

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To say the 2021 quarterback class underwhelmed would be an understatement.

The hyped 2021 group posted the lowest combined completion percentage since the 2018 class and the fewest yards per attempt since 2016. Five rookies attempted at least 100 passes this past season Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Mac Jones and Davis Mills and only Jones and Mills completed more than 60% of their passes. Jones was also the only passer to finished with more than 7 yards per attempt. The rest averaged between 6-6.9 yards per attempt.

But for this class minus Trey Lance, because he attempted only 71 passes during his rookie season and still might not be the Week 1 starter for the San Francisco 49ers in 2022 a second-year production bump isnt just possible, its probable.

It's hard to determine which statistic is the most indicative of a quarterback's success. More touchdowns and fewer interceptions are easy ones, but even then, some of the most improved passers see their interception rate rise as they attempt more passes.

To determine how big or small of a jump rookies make in their second season in the NFL, we looked at:

Completion percentage

Yards per attempt

Games started

Adjusted sack percentage (which means sacks divided by pass plays including passes, sacks and aborted snaps, via Football Outsiders)

Defensive DVOA (which means how teams perform on any given snap compared to a league-average baseline, also via Football Outsiders)

Offseason acquisitions

Head coaching changes

So to start, from 2011-2020 there were 35 quarterbacks who played at least five games in each of their first two NFL seasons.

Which second-year NFL quarterback will take the biggest leap? (Moe Haidar/Yahoo Sports)

Twenty quarterbacks saw their completion percentage rise by more than 1% in their second season, while eight had their completion rate drop by more than 1%. Nine improved their yards per attempt by more than 0.5 yards, and five saw that number drop by more than 0.5 yards.

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On average, a second-year quarterback improved his completion rate by 2.10% and his yards-per-attempt by 0.22.

A lot of that came with added experience and a better offensive line. Twenty-seven of the 35 quarterbacks started at least the same number of games in their second season than in their first, and 29 quarterbacks saw their team's adjusted sack percentage drop in their second season.

Some players benefited from high-profile additions as well. The Raiders and Bengals drafted Amari Cooper and JaMarr Chase for Derek Carr and Joe Burrow, respectively, following their rookie seasons, and the Cardinals traded for DeAndre Hopkins for Kyler Murray in 2020, after Murray's rookie year.

A good defense makes life easier for a young quarterback, too. Almost every quarterback on this list who saw significant improvement in their second season played for a team whose defensive DVOA improved as well. Players like Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson had top-five defenses behind them in their second seasons and played much better.

Oddly enough, coaching changes didnt really affect a players Year 2 bump. Some players enjoyed schematic changes that helped bolster their production the biggest being Jared Goff moving from Jeff Fisher to Sean McVay. Others like Carr, Jalen Hurts, Sam Darnold and Blaine Gabbert all completed a higher rate of passes in their second season. But plenty of quarterbacks got better with the same coach or saw no change with a new coach. Some even got worse with a new coach.

Second-year bumps also dont always equate to long-term success, either. Darnold and Goff are currently fighting for their starting careers on teams that didnt draft them, and Gabbert has been a backup since 2013. Other quarterbacks who saw improvement are in similar situations, like Trubisky, Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, while two high-profile players who got worse in Year 2 Josh Allen and Dak Prescott turned the corner in subsequent seasons and are now considered among the best quarterbacks in the league.

Predictions aren't prophecy, especially for young quarterbacks coming off tumultuous rookie seasons. But with a bit of historical data and present-day context, we can conceptualize a second-season trajectory for the 2021 rookies who saw the requisite playing time in Year 1.

We know that typically, a quarterback improves if his team bolstered the offensive line, added weapons around him, and fielded a good defense. We also know that head coaching changes don't reliably produce a second-year bump.

We've ranked which quarterbacks could improve the most based on these metrics.

Lawrence checks off all the boxes of a player who should make a jump in his second season. He gets an improved offensive line with the addition of Brandon Scherff, more playmakers in pass-catchers Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Evan Engram, and an upgraded defense (on paper, at least). There's also a new, Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson calling the shots.

Almost everything that applies to Lawrence can be applied to Wilson as well. While Wilson remains tethered to Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, he'll reap the benefits of an offseason that landed him a new guard in Laken Tomlinson, a new receiver in Garrett Wilson and a new running back in Breece Hall. The Jets made significant defensive additions in the draft and free agency as well.

Jones has a leg-up on the rest of the class in that he enjoyed the most successful rookie campaign of the group. Bill Belichick is still there, too, but the Patriots didn't really upgrade their team around Jones. The offensive line lost two starters but added rookie guard Cole Strange, the offensive weaponry is mostly the same and the defense only added a few pieces. Jones' path to improvement is more difficult given his advanced starting point and that he also lost offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

It's a little stunning that the Texans plan to roll with Mills for 2022, but there is actually a path for Mills to build off his solid rookie season. Houston hired a new coach though it was internal and made two upgrades along the offensive line with free-agent signing A.J. Cann and first-round pick Kenyon Green. The offensive playmakers will remain mostly the same, but the defense should get better with the free agent pickups and other draft picks.

Poor Fields. Perhaps one of the most exciting prospects from the 2021 draft might have the hardest time improving during his second season. The Bears swapped Matt Nagy for Matt Eberflus as head coach but made seemingly no efforts to upgrade the offensive line, offensive playmakers or the defense. Chicago actually got worse in several positions after receiver Allen Robinson signed with the Rams and new GM Ryan Poles traded edge rusher Khalil Mack to the Chargers.

That's how we see it shaking out. What do you think?

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Which Year 2 NFL quarterback will make the biggest jump? - Yahoo Sports

Can you put a dollar amount on what it means to be wealthy in the U.S.? An annual survey asks Americans to do just that, and this year, $2.2 million is the magic number.

That's according to the annual Modern Wealth Survey from Charles Schwab, which also finds people believe that an average net worth of $774,000 is what it takes to be financially comfortable.

The report, which surveyed 1,000 Americans ages 21 to 75 in February 2022, asked respondents a range of questions about their personal finances, including the factors influencing their savings and investment decisions.

The average net worth needed to be considered wealthy and to be financially comfortable both rose from last year's survey. In 2021, Americans said they needed $624,000 in net assets to live comfortably, while it would take $1.9 million to be rich. That said, the averages are still lower than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, likely because many people are focusing less on hitting a specific number and more on their overall goals, financial and otherwise, says Rob Williams, managing director of financial planning, retirement income, and wealth management at Charles Schwab.

"People are concerned about other things besides the balance in their portfolio and in their investment account," says Williams, including their physical health and overall stability.

The average net worth of U.S. households actually isn't so far off from Schwab's survey: It stood at $748,800 in 2019, according to the most recent Survey of Consumer Finances by the Federal Reserve. But that's skewed by the richest households. The median net worth for U.S. households is $121,700, per the Fed. And as other reports have found, many U.S. households have very little or no savings at all.

With little saved for emergencies or retirement, a number like $2.2 millionor even $774,000might seem like an impossible benchmark to reach. But Williams says this doesn't have to be the case. Ultimately, each household should calculate its own wealth target and make an individualized savings plan. What one person or family needs isn't the same as another.

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A plan is really just saying, This is whats important to me, this is what I need to save and invest for next year, in five years, 10 years from now, says Williams.

Once you have some idea of a target, the most important thing you can do is start savingregardless of the amount you put away. Five dollars is better than nothing, even if it doesn't seem at first like it will add up to much. Putting even a little bit of money away consistently is especially important when building a retirement account, as most Americans will be on their own to fund their golden years, says Williams.

"No matter how much money you have, get started and stay disciplined," he says. "Youll look back and say, Goodness, those small steps really built up over time. Youll find yourself in a position where you can make a lot more choices than you could before."

Once you start saving, make it an automatic ritual. Oftentimes, watching your savings accrue will provide the momentum to keep saving more and more, even if you're just starting out or well below your target number, says Williams.

Keeping the long game in mind is critical, especially in a rocky market like we're seeing right now. Building wealth, for most people, takes decades of dedicated investments. Though investing money in assets that are on a losing streak can seem self-defeating, a down market is "an opportunity to be saving and investing more," says Williamsand getting more for your money.

"If youre investing for net worth, it takes time to get there," he says. "It's good to be aspirational, but get started and dont get overwhelmed by trying to get to a certain number in a day or a week."

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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This is how much money Americans think they need to be considered wealthy - Yahoo Finance

SHANGHAI, China, May 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO; HKEX: 9866; SGX: NIO) (NIO or the Company), a pioneer and a leading company in the premium smart electric vehicle market, today announced that it has successfully listed, by way of introduction, its Class A ordinary shares (the Shares) on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the SGX-ST). The Shares are traded on the Main Board of the SGX-ST under the stock code NIO in board lot sizes of 10 Shares. The Companys American depositary shares (the ADSs), each representing one Share, remain primarily listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE). The Shares listed on the Main Board of the SGX-ST are fully fungible with the ADSs listed on the NYSE.

Today marks a new milestone for NIO. The listing on the SGX-ST has further strengthened NIOs footing in the global capital markets, said William Bin Li, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of NIO. Furthermore, by leveraging Singapores advantageous position as an international innovation and technology center, NIO plans to establish a research and development center for artificial intelligence and autonomous driving in Singapore and to collaborate with local science and research institutions to further broaden and enhance our global R&D capabilities.

AboutNIO Inc.

NIO Inc. is a pioneer and a leading company in the premium smart electric vehicle market. Founded in November 2014, NIOs mission is to shape a joyful lifestyle. NIO aims to build a community starting with smart electric vehicles to share joy and grow together with users. NIO designs, develops, jointly manufactures and sells premium smart electric vehicles, driving innovations in next-generation technologies in autonomous driving, digital technologies, electric powertrains and batteries. NIO differentiates itself through its continuous technological breakthroughs and innovations, such as its industry-leading battery swapping technologies, Battery as a Service, or BaaS, as well as its proprietary autonomous driving technologies and Autonomous Driving as a Service, or ADaaS. NIO launched the ES8, a seven-seater flagship premium smart electric SUV in December 2017, and began deliveries of the ES8 in June 2018 and its variant, the six-seater ES8, in March 2019. NIO launched the ES6, a five-seater high-performance premium smart electric SUV, in December 2018, and began deliveries of the ES6 in June 2019. NIO launched the EC6, a five-seater premium smart electric coupe SUV, in December 2019, and began deliveries of the EC6 in September 2020. NIO launched the ET7, a flagship premium smart electric sedan, in January 2021, and began deliveries of the ET7 in March 2022. NIO launched the ET5, a mid-size premium smart electric sedan, in December 2021.

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Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as will, expects, anticipates, aims, future, intends, plans, believes, estimates, likely to and similar statements. NIO may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), in announcements made on the websites of each of the SEHK and the SGX-ST, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about NIOs beliefs, plans and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: NIOs strategies; NIOs future business development, financial condition and results of operations; NIOs ability to develop and manufacture a car of sufficient quality and appeal to customers on schedule and on a large scale; its ability to ensure and expand manufacturing capacities including establishing and maintaining partnerships with third parties; its ability to provide convenient and comprehensive power solutions to its customers; the viability, growth potential and prospects of the newly introduced BaaS and ADaaS; its ability to improve the technologies or develop alternative technologies in meeting evolving market demand and industry development; NIOs ability to satisfy the mandated safety standards relating to motor vehicles; its ability to secure supply of raw materials or other components used in its vehicles; its ability to secure sufficient reservations and sales of the ES8, ES6, EC6, ET7 and ET5; its ability to control costs associated with its operations; its ability to build the NIO brand; general economic and business conditions globally and in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in NIOs filings with the SEC, the announcements on the website of the SEHK and the introductory document issued with the SGX-ST. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and NIO does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.nio.com

Investor Relations

ir@nio.com

Media Relations

global.press@nio.com

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NIO Inc. Successfully Listed on the Main Board of the Singapore Exchange - Yahoo Finance

Its NASCAR All-Star Race weekend at Texas again.

The track is set to hold its second All-Star Race after a deal that replaced the spring points race at the 1.5-mile track with the exhibition. Texas Motor Speedway got the All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1) after the race spent a year at Bristol following a move from longtime home Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2019.

The races rules are, as always, complicated. Its never simple enough for NASCAR to have the fastest car win over the course of 100 straightforward laps. The race is made up of four stages and the first three are 25 laps. The winners of those three stages get the first three starting spots for the final 50-lap stage. There will be a pit stop competition between stages as well and the driver of the team that wins that will start fourth in the final stage.

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 13: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on June 13, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Thats not all, either. If there isnt a caution between laps 15-25 in the final stage, NASCAR is going to arbitrarily throw a caution to bunch the field and create a restart. NASCARs been throwing debris cautions to bunch the field for more restarts for years, so even the most cynical NASCAR fans have to appreciate the transparency ahead of Sundays race.

Twenty drivers are already qualified for the All-Star Race and four will qualify via the Open race late Sunday afternoon. The open race consists of three stages over the course of 50 laps and each of the winners of those three stages make the main event. The fourth and final qualifier will be the winner of a fan popularity contest who didnt win any of the three stages.

Kyle Larson won the 2021 All-Star Race and he enters the race as the favorite. Heres what you need to know to bet the All-Star Race. All odds are from BetMGM.

Kyle Larson (+450)

Chase Elliott (+650)

Kyle Busch (+700)

Denny Hamlin (+800)

William Byron (+800)

Larsons a weekly favorite at this point even though he has just one win and is ninth in the standings so far. Each of the five drivers listed above have shown speed at intermediate tracks so far in 2022 and Byron may be the best bet of the bunch. He has two wins in 2022 and was fast at Kansas until a flat left-rear tire while leading ended his chances at a win. The left-rear tire issues that cropped up at Kansas could also pop up at Texas and throw a wrench of even more randomness into the race.

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Martin Truex Jr. (+1200)

Christopher Bell (+2000)

Truex and Bell get the nod here because of Joe Gibbs Racings speed at Kansas. Toyota had all six of its cars finish in the top 10 and all four of the JGR cars were in the top six. Texas and Kansas arent carbon copies of each other but theres enough similarity to believe that JGR and Hendrick are the teams to beat again.

Suarez has some tantalizing odds but hes also got to make the All-Star Race via the Open. Betting on a driver to qualify through the Open and then win the All-Star Race isnt a great one.

Wallace is automatically in the All-Star Race and had a fast car at Kansas. His finish would have been a lot better if not for a late pit stop snafu. Hes worth a flier at these odds given that speed.

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NASCAR All-Star Race betting: Kyle Larson is the favorite and the defending champ - Yahoo Sports