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A former reality TV star just won the longest-ever Iditarod in Alaska after a grueling 10-day race

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NOME, Alaska (AP) — Jessie Holmes, a former reality television star, won the longest-ever Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Friday, celebrating with fist pumps to a cheering crowd and posing for photos with his two floral wreath-adorned head teammates, Hercules and Polar.

Holmes was first to the finish line in the Gold Rush town of Nome, on the Bering Sea coast. The race began March 3 in Fairbanks after a lack of snow forced changes to the route and starting point.

That made the normally 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) race a staggering 1,129 miles (1,817 kilometers) across the Alaska wilderness. Holmes finished in 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes and 41 seconds.

“It’s hard to put into words, but it’s a magical feeling,” Holmes said shortly after crossing the finish line. “It’s not about this moment now. It’s about all those moments along the trail.”

Holmes, who was competing for the eighth time, previously finished in the top 10 five times, including third last year and in 2022. In his first Iditarod, in 2018, his seventh-place finish earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

Born and raised in Alabama, Holmes left at age 18 and worked as a carpenter in Montana for three years. He arrived in Alaska in 2004 and found adventure running dogs on a remote location of the Yukon River.

“It’s been a truly amazing 10 days and I soaked in every part of it — the lows, the highs, the in-betweens. … I’m really proud of these dogs and I love them. And they did it. They deserve all the credit,” Holmes said.

He gave a special salute to his two lead canines, Hercules, his half-sprint dog, and Polar, saying, “He’s the brains behind the operation.”

Holmes now lives in Nenana, where he works as a carpenter and lives a subsistence lifestyle. From 2015 through 2023, he was a cast member of “Life Below Zero,” a National Geographic program that documents the struggles of Alaskans living in remote parts of the state.

Besides the lack of snow north of the Alaska Range that forced the change of starting point to Fairbanks, race organizers also had to make changes to the ceremonial start in Anchorage.

With snow trucked in to cover streets in the state’s largest city, the usual parade route there was shortened from 11 miles to under 2 miles (from about 18 kilometers to under 3.2 kilometers), and the number of dogs was reduced.

Only 33 mushers started in Fairbanks, tied with 2023 for the smallest field ever. The drop in participants has raised concerns about the viability of the race, which has had to contend with inflation, climate change and pressure from animal rights groups.

One dog died in this year’s Iditarod: a pregnant female on the team of musher Daniel Klein, who under race rules scratched due to the death.

Nearly a third of the mushers quit early, including eight who scratched and two who were withdrawn for not being competitive.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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U.S. crypto czar’s $200 million portfolio held Bitcoin, Coinbase, and Robinhood

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David Sacks and his investment firm Craft Ventures have divested more than $200 million in crypto holdings since President Donald Trump named Sacks as the White House’s AI and crypto czar, according to a Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, according to the memo. Sacks also held stock in the online brokerage Robinhood and the crypto exchange Coinbase. And he was a limited partner in the marquee crypto venture capital funds Multicoin Capital and Blockchain Capital, along with 90 other VCs.

While Sacks has divested most of his crypto holdings, he and Craft Ventures still hold equity in a suite of companies. His shares of the crypto custody firm BitGo and the Bitcoin protocol developer Lightning Labs are worth about 2.5% and 1.1% of his total assets, respectively, according to the memo. The government, however, has agreed to waive any conflicts of interest regarding Sacks and Craft Ventures’ ongoing stakes in crypto companies.

“I sold all my cryptocurrency (including BTC, ETH, and SOL) prior to the start of the administration,” Sacks said in a post on X earlier in March. 

He and his firm Craft Ventures did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dated March 5, the memo on Sacks’ interests in the crypto industry follows social media rumblings that the AI and crypto czar risked mixing his own business with the government’s crypto dealings. After Trump posted in early March that certain cryptocurrencies, including Solana, would be included in a national crypto reserve, critics said that Sacks was boosting his own portfolio.

And more naysayers came out against Sacks once Trump officially authorized the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve and a digital assets stockpile later that week. “This is a direct transfer of wealth from the U.S. treasury to David Sacks and other crypto barons,” said Ryan Grim, who runs a popular account on X and a politics newsletter. 

Sacks countered that he had divested much of his cryptocurrency holdings, and crypto executives came to his defense. “He is doing tremendous work and will not be sharing in any of the economic upside to avoid even the slightest appearance of a conflict,” Cameron Winklevoss, cofounder of the crypto exchange Gemini, posted on X.

Trump named Sacks as his AI and crypto czar in December. The then incoming president said Sacks, who is a former executive at PayPal, would guide policy on the regulation of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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Elon Musk’s Tesla reportedly halts Cybertruck deliveries as owners complain of metal sides falling off

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  • The glue holding the pickup truck’s stainless steel exterior in place is failing for many Tesla customers, causing its sides to protrude. It’s the latest of numerous instances of build quality issues with the Cybertruck, a once-promising vehicle now beset by problems.

In the the latest sign the Tesla Cybertruck risks becoming Elon Musk’s first full-blown flop, sales of the pickup have been halted amid growing cases of metal panelling falling off. 

On Thursday, EV enthusiast site Electrek reported Tesla delivery agents as saying all outbound vehicles have been stopped amid concerns that the glue holding the exterior stainless steel panelling in place is failing. 

The issue isn’t new but it has remained unaddressed. Owners living in cold weather conditions in particular have been warning about it for weeks, posting images of sharp-edged metal trim protruding from their vehicles and flapping in the wind while driving. Some have even taken to reporting the problem to the federal traffic safety authority NHTSA, Road & Track reported last month.

But an image circulated recently showing the entire front bumper dangling loosely from the body may have tipped the scale.

Tesla did not respond to Fortune‘s request for comment.

The Cybertruck has been dogged with issues ever since it came out, with multiple recalls to fix not just software but actual build problems, including an accelerator pedal that caused accidents when it stuck in place or plastic trim around the bed flying off

But the first truly vivid display of the questionable quality came from Cody Detwiler, a YouTuber who goes by the name WhistlinDiesel. He first gave Tesla owners a glimpse of just how easy it was to damage the vehicle after putting the Cybertruck through the paces in a durability test that went viral. 

‘I know more about manufacturing than anyone currently alive’

Early adopters who have been buying Teslas over the past decade knows this risk comes with the territory when an all-new model first rolls out, especially one with such unique engineering. 

Fortune interviewed one of these customers last year, who remained loyal to the brand and a fan of the truck throughout his otherwise hellish experience with the vehicle. 

But concerns continue to grow. Just this week Tesla was criticized for ditching durable steel in favor of lighter aluminum for the truck’s casted frame. This subjects it to stress over time, raising the possibility of catastrophic failure when towing loads within specification. 

This risks the truck not living up to the standards of the demanding Musk, who has called his factories the “hottest Tesla product” and elevated manufacturing to a brand differentiator.

“At this point I think I know more about manufacturing than anyone currently alive on earth,” the Tesla CEO told a TED Talk three years ago, when the truck was being engineered.

Demand ‘so far off the hook, you can’t even see the hook’

According to Cox Automotive, sales failed to top 39,000 last year despite having installed capacity to build over 125,000. Now Tesla’s offering low financing rates of 2% to move metal and buffing off the badges on Foundation Series vehicles that failed to find a buyer at launch.

While it is still outselling any other EV pickup truck, the Cybertruck can be considered a flop already given its lofty expectations. Shortly before the truck launched, Musk said demand was “so far off the hook you can’t even see the hook” and reservations were taken for almost 2 million trucks.

Despite its numerous problems, the Cybertruck could receive a sales boost in the coming weeks and months. For one, the $80,000 all-wheel drive version is expected to qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit before it expires.

President Trump is also coming to Tesla’s aid, publicly encouraging Americans to buy Musk’s cars and trucks as a show of support for his administration.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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One-day tickets to Universal’s Epic Universe are now on sale: Here’s what it will cost to get into Florida’s newest big theme park

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  • One-day tickets for Universal’s Epic Universe have gone on sale. A one-day ticket will cost $139, but you won’t be able to use it until a week-and-a-half after the park opens. Epic Universe is set to open on May 22.

Universal Orlando is just over two months away from welcoming guests to its Epic Universe, a major expansion that is taking the central Florida theme park wars to a new level. And fans who want to visit finally have the chance to buy a ticket.

Universal has opened up one-day ticket sales for Epic Universe. Until now, the only way to get an admission was buying a three-, four- or five-day pass, where all but one day had to be spent in other Universal theme parks, or to be an annual passholder.

A one-day adult ticket will run you $139, while children will pay $135 for a single-day pass. (Florida residents do not currently get a discount.) A two-day ticket is also available for $126.50 for adults ($121.50 for kids), but one of the two days must be spent in a park other than Epic Universe.

The park, which was originally scheduled to open in 2023, will open on May 22, but people who buy a one-day pass won’t be able to use it until June 1 or later.

Epic Universe is a $6 billion expansion by Universal meant to lure away more visitors from Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Disney, in response, has announced a major upgrade to its Orlando parks, part of a 10-year, $60 billion investment in parks and experiences.

Epic Universe will feature five different lands. Celestial Park will serve as the entry into Universal Epic Universe, with dining, shopping and three attractions, a carousel, a dual-launch coaster and interactive dancing fountains. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s Ministry of Magic will present elements from both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, and offer what is likely the most anticipated ride, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry, which features the return of Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge.

Super Nintendo World will be a larger interactive Nintendo-themed world than the one in California, with a Donkey Kong-themed coaster where the car appears to jump over a gap. How to Train Your Dragon’s Isle of Berk will let you ‘ride’ a dragon and explore the Viking village at the heart of the story.

Finally, Dark Universe embraces Universal’s monster-movie history, with reimagined classic creatures, including Frankenstein, the Wolfman and Dracula.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com



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