The worst Canadian wildfire season in recorded history spread an orange haze from Massachusetts to South Carolina and as far west as Missouri, threatening to disrupt flights and forcing millions to mask up or stay inside. 

Philadelphia and Baltimore registered some of the worst air quality readings in the US with the level exceeding 300 on Thursday, a number considered hazardous, according to the Environmental Protection Agencys AirNow map. Manhattan recorded in the 200 range but New Yorks Mayor Eric Adams warned the unprecedented conditions could again deteriorate and urged people to take precautions. 

Washington, DC, was under a Code Purple air quality alert, indicating very unhealthy air conditions for the entire public, according to the office of Mayor Muriel Bowser.

Based again on the forecast that the National Weather Service is putting out, we could see the winds that are pushing the smoke south from Canada begin to shift, said Christopher Rodriguez, director of DCs Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. So that will ease again some of the air quality challenges that were facing into the weekend.

Inbound flights to New Yorks LaGuardia Airport were grounded for a second day due to low visibility, while the Federal Aviation Administration warned that flights could also be halted at JFK, Newark and Teterboro. 

The haze is expected to last into Monday or Tuesday before the larger weather pattern pumping smoke south from Canada starts to break up, according to Zack Taylor, a senior branch forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. The plume itself covers most of North America and in the long term, the only real solution will be if the fires in Canada are brought under control.

For now, dystopian scenes gripped those in cities unfamiliar with this type of pollution, which is far more prevalent in Asia and increasingly affects parts of North America. Historic wildfires have blanketed large parts of Northern California in smoke in recent years and turned San Franciscos skies orange in 2020. 

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Why we like this card: The American Express Green Card offers a valuable rewards structure on travel and dining expenses, as well as broad travel-related perks, with a mid-range annual fee. 

Pros

  • Extensive travel-related perks
  • Points are transferable
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • Annual fee
  • No intro APR
  • Must pay balance in full each month

American Express Green Card: Overview

APR

  • Intro: none
  • Purchase: 20.99% to 28.99% Variable
  • Cash advance: 29.99% Variable, plus fee of either $10 or 5% of the amount of each cash advance, whichever is greater
  • Penalty: 29.99% APR

Annual fee: $150

Foreign transaction fee: none

Late payment: up to $40

Pay over time: monthly fee up to 1.33%

The American Express Green Card offers a range of features and benefits that make it a compelling choice for those who want a versatile and rewarding credit card. Cardholders can maximize their spending on travel, dining, and more with up to 3x points back on purchases.

The American Express Green Card also offers several travel benefits, including up to $189 per calendar year in statement credits for CLEAR Plus, up to $100 in statement credits annually for lounge access, trip delay insurance, car rental coverage, and more. Additionally, the card offers no foreign transaction fees, making it a great choice for international travelers. Cardholders also receive access to the Global Assist Hotline, which provides assistance in case of emergencies while traveling abroad. Cardholders who take advantage of these benefits should receive far more value than they spend on the $150 annual fee.

To view rates and fees of the American Express Green Card, see this page.

American Express Green Card: Rewards

The Green Card from American Express provides generous rewards points across several categories:

  • 3x Membership Rewards points on travel, including flights, hotels, vacation rentals, and more
  • 3x Membership Rewards points on transit, including trains, buses, ferries, subway, and more.
  • 3x Membership Rewards points on dining worldwide, as well as takeout and delivery in the U.S.
  • 1x Membership Rewards points on all other purchases

Additionally, new cardmembers can earn 60,000 membership rewards points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. As an added bonus, you can also earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during the first six months of card membership (up to $200 back) in the form of a statement credit.

How to redeem American Express Green Card membership points

Once youve earned membership points on your Gold Card spending, American Express provides a number of ways to use them. Keep in mind that the value of your points will vary depending how you redeem them. In general, points are worth 0.5 cents to 1 cent each. 

Book or upgrade travel

To get the most value out of your membership points, use them to book flights, reserve hotels, or redeem for upgrades (when available) through the American Express website or directly with travel partners.

Transfer your points to partners

One of the perks of earning membership points with American Express is that you can transfer them to other airline and hotel frequent traveler loyalty programs. These include Air Canada, Emirates, JetBlue, and more.

Pay with points

Another option is to use your points as payment when checking out at 15 different online retailers. You can also pay with points when checking out through PayPal, essentially allowing you to use points at millions of online stores around the world.

Cover your charges

Certain charges on your card are eligible to be paid off via points. Simply request a statement credit equal to one or more eligible charges on your monthly statement. Note that you need a minimum of 1,000 points to use this option.

Redeem for gift cards 

Finally, its possible to redeem membership points for gift cards at a number of retail, dining, air, and lodging companies. These include Amazon, Hotels.com, Ticketmaster, and more.

Additional benefits

  • $189 CLEAR Plus credit: Get up to $189 per year in statement credits when you pay for a CLEAR Plus membership with your card.
  • $100 credit for lounge access: If you use your Green Card to purchase lounge access through LoungeBuddy, you can receive up to $100 in statement credits per year.
  • Trip delay insurance: By paying for a round trip with your card, delays of more than 12 hours for covered reasons may qualify for reimbursement of up to $300 per trip. A maximum of two claims are allowed per eligible account, per 12 consecutive month period. 
  • Car rental loss and damage insurance: Use your card to reserve and pay for the entire rental, plus decline the collision damage waiver (CDW) at the rental counter, and you can be covered for damage to or theft of a rental vehicle.
  • Baggage insurance plan: Youll be covered up to $1,250 for carry-on baggage and up to $500 for checked baggage, in excess of coverage provided by the carrier, if your baggage is lost, damaged, or stolen. You must purchase the entire fare for a common carrier vehicle ticket (e.g. plane, train, ship, or bus) with your card.
  • Global Assist Hotline: You may be eligible for 24/7 emergency assistance and coordination services when you travel more than 100 miles from home.
  • ShopRunner: Get free, two-day shipping on eligible items with ShopRunner when you enroll in complimentary membership
  • Purchase protection: Eligible purchases that you pay for with your Green Card are protected for up to 90 days from the purchase date, up to $1,000 per occurrence and $50,000 per calendar year.
  • Extended warranty: Get up to one extra year added to the original manufacturers warranty on warranties of five years or less when you use your card to make a covered purchase.

Is the American Express Green Card right for you?

American Express offers several travel rewards cards with varying levels of rewards, benefits, and costs. Overall, the American Express Green Card is a good choice if you travel regularly throughout the year, but not extensively to the point that it would warrant paying the higher annual fee on a luxury card.

Credit cards similar to the American Express Green Card

With so many travel cards on the market, deciding which one is right for you takes some time and research. Before settling on the Amex Green Card, consider these close alternatives. 

Capital One Venture Rewards Card vs. American Express Green Card

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is another strong option to consider if youre looking for a travel card with transferable points and a modest annual fee. The Venture card offers up to 5x miles per dollar on certain travel-related purchases with the opportunity to earn 75,000 miles as a welcome bonus when you meet spending requirements. It also offers travel perks similar to the Green Card, such as an annual statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.

American Express Gold Card vs. American Express Green Card

Both the American Express Gold Card and Green Card are mid-tier rewards cards offered by American Express. The Gold Card, however, is geared more toward foodies, with 4x points back on purchases at restaurants, food delivery, and grocery stores, as well as yearly statement credits for dining purchases. The Gold Cards annual fee is a bit higher at $250 per year.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Amex Green Card better than Gold?

Which card is better depends on your spending habits. The Green Card is designed to reward frequent travelers, while the Gold Card is better suited for those who spend a lot on travel and food purchases. 

Do you have to pay off the American Express Green Card every month?

The Amex Green Card allows you to carry a balance with interest on certain eligible purchases. However, you must pay the balance in full on purchases that dont qualify for the Pay Over Time feature. 

Can you upgrade Amex Green to Platinum?

If you want the opportunity to earn greater rewards and enjoy even more travel benefits, its possible to upgrade your Green Card to the The Platinum Card from American Express. American Express may reach out with upgrade offers from time to time, or you can request one directly by contacting the issuer.

Please note that card details are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the issuer. Please contact the card issuer to verify rates, fees, and benefits before applying.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Cathie Wood said Binance Holdings Ltd.s US legal problems will benefit its rival Coinbase Global Inc. 

The worlds two biggest cryptocurrency exchanges are facing a regulatory crackdown including allegations this week filed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission that they are peddling unregistered securities.

In an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday, Wood said that the increasing regulatory scrutiny of Binance was a good thing longer term for Coinbase.

US regulators have not filed criminal charges against Binance or any of its representatives. In March, the US regulator for derivatives filed a civil enforcement action charging Binance Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao and three of the exchanges affiliated entities with numerous violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations. 

Binance described the CFTC action as unexpected and disappointing, with Zhao saying in a blog post on the companys website that the complaint appears to contain an incomplete recitation of facts, and we do not agree with the characterization of many of the issues alleged in the complaint.

Wood said Coinbase isnt accused of any criminal activity. There are questions about whats a security, about staking, those are the two questions that Coinbase and Binance are facing, but most of the other questions about Binance have nothing to do with Coinbase.

Her comments come after her funds on Tuesday boosted their holdings of Coinbase as shares slumped following the SECs action, with three Ark Investment Management LLC funds, including Woods flagship Ark Innovation ETF, buying 419,324 shares.

Ark is the fourth-largest holder of Coinbase and has been adding to its stake on dips for nearly a year.Play Video

Wood said shes still confident in her $1 million target for Bitcoin, saying the more uncertainty and volatility there is in global economies the more Arks confidence increases in the token. 

Weve just been through an inflationary scare, we think it was very supply chain driven and Bitcoin is a hedge against inflation, she said. We also believe now that the bigger risk is deflation, not inflation. Why would Bitcoin do well in that circumstance? It will do well because its an antidote to counterparty risk in the traditional financial system.

Wood has faced criticism after her flagship ETF cut its holding in Nvidia Corp. in January and missed out on an epic rally that made the chipmaker briefly cross $1 trillion in market valuation. Wood has defended her decision, citing concerns over the computer-chip industrys boom-bust cycle. 

Wood, an ardent Tesla Inc. bull, said the electric vehicle maker is one of the biggest artificial intelligence plays around.

Tesla with its four to five million robots roaming around the world is collecting more data every day and has collected more miles of real-world driving data than all of the other auto companies and technology companies around the world combined, Wood said later Thursday in a video address to the Morgan Stanley Australia Summit in Sydney.

Teslas AI project would help scale autonomous taxi projects, she said.

We believe that this autonomous taxi platform opportunity will evolve from zero in revenues today to eight to 10 trillion in 2030, Wood said. Thats nearly half the size of the US economy and thats the global opportunity.

(Corrects characterization of the regulatory allegations against Binance. A previous version added Woods comments about Tesla, autonomous taxis)

With assistance from Andy Clarke and Georgina McKay.

Crypto skeptic Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and a Senate colleague are asking the Justice Department to investigate whether Binance lied to lawmakers about its business practices.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Warren and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Binance may have lied about whether U.S. subsidiary Binance.US really operated as an independent entity. 

This is a serious matter, the lawmakers wrote in their letter on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

Binance and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune.

It appears that Binance and Binance.US undermined this important investigation and the legislative process by providing false and misleading information to Congress, the senators wrote.

On Monday, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Binance and CEO Changpeng CZ Zhao for allegedly violating U.S. securities laws. In a 136-page complaint, the regulator laid out 13 charges that included offering unregistered securities and mishandling customer funds. The complaint also alleges that Binance and CZ allowed and encouraged U.S. customers to trade on the main Binance.com exchange when they should have been restricted to the Binance.US platform.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler said the crypto industry needs to make some serious changes because currently its the Wild West, with a bunch of casino operators.

The business models need to adjust to come into compliance, Gensler said. That may be hard work, but its going to promote trust in this field.

Learn more about all things crypto with short, easy-to-read lesson cards. Click here for Fortunes Crypto Crash Course.

The City of London started distancing itself from hedge fund manager Crispin Odey hours after the publication of fresh allegations of sexual assault against women over several decades.  

Morgan Stanley has begun the process of terminating its prime brokerage relationship with his namesake firm, Odey Asset Management, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. is also reviewing its relationship in light of the claims, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified because the details are private. 

Representatives for Odey Asset Management, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan declined to comment. Prime brokers offer a range of services to their hedge fund clients, including leverage and trade execution.  

The Financial Times, which reported Morgan Stanleys decision earlier, published an investigation Thursday into Odeys treatment of women over a 25-year period that included multiple allegations of sexual harassment or assault. A law firm representing Odey said he strenuously disputed the allegations, according to the newspaper report.

The allegations are the latest in a series Odey has faced in recent years. In 2021, he was acquitted of assault charges in British courts but new accusations against him surfaced soon after with two women coming forward to Bloomberg News. Later, more appeared in a Tortoise Media Podcast. 

Odey is known for courting controversy from his support of Brexit to his conspicuous lifestyle, his short bets against the pound to his spectacular losses and bounce backs. 

Last year, Odey celebrated his best ever year of gains with his hedge fund surging 152%, powered mainly by his highly leveraged short wagers on long-dated UK government bonds as inflation and political turmoil roiled the British economy. His fund was down 4% through April this year, according to an investor document.

Have you ever felt stressed and immediately turned to a childhood favorite of boxed mac and cheese or a warm piece of cake? Guilty.  

Feeling stressed can often lead people to reach for a high-calorie, sugary comfort food. While its easy to feel that the initial sugar rush of a pleasurable bite might ease feelings of discomfort, new research suggests stress may have a longer-term impact on how the brain craves certain foods. 

In a study published in the journal Neuron Thursday, researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research found the combination of chronic stress and comfort food may influence the brain to continue craving comfort food (often higher in processing and calories), negating peoples feelings of fullness and increasing the chance of developing obesity. 

How the brain responds to chronic stress

Our findings reveal stress can override a natural brain response that diminishes the pleasure gained from eatingmeaning the brain is continuously rewarded to eat, says Herbert Herzog, Ph.D., senior author of the study and visiting scientist at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, in a press release.

Using mice in their model, researchers examined how different diets affected the brains response to chronic stress. The results suggest a link between stress and the bodys response to food. Stressed mice on a high-fat diet gained twice the weight compared to non-stressed mice on a high fat diet. 

We discovered that an area known as the lateral habenula, which is normally involved in switching off the brains reward response, was active in mice on a short-term, high-fat diet to protect the animal from overeating. However, when mice were chronically stressed, this part of the brain remained silentallowing the reward signals to stay active and encourage feeding for pleasure, no longer responding to satiety regulatory signals, says Kenny Ip, Ph.D., an author on the study from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.

And more, the researchers gave mice the option to drink water or artificially sweetened water. The mice under stress consumed the artificial sweetener three times more than the mice who were not. Both groups of mice were on the same high-fat diet. 

In stressful situations its easy to use a lot of energy and the feeling of reward can calm you downthis is when a boost of energy through food is useful. But when experienced over long periods of time, stress appears to change the equation, driving eating that is bad for the body long term, Herzog says in the press release.

How to prevent stress eating 

To avoid the sugar crash and potential negative health impacts of overeating, consider having nutritious foods on-hand when working whether from home or at the office. Healthy options are crucial when the day gets busy. Leaning toward a food you love filled with protein and fiber will help keep you feeling full while giving you long-term energy. Foods rich in vitamin D can help strengthen the brain, while whole foods can keep your heart healthy.

Be sure to have plenty of healthy, nutrient-dense options ready to go, [such as] fruit and veggies in the fridge that are washed and chopped so they are easy to grab, Dena Champion, an RDN (registered dietitian nutritionist) with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, previously told Fortune. 

Stress may also equate to not having time to sit down and eat. Beyond the mental health benefits of enjoying a meal with good company (not in a rush!), planning the time to eat can also limit the impulse to grab something in a hurry that may not make you feel sustained long-term. 

Many nutrition experts also recommend eating mindfullyespecially in times of stress. It can be easy to quickly snack on a bag of chips without even enjoying it when we are stressed. Mindful eating starts with slowing down and focusing on the food you have in front of you. While less about restriction, mindfulness can help people take a beat and think about what will benefit their bodies before making an impulsive decision under stressful circumstances.

Ideally, you should sit down and enjoy your food, and focus on the tastes, smells, and feel of it, even if its just for five minutes, Ginger Hultin, a Seattle-based RDN at Champagne Nutrition, previously told Fortune. 

A Wall Street analyst has warned Andy Jassy he needs to go back to the Day One mentality that propelled Amazon to success and focus on the opportunities that only the online giant can clinch.

Bernsteins Mark Shmulik has penned an open letter to executives at the Jeff Bezos-founded firm, saying that although his outlook on the brand is positive there is work to be done on its long-term strategy.

Shmulik points out that although Amazon is enjoying its shares being up 50% in the year-to-date, its still underperforming by approximately 52% when compared to its peers.

The analyst framed his criticism of the $1.24 trillion business by outlining that he was clearly optimistic about the road ahead, adding the asset management firm has upgraded Amazon to its best investment idea in the internet category.

However, Jassys scatter-gun approach to development has drawn criticism from investors and spectators alike.

In Jassys letter to shareholders released earlier this year, the CEO outlined plans not only for its traditional commerce business but also for advertising, healthcare, media and entertainment, artificial intelligence and satellite systems to name a few.

As well as its investment strategy Shmulikwith the backing of Amazon investorshas also criticized some of the organizations communications.

He said that a simple course of self-help could not only remedy investor concerns but also propel the brand into a stock range of $180 to $200.

Shmulik said Jassy and Amazons S-teamwhat the business calls its leadership teamneed to go back to Day One thinking, a phrase repeated by Bezos which symbolizes a start-up mindset of vitality and agility.

In Jassys shareholder letter for the past year, he did highlight that the company was asking itself about the conviction of its experiments, adding: We took a deep look across the company, business by business, invention by invention, and asked ourselves whether we had conviction about each initiatives long-term potential to drive enough revenue, operating income, free cash flow, and return on invested capital.

Amazon pursuing too many ideas

In Shmuliks view, projects like Amazon Care are taking valuable attention away from projects which will materially strengthen the brand.

He said the company is simply pursuing too many ideas, with weaker ideas taking away the oxygen, capital, and most importantly focus from the truly disruptive initiatives that only Amazon can do.

To make initiatives like healthcare and broadbandknown as Project Kuipera reality, the business must divest, seek outside funding, or trim spend, he added.

He continued: Amazon has been trying for half a decade to build something in healthcare, but the goalposts keep moving, he wrote, meanwhile Kuiper has no discernible competitive advantages over operating competitors.

Healthcare isnt a pipe dream introduced by Jassythe business has been toying with the market since 2017 when Bezos was still at the helm.

Six years ago the business invested in a tech-driven lab touted to be a cloud-based telehealth service.

In 2018 the businessalongside JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathawayformed Haven, a low-cost and high-quality healthcarea project it later abandoned.

Amazon has continued to invest in online pharmacies and healthcare providers before launching Amazon Care in 2020.

Good money after bad

Shmuliks criticism of Amazons plans didnt stop thereadding the company needs to reassess its geographies and experimental new stores.

On expanding into new markets, the analyst says that regions like Brazil, India and Singapore are a case of throwing good money after bad.

He said in a highly-competitive marketplace Amazon is underwater and that despite holding huge potential as a customer base, its market share is declining.

Instead of tinkering with physical stores Jassy needs to make a call on physical groceries the letter adds.

The brand has yo-yoed between opening physical shops and then closing them down againannouncing in a few years it was not only shutting a handful of grocery stores but also all of its book stores and pop ups.

Instead of trying to push its own brand, the business should purchase a proven concept such as potential divested KR/ACI stores, referring to the stores Kroger and Albertsons are selling off as part of their planned merger.

Communication is key

The letter also suggested Amazon needs to take a leaf out of the book of Big Tech competitors like Google and Meta, which break out non-core areas in earnings calls and company communications.

The result, Shmulik said, would show a far healthier and more profitable core business.

The analyst added investors want more consistency with metrics on earnings calls, as well as sharper prepared remarks to answer key investor questions before opening up the floor.

With all due respect, this managements team hasnt yet earned investors benefit of the doubt. Were grateful to have Andy Jassy now joining the earnings calls, but after six quarters post CEO appointment theres still room to tighten the messaging, particularly around strategy and progress, he wrote.

Clarity is also needed on Amazons aims with A.I., Shmulik added: We get investor questions today asking is AWS in last place in A.I.?, is retail actually a profitable business?, and even do we want Andy on the earnings call? It points to one underlying issue: Amazon doesnt own its own narrative.

In Jassys shareholder letter, he confirmed the company is developing its own large language modelsdeep learning algorithms trained on troves of data to predict and generate words or images based on an inputto enhance Amazon Web Services (AWS), a pay-as-you-go cloud computing platform where companies pick and choose the services they want. 

Where to focus

There were a number of areas that Shmulik wanted Amazon to focus on: media and its Buy With Prime servicewhich allows Prime members to shop from participating online stores with membership benefits.

Amazon clearly has a competitive advantage, particularly with Shopify throwing in the towel on a competing service, and falls in the category of something only Amazon can do. Allocate more resources here, Shmulik bluntly put it.

Amazon had no comment when approached by Fortune.

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