Geoff Bennett:
Farmers in Belgium and Spain are now saying that they are going to join the protest movement in solidarity.
Back in this country, U.S. consumer confidence has reached a two-year high. The business research group Conference Board says its confidence index rose in January for a third straight month. Analysts tied the increase to slower inflation and continued economic growth.
On Wall Street, stocks mostly drifted as Federal Reserve policymakers started their latest meeting on interest rates. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 134 points to close at 38467. The Nasdaq fell 118 points. The S&P 500 slipped three.
And this year's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song goes to singing great Elton John and his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin. The Library of Congress announced the award today, citing hits that include "Your Song," "Tiny Dancer," Rocket Man," and many others. They will be honored at a concert in Washington on March 20.
And the famed Broadway dancer, singer and actress Chita Rivera died today in New York. Over seven decades, she garnered 10 Tony nominations, won twice, and blazed a trail for Latina artists. Rivera first won fame in 1957 as Anita in the original "West Side Story." She recalled that experience for "American Masters" on PBS back in 2006.
Chita Rivera, Dancer, Singer and Actress: Being inside of the piece was constant motion. That's what the emotion of the gangs was all about. That's what the youth of the time was all about, just movement, keep on moving. That's why it was quick great to dance it and to sing it. But just to sing it would not have been enough.
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