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☆ Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy file for union vote at Disneyland
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Chris Isidore | Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The group had announced a union organizing effort in February, but very often such campaigns fall short of filing to hold a vote. Union organizing efforts have picked up in the last year, especially in the wake of a number of high profile contract wins by unions that provided union members with large pay raises. There are more than 21,000 Disneyland “cast member” employees, who are represented by more than a dozen unions. But it doesn’t include the performers who dress up as characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy and interact with visitors. Vo said it’s difficult for cast members to afford living on their own, and many have roommates.

Persons: “, ”, Kate Shindle, Mickey, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Disney, Mai Vo, Vo, Zach Elefante, Elefante Organizations: California CNN, Actor’s Equity Association, National Labor Relations Board, Disneyland, Disney, Union, Workers, CNN, showtime, Magic Kingdom Locations: Anaheim, California, Los Angeles, Orlando , Florida, Orlando, Southern California, Vo

☆ ‘They hit the jackpot’: How so-called ‘burglary tourists’ use visa waivers to target luxury US homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Josh Campbell | Jason Kravarik | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“She bought some beautiful antique jewelry, museum-quality jewelry.”Orange County, California, prosecutors allege a group of thieves hid in the hillside adjoining the Starr’s home, watched them leave with visiting relatives, and made their move. “They came over our fence, they broke through a window in the upper bedroom and came through that window,” Jeff Starr told CNN. When the suspects arrive – most often from South America, prosecutors say – they join sophisticated burglary rings that prey on luxury homes. They have WiFi jammers to stop the alarm company from being notified.”Some of the burglary suspects have used ghillie suits, like the one seen here, to camouflage their movements. Ventura County, California, alone attributed 175 residential burglaries to “transnational theft groups” between 2019 and mid-2023.

Persons: Orange County , California CNN — Carol, Jeff Starr, ” Carol Starr, “, ”, Carol Starr, –, Todd Spitzer, Spitzer, Jeff Walther, “ I’m, ” Walther, South America Rama, Balakrishna Sundar, ” Rama Sundar, …, Jae C, “ They’re Organizations: Orange County , California CNN, CNN, ” Prosecutors, Department of Homeland, ” Scottsdale Police, Department, Homeland, DHS, US State Department Locations: Orange County , California, Southern California, Carol’s, United States, South America, Orange County, Chile, California, Scottsdale , Arizona, Baltimore , Maryland, Raleigh , North Carolina, Nassau County , New York, Ventura County , California, Scottsdale, Arizona, Dana Point , California, Santa Ana , California, Chilean, Washington

☆ Disney reveals more on huge Magic Kingdom expansion, one part of a $60 billion investment
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Natasha Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Glendale, California CNN —Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the “wildest ride in the wilderness,” sits at one edge of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom park, the most visited theme park in the world. “It’s probably the largest expansion ever at Magic Kingdom,” Michael Hundgen, Walt Disney World site portfolio executive, said Tuesday during a rare media event previewing new Disney attraction designs and technology at its Walt Disney Imagineering facility in California. Disney’s 10-year investment planThe Magic Kingdom expansion is one part of a $60 billion investment Disney has said it’s planning for its parks, cruises and experiences over the next decade. But any plans for expanding the theme park footprint at the Disneyland resort would need Anaheim city approval because of zoning issues. This is really a wild experience.”Charita Carter, executive creative producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, worked on the project from its inception about four years ago.

Persons: “ It’s, ” Michael Hundgen, Walt, Walt Disney, Bob Iger, Josh D'Amaro, Iger, “ it’s, Disney, ” Iger, ”, Mike Pucher, Walt Disney Imagineering Iger, Imagineers, Darth Vader, Imagineer Lanny Smoot, ” Smoot, Smoot, Christian Thompson, Stella Reese Chase, Leah Chase, Chase, “ I’m, I’ve, ” Charita Carter, Walt Disney Imagineering, Carter, “ Organizations: California CNN, Railroad, Disney, Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney, Walt, CNN, Universal Orlando Resort, Universal, Comcast, Anaheim City Council, National Inventors Hall of Fame, Research, Walt Disney Imagineering Research, Disneyland’s Locations: Glendale, California, ”, Central Florida, Disney’s Florida, Florida, Anaheim, New Orleans

☆ The Tesla Cybertruck is impressive and worrying
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Then, in 2019, Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Cybertruck, a bare metal box on wheels. Even when I parked a rented Tesla Cybertruck next to a hot-pink McLaren supercar in a shopping center parking lot in California, the people in the McLaren couldn’t stop talking about the Cybertruck. Peter Valdes-Dapena/CNNThe Tesla Cybertruck looks like nothing else on the road. There’s a lot to like about the Cybertruck, but it also embodies a disturbing level of individual arrogance in hard, unforgiving steel. The Tesla Cybertruck's simple interior is nice enough but, with hardly any switches or knobs, this is the easy part.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, who’d, Peter Valdes, Walter Isaacson’s, Musk, It’s, CNN Tesla, I’d, haven’t, there’s Organizations: Laguna Beach , California CNN, Ford, Chevrolet Silverado, GM, McLaren, CNN, Tesla, SpaceX, Goodyear, Lamborghini, Ferrari, General Motors, Silverado EV Locations: Laguna Beach , California, California, Turo

☆ The super-rich are buying more ultra-customized Rolls-Royces and Lamborghinis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Lamborghini sold more than 10,000 vehicles last year for the first time ever and Ferrari had a more than 17% increase in revenue. But customers purchasing Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royces and Bentleys have an even wider array of infinitely customizable paint colors and interior materials, to start with, than carmakers offer for less expensive brands. If the customer has a favorite shirt, for example, the car paint could be matched to the fabric color. At Dixon’s Rolls-Royce dealership three quarters of the roughly 90 cars sold each year include some degree of custom options, she said. While she and Rolls-Royce’s design team can provide guidance, in the end, the choices have to be the customer’s.

Persons: Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, ”, Stephan Winkelmann, Lewis Hamilton, Altrata, Royce Cullinan, Javier Gonzalez Lastra, “, ” Gonzalez Lastra, Pietro Frigerio, Kellyn Dixon, Dixon, Bugatti Chiron, Bugatti, Chiron, Lamborghini’s Winkelmann Organizations: California CNN, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Royce, CNN, Ferrari’s, Tema, Volkswagen, Ford, Art Basel Miami Beach, Rolls Royce, Bugatti, Bugatti Bugatti Locations: Irvine, California, Newport Beach , California, Irvine , California, Goodwood

☆ Brock Purdy’s epic comeback etches his name in 49ers lore as Detroit’s hero Jared Goff is left wondering what could have been
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“All he’s done since he’s been here is play at an elite level and everything starts with him. Facing skepticism after that first season, it wasn’t clear to Lions fans heading into the 2022 season if Goff was going to be around long. It started a wave of momentum that built into the greatest Lions season that most fans have ever experienced. Goff throwing the ball during the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship. Goff, meanwhile, made a few spectacular throws, a few dangerous ones and many safe ones to his playmakers.

Persons: Santa Clara , California CNN — Brock Purdy, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Colin Kaepernick, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Purdy, Purdy, Jared Goff, Goff –, Santa Clara –, Goff, Iowa State University –, he’s, I’ve, ” Purdy, God’s, David J, Phillip, Kurt Warner, Warren Moon, Moon, Trey Lance, “ They’ve, they’ve, Garoppolo, Lance, “ He’s, I’m, Kyle Juszczyk, “, Brock, ”, Christian McCaffrey, Alex Anzalone, Mark J, Terrill, Goff wasn’t, Matthew Stafford, Motown –, Dan Campbell’s, Stafford, Campbell, Ezra Shaw, you’re, didn’t, you’ve, ’ ” Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, –, Juszczyk, ” Juszczyk, couldn’t, Dan Campbell Organizations: Santa Clara , California CNN, San Francisco 49ers, Super, Detroit Lions, NFC, Area, Levi’s, Lions, Motor City, Bay, Iowa State University, 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, ” San Francisco 49ers, Warner, Iowa State, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Chiefs, ” 49ers, Games, Los Angeles Rams, Rams, New England Patriots, Bowls, Motown, Detroit, ” Lions Locations: Santa Clara , California, Santa Clara, Motor, Ames , Iowa, alma mater, Vegas, ”, Detroit, Michigan, Purdy

☆ At their annual mega-party, real estate agents on edge over the potential erosion of their commissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Anna Bahney | Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Courtesy National Association of RealtorsKasper echoed those sentiments in a keynote address to agents at the convention on Tuesday, telling agents: “We will continue to listen closely to your feedback. Real estate agents generate about $100 billion in commissions a year, according to the Department of Justice. And about half of that, plaintiffs in the recent case argue, goes to buyers’ agents. Visitors at the National Association of Realtors convention on November 14 in Anaheim, California. She said that buyers’ agreements may have to have wording that says that if a seller doesn’t agree to pay the buyer’s agent commission, the buyer is on the hook for that money.

Persons: Keller Williams, Tracy Kasper, Berkshire Hathaway, Silverhawk, ”, ” Tracy Kasper, National Association of Realtors Kasper, Renée Roqué, Alexis McGee, “, Liu Guanguan, John Natale, Natale isn’t, Lynn Madison, Madison, Chuck Simons, “ It’s, Matt Troiani, Troiani, it’s, ” Troiani, ” ‘, Jim Flanagan, Flanagan, isn’t, Nate Johnson, haven’t, Johnson Organizations: California CNN, National Association of Realtors, NAR, of Justice, NXT, Department of Justice, China News Service, Social Media, Realtors, Coldwell, RedKey Realty Locations: Anaheim, California, Missouri, America, Texas, Berkshire, Boise , Idaho, Stevenson Ranch , California, San Mateo County , California, New Jersey, Anaheim , California, Illinois, Valencia , California, Ocean County , New Jersey, Flanagan’s, St, Louis , Missouri

During his news conference following the summit, Biden summed up his approach to the Chinese leader. Xi at one point called on the United States to “not scheme to suppress or contain China,” Chinese state media reported. In the talks, Biden made clear to Xi that he viewed Hamas as separate from the Palestinians. As host of the meeting, Biden walked out of the building first to welcome Xi. Speaking after Biden, Xi offered starker view of US-China ties.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, “, ”, “ That’s, ” Biden, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Defense Lloyd Austin, we’ve, – Biden, Xi’s, readouts, ” Xi, I’ve, I’m, That’s, Wang Yi, they’d, Sullivan, Wang, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, John Kerry, –, Nikki Haley Organizations: California CNN, Biden, Defense, US, Xinhua, Hamas, Marine, China’s, American, South, Republicans Locations: Woodside, California, China, Washington, Beijing, United States, “, Taiwan, San Francisco, Israel, Iran, East, Europe, Blinken, South Carolina

☆ I played video games and closed my eyes while driving a Mercedes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Press a button on the steering wheel rim and the lights turn turquoise blue. Then you no longer have to hold the steering wheel or watch the road. (Mercedes declined to say how many German drivers have purchased Drive Pilot, though, so it’s unclear how impressive that really is.) Drive Pilot responded the way many automated driving systems do in these sorts of situations. I had assumed that, when I turned Drive Pilot off, it would return to that semi-autonomous mode.

Persons: Mercedes, it’s, it’ll, you’re, ”, I’d, hasn’t, Mercedes ’ Organizations: Santa Monica , California CNN, Mercedes, Benz Locations: Santa Monica , California, Los Angeles, Germany, United States, Nevada, California, Stuttgart

☆ The unlikely story of the first photo of Mars ever seen on TV
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

It was one of a twin set of spacecraft designed to take images of Mars, and the first one failed. Dan Goods/NASA/JPL-CaltechThe transmission was incredibly slow by today’s standards, given that the Perseverance rover regularly sends back batches of high-resolution images from Mars. Together, they revealed craters on the Martian surface and clouds floating above in the atmosphere, both of which surprised scientists. The highest-resolution Mariner 4 image (right) revealed the cratered Martian surface from 7,830 miles (12,601 kilometers) above. JPL/NASAThe snapshots showed less than 1% of the Martian surface, missing the more diverse features on the planet’s surface that later missions such as Viking 1 would capture.

Persons: Pasadena , California CNN —, Mars, “, ”, David Delgado, Percival, Dan Goods, Richard Grumm, Grumm, ” Delgado, William Pickering Organizations: Pasadena , California CNN, Spacecraft, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA’s, JPL, Mariner, Venus, NASA Mariner, NASA, Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Locations: Pasadena , California, High, Pasadena, Flagstaff , Arizona, Goldstone , California

☆ SpaceX to launch the first test payload for a bold new drug development company
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Its research, company officials hope, could lead to better, more effective drugs — and hefty profits. Varda Space industriesHow it worksVarda’s vision is straightforward: The company’s capsule will launch with an experiment already on board. Varda Space IndustriesDrugs in spaceMuch of the legwork for Varda’s drug experimentation can be done on the ground. The exorbitant price tag of drug research is often passed on to consumers in the form of eye-popping prices, which frequently draws critical headlines. “You’ll see like this entire ecosystem coming up to create this fertile ground for commercialization of space,” Bruey said.

Persons: El, Varda, “ It’s, ”, Will Bruey, ” Varda, what’s, Merck, Keytruda, Varda’s, Covid, that’s, Gabe Ramirez, ” Bruey, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, “ I’ve, ” Asparouhov, Asparouhov, “, who’s, You’re, Nicholas Cialdella, Bruey, Jon Barr, Mark Herbert, there’s, Eric Lasker, ” Lasker, Varda isn’t, It’s, Paul Reichert, Merck hasn’t, Reichert, Herbert Organizations: El Segundo , California CNN, Citigroup, Varda Space Industries, SpaceX, Vandenberg Space Force, Big pharma, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, ISS, Laboratory, Space Station, Rocket, CNN, NASA, Company, Founders Fund, PayPal, Pharmaceuticals, Fortune, Space Industries, US Air Force, Utah Test, pharma, “, Congressional, International Locations: El Segundo , California, California, Los Angeles, Delian, Salt Lake City, ”

☆ Perseverance rover captures new images of ancient river evidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The Perseverance rover has captured new images that appear to reveal geologic evidence of a fast-flowing river that fed into Jezero Crater, the site of an ancient Martian lake. The bands of rocks in this image of "Skrinkle Haven" taken by the Perseverance rover may have been formed by a fast-flowing river. The rover also captured a mosaic of "Pinestand," where layers of sedimentary rock could have been formed by a deep, fast-flowing river. The Perseverance team is also analyzing other images taken by the rover. We struggle even with early Earth rocks to answer this question.

☆ How the Voyager probes keep going decades after launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Voyager 2’s priceless data is captured and returned to Earth through its five science instruments, while Voyager 1 still has four operational instruments after one failed earlier in the mission. Both Voyager probes rely on radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Over time, the Voyager team has commanded the probes to turn off instrument heaters and other nonessential systems. The Voyager proof test model, seen here in 1976, has a platform showcasing several of the science instruments. “Picture it as an ocean of space with waves and turbulence and activity going on, and the Voyager instruments can measure what’s happening,” Spilker said.

London/Oakland, California CNN —First Citizens Bank is buying most of the business of Silicon Valley Bank, the US tech lender that failed earlier this month. Seventeen former branches of SVB will begin operating as “Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank,” on Monday, First Citizens said. The FDIC said First Citizens was getting the $72 billion in SVB loans at a discount of $16.5 billion. “The FDIC estimates the cost of the failure of Silicon Valley Bank to its Deposit Insurance Fund to be approximately $20 billion. It had to be rescued a week ago by bigger rival UBS (UBS) in an emergency takeover orchestrated by the Swiss government.

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