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Many business leaders have told me they are deeply concerned about incidents of harassment against Jewish students that have taken place at and around universities like Columbia and appear to be increasing. Inside corner offices, there has been a lot of hand-wringing about the most blatant examples, like antisemitic signs and chants or the assault of an Israeli student. But there has been little action from corporations, which have a synergistic relationship with the schools where they recruit employees. Some executives are privately pondering what they can do. The most common course of action so far has been to pull back on individual donations.

Persons: Robert Kraft Organizations: New England Patriots, Columbia University, ” Locations: Columbia

☆ Opinion | Left and Right on the Happiness Scale
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Can Those on the Left Be Happy?,” by Ross Douthat (column, April 7):Mr. Douthat thinks, citing no evidence, that people on the left are “by nature” unhappier than moderates or conservatives, in part because he thinks we don’t believe in God anymore. The left is not “by nature” unhappy; we are often brutally honest with ourselves and unavoidably empathetic to the plights of those who suffer. If we feel more unhappy these days, it’s not because it’s in our genes. We see it all with clarity and are therefore motivated to change it. I’m a proud liberal who is determined and hopeful, and happy most of the time.

Persons: Ross Douthat, Douthat, ”, it’s, I’m, Jesus

☆ Opinion | What Students Read Before They Protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When I was a college undergraduate 25 years ago, the fancy school that I attended offered what it styled as a “core curriculum” that was really nothing of the sort. Instead of giving students a set of foundational courses and assignments, a shared base of important ideas and arguments, our core assembled a grab bag of courses from different disciplines and invited us to pick among them. The idea was that we were experiencing a variety of “approaches to knowledge” and it didn’t matter what specific knowledge we picked up. Against the belief that multiculturalism required dismantling the canon, Columbia insisted that it was still obligatory to expose students to some version of the best that has been thought and said. That approach survives today: The Columbia that has become the primary stage for political drama in America still requires its students to encounter what it calls “cornerstone ideas and theories from across literature, philosophy, history, science and the arts.”

Persons: Helen Vendler’s, ” Organizations: Women Writers, ”, Columbia University Locations: Imperial China, Columbia, America

☆ Google is 'going on the offensive:' What analysts are saying after latest Alphabet earnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Analysts from major firms, ranging from UBS to Bank of America, were encouraged by accelerated growth in Google Search, Cloud and YouTube seen in the previous quarter. GOOGL YTD mountain Google stock this year. Sandler kept his overweight rating and increased his price target by $27 to $200, which implies 28% potential upside from Thursday's close. Jefferies's Brent Thill maintained his buy rating and upped his price target by $20 to $200, saying shares are trading at an attractive valuation. His target price suggests only about 11% potential upside from Thursday's close.

Persons: Doug Anmuth, Anmuth, Ross Sandler's, Sandler, Jefferies's Brent Thill, Oppenheimer, Jason Helfstein, Justin, Ken Gawrelski, Gawrelski Organizations: Google, UBS, Bank of America, YouTube, JPMorgan, Barclays, –, buybacks, & &

An effort to give Trump more say on ratesThis week, investors had planned to examine the latest inflation data, due out at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Friday, for clues about when the Fed would start cutting interest rates. The Wall Street Journal reports that allies of Donald Trump are devising ways of watering down the central bank’s independence if he is re-elected president. But it also raises questions about whether such a plan is possible — or whether Trump’s Wall Street supporters would back it. Among the most consequential would be asserting that Trump had the authority to oust Jay Powell as Fed chair before Powell’s term is up in 2025. While Trump gave Powell the job in 2017, he has since soured on his pick for raising rates, and has publicly said he wouldn’t give Powell a second term.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jay Powell, Powell, wouldn’t Organizations: Trump, Street Journal, Wall

☆ WADA to launch independent review into its handling of doping case involving Chinese swimming
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has commissioned an independent review into its handling of a doping case involving 23 Chinese swimmers after the organization said that it had been the subject of “damaging and baseless allegations.”The development comes after WADA was criticized by members of the anti-doping community, sparking a dispute which looks set to overshadow events in the pool at this year’s Olympics in Paris. “We have no evidence of any sort of skullduggery or planting of trimetazidine,” Wenzel told reporters on Monday. “In the past few days, WADA has been unfairly accused of bias in favor of China by not appealing the CHINADA [China Anti-Doping Agency] case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,” added Bańka. Trimetazidine has the potential to boost endurance and has been banned by WADA since 2014. WADA said that Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier, attorney general of Vaud in Switzerland for 17 years until his retirement in 2022, will lead the review into the handling of the case.

Persons: WADA, –, ”, Witold Bańka, “, Ross Wenzel, trimetazidine, ” Wenzel, Bańka, ” Bańka, Trimetazidine, CHINADA, Eric Cottier, USADA, WADA’s, ” WADA, Cottier Organizations: CNN, Doping Agency, New York Times, ARD, Tokyo Olympics, Sport, Xinhua Locations: Paris, China, trimetazidine, Swiss, Vaud, Switzerland

☆ Opinion | Taylor Swift Needs to Become Other People
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Which are the 12 best songs — not just in absolute terms, but in terms of the whole (the album) being constructed out of the parts (the songs)? Which of these songs do they want to play live dozens of times on their upcoming concert tour? For a very different analysis of Swift, consider these comments on X from Katherine Boyle, an Andreessen Horowitz venture capitalist, repurposing a take she offered in 2023. In our cultural environment, Boyle argues, being prolific is everything: “You can’t cede ground to competitors. If Taylor writes 31 songs and 3 are memorable, she’s written three epic songs.

Persons: ”, Taylor Swift’s, Swift, you’re, —, Damon, Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen, Katherine Boyle, Andreessen Horowitz, Boyle, ” Boyle, Taylor

Microsoft and a major chemical stock were among Friday's biggest analyst calls. He also lowered his price target by $1 to $25, which implies shares can fall roughly 19% from Thursday's close. Sandler increased his price target by $27 to $200, which implies 26.6% potential upside. JPMorgan: Analyst Mark Murphy added $30 to his price target, which is now at $470. He also hiked his price target to $61 from $55, which implies upside of 8% going forward.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Mobileye, Adam Jonas, Jonas, — Pia Singh, Stifel, Stanley Elliot, Elliott, Alphabet's, Oppenheimer, Jason Helfstein, Ross Sandler, Sandler, Brent Thill, Google's, Justin Post, Post, Wall, Raimo Lenschow, Wells, Michael Turrin, MSFT, Turrin, Mark Murphy, Murphy, Keith Weiss, Weiss, Jeffrey Zekauskas, Zekauskas, Dow, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Microsoft, JPMorgan, Dow Inc, TAM, Caterpillar, Google, Barclays, –, Jefferies, Bank of America, DOW Locations: Israel, Thursday's, reaccelerate, Wells Fargo

☆ Wall Street stands by Meta even as costs rise and the stock sells off, cites AI leadership
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Wall Street analysts are standing by Meta Platforms despite Thursday's sell-off. The analyst cut his price target to $480 from $535 a share, noting that building and creating new products is no easy — or quick — feat. The adjusted price target reflects nearly 3% downside from Wednesday's close. Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak retained his overweight rating and $550 price target, saying the firm remains "buyers through Meta's investments." Meta isn't alone in this feat, with Nowak expecting competitors to undertake similar steps as more AI opportunities arise.

Persons: Doug Anmuth, Benjamin Black, Black, Citi's Ronald Josey, Goldman Sachs, Eric Sheridan, Morgan Stanley, Brian Nowak, Meta isn't, Nowak, Bank of America's Justin Post, Ross Sandler, Mark, Zuckerberg, Sandler Organizations: Meta, Facebook, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America's, Barclays

☆ How Dan Doctoroff transformed New York City
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Dan Doctoroff transformed New York CityCNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin sits down with Wall Street veteran Dan Doctoroff to discuss his time working for Michael Bloomberg, how he transformed New York City, his fight against ALS, how the diagnosis changed his view on life, and more.

Persons: Dan Doctoroff, Andrew Ross Sorkin, Michael Bloomberg Organizations: Wall Street, ALS Locations: New York City

Meta’s A.I. But for investors, that’s not enough — and that’s a warning to other tech giants set to announce their own financial results in the coming days. That makes clear that while Wall Street loves the opportunities that A.I. The company plans to spend $35 billion to $40 billion this year — much of that on the technology — up from a forecast of $30 billion to $37 billion. It also expects second-quarter revenue to come in at $36.5 billion to $39 billion, below analyst estimates.

Persons: Meta’s, Meta, that’s, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Facebook, Wall, Meta

The winners from the TikTok battleThe countdown to TikTok disappearing from the United States is about to start. The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation to force the divestment of the video app by its Chinese owner, ByteDance, within a year or be banned. Barring the app from U.S. shores could take months, or even years — if it actually happens. The road ahead is complicated, and any disruptions to the app could bolster its American rivals. Analysts at Bernstein have estimated that, should TikTok be banned, Meta could draw up to 60 percent of TikTok’s American ad revenue, while YouTube could take another 25 percent or so.

Persons: Biden, Bernstein Organizations: Google, Meta, YouTube Locations: United States

☆ Tesla Needs to Fire Elon Musk As CEO If It Wants to Save Itself
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

There's only one person to blame for the company's shambolic state and only one person whose exit could save Tesla: Elon Musk. Investors want to see a concrete plan for a whole new fleet of Teslas made for a leaner, meaner EV market. The company needs a serious leader with practical ideas — no self-driving gimmicks, no blowtorches, no broken Cybertrucks, no shitposting, no video-game marathons, and no casual ketamine use. AdvertisementA true visionary CEO — which Musk has long claimed to be — would have pressed the advantage that Tesla developed in the EV market. He asserted that Tesla was not a car company but rather an AI robotics company.

Persons: Tesla, Elon, Musk, Gross, Teslas, Ross Gerber, Gerber Kawasaki, Tesla's, Gerber, Ron DeSantis, Navdeep Sodhi, innovating, —, Elon fanboys, Lex Luthor Organizations: Tesla, EV, Reuters, Bloomberg, Auto, Twitter, bungled, Sodhi, Fremont Factory Locations: Shanghai, San Jose, China, Elon, Germany, Texas, Beijing, Red, Berlin

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview on Tesla earnings with Wedbush's Dan Ives and Gerber Kawasaki's Ross Gerber
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview on Tesla earnings with Wedbush's Dan Ives and Gerber Kawasaki's Ross GerberHosted by Brian Sullivan, “Last Call” is a fast-paced, entertaining business show that explores the intersection of money, culture and policy. Tune in Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC.

Persons: Wedbush's Dan Ives, Gerber Kawasaki's Ross Gerber, Brian Sullivan, “ Organizations: CNBC

☆ Chinese swimmers head to Paris Olympics under a cloud amid row over handling of drugs tests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A dispute over the handling of a 2021 case in which 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance ahead of the Tokyo Olympics now threatens to overshadow swimming events at the Paris Games this summer. Sun is now free to return to competitions next month, but revelations about the 2021 case have cast Chinese swimmers and WADA in a harsh spotlight. Trimetazidine has the potential to boost endurance and has been banned by WADA since 2014. China’s national swimming championships, which serve as selection trials for the upcoming Olympics, are currently underway in Shenzhen, concluding on April 27. At the Tokyo Olympics, China won six medals in swimming, including three golds.

Persons: –, “, ” Mack Horton, Horton, Sun Yang, Sun, WADA, Adam Peaty, ”, Sarah Hirshland, Witold Banka, …, Trimetazidine, CHINADA, Ross Wenzel, trimetazidine, ” Wenzel, Denis Cotterell, Cotterell wasn’t Organizations: CNN, Tokyo, Paris Games, New York Times, ARD, Doping Agency, Olympic, “, Sydney Morning Herald, WADA, Canadian Olympic Committee, Paralympic, ”, CHINADA, Xinhua, Paris Olympics, Chinese Swimming Association, China Locations: Tokyo, China, Australian, South Korea, ”, trimetazidine, Shenzhen

Campus unrest spreadsTop American colleges are in turmoil, with dozens of pro-Palestinian student protesters having been arrested at N.Y.U. and Yale amid new worries about antisemitism on campus. The latest: Police were called in to break up pro-Palestinian protests at N.Y.U. Harvard shut Harvard Yard and Columbia will make classes at its main campus hybrid until next week. Encampments were growing at other schools, including M.I.T., the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley.

Organizations: Palestinian, Yale, University, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Police, Columbia, University of Michigan, University of California Locations: N.Y.U, Columbia, Berkeley

☆ Tesla profits and margins might go lower even as volumes go higher, says shareholder Ross Gerber
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTesla profits and margins might go lower even as volumes go higher, says shareholder Ross GerberHosted by Brian Sullivan, “Last Call” is a fast-paced, entertaining business show that explores the intersection of money, culture and policy. Tune in Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on CNBC.

Persons: Ross Gerber, Brian Sullivan, “ Organizations: CNBC

☆ Boeing investigation: Labor complaint reveals allegations of company’s retaliation against two workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Ross Levitt | Pete Muntean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The union says it is trying to appeal a decision not to change the performance evaluation of one of the workers. Boeing says the investigation was part of a confidential process and that the report could only be shared with the FAA. The complaint filed on behalf of the two engineers involves a different issue— the onboard computer networks on the planes. The union says Boeing managers “strongly objected” to rerunning calculations regarding the systems based on new assumptions, citing cost and production delays, but that Boeing ultimately agreed. Boeing re-did the required analysis,” the press release says.

Persons: “, SPEEA, ”, Sam Salehpour, Rich Plunkett Organizations: CNN, Boeing, Federal Aviation Administration, Society of Professional Engineering Employees, Aerospace, National Labor Relations, Boeing’s, FAA, ” Boeing, Strategic

Tesla investors’ nerve-racking rideTesla has hardly been keeping quiet as it prepares to announce earnings on Tuesday. These developments are the latest signs that Tesla is confronting its toughest stretch in years — and many shareholders aren’t convinced that the company and its C.E.O., Elon Musk, are taking the right steps to address it. The latest: During the weekend, Tesla cut prices of several models in China, the U.S. and Europe. Those moves came a day after Tesla voluntarily recalled nearly 4,000 Cybertrucks over a faulty accelerator pedal that could get stuck. It’s all apparently keeping Musk so busy that he canceled a trip to India, during which he was expected to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announce plans to build a factory there.

Persons: Tesla, aren’t, Elon Musk, Narendra Modi Locations: China, U.S, Europe, India

☆ Taylor Swift, Tupac, and Snoop Dogg are now somehow part of the weekslong rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewIf you thought rap's latest all-out brawl couldn't get any more convoluted, enter Taylor Swift, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur. On Friday, an embattled Drake released "Taylor Made," his second diss track in response to Kendrick Lamar, which mentions the "Fortnight" singer and uses what sounds like an AI-generated Shakur and Snoop Dogg to try to humble Lamar. AdvertisementThe fake Tupac gives Lamar advice on how to properly diss Drake by referencing rumors about the Canadian rapper "liking young girls." The actual human Snoop Dogg humorously responded to the verse in an Instagram video Friday evening. Representatives for Swift, Snoop Dogg, Drake, and Lamar, and a lawyer for Shakur's estate did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Drake, Taylor, Kendrick Lamar, Lamar, J, Cole, Prince, Mike Jack, Michael Jackson, Jackson, Pop, Rick Ross, Ye, Lamar —, Tupac, Shakur, Snoop, Lamar hasn't, Swift Organizations: Service, Business, Metro Boomin, Listeners, Poet's Department, Genius, Dawg Entertainment, Apple Music Locations: Lamar

☆ The US dollar is strengthening. Here’s what’s driving the rally and what it means for Americans
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

What does the dollar rally mean internationally? The US Commerce Department releases March figures on new orders for durable goods. The US Commerce Department releases its first estimate of first-quarter gross domestic product. The US Labor Department reports the number of new applications for unemployment benefits in the week ended April 20. The US Commerce Department releases March figures on household spending, income and the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge.

Persons: it’s, Michelle Bowman, Bell, Claudio Irigoyen, It’s, Samantha Delouya, ”, eMarketer, Ross Benes, Wall, Read, Lockheed Martin, Raymond James, Northrop Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Reserve, Bank of America, Netflix, Verizon, Truist, Albertsons, The Chicago Fed, Visa, Tesla, Pepsico, Novartis, UPS, Lockheed, Banco Santander, Spotify, General Motors, Halliburton, Global, US Commerce Department, Meta, IBM, Boeing, Chipotle, Hilton, Ford, Hasbro, Whirlpool, Wyndham, Microsoft, Mobile, Caterpillar, Comcast, Intel, P Global, Honeywell, Gilead, Northrop Grumman, Valero, Capital, Nasdaq, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Citizens Financial, US Labor Department, National Association of Realtors, Bank of Japan, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, HCA Healthcare, Colgate, Palmolive, Phillips, Charter Communications, University of Michigan Locations: Europe, Japan, China, Roku

Listen to and follow ‘Matter of Opinion’The columnist Thomas L. Friedman joined the hosts of “Matter of Opinion” this week to unpack Israel’s and Iran’s latest attacks, what they mean for Gaza and the implications for the region writ large. Below is a lightly edited transcript of this episode. To listen to this episode, click the play button below.

Persons: Thomas L, Friedman, unpack Locations: Gaza

Labor painsAfter a “summer of strikes” last year that stretched from Detroit to Hollywood, unions are on a roll, flexing their growing might. Friday will bring a new test of that power as workers at a Volkswagen factory in Tennessee vote on whether to join the United Automobile Workers. Victory there would mark perhaps the first time a foreign carmaker’s U.S. plant became unionized and form a beachhead for organized labor in the anti-union South. But it could also resonate well beyond the car industry as President Biden cultivates labor in battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. A yes vote would be a big win for the U.A.W.

Persons: ”, Biden, Shawn Fain, they’ve Organizations: Volkswagen, United Automobile Workers, Big, Detroit carmakers, Toyota, Tesla, Automotive News Locations: Detroit, Hollywood, Tennessee, U.S, Michigan, Pennsylvania

☆ R.F.K. Jr. Raises New Uncertainty for Biden in Michigan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Shane Goldmacher | Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The prospect of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatening to upend the presidential race went from an idea to a reality in one of the country’s most consequential battlegrounds on Thursday, when Mr. Kennedy qualified for the ballot in Michigan. The decision by the Natural Law Party to grant Mr. Kennedy its ballot line in November ensures he will be a factor in a pivotal swing state where the presidential election is expected to be incredibly close and where President Biden has already shown vulnerability with key Democratic constituencies. During Michigan’s primary in February, a protest movement over Mr. Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza drew significant support. Mr. Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat and the scion of perhaps the nation’s most famous Democratic family, is running as an independent in 2024 and polling higher in early surveys than any third-party candidate since Ross Perot, the self-funding billionaire who ran in the 1990s. His independent candidacy has earned him the estrangement of his own family — who campaigned this week with Mr. Biden in Pennsylvania — and many of his previous colleagues from the environmental movement, who denounced his candidacy publicly on Friday.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Biden, Ross Perot Organizations: Natural Law Party, Democratic, Mr Locations: Michigan, Gaza, Pennsylvania —

☆ Opinion | Is the Internet the Enemy of Progress?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

But it’s 29 years old, written when the true internet era was still just a gleam in Al Gore’s eye. You could further argue that the passage predicted the Great Stagnation that Tyler Cowen identified in 2011, the productivity slowdown and disappointing economic growth that followed the initial 1990s-era internet boom. Writing for Quillette, he argues that globalization and homogenization have reduced cultural competition in roughly the way that the “Lost World” passage describes. It’s not just that we’re forgoing opportunities to improve our macro cultures. Shouldn’t we expect that macro cultures, when selection is weak, will drift into dysfunction just as firm cultures do?

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Michael Crichton’s, Crichton’s, Ian Malcolm, ” Malcolm, Al, John, Tyler Cowen, Malcolm, Crichton, Robin Hanson, It’s, Hanson, ” Organizations: Benetton, Western, George Mason University Locations: Bangkok, Tokyo, London, Al Gore’s, John Hammond’s, Davos, South Korea

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