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☆ As Speaker, Johnson Advances What He Once Opposed, Enraging the Right
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As a low-profile, rank-and-file congressman representing his deeply red district, Representative Mike Johnson took the positions of a hard-liner. He repeatedly voted down efforts to send aid to Ukraine, citing insufficient oversight of where the money would go. He opposed the stopgap funding bill that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy put on the House floor in efforts to avert a government shutdown. He supported a sweeping overhaul favored by libertarians to the law that undergirds a warrantless surveillance program that is reviled by right-wing lawmakers who distrust federal law enforcement. But now that he is Speaker Johnson, he has changed his tune considerably, much to the chagrin and outrage of the right-wing lawmakers with whom he once found common cause.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, undergirds, Johnson Locations: Ukraine

☆ Germany defends support for Israel in international court against accusations of ‘facilitating genocide’ in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Nadine Schmidt | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Berlin CNN —Germany has hit back at allegations by Nicaragua that it has been “facilitating genocide” in Gaza, telling an international court on Tuesday that history undergirds German support for Israel. But Germany argued Tuesday that because the “bedrock” of Nicaragua’s case was aimed at Israel and its “alleged violations of international law by Israel,” the ICJ did not have jurisdiction. British lawyer Samuel Wordsworth, who advocated on behalf of Berlin, said the case against Germany is “entirely dependent” upon a “prior finding of breach” of international law by Israel in Gaza. The ICJ is hearing a separate case brought against Israel by South Africa, but has not ruled on whether Israel has breached international law in Gaza. The international court will now consider whether to order the emergency measures requested by Nicaragua.

Persons: Germany’s, Tania von Uslar, Gleichen, Berlin “, “, ’, Von Uslar, ”, ” von Uslar, Netherlands Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, Alain, Samuel Wordsworth, Israel, Israel –, Christian Tams Organizations: Berlin CNN —, Israel, International Court of Justice, UN, German, Office, ICJ, Nicaraguan, UNRWA Locations: Berlin CNN — Germany, Nicaragua, Gaza, The Hague, Germany, Israel, Nazi, Netherlands, French, Berlin, South Africa

So we have to talk about the drama that has been playing out in the past week between OpenAI and Elon Musk. According to OpenAI, Elon Musk wanted majority, equity, initial board control, and to be CEO of this new for-profit subsidiary. It’s basically —casey newtonIt’s like, I’m going to find a way to follow your rule, but in the worst way possible. Like, working was one I thought that, oh, I’m going to work in this all the time. kevin roose[LAUGHS]: Well, I thought, like, I’m going to take some spatial videos.

Persons: casey newton Casey, kevin roose, casey newton, Kevin, casey newton What’s, Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, OpenAI, Will, Joanna Stern, Casey, it’s, kevin roose I’m, Elon Musk, It’s, casey newton Let’s, Elon, he’s, I’ve, casey newton What’d, there’s, you’ve, we’re, GPT, Sam Altman’s, that’s, AGI, Annie “, Sam Altman, who’s, isn’t, “, we’ve, ” casey newton Go, He’s, Ilya Sutskever, Greg Brockman, Ilya, casey newton Yes, Tesla, casey newton Well, they’ll, casey newton Oh, kevin roose It’s, don’t, kevin roose Will, casey newton Right, casey newton Mhm, kevin roose They’re, Microsoft’s Bing, Microsoft Bing, Bing, Apple, Europe — casey newton, Charles Duhigg, John Gruber, they’ve, casey newton It’d, — casey newton, they’re, They’ve, you’ll, Apple’s, casey newton It’s, I’ll, casey newton Sure, GDPR, you’re, kevin roose Really, let’s, kevin roose Casey, kevin roose —, Jonah Stern, casey newton Wow, Joanna, Let’s, kevin roose Joanna Stern, joanna, casey newton Hi, kevin roose Long, joanna stern, —, kevin roose We’re, Kara Swisher, kevin roose Don’t, I’m, casey newton Don’t, casey newton That’s, Neil Patel, Um, kevin roose That’s, kevin roose Sure, casey newton Great, KEVIN, IV, wearables, Fitbits, kevin roose Oh, hadn’t, casey newton —, casey newton I’ve, Joe Rogan Organizations: The New York Times, Elon, Apple’s, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Google’s, Facebook, Tesla, Big, European Union, Digital Services, Giants, Apple, Digital Markets, EU, Bloomberg, Digital, Spotify, General, Apple Vision Pro, Street, Apple Vision, Vision, New York Times, “, Housewives, Club, Ray, Tesla Chargers, Vision Pro, Apple Watch, Sony Locations: Los Angeles, Europe, what’s, Elon, OpenAI, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Reddit, American, America, California, Florida, United, Mars, The

☆ The Oscars Give Hollywood a Chance to Celebrate. After That? It’s Grim. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Mark Harris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Oscars are the climax of an awards season that’s a prolonged exercise in collective congratulation, and in early March the rest of the year still looks bright. The Sundance Film Festival and its attendant bidding wars have wrapped up, offering nothing but promise and excitement. At the box office, the biggest bets of the year have typically not yet opened and thus have not yet bombed. For Hollywood, 2023 was not so much a disaster as a preview of disasters to come. That fury persists: Each new headline about the huge compensation package for Robert Iger, Disney’s chief executive, or decisions by David Zaslav, the chief executive of Warner Bros.

Persons: that’s, blithely, Robert Iger, David Zaslav Organizations: Sundance Film, Hollywood, Warner Bros

☆ Unsubscribe: Radical strategies for taking back your time, attention and purpose
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jessica Dulong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Americans spend, on average, more than two and a half hours on social media each day. His book offers practical strategies for stepping back, reevaluating and unsubscribing from the ideas, habits and tech engagements that keep us from happiness. Advances in health care, like cutting-edge diagnostic tools, are just one example of the incredible benefits of the tech revolution. The crushing pace of technology doesn’t allow for the milliseconds it takes for us to be conscious enough to step back. This is a tall task, but I believe the more people can hear that voice, the healthier our society will be.

Persons: Julio Vincent Gambuto, CNN —, ”, Julio Vincent Gambuto Jon Speyers Julio Vincent Gambuto, we’ve, “, Simon, Schuster, takeout, Jessica DuLong Organizations: CNN, Pew Research Center, Gmail, Technology Locations: Bury, Brooklyn , New York

☆ U.S. Job Openings Were Steady in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Santul Nerkar | More About Santul Nerkar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The Federal Reserve closely monitors job openings to understand whether the economy is running too hot. The overall trend of slowing job openings is a sign that rate increases have cooled the economy, according to experts. Job openings, which reached a record of more than 12 million in March 2022, have trended down, as has the job-quitting rate, while separations have been flat. As openings rose slightly in September, the number of openings per unemployed worker was flat, at 1.5, the same as August. Job openings remain much higher than they were before the pandemic, and the number of unemployed workers per job opening is much lower.

Persons: Julia Pollak, ”, Sarah House, Stephen Juneau, What’s Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, ” Fed, Bank of America, Treasury, Labor Department Locations: Wells Fargo, September’s

☆ Opinion | Why We Should Fear China More Than Middle Eastern War
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

And since we don’t actually want to be at war with China, it makes a certain sense to avoid lumping Beijing in with Moscow and Tehran. It makes sense to talk about China, Iran and Russia as a loose alliance trying to undermine American power, but it is not a trio of equals. But the threat China poses to Taiwan, in particular, has different implications for American power from the threat Russia poses to Ukraine or Hamas poses to Israel. Whatever misery Iran and its proxies may inflict upon the Middle East, they are not going to conquer Israel or drive American power out of the Levant. But we have no experience being defeated in straightforward combat, not guerrilla war, by a great-power rival and ideological competitor.

Persons: Joe Biden, don’t, ”, “, Biden, Putin, pseudodemocracy, Xi, Vladimir Putin Organizations: NATO Locations: Israel, Ukraine, America, United States, China, Russia, Iran, Beijing, Moscow, Tehran, Taiwan, East Asia, Crimea, —, Vietnam, Afghanistan

The world has changed since Biden visited a familiar place to talk up familiar topics, though. Other domestic matters also are competing for political attention, with the fight over choosing the next Republican House speaker potentially imperiling continued U.S. aid to Ukraine and a United Auto Workers strike entering its fifth week. Biden's reelection campaign has joined the White House in stressing that being president always means juggling multiple pressing concerns. Whatever the message, the president can help himself politically Friday just by staying focused on Pennsylvania, said longtime Democratic strategist Robert Shrum. He returned to Philadelphia in July, visiting a shipyard where he talked up how organized labor would lead a major push toward embracing green energy.

Persons: Joe Biden, he'll, Biden, Hunter, ” Cathal Nolan, Nolan, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, you’ve, ”, Joel Rubin, Bernie Sanders, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Biden, Rubin, Biden's, Karine Jean, Pierre said, Biden “, Israel ”, Jean, Robert Shrum, ” Shrum, he's, Mustafa Rashed Organizations: WASHINGTON, Biden, Hamas, Republican, United Auto Workers, Institute, Boston University, Obama, State Department, Israeli, Islamic, J, White, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, Democratic, ALF, Labor Locations: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, America, Colorado, U.S, Washington, Maryland, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Scranton , Pennsylvania

☆ H.B.O. Is Tackling Religion in the Most Remarkable Ways
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Elizabeth Nelson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Television’s depictions of religion have often leaned either toward po-faced dogma or scouring atheism, but here is one that dares to split the difference. The eldest, Jesse, is a pompous hothead whose default response to any insult is light violence and who, despite his persona as a family man, has enjoyed the sort of hard-partying lifestyle that would make early-1970s Led Zeppelin blush. His sister, Judy, is a flamethrowing libertine with a staggeringly foul mouth and a tendency to transgress against her lovingly milquetoast husband. Like a staging of “King Lear” at a monster-truck rally, the show has a loneliness that undergirds its berserk energy. This is not the only fascinating vision of the church on HBO these days.

Persons: they’ve, McBride, Jesse, Judy, “ King Lear ”, John Goodman, Eli Gemstone —, Aimee, Leigh, Croesus, ”, Gideon, —, Bridget Everett, Sam, Joel, Sam —, Maria ” Organizations: ”, Southern, Gemstone Salvation, HBO, Hollywood Locations: American, Hollywood, Kansas, America

☆ The Blind Side of Sports Storytelling
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Kurt Streeter | More About Kurt Streeter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Of course America loved “The Blind Side,” the 2009 movie about a homeless and hapless Black teenager rescued from a bleak future by a wealthy, white family. It was based on the true story of the Tuohy family, led by Sean and Leigh Anne, who took the future N.F.L. player Michael Oher into their home and raised him proudly as he made it to college and beyond. The film took in over $300 million and Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, self-possessed belle of the New South. But “The Blind Side,” based on the best-selling book by Michael Lewis, renders a complicated reality in the most digestible format.

Persons: “, Sean, Leigh Anne, Michael Oher, It’s, Sandra Bullock, Leigh Anne Tuohy, Michael Lewis Organizations: Oher Locations: America

☆ CEOs do matter when picking stocks. 5 things we look for in a leader and examples from our portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +16 min

It's not unusual for a company's stock price to soar — or sink — on news of a CEO shakeup. So, CEOs matter when picking stocks — and at the Club, these are the five things we look for when evaluating the leaders of our holdings. A stock's day-to-day and even month-to-month performance may not truly reflect how well a CEO is leading a company. Trust has value, and the stocks of companies led by reputable CEOs with competent management teams can trade at premium valuations. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Mary Dillon, Locker, J im Cramer, buybacks, Rainer Blair, —, Kevin Johnson, Marc Benioff, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, we've, Bruce Broussard, Humana, Jeff Smith's, Craig Jelinek, who's, that's, Jelinek, it'd, Andy Jassy, Tim Cook, he's, Cook, Jim Cramer's, Dan Schulman, Sanjiv Lamba, Linde, Lamba, Eli Lilly, Dave Ricks, Eli Lilly's, Jim, Lilly, Jim Farley, Farley, Elon Musk's Tesla, Ford, LLY, Jim Cramer, Spencer Platt Organizations: Club, McKinsey & Co, Natural Resources, GE Life Sciences, SVB Securities, Starbucks, Humana, Bain & Co, Costco, CNBC, Apple, Amazon's, Football, MGM, Management, PayPal, Linde, LIN, Ford Motor, Wall, EV, Ford, The New York Stock Exchange, Financial, Getty Locations: U.S, Manhattan, New York City

The United States should take note. After praising Poland as one of the United States’ “great allies,” Mr. Biden stressed the importance of defending freedom and democracy. The party’s newly burnished international image as steadfast friend to Ukraine only helps to entrench such support. The United States, for one, exerts considerable influence in Poland. What’s more, Washington could make financial assistance — last year, the United States invested $288.6 million in Poland’s military — conditional on compliance with democratic standards and the rule of law.

Persons: genuflection, Donald Tusk, Biden, United States ’ “, ” Mr, What’s, — Organizations: Nazi, Soviet, Poland, United, Law, Justice, hasn’t Locations: —, Ukraine, Poland, Finland, Baltic States, Romania, United States, Warsaw, India, Turkey, Rwanda, Russia, China, Washington

☆ AI music could revolutionize the industry — and this artist is leading the way
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Drew Austin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Despite this widespread apprehension, Holly Herndon — an experimental musician and artist — doesn't think AI is nefarious or will ruin art. Herndon's usage of AI shows a way forward for not just artists but also the rest of us. In her blog post announcing Holly+, Herndon said she envisioned a future where digitally created voices "soon become standard practice for artists and other creatives." While the project has yielded an ever-growing array of fascinating art, Holly+ also raises questions about the future of that art. (Anyone can use the Holly+ voice tool itself without submitting the output to the DAO, however.)

☆ Viral chatbot ChatGPT will be overhyped, then overlooked, and then, perhaps, essential
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Emerging technology like ChatGPT is usually called overhyped until it becomes essential. ChatGPT lets users ask its bot questions or give it prompts using GPT-3, an impressive piece of natural-language-processing AI tech. ChatGPT and the Gartner Hype CycleIn layman's terms, ChatGPT is a chatbot using GPT-3, a state-of-the-art AI model that uses a massive amount of data to generate humanlike text. It's all very exciting and new, which is where the Gartner Hype Cycle, from the tech-research and consulting firm Gartner, comes in handy. To be sure, the rise of generative AI and more forms of ChatGPT aren't assured.

☆ DHL buying Ford's electric cargo vans showcases Club holding's EV strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The news DHL will acquire 2,000 Ford E-Transit cargo vans by the end of 2023, the companies announced Monday. DHL— owned by Germany's Deutsche Post — said it has already received some of the E-Transit vans, adding them its global fleet of roughly 27,000 electric vans. Ford has sold roughly 5,800 E-Transit vans through November , and the vehicle has become the top-selling commercial vehicle in North America, according to the company. One of those is called Telematics, the official name for the fleet management software DHL will use under Monday's deal. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

As questions swirl about how much cryptocurrencies will be worth in the wake of the spectacular collapse of the crypto exchange FTX and other major platforms, a key question has emerged: Who will keep your crypto safe? Prior to its collapse, FTX was the world's fifth-largest cryptocurrency exchange, according to data from the crypto group CoinGecko cited by Reuters, processing $627 billion in trading volume year-to-date. But as cryptocurrencies broadly became more mainstream, companies and exchanges sprang up that allowed people to buy crypto without those steps. Today, platforms seemingly untouched by the FTX collapse, like Coinbase, have sought to reassure their users that their assets remain safe and, in some cases, are not subject to lending. Instead, there are growing calls for increased regulation that would force crypto exchanges to keep customers' money firewalled so that it cannot be repurposed for other uses.

As a result, political observers say, public school funding is effectively on the ballot Tuesday. “These groups have been demonizing what is being taught in public schools, and that’s the fastest way to erode faith that public schools work,” Rottinghaus said. (Abbott publicly came out in support of private school vouchers two months after winning the primary with 66.5% of the vote.) Greg Abbott in the GOP primary, campaigned in support of private school vouchers. “I will never support vouchers.”Rep. John Bucy III said he will continue to oppose private school vouchers.

☆ Affirmative Action Exposes the Secret Meaning of Equity
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( William Mcgurn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It’s taken too long, but the Supreme Court has finally put the progressive ideal of equity in the dock. In two separate cases Monday, the high court heard Students for Fair Admissions argue that Harvard’s and the University of North Carolina’s use of race preferences in admissions is unconstitutional and violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The plaintiffs are asking the court to overturn its 2003 decision in Grutter v. Bollinger, which upheld the use of race in admissions. Much of the attention in court Monday was on diversity. Less examined was the principle of equity, which undergirds it.

☆ U.S. says Russia would face consequences for using 'dirty bomb' or other nuclear bomb
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - There would be consequences for Russia whether it uses a so-called "dirty bomb" or any other nuclear weapon, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday. Washington and other Western countries have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of plotting to escalate action in Ukraine based on a pretext that Moscow believes Kyiv will use a "dirty bomb," a device laced with nuclear material. "It would certainly be another example of President Putin's brutality, if he were to use a so called 'dirty bomb.' There would be consequences for Russia whether it uses a 'dirty bomb' or a nuclear bomb. Price said the United States has not seen any indication that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon, but concern over the possible use of a "dirty bomb" was sparked by Russian officials' warnings that Ukraine was preparing to use such a bomb.

☆ A musician raised an AI 'baby' to harmonize with — and her newest experiment could usher in a brave, new world of art
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Drew Austin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In the world of art, misgivings about AI have been particularly acute. Despite this widespread apprehension, Holly Herndon — an experimental musician and artist — doesn't think AI is nefarious or will ruin art. In her blog post announcing Holly+, Herndon said she envisioned a future where digitally created voices "soon become standard practice for artists and other creatives." While the project has yielded an ever-growing array of fascinating art, Holly+ also raises questions about the future of that art. (Anyone can use the Holly+ voice tool itself without submitting the output to the DAO, however.)

☆ Wall Streeters peak between 36 and 40, according to a Harvard social scientist. Here's what they forget to plan for in the second half of their lives.
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-16 | by ( Jonathan A. Knee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In his new book, social scientist Arthur C. Brooks explains why addiction to achievement is bound to yield disappointment. To find true joy in the second half of life, invest in relationships instead of material possessions and social status. According to From Strength to Strength: Finding Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, the basic problem is the inevitable decline in our abilities. The decline in peak performance begins far earlier than we are likely to admit across professions, not just in athletes. Strength to Strength reads like a companion volume to the cult classic from 1979, The Drama of the Gifted Child by Swiss psychoanalyst Alice Miller.

With the term “personal taxes,” however, Mr. Garten appears to be conflating income taxes with other federal taxes Mr. Trump has paid — Social Security, Medicare and taxes for his household employees. Fragments of Mr. Trump’s tax returns have leaked out before. Mr. Agalarov’s father, Aras, a billionaire who boasts of close ties to Mr. Putin, was Mr. Trump’s partner in the event. Mr. Trump’s avoidance of income taxes is one of the most striking discoveries in his tax returns, especially given the vast wash of income itemized elsewhere in those filings. When they got to line 56, the one for income taxes due, the amount was the same each year: $750.

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