DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Behind The Onion's bid for Alex Jones's Infowars — which is now on hold as a judge reviews it
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementThe Onion's bid for Infowars came together with help from Sandy Hook families. On the surface, The Onion's announcement that it had purchased Alex Jones's Infowars at auction on Thursday may have sounded like a bizarre joke. But behind the scenes, the bid came together through strategic coordination — with the support of Sandy Hook families and a nonprofit that is backed by Michael Bloomberg. "The sale is currently underway, pending standard processes," Collins told Variety Friday in a statement. Advertisement"They've long loved The Onion," Collins told Yahoo, nodding to a headline the outlet publishes verbatim every time there's a mass shooting.

Persons: Infowars, Sandy Hook, Ben Collins, Alex Jones's Infowars, Michael Bloomberg, Collins, Alex Jones, Jones — who'd, Christopher Lopez, weren't, Lopez, Variety, John Feinblatt, who've, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Elon Musk's X, Jones Organizations: Yahoo, NBC, First United, Companies, Southern, of Texas's, Bloomberg News, Safety, ABC News, Bloomberg, Business, Variety, Free Speech Systems Locations: Texas

The Onion, the satirical news company that repeatedly spoofed conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, has won the bankruptcy auction for control over his media empire — most notably Infowars, the far-right, conspiracy-minded website that served as Jones’ primary online platform. The Onion plans to shutter Jones’ Infowars and rebuild the website featuring well-known internet humor writers and content creators, according to a person with knowledge of the sale. About an hour and a half after the announcement of the sale, Infowars' website was shut down. Details of Wednesday’s auction, including how much was offered for Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, and related assets, were not immediately known. “All you leftists celebrating the end of Alex Jones and Infowars, you’re fools,” he said.

Persons: Alex Jones, Jones, “, ” Jones, Infowars, Sandy, Sandy Hook, Chris Mattei, divesting Jones, John Feinblatt, Ben Collins, Collins, Christopher Murray, ”, Jeff Lawson, InfoWars Organizations: U.S, First United American Companies, Free Speech Systems, Sandy Hook Elementary, Gun Safety, NBC News, Onion News, ThreeSixty, Bankruptcy, Southern, Southern District of, Global, Onion staff, O Media, Speech Systems Locations: Connecticut, Texas, Winnebago, Austin , Texas, Southern District, Southern District of Texas, Sandy Hook, Newtown , Connecticut, “

A Manhattan jury returned the verdict after deliberating for about 13 hours over three days in Federal District Court. Mr. Menendez was found guilty on all 16 counts he faced, including bribery, honest services wire fraud, extortion, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and acting as an agent for Egypt. The verdict made Mr. Menendez the first United States senator to be found guilty of acting as an agent of a foreign power and the seventh to be convicted of a federal crime while in office. Mr. Menendez, 70, now faces the possibility of many years in prison when he is sentenced by the judge, Sidney H. Stein. The judge said he would sentence Mr. Menendez on Oct. 29.

Persons: Robert Menendez, Menendez, Sidney H, Stein Organizations: Robert Menendez of New, Senate Foreign Relations, Court, United Locations: Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Manhattan, Egypt, United States

☆ Stolen 37 Years Ago, Theodore Roosevelt’s Watch Finally Returns Home
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Christopher Maag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Theodore Roosevelt’s favorite pocket watch, which he carried around the world and wore in the White House, was returned Thursday to the president’s former home on Long Island decades after it was stolen from a mansion in Buffalo. The watch itself is “fairly pedestrian,” with an “inexpensive coin silver case,” the F.B.I. It was a present from Roosevelt’s sister, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, and he cherished it. “You could not have given me a more useful present than the watch; it was exactly what I wished,” he wrote in a letter to her. Tweed Roosevelt, Teddy’s great-grandson, learned about the watch this Tuesday, when the Park Service contacted him about its recovery, he said.

Persons: Theodore Roosevelt’s, Roosevelt, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, ”, Tweed Roosevelt, Teddy’s Organizations: First United States Volunteer Cavalry, Rough Riders, National Park Service, Park Service, Mr Locations: Long, Buffalo, San Juan Hill, Cuba, Spanish, Africa, New

☆ US and Philippine Marines train in seizing and defending key terrain near Taiwan's south coast in a show of force against China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Drew F. Lawrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

They were operating in Northern Luzon and the Batanes Islands, Philippine territory north of the mainland — key terrain for a potential conflict with China. The mission, known as maritime key terrain security operations, or MKTSO, was practice for that conflict, but had real-world implications. It was a show of force headed by elements of the Marine Corps ' newest Pacific-oriented unit: the Marine littoral regiment, or MLR. AdvertisementUS Marines prepare to load onto a UH-60 Black Hawk for the maritime key terrain security operations event at Paredes Air Station, Philippines. Malia SparksThose units were joined by a rifle company, also a joint-nation element, with the ability to seize and defend key terrain in the event of conflict.

Persons: —, Army Chinooks, Cpl, Malia Sparks, Maj, Robert Patterson, Military.com, Mark Lenzi, Lenzi, Patterson, Marine corporals Organizations: Service, Marine Corps, Business, Philippine Marines, Army, UH, Paredes Air, US Marine Corps, Philippine Marine, US Army UH, 3rd, Combat, Marines, Enhanced, US Army CH, Marine, United Locations: Taiwan, Northern Luzon, Philippine, China, Philippines, Itbayat, United States

☆ What Would Jesus Do? Tackle the Housing Crisis, Say Some Congregations.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Conor Dougherty | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Walking past empty pews and stained-glass windows, the Rev. Victor Cyrus-Franklin, pastor of Inglewood First United Methodist Church in Inglewood, Calif., talked about how housing prices were threatening his flock. As Mr. Cyrus-Franklin spoke, a 78-year-old man named Bill Dorsey was a few yards away in an outdoor corridor that led to the chapel, amid tarps and piles of clothes. “We know their stories and we know how hard it is to find housing,” Mr. Cyrus-Franklin said. So the church is trying to help — by building housing.

Persons: Victor Cyrus, Franklin, Cyrus, Bill Dorsey, Mr Organizations: Inglewood First United Methodist Church, Los Angeles International Airport Locations: Inglewood, Inglewood , Calif, Inglewood First’s, Los

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States is spearheading the first United Nations resolution on artificial intelligence, aimed at ensuring the new technology is “safe, secure and trustworthy” and that all countries, especially those in the developing world, have equal access. Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but they are an important barometer of world opinion. The U.S. draft calls on the 193 U.N. member states and others to assist developing countries to access the benefits of digital transformation and safe AI systems. It “emphasizes that human rights and fundamental freedoms must be respected, protected and promoted throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems." She said the resolution “aims to build international consensus on a shared approach to the design, development, deployment and use of AI systems,” particularly to support the 2030 U.N. goals.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, “, ”, Sullivan, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Joe Biden’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, U.S . National, General, Associated Press, United States, Lawmakers, European Union, U.S Locations: United States, U.S, European, China

☆ These 28 regional and community banks exceed regulators' threshold for high commercial real estate concentration risk: here's what's really at stake.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

But where banks' exposure to commercial real estate is concerned, locating that fire may be difficult. Rising interest rates quickly increased the cost of borrowing for investors in commercial real estate, including offices and multifamily homes. It doesn't reveal details such as borrowers' track records, said Mark Hillis, a former chief risk officer for commercial real estate at JPMorgan. There's also varying concentration risk: the largest banks with commercial real estate exposure are more diversified, meaning that any losses won't be as devastating, Baker said. "We think very few banks will run into issues just from their commercial real estate exposure," Reidy said.

Persons: Michael Barr, Jerome Powell, Todd Baker, Mark Hillis, Clifford Rossi, Robert H, Rossi, Baker, There's, Hillis, multifamily, haven't, You'll, Banks, you'll, Rebel Cole, NYCB, Matt Reidy, Reidy, Cole Organizations: Federal Reserve, Business, York Community Bank, SEC, Richman Center for Business, Law, Columbia University, JPMorgan, Smith, Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, Mortgage Banker's Association, Bank, Signature Bank, First, Countrywide Bank, Washington Mutual, Citigroup, multifamily, Florida Atlantic University, Federal, Regulators, TCRE, Equity RCRE, Community Bank, Provident Bank NJ, Merchants Bank of Indiana, Apple Bank for Savings, Oceanfirst Bank, Independent Bank, Lakeland Bank NJ, Ozk, Washington Federal Bank WA, Axos Bank, Sandy Spring Bank, Columbia Bank NJ, Farmers, Merchants Bank of CA, Popular Bank, Pacific Premier Bank, United Bank, Trust, Rockland Trust, Umpqua Bank, ServisFirst Bank, Bell Bank, Stellar Bank, National Bank of, National Bank of Florida FL, New York Community Bank Locations: multifamily, Basel, CRE, California, Rockland, National Bank of Florida

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — After four failed attempts, the U.N. Security Council is trying for a fifth time to come up with a resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, but it remains to be seen whether serious divisions can be overcome to produce a consensus on wording. The current draft under negotiation would demand “immediate extended humanitarian pauses” throughout the Gaza Strip to provide civilians with desperately needed aid. The 15-member council, which has the responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, has been paralyzed since the war began by its internal divisions. But unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are a barometer of world opinion. Of the five veto-holding Security Council members, Russia, China and France voted in favor, the United States voted against and the United Kingdom abstained.

Persons: ”, Richard Gowan, U.N, “, ” Gowan Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, . Security, Malta, Associated Press, United, Israel, International Crisis, Russia, Security Locations: Israel, Gaza, China, Russia, United States, Brazil, U.S, United Nations, France, United, Egypt, Balkans, Syria

A loss and damage fund would be the first United Nations mechanism dedicated to helping countries that have suffered irreparable climate-driven damage from drought, floods and rising sea levels. "There was a lot at stake at this meeting," Avinash Persaud, special envoy to the Prime Minister of Barbados and the country's representative on the U.N. committee, told Reuters. Developing nations argue that rich countries responsible for most of the historical CO2 emissions causing climate change should be obliged to pay - something the United States and other rich nations refused to accept. Mohamed Nasr, Egypt's lead climate negotiator and representative on the committee, told Reuters such pledges would be crucial to the overall COP28 negotiations. If rich nations fail to follow through, he said, it could reopen decades-old fights that have derailed past climate deals - with poorer nations demanding "compensation" from rich nations for causing climate change, or refusing to agree to cut emissions faster without substantially more financial support from rich countries.

Persons: Rula, U.N, Persaud, Jennifer Morgan, Mohamed Nasr, Nasr, Valerie Volcovici, Kate Abnett, Christina Fincher Organizations: Abu Dhabi Sustainability, REUTERS, COP28 Finance, Bank, United, Reuters, U.S . State Department, European Union, Climate, Thomson Locations: UAE, Abu Dhabi, United Nations, Dubai, Barbados, United States, U.S, Egypt, COP28, Germany, Europe's, Berlin

☆ First UAW vote at Ford is overwhelmingly in favor ratifying deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The UAW members in this first vote work at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan. There are about 4,800 UAW members at the plant, and nearly 4,000 of those were either on strike or laid-off by the company during the work stoppage. Nearly 4,000 UAW members went on strike October 8 after members rejected an 11th-hour deal reached a week before that appeared to have averted a strike. The Michigan Assembly plant was the first Ford factory to go on strike on September 15, so the workers there lost more paychecks than any other union members at Ford. In total, there are 36 different locals at Ford — 35 still have to vote.

Persons: Mack Trucks, Ford Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, Ford, UAW, Michigan, Plant, General Motors, Michigan Assembly, Ford — Locations: New York, Wayne , Michigan, Wayne, Michigan

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Residents of Lewiston return to work and school Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in Maine’s worst mass shooting. More than 1,000 people attended Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for a vigil in Lewiston, where days earlier a gunman fatally shot 18 people. Some put their heads in their hands as the names of the people who died in Wednesday’s shooting were read. Hundreds more watched a live stream of the vigil shown on a huge screen in front of the church. At Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, arriving church members greeted each other warmly but the atmosphere turned somber when the Rev.

Persons: Grace, ”, Saints Peter, Paul, Gary Bragg, Robert Card, Card, Kevin Bohlin, Allen Austin, ” Austin, Todd Little, “, Daniel Greenleaf, Brian Ganong, Jim Ferguson, Michael Sauschuck, Leroy Walker, Joseph, would’ve, “ It’s, David R, Martin, Matt Rourke, Michael Casey Organizations: —, Saints, Southern Baptist Church, Pathways Vineyard, First United Pentecostal Church, Lewiston, Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, Authorities, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, State Department of Public, Card, Associated Press, Residents, Schemengees, Central Maine Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, AP, USA, Northeastern University Locations: LEWISTON , Maine, Lewiston, Lisbon Falls, ”, Boston, Auburn, Massachusetts, U.S, Lewiston , Maine

☆ Coco Gauff Has Grabbed Our Attention
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Liz Robbins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hours after winning her first United States Open tennis championship, in September, Coco Gauff took her Tiffany trophy for a nighttime swirl around the tournament grounds. 1 single from Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice:“I’m bad like the Barbie/I’m a doll, but I still want to party.”At 19, Gauff met the cultural moment and made it her own. They capture the essence of moments,” said Kirby Porter, the founder of New Game Labs, a marketing firm that helps start-ups work with athletes. I literally downloaded it, and I was like, ‘Yes, Mood!’ That’s exactly how I feel.”Born into a new generation of athlete creators, Gauff became the M.C. She not only raised her own profile, but lifted women’s tennis in need of a new celebrity after the retirement of Serena Williams.

Persons: Coco Gauff, Tiffany, Nicki Minaj, Gauff, ”, Kirby Porter, “, Gen, Serena Williams Organizations: United States, ”, New, Labs

While the US women's gymnastics team has already qualified, the stakes remain high. Alongside Simone Biles, the US Women's Gymnastics team includes Shilese Jones, Leanne Wong, Skye Blakely, and Joscelyn Roberson. The men's team final is up first starting today (October 3), and there's more action to catch each day through the apparatus final on October 8. The first day of competition is October 3, beginning with the men's team final before the women's team takes the floor on the second day. The Men's Team Final starts at 6:30 p.m. BST on October 3, followed by the Women's Team Final at 6:30 p.m. BST on October 4.

Persons: Simone Biles, She's, Biles, Shilese Jones, Leanne Wong, Skye Blakely, Joscelyn Roberson, Kayla DiCello, ExpressVPN, Peacock, Peacock Thurs Organizations: United, Women's, BBC, NBC, Google, Insiders Locations: Antwerp, Belgium, United States, USA

☆ World isn’t moving fast enough to cut pollution and keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius, UN scorecard says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —In the eight years since the landmark Paris Climate Agreement, the world’s nations have not done enough to cut pollution and avert catastrophic levels of warming, according to the first United Nations scorecard since Paris, released on Friday. The planet has already warmed about 1.2 degrees above preindustrial levels; during this year’s summer of record heat, it hit 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels. June to August was the planet’s warmest such period since records began in 1940, according to data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. While the UN report finds the Paris Agreement “has driven near-universal climate action” from each country and put a major focus on lowering emissions, the actions themselves from countries aren’t matching up to the crisis. “Against forecasts made prior to its adoption, the Paris Agreement has led to contributions that significantly reduce forecasts of future warming, yet the world is not on track to meet the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement,” the UN authors wrote.

Persons: “, Dr, Sultan Al Jaber, ” Al Jaber, COP28, ” Tom Evans, ” Evans Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Paris, COP28, UN, United Locations: Paris, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

☆ How to Command a Stage Without Great Dance Moves (Taylor’s Version)
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brian Seibert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since it’s an understatement to call Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour the dominant pop concert of the year, it isn’t surprising that snippets of the show, captured by fans on their phones, have been flooding social media sites for months. At least that’s what I thought before seeing the Eras Tour live. Experiencing it in Los Angeles, at the end of its first United States leg, I changed my mind. As dance, the show is simple and unoriginal — yet exceptionally effective. Be that as it may, body language is crucial to how the three-hour-plus performance works.

Persons: Taylor, Swift, Britney Spears Locations: Los Angeles, United States

☆ Sophia Smith Has Been Ready for Her World Cup Moment
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Juliet Macur | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the weeks before the Women’s World Cup, Sophia Smith admitted that she wanted to be the first United States player to score a goal in the tournament. Growing up in Colorado as the youngest of three girls, Smith spent years trying to keep up with her sporty sisters. Yet even as a young teenager, Smith said, she knew she was destined for something bigger. She told her parents that she had the talent and drive to be a “special” soccer player. “I’m a winner,” Smith said in an interview before the World Cup.

Persons: Sophia Smith, Smith, I’m, ” Smith, “, ” Organizations: United Locations: United States, Colorado

☆ Nikki Haley blasts 'distraction' of Trump's legal woes after the former president claims the January 6 probe is heating up
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nikki Haley blasted Trump's frequent legal woes after it appeared he was on the verge of another indictment. Trump claimed that he received a formal letter saying he's a target of the January 6 investigation. "It's gonna keep on going," Haley told Fox News shortly after Trump released a statement claiming he was a "target" of Smith's investigation. Her comments underline how the rest of the 2024 field will face more questions about Trump's legal woes in the wake of his claim about the January 6 probe. Trump said that he was informed Sunday night that he was a "target" in Smith's January 6 investigation.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Trump, Jack Smith, Donald Trump's, Jack Smith's, Haley, it's, Asa Hutchinson, Hutchinson Organizations: Service, Former United Nations, GOP, Fox, Trump, United Nations, Former Arkansas Gov Locations: Wall, Silicon, Smith's, United States

☆ Conditions at Guantánamo Are Cruel and Inhuman, U.N. Investigation Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Carol Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The last 30 detainees at Guantánamo Bay, including the men accused of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks, are being held by the United States under circumstances that constitute “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law,” a United Nations Human Rights investigator said on Monday. She issued the report one month before her term as rapporteur ends. She said the conditions at the prison “may also meet the legal threshold for torture.”Ms. Aolain was the first United Nations investigator to be granted access to the detention center in its two-decade history. She said in an interview that she met with a cross section of the 34 prisoners who were there in February, including former C.I.A. detainees who are facing criminal charges and others who have been approved for transfer to other nations.

Persons: ”, Fionnuala Ni, Ms, Aolain Organizations: United Nations Human, United Nations Locations: Guantánamo, United States, Minnesota

☆ Restaurant Review: The Peking Duck at Juqi Passes All the Tests
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Pete Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York’s Peking duck enthusiasts have had reason to be on edge lately. The restaurant is expected to survive, but it probably won’t reopen until this summer. The fire followed the Covid closings, when Peking duck — almost the definition of a restaurant dish — was impossible to find. And while it is nice to have a new place to eat zha jiang mian and jiaozi, not to mention cumin lamb and crab-flavored fish, the most impressive item on the menu is the Peking duck. I don’t know another restaurant in the city that clears the classic Peking duck hurdles — all the fine points of roasting, carving and serving — so consistently and satisfyingly.

Persons: jiang mian Organizations: United Locations: Peking, DaDong, Beijing, China, Flushing , Queens, United States

"When you get into higher interest rates ... you look to your collateral," Rodeheaver said in an interview. "We are tightening on price and profitability ... That is going to slow lending a bit." "The economy has started to slow in an orderly fashion" in response to higher interest rates, Jefferson said, calling tighter credit conditions "part of the transmission mechanism of monetary policy." Powell, however, said he felt the impact of the credit shock "remains uncertain," and his own baseline outlook does not include a recession. Bank lending dipped about 1.7% in the two weeks following SVB's collapse, but has risen since then and recouped about a third of the decline.

☆ Plight of homeless deepens as Turkey-Syria earthquake toll passes 17,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The death toll from Monday's quakes, which struck in the early morning, passed 17,000 on Thursday across both countries. It was the biggest natural disaster to strike the region since 1999, when a similarly powerful quake killed more than 17,000 people in Turkey. People, whose relatives are trapped under the rubble, react in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 8, 2023. An aerial view shows tents placed at a stadium in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, in Kahramanmaras , Turkey, February 9, 2023. Syria overwhelmed In Syria, relief efforts are complicated by a conflict that has partitioned the country and wrecked its infrastructure.

☆ Rashford fires Man United into title race, Liverpool lose again
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

England forward Rashford completed the turnaround eight minutes from time to score for the seventh successive match in all competitions, the first United player to do so since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008. City were furious the goal was awarded after a VAR review, with Rashford initially flagged offside before letting Fernandes take the shot ahead of him. We'll celebrate a big win but from tomorrow our focus has to be on the next game." Brighton picked up their first home league victory against Liverpool since January 1961 as they climbed above their opponents into seventh. The same players played outstanding football matches before but if things aren't properly organised then it can look like that.

☆ Lawmaker complaint forces Tennessee pride festival indoors
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The drag show at a Tennessee pride festival will go on Saturday — but not in the way organizers had planned it. Darin Hollingsworth, a Jackson Pride Committee member, said organizers were “horribly disappointed,” because they know local LGBTQ youths would have felt supported at the drag performance. “But we will be in contempt if we even allow parents to bring in their child, so we won’t.”Hollingsworth said the pride event had been in the works for a year, and Jackson Pride had advertised it repeatedly. The event began to face backlash after a Sept. 17 Facebook post from Republican state Rep. Chris Todd. As a result, the Jackson Pride Committee decided to move the festival, including the drag show, into the Civic Center and to increase security measures by, among other things, having a metal detector.

Search resuls for: "First United"

24 mentions found