DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Memorial Day weekend, the traditional launching pad of the summer travel season, is shaping up to set a scorching pace. United is expecting the biggest Memorial Day and summer travel season in the airline’s 98-year history, according to Andrew Nocella, United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer. Air traffic controller shortageThe air traffic control tower at Los Angeles International Airport is a busy place. The United States is still short thousands of air traffic control personnel. Markus Mainka/imageBROKER/ShutterstockDespite a surge in hiring last year, air traffic control stations nationwide are still about 3,000 controllers short, according to new FAA numbers.

Persons: it’s, Andrew Nocella, Markus Mainka, Scott Keyes, ”, ” Keyes, Tayfun, Bob Thomas, haven’t, Elijah Nouvelage, Keyes, “, Antonio Masiello, he’s, Angela Fritz Organizations: CNN, Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, TSA, American Airlines and United Airlines, Airlines for America, Airlines, America, Air, Los Angeles International, FAA, CNN Travel, San Francisco International, Anadolu Agency, Embry ‑ Riddle Aeronautical University, Aircraft, Travelers, Hartsfield, Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Getty Locations: United States, New York City, Florida, New York, Miami, Chicago, Atlantic, AFP, Rome, Europe, Mexico, Australia, Paris, Iceland, Dublin, CNN’s

☆ Rome is building an eight-story underground museum – but treasures keep getting in the way
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Barbie Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Pope Francis opens the "Holy Doors" at St. Peter's Basilica to mark the start of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Now the hope is to have the line’s showcase Piazza Venezia stop, featuring an eight-story underground museum, ready in 10 years, according to engineer Andrea Sciotti, who is in charge of the metro museum complex. Each will be placed exactly where it was found inside the metro museum, which is being dug some 85 meters (280 feet) deep, encompassing eight stories below the modern city of Rome. The Venezia station museum stop is not the only treasure on the new line. In 2025, the new Colosseo-Fori station, complete with a four-level underground museum to showcase artifacts including 25 archaic wells unearthed when it was built, will also open after activation tests, meant to begin in October, are completed.

Persons: Rome, it’s, wasn’t, Pope Francis, Mercy, VINCENZO PINTO, Emperor Hadrian’s, Andrea Sciotti, Jesus Christ, “, ” Sciotti, Emperor Hadrian's, Stefano Montesi, Sciotti, It’s, ” Organizations: Rome CNN —, San, Vatican, AFP, Piazza Venezia, CNN, Corbis, Roman, Palazzo Venezia, Colosseum Locations: Rome CNN — Rome, San Giovanni Cathedral, Peter’s, St, AFP, Rome, San Giovanni, Italy, London ., Venezia

☆ JPMorgan is 'positive' on China stocks and 'constructive' on real estate as Beijing props up markets
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan is "positive" on China stocks and "constructive" on its real estate sector as the world's second-largest economy strives to prop up its equity and property markets. JPMorgan's view on China stocks is "tilted in the positive direction," said Wendy Liu, the firm's chief Asia and China equity strategist. Liu, who expects the index to hit 3,900 by the end of the year, said that China market was still "among the cheapest" in Asia Pacific. Mainland China's CSI300 was the third worst performing stock market in Asia, losing 11.38% last year. When asked about the Chinese real estate sector, Liu said it was at an "inflection point," and that JPMorgan was "constructive" on the sector.

Persons: Wendy Liu, Liu, they'll, CSI300, Hong, malpractices . Liu, Wu Qing, Wu, JPMorgan Organizations: JPMorgan, JPMorgan Global China, China Securities Regulatory Commission, People's Bank of China Locations: China, Asia, Jegarajah, Asia Pacific

☆ A Polling Risk for Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Nate Cohn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The polls have shown Donald Trump with an edge for eight straight months, but there’s a sign his advantage might not be quite as stable as it looks: His lead is built on gains among voters who aren’t paying close attention to politics, who don’t follow traditional news and who don’t regularly vote. Disengaged voters on the periphery of the electorate are driving the polling results — and the story line — about the election. President Biden has actually led the last three New York Times/Siena national polls among those who voted in the 2020 election, even as he has trailed among registered voters overall. And looking back over the last few years, almost all of Trump’s gains came from these less engaged voters.

Persons: Donald Trump, don’t, Biden Organizations: New York Times Locations: Siena

☆ Tired, testy and fractured: The Supreme Court prepares for more drama
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —As Supreme Court justices try to resolve more than a dozen major cases over the next month, including whether Donald Trump must stand trial for election subversion, they appear mired in antagonism and distrust. Conservatives, who indeed hold the upper hand on the 6-3 court, nonetheless spike their writing and remarks with derision for the left. When the court majority allowed Louisiana state officials to use a map with a second majority-Black congressional district (over the protest of a GOP-backed group of White voters), the three liberals dissented. (A lower US court had referred to it as the “bleaching of African American voters” from the district.) Dissenting liberals emphasized that the decision reversing the lower court undercut a 2017 Supreme Court ruling, Cooper v. Harris, issued before the far-right majority took hold.

Persons: Donald Trump, Samuel Alito, Alito, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, Ketanji Brown Jackson, John Roberts, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Sonia Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson, Blacks, Purcell, ’, Amy Coney Barrett, “, ” Barrett, Roberts, ” They, Bush, Feedback Kavanaugh, Gore, Cooper, Harris, ” Kagan, ” Alito, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Martha, Ann, ”, Alito tersely, Kagan’s, Edwin Kneedler, ” Roberts, Kneedler, Joshua Turner, Sotomayor, ” Sotomayor, Turner, interjected Organizations: CNN, Trump, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Liberal, GOP, White voters, Congress, Gore, South, American, Capitol, New York Times, US Justice Department Locations: America, Colorado, South Carolina, Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia, New Jersey, American, Alito’s, Jersey, Grants Pass , Oregon, Idaho, The Idaho

☆ ICJ Expected to Rule on Israel’s Assault on Rafah: Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Another Israeli legal adviser, Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman, said that hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian supplies had entered Kerem Shalom last week. The hearings are part of South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide, which it filed in December. In late January, the court ordered Israel to do more to prevent acts of genocide, but it stopped short of calling for a cease-fire. The main case, dealing with the accusation of genocide, is not expected to start until next year. The request must be approved by the court’s judges, but it further isolated Israel on the world stage.

Persons: Israel, Kerem Shalom, ”, Gilad Noam, Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman, Kerem, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant Organizations: International Court of Justice, United Nations ’, South, Kerem Shalom, International Court, Justice, Criminal Court Locations: The Hague, South Africa, Israel, Rafah, Gazan, Gaza, Kerem, Israeli, South

☆ Elon Musk Ramps Up Anti-Biden Posts on X
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Kate Conger | Ryan Mac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last month, Elon Musk posted on X that President Biden “obviously barely knows what’s going on.”“He is just a tragic front for a far left political machine,” Mr. Musk wrote. It was the 29th time this year that he had posted about the president on X, formerly known as Twitter, which Mr. Musk bought in 2022. Mr. Musk has steadily ramped up his criticism of Mr. Biden as the campaign season heats up before the November presidential election. In all, Mr. Musk had posted nearly 40 times about Mr. Biden this year, compared with about 30 times for all of last year. And Mr. Musk exerts outsize influence over the political discourse on X, where he regularly posts to his 184 million followers.

Persons: Elon Musk, Biden “, Mr, Musk, Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Mr, New York Times, Republican

☆ Interest on Federal Student Loans Is Rising to 6.53%
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Ann Carrns | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The interest rate on new federal student loans for undergraduates will be 6.53 percent as of July 1, up from 5.5 percent this year, the Education Department announced last week. And rates on PLUS loans — extra financing available to parents of undergraduate students as well as to graduate students — will increase to 9.08 percent. The yield at the May 8 auction was 4.483 percent, plus an added 2.05 percent for undergraduate loans. (The yield last year in the Treasury auction was 3.448. Add-on rates are higher for graduate and PLUS loans.)

Organizations: Education Department, Congress, Treasury

☆ Here It Comes: Another Hot Summer in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Ceylan Yeğinsu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, is headed for another scorching summer, meteorologists warn. And travelers, once again, are heading to the hot spots. Last year, large parts of southern Europe experienced prolonged periods of extreme heat with temperatures reaching 118 degrees and lasting up to two weeks or more. The sweltering conditions upended vacations throughout the summer season as visitors collapsed from heat exhaustion at crowded tourist sites, and wildfires led to evacuations in Greece, Italy and Spain. “Our computer models are in good agreement that it’s going to be another unusually hot summer, especially during late July through August,” said Todd Crawford, vice president of meteorology at Atmospheric G2, a weather and climate intelligence firm based in Manchester, N.H.

Persons: ”, Todd Crawford Organizations: World Meteorological Organization, Service Locations: Europe, Greece, Italy, Spain, Manchester, N.H, Croatia

☆ I was fired from my accounting job and had to give up my apartment and sleep on my friend's floor. Now, I make $500,000 a year as a YouTuber.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Perri Ormont Blumberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I run the YouTube entertainment news channel Funky Dineva, but I started my career as an accountant after graduating in 2005 with an economics degree. I have a creative personality, and I found the routine and confinement of accounting to be painful and unbearable. AdvertisementI had a YouTube channel that I decided to start taking seriouslyI decided that moving forward, I would do what's authentic to me: entertainment. I launched my YouTube channel in December 2010 but didn't start treating it like a job until I was out of accounting. I interviewed members of the cast backstage, and the content was used as digital assets for the brand on its website.

Persons: —, Quentin Latham, I'm, Mona Scott Young, I've Organizations: Service, Business, YouTube, Montgomery Riverfront, Kanye, VH1, Atlanta, College, Google Locations: Miami

In photo at right, Rob Breakiron with his daughter, Isabelle, at a performance of Taylor Swift's Eras tour. He often wears Swift's merchandise or friendship bracelets from her ongoing Eras tour on team calls. He's seen updates on Swift's music and personal life as something employees from across generations jump in to discuss on a team messaging forum. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted photos of his face bejeweled and wrists covered in friendship bracelets, which have become a hallmark accessory of Swift's tour. Despite that, she said, Swift's music has been a "universal language" that's helped her connect with everyone from the fathers of fans to women who see themselves in the singer.

Persons: Megh McLaughlin, Rob Breakiron, Isabelle, Taylor, Isabelle Breakiron, Taylor Swift, Swift, he's, Angela Hall, Andrew Boyagi, Boyagi, He's, Johan Cruyff, Jeff Bezos, Ray Dalio, Mark Zuckerberg, Susan St, Ledger, that's, McLaughlin, Amani Albertsen, Wise, Albertsen, Sharif Karmally, Karmally, Beyoncé, Raeah Smith, Smith, hasn't, Matt Lindner, Lindner, — Organizations: KPMG, Angela Hall of Michigan State University's School of Human Resources, Labor Relations, Society for Human Resource Management, Getty, Amazon, Disney, Michigan State's Hall, CNBC, Poets Department, Data Department Locations: Virginia, Australia, Cincinnati , Ohio, Amsterdam, Netherlands, St, HashiCorp, Florida, U.S, Atlanta, Texas, Minneapolis, Chicago

☆ When I got married, I didn't take my husband's last name. That all changed when we had a baby.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Maddie Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewWhen my husband and I eloped on a cliff overlooking the Minnesota-Ontario border, I was adamant about keeping my last name. I didn't want to go through the hassle of all that paperwork, and I didn't see the need to share a last name with my spouse. Keeping my last name made me feel more independentI'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy how keeping my maiden name made me feel. I experienced a shift in perspective when I got pregnantI was 28 when we started trying for a baby. I felt a closeness to my husband I'd never experienced before.

Persons: —, I've, nodded, We'd, I'm, I'd, Little, we'd Organizations: Service, Minnesota -, Business, Pew Locations: Minnesota, Minnesota - Ontario

☆ British fund manager abrdn's CEO Stephen Bird to step down
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

British fund manager abrdn said on Friday CEO Stephen Bird will step down after four years in the role, and finance chief Jason Windsor will take the helm on an interim basis. The Edinburgh-based company had named Windsor as the CFO last July. Bird, a former Citigroup executive who took over as chief executive in 2020, has sought to drive a turnaround by shedding jobs, reducing its range of funds and expanding into mass-market investing, following the takeover of online platform interactive investor in 2022. Trading and net flows so far in the second quarter have shown similar trends to the previous three-month period, abrdn said. Last month, it had reported 0.8 billion pounds ($1.02 billion) of net inflows over the January-March period, while its assets under management increased 3% to 507.7 billion pounds.

Persons: abrdn, Stephen Bird, Jason Windsor, Bird Organizations: Citigroup Locations: Edinburgh, Windsor

☆ Dollar holds firm as traders trim U.S. rate cut bets
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"The carry of holding dollars is far juicier," he said, while policymakers' rhetoric has also made traders nervous about inflation and the risk rate cuts would be distant or small. Traders have pushed out the timing of the first Fed rate cut to December. Thursday's business surveys from S&P Global supported the conviction among many traders that the Fed may keep rates higher for longer. But not for traders who are positioned for Fed cuts. Rates markets still price a near 90% chance the ECB cuts rates next month.

Persons: Martin Whetton, Matt Simpson, Sterling, Christopher Waller Organizations: U.S, Westpac, Federal, Traders, P Global, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve Locations: Sydney

☆ Turkish markets are 'on the verge of a renaissance moment,' Citi says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

After more than half a decade of dramatically depreciating currency, burning through FX reserves and unorthodox monetary policy, Turkey's economy is battle-scarred. New economic and central bank team appointments since roughly a year ago appear dedicated to reversing Turkey's fortunes, no matter how painful the process. The central bank oversaw an aggressive cumulative rate increase of 3,650 basis points between May 2023 and January 2024. It said at the time that "tight monetary stance will be maintained until a significant and sustained decline in the underlying trend of monthly inflation is observed." "The authorities' shift towards policy normalization has galvanized investor interest in Turkish assets," according to a Citi report published Thursday.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan Organizations: Citi Locations: Turkey

☆ Copper prices will extend records and surge another 288% in the coming years, top trader says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Top commodity trader Pierre Andurand expects copper to reach $40,000 a ton in the next four years. AdvertisementCopper prices at records are only a taste of what's to come, says top commodities trader Pierre Andurand. Copper is already sitting near record highs, so any quadrupling from current levels would mean a prolonged series of fresh records. It's bad news for a depleting inventory; last year, global copper supply hit its lowest seasonal level since 2008. The supply-demand imbalance is the same thesis for why commodities expert Jeff Currie expects higher prices, though his projection is nowhere near Andurand's — Currie expects copper to hit $15,000 in the coming years, and has called it "the most compelling trade" he's ever seen.

Persons: Pierre Andurand, —, That's, Andurand, BHP's, Jeff Currie, — Currie, I'm, Currie Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Bloomberg

☆ Trump’s Pattern of Sowing Election Doubt Intensifies in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Karen Yourish | Charlie Smart | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

Trump’s Pattern of Sowing Election Doubt Intensifies in 2024Former President Donald J. Trump has baselessly and publicly cast doubt about the fairness of the 2024 election about once a day, on average, since he announced his candidacy for president, according to an analysis by The New York Times. A line chart shows the number of times Donald J. Trump cast doubt on the fairness or integrity of the election during the 2016, 2020, and 2024 election cycles. Mr. Trump first raised questions about the 2016 election in August of that year, about 100 days before the election. About six weeks before Election Day in 2020, Mr. Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. “We want to make sure that the election is honest, and I’m not sure that it can be,” Mr. Trump said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, —, Long, Biden, “ weaponizing, ”, ” Mr, General Merrick B, we’re, “, TRUMP, “ You’ve, Hillary Clinton, Mr, I’m, ” —, I’ll, it’s Organizations: The New York Times, Trump, Mr, United States Capitol, White, Justice Department, Republican, Democratic, Electoral College, House, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Locations: Florida, Georgia, Manhattan, Ukraine

The nation’s highways and airports are expected to be crowded with people marking the unofficial start of summer this Memorial Day weekend. Travel volumes are expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels, according to recent data from the FAA and AAA. Last year, TSA reported passenger volumes that slightly exceeded those of 2019 for the stretch from Thursday before Memorial Day to the Wednesday after. AAA also forecasts a significant surge in air travel, with more than 3.5 million people expected to fly over Memorial Day weekend in 2024, reflecting a 9% increase from 2019. For the more than 38 million travelers AAA projects will drive, gas prices will average around $3.65 per gallon nationally, as of May 23.

Persons: — Organizations: FAA, AAA, TSA Locations: West, California, Mississippi

☆ Biden's gasoline sale likely won't have a major impact on summer pump prices
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Gas prices trending lowerOil prices surged last month as Israel and OPEC member Iran stood on the brink of war, raising concern at the White House that gasoline prices could jump heading into the summer. When adjusting for inflation, pump prices are about 2% lower compared to last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. Even in costly California, gasoline prices are down about 27 cents over the past four weeks, he said. But de Haan said gasoline prices will likely edge lower through the Fourth of July holiday as refiners increase output, which should keep downward pressure on pump prices. "Since the pandemic, the summer driving season has not seen a surge in demand, which can push pump prices higher," said Gross, the AAA spokesperson.

Persons: Kevin Carter, Biden, Patrick de Haan, It's, de Haan, Andrew Gross, De Haan, Superstorm Sandy, Donald, Trump, Brent, Gross Organizations: Getty, The Department of Energy, Northeast Gasoline Supply, AAA, Energy Information Administration, Congress, Reserve Locations: San Diego, San Diego , California, Israel, Iran, California

☆ Apple needs its big AI moment
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

That's made Apple's lack of a big generative AI announcement so far particularly noticeable. However, one big sign an announcement may be coming at WWDC was the unveiling of its M4 chip, which Apple described as an "outrageously powerful chip for AI." The CEO spoke of "big opportunities across our products" for generative AI and promised that Apple is "well positioned" to take on the space. "We think investors will take any generative AI announcement positively," Morningstar tech analyst William Kerwin said. We'd expect any new-gen AI announcement to see strong adoption when released."

Persons: —, they've, chatbot, That's, Dan Ives, Apple, Tim Cook, William Kerwin, Morningstar, Gene Munster, OpenAI, Siri, Ives, Deepwater's Munster, Kerwin Organizations: Service, Developers Conference, Microsoft, Google, Business, Wedbush Securities, Apple, iPad, Morningstar, Deepwater Asset Management, Bloomberg Locations: Cupertino , California, WWDC

☆ Homes on billionaire hot spot Nantucket are falling into the ocean at an alarming rate — but the wealthy won't stop buying
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Madeline Berg | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Over the past two centuries, Nantucket has gone from a whaling town to a hippie refuge to a holiday hot spot for billionaires. "To use a well-worn phrase, come hell or high water, people are still buying multimillion-dollar homes on Nantucket." Between 2030 and 2100, the number of structures exposed to coastal erosion is expected to go from 113 to 860. "Without erosion, this would be an extremely valuable area," Baxter Road resident Joshua Posner told BI. "It's not inexpensive, but it is worth doing," Posner told BI.

Persons: Steve Schwarzman, Eric Schmidt, Barry Sternlicht, Elizabeth Gibson, David L, Ryan, Bruce Percelay, Edward Sanford's, he'd, Percelay, Greg Mckechnie, you'd, Barry Sternlicht's, Suzanne Kreiter, Shelly Lockwood, who's, I'm, Joshua Posner, Jack Welch, Bill Belichick, —, Sanford, Lockwood, Nature, Yorker Brendan Maddigan, Maddigan, Mckechnie, Schwarzman, She's, Posner, he's, Helmut Weymar, Anne Atherton Organizations: Resilience, Business, Boston Globe, Getty, Estate, Nantucket, Coastal, Nantucket's Cisco, Cisco, Beach, Patriots, Yorker, Preservation Fund, Baxter, Conservation, Conservancy, The New York Times, Conservation Commission, Nature Locations: Nantucket, England, Cape Cod, Nantucket's, Madaket, Sconset, Brant, Baxter

☆ Biden has a plan to lower gas prices. It’s filled with caveats
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Road trips, in particular, are expected to set a record, which could send gas prices higher. But, just as a US president cannot solely take the blame for surging oil prices, nor can he or she, in most cases, be entirely credited for steadying prices. “This is a non-starter and won’t do much to lower gas prices,” GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan said. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Biden attempted to stem rising oil prices by authorizing the release of 180 million barrels of oil in coordination with US allies overseas. Gas prices have remained steady in recent weeks after rising sharply at the end of winter.

Persons: Biden, Jennifer Granholm, –, ” GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan, Obama’s, Sandy, Tom Kloza, ”, Kloza, Matt Egan Organizations: CNN, AAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Gasoline Supply, ”, Congress, US Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy, Oil Price Information Service Locations: New York, Maine, Ukraine

☆ Tesla is building a huge battery factory in Shanghai even as US-China trade tensions rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The factory, which was announced in April last year, aims to begin production in the first quarter of 2025. The battery facility will be close to Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, which is the company’s largest plant outside the United States, producing almost one million cars a year. Rising tensionsWhile most Western companies are face rising barriers to doing business in China, things have been smoother for Tesla. “Tesla competes quite well in the market in China with no tariffs and no deferential support. I’m in favor of no tariffs,” Musk said.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Tesla, Elon Musk, Tom Zhu, Tesla, Wu Xiaohua, ” Musk, Li Qiang, Li, Joe Biden, Musk, “ Tesla Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Lingang Group, Tesla, Reuters, “ Locations: Hong Kong, Shanghai, China, United States, Beijing, Washington, Tesla’s Gigafactory, Europe, Paris

☆ Thomas Midgley Jr.: The man who almost destroyed the planet (twice)
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Facing a crowd of journalists, inventor Thomas Midgley Jr. poured a lead additive over his hands and then proceeded to inhale its fumes for about a minute. Unfazed, he said, “I could do this every day without getting any health problems whatsoever.”Soon afterward, Midgley needed medical treatment. The task of addressing the issue of engine knocking fell to Midgley while he was working at General Motors in 1916. An estimated 1 million people a year still die from lead poisoning, according to the World Health Organization. The toxicity of lead was already well-known when Midgley added it to gas, but that didn’t stop Ethyl from becoming a commercial success.

Persons: Thomas Midgley Jr, “, ”, Midgley, —, Ford, Gerald Markowitz, Colin Creitz, Charles Kettering, ” Markowitz, ” Midgley, Bill Kovarik, Midgley —, Kettering —, Freon, Joe Sohm, CFCs, Perkin, Priestley, Kettering, Willard Gibbs, Carl E, ” Kovarik, Markowitz, I’m Organizations: CNN, General Motors, City University of New, GM, Standard Oil, DuPont, Network, UNICEF, World Health Organization, Radford University, America, Montreal Protocol, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders, Society of Chemical Industry, American Chemical Society, National Academy of Sciences, TNT, Linde Locations: Beaver Falls , Pennsylvania, United States, City University of New York, Algeria, American, Dayton , Ohio, Virginia, Montreal, Chicago

☆ The draw has been made for Rafael Nadal at the French Open. It couldn’t have gone much worse for the Spaniard
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Matias Grez | Sammy Mncwabe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

4 Alexander Zverev in the opening round of what is set to be the final French Open of his career. While Nadal has beaten Zverev seven times in their previous 10 meetings, the German is one of the favorites to lift the title. The fourth seed arrives at Roland Garros full of confidence after winning the Italian Open last week, his ninth Masters 1000 title. The two last met in an intense 2022 French Open semifinal where Zverev retired mid-match following an ankle injury that sidelined him for the rest of the year. The 22-time grand slam champion even admitted after his heavy second-round defeat to Hubert Hurkacz at the Italian Open earlier this month that he wasn’t sure if would be able to play at the French Open.

Persons: CNN — Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, Roland Garros, Nadal, Zverev, Spaniard, Hubert Hurkacz, Novak, Tomas Machac, Stanislas Wawarinka, Andy Murray Organizations: CNN, Nadal, Madrid

Search resuls for: "Last"

25 mentions found