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☆ Walmart and Target are slashing prices. What does that mean for inflation?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That doesn’t mean the battle against inflation is won. Walmart saw first-quarter sales at stores open at least a year climb 3.8% from the prior year, in part thanks to its ability to keep prices low even as inflation remains sticky. “Our combination of everyday low prices plus a large number of rollbacks is resonating” with consumers, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said on a call with analysts. Investors will get more inflation data next week from the Personal Consumption Expenditures index for April. Without that discount, the combined fine would have topped £88 million ($112 million).

Persons: Doug McMillon, Price, we’re, ”, Preston Caldwell, Scarlett Johansson, Will Scarlett Johansson, OpenAI, Johansson, OpenAI’s, Sam Altman, Brian Fung, OpenAI didn’t, Anna Cooban, “ Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Walmart, Ikea, Aldi, Morningstar Research Services, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Investors, Citi, Citigroup, Financial Conduct Authority, Bank of England’s Prudential, Authority, CNN Locations: New York, United States

☆ Iran Prepares to Bury President Raisi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s president will be laid to rest in his hometown on Thursday, capping days of funeral observances after his death in a helicopter crash left the country without one of its highest-profile leaders. The deceased president, Ebrahim Raisi, will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in the northeastern city of Mashhad, one of the holiest sites of Shiite Islam. Before that, his body was flown from Tehran, the capital, to the eastern city of Birjand for a funeral procession. Ayatollah Khamenei led funeral prayers on Wednesday for Mr. Raisi and the other victims of the crash before the coffins were driven through the packed streets of Tehran in a large-scale procession. Several had private sit-downs with the supreme leader, who that night visited Mr. Raisi’s family at their home, according to the state news media.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Reza, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Ayatollah Khamenei, —, Raisi’s Organizations: Mr Locations: Mashhad, Islam, Tehran, Birjand, Iranian, Jolfa, Iran

☆ New Caledonia unrest: Tourists stranded and desperate as Macron arrives in strife-torn French territory
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Other Australians stranded have had to go scrounge coconuts to eat,” he said. Maxwell Winchester and his wife, an Australian couple stranded in New Caledonia after the unrest broke out. But Winchester said he and other tourists have no sense of when it might be their turn. People line up at a store for supplies in New Caledonia, with larger supermarkets nearby burned and looted during the riots on the French territory. And among the stranded tourists, frustration is growing over what they say is a lack of assistance or clear instructions from their governments.

Persons: Maxwell Winchester, it’s, We’ve, ”, Emmanuel Macron, “, “ We’re, Winchester, Macron, Prisca Thevenot, Theo Rouby, we’re, – Organizations: CNN, ”, New Zealand, Facebook, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealanders, Olympic, Paris Olympic Games, ” CNN, Getty Locations: South, New Caledonia, Victoria, Australian, ” Australia, New, Brisbane, Australia’s, ”, Brisbane , New Caledonia, Paris, France, “, Winchester, Noumea , New Caledonia, AFP, French

☆ A Promise of ‘No Man Left Behind’ Leads to a Forest in England
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Isabella Kwai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The blackened site of the plane crash, overgrown with rhododendron bushes and hidden in the quiet woodlands of eastern England, had for 80 years been the final resting place of a missing American pilot. Now, a group led by British archaeologists is carefully searching through the tangled branches, the soil and the mud with a hopeful mission: to find the remains of the pilot, who died during World War II, and bring him home. Their help has been enlisted by a specialized unit of the Defense Department responsible for finding the remains of tens of thousands of American service members who died as prisoners of war or were considered missing in action.

Organizations: Defense Department Locations: England, American

☆ These 'ghost villages' in Indonesia are all that remain after years of volcanic eruptions from Mount Sinabung
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Zoë Ettinger | Gabbi Shaw | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In 2010, Mount Sinabung erupted for the first time in 400 years in Sumatra, Indonesia. The massive blast of lava and ash forced all villagers in the surrounding area to leave their homes. AdvertisementIndonesia has 120 active volcanoes, and Mount Sinabung is one of the most dangerous. Following this eruption, the government deemed anywhere within a 4.3-mile radius of the volcano too dangerous to live, BuzzFeed News reported. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Mount Sinabung, —, Sinabung Organizations: Service, CBS, BuzzFeed, Business Locations: Mount, Sumatra, Indonesia

☆ I cold-emailed Mark Cuban and a Meta exec, and they both responded. Here's how I worded it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Andrew Yeung | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Share genuine gratitudeIt doesn't hurt to include genuine appreciation and praise for the person you're contacting. Do research on the person you're reaching out to. If you have a strong mutual relationship, ask for an in-person meeting. Set aside 20 minutes a week to intentionally expand your network, and you'll find yourself attracting more opportunities, relationships, and wealth.

Persons: —, I've, It's, Mark Cuban, Andrew Yeung Organizations: Service, Business, Spotify, Meta, Google, Silicon, Tech, Fortune, LinkedIn, ABC Company, Facebook, Business Planning, Next Locations: South East

☆ Is Pet Insurance Worth It? for Most People, the Answer Is No.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

The North American Pet Health Insurance Association found that pet owners in the US paid $3.9 billion in premiums in 2023, a 22% increase from the year before. One thing is for sure: As the industry grows, pet insurance is becoming as confusing and messy as health insurance is for humans. Pet insurance isn't technically even health insurance; it falls in the property-and-casualty category. AdvertisementThe big problem with pet insurance is it's just an expensive productThere are three categories of pet insurance: accident only; accident and illness; and accident, illness, and wellness. Advertisement"It's important that pet owners understand the scope of what their pet insurance does and does not cover, so they're not caught off guard by unexpected payments," he said.

Persons: Gina Papini, Kato, Papini, That's, they've, Kevin Brasler, that's, Dan, Michael San Filippo, they're, Doug Kenney, Kenney, It's, Brasler, she's, Emily Stewart Organizations: American Pet Products Association, Pet Health Insurance Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, Rover, Consumers, Business Locations: reimbursing, Mexico

☆ Election Updates: Trump’s New York City trial has made for a very local presidential campaign.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Michael Gold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

But often over the last month, his presidential campaign has ventured into politically hostile territory: New York City. “It does feel like he’s almost going out there door to door.”Image Mr. Trump brought pizzas to a firehouse in Midtown Manhattan. Credit... Hiroko Masuike/The New York TimesWorking within the trial schedule, Mr. Trump’s aides have also looked to use its constraints to their advantage. Image Union workers outside a construction site in Manhattan last month during Mr. Trump’s visit. Credit... Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times Image The Trump campaign has cited his crowds as proof of his popularity in deep-blue New York.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ”, George Arzt, Edward I, Koch, Hiroko Masuike, Brian Hughes, Mr, Trump’s, ” Jason Miller, Biden, Miller, Bill de Blasio, de, Hank Sheinkopf, Sheinkopf, “, ” Nicholas Nehamas Organizations: Trump, Midtown Manhattan ., New York Times, New Yorker, Democratic, New, Madison, Garden, Credit Locations: New York City, Harlem, Midtown Manhattan, Manhattan, New York, Midtown, Florida, York, Yorkers, Bronx, Crotona Park, Michigan, Wisconsin, Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, Wildwood , N.J, bodega

☆ Ex-Nvidia recruiter’s No. 1 resume red flag: It makes you look like ‘there wasn't a whole lot of effort’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Gili Malinsky | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This includes listing powerful accomplishments and keeping the resume to one-to-two pages, depending on the length of your career. "Where a lot of people make mistakes on their resume is they're listing out their daily job duties," she says. Instead, your resume "should be a list of your accomplishments, mixed in with some job duties." Listing out job duties alone not only leaves hiring mangers wondering how you contributed, it makes them think "there wasn't a whole lot of effort put into" writing the resume, says Fackrell. When it comes to how to format your resume, "make it boring," she says, adding, "no colors, no charts, no graphs, no pictures."

Persons: Stefanie Fackrell, who's, mangers, doesn't bode, you'd, they'd Organizations: Google, Nvidia

☆ TSA agents think the crew-member lane at airports is a huge security flaw that staff abuse for smuggling
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewAirport security officers have concerns over the special crew-member lanes that enable flight attendants and airline pilots to bypass typical passenger screening procedures. However, former and current TSA agents told Business Insider the lanes were "terrible" and that cabin crews could be "a bigger flight risk than the passengers themselves." 'KCM should be eliminated'TSA agents told BI these stories of cabin-crew wrongdoing "completely breach the trust that we put in them." "Transportation Security Officers conduct security screening for prohibited items at airport checkpoints and checked baggage screening," a TSA spokesperson told BI. However, Harmon-Marshall said airlines should do a better job of educating their crews about the dangers of the program, particularly when a flight crew is walking around in their uniforms.

Persons: —, John F, Charlie Hernandez, Sarah Valerio Pujols, Emmanuel Torres, Jarol Fabio, Dennis Ring, Marsha Gay Reynolds, Ben Schlappig, Schlappig, Caleb Harmon, Marshall, Harmon, there's, they'll, they're, they'd Organizations: Service, Transportation Security Administration, Airlines for America, Air Line Pilots Association, International, Business, TSA, Kennedy International, Prosecutors, Delta Air Lines, NBC News, New York Post, Airlines, America, Transportation Locations: New York

☆ Fallout From Cyberattack at Ascension Hospitals Persists, Causing Delays in Patient Care
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Reed Abelson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In more than a dozen states, doctors and nurses have resorted to paper and handwritten treatment orders to chart patient illnesses and track them, unable to access the detailed medical histories that have long been available only through computerized records. For more than two weeks, thousands of medical personnel have turned to manual methods after a cyberattack on Ascension, one of the nation’s largest health systems with about 140 hospitals in 19 states and the District of Columbia. The large-scale attack on May 8 was eerily reminiscent of the hack of Change Healthcare, a unit of UnitedHealth Group that manages the nation’s largest health care payment system. The assault shut down Change’s digital billing and payment routes, leaving hospitals, doctors and pharmacists without ways to communicate with health insurers for weeks. Patients were unable to fill prescriptions, and providers could not get paid for care.

Organizations: District of Columbia, Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group

☆ Tornado causes havoc in Texas as record-breaking heatwave looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Patrick Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Debris and a damaged building are seen in the aftermath of a tornado in Temple, Texas, U.S., May 22, 2024, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. A tornado ripped through central Texas Wednesday evening, causing huge damage and destroying homes, as forecasters warn of a potentially record-breaking heatwave in the state. The city of Temple, northeast of Austin, declared a state of emergency and opened a shelter for displaced people after a twister caused widespread devastation. Footage posted to social media shows buildings in Temple and nearby Belton missing roofs, piles of rubble and smashed windows. Flood warnings were in place Thursday morning for much of northern Texas, including Dallas and Forth Worth, along with parts of Oklahoma.

Persons: Young Organizations: NBC, NWS, Austin Locations: Temple , Texas, U.S, Texas, Temple, Austin, Bell, Belton, Dallas, Forth Worth, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Antonio, Iowa, Greenfield

☆ Amazon’s new cloud boss inherits a business under pressure to keep pace in AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

"It's very early days in generative AI," said Jassy, who succeeded Jeff Bezos as CEO in 2021. Davidson, told CNBC that Amazon was "caught flat-footed" by the generative AI boom. During a Q&A session on Wednesday, Jassy was asked twice about the status of Amazon's generative AI efforts. He said the company is "seeing a lot of momentum" in generative AI within AWS to where it's now a multibillion-dollar business based on annualized revenue. Amazon has previously said it intends to use generative AI to make Alexa more conversational.

Persons: Noah Berger, Andy Jassy, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Adam Selipsky, Jassy, Jeff Bezos, Matt Garman, Gil Luria, Davidson, Luria, Bezos, Selipsky, Casey McGee, McGee, Anthropic, Dario Amodei, OpenAI, it's, Garman, Amazon, wasn't, Dilip Kumar, Kumar, Swami Sivasubramanian, Jamie Meyers, Meyers, Matt, Jordan Novet, Kate Rooney Organizations: Web Services, Getty, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, D.A, CNBC, Amazon Web, Alexa, AWS, Nvidia, ChatGPT, Accenture, Toyota, Nasdaq, Investments Locations: Las Vegas, Vegas, Bezos, Anthropic

☆ Buthidaung: Fires rage as Rohingya caught up on the front lines of Myanmar’s civil war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Helen Regan | Avery Schmitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

This satellite image shows Buthidaung, Myanmar, on January 17, 2024. © 2024 Maxar Technologies This satellite image shows Buthidaung, Myanmar, on May 18, 2024. This satellite image shows a damaged bridge in Buthidaung, Myanmar, on May 18, 2024. Warnings of further atrocitiesAn immediate concern is a humanitarian crisis in Rakhine state, with newly displaced residents unable to access food or clean water. The Myanmar military has blocked all access,” said Nay San Lwin.

Persons: Farooq, ”, Young, Volker Türk, Kyaw, –, Buthidaung –, “, John Quinley, Khaing, Lwin, Rohingya, Pan, Matthew Miller Organizations: CNN, Arakan Army, AA, Resource Management, Free Rohingya Coalition, International Court of Justice, Council, Myanmar, UN Human Rights Council, National Unity Government, Free Rohingya Coalition –, Maxar Technologies, “, ” CNN, Bangladesh, Labs, Medecins, Rakhine . State Department, Unity Government Locations: Myanmar’s, Myanmar, Rakhine, Arakan, Bangladesh, Buthidaung, Lwin, Indonesia, San Lwin, Rakhine State

☆ Haley will vote for the Trump ‘chaos’ that she once decried
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Before losing her home state’s primary to Trump earlier this year, Haley lashed out at Republicans who backed Trump despite privately despairing over him. They’re just too afraid to say it out loud.”Now Haley is saying out loud she’s voting for Trump. Haley seeks to preserve her futureThere is every sign that Haley wants to run again for president once Trump finally leaves the stage. Trump has made no effort to appeal to Haley voters during the march to the nomination despite his dire need to court suburban voters. “Rightly or wrongly, chaos follows (Trump),” Haley complained at almost every event.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, ”, couldn’t, Joe Biden, “, ” Haley, Haley, Trump, Biden, —, They’re, Ted Cruz, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, I’m, Cruz, There’s, Liz Cheney, repudiating, John Bolton, ” Bolton, CNN’s Wolf, Haley –, Ron DeSantis, “ There’s, they’d, Ronald Reagan’s, Bush, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, “ Trump, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Tapper, Putin Organizations: CNN, South, Trump, United Nations, president’s, Harvard Law School, Democrats, Wyoming, GOP, Vermont, Florida Gov, Republicans, Hudson Institute, Republican, freeloading, NATO, Hampshire Locations: South Carolina, Texas, Washington, Florida, Iowa, Georgia, New Hampshire, Russian, North Korean, Europe, Asia, United States, Columbia , South Carolina

☆ Raisi’s funeral is about a lot more than the late Iranian president
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Unlike previous Iranian presidents, Raisi seemed content to serve as an empty vessel that carried out the reactionary policies of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the final arbiter on policymaking. So, when foreign dignitaries from a whopping 68 countries gathered for Raisi’s funeral on Thursday, they may not have been preoccupied with thoughts of the late president. Iranians follow a truck carrying the coffins of the late President Ebrahim Raisi and his companions during a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran. “This (funeral) is a way for countries to show the progress they have made in repairing relations with Iran,” said Parsi. He could also decide to change tack, opening it up so that Iran’s next president enjoys broad popular support.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi’s, Raisi, Ali Khamenei, Hassan Rouhani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad –, Qassem Soleimani, Quincy Institute Trita Parsi, –, Ismail Haniyeh, Ebrahim Raisi, Majid Saeedi, Donald Trump, ”, Khamenei, “, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, CNN’s Becky Anderson, that’s Organizations: CNN, Quincy Institute Trita, United Arab, Getty, Obama, country’s Guardian Council, Supreme Locations: East, Iran, ” Washington, Gaza, Tehran, Israel, Damascus, Turkey, India, China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Kuwait, Europe, Islamic Republic, country’s

☆ Corporate America is going through a middle-management meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Middle managers are becoming an endangered species in Corporate America, with some companies viewing the role as obsolete , writes Business Insider's Lindsay Dodgson. Remote work, tech efficiencies, and a general push to cut costs have contributed to middle managers' demise. It's a strategy Corporate America, particularly Big Tech, deployed in 2023. The "year of efficiency," as Mark Zuckerberg dubbed it, was all about flattening organizations, and middle managers were the ones getting squished . The death of middle managers could also fuel the current dismantling of another cohort: the middle class .

Persons: —, Brooks Kraft, Insider's Lindsay Dodgson, millennials, Gen Zers haven't, Robyn Phelps, they're, Mark Zuckerberg, Gen, Jeffrey Gundlach, we're, Blackstone, Abanti Chowdhury, Jensen Huang, Hopper, Blackwell, Lilit, Tyler Le, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Service, Business, Brooks Kraft LLC, Getty, America, Big Tech, Citi, Street Journal, KKR, Meta, Google, Nvidia, Paragon Intel, National Association of Realtors, FAA Locations: Corporate America, millennials, New York, London

☆ Foreign Interventions in Haiti: A Brief History
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Frances Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It is hardly the first time that an international force has gone to Haiti in the name of law and order. For the past century, soldiers from around the world — including the United States — have deployed to, and even invaded, Haiti. In the past 30 years, the United Nations has launched at least six peacekeeping missions to Haiti. International soldiers have restored overthrown presidents, eased them out and helped train the Haitian National Police. But they have also left bleak legacies of sexual exploitation, civilian casualties and deadly disease.

Organizations: United Nations, Haitian National Police Locations: Haiti, United States

☆ Konya: Turkey’s ancient city of whirling dervishes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Robert Iddiols | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Konya, Turkey CNN —When most people think of Turkey bucket list destinations, a few obvious ones spring to mind - Istanbul, Turquoise Coast hotspots like Bodrum or the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia. As well as being a renowned Islamic scholar, Rumi launched the Mevlevi Order of the Whirling Dervishes. And while they can be seen in various locations across Turkey, Konya is the beating heart of their activities. Abdullah Çetín, a photographer based in Konya, says the city and region’s history is also what puts it on the map. Murat Oner Tas/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesKonya is also a jumping off point for Lake Tuz, a large hypersaline lake that lies about two hours’ drive northeast of the city.

Persons: –, it’s, Celaleddin Rumi, Rumi, Maulana, ”, Kerem Polat, Adem Altan, Polat, “, ” Polat, Abdullah Çetín, Çetín, Murat Oner Tas, Fahri Tunç, Tunç, ’, ‘, ” Tunç, he’s Organizations: CNN, Turkey CNN, Getty, ”, Mevlana Museum, Anadolu Agency Locations: Konya, Turkey, Istanbul, Turquoise, – Konya, Adem, AFP, Sultanate of Rum, Balkh, Afghanistan, Mecca, Medina, Anatolia, mycan, Sille, Gevale, Rumi, Konya “, Lake Tuz, Salt, Tuz

☆ Norway, Ireland and Spain to recognize Palestinian statehood
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Norway, Ireland and Spain will recognize an independent Palestinian state, the three countries' prime ministers said Wednesday, in the hope of bringing about a peaceful resolution to a conflict that has raged for more than 75 years. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on social media that his country will approve the recognition of a Palestinian state in the Council of Ministers on May 28, according to a CNBC translation. Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris also confirmed the news in a press conference: "Today, Ireland, Norway, and Spain are announcing that we recognize the state of Palestine. Each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision." "I'm confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks," he said.

Persons: Jonas Gahr Stoere, Pedro Sanchez, Simon Harris, Harris Organizations: Reuters, Spain's, Ministers, CNBC, Irish Locations: Norway, Ireland, Spain, Palestinian, Palestine

☆ The future of Elvis Presley’s Graceland could be decided in court Wednesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The future of Graceland, Elvis Presley’s historic Memphis home, could be determined in court Wednesday after a bizarre set of events set the late singer’s granddaughter against a mysterious company that claimed Elvis’ daughter gave it Graceland’s deed. In a signed affidavit, the notary public denied ever notarizing anything that Lisa Marie Presley had signed. An estate in disputeFollowing Lisa Marie Presley’s death, Keogh and her grandmother, Priscilla Presley, fought over the rights to her estate – including Graceland. In 2004, Lisa Marie Presley sold 85% of Elvis Presley Enterprises’ assets in a deal reportedly worth more than $100 million. Lisa Marie Presley annually earned seven figures from it, based on a court filing in her 2022 divorce.

Persons: Elvis, Elvis ’, –, Danielle Riley Keough, Keough, Lisa Marie Presley, Naussany, Presley, Naussany isn’t, ”, “ Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley, “ Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley’s, Keogh, Priscilla Presley, Graceland, Mad Max Fury Organizations: CNN, Chancery, Naussany Investments, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Graceland’s, Graceland Locations: Memphis, Shelby County , Tennessee, Graceland, Kimberling City , Missouri, Missouri, “

☆ Abortion Pills May Become Controlled Substances in Louisiana
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Pam Belluck | Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Louisiana could become the first state to classify abortion pills as dangerous controlled substances, making possession of the pills without a prescription a crime subject to jail time and fines. A bill that would designate the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV drugs — a category of medicines with the potential for abuse or dependence — passed the state’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday by a vote of 63 to 29. The measure — which would put abortion pills in the same category as Xanax, Ambien and Valium — contradicts the way the federal government classifies mifepristone and misoprostol. The federal Food and Drug Administration does not consider abortion pills to be drugs with the potential for dependence or abuse, and decades of medical studies have found both to be overwhelmingly safe. Pregnant women would be exempt from those penalties; most abortion bans and restrictions do not punish pregnant women because most voters oppose doing so.

Persons: Jeff Landry, — Organizations: Republican, Gov, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Louisiana

☆ Amazon plans to give Alexa an AI overhaul — and a monthly subscription price
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Kate Rooney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon is upgrading its decade-old Alexa voice assistant with generative artificial intelligence and plans to charge a monthly subscription fee to offset the cost of the technology, according to people with knowledge of Amazon's plans. Amazon's subscription for Alexa will not be included in the $139 per year Prime offering, and Amazon has not yet nailed down the price point, one source said. The Alexa team worried they had invented an expensive alarm clock, weather machine and way to play Spotify music, one source said. When reached for comment, Amazon pointed to the company's annual shareholder letter released last month. It has undergone a massive reorganization, with much of the team shifting to the artificial general intelligence, or AGI, team, according to three sources.

Persons: OpenAI, Siri, Apple's, Scott Galloway, Alexa, Jeff Bezos, Andy Jassy, Jassy, Alexa didn't Organizations: Alexa, Google, Amazon, Gemini, iPhones, NYU, Spotify Locations: Seattle

☆ Why Target and McDonald's are cutting prices and offering deals
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Target 's weak quarterly earnings underscored why it cut prices on thousands of household staples: It's struggling to win over bargain hunters. Elsewhere, Aldi dropped prices earlier this month on more than 250 items, including chicken, steak, granola bars and frozen blueberries. Target made its move on Monday, saying it has already reduced prices on about 1,500 items and plans to cut prices on thousands more this summer. Multiple major grocers and restaurants cutting prices or offering deals could offer relief at the checkout, at a time when consumer prices are still climbing more than 3% from last year. The company declined to share details of that split, but Chief Growth Officer Christina Hennington said Target's vendors know the company is committed to passing on savings to its customers to drive traffic.

Persons: Target's, Christina Hennington Organizations: Walmart, Aldi, Federal Reserve

☆ Target comparable sales have dropped for 4 straight quarters, and it's scrambling to avoid a 5th
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewTarget reported $24.5 billion in revenue last quarter, with comparable sales down 3.7%, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of decline. Unlike total sales, comparable sales exclude new and closed stores, and analysts commonly use the measure to assess a business' underlying health. AdvertisementThe company also revamped and expanded its membership program, Target Circle, adding over a million new shoppers last quarter. "We're encouraged by the meaningful progress we've seen in recent quarters," Cornell said.

Persons: —, Brian Cornell, Cornell, Jack children's, We're Organizations: Service, Business, Walmart, Amazon Prime, Target

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