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☆ OpenAI's Sam Altman reverses threat to cease European operations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Altman, president of Y Combinator, pauses during the New Work Summit in Half Moon Bay, California, U.S., on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019. In just two days, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seemed to do a 180 on his public views of European artificial intelligence regulation – first threatening to cease operations in Europe if regulation crossed a line, then reversing his claims and now saying the firm has "no plans to leave." On Wednesday, Altman spoke to reporters in London and detailed his concerns about the European Union's AI Act, which is set to be finalized in 2024, the Financial Times reported. "The current draft of the EU AI Act would be over-regulating, but we have heard it's going to get pulled back," Altman said Wednesday in London, according to Reuters. The more recent proposal for the EU's AI Act will be negotiated among the European Commission and member states over the coming year, the FT reported.

LAKE CHARLES, La., May 18 (Reuters) - In Washington, Republican U.S. Representative Clay Higgins has been a vocal advocate for spending cuts. As a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus, Higgins was an early advocate for dramatic spending cuts, many of which ended up in the House bill. He hopes the spending cuts backed by Higgins won't affect local efforts to provide affordable housing. When it comes to spending, Higgins has been a solid "no" in Washington. For some local residents, Higgins' push for spending cuts in the face of so much need remains incomprehensible.

☆ Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes must report to prison May 30
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes (C) arrives at federal court with her partner Billy Evans (R) and mother Noel Holmes on November 18, 2022 in San Jose, California. Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced CEO of Theranos, must report to prison May 30, according to a ruling issued Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila. On Tuesday, an appeals court rejected Holmes' bid to stay out of prison while she appeals her conviction. In another ruling Tuesday, Davila ordered that Holmes and former Theranos executive Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani pay $452 million in restitution to victims. Balwani was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison in July, after being convicted of 12 counts of fraud, and began his sentence in April.

☆ CIA launches video to recruit Russian spies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The CIA first posted the video on Telegram, which ends with instructions on how to get in touch with the CIA anonymously and securely. The video is also being posted to its other social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. It appeals to their sense of patriotism and plays on Russian culture, quoting lines from Leo Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. The emotional two-minute video shows different Russians going about their lives, appearing to contemplate major decisions. Monday’s video mirrors a more blunt outreach on social media by the CIA a year ago, two months into the war in Ukraine.

☆ IBM takes another shot at Watson as A.I. boom picks up steam
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

About 15 months ago, IBM sold its Watson Health unit for an undisclosed amount to private equity firm Francisco Partners. Now, Watson has given way to WatsonX, and IBM is trying to ride the latest boom in AI. The platform includes a feature for AI-generated code, an AI governance toolkit, and a library of thousands of large-scale AI models, trained on language, geospatial data, IT events and code, according to a release. IBM is partnering with HuggingFace, the buzzy AI startup and open source platform that reached a $2 billion valuation last year. "We allow an enterprise to use their own code to adapt the model to how they want to run their playbooks and their code," Krishna said.

☆ Slack's getting an A.I. chatbot that can summarize messages, take notes and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The logo for Slack is displayed on a trading post monitor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), June 20, 2019 in New York City. Buzzy chatbot technology is coming to Slack in a new way: Slack GPT, an in-app tool that allows users to shorten and adjust message tone, summarize missed messages in channels, assist with writing, take notes on calls or "huddles," and more. For example, you might ask the chatbot to take note of everything that was said on a Slack group call. Slack GPT can also summarize the dozens of messages you've missed in a specific chat group while you were out of the office. Ali Rayl, Slack's senior vice president of product, told CNBC she estimates that the AI chatbot tools will be rolled out within the next year but declined to give more specifics on the features' rollout timeline.

☆ MLB roundup: AJ Pollock's HR ends no-no as Mariners edge A's
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Mariners starter Bryce Miller, in his major league debut, gave up a run on two hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts. The Reds snapped a run of seven straight losses to the Padres and a streak of nine straight losses in San Diego. Jon Gray allowed four runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander lasted five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Keegan Thompson (1-2) was charged with three runs on four hits in one-third of an inning to take the loss.

☆ China investment consensus cracks as politics fuel fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It is unlikely to be resolved quickly even if the markets keep rallying and China economy keeps global growth ticking. Data paints a murky picture, but supports brokers' analysis that the bid from long-only money managers is absent. Allocation analysis from data firm EPFR shows a broad downtrend, especially to U.S.-domiciled China funds. EPFR figures show allocation to China funds outside the U.S. has increased for two years and mainland markets' recent performance has also been encouraging. "Our reservations about China's long-term investment prospects are based on our outlook for returns to capital."

☆ MLB roundup: Gerrit Cole to 5-0 as Yanks win despite Aaron Judge injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres hit back-to-back homers in a three-run second off Texas starter Andrew Heaney (2-2). The Yankees won their second straight in a game that Aaron Judge exited in the fourth inning due to right hip discomfort. Webb was charged with two runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings; he walked one and struck out seven. Phillies 1, Mariners 0Kody Clemens delivered an RBI single in the second inning for the only run of the game as host Philadelphia defeated Seattle. Velazquez then hit the second pitch he saw from Lugo 404 feet into the seats in left center.

☆ Rare photo captures the moment the keys were turned on a US military 'doomsday' plane to launch an ICBM
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US military test-launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile last week. Newly released Air Force photos show the moment an airman turned the keys to initiate the launch. The launch was executed aboard a so-called 'doomsday' plane, and a newly released photo captures the moment an airman turned the keys to initiate the launch. US NavyUS Strategic Command said last week's launch is "part of routine and periodic activities" to ensure that Washington's nuclear capabilities are stable. Several times a year, an ICBM will be pulled from one of the Air Force Global Strike Command missile wings for an Operational Test Launch at Vandenberg.

☆ North Korean bank official charged in crypto laundering conspiracies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

On Monday, a Washington, D.C., district court unsealed two federal indictments charging a North Korean bank official for his alleged role in cryptocurrency laundering conspiracies. The alleged actions are in violation of current sanctions against North Korea by both the U.S. and United Nations. The recently unsealed indictments represent a broader pattern in recent years of North Korean workers using virtual private networks (VPNs) and other tools to illegally gain remote employment and redirect revenue to North Korea. Nearly every month so far this year, North Korea has run tests of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, the latest taking place in mid-April. "We will continue to work to disrupt and deter North Korean actors and those who aid them by following the money on the blockchain and shining a light on their conduct."

☆ Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira was reading a book on a porch when the feds showed up to arrest him
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested in connection with the recent leak of secret military documents. Teixeira is a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman who worked in the 102nd Intelligence Wing. He was reading a book on a porch when federal agents arrived to arrest him. Teixeira worked in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. The secret military documents that were leaked on various social media platforms exposed US spying on allies and adversaries alike.

☆ A woman left her AirPods on a plane and tracked them down to an airport worker's home, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A passenger left her Apple AirPods on a plane after landing in San Francisco from Tokyo. Alisabeth Hayden told CNN a police officer helped her trace the AirPods to an airport worker's home. Shortly after getting off the plane on a layover at San Francisco International Airport, she realized she'd left her jacket behind. Hayden told CNN she enlisted the help of a detective at San Mateo police force who was working at SFO. She told CNN United gave her $271 and 5,000 air miles after complaining about the condition of the headphones.

☆ Mistakes by the US's top spies allowed China to turn a deadly mid-air collision into an intelligence coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

On April 1, 2001, a US EP-3 spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. One of eleven left in the fleet, the tired 1960s-era spy plane bristled with porcupine-like antennas. Within minutes, however, the fighters had reached the lumbering spy plane, and while Zhao Yu hung back about a half-mile, Wang Wei rapidly closed in. In severe trouble, he immediately radioed the base, telling them he was unable to maneuver and being sucked in by the spy plane. "You are not allowed aboard the aircraft," Osborn said.

Google (GOOGL), which for years ranked as the top company to work for in the United States, laid off thousands of workers by e-mail. During her early years there, she worked in marketing and became known as the “The Bard of Google” for the internal emails she sent celebrating the company’s culture. Google employee affected by January layoffs“The problem was, suddenly, you didn’t work for a company that was sending stuff to space or building autonomous cars,” Rout said. Hundreds of Google employees in Switzerland staged a walkout last week to protest layoffs, partly out of frustration with the lack of transparency. About a month before the January layoffs, one former employee said Google painted “You Belong” on one of the walls in their working area.

☆ The tech layoffs have created the perfect moment for tech workers to get organized and unionize, but getting there isn't easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The widespread tech layoffs shattered long-held illusions about the tech industry and its culture. That's pushing interest in organizing and unionization efforts across the tech industry, labor experts said. There are hurdles ahead, as tech workers fear for their jobs, but the perspective has forever changed. These episodes show a certain appetite for collective action in the tech industry, the experts said, laying a foundation for things to come. Tech workers have taken inspiration from the service workers at their respective companies, many of whom have unionized in recent years, Code-CWA's Kinema said.

☆ More pain for the crypto industry means a chance for startups to pivot
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After an awful 2022 that saw one of the industry's high-profile figures implode, the crypto market is looking for a bounceback. McDermott laid out to Insider's Bianca Chan and Dakin Campbell how tough times for crypto startups mean more realistic valuations and, in some cases, a reevaluation of the business model. Once of the most common critiques I hear about crypto is "It's a solution looking for a problem." The most recent crypto winter could force startups to be a bit more pragmatic about the specific problem they are looking to address. "If you can solve fraud in crypto, you can solve fraud in basically any part of finance," Meier told Insider.

☆ A big landlord who controls 60,000 homes is funneling money into a political action group that could urge lawmakers to curb renter protections
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Corporate owners of US rental homes are being scrutinized for making homes unaffordable. The landlords that control thousands of homes are girding for a political fight over regulation. As tenant advocates met with the White House and pushed the Biden administration to take action on high housing costs in November, one of America's largest single-family landlords was preparing its own move. AMH, formerly known as American Homes 4 Rent, did not respond to an Insider request for comment. Companies like AMH, Pretium Partners, and Invitation Homes have been building large portfolios of homes across the country since the last financial crisis.

BOSTON, March 1 (Reuters) - Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins has hired a former Justice Department inspector general to defend her in a widening ethics investigation into her appearance at a political fundraiser and her travel. The controversy has threatened to undermine Attorney General Merrick Garland’s vow to protect the Justice Department from partisan influence and efforts to extend progressive criminal justice policies championed by Rollins to the federal level. It is unclear what the inspector general's probe will find or when it will be completed. James Borghesani, a spokesman for Hayden, said they have received no inquiries from the inspector general's office. Investigators are also looking at Rollins' use of a personal cellphone, rather than her government-issued one, for Justice Department business, said two other people familiar with the matter.

The Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, New York, however, has created an alternative path — a one-year program to help students get lucrative tech jobs that typically go to college graduates with a four-year degree. Partnering with the business communityThe Marcy Lab School co-founders Reuben Ogbanna and Bhattacharjee-Marcantonio share ideas at the whiteboard. Tara McCurrie, CNBCThe co-founders worked with the local community to design a program to prepare students for upwardly mobile careers. "We think The Marcy Lab School can scale to thousands of students here in New York City, and potentially have impacts across the country," said Ogbonna. Overcoming degree requirementsDevonte Duncan was part of the orginal class of nine students at the Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, New York.

☆ Tuesday Morning says it wants to close 265 stores as part of its bankruptcy filing. See if your local store is on the list.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +30 min

Camarillo: Camarillo Village Square, 2450 Las Posas Road, Ste HCamarillo Village Square, 2450 Las Posas Road, Ste H Roseville: Fairway Commons Shopping Center, 5771A Five Star Blvd. San Diego: Pacific Plaza Shopping Center, 1772‐D Garnet AvenuePacific Plaza Shopping Center, 1772‐D Garnet Avenue Woodland Hills: Pride Shopping Center, 22950 Victory Blvd. Winston-Salem: Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1947 North Pease Haven Road, Space #1947Whitaker Square Shopping Center, 1947 North Pease Haven Road, Space #1947 Matthews: Windsor Square Shopping Center, 9945 E. Independence Blvd. ; Westhill Village Shopping Center, 7525 WestheimerWeslayan Plaza West Shopping Center, 5442‐A Weslayan Street; Westheimer Commons, 12568 Westheimer Rd. ; Westhill Village Shopping Center, 7525 Westheimer El Paso: West Towne Marketplace, 6450 N. Desert Blvd., Ste.

☆ How the boom in sports documentaries on streaming is opening up a new path for athletes as content creators
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Elaine Low | Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A boom in sports documentaries has offered athletes more ways to be on screen and build their brands. Players and their agents are looking for hits like Netflix Formula 1 doc series "Drive to Survive." Being featured in a sports doc can dramatically raise an athlete's profile, giving them more fans and more branding power. Netflix's "Drive to Survive" was credited with doing wonders for F1 fandom, particularly stateside, where American interest has historically been scarce. "These people can go on the air and broadcast their own content and they can capture and keep their own content," said Octagon VP of content and development Jason Weichelt.

☆ NHL roundup: Martin Necas, Hurricanes tie Sharks late, win in OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] Jan 27, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Martin Necas (88) celebrates his overtime goal against the San Jose Sharks at PNC Arena. San Jose's Michael Eyssimont scored a go-ahead goal with 8:45 remaining in what was a wild third period. Eyssimont's second goal of the season combined with an assist earlier in the third period had the Sharks on the verge of snapping a three-game losing streak. Kings 4, Panthers 3Adrian Kempe and Viktor Arvidsson scored short-handed goals, leading Los Angeles to a win over Florida in Sunrise, Fla. Devils 3, Stars 2 (OT)Jack Hughes scored his second goal of the game 20 seconds into overtime to give New Jersey a road victory over Dallas.

☆ Mexican authorities find bullet-riddled car that missing Ohio man was traveling in and bodies buried nearby
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Authorities in Mexico found a car that a 36-year-old Hamilton, Ohio man was traveling in when he went missing in the country at the end of last year, according to officials. The body of a man roughly between the age of 20 to 35 was also found along with the car, according to the attorney general. Gutierrez went missing in Mexico in Dec. 2022 while visiting his fiancé, Daniela Pichardo, in Mexico, NBC affiliate WLWT reported. According to a preliminary forensic analysis, four bodies were found in the burial site near Gutierrez' car, three women and one man, the office of the attorney general said. Gutierrez worked for Champlin Architecture at the time of his disappearance, a spokesperson for the company confirmed over the phone.

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