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Those figures are now 20% at Berkeley Law and 15% at Michigan Law. The Association of American Law Schools on July 10 is convening a virtual conference focused on admissions in a post-affirmative action landscape, chaired by Berkeley Law dean Erwin Chemerinsky. Alongside strategies to recruit and admit diverse students, Zearfoss said the changing demographics of the law school applicant pool have helped Michigan Law bolster student diversity—good news for law schools now facing an affirmative action ban. The law school also prioritizes recruiting at events geared toward minority applicants and at college and universities with significant minority enrollment, Zearfoss added. Michigan Law and Berkeley Law both voluntarily withhold information about each applicant's race to ensure they comply with their state laws, admissions officials said.

Persons: Sarah Zearfoss, Erwin Chemerinsky, Edward Blum, ”, Michigan’s Zearfoss, Zearfoss, Chemerinsky, “, ” Chemerinsky, Karen Sloan, Leigh Jones Organizations: U.S, Supreme, University of Michigan Law School, University of California, Berkeley School of Law, Berkeley Law, American Bar Association, Michigan Law's, ABA, Michigan Law, Association of American Law Schools, Berkeley, Fair Admissions, Harvard University, University of North, Asian, Fair, Association of American Medical Colleges, American Dental Association, Law, Thomson Locations: Michigan, California, American, Sarah Zearfoss , Michigan, University of North Carolina, U.S

LONDON, June 23 (Reuters) - Global trade remained in the doldrums during the second quarter as China’s post-lockdown rebound proved slower than expected and was offset by continued weakness in North America and Europe. Chartbook: Global container tradeChina’s freight movements have rebounded as the country emerged from lockdowns and the exit wave of the epidemic, though not as fast as anticipated at the start of the year. At Japan’s Narita airport, international air cargo was down 25% in the first five months of 2023 compared with a year ago. The most optimistic interpretation is that freight volumes have stabilised, after declining sharply in the second half of 2022, but there is no sign yet of a recovery outside China. Related columns:- Global freight cycle may have reached lowest point (May 25, 2023)- Global freight shows signs of bottoming out (April 27, 2023)- Global freight slump deepens at the start of 2023 (March 21, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

Persons: John Kemp, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Global, of, European Union, Ministry of Transport, Traffic, Association of American Railroads, American Trucking Association, Thomson, Reuters Locations: North America, Europe, Netherlands, China, Asia, United States, Japan, United Kingdom, lockdowns, Singapore, East Asia, Los Angeles, Long Beach , Oakland, Houston, Charleston, Savannah, Virginia, Seattle, New York, U.S, Narita, Heathrow

☆ Freight railroad alert raised to 'red' as shippers fear more West Coast port tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The slowdown in International Longshore and Warehouse Union work at West Coast ports has created a congestion contagion that is spreading to the freight railroads, with uncertain consequences for the supply chain. The West Coast ports, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, had seen an uptick in recent activity as labor talks progressed, taking back some volume from East Coast ports which had gained amid the labor tensions over the past year. That port processes less railroad freight compared to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which have been open with only certain terminals targeted for shutdowns. Brashier said there is concern that inland port intermodal (IPI) freight will be hit next. "Without a concrete resolution in sight, a lack of reliable communication from either party and the ILWU actions, shippers should stay vigilant and close to the situation on the West Coast as the situation remains extremely fluid," he said.

Persons: Paul Brashier, Brashier Organizations: ITS Logistics, Port, Rail, Los, Pacific Maritime Association, The Association of American Railroads, shutdowns Locations: West Coast, Los Angeles, Long, East Coast, U.S, Port, Oakland

☆ Andreessen Horowitz and General Catalyst lead $50 million seed round in Hippocratic AI to deliver large language models to healthcare providers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hippocratic AI is a large language model company aiming to serve healthcare providers. Now, the entrepreneur is marrying his interest in healthcare with his experience as a multi-time AI founder to create Hippocratic AI, a healthcare-focused large language model company. First, Hippocratic AI tested its large language model against 114 different healthcare certifications, 105 of which its model outperformed OpenAI's GPT-4 on, Shah told Insider. Despite its intensive model training efforts and recent hefty capital infusion, Hippocratic AI has yet to release a product. "This language model business has turned software development back into a capital intensive business," he said.

LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Global freight volumes fell at some of the fastest rates for three decades earlier this year, but at the end of the first quarter showed signs of bottoming out. Global freight has been hit by excess inventories held all along the supply chain as consumer and business spending has reverted from merchandise to services after the pandemic. But the most recent data, albeit only covering a small number of transport hubs, shows freight volumes may have stabilised or improved at the very end of the first quarter. Chartbook: Global freight volumesThe port of Singapore’s container throughput climbed to a record high of 3.34 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in March. Related columns:- Hard-ish landing has already arrived for U.S. manufacturers (April 4, 2023)- Global freight slump deepens at the start of 2023 (March 21, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

☆ What Happens If You Don’t Pay Your Student Loans?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

Read on to understand the details of not paying your student loans:What happens if you don’t pay your student loans? “The key is to communicate with their servicer or lender.”What happens when you don’t pay your student loans varies by loan type: Defaulting on federal student loans can follow you for life, whereas private student loan collections efforts have a statute of limitations. Here’s a closer look at what happens when you don’t pay your federal student loans, followed by what happens when you don’t pay your private loans. What happens if you don’t pay your federal student loans? “The Fresh Start program is likely the best pandemic-era student loan program to actually fix structural problems hurting student loan borrowers,” says Farrington.

☆ A.I. takes center stage at HIMSS health conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

HIMSS conference attendees walk the exhibition floor Source: HIMSSDebates over artificial intelligence and its role in health care took center stage at the HIMSS Global Health Conference in Chicago this week, where more than 35,000 physicians, executives, engineers and health-care workers convened to discuss the latest advancements in health and technology. Generative AI refers to programs that can use fairly complicated prompts from end users to generate text or images. Just as generative AI has captured the attention of the general public, it has also captivated the medical community. HIMSS attendees told CNBC they believe generative AI can help with these tasks. More than 35,000 people attended the HIMSS conference in 2023 Source: HIMSS

☆ DeSantis wants to eliminate in-state college tuition for undocumented students and beneficiaries of the Obama-era DACA program
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis wants to repeal their access to in-state tuition rates for undocumented students. At least 12,000 DACA recipients benefit from in-state tuition in Florida. Ron DeSantis's extensive immigration reform legislative package, undocumented students could lose access to in-state tuition rates. The legislation would repeal a 2014 law that gave undocumented students and beneficiaries of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects those who came as children from deportation, access to in-state tuition rates. DeSantis' proposal has garnered pushback from business groups, who say the move is not only "unfair" but could hurt the workforce.

But manufacturers across the eurozone have reported business activity has been falling for nine months since June 2022 according to purchasing managers’ surveys. U.S. manufacturers have reported business activity has been falling for five months since November 2022 according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM)’s purchasing survey. But the deficit had narrowed from 63 million barrels (-15% or -2.05 standard deviations) at the end of June 2022, according to data from Euroilstock. U.S. distillate fuel oil inventories were 18 million barrels (-14% or -1.08 standard deviations) below the prior 10-year seasonal average on March 31. In Singapore, distillate inventories have risen in 12 of the 15 most recent weeks by a total of 3 million barrels, according to data from Enterprise Singapore.

☆ Why Florence has a complicated relationship with the over 15,000 American college students who come every year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Bianca Giacobone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Over 15,000 US students spend some time studying in Florence, Italy every year. Over 15,000 American students flock to the city every year, according to local newspapers, with estimates of 18,000 for 2023. Back in 2016, it was estimated that American universities bring over 150 million euros to the economy of Tuscany, Florence's region, per year. And, according to plenty of social media complaints and local reports, American students could be more considerate of the city that hosts them. Once, she asked some American students to keep it down a little, and one of them told her to buy some earplugs.

REUTERS/Stefan WermuthMarch 25 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has ruled that an online library operated by the nonprofit organization Internet Archive infringed the copyrights of four major U.S. publishers by lending out digitally scanned copies of their books. The San Francisco-based non-profit over the past decade has scanned millions of print books and lent out the digital copies for free. But Koeltl said there was nothing "transformative" about Internet Archive's digital book copies that would warrant "fair use" protection, as its e-books merely replaced the authorized copies publishers themselves license to traditional libraries. "Although IA has the right to lend print books it lawfully acquired, it does not have the right to scan those books and lend the digital copies en masse," he wrote. Internet Archive promised an appeal, saying the ruling "holds back access to information in the digital age, harming all readers, everywhere."

REUTERS/Stefan WermuthMarch 24 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday ruled that an online library operated by the nonprofit organization Internet Archive had infringed the copyrights of four major U.S. publishers by lending out digitally scanned copies of the books. The San Francisco-based non-profit over the past decade has scanned millions of print books and lent out the resulted digital copies for free. But Koeltl said there was nothing "transformative" about the Internet Archive's digital book copies that would warrant "fair use" protection, as its ebooks merely replaced the authorized copies publishers themselves license traditional libraries. "Although IA has the right to lend print books it lawfully acquired, it does not have the right to scan those books and lend the digital copies en masse," he wrote. The Internet Archive in a statement promised an appeal, saying the ruling "holds back access to information in the digital age, harming all readers, everywhere."

☆ Norfolk Southern CEO told that railroads' planned voluntary safety improvements aren't enough
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw returns to Capitol Hill Wednesday facing pressure to support rail safety legislation proposed in the wake of his railroad’s massive toxic spill from a February 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. “We support legislative efforts to enhance the safety of the freight rail industry,” was the only discussion of the legislation in his prepared remarks. Shaw said the railroad would support increasing fines and penalties for people found tampering with railroad facilities and safety equipment, without endorsing proposals for potential fines on railroads found guilty of safety violations. They said residents who live near freight rail tracks can’t depend on the railroad’s voluntary measures to improve safety. Vance said it is important to raise the maximum fine for rail safety violations from the current limit of $225,455.

☆ US railroad group warns carriers to stop using cars with loose wheels
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - A group representing major U.S. railroads on Thursday warned carriers to stop using rail cars with loose wheels until those wheel sets can be replaced. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) said Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) had identified loose wheels on a series of cars that present an increased risk of an out of gage derailment. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was looking at the role of the loose wheels in recent derailments and praised the industry action. Norfolk Southern had 517 railcars in use with the wheels at issue, she added. Norfolk Southern did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Union warns it has been left without enough workers to install new rail safety measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Adding 1,000 more wayside detectors will create more work in the craft," said Michael Baldwin, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. There is no federal mandate for detectors, including the hot box detector, to be inspected. "Norfolk Southern has hired and trained more than 150 new signal employees, and we continue to hire. We are committed to the safety and integrity of our defect detectors," said Connor Spielmaker, Norfolk Southern spokesman. Total Class I freight rail employment in January 2023 was 119,245, up 6.7% (7,491 employees) over January 2022.

☆ Despite East Palestine toxic train disaster, railroads still want single-person crews
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The rail safety legislation, introduced in Congress Wednesday with bipartisan support, would include a prohibition on single-person crews. There is no such existing law or federal regulation requiring both an engineer and a conductor to be on a train. The Association of American Railroads confirmed that its position in favor of one-person crews has not changed. “No data shows a two-person crew confined to a cab is safer, and train crew size should continue to be determined through collective bargaining,” a statement from UP. But it might have one or two provisions which are deal breakers for the unions, such as allowing single-person crews.

☆ Norfolk Southern is giving over a thousand times more money to shareholders than to derailment victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The company spent $3.4 billion on share repurchases last year, and $3.1 billion in 2021, bringing its recent share repurchases to $6.5 billion. Billions to shareholdersIn March 2022, Norfolk Southern (NSC) announced a new $10 billion share repurchase plan. Norfolk Southern did not respond to questions Wednesday on whether it expects to change its share repurchase plans in the wake of the derailment. Other freight railroads are also reporting improving profits, and have joined Norfolk Southern in massive share repurchases. Like Norfolk Southern, both UP and CSX spent more on share repurchases than they did on total employee compensation.

The derailment of the train, operated by Norfolk Southern (NSC.N), forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off chemicals. “We have mobilized a robust, multi-agency effort to support the people of East Palestine, Ohio," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing. [1/3] A view of a caution tape as members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (not pictured) inspect the site of a train derailment of hazardous material in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 16, 2023. DeWine called on Congress to review railroad safety regulations, lamenting states have little power to demand information about what types of hazardous goods are rolling through their borders. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Thursday more needs to be done to address rail safety in the face of hundreds of annual train derailments.

The derailment of the Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) operated train forced thousands of residents to evacuate while railroad crews drained and burned off chemicals. "This incident has understandably shaken this community to its core," Regan said at a press conference. Regan noted state and federal testing inside nearly 500 homes close to the derailment site shows that none of the toxic chemicals that were on the train are present in the air. He did urge residents who use private wells to continue using bottled water and to get their wells tested. [1/6] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan speaks during a press conference after inspecting the site of a train derailment of hazardous material in East Palestine, Ohio, U.S., February 16, 2023.

Manufacturing output for the three months from November 2022 through January 2023 was almost 1.8% lower than in the three months between March and May 2022. Chartbook: U.S. manufacturing productionThe weakness of manufacturing production is consistent with business surveys which have showed activity falling every month since November. Since inflation was running faster than this, however, the volume of new orders had likely fallen in real terms by several percentage points. Related columns:- Labour hoarding exaggerates strength of U.S. job market (Reuters, February 6, 2023)- U.S. manufacturing is in recession (Reuters, February 1, 2023)- Recession now or later? Unenviable alternatives for 2023 (Reuters, January 26, 2023)- U.S. manufacturing has probably entered recession (Reuters, January 19, 2023)John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst.

☆ Why urgent care centers are popping up everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And there are questions about the quality of care at urgent care centers and whether they adequately serve low-income communities. Additionally, passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 spurred an increase in urgent care providers as millions of newly insured Americans sought out health care. Private-equity and venture capital funds also poured billions into deals for urgent care centers, according to data from PitchBook. Equity concernsSome doctors and researchers worry that patients with primary care doctors – and those without – are substituting urgent care visits in place of a primary care provider. There are also concerns about the oversaturation of urgent care centers in higher-income areas that have more consumers with private health care and limited access in medically underserved areas.

Sotomayor, who has dissented in major cases including the abortion decision as the court's 6-3 conservative majority has become increasingly assertive, described herself as "shell-shocked" and "deeply sad" after that term ended in June. The court's current term, which began in October, could be just as consequential as its previous one. In October, conservative Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the Dobbs opinion, warned against questioning the court's integrity. At Wednesday's conference, Chemerinsky noted that he had never before seen his law students so discouraged about the Supreme Court. Sotomayor, appointed to the court by Democratic former President Barack Obama in 2009, expressed optimism that the direction of the court will change in the future.

Several Latinos whose lives and work left a profound imprint on American institutions — from arts and entertainment to legal and civil rights — passed away in 2022. Cavazos began his education in a two-room schoolhouse on the King Ranch in Texas, where his father was a foreman. President Reagan named Cavazos Secretary of Education in 1988, making him the first Hispanic ever to serve in the U.S. Together, “Luis” and Maria” showed young audiences that Latinos were people who worked, fell in love and were part of their community. Her goals were to give Latinos a presence in the dance world, and to instill pride in Hispanic culture.

☆ Freight railroad service is terrible, even without the threat of a strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But that doesn’t mean freight railroads are providing good service to their customers. Many of the problems tangling up the supply chain, driving up prices and slowing the economy can be traced to the steady decline in freight rail service in recent years. Some experts who represent rail customers who have complained about service in the past say service has gotten better since earlier this year. “The national freight rail network is broken, and the need for long-term rail reform is clear. Union Pacific (UNP), Norfolk Southern (NSC) and Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRKA) Burlington Northern Santa Fe all reported record earnings in 2021.

☆ How an arcane 96-year-old law stopped the rail strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The Railway Labor Act was passed in 1926 as one of the very first labor laws in the nation. Because of the law, the House was able to vote Wednesday to impose unpopular contracts on four rail unions whose members have already rejected the terms, followed by a vote by the Senate vote late Thursday that did the same. The Railway Labor Act, passed in 1926, is the reason Congress could intervene this week to block a strike by freight railroad unions. But under the Railway Labor Act, management can fall back on hopes that Congress will give them the deal it wants. When he served in the Senate, Biden voted against an earlier effort to impose a contract on the rail unions to keep them on the job.

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