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☆ Meta slapped with child safety probe under sweeping EU tech law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC. Facebook parent company Meta on Thursday was hit with a major investigation from the European Union into alleged breaches of the bloc's strict online content law over child safety risks. The Commission added that it is concerned about age verifications on Meta's platforms, as well as privacy risks linked to the company's recommendation algorithms. "This is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission." The EU said it will carry out an in-depth investigation into Meta's child protection measures "as a matter of priority."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Thierry Breton Organizations: Dirksen, Facebook, Meta, European Union, European Commission, CNBC Locations: Washington ,

☆ Opinion: Putin’s lightning assault jolts Europe awake
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

View more opinion on CNNCNN —It was a carefully choreographed show of force in Beijing Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived for yet another meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Frida Ghitis CNNOn Wednesday, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times and gravely wounded in an assassination attempt. Russia’s lightning assault, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cancelled all his foreign travel, aims to force Ukraine to stretch its defenses. Security officers move Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a car after the assassination attempt in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday May 15. Every day, the stark reality that what began in Ukraine will change Europe for years to come becomes more inescapable.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Robert Fico, Fico, Putin, —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, David Cameron, “, Fico —, Radovan Stoklasa, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov, laughably, Rishi Sunak, Mark Rutte, Russia's, Alexander Ryumin, Emmanuel Macron, ”, Mikko Heiskanen, Xi Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, CNN CNN, Frida Ghitis CNN, Wednesday, Slovakian, Kyiv, British, Putin, Kremlin, Moscow, European Union, Reuters, Europe, Russia, Republicans, Russian, West, NATO, Institute for, ” Locations: Beijing, Europe, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russia, Georgia, Soviet Republic, Moscow, Moldova, Slovak, Slovakia, “, Handlova, Iran, North Korea, China, Norway, London, British, Netherlands, ”, Germany, Berlin, Finland

Thedieck, now 31, is still in the military, and has gotten an awful lot of what he's wanted ever since. Darren Thedieck, age 31, joined the Air Force at age 18. Saving on a military salaryThedieck was interested in saving and investing long before he joined the Air Force. Right now, though, the plan is for that money to provide a financial "cushion" for the family, Thedieck says. Instead of full retirement after military life, both he and Naudia plan to take off in a new direction.

Persons: Darren Thedieck wasn't, he's, Thedieck, He's, Darren Thedieck, Andrea Ferro, Naudia, Denmark —, he'll, — Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Darren, That's, They're Organizations: CNBC, U.S . Air Force, Air Force, titans, Social Security, Service Credit Union, Apple, Disney, Netflix, Spotify, FIRE Locations: Las Vegas, England, South Korea, Germany, Aviano, Italy, Venice, Denmark, United States

☆ Meta’s Facebook and Instagram probed over fears they may be too addictive for children
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The European Union is worried that Meta is failing to protect children on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, and has launched a formal investigation that could result in a hefty fine. The probe is the latest evidence that regulators are increasingly focussing on the harmful impact of Meta’s platforms — and other social media — on young users, including by encouraging addictive behavior. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, will consider whether Meta (META) has complied with its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the bloc’s sweeping new law for online platforms. The legislation requires online platforms to put in place measures to protect children, including by preventing them from accessing inappropriate content and ensuring a high level of privacy and safety. The European Commission is concerned that Facebook’s and Instagram’s online interfaces “may exploit the weaknesses and inexperience of minors and cause addictive behavior,” it said in a statement Thursday.

Persons: Meta, Thierry Breton, ” Meta Organizations: London CNN, Facebook, European Commission, Digital Services, European, Meta, CNN, New Locations: New Mexico, Gaza

☆ Raccoon, chased by staff with trash cans, storms pitch during soccer game
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A furry pitch invader paused Major League Soccer play on Wednesday as a rogue raccoon ran onto the field during a match between the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC. The athletic critter ran the length of the pitch at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, deftly evading capture while sprinting stadium staff tried to apprehend it using a trash can. “We need to find him a ball because he’s moving very well in the center of midfield,” a commentator quipped during the kerfuffle, adding that it was “entertainment of its own kind.”Raquinho the raccoon was eventually captured and later released. Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports/ReutersThe match was paused for five minutes as crews tried and eventually succeeded in capturing the animal, dubbed “Raquinha the Raccoon” by MLS. The Union sent out an update saying that the raccoon was “put in good hands” and was safely released.

Persons: ”, Eric Hartline, “, NYCFC, Alonso Martínez, Hannes Wolf Organizations: CNN, Major League Soccer, Philadelphia Union, New York City FC, Subaru, Reuters, MLS, The Union Locations: Chester , Pennsylvania

Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon The Dow, all-timeThe average was created by Charles Dow in 1896 with just 12 industrial stocks. Paired with the Dow Jones Transportation Average , the two were collectively meant to offer a gauge for the broader economy. The sole caveat: No utility or transportation stocks are included, given the existence of the Dow Jones Utility Average and Transportation Average. 1972: Dow hits 1,000It may be hard to imagine given the recent achievement, but the Dow traded below 1,000 until the early 1970s. The Dow saw its worst year since 2008 in 2022, though 2023's rebound allowed the index to erase those losses.

Persons: Spencer Platt, Dow, Charles Dow, There's, Richard Nixon, Alcoa Esmark, Du Pont, Dow didn't, Walt Disney, Eastman Kodak Merck Alcoa ExxonMobil Phillip Morris, T General Motors Sears, Morgan, Phillip Morris, Walmart Du Pont J.P, Morgan Chase Walt, Donald Trump, General Electric Nike American Express Goldman Sachs, Morgan Chase, Johnson, Joe Biden, Trump, Goldman Sachs, Gamble Amgen, — Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Getty, Dow Jones, Dow Jones Transportation, P Global, Dow, CNBC, General Foods, Harvester, Chevron, Procter, Gamble, Alcoa, Manville, ExxonMobil, Illinois Glass American Tobacco General Electric Procter, General Foods Sears Roebuck AT, T General Motors Texaco Bethlehem Steel, T General Motors Texaco Bethlehem Steel Goodyear Union Carbide Chevron Honeywell United Technologies Chrysler International Harvester US, Nickel Westinghouse Electric Eastman Kodak International, Woolworth, Oasis, Eastman Kodak Merck Alcoa ExxonMobil, Express General Electric Procter, Gamble AT, T General Motors, T General Motors Sears Roebuck Bethlehem Steel Goodyear Texaco Boeing Honeywell Union Carbide Caterpillar IBM United Technologies Chevron International, Walt Disney, Morgan Chase Westinghouse, Apple, Microsoft, Sears and Union Carbide, Eastman Kodak Johnson, Johnson Alcoa ExxonMobil, American Express General Electric Merck AT, T, Goodyear Procter & Gamble Caterpillar Hewlett, Packard Sears, Chevron Honeywell Union Carbide Citigroup IBM United Technologies, Walmart, Morgan Chase Walt Disney, Visa, Travelers, Nike, General Electric Nike American Express, General Electric Nike American Express Goldman Sachs Pfizer Apple Home Depot Procter, Gamble Boeing IBM Travelers Caterpillar Intel United Technologies Chevron, Morgan Chase UnitedHealth, Cisco Systems Johnson, Johnson Verizon, Cola McDonald’s, Du Pont Merck Walmart ExxonMobil Microsoft Corporation Walt Disney, Exxon Mobil, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Goldman Sachs Nike American Express Home Depot Procter, Gamble Amgen Honeywell, Apple Intel Travelers Cos Boeing IBM, Caterpillar Johnson, Johnson Verizon Chevron, Cisco Systems, Walgreens, Alliance Coca Cola Merck Walmart Dow Microsoft Walt Disney Locations: New York City, T General Motors Texaco Bethlehem Steel Goodyear, America

☆ Rishi Sunak has a new target: Sex education
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Ben Birchall/PA‘Utterly disgraceful’The new draft guidance from the government, published Thursday, takes aim at the way sex and relationships are taught to English children in both primary and secondary schools. Under the new approach, children can’t be taught sex education before the age of nine, while “explicit discussion of sexual activity” will be delayed until children are 13. Gender identity, or the fact that people can change gender, is meanwhile “highly contested and should not be taught” at all, according to the Department of Education. But education specialists worry that school pupils have become the latest victim of that push. “But when a political ideology comes into it, it becomes more difficult for the whole of the education world to move behind it,” he added.

Persons: Rishi Sunak’s, “, –, Sunak’s, Pepe Di’lasio, ”, ” Di’lasio, Ben Birchall, can’t, ” Paul Whiteman, Di’lasio, Sam Freedman, Britain’s, Gillian Keegan, Keir Starmer, Jane Barlow, Sunak, Brianna Ghey, ” Whiteman, Keegan, it’s, we’ve, we’re Organizations: CNN, Association of School and College Leaders, Department of Education, National Association of Head Teachers, Institute, Government, The Sun, Labour, BBC Locations: England’s, England, Starmer

☆ Calls to Pause Slovakia’s E.U. Election Campaigning Raise Questions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Matina Stevis-Gridneff | More About Matina Stevis-Gridneff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Calls are growing in Slovakia for political parties to suspend campaigning for the European Union elections, just three weeks away, in the wake of the assassination attempt on the prime minister in the sharply polarized country. The president-elect of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, and others say the step is necessary to avoid further inflammatory political discourse, which has escalated further since the shooting that left Prime Minister Robert Fico badly wounded. At least one party, the opposition Progress Slovakia party, said it would immediately suspend its campaign, to help “end the spiral of attacks and blame.”The local news media reported that another party, the Christian Democratic Movement, had also paused campaigning. It is not clear how long such suspensions would last or what that would mean for Slovakia’s participation in the E.U. Voters across the European Union will elect 720 European Parliament representatives, with polling scheduled to take place in all 27 of the bloc’s members from June 6 to 9.

Persons: Peter Pellegrini, Robert Fico Organizations: European Union, Slovakia, Christian Democratic Movement Locations: Slovakia

☆ Royal Mail: Meet Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský who wants to buy Britain’s postal service
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

It has been operating a postal service in England since the reign of Henry VIII. EP Group has until May 29 to convert its £3.5 billion ($4.4 billion) non-biding offer into a formal bid for IDS. The likely sale would come after a difficult few years for Royal Mail, which was privatized in 2013. ‘As British as it gets’The potential buyout of Royal Mail has stirred anxieties about the consequences of the iconic British institution coming under foreign ownership. “Royal Mail is an important national asset that would benefit from being able to take a longer-term view,” the firm said.

Persons: Henry VIII, Daniel Křetínský, Křetínský, Patrik Tkáč, Rishi Sunak, Kemi Badenoch, Dave Ward, ”, ” Ward, Jonathan Reynolds, ” Ivana Kottasová Organizations: London CNN — Royal Mail, Distribution Services, IDS, Royal Mail, UK Department for Business, Trade, CNN, Bloomberg, Equity Investment, Newsweek, West Ham United Football Club, Reuters, Communication Workers Union, Labour Party, Royal, Labour Locations: England, Czech, British, United States, FNAC, France, United Kingdom, West

☆ What’s at stake in the union election at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —A high-stakes union election is underway at a Mercedes-Benz plant near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the only plant for the luxury automaker in North America. The fallout will be significant whether the workers at Mercedes-Benz vote to join the United Auto Workers union or not. And last month, it won a union election at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, its first victory in three attempts to organize the factory. Though a union win could generate momentum, it doesn’t mean a victory will mean other plants can overcome management opposition at other foreign-owned plants. Non-union automakers have already begun their response to the big union victories thus far.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Fain, ”, —, Tesla, Mercedes, Mercedes ’, “, MBUSI, Wheaton, Mercedes plant’s, It’s, Mercedes Benz, ” Wheaton, “ It’s, Harry Katz, ” Katz, Katz, ’ ” Katz, they’ve, CNN’s Chris Isidore, Nathaniel Meyersohn Organizations: New, New York CNN, Benz, Mercedes, United Auto Workers, UAW, Big Three, Volkswagen, Kia, Toyota, US, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Volvo, Team, The National Labor Relations Board, Benz US International, Member, Volkswagen didn’t, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’, CNN, “ Labor, Big, – GM, Ford, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, P Global Market Intelligence, General Motors Locations: New York, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, North America, Chattanooga , Tennessee, United States, Vance , Alabama, Tuscaloosa, ”, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’ Buffalo, Alabama, Alabama , Georgia , Mississippi, South Carolina , Tennessee, Texas

☆ U.A.W. Effort to Organize Mercedes Workers in Alabama Has High Stakes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than 5,000 Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama are voting this week on whether to join the United Automobile Workers union, a decision both supporters and opponents say will have consequences far beyond two factories near Tuscaloosa where the German carmaker churns out luxury sport utility vehicles and batteries for electric cars. Conservative political leaders have portrayed the union campaign to organize Mercedes workers as an assault by outsiders on the region’s economy and way of life. The vote tally is expected to be released by federal officials on Friday. Six Southern governors, including Kay Ivey, an Alabama Republican, issued a statement last month criticizing unions as “special interests looking to come into our state and threaten our jobs and the values we live by.” Alabama recently passed a law intended to discourage union organizing. For the union, a win would add to a string of victories in the South, where organized labor has traditionally been weak, and provide momentum to the U.A.W.’s efforts to win over workers at other nonunion automakers like Hyundai, Toyota, Honda and Tesla.

Persons: Kay Ivey Organizations: Benz, United Automobile Workers, Conservative, Six, Alabama Republican, ”, Hyundai, Toyota, Honda Locations: Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Six Southern, ” Alabama

☆ Stocks making biggest moves premarket: Under Armour, Walmart, AMC, GameStop, Canada Goose and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Under Armour — The sportswear maker's Class A shares slumped 11% and its Class C stock fell 9% after it issued lower-than-expected full-year earnings guidance. Under Armour now expects earnings in the range of 18 cents to 21 cents while analysts polled by FactSet had forecast 59 cents. Cisco Systems also hiked its 2024 revenue guidance, saying it now expects revenue of $53.7 billion at the midpoint of a range. Meme stocks — Shares of AMC and GameStop extended losses following the revival of the meme stock movement on Monday and Tuesday. Baidu reported CNY 31.51 billion ($4.7 billion) of revenue, topping the CNY 31.34 billion expected by analysts, according to StreetAccount.

Persons: Armour, FactSet, Goose, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Chubb, Deere, GoodRX, Raymond James, John Ransom, Coupang, Tesla, — CNBC's Michelle Fox, Hakyung Kim, Sarah Min, Samantha Subin, Jesse Pound Organizations: Walmart, Wall, LSEG, Revenue, —, Berkshire, Cisco Systems, AMC, GameStop, Deere, Company, Baidu, UBS, ISI, European Union, Facebook Locations: Krakow, Poland, The Seattle

☆ Disneyland performers complain about painful costumes, low pay, and inflexible management as part of push to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Disneyland performers in California say they have to deal with painful costumes and low pay. The claims surfaced in a video by More Perfect Union as part of a unionization push. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementPerformers at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, say they are made to wear painful costumes, receive inadequate pay, and face challenges with inflexible management. Three workers made these claims in a video published on the labor movement platform More Perfect Union as part of a campaign by park employees to unionize.

Persons: — Organizations: More, Union, Actors ' Equity Association, Service, Equity, Magic, Business Locations: California, Anaheim , California

☆ University of California Workers Vote to Authorize Strike in Rebuke Over Protest Crackdowns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But academic workers in the University of California system authorized their union on Wednesday to call for a strike over something else entirely: free speech. 4811, represents about 48,000 graduate students and other academic workers at 10 University of California system campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The strike authorization vote, which passed with 79 percent support, comes two weeks after dozens of counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, for several hours without police intervention, and without arrests. The vote does not guarantee a strike but rather gives the executive board of the local union, which is part of the United Auto Workers, the ability to call a strike at any time. Eight of the 10 University of California campuses still have a month of instruction left before breaking for summer.

Persons: Lawrence, counterprotesters Organizations: University of California, U.A.W, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United Auto Workers Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Blue-collar jobs are booming. White-collar jobs, not so much.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Now, she told me, blue-collar work is an oasis in the fake-email-job desert, with a newfound social cachet. In a survey conducted in late 2021, 67% of blue-collar workers said they believed the pandemic changed how people viewed their jobs, and 75% of white-collar workers agreed. AdvertisementNow, the economy is adding blue-collar jobs at a rapid clip. There is a tendency — particularly among white-collar workers — to look at blue-collar work through rose-colored glasses, to romanticize the hard work and skills it requires. The labor market hasn't completely reversed course; blue-collar jobs may be booming, but a bachelor's degree is still often a prerequisite for roles with high pay and numerous benefits.

Persons: Alyssa DeOliveira, didn't, DeOliveira, Chris Collins, Collins, Steven Kurutz, influencers, Eames, Bernie Sanders, Elise Gould, she's, it's, moratoriums —, Gould, Frankie Giambrone, Giambrone, Biden, Lael Brainard, Scott Gove, Michael Kaye, Gove, there's, he's, Sam Pillar, Jeff Goldalian Organizations: Walmart, UPS, Business, The New York Times, Economic, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Economic Council, Teamsters Union, United Auto Workers, Teamsters Locations: Boston, Tennessee, New York City

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned on Wednesday that recent gains in getting desperately needed humanitarian aid to people in the Gaza Strip risked being undone by the fighting in southern Gaza. The border crossing in the southern city of Rafah has been closed since Israel began what it describes as a limited military operation against Hamas fighters in the town, on the border with Egypt. The United Nations said on Wednesday that 600,000 people had fled Rafah since Israel’s ground assault started there. “At the very time when Israel was taking important and much needed steps to improve the provision of humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Blinken said to reporters in Kyiv, Ukraine, “we’ve seen a negative impact on the fact that we have this active, very active conflict in the Rafah area.”Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s top diplomat, said in a statement that Israel needed to end its Rafah operation “immediately,” warning that extending it “would inevitably put a heavy strain on the E.U.’s relationship with Israel.”

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Israel, ” Mr, “ we’ve, ” Josep Borrell Fontelles, ” Organizations: Israel, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Kyiv, Ukraine, “, Israel

☆ Slovakia Has Charted Its Own Course Since the Fall of the Soviet Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Slovakia, which was left reeling on Wednesday after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, is a relatively young country whose history is closely intertwined with that of its central European neighbors. Slovakia is one of two nations born out of the former Czechoslovakia amid the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the waning years of the 20th century. Czechoslovakia was a multiethnic nation established at the end of World War I that endured dismemberment by the Nazis and more than four decades of Communist rule. After several years of economic and political upheaval following its independence, Slovakia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004, and adopted the euro in 2009. As the country navigated the establishment of its national identity, some tensions remained with the Czech Republic, its richer and larger neighbor, which has roughly twice Slovakia’s population of five million.

Persons: Robert Fico Organizations: European Union, NATO Locations: Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Czech Republic

☆ In Darfur, Genocide May Be Happening Again - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Then they piled up the children and shot them,” a witness told Human Rights Watch. It’s a conflict, by some accounts a genocide, unfolding particularly in the Darfur region there. You may remember Darfur: It was the site of a genocide two decades ago. While hundreds of thousands were slaughtered in Darfur at that time, the campaign also probably saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of others. Other countries imposed sanctions and an arms embargo, peacekeeping forces were established by the African Union and the United Nations, and the Sudanese leader who commanded the genocide was eventually ousted.

Persons: ”, “, Barack Obama, Joe Biden Organizations: Human Rights Watch, African Union, United Nations Locations: Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, Darfur, United States

This week, Xi is welcoming him to China for a two-day state visit — their fourth in-person meeting since Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine began. China has repeatedly defended its trade with Russia as part of normal bilateral relations. Russia has also become China’s main oil supplier, overtaking Saudi Arabia, according to official Chinese trade data. Governments warn against support for Russia’s war effortThe wartime surge in trade, and growing purchases of oil, have sparked criticism in the West that China was helping to fund Russia’s war. It mirrors Xi’s state visit to Russia in March 2023, which was the Chinese leader’s first overseas trip after starting a norm-shattering third term as president.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Xi, Putin, Antony Blinken, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der, ’, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United, European Union, International Monetary Fund, —, EU, White, European Commission Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, United States, Saudi Arabia, India, West, Beijing, France, Chinese

☆ Robert Fico: Slovakia’s PM in life-threatening condition after being shot multiple times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was in a life-threatening condition in hospital Wednesday after he was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico attends a European Council summit in Brussels, on April 18, 2024. Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images/FILEFico previously served as Slovakia’s prime minister for more than a decade, first between 2006 and 2010 and then again from 2012 to 2018. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tweeted: “I strongly condemn the vile attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico. My thoughts are with PM Fico, his family.”And Hungarian Prime Minister Orban added: “I was deeply shocked by the heinous attack against my friend, Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Persons: CNN —, Robert Fico, Fico, Zuzana Čaputová, “ I’m, Roberto Fico, ” Čaputová, upend, “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, Kenzo Tribouillard, Jan Kuciak, Martina Kušnírová, Kuciak, Ursula von der Leyen, Orban Organizations: CNN, CNN — Slovakia’s, Facebook, Ukraine, NATO, Kremlin, Hungary’s, European Union, Slovakia's, Getty Locations: Handlova, Banska Bystrica, Bratislava, Slovak, Ukraine, Brussels, AFP, Hungarian

☆ Live Updates: Opening Statements in Bribery Trial of Robert Menendez Begin
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | Ben Weiser | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, second from left, sits with his children Alicia and Rob and Gov. Alicia and Rob Menendez have surely enjoyed the privileges of being children of a powerful political leader. After a former ally pleaded guilty and began cooperating with prosecutors, Senator Menendez and Nadine Menendez were additionally charged with obstructing justice. Alicia Menendez, 40, has been forced to address the charges against her father — and calls for his resignation — on live television. “When your close loved one is at the center of a political scandal,” she said, “it’s in your obit too.”

Persons: Robert Menendez, Alicia, Jon Corzine, Rob Menendez, Rob, Bob Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Menendez, Super Mario Bros, ”, —, Alicia Menendez, Sally Quinn, “ Organizations: Democrat, Rob, MSNBC, Democratic, Benz, Super, —, The Washington Post Locations: New Jersey, New Brunswick, N.J, Biden’s

☆ Opinion | It’s Not Just Putin. Russia Needs China, Too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Alexander Gabuev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Vladimir Putin’s trip to Beijing this week, where he will meet with Xi Jinping and top Chinese officials, is another clear demonstration of the current closeness between Russia and China. Yet many in the West still want to believe that their alliance is an aberration, driven by Mr. Putin’s emotional anti-Americanism and his toxic fixation on Ukraine. Never since the fall of the Soviet Union has Russia been so distant from Europe, and never in its entire history has it been so entwined with China. The truth is that after two years of war in Ukraine and painful Western sanctions, it’s not just Mr. Putin who needs China — Russia does, too. China has emerged as Russia’s single most important partner, providing a lifeline not only for Mr. Putin’s war machine but also for the entire embattled economy.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Xi Jinping, Putin, —, it’s Organizations: Soviet Locations: Beijing, Russia, China, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Soviet Union

☆ Chuck Schumer and bipartisan group of senators unveil plan to control AI – while investing billions of dollars in it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It also instructs multiple Senate committees to come up with guardrails for AI to address some of its biggest risks, such as AI-enabled discrimination, job displacement and election interference. “Harnessing the potential of AI demands an all-hands-on-deck approach and that’s exactly what our bipartisan AI working group has been leading,” Schumer said Wednesday. “This roadmap represents the most comprehensive and impactful bipartisan recommendations on artificial intelligence ever issued by the legislative branch,” Young said Wednesday. Schumer has described regulating artificial intelligence as a challenge for Congress unlike any other, vowing a swift timeline measured in months, not years. But policy analysts, and some congressional aides, doubt whether Congress can pass significant legislation regulating AI in an election year.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, ” Schumer, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Republican Sens, Mike Rounds, Todd Young, ” Young, ” Organizations: CNN, European Union, National Security, Artificial Intelligence, New, New Mexico Democratic, Republican, South, Todd Young of Indiana, EU Locations: New York, New Mexico, South Dakota

☆ Why Biden’s monster EV tariffs could inflame a Europe-China trade war
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

It’s a very different matter in Europe — by far the biggest export market for Chinese EV manufacturers. EU tariffs could backfireAccording to Citi, the EU accounted for 36% of Chinese EV exports last year, more than the next five largest markets combined. By contrast, the United States currently receives just 1.1% of China’s EV exports. For BYD, China’s biggest EV maker, the tariffs would likely have to be even higher to be effective, they add. “I’d say we are entering a very tense period in terms of trade interactions and trade defense,” she added.

Persons: Joe Biden, “ I’m, ” Biden, Joseph Webster, Agatha Kratz, Kratz, That’s, Oliver Zipse, ”, Tu Le, “, Josh Lipsky, Juliana Liu Organizations: London CNN, United, EV, European Union, Atlantic Council, EU, CNN, Citi, Capital Economics, BMW Locations: China, America, Europe, United States, It’s, Brussels, “ Brussels, Beijing, subsidization, EU, States, Italy, Hong Kong

☆ Europe must avoid ‘disaster’ of trade decoupling as it eyes China tariffs, EU's economics chief says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The European Union must avoid a harmful decoupling of global trade as it mulls tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other goods, the bloc's economic chief said Wednesday. "But this is not bringing us to a theory of decoupling of global trade, which would be a disaster for both parts of the decoupling," he said. "The characteristic of the EU economy is to be more open, more influenced by trade, and less by only internal consumption. This is the reason, the economic reason, why it is in the interest of the European Union to keep the doors of trade open." Meanwhile, several EU nations are nervous about potential Chinese retaliatory trade measures hitting important domestic industries, from German automotives to French cognac.

Persons: Paolo Gentiloni, CNBC's Silvia Amaro, Gentiloni Organizations: European, European Union, CNBC Locations: European Union, Europe, China, EVs, U.S, Russia, Ukraine

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