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☆ GM Hires Former Apple Cloud Executive to Oversee Software
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Mike Colias | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Automakers and tech companies are locked in a battle over who gets control of the dashboard console. Photo illustration: George DownsGeneral Motors has hired a former Apple executive to lead a newly formed software unit, the latest in the auto maker’s efforts to reduce its reliance on Silicon Valley for in-car tech. Mike Abbott , vice president of Apple’s cloud services, will join GM later this month as executive vice president of software, in charge of developing both in-vehicle features and enterprise solutions, the automaker said Tuesday. He will report directly to GM Chief Executive Mary Barra .

☆ Apple Finds Strength in India as Overall Sales Fall for Second Straight Quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Aaron Tilley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Automakers and tech giants are locked in a battle over who gets control of the dashboard console, which is set to be a storefront for selling over-the-air updates and upgrades to connected vehicles features. Photo illustration: George DownsApple reported its second straight quarter of declining revenue but said iPhone sales surged due to strong demand in emerging markets, a sign of resilience as the tech giant continues to face economic uncertainty. The tech giant’s revenue for the three months ended April 1 was $94.8 billion, down 3% from the year-earlier period. Net income dropped 3% year-over-year to $24.2 billion. Apple exceeded analyst expectations, according to FactSet, of $92.9 billion in sales and $22.6 billion in net income for its fiscal second quarter.

☆ Apple Reports Weaker Sales for Second Straight Quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Aaron Tilley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Automakers and tech giants are locked in a battle over who gets control of the dashboard console, which is set to be a storefront for selling over-the-air updates and upgrades to connected vehicles features. Photo illustration: George DownsApple reported its second straight quarter of declining sales as demand has waned for some of its products after reaching record levels during the pandemic. The tech giant’s revenue for the three months ended April 1 was $94.8 billion, down 3% from the year-earlier period. Net income dropped 3% year-over-year to $24.2 billion. Apple exceeded analyst expectations, according to FactSet, of $92.9 billion in sales and $22.6 billion in net income.

☆ Apple, Google, GM and the $1.5 Trillion Battle for the Car Dashboard
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

E51In an Era of EVs, Can the Combustion Engine Be Saved? The EU has granted eFuels an exemption in its 2035 ban on sales of new combustion engines. WSJ’s George Downs visits synthetic fuel startup Zero to understand how efuels are made and how they could impact autos. Photo Composite: George Downs

☆ Ford Cuts Prices on Mustang Mach-E EV Up to 8% on Some Versions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Nora Eckert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Converting gas cars into electric vehicles is becoming more common, with several companies offering ways to “upcycle” classic cars and fleet vehicles. WSJ’s George Downs explores why retrofitting isn’t more widespread. Illustration: George DownsFord Motor Co. for the second time this year cut prices on its electric Mustang Mach-E, reducing the sticker by as much as 8% on some versions. The reduction comes as the U.S. auto maker moves to a lower-cost battery and as rival Tesla also continues to adjust pricing on its top-selling EV models in an attempt to boost sales.

☆ Lordstown Motors Warns of Bankruptcy if Unable to Resolve Foxconn Dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Will Feuer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Photo composite: George DownsFoxconn Technology Group, the world’s biggest contract manufacturer for electronics, is trying to back out of an investment deal with Lordstown Motors Corp., raising the prospect the electric-truck startup could seek bankruptcy protection. On Monday, Lordstown Motors said it received a notice from Foxconn asserting it had breached the terms of its deal by allowing its stock price to fall below $1 a share for too long, putting it out of compliance with the Nasdaq listing rules.

☆ College baseball player struck by stray bullet during game in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - A Texas A&M University-Texarkana baseball player who was struck by a stray bullet during a game remains in stable condition in an intensive care unit and has "significant injuries and complications" to overcome, the school said on Monday. DeLaney, 18, is currently being treated at Christus St. Michael Hospital in Texarkana and his family is there with him, the school said. "He has made slight improvements daily but still has significant injuries and complications to overcome. DeLaney and several other players were in the vicinity of the bullpen when the incident occurred. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Coronations at Westminster Abbey go back almost one thousand years. Like Charles III, William had his coronation at Westminster Abbey. Gross says coronation blunders do not become truly significant for monarchs until their reign starts to go wrong. A “beautiful and symbolic” silver cross containing a piece of the so-called True Cross will lead King Charles’ coronation procession in London next month. Meanwhile, gun salutes will sound from military bases and ships at sea to mark the moment Charles is crowned King.

☆ Elon Musk's Starship Exploded: What's Next for SpaceX?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Elon Musk's Starship Just Exploded: What's Next for SpaceX?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ What If Your Tesla Could Run on Sodium?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Stephen Wilmot | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Illustration: George DownsIf sodium is the new lithium, investors may need to rethink a favorite energy-transition trade. One of the most potentially disruptive snippets of news to come out of the Shanghai auto show this week wasn’t from Tesla or one of its flashy Chinese competitors but from a company that doesn’t make vehicles at all: CATL. The world’s largest battery producer said its first sodium-ion battery would power electric vehicles built by Chinese brand Chery, though it didn’t say when.

☆ Harry Styles, Kate Bush among nominees for Ivor songwriting awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - Singers Harry Styles and Kate Bush are among the nominees at next month's Ivors, the annual awards honouring songwriters and screen composers. Styles has three nominations overall, including best song musically and lyrically for "As It Was" and songwriter of the year alongside his collaborator Kid Harpoon. Tom Odell’s "Best Day of My Life", Katie Gregson-Macleod’s "complex", Sault's "Stronger" and Florence + the Machine’s "King" complete the Best Song Musically and Lyrically category. Box office hit "Avatar: The Way of Water" and psychological drama "Don't Worry Darling" are among the nominees for best original film score. Named after the early 20th century Welsh composer, actor and entertainer Ivor Novello, the Ivor Awards were first handed out in 1956.

☆ If Gas Cars Can Become EVs, Why Aren’t More Auto Makers Retrofitting?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

E47ASKA’s A5 Flying Car Wants to Reshape Your Commute – for $789,000 ASKA’s A5 could be the closest thing we’ve seen to an actual flying car – if and when it finally flies. WSJ’s George Downs explains what it would take for the vehicle to truly change how we commute. Illustration: George Downs

☆ Gilbert & George to open London art centre with after-life exhibition
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Hannah Ellison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Art duo Gilbert & George debut 'The Gilbert & George Centre' a permanent home for their artworks in East London, in London, Britain March 24, 2023. The Gilbert & George Centre, in the city's Spitalfields area, is less than 5 minutes from the life and work partners' home and studio. Normally it's limited what you can see in cities, here they can see an intense Gilbert & George feeling," Italian-born Gilbert, whose full name is Gilbert Proesch, told Reuters on Friday. "They're experiencing Gilbert & George art, that's what it is, our vision of the world, our morality, our behaviour and everything." British-born George, whose full name is George Passmore, added: "The Gilbert & George centre is going to be a cultural force."

In a 31-page decision on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan also dismissed all claims against the billionaire Ma, including for insider trading. Beijing announced an antitrust probe in Dec. 2020, and fined Alibaba $2.75 billion four months later for requiring "merchant exclusivity" to do business. Daniels said Alibaba shareholders lacked standing to sue over Ant, because the IPO did not happen and thus they never bought or sold Ant shares. He said they could sue Alibaba, Chief Executive Daniel Zhang and former Chief Financial Officer Maggie Wu over the antitrust compliance statements. The case is In re Alibaba Group Holding Ltd Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ Scientists have created mice with two biological fathers. They say the technique could one day be replicated in humans.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Speaking at a conference, they said they made female eggs from male cells. He then used that technique to make female eggs, called oocytes, from male cells and fertilized them to create seven mice with two biological dads. REUTERS/Alan Trounson/California Institute for Regenerative Medicine/HandoutThey then deleted the Y chromosomes in the cells and duplicated the cells' X chromosomes, before prompting the cells to turn into egg cells with two X chromosomes. The technique could also help women and people with two X chromosomes who have a genetic issue with one of the X chromosomes to have children, he said. Human reproductive cells are very complex and much less well-known than mice cells.

☆ How America’s New ‘Battery Belt’ Is Shifting the Auto Industry South
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

E46For eVTOLs to Really Take Off, Airspace Needs an Overhaul. Here’s Why. If a new-wave of air-taxis were to all suddenly take to the skies, the systems and protocols used to safely manage our skies wouldn’t cope. WSJ’s George Downs speaks to the FAA and others to find out how airspace is being redesigned. Illustration: George Downs

The families, comprising more than 10,000 people, had asked U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan to put his Feb. 21 decision on hold while they appeal. "An important public interest lies in the enforcement of terrorism judgments," Daniels wrote. In ruling against the families, Daniels said awarding them the frozen assets would effectively recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, which the Biden administration has not done. The president ordered $3.5 billion set aside to benefit the Afghan people, leaving the rest for the families to pursue. The case is In re Terrorist Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ 9/11 victims are blocked from seizing $3.5 billion in frozen assets from Afghanistan because Biden would have to recognize the Taliban
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The families of 9/11 victims are blocked from seizing $3.5B in frozen Afghan central bank funds. A federal judge ruled that seizing the funds would mean recognizing the Taliban as legitimate rulers. A group of families of 9/11 victims had previously sued the Taliban for their losses, winning a default judgment when the militant group did not turn up to court. Last February, Biden cleared a legal path for relatives to pursue the $3.5 billion held in Afghanistan's central bank to pay off the judgment debts. "This decision deprives over 10,000 members of the 9/11 community of their right to collect compensation from the Taliban," he said.

☆ Top 25 roundup: No. 25 Texas A&M hangs on vs. No. 11 Tennessee
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The Volunteers pulled within 64-63 when Zakai Zeigler (14 points) made a layup with 25 seconds to play. 9 Baylor 65Keyontae Johnson scored 25 points to lead the Wildcats past the Bears in Manhattan, Kan., for their second victory in a row. LJ Cryer scored 16 points and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua recorded 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Bears, who have lost two in a row after winning 10 of their previous 11 games. Creighton's Baylor Scheierman recorded 18 points and 13 rebounds and Ryan Nembhard had 16 points. Jalen Hood-Schifino had 16 points for the Hoosiers, who had won nine of their previous 11 games.

NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Tuesday victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are not entitled to seize $3.5 billion of assets belonging to Afghanistan's central bank to satisfy court judgments they obtained against the Taliban. U.S. District Judge George Daniels in Manhattan said he was "constitutionally restrained" from finding that the Taliban was Afghanistan's legitimate government, a precursor for attaching assets belonging to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB. Daniels said letting victims seize those assets would amount to a ruling that the Taliban are Afghanistan's legitimate government. He said U.S. courts lack power to reach that conclusion, noting that Biden administration does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's government. The case is In re Terrorist Attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Mapping Tech Could Aid Rescue Workers. Here’s How.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ ASKA’s A5 Flying Car Wants to Reshape Your Commute – for $789,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ JPMorgan and the US Virgin Islands are blaming each other in court for failing to stop Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Virgin Islands is suing JPMorgan for facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme. The finger-pointing comes in response to a lawsuit the US Virgin Islands attorney general filed against JPMorgan in December, in a Manhattan federal court. In court filings Wednesday asking a judge to dismiss the US Virgin Islands lawsuit, JPMorgan said the US territory got greedy after already reaching a settlement with Epstein's estate last year. If anything, JPMorgan claims, the Virgin Islands attorney general's office was in an even better position to stop Epstein's trafficking scheme given its powers as a law enforcement agency. In fact, JPMorgan says, the Virgin Islands government "granted Epstein and his businesses lucrative privileges and massive tax incentives."

☆ For eVTOLs to Really Take Off, Airspace Needs an Overhaul. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( George Downs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

E44Musk’s Boring Co. Wanted to Dig Cities Out of Traffic: What Happened? The ambitions of Elon Musk’s Boring Co. haven’t quite lived up to reality. WSJ’s George Downs explains what the company has achieved so far and what it needs to do to fulfill his aim of eliminating traffic. Illustration: George Downs

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