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☆ I tested an electric and a gas-powered Rolls-Royce — and I think the $420,000 Spectre EV is the one to buy for a simple reason
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I drove two Rolls-Royces: a traditional gas-powered one and a new electric model. The electric Spectre takes Rolls-Royce comfort and quietness to the next level. The gas-powered Ghost sedan is fabulous too, featuring an extravagant interior. But at an event marking the Spectre's launch I drove it and a gas-fueled Ghost sedan (worth around $400,000) to see how they stack up. They're both spectacular in almost every way, but there's one key reason I think the Spectre is the ultimate Rolls-Royce.

Persons: Royce Organizations: Tesla, Royce Locations: California

☆ Marc Andreessen throws his support behind an Elon Musk-Mark Zuckerberg cage fight in a talk with Peter Thiel
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marc Andreessen, speaking on a panel with Peter Thiel, backed a Zuckerberg-Musk cage fight. Andreessen and Thiel also said, unrelated, that attendees should homeschool their kids. Billionaire investor Marc Andreessen is apparently rooting for Tesla's Elon Musk and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg to square off in a cage match. He and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel also urged the event's attendees to homeschool their children, Puck reported. Representatives for both Andreessen and Thiel did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel, Zuckerberg, Andreessen, Thiel, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Puck's Dylan Byers, Andreessen Horowitz, Puck Organizations: Morning, Allen & Company, Allen, Co, Zuckerberg, New York Times, Thiel Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, Idaho, Silicon

[1/4] Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Venus of the Rags' is displayed in Piazza Municipio before being destroyed in a fire, in Naples, Italy July 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ciro De LucaROME, July 12 (Reuters) - An open-air installation of "Venus of the Rags", one of the most famous works by Italian contemporary artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, was destroyed by an arson attack in Naples, Mayor Gaetano Manfredi said on Wednesday. The "Venus of the Rags", a symbol of the Arte Povera movement which counts Pistoletto among its leading members, shows the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility standing next to a pile of rags. The installation, first created in 1967, is meant to convey the juxtaposition between eternal beauty, represented by the goddess Venus, and modern society's social degradation and consumerism. Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Michelangelo Pistoletto's, Ciro De Luca ROME, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Gaetano Manfredi, Manfredi, Venus, Adnkronos, Pistoletto, Raissa Kasolowsky Organizations: REUTERS, Arte, Thomson Locations: Italian, Piazza Municipio, Naples, Italy, Piazza del

For just as long, critics of affirmative action have questioned whether race-conscious admissions policies are fair or warranted. The Supreme Court weighed in on Thursday, striking down affirmative action policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. In 2014, he founded Students for Fair Admissions, the group behind several major Supreme Court challenges to affirmative action - including the cases that led to Thursday's decision. Connerly persuaded his fellow regents to ban affirmative action. He concluded that affirmative action as part of an approach that aimed to remedy historic disadvantages and did not favor unqualified applicants over qualified ones could still be used.

Persons: EDWARD BLUM Edward Blum, Blum, LEE BOLLINGER, Lee Bollinger, Society's, Bollinger, WARD CONNERLY, Jim Crow, Pete Wilson, Connerly, CHRISTOPHER EDLEY, Bill Clinton, Christopher Edley Jr, Clinton, Edley, Joseph Ax, Gabriella Borter, Sharon Bernstein, Donna Bryson, Leslie Adler Organizations: Harvard, University of North, Fair, University of Michigan, U.S, Bollinger, Columbia University, Universities, Republican, Regents, University of California, UC, American, JR, UC Berkeley's, Thomson Locations: University of North Carolina, U.S ., Grutter, Michigan, California, Louisiana, Sacramento

Jackson and Thomas, reflecting a deep divide in the United States, diverged on how race must be treated in the law. Thomas wrote a concurring opinion accompanying the ruling that said Jackson's "race-infused world view falls flat at each step." "Our country has never been colorblind," Jackson wrote in her dissenting opinion, which was joined by the two other liberal justices. Much of what Thomas wrote on Thursday was directed at Jackson. "Justice Thomas ignited too many straw men to list, or fully extinguish," Jackson wrote.

Persons: Ketanji Brown Jackson, Clarence Thomas, Jackson, Thomas, Jackson myopically, Ilya Somin, Jim Crow, Michael Dorf, Justice Jackson, John Roberts, Black, Joe Biden, Andrew Chung, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Constitution, George Mason University, Black, Cornell Law, Harvard, UNC, Democratic, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Southern, New York

☆ Thailand's Pita says he has 'enough support' from Senate to become prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Thailand is awaiting the formal appointment of Pita Limjaroenrat as its new Prime Minister after his Move Forward Party swept the Thai elections in May. Thailand's leading prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat said on Tuesday he has enough support in the upper house to become the country's next premier, just days ahead of the new parliament's first session. When asked on Tuesday how much Senate support he had secured, Pita said: "enough for me to become prime minister." Doubts have lingered over whether Pita has enough support because of his party's controversial proposal to amend Thailand's strict royal insult law or lese majeste. After convening on July 3, parliament is expected to vote on a prime minister on July 13.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Thailand's, Pita, Thais Organizations: Forward Party, Party Locations: Thailand

☆ Thailand's Pita says 'enough support' from Senate to become PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, attends a press conference following the general election, at the party's headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File PhotoBANGKOK, June 27 (Reuters) - Thailand's leading prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat said on Tuesday he has enough support in the upper house to become the country's next premier, just days ahead of the new parliament's first session. When asked on Tuesday how much Senate support he had secured, Pita said: "enough for me to become prime minister". Doubts have lingered over whether Pita has enough support because of his party's controversial proposal to amend Thailand's strict royal insult law or lese majeste. The party was in the process of explaining its position to senators ahead of the July parliamentary vote, said Pita.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Athit, Pita, Thais, Chayut Setboonsarng, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Forward Party, REUTERS, Party, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, BANGKOK

[1/2] The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions to explore the wreckage of the sunken SS Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, dives in an undated photograph. Industry experts say they were the first known fatalities in more than 60 years of civilian deep-sea submergence. But even as industry leaders braced for increased scrutiny, they said it was difficult to forecast what sort of changes may come. While acknowledging the loss of life aboard the Titan, Ketter said "the facts are the facts" when it came to the experimental path OceanGate chose to take. "It's not that the regulations would be irrelevant, but they probably wouldn't be the biggest forcing function on the industry," Manley said.

Persons: James Cameron, Oscar, Cameron, OceanGate, Will Kohnen, Kohnen, Rush, John Mauger, Ofer Ketter, Ketter, Justin Manley, Manley, Brad Brooks, Daniel Trotta, Stephen Coates Organizations: OceanGate Expeditions, REUTERS, Titan, OceanGate Inc, Everett, Triton, Vehicle, American Bureau of Shipping, Marine Technology, Stockton Rush, . Coast Guard, Marine Technology Society, Thomson Locations: Newfoundland, Everett , Washington, Costa Rica

☆ OceanGate co-founder defends safety record, says Titan development 'led to successful science expeditions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The co-founder of OceanGate on Friday defended the company's commitment to safety. Guillermo Söhnlein said the Titan submersible was put through a "very robust" development program. Development of the Titan "certainly led to successful science expeditions to the Titanic," he said. "I think one of the issues that keeps coming up is everyone keeps equating certification with safety and is ignoring the 14 years of development of the Titan sub," Söhnlein told the BBC. The development program was indeed "very robust," Söhnlein said, "and certainly led to successful science expeditions to the Titanic."

Persons: OceanGate, Guillermo Söhnlein, —, Söhnlein, James Cameron, Cameron, William Kohnen, It's, Kohnen Organizations: Titan, Service, Stockton Rush, BBC, Marine Technology Society, Marine Technology Locations: Newfoundland

[1/2] The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate Expeditions to explore the wreckage of the sunken SS Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland, dives in an undated photograph. Moreover, they say the tragedy of the Titan submersible that imploded during its expedition to the wreckage of the Titanic was an outlier, given that the maker of the vessel opted against certifying the vessel, defying industry convention. Industry experts say they were the first known fatalities in more than 60 years of civilian deep-sea submergence. While acknowledging the loss of life aboard the Titan, Ketter said "the facts are the facts" when it came to the experimental path OceanGate chose to take. "It's not that the regulations would be irrelevant, but they probably wouldn't be the biggest forcing function on the industry," Manley said.

For LGBTQ+ couples, starting parenthood can be a complicated, expensive process. Having a financial plan can make a lot of difficult questions easier to answer. Whether it's IUI, IVF, reciprocal IVF, surrogacy, or adoption, all paths to parenthood are a major financial decision. "It's a great time to get a financial plan and work out all the details on the front end," she said. A financial plan can help answer the challenging questions lesbian couples face.

Persons: —, Jonathan, it's, Jess Dinney, Dinney, I, I'd, Kathy Fish, Fish, It's, Sara Swikard, Swikard Organizations: Service, Brookings Institution, Dinney, Fish, Associates Locations: Florida

But some experts had worried about its safety, with a former employee and members of a trade group both expressing concerns about the design of the Titan vessel during its development. Lochridge countersued in August 2018, denying that and claiming that OceanGate's lawsuit was an effort to discourage "whistleblowers from coming forth with quality control issues and safety concerns that threaten the safety of innocent passengers." In the letter, Kohnen expressed what he said were widespread concerns about the Titan sub. Kohnen asked the MTS board in 2018 to officially send the letter on behalf of the entire society to Stockton. Stockton was sent a draft of the letter and discussed its contents in a 2018 phone call with Kohnen, in which the men "agreed to disagree" about the safety concerns raised, Kohnen said.

Persons: David Lochridge, OceanGate, Lochridge, Lochridge countersued, Will Kohnen, Kohnen, Stockton, Daniel Trotta, Brad Brooks, Rollo Ross, Donna Bryson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: OceanGate, Lochridge, Marine Technology, Stockton Rush, Reuters, MTS, DNV GL, DNV, Thomson Locations: Everett , Washington, Stockton

☆ 'Moscow is becoming a front line city' – The Ukraine War has finally come home to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Dominik Kalus | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

For weeks now, attacks by Ukraine within Russia have been increasing. Dead civilians, villages cleared out, and a seemingly overworked government: Moscow's war on Ukraine has finally hit home in Russian society. A woman waits at a bus stop next to a poster promoting Russian army service, as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues, in Moscow, Russia April 12, 2023. "The attacks in Belgorod are busting the myth of Putin's military being invincible," said political scientist Abbas Galljamow to the DPA news agency. Because these attacks within Russia are making even initially neutral Russians care about the war – and they're starting to approve of it.

Persons: —, Schapscha, Moscow's, Sergej Markow, Michail Rostowski, Alexander Dugin, Yulia Morozova, Jens Siegert, who's, Savva Tutunow, Putin, Abbas Galljamow, There's, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Konstantin Satulin, Russia hasn't, –, Putin's, Dmitry Peskov, They're, Peskov, Alarmism Organizations: Service, Putin, Pictures, REUTERS, Novaya Gazeta, Wagner Group, Russia, Publicly Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kherson, South Ukraine, Belgorod, Strelkovka, Kaluga, Moscow, Voronezh, Russian

☆ Meta whistleblower says 'tens of millions' could die in the coming years if social media isn't overhauled
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

She told The Sunday Times that "tens of millions" will die if social media isn't overhauled. With a new memoir, Haugen says she's trying to change society's understanding of social media. Frances Haugen, the Meta whistleblower, told The Sunday Times that "tens of millions" will die if social media isn't overhauled. Now, Haugen has written a memoir in which she says social media is still damaging due to a continued lack of transparency, The Washington Post reported. And Haugen believes that the only way to change that is to overhaul our understanding of social media.

Persons: Frances Haugen, isn't, Haugen, she's, Meta, Instagram, — Haugen Organizations: Sunday Times, Facebook, Wall, Washington Post, United Nations, Meta Locations: India, Myanmar, British

☆ A.I. doomers are a ‘cult’ — here’s the real threat, according to Marc Andreessen
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Andreessen Horowitz partner Marc Andreessen Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesVenture capitalist Marc Andreessen is known for saying that "software is eating the world." When it comes to artificial intelligence, he claims people should stop worrying and build, build, build. Andreessen writes that there's a "wall of fear-mongering and doomerism" in the AI world right now. Andreessen writes that people in roles like AI safety expert, AI ethicist and AI risk researcher "are paid to be doomers, and their statements should be processed appropriately," he wrote. In Andreessen's own idealist future, "every child will have an AI tutor that is infinitely patient, infinitely compassionate, infinitely knowledgeable, infinitely helpful."

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, Marc Andreessen Justin Sullivan, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen, It's, it's, Bill Gates, Sam Altman, Demis Hassabis, Ben Horowitz Organizations: Getty Images Venture, Nvidia, Microsoft, Center, AI Safety, Tech Locations: China

☆ This 42-year-old mom makes over $200,000 without a bachelor's degree—here's how
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In recent years, however, interest in the profession has plummeted, leading to a national shortage of at least 5,000 reporters, according to the Association for Court Reporters and Captioners. Yet court reporting ticks a lot of boxes on jobseekers' wish lists, says Irene Nakamura, a court reporter in California for more than 30 years and Rodriguez's mentor. In 2022, Rodriguez made about $235,315 as a freelance court reporter, according to tax documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. Court reporters also must pass a state-approved exam in order to become certified. In addition to their base salary, court reporters are compensated on a per-page basis for transcripts they produce during court proceedings, according to Nakamura.

Persons: Cynthia Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Irene Nakamura, Nakamura Organizations: Association for Court, CNBC, Bakersfield Community College, National Court Reporters Association, Superior Court Locations: Bakersfield , California, U.S, California, Delano , California, Bakersfield, Kern

☆ 'May December' director: women pay higher price than men for breaking rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Mindy Burrows | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Press conference for the film "May December" in competition - Cannes, France, May 21, 2023. Director Todd Haynes and cast member Natalie Portman attend. REUTERS/Eric... Read moreCANNES, May 21 (Reuters) - Todd Haynes' new romantic drama "May December" shines a critical spotlight on the way women who break society's rules are held to much stricter standards than badly behaving men. Haynes told Reuters on Sunday. "There are incredibly problematic aspects to how this relationship began, which this film works toward a confrontation of toward the end," Haynes told journalists.

☆ 'Killers of Flower Moon' star says Native Americans need allies like Scorsese
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Photocall for the film "Killers of the Flower Moon" Out of Competition - Cannes, France, May 21, 2023. In the film "Killers of the Flower Moon", which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Gladstone plays Mollie Burkhart, a member of the Osage Nation whose family members die under suspicious conditions in 1920s Oklahoma. Because of his global reputation, Scorsese was uniquely placed to dispel the myths that have prevailed, she said. Referring to deceptions that have prevailed, Gladstone asked: "Why the hell does the world not know about these things? In the film, Gladstone marries her white driver Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose uncle is the "King of the Osage Hills" William Hale (Robert De Niro).

May 8 (Reuters) - A case brought by anti-abortion groups seeking to ban the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide will be heard next week by a panel of three deeply conservative judges hostile to abortion rights, a federal appeals court revealed on Monday. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in New Orleans on May 17 to overturn a court order that suspended the federal government's approval of mifepristone. The U.S. Supreme Court put that order on hold, meaning that mifepristone remains available while the case is appealed. In 2021, Ho was in the majority in a 2-1 ruling refusing to block Texas's six-week abortion ban. Wilson, another Trump appointee, as a state legislator voted to ban abortion once fetal cardiac activity is detected, around six weeks.

☆ US FDA panel backs restricted use of AstraZeneca's prostrate cancer drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 28 (Reuters) - A panel of U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers on Friday voted for the restricted use of British drugmaker AztraZeneca Plc's (AZN.L) experimental treatment, jointly developed with Merck & Co (MRK.N), for a type of prostate cancer. The FDA panel voted 11-1 with one abstention, in favor of Lynparza, in combination with other medications – abiraterone and prednisone or prednisolone – as a first-line treatment for a type of treatment-resistant prostate cancer in adult patients. They were withdrawn last year as second line of treatment for ovarian cancer patients after the FDA limited the use of PARP inhibitors and requested companies to pull the drug. Lynparza is already approved by the FDA to treat a type of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, as well as a different form of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in the United States with about 288,300 new cases in 2023, according to the American Cancer Society's estimates.

☆ A new book by a Pulitzer Prize winner unsuccessfully tries to take down the private equity industry and fixates on Leon Black. Here's what it gets wrong.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Jonathan A. Knee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The economic and political influence of the private equity sector has exploded in the last 20 years. It's true that few topics have attracted greater attention from not only crusading journalists but serious academics than the impact of private equity ownership. This supports their belief that private equity firms "carry very little risk if the company fails." This view of a "typical" private equity deal is simply untrue: Even back in 2005, the average loan-to-value percentage for new private equity deals was 68% — firms already contributed over 30% in equity to the deals not under 10% as claimed. 'Smart buyer, dumb seller'One of the important developments in private equity of the last decades has been the emergence of major private funds focused on technology investing.

☆ Parliament, not courts, best place to debate same-sex marriage, India minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, April 21 (Reuters) - India's parliament, not a court of law, is the best place to debate the issue of same-sex marriage, an influential government minister said on Friday, as the country's top court heard appeals asking for such unions to be recognised. "The issue of marriage concerns society and society's opinion on this issue cannot be excluded. The voice of society is best reflected in parliament..." Yadav, who is minister for labour and the environment, said in the piece. Courts around the world have been debating and examining the issue of same-sex marriage and whether such unions can be recognised by law, but Asia largely lags the West in this regard. In an historic verdict in 2018, India's top court decriminalised homosexuality by scrapping a colonial-era ban on gay sex.

☆ How Anthropic cofounder and former journalist Jack Clark turned a chance meeting into an AI newsletter with over 34,000 subscribers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jack Clark was a Bloomberg tech journalist in 2015 when he came across OpenAI for the first time. He was so inspired that he quit his job and dove into the world of AI, later cofounding Anthropic. Now, he writes Import AI, a weekly AI-focused newsletter that reaches over 34,000 subscribers. A "weird" newsletterA weekly newsletter, Import AI features detailed analyses on AI research papers, Clark's thoughts on current events, and AI-focused short fiction stories. He estimates that he's read around 4,000 research papers while writing Import AI — and more importantly, he jokes, spent over $6,000 in lattes due to his persistent habit of drinking multiple caffeinated beverages while writing each week.

☆ Two shipwrecks found in Lake Superior help finish the 109-year-old story of the 'darkest day in lumber history'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Michigan researchers found two shipwrecks in Lake Superior. The ships disappeared as storms swept through while they were hauling lumber across the lake in 1914. The organization operates a museum in Whitefish Point and regularly runs searches for shipwrecks, aiming to tell "the lost history of all the Great Lakes" with a focus on Lake Superior, said Corey Adkins, the society's content and communications director. There was also damage to the Marvin's bow and the Curtis' stern, making researchers wonder whether a collision contributed, he said. "We're the first human eyes to see it since 1914, since World War I," one team member mused.

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