DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

At the same time, the social media industry has broadly retreated from efforts to clamp down on misinformation. The ease at which false rumors and conspiracy theories rapidly spread on social media threatens the public’s ability to sort truth from fiction. The deluge of disinformation surrounding the Trump shooting shows, once again, that this problem isn’t going away anytime soon. With less than four months until Election Day, the leading social media platforms appear resigned to let the status quo fester. Others get in on the act for social media clout – viral posts can translate into dollars for some online influencers.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump, retrenchment, Trump, “, ”, Evan Vucci, Joe Biden, ” –, Biden, Elon Musk, Musk, Laura Edelson, ” Edelson, TikTok, Edelson, Don’t, ’, Sean Lyngaas Organizations: CNN, Trump, Service, Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service, Associated, Republican, CIA, Social, Meta, YouTube, Facebook, Northeastern University, Democracy, Twitter, FBI Locations: America, Butler , Pennsylvania

☆ Popular app banned from hosting young teens in a groundbreaking settlement
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The regulators wrote that the app billed itself as a “safe space” for teens but, in reality, preyed on them. The app, known as NGL, had been downloaded millions of times, according to the complaint. NGL deceptively hooked teens into subscribing to its premium service by sending them fake, anonymous messages and then promising to reveal the sender after they paid, said the complaint. Highlighting the groundbreaking nature of the NGL settlement, FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson described Tuesday’s action as a “novel” use of the agency’s legal powers. But, he argued, the public should not interpret the lawsuit to mean that it is illegal in general to market any anonymous messaging app to teens.

Persons: ”, Lina Khan, ” NGL, NGL, Joao Figueiredo, ” Figueiredo, “ I’ve, Figueiredo, Khan, Andrew Ferguson, ” Ferguson, Kristin Bride, Bride, Carson, Fairplay Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Los Angeles, Attorney’s, US, Court, Central, Central District of, FTC, Meta, Epic Games, Facebook Locations: Central District, Central District of California, New York, Arkansas, Florida , Louisiana

☆ Meta will now remove some posts attacking ‘Zionists’ as a form of hate speech
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —Meta will now remove posts containing the term “Zionist” when used in conjunction with antisemitic tropes or dehumanizing rhetoric, the company said Tuesday, in an expansion of its current hate speech policies. The decision follows what the company described as a months-long inquiry into how the term has historically been used and how it is currently being used on social media, particularly as the war in Gaza continues. “We have determined that the existing policy guidance does not sufficiently address the ways people are using the term ‘Zionist’ online and offline,” Meta said in a blog post. Meta said it met with more than 145 historians, civil rights groups, legal and human rights experts, and free speech advocates from around the world in reaching its decision. The company said it also asked its quasi-judicial oversight board to issue guidance on how it should moderate posts that accuse groups labeled with “proxy terms for nationality (including Zionists)” of war crimes.

Persons: Meta, Israel Organizations: Washington CNN Locations: Gaza

CNN —A major Supreme Court ruling Friday that shifted power from the executive branch to the judiciary stands to transform how the federal government works. By overturning a 1984 precedent, the court’s conservative majority has made countless regulations vulnerable to legal challenge. The Supreme Court ruling could boost efforts by conservatives who have taken aim at the Biden Environmental Protection Agency’s rules limiting planet-warming pollution from vehicles, oil and gas wells and pipelines, and power plants. The ruling has injected legal uncertainty into regulations of all types, including those on technology, labor, the environment and health care. But the Supreme Court has yet to decide a case heard this term that might gut that limitation.

Persons: ”, Kent Barnett, —, Thomas Berry, John Roberts, Roberts, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Joe Biden, Shawn ThewPool, Adam Rust, ” Rust, Andrew Schwartzman, Alexander MacDonald, ” MacDonald, Sharon Block, ” Block, Biden, Andrew Twinamatsiko, ” Twinamatsiko, “, Paul Gallant, TD Cowen, David Vladeck, Chevron —, Ann Carlson, Carlson, David Doniger Organizations: CNN, Biden, University of Georgia School of Law, Chevron, Natural Resources Defense, Republican, Democratic, Cato Institute . Chief, State of, Consumer, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Federation of America, “, Supreme, Securities, Exchange Commission, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board, Opportunity Commission, Harvard Law School, Center, Labor, American Cancer Society, US Food and Drug Administration, US Department of Health, Human Services, Medicare, Services, Medicaid, Human Services Department, HHS, O’Neill Institute for National, Global Health Law, Georgetown University, FDA, Federal Communications Commission, EPA, National, Traffic Safety Administration, University of California, Natural Resources Defense Council Locations: Obamacare, Chevron, State, Washington , DC, Texas, Littler, Los Angeles

Although she did not publicly dissent to the per curium opinion, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was nevertheless highly critical of the court’s order avoiding a final decision in the abortion case. It was particularly wrong, Jackson said, because the court had for months allowed Idaho’s strict abortion law to remain in effect. “It is too little, too late for the Court to take a mulligan and just tell the lower courts to carry on as if none of this has happened,” Jackson wrote. The majority opts, instead, to dismiss these cases,” Jackson wrote. “But storm clouds loom ahead.”The liberal justice said she wanted the court to decide the case in full this term.

Persons: Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jackson, ” Jackson, ” Locations: Idaho, ldaho

☆ Supreme Court allows White House to press social media companies to remove disinformation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( John Fritze | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the White House and federal agencies such as the FBI may continue to urge social media platforms to take down content the government views as misinformation, handing the Biden administration a technical if important election-year victory. Republican officials in two states – Missouri and Louisiana – and five social media users sued over that practice in 2022, arguing that the White House did far more than “persuade” the tech giants to take down a few deceptive items. That might include, the justices theorized, social media threats targeting public figures or disclosures of sensitive information about US troops. The case arrived at the high court at a time when the government has repeatedly warned of foreign efforts to use social media to influence elections. The jawboning case was one of several high-profile matters the court is deciding at intersection of the First Amendment and social media.

Persons: Biden, Amy Coney Barrett, “, ” Barrett, ” Biden, –, Hunter, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Alito, Samel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, ”, ” Alito, ’, unjustifiably, Vivek Murthy, Roe, Wade, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Barrett Organizations: CNN, White, FBI, Biden, Department of Homeland Security, Facebook, Republican, Centers for Disease Control, Infrastructure Security Agency, Supreme, National Intelligence Locations: – Missouri, Louisiana, Florida, Texas

☆ What the Supreme Court ruling on social media means
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

What can the US government tell social media companies to do? Republican-led states, including Missouri and Louisiana, along with five social media users, claimed in 2022 that those contacts with social media companies were in fact part of an unconstitutional government campaign to silence free speech. Why is the government talking to social media companies? It avoided ruling on whether the government’s communications with social media companies violated the First Amendment. The FBI resumed sharing some threat information with social media companies earlier this year, prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, CNN has previously reported.

Persons: Laura Edelson, Edelson, we’ve, ” Edelson, “ That’s, – didn’t, Amy Coney Barrett, Barrett, ” Barrett, ”, James Grimmelmann, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Nora Benavidez, ” Benavidez Organizations: CNN, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Republican, Meta, Twitter, Northeastern University, Democracy, Cornell University, “, Free Press Locations: Murthy v . Missouri, Covid, Missouri, Louisiana, United States, Washington, Silicon

☆ Microsoft faces mega fine after EU takes issue with bundling of Teams and Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Hanna Ziady | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Microsoft has violated European Union antitrust laws by bundling Teams with its other popular applications for businesses, EU officials said Tuesday, marking the bloc’s latest challenge to a US tech giant. If confirmed, the preliminary findings of an EU investigation could lead to a fine of up to 10% of Microsoft’s global revenue, which totaled $211 billion in its latest financial year. Apple, which has denied wrongdoing, also faces a huge fine if the charges are confirmed. “Preserving competition for remote communication and collaboration tools is essential as it also fosters innovation on these markets. If confirmed, Microsoft’s conduct would be illegal under our competition rules,” she added.

Persons: Apple, Slack, Margrethe Vestager Organizations: London CNN, Microsoft, Digital Markets, Apple, European Commission, Salesforce, CNN

☆ New York governor signs bill regulating social media algorithms, in a US first
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Big changes are coming for New York’s youngest social media users after Gov. The unprecedented move makes New York the first state to pass a law regulating social media algorithms amid nationwide allegations that apps such as Instagram or TikTok have hooked users with addictive features. New York officials hailed the legislation as a critical check on social media platforms’ influence over teens. “Algorithmic curation makes teenagers’ feeds healthier, and banning algorithms is going to make social media worse for teens.”The legislation’s signing sets the stage for another in a long string of court battles over state social media laws. States such as Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana and many others have passed laws clamping down on social media companies’ approach to teens.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, Vivek Murthy, ” Hochul, Letitia James, ” James, ”, Adam Kovacevich Organizations: CNN, New, Gov, New York Child Data, New York, of, Industry Locations: New York, “, Arkansas, Florida , Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, Florida

☆ TikTok ramps up attacks on Biden administration in challenging prospective ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Whether the Biden administration overlooked a less restrictive alternative could become a factor in a potential test of the law’s constitutionality. In Thursday’s filing, TikTok said the agreement was never signed despite years of negotiations and dozens of meetings and phone calls with US government officials. The Trump administration tried to ban TikTok by executive action, but that was quickly stymied by legal challenges. US officials have not publicly presented evidence that China has accessed US users’ TikTok data. On Thursday, TikTok’s filing said the company has so far spent $2 billion voluntarily implementing Project Texas.

Persons: TikTok, Biden, Joe Biden, “, CFIUS, ’, Trump, Christopher Simkins, Simkins Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, Foreign Investment, Meta, Independent, Texas Locations: United States, TikTok, China

☆ An NYU freshman is suing her roommate, accusing her of stealing over $50,000 of her luxury belongings
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The 19-year-old daughter of a Russian mining magnate is suing her NYU roommate. The lawsuit claims the roommate stole about $51,000 worth of luxury items, including a ruby ring. According to the suit, she sold some of the items on The RealReal — a secondhand marketplace. AdvertisementAurora Agapov, the daughter of a Russian-American mining magnate, has accused her New York University roommate of stealing more than $50,000 worth of luxury handbags and jewelry from her. In a lawsuit filed on May 31 in Manhattan's Supreme Court, Agapov, a 19-year-old freshman, claimed that her 18-year-old roommate, Kaitlyn Fung, sold some of the items on The RealReal — a secondhand luxury marketplace.

Persons: —, Kaitlyn Fung Organizations: NYU, Service, New York University, Business Locations: Manhattan's

☆ Elon Musk’s X lawsuit against Media Matters scheduled for trial in April
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A lawsuit brought by Elon Musk’s X against the nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters has been scheduled for a trial in April 2025, according to a court filing. Thursday’s order by the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas sets the date for a high-profile showdown over Media Matters’ research highlighting antisemitic and pro-Nazi content on the social media platform. In November, X sued Media Matters, alleging that the group went out of its way to misrepresent the likelihood that users may encounter hate speech on the platform. Media Matters declined to comment. Media Matters President Angelo Carusone has previously called X’s suit “frivolous” and an attempt to silence Musk’s critics.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, X, Angelo Carusone, Musk, ”, Charles Breyer, ” Breyer Organizations: CNN, Media, US, Court, Northern, Northern District of, Center Locations: Northern District, Northern District of Texas, California, Northern District of California

☆ What is Apple’s AI doing with your data?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

As much as possible, Apple will try to process AI prompts directly on your device using smaller AI models. After fulfilling a user’s AI request, Private Cloud Compute scrubs itself of any user data involved in the process, Apple said. For example, when you use ChatGPT, OpenAI discloses that it uses your data to further train its AI models. With Private Cloud Compute, you theoretically won’t have to take Apple’s word that it doesn’t use your data for AI training. Apple’s AI models didn’t spring up out of nowhere.

Persons: Washington CNN —, you’ve, Apple, ChatGPT, Siri, didn’t, OpenAI, ChatGPT’s, ”, Craig Federighi, —, ” “, Apple hasn’t Organizations: Washington CNN, Worldwide Developers, Apple, Apple Intelligence Locations: Apple’s

☆ Politicians keep courting the TikTok vote. Users aren’t impressed
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Many TikTok users in the survey said they care far more about entertainment, culture and friends. TikTok users don’t care much about politicsMany TikTok users, roughly 4 in 10, said they do see at least some politics content on the app, according to the survey. Only a third of TikTok users said they use the app to keep up with politics; 41% said they use it to get news. Right now, 22% of TikTok users say content on the app is mostly liberal, while 6% say it’s mostly conservative, according to Pew’s latest survey. TikTok users who identify as Republicans were slightly more likely than Democratic TikTok users to say TikTok is bad for US democracy, but only by a slim margin of 7 percentage points.

Persons: Washington CNN —, John S, James L, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, TikTok, Biden, Pew, ” Pew, we’ve, ”, Colleen McClain, —, Elon Musk, ” McClain, McClain, Musk, it’s Organizations: Washington CNN, Pew Research Center, Knight Foundation, TikTok, Facebook, Trump, CNN, Pew, Democratic, Elon, “, Republican Twitter Locations: China, United States, TikTok, Gaza

From AppleBy adding artificial intelligence features to Siri, Apple's smart assistant will be able to do more, Apple said. Those changes start with Siri's language recognition capabilities, which can detect when users correct themselves mid-sentence. Other examples of actions users will be able to do with Siri include asking it to add a certain photo to a draft email; directing Siri to send photos from a recent event to a specific contact; or to share a summary of meeting notes in an email to a colleague. All of that is possible, Apple said, because Apple Intelligence grabs information about you from your photos, calendar events, files and messages — including PDFs of concert tickets and links shared by contacts. It will also be able to search through your photos for information that you're trying to put into an online form and add it for you, like taking the data from a photo of your driver's license and automatically inserting it into a form.

Persons: Siri, Apple Organizations: Apple, Apple Intelligence

☆ Is a recession coming? Economists say look at women’s lips
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-09 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Estee Lauder chairman Leonard Lauder created the lipstick index during the economic downturn following September 11, 2001. In fall 2001, US lipstick sales increased by 11%. “The lipstick index has been substituted with the moisturizing index,” said Freda. But data shows that more expensive prestige beauty sales are outpacing mass, lower-priced beauty sales. What do you see dominating the beauty market in the second half of the year?

Persons: Estee Lauder, Leonard Lauder, Fabrizio Freda, ”, Freda, “, Sephora, Bell, Neela Montgomery, Laura Mercier, We’ve, it’s, Skincare, It’s, we’re, Inflection’s, OpenAI, Sarah Myers West, ” West, Brian Fung, Jerome Powell, Price Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, FTC, Justice Department, Google, Nvidia, DOJ, US Department of Treasury, OPEC Monthly, Federal Reserve, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Signet Jewelers, Federal Locations: New York, Asia

☆ Wall Street is putting its foot down as ‘Roaring Kitty’ sends GameStop soaring again
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

That means that Gill has the right to purchase 12 million shares of GameStop at $20 apiece by a set expiration date. GameStop shares closed Wednesday at $46.55 a share, more than double the price locked in by those options. Gill hasn’t explicitly told anyone to buy GameStop shares or that he thinks it’s headed to the moon. In comparison, shares of GameStop and AMC Entertainment have surged 167% and 99%, respectively, since Gill’s return to social media. Keith Gill, a GameStop investor, also known in social media forums as Roaring Kitty, testifies during a virtual hearing on GameStop in Washington, Feb. 18, 2021.

Persons: Kitty, Keith Gill, Gill, Michael M, Gill hasn’t, it’s, Jay Woods, Woods, hasn’t, Morgan Stanley, Gill isn’t, copycats, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Chubb, ”, Bill Galvin, Gill’s, Hanna Ziady, Christine Lagarde —, ” —, Read, OpenAI, Brian Fung, Inflection’s, didn’t, Keith Gill’s Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, GameStop, AMC Entertainment, CNN, Gamestop, New York Stock Exchange, Street, Freedom Capital, Berkshire, The Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Financial, Traders, stoke, Wall, Retail, Roaring Kitty YouTube, European Central Bank, US Federal Reserve, Bank of England, ECB, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Justice Department, Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, of Justice Locations: New York, New York City, Massachusetts, Washington, Europe

☆ Washington is waking up to AI’s risks about three years too late
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

(Which is ironic, given that one of the priorities of the roadmap is making sure AI doesn’t, like, hijack the American electoral process.) All of that money was able flood in because the notoriously tech-challenged lawmakers in Washington have been largely asleep at the wheel. (European officials, meanwhile, formally adopted the world’s first standalone AI law this spring, a full five years after rules were proposed.) Until recently, AI was a largely academic subject rarely discussed outside of Silicon Valley. ”AI companies have strong financial incentives to avoid effective oversight,” they wrote in an open letter this week.

Persons: CNN Business ’, hasn’t, ”, OpenAI, Brian Fung Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Justice Department, Big Tech, Antitrust, FTC, Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, Apple Locations: New York, United States, Washington, Silicon Valley

☆ Google cut Uncle Sam a $2 million check so it could avoid a jury trial. A judge just agreed
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A US federal judge ruled on Friday that an antitrust lawsuit brought by the US government against Google will be decided by a judge and not a jury after Google wrote the government a check, paying back the full amount of monetary damages the lawsuit sought. The case regarding Google’s advertising technology is the first antitrust suit against a Big Tech company brought by the Biden administration. US District Judge Leonie Brinkema’s decision on Friday is a setback for the Justice Department, which sought a jury trial for the case. We’re glad the Court ruled that this case will be tried by a judge,” Schottenfels said. We look forward to making our case in court.”A hearing is set for June 21 on Google’s motion for summary dismissal, which would terminate the case without a trial.

Persons: Biden, Leonie Brinkema’s, Brinkema, —, Peter Schottenfels, “ DOJ’s, We’re, ” Schottenfels, we’ve, ”, Brian Fung Organizations: CNN, Google, Big Tech, Justice Department, DOJ

☆ Microsoft’s AI deal under federal investigation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Any investigations would focus on whether the companies have used their dominant positions in the AI industry to harm competition. Microsoft, Inflection and Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment; Nvidia and OpenAI declined to comment. For years, technology critics and regulators have worried that major tech companies may be monopolizing entire sectors of the economy. One way for tech giants to wield anticompetitive influence in the AI sector, critics say, is through exclusive partnerships with AI startups. Those types of deals, including Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI, is the subject of an ongoing study by the FTC announced in January.

Persons: OpenAI, Inflection’s, Google didn’t Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Justice Department, Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, CNN, of Justice, ’, European Union, Apple, Meta Locations: United States

☆ Palestinian-American sues Meta, alleging speech discrimination on platform
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Palestinian-American engineer has sued the social media giant Meta, accusing his former employer of discriminating against pro-Palestinian speech on its platforms and of wrongfully firing him after he investigated the issue as part of his official duties. “The employee was dismissed for violating Meta’s data access policies, which we make clear to employees will result in immediate termination,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement to CNN. When Hamad flagged the matter late last year to colleagues within the same team, he allegedly began to receive communications from Meta employees outside of the team pressuring him to drop the investigation. The firing took place against the backdrop of other examples of company bias against pro-Palestinian speech, Hamad alleges. The lawsuit also cites a December 2023 report by Human Rights Watch documenting claims that Meta unreasonably suppressed peaceful pro-Palestinian speech.

Persons: Ferras Hamad, Ukraine —, Meta, Hamad, Andy Stone, “, ” Weeks, Hamad “ Organizations: CNN, Meta, Human Rights Locations: Gaza, Ukraine, California, Santa Clara County

☆ New York’s creative solution to targeting children online: Block the algorithms
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —New York could soon become the first state to pass a law restricting social media platforms from using algorithms to promote content to minors. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers are nearing a legislative deal on the proposal, according to a person familiar with the matter. That could mean significant changes to how kids in New York interact with social media apps and would make algorithmically generated content feeds an opt-in experience requiring parental consent. A tentative deal on the social media bill was earlier reported by The Wall Street Journal. “We’re not banning young people from social media,” Hochul said in an interview on NPR Monday.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, ” Hochul, “, We’re, ” Organizations: CNN, New York Democratic Gov, Wall Street, Industry, New, NPR Locations: York, New York, Arkansas, Florida , Louisiana, Ohio

☆ Donald Trump joins TikTok after seeking to ban video app as president
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump has joined TikTok, the fast-growing social media platform with ties to China that Trump has publicly embraced even though he railed against it as president. “The president is now on TikTok,” White said at the start of the video. But Trump now says he opposes a nationwide TikTok ban, adding that such a policy would only alienate young Americans and benefit Meta. The Biden campaign, for its part, also has a presence on TikTok and has continued to post on the platform even as the Biden administration has supported a nationwide TikTok ban. TikTok has filed a legal challenge to the law Biden signed in April that would ban the app unless it finds a new owner.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Dana White, ”, “, ” White, Taylor Budowich, “ MAGA, Joe Biden, Trump’s, Biden, TikTok, — Organizations: CNN, UFC, MAGA Inc, “ MAGA INC, Facebook, New Locations: China, Newark , New Jersey, Trump’s America, United States, New York

☆ FCC ends affordable internet program due to lack of funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —The Affordable Connectivity Program, which helped low-income Americans get online, is no more. The program’s lapse threatens to throw nearly 60 million Americans into financial distress, CNN has reported. The program officially ends on June 1, said the Federal Communications Commission, which administered the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to approximately 1 in 5 households across the country and on tribal reservations. “The Affordable Connectivity Program filled an important gap that provider low-income programs, state and local affordability programs, and the Lifeline program cannot fully address,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement, referring to the name of another, similar FCC program that subsidizes wireless and home internet service. He also announced a series of voluntary commitments by a handful of internet providers to offer — or continue offering — their own proprietary low-income internet plans.

Persons: ”, Jessica Rosenworcel, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson didn’t, Biden, Kathryn de Wit, Wit, “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Program, Republicans, Democratic, CNN, Federal Communications Commission, Lifeline, FCC, Republican, Comcast, Cox, Verizon, ACP, Congress, Pew

☆ Elon Musk has been getting Trumpier. A direct line to Trump may be next
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Clare Duffy | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Elon Musk has sought to accumulate political capital commensurate with his extravagant wealth. Musk has discussed advising Trump should he win the 2024 election, the Journal reported, citing unnamed sources. Musk called Trump directly via cellphone to explore a role that could potentially give Musk significant influence over US policies. Reporting that Musk and Trump’s relationship has improved comes after Musk’s politics have become more aligned with Trump’s. For Musk to have a direct, private line to a future President Trump “would seem to be a blatant conflict of interest,” said Darrell West, a senior fellow in the governance studies program at the Brookings Institution.

Persons: CNN — Elon Musk, Musk, Donald Trump, Trump, Brian Hughes, –, Andrew Harnik, ”, Darrell West, ” West, Herika Martinez, —, Donald Trump’s, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Robert Kennedy , Jr, Paul Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, White supremacists, Imran Ahmed, X, CCDH, Donie O’Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Republican, Wall Street, Trump, SpaceX, Tesla, Brookings Institution, Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Traffic Safety Administration, Justice Department, Migrants, US Border Patrol, AFP, Getty, Twitter, US, Republican Florida, Politico Locations: Paris, El Paso , Texas, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, Mexico

Search resuls for: "fung"

25 mentions found