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☆ Former FCC Chair Newton Minow, who called 1960s TV 'vast wasteland', dies at 97
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Bill Trott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On May 9, 1961, he addressed the National Association of Broadcasters convention and had some stark criticism for television executives. "When television is good, nothing - not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers - nothing is better," Minow said. "I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland," he said. The speech draft had referred to a "vast wasteland of junk" but Minow excised "of junk" so as not to offend his audience too deeply. Minow headed the FCC for two years and in 1965 became a partner at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin.

☆ How a 28-year-old former fork lift driver used TikTok to build a multimillion-dollar business
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Amanda Breen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Duke Alexander Moore is the founder of Duke Tax, a membership-based tax service for creators. He uses social media to build his business, "[TikTok] took me from zero to seven figures," he said. "That's how I originally got involved with taxes," Moore explains, "because at an early age, I was self-taught: taxes, bookkeeping and write-offs, just learning all that jam." "I'll never forget, I saw this one tax video [on TikTok]," Moore says. Many creators don't realize they're running a business; they owe money and are eligible for deductions, just like any other business owner, Moore says.

☆ Ukraine delegate punches Russian at Black Sea nations assembly in Ankara
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, May 5 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian delegate punched a Russian delegate in the face during a gathering of Black Sea nations in the Turkish capital on Thursday, after his Ukrainian flag was snatched away to stop him photobombing a video interview with Russia's lead delegate. Olesandr Marikovski posted a video of himself thumping the Russian and retrieving the blue and yellow flag on his Facebook page. The incident took place in a hallway of the parliament building, where the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) assembly was being held. Pictures of the disturbance were posted by the Turkish parliament on its website, and Mustafa Sentop, the parliament's head, issued a stiff rebuke. While representatives from the 13 countries in the BSEC met on Thursday, Russian drones continued to attack the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

☆ Australia's exports to China hit record highs as barriers ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, May 4 (Reuters) - Australia's exports to China surged to record highs in March as the Asian giant sucked in more iron for its steel industry and lowered barriers to thermal coal shipments amid thawing diplomatic relations. Data out on Thursday showed exports of Australian goods to China hit A$19 billion ($12.71 billion) in March, a rise of 31% from a year earlier and pipping the previous peak from mid-2021. The jump helped lift Australia's total trade surplus to its second-highest on record at A$15.3 billion, a boon to mining profits and tax receipts. Shipments of thermal coal to China surged 125% by volume in March from February, offsetting a drop in exports to Japan. ($1 = 1.4952 Australian dollars)Reporting by Stella Qiu and Wayne Cole; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ How The Legend of Zelda Changed the Game
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Zachary Small | Rumsey Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +17 min

More than six million people watched the preview for hints about the next video game in Nintendo’s beloved Legend of Zelda franchise. Tears of the Kingdom, the next entry in the Legend of Zelda franchise, will encourage players to manipulate and combine objects to fight enemies and explore Hyrule. The immersive gameplay of the Zelda franchise is bolstered by its deep mythology , convincing players they are unearthing ancient secrets. Retrieving the Master Sword often marks the point in a Zelda game when the difficulty spikes and the stakes are raised. Clockwise, from top left: The Legend of Zelda (1986), A Link to the Past (1991), Ocarina of Time (1998) and The Wind Waker (2002).

☆ Factbox: Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway at a glance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/2] Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc's annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S., May 4, 2019. REUTERS/Scott Morgan/File PhotoMay 4 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people are descending on Omaha, Nebraska to attend the annual shareholder weekend for billionaire investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N). Susan Buffett and Howard Buffett are Berkshire directors. His Berkshire stock will go to philanthropy after he dies. (Interview with CNBC, April 12, 2023)Abel on Berkshire managers' relationship with him: "It's not the same as working for Warren.

☆ Ukrainian air defences destroy 18 out of 24 Russian drones overnight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Ukrainian air defences said they downed 18 out of 24 kamikaze drones that Russia launched in a pre-dawn attack on Thursday. In a statement, Kyiv city administration said that all missiles and drones targeting the Ukrainian capital for the third time in four days, have been destroyed. "The Russians have attacked Kyiv using Shahed loitering munitions and missiles, likely the ballistic type," the administration said. Out of 15 Shahed kamikaze drones fired at the Black Sea coastal city of Odesa, air defences destroyed 12, while three struck a university compound. The latest blasts were reported less than 24 hours after Kyiv said 21 people died in a Russian strike on the city of Kherson.

☆ ‘Queens of the Qing Dynasty’ Review: Secret Soul Mates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Beatrice Loayza | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The pair make an odd couple, and yet their bond is intuitive, electric. The story kicks off in the aftermath of Star’s suicide attempt, the film’s tone at once bleakly clinical and deadpan absurd. Star, a neurodivergent foster kid with a sardonic sense of humor, clearly doesn’t register the gravity of her actions. Eyes glazed, she seems out of touch with her own body, and she’s not one for rules, like when she’s kicked out of an apartment for opening it to partiers. Walker, captivatingly raw, makes Star both charming and frustrating in her aloofness.

[1/4] Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives Tim Moore listens on the floor of the state Senate to debate over the bill limiting most abortions to the first trimester of pregnancy, a sharp drop from the state’s current limit of 20 weeks gestation, at the State Capitol in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan DrakeMay 4 (Reuters) - North Carolina's Republican-controlled legislature on Thursday passed a bill limiting most abortions to the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a sharp drop from the state's current limit of 20 weeks' gestation. The state Senate approved the bill 29-20 along party lines, a day after the state House of Representatives passed it in a similar party-line vote. The measure now heads to Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who has vowed to veto it. Reporting by Julia Harte Editing by Colleen JenkinsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UN says aid trucks looted in 'volatile' Sudan, urges safe passage
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mohamed Nureldin Nafisa Eltahir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary Aid trucks looted, says United Nations aid chiefViolence undermining chance of lasting truceGuterres says situation 'unacceptable'UN aid chief Griffiths arrives in Port SudanImproving humanitarian access is a priority -UNKHARTOUM, May 3 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday it was seeking assurances from Sudan's warring factions on the safe delivery of aid after six trucks of humanitarian supplies were looted and air strikes in Khartoum undermined a new ceasefire. The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis, with about 100,000 people forced to flee with little food or water to neighbouring countries, the United Nations said. Aid deliveries have been held up in a nation of 46 million people where about one-third had already relied on humanitarian assistance. A broader disaster could be in the making as Sudan's impoverished neighbours grapple with the influx of refugees. Caught between army air strikes overhead and RSF soldiers on the ground, many citizens feel forced to take sides.

☆ 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Herbie Hancock
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Marcus J. Moore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Now, we’re turning to Herbie Hancock, the groundbreaking pianist and composer who emerged in jazz as something of a prodigy. His career took off after the trumpeter Donald Byrd asked Hancock to play in his quintet. By the early ’70s, Hancock had all but abandoned jazz for funk and ambient textures, and released challenging music that didn’t fit one box in particular. In 1973, he released his biggest album, “Head Hunters,” a propulsive funk odyssey that went platinum and led to Hancock playing to huge crowds. Below, we asked 11 musicians, writers and critics to share their favorite Hancock songs.

☆ MLB roundup: AJ Pollock's HR ends no-no as Mariners edge A's
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Mariners starter Bryce Miller, in his major league debut, gave up a run on two hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts. The Reds snapped a run of seven straight losses to the Padres and a streak of nine straight losses in San Diego. Jon Gray allowed four runs on eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander lasted five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Keegan Thompson (1-2) was charged with three runs on four hits in one-third of an inning to take the loss.

☆ The healthcare system is racing to unleash breakthrough AI models despite profound unanswered questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The behemoth health-records company Epic, which touches all corners of the healthcare ecosystem, is embracing generative AI as a necessary priority. For eight months, he and a team at Microsoft have been working with OpenAI to explore how generative AI could work in healthcare. Scientific, ethical, and legal mysteries behind ChatGPTLee's panel drew top leaders from tech and healthcare, and their questions on generative AI were sweeping. OConnor edited the note to fix a mistake and clicked a button to transfer it directly into the patient's health record. Generative AI is far from a slam dunk, HIMSS's Bogdan said, citing adoption and privacy concerns.

☆ Wall Street wants to see if AMD can rebound in 2 key businesses. But analysts disagree on how to play the stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street is focused on the potential for a bounce back within Advanced Micro Devices ' struggling personal computer and data center businesses. Arya's price target of $95 reflects the potential for an upside of 5.7% over Tuesday's close. Meanwhile, Citi's Christopher Danely said data center growth estimates for the second half seem aggressive. "We believe there could be more downside to AMD's data center business as AMD's data center revenue has only corrected 22% from its peak in 3Q22 while Intel's data center business has corrected 42%." Moore said the data center business was down 22% quarter over quarter, while PCs dropped 18% quarter over quarter and 65% year over year.

☆ The Next Big Bull Market Could Be Copper
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The copper wave is coming. Photo: John Moore/Getty ImagesGlencore ’s aggressive pursuit of Canada’s Teck Resources has put a spotlight on the race to secure access to copper. Traditionally seen as a cyclical economic indicator, the metal is also poised to play a key role in the world’s green transition—which is being supercharged by recent legislation, including the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed last year. Green technologies including electric vehicles and solar panels use more copper than equivalent fossil-fuel-based technologies, and supply growth looks likely to fall far well short of demand over the coming decade.

☆ Americans could be on track for a stream of job losses, big cuts to retirement savings, and a surge in student-loan payments in less than a month. It's completely preventable.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That could all be avoided if Congress passes a bill to raise the debt ceiling this month. Republicans see the debt ceiling as a tool for making wide-ranging spending cuts, a long-held GOP priority. Moody's Analytics recently found that McCarthy's plan to raise the debt ceiling attached to spending cuts could cost the country 780,000 jobs. "President Biden invited the four leaders to the White House to discuss the urgency of preventing default," a White House official said in a statement to Insider. But Democratic Sen. Jon Tester told CNN that it would be a "big mistake" for the White House to reach a deal with Republicans that include spending cuts.

SummarySummary Law Firms Naomi Moore joins from Akin Gump to head DLA Piper's APAC restructuring practiceMoore will split her time between the firm's Hong Kong and Sydney officesMay 2 (Reuters) - Law firm DLA Piper has hired a partner from U.S.-founded rival Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in Hong Kong to serve as its new restructuring practice leader for the Asia Pacific region, the firm said Tuesday. Naomi Moore, who has been on sabbatical since she left Akin Gump in January, will divide her time between DLA Piper’s Sydney and Hong Kong offices, the firm said in a statement. In Hong Kong, Moore joins Trinh Hoang, DLA Piper’s only other restructuring-focused partner in the office, who joined the firm from Linklaters in October last year. Linklaters added a restructuring head in Hong Kong from Allen & Overy in October. An Akin Gump spokesperson wished Moore well on her new role.

☆ Ukrainian forces shell village in Russia's Bryansk region - governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 2 (Reuters) - Ukrainian forces shelled a village in the Russian Bryansk region bordering Ukraine early on Tuesday, the local governor said in a social media post, a day after an explosion derailed a freight train in the region. "In the morning, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled the village of Kurkovichi in the Starodubsky municipal district." Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz said in a post on his Telegram channel. On Monday, a locomotive and seven freight wagons were derailed in Bryansk after an unidentified explosive device went off, Bogomaz said. On Saturday, the governor said four civilians died when a village was struck by shelling from the Ukrainian side of the border.

☆ The British Coronation: A TV Spectacle, Now for the Digital Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Alan Cowell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Some members of the British hierarchy wished to keep cameras out of the inner sanctum of Westminster Abbey, where the queen was crowned. “The world would have been a happier place if television had never been discovered,” the Most Rev. Geoffrey F. Fisher, then the archbishop of Canterbury, who presided over the queen’s coronation, was quoted as saying. Where his mother’s crowning bathed the monarchy in uncontested splendor, Charles’s challenge is to focus a much more diffuse spotlight. While Elizabeth’s coronation required only around 20 cameras, Charles’s crowning is set to be broadcast on the BBC’s hi-definition iPlayer streaming service, alongside television coverage.

☆ Oil drops as economic growth concerns offset OPEC+ cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Fed, which meets on May 2-3, is expected to increase interest rates by another 25 basis points. The U.S. dollar rose against a basket of currencies on Monday, making oil more expensive for other currency holders. "The failure to reach more solid ground above $80.50 in Brent points to continued selling interest amid the well known growth/demand concerns," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity Strategy at Saxo Bank. "We believe the oil market will be in deficit through the remainder of the second quarter" following the OPEC+ cuts, said Baden Moore, head of commodity and carbon strategy at National Australia Bank. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil drops as US rate hike concern, weak China data offset OPEC+ cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Alex Lawler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Fed, which meets on May 2-3, is expected to increase interest rates by another 25 basis points. The U.S. dollar rose against a basket of currencies on Monday, making oil more expensive for other currency holders. Weak economic data from China also weighed. "We believe the oil market will be in deficit through the remainder of the second quarter" following the OPEC+ cuts, said NAB's Moore, who added that the bank expected the curbs plus higher demand to drive prices higher. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Oil prices drop as US rate hike fears, weak China data offset supply cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Fed is expected to increase interest rates by another 25 basis points this week. The U.S. central bank has raised its policy rate by 475 basis points since March of last year from the near-zero level to the current 4.75%-5.00% range. In the week ahead, the Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to extend a rate hike pause on Tuesday and the European Central Bank could surprise with an outsized half-point increase on Thursday. Brent crude has been tracking broader markets in recent sessions, with a slew of economic data creating more uncertainty about the outlook," ANZ Research said in a client note. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

CNN —The strength of tornadoes is rated on the Enhanced Fujita, or EF, Scale. The scale runs from 0 to 5 and rates tornadoes after they’ve hit by assessing damage to determine wind speed. The scale is named after Tetsuya “Ted” Fujita, an engineer and meteorologist who developed the original version of it in 1971. EF4: 166- to 200-mph wind gustsEasily destroying homes, tossing cars and downing large trees, these tornadoes can be devastating. Cheney Orr/ReutersEF5: 200+-mph wind gustsThese monsters cause complete devastation, flattening nearly everything in their path.

☆ Ukrainian defenders oust Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut -Ukraine general
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, May 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian units have ousted Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut amid fierce battles, a top Ukrainian general said on Monday, as the White House believes that more than 20,000 Russian fighters have been killed in Ukraine since December. "The situation (in Bakhmut) is quite difficult," Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Ukrainian commander of ground forces, said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Syrskyi said that new Russian units are being "constantly thrown into battle for Bakhmut" despite taking heavy losses, Syrskyi said, adding: "But the enemy is unable to take control of the city." Russian forces have steadily made incremental gains in Bakhmut, but Ukraine said on Sunday that it was still possible to supply the defenders with food, ammunition and medicine. Kyiv is widely expected soon to launch a counter-offensive to retake swathes of territory in the east and south that were occupied by Russian forces following the invasion 15 months ago.

☆ MLB roundup: White Sox surge past Rays, snap 10-game skid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

[1/6] Apr 30, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox first baseman Andrew Vaughn (25) watches his game-winning three-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the ninth inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Christian Bethancourt added a solo homer and two RBIs. Orioles 5, Tigers 3Adam Frazier and Jorge Mateo hit solo home runs and visiting Baltimore continued its dominance of Detroit. Evan Phillips closed out the ninth inning to earn his third save. Reliever Zack Thompson (1-2) allowed two runs on one hit and two walks while retiring just two batters.

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