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☆ Amazon Reports $148 Billion in Second Quarter Sales
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Karen Weise | More About Karen Weise | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Critically, sales of Amazon’s cloud computing services continued to gain steam, growing 19 percent to $26.3 billion. Amazon Web Services has also become more profitable, with an operating margin of 35.5 percent, up from 24.2 percent a year earlier. It spent $16 billion on capital expenditures, including new data centers, expensive computer chips and warehouses to fulfill orders. While Amazon has become more profitable, it is having a harder time spending that cash. As a result, the company’s cash has grown to record levels, with $71.7 billion on its balance sheet at the end of the quarter.

Persons: “ We’re, Andy Jassy Organizations: Amazon, Services, Big Tech, Regulators Locations: A.W.S

☆ Iga Świątek begs French Open fans not to shout during points after thrilling victory against Naomi Osaka
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Iga Świątek criticised the French Open crowd for shouting during points following her tense second-round victory against Naomi Osaka on Wednesday. When you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really, really hard to be focused … This is serious for us, we’re fighting our whole lives to be better and better and sometimes it’s just hard to accept that. “Osaka vs Swiatek is a brilliant watch,” Andy Murray posted on X, adding that the sport should be doing more to promote the match. CNN has contacted the French Open for comment regarding fan behaviour. “It’s hard to have any logical thoughts because it was really intense and on a really high level,” Świątek told reporters.

Persons: Iga Świątek, Naomi Osaka, Świątek, Roland Garros, Philippe Chatrier, –, “, ” Świątek, it’s, Andy Murray, Osaka, Jean, Francois Badias, Justine Henin, Jana Fett, Marie Bouzková Organizations: CNN, Osaka, “, Swiatek, Świątek Locations: Swiatek, Osaka, Madrid, Rome, Czech

☆ Amazon Reports $143.3 Billion in Revenue for First Quarter of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Karen Weise | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon reported its highest first-quarter profit on Tuesday as it continued to wring efficiencies out of its retail business and recharge growth in its cloud computing operations. The company was also for the first time on track to have $100 billion in annual cloud computing sales. The company had $143.3 billion in revenue in the first three months of the year, up 13 percent from a year earlier. Profit more than tripled, to $10.4 billion. “It was a good start to the year across the business, and you can see that in both our customer experience improvements and financial results,” Andy Jassy, Amazon’s chief executive, said in a statement.

Persons: ” Andy Jassy Organizations: Amazon

☆ What to expect from the March jobs report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

ET, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its March jobs report. February brought the unemployment rate within spitting distance of 4%, rising to 3.9% from 3.7% in January. What could come from Friday’s jobs reportFebruary’s jobs report came as yet another surprise to economists. For instance, last month January’s job gains were revised down to 229,000 from the blowout 353,000 that kicked off 2024. The unemployment rate went up by half a percentage point from the post-pandemic low of 3.4% last April.

Persons: lockdowns, it’s, Michael Strain, ’, February’s, Andy Challenger, ”, Allison Joyce, Aaron Sojourner, they’ve, Sojourner, Luke Sharrett Organizations: New, New York CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Enterprise Institute, BLS, Federal, US, Challenger, “, Department of Labor, Bloomberg, . Upjohn Institute, Employment Research, CNN, Federal Reserve, Getty Locations: New York, outplacement

☆ Philippines jeepneys: Will the loud, colorful vehicles soon disappear from the roads?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

For years, jeepney drivers have argued that the cost to transition to cleaner vehicles is out of their reach. Groups representing jeepney drivers have held protests in recent months, with the latest gathering set for Tuesday in the capital Manila. But Mar Valbuena, chairman of transport group Manibela, said police attempted to stall jeepney drivers from joining that protest. Jeepney drivers protesting the modernization plan on December 29, 2023 near Mendiola, Manila. The important thing is that the consolidation is done,” Andy Ortega, head of the Office of Transport Cooperatives, told CNN Philippines.

Persons: Virgin Mary, Mar Valbuena, ” Valbuena, Josefiel Rivera, Valbuena, jeepneys, we’d, ”, Joseph Sabado, Russet Tamayo, Teofilo Guadiz III, Jose Santos, ” Guadiz, “, ” Andy Ortega Organizations: CNN, Department of Transportation, CNN Philippines, Russet, Transportation, Transport Cooperatives Locations: Philippines, Manila, Mendiola

☆ This is the least affordable housing market since 1984. It’s getting worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Wannabe homebuyers are getting hammered by a painful combination of high mortgage rates and high home prices. For the first time, monthly payments are above $2,500 – and that doesn’t even include taxes, insurance or other fees. Turmoil in the bond market and the Federal Reserve’s war on inflation have driven up mortgage rates to levels unseen since 2000. Aided by emergency action from the Fed, mortgage rates briefly tumbled below 2.7% in late 2020 and early 2021. At today’s rates, monthly payments on a $500,000 home would stand at roughly $3,265 after putting 20% down.

Persons: Ronald Reagan, Andy Walden, They’ve, Freddie Mac Organizations: New, New York CNN, Intercontinental Exchange, ICE, New York Stock Exchange Locations: New York, homeownership

☆ What to expect from the jobs report: Steady, but cooler growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But markets and economists are expecting another solid jobs report Friday morning. And while economic data isn’t typically the sexiest of topics, the government’s jobs report has in recent months delivered plenty of excitement and its fair share of surprises. Last July, for example, the US economy added 568,000 jobs — more than double the 250,000 that economists had expected. Come Friday, the government’s jobs report for this July might not end up being quite so shocking. In fact, it could be relatively humdrum: A slight cooling in job growth, and unemployment holding steady.

Persons: Minneapolis CNN — Fitch, ”, Daniel Zhao, Refinitiv, Chris Rupkey, That’s, Michael Gapen, Janet Yellen, Glassdoor’s Zhao, ” Zhao, there’s, ” Andy Challenger, Challenger, ” Gus Faucher, they’re, Becky Frankiewicz, “ Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Glassdoor, Bank of America, ” Bank of America, Business, Conference Board, Fitch, Challenger, “ Companies, Labor Department, “, PNC Financial Services Group, CNN, Labor Statistics, BLS, “ Employers, ManpowerGroup Locations: Minneapolis, United States

☆ What to expect from the July jobs report: Steady, but cooler growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Minneapolis CNN —Despite Tuesday’s credit rating downgrade amid concerns about the challenges facing the United States, markets and economists are expecting another solid jobs report on Friday. And while economic data isn’t typically the sexiest of topics, the monthly jobs report has in recent months delivered plenty of excitement and its fair share of surprises. Come Friday, the government’s jobs report for this July might not end up being quite so shocking. In fact, it could be relatively humdrum: A slight cooling in job growth, and unemployment holding steady. The broader economic scorecard for the United States makes the downgrade all the more “bizarre” and puzzling, noted top economists, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

Persons: ”, Daniel Zhao, Refinitiv, Chris Rupkey, That’s, Michael Gapen, Janet Yellen, Glassdoor’s Zhao, ” Zhao, there’s, ” Andy Challenger, Challenger, Gus Faucher, they’re, Becky Frankiewicz, “ Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Glassdoor, Bank of America, ” Bank of America, Fitch, Challenger, “ Companies, PNC Financial Services Group, CNN, Labor Statistics, BLS, “ Employers, ManpowerGroup Locations: Minneapolis, United States

☆ June jobs report preview: Growth but gradual cooling expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Minneapolis CNN —When the June jobs report lands on Friday, it’s all but certain to show that the US labor market has added jobs for 30 consecutive months. And this year’s monthly average of 314,000 net job gains far exceeds what was seen before the pandemic, including during that 100-month stretch post-Great Recession. Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo, said she’s expecting a “gradual cooling” to wash over the labor market. “The jobs market is not collapsing,” she said. The timing of the Fourth of July holiday resulted in a load of labor market data landing within 24 hours of the government’s monthly jobs report.

Persons: Sarah House, she’s, ”, wilder, Andy Challenger, ” Aaron Terrazas Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Federal Reserve, of Labor Statistics, Labor, Challenger, Fed Locations: Minneapolis, Wells Fargo

☆ Windrush Day: Manchester United great Andy Cole opens up about Jamaican roots and racism
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Darren Lewis | James Oware | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On one of the first voyages, 492 Caribbean islanders onboard the HMT Empire Windrush arrived in the UK on June 22, 1948. That generation of immigrants became the namesake of that ship, and their arrival date is now celebrated as Windrush Day. However, Cole says racist abuse and a lack of acknowledgement for his achievements meant that in adulthood, he recognized his father was right. Speaking on the inevitability of racist abuse that Black footballers face when missing penalties Andy outlined, “I think we’re just waiting, okay, what’s happening on social media? A clinical striker in his playing career, maybe one day Andy can transfer his wealth of knowledge to the boardroom.

Persons: Andy Cole, “, Darren Lewis, Cole reminisced, ” Andy, Windrush, Cole’s, Cole, Douglas Miller, ” Cole, Norma Gregory, Lincoln, ”, Caribbeans, Mark Leech, Andy, Devante, George Wood, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Vinícius, Romelu, Tom Jenkins, Vinicius Organizations: CNN, League, Champions League, CNN’s, Commonwealth, Caribbean, Hulton, Coal Miners, Heritage, English League, Barnsley, English, England, Inter Milan, FIFA, UEFA, Italy, Real Locations: Britain, Nottingham, Jamaica, Commonwealth, Runnymede, British, England, Real Madrid, Italian, Brazil, European

☆ How tech companies are working to help detect AI-generated images
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

In recent months, an AI-generated image of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket went viral and AI-generated images of former President Donald Trump getting arrested were widely shared, shortly before he was indicted. Some lawmakers are now calling for tech companies to address the problem. Reality Defender and Hive Moderation are working on the former. Other tech companies like Google appear to be pursuing a playbook that pulls a bit from both approaches. “We need everybody to participate.”For now, however, tech companies continue to move forward with pushing more AI tools into the world.

Persons: Jeffrey McGregor, “ We’re, we’re, ”, McGregor, ” McGregor, Pope Francis, Donald Trump, Vera Jourova, –, “, Dall, ChatGPT, ” Hany Farid, ” Farid, Tom Cruise deepfake, ” Ben Colman, Kevin Guo, ” Guo, —, Andy Parsons, Bing, Farid, ” Parsons Organizations: New, New York CNN, Microsoft, ” Tech, European, Google, Meta, Big Tech, Reality, University of California, CNN, Realty, “, Coalition, Adobe, CAI, BBC, Intel, Sony Locations: New York, EU, Berkeley

☆ Instagram lifts ban on anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after launch of presidential bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Instagram announced Sunday it had lifted its ban on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine activist who has launched a presidential bid, two years after it shut down Kennedy’s account for breaking its rules related to Covid-19. “As he is now an active candidate for president of the United States, we have restored access to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s, Instagram account,” Andy Stone, a spokesperson for Instagram’s parent company Meta said in a statement. Kennedy, who has a long history of spreading vaccine misinformation, was banned from Instagram in February 2021. A company spokesperson at the time said Instagram had removed his account for “repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines.”While Kennedy’s Instagram account was banned, his Facebook account remained active. Kennedy was a leading anti-vaccination voice during the Covid-19 pandemic, using his social media platforms to sow doubt and misinformation about the shots.

Persons: New York CNN — Instagram, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Jr, Andy Stone, Meta, Instagram, “, Cheryl Hines, Kennedy’s, Anne Frank, Hines, ”, Jack Dorsey, tweeting, “ Robert F, ” Dorsey, Elon Musk, Stone Organizations: New, New York CNN, Instagram, Meta, The Washington Post, YouTube, Trump, DeSantis, Democratic, CNN Locations: New York, United States, Nazi Germany, Silicon Valley

☆ As cost of living crisis bites, some Brits are questioning spending money on glitzy coronation As cost of living crisis bites, some Brits are questioning spending money on glitzy coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

The church operates the cafe alongside a food bank which offers free food, clothes, household items and other necessities to locals who are struggling. When it first opened before the pandemic, the food bank was serving mostly homeless people. Liz Coopey, left, a volunteer at the Given Freely Freely Given food bank in Doncaster, helps local resident Angela Davis with her shopping bags. The Given Freely Freely Given food bank in Doncaster offers its clients other items than just food, including household goods and clothing. Liz Coopey, one of the volunteers there, said she understands the idea of having to rely on a food bank might be scary to many.

☆ ‘It’s not zero.’ Wall Street is pricing in a small but growing risk of a disastrous US default
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

As politicians sleepwalk toward a potential debt ceiling crisis, financial markets have begun pricing in a small — but growing — chance of a disastrous default. “The probability of default has gone up noticeably,” Andy Sparks, head of portfolio management research at MSCI, told CNN in an interview. Yellen has used unusually strong language for a former central banker to warn Congress against messing with the debt ceiling. Asked about MSCI’s estimate of a 2% implied probability of a default, Valliere said that number is low. But this is not a typical debt ceiling debate.”Fallback optionsThere are some early indicators of concern popping up in the bond market.

☆ Walmart is raising its minimum wage to $14 an hour
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In many areas of the country, particularly southern states that have not adopted higher wage laws, Walmart’s starting wage often serves as the local minimum wage. Amazon (AMZN) and Target (TGT) have a $15 minimum wage, while Costco (COST) starts at $17 an hour. Walmart is trying to keep pace with rivals as well as cities and states that have been raising their minimum wages. The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 an hour since 2009. Washington State has the highest minimum wage in the country at $15.74.

☆ Lisa Rinna is leaving ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Samantha Kubota | Liz Calvario | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Longtime “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Rinna announced on Jan. 5 that she is leaving the show, Bravo confirmed to TODAY.com. The 59-year-old reality star is “excited” for the next chapter in her career, after being on the reality show for eight seasons. “RHOBH” star Denise Richards also called out Rinna after the Season 12 reunion, writing on Instagram, “I watched #RHOBH last night. While I have empathy for Lisa Rinna losing her mom, what is her excuse all the other years on the show for being so cruel & so vindictive?”Rinna’s mother, Lois Rinna, died in November 2021 at age 93. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve made it.’”After news of her departure broke on Jan. 5, Rinna’s former costar Lisa Vanderpump seemingly shaded her on Twitter, writing simply “Ding dong.”

On Tuesday, for example, Fox News host Sean Hannity said Republicans “have been unwilling for whatever reason” to vote early and by mail. Ahead of the general election, registered Democrats held an 8-point edge over registered Republicans in Georgia in early voting. Now about to enter his seventh term, Schweikert said that Republicans in his state used to enjoy a robust early voting edge. Kirk, who had raised concerns about mail-in voting, changed his tune after the November midterms, tweeting that Republicans must recognize the “power of early voting.” But Johnson has called for a ban on mail-in voting. At the forefront of GOP concerns over early voting is Pennsylvania, where Democrats enjoyed an edge so substantial that Republicans did not come close to overcoming it.

☆ Why aluminum plants in the U.S. are far more polluting than some of their counterparts abroad
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Phil Mckenna | Inside Climate News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +15 min

A plant worker uses a crane to lift a cask of molten aluminum a Century Aluminum Company plant in Hawesville, Ky. in 2017. Of the five remaining facilities, only the Century Aluminum Sebree plant in Robards, which employs 625 workers, and a smaller Alcoa plant in Massena, New York, run at full capacity. Phillip McKenna/NBC NewsSteinsen, of Century Aluminum, said the company has no plans to shut down its Sebree facility in Robards. In 2015, when the U.S. aluminum production was in steep decline, the EPA ended its industry partnership. In 2019, 7,510 metric tons of PFCs were emitted from global aluminum production, according to a study published last year in the Journal of Geophysical Research — Atmospheres.

☆ Natural vs. artificial Christmas tree: Which option is better for climate?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Christopher Dilts/Bloomber/Getty ImagesIt’s easy to imagine that reusing an artificial tree year after year is the more sustainable option. The American Christmas Tree Association, a nonprofit that represents artificial tree manufacturers, commissioned WAP Sustainability Consulting for a study in 2018 that found the environmental impact of an artificial tree is better than a real tree if you use the fake tree for at least five years. “Planting, fertilizing and watering were taken into account for real trees, which have an approximate field cultivation period of seven to eight years.”What are the benefits of real trees? Nathan Howard/Getty ImagesOn average, it takes seven years to fully grow a Christmas tree, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. About 15,000 farms grow Christmas trees in the US alone, employing over 100,000 people either full or part-time in the industry, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

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