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☆ Elon Musk’s dozens of meetings with presidents, prime ministers and political candidates show his growing political influence
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Clare Duffy | Way Mullery | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN —Over the past three years, Elon Musk has met dozens of times with presidents, prime ministers, lawmakers, government officials and political candidates from around the world. Other meetings, such as a recent conversation with Argentine President Javier Milei, the world only glimpses through the billionaire’s social media posts. Recently, Musk’s political activism has begun to have a tangible impact on his companies: Brands pulled their advertisements from X, tanking its value. CNN’s analysis also suggests that Musk has, in particular, worked to develop influence among a set of right-leaning world leaders, including Modi, Bolsonaro, Milei and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Now, as he campaigns for Trump, Musk may be setting himself up for his most prominent political role yet: a position in a possible future Trump White House.

Persons: Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Javier Milei, Musk, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, ”, Ron DeSantis, Robert F, Kennedy, Jr, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, “ He’s, he’s, James Lewis, it’s, Tesla, “, ” Lewis, “ They’re, Jair, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Li Qiang, Emmanuel Macron, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Narendra Modi, William Klepper, you’ve, ” Musk, Modi, Giorgia Meloni, India’s Modi Organizations: New, New York CNN, Argentine, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Putin, Gov, Trump, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Indian, Columbia Business School, Brands, SpaceX, Italian, Elon, Trump White House, Department of Government Locations: New York, Israel, South Africa, United States, Brazil, Nuevo Leon, Shanghai, China, Turkish, California, Italy, India, Argentina, ”

☆ Elon Musk's SpaceX sues California commission who blocked launches, accusing it of 'unconstitutional overreach'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-16 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

SpaceX has sued the California Coastal Commission. Legal experts said Musk will need to prove the commission would have granted the flights, if not for Musk's politics. In the lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, Musk's SpaceX accused the commission of '"unconstitutional overreach" after members criticized his political leanings during a meeting about whether to approve more frequent SpaceX launches off the California coastline. "But if a court concludes that it's more likely than not that the result would have been different but for Musk's speech, then there would be a violation," said Volokh. AdvertisementNeither SpaceX nor the California Coastal Commission immediately responded to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Gretchen Newsom, Musk, Caryl Hart, Eugene Volokh, David Driesen, Driesen, Volokh, Sarah Kreps, Kreps Organizations: SpaceX, California Coastal Commission, Service, Court, Central, Central District of, US Space Force, Vandenberg Space Force, UCLA, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Syracuse University, Tech, Institute, Cornell University, California Coastal, Business Locations: California, Central District, Central District of California

☆ 2024 Election: Crypto Bros Could Swing Votes Toward Kamala or Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Trump and Harris have different reasons to try to attract the crypto community — donors, voters, the fact that the former president likes anyone who flatters him, etc. All of Trump's courting of the crypto industry is possible because Democrats left open an opportunity for him to pounce. In September, he unveiled his own crypto venture, World Liberty Financial. The crypto industry doesn't mind the attention it's getting from policymakers. What Harris or Trump will actually do on crypto is unclear, but that's not really the point right now.

Persons: cryptocurrency, Crypto, Sen, Katie Porter, Jamaal Bowman, Sherrod Brown's, Bernie Moreno, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Trump, Harris, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz, Cameron, Tyler Winklevoss, He's, Adam Kovacevich, Joe Biden's, Gary Gensler, Lina Khan, Biden, Sheila Warren, Brian Hughes, Elizabeth Warren, Jon Tester, Bernie Sanders, Barron, it's, Robert Weissman, he's, She's, Chuck Schumer, Jared Polis of, Anthony Scaramucci, Mark Cuban, Ron Conway, Sherrod Brown, Kamala, she's, Rachael Horwitz, " Horwitz, Harris hasn't, Molly White, Horwitz, It's, There's, Weissman, Dan Cassino, Khan, Warren, that's, Emily Stewart Organizations: Democratic, Sherrod Brown's Republican, Gemini, Facebook, Trump, GOP, Republican, of, Democrats, Securities and Exchange, Federal Trade Commission, Crypto, Innovation, Liberty Financial, Public Citizen, Financial Times, Politico, Gov, Jared Polis of Colorado, Wall Street, Haun Ventures, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Capitol Hill, SEC, FTC, Chamber, Business Locations: Ohio, Wisconsin, Nashville, United States, Silicon Valley, That's, California, New York, America, bitcoin, Washington

☆ Why Kamala Harris and Donald Trump Are Courting the Crypto Crowd
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Trump and Harris have different reasons to try to attract the crypto community — donors, voters, the fact that the former president likes anyone who flatters him, etc. All of Trump's courting of the crypto industry is possible because Democrats left open an opportunity for him to pounce. Related storiesWhile Molly White, a crypto researcher and critic, described Harris' recent statements about crypto as "middle of the road," she said she thought the crypto industry was "definitely taking an optimistic view." The crypto industry doesn't mind the attention it's getting from policymakers. What Harris or Trump will actually do on crypto is unclear, but that's not really the point right now.

☆ Janet Yellen didn't name Trump in her big speech, but her fears of his anti-regulation stance loomed large
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Alice Tecotzky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewSpeaking at the US Treasury Market Conference on Thursday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen referenced her predecessors — and their mistakes — often. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. "In January 2021, I stepped into a Treasury Department whose focus on financial stability had all but disappeared," she said. "Put simply, we were without crucial tools to identify and help respond to risks to financial stability," she said. Related storiesThere's nothing indicating that a second Trump administration would bring a different attitude toward regulation than his first.

Persons: —, Janet Yellen, Donald Trump, Yellen, Trump's, Trump, Steven Mnuchin, Jon Hilsenrath, Kamala Harris Organizations: Service, US Treasury Market Conference, Business, Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Securities, Exchange, Politico, Trump, Wall Street Locations: Basel III, mull

☆ The change that Realtors’ powerful trade group resisted for decades is finally happening
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Much of that is by design, reinforced by the National Association of Realtors, a mega trade group with monopoly-like control over US real estate. Sellers, who historically have paid both the listing agent and the buyer’s Realtor, will be on the hook for their agent’s fee. While NAR has long stated that the 5% to 6% fee was always negotiable, in practice, that’s just not happening. One recent national study found that “buyer agents do in fact steer clients away from properties that offer low buyer agent commissions,” and that those properties take longer to sell, if they sell at all. The changes to the commission model upend decades of legal and political wrangling to maintain Realtors power in American real estate.

Persons: Sellers, ”, Stephen Brobeck, that’s, That’s, ” Brobeck, Kenny Parcell, Parcell, “ They’ve, they’ve, Brobeck, “ Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Association of Realtors, Consumer Federation of America, NAR, Realtors, MLS, of Justice, CNN, New York Times Locations: New York, Washington

☆ DOJ accuses Smartmatic's president of overseas bribery, complicating defamation lawsuits against right-wing media
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In reality, Smartmatic's technology was used in only one county during the 2020 election, Los Angeles. AdvertisementBut the indictment can still help Fox News, Newsmax, and other defendants in Smartmatic's many defamation lawsuits. Following the 2020 election, Smartmatic and Dominion both launched civil defamation lawsuits against Trump allies and right-wing media organizations that pushed false claims about the companies. But some of its defamation lawsuits have been snagged by claims of wrongdoing in the Philippines. AdvertisementDefendants in Smartmatic's defamation cases have argued that Smartmatic has vastly overstated its the amount of damages it says it should get.

Persons: —, Roger Piñate, Andres Bautista, Smartmatic, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Piñate, Department's, Bautista —, Bautista, Trump's, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Mike Lindell, Reid Hoffman, Giuliani, Powell, COMELEC Organizations: Service, The Justice Department, Business, Fox, The, Department, Prosecutors, CNN, Justice Department, Dominion, Trump, Fox News, Democratic Party, One America Locations: Philippines, Philippine, Los Angeles, Asia, Europe, Florida, Smartmatic

☆ World’s first major AI law enters into force — here's what it means for U.S. tech giants
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"It is likely to impact many businesses, especially those developing AI systems but also those deploying or merely using them in certain circumstances." For AI applications deemed to be "high-risk," for example, strict obligations will be introduced under the AI Act. watch nowExamples of high-risk AI systems include autonomous vehicles, medical devices, loan decisioning systems, educational scoring, and remote biometric identification systems. Generative AI is labelled in the EU AI Act as an example of "general-purpose" artificial intelligence. General-purpose AI models include, but aren't limited to, OpenAI's GPT, Google's Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tanguy Van Overstraeten, Charlie Thompson, Appian, Thompson, Meta, OpenAI's, Google's, Anthropic's Claude, Jamil Jiva, Linedata, GDPR, Jiva Organizations: Reuters, European Commission, EU, CNBC, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Web Services, Big Tech, EMEA, Data, Facebook, Companies, AI Office, Commission Locations: Brussels, EU, Europe

☆ Kari Lake Wins Senate Primary to Face Ruben Gallego in November
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kari Lake won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Arizona on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, setting up a high-stakes contest in the fall for the seat of Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who is retiring. A former news anchor, she will now face Representative Ruben Gallego, a Phoenix-area former Marine who had no opposition in the Democratic primary. “Thank you for putting your faith in me, Arizona,” Ms. Lake wrote on X. “I won’t let you down.”Ms. Lake and Mr. Gallego have already spent months attacking each other. Running in a border state, Ms. Lake has accused Mr. Gallego of being a far-left radical and favoring loose restrictions on immigration, while Mr. Gallego has blasted Ms. Lake for her shifting stance on abortion rights and for continuing to make baseless claims of election fraud.

Persons: Kari Lake, Kyrsten Sinema, Mark Lamb, Ruben Gallego, Lake, Gallego, Sinema, Mr, ” Organizations: Republican, U.S, Senate, Associated Press, Trump, Marine, Democratic, Democratic Party Locations: Arizona, Pinal County, Phoenix, , Arizona

☆ Xi wants the world to know China's military is totally loyal despite the purges
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

China's military is loyal and will faithfully execute the policies set down by the Communist Party. In June, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping reminded the Central Military Commission — the country's top political-military body — that the military reports to the Communist Party. "Xi stressed that political work is always the lifeline of the country's military. "Xi stresses PLA's political loyalty at crucial meeting held in old revolutionary base," read the Global Times headline. Beyond military corruption, Xi also is concerned about what he sees as decadence in Chinese society — especially among young people — which is undermining Chinese military power.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Mei, he'd, he's, Stalin, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Communist Party, Central Military Commission, Global Times, Business, Party, Times, People's Liberation Army, PLA, RAND Corp, Taiwan, PLA Rocket Force, CMC, Soviet Union, Political, Red Army, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: China, US, China —, Germany, Soviet Union, Forbes

☆ China to use ultra-long bonds for consumer, trade-in policy support as worries about retail sales slump grow
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC | Evelyn ChengSHANGHAI — China on Thursday announced its most targeted measures yet for boosting consumption, which has remained lackluster since the Covid-19 pandemic. Authorities announced they would allocate 300 billion Chinese yuan ($41.5 billion) in ultra-long special government bonds to expand an existing trade-in and equipment upgrade policy. He noted how the new policy links Beijing's ultra-long bond program — announced in March — with consumption. The National Development and Reform Commission on Thursday then announced the expanded policy to support consumption. He noted that the 300 billion yuan designation also reflects "a new way of thinking" which can have impact at scale.

Persons: Evelyn Cheng, Zong Liang, —, Zong, Bruce Pang Organizations: CNBC, Thursday, Authorities, National Development, Reform, Ministry of Finance, Bank of, People's Bank of Locations: Evelyn Cheng SHANGHAI, China, People's Bank of China, JLL

☆ Hungary’s populist Orbán to take over EU presidency as many issues hang in the balance
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, arrives on day one of the European Union (EU) leaders summit at the EU Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday, May 30, 2022. Hungary's motto for its presidency — Make Europe Great Again — raised eyebrows for its resemblance to the famous tagline of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The EU presidency rotates among its member countries, and while the post holds little real power, it does allow countries to put their priorities high on Europe's agenda. As Hungary's takeover approached, leaders in Brussels rushed to push through important policy decisions while Belgium was still at the helm. "(A Hungarian) delay, according to most European leaders, is already calculated and being taken into consideration as if it's something which is most likely going to happen."

Persons: Viktor Orban, Hungary's, Viktor Orbán, Donald Trump, Dorka Takácsy, —, Takácsy, Orbán Organizations: European Union, EU, —, Centre, Integration, Budapest Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, China, Moldova

☆ EU charges Microsoft with 'abusive' bundling of Teams and Office, breaching antitrust rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Katrina Bishop | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The European Union on Tuesday accused Microsoft of breaching antitrust rules with the "abusive" bundling of its Teams and Office products. Microsoft took the pre-emptive step to unbundle Teams from Microsoft 365 in an effort to quash antitrust concerns by the EU. The EU opened its investigation into Microsoft — which remains ongoing — in July 2023 following a complaint by Salesforce -owned Slack, which has a rival chat service to Teams. The Commission's concerns are centered around the fact that, starting in around 2019, Microsoft tied Teams with its software-as-a-service — or SaaS — applications, such as Office. It notes that Microsoft is "dominant worldwide" in the SaaS market for professional productivity applications.

Persons: —, Brad Smith Organizations: Union, European, Microsoft, European Commission, EU, Salesforce, Economic

☆ As Social Security faces looming fund depletion, there's fierce debate over whether a commission can help
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"A vote for a commission is a vote to cut Social Security," the man shouted before he was escorted off the floor. How the last major reforms, in 1983, came togetherPresident Ronald Reagan signs the Social Security Act Amendment into law on April 20, 1983. The changes involved taxes on Social Security benefits, increases to payroll tax rates, a future increase to the retirement age and a near-term postponement of cost-of-living adjustments. Social Security Commission Chairman Alan Greenspan, left, shakes hands with Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, prior to a Social Security hearing on Feb. 15, 1983. Lawmakers divided on best path forwardToday, lawmakers are divided on the best path forward to address Social Security.

Persons: —, Scott Peters, Peters, Bill Huizenga, Joe Manchin, Mitt Romney, — Rep, John Larson, Connecticut —, It's, " Larson, Larson, Nancy Altman, Ronald Reagan, Alan Greenspan, Greenspan, Jim Baker, Reagan, Tip O'Neill, Robert M, Ball, O'Neill, Sen, Charles Grassley, Bob Dole, John Danforth, Altman, Bruce D, Schobel, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, California —, they're, Hakeem Jeffries, Conn, Brian Higgins, Jimmy Gomez, Jeffries, Dan Kildee, Richard Neal, Tom Williams Organizations: iStock, Social, Social Security, AARP, CNBC, Rep, Democratic, Corbis, National Commission, Social Security Reform, Greenspan, Federal Reserve, House, White, Finance, Economic Policy Institute, Republican, Greenspan Commission, Senate Finance, Bettmann, Getty, Congress, Democratic House, White House, Democrats, Security, Capitol Visitor Center, CQ, Inc Locations: Sens, R, Utah, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa, California, D

☆ Middle East Crisis U.N. Commission Accuses Both Israel and Palestinian Groups of War Crimes
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Nick Cumming-Bruce | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

A United Nations commission investigating the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza has accused both Palestinian armed groups and Israel of committing war crimes, and the panel said that Israel’s conduct of the war included crimes against humanity. The U.N. report said that Palestinian armed groups killed and tortured people during the assaults that day. But Israel, during its monthslong campaign in Gaza to oust Hamas, has also committed war crimes, the commission said, like the use of starvation as a weapon of war through a total siege of Gaza. The commission said it had identified the people most responsible for war crimes or crimes against humanity, including senior members of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups and senior members of Israel’s political and military leadership, including members of its war cabinet. The commission said it would continue its investigations focusing on those with individual criminal responsibility and command or superior responsibility.

Persons: —, Israel, Sergey Ponomarev, Abed Khaled, repugnantly ”, Chris Sidoti, Miloon Organizations: United Nations, Navi Pillay, United, International Court of Justice, The New York Times, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Reuters, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, United Nations, Al, Aqsa, Deir Al, Geneva, Turkey, Egypt

☆ EU elections: How Russian trolls are meddling in the world’s second-biggest democratic vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

There is a focus on fake stories to influence attitudes on subjects like the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. But for the past year, the climate crisis has been the second-most targeted subject, according to the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO). Official statistics, however, tell a different story: In 2022, renewables accounted for 23% of the energy consumed in the EU. The EU is considered a global leader in tackling planet-heating pollution, but climate disinformation could undermine the bloc’s ambitious goal to reduce carbon emissions by 90% by 2040, compared with 1990 levels. Its community standards policy in the past had only targeted video, but in April, it was expanded to include audio.

Persons: Morgan Wright, “, streetlights, Paula Gori, ”, Gori, EU DisinfoLab, Wright, Gaizka Iroz, they’ve, “ They’ve, ” Gori, Pallavi Sethi, ’, —, Facebook —, ” Wright Organizations: CNN, European Union, EU, Guardian, Bild, European Digital Media, Facebook, Getty, West, Grantham Research, London School of Economics, stoke, Services, European, Meta Locations: European, Russia, United States, United Kingdom, American, Europe, Germany, Ukraine, Gaza, EU, Spain, France, Biriatou, AFP, Africa, Asia, industrializing, Gori, Italy, Croatia, Poland, England, Grantham, Prague, Russian, Slovakia, Moscow

☆ What Donald Trump might do if he wins a second term in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Read previewIn January 2025, Donald Trump may be sworn into office as the 47th President of the United States. Another Trump term, on the other hand, would likely entail a radical reversal from not just the previous four years, but even from Trump's first term in office. While not exhaustive, here's just some of what to expect in a second Trump administration. Miller told The New York Times that a second Trump administration would build "vast holding facilities that would function as staging centers" on "open land in Texas near the border." According to Bloomberg, Trump wants to extend those cuts in a second term.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Trump, Trump's, That's, mifepristone, Stephen Miller, Miller, Alex Wong, Nixon, shouldn't, he's, Israel, there's Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, The New York Times, Heritage Foundation's, Senate, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Reserve, Congress, TIME, Republican, National Guard, United, Department of Justice, Capitol Police, Atlantic Treaty Organization, State Department, Pentagon, Bloomberg, American, Security, Social Security, CNBC Locations: United States, Texas, CPAC, China, Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Europe, Washington ,

☆ Election Updates: Biden and Trump are aiming to have two debates, the first in June.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jonathan Swan | Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +13 min

Mr. Biden recently indicated he would debate Mr. Trump, but had until now declined to give any firm commitment or specific details. In a video announcing his offer, Mr. Biden taunted Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump leads Mr. Biden in most polls of battleground states, including the recent surveys by The New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Significantly more voters trust Mr. Trump over Mr. Biden to handle the economy. Mr. Biden, exasperated, famously said to Mr. Trump, “Will you shut up, man?

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, —, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Mr, Biden’s, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, O’Malley Dillon, ”, Trump’s, “ Let’s, Donald, Ms, Mark Makela, “ Will, Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita, Reagan, “, There’s, Kennedy, Wiles, LaCivita, George W, Bush’s, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Richard Perry, Romney, Hillary Clinton’s, Bill Clinton, Reid J, Epstein Organizations: The New York Times, Biden, Commission, Mr, Trump, “, ”, Republican National Convention, Republican National Committee, Siena College, The Philadelphia Inquirer, White House, CNN, Electoral College —, Republican, Democratic, ” Networks, CBS News, ABC News, Telemundo Locations: Washington, Trump’s Manhattan, York, Milwaukee, America

☆ Meta hit with major EU probe into disinformation handling ahead of European elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC. Meta on Tuesday was hit by the European Commission — the executive body of the European Union — with a major investigation into its compliance with the EU's strict internet content rules. The Commission said it is investigating Meta over concerns the company hasn't done enough to ensure effective combatting of disinformation ahead of upcoming European Parliament elections. The European Parliament elections are due to take place on June 6-9. "We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Organizations: Dirksen, Meta, European Commission, European, DSA, Services, EU, Facebook, CNBC Locations: Washington ,

☆ Opinion: Why ‘black swans’ are behind the Key Bridge and other shipping disasters
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Opinion Salvatore R. Mercogliano | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —The allision between the container ship MV Dali and the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday has prompted numerous questions — not only about how this tragedy occurred, but also about our global shipping processes. This marked the start of a campaign by the Houthis, in support of Hamas in their attack on Israel, against global shipping transiting the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden. Now, two years later, Baltimore is closed with remains of the Key Bridge athwart the main shipping channel. No one agency has oversight of or coordinates global shipping or ports in the US. There is also no overall maritime strategy for the nation, although the US Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration has been tasked to develop one.

Persons: Salvatore R, Mercogliano, Francis Scott Key, —, Sal Mercogliano Bennett Scarborough, Dali, ”, Jennifer Homendy, Transportation Pete Buttigieg, John Garamendi of, Dusty Johnson of Organizations: Campbell University, Shipping, YouTube, CNN, MV Galaxy Leader, Baltimore, Federal Highway Administration, Transportation, Bethlehem Steel, Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, US Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of Transportation, US Department of Transportation, Federal Maritime Commission, Democratic, Republican, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Ocean Shipping Reform Locations: Baltimore, Asia, Suez, Los Angeles, Long, Yemen, Israel, Bab, Aden, China, Argentina, Largo, Dali, Sparrows, United States, John Garamendi of California, Dusty Johnson of South

☆ Is New York Better Off Than It Was 7 Years Ago? New Yorkers Say No.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Dana Rubinstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the South Fordham section of the Bronx, residents give their neighborhood a Bronx cheer. In Park Slope in Brooklyn — known and parodied for its self-consciously liberal politics and wealth — residents are much happier. But if there’s one thing that New Yorkers can agree upon, it’s that the quality of life in New York City has suffered. Less than a third rate the city’s quality of life as excellent or good. Less than a quarter are content with the overall quality of government services.

Organizations: New Locations: Fordham, Bronx, Slope, Brooklyn, New York City

☆ Realtor's settlement means buyers might save money on their new homes, but they'll be doing more work themselves
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Buyers' agents will no longer charge 6% commission fees for helping buyers purchase a house. However, the lowered commissions may mean buyers have to do more work themselves. And while the new rules around Realtors' commission fees mean buyers may save thousands of dollars on their homes, they may also end up doing more work themselves to find and purchase new houses. Other sellers, the outlet reported, won't offer any commission to pay a buyer's agent at all in a process called decoupling. If the seller doesn't shell out for the buyers' agent fees, as real estate transactions have typically been structured, this will leave the buyer's agent commission negotiations — and potentially the out-of-pocket payment for their fees — up the the buyer.

Persons: Buyers, —, Robby Braun, Cohen Milstein Sellers, Toll, they're, Toby Schifsky, Kaplan, BI's Grace Eliza Goodwin Organizations: National Association of Realtors, Service, Realtors, Street, Washington Post

☆ The Realtors’ Big Defeat
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Free-market economic theory suggests that the American real estate market should not have been able to exist as it has for decades. Americans have long paid unusually high commissions to real estate agents. Some real estate brokers, recognizing the chance to win business by charging lower commissions, would have done so. Instead, an average home sale in the U.S. has cost between $5,000 and $15,000 more than it would have without the inflated commissions. This money has been akin to a tax, collected by real estate agents instead of the government.

Locations: U.S, Germany, Australia, Britain

☆ Merely winning has never been enough for Putin — and this year's presidential election is no different
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

There's little doubt Putin, 71, will win, even as the Ukraine war drags into its third year, analysts say. After all, his challengers — who were approved to run by the country's election commission — are far from his level of clout and influence. But for Putin, merely winning has never been enough — and 2024 looks no different. Putin needs to show that Russians really want him to leadFor Putin, it's not about winning. As Thomas Graham, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote on March 7, "Just winning has never been enough for Putin.

Persons: —, There's, Putin, it's, It's, Thomas Graham, David Szakonyi, Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, they're, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Business, International Monetary Fund, Council, Foreign Relations, George Washington University, Profit, Central Bank of Russia, Putin Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Policymaking, Russia, Polish

☆ Microsoft engineer sounds alarm on company's AI image generator in letter to FTC
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementJones claimed in the letter that Microsoft's AI image generator can add "harmful content" to images that can be created using "benign" prompts. Jones, Microsoft, and the FTC didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment before publication. AdvertisementThis isn't the first time Shane publicly vocalized his concerns about Microsoft's AI image generator. Microsoft isn't the only major tech company that's been slammed for its AI image generator. "In a competitive race to be the most trustworthy AI company, Microsoft needs to lead, not follow or fall behind," he wrote.

Persons: —, Shane Jones, Jones, Vader, FTC didn't, Shane, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Demis Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Federal Trade Commission, Copilot, Business, LinkedIn, Star, CNBC, FTC, Google, Gemini

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