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☆ SpaceX Starlink has 2,500 airplanes under contract after United megadeal, director says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A Starlink terminal installed on a Hawaiian Airlines aircraft. Hawaiian AirlinesPARIS — SpaceX nearly doubled its backlog of Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi orders with last week's United Airlines deal, a company director said Tuesday. Last week, United said it will outfit its more than 1,000 planes with Starlink and won't charge customers for the Wi-Fi. SpaceX has previously announced in-flight deals and has started service with Hawaiian Airlines , Qatar Airways, Japan's Zipair, Latvia's airBaltic and semi-private charter airline JSX. Nick Galano, SpaceX director of Starlink Aviation Sales and Partnerships, center, speaks at the World Space Business Week conference in Paris on Sept. 17, 2024.

Persons: Nick Galano, United, Gogo, Japan's, Latvia's, Galano, SpaceX, Michael Sheetz Galano, Glenn Latta, Latta, We've Organizations: Hawaiian Airlines aircraft, Hawaiian Airlines PARIS, SpaceX, United Airlines, IFC, Starlink's, Viasat, Panasonic, Thales, Hawaiian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Starlink Aviation, CNBC, Delta Air Lines, Delta Locations: Paris, United

☆ Chinese tech startups quietly stop testing driverless cars on Californian roads
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewChina’s leading ride-hailing firm has dropped out of a program that allows it to test self-driving vehicles on Californian public roads. Ride-hailing giant Didi has withdrawn from California’s autonomous vehicle testing program, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, as several rival Chinese firms also scaled back their self-driving operations in the state. Future Publishing/Getty imagesDidi is not the only Chinese company that appears to be scaling back autonomous vehicle testing in California, or pulling out entirely. That's a significant decline from the previous year, when Chinese autonomous vehicle companies conducted over 450,000 miles of testing. AdvertisementHe said that public backlash toward autonomous vehicles in cities like San Francisco had increased the risks of negative PR for companies testing the technology on public roads.

Persons: —, Didi, WeRide, AutoX —, That's, Sesame, Bob Latta, Cruise, that's, ” John Helveston, ” Helveston Organizations: Service, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Business, DMV, Baidu, Future Publishing, Pegasus Technology, NBC, Republican, Anadolu, Getty, George Washington University Locations: California, Shanghai, China, Jiaxing, San Francisco

☆ See what celebrities wore to New York Fashion Week
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —New York Fashion Week is back, with celebrities seen sitting front row at shows across Manhattan and Brooklyn and arriving at private parties for luxury houses including Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Christian SirianoJodie Turner-Smith arrives at a private Gucci party. Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images/Getty ImagesJessica Chastain at a private Gucci party on Saturday. Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/Getty ImagesElliot Page arrives at a private Gucci party. Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NYFW: The ShowsIris Apatow at a private Gucci party on Saturday.

Persons: Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Tommy Hilfiger’s, Sofia Richie Grainge, Becky G, Willy Chavarria’s, Sam Smith, Julia Fox, Jessica Chastain, Jodie, Turner Smith, Demi Moore, Elliot Page, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Joe Biden’s, Ashley Biden, Kamala Harris ’, Ella Emhoff, Sophia Bush, J . Smith, Cameron, Philipps, Melanie Lynskey, Alicia Silverstone, Ashlee Simpson, Christian Siriano's, Jamie McCarthy, Christian, Jodie Turner, Smith, Gilbert Carrasquillo, Dascha Polanco, Willy Chavarria's, Roy Rochlin, Debbie Harry, Jason Mendez, Willy Chavarria, Amanda Lepore, Tommy Dorfman, Natasha Lyonne, Annabelle Dexter, Jones, Chanel, Dimitrios Kambouris, Camila Mendes, Ariana Greenblatt, Gilbert Flores, Storm Reid, Jackie Aina, Udo Salters, Cowan, Sarah Desjardins, Christian Cowan, Joel Kim Booster, Anna Wintour, Diane Kruger, Carolina Herrera, Charly Triballeau, Olivia Jade, Noah Beck, Louisa Jacobson, Misty Copeland, Jaimie Alexander, Jason Wu, Molly Ringwald, Helmut Lang, Jed Cullen, Dave Benett, Jeremy O, Harris, Stephanie Hsu, Phillip Lim, Arturo Holmes, Bella Thorne, Theo Wargo, Iris Apatow, Katie Holmes, Ulla Johnson, Manny Carabel, Jemima Kirke, Trullie Organizations: CNN, New York, Central, Brooklyn, Christian, Gucci, Bach, Getty, Harmonie Club, Carolina, Beauty Brooklyn Locations: Manhattan, Brooklyn, AFP, Zsela

☆ US House panel looks to revive stalled self-driving legislation -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives panel will hold a July 26 hearing as lawmakers look to jump start long-stalled efforts to pass legislation to speed adoption of self-driving cars. The Energy Commerce subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce confirmed to Reuters it was holding a hearing titled “Self-Driving Vehicle Legislative Framework: Enhancing Safety, Improving Lives and Mobility, and Beating China." The panel will consider separate draft legislation from Representative Bob Latta, a Republican and Representative Debbie Dingell, a Democrat. In order to ensure Americans can reap the benefits of self-driving vehicles, we must enact a comprehensive national law that establishes a pathway to safe deployment". Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would soon decide on a petition filed by General Motors' (GM.N) Cruise self-driving technology unit seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls.

Persons: Bob Latta, Debbie Dingell, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Gus Bilirakis, John Bozzella, Gary Shapiro, Mark Riccobono, Pete Buttigieg, David Shepardson, Chris Reese, Alex Richardson Organizations: U.S . House, Energy, Innovation, Commerce, Reuters, Mobility, Republican, House Energy, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, Consumer Technology, National Federation of, Blind, Traffic Safety Administration, General Motors, Thomson Locations: America, China

☆ This Summer We’re Helping Scientists Track Birds. Join In.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

This Summer We’re Helping Scientists Track Birds. This data will help scientists understand better how birds are affected by forces like climate change and habitat loss. We’re obviously a little bit biased here, so I’m going to recommend the Merlin Bird ID app. Nearly half of all bird species worldwide are known or suspected to be in decline, and climate change could accelerate this trend. Look up past reports of that species on the eBird Species Map and zoom in on your city.

Persons: Mike McQuade, We’ll, Michelle Mildenberg Daryln Brewer Hoffstot, phoebe, Hoffstot, Indigo Goodson, “, Kirsten Luce, Alli Smith, Merlin, —, It’s, That’s, Andrew Spear, ”, Tom Auer, Mr, Auer, birders, James T, Tanner, Steven C, Latta, Chris Elphick, . Latta, Michaels, et, Christine Schuldheisz, Richard O ., Ivory, they’d, Mark, Elphick, there’s, ” Dr, eBird, I’m Organizations: Birds, Cornell, of Ornithology, The New York Times, New York Times, University of Connecticut, Credit, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Yale, Times, Cornell Lab, Walmart Locations: Pennsylvania, North America, Virginia, South America, Canada, Alaska, Louisiana, Pittsburgh, United States, Cuba, Arkansas, eBird

☆ A Vanished Bird Might Live On, or Not. The Video Is Grainy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Catrin Einhorn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If there’s new hope, it’s blurry. What’s certain: the roller coaster tale of the ivory-billed woodpecker, a majestic bird whose presumed extinction has been punctuated by a series of contested rediscoveries, is going strong. The latest twist is a peer-reviewed study Thursday in the journal Ecology and Evolution presenting sighting reports, audio recordings, trail camera images and drone video. Collected over the last decade in a Louisiana swamp forest, the precise location omitted for the birds’ protection, the authors write that the evidence suggests the “intermittent but repeated presence” of birds that look and behave like ivory-billed woodpeckers. But Dr. Latta acknowledges that no single piece of evidence is definitive, and the study is carefully tempered with words like “putative” and “possible.”

☆ Lawmakers press companies that collect U.S. consumer data to reveal how they buy and sell it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In the letters, 10 lawmakers asked the companies for detailed responses on the types of sensitive information they gather, such as health, location and phone data, including apps consumers download to their devices. The companies were also asked what information they collect on minors. Last month, the subcommittee on oversight and investigations held a hearing with expert witnesses to examine "the role of data brokers in the digital economy." In that report, the regulator recommended that Congress force brokers to give consumers greater control over their data, but the "data brokers can easily circumvent existing rules and laws," the letter said. Here's the full list of data brokers who received the letter::AcxiomAtDataBabel StreetCoreLogic SolutionsEpsilon Data ManagementEquifaxExperianGravy AnalyticsInteliusKochavaLiveRampMylifeOracle AmericaPeopleConnectPlacer.aiRELXSafegraphSpokeoThomson ReutersTransUnionVerisk AnalyticsWhitepagesSubscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

March 23 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers at a congressional hearing on Thursday accused TikTok of serving harmful content and inflicting "emotional distress" on young users, grilling the Chinese-owned app's CEO on the company's outsized influence on teens. Like other social media platforms, TikTok has long faced scrutiny over its policing of content on the app. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein 1 2Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey, said content on TikTok "exacerbated feelings of emotional stress" in children. Pew Research Center said 67% of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 use TikTok, and 16% of all teens say they use the app almost constantly. Reporting by Sheila Dang in Dallas and Rami Ayyub in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter and Lincoln Feast.

REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinMarch 23 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers at a congressional hearing on Thursday accused TikTok of serving harmful content and inflicting "emotional distress" on young users, grilling the Chinese-owned app's CEO on the company's outsized influence on teens. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington, kicked off the hearing with TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew saying that within minutes of creating an account on TikTok, the content algorithm promotes self-harm and eating disorder content, and encourages "dangerous" challenges that can put kids' lives at risk. Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey, said content on TikTok "exacerbated feelings of emotional stress" in children. Lawmakers quizzed Chew about whether Americans' user data could be accessed by the Chinese government as well as how it prevented harmful content from reaching young users. Chew later said during the hearing that content such as dangerous challenges were prohibited from TikTok.

☆ TikTok CEO says China-based ByteDance employees still have access to some U.S. data
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Lawmakers and intelligence officials fear that U.S. user data could get into the hands of the Chinese government via ByteDance. TikTok said Thursday that Project Texas is already in action but there are many steps to reach its completion. The data on those servers is the kind that could theoretically still be accessed by China-based ByteDance employees for the time being. Once that data is deleted, according to TikTok, those employees will no longer have access to U.S. user data from the app. WATCH: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew: I don't condone effort by former employees to access U.S. user data

☆ Conservative groups are flooding the Supreme Court with calls to block Biden's student-loan forgiveness, arguing that borrowers are 'contractually bound to repay their loans'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Nine conservative groups this week filed amicus briefs to the Supreme Court opposing Biden's student-debt relief. It comes after advocates and scholars filed over a dozen briefs supporting Biden's plan. Conservative groups are making sure the court hears their opinion: that student-loan forgiveness is illegal and should be blocked. Since October, Biden's debt relief plan has been paused due to two conservative-backed lawsuits seeking to permanently block the plan, and the Supreme Court will be taking on both cases on February 28. Still, the fate of student-loan forgiveness rests with the Supreme Court, and it remains to be seen how these briefs will influence its final decision on the legality of canceling student debt.

☆ U.S. lawmakers seek repeal of Biden solar tariff waiver
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The move is aimed at propping up domestic solar manufacturers, which have struggled to compete with cheap panels made overseas - often by Chinese companies. A Commerce Department probe last year found that some solar panel makers were dodging U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made goods by moving their products through Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. New proposed duties on imports from those countries will not kick in until June of 2024 because of a two-year waiver from Biden. Months later, the Commerce Department issued a preliminary decision to extend existing tariffs on Chinese solar products to goods from those nations. The White House has said the tariff exemption will serve as a bridge while the U.S. sector ramps up.

☆ Gulf Arab states can’t give up oil. But they can slash their emissions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —As Western states try to wean themselves off their addiction to hydrocarbons, Gulf oil nations have been pushing back hard, warning that a hasty transition away from fossil fuels will be counterproductive. According to the World Bank, Qatar had the highest carbon emissions per capita as of 2019, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. So, investment in clean energy projects and renewables “makes very good business sense and PR sense for the Gulf,” he said. Gulf petro-states are warning against a quick transition away from hydrocarbons, with the UAE calling for a “mixed energy” approach that minimizes emissions without cutting hydrocarbons. Much of the hydrocarbons exported by Gulf states go to some of the world’s biggest consumers and polluters, including China and India.

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