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☆ Brian Wilson, Beach Boys co-founder, to be placed under conservatorship, judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Brian Wilson, musician and founding member of the hit ’60s rock band The Beach Boys, has been placed under a conservatorship following a Los Angeles court ruling on Thursday. According to the Wilson family, the decision to place Brian under a conservatorship came following the death of his wife, Melinda Wilson, in January. She encouraged me to make the music that was closest to my heart.”Wilson, pictured far left, was a founding member of The Beach Boys. He decided to quit touring with his band after a nervous breakdown in 1964, though he continued to write, arrange, produce and record The Beach Boys’ music. Wilson and The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

Persons: Brian Wilson, Gus T, Wilson, ”, Brian, Melinda Wilson, Melinda, ” Wilson, Michael Ochs, “, LeeAnn, Jean Sievers, Gloria Ramos Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Superior Court, The, Boys, Michael Ochs Archives, Hall of Fame Locations: Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The management team of Brian Wilson has petitioned to place him in a conservatorship because of his mental decline and the recent death of his wife, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, who managed his daily life. The petition asks a judge to appoint two longtime Wilson representatives — publicist Jean Sievers and manager LeeAnn Hard — to be conservators overseeing his personal and medical decisions because “Mr. Wilson is unable to properly provide for his own personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter.”The two women “have had a close relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Wilson for many years, and Mr. Wilson trusts them,” according to the filing. Ledbetter — whose husband credited her with stabilizing his famously troubled life — had managed his daily needs before her death on Jan. 30, the petition says. The Wilson petition seeks only a conservatorship of his person, saying he does not need a conservator of the estate because his assets are in a trust, with Hard as a trustee.

Persons: Brian Wilson, Melinda Ledbetter Wilson, Wilson, Jean Sievers, LeeAnn, Mr, “, Ledbetter —, —, Gloria Ramos, Brian, “ Brian, Britney Spears, Ledbetter, Dr, Eugene Landy, Landy, mistreating Wilson, ” Wilson, “ Melinda Organizations: ANGELES, Beach Boys, Los Angeles Superior Court Locations: Los Angeles, California

☆ Melinda Wilson, Who Helped Brian Wilson Battle Mental Illness, Dies at 77
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Mike Ives | More About Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Melinda Kay Ledbetter Wilson, who rescued her husband, the Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson, from psychological ruin, died on Tuesday. Mr. Wilson confirmed her death on Instagram, saying that they had been married for 28 years and had five children together. Jean Sievers, a representative for the family, said that Ms. Wilson had died suddenly at her home in Beverly Hills, Calif. The couple’s relationship was portrayed in the 2014 biopic “Love & Mercy.” The film shows Ms. Wilson (Elizabeth Banks) meeting Mr. Wilson, played by both John Cusack and Paul Dano, in a Cadillac showroom in Los Angeles in the 1980s. After the film was released, Ms. Banks said in an interview with ABC News that she had met Ms. Wilson while preparing for the role.

Persons: Melinda Kay Ledbetter Wilson, Brian Wilson, Wilson, Jean Sievers, “, ”, Elizabeth Banks, John Cusack, Paul Dano, Banks Organizations: Beach Boys, ABC News Locations: Beverly Hills, Calif, Los Angeles

☆ Chipmaker NXP forecasts profit above estimates on resilient auto, industrial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 6 (Reuters) - Chipmaker NXP Semiconductors (NXPI.O) forecast fourth-quarter profit above Wall Street targets on Monday, expecting a resilient automotive market and stable industrial demand to offset weakness in other key markets. NXP in September said automotive demand was "pretty good" across all its markets, including China, which contributes about 30% to the chipmaker's total revenue. However, NXP CEO Kurt Sievers said the company's communication infrastructure business performed "slightly below expectations" in the third quarter. The company forecast adjusted current quarter revenue in the range of $3.30 billion and $3.50 billion, compared to analysts' estimate of $3.43 billion, per LSEG data. Revenue in the third quarter was $3.43 billion, compared with estimates of $3.40 billion.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Kurt Sievers, NXP, Chavi Mehta, Krishna Chandra Organizations: Semiconductors, Electronics, Las Vegas Convention, REUTERS, Wall, NXP, Apple, Revenue, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, China, Eindhoven, Netherlands, Bengaluru

☆ NXP forecast hints Apple might keep bucking China smartphone slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Netherlands-based NXP makes a near-field communications chip that goes into smartphones to help with mobile payments and other functions. Sievers did not discuss Apple Inc (AAPL.O) by name, but analysts believe the iPhone maker is a major customer. While the Android portion of those mobile chip orders is growing slightly, Sievers said there is no rebound in sight. "I would still say the (smartphone) build rates are below what they used to be in China. Sievers said most of the 23% increase forecast for mobile chip sales is attributable to a large customer that NXP cannot name.

Persons: Kurt Sievers, Sievers, NXP, Apple, Stephen Nellis Organizations: NXP, Apple Inc, Reuters, Research, Apple, Thomson Locations: Netherlands, China, San Francisco

☆ NXP forecasts third quarter above estimates on steady automotive demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Growing electrification of cars and the use of advanced driver-assistance systems have kept demand for automotive chips steady, helping NXP, which made over half of its revenue from that sector last year. Revenue in those segments rose in the second quarter on a sequential basis. On an adjusted basis, the company forecast current-quarter revenue in the range of $3.30 billion to $3.50 billion, compared to analysts’ estimates of $3.31 billion, per Refinitiv data. Revenue in the quarter ended July 2 was $3.30 billion, compared to estimates of $3.21 billion. Excluding items, NXP earned $3.43 per share, beating estimates of $3.29.

Persons: ”, Kurt Sievers, NXP, Chavi Mehta, Pooja Desai Organizations: Wall, Nasdaq, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Eindhoven, Netherlands, United States, China, Bengaluru

☆ What reset? DeSantis defiant while campaign braces for reality of his struggles
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Steve Contorno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

DeSantis’ remarks Monday in Tega Cay, South Carolina, were a near carbon copy of the speech he has delivered at campaign stops for weeks. Over the weekend, a spokesperson for DeSantis’ campaign confirmed to CNN it let go of some staffers, after Politico reported that “fewer than 10 staffers” in event planning were cut on Thursday. Over six weeks, DeSantis had spent $686,000 on travel including expenses for private jets, according to campaign finance records, and his payroll topped $1 million. “In the second quarter, we were a candidate for about five and a half weeks, our campaign raised $20.1 million dollars. Lu Aiken, a member of Republican Women Rising in South Carolina, said she was undecided but DeSantis was at the top of her list.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, ” DeSantis, ’, CNN’s Jake Tapper, –, Donald Trump’s, DeSantis, Trump, we’ll, I’ll, Tapper, “, ”, Kim Reynolds, “ We’re, Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch’s, Lu Aiken, we’ve, Ron, ” Jonathan Sievers Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Politico, GOP, Trump, Iowa Republican Gov, Republican, Fox News, Disney, ” Republican, Republican Women Rising Locations: South Carolina, Delaware, Tega Cay, kickstart, Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Utah, Park City , Utah, “, United States, DeSantis, Trump, Weddington , South Carolina

☆ NXP CEO applauds EU Chips Act, seeks clarity on China restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ENNISKERRY, Ireland, April 19 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Dutch-headquartered computer chip maker NXP Semiconductors (NXPI.O) on Wednesday applauded the passage of the EU Chips Act this week, but said the industry could use more clarity on export restrictions to China. Kurt Sievers said his company, which makes chips for the automotive industry as well for 5G telephone base stations, had been hit by successive rounds of U.S. export restrictions on China's Huawei. Around 38% of NXP's sales are to Chinese manufacturers, about half of which are processed and then re-exported to Western buyers. "A lot of that going forward could eventually move out of China, which doesn't harm us," he said. "I think it would be fantastic if there was a lot of synchronization between the U.S. Chips Act and the European Chips Act in terms of what to support such that it will be complementary," he said.

"We're going to see in 2023, there is still going to be volatility around chips," Ford Chief Financial Officer John Lawler said on Thursday. By the end of 2023, almost 18 million vehicles will have been removed from production plans since the chip shortage started, according to Auto Forecast Solutions. Japan's Denso Corp (6902.T), a leading supplier to Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), on Friday slashed its annual profit forecast and warned the chip shortage could cause auto production cuts. Toyota in November cut its vehicle production projection for the current financial year through March due to the chip shortage. The head of another auto supplier, Aptiv Plc (APTV.N), which makes advanced driver assistance systems, vehicle computers and high-voltage cabling, said the impact of the chip shortage is not evenly felt.

☆ As Tesla ignites an EV price war, suppliers brace for Musk seeking givebacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Hyunjoo Jin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"It is never good for suppliers when (automakers) cut vehicle prices because that pressure rolls downhill," said Dan Sharkey, an attorney who represents suppliers to Tesla and other automakers. Tesla's cost-reduction efforts come after it aggressively cut vehicle prices last month, prompting U.S. rival Ford Motor Co (F.N) to follow suit. More price cuts could be painful in a sector where some suppliers are already struggling, industry officials said. Tesla could negotiate cost reductions with suppliers through "shared" efficiencies or by simply twisting the suppliers' arms and taking some of their profit away, a former Tesla executive told Reuters. "They will get a lot of pushback from suppliers to cut costs," said industry consultant Laurie Harbour, who works with suppliers.

☆ Germany starts deploying Patriot air defence units to Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] A view of a part of the convoy as the mobile defence surface-to-air missile systems, Patriot, are transported to Poland, near Gnoien, Germany, January 23, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret HilseGNOIEN, Germany Jan 23 (Reuters) - Germany on Monday dispatched the first two out of three Patriot air defence units that will be sent to the Polish town of Zamosc close to the Ukrainian border where they will be deployed to prevent stray missile strikes. As a result, Berlin offered to deploy three of its Patriot units to Poland to help secure its air space. Ground-based air defence systems such as Raytheon's (RTX.N) Patriot are built to intercept incoming missiles. Sievers, who will command the German unit in Poland, underlined the defensive nature of the Patriot system.

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