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☆ States that have passed laws restricting gender-affirming care for trans youth
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-03 | by ( Annette Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The case could have wide-reaching implications for transgender youth living in states that have passed similar laws. After the first gender-affirming care ban for minors became law in 2021, a flurry of states passed similar measures. While 19 states passed laws banning gender-affirming care for minors last year, 11 states and the District of Columbia passed “shield” laws protecting access to care. So far this year, Ohio, Wyoming, South Carolina and New Hampshire joined the list of states banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Not all laws banning gender-affirming care are currently being enforced.

Persons: Tennessee’s, Katie Hobbs Organizations: CNN, Movement Advancement, The Williams Institute, US, District of Columbia, New Hampshire, Democratic Locations: Ohio , Wyoming, South Carolina, New, Maine, Rhode, Arkansas, Montana ., United States, While Arizona

☆ Big Tech goes nuclear: Amazon's pitch to use power plants shows the crucial role the energy source plays for AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, inside Amazon's internal pitch for turning to nuclear power to meet its growing energy needs . AdvertisementThat's led Big Tech to consider nuclear power to address its skyrocketing energy requirements. Nuclear power ticks that box better than other clean energy options like solar or wind. Nuclear power, meanwhile, is an industry in desperate need of some love , BI's Daniel Geiger and Ellen Thomas previously reported. From advertising platforms to AI tech companies, here's the startups to watch .

Persons: —, Jocko Willink, we've, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, That's, Business Insider's Eugene Kim, Andy Jassy, it's, Sam Altman, Eugene, BI's Hasan Chowdhury, BI's Daniel Geiger, Ellen Thomas, Jim Burke, Vistra, Chelsea Jia Feng, Elon Musk, Jean Boivin, He's, Marc Benioff isn't, bashed, Miles Brundage, OpenAI, Emma Tucker's, Tucker, Mike Jeffries, SpaceX's, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, Milan Sehmbi Organizations: Business, Service, Navy, Big Tech, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Keystone, Hulton, Constellation Energy, Getty, EV, BlackRock Investment Institute, San Francisco, BI, AGI, Abercrombie, Fitch Locations: Fukushima, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New York, London

☆ As threats grow, funds for election security see a squeeze
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-21 | by ( Bob Ortega | Anna-Maja Rappard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

That’s why Maricopa County has spent over $864,000 in federal funds and more than $3 million in county funds to bolster its election security and processes over the past four years. Officials readily shared their worries with CNN, citing death threats, harassment, baseless lawsuits, onerous public-records requests and various security threats spurred by false claims about voter fraud. Amid these challenges, budgets for election security have been squeezed in several ways. Thousands of election workers across the country have reported receiving harassing, offensive or hostile communications, including since the 2022 midterms, according to the Department of Justice’s Election Threats Task Force. As recently as Tuesday, Trump threatened to prosecute and imprison election officials if he wins in November, as he cast doubt on the integrity of the upcoming election.

Persons: ”, Bill Gates, MAGA, Donald Trump’s, —, Ben Hovland, ” Hovland, ” Ben Hovland, Patrick Semansky, Hovland, Joe Biden, Biden, Sen, James Lankford, “, Louisiana hasn’t, they’ll, Colorado —, CNN they’ve, “ We’re, they’ve, John Michael Catalano, Elijah Nouvelage, Isaac Cramer, Katharine Clark, we’re, Cramer, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Zuckerberg, Trump, Chan, George Christenson, Republicans don’t, Jim Jordan of, Alex Jones swooped, Kelli Ward, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Jenna Ellis, Kari Lake, She’s, Stephen Richer, Michael Chow, who’ve, Judge Scott Blaney, denialism, Kamala Harris, Arizona’s, Jeff Woolf, ” Woolf Organizations: Phoenix CNN, county’s, Supervisors, CNN, “, U.S, Election, Commission, National Association of, State, Help, Congress, FBI, US Postal Service, Tech, Civil, Center, Election Innovation, Research, Department, Force, South Carolina, South, Charleston County, Facebook, Democratic, Biden, Trump, FEC, GOP, Republicans, Democrats, Arizona Senate Republican, USA, Network, Arizona Superior Court, Republican Locations: Maricopa, Maricopa County, Washington, California , Georgia, Nevada , Oregon , Texas, Arizona , Georgia, North Carolina, Takoma Park , Maryland, Oklahoma, “ Louisiana, Nevada, Michigan, Louisiana, Delaware, Virginia, Colorado, Arizona, Georgia, Oregon, South, South Carolina, Fulton County, Atlanta, Charleston, Santa Fe , New Mexico, Pennsylvania, In Wisconsin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Jim Jordan of Ohio, China, Republic

☆ These U.S. states have the best and worst tap water: Washington ranked No. 1 while Arizona came in dead last
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The data also found that 41% of customers say they do not feel the water provided by their local utility is safe to drink. Power ranked the states with the best and worst tap water based on its U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. It measures satisfaction among residential customers from 92 water utilities, or companies, around the U.S. that deliver water to populations of at least 400,000. The states were ranked based on responses from 32,833 residential water utility customers from June 2023 through March 2024. Last year, the special report focused on asking customers about the reliability and quality of their water, and this year, it was solely focused on the quality.

Persons: Ramah Vaughn Organizations: Gallup, Power, CNBC Locations: U.S, .

☆ Why AriZona Iced Tea CEO won't raise 99-cent price: 'It's my little way of giving back'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

AriZona Iced Tea first put its iconic 99-cent cans in stores in 1992. the brand's chairman and founder Don Vultaggio said in a recent interview with Today. And while Arizona has expanded into selling merch and alcoholic beverages, it is still focused on selling as many 99-cent cans as it can. Sign up today and use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off through July 10, 2024. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life.

Persons: Don Vultaggio, Forbes, Vultaggio, doesn't Organizations: CNBC, Coke, Pepsi Locations: AriZona, , AriZona, Arizona

☆ Arizona is a cautionary tale for school vouchers as a wave of states are giving parents cash to send their kids to private school
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThe prominence of school vouchers continues to surge across the country — but they might not benefit the families who need them the most. Over the past few years, states like Ohio and Arkansas have expanded their school voucher programs to allow most or all parents to receive funding to send their kids to private schools. The modern school voucher movement started to grow in the 1990s under the idea that the government would give parents a certain amount of money to put toward private school tuition. A new report from the Brookings Institution delved further into the implications of Arizona's voucher program. AdvertisementHave you received a school voucher or decided not to participate in your state's program?

Persons: —, Josh Cowen, Cowen, they've, Katie Hobbs, Rebecca Noble, Doug Ducey, Ducey, Hobbs Organizations: Service, Business, Michigan State University, Brookings Institution, Brookings, ESA, Catholic, Republican, Democratic, Arizona Locations: Ohio, Arkansas, Arizona, Brookings, Phoenix, Queen, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama

Then Arizona went out and clobbered the Los Angeles Dodgers ace in the first inning on the way to an 11-2 victory for Kelly and the Diamondbacks on Saturday night. “We just never really had a chance to get to Kelly,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. The three-time Cy Young Award winner got tagged for six runs and recorded just one out in the 100th postseason game at Dodger Stadium. HOMER HAPPYThe D-backs have homered in 14 consecutive postseason games dating to Game 3 of the 2007 NL Championship Series against Colorado. UP NEXTRight-hander Zac Gallen will start Game 2 for the D-backs on Monday against rookie right-hander Bobby Miller of the Dodgers.

Persons: — Merrill Kelly, Clayton Kershaw, ” Kelly, Kelly, Gabriel Moreno’s, Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Tommy Pham, “, we’ve, ”, Miguel Rojas ’, Dave Roberts, They've, Kershaw, Cy Young, “ It’s, ” Kershaw, Freddie Freeman, Ketel Marte, James Outman, Christian Walker, Pham, Moreno, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Thomas, Evan Longoria’s, Emmet Sheehan, Carroll, Gurriel, Longoria, Arizona, didn’t, Geraldo Perdomo, Torey Lovullo, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Walker Buehler, Tommy John, Julio Urías, Miguel Castro, Mookie Betts, Freeman, Will Smith's, Betts, J.D, Martinez, Max Muncy, Muncy, ” Lovullo, Arizona's Evan Longoria, HOMER, They're, Zac Gallen, Bobby Miller, Miller Organizations: ANGELES, NL, Los Angeles Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, LA, NL West, ” Dodgers, Dodger, MLB, ESPN, Arizona, Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado, Houston Astros, Gallen, Milwaukee Locations: Then Arizona, Arizona, LA

☆ Taylor Swift: Australia to host academic conference on singer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Due to be held in Melbourne from February 11 to February 13, 2024, just days before Swift’s “Eras” tour arrives in Australia, the conference is backed by seven universities across Australia and New Zealand. Swift's "Eras" tour has become a cultural phenomenon. Swift’s impact has already proven to be literally Earth-shaking. Fans attending her Seattle “Eras” tour concert at Lumen Field in July caused seismic activity equivalent of a 2.3 magnitude earthquake, according to seismologist Jackie Caplan-Auerbach. Her “Eras” tour could gross a record-breaking $2.2 billion in North American ticket sales alone, according to August survey data from research firm QuestionPro provided to CNN exclusively.

Persons: CNN — Taylor, ”, “, Allen J, Lumen Field, Jackie Caplan, Auerbach, QuestionPro, Swift, William Shakespeare, John Keats, Taylor Swift Organizations: CNN, University of Melbourne, New Zealand, Organizers, Los Angeles Times, North, Ghent University, University of Texas, Austin, Arizona State University, Psychology Locations: Melbourne, Australia, New, Asia, Pacific, Seattle, Belgium

☆ US grid operator PJM declares level one emergency amid scorching heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A general view of electric lines as demand for power surges during a period of hot weather in Houston, Texas, U.S. June 27, 2023. REUTERS/Callaghan O’HareCompanies PJM Interconnection LLC FollowJuly 27 (Reuters) - PJM Interconnection, the biggest U.S. electric grid operator, issued a level one emergency alert for Thursday as people crank up air conditioners to stave off the heat wave. The operator issued an Energy Emergency Alert Level 1 late on Wednesday for July 27, signaling that it had available resources to meet firm load and reserve commitments, and was concerned about sustaining its required Contingency Reserves. PJM oversees supply in a 13-state region, managing and paying on-call generators to keep power systems running. Demand is forecast to reach 153,286 MW as of 5:00 EPT on Thursday, and has approximately 186,000 MW of generating capacity.

Persons: Callaghan, Seher Dareen, Anushree Mukherjee, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Callaghan O’Hare, U.S, PJM, Thomson Locations: Houston , Texas, U.S, Texas, Arizona, Bengaluru

☆ Premarket stocks: What happens above 5%? The Fed's big risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

However, job openings that month tumbled to their lowest level since May 2021, according to data released Tuesday. The shifting landscape paved the way for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in March and First Republic Bank this week. By blessing JPMorgan’s takeover of First Republic Bank, the Democratic US senator fears federal regulators just made the “too big to fail” problem even worse. To the relief of investors and bank customers, the JPMorgan deal protects all of First Republic’s depositors. The decision to invest in food and grocery delivery during the pandemic has become a big advantage for Uber.

"Our 2-year investigation has concluded that Block has systematically taken advantage of the demographics it claims to be helping," the short seller said in its report. Up to 35% of Cash App's revenue is derived from interchange fees, Hindenburg alleged. But Block avoids that regulatory cap imposed on large financial institutions by routing the revenue through a small bank, Hindenburg alleged. The small-bank routing method is one employed by Block rival PayPal , the short seller claimed, and which prompted a Securities and Exchange Commission probe. Hindenburg took issue with Cash App's practices during the pandemic, when the government issued stimulus checks to qualified American adults.

☆ Justice Department Defends Ending Pandemic Border Controls
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Jess Bravin | Michelle Hackman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Justice Department defended the planned termination of pandemic-era border controls inherited from the Trump administration, telling the Supreme Court Tuesday that public-health needs no longer justify excluding foreign nationals to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Justice Department’s brief came a day after Chief Justice John Roberts issued an administrative order keeping the Trump-era policy, known as Title 42 for a provision of the federal Public Health Service Act, in place temporarily while Arizona and other Republican-led states challenge its termination.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema's Democratic defection without a difference
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Specter’s switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party briefly gave Democrats a filibuster-proof majority and allowed them to pass the Affordable Care Act. Joe Lieberman, the moderate Democrat and former longtime senator, lost a Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006, largely over his support for the Iraq war. A defection without a differenceArizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appears to be different as she becomes the 22nd senator to change party affiliation while in office. A Senate independence trioSinema will be the first independent senator who isn’t from New England in more than a generation. The most complete political evolution may be that of Lincoln Chafee, the Rhode Island politician who was a Republican senator, independent governor and failed Democratic and Libertarian presidential candidate.

While Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent, the move won't likely do much to complicate her path to appearing on the ballot in 2024 if she decides to run for re-election. According to the Arizona Secretary of state, a candidate who wishes to be on the general election ballot without affiliating with a recognized political party need to submit at least 43,492 valid signatures. That figure is about 3% of the unaffiliated registered voters in the state. It's a relatively low threshold as far as ballot access goes, suggesting that Sinema wouldn't have much trouble getting on the ballot if she wants to run again. That said, ballot access isn't the big political question looming over Sinema's party switch — that's the question about whether Democrats choose to nominate a candidate themselves, and what impact that might have on what could be a competitive three-way race.

Voters in Arizona have approved a ballot initiative to extend in-state college tuition to qualifying students regardless of immigration status, the Associated Press has reported. Proposition 308 will allow students, including those who are undocumented, to pay in-state college rates if they've attended Arizona high schools for at least two years. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema to Republicans like Arizona state House Speaker Rusty Bowers and former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson. The outcome signals a stark contrast and shift from Arizona's 2006 Proposition 300, which prohibited undocumented people from receiving in-state tuition and state financial assistance. More than 71% of Arizona voters at the time voted in favor of the proposition.

☆ While some of Trump's picks lost or underperformed, Gov. Ron DeSantis dominated in Florida — heating up talks about who the GOP nominee should be in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

After the GOP underperformed, some Republicans are saying it's time to move on from Trump. Ron DeSantis handily won reelection in a state that has long been considered a swing state, defeating Democrat Charlie Crist with a roughly 20-point lead as of Wednesday. The drastic difference has already led Republicans to turn to DeSantis for 2024 hopes, a prospect that now seems all the more likely. But one of the biggest blows to the GOP, and Trump, came in Pennsylvania, where Lt. Gov. Some were already propping up DeSantis as the best choice for the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

☆ Election denier loses race in Michigan; Arizona and Nevada not yet called
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Republican candidate for Michigan Secretary of State Kristina Karamo campaigns in Clinton Township, Michigan, U.S. November 4, 2022. Democratic President Joe Biden narrowly won Michigan, Arizona and Nevada in 2020 and Trump and his allies have falsely claimed that the results were fraudulent. As of Wednesday, States Action United said 13 election deniers had won a statewide role in election administration in 9 states, while 24 election deniers had lost races in 17 states. The races in Michigan, Arizona and Nevada are particularly important because they are key battleground states. Ahead of Tuesday's elections, Biden accused Trump of inspiring Republican election denier candidates and warned voters: "Democracy is on the ballot for all of us."

☆ Election officials combat voter intimidation across U.S. as extremist groups post armed militia at some polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Rocio Fabbro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Instead they are leading to voter intimidation complaints," Maricopa County election officials Bill Gates and Stephen Richer said in a joint statement the next day. But its presence caused unease among Maricopa County voters, who saw these "drop box watchers" as a blatant attempt at voter intimidation. Fears about voter intimidation and suppression have been brewing nationwide since the 2020 presidential election, when Trump refused to accept his loss and accused several states of voter fraud. Two in five U.S. voters said they were worried about threats of violence or voter intimidation at the polls, according to a new Reuters/Ipso poll. "There's an alarming rise in the number of people in this country condoning political violence or simply remaining silent," Biden said.

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