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☆ Donald Trump is DJing weekly at Mar-a-Lago, plays Broadway songs and Celine Dion from his iPad, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump has a regular DJing slot every Thursday night at Mar-a-Lago, a report says. Trump has previously talked about his love of DJing and how the song "Y.M.C.A." "People love it when I do it," Trump told YouTubers the NELK Boys for their "Full Send Podcast." 'Y.M.C.A.,'" Trump said. Ever since Trump announced his plans to run for president again in November, reports have suggested he has rarely strayed from Mar-a-Lago.

☆ Oman Opens Airspace to Israeli Planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

El Al, Israel’s leading airline, said it would now explore opening a route to Australia and re-establish flights to India. Oman cleared the way on Thursday for Israeli planes to fly over its airspace, ending a decadeslong ban that indicates a further thawing of ties between Israel and Arab nations that have long refused to openly embrace the Jewish nation. In a short statement that didn’t explicitly mention Israel, Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority said it was opening its airspace to all airlines that meet the country’s regulations.

The U.S. military is considering sending Ukraine thousands of seized weapons and more than a million rounds of ammunition once bound for Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, an unprecedented step that would help Kyiv battle Russian forces, U.S. and European officials said. U.S. officials said they are looking at sending Ukraine more than 5,000 assault rifles, 1.6 million rounds of small arms ammunition, a small number of antitank missiles, and more than 7,000 proximity fuses seized in recent months off the Yemen coast from smugglers suspected of working for Iran.

☆ A landlord and early retiree uses a strategy that involves asking his 16 tenants to raise their own rents. He explains how it resulted in a 20-28% increase last year and 'happy tenants.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

To run a sound real estate business, you have to raise rent prices over time, says one investor. When the eviction moratorium in Washington expired at the end of 2021, landlords who had been feeling the squeeze could start increasing rent prices again. Having happy tenants is important. At the end of the day, to run a successful business as a landlord, you have to increase rent over time. The key is to do it while simultaneously maintaining happy tenants.

☆ Moscow, Tehran Advance Plans for Iranian-Designed Drone Facility in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | Warren P. Strobel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Moscow and Tehran are moving ahead with plans to build a new factory in Russia that could make at least 6,000 Iranian-designed drones for the war in Ukraine, the latest sign of deepening cooperation between the two nations, said officials from a country aligned with the U.S.As part of their emerging military alliance, the officials said, a high-level Iranian delegation flew to Russia in early January to visit the planned site for the factory and hammer out details to get the project up-and-running. The two countries are aiming to build a faster drone that could pose new challenges for Ukrainian air defenses, the officials said.

☆ French Forces Seize Iranian-Supplied Weapons Bound for Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | Benoit Faucon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AK-47 assault rifles seized from a vessel transiting along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen from an operation earlier in January. Elite French special forces seized a boatload of Iranian-supplied weapons and ammunition bound for militants in Yemen as part of a deepening effort to contain Tehran, according to officials familiar with the operation. On Jan. 15, the officials said, a French warship stopped a suspected smuggling ship off the Yemeni coast where the specially trained French team boarded the boat. On board, the officials said, the French military discovered more than 3,000 assault rifles, a half million rounds of ammunition and 20 antitank guided missiles.

☆ Investors Don't Believe the Fed’s Inflation Plan. Here’s How We Know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Dion Rabouin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

E46Americans Lost $603 Billion by Sticking With Big Banks. Here’s How. Americans have missed out on $603 billion of free money over the last eight years by sticking with big banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America. WSJ’s Dion Rabouin explains why people aren't moving their money in smarter ways and why they should be. Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters

Israel carried out a drone strike targeting a defense compound in Iran, as the U.S. and Israel look for new ways to contain Tehran’s nuclear and military ambitions, according to U.S. officials and people familiar with the operation. Iranian officials said that the country’s air defenses had fended off an attempted attack by three small quadcopters targeting a munitions factory in the city of Isfahan, right next to a site belonging to the Iran Space Research Center, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. for its work on Iran’s ballistic-missile program.

☆ Tyre Nichols Video: Memphis Releases Police Body-Cam Footage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

U.S., Israel Hold Largest-Ever Joint Military Drill The U.S. and Israel conducted their largest ever joint military exercise on land, in the air and at sea. WSJ watched the drill aboard the carrier USS George H.W. Bush in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo: Dion Nissenbaum

☆ Watch: Gunman Storms Azerbaijan Embassy in Iran, Killing One
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Watch: Footage of Paul Pelosi Attack Released
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ U.S., Israel Send Message to Iran With Biggest-Ever Military Exercises
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH—Thousands of American and Israeli military personnel joined forces this week for an unprecedented exercise intended to send a message to adversaries like Iran that the U.S. isn’t turning its back on the Middle East, even as it focuses on the war in Ukraine. After four days of military exercises stretching from the Mediterranean Sea up into space, the U.S. and Israel fired more than 180,000 pounds of live munitions in the largest joint exercise ever carried out by the two allies. U.S. jet fighters roared off this ship, which served as a key hub for the military exercise off the Israeli coast, as top generals from both countries gathered on board to take stock of the week’s operations.

☆ U.S., Israel Send Message to Iran With Biggest-Ever War Games
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A jet fighter landed on the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush on Thursday during a four-day military exercise carried out by the U.S. and Israel. ABOARD THE USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH—Thousands of American and Israeli military personnel joined forces this week for an unprecedented exercise intended to send a message to adversaries like Iran that the U.S. isn’t turning its back on the Middle East, even as it focuses on the war in Ukraine. After four days of war games stretching from the Mediterranean Sea up into space, the U.S. and Israel fired more than 180,000 pounds of live munitions in the largest joint exercise ever carried out by the two allies.

A surge in hiring by American small businesses could run afoul of the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool inflation. Small companies have been responsible for all of the job growth in the U.S. since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and account for almost four out of five available job openings, according to a Wall Street Journal review of labor data and an analysis by Jefferies.

☆ How the Fed's Fight Against Inflation Could Hit Small Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Dion Rabouin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Economists Say the Fed Is Making Another Inflation Mistake. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Dion Rabouin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ I tried to guess if Apple audiobooks were narrated by AI or real people. It was harder than you'd think.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I listened to a mix of human narrators and AI voices in a blind test to guess which ones were real. The voice sounded vaguely familiar to some more neutral voice actors I had listened to before. I thought this was AI too, but my colleague who also heard it was insistent it was a human voice. Overall, it was relatively easy to tell which ones were narrated by an AI voice, but I didn't find the synthesized voices off-putting. Although the human voices were nicer to listen to, I'd also be happy opting for an AI audiobook if there wasn't another option.

☆ Americans Lost $603 Billion by Sticking With Big Banks. Here’s How.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Dion Rabouin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

E43Another Wave of U.S. Layoffs May Be Coming. The layoff announcements just keep coming. As interest rates continue to climb and earnings slump, WSJ’s Dion Rabouin explains why we can expect to see a bigger wave of layoffs in the near future. Illustration: Elizabeth Smelov

The Wall Street Journal is urging Phoenix police to investigate after one of its Black reporters was handcuffed and detained while working on an assignment on the city’s north side. On Nov. 23, Dion Rabouin, who covers finance for the Wall Street Journal, was detained in a police car while conducting interviews outside a Chase Bank. “We’re deeply concerned that Wall Street Journal reporter Dion Rabouin was detained, handcuffed and placed in the back of a police vehicle while reporting,” a Journal spokesperson said in a statement. I’m a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. A Phoenix Police Department spokesperson told NBC News that bank personnel called the police after customers complained Rabouin was approaching them and asking personal questions.

☆ A Wall Street Journal reporter was handcuffed by police while standing outside a Chase Bank. The newspaper is demanding answers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The incident between The Journal reporter Dion Rabouin and the Phoenix officer occurred in late November, but just became public his week after ABC affiliate KNXV reported on the matter. In a statement, The Journal said that it is “deeply concerned” with how its reporter was treated and has asked the Phoenix Police Department to conduct an investigation. The video shows Rabouin repeatedly identified himself as a reporter for The Journal, but the officer did not appear to care. A representative for Chase told me Thursday that the bank did apologize to Rabouin over the incident. The Phoenix Police Department can start now.”The Committee to Protect Journalists has also sounded the alarm over the incident.

☆ Damar Hamlin remains center stage of key Bills-Pats matchup
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Damar Hamlin, the 24-year-old Bills safety who went into cardiac arrest during Buffalo's game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, will be at the forefront of hearts and minds. Good news came Thursday when Buffalo announced that Hamlin has shown "remarkable improvement" and "appears to be neurologically intact" despite remaining in critical condition. Every team across the league has been offering their support, too, and the Patriots (8-8) were no exception. McDermott said Thursday that Mario Hamlin, Damar's father, told Bills players to focus on Sunday's regular-season finale because it is what Damar Hamlin would want. "They got several good players, but (Josh) Allen by himself is a tough matchup for any player, any defense."

The Biden administration has dropped threats to retaliate against Saudi Arabia for an oil-production cut last year and is moving to step up security coordination to counter Iran in 2023, U.S. and Saudi officials said, three months after ties hit a historic low point. Officials pointed to signs of improved U.S.-Saudi cooperation in recent weeks as falling U.S. gasoline prices, better-than-expected midterm election results for Democrats, and heightened concerns about Iran take the edge off a long-simmering spat that spilled into the open in October when the Saudis rebuffed White House requests to delay the production cut. The output decision fueled inflation fears just a month before the midterms, and President Biden vowed to work with Congress to impose unspecified “consequences” on Saudi Arabia.

☆ A Trendy Dessert Stirs Up a Sticky Debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | Fatima Abdulkarim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

NABLUS, West Bank—Almost anywhere you go here, pastry aficionados are at odds: Who makes the best knafeh? Knafeh is a warm, salty-sweet dessert usually made from melted cheese and pastry dough, with a sugary syrup poured over the top and a sprinkle of chopped pistachios. It is a cultural touchstone for Palestinian identity and a calorie bomb for Tel Aviv hipsters with late-night munchies.

☆ Big Banks Predict Recession, Fed Pivot in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Dion Rabouin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Big banks are predicting that an economic downturn is fast approaching. More than two-thirds of the economists at 23 large financial institutions that do business directly with the Federal Reserve are betting the U.S. will have a recession in 2023. Two others are predicting a recession in 2024.

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