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☆ Columbia University president hit with no-confidence vote from faculty group over handling of pro-Palestinian campus protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Alisha Ebrahimji | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Columbia cited security concerns in canceling the large event, a school official told CNN, and instead is holding smaller ones. “Canceling the traditional commencement ceremony was one of the toughest calls in a year of many tough calls,” Shafik wrote in an op-ed in the Columbia Daily Spectator, noting her top priority has been the safety of students, faculty and staff. Fifty people were arrested, and police began the booking process onsite, university spokesperson Tom Vasich said in an email. Pro-Palestinian protesters had set up a campus encampment on April 29, when the university also called in local law enforcement. “This is not protest, this is pure hate.”The building’s takeover came a day after the UCB Divest Coalition agreed to end its campus encampment following discussions with university leadership.

Persons: Minouche Shafik, “, Shafik “, Ben Chang, Shafik, ”, ” Shafik, Tom Vasich, ” Vasich, Vasich, Anna, Dan Mogulof, Nazism ”, David, Mogulof, Santiago Mejia, ” Carol Christ, Jagdeep Singh Bachher, Ana Mari Cauce, ” Cauce, David Ryder David Ryder, ’, Russell Dorn, Robert Manuel, ” Manuel, Manuel, –, ” Benjamin Meyer, Morehouse, Joe Biden’s, David A, Thomas, CNN’s Victor Blackwell, Amanda Musa, Matt Egan, Julia Vargas Jones, Andy Rose, Chris Boyette, Melissa Alonso Organizations: CNN — Pro, Columbia University, Ivy League school’s, New York, CNN, Barnard College, American Association of University Professors, –, Columbia Daily Spectator, UC Irvine, University of California, Irvine Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Authorities, KABC, UC Berkeley, Pro, KGO, Jewish Community Relations, Nazism, UCB, UC Berkeley’s, Palestine, San Francisco, Getty, UC Regents, UC, Regents, University of Washington, Seattle, Wednesday, REUTERS, Reuters, University, ” DePaul University, Police, DePaul University in, WLS, DePaul, ” University, Coalition, ” Morehouse, Morehouse College’s, White House, White Locations: Israel, Gaza, Shafik, Columbia, Irvine, Orange, Berkeley, Merced, Seattle, DePaul University in Chicago, Atlanta

☆ After Outlawing Public Zoos, Costa Rica Relocates Hundreds of Animals
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jesus Jiménez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Costa Rica announced last week that it would close its two remaining state zoos, more than a decade after it passed a law to ban keeping wild animals in government-sponsored captivity but was met with legal blowback. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Environment and Energy said in a statement on Saturday that it would not renew its contract with Fundazoo, a foundation that had run the zoos. The move will close the country’s last two state zoos: the Simón Bolívar Zoo and the Santa Ana Conservation Center. Some of the animals have been in captivity for more than 30 years, the ministry said. Franz Tattenbach, the minister of environment and energy, said on Saturday that Costa Rica would move toward running sanctuaries for animals that cannot return to to the wild.

Persons: Costa Rica, Franz Tattenbach Organizations: Rica’s Ministry of Environment, Energy, Fundazoo, Santa Ana Conservation Center Locations: Costa, Rica’s, Costa Rica

☆ Sergey Brin says Google was 10 years too early with Google Glass — but they'd be perfect for AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sergey Brin said at Google I/O that Project Astra is "the perfect hardware" for smart glasses. Google's cofounder said the tech giant was a decade too early with Google Glass, which famously flopped. Google revealed Project Astra on Tuesday, an AI agent that was also working on prototype glasses. Amazon also launched its own version of smart glasses in 2019. But as companies like Google and OpenAI show off just how impressive the next level of AI is, don't be surprised if the idea of AI glasses gains more traction.

Persons: Sergey Brin, —, Pichai, Zuckerberg, Meta's Organizations: Google, Astra, Service, Project Astra, CNBC, Amazon, Business

☆ A 20% home down payment isn't 'the law of the land,' analyst says. Here's how much people are paying
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tetra Images | Tetra Images | Getty ImagesPutting 20% down is 'definitely not required'One way to reduce your monthly mortgage payment is by putting down more money and borrowing less. But for many households, trying to get a higher down payment can be challenging, said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. While a lower down payment is one way to "attack affordability challenges," it can be a "mixed bag," Hamrick said. With a lower down payment, you will need to borrow more from your lender, which raises the monthly cost of your mortgage, Hale said. A smaller down payment can also mean you don't qualify for a lender's best -available interest rate.

Persons: Danielle Hale, there's, SurveyMonkey, Hale, It's, Hamrick Organizations: CNBC, Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Federal Housing Association Locations: U.S

Google's big summer conference, Google IO, kicks off today at 1 p.m. Business Insider will be in attendance and covering the biggest announcements — follow along below. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. ET to kick off Google IO, the company's annual developer conference. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, it's, Sundar Pichai Organizations: Google, Service, Business

☆ Why are hundreds of Teslas parked outside a dying shopping mall? A local news station solved the mystery.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewChesterfield Mall, set to shut down in October, has become an unexpected parking lot for hundreds of Tesla vehicles over the last few months. The Teslas, including Cybertrucks, parked outside of the Chesterfield, Missouri, shopping spot puzzled people passing by, especially as the number of EVs seemed to increase over time. According to the report, Tesla is storing unsold vehicles at the mall until it shuts down. Staenberg said Tesla has occupied the space for about six or seven months and can stay until the mall closes in October. Inventory lots aren't uncommonTesla isn't the only car brand to store its unsold vehicles outside a dealership.

Persons: —, Michael Staenberg, Tesla, Staenberg, Tim Lowe, KTVI, General Motors, ramping Organizations: Service, Business, Chesterfield Mall, Ford's, Plant, General, oversupply, Cox Automotive, EV Locations: Chesterfield , Missouri, Chesterfield, Ford's Michigan, Wayne, Grand Blanc , Michigan, Berlin

☆ Driver of truck involved in Florida bus crash that killed 8 farm workers arrested
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Rebekah Riess | Dakin Andone | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The driver of the pickup truck involved in a Tuesday crash that killed eight people and left more than 40 injured in north-central Florida has been arrested and charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter, according to a news release from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The 2010 International Bus carrying “approximately 53 farm workers” and a 2001 Ford Ranger sideswiped each other around 6:35 a.m., about 15 miles west of Ocala, the Florida Highway Patrol said in a statement. The Ford, “for unknown reasons, traveled toward the center line” before the vehicles struck each other, Lt. Patrick Riordan of the Florida Highway Patrol said at a news conference at the scene. The bus then left the roadway, went through a fence and overturned. There’s no reason for me to be involved with these individuals.

Persons: “, Patrick Riordan, James Lucas, ” Riordan, WESH, Riordan, Billy Woods, Woods, ” Woods, Alicia Bárcena, ”, Ana Melgar Zugina, Gregory Wallace Organizations: CNN, Florida Department of Highway Safety, Motor Vehicles, Ford, Patrol, Fire Rescue, Mexico’s, Twitter, Transportation Safety Board, US Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Sheriff’s Locations: Florida, Ocala, Marion, Marion County, Mexican, Orlando

Something new is coming from OpenAI, and Sam Altman will reveal more at 1 p.m. The OpenAI CEO said the news will include updates to ChatGPT and GPT-4. AdvertisementOpenAI is gearing up to introduce new — and possibly magical, according to its CEO — updates to ChatGPT. Cofounder and CEO Sam Altman has teased "new stuff" coming to ChatGPT and GPT-4, the AI model that powers its chatbot, and told his followers to tune in Monday at 1 p.m. Altman did rule out a couple of things you shouldn't expect — specifically GPT-5 or a new OpenAI search engine, which is reportedly in the works.

Persons: Sam Altman, —, Altman, OpenAI Organizations: Service, Business Locations: OpenAI

☆ ChatGPT just made AI more human, and it should make its rivals nervous
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The AI company basically planted a flag in the sand emblazoned with two words aimed at its Big Tech rivals: your move. The newest version of the AI chatbot, powered by OpenAI's new flagship AI model GPT-4o, can reason across audio, vision, and text in real time. AdvertisementAll the while, the voice assistant maintained a lighthearted and cheerful tone. In another instance, ChatGPT said the researcher was making it blush when he said he was talking about how "useful and amazing" ChatGPT was. Meanwhile, Amazon had plans to release an "Alexa Plus" paid version of the voice assistant that's powered by generative AI, Business Insider's Eugene Kim first reported.

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Mira Murati, Scarlett Johansson, Spike, Mark, ChatGPT, OpenAI, Alexa, Apple's Siri, Siri, There's, Insider's Eugene Kim Organizations: Service, Big Tech, Business, Warner Bros, Google, Apple, Amazon Locations: ChatGPT

☆ John Deere dealership says a solar storm left GPS tracking on farmers' tractors 'extremely compromised'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A severe geomagnetic storm hit the northern US. The storm caused auroras — and apparently disrupted precision farming systems, a John Deere dealership said. Satellite signals were "extremely impacted" by the storm, the dealership said. But for some farmers, the geomagnetic storm was more of a headache. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: auroras —, John, — Organizations: John Deere, Service, Business

☆ After my difficult breakup with a coworker, we were forced to work together on a project. It was too painful, so I quit.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Ana Fota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two weeks after a painful breakup, being assigned a new project offered a much-needed boost. After a few initial meetings, my editor mentioned another reporter whose beat overlapped with our mission would be joining the team. The door opened, and he walked into the meeting with his laptop and notebook — and his head down. Every time I overheard his voice when I was trying to focus on my work, my heart broke piece by piece. I confessed I was going through a break-up — stopping short of pointing my ex out to her as he walked by the meeting room.

Persons: he'd, who'd, Slack, —, I'd Organizations: Service, Business Locations: newsrooms

☆ Fewer homeowners are remodeling, but demand is still 'solid'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Skynesher | E+ | Getty ImagesFewer homeowners have been taking on remodeling projects, reports show. The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, an outlook measuring home improvement and repair spending on owner-occupied homes, peaked at 17.3% in the third quarter of 2022. The NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index by the National Association of Home Builders reflects a similar decline. In a release for the group's first quarter report, NAHB Remodelers Chair Mike Pressgrove noted that "demand for remodeling remains solid, especially among customers who don't need to finance theirprojects at current interest rates." The increase in home improvement spending, along the decrease in projects, suggests inflation corroded household budgets, according to the home services website.

Persons: Robert Dietz, NAHB, Mike Pressgrove, remodelers, That's, It's, Redfin Organizations: Getty, Westlake Royal, National Association of Home Builders, RMI, NAHB, Homeowners, State, Angi Locations: U.S

☆ I used to be a public school teacher. Now I work as a 'middleman' government contractor and can travel when I want to.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I used to be a special-ed teacher at a public school in Ohio, making around $50,000 annually. I work as a middleman, which means I'm the prime contractor and I bid on the opportunity. I've signed contracts in all kinds of sectors, including landscaping, HVAC cleaning, and construction. I put in about an hour of work on government contracting every dayI spend about an hour a day on government contracting. I have a team member that I work with now as well, and we work on finding opportunities, getting quotes, and submitting proposals.

Persons: —, Wes Fisher, I'm, I've, it's, texted Organizations: Service, Business, Forest Services Locations: Ohio, California , Nevada , Oregon , Pennsylvania, Florida, Louisiana, California, Utah, Panama, Dubai, Jamaica, Chicago, San Francisco

☆ Some Tesla owners just got a cool new update that makes loading their cars a lot easier
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tesla owners must enable the feature in vehicle settings and ensure that phone settings allow for nearby interactions for the Tesla app. So far, the update is only available to iPhone 11+ users with the Tesla app 4.3.0+. However, a future update will extend the feature to Android users, according to Not a Tesla App. Another change in the software update allows owners to attend Zoom video calls from the car using the interior cabin camera. While you can only use the video feature if you're parked, you can still use the app with audio only during driving mode.

Persons: —, — Tesla Organizations: Service, EV, Twitter

☆ In Ecuador, Homes That Are Part of the Mountains
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Michael Snyder | Ana Topoleanu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Completed in November 2021 for an Andean historian and her husband, who works in environmental remediation, the 3,200-square-foot home hasn’t been obscured by the towering bamboo that rises behind it. Built largely from intersecting beams of laminated timber and slim steel girders, the structure stands like scaffolding among native fruit trees, a bare framework of joists and crossbeams supporting the boxes of steel and wood that contain the home’s rooms. From a distance, it resembles a bird blind — or perhaps the concrete stilts that lift houses in informal settlements over volcanic hillsides around Quito, the Ecuadorean capital 20 miles to the east. But Casa Pitaya is also a direct outgrowth of its site, its scale determined by the length of beams (roughly 32 feet) that the contractors could safely maneuver down the curving dirt drive. The house’s beauty — its warmth, its naked vulnerability — is both incidental and natural, a response to the singular mountain territory from which much of Ecuador’s most provocative new architecture rises.

Persons: José María Sáez, Florencia Sobrero, Martín Real Organizations: Casa, General Locations: Argentina, Real, Quito

☆ What to know before you buy a house overseas — and 3 steps to smooth the process
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But it's not a decision one should make on whim; multiple factors can easily complicate the process, experts say. But in most cases, the U.S. buyer will need to open a bank account in the country they're buying real estate. 'Understand what your needs are'It will be important for you to "understand what your needs are," Boisson Aries said. "Buying these direct properties for that purpose is something that comes with far more risks than people realize," he said. And if you do decide to use the property for rental or commercial use, you may have additional tax burdens in that country, Boudreaux said.

Persons: Jude Boudreaux, it's, Boudreaux, Bojan Mujcin, Mujcin, Erin Boisson Aries, Douglas Elliman, Boisson Aries Organizations: Planning, Coldwell, CNBC, Sotheby's Locations: New Orleans, U.S, Barcelona, Costa Brava, Spain

☆ Sam Altman teases that OpenAI is announcing 'new stuff' on Monday that 'feels like magic'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sam Altman teased that OpenAI plans to announce "new stuff" that "feels like magic" on Monday. AdvertisementOpenAI is announcing new updates to ChatGPT and GPT-4 — and according to Sam Altman, they feel "like magic." The OpenAI CEO posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday to tease about the "new stuff" being announced soon. https://t.co/nqftf6lRL1 — Sam Altman (@sama) May 10, 2024OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication. AdvertisementReports have recently been swirling about OpenAI taking aim at Google's search engine with its own web search product in the works.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI's, —, it's, Altman, we’ve, — Sam Altman, OpenAI, Microsoft's Bing, Ilya Sutskever Organizations: Service, Bloomberg Locations: OpenAI's

☆ Citing Safety, New York Moves Mentally Ill People Out of the Subway
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Ana Ley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Inside a subway station in Lower Manhattan, a group of police officers slowly followed a disheveled man in a soiled gray sweatshirt who was stammering and thrashing his arms wildly. He thumped his chest with an open palm and then, growing exasperated, sat down on a staircase. “Come on,” one officer, Heather Cicinnati, said as the man stumbled forward, disoriented and agitated. “We’ve got to leave the station.”The police officers were part of a team led by a medical worker whose job is to move — by force, if needed — mentally ill people, who are often homeless, out of New York City’s transit system. On that brisk March morning, the team handcuffed him and dragged him out of the subway station.

Persons: ”, Heather Cicinnati, “ We’ve Locations: Lower Manhattan, New York

☆ Google CEO responds to 'woke AI' criticisms after Gemini debacle: 'We got it wrong'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google's CEO said "We got it wrong" in response to Gemini's AI debacle. Google has temporarily disabled Gemini's ability to generate images of people. AdvertisementGoogle's CEO reflected in a new interview on the company's Gemini AI image-generation debacle earlier this year, a controversy that drew backlash. Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Bloomberg in an interview published Wednesday that "we got it wrong" and it was a case in which good intentions went awry. Following criticism of the issue, Google paused Gemini from generating AI images of people while it corrected the changes.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, —, Pichai, should've, chatbot, Gemini Organizations: Google, Service, Bloomberg

☆ Cybertruck owner says he got stitches after the edge of the door clipped his leg
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Tesla owner posted on a Cybertruck forum warning others to be careful closing the door. The owner posted a photo of a cut on his leg that he said he got closing the door on an incline. Tesla warns Cybertruck owners to "use caution around the panel edges" of the angular design. AdvertisementA Tesla owner said he needed stitches after he wound up with a gash on his leg from exiting his Cybertruck on an incline. "Be careful when closing your cybertruck door!"

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Cybertruck Owners, Business

☆ Google CEO Sundar Pichai explains why the company keeps doing layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google is conducting waves of ongoing layoffs intentionally, according to Sundar Pichai. Sundar Pichai said the company is "taking the time to do it correctly and well" in a Bloomberg interview. The company started 2024 with thousands of cuts, particularly from engineering and hardware teams. Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Bloomberg reporter Emily Chang that the company is "taking the time to do it correctly and well." A Google spokesperson told BI that the company made a number of changes to become more efficient, remove layers, and align resources to its biggest priorities.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, —, Emily Chang, Pichai, v5p Organizations: Google, Bloomberg, Service Locations: Bangalore, Mexico City, Dublin

☆ Sundar Pichai claps back at Microsoft's CEO after his comments about making Google 'dance'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Google's CEO clapped back at Satya Nadella's comments about making Google dance with the "new Bing." Pichai said competition is normal in tech and he has a clear sense of what Google needs to do. AdvertisementMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella once said he hopes the "new Bing" will make Google "come out and show that they can dance." But Google CEO Sundar Pichai likes to listen to his own music, he said in a new interview with Bloomberg published Wednesday. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: clapped, Satya Nadella's, Bing, Sundar Pichai, Pichai, —, Satya Nadella, Nadella Organizations: Google, Service, Bloomberg, Business

☆ Airbnb's customers keep complaining about the costs compared to hotels. The company seems to be listening.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewWhen Airbnb started, CEO Brian Chesky said its tagline "was a cheap, affordable alternative to a hotel" — but customers aren't finding it so cheap anymore. Customers have complained on social media about the rising cost of Airbnb due to booking costs and cleaning fees. Advertisement"A year and a half ago, we noticed that, you know, there was a lot of concern about Airbnb prices increasing," Chesky said. According to the CEO, two million hosts now use the compare listing. Chesky also said Airbnb started offering monthly and weekly discounts for guests with longer stays.

Persons: —, Airbnb, Brian Chesky, you've, Chesky, it's Organizations: Service, Business

☆ A can of paint. Stolen license plates. Odd messages. How the FBI charged a Florida man with kidnapping his wife in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Faith Karimi | Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the FBI said this week they’ve arrested the mystery man who entered her Madrid apartment building that night: her estranged husband. Knezevich’s attorney, Kenneth Padowitz, told CNN in February that his client is innocent and “has never been to Spain.” Padowitz declined to comment Wednesday after Knezevich’s arrest. She was planning a trip to Barcelona with her friends on February 5, her brother told CNN, making her sudden lack of contact more concerning. Spanish firefighters entered her apartment for a welfare check and she was nowhere to be found, court documents said. And they were written with the help of another Colombian woman Knezevich had met on a dating app months earlier, court documents said.

Persons: Ana Maria Knezevich, Henao, they’ve, David Knezevich, he’d, Kenneth Padowitz, “, ” Padowitz, Knezevich, ” Henao, Padowitz, Ana Maria Knezevich Henao, Manu Fernandez, James Marshall, they’re, ” Marshall, ”, Sanna Rameau, ” Rameau, she’d, — Knezevich, Knezevich’s, CNN’s Pau Mosquera, Denise Royal, Carlos Suarez Organizations: CNN, FBI, Miami International Airport, EOX Technology Solutions Inc, Peugeot, AP FBI Locations: Madrid, Spain, Florida, Barcelona, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Serbia, Spanish, Turkey, Belgrade, Salamanca, Colombia, Colombian, Bogota

☆ Writing your will is 'not just a question about finances,' expert says. Here's why it's a crucial task
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

If the bank were to throw a $500 incentive on top of that aid, 75.6% said they would do it. However, survey respondents saw that workload as a detriment. About 40%, of U.S. adults feel they do not have enough assets to prepare an estate plan or a will, a 21% jump compared with 2022, according to Caring.com's 2024 Wills and Estate Planning Study. "Wills and estate planning are essential for everyone, not just the wealthy," Patrick Hicks, general counsel of Trust & Will, a digital estate planning and probate platform, said in the Caring.com report. Not having the proper estate planning documents in place can put your loved ones in a difficult situation in a catastrophic event, Cornell explained.

Persons: Wettstein, Wills, Patrick Hicks, Cornell Organizations: Center for Retirement Research, Will Locations: U.S

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