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☆ Opinion: How one text exchange gave Trump an ominous day in court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Norm Eisen Courtesy Norm EisenIn Donald Trump’s Manhattan election interference trial, the case is coming in better than expected, and that is ominous for the former president. The prosecution asked Davidson to explain the meaning of a text he had sent to Howard that evening. As the election was about to be called for Trump, Davidson sent a text to Howard asking, “What have we done?”Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked Davidson what the meaning of those words were. It also highlighted the stakes here: Unlike Trump’s 2020 election interference cases pending in Georgia and federal court, the unlawful effort to impact the election alleged in this case might have actually worked. I was watching the jury closely when Davidson spoke, and they were riveted.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, CNN CNN —, Norm Eisen, Donald Trump’s, Keith Davidson, Davidson, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Michael Cohen, Daniels, David Pecker, Cohen, Dylan Howard —, Howard, Joshua Steinglass, ”, Matthew Colangelo Organizations: CNN, CNN CNN, American Media, Inc, National Enquirer, Trump, Twitter Locations: ”, Donald Trump’s Manhattan, Georgia

Without saying so specifically, the upshot from Trump’s attorney was that the Trump deals followed a pattern that bordered on extortion. The upshot from Trump’s attorney was that the Trump deals followed a pattern that bordered on extortion. After the lunch break, Trump attorney Susan Necheles said Trump’s legal team feels the gag order is ambiguous about whether Trump can repost article written by lawyers analyzing the trial. During Tuesday’s session, Davidson testified that he ended up getting involved with the Daniels deal because Cohen was being so difficult. “The moral of the story was: No one wanted to talk to Cohen,” Davidson said.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, ” Trump, Emil Bove, Keith Davidson, – Hulk Hogan, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Tila Tequila –, Davidson, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Judge Juan Merchan, Trump, Karen McDougal, Bove, Cohen, McDougal, ” Davidson, Hulk Hogan, “, ”, Hogan, ” Bove, Joshua Steinglass, ” Merchan, Merchan, Chris Conroy, David Pecker, “ He’s, ” Conroy, Conroy, Trump “, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Susan Necheles, “ I’m, Trump’s, ’, ’ ” Cohen, Daniels “, they’d, ” Prosecutors, Daniels ’, Witnesses, Michael Cohen Davidson, Cohen –, –, ‘, I’m, I’ve, ’ ” Davidson, Cohen’s, Pecker, he’s, Hunt Organizations: CNN, Trump, AMI, Bove, Democratic, ” Locations: Washington

☆ Live Updates: Police Clear U.C.L.A. Encampment and Arrest Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

But by Wednesday morning, the peace at the University of California, Los Angeles, had been shattered. Many critics were incredulous that even after officers with the Los Angeles Police Department arrived, there were no arrests or suspensions. Campus officials ordered protesters on Wednesday evening to leave the encampment or face arrest. Image A group of counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Tuesday night. seemed to wait too long to call in the Los Angeles police, whose officers did not arrive until after midnight.

Persons: fistfights, “, ”, Marie Salem, Mark Abramson, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson, Ms, Salem, Aidan Woodruff, Mr, Woodruff, counterprotesters, Philip Cheung, Gene Block, Block, Israel counterprotesters, Karen Bass’s, Counterprotesters, Michael Nasir, Mary Osako, Katy Yaroslavsky, streetlight, Hussam Ayloush, Rob Bonta, Ayloush, Benjamin Kersten, Bella Brannon, Brannon, Jill Cowan, Shawn Hubler, Livia Albeck, Claire Fahy, John Yoon, Yan Zhuang Organizations: University of California, Student, The New York, The New York Times, Los Angeles Police Department, OF, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson, ANGELES Royce Hall, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson Court, ., Israel, Royce Hall, Los Angeles police, Police Department, Patrol, California, Credit, . Palestinian Solidarity, Jewish, Fairfax District, Jewish Federation Los, Los, Los Angeles Area, Islamic Relations, Jewish Voice, Peace Locations: Los Angeles, U.C.L.A, Israel, California, . Palestinian, counterprotesters, ”, Westside, Beverly Hills, Iranian, Gaza, Palestine

☆ Youthforia: ‘Shark Tank’ Makeup brand faces backlash over shade compared to ‘black face paint’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Kaila Nichols | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In her series, “The Darkest Shade,” George reviews the darkest shade in a brand’s lineup to see if it could match her complexion. The darkest Youthforia shade, she claimed, was lighter than what was advertised online and didn’t match her skin tone. In March, the beauty brand added 10 new shades to its “Date Night” collection, many for darker complexions. “Which side of my face is the black face paint or the Youthforia foundation?” she asked in a Tiktok video posted April 30. Last week, Youthforia replied to a comment about the brand’s darkest shade by resharing the video from March.

Persons: Youthforia, Golloria George, TikTok, ” George, Fiona Co Chan, Mark Cuban, George, Chan, “, —, ”, ” Karen Chambers, Rhianna’s, influencers, ” Chambers, IMAN Cosmetics, Posner, Chambers, you’ve, we’re, We’ve, It’s Organizations: CNN, Hourglass Locations: Texas, ”

☆ Maybe Kristi Noem doesn't want to be Trump's vice president
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Kristi Noem keeps hurting her chances to become Donald Trump's running mate. Kristi Noem has campaigned so badly to be former President Donald Trump's vice president that even some of the most controversial Trumpworld figures are turned off. If Noem truly wants to be vice president, this has been one of the worst efforts to obtain the job. AdvertisementIt's a difficult balance trying to become vice president. At worst, a potential vice president could lose all the leverage to shape the role in a way that would benefit him or her the most.

Persons: Kristi Noem, Donald Trump's, Noem, —, I've, Steve Bannon, Donald Trump Jr, Bannon, Trump, Tim Walz, Nicole Malliotakis, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Harry Truman, FDR, Sen, JD Vance, Trump . Sen, Marco Rubio, Doug Burgum, Tim Scott of, George Costanza, Saul Goodman, Saul, Biden, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Karen Bass, Susan Rice, Gretchen Whitmer, Elizabeth Warren Organizations: South Dakota Gov, Service, White, Trump Jr, Cricket, The Guardian, Minnesota Gov, GOP, New, New York Republican, Politico, Gov, Ohio Republican, Trump ., Trump, Trump . North Dakota Gov, Wall Street, Los Angeles Mayor, New York Times, Michigan Gov Locations: New York, Texas, Ohio, Trump ., Tim Scott of South Carolina, Los Angeles, Biden's White

☆ CVS posts big earnings miss, cuts profit outlook on higher medical costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CVS Health on Wednesday reported first-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings that missed expectations and slashed its full-year profit outlook, citing higher medical costs that are dogging the U.S. insurance industry. The drugstore chain expects 2024 adjusted earnings of at least $7 per share, down from a previous guidance of at least $8.30 per share. The company said its new outlook assumes that higher medical costs in its insurance business during the first quarter will persist throughout the year. Medicare Advantage, a privately run health insurance plan contracted by Medicare, has long been a key source of growth and profits for the insurance industry. Excluding certain items, such as amortization of intangible assets and capital losses, adjusted earnings per share were $1.31 for the quarter.

Persons: LSEG, Karen Lynch, Caremark, Tyson Foods, CVS's Caremark, Cuban's Organizations: CVS Health, CVS, Aetna, UnitedHealth, Medicare, LSEG, Blue, Amazon Pharmacy, Oak Street Health Locations: California

☆ Hush-money texts reveal tawdry bidding war over a porn star, a Playboy model, and their tales of Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"Every single time I talked to Michael Cohen, he leaned on his close affiliation with Donald Trump," Davidson testified. Advertisement"It was part of his identity," the lawyer told jurors of Cohen. When Daniels' lawyer responded "Yup," the Enquirer editor responded, "I reckon that trump[sic] impersonator I hired has more cash." At another point, Cohen claimed the Trump Organization computer systems were, "quote, all fucked up," Davidson told the jury. "I called him and said, Michael, this is a very bad situation," he said he told Cohen.

Persons: —, Donald Trump —, Playboy Bunny, Keith Davidson, Bunny Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Melania Trump, Trump, Davidson, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Daniels, Donald Trump, Dylan Howard, texted, Ethan Miller, Raymond Hall, Joshua Steinglass, Yom Kippur, Michael, Steinglass, he's, Karen McDougal, Playboy Bunny —, Howard, McDougal, Davidson — Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, National Enquirer, Manhattan DA, Getty, Trump Organization, Enquirer, National, GOP Locations: LA

☆ Catch up on the day’s news: Trump fined for violating gag order, marijuana getting reclassified, college protests intensify
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Daniel Wine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It’s expected to become a Schedule III controlled substance, a classification shared by prescription drugs such as ketamine and Tylenol with codeine. Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day:5 thingsKeith Davidson, who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, is questioned. Jane Rosenberg1️⃣ Trump on trial: Donald Trump removed the online posts that a judge ruled violated his gag order in the New York criminal hush money case. The former president also was fined $9,000, and a former attorney who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal testified. 5 Things PM is produced by CNN’s Tricia Escobedo, Meghan Pryce and Kimberly Richardson.

Persons: ane R, Ed, bil, Lis, r., Gupta, Loo, Cheng S Organizations: acc, ld, CNN

☆ 7 of the biggest mistakes tourists make visiting national parks, according to empty-nesters who have been to all 63 of them
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Matt and Karen Smith have been to 63 US national parks — some multiple times. Here are the biggest mistakes the Smiths have seen tourists make at national parks over the years. "They would take their family to the national parks. Matt, 63, said they were "fortunate" to have enough savings to spend over a year visiting every major US national park. The Smiths recently spoke with Business Insider to share the biggest mistakes they've made themselves or seen people make when visiting national parks — and how to avoid them.

Persons: Matt, Karen Smith, —, Bob, Sue, Karen, they've Organizations: Service, Smiths, — Locations: Kansas, Seattle, Instagram

CNN —The third week of the Donald Trump criminal hush money business fraud trial will resume Tuesday with the Manhattan district attorney’s office continuing to be secretive about it its plan of attack. In court, they said they would not give Trump’s legal team much in an effort to avoid subjecting witnesses to Trump’s social media wrath before they take the stand. He described a tabloid media landscape where America Media Inc. did Trump’s bidding ahead of the 2016 election with Cohen as Trump’s liaison. Trump’s longtime assistant Rhona Graff also testified Friday, telling the jury she remembers seeing Daniels at Trump’s office once years before the 2016 election. Graff – whose lawyers are paid for by Trump – testified that she input the contact information for Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump, Michael Cohen’s, Trump, Juan Merchan, he’s, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Merchan, Cohen, Gary Farro’s, Farro, Daniels, Karen McDougal’s, David Pecker, Trump’s, Rhona Graff, McDougal, Graff –, Trump – Organizations: CNN, Prosecutors, Trump, AMI, America Media Inc, Trump Organization Locations: Manhattan, Delaware

☆ Live Updates: Third Week of Trump Criminal Trial to Begin With More Testimony
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ben Protess | Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in an effort to conceal the payment. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied that he had sex with Ms. Daniels. The week also brought more accusations that Mr. Trump had violated a gag order prohibiting him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors and jurors. Credit... Jefferson Siegel for The New York TimesBut Mr. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said his client’s actions were “run-of-the-mill” business. Mr. Trump will use the midweek break to campaign in Wisconsin and Michigan, two battleground states in this year’s election.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Donald Trump’s, David Pecker, Trump’s, Pecker, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Juan M, Merchan, Mr, Prosecutors, Todd Blanche, Jefferson Siegel, “ It’s, Blanche, Cohen, ”, Dave Sanders, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Emil Bove, mutter, Merchan’s, Rhona Graff, Gary Farro, Farro, Hope Hicks Organizations: National Enquirer, Mr, Trump Tower, Prosecutors, The New York, Trump Organization, The New York Times, Playboy, Trump, White House, Republican Locations: Donald Trump’s Manhattan, Manhattan, Trump’s, Wisconsin, Michigan

☆ Lawyer for Stormy Daniels Exposes Seamy Underside of Celebrity
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Michael Rothfeld | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The tantalizing text message was sent by a lawyer for a former Playboy model to the editor of The National Enquirer. “I have blockbuster Trump story,” read the message sent in 2016 by the Los Angeles lawyer, Keith Davidson, who was on the witness stand as prosecutors posted it Tuesday morning for jurors at Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial. The editor, Dylan Howard, asked in response: “did he cheat.”The texts were an evocative beginning to testimony that laid bare the seamy ways celebrity scandal is leveraged and sold. In this case, it was a deal negotiated by Mr. Davidson for Karen McDougal, the model, who wanted to rejuvenate her career by leveraging her story of a romantic affair with Mr. Trump. She has said the liaison began in 2006 after he was already married to his current wife, Melania.

Persons: “, ”, Keith Davidson, Donald J, Dylan Howard, Davidson, Karen McDougal, Trump, Melania Organizations: National Enquirer, Los, Mr Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Contempt Fines and Hush-Money Details: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The third week of the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump began with a rebuke: The judge, Juan M. Merchan, held the former president in contempt and fined him $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order. He also threatened jail time if the violations continue. The lawyer, Keith Davidson, also described an earlier deal to buy the silence of another woman, Karen McDougal, who said she’d had a longer-term affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records to hide the payment to Ms. Daniels. He has denied the felony charges, and having had sex with Ms. Daniels and Ms. McDougal.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Karen McDougal, she’d, Daniels, McDougal

☆ Amazon Reports $143.3 Billion in Revenue for First Quarter of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Karen Weise | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Amazon reported its highest first-quarter profit on Tuesday as it continued to wring efficiencies out of its retail business and recharge growth in its cloud computing operations. The company was also for the first time on track to have $100 billion in annual cloud computing sales. The company had $143.3 billion in revenue in the first three months of the year, up 13 percent from a year earlier. Profit more than tripled, to $10.4 billion. “It was a good start to the year across the business, and you can see that in both our customer experience improvements and financial results,” Andy Jassy, Amazon’s chief executive, said in a statement.

Persons: ” Andy Jassy Organizations: Amazon

CNN —Judge Juan Merchan handed down his first punishment to Donald Trump for violating the judge’s gag order in the New York hush money trial Tuesday, fining Trump $9,000 for nine violations. Instead, Davidson negotiated a $130,000 hush money deal with Cohen on Daniels’ behalf, and she did not speak out publicly before the 2016 election. In his order, the judge warned Trump that he could be imprisoned if he continues to willfully violate the gag order. “All you have to do is talk to that a**hole Cohen,” Davidson recalled. His son, Eric Trump, attended the trial – the first family member of the former president to appear during the trial.

Persons: Juan Merchan, Donald Trump, fining, Daniels, Karen McDougal, Keith Davidson, Trump’s, Michael Cohen, Davidson, Cohen, Trump, –, Merchan, David Pecker, “, ” Merchan, Stormy’s, McDougal, ’, Dylan Howard –, Gina Rodriguez, “ It’s, ” Davidson, Rodriguez, Peggy Peterson, David Dennison, Joshua Steinglass, Dennison, ” Steinglass, ” Cohen, Gary Farro, Daniels ’, Farro, ” Trump, “ Michael Cohen, He’s, Judge Merchan didn't, Jean Carroll, Prosecutors, Melania Trump, Eric Trump, Susie Wiles, Ken Paxton, David McIntosh, Barron’s Organizations: CNN, fining Trump, Trump, AMI, Prosecutors, American Media Inc, Daniels . Records, Bank, Twitter, Club for Growth, Mar Locations: New York, LA, Texas

☆ Opinion: Even if Trump can’t stay awake this week, the jury will have reason to
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Welcome to week two of the Trump 2016 election interference trial. And the case Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought is, at heart, a documents case – Trump has been charged with 34 counts of felony record falsification, actions allegedly taken to cover up hush money payoffs connected to the 2016 election. But as demonstrated by longtime Trump assistant Rhona Graff’s testimony Friday afternoon, the methodical nature of the testimony and evidence doesn’t mean it will be dull for the jury. The testimony of Gary Farro, Cohen’s onetime banker, is emblematic of what we are likely to hear from other witnesses this week. When defense counsel elicited from Graff on cross-examination that Trump was a good boss, she became a free character witness.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, David Pecker, Norm Eisen, Attorney Alvin Bragg, – Trump, Rhona Graff’s, Trump’s, paramours, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, Pecker, Dallas ”, ” –, Trump, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Gary Farro, Cohen’s, Farro, Graff, Cohen, Rebecca Mangold, McDougal, Mangold, It’s, Team Trump Organizations: CNN, National Enquirer, Attorney, Trump, Dallas, Prosecutors, Team, DA Locations: Manhattan

☆ Karen Firestone: Tech dominates the S&P 500. It's time to ask whether it's the best benchmark for investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Karen Firestone | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Answering that question assumes understanding why we use the S & P 500 in the first place. While the Dow heavily favors industrial businesses — steel, chemicals, autos, oil and gas — the S & P 500 offers a more diverse representation. Also, the S & P 500 index is weighted by market value, which makes sense to professional investors. While certainly not a proxy for the S & P 500, it provides more exposure to other industries and stocks. As shown below, the equal-weighted S & P 500 has slightly outperformed the S & P 500 over the past 20 years.

Persons: I've, Gamble, Karen Firestone Organizations: Dow Jones, Dow, Apple, Procter, Microsoft, Nasdaq, Bloomberg, Goldman, Commodities, Asset Management

Since mid-March, the financial pressure on several signature artificial intelligence start-ups has taken a toll. Inflection AI, which raised $1.5 billion but made almost no money, has folded its original business. Stability AI has laid off employees and parted ways with its chief executive. And Anthropic has raced to close the roughly $1.8 billion gap between its modest sales and enormous expenses. “You can already see the writing on the wall,” said Ali Ghodsi, chief executive of Databricks, a data warehouse and analysis company that works with A.I.

Persons: Anthropic, ”, Ali Ghodsi Organizations: Google, Microsoft, Meta, A.I Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ Opinion: Harvey Weinstein’s prosecutors made a huge mistake. Trump’s prosecutors risk repeating it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Opinion Jim Walden | Deanna Paul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Jim Walden Courtesy of Jim WaldenA few days later, New York’s highest court overturned the sex crimes conviction of Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. And the recent dramatic developments in the Weinstein case demonstrate why the presiding judge in the Trump trial, Judge Juan Merchan, needs to reverse his ruling allowing Trump to be questioned about proven misconduct from other cases. If he doesn’t, Trump could have an easy path to having a conviction in the case tossed out. This is essentially what happened in the Weinstein case. If he does not, Trump could get a conviction overturned while the ink hasn’t yet dried on the jury’s verdict.

Persons: Jim Walden, Deanna Paul, Walden, Donald Trump’s Manhattan, Harvey Weinstein, Weinstein, Trump, Juan Merchan, Deanna Paul Meredith Eves Flynn Trump, —, Karen McDougal, Stormy Daniels, David Pecker, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Daniels, Maggie Haberman, Merchan, Letitia James, E, Jean Carroll, Merchan’s, James Burke, Burke’s Organizations: New, CNN, Republican, Hollywood, Trump, Prosecutors, National Enquirer, New York Times, New York, Manhattan, Appeals Locations: New York

☆ We're budgeting $400,000 to flip 5 train cars into Airbnbs. It all started with a 1970s caboose we bought on Facebook marketplace.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewOne Ohio couple is all-in on ambitious project to turn historic train cabooses into short-term rental getaways. Ray and Karen DeVite spoke to Business Insider about the project, which all began with a fateful Facebook Marketplace scroll. One night, Karen was scrolling Facebook and by chance saw an advertisement for a historic train caboose. Now, the couple has a historic 1970's Chessie System caboose and 1950's Nickel Plate Road caboose, purchased from the same seller they found on Facebook. The DeVites unknowingly tapped into a massive community of train enthusiasts and have been connected with historic caboose fans through Facebook groups.

Persons: —, Ray, Karen DeVite, Karen Organizations: Service, Business, Facebook Locations: Xenia , Ohio

☆ Too busy for hush money? Trump debuts longshot 'multi-tasking' defense during testimony by longtime assistant Rhona Graff
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The now-retired assistant, Rhona Graff, told jurors that Trump was prone to "multi-tasking" and sometimes would be on the phone at the same time he signed checks. The testimony was elicited during Graff's cross-examination by Trump attorney Susan Necheles. Related storiesThe nine checks are the only records bearing Trump's signature out of 34 checks, invoices, and business-ledger records he allegedly falsified. After Trump signed each check, it would be FedExed back to the Trump Organization's Trump Tower headquarters, scanned into the company records, and then cut and mailed to Cohen. — respectful boss to me," Graff told jurors of working alongside Trump in the Trump Organization headquarters on the 25th-floor of Trump Tower.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Rhona Graff, Trump, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Susan Necheles, Necheles, Graff, Susan Hoffinger, Juan Merchan, Cohen, Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Daniels, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Playboy Bunny Organizations: Service, Business, GOP, Manhattan, Trump, Court, Trump Organization, White, Prosecutors, Trump Tower Locations: New York, Trump

☆ In Race to Build A.I., Tech Plans a Big Plumbing Upgrade
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Karen Weise | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If 2023 was the tech industry’s year of the A.I. It may not sound as exciting, but tens of billions of dollars are quickly being spent on behind-the-scenes technology for the industry’s A.I. Companies from Amazon to Meta are revamping their data centers to support artificial intelligence. They are investing in huge new facilities, while even places like Saudi Arabia are racing to build supercomputers to handle A.I. has become a story about building a massive technology infrastructure, Meta said on Wednesday that it needed to spend billions more on the chips and data centers for A.I.

Persons: Meta Organizations: Amazon, Microsoft, Meta Locations: chatbot, Saudi Arabia

☆ Trump wishes Melania happy birthday from the hallway outside his NY criminal trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In front of television cameras and a gaggle of journalists, former President Donald Trump wished his wife, Melania Trump, a very happy birthday Friday morning, moments before he entered the courtroom for his criminal hush-money trial. "I want to start by wishing my wife Melania a very happy birthday," he told reporters in the downtown Manhattan courthouse hallway. Trump is spending the day in Manhattan's criminal court, where he's on trial for charges alleging that he falsified business documents to disguise payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. AdvertisementTrump did not address why Melania Trump, or any of his other family members, have not attended the trial to support him. Trump said he listened to the arguments Thursday night, after his court day in Manhattan, and "thought it was really great."

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Jason Miller, Boris Epshteyn, Waltine Nauta, Epshteyn, David Pecker, Pecker, Daniels, Karen McDougal Organizations: Service, Hallmark, Business, National Enquirer Locations: Manhattan, Florida, Arizona, Trump's Florida

☆ Elliott takes $1 billion stake in Anglo American as miner faces takeover interest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Elliott Management has built a roughly $1 billion stake in miner Anglo American in recent months, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. Anglo American shares were up 5% on the news Thursday. News of the activist's position comes as the $43 billion, London-based miner faces takeover interest from BHP, a mining giant with worldwide operations. Anglo rejected BHP's $39 billion takeover offer Friday morning, saying BHP's offer "significantly undervalues Anglo American and its future prospects." Anglo American declined to comment.

Persons: Elliott, Stuart Chambers, BHP, CNBC's Karen Gilchrist Organizations: Elliott Management, CNBC, BHP, Bloomberg Locations: London, Australia

☆ On Stand, Pecker Fires Back After Trump Lawyer Implies He Was Untruthful
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Matthew Haag | More About Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The lawyer for Donald J. Trump who on Friday led the cross-examination of David Pecker, the former publisher of The National Enquirer and first witness in the trial, used confrontational questioning to try to catch Mr. Pecker in contradictions. But that strategy, which led to a tense exchange in the Lower Manhattan courtroom, did not seem to pay off. Mr. Pecker repeatedly rejected characterizations and questions posed by the lawyer, Emil Bove, and resisted the suggestion that he had not been forthright in earlier testimony. For most of Friday, Mr. Bove had struck a polite tone with Mr. Pecker, spending most of the second day of cross-examination focusing on arcane questions about deals to suppress stories, including one with Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump. But as Mr. Bove wrapped up his cross-examination, he asked Mr. Pecker about his obligations in cooperating with the prosecution in the hush-money trial.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, David Pecker, Pecker, Emil Bove, Bove, Karen McDougal Organizations: National Enquirer, Playboy Locations: Lower Manhattan

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