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☆ Brands should avoid this popular term. It’s turning off customers
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( Erika Tulfo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A study published in the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management in June found that describing a product as using AI lowers a customer’s intention to buy it. “Way before people even heard about AI, those movies shaped people’s perception of what robots that run by AI can do to humanity,” he said. …and a lack of transparencyAnother part of the equation influencing customers is the perceived risk around AI – particularly with how it handles users’ personal data. This lack of transparency is something that Gursoy warns has the potential to sour customers’ perceptions towards brands they may have already come to trust. “Rather than simply putting ’AI-powered’ or ’run by AI,’ telling people how this can help them will ease the consumer’s fears.”

Persons: ”, Dogan Gursoy, ’, ChatGPT, Gursoy, …, “ Organizations: CNN, of Hospitality Marketing, Management, Taco Bell, Washington State University, “, Google, Hollywood

☆ Restaurant not responsible for customer’s injury after bone found in boneless wing, Ohio Supreme Court rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Sara Smart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Ohio restaurant is not responsible for a customer’s injury after a bone was found in an order of boneless wings, a divided Ohio Supreme Court ruled Thursday, affirming an appellate court’s earlier decision. Berkheimer’s medical records said that a doctor found a “5cm-long chicken bone” lodged in his esophagus, according to court records. Berkheimer sued the restaurant, a food supplier, and a chicken farm in the Butler County Common Pleas Court in 2017. In 2023, Berkheimer appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case, the release said. On Thursday, the Ohio Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of the lawsuit, saying the customer could have guarded against a piece of bone in his meal.

Persons: Michael Berkheimer, Berkheimer, ”, –, ’, Joseph T, Deters Organizations: CNN, Wings, Twelfth, Court Locations: An Ohio, Ohio, Brookwood, Hamilton , Ohio, Butler

☆ What Delta passengers are entitled to in terms of compensation
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Marnie Hunter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And some weary, frustrated passengers were still trying to reconstruct travel plans or abandon them for compensation. Here’s what we know about what they’re entitled to and how passengers can make claims with the airline. What are Delta passengers entitled to? Delta lists a “right to a refund upon request” in a Monday afternoon update on what it’s doing to serve affected customers. Some passengers reported six-hour waits, and many affected passengers had trouble securing food and lodging over the weekend.

Persons: Pete Buttigieg, “, ” Buttigieg, Buttigieg, ”, ” Delta, CNN’s Chris Isidore, Isabel Rosales, Amanda Musa Organizations: CNN, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, Delta, of Transportation, Transportation, Delta’s, Atlanta’s Hartsfield, Jackson, “, ”, USDOT, Baggage Service, Service, Command Locations: Delta, Atlanta

☆ A major shift at Starbucks has changed its personality
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Employees who brewed and served Starbucks coffee, whom Starbucks called baristas, handwrote customers’ names on their drink orders. But Starbucks’ business has transformed, and it has struggled to maintain its identity as that third place along the way. In some stores, customers complained online that Starbucks pulled out comfortable chairs and replaced them with hard wooden stools. Mobile ordering was another major step in Starbucks’ road to becoming primarily a take-away business. Starbucks also is opening 2,000 new stores, including traditional Starbucks locations, pick-up stores, delivery-only stores and drive thru-only locations.

Persons: Howard Schultz, ” Schultz, “, Stephen Brashear, Michelle Eisen, ”, ” Eisen, Laxman Narasimhan, — it’s, Schultz, Tim Boyle, Wall, Tom Cook, Casey, “ It’s, Cook, ” ‘, Michael Casey, Alex Wong, Joe Pine, Eisen Organizations: New, New York CNN, Starbucks ., Starbucks, Employees, Getty, Starbucks Workers, LinkedIn, Mobile, Horizons, Harvard Business Locations: New York, America, Buffalo , New York, United States, North America, U.S, Newsmakers, Buffalo

☆ Trekking Across Switzerland, Guided by Locals’ Hand-Drawn Maps
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-17 | by ( Photographs | Text Ben Buckland | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Trekking Across Switzerland, Guided by Locals’ Hand-Drawn Maps Nostalgic for a time before ubiquitous connectivity, a writer ditched his phone and relied instead on serendipity — and maps made by people he met along the way. So perhaps the most difficult day was also the day I knew for sure that I would make it — that I’d find my way across Switzerland with nothing but the hand-drawn maps of strangers. The map I’m using was drawn by Susana, a Portuguese woman who married into a local family and now runs a mountain refuge near the village of Grindelwald. Days 9 and 10 43 miles, through the original heart of Switzerland and the turquoise lakes of the canton of Glarus. This is the heart of Switzerland — the original cantons that formed the Old Swiss Confederacy, the precursor to the modern-day country.

Persons: Chris, Rocher de Naye, Melanie, Col de Chaude, d’Oex, “, ”, I’ve, ” I’ve, Rudy, Nestor, Dora, haven’t, Sherlock Holmes, Susana, I’m, Simon, he’s, They’re, Kris, Andy Clark, we’ve, it’s, Peter, Andrea, won’t, Jon, you’re Organizations: Sparta —, Restaurant, Energy, Swiss Confederacy Locations: Switzerland, American, Lake Constance, Lake Geneva, Montreux, Caux, Europe, Col, Charlotte, Gstaad, Bernese, xenia, Lenk, Adelboden, Lake, Portuguese, Grindelwald, Meiringen, Engelberg —, Tasmania, Swiss, Danish, Glarus, Schwyz, Liechtenstein

☆ Company debuts vending machines selling ammunition in 3 Southern states
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Anissa Carand Navya Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Vending machines selling ammunition will now be in grocery stores in Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma – a move that has generated mixed feelings from officials in those states. Each machine sells ammunition for various firearm calibers, including rifles, shotguns and handguns, according to American Rounds. Earlier this month, the ammunition dispenser in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was taken down and relocated by American Rounds. American Rounds plans to expand into more states, having already received offers from stores in California, Florida and Hawaii, among others, Magers said. The company, he said, is setting up two more dispensers in Texas and Colorado within the next couple of weeks.

Persons: Grant Magers, “ It’s, ” Magers, “, …, Kip Tyner, ” Tyner, Magers Organizations: CNN, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Oklahoma, American Locations: Alabama , Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, Tuscaloosa, California , Florida, Hawaii, Colorado

☆ State Farm again is seeking huge increases in home insurance rates in California
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —State Farm is seeking increases of as much as 52% for some of its residential insurance rates in California, which could ramp up the financial burden for many homeowners and renters in the state’s troubled insurance market. It’s the third major change for State Farm in California within the last year. “State Farm General’s latest rate filings raise serious questions about its financial condition,” California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said in a statement. A few months following State Farm’s decision to stop offering new home insurance, Farmers Insurance also started limiting new homeowners insurance policies in California, citing high costs and wildfire risks. Farmers is the second-largest provider of homeowners insurance in the state, after State Farm.

Persons: Ricardo Lara, ” Lara, “, Farmer’s, – CNN’s Cheri Mossburg Organizations: New, New York CNN, State Farm, Farm, California Department of Insurance, Farmers Insurance, Farmers Locations: New York, California, ”, Florida

☆ What to know about the massive car dealership outage
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here’s what you need to know about the massive software outage. Its systems are used by roughly 15,000 car dealerships across the United States and Canada. Under normal circumstances, the CDK software allows the dealership to register a vehicle almost instantaneously, but now the process faces heavy delays. It said it was able to bring a “small initial test group” of car dealerships back online. But the next morning, the company told dealerships another incident had happened.

Persons: CDK, aren’t, they’ve, Scott Campbell, CNN they’ve, Don Aycock, “, ”, Robbie Jacob, Jacob, Michael Deveney, Katelyn Salvato, hasn’t, Salvato, …, Callahan, We’ve, ” Callahan, it’s, Lisa Finney, ” Finney, ” Eric Noonan, John Dwyer, “ There’s, ” Noonan, Ryan Callahan, Tom McParland, McParland Organizations: New, New York CNN, Auto, CNN, Capital City Buick GMC, Buick, Diego —, Kia, Midway Automotive, Massachusetts, of Motor Vehicles, Pride Motor Group, “, DMV, Bloomberg, Binary Defense, Mazda, Automatch Consulting Locations: New York, North America, United States, Canada, Berlin , Vermont, Clay County , Florida, Diego, Lynn , Massachusetts, Eastern Europe, Seekonk , Massachusetts

☆ The Nvidia spell has been broken. Here’s what could come next
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN —Nvidia, Nvidia, Nvidia. Nvidia’s stock bounced back Tuesday, yet investors have been reminded of a potentially bubble-bursting truth: You can fly too close to the sun. For context, it took Warren Buffett about 60 years to build Berkshire Hathaway into a nearly trillion dollar company. But typical volatility can have seismic repercussions when it comes to a stock as all-consuming as Nvidia. Analysts at The Carlyle Group say that while artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the world around us, the Nvidia stock bubble will eventually burst.

Persons: Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft’s, ”, Jim Smigiel, Louis Navellier, Nvidia’s, ” Jochen Stanzl, Emily Bowersock Hill, Jason Thomas, Carlyle’s, ” Neil Roarty, Stocklytics, —, Levi’s, “, LEVI, ” Read, Ryan Callahan, ” Callahan, CDK, Tom McParland Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, London CNN, Nvidia, Berkshire, Deutsche Bank, SEI, Navellier, Associates, CMC, CNN, Bowersock Capital Partners, The Carlyle Group, ’ Association, Mazda, North America, Automatic Consulting Locations: London, Turkey, Istanbul, Seekonk , Massachusetts

☆ ‘Months to correct, if not years’: Car dealerships and customers feel the impact as CDK outage drags on
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“The financial impact it will directly have on us will take months to correct, if not years,” Callahan said. Tom McParland, the owner of Automatic Consulting, a national car buying service, said the outage was impacting customers because they have fewer dealers to choose from. “It limits the customer’s leverage.”Some dealers also can’t apply factory rebates without CDK’s software, so customers may miss out on money-saving deals. Under normal circumstances, the CDK software allows the dealership to register a vehicle almost instantaneously, but now the process faces heavy delays. He told CNN he was able to buy the car but was unable to sign the title.

Persons: Ryan Callahan, ” Callahan, CDK, Tom McParland, ”, McParland, Michael Deveney, “, ” Deveney, Katelyn Salvato, hasn’t, Salvato, …, We’ve, they’ve, Scott Campbell, Nicolas, CNN they’ve, Don Aycock, Robbie Jacob, Jacob, Tekion Organizations: New, New York CNN, Mazda, North America, Automatic Consulting, Midway Automotive, Massachusetts, of Motor Vehicles, Pride Motor Group, “, DMV, CNN, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Capital City Buick GMC, Porsche, Buick, Diego —, Kia, Cox Automotive Locations: New York, Seekonk , Massachusetts, Lynn, Berlin , Vermont, Los Angeles, ”, Clay County , Florida, Diego

☆ Can I even buy a car? What to know about the massive auto dealer outage
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —CDK Global is ubiquitous in the auto dealership world – its software is used at 15,000 dealers. Here’s what the CDK Global outage means for both car sellers and shoppers. Post Memorial Day, “this presents increased opportunities for vehicle sales, service and, of course, revenue. It also means that it’s time to roll out your summer Sales and Service marketing campaigns.”Can I still buy a car? Ford also said its dealerships involved in the CDK outage have alternate ways to take care of customers.

Persons: There’s, it’s, CDK, Lisa Finney, ” Finney, aren’t, Jeff Ramsey, ”, Brian Benstock, Ramsey, Ford, ” Ford Organizations: New, New York CNN, CDK Global, CNN, Service, Ourisman Auto Group, Paragon Honda, Paragon Acura, Kia, Toyota, Dodge, Lincoln Locations: New York, United States, Canada, Maryland, Long Island City , New York, Ford

☆ Car dealerships hit with massive computer system outage
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Peter Valdes-Dapena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

“We are actively investigating a cyber incident,” CDK spokesperson Lisa Finney said in a statement shared with CNN. To protect customer privacy, customer’s details aren’t written out on a piece of paper that’s just sitting on the desk anymore. Instead, information about deals and customer appointments is kept in a server that’s now impossible for his salespeople to access. But it’s a major hassle in the meantime and could cost his dealerships some business. A statement shared by CDK later in the afternoon said some of the company’s system had been restored to operation but not all of them, yet.

Persons: ”, Lisa Finney, CDK, it’s, Jeff Ramsey, aren’t, Ramsey, “, ” Ramsey, Brian Benstock, he’s Organizations: CNN, CDK, Ourisman Auto Group, Paragon Honda, Paragon Acura Locations: Canada, Maryland, Long Island City , New York

☆ McDonald’s pulls AI ordering from drive-thrus — for now
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Erika Tulfo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —McDonald’s is pulling the plug on artificial intelligence ordering technology it was testing at more than 100 restaurant drive-thru systems in the US, a possible hiccup in the rapid rollout of AI in the fast food industry. The company had worked with IBM to develop and test AI-driven, voice-automated ordering at some of its restaurants. McDonald’s says this is not the end of its AI efforts. McDonald’s is not the only fast-food chain experimenting with AI. Other companies like White Castle tested out an automated drive-thru ordering system in 2021, and Wendy’s expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to roll out its own AI ordering tool in May last year.

Persons: it’s, ” McDonald’s, McDonald’s Organizations: CNN, IBM, McDonald’s, Google

☆ ‘The Simpsons’ airs its 768th episode tonight. Here’s how its writers keep things fresh
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Toward the end of its 35th season, “The Simpsons” made a move that rankled some fans: It killed a longtime resident of Springfield. I would say under 10,” said Matt Selman, sardonic showrunner of “The Simpsons,” in an interview with CNN. There are around 16 writers per season, typically made up of 22 episodes, though this season has just 18 due to the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes. Last month, Sosthand won a Writers Guild Award for the episode, beating out three other nominees from the “Simpsons” writers room. It’s nice that their hard work has been noticed, Selman said, but critical appraisal of “The Simpsons” is always in flux.

Persons: Read, Larry, Barfly, he’s, Homer, they’re, Duff, ‘, ”, Matt Selman, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Selman, ’ ” Selman, – – Selman, Carl Carlson, Carl Carlson Rides, Loni Steele Sosthand, who’s, Murphy, Skinner, Bumblebee Man, Cesar Mazariegos, Broti Gupta, –, John Frink, Mike Price, who’ve, ’, hasn’t, ” Sosthand, Carl, Sosthand, “ It’s, ” Selman, Moe, Rev, Lovejoy, Krusty, ” Price, “, Mazariegos, might’ve, “ We’re, Price, Kirk, Willie, janitor’s, Groundskeeper Willie reconnects, ” It’s, Bart hijinx, Ned Flanders, Maude Flanders, Edna Krabappel, it’s “ Organizations: CNN, Gracie Films, Springfield ”, Crazy, “, Bass, Scottish Locations: Springfield, Moe’s, ’, Iceland, West, Scotland

Regulatory warsThe Supreme Court lifted the existential threat hanging over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, rejecting a challenge to the agency’s funding. The decision could have huge consequences for a raft of conservative-led lawsuits involving administrative authority — but business groups and Republicans are vowing to fight on. A recap: Payday lenders had sued the C.F.P.B. over a rule that would limit the number of times they could withdraw money from a customer’s account for repayment. The companies and conservative groups argued that the practice wasn’t harmful, and said the way the regulator is funded — via annual allocations from the Fed’s profits rather than from Congress — was unconstitutional.

Persons: Congress — Organizations: Consumer Financial Protection, Congress

☆ The Old-Fashioned Library at the Heart of the A.I. Boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Cade Metz | Christie Hemm Klok | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The two-story library has Oriental rugs, shaded lamps dotting its desks and rows of hardbacks lining its walls. It is the architectural centerpiece of the offices of OpenAI, the start-up whose online chatbot, ChatGPT, showed the world that machines can instantly generate their own poetry and prose. The building, which was once a mayonnaise factory, looks like a typical tech office, with its communal work spaces, well-stocked micro-kitchens and private nap rooms spread across three floors in San Francisco’s Mission District. But then there is that library, with the ambience of a Victorian Era reading room. Its shelves offer everything from Homer’s “The Iliad” to David Deutsch’s “The Beginning of Infinity,” a favorite of Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive.

Persons: “, David Deutsch’s “, Sam Altman Organizations: Francisco’s Mission Locations: OpenAI, Francisco’s

☆ How the House GOP’s Biden impeachment effort fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Annie Grayer | Melanie Zanona | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“To me, success is impeachment from the House,” GOP Rep. Brian Mast said. Comer’s co-leads, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, are also fully behind the work. I don’t think that’s an impeachable offense,” GOP Rep. Jodey Arrington said. Even GOP Rep. Darrell Issa remarked after the first hour of questioning that Hunter Biden was prepared for the interview. There’s an election in seven months from now,” GOP Rep. Nick LaLota, who represents a New York district Biden won in 2020, told CNN.

Persons: James Comer, Joe Biden, –, Comer, Biden, “ Comer, Jesus, Alejandro Mayorkas, Comer –, “, Anna Paulina Luna –, Hunter Biden, it’s, ” Luna, ”, missteps, Brian Mast, Mike Johnson, Comer’s, Jim Jordan, Jason Smith, ” Johnson, Steve Scalise, Elise Stefanik, Kevin McCarthy, ” Bruce Dubinsky, McCarthy, Samuel Corum, Johnson, Jodey Arrington, Darrell Issa, …, Doug LaMalfa, Mayorkas, Tony Gonzales, Austin Scott, ” Comer, Donald Trump, Jordan, doesn’t, There’s, Nick LaLota, Jamie Raskin, Raskin Organizations: Washington CNN —, Republican, CNN, Kentucky Republican, Homeland, Biden, GOP, Republicans, Getty, White, Democratic, ”, Department of Justice Locations: Kentucky, ”, Washington , DC, –, Texas, New York

☆ Opinion: Trump videos send wildly different messages
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In a video promoting the Bible, Trump said, “Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country. … we need to bring them back.”On Good Friday, Trump posted a very different kind of video. It showed an image of President Joe Biden lying sideways and tied up in the bed of a pickup truck. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential campaign can’t win, but it could swing the presidency to former President Donald Trump,” Begala wrote.

Persons: Matthew Arnold, Homer, King James, Donald Trump, ”, Lee Greenwood’s, AJ Willingham, Trump, Joe Biden, Drew Sheneman, MAGA, Biden, Fareed Zakaria, ” Zakaria, Candida Moss, he’ll, he’s, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Julian Zelizer, ” “, …, ” Clay, “, Obama, “ Obama, CNN Trump, —, Attorney Alvin Bragg, “ Trump, Stormy Daniels, ” Norman Eisen, Andrew Warren, James Antle III, stoked, Letitia James, Dali, Francis Scott Key, Tasos Katopodis, Richard Timme, ” Timme, Salvatore R, Mercogliano, ’, Jalal Baig, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Baig, Paul Hockenos, “ It’s, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Nicole Shanahan, Eric Risberg, Paul Begala, Ross Perot, George H, Bush, “ Robert F, can’t, ” Begala, ” Shanahan “, Sergey Brin, Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, Ro Khanna, Lee Drutman, Mark Osler, Jill Filipovic, Lisa Murkowski, Obeidallah, Johnson Ronna, Ronna McDaniel, Justin Sullivan, McDaniel, ” McDaniel, David Zurawik, Jack Ohman, Walt Handelsman, Tim Hubbard, Dennis Muilenburg —, Max, David Calhoun, ‘, ” Hubbard, Annelle, ” Sheline, ” Don’t, Frida Ghitis, Putin, Howard Fischer, Keith O’Brien, Pete Rose, Nick Anderson, Agency Sara Stewart, Mary Ziegler, Patrick T, Brown, shouldn’t, Emma Firth, Carter ’ Parkwood, Roxanne Jones, Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé, ” Jones Organizations: CNN, Oxford University, New, Trump, Nasdaq, NYPD, Hollywood, Biden, Cupp, Obama, Manhattan, Attorney, Democratic, US Coast Guard, Baltimore, Federal Highway Administration, RFK Jr, RFK, Google, The New York Times, Republican National Committee, NBC News, “, Press, NBC, MSNBC, Content Agency Boeing, Notre Dame, Boeing, US State Department, Israel, Tribune, Agency, Sony, AP Locations: Independence, New York City, America, New, Manhattan, Queens, New York, Baltimore, Coast, Suez, Port, China, Argentina, Red, Gaza, Wales, Northern California, California, Israel, Columbia

☆ Krispy Kreme doughnuts are coming to McDonald’s
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Three types of Krispy Kreme donuts — original glazed, chocolate iced with sprinkles and chocolate iced “kreme” filled — will go on sale at McDonald’s restaurants starting later this year, the companies told CNN on Monday. Krispy Kreme is giving away a free glazed doughnut to guests who visit a Krispy Kreme location between 5 and 9 pm on Tuesday to celebrate the partnership. The addition of a Krispy Kreme donut to the McDonald’s customer’s breakfast order began as a test at 160 restaurants in Kentucky. But customers can buy Krispy Kreme doughnuts in other places, such as Walmart and other grocery stores. “By making Kreme Krispy accessible to fans nationwide through this partnership, we expect to more than double our points of access by the end of 2026,” said Krispy Kreme President and CEO Josh Charlesworth in a statement.

Persons: It’s, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Ian Borden, Chris Kempczinski, ”, Krispy, Josh Charlesworth Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Walmart Locations: New York, Cinnabon, Kentucky

☆ Does Having a Gun Make a Person Suspicious? Courts Aren’t Sure Now.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Karen Zraick | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The police said they had quickly arrested the man, Robert Homer, and found a loaded Glock pistol in his pocket. That made him ineligible for a gun license under federal law. The case is now in jeopardy after a federal judge in Brooklyn ruled on Feb. 5 that the police did not have probable cause to stop Mr. Homer. The case involving Mr. Homer is the latest test of gun laws in the state, where officials continue to grapple with how to square a legacy of strong gun control with the 2022 ruling. The judge in the state case, Abraham Clott, said he disagreed with the federal judge’s conclusion.

Persons: Robert Homer, Homer, Nicholas G, Garaufis, Garaufis’s, Abraham Clott Locations: Queens, Brooklyn, York, Manhattan

☆ House GOP Biden inquiry stalls as impeachment becomes less likely
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Hunter Biden arrives at the Thomas P. O'Neil Jr. House Office Building for a closed door deposition on February 28, in Washington, DC. Abbe Lowell makes a statement to the press following a closed-door deposition before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and House Judiciary Committee in the O'Neill House Office Building on February 28, in Washington, DC. “He was well-prepared for the kind of questions,” Issa recounted of Hunter Biden. GOP focus shifts away from impeachment probeInvestigating the Biden family and going after President Biden was a top priority for House Republicans when they reclaimed the majority and got control of committees. GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana said the three Republican chairmen leading the impeachment inquiry have the same message: “They say we’re not in a position to go forward on impeachment.”

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Hunter Biden, James Comer, Jim Jordan, Comer, Donald Trump, Thomas P, O'Neil Jr, Countess, Merrick, Justice won’t, ” Comer, Mike Johnson, “, Jordan, Johnson, “ I’m, ” Johnson, Ralph Norman of, Troy Nehls, impeaching Biden, We’ve, Let’s, ”, ” Nehls, Alejandro Mayorkas, I’m, Trump, weaponized, ” Jordan, Vernon, Ed Siskel, ” Siskel, Hunter, Mary, ” Hunter, Abbe Lowell, Samuel Corum, Hunter Biden’s, Darrell Issa, ” Issa, Robert Hur, Garret Graves, Chip Roy, Texas, Lisa McClain, Richard Hudson of, it’s, Nick LaLota, ” Norman, Ryan Zinke Organizations: House Republicans, Department of Justice, CNN, Fox News, Merrick Garland’s Department, Justice, Louisiana Republican, ” Staff, GOP, Caucus, Democratic, Homeland, Senate, Trump, White, Getty, Committee, Republican, of, Hunter Biden, Republicans, Internal Revenue Service, Judiciary, House, House Republican, “ Locations: Washington ,, Merrick Garland’s, Louisiana, House, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Miami, Vernon Hill, Florida, O'Neill, Washington , DC, California, Lisa McClain of Michigan, Richard Hudson of North Carolina, New York, Montana

☆ Opinion: What Hunter Biden and Donald Trump have in common
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Opinion Andrey Spektor | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Hunter Biden won’t be returning to the spotlight next week as the House Oversight Committee had hoped. The problem with the Hunter Biden investigation, though, is not its potential reliance on the word of a compromised informant. And in that sense, Hunter Biden shares something in common with an unlikely person: Trump, at least with respect to his criminal case in New York. Much like the gun charge against Hunter Biden, the tax indictment has left many former federal white-collar prosecutors like me scratching their heads. That doesn’t mean that Trump or Hunter Biden are innocent; indeed, the former has more serious cases to contend with.

Persons: Andrey Spektor, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, CNN — Hunter Biden won’t, James Comer’s, Joe Biden, Andrey Spektor Bryan Cave Leighton, Hunter, Alexander Smirnov, Biden, you’ve, Smirnov, Hunter Biden, –, Donald Trump –, that’s, Trump, Hunter Biden’s Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Biden, Republican, Department of Justice Tax, IRS, DOJ’s Locations: New York

Hunter Biden’s appearance Wednesday represents the most significant testimony to date for the two congressional committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, a probe that’s heavily focused on Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings. But it comes as a key allegation that launched the impeachment inquiry has been discredited. Sources familiar with terms negotiated between Hunter Biden’s team and congressional Republicans told CNN that Wednesday’s deposition will have several unique features that are different from the other interviews the committees have conducted to date. While Hunter Biden’s lawyers insisted that he would only testify publicly, Comer insisted that a public hearing would follow the private deposition. Republicans repeatedly pointed to Smirnov’s allegations as a reason for opening the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden last fall.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s, –, Hunter, Biden, Hunter Biden’s, James Comer’s, Comer, Joe Biden, Department’s, Alexander Smirnov, Jim Jordan, Jordan, Burisma, wouldn’t, Abbe Lowell, Lowell Organizations: Capitol, CNN, FBI, Republicans, GOP, Justice Department Locations: Washington

☆ FTC sues H&R Block over issues tied to its online free file option
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The consumer protection agency’s complaint alleges that H&R Block makes it unnecessarily time consuming and frustrating for consumers to downgrade to a lower cost tax-preparation option online after initially selecting a higher cost one. “H&R Block deceptively markets its Online Products by representing to consumers that they can file for free using H&R Block, when in fact, many consumers have tax situations that are not covered by H&R Block’s Online Product,” according to the complaint. We are confident in the value our services and offerings provide to our clients who have trusted H&R Block for nearly 70 years,” Redler said. H&R Block told CNN “there is no threshold. Earlier this month, the FTC took similar action against Intuit, maker of Turbo Tax tax filing software, “for deceiving consumers with bogus advertisements pitching ‘free’ tax filing that millions of consumers could not use.”

Persons: “, Dara Redler, ” Redler, It’s, Jeff Jones, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Products, CNN, FTC, Block, CNN Business, Intuit, Turbo Locations: New York

☆ In This Heroes’ Tale, Real People Risk Their Lives to Get to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At the end of “Io Capitano” (“I Captain”), Matteo Garrone’s harrowing contender for best international film at next month’s Academy Awards, a map tracks the journey taken by the film’s two teenage protagonists: over 3,500 miles from Dakar, Senegal, to Sicily, via the scorching Nigerien desert, horrific Libyan prisons and a nerve-racking Mediterranean crossing aboard a rickety vessel. Such perilous voyages, taken each year by countless Africans seeking a new life in Europe, is “one of the great dramas of our times,” Garrone said in a recent interview, and “Io Capitano” is framed as an epic, modern-day Odyssey, with protagonists no less valiant than Homer’s hero. “It’s a journey that’s an archetype so that anyone can identify with it,” said Garrone, who is best known to international audiences for the hyper-realistic 2008 drama “Gomorrah” and his dark and fantastical “Pinocchio” (2019). “Io Capitano” is also, he said, a “document of contemporary history.” This month alone, over 2,000 people reached European shores by crossing the Mediterranean, while at least 74 died, bringing the number of people who have gone missing in that sea in the last decade to more than 29,000, according to the International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency.

Persons: ”, Matteo Garrone’s, ” Garrone, “, Garrone Organizations: month’s, International Organization for Migration, United Locations: Dakar, Senegal, Sicily, Europe, United Nations

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