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Michael Bloomberg’s organization Bloomberg Philanthropies is announcing a $600 million gift to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. Xavier University of Louisiana, which is opening a new medical school, will also receive a $5 million grant. The donations will more than double the size of three of the medical schools’ endowments, Bloomberg Philanthropies said. The four historically Black medical schools are still deciding with Bloomberg Philanthropies how the latest gifts to their endowments will be used, said Garnesha Ezediaro, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative. Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, said she felt “relief,” when she heard about the gifts to the four medical schools.

Persons: Michael Bloomberg’s, Bloomberg Philanthropies, ” Bloomberg, Charles Drew, Garnesha Ezediaro, Ezediaro, ” Ezediaro, Valerie Montgomery Rice, we’ve, ”, Ronda Stryker, William Johnston, Denise Smith, Spelman, Smith, MacKenzie Scott’s, ” Smith, Yolanda Lawson, Utibe Organizations: Bloomberg, New, New York City, National Medical Association, Associated Press, Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Charles, Charles Drew University of Medicine & Science, Xavier University of Louisiana, Johns Hopkins University, Greenwood Initiative, Democratic, United Negro College Fund, Spelman College, Greenleaf Trust, The Century Foundation, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, NBC Locations: New York, Tulsa , Oklahoma, Atlanta, Ronda

☆ Where Kamala Harris' VP pick Tim Walz stands on economic policies
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Tim Walz, seen as a win for progressives, may be exactly who she needed to get her economic policies off the ground. As governor, Walz has enacted policies such as universal school meals, gun safety provisions, stronger labor protections, and poverty reduction measures. Walz has also advocated for rural economic growth and has passed legislation supporting LGBTQ+ and abortion rights. AdvertisementTax cuts and rebatesLast year, Walz enacted a state tax cut through the One Minnesota Budget, which also increased funding for public education. The United Auto Workers union was quick to support Walz on X.

Persons: —, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, Walz, Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen, Mark Kelly, George Floyd . Walz, Donald Trump, Sen, JD Vance, Minnesotans, hasn't, X, Tim Walz doesn't Organizations: Service, Minnesota Gov, Business, Minnesota Democrat, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Democratic, Local, Governor's, Economic, Minnesota Budget, IRS, Cannabis Management, United Auto Workers, UAW, Biofuels Council Locations: Ohio, Minnesota

☆ Uber, Lyft and the gig economy think they've found a way to win the national labor war
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

While only applicable in California, labor law experts expect momentum to spread to other states where the issue hasn't yet been tested. 22 went into effect, more than 80% of California drivers surveyed said that it has been good for them. In other high-population states, there has been a wave of recent actions and compromises between the companies and the states. In November, New York announced two settlements totaling $328 million with Uber and Lyft to resolve multi-year investigations. The state had been seeking a court determination that Uber and Lyft drivers are employees, not independent contractors.

Persons: Caroline Donelan, Uber, Brazil —, Gary McLaughlin, Mitchell Silberberg, Lyft, there's, James Yukevich, Yukevich Cavanaugh, it's, Tony West, Kamala Harris, general's, Michael M, Baylson, Donelan, Massachusetts Uber, Verrett, John Wicker, Stradling Yocca Carlson, There's, Gregory P, Feit, Reavis Organizations: California Supreme, Blank, Employees, New York, Pew Research, Washington Post, Democratic Party, Transportation Network Companies, federal, Labor, Union, United, 32BJ SEIU, Service Employees International Union, International Association of Machinists, SEIU, Rauth Locations: California's, U.S, California, New, New York State, Massachusetts, Australia, Brazil, Washington, New York , Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Florida, Minneapolis, In Massachusetts

☆ Bloomberg gives $600 million to 4 Black medical schools’ endowments
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

NEW YORK AP —Michael Bloomberg’s organization Bloomberg Philanthropies is announcing a $600 million gift to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools. Xavier University of Louisiana, which is opening a new medical school, will also receive a $5 million grant. The donations will more than double the size of three of the medical schools’ endowments, Bloomberg Philanthropies said. The four historically Black medical schools are still deciding with Bloomberg Philanthropies how the latest gifts to their endowments will be used, said Garnesha Ezediaro, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Greenwood Initiative. Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the National Medical Association, said she felt “relief,” when she heard about the gifts to the four medical schools.

Persons: Michael Bloomberg’s, Bloomberg Philanthropies, ” Bloomberg, Charles Drew, Garnesha Ezediaro, Ezediaro, ” Ezediaro, Valerie Montgomery Rice, we’ve, ”, Ronda Stryker, William Johnston, Denise Smith, Spelman, Smith, MacKenzie Scott’s, ” Smith, Yolanda Lawson, Utibe Organizations: Bloomberg, New, New York City, National Medical Association, Associated Press, Howard University College of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Charles, Charles Drew University of Medicine & Science, Xavier University of Louisiana, Johns Hopkins University, Greenwood Initiative, Democratic, United Negro College Fund, Spelman College, Greenleaf Trust, The Century Foundation, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Locations: New York, Tulsa , Oklahoma, Atlanta, Ronda

☆ This tech stock is enabling the 'AI goldrush' and can surge nearly 25%, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Pia Singh | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

While several tech giants have taken a hit amid the crushed hype around artificial intelligence, Palantir Technologies is an AI beneficiary that is here to stay, according to Bank of America. "We liken the market, industry, and investor attitudes toward AI to that of the California gold rush," Mora wrote in a Tuesday note to clients, adding that the "AI rush" appears to have run dry given the recent tech sell-off. "As it was with the gold rush, the real benefactors were the entrepreneurs that supported the rush. "PLTR is well-positioned as enriched data, connectivity, and interoperability are what define the new era of defense," the analyst said. The firm kept its underweight rating and $20 price target on the stock.

Persons: Mariana Mora, Mora, —, Palantir, Morgan Stanley Organizations: Technologies, Bank of America, Chief, Artificial Intelligence, Department of Defense, Applications Government, U.S ., Deutsche Bank Locations: California

☆ Elon Musk's X sues advertisers over alleged 'massive advertiser boycott' after Twitter takeover
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk's social media platform X has sued a group of advertisers, alleging that a "massive advertiser boycott" deprived the company of billions of dollars in revenue and violated antitrust laws. The company formerly known as Twitter filed the lawsuit Tuesday in a federal court in Texas against the World Federation of Advertisers and member companies Unilever, Mars, CVS Health and Orsted. Musk posted about the lawsuit on X on Tuesday, saying "now it is war" after two years of being nice and "getting nothing but empty words." X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in a video announcement that the lawsuit stemmed in part from evidence uncovered by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee which she said showed a "group of companies organized a systematic illegal boycott" against X. The Republican-led committee had a hearing last month looking at whether current laws are "sufficient to deter anticompetitive collusion in online advertising."

Persons: Elon, Musk, Linda Yaccarino Organizations: Twitter, World Federation, Unilever, Mars, CVS Health, Global Alliance, Responsible Media, U.S . House, Republican Locations: Texas

☆ Elon Musk’s X sues ad industry group over alleged advertising ‘boycott’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Clare Duffy | Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Elon Musk’s X has accused a group of major advertisers of antitrust violations in a new lawsuit claiming the group conspired to “boycott” advertising on the platform. The lawsuit claims an influential ad industry group organized “to collectively withhold billions of dollars in advertising from Twitter” because the group was concerned that the platform had deviated from brand safety standards after Musk’s acquisition in late 2022. The lawsuit is the latest effort by X to revive its core ad business, which has tanked since Musk’s takeover. It’s not the first time X has filed a lawsuit related to its declining ad business. The suit accuses Media Matters of distorting how likely it is for ads to appear beside extremist content on X.

Persons: New York CNN — Elon Musk’s, Ørsted —, Musk, ”, Linda Yaccarino, “, ” GARM, GARM, It’s, X, CCDH, Angelo Carusone Organizations: New, New York CNN, Twitter, Global Alliance, Responsible Media, World Federation, CVS, Unilever, Mars, “, Center, Media Locations: New York, Danish, Texas

☆ Taiwan under pressure to bolster its defense as Trump-Harris presidential race stokes policy concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Dylan Butts | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te claps while he visits a military camp in Taoyuan, Taiwan May 23, 2024. While Biden has, on several occasions, stated the U.S. would come to Taiwan's defense, Trump has opted for "strategic ambiguity," Naggy added. According to analysts, she is expected to remain somewhat consistent with Biden's agenda and foreign policy. As vice president, Harris has expressed support for Taiwan and met with the island's new leader, Lai Ching-te, in 2022. However, she would come into office with significantly less foreign policy experience than President Biden.

Persons: Lai Ching, Ann Wang, Lin Chia, Donald Trump, Trump, Trump's, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Biden, Stephen Naggy, Naggy, Xi Jinping, Lu, Chung Weng, Muhammad Faizal, Richard Heydarian, Harris, Tina Fordham, CNBC's, Dewardric McNeal, McNeal, Lai, Ava Shen, Tsai Ing Organizations: Reuters, International Christian University, Sam Houston State University, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Trump, CNBC, University of the, Fordham Global Foresight, Longview Global, Biden, Eurasia Group, Democratic Progressive Party Locations: Taiwan, Taoyuan, Reuters Taiwan, China, Taipei, Tokyo, Japan, U.S, Singapore, University of the Philippines, Beijing, Washington

☆ Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, says speaking out about suicidal thoughts is part of ‘healing process’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Network aims to support affected families, including several whose children have taken their own lives as a result of online harm. During the CBS interview, the duchess was asked about the experience “that connects you to these families.”Appearing slightly uncomfortable, Meghan told interviewer Jane Pauley that she had not anticipated the question but understood why it was raised. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, first revealed that she had experienced suicidal thoughts in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. In March 2019, the British royal family told social media users to show “courtesy, kindness and respect” when interacting with its online posts, after repeated cases of online abuse directed at Meghan and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. This followed Kensington Palace asking social media firms for help in combating the boom in abuse, which included sexist and racist comments.

Persons: CNN — Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, ideation, Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry, Winfrey, Meghan, Princess Diana, “, Harry, ”, Jane Pauley, you’ve, Joe Pugliese, ” Meghan, Archie Harrison Mountbatten, Lilibet, Lili ” Diana Mountbatten, Catherine , Duchess of Cambridge Organizations: Lifeline, CNN, CBS News, Duke, CBS, CNN’s Royal Locations: United Kingdom, Texas, Windsor, Kensington

Inside the sole unit without air conditioning at Mississippi’s largest prison, inmates hang wet sheets from their cell ceilings to dampen the air and lay drenched towels strategically across their bodies. It remained unclear how severe the temperatures inside Unit 29 have been this summer. “But if they need to have air conditioning, they ought to have air conditioning. Lawmakers in Texas and other states without universal air conditioning have balked at the cost of installing it. At Parchman, inmates said heat is but one factor that leaves them feeling forgotten.

Persons: “, Parchman, Jay, Yo Gotti, ”, Burl Cain, MDOC, Roc, Jordan Siev, Reed Smith, Marcy Croft, Department’s, Tate Reeves, Otis Anthony, Cain, ” Anthony, Brown, Nicole Montagno, ” Montagno Organizations: Mississippi, Penitentiary, U.S . Justice Department, Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Justice Department, of Corrections, Mississippi Department of Corrections, Justice, Mississippi Today, NBC News, Mississippi State, MJ, Republican Gov, Democratic, State Rep, Democrat, Initiative, Harvard, Lawmakers Locations: Parchman, Mississippi, New York, South, Texas, Boston, U.S

☆ Black people with Parkinson's are underdiagnosed, miss treatment
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Elizabeth Cohen | Elizabeth Cohen Is A Contributor For Kff Health News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

A few years ago, the organizers of one of the largest U.S. exercise programs for people with Parkinson’s disease realized they had a problem: Most of the students were white. But people who run Parkinson’s exercise programs in a handful of U.S. cities describe great difficulty in recruiting Black people. Johnson said his Chicago-area initiative offered a free six-month exercise program for Parkinson’s patients and increased marketing in the Black community but got little traction. When a white person shows up at the doctor’s office with such symptoms, a doctor would likely recognize them as signs of Parkinson’s, said Bernard Coley, an advocate for people with Parkinson’s disease, especially those in underengaged communities. After his less-than-successful efforts to recruit Black Parkinson’s patients into his exercise program in Chicago, Johnson concluded that the fact that he’s not Black is an “important factor.”Leventhal, who runs the Parkinson’s exercise program in New York, has come to the same conclusion.

Persons: “ We’re, who’s, ”, David Leventhal, Mark Morris, New York City . Leventhal, Leventhal, it’s, ” Leventhal, Eddie Marritz, Parkinson’s —, Eric Johnson, Johnson, “, Bernard Coley, Coley, Amber Star Merkens, ” Coley, Wendy Lewis, Tammyjo, Black, he’s, puller Organizations: Mark Morris Dance Group, New York City ., Mark Morris Dance, Yale, Movement, Parkinson’s, Nature, Parkinson’s Foundation, Parkinson Council, Emory University, KFF Locations: U.S, New York City, Chicago, California, Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York

☆ Ex-Trump White House officials, dozens of Republicans endorse Harris
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Nearly 30 GOP members were cited as part of the new "Republicans for Harris" initiative launched Sunday. These include Stephanie Grisham, former White House press secretary under Trump, and national security official Olivia Troye — who worked as Vice President Mike Pence's national security advisor. By publicly defecting on the Republican presidential nominee, these officials leave a target on their back for attacks from Trump. That statistical dead-heat is why the Harris campaign is targeting undecided Republicans within who may be persuadable against their party's nominee. "Vice President Harris and our campaign are working overtime to earn the support of my fellow Republicans who care about defending democracy and restoring decency," he added.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Trump, Olivia Troye, Amanda Stratton, Donald Trump's, Harris, Stephanie Grisham, Olivia Troye —, Mike Pence's, Chuck Hagel, Ray LaHood, Barack Obama, Lunatics, Geoff Duncan, Joe Biden, Donald Trump's MAGA, Donald Trump, Austin Weatherford Organizations: Republican, GOP, Republicans, White House, Trump, of Locations: Kalamazoo , Michigan, Georgia

The same Chinese brokers who were laundering fentanyl proceeds were now heavily involved in marijuana trafficking across the U.S. as well. Over the past decade, Chinese organized crime groups in the U.S. quietly became the dominant money launderers for Mexican cartels. Since 2023, federal prosecutors have charged at least 31 people linked to Chinese groups accused of laundering cartel drug money. In the ensuing months, the team began to understand for the first time how the Chinese became the Mexican cartels’ go-to money launderers. The Chinese money brokers then arrange for the cartels to receive the equivalent amount in pesos or cryptocurrency in Mexico.

Persons: Ray Donovan, Joaquin “ El Chapo ” Guzman, Guzman, Donovan, ”, Michael Mezner, ‘, I’ve, El Chapo, ” Donovan, “, Christopher Urben, “ They’ve, Dennis Wilder, ” Wilder, Urben, ” Urben, Bill Bodner, Vanda Felbab, Brown, ’, They’re, Xi Jinping Organizations: Attorney’s, Central, Central District of, U.S, Division, CIA, Ministry of State Security, U.S ., National Intelligence, National Security Council, Los, Singapore —, Brookings Institution, Operations Division, DEA, Citibank Locations: U.S, East, China, El, Sinaloa, Pasadena, Calif, Central District, Central District of California, Virginia, United States, CJNG, propping, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, Asia, Australia, Singapore, New York, Chicago, Miami, Mexico, Los Angeles County . U.S, Guangzhou, America

☆ Finding cheap birth control is becoming harder for many in states with abortion bans
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Kaitlin Sullivan | Kaitlin Sullivan Is A Contributor For Nbcnews.Com Who Has Worked With Nbc News Investigations. She Reports On Health | Science | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

A renewed spotlight on protecting access to birth control may not help women who are already struggling to find affordable contraception in some states with the strictest abortion laws. Few community clinics have the amount of money needed to cover birth control each month, McCollum said. But over-the-counter birth control pills haven’t reached many women in rural areas. Because of the Texas policy change an estimated one-quarter of family planning clinics in the state closed by 2013. “If someone does not have insurance, we can pay for their visit and their birth control method,” McCollum said.

Persons: Robin Marty, ” Marty, Court’s Dobbs, Roe, Wade, Kate McCollum, McCollum, “, Adek Berry, haven’t, ”, Marty, Jitoria Hunter, It’s, ” McCollum, ” Hunter, Micaela Sanchez, it’s, Sanchez, ” Sanchez, Meta Anderson, ” Anderson Organizations: Healthcare, Medicaid, Getty, and Drug Administration, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Center for Healthcare, Mississippi Delta Locations: Tuscaloosa , Alabama, Alabama, Southern, Mississippi, Texas, Dallas . Federal, AFP, ” In Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama , Mississippi, Louisiana , Arkansas, Oklahoma, In Texas, In Mississippi, Alabama , Texas, Dallas County, Dallas, Louise , Mississippi, Georgia

☆ Will A.I. Kill Meaningless Jobs?
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Emma Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This is what it must have felt like to be a guest showing up for a party at Jay Gatsby’s house, Mr. Wang thought. He hopped from one software engineering role to another, toiling on some projects that he felt were meaningless. At Google, he worked for 15 months on an initiative that higher-ups decided to keep pursuing even though they knew it would never launch. He then spent more than a year at Facebook on a product whose primary customer at one point described it to the engineers as unhelpful. During the pandemic, tens of thousands of people joined the subreddit page r/antiwork to share quips about rejecting drudge work and, in most cases, all work.

Persons: Brad Wang, Jay Gatsby’s, Wang, drudge, ”, Herman Melville’s “, Scrivener, “ Organizations: Google, Facebook, “

☆ Ukraine pushed Russia's Black Sea Fleet out of Crimea but retaking the peninsula will be incredibly hard
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Read previewUkraine has dealt a massive blow to Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. Russia has retained control of Crimea since invading and annexing the peninsula in 2014 and secured Sevastopol as the headquarters for its Black Sea Fleet. Related stories"Without an amphibious naval force to land in Crimea, how can Ukraine project enough troops onto the peninsula to claim its control?" Ukraine has resorted to hitting Russia's air defenses in Crimea with missiles and long-range weapons, including US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS. "Even with F-16s, I don't think Ukraine has the ability to provide its ground forces effective close air support, given Russian air defense capability," he told BI.

Persons: —, steeled, Mark Cancian, who's, Basil Germond, Ulf Mauder, Cancian, Mark Temnycky, Ukraine's, Mikhail Razvozhaev, Temnycky, Benjamin Friedman, VIKTOR KOROTAYEV, Sergej Sumlenny, Sumlenny, Operation Barbarossa, Friedman Organizations: Service, Business, US Marine, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Lancaster University, Getty, Council's Eurasia Center, Ukraine, Army Tactical Missile Systems, The Institute, Defense, Resilience Initiative, Soviet Union's Red Army, Russians, Red Army, Soviet Union —, Soviet Union Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russia, Sevastopol, Russian, Kerch, Feodosia, Novorossiysk, Kherson, Ukrainian, Pereko, Suvorikin, Soviet, Soviet Union, Operation, Soviet Ukraine, Pereko —

The Republican Party platform, updated last month for the first time since 2016, appeared to shift away from the party’s long-held opposition to same-sex marriage. We will end policies that punish families.”Many took this to mean the party was softening its stance on gay nuptials in a nod to growing public support for same-sex marriage, even among Republicans. The Republican National Committee did not return multiple requests for comment regarding whether the language in the new platform is inclusive of same-sex couples. We must do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage.”Weeks later, Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The phrase “sanctity of marriage,” Maril said, is “inherently exclusionary” of same-sex couples.

Persons: ”, Charles Moran, “, ” Moran, Donald Trump, Joe Raedle, Robin Maril, ” Maril, George W, Bush, ” Bush, ” Weeks, Gabriele Magni, Magni, ” Magni, Mladen Antonov, Moran, I’m, “ They’re Organizations: Republican Party, Republican National Committee, Republican, GOP, Republican National Convention, Willamette University, U.S . Conference of Catholic, Los Angeles Times, Loyola Marymount University, Research Initiative, “, U.S, Supreme, Getty, Federal, Republicans, NBC Locations: Milwaukee, Massachusetts, Alabama

☆ 2 renowned strategists say the US should defend Taiwan with nuclear strikes. Experts say such talk is just a taste of what's to come.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The US once floated nuclear retaliation in 1958 if China invaded Taiwan, and stationed nuclear weapons on the island until 1974. It would essentially tell Beijing that an invasion of the island risks nuclear war, he said. "What's the benefit of reassuring Xi that our nuclear weapons are not relevant?" "So relatively low-yield nuclear weapons could destroy that amphibious force and do little to no collateral damage onshore in Taiwan." He added that threatening war — much less nuclear war — over Taiwan would be deeply unpopular at home.

Persons: —, David Kearn, Kearn, — he'd, Greg Weaver, Weaver, Obama, Matthew Kroenig, James Acton, Greg, Matt, Kroenig, Lyle Goldstein, Goldstein, we're, Acton, Francesca Giovannini, Giovannini, Xi Jinping, Xi, It's, Marshall Billingslea, Billingslea, Rebeccah Heinrichs, Jake Werner Organizations: Service, John's, Atlantic Council, Pentagon, Business, RAND, US Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Department, Nuclear, Carnegie Endowment, International, China Initiative, Brown University, International Peace, Harvard University's Kennedy, Georgetown University, US State Department, Hudson, Keystone Defense Initiative, Kroenig, East Asia, Quincy Institute, Responsible, Johns University Locations: St, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Washington, Korea, Japan, Taiwan Strait, Washington , DC, Guam, South China, Russia, United States, Bejing, South Korea

☆ Britain cancels $1.7 billion of computing projects in setback for global AI ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

(Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images)The U.K. government has canceled £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) worth of computing infrastructure projects, in a big setback to the country's ambitions to become a world leader in artificial intelligence. A government spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that two major taxpayer-funded spending commitments, worth £500 million and £800 million, respectively, were being dropped in order to prioritize other fiscal plans. Earlier this week, British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves announced a raft of spending cuts after revealing Labour had inherited a projected £22 billion ($28 billion) of unfunded pledges from the center-right Conservatives. The Labour government was widely expected to announce the introduction of the first-ever U.K. AI Bill in a speech delivered by King Charles III last month. A DSIT spokesperson instead told CNBC the government would consult on plans to regulate AI in due course.

Persons: Rasid Necati, Rishi Sunak's, Rachel Reeves, unfunded, codebreakers, Keir Starmer's, King Charles III Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, Getty, CNBC, Research, University of Edinburgh, Labour, Department for Science, Innovation, Technology, British Locations: London, United Kingdom, Anadolu, Bletchley, Nazi Germany

☆ Putin got a pretty great deal, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe US claimed a major victory on Thursday, orchestrating a sweeping prisoner exchange with Russia that returned high-profile captives. Smiles in the KremlinAndrew Payne, a City University of London lecturer in foreign policy, told BI that Putin won the historic deal. "You could say in that sense that Putin got a better deal," Payne said. Though Putin won on a transactional level, the deal also greatly benefited Biden, Payne said. "For Biden, this deal signals that he's still in charge and still has what it takes to manage high-stakes diplomacy," he said.

Persons: —, Russia —, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Kremlin Andrew Payne, Putin, launderers, Payne, Joe Biden, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Tucker Carlson, Sergej, Gershkovich, Emma Tucker, Sam Greene, Biden, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, Wall Street, Business, City University of London, Krasikov, European Resilience Initiative, BBC, Street, King's College London, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Kremlin, Berlin, Georgian, German, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Sports Betting Is Driving Americans Into Debt, Bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Emily Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementIt tracks: The closer you live to a casino, the likelier you are to develop a gambling problem. About 1% of US adults have a severe gambling problem, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling, and 2% to 3% have a mild or moderate problem. Advertisement"By the time everyone gets all excited, we're talking about really large credit-card debt, really large debts to friends and family. A lot of online debt," said Timothy Fong, a clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a codirector of its gambling-studies program. In the sports world, we've recently seen some high-profile examples of young men getting into hot water from sports betting.

Persons: that's, Brett Hollenbeck, Hollenbeck, It's, Michelle Malkin, You've, Timothy Fong, Fong, Young, we've, Shohei, Ippei Mizuhara, Jontay Porter, Malkin, doesn't, it's, Emily Stewart Organizations: University of California, University of Southern, UCLA's Anderson School of Management, National Council, East, East Carolina University's, Policy Initiative, UCLA, MLB, NBA, Sports, Business Locations: Los Angeles, University of Southern California, East Carolina, America, New Jersey

☆ Tesla needs to figure out how to sell cars. Its salespeople say it's stuck in the past.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The company's sales team has been struggling to adapt to a much different market, according to 14 current and former employees from Tesla's sales division in North America. The carmaker is also attempting to fix a spate of bad publicity surrounding its CEO, Elon Musk — all with little in the way of advertising initiatives or traditional sales strategies. The electric-car maker made its mark by breaking industry standards with its ad-free, direct-to-consumer sales model. Now, some of Tesla's sales staff believe it's time for the company to begin acting like a traditional automaker. Musk has been vague about when a new, more economically priced Tesla model would hit the market, saying only that it could happen in 2025.

Persons: —, Tesla, Elon Musk, What's, Musk, shouldn't, Tesla backpedaled, Brian Moody, Autotrader Organizations: Service, US EV, Business, Tesla Locations: North America

☆ Australia launches peanut allergy immunotherapy program for babies in world first
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Babies who have a peanut allergy are now being offered potentially life-changing treatment at hospitals across Australia in a world-first program aimed at building tolerance to them. The ADAPT OIT Program is open to infants under 12 months who have been diagnosed with a peanut allergy and who are under an allergy specialist at one of the ten pediatric hospitals across five states which are participating. “Australia is the allergy capital of the world and we have 5 million people with allergic disease and peanut allergy affects around 3 per cent of 12-month-old children in Australia. Adam Fox is a London-based professor of paediatric allergy and chair of the National Allergy Strategy Group in the UK. He has spent many years seeing patients with peanut allergy and regularly posts on social media about it.

Persons: Murdoch, MCRI, ”, Kirsten Perrett, ” Perrett, Perrett, “, Hunter Chatwin, Kirsten, Adam Fox, ” Fox, ” CNN’s Jacqueline Howard Organizations: CNN, Australia’s, Allergy, Excellence, Murdoch Children’s Research, Royal Children’s Hospital, National Allergy Strategy, American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP Locations: Australia, MCRI, Melbourne, London, United States, United Kingdom

☆ Replacing red meat cuts dementia risk by 20%, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The risk for dementia dropped by 20%, however, for people who replaced that small daily serving of processed red meat with a daily serving of nuts and legumes. Processed red meats such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs and deli meats often contain higher levels of sodium, nitrates and saturated fat. Each additional serving of processed red meat raised riskAn abstract of the study, which is under review for publication, was presented Wednesday at the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Philadelphia. Red meat intake is limited. Red meat, especially processed red meat as seen here, is linked to an unhealthy heart and brain.

Persons: ”, Walter Willett, ” Willett, David Katz, Katz, Maria Carrillo, Tanja Ivanova, Yuhan Li, Li, Christopher Gardner, ” Gardner, chia, sprinkle chia Organizations: CNN, Harvard, of Public Health, True Health Initiative, International Conference, Nurses, Alzheimer’s Association, Getty, Division, Network Medicine, Brigham, Women’s Hospital, Stanford Prevention Research, Nutrition Studies Research Locations: Chan, Boston, Philadelphia, bologna, lima, California

☆ In photos: Sea otter populations rebound
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Katie Guenthner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Sea otters aren’t just cute to look at, they also play a critical role in preserving the environment. By hunting invertebrates like clams and sea urchins, sea otters help preserve kelp forests, which in turn sequester carbon, protect coastlines and provide food and shelter for other marine life. Their hunting prowess makes sea otters a keystone species, meaning that other aspects of the ecosystem rely on their existence. Without the sea otter, many species that shelter in the kelp forests they help protect would die. Thanks to conservation initiatives, numbers have started to bounce back, with around 130,000 sea otters worldwide.

Organizations: CNN, Initiative

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