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There were new twists on foldable devices, cars that changed colors and smart ovens that live streamed dinners. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesBMW unveiled a wild color-changing concept car with 260 e-panels that can change up to 32 colors. During a demo, different parts of the car, including the wheel covers, flashed in varying hues and swirls of colors. A new look for foldable phonesSamsung's Flex Hybrid Display concept folds and slides SamsungSome companies offered a new twist on the foldable phone concept. The lock, which will cost $300, will be available for purchase late this spring, according to a company press release.

☆ Former DC Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone says it's 'disgraceful' that only one GOP congressman appeared at a Capitol Hill event commemorating January 6
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Michael Fanone blasted the scant GOP attendance at a Jan. 6 remembrance ceremony at the Capitol. Multiple outlets reported that Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick was the only GOP lawmaker at the Friday event. Law enforcement certainly doesn't like that, and I don't believe that all Republicans are sympathetic to the MAGA agenda." "As somebody who has previously supported Republican candidates, it's shameful," the former police officer told Tapper. After the Capitol ceremony, Fitzpatrick, a former FBI supervisory special agent, told Insider's Bryan Metzger of his desire to be at the solemn event.

☆ Republicans were too busy sorting out Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid to join a January 6 commemoration on the riot's 2-year anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Two years after January 6, the House is now on its fourth day of trying to elect a speaker. "I wanted to be here," Fitzpatrick told Insider after the ceremony, saying he didn't know if he was the only member of his party on the steps. Sicknick suffered violent attacks during the riot, while the four other officers died by suicide in the days and months afterward. The lawmakers then observed a 140-second member of silence to commemorate 140 other officers who were seriously injured during the riot. On January 6, 2020 — a year before the assault — he lost his brother, former Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, to cancer.

☆ Blackstone used this data tool to upend its real-estate business. Now it's being deployed across its PE portfolio.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Carter Johnson | Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Blackstone Chief Technology Officer John Stecher told Insider that Blackstone now uses Data Direct — previously called Real Estate Data Direct — across both its real estate and private-equity portfolios. From real estate to private equityInsider first detailed the launch of Data Direct, then known as Real Estate Data Direct (REDD), last year. That led to the roll out of the data tool to other parts of the business, like Blackstone's private-equity portfolio, and to new business lines next year. Data Direct, at its heart, is a data tool, and its success is predicated upon importing reliable information in the first place. Having good, clean data has made Data Direct very successful," he added.

☆ Get ready for a ‘slowcession’ in 2023, Moody’s says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But Moody’s Analytics says the more likely scenario is a “slowcession,” where growth grinds to a near halt but a full economic downturn is narrowly avoided. “Under almost any scenario, the economy is set to have a difficult 2023,” Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi wrote in a report on Tuesday. Why Moody’s is predicting no recessionIn addition to cooling inflation, Moody’s expressed optimism about the ability of consumers to weather the storm in 2023. “Shoppers are the firewall between an economy in recession and an economy that skirts a downturn,” Zandi wrote. “It is important not to be Pollyannish, but it also important not to convince ourselves that a recession is inevitable,” Zandi wrote.

☆ The pandemic didn't kill stores but they'll never be the same again
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Brick-and-mortar stores are acting like mini fulfillment centers. These shifts, which began with the pandemic, have lingered even as life in the US has mostly returned to normal. Stores have become a lot like fulfillment centersPATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty ImagesThe pandemic didn't kill brick-and-mortar retail, but it did change it. Big-box retailers are opening stores againWith all these changes, you'd think brick-and-mortar retail would be on its deathbed. Big-box retailers are opening more stores than they're closing for the first time in years, despite experts warning that brick-and-mortar would never recover from the pandemic.

☆ A New Year’s Resolution for Stemming Retail’s Returns Tsunami
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Alan Amling | Thomas Golds | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

So why haven’t retailers taken significant steps to improve the returns process and stop it from imploding their profitability? Photo illustration: Laura KammermannThe first step in solving the problem is to appoint an executive responsible for the end-to-end returns process. Researchers at the University of Tennessee have broken the returns process into five “pathways” to help returns executives better understand improvement opportunities. The best way to mitigate returns costs, of course, is to find ways to limit returns before they happen, in the pre-sale process. As goods move through the returns process, costs and waste increase dramatically.

☆ She gave birth, twice, in prison. We were there to witness the reunion with her kids.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Jamie Roth | Alan Chin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

As she left prison, still wearing her prison-issue sweatsuit, the photographer Alan Chin raced to catch the reunion at the San Antonio airport. Alan Chin for InsiderWhat made this reunion even more poignant was that Kelly had been let out once before. Alan Chin for InsiderThere is no reliable count of the number of babies born behind bars each year. Alan Chin for InsiderWhen Kelly returned to prison after her year out, Rick tried to stay in close touch. Alan Chin for Insider"It was just us: me and my kids, and him.

☆ Going Into 2023, CIOs Weigh Tech Priorities Against Economic Realities
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Bonnie Titone, chief information officer at Duke Energy Corp., a Charlotte, N.C.-based power producer, said CIOs are being told to get by with less, but without decreasing output or positive outcomes. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CIO Journal The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. One resource to keep top of mind is talent, said Brad Peterson, Nasdaq Inc.’s chief technology and chief information officer, adding that economic slowdowns can provide opportunities to reassess talent development and succession planning. Diogo Rau, chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly Photo: Eli Lilly & Co. “My perceptions of the economy haven’t changed the way I plan to approach my role,” said Diogo Rau, chief information and digital officer at Eli Lilly & Co.

☆ Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gets green light for first orbital space launch from UK — and will use a repurposed Boeing 747 for the mission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gained a license for the first orbital space launch from the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK's space regulator, announced in a statement on Wednesday that Virgin Orbit was permitted to launch from Spaceport Cornwall in southern England. Issuing the final license to Virgin Orbit for the UK's first orbital satellite launch was another "major milestone," the CAA said in the statement. Virgin Orbit didn't respond to Insider's request for comment about the new launch date. Virgin Orbit has named the mission "Start Me Up" after a song by The Rolling Stones.

☆ A data tool Blackstone built for its real-estate empire is now being used across its PE portfolio. Here's why it could play a key role in the investing giant uncovering new deals.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Carter Johnson | Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The firm built Data Direct for its real-estate business, but is now using it across private equity. Blackstone Chief Technology Officer John Stecher told Insider that Blackstone now uses Data Direct — previously called Real Estate Data Direct — across both its real estate and private-equity portfolios. From real estate to private equityInsider first detailed the launch of Data Direct, then known as Real Estate Data Direct (REDD), last year. Data Direct, at its heart, is a data tool, and its success is predicated upon importing reliable information in the first place. Having good, clean data has made Data Direct very successful," he added.

☆ Rio Tinto completes $3.3 bln Turquoise Hill deal for larger share in Mongolia project
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Rio Tinto logo is displayed on a visitor's helmet at a borates mine in Boron, California, U.S., November 15, 2019. Turquoise Hill shareholders last week voted in favour of Rio Tinto's $3.3 billion bid to take the Canadian company private after months of back and forth. 2 shareholder Pentwater Capital Management accused Rio of concealing delays and huge cost overruns at Oyu Tolgoi. BHP Group last month made a renewed $6.5 bln play for copper miner OZ Minerals, potentially allowing the miner to consolidate its copper assets in South Australia if the deal goes through. Shares of Rio Tinto finished 0.8% higher on the Australian Stock Exchange.

So on a Saturday night in February he stood in his Aunt Brandy’s doorway, rocking on his heels, telling her he was heading out. Sincere lived with his aunt in a second-floor apartment on the city’s South Side, in a neighborhood of small single-family homes and brick two-flats. “I didn’t do anything to anybody.”Every day, Sincere went on odysseys, roaming the surrounding blocks. He rang bells and knocked on doors, asking to do odd jobs. But he and Anyah grew up together on the same block, and Sincere sometimes spent the night there.

☆ DC United owner Jason Levien accused by MLS team's former top lawyer of dodging millions in taxes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jason Levien is CEO of DC United and owns part of Swansea City and the Brisbane Bullets. Levien denied wrongdoing and said he filed New York taxes. The lawsuit was brought by Christopher Deubert, who until last year was the top lawyer for Levien's DC United soccer club. In a statement shared with Insider, Jon Bouker, a lawyer for Levien, said his client paid all the taxes he owed and filed taxes in New York, contrary to Deubert's claims. December 14, 2022: This story has been updated to include comments from Levien's lawyer and a person close to Levien.

☆ Hate Elon Musk all you want, but he's got one management trick that every boss should emulate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Managers have become alarmingly distanced from the average worker, making calls based on guesses that aren't informed by actual labor. Musk has demanded that managers are able to create "good code" yet does not appear to be much of a coder himself. Jackson Palmer, a cocreator of dogecoin, said Musk was a "grifter" who "had trouble running basic code" in their interactions. He's targeted critical teams at Twitter and pushed others to quit, which have resulted in a huge upswing in hate speech on the platform. In fact, by his own logic of how managers can contribute to the company, Musk should be summarily firing himself any day now.

☆ North Korean cyber spies deploy new tactic: tricking foreign experts into writing research for them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The sender was actually a suspected North Korean spy seeking information, according to those involved and three cybersecurity researchers. The email is part of a new and previously unreported campaign by a suspected North Korean hacking group, according to the cybersecurity experts, five targeted individuals and emails reviewed by Reuters. MSTIC said it had identified "multiple" North Korea experts who have provided information to a Thallium attacker account. North Korea's embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment, but it has denied being involved in cyber crime. DePetris said the hackers asked him about issues he was already working on, including Japan's response to North Korea's military activities.

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s announcement Friday morning that she was abandoning the Democratic Party to become an independent may require Democrats to modify their catchphrase. Her desperate leap out of the Democratic Party will someday make a compelling story for her book. In response, the Arizona Democratic Party took the serious step of censuring Sinema for her behavior. She’ll almost certainly need to fend off that challenge without the institutional Democratic Party resources she would otherwise have enjoyed. Her desperate leap out of the Democratic Party will someday make a compelling story for her book.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema's bombshell split from the Democratic Party could be more about sidestepping a tough 2024 primary than a principled stand against partisanship
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But the decision means she'll avoid what likely would've been a bruising Democratic primary campaign. That means her decision may be as much about side-stepping what was expected to be a tough Senate primary campaign in 2024 as it is a principled stand against partisan politics. In a statement on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made clear that the party's functional 51-49 majority next year would remain. Unfortunately, Senator Sinema is once again putting her own interests ahead of getting things done for Arizonans." As Senate majority leader, Schumer has control of who serves on committees in the chamber.

☆ How the TSA's Instagram became a must-follow account, thanks to a sticky-note trick
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

So, how'd Burl turn the TSA's Instagram into a must-follow account, with "Tonight Show" cameos and more than a million followers to date? Recently retired from government work, Burl outlined the tiny sticky-note trick that helped her master a totally new skill — and that anyone can adopt when starting a new position. But she had no professional social media experience, and as a middle-aged woman, felt out of depth in a field known for its youthfulness. "That was the beginning of my social media career. Sign up now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletterWhat do you think of Make It content?

The child lived in West Philadelphia, near Market and 61st Streets, according to Philadelphia police Capt. "It’s going to be an uphill battle for us to definitively determine who caused this child's death," Smith told reporters. Nonprofit Vidocq Society is made up of former law enforcement personnel and forensic professionals who share an interest in unsolved crimes. "Now our lad is no longer that 'Boy in the box.' "Joseph Augustus Zarelli will no longer be that 'Boy in the Box,' will no longer be unknown," Fleisher said.

☆ Jamaica: President Andrew Holness declares state of emergency
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Teele Rebane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A widespread state of emergency has been declared across Jamaica to fight violent crime, the island nation’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a public address Wednesday. We have some really serious criminal threats facing us and we have to use all the powers at our disposal,” Holness said. The State of Emergency (SOE) will be enforced in nine of Jamaica’s 14 parishes, including Clarendon, Saint Catherine, Westmoreland, Hanover and parts of Kingston, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann and Saint James, which encompasses the popular tourist destination Montego Bay. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness arrives for the opening session of the 9th Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California, June 9, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty ImagesThe state of emergency allows authorities to arrest people and search buildings without a warrant.

☆ NHL roundup: Kasperi Kapanen's hat trick sends Pens past Blues
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Oskar Sundqvist scored the only goal of the game for Detroit, which lost its third straight game. Toronto's Mitch Marner scored twice to set a club record with 19th straight games with a point. Bruins 5, Avalanche 1David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic each scored twice as the host Bruins cruised past the Avalanche. Tomas Hertl scored twice for the Sharks, who have lost five of six (1-4-1). Panthers 5, Kraken 1Carter Verhaeghe scored twice and Sam Bennett had three assists as Florida defeated host Seattle, ending the Kraken's franchise-record seven-game winning streak.

☆ USMNT advances to World Cup knockout stage with hard-fought victory over Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The US Men’s National Team (USMNT) was made to work hard for its place in the World Cup knockout stage, earning a tough 1-0 win over Iran in a nerve-racking Group B decider at Qatar 2022. Christian Pulisic’s first-half goal was all that separated the two sides as the USMNT reached the round of 16 for the first time since 2014. It certainly wasn’t pretty at times, in particular in the closing stages against Iran, but progressing through the group stage was the minimum expectation for this exciting young team. There will be some concerns going into the knockout stages, though, after Pulisic suffered an abdominal injury while scoring the winner. The USMNT had to battled hard for its place in the round of 16.

☆ Cyber Insurers Turn Attention to Catastrophic Hacks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( James Rundle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

While cyber insurance has evolved significantly in recent years, insurers say they might still be unprepared for the fallout from a catastrophic cyberattack. “I think it’s important we stress that the insurance industry has not had a catastrophic event,” said John Coletti, head of cyber reinsurance at Swiss Re. “We have hundreds of years of history of understanding that risk,” Mr. Tiernan said. Part of the challenge for modeling cyber catastrophes is that historical data simply doesn’t exist to produce accurate models, Mr. Tiernan said. “We probably need to pay a little more attention to the assumptions that underpin them.”Write to James Rundle at james.rundle@wsj.com

☆ JCPenney was once a shopping giant. Can it make a comeback?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

People walk past a JCPenney store at the Queens Center Mall in New York in 2016. The Denver Post/Getty Images Shoppers hurry across an intersection in front of a JCPenney store in Denver in 1964. Anne Cusack/The Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Customers shop at a new JCPenney store in New York in 2009. Mary Altaffer/AP A customer goes down an escalator at a JCPenney store in Westminster, Colorado, in 2009. Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images JCPenney CEO Jill Soltau speaks during an interview in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2019.

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