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The Supreme Court for the first time in this case is scrutinizing the scope of a much-debated 1996 federal law called Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from liability for content posted by their users. "These are not like the nine greatest experts on the internet," liberal Justice Elena Kagan said of the court's members, eliciting laughter in the courtroom. Kagan and conservative colleague Justice Brett Kavanaugh both suggested Congress might be better suited to adjust legal protections for internet companies if warranted. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts questioned whether Section 230 should apply given that recommendations are provided by YouTube itself. President Joe Biden's administration urged the Supreme Court to revive the lawsuit by Nohemi Gonzalez's family.

☆ Inflation Brain: Why You Seesaw Between Splurging and Penny-Pinching
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Daniela Hernandez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

E33What Science Tells Us About the Surge in Strep and Flu This Season Getting the flu can increase the risk of getting a second infection, including strep throat. WSJ’S Daniela Hernandez explains the science behind that, plus what it means for the rest of the winter and how we can protect ourselves from the tripledemic. Illustration: David Fang

☆ Google Case Heads to Supreme Court With Powerful Internet Shield Law at Stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( John D. Mckinnon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Beatrice Gonzalez and Jose Hernandez, the mother and stepfather of Nohemi Gonzalez, are suing Google. WASHINGTON— Google goes before the U.S. Supreme Court this week to defend what is widely regarded as a pillar of the online economy—and one that is also being blamed for a proliferation of harmful content. The law at issue, known as Section 230, gives internet platforms legal immunity for almost all third-party content hosted on their sites. A decision to limit that immunity could scramble the business models of the internet’s biggest companies—especially social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Google’s YouTube that rely heavily on recommendation algorithms.

The lawsuit argued that YouTube's actions provided "material support" to Islamic State. Critics including Democratic President Joe Biden and his Republican predecessor Donald Trump have said Section 230 needs reform in light of the actions of social media companies in the decades since its enactment. Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, a lawyer representing the Gonzalez family, said social media companies, through automated and human means, can prevent militant groups from using their services. "There should be zero tolerance for terrorism on social media. Terror organizations are using social media as a tool that they never had before - and cannot do without."

☆ Cost of EDF's new UK nuclear project rises to $40 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( America Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - EDF's (EDF.PA) new nuclear plant in southwest England is likely to cost about 2% more than its last budget estimate as inflation propels the price tag to almost 33 billion pounds ($40 billion), EDF documents show. EDF warned in a results presentation on Friday the cost of the Hinkley Point C project, Britain's first new nuclear plant in more than two decades, "could reach 32.7 billion pounds" based on inflation indexes as of June 30, 2022. Its previously published cost estimate in May 2022 was 31-32 billion euros when adjusted for inflation. The company last week reported a record net loss of 17.9 billion euros ($19.1 billion). The project is already a decade overdue, with EDF initially saying it would be powering British homes in 2017.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 frees platforms from legal responsibility for content posted online by their users. In a major case to be argued at the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, the nine justices will address the scope of Section 230 for the first time. A ruling against the company could create a "litigation minefield," Google told the justices in a brief. Some have targeted the way platforms monetize content, place advertisements or moderate content by removing or not removing certain material. A California appeals court dismissed the lawsuit, citing Section 230, because it sought to hold Twitter liable for content Murphy created.

☆ ECB 50-basis-point hike in March a done deal, May and June undecided
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Jonathan Cable | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ECB President Christine Lagarde said at a news conference this month that the euro zone's central bank would add 50 basis points to the deposit rate. Economists took her at her word, with all 57 of them polled in the Feb. 10-15 period expecting a deposit rate hike to 3.00% at the March 16 meeting. The ECB will follow up on March's move with a further 25-basis-point lift next quarter, medians showed, giving a terminal deposit rate of 3.25% and a refinancing rate of 3.75%. In response to an additional question, an overwhelming majority - 26 of 28 - said the risk was the terminal deposit rate ends higher than they expect, rather than lower. Markets are currently pricing in a terminal deposit rate of 3.50%.

☆ Analysis: ECB faces new communication challenge as inflation falls
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Balazs Koranyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But core inflation is proving stubborn and could still rise from last month's 5.2%. "We have to continue to emphasize that we have this medium term perspective," Klaas Knot, the Dutch central bank chief said. It has oscillated between focusing on current inflation, future inflation and core inflation. Wages are the biggest factor in that sector's prices and services inflation is still just above 4%. So wage growth of the magnitude of 5% or more could push services inflation even higher.

☆ Euro zone inflation could fall faster than thought, ECB's De Cos says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Euro zone inflation could fall faster than earlier thought given a host of positive developments in recent months but past price hikes and a tight labour market could still exert upward pressure on underlying prices in the near term, European Central Bank policymaker Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Wednesday. "Recent data on euro area inflation and some of its key determinants are somewhat encouraging, but the overall situation still requires caution", De Cos said in a speech posted on the webpage of the Bank of Spain. He also mentioned the possible effects of the Chinese reopening, the resilience of the euro area economy and the transmission of ECB monetary policy decisions. "All these will have to be assessed as part of the full projections exercise under way in the run-up to our March meeting," De Cos said. Reporting by Jesús Aguado; Editing by Balazs KoranyiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 3 questions that will help you decide where to save in today's high-rate environment
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Jason Stauffer | Elizabeth Gravier | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

And with so much uncertainty in the stock market and rising interest rates, it can feel more complicated than normal. Right now, high-yield savings accounts (such as the LendingClub High-Yield Savings account) and CDs are more appealing than they were a few years ago when rates were low. However, interest rates tend to have a bigger influence on short or mid-term planning, not long-term decisions. Wealthfront Learn More Minimum deposit and balance Minimum deposit and balance requirements may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. For example, if you save $1,000 in a high-yield savings account at 4% interest you'd earn about $41 in a year.

☆ At Mexico's Chichen Itza site, researchers discover ancient 'elite' residences
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Lorenzo Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A general view of "Casa de La Luna" during a media tour to Chichen Viejo at the archaeological site of Chichen Itza, in Piste, Mexico February 10, 2023. Archaeologist Francisco Perez Ruiz said there were no known residential groups in Chichen Itza, meaning the housing complex would represent "the first residential group where a ruler lived with his entire family." The area, known as Chichen Viejo, is expected to be integrated in the near future into the visitor area of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "There must be more residential groups that have not been explored yet. Around 2 million people visit Chichen Itza site in southeast Mexico each year, according to official data.

For much of the winter, the war in Ukraine settled into a slow-moving but exceedingly violent fight along a jagged 600-mile-long frontline in the southeast. Now, both Ukraine and Russia are poised to go on the offensive. They are looking for vulnerabilities, hoping to exploit gaps, and setting the stage for what Ukraine warns could be Moscow’s most ambitious campaign since the start of the war. Ukraine must now defend against the Russian assault without exhausting the resources it needs to mount an offensive of its own. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has given an order to take all of the Donbas region by March, Ukrainian intelligence says.

☆ Ex-Honduras president bribed by prominent family, U.S. prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was bribed by the country's prominent Rosenthal family, which owned a "massive" group of businesses in the Central American country, U.S. prosecutors said on Friday. Marlon Duarte, a lawyer for the Rosenthal family in Honduras, denied the allegations. The wealthy and politically connected Rosenthal family once controlled businesses including a soccer club, an automobile importer and one of the country's largest banks through their Grupo Continental conglomerate. Duarte noted that Hernandez was president when the Honduran government seized Grupo Continental's assets. "Juan Orlando Hernandez was against all the Rosenthals," Duarte told Reuters in a telephone interview, arguing that prosecutors would struggle to prove the family bribed Hernandez.

☆ I was laid off from Meta and now I post on TikTok about being unemployed to help motivate others
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She's been documenting her unemployment on TikTok and motivating others in their job searches. I posted it and immediately, and the video started getting a lot of traction — tens of thousands of views. I think my videos also tackle the stigmas around being laid off and being unemployed. Since being unemployed and posting about wedding planning on TikTok, I've registered as an LLC and have multiple people asking me to be their planner. For anyone wanting to post about being laid off or unemployed, I would say go for it.

☆ TotalEnergies CEO: it's getting harder to get dividends from Russia's Yamal project
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies TotalEnergies SE FollowPARIS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - French oil major TotalEnergies received some dividends for its stake in Russia's Yamal LNG project in 2022 but it is becoming more complex to receive such payouts because of Western sanctions against Russia, CEO Patrick Pouyanne said on Wednesday. Pouyanne said TotalEnergies was only booking cashflow from the Yamal venture in its accounts "when we see the dividends in our pockets." The company also gets more income out of its Yamal venture, in which it has a 20% stake, when LNG volumes received under TotalEnergies' long-term contract are sold into Europe and Asia. "This is not Russian money, this is a European contract" Pouyanne said. Reporting by America Hernandez, Benjamin Mallet, writing by Silvia AloisiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TotalEnergies has not signed contract on new Adani hydrogen venture - CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) has not yet signed a contract announced last year to extend its partnership with India's Adani to the production of green hydrogen, the chief executive of the French oil major said on Wednesday. Pouyanne said TotalEnergies was "not in charge" of the financial health of Adani group, with whom it has a number of joint-ventures. He said the stakes held by TotalEnergies in Adani Total Gas (ADAG.NS) and Adani Green Energy (ADNA.NS) were still worth more than when the French company purchased them. "Adani Green is still worth twice as much as we invested, Adani Gas is still worth eight times more. He added that Adani had not requested financial support from TotalEnergies for existing projects.

☆ Russia sanctions are creating a "grey" oil market, says TotalEnergies CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( America Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Western sanctions against Russia are creating a parallel oil market, the chief executive of French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) said on Wednesday. "We had a relatively transparent, well-functioning global oil market .. "There is no longer a unified oil market ... With all these bans, we are creating a grey market for oil," he said adding that Russia was "without a doubt capable of selling its products elsewhere. Unlike rivals such as BP (BP.L) and Shell (SHEL.L), TotalEnergies has kept some of its investments in Russia, including the Yamal venture producing liquefied natural gas in Russia's Arctic. Capital employed by the group in Russia stood at $2.87 billion at the end of 2022, TotalEnergies said.

☆ TotalEnergies net profits double to record $36.2 bln in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Feb 8 (Reuters) - French oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) posted a record net profit of $36.2 billion in 2022, double the previous year, joining in the sector's bumper earnings thanks to higher oil and gas prices since Russia invaded Ukraine. TotalEnergies' fourth-quarter adjusted net income was $7.6 billion, including a $4.1 billion impairment related to the deconsolidation of its stake in Russian gas firm Novatek (NVTK.MM). The net income for the last three months of the year was in line with analyst estimates in a consensus by Refinitiv and compared with $6.8 billion a year earlier, and $9.9 billion in the third quarter of 2022. The company said it expected net investments of $16-18 billion in 2023, including $5 billion for low-carbon energy. Reporting by America Hernandez and Benjamin Mallet, editing by Silvia Aloisi and Richard LoughOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ France seeks strategy as nuclear waste site risks saturation point
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Benjamin Mallet | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Used nuclear fuel is seen in a storage pool at the Orano nuclear waste reprocessing plant in La Hague, near Cherbourg, France, January 17, 2023. "We can't have a responsible nuclear policy without taking into account the handling of used fuel and waste. La Hague is the country's sole site able to process and partially recycle used nuclear fuel. Meanwhile, France's national agency for managing nuclear waste last month requested approval for a project to store permanently high-level radioactive waste. The facility at La Hague, with its 1980s-era buildings and Star Wars-style control rooms, has its limitations.

☆ A Mexico soccer icon entered politics. Prosecutors say narcos followed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Cuernavaca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +27 min

Regional politicians, officials and military officers gathered in the Morelos state capital of Cuernavaca for breakfast in February 2022 to mark Mexico’s annual Army day. Mexican drug lords have a long tradition of buying off politicians in exchange for government protection of their illicit trade. Attempts to reach two of the alleged drug traffickers in the photo – Figueroa and Irving Solano Vera – were unsuccessful. Prosecutors in April asked the Morelos state congress to impeach Blanco so that he could be stripped of that shield. “He likes me very much because I’m not a politician,” Blanco told Reuters, in reference to the president.

☆ Exclusive: Iran to start revamp at Venezuela's largest refining complex within weeks - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Mircely Guanipa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The companies are now expected to sign in the coming weeks a 460-million-euro contract to revamp the 955,000-bpd Paraguana refinery complex on the coast of western Venezuela, according to the sources. Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian arrived in Caracas on Friday and met Venezuela's oil minister Tareck El Aissami, according to tweets from the Iranian embassy in Caracas and Venezuela's oil ministry. PDVSA, NIORDC and Venezuela's oil ministry did not reply to requests for comment. A QUARTER OF CAPACITYA project to restore the complex's dilapidated power supply is also planned as part of the revamp, according to the sources. During the El Palito revamp, PDVSA sent home hundreds of Venezuelan workers to make way for the Iranian technicians, which triggered protests.

☆ Mexico players snubbed Davis Cup tie over lack of advance notice
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Angelica Medina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In this case it was no exception and after several years of trying we decided to unite to seek a change." Sanchez, 32, who last played for the Mexico Davis Cup team in 2011, added that in addition to the lack of advance warning about the tie, players' opinions were not taken into account. "It's not ideal to play at 2,800 metres above sea level, (Ernesto) Escobedo didn't want to debut for the same reason, it's not easy to play a Davis Cup (tie) like that ... that's why we wondered why they chose this place," the 39-year-old added. The veteran player added that lack of dialogue had been a constant problem for the last 10 years. Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The Science Behind Cold Plunges, Explained in Four Minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Daniela Hernandez | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Buyers love interest rate buydowns because they come with reduced interest on their mortgage. That has led to an uptick in interest rate buydowns — money paid upfront to secure a lower interest rate. Jones saw interest rate buydowns increase last year, particularly in the second half of 2022. But interest rate buydowns can also be good for sellers even if buydown points come at a cost. To lower the interest rate permanently, each point costs 1% of the loan and usually lowers the interest rate by 0.25%.

☆ Three women who were laid off from tech companies and startups share why they posted about their experiences on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More people are posting on TikTok about being laid off or unemployed. Three TikTok users share advice such as not disclosing secrets from your former employer. With that share, Hernandez began documenting her unemployment. Vlogging about unemployment on TikTok has helped her network, get job leads, and both give and find support. For all the value they see in posting, Hernandez and Bhereur cautioned against doing so recklessly.

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