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☆ Analysis: Biden team shrugs off polls, targets key voters ahead of 2024 run
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Recent polls show aging leaders are a concern for Americans in general, and Biden's age in particular worries Democratic voters. Biden's public approval rating was just 41% in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll that closed on Sunday. They're targeting key subsets of voters, such as those who flipped from supporting Trump in 2016 to Biden in 2020. Overall, Biden's approval rating among the group rose from 31% to 52% during the speech, and six in ten liked the speech. Attacking Republicans for threatening Social Security and Medicare is expected to be particularly salient in competitive states like New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Florida with large proportions of elderly voters.

☆ Former Israeli prime minister rebuts claim, boosted by Russia, that the US blocked a Ukraine peace agreement: 'It's unsure there was any deal to be made'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Charles R. Davis | Talia Lakritz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett discussed his efforts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia. But Bennett has clarified that no such deal existed — and said talks broke down because of apparent Russian war crimes. "Bombshell: Former Israeli prime minister says that Western leaders blocked #Ukraine & #Russia peace deal," Ivan Katchanovski, a Canadian political science professor, wrote on Twitter. At the time, Zelenskyy himself noted that the Israeli prime minister was "trying to find a way of holding talks," a fact for which "we are grateful." In the interview, Bennett himself notes that it was not the US, France, or Germany that put an end to any peace talks.

☆ NHL roundup: Devils blow lead, top Canucks in OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Bratt, stationed in the right faceoff circle, took a no-look pass from Jack Hughes and fired a shot well beyond the glove of Canucks goalie Collin Delia. Hughes and Ondrej Palat had two goals apiece for the Devils, who scored three goals in a 50-second span midway through the second period. The Ducks scored their goals 1:26 apart in the third period to tie the score. Silfverberg tipped in a point shot from Kevin Shattenkirk to cut the lead to 2-1 at 11:04. Karel Vejmelka stopped 33 shots for the win as Arizona improved to 3-1-1 in its past five games.

☆ I'm the Wordle editor. People complain about the words and recognize me on the street — but I wouldn't trade this job for anything.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Kiera Fields | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

She applied to be an associate puzzle editor at The New York Times in 2020 and got the job. I'd always loved puzzlesStarting in my late teens, I'd solve The New York Times Sunday crossword. I would submit them to The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Los Angeles Times. Becoming the Wordle editor has been transformative in my personal and professional lifeI've had someone recognize me in a local store and ask, "Aren't you the Wordle lady?" Being the Wordle editor is a thrill, and it's an honor.

☆ Big Tech got crushed by falling ad prices, and the damage could last well into 2023. Here's exactly how much ads cost on Google, Meta, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok and Snap.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Meta, Google, and Snap reported declines in ad sales, or flat ad revenue, during the fourth quarter. Out of the four big ad-supported tech companies — Google, Meta, Amazon, and Snap — only Amazon reported that its ad business grew year-over-year in the fourth quarter. Meta's ad prices have declined as the company rebuilds its ad business with artificial intelligence after getting hit by Apple's app-tracking privacy crackdown. While CPMs fell year-over-year during the fourth quarter, ad prices were 7.2% higher in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter, according to Northbeam. The average return on Meta ad spend during the fourth quarter was $1.96, up from $1.30 in the first quarter of 2022.

☆ Betsy DeVos and former GOP lawmakers who helped construct versions of the legislation Biden is using to cancel student debt just told the Supreme Court his plan 'obviously violates' the law
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Both briefs criticized the legal path Biden used to cancel student debt, saying relief requires Congressional approval. The Supreme Court is hearing the two lawsuits challenging Biden's relief on February 28. After two conservative-backed lawsuits late last year paused the implementation of Biden's debt relief, the Supreme Court agreed to take up both of the cases on February 28. Per the brief, McKeon was the original author of the HEROES Act of 2001 in response to 9/11, and Kline authored the HEROES Act of 2003. So did former Rep. George Miller, a top Democratic lawmaker on the House education committee who helped construct the HEROES Act of 2003.

☆ Putin promised he would not to kill Zelenskyy, according to former Israeli prime minster who secretly met with the Russian leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett shared details of his mediations with Putin. Bennett says he made President Putin promise not to kill Ukraine's president. The former prime minister said he directly asked Putin if he planned to harm Zelenskyy. "He said, 'I won't kill Zelenskyy.' I then said to him, 'I have to understand that you're giving me your word that you won't kill Zelenskyy.'

☆ Putin promised not to kill Zelenskyy, former Israeli prime minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In the five-hour interview, which touched on numerous other subjects, Bennett says he asked Putin about whether he intended to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Are you planning to kill Zelenskyy?' He said 'I won't kill Zelenskyy.' I then said to him 'I have to understand that you're giving me your word that you won't kill Zelenskyy.' Bennett's government, an ideologically diverse union that sent current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a brief political exile, collapsed in the summer over infighting.

☆ Artifact: Instagram's founders are back with a new app
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —More than four years after Instagram’s founders left the company, they’re back with a new app. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger on Tuesday announced the launch of Artifact, an app that promises “a personalized news feed” powered by artificial intelligence. Unlike Instagram, the app is more focused on articles rather than photos. A main feed will display popular articles from large media organizations down to smaller bloggers, and a user’s feed will grow more personalized based on what they click on. Jim Bennett/WireImage/Getty ImagesAfter launching Instagram together in 2010, Systrom and Krieger sold the app to Meta for $1 billion in 2012.

☆ AMD delivers a Q4 beat amid industry headwinds, validating the Club investment case
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

But the deal was ultimately necessary for AMD, as it helped it expand its data center business, boost margins, and further diversify away from PCs. Bottom line Despite facing industry-wide headwinds, including a chip glut and soft PC demand, AMD managed to outperform low expectations. Q4 segment results Data center revenues increased 42% but were a little softer than what analysts had forecasted. Sequentially, embedded revenues are expected to increase, providing some upside, while gaming and PC revenues are expected to decline, consistent with seasonality. No specific financial guidance was provided for the full year of 2023, but management expects the data center and embedded segments to grow year-over-year.

☆ Gold ticks up as dollar slips ahead of Fed meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pure 1,000-gram gold bars produced by South Korea's LS-Nikko are stacked in a dealers room in Seoul on January 9, 2009. Gold prices inched higher on Monday as the U.S. dollar eased, while market participants globally awaited a slew of central bank meetings with the main focus on the Federal Reserve. Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,932.84 per ounce, as of 0457 GMT. The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) are also having policy meetings this week. Spot silver gained 0.6% to $23.70 per ounce, platinum rose 0.6% to $1,017.69, and palladium climbed 1.7% to $1,646.41.

☆ NHL roundup: Panthers rally late, nip Bruins in OT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Barkov also assisted on Brandon Montour's goal, and Sam Bennett scored for the Panthers. Anders Lee also scored for New York, which won its second straight game and prevailed for just the third time in 13 games (3-7-3). Carrier scored the only goal for Vegas, which lost its fourth straight game (0-2-2) and fell for the seventh time in eight games (1-5-2). Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Phillip Danault scored goals for the Kings, whose three-game winning streak ended. Colorado forward Valeri Nichushkin sat out for the second straight game with an upper-body injury.

☆ Rangers back right to 'beliefs' after Pride Night jerseys absent from warm-ups
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] May 3, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Zac Jones #6 of the New York Rangers skates with a stick decorated for "Pride Night" in warm-ups prior to the game against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. Players were widely expected to take the ice to warm up wearing jerseys and using Pride-themed tape that honored the LGBTQ+ community as part of the NHL team's seventh annual Pride Night. Images from last year's Pride Night showed players wearing jerseys with rainbow accents and wielding hockey sticks wrapped in rainbow-color tape. "Our organization respects the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud to bring attention to important local community organizations as part of another great Pride Night," Rangers said in a statement. It marks the second time this month that a Pride Night has seemingly not gone to plan in the National Hockey League, after Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov boycotted his team's Pride Night festivities.

☆ Biden's new retirement law means you may not have to choose between paying off student debt and saving for the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Jason Lalljee | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One will allow employers to match workers' student loan payments in the form of retirement plan contributions. It's a boon for those who owe student debt, Tamara Telesko, Director of Wealth Planning at TIAA, told Insider. "Under our reforms, many more workers would access resources for retirement and see meaningful federal retirement contributions year after year." Telesko explained that this provision would be a way for people with student debt to build savings, which many can't. Shanna Bennett, a 37-year-old borrower who had more than $130,000 in student debt last year, currently works as a human resources manager.

☆ See how long-haul truckers cook on the road, from burgers cooked on engines to air fryer lobster tails
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A lack of trucking infrastructure means it's typically too expensive for truckers to eat out while on the road. A truck pulls into the Pilot Flying J truck stop in North Stonington, CT on July 21, 2020. "The truck stops don't really have sit down restaurants anymore," Bennett said. 26-year truck driver Derek Rogers said as "mom-and-pop truck stops" have been increasingly replaced with chains they've become less "trucker friendly." I could make three meals for what I'd spend at your standard Denny's at the truck stop."

☆ NHL roundup: Connor McDavid lifts Oilers over Lightning
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

The Lightning received a goal and an assist from Brayden Point, and Brandon Hagel and Steven Stamkos scored. Victor Hedman posted two assists while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots but lost for the first time in five games. Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, who lost for the third time in their past 11 games. Matthew Tkachuk, who leads Florida with 24 goals, scored twice with the man advantage. Colton Sissons and Mattias Ekholm scored for the Predators, whose two-game win streak came to an end.

☆ How to speed up the transition to green energy, according to leaders at Davos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Freya Graham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaders at Davos say government policy to incentivize the transition can push things forward. There's no 'silver bullet' solutionThe energy transition involves a huge variety of solutions coming together — renewable energy, electric vehicles, hydrogen technology, and nuclear power, to name a few, will all play a role. Andrés Gluski, CEO of energy company AES, said there isn't "one silver bullet" for the energy transition. Daniels said that while the US is using incentives to drive the energy transition, the EU is using rules and regulations. Ciorra also called China a champion of the electric transition, because "they are making this as a business."

☆ Jefferies upgrades Philip Morris, says shares can rise nearly 20% on smokeless alternatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's time to buy Philip Morris International as the Marlboro maker shifts to smokeless alternatives, according to Jefferies. Philip Morris said it expects its efforts to become the sole owner of Swedish Match will support its "ambition to deliver a smoke-free future." On the former, it is the global leader, with estimated RRP share of 23%, compared to 21% share in combustibles," Bennett wrote. Philip Morris shares are down nearly 2% in 2023, after closing last year up more than 12%. Meanwhile, the analyst's $118 price target, up from $86, suggests shares can jump another 18% from Wednesday's closing price.

☆ Veteran investor says 'tech is dead,' names safer stocks to weather the 'current storm'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Stock picks Against that backdrop, Landsberg said he favors the consumer staples and health care sectors. Consumer staples will therefore be a better trade than discretionary stocks as consumer spending power is reined in, he added. They are still going to have to buy some of these things, and that's going to be a spot that's going to hold up better." It is a leading player in consulting but more importantly in tech consulting, which is cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and defense," Landsberg said. "With cyberattacks around the world that's going to continue, I don't see them really having a problem getting more business and continuing the business that they have," he added.

That’s consistent with the long-standing and well-understood rule that eating fewer calories contributes to weight loss. She also noted that the average person gains 1 or 2 pounds per year, which can amount to significant weight gain over time. Eating fewer large meals and more small meals, then, could "prevent that slow creep of weight gain," Bennett said. Consuming too much highly processed food like hot dogs, chips or soda can contribute to weight gain, whereas diets that rely on vegetables and whole grains may assist with weight loss. "Some of our best data in humans suggests probably diet quality matters more than meal timing," Peterson said.

☆ NHL roundup: Caps rally for OT win over Islanders
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Lightning 4, Kraken 1Andrei Vasilevskiy made 22 saves as Tampa Bay put an end to visiting Seattle's franchise-record, eight-game winning streak. Penguins 4, Ducks 3 (OT)Jake Guentzel scored off a two-on-one with Sidney Crosby 33 seconds into overtime to give Pittsburgh a win over visiting Anaheim. Jamie Benn, Joel Kiviranta, Ryan Suter and Tyler Seguin scored goals for Dallas, which snapped a two-game losing streak. Flyers goalie Carter Hart was pulled in the second period as Philadelphia had a three-game win streak snapped. Ottawa is mired in a 1-4-0 rut and has scored six goals in its past four games.

From start to finish, Tuesday's 80th annual Golden Globe Awards was a very queer affair. Here are some of the evening's queerest (and gay Twitter meme-worthy) moments. Jerrod Carmichael apologizes to Jennifer Coolidge 'on behalf of all the gays'Jerrod Carmichael hosted the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards on Tuesday. The 26-year-old actor, who already has two Emmy awards for the same role, was not present to accept her Golden Globe. The Burnett award was started in 2019, with its namesake, comedian Carol Burnett, being its first honoree.

☆ Georgia Bulldogs Crush TCU, 65-7, to Win Back-to-Back College Football Titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Rachel Bachman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LOS ANGELES—A decade ago, Georgia was a reliable college football power that couldn’t topple the sport’s dynastic kings to win titles. On Monday night at SoFi Stadium, the Bulldogs finally laid claim to a dynasty of their own. Georgia became the first program to repeat as champions in the nine-year College Football Playoff era with a crushing 65-7 win over Texas Christian. The Bulldogs used the same simple but suffocating formula it deployed all season en route to a 15-0 record: a stifling defense and a dangerous offense led by a 5-foot-11 former walk-on quarterback named Stetson Bennett IV.

☆ Georgia pounds TCU, 65-7, to repeat as CFB national champs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

3 TCU 65-7 Monday night to become the first team to win consecutive College Football Playoff national championships. TCU (13-2), the first Cinderella team of the playoff era, never had a chance against the Georgia juggernaut. No team has ever scored more points in a national championship game, dating to the beginning of the BCS in 1998. Georgia vanquished the Tide to break a 41-year national title drought last season, avenging its only regular-season loss in the process. They were within a victory of the program’s first national title since 1938.

☆ Ted Cruz touted 'frogsby90' before Georgia stomped TCU by 58 points to win the national title
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Ted Cruz entered Monday night ecstatic about the TCU Horned Frogs' chances. #frogsby90," Cruz wrote on Twitter before the game. Led by Quarterback Stetson Bennett, a former walk-on player, Georgia stomped TCU 65-7. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the win is the largest margin of victory in a bowl game in college football history. Georgia enters next year with another chance at history: becoming the first team of the polling era to win three straight national titles.

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