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☆ As Tesla layoffs continue, here are 600 jobs the company cut in California
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Lora Kolodny | In Lorakolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In an aerial view, brand new Tesla cars sit parked in a lot at the Tesla Fremont Factory on April 24, 2024 in Fremont, California. Faced with weakening demand for Tesla EVs and increased competition, the company has been slashing headcount since at least January. Previous filings revealed that Tesla would cut more than 6,300 jobs across California, Austin, Texas and Buffalo, New York. The WARN filing shows that to be the case, with many cut from the team at Tesla's Hanover Street location in Palo Alto. Read the latest WARN filing in California here:

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk, Kato, CNBC's David Faber Organizations: Fremont Factory, California Employment Development Department, CNBC, Tesla, Tesla's, American, Twitter Locations: Fremont , California, California, Fremont, Palo Alto, Austin , Texas, Buffalo , New York, Tesla's Hanover, China, robotaxis, U.S

Attorney John Eastman, the architect of a legal strategy aimed at keeping former President Donald Trump in power, gets out of an SUV to talk to reporters after a hearing in Los Angeles, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. The attorney John Eastman pleaded not guilty Friday in the Arizona case charging him and other allies of former President Donald Trump with crimes related to their attempt to undo his 2020 election loss in the state to President Joe Biden. Eastman is the first of 18 defendants in the case to be arraigned in a state courthouse in Phoenix. Arraignments of the other defendants, including former Trump House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, are scheduled for the coming weeks. Eastman, Meadows, Giuliani, and more than a dozen other people — including Trump — are separately charged in Georgia state court crimes connected with their efforts there to undo Trump's 2020 defeat.

Persons: John Eastman, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Eastman, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani Organizations: Trump House, Trump, Eastman Locations: Los Angeles, Arizona, Phoenix, Meadows, Giuliani, Georgia

☆ Frontier Airlines does away with change fees in budget airline pricing overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Frontier Airlines said it will stop charging customers a fee to change their flights, taking a page from larger competitors as the Biden administration issues stricter rules targeting so-called "junk fees." Frontier currently charges up to $99 to change flights if the change is made within a week of the trip, according to the airline's website. Larger rivals Delta , American and United scrapped change fees during the Covid-19 pandemic for travelers who were booked in standard economy class and above. "The truth is the big four all have no change fees on the majority of their products, so we were not as desirable," Biffle said. He said change fees were a "top complaint" of travelers.

Persons: Biden, Barry Biffle, Biffle Organizations: Frontier Airlines, CNBC, U.S . Department of Transportation, Frontier, Delta, United, Southwest Airlines

☆ A major new aviation bill seeks to end passengers being made to pay to sit with their kids, and to improve safety on planes after the Alaska blowout
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The bill says the FAA Administrator will decide within 60 days whether to mandate minimum seat dimensions on planes for safety reasons. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell said: "Plane manufacturers will see more safety inspectors on factory floors and tougher safety standards from the FAA." "The bipartisan Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization is a big win for travelers, the aviation workforce, and our economy. It will expand critical protections for air travelers, strengthen safety standards, and support pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers," Biden said in a statement. AdvertisementHe added: "Passengers shouldn't have to jump through endless hoops just to get the refunds that they are owed, and corporations shouldn't rip off hardworking Americans through hidden junk fees."

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Maria Cantwell, Biden Organizations: Service, Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Business, FAA, Alaska Airlines

☆ A massive remote-work scam fooled 300 US companies into hiring North Koreans, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

According to prosecutors, the scheme began sometime in 2020 and used the stolen identities of about 60 US citizens. According to prosecutors, the scheme saw overseas workers apply for remote jobs at well-known US companies, including Fortune 500 companies. In exchange, prosecutors said in the indictment that Chapman charged the workers monthly fees for her services. In 2016, the US passed the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act, which aimed to improve the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea. The assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, Kevin Vorndran, said in the press release that although the allegations may seem like "typical white-collar" crime, they represent a broader trend.

Persons: —, Christina Marie Chapman, Chapman, Oleksandr Didenko, Nicole M, Argentieri, Kevin Vorndran Organizations: Service, US, Office, District of Columbia, Business, Fortune, Prosecutors, Social Security Administration, Department's, North Korea Sanctions, North, FBI's Counterintelligence Division Locations: Arizona, North Korea, Valley, American, Ukrainian

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Wall Street hits record, 'Thee rate cuts'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Abid Ali | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Charging Bull is seen on an empty Wall Street on April 20, 2020 in New York City. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Wall Street hits record highThe S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose to record highs after inflation data came in lower than expected. All three major indexes closed at record highs. Asia up, Japan's GDP shrinksAsia-Pacific markets rose on Thursday after Wall Street hit record highs.

Persons: Buffett, Chubb, Warren, Berkshire Hathaway, Seng, Biden, Morgan Stanley Organizations: CNBC, Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial, Federal, Tech, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, GameStop, AMC, Berkshire, Wall, Nikkei, U.S Locations: New York City, Zurich, Asia, Pacific, China

☆ Elon Musk axed the entire Tesla Supercharger team after their division chief defied orders and said no to more layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewTesla CEO Elon Musk made the snap decision to fire the entire Supercharger team after its division chief refused to make further layoffs happen, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The billionaire said in an email to staff on April 29 that he was dissolving the entire team behind Tesla's charging infrastructure, per The Information. AdvertisementRepresentatives for Tesla, Musk, and Tinucci didn't respond to Reuters' request for comment. The Tesla chief moved quickly to assuage concerns, and assured investors that Tesla's Supercharger network isn't going anywhere. A slowdown in the rollout of Tesla's charging infrastructure would thus be a setback for Biden's clean-energy agenda.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Musk, Rebecca Tinucci, Tinucci, Tesla's, Tesla, Mercedes Benz, haven't, Aaron Luque, Joe Organizations: Service, Reuters, Bloomberg, Business, Tesla, The, Motors, Ford, Politico, BI

☆ Man Linked to ‘I Raped You’ Message Is Detained in France, Authorities Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Johnny Diaz | Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A man accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and then, years later, sending her a message that said “So I raped you” has been arrested in France, the authorities said. The man, Ian Thomas Cleary of Saratoga, Calif., had been sought since 2021, when a warrant for his arrest was issued charging him with sexual assault. Mr. Cleary, 31, was detained last month in Metz, France, according to the prosecutor’s office at the Metz Appeals Court. The prosecutor’s office said that Mr. Cleary had been arrested in connection with a case involving the possession of stolen goods. Mr. Cleary is still in detention, the prosecutor’s office said.

Persons: ”, Ian Thomas Cleary, Cleary Organizations: Court Locations: France, Saratoga, Calif, Metz, United States

☆ Biden's tariffs don't loosen China's grip on one key mineral in the EV economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The White House decided to delay by two years tariffs on graphite, a key metal in EV lithium-ion batteries that helps them store energy. But a senior Biden administration official said during a call with reporters that some tariffs would kick in in 2026 to allow battery supply chains to transition. However, those batteries can still source graphite from China until at least 2027 under the Biden administration's policy. Beyond graphite, other tariffs that Biden slapped on China's green tech are mostly symbolic. But steeper taxes on batteries this year could affect US automakers such as Ford and Tesla, which import from China.

Persons: Joe Biden, Gene Berdichevsky, Berdichevsky, Sila, EVs, Biden Organizations: Service, White, Business, US Department of Energy, Mercedes, Benz, Manufacturing, Biden, Environmental Defense Fund Locations: China, Washington ,, Moses Lake , Washington, Southeast Asia

☆ A half-million school buses across US could become an EV battery powerhouse feeding the grid
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The company's goal is to add 10,000 bidirectional EV school buses across the U.S. with 300 gigawatt hours of energy available to power grids each year. In effect, instead of the one-way charge into the vehicle, the school buses will be able to send their battery power back to the grid through Zum charging infrastructure. The roughly 500,000 school buses are mostly diesel, contributing to emissions. Ram Ambatipudi, senior vice president of business development at EV Connect, which provides EV charging solutions, said the school bus model is one of the most promising in the area of using EV battery storage in a bidirectional nature. "The low-hanging fruit from what I've seen is the school bus model," Ambatipudi said.

Persons: Ritu Narayan, Ram Ambatipudi, Ambatipudi, It's Organizations: San, San Francisco Unified, Los Angeles Unified, Oakland Unified, EV Connect, Ford Locations: California, San Francisco, Oakland, California , Colorado , Connecticut , Illinois, Maryland , Massachusetts , Missouri , Nebraska , Pennsylvania, Tennessee , Texas, Washington , Utah, Virginia, U.S

☆ Baidu’s robotaxi unit expects to turn profitable next year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A driverless robotaxi autonomous vehicle developed by Baidu Apollo driving along a street in Beijing. SHANGHAI — Chinese tech company Baidu said Wednesday its Apollo Go robotaxi arm expects to turn profitable next year. The projection comes as Elon Musk has emphasized his plans to build up Tesla's robotaxi efforts amid a decline in revenue. Baidu on Wednesday announced Apollo's 6th generation robotaxi will cost around 200,000 yuan ($28,169) — or less than half that of the prior generation, the company said. Others in the auto industry remain more skeptical about fully driverless cars, which require broad regulatory approval in order to operate.

Persons: Elon Musk, Apollo, Baidu, Brian Gu Organizations: Baidu, Wednesday, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Xpeng Locations: Beijing, SHANGHAI, Wuhan, China

☆ Biden Seeks to Curb Flow of Migrants From Nicaragua With New Restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration will issue visa restrictions against 250 people and sanctions against three organizations that support the Nicaraguan government, whose authoritarian leader officials say has profited off people trying to reach the United States. The Biden administration will also issue a policy alert to private companies, including airlines, of concerns about irregular immigration patterns and potential human rights abuses stemming from those practices. There is no way to enforce the policy against companies that ignore those abuses. The announcement reflected a growing concern among President Biden and his advisers that a surge of undocumented immigrants into the United States is a growing threat to his re-election campaign. It also showed that the administration has limited options to stem the flow of immigration from troubled countries whose citizens are searching for a better life in the United States.

Persons: Biden, Daniel Ortega Organizations: Nicaraguan Locations: Nicaraguan, United States, Nicaragua

☆ EVPassport CEO Hooman Shahidi: There's a tremendous opportunity in front of us
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEVPassport CEO Hooman Shahidi: There's a tremendous opportunity in front of usEVPassport CEO Hooman Shahidi joins CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to discuss how their company is building out the infrastructure for charging EVs, his take on Elon Musk laying off the Tesla Supercharger team, and more.

Persons: Hooman, Hooman Shahidi, EVs Organizations: Elon, Tesla

I tested the Flexispot E2 Pro Standing Desk, the best budget option in our guide to the best standing desks, to see if it stood up to these criteria. Flexispot E2 Pro Standing Desk The no-frills Flexispot Standing Desk moves quickly, smoothly, and quietly to reach your desired height. Kelly Burch/InsiderMy first task was to decide which E2 Pro desk I wanted to test. We've reviewed the best standing desks, as well as the best standing desk converters. Kelly Burch/InsiderThe Flexispot E2 Pro is a well-built, stable and easy-to-use standing desk that offers plenty of work space.

Persons: Max, Kelly Burch, I'm, Kelly Burke, We've, I've Organizations: Business, Shop

☆ Live Updates: Inflation Expected to Cool Slightly
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ben Casselman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Housing Inflation Remains Stubbornly High Economists had expected two measures of rental inflation to fade in 2023 and 2024, but that process is taking time to play out. There are two main measures of inflation in America, the Consumer Price Index and the Personal Consumption Expenditures index. Consumer Price Index Inflation Remains Hotter The Consumer Price Index is climbing faster than the Personal Consumption Expenditures index, in large part because it weights housing more heavily. With housing, Consumer Price Index inflation totaled 3.5 percent in March. But the convergence between new and existing rent inflation is taking a lot longer than expected.

Persons: There’s, “ It’s, ”, Mark Zandi, Biden, Zandi, grousing, “, O.E.R, We’re, would’ve, Mark Franceski, I’ve, Ernie Tedeschi, Tedeschi Organizations: New York Times, Federal Reserve, Index, Housing, Zelman, Associates, White House Council, Economic Advisers Locations: America, bam, Europe

☆ Amazon's appearance at Upfronts highlights push beyond digital ads and into traditional media
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But it's no longer just about digital ad dollars, and Amazon's inaugural presence at this year's Upfronts events is the clearest indication that the e-commerce giant is prepared to take on traditional media. Amazon's Prime Video and other streamers would historically be featured at Newfronts, which is digital media's take on Upfronts. This year, they're projected to spend roughly $18.8 billion on traditional TV ads during Upfronts, an increase of 1% from a year earlier, according to eMarketer. 1 question all of you asked was, 'When are you going to show ads on Prime Video?'" He showed how the business has evolved to include digital video ads on Prime Video.

Persons: they're, Cowen, Alan Moss, we've, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Kotas, We've, Kotas, we're, — CNBC's Lillian Rizzo, Alex Sherman Organizations: Meta, Google, Amazon, Disney, Comcast, Netflix, Google's YouTube, Prime, Revenue, National Football League, CNBC Locations: Amazon, U.S

☆ The Vietage: New luxury train route in Vietnam offers stunning coastal views, afternoon tea
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Karla Cripps | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The first “The Vietage by Anantara” luxury train carriage launched in 2020 – a six-hour journey connecting Da Nang and Quy Nhon. Courtesy Anantara“The main difference is that the new route connecting Nha Trang and Quy Nhon passes through many more coastal areas than the journey between Da Nang and Quy Nhon,” says Jones. For the six-hour journeys between Da Nang and Quy Nhon, passengers are served a pre-ordered three-course gourmet meal. The Quy Nhon-Nha Trang route includes an afternoon tea set. The original route departs from Da Nang Train Station at 8 a.m., arriving at Quy Nhon’s Dieu Tri Station at 2:03 p.m.

Persons: –, Kate Jones, ”, Jones Organizations: CNN, Dieu Tri Train Station Locations: Vietnam, Na Trang, Da Nang, Quy, Nha Trang, Trang, Thevietagetrain.com, Dieu Tri, Quy Nhon, Quy Nhon’s Dieu Tri, Southeast Asia

☆ Elon Musk realized he needs his Supercharger team after all, weeks after axing the whole division
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

It looks like Elon Musk realized he needs his Supercharger team after all. The mercurial billionaire axed the entire charging infrastructure team two weeks ago. AdvertisementTesla CEO Elon Musk is re-hiring some of the workers from the Supercharger team he dissolved two weeks ago, Bloomberg reported on Monday. Last month, Musk said in an email to his staff that he was dissolving the team behind Tesla's Supercharger charging-station network, per The Information. Musk has brought back some Supercharger workers, including Tesla's charging director for North America, Max de Zegher, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Musk, Max de Zegher Organizations: North, Service, Bloomberg, North America Locations: North America

☆ Apple desperately needs its Next Big Thing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Paris Marx | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But after a decade of doing that, iPhone sales are slowing, revenue is down, and the company, again, needs to find its next big thing. Apple's own outlook suggests poor iPhone sales will persist, especially as sales in China rapidly decline. The drawbacks of Cook's divestment from product design and development are now becoming clearer. Both the EU and the US cases would also make some people more likely to switch to a cheaper phone, which would threaten iPhone sales even further. The drawbacks of Cook's divestment from product design and development are now becoming clearer.

Persons: Steve Jobs, Jobs, Apple, Tim Cook, Cook, haven't, Steve, Tripp Mickle, Jony Ive, we've, wouldn't, Let's, aren't, Peter Kafka Organizations: Apple, Apple Watch, IBM, Google, EU, Bloomberg, Nasdaq, Business Locations: China, Asia, India, Indonesia

The future of Tesla Supercharging is uncertain following CEO Elon Musk's disbanding of the Supercharging team as part of a broader restructuring. The roughly 500 layoffs included senior director of EV charging Rebecca Tinucci and Daniel Ho, director of vehicle programs. "I would describe the Supercharger network as one of the crown jewels of Tesla," said Andres Pinter, co-CEO of Bullet EV Charging Solutions. "Instead of doing victory laps and building the Supercharger network and reaping the benefits of this asset, suddenly there's this pause." Musk said in a post that Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network, just at a slower pace.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Rebecca Tinucci, Daniel Ho, Tesla, Andres Pinter, It's, Musk, Matt Teske Organizations: EV, Solutions, Bloomberg, Tesla, Ford Motor, General Motors Locations: North America

Meanwhile, OpenAI on Monday launched a new AI model and desktop version of ChatGPT, along with a new user interface. Gemini AI updatesGoogle introduced updates to Gemini 1.5 Pro, its AI model that will soon be able to handle even more data — for example, the tool can summarize 1,500 pages of text uploaded by a user. Generative AI tools such as chatbots and image creators continue to have issues with accuracy, however. New search featuresThe tech giant is launching "AI Overviews" in Google Search on Monday in the U.S. AI Overviews show a quick summary of answers to the most complex search questions, according to Liz Reid, head of Google Search. Google Search found the model of the record player and suggested that it could be malfunctioning because it wasn't properly balanced.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Andrej Sokolow, Anthropic, OpenAI, There's, Pichai, Gemini, Apple's Siri, Prabhakar Raghavan, Liz Reid, you'll, that's, Google's, Tony Stark's, —, ChatGPT, Demis Hassabis Organizations: Google, Getty, Gemini, Monday, Gmail, Astra Project Astra, Marvel, Astra Locations: U.S

☆ Want to see Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ without breaking the bank? Try Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Planning a summer vacation in Europe usually requires an exorbitant amount of cash, but when Taylor Swift is involved, it actually might be a deal. For example, secondary market ticket prices for Swift’s show in Stockholm, Sweden, this Saturday are as cheap as $300 for standing room-only and seats in the nosebleed sections. Compare that to Swift’s show in Miami in October where seats are selling for about $2,000 to as much as $8,500 on StubHub. Julien De Rosa/AFP/Getty ImagesAlthough Europe’s laws on ticket resale vary country by country, a number of them, including Ireland and Portugal, ban ticket sellers from making a profit on the secondary market. For Swifties looking to jump over the pond for their London Boy, Shemtob recommends using ticket sellers such as Ticketmaster, AEG, Eventim or Twickets.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift, Sam Shemtob, Julien De Rosa, reselling, Shemtob, it’s, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Union, Alliance, CNN, Friends Arena, Swedish men’s national football team, Sweden isn’t, Getty, EU, Digital Services, European Court, Justice, ”, London, Ticketmaster, AEG Locations: New York, Europe, Stockholm, Sweden, Swedish, Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Paris, AFP, Ireland, France, EU

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow Tesla may have just killed its most important product — SuperchargersTesla's Supercharging network faces uncertainty following Elon Musk's recent decision to disband the entire Supercharging team. The move coincides with broader restructuring due to falling sales and increased competition, resulting in a 32% drop in the stock price this year. Since the charging network's beginning in 2012, Tesla has built 6,000 stations and 55,000 Superchargers globally. But whether Tesla can maintain its advantage without the team remains to be seen.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Tesla

☆ Sri Lanka travel visa costs doubled to $100 last month. The reason for the hike is disputed
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Erica Lamberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The cost to obtain a short-term visa to visit Sri Lanka rose from $50 to $100 in April. In response, VFS Global said, "Visa categories were introduced as per the directives of [Sri Lanka's] Department of Immigration and Emigration (DI&E)." Both parties agreed that 30-day travel visas priced at $50 had been reinstated as of May 7. But VFS Global's fees angered many in Sri Lanka's travel industry and led to allegations of corruption by Sri Lankan opposition leaders. "The government of Sri Lanka won't be charging, but the platform … will," he said.

Persons: Harin Fernando, VFS, scammers, Fernando, — Organizations: VFS, Sri, Harin, CNBC, of Immigration, E, Sri Lanka's Ministry of Public Security, VFS Global Locations: Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka's, Sri Lankan, India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand

Michael Cohen is on the witness stand at Donald Trump's hush-money trial in New York. Cohen, Trump's personal-attorney-turned-nemesis, told jurors that Trump gave the warning in 2015, before he announced his presidential run. AdvertisementThat's the story Cohen told jurors after taking the stand at Trump's hush-money trial on Monday. When Trump asked him to work as his attorney at the Trump Organization, "I was honored," testified Cohen, who once boasted he'd take a bullet for the GOP-frontrunner. "It was fantastic," Cohen testified Monday of his decade working for Trump, calling the Trump Organization "a big family."

Persons: Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's, Cohen, —, Donald Trump, Trump, " Cohen, Trump's, Donald, Von ShitzInPants, bestie, David Pecker, Stormy Daniels, Roy Cohn, Jeff McConney, McConney, Hope Hicks, Hicks, Prosecutors Organizations: Service, Trump Organization, GOP, Trump, Prosecutors, National Enquirer, Trump Tower, Tahoe, FBI Locations: New York, Manhattan, Trump

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