DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ As gas prices hit 10-month highs, Citi warns major hurricanes could ‘massively’ disrupt supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Oil prices could still fallFor consumers, the good news is that, outside of the risk of a bad hurricane season, Citi is bearish on oil prices. The Wall Street bank’s baseline forecast is that oil prices will drop in the coming months, a scenario that would cool gas prices. “It’s something we certainly keep a close eye on,” a White House official told CNN earlier this week. As recently as Memorial Day and July 4th, consumers were saving big on gas prices when measured against the same point last year. “Energy markets are volatile and gas prices can fluctuate,” the White House official told CNN.

Persons: Hilary, Joe Biden’s, “, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Janet Yellen, heatwaves Organizations: CNN, AAA, That’s, Citigroup, National Hurricane Center, Coast, Citi, White, “ Energy, White House Locations: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, California, Washington, Colorado , Arizona, Illinois, AAA . Indiana , Pennsylvania, New York

☆ Maui wildfires: At least 106 were killed and identifying all of them will be difficult, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Only five of the 106 dead had been identified as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Maui County officials. Family members of missing people had provided 41 DNA samples, trying to see whether their loves ones are among the dead, county officials said. Green told CNN Tuesday he hopes “much of it will be done” by the weekend. Dominick Del Vecchio/Reuters• Some victims are named: Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, both of Lahaina, were killed, Maui County officials said Tuesday. Hawaii’s attorney general will spearhead a review of decisions that officials made in response to the wildfires, her office has said.

Persons: Hawaii’s, Josh Green, Green, “ We’re, “, we’re, ”, Jonathan Greene, Dominick Del Vecchio, Robert Dyckman, Buddy Jantoc, we’ll, who’s, ” Green, • Biden, Biden, Dang, ” Dang, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Kula, Ross Hart, Maui’s upcountry, Hart, ” Hart, CNN they’ve, Jace Kennedy Organizations: CNN, Hawaii Gov, Authorities, US Department of Health, Human Services, FEMA, Reuters, •, Lahaina’s Locations: Maui, Hawaii, Maui County, Lahaina, Lahaina , Hawaii, •, Upper Kula, upcountry, Kula, Maui’s

☆ Trump’s allies have long faced legal troubles, but this time is different because he is too
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

They were the latest members of the former president’s inner circle to find out that associating with Trump could put them on cracking legal ice. There is increasing speculation over why Meadows was charged in Georgia but not in special counsel Jack Smith’s federal investigation into Trump’s election stealing efforts. Legal experts wonder whether he could be cooperating with that probe in a sign of peril for the former president. Trump’s inner circles have long faced legal problemsTrump’s co-defendants in the Georgia case are not the first to find out that the ex-president’s intolerance for the rules and conventions that normally constrain presidencies can lead them into treacherous waters. Trump once vowed to bring only “the best people” to Washington, but his acolytes often find themselves dragged into his legal storms.

Persons: Donald, –, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Giuliani –, Trump’s, ”, Giuliani, bruiser, “, “ I’m, “ We’re, Mark Meadows, Meadows, Jack, John Eastman, Mike Pence, Harvey Silverglate, Sidney Powell –, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira –, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Robert Mueller’s, Steve Bannon, Bannon, ” Bannon, Allen Weisselberg, Michael Cohen, Cohen, ” Trump, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Stormy Daniels, extravagantly, Flynn, Manafort, Roger Stone, won’t, ’, District Attorney Fani Willis –, Ty Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, wouldn’t, Willis, ” Cobb Organizations: CNN, Trump, New, New York City, WABC, White House, Caucus, White, Republican, Former Trump, Trump Organization, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump’s, Save, District Attorney Locations: Georgia, Fulton, New York, Ukraine, North Carolina, Washington, Meadows, Fulton County , Georgia, Lago, Trump, Russia, Manhattan, Congress

☆ Janet Yellen explains her ‘magic mushroom’ experience in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen ate a “magic mushroom” on a recent trip to Beijing, but the aftereffects don’t sound that special. CNN’s Erin Burnett spoke to her Monday, asking about the “mushroom experience” that set off a social media frenzy and dramatically boosted business for a Yunnan restaurant chain, where Yellen ate the local jian shou qing. I learned that later,” Yellen said about the group dinner that clarified that she didn’t organize nor did she do the ordering. Yellen’s July trip to the Yunnan restaurant chain, called Yi Zuo Yi Wang (In and Out), garnered attention for the highly sought-after mushroom prized for its unique properties. Rather, the chain specializes in Yunnan food, a popular regional cuisine from part of southwestern China that borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

Persons: Janet Yellen, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Yellen, jian shou qing, ” Yellen, Erin Burnett, Yi Zuo Yi Wang, Jian shou qing, ”, Yellen’s Organizations: New, New York CNN Locations: New York, Beijing, Yunnan, China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar

☆ Analysis: Donald Trump's legal drama grows by the day
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Donald Trump’s already daunting legal predicament gets grimmer by the day as new details emerge of the depths to which he was prepared to stoop to reverse his defeat in the 2020 election. And as the former president’s legal team juggles court dates in different cities this week, their task in defending Trump is getting ever more complex. The stampede of developments around Trump’s cases is providing only a hint of the political and legal collision that is likely to unfold next year. But data from Trump’s account could potentially provide information about which phone – and potentially person – posted tweets to the account. Twitter data might also show any direct messages sent to or from Trump’s account.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Fani Willis, Jack Smith’s, Carlos De Oliveira, Walt Nauta, Biden, Craig Robertson, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Stormy Daniels, Bragg, George Soros, Robertson, ”, General Merrick Garland, Willis –, –, Willis, Gov, Geoff Duncan, ” Duncan, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Georgia Biden, Brad Raffensperger, CNN’s Sara Murray, Elie Honig, Smith, “, Renato Mariotti, Jake Tapper, Trump ‘, ’ ” Trump, Joe Biden’s DOJ, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, Trump, Twitter, New York Times, FBI, Democratic, Manhattan, Attorney, Republican Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, Washington, Mar, Florida, Trump’s, Utah, Fulton, Coffee County , Georgia

☆ Trump’s surreal arraignment day in Washington augurs ominous days ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

He was irked, sources familiar with his mindset told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, that the judge referred to him simply as “Mr. Any alternative Republican president could find themselves besieged by demands from Trump supporters for a pardon that, if granted, could overshadow their entire presidency. The California Republican compared Trump’s behavior to the complaints by supporters of past Democratic presidential nominees Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, who complained of electoral irregularities. A few Democrats objected to certifying Trump’s election in Congress is 2016, but Clinton did not challenge it in the courts. But their blind spot on Trump’s far worse, Constitution-threatening conduct shows just how far he has changed their party.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, –, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Jack Smith –, “, ” Trump, pardoning, J, Michael Luttig, ” Luttig, ”, Geoff Duncan, ” Duncan, Richard Nixon, ” Nixon, Smith, Alberto Gonzales, George W, Bush, Ty Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Cobb, Elliot Williams, Biden’s, Kevin McCarthy, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, ” McCarthy, Gore, Clinton, Kinzinger, Biden, Hunter Organizations: CNN, Washington, Republican, Capitol, Trump, Justice Department, Department of Justice, White, GOP, California Republican, Democratic, Supreme, CNN Republicans, Republicans Locations: America, United States, New Jersey, Georgia, California, China, Ukraine, Bedminster

☆ Trump: Why a third indictment of the former president could be such a profound stain on his legacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Smith has not tipped his hand over what charges Trump could face. Former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday that any potential indictment relating to election interference ought to be viewed as a particularly historic stain. How a new indictment could impact the GOP presidential raceThe possibility of another indictment against Trump also raises new political questions. “If you notice recently, President Trump went up in the polls and was actually surpassing President Biden for reelection. A third indictment would also further fuse Trump’s legal campaign and political one.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Jack Smith’s, Smith, who’s, –, “, ” Trump, Joe Biden, ”, Trump’s, Ty Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, ” Cobb, J, Michael Luttig, Jack Smith, ” Luttig, Jeffrey Sloman, Dana Nessel, CNN’s Jake Tapper, Ron DeSantis, we’ll, I’ll, ” DeSantis, Nikki Haley, ” Haley, Kevin McCarthy –, Biden, ” McCarthy, he’s, he’d, Hillary, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, David Harbach Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, GOP, Democratic, Congress, Trump, Law, Southern, Southern District of, Democrat, Wolverine State, Florida Gov, ” Former South Carolina Gov, Fox News, Republican, Capitol, Oval, Republican National Convention Locations: Manhattan, Lago, Florida, Iowa, United States, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, ”, Trump’s, Georgia, Trump

☆ Opinion: Sending cluster bombs to Ukraine is a very bad idea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Opinion Michael Bociurkiw | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Michael Bociurkiw CNNOn Friday, after months of debate, US President Joe Biden announced that, as part of a new $800 million military aid package, the administration will be sending controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine. “No to cluster bombs and yes to the legitimate defense of Ukraine, which we understand should not be carried out with cluster bombs,” said Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles. Discord among US allies over cluster munitions might have been avoided altogether, had western capitals moved more swiftly to provide Ukraine with lethal weaponry. To keep the Ukrainians from running out and being defeated, we must send them cluster munitions. Cluster munitions could bring Kyiv a temporary battlefield advantage.

Persons: Michael Bociurkiw, Joe Biden, “, ”, Margarita Robles, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Emannuel Macron, Andre Luis Alves, ” Biden, William Taylor, Jake Sullivan, Vladimir Putin —, Erin Burnett, Zelensky Organizations: Atlantic Council, Organization for Security, Cooperation, CNN, Ukraine CNN —, Michael Bociurkiw CNN, Spain’s, NATO, Tactical Missile Systems, British Storm Shadow, Defense Department, Cluster Munitions, Human Rights Watch, United States Fund, UNICEF, “, Sunday, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Twitter Locations: Odesa, Europe, Kyiv, Ukraine, Canada, Spain, New Zealand, Germany, Margarita Robles . New Zealand, Lithuania, Vilnius, Russia, France, United States, Asia, Geneva, AVDIIVKA, UKRAINE, Avdiivka, Vladimir Putin — Ukraine, Odessa

☆ 2020 election interference probe: New glimpses into investigation suggest peril could be growing for Trump and his associates
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Revelations that special counsel Jack Smith has been digging into efforts to overturn former President Donald Trump’s Arizona election loss in 2020 bolster growing indications that his investigation is nearing a critical point. Smith has already made Trump the first former president to be formally accused of federal crimes. But a flurry of details about Smith’s inquiries into alleged election-stealing efforts suggest his investigators have had an industrious summer. He said he talked about a call that he had with Trump and Giuliani after the election, and a second call just from Trump. Prosecutors were also set to talk to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, CNN reported in June.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump’s, Smith, Trump, pushback, Rusty Bowers –, –, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Rudy Giuliani, He’s, specter, it’s, Bowers, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Giuliani, Smith’s, Adrian Fontes, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Brad Raffensperger, Robert Costello, Sidney Powell, Michael Flynn, Patrick Byrne Organizations: CNN, Trump, Republican, Arizona House, FBI, GOP, Capitol, Arizona Republican, Arizona Republic, Arizona’s, Prosecutors Locations: Donald Trump’s Arizona, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Washington, Manhattan, Trump, Nevada, York

☆ The war in Ukraine will define Biden’s legacy, but peril and uncertainty lie ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

They include:— A war of words between Ukraine and Russia over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of readying a bomb attack. The back-and-forth is raising fears of another alarming new dimension to a war already marred by alleged war crimes and terrible suffering among civilians. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the potential for “sabotage” by Ukraine at the plant was high. Given Russia’s previous nuclear rhetoric and fog of war misinformation, many Western observers are likely to give Zelensky the benefit of the doubt. Zelensky argued in the interview that the uprising exposed splits inside Russia over the war and an erosion of Russians’ positions.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Wagner, Vladimir Putin’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Zelensky, Dmitry Peskov, –, CNN’s Christian Edwards, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Zelensky, Putin, Mike Turner of, CNN’s Jake Tapper, ”, Burnett, “, Hanna Maliar, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Xi Jinping, what’s, ” McConnell, “ That’s, it’s, McConnell Organizations: CNN, NATO, Kremlin, UN, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagner Group, Senior, House Intelligence, Ukrainian, Republican, Senate, Kentucky Republican, America, Trump Locations: Ukraine, Lithuania, Baltic, Soviet Union, Russia, readying, Russian, Belarus, Moscow, Mike Turner of Ohio, Klishchiivka, Bakhmut, Washington, Europe, Fort Knox

☆ Exclusive: Zelensky says he wanted counteroffensive to start ‘much earlier’ to pre-empt Russian defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Erin Burnett Yon Pomrenze Mick Krever Victoria Butenko | Erin Burnett | Yon Pomrenze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In any direction Ukraine chooses to attack, however, time is the enemy, Zelensky told Burnett. Half of Russia supported Putin,” Zelensky said. I don’t think about it.”Switching to English, Zelensky told Burnett that he values the solitary moments. Think, think. And Ukrainian music – of course, I like Ukrainian music a lot, because Ukraine is (my) native language.

Persons: CNN —, Volodymyr Zelensky, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Zelensky, “, ”, Burnett, Defense Hanna Maliar, “ It’s, ” Zelensky, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin’s, don’t, CNN Burnett Organizations: CNN, Defense, Tactical Missile Systems, United, Prigozhin, DC Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Russia, Western, Russian, United States, Ukrainian

Odesa, Ukraine CNN —Vladimir Putin’s response to the armed Wagner rebellion was “weak” and the Russian President is losing control of his own people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN in an exclusive interview. It’s weak,” Zelensky told CNN’s Erin Burnett in Odesa, in an interview taped on Sunday. Zelensky told CNN he was “surprised” to see his meeting with Burns reported in the media. Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv Saturday, Zelensky said Prigozhin’s rebellion had “greatly affected Russian power on the battlefield” and could be beneficial to Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Asked whether there was any scenario under which there could be peace without Crimea, Zelensky said: “It will not be victory then.”

Persons: Erin Burnett’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine CNN — Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Zelensky, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Prigozhin, ’, Zelensky, Prigozhin’s, Bill Burns, ”, Burns, “, ” Burns, Burnett Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, CNN, US Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, Kyiv Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Rostov, Kyiv, Crimea

CNN —A father and son gave up their seats on the ultimately doomed Titan submersible out of safety concerns just weeks before its catastrophic implosion, they have told CNN. Investor Jay Bloom and his son Sean said they were both worried about the submersible and its ability to travel deep into the ocean ahead of the planned voyage. Their seats ultimately went to Shahzada and Suleman Dawood, the father and son who were onboard when the vessel imploded and were among five passengers that perished. I just did not think that it can survive going that low into the ocean,” Sean, 20, told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Friday evening. “All I could see when I saw that father and son was myself and my son, that could’ve been us,” Jay said.

Persons: Investor Jay Bloom, Sean, Suleman Dawood, “, CNN’s Erin Burnett, ”, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, ’ Jay Bloom, Rush, Jay, ” Jay, could’ve Organizations: CNN, Titan, Investor, Stockton Rush, OceanGate, Rush, Las Vegas, Authorities, Transportation, Board of Canada, US Coast Guard Locations: Shahzada, British, Las, Canada

CNN —Former United States President Barack Obama, late night television host Stephen Colbert, and CNN’s Erin Burnett are some of the “500 Americans” Russia has banned from entering the country. The list includes Obama, former US Ambassador Jon Huntsman, several US senators and the next expected chairman of the joint chiefs Charles Q. The rambling list of names also includes American late night TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Colbert, and Seth Meyers. Friday’s list also includes CNN Anchor Erin Burnett and is an update of a previously published longer list of sanctioned individuals that includes CNN’s Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh, CNN contributors Bianna Golodryga and Timothy Naftali. While the list was labelled, “500 Americans,” Paton Walsh is a British citizen.

☆ Trump is weaponizing the Russia report he demanded -- even though it lacks bombshells
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Another Trump ally, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, argued the report showed the “rule of law in America is subservient to political outcomes. In another politically sensitive part of his report, Durham found that the FBI did not pursue allegations against Clinton with the same vigor with which they acted against Trump. He pointed out that the Trump investigation was launched at a time when Russia was attacking Democratic National Committee servers and had used stolen information to attack Clinton. The investigation was only launched after the bureau received evidence from a friendly foreign government that the Trump campaign had been offered help by the Russians. But all Trump needed from the report was a headline and a general narrative of suspicion against the FBI.

☆ Trump’s latest court loss may not hurt primary bid, but some Republicans raise alarm about 2024 viability
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

He would not win the White House. The unanimous jury verdict was vindication for Carroll and offered a symbolic win for other women who have made assault allegations against the president. Many White House hopefuls have exited presidential races for less. Nikki Haley or prospective White House contender, Florida Gov. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy characteristically dodged commenting on the verdict after leaving debt crisis talks at the White House on Tuesday.

☆ Fox's $787 million settlement won't restore damage to US democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Fox News will pay $787.5 million for transmitting lies that a small voting technology firm helped steal the 2020 election. And Trump himself is facing several criminal probes related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the run-up to the January 6, 2021, insurrection. And is there any chance that Fox’s humiliation can repair some of the damage from the disastrous election aftermath in 2020? That missing moment of accountability will be important because claims that the 2020 election was corrupt are not some artifact of recent history. No single case can repair the damage of 2020The extent to which Trump’s falsehoods and conspiracy theories harmed democracy is open to debate.

☆ A moment of truth is fast approaching for both Trump and the DOJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

She then rebuffed White House condemnations of her comments by insisting she was joking. Smith has also issued a flurry of grand jury subpoenas since Thanksgiving, including to ex-Trump adviser Stephen Miller and two former White legal counsels. A judge on Monday formally dismissed Trump’s case challenging the Mar-a-Lago evidence collection and in which she had appointed a special master. If a moment of truth is approaching for Trump, the same can be said of Garland and the DOJ. Trump has already tried to use claims that justice is being weaponized against him as rocket fuel for his 2024 presidential bid.

☆ Trump faces yet another reckoning in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Donald Trump is 0-for-an awful lot in Georgia since 2016. The Georgia Senate runoff represents Trump’s final opportunity to recast a painful midterm season in which his election-denying candidates flopped in swing states, casting a shadow over his nascent 2024 presidential bid. Georgia is the epicenter of American politicsThe Senate runoff in Georgia caps an extraordinary two years in which the state has emerged, somewhat unexpectedly, as the most competitive battleground in the nation. In a call on January 2, 2021, Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” sufficient votes to overturn Biden’s victory. On the eve of the Senate runoffs in January 2021, Trump returned to Georgia to campaign for then-Sens.

Search resuls for: "CNN’s Erin Burnett"

19 mentions found