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An easyJet Airbus A320neo aircraft is parked on the tarmac of Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport, in Madrid, Spain, June 22 2022. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Easyjet PLC FollowLONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Decarbonisation efforts in the aviation sector will cost more money, but that cost should not fall to the consumer, easyJet Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said on Wednesday. He added that options to decarbonise, like creating sustainable aviation fuels, are not yet at scale and cost three to five times more than typical jet fuel. Lundgren also said a wide range of stakeholders including governments needed to chip in to ensure decarbonisation costs remain low. A lot of the cost will depend on the speed of innovation, which Lundgren is hopeful can mitigate price hikes.

Persons: Adolfo Suarez, Isabel Infantes, Johan Lundgren, Lundgren, Sarah Young, Joanna Plucinska, Sachin Ravikumar, William James, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Airbus, Adolfo Suarez Madrid, Barajas Airport, REUTERS, Reuters IMPACT, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, London

☆ Top US Senate Republican McConnell to serve out term despite health concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he plans to serve the rest of his two-year term as party leader and his full six-year term in office, allowing for the possibility that he would step down from leadership before leaving office. KEY QUOTE"I am going plan to finish my term as leader and I'm going to finish my Senate term," McConnell told reporters. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson Acquire Licensing RightsAlready the longest-serving party leader in U.S. Senate history, McConnell's current term as leader expires in January 2025, while his term as a senator runs through January 2027. McConnell did not address the two-year gap between the end of his current job as leader and end of his Senate term. * McConnell has served as Senate majority leader from 2015 to 2021 and as Senate minority leader since then.

Persons: Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Mitch McConnell, Julia Nikhinson, Nancy Pelosi, Katharine Jackson, Makini Brice, David Morgan, Scott Malone, Bill Berkrot Organizations: U.S, Senate Republican, REUTERS, Senate, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Washington, Kentucky

☆ US Senate races ahead of House on spending bills, aims to avoid gov't shutdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Appropriations Committee have backed the 12 separate spending bills that would finance most government operations for fiscal 2024, while their House Appropriations Committee has been producing bills with only Republican support. Some hardline House Republicans have dismissed the risks of a government shutdown, saying it could be a cudgel for achieving deeper spending cuts to address the $31.4 trillion national debt. 'A PRETTY BIG MESS'Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell has voted for every one of the 12 fiscal 2024 bills advanced by the Senate Appropriations Committee, as have nearly all of his fellow committee Republicans. Meanwhile, as some hardline House Republicans push for defense spending cuts instead of a buildup, there is pushback within their 222-member caucus. He was referring to a special House-Senate negotiating team that likely would be tasked with ironing out differences between House and Senate defense appropriations bills.

Persons: Kevin Wurm, Joe Biden's, Biden, Republican Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, McCarthy, Andrew Bates, William Hoagland, Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Tom Cole, we'll, Richard Cowan, Trevor Hunnicutt, Scott Malone, William Maclean Organizations: U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Rights, Democrats, Senate, Republicans, Democratic, Republican, White, Center, Senate Republican, House Republicans, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Ukraine, Kentucky

☆ Opinion: DeSantis’ snub of Biden in Florida shows why he’s bad at politics
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Dean Obeidallah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Joe Biden traveled to Florida on Saturday to survey the devastation from Hurricane Idalia. But a White House official told CNN the governor hadn’t raised that issue when the president told him of his visit before announcing it publicly. Of course, those concerns were apparently not an issue when DeSantis welcomed Biden to the state to survey past calamities. For example, in 2021, after the deadly condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, Biden and DeSantis came together as the president toured the damage. And it’s really important.”Just last year, again Biden and DeSantis publicly toured the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian in October.

Persons: Dean Obeidallah, Joe Biden, GOP Sen, Rick Scott of, Ron DeSantis, Dean Obeidallah CNN DeSantis, Biden, hadn’t, DeSantis, “ You’ve, ” DeSantis, Hurricane Ian, “ Mr, ”, It’s, Kate Bedingfield, ” Bedingfield, Donald Trump, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, Chris Christie, Barack Obama, Republican Mitt Romney, Christie, Obama, —, “, Romney, DeSantis didn’t, I’m, “ We’re, Republicans —, DeSantis —, Hurricane Sandy —, floundering Organizations: CNN, GOP, Florida Gov, Dean Obeidallah CNN, White, Biden, Biden White House, Sunshine State, Democratic Gov, Trump, Obama, Republican, Army Corps of Engineers, Twitter, Facebook, Federal Emergency Management, Disaster Relief, United States Congress, Democrats, Republicans, Hurricane Locations: Florida, Rick Scott of Florida, Surfside , Florida, Miami Beach, California, New Jersey, Hurricane, Massachusetts, United States

[1/2] Union workers of Sogo & Seibu hold banners which read 'on strike' in front of the company's flagship Seibu Ikebukuro store in Tokyo, Japan August 31, 2023. In a statement, Fortress said it would work with Seven & i to support Sogo & Seibu's management to maintain its workforce "to the extent possible." It plans to invest more than 20 billion yen with partner Yodobashi to renovate Sogo & Seibu's stores, it said. Sogo & Seibu's workers had the support of labour groups from rival department stores including Takashimaya and Isetan Mitsukoshi (3099.T). The Seibu Ikebukuro store is Japan's third-largest department store by sales, according to media reports, but its owner Sogo & Seibu has been in the red for the last four years.

Persons: Irene Wang, Fortress, Yodobashi, it's, Yasuhiro Teraoka, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Wakana Shuto, Stephen Givens, Ritsuko Shimizu, Mariko Katsumura, Kaori Kaneko, Rocky Swift, Chang, Ran Kim, Edwina Gibbs, Stephen Coates, Miral Organizations: Union, Sogo, Seibu, company's, REUTERS, Workers, Fortress Investment Group, Yodobashi Holdings, Rikkyo, Japan Inc, Thomson, & & ' Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, TOKYO, Ikebukuro, Sogo, Seibu Ikebukuro

[1/2] Union workers of Sogo & Seibu hold banners which read 'on strike' in front of the company's flagship Seibu Ikebukuro store in Tokyo, Japan August 31, 2023. Some 900 workers at the flagship Seibu store in the bustling district of Ikebukuro are protesting the sale of Sogo & Seibu, a unit of retail giant Seven & i (3382.T), to U.S. fund Fortress Investment Group. This one-day strike - the first at a major Japanese department store in 61 years - followed months of negotiations between Sogo & Seibu management and the workers' union, and comes amid a labour shortage in Japan. Other Seibu and Sogo department stores were open for business as usual. The Seibu Ikebukuro store is Japan's third-largest department store by sales, according to media reports, but its owner Sogo & Seibu has been in the red for the last four years.

Persons: Irene Wang, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Wakana Shuto, Stephen Givens, it's, Ritsuko Shimizu, Mariko Katsumura, Kaori Kaneko, Rocky Swift, Chang, Ran Kim, Edwina Gibbs, Stephen Coates, Miral Organizations: Union, Sogo, Seibu, company's, REUTERS, Workers, Fortress Investment Group, Yodobashi Holdings, Rikkyo, Japan Inc, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, TOKYO, Ikebukuro, Sogo, Seibu Ikebukuro

☆ Japan sees rare strike as workers at landmark department store protest sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Mariko Katsumura 清水律子 | Mariko Katsumura | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The slogan on the banner in the centre reads, 'Sogo & Seibu, strike solidarity'. This one-day strike - the first at a major Japanese department store in 61 years - followed months of negotiations between Sogo & Seibu management and the workers' union. Other Seibu and Sogo department stores were open for business as usual. "Considering the industry's difficulties, the conditions at Sogo & Seibu are not unique." Sogo & Seibu has been in the red for the last four years and has some 300 billion yen in debt.

Persons: Satomi Saito, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Daimaru, Wakana Shuto, Ritsuko Shimizu, Mariko Katsumura, Kaori Kaneko, Rocky Swift, Chang, Ran Kim, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Sogo, Seibu, company's, Kyodo, Workers, Fortress Investment Group, Yodobashi Holdings, Yodobashi, Hankyu Hanshin, Rikkyo, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, U.S, TOKYO, Ikebukuro, Sogo

On Wednesday, McConnell was speaking to reporters in Kentucky when he froze for more than 30 seconds. McConnell had been sidelined from Congress earlier this year, after he tripped in March and was hospitalized for a concussion and a minor rib fracture. "I have informed Leader McConnell that he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned. Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, was absent from the Senate for months earlier this year, after she suffered complications from shingles. "He was his old self on the telephone," said Biden, who served with McConnell in the Senate.

Persons: Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Congress's, Brian Monahan, Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden, Biden, Biden's, Donald Trump, Makini Brice, Scott Malone, Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Senate Republican, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, ABC, U.S . Capitol, Senate, Lawmakers, Democratic U.S, Democrats, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Covington , Kentucky, U.S, WASHINGTON, Kentucky, Washington, United States

☆ Joe Biden reacts to Mitch McConnell's second freeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsJoe Biden reacts to Mitch McConnell's second freezePostedPresident Joe Biden reacts to Senator Republican Mitch McConnell, after he froze up for more than 30 seconds on Wednesday (August 30) during a public appearance. It was the second such incident in a little more than a month, a clip from an NBC News affiliate showed.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell's, Republican Mitch McConnell Organizations: Republican, NBC News

☆ US Senate's McConnell freezes up for second time in public appearance
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The incident raised fresh questions among Republican and Democratic members of Congress about some of their aging colleagues. After being approached by a second person, McConnell resumed speaking but needed reporters' questions repeated to him and only answered two more questions. A McConnell aide said the senator would be consulting with a physician prior to his next public event. McConnell froze on Wednesday after being asked whether he intended to run again in 2026, when his six-year term is up. McConnell has served as Senate majority leader from 2015 to 2021 and as Senate minority leader since then.

Persons: Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Daniel Cameron, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Dianne Feinstein, Ramsay Hunt, Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Dean Phillips, Feinstein, Kanishka Singh, Makini Brice, Richard Cowan, Moira Warburton, Scott Malone, Howard Goller Organizations: U.S, Senate Republican, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, NBC News, Republican, Democratic, Capitol, Senate, Democratic U.S, Reuters, Congress, Thomson Locations: Covington , Kentucky, U.S, Covington, Washington

☆ Could Fed Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech send stocks plunging again?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —With Nvidia earnings out of the way, the next test for US markets is Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s annual speech at the Jackson Hole economic summit on Friday. “In August of 2022, Powell knew the Fed had several more rate hikes to go. Macy’s sounds the alarm on credit card delinquenciesMacy’s is warning of a spike in customers who are failing to make credit card payments, adding to the evidence of mounting financial stress on consumers, reports my colleague Matt Egan. This situation is hurting Macy’s business, driving down credit card revenue by 36% year over year and contributing to a quarterly loss, he said. Citing worsening consumer leverage metrics, Macy’s is bracing for a further increase in “bad debt” in its credit card portfolio.

Persons: Jerome Powell’s, Powell, ”, — Powell, “, Tom Graff, Matt Egan, ” Adrian Mitchell, Danielle Wiener, Bronner, Qiana Di, Di Bari, Read Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Nvidia, Kansas, Fed, Dow Jones, “, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: New York, Wyoming, Maui, United States, Qiana Di Bari, Lahaina, Kahului

☆ Macy’s sounds the alarm on credit card delinquencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

This situation is hurting Macy’s business, driving down credit card revenue by 36% year over year and contributing to a quarterly loss, he said. Citing worsening consumer leverage metrics, Macy’s is bracing for a further increase in “bad debt” in its credit card portfolio. “I think the credit card revenue is an indication of some of the pressures that we’re actually seeing on the consumer,” Mitchell said. Consumer credit card debt topped $1 trillion during the second quarter for the first time on record, according to the New York Federal Reserve. More concerningly, new credit card and auto loan delinquencies have now surpassed pre-Covid levels, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

Persons: New York CNN —, ” Adrian Mitchell, Macy’s, ” Mitchell, ” Macy’s, Locker Organizations: New, New York CNN, Citibank, Consumer, New York Federal Reserve, Moody’s Investors Service, Credit Locations: New York, Wells

☆ Macy's warning of weak second-half demand hits retail sector shares
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Savyata Mishra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its cautious view also weighed on the retail sector shares, including Kohl's (KSS.N) and Nordstrom (JWN.N). In a clear sign that higher borrowing costs were straining customers, Macy's credit card revenue, which accounted for about 2% of the total revenue in the quarter, slumped 41%. Throughout the quarter, Macy's cleared excess stock after a move to convert its merchandise for the spring and summer hurt demand, leading to a slip in gross margin. Macy's reaffirmed its expectations for 2023 sales of $22.8 billion to $23.2 billion and adjusted full-year profit per share between $2.70 and $3.20. At $12.8, Macy's shares were set for their worst session since March last year.

Persons: Macy, Brendan McDermid, Adrian Mitchell, Paul Lejuez, Mitchell, Macy's, Jessica Ramirez, Jane Hali, Savyata Mishra, Arun Koyyur Organizations: REUTERS, Nordstrom, Citi, Target, Thomson Locations: New York , New York, U.S, Bengaluru

☆ US airline pilots fight their unions to increase retirement age
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Rajesh Kumar Singh | Allison Lampert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Increasing the age limit by two years would also align pilot retirement with the minimum federal retirement age, allowing them to receive full social security benefits. But the specific question of increasing the retirement age to 67 was never brought to the floor for a vote. “This is a coup by junior pilots against senior pilots,” said Allen Baker, who retired as a United Airlines pilot in June. Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for American Airlines pilots union, said pilots seeking higher retirement age want to keep earning longer. But United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has said lifting the retirement age would not solve the pilot shortage.

Persons: Bo Ellis, F, Andrew Kelly ALPA, Ellis, ALPA, ”, “, ” ALPA, Rick Redfern, Savanthi Syth, Raymond James ., Dan Carr, Carr, Allen Baker, Baker, Dennis Tajer, Jason Ambrosi, Barry Biffle, Scott Kirby, Jonathan Ornstein Organizations: Reuters, Air Line Pilots Association, Kennedy International Airport, REUTERS, U.S . Congress, Regional Airline Association, Southwest Airlines, Air, Mesa, MESA, United Airlines, United, U.S . Senate, Raymond James . JUNIOR, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, International Air Transport Association Locations: Queens , New York City, U.S, Delta, United, Redfern, Canada, Japan, Australia, Mesa

Increasing the age limit by two years would also align pilot retirement with the minimum federal retirement age, allowing them to receive full social security benefits. But the specific question of increasing the retirement age to 67 was never brought to the floor for a vote. "This is a coup by junior pilots against senior pilots," said Allen Baker, who retired as a United Airlines pilot in June. Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for American Airlines pilots union, said pilots seeking higher retirement age want to keep earning longer. But United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has said lifting the retirement age would not solve the pilot shortage.

Persons: F, Andrew Kelly, Bo Ellis, ALPA, Ellis, Rick Redfern, Savanthi Syth, Raymond James ., Dan Carr, Carr, Allen Baker, Baker, Dennis Tajer, Jason Ambrosi, Barry Biffle, Scott Kirby, Jonathan Ornstein, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Allison Lampert, Ben Klayman, Grant McCool Organizations: Pilots, Kennedy International Airport, REUTERS, Air Line Pilots Association, U.S . Congress, Regional Airline Association, Southwest Airlines, Reuters, Mesa, MESA, United Airlines, United, U.S . Senate, Raymond James . JUNIOR, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, International Air Transport Association, Thomson Locations: Queens , New York City, U.S, Redfern, Canada, Japan, Australia, Chicago, Montreal

☆ Cargill ingredients are probably in every meal you eat. That makes the company's environmental goals a big deal.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Cargill, the largest private company in the US, buys from farmers and ranchers in 70 countries. Some environmental groups, including Greenpeace and Stand.earth , accuse Cargill of not doing enough on those fronts. What is Cargill doing about the climate crisis? What is Cargill doing about that? (A Cargill spokesperson added that the company also offers premium payments to soy growers in South America enrolled in a company sustainability program.

Persons: Cargill, Pilar Cruz, Burger, didn't Cargill Organizations: Service, Privacy, Cargill, Greenpeace, Stand.earth, Latina, Soil Health Institute, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Innovation Fund, Tropical Forest Alliance, US, Brazil —, Gran Chaco, South America Locations: South America, Southeast Asia, Cargill, North America, Germany, Romania, Poland, Southern, Brazil, West Africa, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, South

Xinhua/Shutterstock‘Absolutely safe’As heavy rains moved toward the region in late July, China’s top flood control officials met to hash out their response plan. The flood was caused by flood water discharge, not by heavy rainfall.”CNN has reached out to the Zhuozhou and Bazhou governments for comment. Rescuers use rubber boats to transfer Zhuozhou residents trapped by flood waters after days of downpours brought by Typhoon Doksuri on August 2. In the recent rains, at least three upstream reservoirs released flood waters into rivers flowing into Baiyingdian from the west and the south, according to state media. Many countries have systems that involve discharging pent up flood waters into otherwise dry land after major storms.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi’s, ”, It’s, Xiong’an, Jade Gao, Ni Yuefeng, downpours, Typhoon Doksuri, Zhai Jujia, Li Guoying, Hongzhang Xu, Xiao, Li Na, Zhu Xudong, it’s, Xiong’an –, Xu, Baiyangdian Lake, Kevin Frayer, “, Meili Feng, Simon Song, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Xu Kuangdi, Yi Haifei, Andrew Stokols Organizations: CNN, Xinhua, Getty, Censors, China News Service, China’s, Water, Australian National University, Authorities, China’s Ministry of Water Resources, Hebei Provincial Department of Water Resources, Geographical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Shanghai’s Pudong New, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urban Computing Center Locations: Beijing, China, Hebei, Xiong’an’s, Xiong'an, Zhuozhou, AFP, Bazhou, Xiong’an, Tianjin, ”, Xinhua, Baiyingdian, Baiyangdian, Mississippi, University of Nottingham Ningbo, “, Hebei province, Shenzhen, Shanghai’s Pudong, Shanghai

☆ AI is going to eliminate way more jobs than anyone realizes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Emil Skandul | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

We didn't see the internet coming, but AI is within viewThe adoption of groundbreaking technology is often hard to predict. The World Economic Forum estimated 83 million jobs worldwide would be lost over the next five years because of AI, with 69 million jobs created — that leaves 14 million jobs that will cease to exist during that timeframe. In the US, the knowledge-worker class is estimated to be nearly 100 million workers, one out of three Americans. The small and large compounding effects of productivity growth across many industries are central to the growth trajectory and the long-run effects of AI. This is an alarmingly trivial amount for an economy of $25 trillion GDP and over 150 million workers.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Joseph Schumpeter, Bill Gates, David Letterman, Paul Krugman, Erik Brynjolfsson, —, Brynjolfsson, Robert Solow, Robert Gordon, provocatively, It's, Gordon, David Autor, Maria Flynn, Flynn, –, Georgia –, Emil Skandul, Tony Blair Organizations: McKinsey, Newsweek, Stanford University, Microsoft, Amazon, Cisco, Economic, International Labor Organization, Organization for Economic Co, Development, MIT, Congressional, Office, Department of Labor, Tony Blair Institute Locations: Washington, Singapore, New York, Georgia

A Baidu search for the question "should China be more responsible for climate change? ", or variations of it, did not produce any articles critical of China's climate policy in the first few dozen results. Instead, the results, many from state media outlets, focused on China's leadership in the fight against climate change and calls for developed countries to take more responsibility. China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story, but government spokespeople have long defended China's record on climate change and press freedom. Despite the extreme weather, China has reinforced its message about energy security rather than climate change in recent months, said CREA's lead analyst, Lauri Myllyvirta.

Persons: Doksuri, Tingshu Wang, Li Shuo, We're, Su, Fang Kecheng, Pan Zhongdang, Xi Jinping, Li, Lauri Myllyvirta, David Stanway, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Greenpeace, Weibo, Baidu, Chinese University of Hong, Communications, University of Wisconsin, Environmental Studies, New, Centre for Research, Energy, Clean, Thomson Locations: Zhuozhou, Hebei province, China, BEIJING, Beijing, Hebei, Chinese University of Hong Kong, United States, Madison, New York, Shanghai Campus, Shanghai

☆ AI could soon tell you the future value of your home
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The future of home prices will shape the financial fates of many Americans. An AI tool from MIT can accurately predict how home prices would change over time. According to an MIT researcher, AI might be able to provide you with an answer. In the future, AI tools like the one at MIT might help prospective homeowners predict where the biggest gains are likely. "Imagine a dystopian future where everyone repaints their house a specific colour to game the system and impress the Google Street View Car," Ratti wrote.

Persons: Carlo Ratti, Ratti Organizations: MIT, Service, Financial Times, Google, Vanguard Locations: Wall, Silicon, Boston

☆ US Senator Feinstein back home after fall, brief hospitalization
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) attends a Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting to vote on legislation and pending nominations before the committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 11, 2023. Senator Dianne Feinstein, 90, was briefly hospitalized following a minor fall in her San Francisco home, her office said on Wednesday, the latest incident involving a key member of the committee that approves federal judges. "All of her scans were clear and she returned home," after a brief Tuesday night hospitalization, Feinstein's office said in a statement. Feinstein is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee that plays a critical role in confirming presidential appointments of federal judges. First elected to the Senate in 1992, Feinstein has said she will not seek re-election in 2024.

Persons: Dianne Feinstein, Kevin Lamarque, Feinstein, Republican Mitch McConnell, Ramsay Hunt, Moira Warburton, Rami Ayyub, David Ljunggren, Susan Heavey, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Capitol, REUTERS, Democratic U.S, Democrats, Senate, Top, Republican, Committee, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, San, Washington

☆ An Asian MIT student asked AI to turn an image of her into a professional headshot. It made her white with lighter skin and blue eyes.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An Asian MIT student was shocked when an AI tool turned her white for a professional headshot. She said she's been put off using AI image tools for now because it didn't create usable results. A recent study showed that some AI image generators have issues with gender and racial bias. The second image showed that the AI tool had altered her features to appear more Caucasian with lighter skin and blue eyes. The researchers explained that this is because the AI tool was trained on biased data which can amplify stereotypes.

Persons: she's, Rona Wang –, –, Wang, Suhail Doshi, we're, Face, DALL, didn't Organizations: MIT, Boston Globe, Globe, Twitter Locations: American

☆ Behold, the Orb: I can't stop thinking about Sam Altman's dystopian eyeball-scanning device
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The orbs, shiny sculptural spheres that scan the eyeballs of new members, seem to have become the company's dystopian symbol. But Worldcoin's Orbs look more like inscrutable machines than something mythological. Worldcoin has said it has emphasized privacy in designing a system based on extracting eyeball scans. And the eyeball scans get erased, according to Worldcoin. Worldcoin has said that "World IDs" don't contain any eyeball scans or iris data.

Persons: Sam Altman's, Worldcoin, Sam Altman trumpeted, Alex Blania, Donald Trump, Tim Sweeney, It's Organizations: Twitter, Epic, pitchfork, MIT Technology Locations: Lisbon, Singapore, Sands, Miami, Tokyo

☆ NFL owners approve sale of Commanders, former owner fined $60 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

July 20 (Reuters) - National Football League owners have unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders franchise to a group led by the co-owner of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, the league said on Thursday. Financial terms of the deal to purchase the Commanders from Dan Snyder, who was fined $60 million by the NFL for workplace misconduct after the approval was announced, were not disclosed. Former NBA great Johnson wrote on Twitter that he is both "honored and ecstatic" to be a co-owner of an NFL team. The investigation also concluded that the Commanders withheld about $11 million in revenue, and possibly more, that should have been shared with other NFL teams. In 2021 the NFL fined the Commanders $10 million after an independent counsel review found the workplace demonstrated "a general lack of respect" towards women.

Persons: Dan Snyder, Josh Harris, Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, Harris, Johnson, Snyder, Frank Pingue, Deepa Babington Organizations: National Football League, Washington Commanders, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, NFL, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Fame, Los Angeles Lakers, 76ers, Devils, Premier League soccer, Crystal, Apollo Global Management, Washington, NBA, Twitter, Congress, Forbes, U.S . House, Thomson Locations: Maryland, U.S, Toronto

☆ Germany's economy is stagnating. And these 5 charts show how
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

But a faltering gross domestic product isn't the only figure that suggests that the German economy is stuttering. Germany's inflation rate is expected to hit 6.4% for June, according to provisional data from the German statistics office, which is an increase from the 6.1% recorded for May. Expect maybe for the second half that inflation might come down to a certain extent," Joachim Nagel, president of Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, told CNBC in March. "What the fiscal authority can do in the face of high inflation is to alleviate the pain of inflation on the most fragile citizens," he said. The German economy has already recouped half of the losses in terms of trade incurred over the last two years and the energy crisis," he added.

Persons: Joachim Nagel, Sylvain Broyer, Volker Wieland, Veronika Grimm, Alexander, Universität, Broyer, China's, Robert Habeck Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, CNBC, European Central Bank, Energy, Goethe University, Allianz, Reuters, Friedrich, country's Locations: Germany, Europe, Ukraine, Frankfurt, Universität Erlangen, Nürnberg, China, Beijing

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