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Gov. Wes Moore's message of patriotism and service could be a blueprint for Democrats in a divided US 2024-06-16 20:43:17+00:00 - By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview Maryland Gov. Wes Moore hit the campaign trail last week for Josh Stein, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in North Carolina, rallying veterans to back his fellow Democrat in one of the most competitive governor races in the country. For gubernatorial aspirants, having a show of support from a sitting governor is critical, especially in a tight race. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Moore's visit to the Tar Heel State came as Stein, who is now the attorney general, launched his "Veterans for Stein" campaign coalition. North Carolina has one of the largest populations of active-duty military personnel in the country and serves as home to nearly 800,000 veterans. So it's natural for politicians to engage with the military community. Its influence in the state runs deep. Advertisement For Moore, who served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the US Army and was deployed in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006, patriotism and service shouldn't be relegated to one particular political party or ideology. Beginning with Moore's successful 2022 gubernatorial campaign, he's spread that message stumping for candidates across the country. And, in the process, he's sought to keep Democrats in conversations where they need to be if they're going to be a viable party in all corners of the United States. Related stories It's an effort that Moore feels will resonate. "There are certain things worth fighting for, and we risked our own safety for freedoms," Moore recently told Business Insider. "Some of the freedoms are on the ballot now, including the freedom to know that reproductive health should be between a woman and their doctor." Advertisement Last November, Moore came to Virginia to stump for Democratic legislative candidates, visiting the military-heavy Hampton Roads area and endorsing veterans like Michael Feggans of Virginia Beach — who was elected to the House of Delegates that month. "[W]e're pushing back against a lot of these individual forces who are trying to claim this mantle of patriotism and are actually restricting rights in the name of patriotism," Moore told BI at the time. With political polarization in the country becoming more hardened by the day, Democrats have a major opportunity in states like North Carolina, where there is still a significant level of split-ticket voting. Even though former President Donald Trump won North Carolina in 2016 and 2020, Stein won his attorney general races in the same general election. Advertisement Moore feels great about Stein's chances this fall. He said the attorney general shares the values veterans are looking for, especially on issues like health care and housing affordability. "He's consistently stood up for veterans as attorney general," the governor told BI last week. "And he'll do it as governor."

As N.B.A. TV Deal Nears, Warner Bros. Discovery Is on the Outside 2024-06-16 20:08:39+00:00 - Warner Bros. Discovery executives thought they had given the National Basketball Association a proposal it would accept. In April, after months of negotiations, the company made an offer to pay billions of dollars to the league for the rights to continue showing its games on TNT, as well as its Max streaming service. TNT has shown N.B.A. games since the 1980s, and its “Inside the NBA” is widely considered one of the best-ever sports studio shows. But with the end of Warner Bros. Discovery’s exclusive negotiating window looming, the N.B.A. insisted on changing the package of games the company would receive, according to two people familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private dealings. Warner Bros. Discovery balked, and while the two sides have continued negotiating, the company now finds itself on the verge of losing the rights to televise the sport with which it has become inextricably linked. And on Friday night, the beating heart of “Inside the NBA,” the Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, said he would be retiring from TV after next season. “The first thing anybody thinks about when you say TNT is the N.B.A.,” said John Skipper, the former president of ESPN.

Bill Gates says nuclear power has 'impressive' bipartisan support 2024-06-16 19:48:23+00:00 - By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview The forecast looks bright for American nuclear energy, Bill Gates says. The billionaire former Microsoft CEO is already building a nuclear power plant in Wyoming with TerraPower, a company he cofounded. The company intends to take its nuclear power plant online in 2030, Business Insider previously reported, and Gates is "quite confident" the project will move forward regardless of who wins the White House or the Congressional majority in November. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Related stories "Their support for nuclear power is very impressive in both parties," Gates told CBS News on "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "Of all the climate-related work I'm doing, I'd say the one that has the most bipartisan energy behind it is actually this nuclear work." Advertisement He noted the reasons each party supports nuclear "may not be identical." Republicans value energy security and exports, he said, while Democrats value both those issues and clean energy. "Nuclear really is a special," he told CBS. "Not because it's green, there are people who don't value that part of it all, I wish they would. They value it because of the US leadership. And you really don't want the nuclear reactors around the world, made by our adversaries, because it's economically a huge job creator." Nuclear energy is considered the largest source of clean power in the United States and is responsible for nearly half of the nation's emissions-free electricity, according to the Office of Nuclear Energy, a US government agency. It's produced in nuclear reactors through atomic fission, in which subatomic particles called neutrons collide with full atoms, forcing them to split in two. This process releases tons of heat, which is used to boil water and produce steam. That steam is then routed through the nuclear reactor's steam system to spin turbines and produce electricity. Advertisement Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have worked to bolster the nuclear energy industry this year. In March, the House of Representatives passed the ADVANCE Act, which will expand the use of nuclear energy in the United States and abroad. President Joe Biden also signed a law in March that allocates $100 million to nuclear workforce training programs at universities, two-year colleges, and trade schools. This renewed focus on nuclear energy also comes as the development of AI surges. Tech companies like OpenAI are increasingly looking for cleaner, greener forms of energy to meet the huge power demands of their data centers.

Disney is mailing checks after a $9.5 million class action settlement. Here's how to know if you are owed any money. 2024-06-16 19:33:26+00:00 - Disney agreed to a $9.5 million settlement with guests who purchased a Dream Key pass in 2021. Disney began sending out payments on June 14. A lawsuit claimed Disney misled guests into believing the annual pass had no block-out dates. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Advertisement Disneyland guests who paid nearly $1,400 for a Dream Key annual pass can soon expect a check from Disney. Payments from the $9.5 million settlement were sent to eligible class action lawsuit members through the mail and digitally on June 14. The settlement included over 100,000 people. Jenale Nielsen filed the lawsuit against Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in November 2021 after she purchased a Dream Key, which allows guests to make reservations at Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks without additional charge for one year. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in .

Biden warns Trump could select two more Supreme Court justices if re-elected 2024-06-16 19:26:00+00:00 - President Joe Biden on Saturday night warned about the possibility of former President Donald Trump appointing two new Supreme Court justices if he wins the presidency in November. “The next president is likely to have two new Supreme Court nominees — two more,” Biden said at a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles, adding that Trump had already appointed two justices who are “very negative in terms of the rights of individuals.” “I think it is one of the scariest parts,” Biden said. Biden’s comments came at a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles where he appeared alongside former President Barack Obama, actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts and comedian Jimmy Kimmel. At the fundraising event, the president participated in a discussion with Kimmel and Obama that touched on several policy issues. Kimmel noted that almost two years ago, conservative justices appointed by Trump played a pivotal role in overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion access. “These threats to abortion rights, to women’s rights, to even to birth control and IVF are not in our liberal imaginations anymore,” Kimmel said. “They’re very real, and these decisions, these very personal, intimate decisions, are now being made by nine unelected judges — one of whom flies his flag upside down. One of the others drives around in a $267,000 gift on vacations,” the comedian added, referring to controversies surrounding conservative Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who came under scrutiny for previously undisclosed trips given by a GOP megadonor. “And I think we are all wondering, what can we do about this?” Kimmel asked. “Elect me again,” Biden said, adding that the Supreme Court “has never been as out of kilter as it is today” and that Trump would “appoint two more flying flags upside down.” That was in reference to reports that an upside-down flag was flown outside of Alito’s home in early 2021. Some Trump supporters who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, had flown upside-down American flag during the attack, which was prompted by the then-president’s baseless claims of a rigged 2020 election and his refusal to concede. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he would not probe Alito for the reported upside-down flag, but urged the conservative justice to step aside from two pending cases involving Trump and the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Alito declined to recuse himself after he came under fire over the upside-down flag at his home and another controversial flag reportedly flown at a second property. In letters to members of Congress last month, Alito maintained that it was his wife who had decided to raise the contentious flags. Chief Justice John Roberts also rejected a request to meet with Democratic senators to discuss Supreme Court ethics in light of the flag controversy.

Tim Cook Tells MKBHD Blindly Ranking Apple Products Is Like Choosing 'Your Favorite Nieces Or Nephews:' This Is What Cupertino Chief Thinks About MacBook, iPad, iPhone, Magic Mouse And Vision Pro - Ap 2024-06-16 19:11:00+00:00 - Loading... Loading... Apple Inc. AAPL CEO Tim Cook recently participated in a blind ranking of five iconic Apple products, during an interview. The lineup included the MacBook Air, iPad, iPhone 4 and 5, Magic Mouse, and Vision Pro. What Happened: Cook was recently interviewed by YouTuber Marques Brownlee, better known as MKBHD, during the Worldwide Developers Conference 2024 (WWDC 24). The Apple CEO was asked to rank each Apple product without knowing the rest of the products. “It is a tough one. It’s like asking your favorite kids or nephews or nieces,” Cook joked. Although Cook didn’t rank the products, he praised them in retrospect. MacBook Air Cook recalled the first time his predecessor and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had revealed the Macbook Air out of an envelope. “It wasn’t about how many people would buy it. It was about establishing the foundation,” Cook said. iPad When asked about the iPad, Cook acknowledged its success despite initial skepticism and rumors. First revealed in 2010, this year, Apple has partnered with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 Sequoia. “You know, tablets had been in the market for a long time. Our objective is never to be first. Our objective is to be best,” Cook said. “People thought many things that weren’t too nice about it in the beginning, including the name, and yet I couldn’t live without my iPad today.” Magic Mouse Cook reflected on the Magic Mouse’s ergonomic significance. “People don’t think of that as much as they would the MacBook Air and the iPad and whatever else you’re going to name probably, but getting the ergonomics well done was key,” Cook said. iPhone “Oh my God. It changed the world,” Cook exclaimed, reflecting upon how it changed the way people thought about things that were on the phone. He added that the App Store released in 2008, a year after the first iPhone was released, also paved the way for new and upcoming developers. “There were no students in the developer community at that particular point in time. Now, the developer population is very diverse from an age point of view and everything else, and it just, fundamentally, became an economic miracle for people and got well outside of just doing it for a hobby. You look at all the businesses that came out of it,” Cook added. Vision Pro Lastly, Cook expressed his personal fondness for the Vision Pro, which he uses for entertainment and multitasking. He highlighted its popularity among Fortune 100 companies and its unique ability to convert old photos into 3D. “I find that it’s still an emotional experience to look at your photos, and with VisionOS 2, being able to take your old photos. And make them 3D, I think is a big, big thing,” Cook said. “You know, I lost both of my parents before Vision Pro came out, and being able to go back and look at those photos differently is something that, you know, it’s an experience you can’t replicate.” See Also: Who Will Be Next Apple CEO? Tim Cook Spills The Beans About His Legacy: ‘I Don’t Think About It. To Me, A Why It Matters: At this year’s WWDC, Cook announced the integration of AI-powered personal intelligence features, dubbed “Apple Intelligence,” into the operating systems for iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Following the WWDC 2024 keynote, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives lauded Apple’s venture into AI, calling it a game changer. He stated that Apple had delivered on every item, especially in terms of OpenAI and privacy, laying out the stack for developers. This positive feedback underscores the significance of Apple’s ongoing innovations, even as Cook nostalgically ranks the company’s iconic products. Price Action: On Friday, Apple’s stock was trading 0.34% lower at $213.52 after it closed at $214.24 on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro. Read Next: AI Adoption A ‘Do Or Die’ Moment For Companies, Says SandboxAQ CEO: ‘There’s Going To Be Winners And Losers‘ Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Photo courtesy of Apple

Derek Jeter finally found a buyer for his lake-front castle, but only after cutting the price in half 2024-06-16 19:04:16+00:00 - Derek Jeter has a buyer willing to pay $6.3 million for his lake-front castle in upstate New York. The Baseball Hall of Famer initially listed the property for over $14 million in 2018. Named Tiedemann Castle, the property features a turret, bridge, waterfall, and fountains. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Advertisement After years of trying, New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter finally found a buyer for his lake-front castle in upstate New York. But only after he cut the sale price in half, The New York Times reported. He tried to get $14.25 million for the lavish property when he listed it in 2018, and he tried to sell it again at an auction in 2022. It finally went into contract in May for $6.3 million, according to the Times.

'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Review: 'GOT' Prequel Gets Even Better 2024-06-16 18:37:19+00:00 - By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . You can opt-out at any time by visiting our Preferences page or by clicking "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the email. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview In season two of "House of the Dragon," Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was, tells Rhaenrya Targaryen that eventually, no one will remember when the war started. Was it when Alicent Hightower placed her son Aegon II on the throne? Was it when Alicent's second son, Aemond, killed Rhaenyra's son, Lucerys Velaryon, on dragonback? Or was it, perhaps, when Lucerys took Aemond's eye as a child? This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Season one of "House of the Dragon" took us back even further, to the moment when the Great Council decided to install Viserys as the heir to the Iron Throne over his cousin Rhaenys. It was devoted to setting the stage for the eventual war, sometimes to its own detriment. In those first 10 episodes, treading through the series of betrayals that led to the Targaryen conflict was frequently prioritized over cohesively developing the show's characters. It's more evident now that season one, despite its grand scale (and sometimes indulgent dragon sequences), was the setup. Season two is the beginning of the payoff. Advertisement Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen in "House of the Dragon" season two. Ollie Upton/HBO Gone are the rapid time jumps from the show's first season. Now — at least, in the four episodes provided to critics for review — we're more firmly anchored in the action of the present. The series picks up immediately in the aftermath of Lucerys' murder. Lord Corlys Velaryon has lost an heir. Aegon's side, the Greens, has drawn first blood. Rhaenyra has lost a son. Related stories "House of the Dragon" is still built on the pain of Westeros' most powerful mothers, but now it's more nuanced than the gratuitous and gory childbirth sequences that plagued season one. Emma D'Arcy's vulnerable, razor-sharp performance as Rhaenyra continues to be riveting, particularly as Rhaenrya mourns Lucerys' death and does her best to avoid plunging the continent into all-out war. On the other side, Alicent (an excellent Olivia Cooke) grapples with the implications of the path she's set her son on and its effects on her immediate family. Rhaenyra and two of her remaining sons, Jacaerys and Joffrey. Theo Whitman/HBO The ensemble cast benefits greatly from the comparatively slower pace. In season one, the heirs to the Targaryen and Velaryon dynasties were mostly deployed in service of greater narrative purpose and their parents' political machinations. But by season two, they're real players in the war: Aegon (a delightful Tom Glynn-Carney) preens and buckles under the pressures of ruling, while his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell, both slippery and vulnerable) uses his own cunning — and his very big dragon — to find a foothold in court. Advertisement In Rhaenyra's camp, her eldest son Jacaerys and Daemon and Laena Velaryon's eldest daughter Baela are increasingly given further chances to prove their worth. And even Matt Smith's Daemon, who has always been entertaining despite his inscrutable, seemingly inconsistent motives in season one, finally gets the chance to parse through whatever's going on inside his head. The show tends to falter when it turns its eye from the warring families to the small folk of King's Landing, or the minutiae of Westerosi regional politics (unless that's your thing). "House of the Dragon" makes a muted effort to explore the implications of war on the common people — dragons need a lot of sheep, and they have to come from someone's flock. Still, it's a fleeting inquiry that's quickly subsumed by whatever the Targaryens are doing at any given moment. And when it comes to council discussions about which houses have pledged allegiance to Aegon II or Rhaenyra, or the fleeting opinions of Lords who have yet to bear out true consequence, it can quickly get bogged down in the details. Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon II Targaryen in "House of the Dragon" season two. Ollie Upton/HBO Still, "House of the Dragon" certainly delivers on sweeping spectacle when needed. However, it doesn't bring out its dragons willy-nilly, and that's for the better. As the closest thing to a weapon of mass destruction in this universe, both sides of the war understand that you can't take back a dragon on the battlefield. That hesitancy translates into a greater degree of restraint when it comes to actually throwing the dragons on screen, and makes the moments where they do come into the fray all the more impactful. Advertisement Season two ultimately makes the show's first season feel like a prelude, and course-corrects some of the show's earlier impulses to cover vast swathes of history rather than dig into the characters driving it. Only time will tell if those characters still get a chance to shine and grow (or in some cases, devolve) as the war drags on. But for now, the first episodes are a good start. "House of the Dragon" season two premieres June 16 on HBO.

Is It Too Late to Buy Apple Stock? 2024-06-16 16:50:00+00:00 - A company doesn't get to a market cap of $3.3 trillion without doing some things right. This is exactly the story with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), one of the most dominant businesses on the face of the planet. This type of success has made this "Magnificent Seven" stock a huge winner for investors. Shares have skyrocketed 838% in the past decade, a gain that outpaces the broader Nasdaq Composite index by 10 percentage points annually. Prospective investors might have their eyes on Apple right now. But is it too late to buy the stock? Many favorable qualities It's hard for anyone to contest the assertion that Apple is a great company. In fact, it's such a high-quality business that even Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway owns a sizable chunk, a position that represents 43.5% of the conglomerate's $388 billion portfolio. Apple has arguably the strongest brand in the world, one that has been built up over the years thanks to its popular products and services. This brand has allowed the company to flex its pricing power. And the combination of hardware and software creates an extremely powerful ecosystem that drives customer loyalty and stickiness. We also can't forget about Apple's tremendous financial position. The company's operating margin has averaged a superb 28.1% in the past five years. And this outsize profitability has resulted in the generation of vast amounts of free cash flow that management primarily uses to repurchase shares. A net cash position of $58 billion also reduces risk, which should virtually eliminate any fears that Apply will ever run into financial trouble. Innovation still runs hot at Apple. The business revealed its highly anticipated artificial intelligence (AI) push, known as Apple Intelligence, recently at its Worldwide Developers Conference. There are numerous new features that essentially make Apple's products and software a tool that can help people be more productive and creative in their daily lives, all with privacy and security as a top focus. Potential for returns For all of the attractive qualities Apple possesses, a fact that no one will deny, investors need to think critically about what the potential is to achieve strong returns going forward. With Apple's latest foray into AI, the hope is that sales of the iPhone will accelerate. In its latest fiscal quarter (Q2 2024 ended March 30), this single product accounted for about half of overall company revenue. Growth has certainly slowed in recent years as consumers feel less obligated to regularly upgrade to the latest device. Story continues Perhaps AI can change this. That's especially the belief since the features will only be available on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, the latest models, as well as yet-to-be released models. But I'm not so optimistic about this rosy outcome, particularly in the current inflationary environment we are in. And even if iPhone sales pick up, it is a monumental task moving the needle on a gargantuan trailing-12-month revenue base of $382 billion. In other words, it takes a lot of work for Apple to drive meaningful growth. Unless there is a new game-changing product in the works, investors should probably temper their expectations. However, Apple shares are priced as if outsize growth is a certainty. The stock trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.1. That's 55% more expensive than the trailing-10-year average. Investors remain extremely bullish. Based on its limited growth prospects and steep valuation, I do believe that it's too late to buy Apple stock right now. Shares aren't likely to outperform the broader Nasdaq Composite over the next few years. Should you invest $1,000 in Apple right now? Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $808,105!* Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 10, 2024 Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is It Too Late to Buy Apple Stock? was originally published by The Motley Fool

Milan Fashion Week: Prada projects youthful optimism, not escapism, in a turbulent world 2024-06-16 16:49:11+00:00 - MILAN (AP) — Without making overt statements, Milan designers expressed their concern over the global turbulence through their collections. Miuccia Prada said she wanted to project optimism. “Because even if the times are bad, I feel that it was the right thing to do,” she said backstage at the Prada show. She is not promoting escapism. “Eventually, I propose something positive, but escapism, I don’t like.” Not using the platform to comment on the state of the world would be “irresponsible,’’ said the designers behind the Simon Cracker brand, born 14 years ago to contrast the prevailing fashion system with upcycled collections. They dedicated their collection, titled “A Matter of Principle,” to “the children victims of matters of principle.” Some highlights from the third day Sunday of mostly menswear previews for Spring-Summer 2025: Prada projects optimism Head designers Miuccia Prada, left, and Raf Simons acknowledge the appluse at the end of the Prada Spring Summer 2025 fashion show, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno). The Prada menswear collection plays with the idea of imperfection. But nothing is as it seems. Tops, jackets and hoodies seem shrunken, more than cropped. Overcoats have three-quarter sleeves. It’s a wardrobe somehow inherited, already lived-in. Creases are part of the construction, as technical as a pleat. Pointed shirt collars are held aloft by wires. Trousers feature faux belts, low and below the waistline. Belts also are featured as decoration on bags, as if to close them. Miuccia Prada, co-creative director of the brand along with Raf Simons, said playing with the idea of the real versus the fake “is very contemporary,” calling such details “an invitation to take a closer look at the clothes.” The neutral color palette is punctuated by feminine shades: a bright green cardigan, a floral blouse, a turquoise coat, which the designers said suggest a mother’s or grandmother’s wardrobe. Pieces can be lined up with inverted triangle cutouts, to layer. “We wanted (the collection) to be already alive, as if clothes you already lived with,” Simons said backstage. Prada models emerged from a simple white hut, descending into the showroom down a runway flanked by a white picket fence. The designers describe the setting both as essential and utopian — and youthful. “Here youth is the hope, it’s the future,” Prada said. “In this moment, we thought it was relevant also to encourage youth to think about our world.” A world in knots at Simon Cracker Models wear creations as part of the Prada Spring Summer 2025 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno) So many knots to undo in the world, so many knots holding together the latest Simon Cracker collection of mostly upcycled apparel. For Spring-Summer 2025, designers Filippo Biraghi and Simone Botte assembled their collection of repurposed apparel castoffs using laces and drawstrings to create skirts from tennis shirt panels, dresses from knitwear and restructure jackets. Each piece is unique. The “nervous” color palette of black, violet, sea blue and acid green was achieved through dyeing, each material reacting differently to the process. “It is a way of recounting what is happening in the world, without being too explicit,” Biraghi said backstage. “It would be irresponsible to not be political in this moment.” The 14-year-brand’s name is meant to denote that something is broken — cracked — in the fashion system. They embrace imperfection as part of the beauty of their creations, made from forgotten or discarded garments and deadstock fabrics, this time including textiles from Italian sportswear brand Australian. Australian, which is gaining traction with the club crowd, also created a capsule collection of black neon and technical garments for Simon Cracker, its first production line. Doc Martens provided the footwear, which the designers personalized with pins, badges and costume jewelry. JW Anderson’s Real Sleep A model wears a creation as part of the JW Anderson Spring Summer 2025 collection in Milan, Italy, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Colleen Barry) JW Anderson’s warm weather collection for men and women cocoon the form in soft and spongy outerwear — a counterintuitive choice on warming planet. The collection’s seeming motto, on jackets, sweaters and T-shirts, Real Sleep, might be read as a recipe to cope with the real world. The humorful collection played “with this idea of miniature scale and maximum scale,” the Northern Irish designer said after the show. It opened with oversized quilted jackets and transitioned into big cashmere balls of yarn, each in triplicate. On the miniature side, Anderson recreated Georgian terraced houses and country cottages on the front of knitwear, with intarsia doors and windows. Pillowy sweatshirts looked structural enough to break a fall. Big colorful silken balloon like structures on coats were deflated, as if to say the world is too much. And if so, take comfort in a smiling pint of a Guinness, the Irish stout is featured in a capsule collection with whimsical images of a last-century advertising campaign on knitwear. Anderson said he was exploring “the idea of permissiveness with the clothing. This idea of what we do best is the storytelling.”

'Inside Out 2' hits $155 million domestic debut, second-highest animation opening ever 2024-06-16 16:47:00+00:00 - In Disney and Pixar's "Inside Out 2," Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust meet new emotions. Disney and Pixar brought a big dose of joy to the box office this weekend. "Inside Out 2" debuted with an estimated $155 million domestically, the second-highest theatrical opening of an animated film and the first film since Warner Bros.' "Barbie" to top $100 million during its debut. Of note, Disney does not consider its 2019 live-action remake of "The Lion King," which generated $191.7 million during its debut, an animation film. "Inside Out 2" is expected to haul in $295 million globally for the weekend. "Let's issue a collective 'welcome back' to Disney, Pixar, and the summer box office," said Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory." Both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation struggled to regain a foothold at the box office after pandemic restrictions lessened and audiences returned to theaters. Disney had opted to debut a handful of animated features directly on Disney+ and so parents were trained to seek out new Disney titles on streaming, not in theaters, even when they did return to the big screen. Compounding Disney's woes, many audience members began to feel that the company's content had grown overly existential and too concerned with social issues beyond the reach of children. "Many narratives have been written about the two studios and moviegoing in recent times, so this powerful debut by 'Inside Out 2' is a breath of fresh air," Robbins said. The film is the fifth Pixar feature to surpass $100 million during its debut in North America and the second-biggest opening weekend ticket seller for the studio just behind 2018's "The Incredibles 2," which tallied $182.6 million. Around 12 million patrons flocked to cinemas to see the flick, according to data from EntTelligence. "This is clearly a big win for theaters," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. "It's an even bigger win for Pixar." The theatrical industry has struggled this year with fewer titles, as production shutdowns from the pandemic were exacerbated by a dual labor strike that closed movie sets for nearly five months last year. The result has been a 26% decline in ticket sales compared to 2023 and a 42% drop from 2019 levels, according to data from Comscore. Heading into this weekend, the domestic box office stood at $2.8 billion. While there have been some standout performances from films like Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment's "Dune: Part Two," Warner Bros. and Toho's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" and Universal's "Kung Fu Panda 4," the 2024 box office has struggled to hit a consistent pace of releases and ticket sales. Missing from this year's early summer slate for the first time since 2009 was a Marvel Cinematic Universe title. Typically, these films average $100 million to $200 million openings, with 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" hitting a record $357.1 million. Instead, this year, Universal's "The Fall Guy" opened to $28 million. Fewer films and fewer blockbusters could push the summer box office down as much as $800 million compared with 2023, according to Comscore's Dergarabedian, and have ripple effects for the whole year. After all, the key summer period, which runs from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, typically accounts for 40% of the total annual domestic box office. "Inside Out 2" is a bright spot for the industry. It boasts the biggest domestic debut of 2024, surpassing "Dune: Part Two" and its $82.5 million in opening weekend ticket sales. "Does this performance wipe away all concerns of evolving consumer behavior? Of course not, but it should stay the hand of those thinking Disney or Pixar had permanently lost their commercial gravitas after an overly aggressive streaming strategy and undercooked films which together eroded some of their audiences in the past few years," Robbins said. And some heavy hitters are coming to close out the summer and finish up the year. "Deadpool and Wolverine," Marvel's first R-rated feature, is due in theaters in July and is expected to deliver a strong opening weekend as well as a steady stream of ticket sales throughout its run. Then "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" arrives in early September, "Joker: Folie a Deux" hits in October alongside "Venom: The Last Dance," and November sees "Gladiator II," "Moana 2" and "Wicked." Additionally, December will have "Kraven the Hunter," "Sonic the Hedgehog 3″ and "Mufasa: The Lion King." Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

Almost half of UK adults struggling to get prescription drugs amid shortages 2024-06-16 16:38:00+00:00 - Almost half of adults in the UK have struggled to get medicine they have been prescribed – and more people blame Brexit than anything else for the situation, research shows. Forty-nine per cent of people said they had had trouble getting a prescription dispensed over the past two years, the period during which supply problems have increased sharply. Drug shortages are so serious that one in 12 Britons were unable to find the medication they needed, despite asking a number of pharmacies. The survey of 2,028 people representative of the population, undertaken by Opinium for the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA), found that: One in 12 people (8%) have gone without a medication altogether because it was impossible to obtain. Thirty-one per cent found the drug they needed was out of stock at their pharmacy. Twenty-three per cent of pharmacies did not have enough of the medication available. When asked why shortages were so common, more cited issues involving the UK leaving the EU (36%) than inflation (33%) or global conflict and instability (26%). “Shortages are deeply worrying for patients’ physical health, alongside the stress of not knowing if an essential medicine will be available,” said Mark Samuels, the chief executive of the BGMA, which represents firms that produce the generic – or off-patent – drugs, which account for 80% of all the drugs the NHS uses across the UK. “Several factors are contributing to the problem and the Brexit agreement is definitely one of them,” said Samuels. “For example, medicines made here can’t be exported to Europe but those made on the continent can be brought here. This gives zero incentive to increase manufacturing capacity in the UK, a capability that could help with shortages.” The number of drugs in short supply has soared since the start of 2022. In January 2022, there were 52 such products, but this month that number stands at 100. They include HRT, antibiotics and antidepressants as well as medications for ADHD, epilepsy, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis. In October 2023, there was an all-time record number of drugs in shortage – 111 – the BGMA added, citing figures compiled by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). With drug supply problems a global phenomenon, some of the UK’s shortages are not due to end until next year. The NHS Business Services Authorityissued four “serious shortage protocol” notices last month alone. Two relate to clarithromycin, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections such as pneumonia, cellulitis and ear infections. Of the 87 generic drugs that are hard or impossible to find, 34 have been in short supply for more than six months and 23 for longer than a year. Samuels said recent governments had contributed to the problem by displaying “complacency around the off-patent medicines industry despite it supplying four out of five NHS prescription drugs”. “The next administration needs a targeted plan to encourage companies to continue to see the UK as a priority place to supply,” he added, “otherwise the shortage situation will not improve.”

UK driving tests delayed by up to five months at more than 100 centres 2024-06-16 16:34:00+00:00 - Would-be motorists keen to shake off their L-plates are having to wait more than five months to get a practical test at more than 100 examination centres around the UK, despite measures to clear a backlog built up during the pandemic. For potential drivers, booking a practical test has in recent years become a major obstacle to getting behind the wheel. A freedom of information request to the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency, by AA Driving Schools, has revealed that the average waiting time for a driving test in Great Britain is now higher than before the Covid pandemic at the majority of centres. The FoI data shows that at the start of February, would-be drivers had to wait an average of 14.8 weeks for a test from the time of booking. By the start of May that had risen to 17.8 weeks – a 20% increase. Meanwhile the number of test centres with average waiting times of 24 weeks – the maximum that could be recorded on the system – rose from 94 at the start of February, to 125 by the beginning of May. Before 2020 the average time from booking to taking a practical test was six weeks. During Covid lockdowns 850,000 tests were cancelled and the service has been struggling to catch up ever since. The DVSA has created almost 150,000 new test slots and provided 2m in the past year. It continues to recruit new examiners and offer overtime, and still has some managers carrying out tests. However, the data shows average waiting times have increased at half of test centres this year. Only a fifth have seen a reduction. Camilla Benitz, the managing director of AA Driving School, said: “Enough is enough. The additional test slots the DVSA added to the system between October and March have made no difference to the average waiting time learners up and down the country are facing.” Benitz said more needed to be done to address the problem. “Being able to drive is not a luxury – for many people it is an absolute necessity to get them to work, education and employment,” she said. “We need to see a renewed commitment from the DVSA to make additional driving test slots available, but also to recruiting and retaining more examiners so additional learner test slots do not come at the expense of other vital DVSA services, such as driving instructor training exams, which we have seen falling availability of recently.” She said the test centres that had increased their average waiting time between February and May included Barnet in London, Basingstoke, Dorchester, Ipswich, Nottingham and Plymouth.

Ferrari overcomes late drama to hang on for second consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans victory 2024-06-16 15:58:34+00:00 - LE MANS, France (AP) — Ferrari made it two in a row as it outlasted Toyota to win a weather-affected 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday with the trio of Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina crossing the line in the No. 50 car 14 seconds ahead of the No. 7 of Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez. The No. 51 Ferrari helmed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi rounded out the top three in the latest running of the most iconic sports car race in the world. Rain and fog brought out the safety car in the early hours of the morning with Ferrari jostling with Toyota and Porsche for top spot. But with dawn breaking, the racing resumed under a green flag with several teams in contention. With less than six hours remaining the No. 50 Ferrari made its move just before more rain fell with Fuoco moving up the grid. Nielsen then survived more late drama when a flapping door forced the car into an unscheduled pit stop but managed to hang on for victory. “Nicklas. Antonio. Miguel. You’ll be forever part of the legend now,” the FIA World Endurance Championship said on social media. ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport

I audited my Amazon Prime membership to see if the $139 annual fee is still worth it 2024-06-16 14:56:00+00:00 - To renew, or not to renew? That's the question I've been asking myself every June since Amazon Prime first hooked me more than 10 years ago with a deeply discounted rate for college students. Most years, my renewal date sneaks up on me before I even realize it. The notification from my credit card pops up on my phone and I realize that I've committed another $139 to the Seattle-based e-tail giant. But last year, when I yet again let auto-renew make my decision for me, I set a calendar alert for 2024 so that I could properly review my Amazon Prime subscription and see if I'm actually getting my money's worth. After tax, my $151.34 membership comes out to $12.61 a month, less than what I pay for services like Netflix, Max or Spotify. Let's audit the Prime perks that I do — and don't — use, and see if it's worth keeping around for another year. Free shipping, easy returns Nurphoto | Getty Images Amazon's free two-day shipping guarantee isn't quite as impressive as it used to be, with some other retailers offering similar delivery speeds these days. But the convenience of being able to find most products I'm shopping for and receive them in a timely manner is still a huge value for me. Without Prime, I'd need to hit certain order minimums to qualify for free shipping, and it would take an extra day or two to get to me. I also like how Prime incentivizes me to choose later delivery dates in exchange for digital credits that can be used on movie rentals or Kindle purchases. When I'm not in a hurry to receive a package — and let's be honest, I don't usually need anything that urgently — it's nice to accumulate my digital cash and get a free book or movie rental out of it. It's a perk that is difficult to put a dollar figure on, but goes a long way toward making the annual fee feel worthwhile. Even better than Amazon's shipping, however, is how easy it makes returns. I try to be conscious of my environmental footprint and not make unnecessary returns when I don't have to. But in the event that I do need to send something back, few companies make the process easier than Amazon. Walking over to my local UPS store or Whole Foods and dropping a product off is a lot less of a hassle than printing out a label and packaging it up myself. Prime Video Stand-alone price: $8.99/month, $107.88/year Unless there's a new season of "Reacher" airing, Amazon's streamer isn't the first app I boot up when looking for something to watch. It's probably not even the third or fourth. If I didn't have Prime, I probably wouldn't spend $8.99 every month for the service. But as it stands, I use Prime Video enough that I pay the extra $2.99 per month to avoid ads when I'm watching movies and shows. Plus, as a Yankees fan, 21 of my team's games are available exclusively on Prime this season. Free, unlimited photo storage Stand-alone price: $1.99/month, $23.88/year for 100GB photo storage All Amazon customers get 5GB of storage for their photos and videos whether they pay for Prime or not. Prime members, however, can save as many photos to Amazon's cloud as they want. It's not a perk that's top of mind when I think of my membership benefits, but with a photo archive dating back more than a decade, it's nice to not have to pay extra for my digital storage space. What about the perks I don't use? Smith Collection/gado | Archive Photos | Getty Images On paper, there's value that I'm leaving on the table with my Prime membership. I'm a Spotify subscriber, so I never use Amazon Music. Likewise, I don't do my grocery shopping at Whole Foods, so the "exclusive" deals only available to Prime members don't move the needle for me. Prime Day is billed as a shopping extravaganza for Prime members, but to me it just feels engineered to get me to spend more money on deals that aren't actually all that great. I get most of my Kindle books from the New York Public Library, so having access to Prime Reading's rotating collection of books isn't something I take into consideration when assessing how much I pay for my membership each year. The newly added Grubhub+ membership is nice to have, but spending more money on take-out because of Amazon Prime will only make my membership feel more expensive, not less. To renew, or not to renew?

How Apple, Microsoft and 3 other tech giants can make money with AI geared to consumers 2024-06-16 14:56:00+00:00 - Apple revealed its highly anticipated artificial intelligence strategy this past week — causing investors to rejoice and push shares to all-time highs. It's a far cry from the stock's rough start to 2024. Marketed as "AI for the rest of us" — Apple is squarely positioning its upcoming generative AI features for the 2.2 billion active users of its iPhones and other devices. With Apple now in the AI game, how are the tech giant and four of our other mega-caps targeting consumers to monetize artificial intelligence? AAPL YTD mountain Apple (AAPL) year-to-date performance Starting with Apple, the iPhone maker debuted its personalized AI suite, called Apple Intelligence, at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) last Monday. Apple plans to monetize AI, not by charging a specific fee, but rather by adding new features to usher in an upgrade cycle for the iPhone — the likes of which we haven't seen since 5G capabilities came to the iPhone 12 in October 2020. While Apple has cultivated a broad offering of devices and high-margin services under CEO Tim Cook, iPhone sales still make up roughly 50% of overall revenue. New buzzy features on Apple's flagship device will include an AI-infused Siri, which will allow users to seamlessly utilize OpenAI's ChatGPT as a part of the recently-announced partnership with the Microsoft -backed startup. AI improvements, however, won't be compatible with models older than the iPhone 15 Pro, which means users will have to upgrade to more recent versions. This refresh cycle, in turn, will lift lagging device sales as Apple grapples with softness in its second-largest market, China. Outside of hardware, Wedbush thinks Apple will eventually roll out a bundled subscription service with higher-end AI capabilities. "That will be another major catalyst for the Services segment over the coming years as WWDC was music to the ears of Apple developers globally and is just the beginning of this AI Party coming to Cupertino" where Apple is headquartered, analysts wrote in a research note last week. "While Apple has been late to the game on AI with the biggest consumer installed base in the world, Cook & Co. have a unique advantage to monetize the AI Party." Days after WWDC, Bloomberg reported that Apple won't have to foot the bill for the extra traffic generated by the iPhone's ChatGPT integration. Instead, the article said OpenAI will be responsible because the AI chatbot is hosted on Microsoft's Azure cloud. Apple did not respond to CNBC's request for comment. But, this would clearly be good news for Apple on the cost front. Shares of Apple bounced off their 2024 lows in April — soaring some 30% from the mid-$160s since then. Apple has swung from being down on the year to up more than 10%. MSFT YTD mountain Microsoft (MSFT) year-to-date performance On the consumer side, Microsoft makes money from AI by integrating new tools into its already strong legacy software. The company started selling subscriptions for Microsoft 365's Copilot AI add-on in November 2023. Each user has to pay $30 per month to access the generative AI tool across Word, Excel, and other productivity apps. This subscription service provides enviable recurring revenue streams for Microsoft. Wall Street seems optimistic, too. Piper Sandler analysts previously forecasted that Copilot could add over $10 billion in annualized revenue to Microsoft by 2026. In May, Microsoft also announced a series of new computers with advanced AI chips that can improve battery life. The Copilot+ PCs start at $999 each and became readily available this month. The Club believes the new devices will encourage users to upgrade their PCs . In turn, this will boost hardware sales and revenue for Microsoft's More Personal Computing division, which amounts to roughly 25% of overall revenue. (Expected AI-driven device upgrades from Apple, Microsoft, and other personal tech makers is the reason we're invested in Best Buy . That's where lots of these sales will take place.) Shares of Microsoft have stair-stepped their way to all-time highs, with over 17% year-to-date gains. Microsoft, Apple and fellow Club name Nvidia have all eclipsed $3 trillion market values — and have been wrestling for the top spot as the most valuable U.S. company. Jim Cramer said Friday that these three stocks are largely driving the overall market action. GOOGL YTD mountain Alphabet (GOOGL) year-to-date performance Alphabet created Gemini, formerly known as Bard, to rake in more revenue and improve the company's position in the heated AI arms race. Think of Gemini as the Google parent's version of ChatGPT. Gemini Advanced, a newer version of the tool, has a fee and can be bundled with other higher-end AI services across Google's apps. For example, users can pay roughly $20 each month to use Gemini Advanced, have two terabytes of storage, and utilize AI across productivity apps such as Gmail all in one subscription. But, despite years of leading AI research, Google got beat to the market by ChatGPT in November 2022. The buzzy chatbot went viral and introduced the masses to the potential of generative AI. Missteps while trying to catch up, however, had Alphabet struggling to get its AI footing. The stock reflected that struggle at times in 2023 and earlier this year. But since their 2024 bottom in the low-$130s in March, shares have moved largely higher to records as market perceptions of the company's AI abilities shifted. Announcements at Google's I/O developers conference helped cement those perceptions. The stock has gained more than 25% year to date. While there are still concerns about how generative AI might hurt Google's lucrative search business, search results do include AI-driven responses, alongside regular responses that drive ad revenue. A combination of paid AI and eventual ad-supported AI puts Alphabet in a decent position among peers. Like with Microsoft, Google has robust AI opportunities on the enterprise side because both have huge cloud businesses. META YTD mountain Meta Platforms (META) year-to-date performance Meta Platforms is monetizing consumer interest in AI by boosting user engagement. The Meta AI generative artificial intelligence assistant is currently free to use. You'll see a chatbot baked into social media apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook's Messenger. It was placed in these services to keep people on the apps for longer — improving user experience so Meta can report back better engagement to its advertisers. In turn, the social media giant can grab more ad share by better positioning ads on Instagram and Facebook. This has, in particular, helped with monetization efforts for Instagram's Reels. During last Wednesday's Morning Meeting, Jim Cramer said investors may have concerns about Meta's advertising business as Chinese e-commerce sellers like Temu and Shein pull back on their marketing spend. But Jim said these worries are overblown, citing a bullish Citi note about Meta's ad load growth — an encouraging sign for user engagement. Shares of Meta have gained more than 42% year to date. But unlike Apple and Alphabet, Meta stock got off to a great 2024 and hit records in early April before hitting a rough patch. Since its most recent bottom at the end of April, Meta shares have been working their way up but are not quite back to all-time highs. AMZN YTD mountain Amazon (AMZN) year-to-performance Comparable to Meta, Amazon offers AI to consumers for free to increase engagement on its dominant e-commerce platform. The benefits are less apparent for Amazon's financials than Microsoft's because the company is not selling an AI assistant directly to consumers, yet — there are reports they plan to do just that in the future. Instead, Amazon integrates the nascent tech by generating product reviews for users and targeting specific ads. These efforts, in turn, improve the user experience by making shopping easier — while hopefully driving more sales — and keeping people on the platform for longer periods. This means more eyeballs for its so-called retail media business, a term for selling ads on traffic and using proprietary data to make money. Shares of Amazon, which have gained 20% year to date, hit records in May. Since then, the stock has come off the boil. Like Microsoft and Google, Amazon has a substantial cloud business, Amazon Web Services, which is the biggest cloud in the world. It drives Amazon revenues from its enterprise customers. Getting more AI features into AWS makes it more attractive to companies looking for cloud services. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long AAPL, AMZN, META, MSFT, GOOGL, NVDA, BBY. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. Eugene Mymrin | Moment | Getty Images

Rep. Byron Donalds urges Supreme Court to ‘step in’ on Trump conviction 2024-06-16 14:51:00+00:00 - Florida GOP Rep. Byron Donalds on Sunday urged the Supreme Court to take up former President Donald Trump’s New York case in which he was convicted on 34 counts of falsification of business records. “Speaker [Mike] Johnson, myself included, and many Americans believe the Supreme Court should step into this matter,” Donalds told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday. His comments come after Johnson told Fox News that the Supreme Court should look into the case. “There’s a lot of developments yet to come, but I do believe the Supreme Court should step in. Obviously, this is totally unprecedented,” Johnson told “Fox & Friends” shortly after Trump’s conviction. Trump’s legal team has promised to appeal his conviction, but there are appellate courts in New York that would have to review the case before it could be brought to the Supreme Court. Donalds referenced the lengthy appellate process in New York on Sunday, citing it as a reason why the Supreme Court should step in earlier. He called the case against Trump an attempt to “interfere” in his election campaign. “This is being done for political purposes. Everybody knows how the court system works in New York. The only ability for this to be overturned is going to be happening two or three years from now,” Donalds told moderator Peter Alexander. “That’s why what happened in lower Manhattan was to interfere with an election,” he added. Donalds is widely reported to be on former President Donald Trump’s short list of potential vice presidential nominees. At an event in Michigan on Saturday, Trump told the crowd, “[Donalds] happens to be on the list of potential vice presidents. Would anybody like to see him? I noticed your name is very high on the list.” Asked Sunday whether he would be ready to serve as commander in chief if necessary, Donalds said, “I think that I would have an ability to step in. I’m actually pretty intelligent. I can sift through issues really, really well. It’s about judgment. It’s about logic streams. It’s about how you make decisions at the end of the day.” He added, “I believe in myself 100%, I do, and so you know, we’ll see what President Trump decides. I’m going to support whatever he does.”

Top Wall Street analysts suggest these 3 dividend stocks for enhanced returns 2024-06-16 14:19:00+00:00 - The Cisco logo is displayed in front of Cisco headquarters on February 09, 2024 in San Jose, California. Dividend-paying stocks can give investors an opportunity to cushion their portfolios from market volatility — and they can also enhance returns. Selecting the right dividend stocks is no easy feat for investors. Wall Street's best analysts have insight into companies' ability to provide attractive dividend yield and upside for the long term. Here are three attractive dividend stocks, according to Wall Street's top pros on TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Kimberly-Clark Consumer products giant Kimberly-Clark (KMB) is this week's first dividend pick. The owner of popular brands like Huggies and Kleenex is a dividend king, a term used for companies that have raised their dividends for at least 50 consecutive years. In the first quarter of 2024, Kimberly-Clark returned $452 million to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases. With a quarterly dividend of $1.22 per share ($4.88 on an annualized basis), KMB offers a dividend yield of 3.5%. Earlier this month, RBC Capital analyst Nik Modi upgraded his rating for KMB stock to buy from hold and boosted the price target to $165 from $126. The upgrade followed a thorough assessment of the company following its analyst day event in March, which reflected that KMB has "shifted from a cost-focused company to a growth-oriented enterprise." Modi thinks that KMB is well-positioned for faster and more reliable growth. He is now confident about the company achieving its long-term targets, including a gross margin of 40% and a compound annual growth rate of more than 3% (local currency) in revenue by 2030. The analyst attributed Kimberly-Clark's transformation to the leadership of its CEO Mike Hsu. He acknowledged that the company's decision to reorganize into three business units (North America, International Personal Care, and International Family and Professional) was a step in the right direction. It brought down KMB's product costs and enhanced speed to market. Modi ranks No. 593 among more than 8,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 61% of the time, delivering an average return of 6.8%. (See Kimberly-Clark's Stock Buybacks on TipRanks) Chord Energy Next on the list is Chord Energy (CHRD), an oil and gas operator in the Williston Basin. In June, the company paid a base dividend of $1.25 per share and a variable dividend of $1.69 per share. Chord Energy recently announced the completion of its acquisition of Enerplus. The company expects the deal to strengthen its position in the Williston Basin, with enhanced scale, low-cost inventory, and solid shareholder returns. Following the announcement, Mizuho analyst William Janela reaffirmed a buy rating on CHRD stock with a price target of $214. The analyst highlighted that the company increased its estimate for annualized deal synergies by $50 million, or 33%, to more than $200 million. Janela thinks that given the well productivity of both Chord Energy and Enerplus in the Williston Basin, the focus will now be on the combined company's enhanced operational scale. Moreover, the deal will result in above-average cash returns, with about a 9% payout yield and below-average financial leverage. "Relative valuation remains attractive with shares trading at a discount to peers on FCF/EV [Free Cash Flow/ Enterprise Value]," said Janela. Janela ranks No. 333 among more than 8,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 57% of the time, delivering an average return of 29.9%. (See Chord Energy Stock Charts on TipRanks) Cisco Systems Our third pick is dividend-paying technology stock Cisco Systems (CSCO). The networking giant paid $2.9 billion to shareholders in the third quarter of fiscal 2024, including dividends worth $1.6 billion and share repurchases of $1.3 billion. At a quarterly dividend of 40 cents per share, CSCO offers a dividend yield of 3.5%. In reaction to the recently held investor and analyst day, Jefferies analyst George Notter reiterated a buy rating on Cisco stock with a price target of $56. The analyst said that he feels more positive about the company's prospects after the event and has better clarity on its strategy with regard to Splunk. Cisco completed the acquisition of Splunk, a cybersecurity company, in March 2024. At the event, the company maintained its Q4 fiscal 2024 guidance and continues to expect low-to-mid-single-digit revenue growth in fiscal 2025. Regarding the company's fiscal 2026 and 2027 targets, Notter said, "We thought the 4-6% Y/Y revenue growth targets looked pretty good." Cisco expects its earnings per share (EPS) to grow by 6% to 8% in Fiscal 2026-2027, with improved gross margins. The analyst explained that Cisco's long-term growth targets look good, given that the company has been growing its revenue at a rate of 1% to 3% in a period spanning more than the past decade. Notter ranks No. 629 among more than 8,800 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 62% of the time, delivering an average return of 10.1%. (See Cisco Hedge Fund Activity on TipRanks)

UK attractions try to win back visitors as post-Covid ‘revenge spending’ ends 2024-06-16 14:18:00+00:00 - The period of post-Covid “revenge spending” has ended, leaving businesses having to look at different ways to attract customers, the chief operating officer of Merlin Entertainments has said. The term revenge spending was coined to describe how people looked to splash the cash they had saved up during the Covid pandemic on products or experiences that would help make up for time lost to lockdowns. Fiona Eastwood, the COO of Merlin Entertainments, which owns Alton Towers, Legoland and the London Eye, told the Guardian that the business had seen a change in spending habits since last summer, and had had to alter some of its tactics to continue to bring in customers. “What we saw coming out of Covid, was what was termed revenge spending, and that has definitely gone away,” she said. “We saw [it] from the middle of August last year, with the impact of interest rates, impacting on what people had in their pockets, and we have had to pivot, and that is as much about domestic, as inbound trade, and across pretty much every market.” Eastwood said that the business, which owns 140 attractions in more than 20 countries, had had to “pivot” from what it was doing coming out of Covid, by putting on more promotions with newspapers and food brands, and increasing its focus on selling season passes. She added that the company was seeing “green shoots of recovery” and had spent £90m this year on capital investments in its UK businesses, which include 29 attractions. Eastwood’s comments came during UKHospitality’s summer conference, at which the trade body called for the government to reduce VAT for the sector from 20% to 12.5%. UKHospitality said this would put VAT in the UK closer to that in other countries, and would create 85,000 new jobs and add £3.2bn to the sector. During the pandemic, VAT on tourist attractions and hospitality was cut to support the reopening of businesses after lockdowns, first to 5% and then 12.5%, before returning to its current level in April 2022. Brian Keeley-Whiting, the managing director of WH Pubs, said a VAT cut would be his top ask of any incoming government. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Business Today Free daily newsletter Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Enter your email address Sign up Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy . We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Keeley-Whiting, who owns four gastro pubs in Sussex and Kent, said that he thought the current level was “really wrong” and that pubs were having to contend with supermarkets that were not facing the same challenges. Philip Thorley, whose business Thorley Taverns owns 18 pubs across Kent, said: “We pay the highest VAT in Europe, we should have a special case for hospitality in the UK because we employ a lot of people and a lot of people at entry level, and our margins are being squeezed every which way.” The latest UKHospitality figures show that between 2021 and 2023, 22,859 businesses in the UK hospitality sector closed, while 11,734 opened. Eastwood, who is also a UKHospitality board member, said: “There is the cost of energy, the cost of labour and the VAT. When we reduced VAT to half during Covid, we saw an immediate bounce back for businesses.”

Advisors ‘wary’ of bitcoin ETFs are on a slow adoption journey, says BlackRock exec 2024-06-16 14:15:00+00:00 - The long-awaited bitcoin exchange traded funds launched in January, and financial advisors are on their way – though gradually – toward adopting them, according to BlackRock's Samara Cohen. For now, about 80% of bitcoin ETF purchases have likely been coming from "self-directed investors who have made their own allocation, often through an online brokerage account," she said, speaking at the Coinbase State of Crypto Summit in New York City on Thursday. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) was among the funds to debut earlier this year. Cohen, BlackRock's chief investment officer of ETF and index investments, noted that hedge funds and brokerages have also been buyers, based on last quarter's 13-F filings, but registered investment advisors have been a little more "wary." CNBC recently polled its Advisor Council about why they and their colleagues are so cautious about the new products, which represent a regulated and familiar investment product for a new asset class that has garnered significant interest in recent years. Responses ranged from bitcoin's notorious price volatility to the flagship cryptocurrency being too nascent to have established a significant track record. Regulatory compliance and the crypto's reputation for fraud and scandal were also on advisors' minds. "I would call them wary … that's their job," Cohen said of the skeptical financial advisors. "An investment advisor is a fiduciary to their clients," she added. "This is an asset class that has had 90% price volatility at times in history, and their job is really to construct portfolios and do the risk analysis and due diligence. They're doing that right now."