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'Dyed-in-the-wool racist': Watch John Legend unload on Donald Trump None - 'He will go to jail': Advisor to Michael Cohen on why Trump could serve jail time if convicted in NY 06:59
Apple CEO says company will 'look at' manufacturing in Indonesia None - Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company is “looking at” manufacturing in Indonesia as he met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday Apple CEO says company will 'look at' manufacturing in Indonesia By EDNA TARIGAN Associated Press and ACHMAD IBRAHIM Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company will “look at” manufacturing in Indonesia as he met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday. “We talked about the president’s desire to see manufacturing in the country, and it’s something that we will look at,” Cook told reporters after the meeting. Widodo’s administration has worked for years to bring manufacturing to the country to power economic development, while Apple is seeking to diversify its supply chains away from China, where most of its smartphones and tablets are assembled. The company began moving some production to countries like Vietnam, and more recently India, after shutdowns to fight COVID-19 in China repeatedly disrupted the company’s shipments. “I think the investment ability in Indonesia is endless. I think that, there is a lot of great places to invest, and we’re investing. We believe in the country,” Cook said. The previous day, Cook met Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi, where he said Apple plans to invest more in Vietnam and increase spending on suppliers in the Southeast Asian manufacturing hub. “Given the slowing Chinese economy as well as the Chinese government’s ongoing efforts to squeeze out foreign companies and replace them with domestic brands, Apple wants alternatives for manufacturing,” said Chris Miller, an associate professor at Tufts University whose work focuses on technology and geopolitics. “It has already invested more in India and Vietnam, but it is likely looking at other partners in South East Asia to additional manufacturing and assembly operations,” Miller said. Cook's visit to Indonesia came after Apple announced its fourth Apple Developer Academy in the country, to be located in Bali. The company first launched the program to train app developers in Indonesia in 2018, in the capital Jakarta. Apple has no manufacturing facilities in Indonesia, but the company says it has invested 1.6 trillion rupiah ($99 million) in its app developer ecosystem in the country. Widodo's government has sought to leverage the country's reserves of nickel and other raw materials to bring in manufacturing, banning export of raw commodities such as nickel and bauxite to oblige companies to build refineries domestically. After the meeting with Widodo, Cook also met Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto, who is currently defense minister, in Jakarta. He's set to take power in October. Indonesia’s minister of communication and information, Budi Arie Setiadi, said Wednesday that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella would visit Indonesia at the end of April. ___ Associated Press writers Victoria Milko in Jakarta and Zen Soo in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
How major US stock indexes fared Monday, 4/22/2024 None - U.S. stocks have clawed back some of their losses from last week By The Associated Press U.S. stocks have clawed back some of their losses from last week. The S & P 500 rose 0.9% Monday to recover more than a quarter of last week’s rout. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 1.1%. Technology stocks led the way as yields stabilized in the bond market. Bank stocks were also strong following better profits than expected from Truist Financial and others. They helped offset a drop for Tesla, which announced more cuts to prices over the weekend. Tesla is one of roughly 150 companies in the S & P 500 set to report its earnings this week. On Monday: The S & P 500 rose 43.37 points, or 0.9%, to 5,010.60. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 253.58 points, or 0.7%, to 38,239.98. The Nasdaq composite rose 169.30 points, or 1.1%, to 15,451.31. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 19.82 points, or 1%, to 1,967.47. For the year: The S & P 500 is up 240.77 points, or 5%. The Dow is up 550.44 points, or 1.5%. The Nasdaq is up 439.95 points, or 2.9%. The Russell 2000 is down 59.60 points, or 2.9%.
Ohio man fatally shot Uber driver after scam phone calls targeted both of them, authorities say None - An Ohio man who authorities say fatally shot an Uber driver he thought was trying to rob him after scam phone calls deceived them both has been indicted on a murder charge SOUTH CHARLESTON, Ohio -- An Ohio man who authorities say fatally shot an Uber driver who he thought was trying to rob him after scam phone calls deceived them both has been indicted on a murder charge. William Brock, 81, also faces counts of kidnapping and felonious assault in the indictment handed up Monday by a Clark County grand jury. Court documents did not list an attorney for him and a telephone number for Brock could not be located. He has pleaded not guilty and could face a life sentence if convicted on the murder charge. The shooting occurred March 25 at Brock's home in South Charleston. Officers from the county sheriff's office responded there after Brock called 911 and said he had shot someone who was trying to rob him. Brock had received scam calls from someone pretending to be an officer from the local court who eventually began making threats and demanding money, authorities said. The victim, Loletha Hall, 61, was an Uber driver who had been told to retrieve a package from Brock’s home, a request authorities say was possibly made by the same scam caller or an accomplice. Hall had no knowledge of the calls made to Brock, authorities said. When she arrived at the home and got out of her car, Brock pulled out a gun and demanded she tell him who had made the threatening calls. He also took Hall's cellphone and would not let her leave. When Hall tried to get away, Brock shot her once, authorities said, then shot her two more times as they discussed the situation. Brock somehow sustained a minor head injury during the confrontation and he called 911 shortly after he fired the third shot. Hall was taken to a hospital but later died there from her wounds. Brock initially was charged with murder because authorities said Hall did not pose an active threat when she was shot. His next court hearing is scheduled for Monday. The original scam calls to Brock and Hall remain under investigation, authorities said, and it’s not clear yet if the calls were placed by the same person.
Video What would a TikTok ban mean? None - What would a TikTok ban mean? A measure banning the popular social media platform would likely result in significant legal challenges citing the First Amendment, experts say.
FedEx pledges $25 million over 5 years in NIL program for University of Memphis athletes None - FedEx has pledged $25 million over the next five years to be used in sponsorship deals with University of Memphis athletes MEMPHIS -- FedEx on Friday pledged $25 million over the next five years to be used in sponsorship deals with University of Memphis athletes, a huge boost for the school's name, image and likeness compensation efforts. The Memphis-based shipping giant said the program will initially focus on , men’s and women’s basketball and other women’s sports. The deal was facilitated by Altius Sports Partners, a company that works with dozens of schools on NIL activities. The deal is for $5 million per year, an especially significant sum for a school that does not play in a wealthy power conference. The Tigers compete in the American Athletic Conference. “This gives us an opportunity to invest in bright, young athletes in our great hometown of Memphis, strengthening our connection to the next generation of leaders,” FedEx executive vice president and chief marketing officer Brian Phillips said in a statement. The company is a prominent presence in Memphis Sports. The NBA's Grizzlies and Memphis basketball play at the FedEx Forum and its a sponsor for the PGA's FedEx St. Jude Classic. FedEx will host an NIL event Saturday at Memphis' spring game. “We are truly appreciative of the vision and support of FedEx’s leadership in this area,” Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch said. “NIL opportunities have become a crucial facet of the student-athlete dynamic, and we believe major corporate support of NIL will need to be a key part of the future landscape of college athletics." ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25
Tesla recalling more than 3,000 of its 2024 Cybertrucks due to faulty pedal None - Tesla is recalling nearly 4,000 of its 2024 Cybertrucks after it discovered that the accelerator pedal can become stuck, potentially causing the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally and increase the risk of a crash Tesla recalling more than 3,000 of its 2024 Cybertrucks due to faulty pedal Tesla is recalling 3,878 of its 2024 Cybertrucks after it discovered that the accelerator pedal can become stuck, potentially causing the vehicle to accelerate unintentionally and increase the risk of a crash. The accelerator pedal pad may dislodge and become trapped by the interior trim, according to a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall involves model year 2024 Cybertrucks made between Nov. 13, 2023 and April 4, 2024, according to the NHTSA. As of Monday, Tesla was not aware of any collisions, injuries or deaths related to the issue, the NHTSA said. Cybertrucks in production had been outfitted with a new accelerator pedal component by Wednesday of this week, according to the NHTSA. Tesla, which is headed by billionaire Elon Musk, said that it will replace or repair the accelerator pedal assembly for free. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla’s number for the recall is SB-24-33-003 Notification letters are expected to be mailed to vehicle owners in June. The automaker delivered the first dozen or so of its futuristic Cybertruck pickups to customers in November, two years behind the original schedule, with uncertainty over when large-scale production could begin. Musk addressed the difficulties of mass producing the vehicle, saying during the company's third-quarter conference call in October that “we dug our own grave with Cybertruck.”
Congress seems poised to pass potential TikTok ban in US. How would it work? None - The measure sailed through the House as part of a foreign aid package. Congress seems poised to pass potential TikTok ban in US. How would it work? A potential ban of TikTok in the United States sailed through the House of Representatives over the weekend as part of a $95 billion foreign aid package that garnered bipartisan support. The social media crackdown may stand poised to become law, since President Joe Biden has vowed to sign it if it passes the Senate and reaches his desk. The TikTok measure could still be removed from the foreign aid legislation in the Senate, but that would require the entire package to be sent back to the House for another vote -- at the same time that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have stressed urgency for acting on the additional money for Ukraine and Israel. If enacted, the measure would force a sale of the popular social media app by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. In the absence of a sale, the app would be banned. TikTok did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. In a previous statement, TikTok slammed the renewed efforts behind divestment. "It is unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian assistance to once again jam through a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 million Americans, devastate 7 million businesses, and shutter a platform that contributes $24 billion to the U.S. economy, annually," the platform said. Here's what to know about whether the ban would ever take effect, what it means for users and how people may seek to bypass it: Will TikTok ultimately get banned? Even if the measure becomes law, TikTok may still avoid a ban. ByteDance could opt to sell TikTok, ensuring the continued availability of the app for U.S. users. The bill passed in the House grants ByteDance nine months to sell, with the potential for a three-month extension. Regardless of a possible sale, the measure would likely elicit a legal challenge on First Amendment grounds that could nullify the law entirely, according to experts. TikTok and its users could challenge the law as an infringement upon constitutionally protected freedom of speech, Anupam Chander, a professor of law and technology at Georgetown University, previously told ABC News. In opposition, the U.S. government would likely argue that national security concerns should outweigh First Amendment protections, Chander said. Last May, TikTok sued Montana in federal court over a ban of the app enacted by the state, saying the law violated the First Amendment rights of users. Months later, in November, a federal judge ruled in favor of TikTok and blocked the law before it took effect. However, the measure in Montana may offer little insight into the legal outcome of a federal ban, Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University's Tech Policy Institute, told ABC News. In Montana, lawmakers banned TikTok on privacy and child safety grounds, while the federal statute draws on national security considerations. "This is apples and oranges," Kreps said. Still, if the U.S. enacts a law banning TikTok, a federal judge may order a temporary pause while the legal challenge makes its way through the court system due to the wide-reaching ramifications of such a measure. Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, testifies during the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis," in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images How would a potential ban work? The measure would ban TikTok by removing it from U.S. app stores, including popular platforms on iPhone and Android. New customers would be unable to download the app, while current users would lose access to vital updates, experts told ABC News. "Users can still keep the app on their mobile devices, but they won't be able to get the updates and eventually it's going to become outdated," Qi Liao, a professor of computer science at Central Michigan University, told ABC News. Users may be able to use the app for up to one year after the ban goes into effect, Liao added, but the app would deteriorate and eventually become inoperable. The potential decline of the app, Kreps said, would amount to a "slow fizzle." "The reasons why people have wanted to use TikTok are that it's easy, it's fun, it has a nice user interface," Kreps added. "Without updates over time, it would not have those same qualities that users have liked." Will users find ways to get around the ban? Some users would likely be able to circumvent the ban, but it would prove too difficult or inconvenient for many, experts said. "For the majority of people, it will be lots of trouble," Liao said. "For someone who is tech-savvy and motivated, they can do it." For instance, individuals could pursue offline app installation that bypasses the app store, Liao said. To do this, he added, an individual could download an installation package from the internet, move it to a USB drive and transfer it to their phone. Individuals could also use a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, which allows one to pose as a user logging on from a location abroad, thereby circumventing the U.S.-specific ban, experts said. Some users would circumvent the ban but over time, the difficulty and annoyance would likely drive them to a competing service, Kreps said. "It's not going to be an on/off switch," she added. "But people will prefer the path of least resistance." ABC News' Lauren Peller, Alex Ederson and Jay O'Brien contributed to this report.
Overtime pay: Millions more salaried workers will be eligible under final Biden administration rule None - CNN — Millions of salaried workers will soon qualify for overtime pay under a final rule released by the US Department of Labor on Tuesday. The new rule raises the salary threshold under which salaried employees are eligible for overtime in two stages. The threshold will increase to the equivalent of an annual salary of $43,888, or $844 a week, starting July 1, and then to $58,656, or $1,128 a week, on January 1, 2025. About 4 million more workers will qualify for overtime when the rule is fully implemented in January, the agency estimates. In its first year, the rule is expected to result in an income transfer of about $1.5 billion from employers to workers, mainly from new overtime premiums or from pay raises to maintain the exempt status of some affected employees. “This rule will restore the promise to workers that if you work more than 40 hours in a week, you should be paid more for that time,” acting Labor Secretary Julie Su said in a statement. “Too often, lower-paid salaried workers are doing the same job as their hourly counterparts but are spending more time away from their families for no additional pay. That is unacceptable.” The current threshold is $35,568 a year, or $684 per week, which was put in place by the Trump administration in 2019. The salary threshold will be updated every three years, starting July 1, 2027, the agency said. Business groups are expected to fight the effort, as they successfully did when the Obama administration attempted to significantly hike the threshold. Trade associations quickly pushed back on the latest proposed rule when it was released in August, saying it would raise their members’ costs and hurt their operations. “I suspect that such substantial increases may be a particular burden for many smaller businesses, forcing some to choose between cutting jobs and raising prices,” said Ted Hollis, a partner at Quarles & Brady, a law firm. “Some businesses that cannot do either may be forced to close, resulting in unintended but predictable side effects of this government action.” The rule will “exponentially increase” operating costs for small restaurant owners who are “trying desperately” to keep menu prices steady, Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of public affairs for the National Restaurant Association, said in a statement. “And because DOL created a one-size-fits all rule based on national income data, rather than regional data, this change is going to disproportionately impact restaurant owners in the South and Midwest,” he said. Ben Brubeck, vice president of regulatory, labor and state affairs at Associated Builders and Contractors, said the rule will disrupt the entire construction industry and noted that the trade group will consider all options, including a legal challenge. The rule will “greatly restrict employee workplace flexibility in setting schedules and hours, hurting career advancement opportunities,” he said in a statement. In 2016, then-President Barack Obama asked the Labor Department to overhaul federal overtime rules and raise the salary threshold to $47,476 a year, or $913 a week. That would have roughly doubled the level that was in place at the time. But business groups and 21 states sued, and later that year, a federal judge in Texas issued an injunction. The Trump administration said in 2017 that it would not defend the rule and later lifted the threshold to the current level. This story has been updated with additional information.
Day 6 of Trump's hush money trial in 60 seconds None - Trump calls on his supporters to protest in NYC, but he's not getting the circus he wants 09:45
Senate advances Ukraine, Israel aid package and possible TikTok ban None - The Senate voted to advance the $95 billion aid package to provide critical aid to Ukraine and Israel, and a provision that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. The vote of 80-19 indicates the legislation has enough support to clear the Senate in a final vote.April 23, 2024
Teens use day off from school to attend Trump trial None - MSNBC's Chris Jansing spoke to two New York teens, Hope Harrington and Owen Berenbom, who decided to attend former President Donald Trump's hush money trial. The students talked about why they wanted to be at court, with Harrington saying she wants to be a lawyer, and their takeaways from the arguments and testimony they heard.April 23, 2024
Threats of violence to colleges on FBI's radar amid heated campus environment None - In an exclusive interview with Lester Holt, FBI Director Christopher Wray says that though the bureau does not monitor protests they do “share intelligence about specific threats of violence with campuses, with state and local law enforcement.”April 23, 2024
Relatives meet baby saved from pregnant mother killed in Rafah airstrike None - Baby Sabreen Alrouh Joudeh was born an orphan after she was delivered from her dead mother’s womb following an Israeli airstrike that also killed her father and sister. NBC News captured the emotional moment baby Sabreen’s grandmother and uncle met her for the first time in the neonatal unit in Rafah’s Emirati Hospital.April 22, 2024
New federal rule would bar 'noncompete' agreements for most employees None - U.S. companies would no longer be able to bar employees from taking jobs with competitors under a rule approved by a federal agency, though the rule is sure to be challenged in court WASHINGTON -- U.S. companies would no longer be able to bar employees from taking jobs with competitors under a rule approved by a federal agency Tuesday, though the rule is sure to be challenged in court. The Federal Trade Commission voted Tuesday 3-2 to ban measures known as noncompete agreements, which bar workers from jumping to or starting competing companies for a prescribed period of time. According to the FTC, 30 million people — roughly one in five workers — are now subject to such restrictions. The Biden administration has taken aim at noncompete measures, which are commonly associated with high-level executives at technology and financial companies but in recent years have also ensnared lower-paid workers, such as security guards and sandwich-shop employees. A 2021 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis found that more than one in 10 workers who earn $20 or less an hour are covered by noncompete agreements. When it proposed the ban in January 2023, FTC officials asserted that noncompete agreements harm workers by reducing their ability to switch jobs for higher pay, a step that often provides most workers with their biggest pay increases. By reducing overall churn in the job market, the agency argued, the measures also disadvantage workers who aren't covered by them because fewer jobs become available as fewer people leave their positions. They can also hurt the economy overall by limiting the ability of other businesses to hire needed employees, the FTC said. The rule, which doesn't apply to workers at non-profits, is to take effect in four months unless it is blocked by legal challenges. “Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas and rob the American economy of dynamism," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. “We heard from employees who, because of noncompetes, were stuck in abusive workplaces." Some doctors, she added, have been prevented from practicing medicine after leaving practices. Business groups have criticized the measure as casting too wide a net by blocking nearly all noncompetes. They argue that highly paid executives are often able to win greater pay in return for accepting a noncompete. “It’ll represent a sea change,” said Amanda Sonneborn, a partner at King & Spalding in Chicago who represents employers that use noncompetes. “They don’t want somebody to go to a competitor and take their customer list or take their information about their business strategy to that competitor.” But Alexander Hertzel-Fernandez, a professor at Columbia University who is a former Biden administration Labor Department official, argued that lower-income workers don't have the ability to negotiate over such provisions. “When they get their job offer," he said, "it’s really a take-it-or-leave-it-as-a-whole,” he said. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday that it will file a lawsuit to block the rule. It accused the FTC of overstepping its authority. “Noncompete agreements are either upheld or dismissed under well-established state laws governing their use,” said Suzanne Clark, the chamber's CEO. “Yet today, three unelected commissioners have unilaterally decided they have the authority to declare what’s a legitimate business decision and what’s not by moving to ban noncompete agreements in all sectors of the economy.” Two Republican appointees to the FTC, Melissa Holyoak and Andrew Ferguson, voted against the proposal. They asserted that the agency was exceeding its authority by approving such a sweeping rule. Noncompete agreements are banned in three states, including California, and some opponents of noncompetes argue that California’s ban has been a key contributor to that state’s innovative tech economy. John Lettieri, CEO of the Economic Innovation Group, a tech-backed think tank, argues that the ability of early innovators to leave one company and start a competitor was key to the development of the semiconductor industry. “The birth of so many important foundational companies could not have happened, at least not in the same way or on the same timeline and definitely not in the same place, had it not been for the ability of entrepreneurs to spin out, start their own companies, or go to a better company,” Lettieri said. The White House has been stepping up its efforts to protect workers as the presidential campaign heats up. On Tuesday, the Labor Department issued a rule that would guarantee overtime pay for more lower-paid workers. The rule would increase the required minimum salary level to exempt an employee from overtime pay, from about $35,600 currently to nearly $43,900 effective July 1 and $58,700 by Jan. 1, 2025. Companies will be required to pay overtime for workers below those thresholds who work more than 40 hours a week. “This rule will restore the promise to workers that if you work more than 40 hours in a week, you should be paid more for that time,” said Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su.
How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 4/23/2024 None - Stocks rallied for a second straight day on Wall Street, softening what’s been a rough April How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday, 4/23/2024 The Associated Press By The Associated Press Stocks rallied for a second straight day on Wall Street, softening what’s been a rough April. The S & P 500 added 1.2% Tuesday to pull further out of the hole created by a six-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.6%. A weaker-than-expected report on U.S. business activity helped support the market, which remains in an awkward phase. The hope on Wall Street is for the economy to avoid a severe recession, but not to stay so hot that it keeps upward pressure on inflation. GE Aerospace soared after raising its profit forecast. On Tuesday: The S & P 500 rose 59.95 points, or 1.2%, to 5,070.55. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 263.71 points, or 0.7%, to 38,503.69. The Nasdaq composite rose 245.33 points, or 1.6%, to 15,696.64. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 35.17 points, or 1.8%, to 2,002.64. For the week: The S & P 500 is up 103.32 points, or 2.1%. The Dow is up 517.29 points, or 1.4%. The Nasdaq is up 414.63 points, or 2.7%. The Russell 2000 is up 54.99 points, or 2.8%. For the year: The S & P 500 is up 300.72 points, or 6.3%. The Dow is up 814.15 points, or 2.2%. The Nasdaq is up 685.29 points, or 4.6%. The Russell 2000 is down 24.43 points, or 1.2%.
Jeep maker Stellantis to lay off an unspecified number of factory workers in the coming months None - Jeep maker Stellantis is planning to lay off an unspecified number of workers at its U.S. factories in the coming months to deal with a rapidly changing global auto market, the company said Tuesday Jeep maker Stellantis to lay off an unspecified number of factory workers in the coming months DETROIT -- Jeep maker Stellantis is planning to lay off an unspecified number of workers at its U.S. factories in the coming months to deal with a rapidly changing global auto market, the company said Tuesday. The statement comes as the company faces increased capital spending to make the transition from gasoline vehicles to electric autos. It also has reported declining U.S. sales in the first quarter, and it has higher costs due to a new contract agreement reached last year with the United Auto Workers union. Stellantis has about 43,000 factory workers. “These actions will help improve productivity and ensure the company's long-term sustainability in a rapidly changing global market," the Stellantis statement said. The company wouldn't give details of when the indefinite layoffs would start or state specific reasons for them, but the trade publication Automotive News reported Monday that Stellantis had laid off 199 full-time workers at its Ram pickup truck factory in Sterling Heights, Michigan, north of Detroit. The company also has laid off some white-collar workers this year. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has said his company has to work on cutting costs globally in order to keep electric vehicles affordable for the middle class. Electric vehicles, he has said, cost about 40% more than those powered by gasoline. Without cost reductions, EVs will be too expensive for the middle class, shrinking the market and driving costs up more, Tavares has said. Stellantis reported that its vehicle sales were down nearly 10% from January through March compared with a year earlier.
A legal challenge over the UK's role in arms sales to Israel will go ahead None - A judge says a legal challenge over the British government’s role in allowing weapons to be sent to Israel can be heard at the High Court later this year A legal challenge over the UK's role in arms sales to Israel will go ahead LONDON -- A legal challenge over the British government's role in allowing weapons to be sent to Israel can be heard at the High Court later this year, a judge said Tuesday. Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq and the U.K.-based Global Legal Action Network filed the challenge in December, calling for the U.K. to stop granting licenses for arms exports to Israel. They said they acted after Britain’s government ignored their written requests to suspend arms sales to Israel following the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the Israeli-Hamas war. The case had been dismissed in February, but a High Court judge on Tuesday granted a judicial review hearing for it in October. Lawyers for the human rights groups argued there was a “clear risk” that the weapons "might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law” in Gaza. But lawyer James Eadie, representing the U.K. Department for Business and Trade, said the issue is considered “with conspicuous care and thoroughness.” “The secretary of state’s position is that those decisions have at all times been lawful and, in particular, rational," he said in a written submission. Rights groups have long opposed British arms exports to Israel, but such calls have gained ground since an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers from the aid charity World Central Kitchen on April 1. Three of the aid workers were British. Earlier this month more than 600 British lawyers and judges, including three retired judges from the U.K. Supreme Court, joined calls for the government to suspend arms sales to Israel. They said the U.K. could be complicit in “grave breaches of international law” if it continues to ship weapons, and that it is legally obliged to heed the International Court of Justice’s conclusion that there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza. The Campaign Against Arms Trade nonprofit group says British industry, namely BAE Systems, provides about 15% of the components in the F-35 stealth combat aircraft used by Israel. The group alleges that the jets were used in recent bombardment of Gaza. “The U.K. government has stretched legal reasoning to the point of absurdity in order to arm a country that is committing grave violations of international humanitarian law," said Dearbhla Minogue, a senior lawyer at the Global Legal Action Network. “The government seems to be making this process as painstakingly slow as possible,” Minogue added. "Given the urgency of the situation in Gaza, the government should listen to the international legal consensus and halt weapons sales now.”
The world's largest 3D printer is at a university in Maine. It just unveiled an even bigger one None - The world's largest 3D printer is at a university in Maine. It just unveiled an even bigger one ORONO, Maine -- The world’s largest 3D printer has created a house that can cut construction time and labor. An even larger printer unveiled on Tuesday may one day create entire neighborhoods. The machine revealed Tuesday at the University of Maine is four times larger than the first one — commissioned less than five years ago — and capable of printing ever mightier objects. That includes scaling up its 3D-printed home technology using bio-based materials to eventually demonstrate how printed neighborhoods can offer an avenue to affordable housing to address homelessness in the region. Thermoplastic polymers are extruded from a printer dubbed the “Factory of the Future 1.0," said Habib Dagher, director of UMaine’s Advanced Structures & Composite Center, where both of the current printers are located. It combines robotics operations with new sensors, high-performance computing and artificial intelligence, Dagher said. And there could be even larger printers in the future after the University of Maine breaks ground this summer on a new building. “We’re learning from this to design the next one,” he said. Those attending the event included representatives from departments of defense, energy and housing, as well as other stakeholders who plan to utilize the new technologies made available by the printer. Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said the printer exceeded her expectations and "stands as a beacon of innovation." Shrouded by a black curtain, the printer was on and whirring behind the speakers during the event. At the end, the curtain opened revealing the printer was working on a test project for a future boat. The printer's frame fills up the large building in which it’s housed on the UMaine campus, and can print objects 96 feet long by 32 feet wide by 18 feet high (29 meters by 10 meters by 5.5 meters). It has a voracious appetite, consuming as much as 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of material per hour. The original printer, christened in 2019, was certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest polymer 3D printer, the university said. It was used to create a 600-square-foot, single-family home made of wood fiber and bio-resin materials that are recyclable. Dubbed “BioHome3D," it showed an ability to quickly produce homes. To meet the growing demand for housing, Maine alone will need another 80,000 homes over the next six years, according to MaineHousing. Dagher said there's a shortage of both affordable housing and workers to build homes. The university wants to show how homes can be constructed nearly entirely by a printer with a lower carbon footprint. The buildings and construction sector accounts for roughly 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely due to the production and use of materials such as cement, steel and aluminum that have a significant carbon footprint, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Such printed buildings can be recycled, which is unique compared to current construction. “You can basically deconstruct it, you can grind it up if you wish, the 3D printed parts, and reprint with them, do it again,” Dagher said before the event. “It’s not about building a cheap house or a biohome,” he added, referring to the first 3D-printed house made entirely with bio-based materials. “We wanted to build a house that people would say, ‘Wow, I really want to live there.’” The Army Corps of Engineers provided most of the funding for the new printer, which cost several million dollars, said Dannel Malloy, chancellor of the University of Maine System. It was built by the university in collaboration with Ingersoll Rand for construction of the printer and Somatex for the supporting structure, officials said. Looking ahead, researchers plan to tinker with the material consumed by the machine, including more bio-based feedstocks from wood residuals that are abundant in Maine, the nation’s most heavily forested state. But it can be used for a variety of other creations and already has been used for a range of things, from boats to defense department structures. In the past, the university showed off a 25-foot boat created by the first printer. Upcoming projects with the new printer include a 50-foot boat and houses to serve homeless people, Dagher said. As for the original 3D printer, it isn't going away. The two printers can be used in concert to streamline manufacturing by working on the same project — or even part if necessary — and there will be even more of them working together in the future, officials said. ___ McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
Cyberattacks are on the rise, and that includes small businesses. Here's what to know None - Cyberattacks are on the rise, and that includes small businesses. Here's what to know NEW YORK -- Cyberattacks on businesses are rising, including small businesses. It's a troubling trend because a breach can be very costly and time consuming if owners don't have a plan to deal with one. According to the Verizon 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report, the median cost per ransomware attack — which features a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid — more than doubled over the past two years to $26,000. That's partly because there has been a dramatic increase in ransomware attacks, which represent 24% of all breaches. Small businesses should first have a plan in place to prevent cyberattacks. The human element is the cause of 74% of breaches, so owners should make sure all of their employees use safeguards such as two-factor identification to make it harder to be hacked. Requiring employees to regularly change their passwords can also help. If your business has been breached, it's best to work with a cybersecurity executive within your company or a trusted third party to assess what happened and the damage done. Trying to contain it without having the right technical knowledge can just make things worse. It's also important to let the authorities know what happened. Attacks must be reported to federal authorities within 72 hours after a company is reasonably sure one has occurred.