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Tucker Carlson decries 'weak men' unwilling to beat up school employees 2024-07-17 21:13:31+00:00 - Thus far, the Republican National Convention’s speakers have undermined some conservatives' claims that this year's event would focus on promoting national “unity.” Remarkably, though, some of the most disturbing speeches from right-wingers this week have come not from the main stage, but rather from a few blocks away at an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation, the group that coordinated the drafting of Project 2025, a far-right plan to increase Donald Trump's power and politicize federal agencies if he's elected in November. The Heritage Foundation's Policy Fest, an extremist-fueled speaker series keynoted by fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson, unfolded just down the street from Fiserv Forum, where the RNC is taking place. The physical distance seems to have been strategic. Trump has tried to publicly distance himself from Project 2025, though several of its authors were members of his administration. So perhaps some Republicans thought holding a Heritage Foundation event that’s ostensibly separate from the RNC would help the GOP’s effort to appear less radical. But Monday proved that plenty of GOP power brokers are all in on Project 2025 and the politics that inspired it. Heritage Foundation CEO Kevin Roberts doubled down on Project 2025, calling it “a plan among a unified movement to speak on behalf of the everyday American, the forgotten American.” In reality, it reads more like a plan to remake the government under Christian nationalist and far-right ideals that include defining heterosexual marriage as “biblically based,” supercharging religious exemptions to anti-discrimination laws, withdrawing Food and Drug Administration approval of abortion medication and concentrating power in the presidency. Carlson boosted these alarming ideas in his Policy Fest speech on Monday, telling the crowd the recent shooting at a Trump rally proved there is a “spiritual battle” underway and claimed liberals are motivated by an “anti-human” force that seeks to “eliminate” Christians. Carlson later decried the abundance of “weak men” unwilling to commit violence against school employees. He falsely claimed schools are trying to "indoctrinate" kids and turn them into “circus freaks” before he fantasized about harming school employees. “In the country that I grew up in, the dad would just punch the counselor out. You know, ‘Put me in jail, I don’t care,’” Carlson said, before baselessly suggesting school counselors are engaging in “child molester stuff.” He continued: I just said I’m against violence, but that’s, like, a very basic — that’s the most basic requirement of fatherhood but also of leadership more broadly is to be willing to die for the people in your care, period. And if you’re not willing to do that, you’re contemptible. Policy Fest featured several other speakers well-known among the MAGA faithful, including failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Tom Homan, acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Trump administration. Homan, whom Trump has said he would tap for a job if he’s elected again, tried to downplay Trump’s authoritarian goals related to immigration. Although Trump has publicly refused to rule out building camps for mass detention as part of his campaign’s vow to establish the most massive deportation effort in history, Homan claimed — without evidence — that a Trump immigration policy wouldn’t include any of the things reported in the media. “People say, 'Trump’s threatening this historic deportation operation. He’s going to build concentration camps. He’s going to sweep neighborhoods,'" Homan said. "Let me be clear. None of that will happen." He went on to issue a warning that seemed to apply not only to newly arriving immigrants but also to recipients of protections offered under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, too. “No one’s off the table,” he said. “If you’re in the country illegally, it’s not OK. If you’re in the country illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.”
Ethereum co-founder warns against voting only on 'pro-crypto,' a day after a16z founders support Trump 2024-07-17 21:10:00+00:00 - Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterin on Wednesday cautioned against voting for political candidates based solely on whether they have adopted a "pro-crypto" stance. "The game of politics is much more complicated than just 'who wins the next election', and there are a lot of levers that your words and actions affect," Buterin wrote in a blog post that warned even Putin and the Russian government had "expressed willingness to become 'open to crypto.'" Buterin's post comes as Donald Trump, who has positioned himself as the pro-crypto candidate for president, rallies members of his party at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, and a day after venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz told employees of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) that they plan to make significant donations to political action committees supporting Donald Trump's campaign. In an episode of "The Ben & Marc Show," which features the a16z co-founders, Horowitz said that the Joe Biden administration, in the form of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, has "fought" them every step of the way by "using very nefarious means." "They've sued I think over 30 of our companies," added Horowitz. "They're losing almost all these lawsuits, but the problem is that when you're a startup you don't have the money to fight the U.S. government and so they're kind of nuking the industry in that way." Fairshake, a super PAC backed by crypto's top companies, is now one of the top-spending PACs in this election cycle. Of the $160 million in total contributions it has raised, 94% can be traced back to just four companies: Ripple, Andreesen Horowitz, Coinbase and Jump Crypto. "There is a particular style of being 'crypto-friendly' that is common to authoritarian governments, that is worth being wary of. The best example of this is, predictably, modern Russia," added Buterin, a Russia-born coder who built ethereum in his late teens. Tesla chief Elon Musk and venture capitalist Peter Thiel, as well as crypto leaders like Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss have also endorsed Trump. In early June in San Francisco, technologists, crypto executives, and venture capitalists paid up to $300,000 per ticket to join a Trump fundraiser that ultimately raised more than $12 million. "In particular, by publicly giving the impression that you support 'pro-crypto' candidates just because they are 'pro-crypto', you are helping to create an incentive gradient where politicians come to understand that all they need to get your support is to support 'crypto,'" continued Buterin, who is known for periodically posting longer essays opining on existential threats to the ecosystem writ large. Buterin did not single out any names in his post of either political candidates, or of those opting to support them. Trump — who launched his latest non-fungible token collection on the solana blockchain in April — has been making increasingly bullish comments on crypto. He is accepting digital currency donations and has pledged to defend the rights of those who choose to self-custody their coins, meaning that they don't rely on a centralized entity like Coinbase to hold their tokens and instead, do it themselves in personal crypto wallets, which are sometimes outside the reach of the Internal Revenue Service. Trump also vowed at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington in May to keep Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and "her goons" away from bitcoin holders. Meanwhile, following a meeting with bitcoiners at Mar-a-Lago with about a dozen mining executives who pledged cash and votes to him, Trump declared that all future bitcoin will be minted in the U.S., should he return to the White House. On Monday, the Republican presidential nominee added Ohio Senator JD Vance to his ticket as vice president — a move viewed by many as a net win for the crypto sector. Vance has advocated for looser regulation of crypto and disclosed in 2022 that he personally holds bitcoin . It comes in stark contrast to the Joe Biden White House, which has been seen as hard on crypto. Under President Biden, the SEC has dialed up actions on the sector, and even in the absence of hard-and-fast rules from Congress, the U.S. has proven to be one of the most active enforcers of penalties and legal enforcements against crypto companies. The angrier the crypto industry got at the SEC for arresting and prosecuting them, the more people like Vance saw a chance to stake out a position on the opposite side of a crypto-skeptical Biden administration. However, the perception that Biden is anti-crypto and Trump is pro-crypto has some Biden allies concerned enough to take their case directly to senior White House officials. Trump is set to headline the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee on July 27.
HGTV star Christina Hall is getting divorced. Here's a timeline of her romantic life, from working with Tarek El Moussa to her latest split. 2024-07-17 21:07:41+00:00 - December 2016: El Moussa and Christina announced they were separating. Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall separated in 2016. Alexander Tamargo / Contributor / Getty Images In May 2016, police went to the couple's home because of "a call of a possibly suicidal male with a gun," TMZ reported at the time. El Moussa was seen running from his home with a firearm, which he dropped after police told him from a helicopter to release it, TMZ reported. Seven months later, El Moussa and Christina announced their separation, acknowledging the incident in a statement to Us Weekly. "Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage," the statement said. "We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago and the police were called to our house in an abundance of caution." "There was no violence and no charges were filed. We chose to get counseling to sort out our relationship. Together, we have decided to separate while we reevaluate the future of our marriage," the statement went on to say. El Moussa reflected on the incident in his 2024 book, "Flip Your Life," writing that he took his gun with him on a hike because of wildlife in the area after an argument with Christina, though that was not clear to Christina when she saw him hop their fence with the weapon in tow. "That was the very last time we were together as a family: with Christina walking down the driveway, crying, and me sitting there in handcuffs, asking myself, 'What in the world is going on?'" he wrote of the incident, adding that he was taking testosterone at the time. He quit the next day and ended up living in a halfway house shortly after. Speaking to BI about his life in January, El Moussa said that hitting rock bottom helped him see what his true priorities are. "I didn't even realize how obsessed I was with my kids until I hit rock bottom, until I was on my own, until I started rebuilding my life," he told BI. "I wasn't present. I wasn't putting in the work," he went on to say. "I wasn't putting in the time that I put into flipping houses. I needed to put that time into being a dad."
United Airlines profit jumps 23%, but third-quarter forecast disappoints amid industry overcapacity 2024-07-17 21:03:00+00:00 - United Airlines ' second-quarter profit rose more than 20% from last year as strong demand for international travel boosted the carrier's results, but its third-quarter forecast came in shy of estimates as an oversupply of flights weighs on fares. United said Wednesday that it expects to earn between $2.75 and $3.25 a share on an adjusted basis in the current quarter, lower than the $3.44 a share analysts polled by LSEG estimated. Here's what United reported for the second quarter compared with what Wall Street expected, based on average estimates compiled by LSEG: Earnings per share: $4.14 adjusted vs. $3.93 expected $4.14 adjusted vs. $3.93 expected Revenue: $14.99 billion vs. $15.06 billion expected United earned $1.32 billion, or $3.96 per share, in the three months ended June 30, up from $1.08 billion, or $3.24 per share, a year earlier. Adjusting for one-time items, United reported second-quarter earnings of $4.14 a share, compared with $3.93 that analysts expected. Revenue of $14.99 billion jumped 5.7% over last year, though it was just shy of estimates. United reiterated its full-year forecast for adjusted earnings of $9 to $11 a share. United and Delta Air Lines , which also disappointed with its third-quarter guide, have still been standouts in the airline industry. Most carriers have been struggling with an increase in U.S. domestic capacity that has weighed on airfares, despite record demand. Both carriers have added international flights, which have been in high demand after the pandemic, and premium offerings, like bigger lounges and more spacious seats, capitalizing on travelers willing to pay more for a ticket. United said on Wednesday that premium revenue grew more than 8% from last year, while sales from the most restrictive basic economy tickets rose 38%, as it caters to both ends of the market. United expanded domestic flying by more than 5% in the second quarter over last year, and unit revenues fell more than 1% over last year. Yields on flights to and from Europe, which is a smaller slice of United's sales, rose more than 5%, compared with the second quarter of 2023. United CEO Scott Kirby said airlines have been trimming their schedules and that there will be an inflection point to moderate the supply in mid-August. "Looking forward, we see multiple airlines have begun to cancel loss-making capacity, and we expect leading unit revenue performance among our largest peers in the second half of the third quarter," he said. On Tuesday, Spirit Airlines cut its second-quarter forecast, citing weaker-than-expected revenue for fees like seating or luggage. Southwest Airlines and American Airlines , which report results on July 25, previously reduced their second-quarter estimates.
NASA cancels its moon rover mission, citing cost overruns and launch delays 2024-07-17 21:02:13+00:00 - WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA said Wednesday it’s canceling its water-seeking moon rover, citing cost overruns and launch delays. The Viper rover was supposed to launch in late 2023 aboard a lander provided by Astrobotic Technology, but extra testing and increased costs kept delaying the mission, threatening other projects, the space agency said. The rover had aimed to explore the moon’s south pole. About $450 million had been spent so far on its development, NASA said. The announcement comes days before the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, which landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon on July 20, 1969. NASA said it plans to study the presence of lunar ice through other projects. Astrobotic still plans to fly its Griffin moon lander — minus a rover — by the end of next year. The company’s first moonshot ended in failure in January with a fiery plunge over the South Pacific. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Darden Restaurants buys Tex-Mex chain Chuy’s for $605 million 2024-07-17 21:01:55+00:00 - Darden Restaurants is adding Tex-Mex to the menu. The parent company of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House and other chains, said Wednesday it’s buying Chuy’s for approximately $605 million. Darden said it will acquire all outstanding shares of Chuy’s for $37.50 per share. Those shares closed at $25.27 apiece on Wednesday, then soared past $37 in after-hours trading once the deal was announced. Darden shares fell 1% in after-hours trading. Darden said the boards of Darden and Chuy’s have unanimously approved the acquisition. The deal is expected to close later this year, if it’s approved by Chuy’s shareholders. Chuy’s Holdings Inc. was founded in Austin, Texas, in 1982. It now operates 101 restaurants in 15 states and has 7,400 employees. It’s known for its eclectic decor and fresh food, including handmade tortillas and sauces. Like Darden, Chuy’s owns and operates all of its restaurants. Darden President and CEO Rick Cardenas said Chuy’s is a differentiated brand with strong growth potential that will expand Darden’s dining options. Darden, based in Orlando, Florida, operates more than 1,900 restaurants and has 190,000 employees. It also owns Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s and Bahama Breeze. “Based on our criteria for adding a brand to the Darden portfolio, we believe Chuy’s is an excellent fit that supports our winning strategy,” Cardenas said in a statement. Chuy’s Chairman, CEO and President Steven Hislop said the acquisition will accelerate Chuy’s business goals and expand the brand to more communities. The deal comes as both restaurant companies have been struggling with a downturn in customer traffic due to consumer concerns about inflation. In Darden’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ended May 26, same-store sales — or sales at restaurants open at least a year — were flat compared to the prior year. Chuy’s same-store sales were down 5% in its first quarter, which ended March 31. Investment bank Jefferies downgraded shares for both restaurant chains earlier this month, saying they’re being squeezed by price promotions at fast-food chains like McDonald’s as well as at casual dining peers like Chili’s and Applebee’s.
Patent Law Can't Keep Up With AI's Pace Of Change, Creating Massive Risk And Massive Opportunity 2024-07-17 21:01:00+00:00 - Loading... Loading... The existing U.S. legal framework for the protection of intellectual property through patents and copyrights is groaning under the strain of AI’s massive acceleration of human creativity and invention. The cracks that are appearing represent huge opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups – and significant and growing risks for incumbents. The leverage that AI can provide a startup or even a single entrepreneur, combined with the huge gray areas in IP law, means that new AI-assisted product and process innovations – and possibly even AI prompts themselves – could now be patentable. That could create scenarios, given the “first to file” system for patent priority in the US, in which a vast gold rush for patents on AI-assisted inventions starts. Where it stops, no one quite knows. When it stops is probably only after courts and the Congress catch up. How long that will take, given the speed of change, the many sides with interests tied up in the issue, and the massive financial stakes, is highly uncertain. And the amount of money to be made and lost in the process means companies ignore the question at their significant peril. This isn’t the first time this has happened -- US patent and IP law always lag behind changes in technology. There was much uncertainty around whether software was patentable in the 1960s and 70s, and there were titanic legal battles over biotech and gene patents, as well as protecting the IP aspects of the Internet and e-commerce. And there’s little doubt that federal courts – and potentially the Congress -- will, at some point, need to wade into many of these issues to provide definition and clarity. But as in those earlier cases of fast-moving technology, the speed of reality is far exceeding the speed with which the legal frameworks can be remade. That’s an invitation for bold action and pushing boundaries. Given the speed at which AI platforms self-improve, this is almost like a warp in the fabric of innovation opportunity. Since software’s functionality can be patented if it accomplishes an action or approaches a problem in a unique way, the idea of seeking protection for an algorithm whose code was generated by an AI platform in response to a prompt written in English by a human is not far-fetched. By offering high-powered, low-cost support in the creation of new IP, large language models can make traditional barriers to entry far less powerful. If an LLM can replace an office campus full of engineers in the development of software, then a single founder with a particular insight and a knowledge of how to employ an AI platform could conceivably create patentable code that unlocks a new market – or blocks a highly established company from pursuing it in the same way without permission. So in theory the threat and opportunity level in the intellectual property world is flashing red – or green, depending on which side you’re coming from. If a prompt given to a large language model (LLM) describes an innovative algorithm in a general way, and the LLM generates source code that performs this algorithm, then the prompt itself could help secure a patent for the algorithm. That’s because the LLM can quickly create working versions of the algorithm, proving its functionality, which is necessary for patentability -- and do so very quickly. Additionally, the LLM enables people without coding skills to demonstrate that their innovative algorithms work, making it easier for a wider range of people to both create working versions of software and to obtain patents on that software. The speed and ability to innovate becomes even more intimidating as we start to see the early work of “agent-based AI,” where two or more AI systems communicate with each other. One platform gets the prompt and the second can evaluate the prompt or access data to assist the first. The platforms can share and iterate – kind of exactly how software engineers working at a company would over weeks or months of pizza-fueled all-nighters. The difference, of course, is the agent-based AI systems can iterate quite literally at the speed of light. If that’s not scary enough, in this agent-based scenario, the innovator can potentially start out with a high level description of an algorithm – quite short on specifics – and use this type of agent-based AI to create a range of ways of making the algorithm work. That could result, under our current patent law framework, in a very broad patent that is also highly defensible. And it could severely restrict the economic opportunity for others in the same field. Is that scenario certain? Definitely not. The best case for the prompts being patentable in a case described above is if they seek the creation of code or products that are new and not obvious. Another way to understand the impact of AI in this context is that, in the past, when a new invention was created (like the steam engine), it took a long time for the inventor of that technology -- and other inventors -- to improve on that invention and to come up with ways to use it in different types of machines and processes (e.g., steam train, steam ship, etc.). That meant that many people typically obtained patent protection over a range of related technologies over some number of years. Innovating was anything but frictionless, and the time, effort, talent and money required for innovation acted as a safeguard against concentration of innovation and patents. But with AI, when someone creates an initial invention, AI makes it increasingly possible for that initial inventor to flesh out different variations of that invention and applications thereof more easily and rapidly. That in turn makes it easier for the initial inventor to get protection for a broad range of inventions surrounding the initial invention more quickly and inexpensively -- and before others have time to obtain competing IP. This is how AI is both compressing the timescale of innovation and putting immense pressure on everyone to innovate rapidly and to obtain IP protection for their inventions that is as broad as possible, as quickly as possible. It is, in effect, pulling the friction out of innovation. Open AI founder Sam Altman recently said that he thinks AI can help create a billion dollar unicorn startup with only the founder on its payroll. Whether that becomes literally true or not doesn’t matter – the idea he’s expressing is directionally correct. A founder who’s savvy in the use of AI could create an astonishingly valuable business with shockingly little capital and very few employees -- and very quickly. And under current patent law, erect a legal protective wall around how they did it so others couldn’t follow without paying a toll. That means no company, no matter how impenetrable its barriers to entry and its IP protections seem today, is invulnerable. AI platforms can reduce the time and expense of innovation and therefore reduce the cost of failure. A reduced cost of failure means a vastly reduced cost and speed of iteration. The data from failures becomes grist for the AI mill to help it figure out how to succeed. This all means that competitors – and invisible one-person startups you didn’t know were competitors – can be studying what your company is up to, determining what your likely next steps are, and using AI as their R&D engine, take away your future. And if those competitors have IP protection for their AI-assisted innovations, you’ll be legally blocked from competing with them. Those are the threats. But the opportunity is similarly massive. A company should have better existing data about its market, its customers, its processes, its opportunities, and its technology than a new market entrant would. It also will have existing relationships with customers and a much better ability to sell new and innovative services to them than a new-entrant competitor would. The large company might even have long-term / exclusive contracts with its customers, which can in themselves be a significant barrier to entry to a newcomer. Finally, a successful existing company should have greater scale and resources, and be able to put all those together through the magnifying and amplifying lens of AI, to get there first with something better. AI is raising the bar for what’s patentable, as it in effect makes the way to do new things more obvious, and therefore potentially not protectable. So an existing market participant needs to leverage AI to maximize its inventive skills and help power it past that obviousness threshold. The bar, in other words, is going up – but so is your leaping ability. The practical and more specific implications for companies are that they need to accelerate the pace of their patent filings. Of course a patent attorney like me would say so – but it’s reality. We’ve got a first to file system in the U.S. and I fear smart innovators armed with AI will be jamming up the filing windows. We’re entering a time of uncertain boundaries, changing legal frameworks, decreased friction and increased competition. The acceleration in the business world from AI has only barely begun – but watch as these jets kick in. The economic G-forces will be remarkable. Don’t sit on the sidelines while others fly the plane.
EPA watchdog investigating delays in how the agency used sensor plane after fiery Ohio derailment 2024-07-17 20:52:46+00:00 - The EPA’s Inspector General is investigating why the agency didn’t get its specialized plane loaded with advanced sensors into the air over East Palestine until four days after the disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment last year. The Associated Press reported on a whistleblower’s concerns this spring about the delays and discrepancies in the way the Environmental Protection Agency deployed its ASPECT plane that could have provided crucial information about the chemicals in the air and showed that tank cars filled with vinyl chloride weren’t likely to explode as officials feared. The controversial decision to blow open those vinyl chloride cars and burn the toxic plastic ingredient generated a huge plume of black smoke over the Ohio town and fueled lingering fears about potential long-term health impacts from the exposure to a mixture of burning chemicals. The notice the Inspector General quietly posted Tuesday about the investigation said the watchdog will look “to determine whether the EPA and its contractors followed ASPECT flight equipment deployment procedures during the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment” in the hope of improving the response to future emergencies. The man who wrote the software and helped interpret the data from the advanced radiological and infrared sensors on the plane said this mission differed from any of the 180 other times this plane was used since the program began after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Robert Kroutil said he is not sure why the ASPECT plane wasn’t deployed sooner and why it only gathered limited information in two brief flights. The National Transportation Safety Board determined in its investigation of the crash that the vent and burn wasn’t necessary because a feared chemical reaction wasn’t likely happening inside those tank cars, but the officials who made that decision never heard that opinion from the chemical manufacturer. And they didn’t have the detailed temperature data that Kroutil said the ASPECT plane could have provided on the tank cars. First responders on the ground had a hard time taking temperature readings because of the ongoing fire. The EPA has defended the way it used the plane and said officials didn’t even call for it to be deployed from its base in Texas until two days after the derailment despite the fact that the agency touts that the ASPECT plane can deploy within an hour of any kind of chemical disaster. EPA spokesman Nick Conger said Wednesday that the agency will cooperate fully with the Inspector General’s office. EPA officials have said they believe the way the plane was used in East Palestine was appropriate, and officials maintain that they had enough sensors on the ground to track the chemicals that were released after the derailment and the controversial vent and burn action three days later. Officials have said that weather conditions kept the ASPECT plane from flying on the day of the vent and burn, but it’s not clear why it wasn’t in the air sooner. Kroutil said he resigned in frustration over the East Palestine mission earlier this year from the EPA contractor he worked for called Kalman & Company. Kroutil said his team labeled the mission inconclusive because only eight minutes of data was recorded in the two flights and the plane’s chemical sensors were turned off over the creeks. But he said EPA managers changed their report to declare the vent-and-burn successful because the plane found so few chemicals when it eventually did fly. Long after the derailment, Kroutil said that EPA officials who oversee the ASPECT plane asked the company he worked for to draft plans for the flight and backdate them, so they would look good if they were uncovered later in a public records request.
I flew economy on American, Delta, and United. The flights were strikingly similar but with small quirks that may help you choose which airline to fly. 2024-07-17 20:39:26+00:00 - For those still stuck between one or more of the three for a particular economy flight, here's my best advice on how to choose. The view of the United cabin from the author's middle seat. Taylor Rains/Business Insider Firstly, if you care most about punctuality, the data says book Delta. Plus, the airline is consistently awarded for its premium-focused service and comfort, so it's just a safe bet — but you may see higher fares because of it. United's upgraded cabin is just as nice as Delta's, and I'd argue it's actually better with the Bluetooth option. But you'll want to pay up for at least regular economy to get a carry-on for domestic flights. While I've had my issues with American in the past, the airline has fully grown on me. It is often among the cheaper options, but most of its narrowbodies don't have a seatback screen. You'll still get entertainment on American but on a handheld device. If you're like me, who watches content on a personal device, I'd say that's a win-win.
More student-loan borrowers are getting debt cancellation through bankruptcy 2 years after Biden streamlined the process 2024-07-17 20:32:23+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 Biden administration's new process to help student-loan borrowers get rid of their debt in court is working. On Wednesday, the Justice Department released an update on bankruptcy for borrowers following new guidance it released in 2022. According to the department, 588 new cases were filed from October 2023 to March 2024, marking a 36% increase from the prior 6-month period. Most of those borrowers have also seen success in court — per the department, 98% of them received full or partial debt relief from November 2022 through March 2024. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Prior to the guidance, borrowers had to prove an "undue hardship" standard, in which they had to show that they could not maintain a minimal standard of living, that their circumstances weren't likely to improve, and that they had made a good-faith effort to repay their debt. However, that standard was very challenging for borrowers to meet, so the Education and Justice Departments streamlined the process by establishing clearer guidelines for borrowers to prove undue hardship. Those included examining whether borrowers have made a good faith effort to repay their debt and determining their future ability to make payments. Advertisement The guidance also allowed borrowers to complete a self-attestation form, which allowed departments to process their discharge requests faster and avoid investigations. "Our clear, fair, and practical standards are helping struggling borrowers find relief that was previously out of reach," Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said in a statement. "This data should puncture the myth that struggling borrowers cannot discharge their student loan debt through bankruptcy," he continued. "We will continue to work with our partners at the Department of Justice to make it simpler and easier for borrowers to get much-needed relief in the way it was intended." Along with an increase in borrowers filing for discharges, the departments also found that 96% of borrowers voluntarily completed self-attestation forms, and some bankruptcy courts have taken on procedures to use the new process. Advertisement The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for the total number of borrowers who have received discharges through this process. While this process shows improvement, it has been slow-moving. The advocacy group Student Defense found that fewer than 45 borrowers had received full or partial discharges just under a year after the new guidance. Related stories Some Democratic lawmakers have also scrutinized the process. Last summer, Sen. Elizabeth Warren requested information on how the guidance was being implemented, writing that the bankruptcy standard "has been narrowly interpreted by courts, and has proven to be so difficult to meet that most borrowers do not even attempt to discharge their student loans through the bankruptcy process." Still, Biden's administration is using the new data to show the process is working and expects more borrowers to participate. Advertisement "The results are clear: this guidance has helped make the promise of a fresh start in bankruptcy a meaningful option for individuals weighed down by student loan debt," Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said in a statement. Have you gotten your student loans discharged through bankruptcy? Are you struggling with the process? Share your story with this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.
Willow Bay, Bob Iger to take controlling stake in NWSL's Angel City FC at a $250 million valuation 2024-07-17 20:31:00+00:00 - Willow Bay and Bob Iger will take a controlling stake in Angel City Football Club, the world’s most valuable women’s professional sports team. On Wednesday, Angel City of the National Women’s Soccer League announced the couple had agreed to an investment of an undisclosed amount that values the team at $250 million. The club said Bay and Iger will invest an additional $50 million in the club’s future growth. According to NWSL bylaws, controlling owners must own at least 35% of the team, which puts the pair’s purchase agreement at a minimum of $87.5 million. Bay will serve on and have full control of the Angel City FC board, the team said. The sale comes as women’s sports and the NWSL have seen explosive growth in viewership and attendance and drawn growing investment. Last year, Angel City FC generated the highest revenue of any women’s team in the world. It was also No. 1 in NWSL attendance and sponsorship revenue. “We know they are the right partners to lead us into this new era — they are committed to further strengthening ACFC’s position as a preeminent organization and brand in women’s sports and to championing the team’s broader mission, including the advancement of equity for athletes and women-founded businesses,” the ACFC Board of Directors said in a statement. Angel City FC was founded in 2020 by actress Natalie Portman, venture capitalist Kara Nortman and entrepreneur Julie Uhrman. The ownership group also includes a long list of sports icons including Billie Jean King, Abby Wambach, Lindsey Vonn and 13 former players from the U.S. Women’s National Team. The team has prioritized female ownership and equal pay for women. Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian had been the club’s controlling owner. The unique ownership structure had brought tensions over finances and operations, reportedly one of the motivations for a sale. All of the existing owners will stay on with this new team structure, the club said Wednesday. Bay, a lifelong sports fan, who also serves as dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, said she’s committed to advancing the club’s mission of driving equity on and off the field. “With this investment of resources and capital, we hope to accelerate the growth of the Club and the NWSL,” she said in a statement.
United Airlines Q2 profit rises to $1.32 billion as travel demand offsets the carrier’s rising costs 2024-07-17 20:27:03+00:00 - United Airlines on Wednesday reported that its second-quarter profit rose 23% to $1.32 billion, as record crowds at U.S. airports helped the carrier overcome sharply rising costs for fuel and labor. However, United warned that third-quarter results will fall short of Wall Street expectations because of a glut of U.S. flights that has airlines cutting prices to fill seats. Delta Air Lines gave a similarly dim forecast last week. The airlines said, however, that across the industry carriers are trimming their schedules for mid-August and beyond, which should boost their pricing power. Since the start of the second quarter on April 1, the number of travelers screened at U.S. airports has increased more than 6% over the same period last year, according to figures from the Transportation Security Administration. The nine busiest days in TSA’s history have occurred during that span, although two were after the second quarter ended June 30. However, Delta reported last week that its second-quarter profit fell 29%, and it gave a weaker-than-expected forecast for its third-quarter profit. United said Wednesday that it expects to earn $2.75 to $3.25 per share in the third quarter, which is below the average $3.38 forecast among analysts in a FactSet survey. Both airlines indicated that demand for premium travel – sitting in the front cabin – is strong. United said revenue from premium passengers grew 8.5% from a year earlier. Pricing is weaker, however, for cheaper seats in the main cabin because airlines collectively have added so many flights. Delta executives called out budget airlines such as Spirit and Frontier for expanding too rapidly. It’s not just the little guys, however. TD Cowen analyst Thomas Fitzgerald said he is concerned that “aggressive discounting” this summer by American Airlines is hurting revenue trends. United contributed to the oversupply too. Its passenger-carrying capacity in the second quarter was 8.3% higher than in the same period last year. The airline said it will cut its planned U.S. capacity by about 3% from the company’s previous plan. American, Southwest and, just this week, Spirit have all cut their forecasts of second-quarter revenue in recent weeks, each citing a different reason. Chicago-based United said its second-quarter profit worked out to $4.14 per share, excluding one-time gains and losses. Analysts expected $3.93 per share, according to a FactSet survey. Revenue rose 6% to $14.99 billion, slightly below the analysts’ forecast of $15.04 billion. United said its fuel bill rose 11% and labor costs increased 10.5% compared with a year earlier. Landing fees and other rents jumped 13.2%, although they make up a much smaller chunk of United’s spending. Shares of United Airlines Holdings fell immediately after release of the weak third-quarter outlook, but they were around break-even after about an hour of extended. United executives are scheduled to discuss the results with analysts and reporters on Thursday.
Ukraine's heavily armored Abrams tanks have jammers to keep drones away, but they need more protection, commander says 2024-07-17 20:15:45+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 US-made Abrams tanks in operation with the Ukrainian military are facing an unfamiliar battlefield compared to their previous wars, as Russia uses small drones rigged with explosives to threaten armored vehicles below. The highly advanced M1A1 Abrams tanks have been equipped with electronic warfare capabilities to help keep these drones away. However, a Ukrainian tank commander says these heavily armored machines still need more exterior protection to help them defend against incoming munitions that come through. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. In service of this mission, some of Ukraine's Abrams have been spotted with added cage armor and explosive reactive armor tiling to help better shield the tanks. "It can save a life," the commander, who goes by the call sign Zakon, said through a translator during a recent interview with Business Insider from an undisclosed location near the front lines in eastern Ukraine. Advertisement Last fall, the US sent Ukraine 31 older Abrams variants, which are in service with the country's battle-hardened 47th Mechanized Brigade. Kyiv has since lost several of these main battle tanks — some estimates suggest as many as 10 — but the remainder are very much in operation and were actually just in combat. Facing new and old threats Zakon commands a single Abrams tank and oversees a crew that consists of a driver, a loader, and a gunner. He praised his $10 million Abrams as a major upgrade over the Soviet-era tanks, like the T-72 or T-64, that Ukraine had at the start of the war. However, he noted they are still vulnerable to many Russian threats, especially the small exploding drones. M1A1 Abrams tanks needed for training Ukrainian soldiers await offloading at Grafenwoehr, Germany on May 14, 2023. US Army photo by Spc. Christian Carrillo First-person view (FPV) drones, often small quadcopter-style remotely piloted systems, have dominated the battlefield in Ukraine. Both sides have used these systems, which are cheap and abundant, to deliver precision strikes on troops, equipment, positions, and armored vehicles. Zakon said that Russian FPV drones are a huge threat to the Abrams. They have targeted his tank on several occasions, including in swarms, where multiple drones attack at the same time. Advertisement One such attack occurred last month. The crew, he said, relied on the tank's newly made anti-drone protective screen and its electronic warfare capabilities — which jams the signal connecting the operator to the drone — to narrowly avoid catastrophe. In another incident, the tank driver managed to stop the Abrams just in time before an exploding FPV drone struck directly in front of it. Zakon said the tank's electronic warfare capabilities and the explosive reactive armor it was equipped with at the time helped curb the attack, preventing it from worsening. Related stories The threat doesn't end with drones, though. Zakon said that the Abrams are "easy targets" for weapons that are rather prolific on the battlefield, like anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers. A Ukrainian soldier on a US-provided M1A1 Abrams tank at an undisclosed location. 47th Mechanized Brigade via Telegram Zakon said the Abrams are durable and "can withstand a hit." But he stressed that Ukraine still needs more protection, specifically dynamic systems like the Abrams Reactive Armor Tile, ARAT-1, or the Soviet Kontakt-1 options. This technology helps defend the tank from explosives. Advertisement The crew "will be motivated to perform better when they know that there is this kind of protection," Zakon said. "It's really, really important." A need for more tanks Beyond the threats, availability has been another challenge. Despite the tremendous hype surrounding the delivery of the Abrams, the small number of tanks that Ukraine actually received has made them more precious and less expendable than the other US-made armor Kyiv got, like the Bradley fighting vehicle. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that he didn't think such a limited number of tanks could make a difference on the battlefield. Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, DC, he warned Kyiv could face this same problem with F-16 fighter jets finally on their way. There may simply not be enough. The Abrams was designed with the Soviet armor threat in mind in a time before exploding drones were ever even an idea and were specifically built to kill other tanks and execute massive armored assaults, which is how the US military traditionally used the machines in conflicts like those in the Middle East. In the Gulf War, for instance, it earned a fearsome reputation. Advertisement An M1A1 Abrams tank during a training exercise. US Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jennessa Davey But the Abrams aren't used in Ukraine for armored breakthroughs. Rather, Kyiv relies on them more to support and strengthen its positions, including the movement of infantry troops, vehicles, and equipment. The Bradley has proven particularly useful for this mission. Zakon said that one of the best things about the Abrams tank is its speed — according to the available information, it can travel up to 45 miles an hour — and how easy it is for the roughly 60-ton combat vehicle to move into and out of battle. In combat, the tanks have been "worked to their maximum" and inflicted damage on Russian forces. However, he said Ukraine still needs more vehicles and personnel to operate them to help with assaults on Russian positions. He also emphasized that more protection would help keep his fellow soldiers safe. Advertisement "These are really well-trained people," Zakon said of Ukraine's tank crews. "That's why we need to do everything possible to ensure that we have this kind of dynamic protection so that we can save lives."
Navy Federal Credit Union Personal Loans Review 2024 2024-07-17 20:13:35+00:00 - Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate personal loans to write unbiased product reviews. Navy Federal Credit Union offers an impressive range of loan amounts, especially for borrowers who only need a small sum of cash. However, there are stringent membership requirements that make the credit union inaccessible to some borrowers. The best personal loan for you depends on your credit score, which will determine what you qualify for and can lower your rate. Who Are Navy Federal Personal Loans Best For? Navy Federal offers unsecured personal loans, which are loans that don't require collateral, such as a house or car. You can get a personal loan from Navy Federal for several reasons, including auto repairs, vacations, and other major purchases. Unlike other credit unions, you need to be a member of Navy Federal to apply for and receive a personal loan. You're only eligible if you are active military member or a veteran, as well as an employee or retiree of the Department of Defense. Family members of any of the aforementioned groups are also eligible. You can get a personal loan from Navy Federal in all 50 states. Navy Federal allows you to apply with co-borrower, which may help you get a better rate if your co-borrower has a great credit score. You can fill out your application online and get your rate within several minutes. If you're looking for a debt consolidation loan or home improvement loan, you'll have to apply over the phone or in person. In most cases with Navy Federal, you'll get your money the same day you apply. There are many options to get your customer support questions answered. You can call customer support 24/7, send a secure message from your online banking account, set up an in-person meeting, message a chatbot, send physical mail, or reach out to the company on social media. Navy Federal has a mobile app in the Google Play store, rated 4 out of 5 stars, and an app in the Apple store, rated 4.8 out of 5 stars. Both are good options if you want to manage your loan away from your computer. Navy Federal Personal Loan Details Navy Federal has personal loan amounts that range from $250 to $50,000. Navy Federal has one of the lowest minimums around, and comparable maximums to other credit unions. For example, PenFed's loan amount range is $600 to $50,000, and the range for Alliant's personal loans is $1,000 to $50,000. Most online lenders have higher minimum loan amounts. Navy Federal offers term repayment lengths from six months to five years. There are no prepayment penalties on your loan. Navy Federal Credit Union offers an impressive range of loan amounts, especially for borrowers who only need a small sum of cash. However, there are stringent membership requirements that make the credit union inaccessible to some borrowers. The best personal loan for you depends on your credit score, which will determine what you qualify for and can lower your rate. Navy Federal Personal Loans Pros and Cons Navy Federal Personal Loan Pros Wide range of loan amounts. You can take out as little as $250 or as much as $50,000. You can take out as little as $250 or as much as $50,000. No origination fees or prepayment penalties. Other lenders may charge these fees. Other lenders may charge these fees. You can apply with a co-borrower . A co-borrower can help you get a better rate on your loan if they have a good credit score. . A co-borrower can help you get a better rate on your loan if they have a good credit score. 24/7 customer service over the phone. You can speak to someone around the clock, whenever you need. Navy Federal Personal Loan Cons You have to be a member to get your loan. It's relatively hard to qualify for Navy Federal membership. You're only eligible if you are active military member, veteran, employee or retiree of the Department of Defense, or family member of someone in one of those groups. It's relatively hard to qualify for Navy Federal membership. You're only eligible if you are active military member, veteran, employee or retiree of the Department of Defense, or family member of someone in one of those groups. Late fee. The credit union charges a $29 late payment fee. The credit union charges a $29 late payment fee. High minimum APR. If you have a great credit score, you can likely get a better rate elsewhere. How to Apply For a Navy Federal Credit Union Personal Loan 1. Become a Navy Federal Credit Union Member. You can only take out a loan from Navy Federal Credit union if you're a member. To become a member, you or a family member must have ties to the armed forces, Department of Defense, or National Guard. 2. Decide which method to use to apply. Navy Federal Credit Union allows you to apply for a personal loan online, by phone, or in person. Online applications are typically the fastest. 3. Submit your information and apply. You'll enter your name, Social Security number, income history, proof of income, and other information that Navy Federal will use to determine if you're qualified for a personal loan. 4. Review the offer and sign off on your loan. Navy Federal will offer a loan with an interest rate and term based on your creditworthiness if you qualify. Be sure to carefully review the offer and make sure you're able to afford the payments before agreeing to it. 5. Receive your funds. Navy Federal Credit union says in most cases you can get your money the same day you're approved for a personal loan. Navy Federal Personal Loan Credit Requirements Navy Federal doesn't make its minimum credit score to be eligible for a personal loan public — though in general, a higher credit score will secure you a lower rate. If you need to access your credit report, you can get it at no cost from any of the three major credit bureaus on annualcreditreport.com weekly through April 20, 2022. This report will give you information about your payment and credit history, but it won't provide you with your credit score. Looking over your credit report can help you spot errors and find areas for improvement. You can get your score for free on your credit card statement or online account. You can also buy it from a credit reporting agency. Unfortunately, you can't apply for a loan with Navy Federal without the credit union generating a hard credit inquiry. A hard inquiry gives a lender a complete view of your credit history, but might negatively affect your credit score. Other lenders allow you to check your rates without impacting your credit score. After you accept the loan, your payments (or lack thereof) will show up on your credit report. Consistent payments can help boost your credit score, while late or missing payments may lower your score. Are Navy Federal Credit Union Personal Loans Trustworthy? Navy Federal's Better Business Bureau profile is currently not rated as the credit union is in the process of responding to previously closed complaints. Previously, the business had an A+ trustworthiness rating from the BBB. The BBB measures its trustworthiness score by looking at how a company's responds to customer complaints, its honesty in advertising, and its transparency about business practices. There is one recent controversy related to the credit union. A Navy Federal employee alleged that the lender pressured mortgage underwriters to approve loans even without proper reason to believe applicants could pay back the loans. She then filed a lawsuit and said Navy Federal retaliated against her whistleblowing by changing her job duties. She dropped the case in late 2020. You might prefer a different lender if you're bothered by Navy Federal's recent controversy and lack of trustworthiness rating. Navy Federal Personal Loan Alternatives Navy Federal Personal Loans vs. PenFed Personal Loans With a range of 8.99% to 18.00%, offers a minimum loan amount than what you can get with PenFed, which as a range of 8.99% to 17.99%. Navy Federal's APR range of 8.99% to 18.00% is comparable to PenFed's range of 8.99% to 17.99%. Navy Federal has more strict membership requirements than PenFed, as you only qualify if you or a family me ber are an active military member, veteran, or employee or retiree of the Department of Defense. You can join PenFed if you've served in the military or worked at a qualifying association or organization. You can also join by opening a savings account with a $5 minimum deposit. PenFed Personal Loan Review Navy Federal Personal Loans vs. Alliant Personal Loans Alliant advertises APR range that starts at 10.49%, higher than Navy Federal's lowest rate. Alliant doesn't disclose a maximum interest rate for its personal loans. You can borrow anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000 from Alliant, compared with loan amounts ranging from $250 to $50,000 at Navy Federal. Becoming a member of Alliant is relatively easy. You can so so by making a donation to Foster Care to Success. That compares with much stricter membership requirements for Navy Federal. Alliant Personal Loan Review Checking for prequalified personal loan offers from multiple lenders in a loan marketplace can help make sure you find the best rate available. Why You Should Trust Us: How We Rated Navy Federal Credit Union We rate all personal loan products in our reviews and guides on a 1-5 scale. The overall rating is a weighted average that takes into account seven different categories, some of which are judged more heavily than others. They are: Interest rate (20% of rating) Fees (20% of rating) Term lengths and loan amounts (15% of rating) Funding speed (15% of rating) Borrower accessibility (15% of rating) Customer support (7.5% of rating) Ethics (7.5% of rating) Each category's weighting is based on its importance to your borrowing experience. Rates and fees have the most direct impact on the overall cost of your loan, so we weigh those the most heavily. Customer support and ethics are still very important parts of the borrowing experience, but do not directly tie to a personal loan's terms, so they have less of an impact on the overall rating. See our full ratings methodology for personal loans for more details. Navy Federal Personal Loans Frequently Asked Questions Are Navy Federal personal loans legitimate? Yes, Navy Federal Credit Union is a legitimate credit union federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration. It offers a variety of financial products outside of loans. Is Navy Federal a good place to get a personal loan? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Credit unions are a good option to get a personal loan. Credit unions often have high-quality customer service and smaller loan minimums than online lenders. Credit unions also have their maximum interest rate capped by the National Credit Union Administration at 18%, so you may get a lower rate with one than with an online lender. What credit score do you need for a Navy Federal personal loan? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Navy Federal Credit union doesn't disclose a minimum credit score to qualify for a personal loan. However, the higher your credit score, the more likely you'll be approved for a loan with the best interest rate. How long does it take to get a personal loan from Navy Federal? Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. In most cases with Navy Federal you can get your money the same day you're approved for a personal loan.
Inside the relationship of JD Vance and Usha Chilukuri Vance, the newest GOP power couple who met as Yale law students 2024-07-17 20:04:42+00:00 - Donald Trump chose Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate in the 2024 election. Vance met his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, while they were both students at Yale Law School. They wed in both Christian and Hindu ceremonies in 2014 and have three children. 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 When Fox News asked Usha Chilukuri Vance in June how she felt about her husband, JD Vance, being considered as Donald Trump's running mate, she told host Lawrence Jones that she was "not raring to change anything about our lives right now." But it appears she's come around, standing alongside Vance and Trump on the first day of the Republican National Convention once her husband was officially chosen to join the ticket. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in .
A rare and massive ranch near Aspen is for sale for $150 million — but there's a catch. Take a look. 2024-07-17 19:56:27+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 A 3,720-acre ranch in Snowmass, Colorado — a ski town 15 miles north of Aspen — is on the market for $150 million. Its current owner is St. Benedict's Monastery, which no longer has enough monks to support itself and is looking for buyers who want a lot of land close to the slopes. Listing agent Ken Mirr, who specializes in ranches, knows how rare a property like this is. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. "It is such a unique landscape. Somebody will sit there and go, 'Wow, there's nothing like this,'" Mirr told Business Insider. "You're not going to duplicate it." Advertisement Mirr, of Mirr Ranch Group, shares the listing with Michael Latousek of Douglas Elliman. The Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance, a Roman Catholic religious order colloquially known as the Trappists, bought the property in 1956 for an unknown price. It built the original monastery in 1958. Early on, the monks supported themselves by cattle ranching, making candy, and selling eggs to local restaurants and farmers. Later, they tapped a local cattle rancher to do the physical work with livestock on the land. The monastery includes a chapel, prayer areas, and living quarters for the monks. The compound added more buildings since the 1950s, including a retreat center hosting events. Advertisement The late Reverend Thomas Keating founded the Snowmass Interreligious Conference in 1984, bringing regular interfaith retreats to St. Benedict's. The space has also been used by the Aspen Institute, Mirr said, which hosts the yearly Aspen Ideas Festival that is attended by business executives, public officials, and other thinkers. The property might sound like the perfect location for an ultrawealthy buyer to erect a massive family compound. But Pitkon County, where Snowmass and Aspen are located, won't let large developments be built without scrutiny. The county has caucuses that uphold its laws and approve land uses. In Snowmass, the caucus approved a 5,750-square-foot limit to the floor area of homes — so putting up an extra-large megamansion on the ranch is out of the question. The county is known for oversized luxury homes that trade for handsome sums — a 22,405-square-foot mansion in Aspen sold for a record-setting $108 million in April to an LLC called Buddies Aspen, which the Wall Street Journal reported is a powerful duo: billionaire financier Thomas Peterffy and former casino developer Steve Wynn. Advertisement Mirr said he has already turned away buyers who are not the right fit for the property. He and the monastery leadership are looking for someone who want to do a little with a lot. "There's going to be a limited buying pool, and we understand that," Mirr said. "Our focus really is to look at a conservation buyer ultimately who can work with the code and work with the open space."
Trump campaign edits GOP convention speeches to tone down political rhetoric 2024-07-17 19:56:00+00:00 - MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump's campaign has offered suggestions and directly edited the final speeches of convention speakers in an effort to tone down the political rhetoric in the wake of Saturday's shooting and focus on policy contrasts with President Joe Biden, NBC News has learned from four sources engaged with speech preparation for the convention. Trump said that he had rewritten his own speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination ahead of Thursday night after surviving an assassination attempt. The Trump campaign has said that now he intends to home in on the theme of unifying America. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., said Wednesday before delivering his convention address, "Frankly, they sent the same message to those of us giving speeches." “We always planned to be a reflection of our party’s unity and remind the American people of the the difference between President Trump’s success and Crooked Joe Biden’s failure," Brian Hughes, a senior Trump campaign adviser, said in a statement. "The convention messages from everyday Americans and policymakers have met that goal. This convention is one of the greatest ever held and will launch us forward to victory in November.” While convention speakers this week have served up plenty of red meat to the thousands of delegates in attendance, particularly on the issues of immigration and crime, they have steered away from some of the party’s more divisive topics and talk of seeking retribution. Through the convention’s first two nights, speakers have not mentioned the following issues: unfounded claims of stolen elections; the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol; investigating Trump’s political opponents, including Biden; and investigating the prosecutors who have sought indictments against him, like Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg or Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. A video where Trump mentions the unsubstantiated threat of Democrats “cheating” in the upcoming election was played during the first two nights of the convention. Asked if the toned-down theme would continue through the week, Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said, “I do.” “I mean, it starts with Trump,” he continued. “Hopefully, JD [Vance] picks that up. And others. Trump said he didn’t want people to change their speeches, but I think that they will.” There also has been no mention from the speakers of the party purging Republicans who Trump and allies feel have crossed them, including former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., former Vice President Mike Pence, and former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s main opponents in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, were well-received by the convention when they spoke Tuesday evening, though Haley did receive a smattering of boos. One source told NBC News that some speakers received suggested focus points to better reflect the theme of the night. Just one speaker so far, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has used the phrase “weaponized government” from the stage, a refrain frequently used by Trump and his allies to push against the criminal charges filed against him. After delivering his speech, Johnson claimed that the wrong speech was uploaded into the teleprompter. A Johnson spokesperson told NBC News on Monday the speech was supposed to begin by noting that the convention was meeting “at a somber moment in history” and saying Americans “should all heed President Trump’s call for unity, strength, and determination.” “It also did not have ‘Today’s Democratic Party is a clear and present danger to America,’” the spokesperson said. On Wednesday, senior Trump adviser Jason Miller did not expressly say that the campaign has guided the convention speakers’ remarks, but noted Trump’s desire to soften the rhetoric from inside the Milwaukee arena. “Politically, the country’s a tinderbox right now," Miller said. "[We've] got to find a way to take down the temperature." Pressed if Trump or the campaign had pushed speakers to steer away from topics like the Capitol riot, 2020 election or retribution against Trump's foes, Miller said: "Anyone who watches all of President Trump’s rallies will see this is exactly what he talks about." "These are the issues that he’s passionate about," Miller said. "So we’re going to follow his lead. And — I think through the first two nights of the convention — I think the speakers have done a masterful job of really echoing those themes but also saying, quite frankly, why they support him."
Cosmetic surgery group Skin collapses putting hundreds of jobs at risk 2024-07-17 19:54:00+00:00 - Skin, one of the UK’s largest plastic surgery providers with more than 70 branches, has collapsed, putting hundreds of jobs at risk. As of 5pm on Tuesday, Skin’s website had been replaced by a message saying the company had “undertaken an extensive process to secure investment to enable it to continue trading but sadly we’ve been unsuccessful”. It added: “We recognise this outcome will have a significant impact on our team members and our customers and we are deeply sorry for the stress and inconvenience this has caused. “We are doing all we can to address the concerns of those affected and will be contacting all clients still awaiting test results as soon as possible. All further updates will be provided on this website and when available.” Before the website went down, it said the Birmingham-based company had “the largest network of specialist skin care clinics in the UK”. Founded in 1990, the company expanded to locations in Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and had 17 clinics across London. It also owned brands including the cosmetic surgery firm Harley Medical Group and the skin technology company ABC Medical, whose phone lines had the same automated message. Skin had more than 450 consultants, doctors, nurses and medical practitioners operating across England and Scotland. The company provided services from tattoo and wart removal to lip filler and thread lifts, a type of facelift. Customers have been told their appointments will no longer go ahead. One customer, who asked not to be identified, said their upcoming appointment had been cancelled on Tuesday “out of the blue”. They said they had pre-paid about £700 for a series of appointments and had not yet completed the course of treatment. “They’ve done this with no prior warning to customers, with no communications about how to get a refund on the treatments customers are owed,” the person said. Customers calling Skin’s main office number on Tuesday were told: “Unfortunately as of July 17, the Skin Group, including Skin Clinics, the Harley Medical Group, Skin Brands, the Skin Experts and ABC Medical, has ceased trading.” Skin’s accounts on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram appear to have been closed. The communications firm Kendrick, which was Skin’s PR agency, wrote in a post on Instagram that it had been “blindsided” by the news. The post indicated that Skin had ceased trading and said: “At this time we have no information for the press and patients who are understandably reaching out to us wanting clarity on the situation. We have no information regarding how things are being managed by SK:N (or HMRC/debt collection), or how cancelled patient appointments/payments etc will be redressed. “We are unfortunately in the same position as many staff and patients, with several months of (our) own invoices being left unpaid with no explanation or redress.” The PA news agency contacted Skin for comment.
Take this hillbilly's word for it: JD Vance doesn't speak for us. 2024-07-17 19:53:54+00:00 - It’s easy to understand why “Hillbilly Elegy,” the 2016 memoir by JD Vance, piqued the interest of the American people. It recycles a narrative America has relied on for a century to sleep soundly despite the everyday horrors of our society: Rich people do well because they are morally better than the poor. Add some powerful tropes — a firebrand “pistol packing lunatic” mamaw who protects at all costs, a rags-to-riches story in which Vance, a Marine, escapes the “worst of my cultural inheritance” (p. 253) of unsophisticated, drug-addicted, murderous hillbillies — and you’ve got a bestseller. Unlike me, Vance is not Appalachian. He was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, well outside any maps of the distinct geographical and cultural region. You’ve also got a dangerous lie, one relying on ugly stereotypes that harm real Appalachians in order to advance a political career. Former President Donald Trump announced Monday that Vance, the junior senator from Ohio, is his pick for his running mate. Unlike me, Vance is not Appalachian. He was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, well outside any maps of the distinct geographical and cultural region. Trump picking this Rust Belt charlatan as his running mate Monday sparked a resounding and unifying rant among conservative and liberal hillbillies alike in my social media feed: We do not acknowledge him. Why would we? Vance introduces his reader to Appalachia by immediately profiling the worst behaviors of each of his uncles, including a scene of grotesque violence. He calls us a “pessimistic bunch” living in a “hub of misery” (p. 4), and over and over again he uses a wide brush to paint Appalachians as lazy, ignorant and unwilling to try at life. Though there are dozens of offensive stories to choose from in “Hillbilly Elegy,” perhaps the most ridiculous one occurs when, during boot camp, Vance says he meets an eastern Kentuckian who, never having heard the term, asks “What’s a Catholic?” because, as Vance presents it, “down in that part of Kentucky [where he says that man is from], everybody’s a snake handler.” (p. 160). It’s an addictively stereotypical image: the ignorant, isolated, snake-handling hillbilly. But it’s not reality. There are a half dozen churches in that Kentuckian’s county seat, mostly Baptist and Methodist. Just 20 miles away, in Hazard, there’s a Catholic Church. Another 20 miles away, where Vance’s family lives, there’s a Catholic Church with more than 4,000 Facebook followers. Vance’s memoir of Appalachia, full of gun-toting, drug-addicted “lunatics” aimlessly awaiting death, is at best a cherry-picking of the worst moments of his life. At worst, it’s a concoction of real memories and some of television’s worst stereotypes of what Appalachia is. I do not see my Appalachia in it. I am not alone. Anthony Harkins and Meredith McCarroll’s “Appalachian Reckoning,” a response to Vance’s bestseller, anthologizes more than 400 pages of responses from real Appalachians describing their lives in all the nuance they deserve. But nuanced stories aren’t useful in politics. Appalachia is simply a rhetorical device for Vance that he used to launch a political career. If your political goal is to blame the poor for their own problems, then using the regional ethnicity of your grandparents to present yourself as “authentic” can compel readers to believe your narrative or to feel good about having already believed it. After all, the narrative of the lazy hillbilly has existed for as long as rich folks outside of Appalachia needed an explanation for mountain poverty that doesn’t include blaming themselves. The narrative of the lazy hillbilly has existed for as long as rich folks outside of Appalachia needed an explanation for mountain poverty that doesn’t include blaming themselves Did the poverty come from the rest of the country ignoring a region they thought had no resources? Did the poverty come from coal barons stealing resources once they were discovered? Did the poverty come from outside coal companies not paying coal miners actual money for decades? Why blame complex issues that implicate rich white folks when “lazy” is only two syllables? Vance builds on this narrative, ignoring nuance and context, presenting supposed anecdote after supposed anecdote of cultural depravity and portraying himself as a hillbilly who survived and knows the answer to what ails Appalachia is political conservatism. For Vance, issues of poverty, drug abuse and neglected children are “issues of family, faith, and culture.” (p. 238) He goes so far as to claim that these “problems were not created by governments or corporations or anyone else.” (p. 255) That’s insulting. Individuals living in poverty did not invent opioids. Individuals living in poverty did not refuse to regulate opioids. He puts the blame entirely on poor Americans, on mothers on food stamps and on fathers who are out of work, extending the roots of that blame directly to Appalachians and some inherent moral flaw. In convincing readers outside of Appalachia that they need the solution he is selling, he paints the Appalachian as the moral problem in America: The dog whistle is pretty clear: The immoral hill folks are already in your area. Trust me, I escaped them. I know the answer to save you from them. “If there is any temptation to judge these problems as the narrow concerns of backwoods hollers, a glimpse at my own life reveals that Jackson [Kentucky]’s plight has gone mainstream. Thanks to the massive migration from the poorer regions of Appalachia to places like Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, hillbilly values spread widely along with hillbilly people.” (p. 20) The dog whistle is pretty clear: The immoral hill folks are already in your area. Trust me, I escaped them. I know the answer to save you from them. The “hillbilly” twist is a particularly clever political move because it allows poor white folks living in swing states (like those listed above) to draw a quick line of demarcation around themselves — hardworking but poor Americans — and the supposed immoral, lazy welfare queens and absent, violent hillbilly fathers spreading into their cities and towns. Vance paints himself as having narrowly escaped “the deep anger and resentment” (p. 2) of those who raised him and laments the supposed white working class feeling that “our choices don’t matter.” (p. 176) Wednesday morning, my sister, who has known overwhelming pain and difficulty, signed up for nursing classes at a community college. Last week, my nephew, a young man with everything stacked against him, asked me to meet him to talk about vocational school. I see people making choices. I see no anger. Vance confuses frustration in a difficult system with anger and resentment. Vance confuses frustration in a difficult system with anger and resentment; he misrepresents Appalachians acknowledging that the choices they have are few and far between and require great levels of personal sacrifice as their belief that the choices they make don’t matter. He sees the drowning person and decides they lack determination in swimming. He ignores those creating the flood. Vance does identify one hillbilly trait that I will, at this moment, agree with: We can be distrustful of outsiders. I might add that I am most distrustful of outsiders pretending to be insiders and of outsiders with a political agenda. This hillbilly does not trust JD Vance.
Adverum Releases Interim Data From Gene Therapy Study For Blindness Disorder, Prepares For Pivotal Study - Adverum Biotechnologies (NASDAQ:ADVM) 2024-07-17 19:50:00+00:00 - Loading... Loading... Adverum Biotechnologies Inc ADVM released data from its ongoing LUNA Phase 2 trial for Ixo-vec in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The 26-week interim analysis was presented at the American Society of Retinal Specialists Annual Meeting. Adverum is developing ixoberogene soroparvovec (Ixo-vec, formerly ADVM-022), its clinical-stage gene therapy product candidate, for wet AMD. In February, Adverum Biotechnologies released preliminary safety and efficacy data from the ongoing LUNA Phase 2 trial in patients with wet AMD. The LUNA trial enrolled 60 patients with wet AMD across two dose cohorts, 6E10 or 2E11 vg/eye, to inform Phase 3 trial designs. As of the February 14, 2024 data cut-off, 58 patients had completed the 26-week visit. The interim analysis showed significant reductions in anti-VEGF injections and maintenance of visual and anatomic outcomes. Both dose levels resulted in a high percentage of patients remaining injection-free and significant reductions in mean annualized anti-VEGF injections. Among 29 patients who received the 6E10 dose, 76% were injection-free after 26 weeks, with 83% for the 2E11 dose. At the 6E10 dose, a 90% reduction in mean annualized anti-VEGF injections was observed, compared to 95% for the 2E11 dose. Visual acuity and Fluid control were maintained at both dose levels. Notably, Ixo-vec was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events related to the drug. Enhanced corticosteroid prophylaxis in LUNA demonstrated an improved inflammatory profile compared to OPTIC. The Patient Preference Survey revealed that 88% of patients would prefer Ixo-vec over prior treatments, and 93% would opt for Ixo-vec in the fellow eye if they had bilateral disease. Adverum anticipates continued regulatory interactions with the FDA and EMA, presenting the 9-month LUNA analysis in Q4 2024 and updating the Phase 3 trial design. The initiation of the Phase 3 trial is planned for H1 2025. Price Action: ADVM reached as high as $11.64 during the premarket and now is trading 4.37% lower at $8.53 at the last check on Wednesday. Read Next: