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Apple just released a preview of iOS 18. Here's what's new. 2024-07-16 22:16:00+00:00 - Apple released a beta version of iOS 18, its latest operating system for its iPhone and other devices, for some consumers and developers to test. The new operating system includes more customization and a redesigned Photos app. The preview, released Monday, provides the public with a sneak peek ahead of the software's official debut this fall. But those who test the software won't immediately have access to all of its expected features, like Apple Intelligence, the company's AI offering that it highlighted last month at its Worldwide Developers Conference. To access the iOS 18 beta software, you'll first need to sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program. Then go to "settings" on your device, and from there click on "general." After that, click on "software update" to download the beta program. One important issue to be aware of is that because beta programs are still under development, early adopters could encounter bugs or glitches. Here are five new iOS 18 features available in the beta version. Customize your home screen Currently, iPhone users can customize their home screens with different wallpapers, including their own photos. But the apps on your homescreen can conceal these photos. iOS 18 lets you move your apps to the top, sides, and bottom of the screen, just above the dock, for a better view of your wallpaper photo. You can also change the color of app icons, and adjust their shade as well. "There are so many possibilities to make your home screen truly your own," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said at Apple's WWDC 24. The new operating system also makes the iPhone's control center more customizable. For instance, users can wipe down from the top right corner of the device's screen to see different types of controls in one contiguous motion, and can also enlarge the control buttons that are used most often. Hide your apps from others Don't want a friend to know you're using an app to track your hair loss? New privacy functions let you effectively hide certain apps from others when you hand them your phone to say, look at a picture. You can lock an app, so others can't access its data and contents, or hide it from your home screen altogether in a locked, hidden apps folder. Tapback on texts with emojis Currently, iPhone users can respond to a text by holding it and reacting with a small number of icons, such as a thumbs up or a heart, for example. With iOS 18, users will have more options for these so-called "tapbacks," allowing them to use emojis or stickers as reactions. You'll also be able to now schedule messages, like a birthday wish, to be sent at a date of your choosing, similar to scheduling emails to be sent at specific days or times. Also within messages, you can bold, italicize, strikethrough or underline text to draw the recipient's attention to certain words. iOS 18 will also enable satellite messaging, so iPhone users will be able to send messages when they don't have wifi or cellular service. A cleaner inbox New capabilities are also coming to the mail app. It will categorize emails for users into four sections: A primary inbox A transactions inbox for receipts and order confirmations A section for newsletters and social media notices And a promotions tab for marketing and sales emails Photos app redesign Apple is also touting an overhaul of its photos app that lets users browse their photos in a single view, with a photo grid at the top of the screen, and a library at the bottom that is organized by theme, such as people, favorite memories or trips. The new Photos app will also let users filter out screenshots from view, too.
Amazon Prime Day is an especially dangerous time for warehouse workers, Senate report says 2024-07-16 22:06:00+00:00 - Amazon warehouse in Shakopee fined by OSHA Amazon warehouse in Shakopee fined by OSHA 00:27 Amazon's annual Prime Day promotion kicked off on Tuesday, with the event offering deals for members and generating billions in revenue for the retailer. It can also raise the risk of getting hurt for the company's hundreds of thousands of warehouse workers, according to a new congressional report. Amazon warehouse workers are more than twice as likely to be injured during the Prime Day event than their industry peers, with its reportable injuries surpassing 10 per 100 workers during Prime Day 2019, according to findings released Monday by Bernie Sanders, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. "The incredibly dangerous working conditions at Amazon revealed in this investigation are a perfect example of the type of corporate greed that the American people are sick and tired of," Sanders said Tuesday. The injury rate increases when including incidents that aren't reported to government regulators, noted the report, which based its conclusions on the company's internal data. Amazon's total injury rate during Prime Day 2019 was just under 45 injuries per 100 workers after including those the company did not disclose to the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A spokesperson for Sanders' office said the committee relied on 2019 and 2020 workplace injury rate data because that's what Amazon provided for the inquiry. Because Amazon warehouses can be chronically understaffed at peak times, the retailer's busiest periods — Prime Day and the holiday season — are by far the most dangerous for employees under pressure to work faster and for longer hours and to ignore safety rules, the report claims. One worker relayed to the Senate investigators how their facility saved time in installing a new conveyer belt by opting out of a feature that automatically stops the contraption when jammed or overloaded, preventing packages — some of which weight up to 50 pounds — from piling up, falling off and injuring workers. Not so fast The safety and health of its employees is Amazon's top priority, and the report ignored the company's progress in reducing injuries, an Amazon spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch in an email. Amazon also maintains that its warehouses are adequately staffed during busy shopping times, saying it plans ahead for major events and that its networks are designed to route orders to sites that can handle unexpected spikes in volume. The Senate review ignored the progress the company has made since 2019 in reducing its rate of recordable incidents – those which require more care than basic first aid – by 28%. The company also has improved the rate of significant injuries that require an employee to miss at least a day of work by 75%, the Amazon spokesperson said. The company booked $12.7 billion in sales during the two-day Prime Day event in 2023, noted Sanders, with the Vermont independent making the case that Amazon has the resources to makes its facilities safe. The findings echo other reports about worker safety at Amazon warehouses, with a study released last year by the University of Illinois finding 41% of the e-commerce giant's workers had gotten hurt on the job, and 69% of them had taken unpaid time to recover in the prior month. The ability to take days off without pay is another difficult issue for Amazon's warehouse workers. Separate findings published in May by the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois Chicago found about half of frontline warehouse workers at Amazon struggle to make ends meet, with 53% experiencing hunger in the prior three months. "Nobody should have to choose between a debilitating injury and paying rent," the Athena Coalition, an advocacy group that represents workers and small businesses, said Tuesday in a statement about the Sanders report. "We are grateful to the HELP Committee for heeding Amazon workers' call for meaningful accountability for Amazon's injury crisis, particularly during this season of extreme heat when workers are forced to work physically demanding jobs without adequate water, cool air, or breaks." That said, Amazon is not without its defenders. Test-preparation company PPI responded to the Senate report by tweeting that the company's "track record of enhancing worker safety while creating hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs deserves recognition, not criticism." "Amazon provides jobs for more than a million Americans, and tens of millions enjoy the services the company provides," the U.S. Chamber of Commerce asserted on Tuesday, calling the report "partisan and misleading." —The Associated Press contributed to this report
Royal Caribbean leans into shorter cruises, more experiences to capture travel demand 2024-07-16 22:05:00+00:00 - With consumers getting more selective on how and where they vacation, cruise lines are fighting for Americans' tourist budgets. Royal Caribbean thinks shortening trips and packing the days with activities and exclusive opportunities will keep customers hooked. "I think we are an experience-driven mindset," Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" this week. "Over half of our guests are actually millennials or younger, and when you survey those guests, about 42% of them say in the next 12 months their plans are to actually go on shorter vacation experiences." Onboard Royal's Utopia of the Seas, the world's second-largest ship with a maximum capacity of nearly 5,800 passengers, customers are welcomed to 13 pools, 21 dining options, two casinos, and much more. This is the second cruise ship Royal Caribbean is bringing to market in the span of six months. Liberty says the voracious appetite to cruise post-pandemic has not died down. "We're not seeing any pullback from the consumer, whether that's planning their vacation experiences further out ... [or] then on the ships, they go out and they continue to spend," Liberty said. "There is not an area on the ship that we've seen a change in their spending behavior." To scale its business and widen its appeal, Royal Caribbean is looking at how to better compete with other types of vacations customers opt for, like skiing, casinos or theme parks. "When we look at what our guests are doing when they're not with us, they're going to Orlando, they're going to Vegas, they're going to all-inclusive resorts," Liberty said. "What we're trying to do is make sure that our experience, whether on the ship or at our private islands, is something that is highly competitive with land-based vacation." Morningstar travel and leisure analyst Jamie Katz thinks Liberty's strategy to get the Disney theme park traveler on board is working. "The American traveler doesn't always have time to take a six- to eight-day cruise due to work schedules and kids' school calendars," Katz said. "A three-day cruise provides customers with more options."
Herbert Hoelter, Prison Consultant to the Rich and Infamous, Dies at 73 2024-07-16 21:55:19.755000+00:00 - In the summer of 2003, as Martha Stewart’s trial on charges connected to securities fraud was nearing its conclusion, the CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper aired a segment speculating about how severe her punishment would be if she were convicted. “Sometimes,” Mr. Cooper said, “it seems as though rich criminals seldom end up swapping smokes on Cell Block H. So if it’s not hard time in the joint, what kind of sentence could she get?” His guest was Herbert Hoelter, a sentencing reform advocate who, to fund his nonprofit work at the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, had become a concierge to the federal prison system for white-collar criminals, helping them to secure alternative or shorter sentences and to navigate life as an inmate. “Our philosophy isn’t that punishment should not occur,” Mr. Hoelter said, “it’s that it should occur in different ways.”
Spirit Airlines forecasts wider quarterly loss as revenue falls short of expectations 2024-07-16 21:55:00+00:00 - A Spirit Airlines aircraft undergoes operations in preparation for departure at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 12, 2024. Spirit Airlines said Tuesday it would post a wider-than-expected loss for the last quarter because of revenue that came in short of its expectations. Spirit expects to report an adjusted loss of between $160 million and $173 million for the three months ended June 30, compared with a previous estimate for a loss of no more than $145 million. It expects sales of $1.28 billion, down from a forecast of at least $1.32 billion. Spirit said non-ticket revenue, which accounts for the myriad fees long associated with its rock-bottom fares, came in "several dollars lower than anticipated" per passenger. Shares of the budget airline were down about 6% in extended trading after the airline released its investor update in a securities filing. The airline, along with rival Frontier Airlines , has recently revamped how it sells tickets by offering bundles that include things like seat assignments and carry-on bags that it used to sell a la carte. That brings its business practice more in line with larger competitors. "As the Company progresses on its transformation strategy, it anticipates that over time it will be able to drive improvement in total revenue per passenger segment," Spirit said. The company is facing several challenges, such as oversupplied U.S. domestic market, an engine recall from supplier Pratt & Whitney that has grounded dozens of aircraft and the fallout of a federal judge's ruling to block a planned acquisition by JetBlue Airways earlier this year.
The US Air Force is redesigning its next-gen stealth fighter in an effort to reduce its roughly $300 million price tag 2024-07-16 21:38:02+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. America's new stealth fighter, being developed under the name Next Generation Air Dominance (or NGAD), is not being canceled but will be redesigned to bring costs down and better integrate the new aircraft with its AI-enabled drone wingmen that are also in development. After a decade of development, the future of what many have called the world's first 6th-generation fighter was suddenly called into question in recent weeks as the Air Force struggles to fund a laundry list of high-dollar modernization programs, including a new stealth bomber in the B-21 Raider, and a new nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile in the LGM-35A Sentinel program. However, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has told Defense News that the effort to field a new stealth fighter is not dead but will see changes — including the possibility of using a less complex engine than the new adaptive cycle powerplants that have been in development for this new fighter. "The family of systems concept of Next Generation Air Dominance is alive and well," Kendall told Defense News. "I can tell you that we are looking at the NGAD platform design concept to see if it's the right concept or not. We're looking at whether we can do something that's less expensive and do some trade-offs there." Advertisement US Air Force Sec. Frank Kendall covers his mouth with his hand while testifying during a congressional hearing. Alex Wong/Getty Images This news is sure to cause some concern within America's airpower apparatus. This new fighter, after all, is arguably only in development today because of the seemingly short-sighted decision to cancel production of the F-22 Raptor. Related stories As a cost-saving measure amid the Global War on Terror, America's current top-tier air superiority fighter saw its production run slashed from 750 fighters to just 186. This doomed the Raptor to a short service life, with ever-increasing operating costs and no way to replace airframes as they age out of service or are lost in combat. Despite being the oldest stealth fighter in service today, the F-22 Raptor is still arguably the healthiest and most dominant in air-to-air combat, thanks in no small part to its advanced Pratt & Whitney F119 afterburning turbofan engines that are so powerful they can produce more thrust without their afterburners than the F-15 Eagle can with its afterburners at full tilt. They also offer significant thermal and radar signature reduction for improved stealth and thrust vector control (or the ability to orient the outflow of thrust independent of the airframe) for improved aerobatic maneuverability. This advanced engine also serves as the basis for the F-35's F135 turbofan, which is the most powerful turbofan engine ever affixed to a fighter to date. Yet, over the past year, both China and Russia have begun production on their own seemingly comparable fifth-generation engines, eroding the technological advantage the already endangered F-22 enjoys. Advertisement US Air Force Maj. Paul Lopez performs aerial maneuvers during an open house event on Malmstrom Air Force Base. US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jacob M. Thompson GE and Pratt & Whitney have been hard at work for years developing new engines for America's new fighter as a part of the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP), with both of the competing designs promising to offer a significant leap in both fuel economy and power production. And although testing has been promising with these engines (particularly for GE's XA100), it seems this may be one of the areas the Air Force believes it can reduce costs. "The last numbers I saw on NGAP [Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion] were pretty high," retired General Clint Hinote, who was previously in charge of the Air Force Futures organization, told Defense News. "I do think that's a factor. I don't know if that's the only factor or the factor that's really contributing to this decision. But it is true that the NGAP program, the development of an adaptive engine for the NGAD, was very costly." To be certain, NGAD has always promised to be a very expensive aircraft, with Secretary Kendall himself saying that it will likely ring in at around $300 million per aircraft — roughly three times the F-35's cost. Although, as Sandboxx News has covered in the past, when adjusted for inflation, this isn't very far off from the price tags of previous top-tier fighters, including the F-22 and F-14, and is less than half the per-unit price of the forthcoming B-21 Raider stealth bomber. "Ideally, I'd like to get it down to less than an F-35, or at least in the ballpark of an F-35. F-35s, as you know, are not cheap airplanes," Kendall said. Advertisement READ MORE FROM SANDBOXX NEWS
Steve Bannon steps closer to Supreme Court in seeking full circuit review 2024-07-16 21:32:03+00:00 - The Supreme Court last month rejected Steve Bannon’s bid to stay free while he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction. But lawyers for the former Trump White House adviser are still pressing the appeal while Bannon serves his four-month sentence, bringing the merits of his legal challenge a step closer to the justices. On Monday, Bannon’s lawyers asked the full federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., to rehear his challenge that a three-judge panel of that court rejected in May. Bannon was convicted in 2022 after failing to comply with a House. Jan. 6 committee subpoena under a federal law that criminalizes “willfully” failing to respond to a congressional subpoena. On appeal, Bannon argued that a conviction under that law requires proving bad faith and that his counsel advised him not to respond. But the federal appeals court panel cited D.C. Circuit precedent from 1961, Licavoli v. United States, to say that “willfully” only requires that the defendant deliberately and intentionally refused to comply with a congressional subpoena and that an advice of counsel defense doesn’t apply. The circuit panel also cited that precedent in rejecting Bannon’s motion to stay free while he appealed. Notably, one of the panel judges, Trump appointee Justin Walker, dissented from the release denial, saying that, while the circuit panel was bound by its precedent, the Supreme Court might take a different view. The Supreme Court then denied Bannon’s release bid last month and he reported to prison on July 1, but his underlying appeal is still pending. In his rehearing petition to the full circuit Monday, Bannon’s lawyers said the appeals court “should grant rehearing and eliminate Licavoli’s anomalous mens rea holding” — mens rea being the legal term for criminal intent. Even if the full circuit rejects Bannon, that could just be the next step on the appeal’s way to the justices. Yet, even if the high court ultimately agrees with Bannon, that wouldn’t likely happen before Bannon is released from prison, though he likely would still want his conviction reversed after he’s released. If the justices wanted to help the Trump ally, they could have granted his motion to stay free while he appealed. Nonetheless, they can still choose to get involved in the merits of the appeal even though they rejected his release bid. If the justices ultimately weigh in on the merits of the issue, the court’s ruling would affect not just Bannon but other congressional contempt cases, too. Another former Trump White House adviser, Peter Navarro, also has a pending contempt of Congress appeal in the D.C. Circuit. The justices similarly rejected his release-pending-appeal bid and he is due to be released from prison on Wednesday, after which he’s reportedly expected to speak at the Republican National Convention this week in Milwaukee. As with so much else, Bannon’s appeal is playing out against the backdrop of November’s presidential election. According to the federal Bureau of Prisons, he’s incarcerated in Danbury, Connecticut, and will be released on Oct. 29. At the end of his previous presidential term, Trump pardoned Bannon for separate federal crimes in the alleged “We Build the Wall” scheme, for which Bannon faces related New York state charges that presidents can’t pardon. Trump can’t be elected in time to spring Bannon from prison in his latest federal criminal case, but just as Trump is poised to get rid of his own federal cases if he returns to the White House, he could upend Bannon’s by pardoning him again. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for updates and expert analysis on the top legal stories. The newsletter will return to its regular weekly schedule when the Supreme Court’s next term kicks off in October.
Amazon's deal with AI startup Adept faces FTC scrutiny 2024-07-16 21:32:00+00:00 - The front desk of the Amazon office is pictured in New York, May 1, 2019. The Federal Trade Commission has launched an informal inquiry into Amazon 's recently announced deal with AI startup Adept, CNBC has confirmed. The FTC is seeking more information about the agreement announced last month, which involved Amazon hiring key executives and licensing technology from Adept, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Representatives from the FTC and Adept didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the probe, which was first reported by Reuters. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the details of the probe. The move comes as regulators in the U.S. and abroad are increasingly scrutinizing tech companies' investments and partnerships with AI startups. The FTC in January announced it's investigating Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft 's recent AI deals, while the Department of Justice is examining Nvidia , the top maker of chips powering the AI boom. Britain's competition watchdog said Tuesday it launched a probe into Microsoft 's hiring of top talent from startup Inflection AI. The agency issued a report in April in which it warned partnerships like the one between Microsoft and Inflection AI, along with Amazon and AI startup Anthropic, may allow them to "shape these markets in their own interests." Lawmakers including Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, have pointed to Amazon's deal with Adept as an example of tech companies licensing technology or making "acquihires" in order to avoid antitrust scrutiny. As part of the agreement announced last month, Amazon hired Adept co-founder and CEO David Luan and "a few other deeply talented team members" to its team working on artificial general intelligence unit. It also agreed to license Adept's technology, multimodal models and some datasets. In a blog post last month, Adept said that developing its own AI models would've required more capital, adding sthe Amazon deal will allow it to focus on building AI agents. The Adept deal marks Amazon's latest high-profile AI bet. Amazon has also pumped billions of dollars into OpenAI competitor Anthropic, and has developed generative AI products across its cloud computing, retail and consumer electronics businesses. — CNBC's Hayden Field contributed reporting to this story.
Scorching Heat Breaks Records, But 2024 Election Outcome May Hold Worker Protections Hostage - Invesco DB Agriculture Fund (ARCA:DBA), First Trust Alternative Absolute Return Strategy ETF (NASDAQ:FAAR 2024-07-16 21:27:00+00:00 - Loading... Loading... As cities in the U.S. continue to break their historical heat records, workers, lawmakers and businesses across the country are launching a debate: should the state grant protections for workers in extreme heat conditions? Most of the country has been under heat alerts since rising temperatures began breaking comfortable levels in early July. On Tuesday, meteorologists began warning people living in Midwestern and East Coast states. An upcoming heat wave is expected to break records in many cities, putting 140 million Americans under heat alert. Earlier this month, at least 50 cities saw their historical heat records broken by a heat wave that affected most of the Southwest. Palm Springs, California and Las Vegas reached 124 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively, USA Today reported. Many cities and localities in the East Coast are expected to surpass their historical average highs on this week. The trend is global, with the last 13 months marking the highest temperatures on record for that month, according to official EU data from the Copernicus Programme. The upcoming heat wave in the U.S. is expected to be dangerously lethal. At least 28 people have died this summer due to extreme heat events, according to a report by the Washington Post. Should Workers Have Federal, State Protections For Heat Risk? Rising temperatures across the globe are forcing people to change their living habits, including how many hours of the day they can spend outside without air conditioning. This has serious consequences for work, especially in sectors that require workers to be exposed to high temperatures under the sun for an extended period of time. These encompass delivery and postal workers, the construction and agriculture sectors as well as those working in infrastructure repairs and gardening in urban environments, among others. Read Also: 5 Things You Might Not Know About J.D. Vance: ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Author, Bitcoin Holder, First Millennial VP Pick And More Health risks for workers include "heat exhaustion and heat stroke, occupational injuries from high heat exposure such as burns or falls from dizziness, and exacerbation of preexisting conditions such as asthma, kidney disease, or heart disease," according to reports by the Center for Disease Control and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Earlier this month, the Biden administration proposed a new rule that, for the first time, could introduce protections for workers exposed to health risks due to rising heat levels, whether outdoors or indoors. The proposal comes from OSHA, and outlines actions that employers should take to protect their employees from heat risks. If finalized, the rule could add protections for 35 million employees nationwide. "The purpose of this rule is simple. It is to significantly reduce the number of work-related deaths, injuries and illnesses suffered by workers who are exposed to excessive heat and exposed to these risks while simply doing their jobs," an administration official told reporters on a press call, according to the Post. The rule would introduce actions that employers must fulfill if the weather passes two specific temperature marks. Above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, employers must offer drinking water and break areas, as well as plan out the work schedule in an incremental rhythm for the bodies of workers to adapt to the heat. At 90 degrees, employees must be monitored for signs of heat illness and take mandatory 15-minute breaks every two hours. No federal heat protection law is in place, and only five states exercise worker safety precautions: California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington. The timeline for OSHA's proposal would make it final by 2026. Its rollout will largely depend on who wins the U.S. presidency in November. A victory for Donald Trump would likely threaten its existence. High-profile Republicans have voiced opposition to worker protections for heat risk. Republicans have traditionally stood against policies related to climate change that are liable to impact businesses or industries. In Florida, where some of the highest temperatures in the country have registered in recent years, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, recently signed a piece of legislation barring local governments from raising protections for workers exposed to heat. Texas had passed a similar bill the previous year, which was dubbed the "Death Star law." The bill was ruled unconstitutional by a judge, after Houston, El Paso and San Antonio presented lawsuits against it. Industry Impacts Progressive voices like the Center for American Progress have written that exposing workers to heat risk can have bad consequences for the economy, including "lost worker productivity, increased health care costs and worker compensation claims, and threats to workers' financial stability from missing work." For conservatives, adding protections for workers can reduce productivity for businesses and lead to a loss in competitiveness. Business groups lobbying against the OSHA rule argue that trigger temperatures proposed by the rule should not be set as a blanket policy nationwide, as workers from different parts of the country have different tolerance thresholds for heat. For workers in Florida, "an 80-degree threshold for them isn't going to be considered hot," said Prianka Sharma, vice president and counsel for regulatory affairs for The American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Multiple ETFs follow industries that can be affected by changes in policy around heat risk. iShares US Home Construction ETF ITB is the largest ETF by total assets following the construction industry. It's followed by SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF XHB and the Invesco Building & Construction ETF PKB. Agriculture is another major sector that affected by the heat issue. The Invesco DB Agriculture Fund DBA leads the list by total assets, with Teucrium Wheat Fund WEAT and First Trust Alternative Absolute Return Strat ETF FAAR next. Now Read: Shutterstock image.
Disaster Averted: Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy Rescued By Coast Guard Near Nantucket 2024-07-16 21:21:00+00:00 - Loading... Loading... Dave Portnoy has had an eventful year thus far: celebrating his beloved Boston Celtics taking home the team's 18th NBA Championship, attending NFL legend Tom Brady's retirement ceremony and more. But Portnoy’s celebratory summer took a frightening turn after he got stranded at sea. The U.S. Coast Guard eventually helped the Barstool Sports founder tow his boat back to his Nantucket residence. What Happened: Portnoy posted a video on X describing the event, in which his boat lost power in heavy winds. Portnoy, accompanied by his mother, said he unhooked his boat from the buoys without ensuring that the boat had power. "Captain Dave third time out made a mistake," Portnoy said in his video. "Captain unhooked himself from the buoy before he turned the boat on to make sure the boat wasn't dead. No power, no anchor, no radio, no nothing. Next thing you know Captain Dave is lost at sea." Portnoy then fired a flare gun into the air in an attempt to gain the attention of others on the water, but that did little to help. Eventually, a woman in what Portnoy said appeared to be a rowboat, came close enough to Portnoy's ship that he was able to yell and get her attention. The woman climbed onto Portnoy's ship and asked to make a TikTok with him. Portnoy told her there was no time for TikToks. But, the woman did have a working radio and was able to contact the Coast Guard. "Captain Dave had to be halfway to the Carribean, just rocking, no power," Portnoy said. "Thankfully Coast Guard, god bless his soul bring me back to my thing, Captain Dave lives to tell another tell." Now Read:
How GM CEO Mary Barra, IBM former CEO Ginny Rometty learned to be women leaders 2024-07-16 21:19:00+00:00 - GM CEO Mary Barra and former IBM CEO Ginny Rometty have a lot in common, from overcoming early obstacles in childhood to rising through the corporate ranks to become CEOs of blue-chip, century-old companies. They are professional peers, and friends, and were brought together for the inaugural CNBC CEO Council: Leaders' Library, as a result of Barra's recommendation of Rometty's book, "Good Power." The wide-ranging conversation held on Monday in New York City with CNBC's Leslie Picker covered how Barra and Rometty embody power in the workplace, leading companies through transformations, and bridging economic and social divides in the U.S. In addition, the business icons discussed how their own view of being a "woman" leader has changed over the course of their careers. Often being the only women in the room in manufacturing and technology engineering roles at major corporations led them to shy away from gender as they climbed the corporate ladder. But now, as women at the top of their respective fields, Barra and Rometty's thinking on the topic of female leadership has evolved. Here are a few highlights from the conversation. Overcome your hesitation to lead with 'woman' It may seem logical that with so few women in high-profile CEO roles — even today it is only about 10% of the Fortune 500 and S&P 500 — female CEOs might be inclined to highlight gender as part of their success, but both Barra and Rometty say they shied away from leading with gender early in their careers — or even mentioning it. They now they say that was a mistake. They believe leading with "woman" is critical to showing the way forward for the next generation of leaders in a world where the gender disparity in the C-suite remains wide. Rometty said she began embracing her identity as a woman and mother in the workplace when people began recognizing her as a role model. "People can't be what they can't see. And I finally realized that I was being selfish by saying, 'no, no, don't look at me for being a woman, don't ever look at me for this.' Then I finally started to embrace it. ... I talk about our differences, that we can leave a memory and a mark," Rometty said. "It's worth noticing that you notice there's not many of them." Barra ultimately had a similar awakening. She rose from the ground floor in manufacturing, and said in early roles it was easy for her to overlook being the only woman. But as she climbed to the C-suite, comments on her identity increased, a situation that made her uncomfortable. Barra recalled asking people, "Can we talk about something else, because I'd like to think I got here because of my skills and abilities and contributions, not just that I'm a female." Barra changed her perspective as she witnessed the impact her identity had on other women in the workplace. "When I got the CEO job, people would come up to me, and they'd say, 'So you're the first female CEO of an auto company?' ... But then I had the same situation [as Rometty], when someone came up to me after a meeting or something and said, 'you know, my daughter is now working hard at math and science in middle school, because she wants to be like you.' And then I'm like, okay, I get it. I get it."
Secret Service tightened security around Trump after learning of alleged Iranian assassination plot 2024-07-16 21:01:00+00:00 - The Biden administration obtained intelligence in recent weeks about an Iranian assassination plot against former President Donald Trump, and the information led the Secret Service to ramp up security around the former president, according to three U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter. But the officials said there was no indication the plot had any link to the assassination attempt on the former president Saturday carried out by a 20-year-old American at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. U.S. investigators say the evidence so far indicates the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, acted alone. CNN first reported on the Iranian threat. According to Iranian state media, Iran’s mission to the United Nations dismissed the allegations of an assassination plot as “unsubstantiated and malicious.” Donald Trump attends the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Monday. Win McNamee / Getty Images After learning of the heightened threat from Iran, the White House National Security Council contacted senior officials at the Secret Service “to be absolutely sure [the Secret Service officials] continued to track the latest reporting,” a national security official told NBC News. The Trump campaign was informed about the “evolving threat,” and the Secret Service “surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump,” the official said. “All of this was in advance of Saturday.” One U.S. official said that the Iranian regime is continually plotting harm to current and former American officials and military officers. Former national security adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Iran envoy Brian Hook all have been provided U.S.-funded security teams, with Congress approving the funding for the added protection. Those officials were in office when the Trump administration carried out a drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian military’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in January 2020. In rejecting accusations of the plot, according to Iranian state media, Iran's mission to the U.N. said Iran had "chosen the legal path" to bring Trump to justice. "Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani." Qassem Soleimani, center, pictured in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 18, 2016. Press Office of Iranian Supreme Leader / Pool / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images file Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said the administration has been monitoring Iranian threats to former Trump administration officials “for years” and has briefed Congress about these threats. “These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qasem Soleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority,” Watson said in a statement. “The investigation of Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Trump is active and ongoing. At this time, law enforcement has reported that their investigation has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic,” Watson said. As part of its response to the Iranian threats, the administration has “invested extraordinary resources in developing additional information about these threats, disrupting individuals involved in these threats, enhancing the protective arrangements of potential targets of these threats, engaging with foreign partners, and directly warning Iran,” Watson said. The White House is also in regular communication with the agencies overseeing security for the targeted former Trump administration officials, she added.
Tyson Foods heir pleads not guilty to charge of driving while intoxicated 2024-07-16 20:57:50+00:00 - Tyson Foods heir and executive John R. Tyson has pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving while intoxicated. Tyson entered the plea Monday in Fayetteville District Court in Fayetteville, Arkansas, a court spokeswoman said. Tyson is next due in court on Aug. 28. Tyson, 34, was arrested June 13 by University of Arkansas police in Fayetteville after he was seen driving carelessly and making an illegal turn. He was released from custody the same day on a $1,105 bond. Tyson, who has served as Tyson Foods’ chief financial officer since 2022, was immediately suspended by the company after his arrest, Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods said last month. The company didn’t respond Monday when asked about Tyson’s plea. It was the second time in less than two years that Tyson was arrested on alcohol-related charges. In November 2022, he was charged with public intoxication and criminal trespassing after allegedly entering a stranger’s home in Fayetteville and falling asleep in her bed. Tyson sent a companywide email apologizing for that incident, saying he was embarrassed and was getting counseling for alcohol abuse. He initially pled not guilty to those charges but later settled them by agreeing to plead guilty and paying fines and court fees. Tyson, a former investment banker, is the son of Tyson Foods Chairman John H. Tyson and the great-grandson of company founder John W. Tyson.
Here's how JD Vance landed Trump's vice president pick 2024-07-16 20:57:33+00:00 - Ohio Sen. JD Vance once called Donald Trump "America's Hitler." Now, he's the GOP candidate for vice president. Here's how he did it. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in .
UHS, Acadia Healthcare Navigate Scrutiny Amid Safety Concern Allegations At Psychiatric Hospitals, Operating As Nonprofit - Universal Health Servs (NYSE:UHS), Acadia Healthcare Co (NASDAQ:ACHC) 2024-07-16 20:57:00+00:00 - Loading... Loading... Investor-owned psychiatric hospital chains increasingly operate under nonprofit brands, a strategy that has raised eyebrows among industry analysts and healthcare advocates. Universal Health Services UHS and Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. ACHC are prominent players. STAT News’ investigation reveals that a Columbus Police sergeant called for action against Mt. Carmel Behavioral Health, run by Acadia Healthcare, highlighting a series of alarming incidents at the psychiatric hospital. The sergeant’s February letter outlines a disturbing pattern of violence, prompting concerns about patient and staff safety. Over the past six months, the hospital has witnessed over 20 emergency calls detailing horrific incidents. This level of violence is unprecedented, especially for an institution affiliated with the local Catholic health system. Despite its affiliation with Mount Carmel, the hospital is managed by Acadia Healthcare, a prominent publicly traded chain known for operating psychiatric facilities amidst accusations of inadequate staffing and training. This operational environment has raised significant concerns about patient care standards and safety protocols within Acadia’s facilities nationwide. The sergeant’s formal complaint underscores longstanding issues, citing persistent physical assaults on vulnerable patients and staff. Despite multiple engagements with the hospital’s management, concerns remain unresolved, prompting the sergeant to escalate the matter to state and national regulatory bodies, the investigation report says. In a post on X, Tara Bannow from STAT News said, “People who worked at Acadia & UHS hospitals across the country from one another said the exact same thing: There was systematic understaffing and undertraining, and our pleas to corporate were ignored.” She adds, “What results is environments that are dangerous for patients and staff alike…Within the past year, juries issued $1 billion in verdicts against Acadia & UHS.” Price Action: ACHC shares are up 4.83% at $68.33, and UHS stock is up 2.48% at $183.12 at the last check on Tuesday. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Read Next: Image via Unsplash
Trump-Vance Administration Could Herald New Era for Dollar 2024-07-16 20:46:09+00:00 - Donald J. Trump’s selection of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance to be his vice-presidential nominee pairs him with a kindred spirit on trade, taxes and a tough stance on China. But it is their shared affinity for a weak dollar that could have the most sweeping implications for the United States and the global economy. In most cases, Mr. Trump likes his policies to be “strong,” but when it comes to the value of the dollar, he has long expressed a different view. Its strength, he has argued, has made it harder for American manufacturers to sell their products abroad to buyers that use weaker currencies. That’s because their money is worth so much less than the dollars that they need to make those purchases. “As your president, one would think that I would be thrilled with our very strong dollar,” Mr. Trump said in 2019, explaining that U.S. companies like Caterpillar and Boeing were struggling to compete. “I am not!” The dollar has been the world’s dominant currency since World War II, and central banks hold about 60 percent of their foreign exchange reserves in dollars, according to the Congressional Research Service.
GM's 2025 EV production capacity target in doubt after Barra comments 2024-07-16 20:46:00+00:00 - General Motors’ goal of being capable of producing 1 million all-electric vehicles in North America by the end of 2025 in heavily in doubt, following comments Monday by CEO Mary Barra. The production capacity target for next year was one of the last EV targets the automaker hadn’t lowered or withdrawn as demand for EVs has not materialized as quickly as many companies such as GM previously expected. “We won’t get to a million just because the market is not developing, but it will get there,” Barra said Monday at a virtual CNBC CEO Council event. “We’re going to be guided by the customer.” For more than two years, GM has said it would have production capacity of 1 million in EVs in each China and North America by 2025. Even after it changed or withdrew several EV targets and product plans in the last year, the company continued to say it would install the North American capacity for EVs. A GM spokesman said the company’s target was about the production capacity, while the question was regarding actually producing 1 million EVs in 2025. Barra did not specifcally address whether it was production or production capacity that she was referring to. The spokesman later said the company would no longer reiterate the EV production capacity plans for 2025. The company has continually said its EV plans will be flexible to meet demand. More details about the automaker’s EV plans could come when GM reports second-quarter results on July 23.
San Francisco downtown is a 'ghost town' that needs revival, mayoral candidate says 2024-07-16 20:44:00+00:00 - With San Francisco facing record high commercial vacancies, one mayoral candidate has a plan to reshape the city's business district and surrounding areas. Democrat Mark Farrell, former interim Mayor, is proposing a 20-year vision to revitalize San Francisco's downtown in a bid to help the city bounce back from challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. His plan includes a new park at Embarcadero Plaza and mixed-use buildings that provide more housing options. There are also tax incentives for businesses that relocate to the area. And for those that mandate workers return to the office four days a week. The goal is to incentivize industries beyond technology. "As I've traveled around the world and in our own country over the past few years for work, other downtowns and other cities have recovered from Covid," Farrell told CNBC in an interview. "Unfortunately, our city now ranks dead last in economic recovery post Covid. And that, to me is an embarrassment and it needs to change." Commercial real estate vacancies in San Francisco hit a fresh high of 34.5% in the second quarter, according to a report last week from Cushman & Wakefield, up from 5% before the pandemic. Manhattan's vacancy rate for the quarter was 23.6%. Farrell's goal is to cut San Francisco's vacancy rate in half by the end of a first term. A key piece of Farrell's plan involves getting workers back into the city. Many of San Francisco's top employers, including Salesforce , Uber and Visa , have embraced hybrid work, with staffers coming in, at best, three days a week. On top of that, the tech industry has been battered by layoffs over the past two years, removing thousands of people from payrolls.
25 of the richest donors funneling money to Donald Trump: Elon Musk, Steve Schwarzman, and more 2024-07-16 20:43:25+00:00 - As the 2024 race heats up, Trump has gained support from billionaires and wealthy business leaders. Elon Musk and a handful of Silicon Valley elite are among those rallying around the former president. Here are some of Trump's richest donors and how much they've contributed to the 2024 campaign. 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 As former President Donald Trump seeks a second term in the White House, he's increasingly turning to billionaires to power his campaign. Some of them are longtime associates and supporters — true believers who know the former president from his days in the business world — while others are relative newcomers, such as longtime GOP megadonors who backed his 2024 rivals or even previously supported Democrats. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in .
Messi is teaching kids it's OK to cry. As a boy mom, I appreciate it. 2024-07-16 20:42:06+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. I hadn't realized how much I had hoped for a girl until I found out the sex of our first child. I was shocked and completely overwhelmed when I read the results of our genetic testing on a cold, gray day in October, snuggled next to my husband on the couch. It took me about 15 minutes to find a way to ground myself and realize this was real life: I was having a boy. It took me even longer, months of the pregnancy, to come to terms with it because I knew how to raise a girl to be strong, but I realized I had no idea how to teach a boy how to feel safe enough to feel soft, connected, and vulnerable. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. What ended up being the most surprising solution was fútbol, or soccer as we call it in the US. I married into an Argentine family that loves soccer My husband is Argentine and loves soccer. Their national team has collected quite a number of trophies over the last few years. The biggest, of course, is the World Cup that they won in penalties in December of 2022. Advertisement I was in my second trimester at the time, and we were in Argentina watching the final with our whole family. Everyone was swearing, stressed, celebrating, focused, and, at several points, crying. The emotional roller coaster of that game was so intense that I was worried I might start having contractions. It wasn't until the end of the game that everything changed for me. Lionel Messi fell to his knees after the final goal was scored, and his teammates surrounded him in a tender embrace. They were all heaving and sobbing, crying beautiful tears after a hard-earned victory that had been decades in the making. Related stories Everyone around me in Argentina was also crying. It was inspiring to see the players and the fans cry After we saw Messi lift that trophy in the air with all his teammates flanking him, their eyes filled with tears, I realized something: What a beautiful gift to see grown men crying so freely. Advertisement Here are incredibly famous men at the pinnacle of what society paints as the only acceptable form of the masculine to be — victorious, heroic, peak physical condition, powerful, successful — and they are all crying, showing their emotions, uninhibited, for the world to see and join in with. My husband cried holding my belly after the game and I knew at that moment I was bringing my son into a world that I hadn't known or ever seen before: a culture that was open to men's tears, to them feeling deeply and passionately without shame. It's a beautiful culture where I have seen male friends of ours hold each other close, cup each other's faces and look deeply into each other's eyes to share their love. Of course, there are patriarchal and machismo overtones to their culture. After all, Argentina is the birthplace of the Ni Una Menos movement that swept Latin America as a response to femicides in obscenely high numbers. There is still so much work to be done, but Argentina feels far more emotionally developed than the US because powerful men can not only show vulnerability and emotion; they are also celebrated for it. Advertisement Messi sobbed after getting injured in the Copa America On July 14th, Argentina won the Copa America for the second time in a row, and sadly, Lionel Messi was injured about a third of the way into the game and had to be substituted. His tears that came when he finally made it to the bench wrecked me. There was clearly so much anguish on his face. Perhaps pain from an injury, but I saw more suffering come from his heart. As much as I empathized with him at that moment, I was also so grateful to him. Not for the trophies and being an incredible leader of that team, but for showing children everywhere who were watching that it's OK to cry. You can be the greatest footballer who has ever lived and still be human. Still be sad, scared, disappointed, filled with love and pride. And you can hold all of these feelings at once, even as they break you, and find the strength to keep going. Advertisement I can't wait for my son to see these games when he is older. I feel such a relief right now that when he watches these men at peak performance embrace their strength both in their bodies and in the softness of their feelings. It will be an amazing source of validation, telling him he is safe to do the same.