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Genshin Impact age verification: what is it and how to keep playing Genshin Impact age verification: what is it and how to keep playing Table of Contents Table of Contents What is the age verification system in Genshin Impact? How to keep playing Genshin Impact HoYoverse has announced that Genshin Impact players in the U.S. need to verify their age in order to continue playing the popular MMORPG starting on May 20. The ******** game studio made the announcement on its official website on Wednesday, saying that every new and existing player based in the U.S., regardless of their age, must undergo the game’s age verification system between this month and July 20, 2026. Otherwise, their accounts will be deleted permanently. What is the age verification system in Genshin Impact? The first line of HoYoverse’s announcement of the new age verification system in Genshin Impact reads, “We are required by law to age verify US player accounts.” This means the news likely came as a result of the FTC’s decision earlier this year to ban HoYoverse from selling loot boxes to children under 16 without their parental consent after it found that the game unfairly marketed loot boxes to kids and teens. According to the decision, the complaint from the Department of Justice alleged that Genshin Impact misled kids about the true cost of the game’s microtransactions and rare prizes locked in its gacha mechanics, such as new characters, causing them to spend a lot of money on items they had little to no chance of winning. HoYoverse The commission also found that Genshin Impact collected personal information about child players in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a law that protects children under 13 from online data collection without parental consent, even though HoYoverse was aware that kids under 13 were playing the game. The decision also required HoYoverse to pay a $20 million fine over the loot boxes. How to keep playing Genshin Impact The new age verification system will roll out to all Genshin Impact players by May 20. If you already have a HoYoverse account or are registering to play the game for the first time, you need to provide your age upon login by July 18. Failure to do so will result in your account getting suspended, and all your in-game friends and chat records will be erased. You will also receive no new notifications about game updates and the like since you won’t be able to access your account anymore. If you don’t verify your age by July 20, 2026, all your personal information in your HoYoverse account will be deleted permanently. The next time you log in to Genshin Impact between now and next summer, we highly recommend you provide your actual birthday the second you see the page telling you to do so. Source link #Genshin #Impact #age #verification #playing Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X Series ads are wickedly funny, but are they fair to Intel? Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X Series ads are wickedly funny, but are they fair to Intel? Qualcomm’s trio of new commercials humously take on Intel-based laptops and make a seemingly salient point: Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series chips will run at max performance even unplugged, while Intel-based systems will only operate at 55%. But there’s some nuance in there that makes these claims somewhat less than clear-cut. While two of the ads, “The Max Performance You Deserve,” and “Office Tripped,” lean heavily into humor to make their case, the first ad, “What’s the Intel?“, is more pointed and uses the line, “Here’s a little intel on what’s really inside” Clever, right? Qualcomm squeezed the brand name and the “Intel Inside” marketing campaign into one well-crafted dig. You may like It’s in this ad where Qualcomm clearly lays out its core premise, stating that the SnapDragon X Elite PC “runs at max performance when it’s unplugged.” The ad then shows the Intel-based system and says, “that PC drops to as little as 55%”. Another ad, “The Max Performance You Deserve,” focuses on the humor of asking people in various situations to “give 55%” of performance of love, of a bonus, of devotion to a country. The video does close with a Qualcomm rep telling a consumer, “Yup, PCs powered by Intel can cut performance up to 55% when unplugged, but with Snapdragon X Series, max performance when unplugged.” The last ad, “Office Tripped,” shows how “when PC’s powered by Intel perform at 55% when unplugged, it’s like your whole team does.” The ad comically depicts employees half-dressed, tables with half their legs gone, and signage half-lit. You get the idea. A measure of what? Of course, at no point in any of these ads does Qualcomm say that 55% of Intel’s performance is worse than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series max performance. In fact, based on the systems they used to come up with those numbers, I’m not sure they could. In the fine print, Qualcomm explains the numbers came from a Cinebench 2024 Multi Core benchmark run in Windows 11. The Qualcomm system was a Dell XPS 13 with a Snapdragon Elite running at 3.8Hz (unless it’s been overclocked to 4.3GHz). It’s compared against a Dell XPS 13 running an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V, which is Intel’s top-of-the-line Ultra processor running at 5.1 GHz. Considering Qualcomm chose a system running Intel’s most powerful Ultra processor, it might be difficult to draw direct comparisons to the Snapdragon X Elite chip. Of course, that’s not really what Qualcomm did here. There are no direct performance comparisons. Instead, this is just a measure of how the systems, or rather the CPUs, perform when unplugged. The Intel system slows down its high-end Core Ultra 9 to, I bet, Core Ultra 5 processor-level performance. I would be curious to see what sort of performance hit an Intel Core Ultra 5 (245T) takes when unplugged. It might perform at something far higher than 55%, if not “max” performance. The Max Performance you deserve – Snapdragon X Series – YouTube Watch On Sure, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Series ads are cutting and funny, but I’m not sure they’re entirely fair to Intel. I want my laptops to maintain as much performance as possible when unplugged, but I also want them to maintain battery life. Higher performing chips will draw more power, and the system, depending on how Intel and OEMs configure it, knows enough to reduce that power draw when you unplug the laptop. Snapdragon X Series CPUs were built with mobile in mind. They run at a lower GHz than the fastest-performing X86 chips, and with a lower power draw, of course, they do a better job of maintaining max power. In general, I love the mobile chip in laptops and desktops revolution that was kicked off by Apple Silicon. These mobile SoCs (system on chips) have transformed mobile computing and are a net positive for consumers and the industry, but let’s not cloud the issue with ads that seem to make a direct comparison when, in fact, they really don’t. You might also like Source link #Qualcomms #latest #Snapdragon #Series #ads #wickedly #funny #fair #Intel Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Genetic Study Retraces Covid’s Origins in Bats – The New York Times Genetic Study Retraces Covid’s Origins in Bats – The New York Times Genetic Study Retraces Covid’s Origins in Bats The New York TimesDid wildlife trade cause COVID-19 in humans? Researchers say virus travelled too far, too fast for natural bat dispersal Down To EarthUCSD Study: Initial spread of COVID virus likely a result of wildlife trade KESQBat virus evolution suggests wildlife trade sparked COVID-19 virus emergence in humans EurekAlert! Source link #Genetic #Study #Retraces #Covids #Origins #Bats #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

All Gears of War games in order, by release date and chronologically All Gears of War games in order, by release date and chronologically Table of Contents Table of Contents All Gears of War games in release order All Gears of War games in chronological order The original Gears of War trilogy on the Xbox 360 introduced us to the world of Sera, Delta Squad, and the Locust Horde threatening to wipe humanity off the map. Since then, the franchise has grown to include sequels, prequels, and intersticials that aren’t even in the original genre. This makes it not that different from playing the Halo games in order. You could stick to playing just the numbered games in order, but every game with Gears of War in its name (save for one) is important to the story, especially Gears of War: E-Day. Unlike the Doom games, which have a lot of lore but keep it pushed to the side, the story in Gears is a large part of what makes these games more than just mindless shooters. We’ve been roadie running with Marcus since 2006 and will give you a complete breakdown of how to play the entire series in release order and chronologically. All Gears of War games in release order Xbox Gears of War was one of the most impressive Xbox 360 games we’d seen at the time, and was primed to become a huge franchise. We got three main games from the original developer Epic Games before it was handed off to The Coalition, but a few other teams have also contributed to the Gears universe. If you’re interested in getting started with the series now, playing in release order isn’t the worst way to go about it. Thanks to the original game rereleasing as Gears of War: Reloaded, going back to the earliest game is easier than ever. However, that only muddles the release order more if you were depending on the numbers to guide you, especially when the franchise rebrands itself to simply “Gears” for a time. To experience the Gears saga as it was originally told, not including any remakes or remasters, here’s the official release order: Gears of War (2006) Gears of War 2 (2008) Gears of War 3 (2011) Gears of War: Judgment (2013) Gears of War 4 (2016) Gears 5 (2019) Gears POP! (2019) Gears Tactics (2020) Gears of War: E-Day (TBD) All Gears of War games in chronological order The Coalition You can safely assume that the numbered entries follow one another in a linear order, but what about all those non-numbered entries? Those are especially interesting and add a lot of texture to the lore, not only because they feature characters besides Marcus, but fit into unexplored parts of the timeline. Playing the series in chronological order might be the best experience possible since the main games throw you into the world with little context to figure things out over the course of many games. Knowing what’s going on, how you got there, and what events led up to that point makes the emotional beats hit that much harder. The only game you should ignore to play the games chronologically is Gears POP!, but otherwise, follow this play order: Note: The Gears timeline is marked by years Before Emergence Day (B.E.) or After Emergence Day (A.E.) Gears of War: E-Day (0 B.E) Gears of War: Judgment (0 A.E.) Gears Tactics (1 A.E.) Gears of War/ Gears of War: Reloaded (14 A.E) Gears of War 2 (14 A.E.) Gears of War 3 (17 A.E.) Gears of War 4 (42 A.E.) Gears 5 (42 A.E.) Source link #Gears #War #games #order #release #date #chronologically Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

ChatGPT models explained: How to use each, according to OpenAI ChatGPT models explained: How to use each, according to OpenAI Table of Contents Table of Contents Why are there six models in the first place? GPT-4o GPT-4.5 OpenAI o4-mini OpenAI o4-mini-high OpenAI o3 OpenAI o1 pro mode How to use different ChatGPT models Although the entire AI ***** was triggered by just one ChatGPT model, a lot has changed since 2022. New models have been released, old models have been replaced, updates roll out and roll back again when they go wrong — the world of LLMs is pretty busy. At the moment, we have six OpenAI LLMs to choose from and, as both users and Sam Altman are aware, their names are completely useless. Most people have probably just been using the newest model they can get their hands on, but it turns out that each of the six current models is good at different things — and OpenAI has finally decided to tell us which model to use for which tasks. Why are there six models in the first place? LLMs are unpredictable — users never know what kind of responses they will get, and the developers don’t really know either. Sure, it might be more convenient if we had all of the capabilities available rolled up into one model, but that isn’t as easy as it sounds. As OpenAI tweaks its models, some things get better and other things get worse — and sometimes unexpected side effects occur. There’s no telling how long it would take to balance things out perfectly, so it makes more sense to just release new versions even when improvements are only focused on a few areas. The results of this approach are the six main models we have right now: GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, OpenAI o4-mini, OpenAI o4-mini-high, OpenAI o3, and OpenAI o1 pro mode. And I’m just going to say it again — these names really are useless. OpenAI may have given us a document explaining what each one does now, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to remember which name matches which capabilities — so consider saving this little cheat sheet from the document if you need to remember. OpenAI GPT-4o Part of the latest 4o family of models, GPT-4o “excels at everyday tasks.” This includes: Brainstorming Summarizing Email writing/checking Creative content You can search the web with it, generate images, use advanced voice features, analyze data, and create custom GPTs. You can also upload various file types to aid your prompts. According to OpenAI’s own research, however, 4o does have a bit of a hallucination problem. It’s not the worst of the bunch, but it did hallucinate around twice as much as o1 during testing. This can be problematic if you’re using it to search the web or learn new things — the trickiest aspect of hallucinations is that they often sound entirely plausible, making it harder to just “check when something sounds off.” Instead, the only way to be sure is to check just about everything that you don’t already know to be true. GPT-4.5 According to OpenAI, GPT-4.5’s strong suit is emotional intelligence. This means it should be good at helping you communicate with other people, with official recommendations including: Social media posts Product descriptions Customer apology letter With other strengths such as clear communication and creativity, GPT-4.5 is better equipped to help you find the perfect tone or phrasing for specific situations — and make sure everything still sounds human. OpenAI o4-mini One of the more terribly named models, o4-mini drops the “GPT” element of the naming scheme and awkwardly swaps the 4o around to o4. It’s a smaller model, which means it’s not stuffed to the brim with as much random internet information as a full-sized model. The upside of this is that it’s quick and less expensive to run, and the downside is that the model has less “world knowledge” and is prone to hallucinating to make up for that. Instead of asking it questions about the world, OpenAI recommends using o4-mini for fast technical tasks. Examples include: Extracting key data from a CSV file Generating quick summaries of articles Checking or fixing errors in small code blocks OpenAI o4-mini-high Here’s another terrible name when viewed in isolation, but fairly easy to understand if you already know what OpenAI o4-mini is. It’s still a small model, but it’s a step up from the normal o4-mini because it “thinks longer for higher accuracy.” This makes it better at more detailed coding tasks, math, and scientific explanations. Here are OpenAI’s examples: Solving complex math equations with explanations Drafting SQL queries for data extraction Explaining scientific concepts in simple terms OpenAI o3 This is technically an older model (because it doesn’t have a “4”), but because the o4/4o family didn’t make improvements in every area, it’s still very relevant. o3 is particularly good at complex, multi-step tasks — the kind of projects that need to be done in multiple stages with multiple prompts. This includes strategic planning, detailed analyses, extensive coding, advanced math, science, and visual reasoning. If you want to start a task that you know will take a multiple-prompt session to finish, using o3 will help minimize the chances of the model losing track of the context or hallucinating halfway through. OpenAI suggests use cases like: Developing a risk analysis Drafting a business strategy based on data Running multi-step data analysis tasks OpenAI o1 pro mode OpenAI o1 is now considered a “legacy model,” though it isn’t even a year old yet. The “pro mode” version is tuned for complex reasoning — which means it takes more time to think, but in return gives better thought-out responses. o1 also gets the best scores on OpenAI’s PersonQA evaluation, which measures the rate of hallucination. During testing, o1 hallucinates around half as much as o3 and three times less than smaller models like 04-mini. If you’re a big ChatGPT user and your sessions tend to run long, then minimizing the rate of hallucinations could save you a decent chunk of time in the long run. Here are OpenAI’s examples: Drafting detailed risk analyses Generating a multi-page research summary Creating an algorithm for financial forecasting How to use different ChatGPT models Unfortunately, you can only access GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini on OpenAI’s free tier. If you’re a Plus, Pro, Team, or Enterprise user, you can use the model selector to choose which model you want to use. ChatGPT is also integrated into various other third-party products, both free and paid, so it’s worth checking which models different products use. For example, my paid search engine, Kagi, gives me access to multiple OpenAI models. There are also lots of other AI aggregate services out there that give you access to multiple models from OpenAI and other companies for a more affordable price than subscribing to each company separately. While this information about the different models is useful to have, it doesn’t affect everyone. If you mostly use ChatGPT to generate images, search the web, and send general queries, then the default GPT-4o is totally fine. It’s only if you’re into programming, math, science, or particularly large projects that you might want to think about which model is best for the job. Source link #ChatGPT #models #explained #OpenAI Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The true story of a king who tried to overcome his stutter The true story of a king who tried to overcome his stutter The true story of a king who tried to overcome his stutter so he could address the nation. Source link #true #story #king #overcome #stutter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Itoje likely Lions king as Aussies wait to learn fate Itoje likely Lions king as Aussies wait to learn fate Maro Itoje is expected to be named captain of the British & Irish Lions team heading for Australia while a few Aussies themselves are hanging on anxiously waiting to learn whether they’ll also be heading home as part of the touring squad. The eagerly awaited announcement of the Lions’ squad to tour Australia in June, July and August will be made at the O2 arena in London in front of a crowd of around 2000 on Thursday with Englishman Itoje forecast widely to be appointed skipper of Andy Farrell’s squad. He would be the first English captain of the Lions since Martin Johnson led them to a 2-1 defeat to the Wallabies in 2001, but looks the strong frontrunner following the shoulder injury sustained by Ireland skipper Caelan Doris which seems set to rule him out of the trip altogether. Only the captain will be present on stage when the squad is announced, with players not knowing their fate until their names are revealed on Sky Sports. That will mean an anxious wait for four ***********-born players, who have pushed themselves into contention for a place with performances for two of the four home nations. They’re Scotland’s Melburnian captain Sione Tuipulotu and Sydney’s former Wallaby Jack Dempsey, as well as Ireland’s Canberra duo of Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham. Tuipulotu, who qualifies for Scotland through his Greenock-born grandmother, may well have been considered a challenger for the captaincy himself until his pectoral injury forced him to miss the Six Nations but, now set for a return, his form had been so impressive that he’s a strong fancy to be included as a centre. Back-rower Dempsey may be more of a long-shot to make the squad but his chances at No.8 have increased after the dreadfully-timed injury to Doris, which also opens the opportunity for Welshman Taulupe Faletau making a fourth tour. Both winger Hansen and prop Bealham have been stalwarts in the Ireland team overseen by Farrell before he stepped down from his role in Dublin to concentrate on his Lions’ stewardship. Another major talking point will be whether Englishman Farrell will select his son Owen Farrell, the former England skipper and three-tour Lion who’s had an injury-hit season in France playing for Racing 92. Source link #Itoje #Lions #king #Aussies #wait #learn #fate Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why ExxonMobil Stock Fell 11.2% in April, But Remains a Buy Why ExxonMobil Stock Fell 11.2% in April, But Remains a Buy ExxonMobil stock took a hit as crude oil prices plunged to nearly four-year lows in April. The company, however, just reported strong numbers for Q1. The oil giant is also confident of achieving its big 2030 goals. 10 stocks we like better than ExxonMobil › ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) kicked off 2025 on a strong note, beating the market and rallying 10.6% in the first quarter of the year. The oil stock, however, made a sharp U-turn in April to give up all of those Q1 gains, and then some — it fell 11.2% during the month, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. What triggered the reversal in ExxonMobil stock? Image source: Getty Images. ExxonMobil stock plunged in the first week of April alongside crude oil prices. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and a trade war roiled the oil markets, sending prices of Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil plunging over 15% each in April to nearly four-year lows. Industry experts were already jittery, as they expected the OPEC+ to boost production despite falling oil prices. As feared, the eight OPEC+ members announced a larger-than-expected output hike of 411,000 barrels per day for June on May 3. ExxonMobil is the largest oil company in the U.S., and its core upstream earnings and cash flows are tied closely to commodity prices. With oil prices plunging and fears of a recession looming large, several analysts also slashed their price targets on ExxonMobil stock through the month of April, exacerbating the stock’s fall. Scotiabank analyst Paul Cheng, for instance, slashed ExxonMobil stock’s price target from $140 per share to $115 a share in early April. UBS analyst Josh Silverstein, meanwhile, cut the oil stock‘s price target twice last month to $131 per share. Fears of a slowdown and falling earnings estimates triggered most of these price target cuts. ExxonMobil, however, just beat analysts’ estimates on its first-quarter earnings. ExxonMobil announced its Q1 numbers on May 2. Although its upstream production jumped 20% thanks to its acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources last year, ExxonMobil’s earnings fell almost 15% year over year to $1.76 per share because of weak crude oil prices and falling refining margins, among other things. Yet it still beat average EPS estimates of $1.74 per share. ExxonMobil also continues to generate strong cash flows despite a challenging business environment. In Q1, it generated $13 billion in cash flow from operations (CFO) and $8.8 billion in free cash flow, up 6% and 10% sequentially, respectively. ExxonMobil distributed $9.1 billion to its shareholders during the quarter, including $4.3 billion in dividends and $4.8 billion of share repurchases. Story Continues Lower oil prices undeniably hurt ExxonMobil, but the real strength for commodity businesses reflects in their resilience over the long term. ExxonMobil believes it could add over $20 billion in earnings and $30 billion in CFO growth by 2030. It is also a top-notch oil dividend stock, having increased its dividend for 42 consecutive years now and yielding 3.8%. Before you buy stock in ExxonMobil, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and ExxonMobil wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $613,546!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $695,897!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 893% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 162% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 5, 2025 Neha Chamaria has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Bank Of Nova Scotia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why ExxonMobil Stock Fell 11.2% in April, But Remains a Buy was originally published by The Motley Fool Source link #ExxonMobil #Stock #Fell #April #Remains #Buy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Here's what changed in the new Fed statement Here's what changed in the new Fed statement This is a comparison of Wednesday’s Federal Open Market Committee statement with the one issued after the Fed’s previous policymaking meeting in March. Source link #Here039s #changed #Fed #statement Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why U.S. air traffic control is under strain Why U.S. air traffic control is under strain An airport control tower is seen at Newark Liberty International Airport, on May 6, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Andres Kudacki | Getty Images Air traffic controllers have been under strain for years, but a 90-second equipment failure last week exposed how decades of staffing shortages, underinvestment and patchwork solutions for those who guide planes through some of the world’s most congested airspace are taking their toll. The outage also sparked hundreds of flight delays, disrupting travel for thousands of travelers for days — again. What happened? On the afternoon of April 28, air traffic controllers at a facility in Philadelphia who are responsible for guiding planes to and from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey faced dark radar screens and were unable to talk to planes for more than a minute. The outage lasted about 30 seconds. It took another 30 to 60 seconds for aircraft to reappear on radarscopes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. United Airlines’ Captain Deon Byrne check her phone as she arrives at Terminal C in Newark Liberty International Airport, on May 6, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Andres Kudacki | Getty Images Pilots for major U.S. airlines say they are specially trained to handle such outages. But an outage of even a few seconds “is an eternity for air traffic controllers,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a retired air safety investigator for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA. The incident, which was not the first time equipment outages hit the facility, was so jarring some have “taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages,” the FAA said. Read more CNBC airline news More than 1,500 Newark flights were delayed last week, according to FlightAware. United Airlines, which runs a hub out of Newark, said it was cutting 35 flights a day from its schedule to ease strain on its operation and customers. A Newark runway has also been closed for construction, adding to disruptions. New steps On Wednesday, the FAA said it would beef up staffing at the Philadelphia facility and work to fix communication lines that feed data to controllers there for Newark flights. It said it plans to install a temporary backup system there to “provide redundancy during the switch to a more reliable fiberoptic network.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to announce a major upgrade plan for the U.S. air traffic control system on Thursday, which could require Congress to approve billions in additional funding. “We have computers, and I kid you not, today in 2025, that are based on Windows 95 and floppy disks,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in an interview in March. The FAA last year said that the average age of its towers is 40 and that most radar systems are approaching 40 years old. “Aging facilities add risk to the system, including risk of service disruptions,” it said. People wait in line for a delayed flight at Newark International Airport on May 5, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Accident draws urgency The April 28 incident and previous outages didn’t cause any accidents but the failures raised more worries about an outmoded system and chronic shortages of air traffic controllers, particularly in the busy airspace around New York City. U.S. air traffic controllers handle about 45,000 flights a day overall, according to the FAA. The urgency to fix lingering problems reached a new level after a ****** Hawk Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people on board the aircraft. It was the deadliest air ****** in the United States since 2001. “It took a fatal midair airline accident to occur to get everybody’s attention,” Guzzetti said. Why is Newark such a problem? Newark is already dealing with space constraints to begin with. It handled around 414,000 flights last year, 11% fewer than John F. Kennedy International Airport, in Queens, New York, according to data from their operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. But Newark is about half JFK’s size. Technology glitches and staffing shortfalls have been especially hard on Newark in recent days. Last year, the FAA moved controllers who handle Newark from a facility on Long Island, New York — where planes are also sequenced to and from LaGuardia Airport and JFK in Queens — to a remote station in Philadelphia. The move was meant to ease congestion and strain on the Long Island facility, but there are still issues. An inside view of Newark Airport as travelers are facing eight straight days of massive delays, United Airlines canceling routes and staffing shortages in Newark, New Jersey, United States, on May 06, 202 Mostafa Bassim | Anadolu | Getty Images Air traffic staffing shortages have vexed airline executives who are eager to capitalize on strong demand but are constrained and face high costs due to a lack of controllers. “Keep in mind, this particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers, it’s now clear — and the FAA tells us — that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” United CEO Scott Kirby told customers on Friday, announcing schedule cuts. Before April 26, four flights a day were canceled at Newark in April, on average, but that rose to 39 a day through Monday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. About 80% of flights were on schedule in April before that date, but dropped to 63%, “far below industry norms,” Cirium said. Slowing it down U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 6, 2025. Kent Nishimura | Reuters Duffy has said air travel is safe. After a visit to the Philadelphia facility last week, he said that the FAA will slow, if not halt, arrivals altogether if there is a shortage of air traffic controllers. United’s CEO, Kirby, told employees in a memo Wednesday that flying to and from Newark is safe. He said the carrier’s pilots have thousands of hours of experience and training on procedures to “follow to re-establish communication if controllers lose radio contact to navigate the airplane safely to its destination.” Airlines have sought capacity limits to help the congestion, and the last disruption was no exception. “United has been urging the US government for *years* to use its authority to effectively limit the number of flights to what the airport can realistically handle,” Kirby said in a note to employees on Friday. “Past failure to make those changes had led to the circumstances that United and, most importantly, our customers now face.” In 2016, the FAA eased flight restrictions at the airport and Kirby said the FAA should return to prior rules. “It’s long past time to treat EWR like the crown jewel that it is,” he told employees in the Wednesday, using the airport’s code. “We’ll continue to work closely with the FAA and [Transportation Department] to get EWR fixed once and for all and deliver the country the first-class air traffic system it deserves.” Adding air traffic controllers The U.S. has around 10,800 air traffic controllers, well short of its full staffing goal by 3,000, according to the controllers’ union, the NATCA. “Over the last eight years, we’ve had 146,000 applicants and we’ve hired 7,905 of those,” Chris Wilbanks, vice president of mission support at the FAA who is in charge of controller hiring and training, said in interview in March. “Less than 10% of the people that apply for the job actually make it to the [Oklahoma training] academy and then graduate to go out into the field.” In the previous fiscal year, the FAA’s goal was to hire 1,800 controllers. “We’ll lose 35% of those at the academy. We’ll lose another 20% once they get in the field, on the job training. So we don’t net 1,800 controllers,” Wilbanks said. The grueling job requires air traffic controllers to retire at age 56, and applicants to the academy can be no older than 30. Many are forced to work six-day workweeks because of the shortages. Duffy has recently moved to increase financial incentives, like higher pay for air traffic controllers. Starting pay is around $45,000, the union’s Daniels said, though the median pay for a U.S. air traffic controller is $144,580 a year, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Source link #U.S #air #traffic #control #strain Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

What the New Quarter Says About Super Micro Computer’s Future What the New Quarter Says About Super Micro Computer’s Future The latest trade tariff rollouts by President Trump have hit the technology sector of the United States harder than most expected. The reason is that the tariffs seem to be centered around semiconductors and chipmakers in Asian regions, which consequently hold most of the industry’s supply and logistics chain. However, some beliefs might point to a contrarian call being profitable in this case. All those who believe that the world of artificial intelligence is here to stay also have to admit that those companies that work around its development will have a place in the future of the global economy and the industry overall. The risks posed by the trade tariffs are real, but they shouldn’t stand completely in the way of progress (or profits) in this market corner. Today, shares of Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:) Inc. have become the subject of attention, and not necessarily the good kind. This company stands right in the middle of developing and adopting artificial intelligence by providing data center equipment and machinery, so it is directly exposed to the demand for new models and adoption rates worldwide. Super Micro Bears Might Have Gone Too Far One of the most awaited quarterly earnings results just came out in early May 2025, denying the bearish calls assuming that Super Micro Computer might miss the due date to file their financials as they did in recent quarters in the past. Having cleared that hurdle and delivered their results on time, the scale is tilting in favor of the buyers today. On a risk-to-reward ratio, those considering buying Super Micro Computer shares today should note that its prices have fallen to only 32% of their 52-week highs, which means a couple of things for investors. First, it might mean that the worst-case scenarios for this company might already be priced in, leaving nothing but upside for its future, especially as some of these bearish cases start to be dismantled, such as the call for the company to be late once again in its filings. The other prevalent bearish thesis concerns trade tariffs, which are true to some extent and place some weight on the demand and development of artificial intelligence. In the preliminary financial release, Super Micro Computer management expressed that they would see lower earnings per share (EPS) and revenue due to one common factor. Customers are looking to roll back their orders until the next quarter, which makes sense as businesses are now waiting for more clarity on the trade tariff debacle, so this is an industry-wide issue rather than a company-specific one. SMCI Financials Say Otherwise Looking into Super Micro Computer’s latest quarterly earnings release, investors can note a few worthy things. First, revenues were clocked in at $4.6 billion, a net increase of just under 20% compared to the same quarter 12 months ago. This is, of course, not something to be expected out of a company that is in as much trouble as the bears think. Secondly, which is an item that most investors would ignore (but it matters), Super Micro Computer decided to invest over $162 million into research and development for the quarter. This can be taken as the company’s intention to keep developing new equipment and products, which might be in line with an outlook for upcoming demand. However, that is the future. Investors must have something to walk away with if they are to believe in this stock’s recovery story, and they just might get it. When looking at the cash flow statement, they can notice a jump in operating cash flow to $795.9 million, a massive jump compared to a net outflow of $1.8 billion last year. This will significantly drive up the company’s ability to compound its own value; through what’s known as free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capital expenditures), any business can begin to reinvest in its own growth initiatives or at least pay down debts to make it a more attractive proposition for investors. Wall Street analysts might have already expected some of this, as they kept a consensus price target on the stock of up to $48.7 per share, implying that it can rally by as much as 48% from where it trades today. The real upside comes from the inevitable boost in ratings and valuations that Super Micro Computer might be subject to once the latest financials are baked into these valuation models and views. Once again, all of these factors make today’s discount from highs a fantastic risk-to-reward setup in Super Micro Computer stock shares, but only for those bold enough to give it a shot for their portfolios. Original Post Source link #Quarter #Super #Micro #Computers #Future Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Federal court rules Rümeysa Öztürk must be transferred to detention in Vermont – NPR Federal court rules Rümeysa Öztürk must be transferred to detention in Vermont – NPR Federal court rules Rümeysa Öztürk must be transferred to detention in Vermont NPRAppeals court rules Trump administration must move detained Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk to Vermont CNNFederal appeals court hears arguments in Rümeysa Öztürk, Mohsen Mahdawi cases VTDiggerWas First Amendment Violated in Student Arrests? Trump Lawyer Won’t Say. The New York TimesJudge grills Trump administration on whether detained Tufts student’s free speech is protected NBC News Source link #Federal #court #rules #Rümeysa #Öztürk #transferred #detention #Vermont #NPR Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Scientists Chase Falling Satellite to Study Atmospheric Pollution from Spacecraft Reentries Scientists Chase Falling Satellite to Study Atmospheric Pollution from Spacecraft Reentries Scientists take advantage of the spectacular airborne chase of a falling satellite to gather rare data on atmospheric pollution from burnt-up spacecraft. In September 2024, a group of European researchers hopped on an aeroplane outfitted with 26 cameras and flew into the night sky to watch the satellite Cluster Salsa make its flaming return to Earth over the Pacific Ocean. The mission, which was launched from Easter Island, sought chemical byproducts that would have been released during that short, meteor-like reentry event. Despite the glare of bright natural light that impeded a clear view, the researchers captured for the first time images of the satellite fracturing and chemicals being released as it fell to Earth. Satellite Reentries May Impact Ozone and Climate, Scientists Warn As per the report presented at the European Conference on Space Debris, reentry produced lithium, potassium, and aluminum emissions — elements with the potential to impact the ozone layer and Earth’s climate. Stefan Löhle of the University of Stuttgart mentioned that the satellite’s weak trail indicated that pieces splintered off and burned with less ferocity than predicted. The satellite started to disintegrate at about 80 kilometres above sea level, and the observations stopped at a height of around 40 kilometres due to the visual extinction. Such events are increasingly important to monitor as satellite reentries grow in frequency. Although spacecraft such as those in SpaceX’s Starlink fleet are made to burn up completely, surviving debris and dust particles could still affect the upper atmosphere, scientists caution. The aluminum oxide from the melting satellites, for example, could be involved in long-term atmospheric effects, such as changes in thermal balance and ozone destruction. This mission marks only the fifth time a spacecraft reentry has been observed from the air. Researchers hope to align their collected data with computer models to estimate how much mass satellites lose during disintegration and how that mass interacts chemically with the atmosphere. The data also suggest that some titanium components from the 550-kilogram Cluster Salsa may have survived reentry and landed in the Pacific Ocean. As more satellites return to Earth, researchers plan to repeat the chase with Salsa’s sister satellites—Rumba, Tango, and Samba—expected to re-enter by 2026. Despite daytime limitations affecting some measurement techniques, these missions may help clarify how spacecraft pollution influences Earth’s upper atmosphere and climate. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Kaalamega Karigindhi OTT Release Date: When and Where to Watch Telugu Romantic Movie Online? Kenya Orders Sam Altman’s World to Delete Citizens’ Biometric Data Within 7 Days Source link #Scientists #Chase #Falling #Satellite #Study #Atmospheric #Pollution #Spacecraft #Reentries Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

British and Irish Lions 2025: Making squad is just start of tests British and Irish Lions 2025: Making squad is just start of tests We live in different days, thankfully. This team and these tours have endured despite bloody conflict abroad and at home. They have prospered despite having their existence threatened by the march of professionalism and an ever more crowded fixture calendar. They have survived the flak that flew after despicable violence in matches from the wild west years. The Battle of Ballymore, the Battle of Canterbury, the Battle of Potchefstroom, the Battle of Boet Erasmus. Compelling but bleak chapters. Doom-mongers have been proven wrong at every turn. Yes, it has become a commercial beast and the rampant hyping of the brand grates, but the essence of what makes the Lions special is strong and apparently unbreakable. The tourists have won just one series this millennium – one of six – but the fascination only grows. Brilliantly weird and utterly exhilarating, this is a unique experience, a bucket-list item for fans and for every chosen player, a dream realised. The speculation around who’s in and who’s out ends soon, though. Andy Farrell and his coaches have got their men. Not everyone will agree with the names they came up with. There will be a wronged one, a lucky pick, a cause to rally round and get furious about. It was ever thus. The Lions is four nations and one team, but on announcement day, everybody is looking out for their own. Being picked for the Lions is, and always will be, a special moment in the life of any player – many would say the most special moment – but it cannot be enough anymore. There’s a pride in being a Lion, but greatness only comes in victory. In 1997 Jim Telfer called selection “the easy bit” in his famous speech about reaching the top of Everest. Winning was the most important thing, he told his forwards. “The ultimate.” He was right then and he’s right now. On Thursday, the 2025 Lions will rightly bask in a glorious achievement, but it’s only the initial step on a long journey. Not as long as the one Seddon and his squad embarked upon when this concept was starting off, but still arduous and as compelling as ever. Source link #British #Irish #Lions #Making #squad #start #tests Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

McDonald’s is on the verge of a bullish breakout, according to the charts McDonald’s is on the verge of a bullish breakout, according to the charts After reporting earnings last week, McDonald’s has been ticking higher and is now approaching its all-time highs near $325, which it hit mid-March. Since then, MCD has formed a potential bullish cup-and-handle. This is important since the stocks has shown the ability to capitalize on similar chart formations over the past nine months, as the chart shows. It broke out from a similar setup last July, which led to a substantial upward swing through early October. After a ******* of consolidation, it broke out of two other bullish patterns in February, bringing us to now — where MCD is again trying to take advantage of another constructive bullish setup. Needless to say, a breakout would target much higher prices to around $350 a share. With the stock now near its highs once more, it’s not surprising that it’s also trading above all of its key moving averages — including the 50-day moving average, shown in green on this second chart. MCD has shown in the past that breaking above the 50-day average has led to strong moves higher in the months that followed. This was most evident in 2020, 2021and in 2024, where the rallies after clearing the 50-day line all totaled more than 20%. The stock is up about 9% from the point where it first broke back above the 50-day in early 2025. From this angle, it could still have further to go — especially if it mimics some of the biggest moves we’ve seen over the last few years. Zooming out shows that MCD’s recent strength is nothing new. The stock has been oscillating within a pretty clear and consistent upward-sloping trading channel ever since rebounding from the Covid lows in 2020. It has ebbed and flowed between extremes within the channel over the last few years. Currently, the stock sits near the middle of the channel, which suggests there’s additional upside potential if it can rally back to the upper edge of the pattern once more. Putting it all together — with MCD now close to breaking out from its most recent bullish pattern, having recently reclaimed its 50-day moving average, and still trading within the confines of a long upward-sloping channel — it’s clear the technicals remain constructive. The risk would be if the potential breakout never materializes or if a push to new highs gets aggressively faded. For now, though, the charts are supportive. DISCLOSURES: None. All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium. THE ABOVE CONTENT IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY . THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSITUTE FINANCIAL, INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE OR A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY ANY SECURITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSET. THE CONTENT IS GENERAL IN NATURE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY INDIVIDUAL’S UNIQUE PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ABOVE CONTENT MIGHT NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, YOU SHOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER SEEKING ADVICE FROM YOUR OWN FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. Click here for the full disclaimer. Source link #McDonalds #verge #bullish #breakout #charts Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

India-Pakistan conflict: Airlines re-route, cancel flights – National India-Pakistan conflict: Airlines re-route, cancel flights – National Airlines including United Airlines and Korean Air re-routed or canceled flights and about a dozen Indian airports were shut on Wednesday after India struck nine sites in Pakistan, raising fears of an escalation. India attacked Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the flare-up, which followed an attack by Islamist militants that killed 26 people in Indian Kashmir last month. India said it hit “terrorist infrastructure” related to the tourist killings. Pakistan rejects that it has such camps on its territory. Images from flight tracking websites showed a long line of airlines passing over Oman, UAE and Kuwait after the attack, raising the possibility of airspace congestion. 9:12 India-Pakistan tensions spike after deadly Kashmir attack Authorities in Pakistan said 57 international flights were in the country’s airspace when India struck. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said India’s action “caused grave danger to commercial airlines” belonging to Gulf countries and “endangered lives.” Story continues below advertisement India’s civil aviation ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pakistan’s remarks. In the last few days, India and Pakistan had shut their airspaces to each other’s airlines. Global airlines like Lufthansa have also been avoiding Pakistan’s airspace. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. “If the conflict continues, there is a chance that Pakistan could impose a full airspace closure, as they did from Feb. to Aug. 2019 under similar circumstances,” aviation advisory body OPSGROUP said in a blog post published Wednesday. Domestic flights in both countries were also disrupted. Three percent of scheduled flights in India and 17 per cent of scheduled flights in Pakistan were canceled as of 1030 GMT, according to Flightradar24. India’s top airline IndiGo said it was canceling 165 flights till Saturday morning. Its shares were down 1.1 per cent. Flights belonging to Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa Air were also canceled. Pakistan said its airspace was open following closure after the attacks and that its airports were “fully functional.” Images from FlightRadar24 showed some civilian jets flying over Pakistan airspace but India’s northwest continued to be deserted. 2:52 ‘No one will be spared’ : India vows to punish Kashmir attackers as tensions rise with Pakistan Trending Now Former Quebec junior hockey player Noah Corson sentenced to 2 years of jail time in sex-assault case Female complainant sought ‘wild night’ with world junior players, defence suggests The changing airline schedules are set to further complicate operations in the Middle East and South Asia regions for carriers, which are already grappling with the fallout from conflicts in the two regions. Story continues below advertisement A spokesperson for Dutch airline KLM said it was not flying over Pakistan until further notice. Singapore Airlines said it had stopped flying over Pakistani airspace since May 6. Korean Air said it had begun rerouting its Seoul Incheon–Dubai flights on Wednesday, opting for a southern route that passes over Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, instead of the previous path through Pakistani airspace. United Airlines said it had canceled its flight to Delhi, citing in part “airspace limitations.” The U.S. airline operates one direct flight from Newark to New Delhi. More on World More videos American Airlines said it made adjustments to its operations to New Delhi and would allow customers impacted by the changes to change their plans without charge. Thai Airways said flights to destinations in Europe and South Asia would be rerouted starting early on Wednesday morning, while Taiwan’s China Airlines said flights to and from destinations including London, Frankfurt and Rome had been disrupted. Flights from India to Europe were also seen taking longer routes. Lufthansa flight LH761 from Delhi to Frankfurt took about half an hour more to reach its destination compared to Tuesday, according to FlightRadar24. The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines voiced concern over the impact of conflicts on airline operations. “Apart from cost and operational disruption, there are safety concerns as GPS spoofing interfering with flight operations over conflict zones is one of the highest risks the industry faces,” it said in a statement. Story continues below advertisement GPS spoofing is a malicious technique that manipulates Global Positioning System (GPS) data, which can send commercial airliners off course. Source link #IndiaPakistan #conflict #Airlines #reroute #cancel #flights #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Book prize follows copycat claims against cupcake queen Book prize follows copycat claims against cupcake queen A cookbook author who claims her recipes were copied by a cupcake aficionado has won a prestigious publishing industry award for a second time. Source link #Book #prize #copycat #claims #cupcake #queen Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why U.S. air traffic control is under strain Why U.S. air traffic control is under strain An airport control tower is seen at Newark Liberty International Airport, on May 6, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Andres Kudacki | Getty Images Air traffic controllers have been under strain for years, but a 90-second equipment failure last week exposed how decades of staffing shortages, underinvestment and patchwork solutions for those who guide planes through some of the world’s most congested airspace are taking their toll. The outage also sparked hundreds of flight delays, disrupting travel for thousands of travelers for days — again. What happened? On the afternoon of April 28, air traffic controllers at a facility in Philadelphia who are responsible for guiding planes to and from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey faced dark radar screens and were unable to talk to planes for more than a minute. The outage lasted about 30 seconds. It took another 30 to 60 seconds for aircraft to reappear on radarscopes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. United Airlines’ Captain Deon Byrne check her phone as she arrives at Terminal C in Newark Liberty International Airport, on May 6, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Andres Kudacki | Getty Images Pilots for major U.S. airlines say they are specially trained to handle such outages. But an outage of even a few seconds “is an eternity for air traffic controllers,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a retired air safety investigator for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA. The incident, which was not the first time equipment outages hit the facility, was so jarring some have “taken time off to recover from the stress of multiple recent outages,” the FAA said. Read more CNBC airline news More than 1,500 Newark flights were delayed last week, according to FlightAware. United Airlines, which runs a hub out of Newark, said it was cutting 35 flights a day from its schedule to ease strain on its operation and customers. A Newark runway has also been closed for construction, adding to disruptions. New steps On Wednesday, the FAA said it would beef up staffing at the Philadelphia facility and work to fix communication lines that feed data to controllers there for Newark flights. It said it plans to install a temporary backup system there to “provide redundancy during the switch to a more reliable fiberoptic network.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to announce a major upgrade plan for the U.S. air traffic control system on Thursday, which could require Congress to approve billions in additional funding. “We have computers, and I kid you not, today in 2025, that are based on Windows 95 and floppy disks,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in an interview in March. The FAA last year said that the average age of its towers is 40 and that most radar systems are approaching 40 years old. “Aging facilities add risk to the system, including risk of service disruptions,” it said. People wait in line for a delayed flight at Newark International Airport on May 5, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Accident draws urgency The April 28 incident and previous outages didn’t cause any accidents but the failures raised more worries about an outmoded system and chronic shortages of air traffic controllers, particularly in the busy airspace around New York City. U.S. air traffic controllers handle about 45,000 flights a day overall, according to the FAA. The urgency to fix lingering problems reached a new level after a ****** Hawk Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet on Jan. 29, killing all 67 people on board the aircraft. It was the deadliest air ****** in the United States since 2001. “It took a fatal midair airline accident to occur to get everybody’s attention,” Guzzetti said. Why is Newark such a problem? Newark is already dealing with space constraints to begin with. It handled around 414,000 flights last year, 11% fewer than John F. Kennedy International Airport, in Queens, New York, according to data from their operator, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. But Newark is about half JFK’s size. Technology glitches and staffing shortfalls have been especially hard on Newark in recent days. Last year, the FAA moved controllers who handle Newark from a facility on Long Island, New York — where planes are also sequenced to and from LaGuardia Airport and JFK in Queens — to a remote station in Philadelphia. The move was meant to ease congestion and strain on the Long Island facility, but there are still issues. An inside view of Newark Airport as travelers are facing eight straight days of massive delays, United Airlines canceling routes and staffing shortages in Newark, New Jersey, United States, on May 06, 202 Mostafa Bassim | Anadolu | Getty Images Air traffic staffing shortages have vexed airline executives who are eager to capitalize on strong demand but are constrained and face high costs due to a lack of controllers. “Keep in mind, this particular air traffic control facility has been chronically understaffed for years and without these controllers, it’s now clear — and the FAA tells us — that Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead,” United CEO Scott Kirby told customers on Friday, announcing schedule cuts. Before April 26, four flights a day were canceled at Newark in April, on average, but that rose to 39 a day through Monday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. About 80% of flights were on schedule in April before that date, but dropped to 63%, “far below industry norms,” Cirium said. Slowing it down U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks to the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 6, 2025. Kent Nishimura | Reuters Duffy has said air travel is safe. After a visit to the Philadelphia facility last week, he said that the FAA will slow, if not halt, arrivals altogether if there is a shortage of air traffic controllers. United’s CEO, Kirby, told employees in a memo Wednesday that flying to and from Newark is safe. He said the carrier’s pilots have thousands of hours of experience and training on procedures to “follow to re-establish communication if controllers lose radio contact to navigate the airplane safely to its destination.” Airlines have sought capacity limits to help the congestion, and the last disruption was no exception. “United has been urging the US government for *years* to use its authority to effectively limit the number of flights to what the airport can realistically handle,” Kirby said in a note to employees on Friday. “Past failure to make those changes had led to the circumstances that United and, most importantly, our customers now face.” In 2016, the FAA eased flight restrictions at the airport and Kirby said the FAA should return to prior rules. “It’s long past time to treat EWR like the crown jewel that it is,” he told employees in the Wednesday, using the airport’s code. “We’ll continue to work closely with the FAA and [Transportation Department] to get EWR fixed once and for all and deliver the country the first-class air traffic system it deserves.” Adding air traffic controllers The U.S. has around 10,800 air traffic controllers, well short of its full staffing goal by 3,000, according to the controllers’ union, the NATCA. “Over the last eight years, we’ve had 146,000 applicants and we’ve hired 7,905 of those,” Chris Wilbanks, vice president of mission support at the FAA who is in charge of controller hiring and training, said in interview in March. “Less than 10% of the people that apply for the job actually make it to the [Oklahoma training] academy and then graduate to go out into the field.” In the previous fiscal year, the FAA’s goal was to hire 1,800 controllers. “We’ll lose 35% of those at the academy. We’ll lose another 20% once they get in the field, on the job training. So we don’t net 1,800 controllers,” Wilbanks said. The grueling job requires air traffic controllers to retire at age 56, and applicants to the academy can be no older than 30. Many are forced to work six-day workweeks because of the shortages. Duffy has recently moved to increase financial incentives, like higher pay for air traffic controllers. Starting pay is around $45,000, the union’s Daniels said, though the median pay for a U.S. air traffic controller is $144,580 a year, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Source link #U.S #air #traffic #control #strain Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Small business fundraising, US Education Secretary McMahon: Wealth Small business fundraising, US Education Secretary McMahon: Wealth 0:03 spk_0 It’s time for Finance’s market. Stocks are flipping around this morning. Some moving to the downside in the Nasdaq. S&P is up. Investors looking for potential deceleration in the US-China trade war. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson says negotiations with top ******** officials beginning on Saturday. Meantime, Vista Energy shares sinking after reporting a $268 million loss in Q1. Meantime, the energy giant topping revenue estimates and maintaining its full year guide and citing confidence in.Long term earnings power. Mstra was part of the hot nuclear energy trade in 2024. The stock up over 60% in the last year, and shares of game developing company Unity Software falling after issuing a softer than expected outlook when the company topped estimates for revenue and adjusted earnings in its first quarter. The results were lower than the year prior as Unity undergoes a reset of its portfolio. That’s your Yahoo Finance and Mark for more on what’s trending, scan the QR code below. 1:17 spk_1 Welcome to Wealth brought to you by Synchrony. I’m Brad Smith, and this is Yahoo Finance’s guide to building your financial footprint. Our community of experts will give you the resources, tools, tips, and the tricks that you need to grow your money. Hey, on today’s show, portfolio check in, we discuss whether one beaten down AI name could be a fit for your portfolio and what the Fed’s policy decision means for your meeting and.To recession proof your finances, protecting your savings, investments, and credit cards, plus what travelers need to know about disruptive airline delays after air air traffic controllers lost contact with planes at Newark Liberty last week. That’s still having some disruption here. Stay tuned for that discussion. But first, we take a look at some of the market action.90 minutes into the trading day, stocks mixed ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision due out at 2 p.m. Eastern time today. Joining me now, we’ve got Eric ******, Sharf Investments managing director. Great to have you here with us. You say that investors should find names with recurring revenue and high earnings right now. Walk us through the checklist that you’re going through and assessing these companies on. 2:24 spk_2 Yeah, thanks, Brad. Good to be here. So, obviously the, the economy’s done all right, OK, but there’s concerns that these tariffs are going to impact the general corporate profitability the rest of the year. Um, you know, autos like Ford and GM saw their profitability hit very hard and died down.We’re at a 10 year low Brad on our ratio of increasing guidance versus decreasing guidance from S&P 500 companies. Just 53 have guided up. So great earnings for leases for Q1, but going forward, we think it’s going to be a slowdown. So our checklist right now is in a slowdown, you want highly recurring cash flow revenue businesses, and one place you can find that is in cloud software businesses. They have really migrated over the last decade.from on-prem to cloud, the subscription delivered uh business profiles, which gives them a very high resilience should the economy slow down. Also, I would add, probably given the delivery of most of these are now kind of, uh, distributed across the globe, uh, due to security concerns and, and, and sovereign nations, um, you know, it’s probably a little bit less, uh, tariff kind of retaliatory, uh, risk for these types of names. 3:40 spk_1 Which names are you identifying most notably here because as I think about it, uh, cloud software business and what they’ve talked about right now, the SAPs, the Oracles, the sales forces even they’re talking about building out more data centers as well so they can really handle even more of that customer demand that’s gonna be coming with the next wave of generative AI as well as they’ve been kind of signaling for the past year and change at this point. 4:09 spk_2 Yeah, great question. Uh, Microsoft is showing a real delivery, uh, proof of concept, right? So this last quarter, best quarter we’ve seen from the company in probably 2 years. Uh, their infrastructure cloud business, Azure grew 35% constant’s currency, destroyed guidance of 31%. What was wonderful about it, Brad, was almostHalf of that revenue growth comprised of was comprised of AI. So you’re finally seeing the AI use cases being deployed and executed across their client base. That was critical for this whole AI story to have some legs going forward. So 19% EPS growth for the company, 15% revenue, and so this is a business that actually guided.Higher for the next quarter and this is a company that typically is pretty conservative in their guidance. They typically beat. So that was a very memorable quarterly result for the company. You 5:05 spk_1 know, I wonder as you’re looking across the landscape and and assessing based on valuations that have pulled back from.Some of the meteoric stratospheres that some of the tech companies were trading within the valuation, at least based on some facts that data coming into the start of this week with regard to earnings seasons, had said that 12 month 12 month PE ratio for the S&P 500, 20.2%. The PE ratio is above the five year average and above the 10 year average as well. Where are their attractive opportunities even knowing those kind of historical comparisons? 5:40 spk_2 Yeah, well, that’s exactly why we think recurring revenue cash flow stores are important because we are, we’re suspicious of even that 20 times multiple grad. We think if we have an earnings slowdown, it could be higher. It could be 22, 23 times. So finding businesses where you have a resilient earnings profile, uh, i.e. a high floor, is critical right now.Uh, generally speaking, most sectors are trading above their averages in terms of their long-term PE. So earnings is important, you know, we do see some idiosyncratic opportunities in things like Oracle that’s trading about 25% off of its highs due to some concerns about its last quarter. That was just capacity constraints because they’ve actually sold.or signed contracts for about 2 years of future revenue growth. They’ve gone from worst to first in their infrastructure cloud business. So there are idiosyncrasies available out there. I would say that thematically all sectors are kind of expensive. Probably some names like healthcare, financials are still reasonably attractive vis a vis their historical.Ratings. 6:44 spk_1 Just lastly here, Eric, I wonder how you’re evaluating names that may have and may check the boxes for recurring revenue and and high earnings but also might have a more outsized exposure to some of the tariff headwinds that we’ve seen every CEO, every executive really have to navigate and and run their own modeling and calculus around. 7:05 spk_2 Great question. You know, I would, we, we’ve seen just a sniffs of this to date, and what I’m referring to, Brad, is what I’m gonna call the great divide for the rest of the year. That is the discretionary versus the non-discretionary, uh, kind of aspects of the business. So.If you’re a non-discretionary and you’re selling staples or computer software over the cloud, you’re probably gonna do all right. If you are selling autos and things like that or airline tickets already, you see that guidance being pulled left and right from those industries, I think you’re gonna have problems. 7:37 spk_1 Eric, thanks so much for taking the time here, giving us a lot to think about and our investors tuning in. Much to consider as they’re wading through the rest of this earnings season. Appreciate it.Now time for some of today’s trending tickers. We are watching Nebius Group, Oscar Health, and Sarepta. First up, AI infrastructure company Nebius Group rising on a multi-million dollar investment. Reuters reports the Jeff Bezos-led Bezos Expeditions, leading a $72 million investment in AI solutions company Tloca, which.Part of the Nasdaq listed Nebus Group, Tloca helps train AI models and has worked with Amazon, Microsoft, and Anthropic. The CEO of Tloca says the milestone investments should accelerate the company’s growth. Additionally, the CTO of Shopify is participating as well in the investment and will join Tloca’s board as executive chairman.Next up, Oscar Health shares are skyrocketing. On its first quarter earnings print. The health insurer reporting adjusted IITA of $328.8 million beating the nearly $281 million estimate, and the revenue also came in above expectations, increasing 42% from the year prior, which the company attributes to higher membership. Oscar Health reaffirming its full year outlook.Finally, Sarepta shares falling after the drug maker cut its net product revenues forecast for the full year. The firm now sees revenues of $2.3 billion to $2.6 billion. It previously saw $2.9 billion to $3.1 billion and it comes after disappointing product sales in the first quarter. Analysts see this adding to existing pressures, which include a recent patient death and a change in FDA leadership.You can scan the QR code below to track the best and worst performing stocks of the session with Yahoo Finance’s trending ticker’s page.The Federal Reserve’s rate decision will be announced at a press conference this afternoon, and we will have the press conference coming after that at 2 p.m. announcement and then the 2:30 p.m. press conference here with more on how the Fed’s decision impacts your finances is Yahoo Finance’s lead banking editor and content strategist Casey Bond. Great to have you here. KC Investors, they are expecting the Fed to hold rates steady. What does this mean for your money? 10:01 spk_3 Right, so for savers, this is pretty good news, assuming that the Fed does hold rates steady. Um, even though interest rates have been on the decline over the last year, we’re still seeing high yield savings accounts, CDs, and other types of bank accounts paying over 4%. Um, so now is a good time to build up your savings and out outpace inflation, build that balance over time with some pretty solid rates. Um, for borrowers, the news isn’t as good.If you’re looking for a new credit card, mortgage, auto loan, etc. you’re going to face somewhat higher financing costs. Um, if you have an existing fixed rate loan, nothing’s really gonna change for you, your payments are gonna stay the same.But if you were hoping to refinance, it might be a good idea to wait a couple months and see if the Fed does eventually cut rates, which can result in some savings over the long term. 10:56 spk_1 And so KC for consumers who may be worried about a possible recession, what can they do to protect their savings? 11:03 spk_3 Right, so during a recession, having a solid financial safety net is key. Um, that means cash in the bank that’s easily accessible without facing any, um, delays or penalties. So experts generally recommend keeping at least 6 months ofEssential expenses in an emergency fund, but if your income is variable or your job stability is looking a little shaky, it’s better to aim for closer to 12 months. Um, you can automate your contributions to your savings account starting now so you can build that up over time.Um, and it’s also a good idea to look at your budget, see if there’s areas you can cut back, whether that’s canceling a streaming service that you’re not really using, or even taking more drastic measures like relocating to a lower cost of living area. 11:53 spk_1 And so what about your portfolio? How can you protect your investments? 11:58 spk_3 So this is tough for a lot of people, but really in a recession, it’s important to stay the course. Um, selling off when you see your balance drop, uh, only locks in those losses. So, um, if you’re uncertain about where your portfolio stands now, it’s a good idea to maybe meet with a financial advisor and choose a strategy that works for the long term. Uh, remember, recessions do happen, even though they’re very difficult to experience. They are a natural part of our economic.cycle, so you should always be prepared and invested for the long term. Um, however, you can look at investing and moving some money into some somewhat recession proof investments like dividend paying stocks and even gold, but the, the key is to invest for the long term, hold steady, don’t panic. 12:46 spk_1 And what are the credit card considerations that consumers, holders of those credit cards should be keeping in mind if we did see and during a recession? 12:57 spk_3 Well, credit card debt is not great to have at any time, but especially during a recession, and also during a recession, you know, lenders tend to tighten up, um, and offers such as 0% balance transfers, new cards become less available. So,Implementing a strategy to pay down your credit card debt now is a good idea. Taking advantage of those types of offers, um, such as like a 0% card can really be helpful. And if you do find yourself in the position where you’re struggling to make your payments, reach out to your credit card.You are right away. They may have a hardship program available, um, which can range from a short term fix like waiving some interest or fees or maybe a long term payment plan that’s gonna help you get back on track, but don’t wait to ask for help. 13:46 spk_1 Casey, thanks so much for breaking this down for us. Appreciate it. 13:49 spk_3 Anytime, thanks. 13:51 spk_1 Coming up, AMD shares are down year to date we get some insight from one analyst on the best way to approach the stock and what airport disruptions mean for the summer travel season. We dive into all of this next on well.AMD shares are fractionally higher after beating analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue in the first quarter, but analysts are digesting a mixed outlook. The company expects a $1.5 billion hit to revenue this year due to US restrictions on chip sales to China. The company also sees a headwind to gross margins despite the hype around AI.AMD shares, they are down more than 30% over the past 52 weeks. The company somewhat plagued by the AI hype with revenue lagging expectations and sluggish PC markets. So what should you do with the stock? Joining us now, we’ve got Stacey Raskin, who is the Bernstein managing director and senior analyst. Stacey, I, I just want to kind of clear.The table and start off with your thesis around AMD as it relates to the rest of the market amid what’s kind of turned into the show me story past the AI hype phase. Yeah, 15:07 spk_4 yeah. So we, we’ve been a little lukewarm on, on AMD. I don’t know, we don’t hate it, but we’ve been a little lukewarm on it for, for a few reasons. One is onSort of the, the current business, PCs and servers, you know, there, there’s a real share gain story there, which is good, but at the same time, I worry that some of the performance, particularly on the client on the PC side, has been so far above market trends. I really do worry about sort of channel inventory builds and pull forward and sustainability on that.Um, I think on the server side, like server CPUs, again, they’re taking a ton of share from, from their competitor, which is great, but that overall market has been under pressure, um, in the wake of like spending shifting. 15:49 spk_1 Stacey, uh, if you still have us, uh, just stick around for a hot second. We’re going to try and fix the audio here. Let’s just take a quick look at markets as we’re taking, uh, Gander at the major averages here. I’ve got them here up on my screen as of right now, uh, and we are still good. OK, all right, we’re going to switch gears to our next guest. Chaos at Newark International Airport is entering its 2nd week today. 26 flights are.Delayed and over 80 canceled so far according to FlightAware. This all started on April 28th when air traffic issues caused dozens of delays and over 100 cancellations. This has caused United Airlines, which has its hub in New York or New York for New York, to cut 35 flights per day, which is about 10% of its schedule at the airport until further notice. The issue is, according to the FAA and transportation.Secretary Sean Duffy include aging technology, limited staff and runway construction all things that cannot be fixed overnight. So what do travelers need to know? Joining me now we’ve got Becky Blaine, who is the managing editor at The Points Guy. Becky, good to have you here with us. If someone is traveling into or out of Newark in the next few weeks, what is the level of concern that they should have and what are some of the options that they also have available? 17:05 spk_5 Yeah, thanks for having me. So the issues that you just had on the screen are all creating this perfect storm of delays and cancellations, which could have a ripple effect across the Northeast corridor and then eventually across the US. So, you know, here at the Points Sky, we’re advising travelers always to look at your flight plan, understand if you’re flying through Newark, you might want to reconsider that and reroute through a different airport, um, especially as we head into the busy summer travel season.And a lot of the airlines are proactively providing waivers um for travel through Newark and other airports in the affected areas, so that way they can reroute um without a huge financial impact. Um, we do want to let people know, you know, with these issues, overall, air travel is still incredibly safe.But with these issues come some, you know, things that need to be handled by the FAA which Secretary Duffy has come out today to say that they are making some immediate fixes, um, but it’s still not the long-term solution that’s needed forThe air traffic control situation across theUS. 18:10 spk_1 And so how do you believe some of these delays, and of course we are still navigating through the spring travel season, but how does this play out in consumers’ minds, travelers’ minds as they’re getting ready for the summer travel season? 18:25 spk_5 Yeah, so typically we see summer travel, especially through that northeast corridor is one of the busiest times of the year.And couple that with seasonal summer thunderstorms, and now the closure of the runway at Newark, and it literally creates the perfect storm for delays and cancellations. And so we just want travelers to be proactive, be aware, reroute if they can. Um, if you have not booked summer travel yet, start looking at it now, looking at what your options are. If you’re not picky about a destination, go to Google Flights.And look at their explore map, and that will give you prices for airports that you could consider and then check the routing and the carrier for those flights and, you know, maybe pick a carrier that doesn’t hub out of some of those places in the Northeast, um, and really kind of weigh and vet your options. 19:16 spk_1 What do consumers need to know about those options, the compensation perhaps even that they could receive if their flight is delayed or canceled? 19:24 spk_5 Yeah, so there are certain credit cards that offer travel protections. Also, when you purchase a ticket, some people opt into that insurance on the purchase page of the airline’s website, but we do want travelers to know that certain things like weather and umAir traffic control delays are not covered by the airline carriers, right? That’s not the fault of the carrier, which might deem it not reimbursable for the delays and cancellations clause on some of those travel protection policies on your credit cards. 19:56 spk_1 And so which credit cards are the best when it comes to some of those protections from, from what you’ve seen? 20:02 spk_5 Yeah, so we have um routinely promoting cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred card. It’s one of the great travel rewards cards that come with built-in protections. A lot of those Chase cards have that. American Express cards also too. So just make sure you’re looking at whatyou have in your wallet? Is it the card that you paid for that ticket with? Because as long as you purchase a ticket with that card, you’re covered by that card’s travel protections. But again, the reason for a delay or cancellation is what’s going to determine if you do get a reimbursement or not. So we suggest being proactive first, reroute if you can avoid those delays and cancellations, if at all possible.And um then make sure that you understand your rights as a traveler. Look at the Department of Transportation consumer dashboard and look at your protections on your credit card uh travel policy as well. 20:52 spk_1 Becky, thanks so much for taking the time here with us today. No, thanks for having me.AMD shares are higher after beating analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue in the first quarter. Analysts digesting a mixed outlook here. The company expects a $1.5 billion hit to revenue this year due to US restrictions on chip sales to China. The company also sees a headwind to gross margins here. And despite some of the hype around AI, AMD shares are actually down more than 30% over the past 52 weeks, the past year here. The company somewhat played.By the hype with renewed lagging expectations and a sluggish PC market. So what should you do with the stock? That’s the big question. Joining us now, we’ve got Stacey Raskin, Bernstein, managing director and senior analyst. You’ve got a market perform on this. Just walk us into your read on the earnings and what the company is essentially telling Wall Street about its own business within this broader kind of AI drive that we’ve seen. 21:48 spk_4 Yeah, you bet. So the earnings themselves were actually not that, not bad on the surface at all. It was a pretty solid beat and raise. Um, the issue, and the reason I think the stock is not doing better this morning is just the beat was entirely, uh, from client and gaming, which, which were massive client particular PCs, which were massively above expectations. And I think investors are hesitant to buy that. There are really real concerns around.Possible like pre-buying and pull forward and inventory build in front of that, uh, their, their competitor Intel had actually talked about that risk, um, uh, material risk potentially. So if you look at the pieces that people do care about data center in particular, um, data center was, it was kind of in line and actually the, the data center GPU, the AI GPUs that people really care about in the court.I think actually missed expectations. Um, on the guide, you know, that stuff was weak. They have those China headwinds that you, you talked about given the China ban. They guided data center quite weak. Um, I think though, even if you accounted for the, the China headwinds, the data center GPU’s on the guide were just in line. Again, the overall guidance was, was well above the issue, but again, it was all PCs and gaming.Um, I just think people are hesitant. They don’t really want to pay for that, and the data center piece itself is not really showing upside. On top of that, OPE spending is going up, which is kind of limiting your, um, your, your EPS outlook.And then if you look at their overall kind of like general outlook for the AI business, you need a hockey stick at the end of the year. It’s actually very similar to the, to, to what happened, uh, last quarter. It was almost like a carbon copy in terms of those trends. And, and I think that’s why the stock is not doing better today, even though, like on the surface, the numbers actually, even in the, in the wake of those China headwinds werequite good. 23:28 spk_1 Should investors bank on that hockey stick on the back half of this year? 23:32 spk_4 you never know, right? I’m always a little hesitant to, to bank on hockey sticks andYou know, my, my general view for for for semi companies in general, like not, not AMD but just in general, is that their actual visibility into what’s really going on with demand is is usually pretty low. What they see are the orders in front of their face. They probably have orders and they’ve got some trajectory, you know, that, that, that’s in the plan right now. We only know what we’re going to see at the end of the year until we get to the end of the year, so we won’t know. And so I think right now investors are going to be a little more hesitant to, to, to bank on that. 24:02 spk_1 All of this market.Seem to be laser focused on the opportunity in China and of course why not, because I mean 2nd largest economy by GDP, you want to make sure that there’s also kind of longer standing relationships, continuing recurring orders that come forward there and building out a solid book that you can service. But where else are there opportunities even outside of China that the AMDs, the Nvidias, all of the semiconductor spaces are clearly trying to.Identify the next region and the next country that they’re going to be able to, to sell into and kind of deepen and entrench themselves with. Well, 24:38 spk_4 I mean, they sell everywhere, right? Semiconductors are very global, and that’s the risk with all of the geopolitics and tariffs and export controls. China is a big market. I mean, they’re probably responsible for 20%, maybe more of semiconductor consumption. And in terms of shipments into, into China, like the, it’s, it’s quite a bit higher than that because a lot of the electronics, at least at this point, get assembled there.Um, so these are big markets to, to, to decouple from. Um, I think in, on AI we’re actually we’re seeing like the, the biggest, like near-term risk, you know, you know, um, the companies like AMD and Nvidia were just banned from selling their AI parts in, into China. And I mean, to, to my mind, it’s, it’s sort of counterproductive because China actually does have local parts to serve that. They’re not as good and you don’t have the ecosystem. This, this is Huawei mostly, butIf you completely cut them off from US options, they’re, they’re, they’re gonna go more and more toward that. I mean, my view has been we’ve just handed, if nothing changes, we’ve just sort of handed the China AI market over to Huawei. I don’t know why that was the right thing to do, especially when we have like US products that can sell there and, and they have local products that are, that are competitive anyways. Like, why make it, why make it easier for them if it’s gonna happen anyways. 25:46 spk_1 Just lastly, oh yeah, yeah, Stacey, just lastly while we have you here, we’ve heard about these major investments from the semi.Conductor names about how they’re going to leverage more US resources or invest in America essentially to build out more of their capacity. Is that something that you anticipate to come forward and I guess in a high magnitude that would would eventually pass through their bottom line, or is that going to be more costly for these? Well, 26:12 spk_4 it is happening,right? I mean, so like TSMC, for example, is building out a tremendous amount of capacity in Arizona, so they were already going to invest.I think it was 65 billion and, and then now, um, uh, after Trump, it’s an incremental 100 billion supposedly on top of that. So over the next, I don’t know, 5 years or whatever it is, it’s a, it’s a big number. Um, and we’ll see what happens with, with tariffs directly on semis and everything else, but clearly.The Trump administration is trying to incentivize more local production of, of things like semiconductors, which I think is a good thing. I think we need that. Um, yes, well, it will be more costly, yeah, it probably will be more costly, um, and somebody ultimately is gonna have to pay for that, you know, in, in a, in a good world.That somebody will, will be the end customer and in reality those costs will probably have to get shared to some extent across the supply chain. So costs will probably, but with tariffs and everything else, even if they’re not just on semis, tariffs on the end products that semis go into, I mean, costs are probably gonna have to go up anyways. I mean, I, I don’t think there’s any way around that right now. 27:11 spk_1 Stacey, always great insight. Thanks so much for taking the time. 27:14 spk_4 Yeah, you bet. 27:16 spk_1 Some breaking news weighing on Google Parent Alphabet. Shares of Alphabet falling as much as 5% this morning after news from Apple that the company is exploring, adding AI search into its browser. Apple executive Eddie Hu said searches in Apple’s browser fell for the first time in April, and that perplexity and anthropic both AI.could be the reason. Apple’s senior vice president of services made the disclosure during his testimony in the US Justice Department’s lawsuit against Alphabet. He went on to say that the iPhone maker is exploring adding AI search to its browser. However, the executive added that Apple has no intention of making its own general search engine. Some of the AI companies Apple is looking at that include anthropic deep sea rock and perplexity.That is certainly one of the larger considerations here as Apple and Alphabet shares are taking a hit from the comments as Google is the default search engine with Safari on Apple devices and shares dropping as much as 5% on the day.Coming up, advice for small business owners on finding financial resources that’s next on wealth.We are excited to partner with Synchrony Bank, our premier sponsor for Wealth. Synchrony Bank is working with Yahoo Finance and Wealth to bring you the insights for your personal finance playbook and help you make your money work for you. Let’s get a check of the markets as we’re taking a look at the US major averages. We are mixed right now. We’re seeing fractional gains for the Dow Jones and.average we are basically split for the S&P 500 as that’s flat just barely to the upside here and then the Nasdaq here taking a look at some fractional declines there that’s down by about 0.1% here, taking a look at some of the sectors on my screen, financials leading the way, communication services bringing up the caboose.Yahoo Finance executive editor Brian Brian Sai sat down with Education Secretary Linda McMahon at Milken’s global conference in Los Angeles Tuesday. Linda reaffirmed her view that President Trump is making the right call by calling for the Education Department to be shut down. 29:24 spk_6 Absolutely he’s made the right call. Uh, there is so much waste, uh, in the Department of Education, but more than that.The Department of Education is very duplicative in a lot of things it does, I think, as is the president, that the best education is that that happens closest to the child.That is in control by parents, teachers, local administrators, not bureaucrats in Washington and so he truly does believe that we will see our performance scores go up if we make sure that the money that is going through this bureaucracy, then all of it goes to the kids. What is the timeline to closing this department? Yesterday, no.Well, yes, it’s still open. You’re still here. I, I do think, you know, uh, he has a 4 year term. He clearly wants to see it done before then, uh, and so we’re just, we’re just working our plan. I don’t think it could be done this year, but it could very well be done in the following year. 30:27 spk_1 McMahon also commenting on the relationship between the Trump administration and Harvard University and their disagreement over whether the administration should have a say in the college diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The education secretary did not rule out a funding freeze at Harvard. 30:44 spk_6 The president has indicated in my letter indicated that they will get no more grants from the federal government, so so that’s where we stand right now. 30:55 spk_1 Secretary McMahon also discussed the Trump administration’s threat to invoke rules that would put colleges on the hook for unpaid student loans. 31:04 spk_6 I think it would be great if colleges did have some skin in the game because you realize that a student loan, you probably know this. I’ve learned this that a student loan is based on whatever that college or university says is the cost of attendance. So if one college says it’s $80,000 a year, that student can borrow up to $80,000. Now that student may be in a program.And graduate with a degree that they could never earn enough money to pay back the student loan, but if a university has some skin in the game, they’re gonna advise that student that this is not the right university for you or they’re gonna start bringing down the cost of college and I think that’s uh that’s that’s a worthy goal. Does it keep children out of college because you know they, they, when I think back to myself, I didn’t have much money when I went to school.And I had a basic belief that I would get a great job to pay back those loans, but some people don’t. I would this keep people out of going to get a college degree? Well, let’s look at that for a second. Are college degrees necessary for all professions today, and I don’t think so. I think there are some clearly you want to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, you, you’ve got to go and you’ve got to put in the time, but I do believe more now.And skill based learning, uh, I think that students in middle schools and high schools who go to college because maybe their parents said, well you really need to go to college in order to make a good living, whatever, and, and yet they don’t have to. They can do other kind of school and get right into the workforce, and I think that’s an important cultural rethink that we should have relative to education, but I, we don’t want.Kids who really want to go to college to be prevented from going to college, but I think they just have to be realistic about where they can go and I would like to see even on our FAFSA, which is the federal aid for students, you know, applications, but at some point there would be.A a block on that because you’re filling it in electronically that would come on and say for your degree and for the job that you would be likely to get and these are the pay schedules this college is too expensive for you to apply to here are some others, so I think there are different ways to look at higher education. 33:25 spk_1 That was US Education Secretary Linda McMahon. Coming up on the other side of this break, the new grad guide for getting a job, we have a cheat sheet to help you get hired in today’s job market. That’s next on Wealth.This week marks National Small Business Week celebrating small business owners and what they add to the economy in the US, but according to a survey from Small Business Majority, while 50% of US small business owners applied for some form of funding, just 1/3 say the funding they received was sufficient.Luckily there are resources that can help and here to break down some of the options we’ve got Elizabeth Gore. Hello, Alice, co-founder and president and host of the Yahoo Finance podcast, The Big Idea. Elizabeth, good to see you here. So, so, so Liz, how much should owners plan to have before starting their business? 34:20 spk_7 Well, Hadi, you know, I, I’d love to have a year’s worth of expenses in the bank. I, I know that seems like a lot, but these days the capital is so expensive.If you really can have 12 months of running capital, and that includes the receipts you’re planning to bring in, but I really think that’s a wise choice. 34:36 spk_1 And so, what are some of the grants that are available? 34:40 spk_7 Oh, we love small business grants and hell Wallace. So we have 8 million right now ready to deploy on our website at hella.com. I love, um, grants that you can find to the SBA if you go to SBA.gov. And also, most of the times your city, state, and counties, economic development boards might have grants. So definitely look at those because they’re not gonna dilute your business. Now, the applications might be tedious, but it is worthit. 35:06 spk_1 What about loans? How can small business owners come across the loans that are available to them? 35:12 spk_7 You know, I’m a real fan of community banks. So wherever your business is, I would walk into 3 or 4 of the local banks if possible. I think that’s where you’re gonna get the best relationships, the best rates, really head in there and get those business plans in front of folks so they can see what you’re trying to build for their community. 35:33 spk_1 So when we think about how they are ultimately going through the operations day in, day out, what are the dos and don’ts of business credit cards? 35:42 spk_7 Oh, you know, um, I think credit cards get a bad name sometimes. I’m a big fan of using operational credit the day you start. So business credit cards where youYou’re you’re earning cash back, you’re earning rewards, you’re getting discounts. But you got to pay those off every month. But you want to earn and build while you’re growing your business. Just make sure to pay those off. Don’tsit on them. 36:06 spk_1 Certainly. And so should small business owners change their strategy with economic uncertainty that they have to really navigate through and how, how severe does that strategy change at times? 36:18 spk_7 Look, your strategy should change every quarter. I don’t care what’s going on in the world. You need to iterate based on what your consumers are doing, what their behavior is, what’s the market doing, what are trends. And so, yeah, every quarter. Now, right now, I would be very conscious of applying for anything. Capital is expensive. So really see if you that you can.have money where it is, which is your own costs lowering those and increasing growth by just trying to sell, sell, sell, is I would be cautious right now to apply for much. 36:48 spk_1 Elizabeth, great to see you. Thanks so much for taking the time and all of our viewers, certainly. You can also listen in to new episodes of The Big Idea every Thursday.It’s a tough time to be a new grad looking for work. Recent grads unemployment rate was 5.8% as of March. That’s up from 4.6% a year ago and higher than the overall average unemployment rate of around 4%, according to the New York Fed. Joining me now with some helpful insights for new grads.We’ve got Andrew McAskill, LinkedIn career expert. LinkedIn just released its guide for 2025 grads with the goal of helping them succeed in the job market. We know as well. I want to start first with the growing number of grads here, the fastest growing industries for new grads. What did your team find here? 37:32 spk_8 So we found that a lot of the opportunities are off the beaten path from some of the industries that people have traditionally thought about. If I was here two years ago, I would be saying go ye into tech, right? Um, but, uh, on the top of this list we have construction, utilities, oil and gas is in there, manufacturing is in there. We saw people, you know, everybody wants to talk about the data, um, uh, the AI engineering jobs, but there’s a.A lot of opportunities in these more sort of traditional stable industries. If you think about construction and utilities, it’s not just about, you know, putting on a hard hat we’re talking about, right? These are really big vibrant industries you’ve got, um, with hiring down 7% across the board, um, industries like construction, oil and gas, it’s a much older job market and so as those people are retiring we’ve got more opportunities for.For younger folks to go in, take those jobs and take them by the reins, right? Such great opportunities there. I mean you gotta think about all the the parts of the country that are doing infrastructure right now, construction, oil, utilities, super hot. 38:37 spk_1 OK, so we got the industries. What about the job titles that we’re seeing a lot of new grads either matriculate to or be interested in? 38:45 spk_8 Yeah, you’ve got, you’ve got really interesting because you got the super the super new, the AI engineer.There’s a ton of AI jobs out there. People, people are pivoting from law to AI, right, um, and figuring out how to make that work, but traditional roles like law clerk law clerks, systems engineers, even people who were doing like tax attorneys and things like that, there’s some jobs that are just gonna be evergreen and they’re out there and a lot of people are leaning into those spaces where those jobs are, but data center technicians, folks like that, they’re where your skills people.are just saying, OK, I’ve got skills that I’ve done this. How can they transfer to these otherthings? 39:19 spk_1 Interesting. And so location we know can be key for finding that new job. I, I myself, I moved, uh, two states away when I got my first job offer, and then eventually that brought me to New York after that. And so where are some of the hotspots, the locations that we’re seeing a lot of new grads start to consider? Yeah, 39:37 spk_8 the Sun Belt is winning right now. There’s a ton of opportunities.In Places like Tucson, Chattanooga, Savannah, Georgia, and there’s a lot of opportunity in, uh, for young graduates to go here into some of these places where the pay is oftentimes a lot more competitive because they’re really recruiting people to come and work in those spaces. There’s also oftentimes more responsibility early on so they get new skills and they get those skills faster and a bunch of these states have zero sales tax and low cost living.I mean 0 state tax and low cost of living. I was gonna say.But so that makes it even better for younger folks to get a real foothold in their career and other folks to make up for some lost time if they’ve, if they’ve had some challenges previously. 40:22 spk_1 So you have a cheat sheet for new grads, 3 tips to help them land that job. How can they stand out? 40:27 spk_8 First of all, work smarter, not harder. Use AI in your search, um, if you’re on LinkedIn right now.You can literally type into LinkedIn search and say I’d like to use my marketing skills in the health care industry. It’ll pop up a list of jobs there are there for you. It’ll even show you how your skills match up against that job so that you can bypass the ones that you don’t qualify for, go straight to the ones you do qualify for, and you save time. It is not a volume play.And I think the other thing is get really comfortable with AI. All of the recruiters are asking how are you using AI in your personal life? How are you using it in your work life and it doesn’t just include engineers. These are all types of jobs people want you to have AI proficiency and then finally adaptability has got to be your superpower. So many of the people who got jobs last year said that they got jobs because they switched industries so don’t be necessarily married to an industry you and I just had a conversation.You said you moved cities before you came to Manhattan, right, because you went where the opportunity is. I think that’s really important. People have to sort of reimagine what that first job is your first job out will likely not be your dream job, but I will say is that um sometimes that that that opportunity is really off the beaten path. You might not if you’re in marketing, you might not be, you know, marketing for the concert for Taylor Swift or Beyonce at first. You might be like my first marketing job first two years.Was selling check processing software to banks and I did a great job of that. I got a ton of experience, a ton of skills, and it led me to the next job and the next job. And so I would say to to new grads is that there are opportunities out there. You gotta be flexible and you gotta be open to the adventure. Andrew, 42:07 spk_1 great to have you back in studio with us. Thanks for taking the time. Thanks, man. Absolutely. Coming up, how tariffs are making gaming more expensive. tech supports next on well.It’s time now for tech support, our weekly deep dive into all things technology. According to the Consumer Technology Association, the price of video game consoles could rise by a shocking 69% due to tariffs. Compare that to just 34% for laptops and tablets. Joining me now to break down why gaming is getting more expensive, we’ve got Yahoo Finance tech editor Dan Howley. Dan.We’re gonna know how are game companies already raising prices on consoles? 42:49 spk_9 Yeah, this is something we’re, we’re like, like you said, already starting to see and uh the uh CTA CEO Gary Shapiro saying that tariffs are taxes paid by Americans going against, uh, President Trump’s kind of continued uh uh statement that it’s not a tax on Americans and.So what what we’re seeing here from companies is uh Microsoft last week they announced that they’re raising the price on their consoles by $100. Uh, so if you have an old Xbox Series X by old I mean 5 years old, uh, it is now worth more theoretically, uh, than it was when you bought it, uh, because of that, that price increase. Now obviously you wouldn’t be able to sell it for the same amount, but.I digress. Nintendo is also raising prices on accessories for some of its systems. The Switch to raising prices to as much as $89 for some controllers, and then games from Nintendo are going to be $80 for some games, and Microsoft said that some Xbox titles will be as much as $80.So obviously these are price increases that uh are not uh impacted by the uh exemptions. The exemptions only cover things like laptops, desktops, things like that. They do not cover video game consoles. Uh, the holidays are gonna be approaching, uh, and with higher prices, you can imagine some people may just decide, look, I’m not going to pay, uh, we’re gonna have to.Wait until prices come back down. 44:16 spk_1 We also got some news here from Take-Two Interactive. GTA 6, Grand Theft Auto 6, that will not release until May of 2026. So what does that mean for the game industry here? 44:27 spk_9 It’snot good, that’s for sure. Grand Theft Auto was supposed to be one of the tentpoles for the year. That and the Switch too. They were supposed to be kind of a wave for the gaming industry.To kind of get right in 2025, and you know, it’s just not happening now. The idea that this game is, is being delayed is not good for the industry itself, not good for console sales, things like that. People, you know, GTA is one of those games that gets people out to go buy a console. They, they hear about it. They say, Well, it’s, it’s a Grand Theft Auto game. Let me go get it. And so, uh, this delay means that people won’t necessarily be doing that.Into the holidays, perhaps in 2026 they will, but this console cycle started in 2020. They usually last about 7 to 8 years. Next year is 2026. It’s the tail end of, of, uh, you would think the tail end of this console cycle. So you know, it’s, it’s hard to tell what that would mean as far as sales go. But uh for Grand Theft Auto, look, it’s, it’s a matter for for take two of just ensuring that the quality is there that they want, and this is a problem.Property that has sold more than $6 billion or generated more than $6 billion in revenue for GTA 5. also, I think it’s something like 13 years old at this point, or maybe, maybe not that old, but it certainly came out when the PlayStation 3 was still around. And so this is something that or PlayStation 4, I can’t recall, but the, the fact that they are holding this off means that they are aware of how important it is to their company.And they want to ensure that the quality is there, uh, day one and that, you know, the online element is going to be there. That is just continuously driving revenue for them. So obviously a huge deal, but for the gaming industry more broadly, it’s certainly aletdown. 46:09 spk_1 Dan, great to have you break this down for us.Be watching this closely trying to figure out when I can get my hands on a new console, I guess. Not it’s been a while for me, yeah, thanks so much, appreciate it. That’s it for wealth, everyone. I’m Brad Smith. Thank you for watching. You can stay tuned for market domination with Julie Hyman and Josh Lifton that comes up at 3 p.m. Eastern time. They’ll count you down through and through the market close. Source link #Small #business #fundraising #Education #Secretary #McMahon #Wealth Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

PSA: Lego Bowser’s Muscle Car Is Retiring – Save Big On 3 Mario Sets Before They’re Gone PSA: Lego Bowser’s Muscle Car Is Retiring – Save Big On 3 Mario Sets Before They’re Gone Lego is retiring a trio of Super Mario sets soon, including the ever-popular Bowser’s Muscle Car. While Lego doesn’t reveal exact dates for retiring sets, products marked as “retiring soon” often disappear within a month or two, but they can sell out at major retailers quicker than that. If you’re interested in the 458-piece Bowser-themed set, you should grab it while it’s discounted to $24 (was $30) at Amazon. Bowser’s Muscle Car pairs well with the recently released Lego Mario Kart lineup and would look great displayed next to the upcoming 1,972-piece Lego Mario & Standard Kart display model for adults, which releases on May 15 and is available to preorder now. The other two Lego Super Mario sets scheduled to retire soon currently have substantial discounts at Amazon. The Soda Jungle Maker Set is $35.49 (was $55), and Goombas’ Playground is $9.39 (was $15). $24 (was $30) Bowser’s Muscle Car is a 458-piece build that is technically considered an expansion playset, but it doubles as an awesome and very affordable display set. If you love the King of the Koopalings, this set includes a buildable figure that can stand on its own or sit in the driver’s seat of his signature ride from Super Mario 3D World. The unique purple and yellow car is 6 inches long, 4 inches wide, and 2.5 inches tall. It comes with a pair of bomb accessories to lob at your Interactive Lego Mario figures from the starter sets. If Mario, Luigi, or Peach manage to steal Bowser’s car, the Action Tag in the driver’s seat creates unique audio and visual reactions. But keep in mind, those interactive elements are only possible if you own one of the electronic starter set figures. The looming retirement of Bowser’s Muscle Car could be related to the upcoming Mario Kart Lego set featuring Bowser, which recently leaked and is expected to launch on August 1. If you want to build some other characters and karts for Bowser to race in his muscle car, here’s a list of the currently available Lego Mario Kart sets. We’ve also listed the Interactive Lego Super Starter Courses, in case you need one of the electronic figures. $35.49 (was $55) The Soda Jungle Maker Set offers a bunch of unique components that can be used to add some colorful variety to your Lego Mario courses. This is one of the coolest expansion sets that focuses on a collection of smaller builds rather than one centerpiece item. And with the $20 discount ahead of its discontinuation, you’re getting a lot of value here. The 598-piece set comes a trio of Lego Mario figures, all of whom are part of Bowser’s crew: Piranha Plant, Wiggler, and Pink Shy Guy. Along with the figures, you’ll piece together various environmental trappings from New Super Mario Bros. U’s Soda Jungle world. Notable accessories include a Special Pipe and the Customization Machine, which is paired with two Question Blocks and interacts with the Lego Mario starter set figures. Multiple other Action Tags are scattered throughout, making this a great choice for youngsters who enjoy building and playing Mario levels in Lego form. If you love Piranha Plants, check out the 540-piece Lego Super Mario Piranha Plant. This is one of a handful of Lego’s Nintendo-themed display models for adults, and you can save 20% at Amazon. $9.39 (was $15) Goombas’ Playground is the smallest of the three soon-to-be retired Lego Super Mario building sets. This 173-piece build comes with three Goombas, each of which has a different facial expression, along with a seesaw and hollow tree trunk with perches. You can snag this $15 kit for only $9.39 while supplies last. Check out the aforementioned Piranha Plant and Mario Kart display models for adults below: $170 | Releases May 15 At nearly 2,000 pieces, the Mario Kart display model is one of the largest Super Mario Lego sets. Compared to the smaller-scale Mario Kart playsets for kids that launched in January, the finished build has a lot more detail. This is the most realistic recreation of the mustachioed character’s modern design–his head and arms are posable–and the kart looks ripped straight from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The completed model measures in at approximately 12.5 inches long, 7.5 inches wide, and 8.5 inches tall. The set can be displayed flat or at a drifting angle with the included, buildable display stand. Like other Nintendo display models, Mario & Standard Kart comes with a physical instruction booklet and support for an interactive guide in the Lego Builder app on iOS and Android. With the free app, you can watch each step of the build process in 3D and manipulate the diagram to look at the work-in-progress from any angle you desire. Source link #PSA #Lego #Bowsers #Muscle #Car #Retiring #Save #Big #Mario #Sets #Theyre Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

NASA Stacks Artemis 2 Second Stage While the Future of SLS Remains Uncertain NASA Stacks Artemis 2 Second Stage While the Future of SLS Remains Uncertain NASA’s Artemis 2 mission has reached a major milestone as the second stage that powers the Artemis 2 rocket, the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), has been stacked. Kennedy Space Centre in Florida’s technicians mounted the ICPS on top of the SLS rocket inside the Vehicle Assembly Building on May 1. Driven by its upper stage, NASA’s Orion spacecraft and four-person crew—three NASA astronauts and one *********—out of Earth orbit will travel a free-return path around the moon, therefore allowing NASA’s return to deep space exploration. NASA Advances Artemis 2 Moon Mission as Future of SLS and Orion Faces Uncertainty As per NASA’s announcement, the ICPS arrived at the VAB last month and was hoisted into position inside the rocket stage adapter. The stage is critical for completing the crew’s journey past low Earth orbit during the 10-day Artemis 2 mission. Images shared by NASA show the second stage being lowered into place, while the Orion spacecraft and service module, delivered this week by Lockheed Martin, await integration. Exploration Ground Systems will process the Orion module before joining the rest of the launch vehicle. Artemis 2 follows Artemis 1, which launched uncrewed in 2022 and revealed issues with Orion’s heat shield that delayed future missions. The Artemis 2 crew will fly a lunar pass rather than enter lunar orbit. The success of the mission will be vital in opening the path for Artemis 3, currently set for 2027, whereupon humans would land on the moon using a SpaceX Starship lander. Even with continuous development, ambiguity surrounds the long-term fate of the program. A 2026 budget proposal released May 2 suggests ending the SLS and Orion programs after Artemis 3. If enacted, the mission currently under assembly may be among the final uses of the massive launch vehicle, designed to carry humans beyond low Earth orbit. Artemis 2 is still relentlessly heading towards launch readiness. Though programming objectives are always changing, NASA’s efforts to prepare the SLS and Orion spacecraft highlight a more general aim of maintaining a continuous lunar presence—a step towards eventual Mars exploration. Source link #NASA #Stacks #Artemis #Stage #Future #SLS #Remains #Uncertain Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Democrats push back against Trump’s growing crypto empire Democrats push back against Trump’s growing crypto empire Jonathan Raa | Nurphoto | Getty Images Democrats turned up the pressure on President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures this week and the fortune that he and his family are making off the efforts as a vote rolls forward on a key crypto bill. Thursday’s vote on the GENIUS ACT, a bill to establish federal rules for stablecoins, will be a test of how far the crypto lobby’s influence goes after it heavily backed Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. Even with limited power, Democrats are calling for probes into Trump-connected coins and backers, seeking financial records and blocking legislation. On Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, California Rep. Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, walked out of a hearing on digital asset allocation flanked by fellow Democrats, effectively shutting it down. That same morning, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent letters announcing an initial inquiry into the Trump family’s expanding crypto empire, calling the Trump meme coin dinner contest a “pay-for-play scheme.” Blumenthal, the ranking member of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, demanded records from Fight Fight Fight LLC. — the company behind the $TRUMP meme coin — and World Liberty Financial, a family-run crypto venture that recently announced plans to launch a stablecoin. He called for documentation on ownership, revenue flows, and all communications with the White House, citing what he described as “unprecedented conflicts of interest and national security risks.” Last month, the project ran a promotion offering top $TRUMP holders a dinner with the president and a “VIP White House tour,” a promise that sent the token’s price soaring after weeks of decline. “President Trump’s financial entanglements to the $TRUMP coin, as well as the attempted use of the White House to host competitions to prop up the value of $TRUMP, represents an unprecedented, pay-to-play scheme to provide access to the Presidency to the highest bidder,” Blumenthal wrote. Roughly 80% of the $TRUMP token supply is controlled by the Trump Organization and affiliates, according to the project’s website. One of Blumenthal’s letters was addressed to Bill Zanker, the entrepreneur behind Fight Fight Fight, which controls a large portion of the $TRUMP token supply. With the White House and both chambers of Congress controlled by Republicans, Democrats have little ability to push a legislative agenda or to lead investigations into potential malfeasance. But they’re betting that a coordinated effort to call out what they view as corruption in a formerly niche corner of the financial markets will resonate with a voter base that’s already souring on the president’s economic policies. The White House responded to Blumenthal’s inquiry with a short statement from Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly to CNBC’s “Crypto World.” “President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest,” she wrote. Waters on Tuesday convened a Democrat-only session focused squarely on Trump’s meme coin and World Liberty Financial. Her decision to derail the primary hearing came after Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., chair of the House Financial Services Committee, rejected her request to include provisions in the Digital Asset Market Structure Bill aimed at blocking Trump from further profiting off digital assets while in office. “I object to this joint hearing because of the corruption of the president of the United States — and his ownership of crypto and his oversight of all the agencies,” Waters said. Kelly responded to Waters, saying that Trump was working to make America the “crypto capital of the world.” ‘Cultivate influence’ Waters introduced a discussion draft that would ban the president and members of Congress from owning crypto assets or financially benefiting from them. In the Senate, Democrats on Tuesday unveiled the “End Crypto Corruption Act,” spearheaded by Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chuck Schumer of New York, meant to prohibit elected officials and senior executive branch personnel and their families from issuing or endorsing digital assets. “Currently, people who wish to cultivate influence with the president can enrich him personally by buying cryptocurrency he owns or controls,” Merkley said. “This is a profoundly corrupt scheme. It endangers our national security and erodes public trust in government.” “Our democracy shouldn’t be for *****,” said Schumer, the Senate ********* leader. The bill has already garnered backing from key Senate Democrats and endorsements from watchdog groups including Public Citizen and Democracy Defenders Action. Merkley and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts sent a letter this week to the Office of Government Ethics, demanding an urgent review of a reported deal between World Liberty Financial, crypto exchange Binance and a UAE state-backed fund called MGX. The senators warned that the deal could represent a “staggering conflict of interest,” violate federal bribery laws and raise national security concerns. Abu Dhabi-based MGX is using the Trump stablecoin for a $2 billion investment in Binance, Reuters reported. Warren also sent a letter to the OGE questioning a White House waiver granted to David Sacks, the White House AI and crypto czar. Sacks, a venture capitalist who co-hosted a $1.5 million-a-head fundraiser this week for a Trump-aligned super PAC, reportedly splits his time between advising the president on crypto policy and running a firm with active investments in the digital asset space. Under federal ethics law, such financial entanglements would typically bar him from shaping policy in the same sector. Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro But the Trump administration issued an ethics waiver asserting that Sacks’ holdings were “not so substantial” as to compromise his judgment — a claim Warren called unverifiable. In her letter, Warren demanded clarity from the OGE on whether it reviewed the waiver and whether Sacks still holds crypto-related financial interests that pose a conflict of interest. Sacks said he sold over $200 million worth of digital asset-related investments personally and through his firm, Craft Ventures, before starting the job, according to a memo from the White House in March. Legislation is becoming harder The GENIUS Act was moving toward a Senate floor vote with bipartisan support until the weekend, when nine Senate Democrats pulled back, citing weakened anti-money laundering safeguards and new fears that Trump’s inner circle could financially benefit from the policy shift. Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Mark Warner of Virginia, Andy Kim of New Jersey, and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, among others, said in a statement that they remained open to negotiation but wouldn’t support the bill in its current form. “We are eager to continue working with our colleagues,” they wrote, but noted “we would be unable to vote for cloture should the current version of the bill come to the floor.” Chris Dixon, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, discusses cryptocurrency during the TechCrunch Disrupt forum in San Francisco, October 2, 2019. Kate Munsch | Reuters The crypto industry is lobbying to push it forward. “The GENIUS Act will protect consumers and increase transparency — a significant improvement on the status quo,” said Chris Dixon, managing partner in Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto practice, in a post on X. “Moving quickly on this and a market structure bill would provide long-overdue clarity for consumers and the industry so that we entrench dollar dominance and the U.S. remains the leader in blockchain technology.” Stripe, which recently acquired stablecoin infrastructure startup Bridge Network for $1.1 billion, has also backed the bill. The company said as part of a press release on Tuesday that it “supports the development of a clear, consistent regulatory framework for stablecoins and welcomes the growing bipartisan interest in this issue.” WATCH: Jack Mallers looks to rival Strategy with new bitcoin company backed by Tether and SoftBank Source link #Democrats #push #Trumps #growing #crypto #empire Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Inside Israel’s aid blockade on Gaza Inside Israel’s aid blockade on Gaza The skin is drawn so tightly over the tiny bodies of the emaciated babies in Gaza that they appear both hauntingly newborn and old at the same time. Doctors treating the daily influx of malnourished children – starving under Israel’s total blockade on aid – say some are so undernourished that they have started to lose their sight. “The majority of cases are between one month and two years old,” says Dr Raed Al-Baba, a gastroenterologist and nutritionist at Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza. He helps treat around 100 children brought in daily, mostly because of hunger. “Many children are stunted, suffering from severe diarrhoea and anaemia … It’s leading to rickets, bowed knees, and even the inability to move. They can’t see things well or clear as a result of malnutrition,” he adds. “I hope our voices will reach the world … because our children bear no guilt in this war.” Five-year-old ****** reveals severe signs of malnutrition and worsening cystic fibrosis due to a lack of food and treatment (including enzyme tablets to help him digest) in Nasser hospital, Khan Younis on May 5 (AP) Israel enforced a full ban on aid entering Gaza three months ago, with its top officials accusing the ****** militant group of using aid to “feed its war machine”, by stealing goods and profiting from them – something the militants deny. The devastating move has led to famine-like conditions for the two million people living there, and at least 9,000 children have been admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition since the start of the year, according to the UN children’s agency Unicef. The ******-run government in Gaza says 3,500 of them are now at death’s door. On Wednesday, the ************ prime minister, Mohammad Mustafa, declared Gaza “a famine zone” and called on the entire UN system to immediately activate its mechanisms. The crisis has had a particularly devastating impact on infants and breastfeeding and pregnant mothers. According to OCHA, the UN’s humanitarian office, 92 per cent of infants aged 6-23 months and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are not meeting their nutrient requirements. Amnesty International has condemned it as “genocide in action”, describing it as part of a “policy of deliberately imposing conditions of life on Palestinians in Gaza calculated to bring about their physical destruction”. The World Food Programme said last month it had run out of all food stocks in Gaza and all 25 of the WFP-supported bakeries had to close. Local volunteers told The Independent they had less than one week of supplies left to deliver. Wedad Abdelaal and her 9-month-old son Khaled, who suffers from malnutrition. Her other children, Ahmed (7) and Maria (4), both show signs of malnutrition at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, 2 May 2025 (AP) In Gaza, families have described how food prices in some cases have increased tenfold – if the goods are available at all. A 25kg bag of rotten flour is just over £220, a kilo of rice is £8, and meat is completely unavailable. As desperation has set in, it has also triggered violent looting, with aid workers describing armed individuals trying to seize the last scraps available. There are fears the situation will only escalate, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced intentions to start an expanded “intensive” offensive against ****** in Gaza. Israeli troops have already taken control of approximately one-third of the 42km-long enclave, displacing the population and constructing watchtowers and surveillance posts on cleared land the military has designated as “security zones”. However, the new plan – which follows weeks of stalled ceasefire negotiations with ****** – would go even further, including the indefinite seizure of parts of the Strip, the forced displacement of civilians “for their own safety”, and control over aid deliveries. Extreme-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has warned that with this new plan, “within a few months … Gaza will be totally destroyed”. Speaking at a conference for settlements in the occupied West Bank – which are deemed ******** under international law – he added that the population of Gaza will be corralled into a tiny area in the south of Gaza. “The rest of the Strip will be empty,” he added, according to The Times of Israel. “The Gazan citizens will be concentrated in the south. They will be totally despairing, understanding that there is no hope and nothing to look for in Gaza, and will be looking for relocation to begin a new life in other places.” The Independent reached out to the Israeli military, which declined to comment, and to Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, but has yet to receive a reply. But the current operations within Gaza and the plan to expand have even worried the Israeli security establishment, with officials telling left-leaning daily Haaretz that the 59 or so remaining hostages in Gaza – also under the blockade – could be abandoned and die of starvation within days if the Gaza offensive expands. Rahma al-Qadi cares for her 7-month-old daughter Sama, who was born with Down syndrome and suffers from malnutrition, at the malnutrition clinic in Nasser Hospital, 1 May (AP) It has deeply alarmed the international community. Six US senators, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch, have asked Congress’s watchdog agency to investigate whether restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries by Israel and other foreign governments are in violation of US law, according to a letter seen by Reuters. In Gaza, families have described how they were having to live on a single meal a day. “Bread has become a thing of the past,” says Najia Abu al-Rus, a 33-year-old mother displaced five times from the southern city of Rafah, who is reduced to feeding her children rice, salt and water. She describes how her diabetic father frequently slips into comas due to the lack of food – and how they cook over fires made from burning plastic and old clothing. “The children are feeling dizzy, and skin diseases have spread due to the presence of insects. “We want nothing from the world except to stop the genocide. We want nothing else,” she adds. Mustafa al-Duhdar, 30, a volunteer relief worker, describes the situation in Gaza as “terrifying in every sense of the word”. Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis on 5 May (AP) He says that the kitchen where he works to implement feeding initiatives was raided by armed gangs, who tried to take over the premises and were eventually beaten back by staff. “There may have been some hungry people who stormed the premises out of extreme hunger and desperation, searching for any food to satisfy their hunger,” he says, begging the world for a single “morsel of food to satisfy hunger, a sip of clean water, a safe shelter.” “Even if you cannot stop the massacre, do not be complicit in the silence. Our message to the world: we are not asking for luxury. We are begging for survival. “We need the world to feel us, to hear the cry of a hungry child, and to see the tears of a grieving mother. We need life.” The war began after ******-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza, about 35 of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s ensuing offensive has killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to ************ health officials. Source link #Israels #aid #blockade #Gaza Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nintendo Switch 2’s SoC die shot reveals 8x A78C cores, 1,536 Ampere shaders, and Samsung’s 8N process Nintendo Switch 2’s SoC die shot reveals 8x A78C cores, 1,536 Ampere shaders, and Samsung’s 8N process While we still have a month before the Nintendo Switch 2 makes its official debut, hardware sleuth Geekerwan managed to obtain an engineering board for the device. This allowed him to put the onboard Tegra T239 SoC under a FIB-SEM (Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope) to examine the chip’s internals, allowing for precise layer-by-layer analysis of the structure, revealing important details such as the core layout and process node. Given Nintendo’s strict legal stance and letigous precedents, it’s quite amazing how Geekerwan managed to get ahold of the board, proceeded to dissect the SoC, and spilled all the juicy details on YouTube. Apparently, the board was acquired by hardware analyst Kurnal from Xianyu (Taobao’s version of eBay) and then passed on to Geekerwan. Either way, this analysis answers many questions, as Nintendo has yet to officially disclose many SoC details. The Switch 2 SoC measures around 207mm2 in size, twice as large as the previous X1 SoC (Mariko/Tegra T210). This exact unit was taped out sometime in 2021, and is codenamed “Tegra T239” as revealed by the stamps on the metal layers of the chip after decapping. This suggests the Switch 2 was planned for an earlier reveal, but was likely postponed due to unknown reasons. Based on the data gathered by Geekerwan, the Switch 2’s SoC uses a customized Samsung process that blends features from its 10nm and 8nm technologies. In essence, it carries similar characteristics to Samsung’s 8N node employed on the RTX 30 series, but is slightly different. Earlier speculation suggested Nintendo might employ a more advanced 5nm process. However, porting Ampere, which was originally designed for 8N, to a completely new process would necessitate redesigning and revalidating all IP blocks, with added costs, and that’s something Nintendo likely wanted to avoid. This is Nintendo Switch 2’s CPU! – YouTube Watch On The closest relative to the T239 is Nvidia’s Tegra T234 used in the Jetson Orin. Die-shot analysis of the T239 reveals 8x Arm Cortex-A78C cores, each with 256KB of private L2 cache, sharing a 4MB L3 pool, next to an Ampere-based GPU, likely based on the GA10B die, with 6 TPCs, for a total of 12 SMs or 1,536 Ampere-based CUDA cores. The CPU-side A78AE (T234) and A78C (T239) cores are similar in size at 2.4mm2, however, each GPU SM (Streaming Multiprocessor) in the T239 (2.71mm2) is 22% smaller than the T234 (3.47mm2). Interestingly, both of these carry larger SMs than the GA102-based RTX 3090, which sits at 2.57mm2. Aside from the SoC, the board is equipped with 256GB of TLC-based UFS 3.1 storage from SK hynix, while the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules are sourced from MediaTek. The built-in power delivery system can supply up to 34.4W of power, though I doubt that the Switch 2 will actually need that much juice. Memory-wise, we’re looking at 12GB (2x6GB) of LPDDR5x-8533 RAM from SK hynix. However, it’ll likely be downclocked to 6400 MT/s (Docked) and 4266 MT/s (Handheld) to conserve power, like the previous Switch. Geekerwan emulated the performance of the Switch 2 using an underclocked RTX 2050 laptop GPU. While not a one-to-one recreation, in synthetics, the laptop (using leaked docked specifications) showed similar performance to a GTX 1050 Ti, while the handheld-spec configuration matched a GTX 750 Ti, slightly inferior to the Steam Deck. We’ll need to wait for the official embargo next month to get a better idea about the performance. However, it wouldn’t be wrong to expect Nintendo to eye a mid-gen refresh using a more modern 5nm/3nm process. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button. Source link #Nintendo #Switch #SoC #die #shot #reveals #A78C #cores #Ampere #shaders #Samsungs #process Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: GOOGL, DIS, ANET, SMCI Stocks making the biggest moves midday: GOOGL, DIS, ANET, SMCI Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Alphabet — The tech behemoth fell 8%. Eddy Cue, senior vice president of services at Apple, said on Wednesday that Apple was “actively looking at” reshaping its Safari web browser to focus on AI-powered search functions, according to a Bloomberg report . Cue made the comments during his testimony in the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit against Alphabet. Cue added that he believes AI search engines such as OpenAI will eventually replace their standard counterparts like Google. Uber Technologies — Shares slipped almost 2% after the ride-sharing company reported mixed first-quarter results . Revenue came in at $11.53 billion, less than the $11.62 billion expected from analysts polled by LSEG. Its earnings of 83 cents per share topped the consensus estimate of 50 cents per share. Arista Networks — The cloud computing stock dropped 6% after narrowly beating LSEG first-quarter revenue estimates, but managing a solid beat on the bottom line. Arista earned an adjusted 65 cents per share on revenue of $2.00 billion, while analysts had called for 59 cents per share on $1.97 billion in revenue. Lionsgate Studios — The entertainment stock surged nearly 20% after announcing it had completed the full separation of its studio and STARZ businesses into two independent, publicly-traded companies. Lionsgate’s former dual-share structure was collapsed into a single class of stock as part of the separation. Super Micro Computer — The server maker tumbled 6% after issuing weak guidance for its current quarter. Super Micro also posted earnings and revenue that missed expectations for its fiscal third quarter. Earnings for the company came in at 31 cents per share, excluding items, which was lower than the 50 cents a share analysts had sought, per LSEG. Super Micro’s $4.60 billion revenue also disappointed expectations of $5.42 billion. International Flavors & Fragrance — The consumer goods company fell 5% after reaffirming its full-year revenue guidance to come in between $10.6 billion to $10.9 billion, while analysts had been seeking $10.91 billion, per FactSet. However, the company reported first-quarter results that beat analysts’ expectations. Rivian Automotive — The electric vehicle stock fell 5% after Rivian reduced its full-year delivery guidance , citing potential economic impacts from the evolving tariff environment. Rivian’s first-quarter revenue of $1.24 billion did top estimates of $1.01 billion, according to analysts surveyed by LSEG. Disney — The entertainment giant climbed 11% after reporting fiscal second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.45 per share, beating the $1.20 per share analysts polled by LSEG had expected. Disney’s $23.62 billion revenue also beat the consensus $23.14 billion. Additionally, Disney raised its full-year adjusted earnings outlook to $5.75 per share. Separately, Disney announced a new theme park and resort in Abu Dhabi . Logitech — U.S. traded-shares popped 1% following an upgrade to buy from neutral at UBS. Analyst Joern Iffert singled out the computer accessories company as a beneficiary of rising gaming popularity among Generation Alpha consumers, or those born between 2010 and 2024. Novo Nordisk — Shares added 2% after the Danish pharmaceutical giant predicted that sales of its Wegovy weight loss medication would improve in the second half of the year , once copycat compounded drugs were completely phased out. Novo Nordisk reported lower-than-expected first-quarter sales of Wegovy and also lowered its full-year sales growth forecast. Sarepta Therapeutics — The biotechnology stock plunged 20% after the company posted a major first-quarter loss and cut its full-year net product revenue forecast to between $2.30 billion and $2.60 billion. That’s down from its earlier call for $2.90 billion to $3.10 billion. Upstart Holdings — Shares of the artificial intelligence lending platform dropped more than 11% after the company’s revenue forecast for the current quarter missed Wall Street expectations, per FactSet. The company issued a beat on the top and bottom line in the first quarter. Charles River Laboratories — The pharmaceutical company soared nearly 16% after lifting its full-year earnings guidance. Charles River now anticipates its adjusted earnings will range from $9.30 to $9.80 per share, compared to its earlier call for $9.10 to $9.60 a share. Rockwell Automation — Shares gained 12% after the industrial automation company posted a fiscal second-quarter beat on the top and bottom lines. Rockwell earned an adjusted $2.45 per share on $2 billion in revenue, surpassing FactSet consensus expectations of $2.10 per share and revenue of $1.97 billion. — CNBC’s Sean Conlon, Michelle Fox and Jesse Pound contributed reporting. Source link #Stocks #making #biggest #moves #midday #GOOGL #DIS #ANET #SMCI Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]