Pelican Press

Interview: CCP Games CEO Talks The New Player Experience and The Future of The EVE Online Universe Interview: CCP Games CEO Talks The New Player Experience and The Future of The EVE Online Universe Game Rant recently spoke with CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, who discussed the future of EVE Online’s universe and the new player experience. Source link #Interview #CCP #Games #CEO #Talks #Player #Experience #Future #EVE #Online #Universe Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Hedge fund manager Einhorn sees upside for gold and inflation Hedge fund manager Einhorn sees upside for gold and inflation A hot streak for gold helped fuel a strong start to the year for Greenlight Capital, and hedge fund manager David Einhorn said Wednesday he still sees more upside for the yellow metal. The price of spot gold has surged more than 20% this year, with most of those gains coming in the first quarter. Einhorn, the president of Greenlight, told CNBC’s Scott Wapner that his long-term case for gold is still intact and that the commodity can continue to go higher. “Gold is about the confidence in the fiscal policy and the monetary policy. And since we bought gold in 2008 or so, it’s been very clear to me that the U.S. fiscal and monetary policies are both too aggressive and create a risk,” Einhorn said. Stock Chart IconStock chart icon Gold has outperformed stocks in 2025. Einhorn pointed to the meager cost-cuts from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, relative to the size of the federal government’s budget, as a sign that the fiscal situation is unlikely to change any time soon. “There’s a bipartisan agreement to do nothing about the deficit until we actually get to the next crisis,” Einhorn said. The hedge fund manager said that gold and other defensive positions have helped Greenlight have a strong start to the year. Reuters reported in April that Greenlight gained 8.2% in the first quarter, citing an investor letter. The S&P 500 fell more than 4% during the same *******. Einhorn did clarify that he does not view gold as an inflation bet. However, in a related trade, Einhorn said he has positions on long-duration inflation swaps, which serve as a bet that prices will rise faster than the market expects. “All of these behaviors ultimately lead to inflation, and higher inflation,” Einhorn said. The comments came on the sidelines of the Sohn Investment Conference in New York, where Einhorn had earlier unveiled his new investment in a ******* chemical company. Source link #Hedge #fund #manager #Einhorn #sees #upside #gold #inflation Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Latest China AI chip export rules are yet another obstacle for Nvidia Latest China AI chip export rules are yet another obstacle for Nvidia Nvidia announced an agreement with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to develop the kingdom’s artificial intelligence capabilities, a sign of its expanding global strategy. The partnership goes beyond the AI chip leader’s conventional Western collaborations and may serve as a litmus test for future U.S. export policies with nations that keep close ties with both Washington and China. But the chip export landscape just got a little more murky. As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was in Saudi Arabia announcing the Blackwell deal, the Trump administration released a new round of AI chip restrictions targeting China. The Commerce Department issued a warning against the use of U.S. AI chips for ******** models and singled out “diversion tactics” and securing supply chains to target smuggling. The release also singled out ******** tech giant Huawei, labeling the use of the company’s Ascend chips “anywhere in the world” a violation of the export controls. The new export restrictions came days after the U.S. and China agreed to pause most tariffs on each other, and add another layer of controls for Nvidia to navigate with the White House also eliminating the “AI Diffusion Rule.” Nvidia declined to comment on the new export controls Wednesday. The AI diffusion rules, introduced earlier this year by the Biden administration, aimed to control how AI software and chip technology could be shared across borders, with strict limitations on exports to China and other nations labeled high-risk. The Trump administration’s separate license requirements, which mandate that Nvidia and AMD obtain government approval before exporting advanced chips to China, remain firmly in place. Commerce said it would announce a full replacement for the diffusion rule in the future. Chips and trade President Donald Trump has continued to voice his desire for the U.S. to remain an AI leader while trying to keep top tech out of the hands of China. That has made Nvidia’s role in the global AI race more precarious, potentially making the company a key bargaining chip in future trade negotiations for Trump. Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards Instead of broad global restrictions, the Trump administration is reportedly considering a bilateral negotiation model, where advanced AI chips could become a tool in country-by-country trade agreements. This shift could introduce even greater uncertainty for Nvidia, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon warned. “Signing multiple bilateral agreements would likely take enormous amounts of time,” Rasgon noted, adding that the new approach could be “potentially worse than the current diffusion framework.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang estimates China to be a $50 billion AI chip market, and while the company still finds ways to sell legally compliant chips to the country, the U.S. is simultaneously tightening restrictions on countries that might re-export advanced tech to Beijing. Citi analysts cautioned against assuming similar deals elsewhere, noting, “We remain prudent on the duplication of such success with other countries, thus the risk of tighter access to US AI chips for other key countries remains.” Regulatory workarounds For Nvidia, navigating U.S. export controls has become a high-stakes game of adaptation Each time new restrictions are imposed, the company has responded by designing downgraded versions of its chips, such as the H20 and L40. These chips remain powerful enough to appeal to ******** tech giants while staying just below regulatory thresholds. Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards The key question for Nvidia investors is no longer whether the company can sell chips globally, it’s whether the coming patchwork of bilateral trade agreements will create a predictable business environment. If the U.S. takes a more transactional approach to AI chip exports, Nvidia could find itself negotiating different rules for different countries, making long-term strategic planning more difficult. At the same time, China’s rapid progress in developing domestic alternatives – particularly from Huawei and SMIC – suggests that any gaps left by Nvidia could quickly be filled. In an April visit to Washington, Huang called Huawei “one of the most formidable technology companies in the world.” Lobbying Trump Huang has been outspoken in his opposition to tight chip restrictions, warning that controlling U.S. companies too aggressively could backfire. “If we lose that ecosystem to our competitors, it will be almost impossible to get it back,” Huang told lawmakers on a recent trip to Washington. Huang has also worked behind the scenes to push for more flexible trade policies. Last month, he attended a private, million-dollar dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Trump, part of a broader lobbying effort to ensure Nvidia can continue operating in key international markets. For now, Nvidia remains caught in the middle: A vital U.S. technology leader that is too important to cut off entirely, but too powerful to be left unregulated. Whether the latest policy shift helps or hinders its global ambitions will depend on the next moves from Washington and how China responds. Source link #Latest #China #chip #export #rules #obstacle #Nvidia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump wants drug price caps tied to foreign nations. Here’s why Biden never did it. Trump wants drug price caps tied to foreign nations. Here’s why Biden never did it. Senate Democrats and the Biden administration dropped plans to set drug price caps based on the amount paid in other high-income countries, during talks years ago to push through the law that empowered Medicare to negotiate down the cost of prescription medications. A version of the idea was revived by President Trump in the executive order signed Monday, which called on the Department of Health and Human Services next month to draw up regulations to impose price restrictions tied to lower amounts paid in other developed nations, if drugmakers did not voluntarily reduce what they were charging in the U.S. “Democrats could have done this a long time ago. They have fought like hell, for the drug companies. And they knew they were doing the wrong thing,” Mr. Trump told reporters, speaking at a White House event to announce the move. For Democrats on Capitol Hill, this kind of approach to price controls has roots in a bill their own party successfully passed under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2019. As part of giving Medicare the ability to negotiate the price of costly drugs it covered, the bill passed by House Democrats wanted the maximum price to be tied to an average based on prices paid in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. “We were hoping to get Trump. Trump said, ‘I want to negotiate.’ But then Republicans in Congress got to him,” said Wendell Primus, who served for nearly two decades as Pelosi’s top aide on health policy. The bill did not make it through the Senate at the time, which was controlled by Mr. Trump’s party. After Democrats flipped control of the Senate, the idea ran into headwinds years later, as Biden aides and lawmakers tried to incorporate the measure into the Inflation Reduction Act. Multiple Democrats involved in the talks on Capitol Hill at the time blamed a series of meetings in early 2021 with the staff from the Senate Finance Committee and party leadership for scuttling the idea. Staff on the committee said that they were worried that moderate Democrats like then-Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona would not support the bill if it included the measure, Primus said. Menendez and Sinema are no longer in the Senate. “Members did not want to have something referencing foreign countries. They wanted it to make a function of the manufacturer’s price here, what drug companies were offering to commercial insurers,” Primus said. One former Biden White House aide involved in the talks said that there were several senators who understood that drug prices were too high, but they worried those price caps could undercut innovation from drugmakers in the U.S. Instead, the deal struck by lawmakers and White House aides to pass the law in 2022 ultimately turned to a different formula: capping them using calculations based on the price previously paid by Medicare and a fixed discount off the list price in the private U.S. market. “President Biden and Democrats in Congress cared about getting something done, and so there was a compromise on the table that wasn’t perfect, but it was going to make a huge amount of difference. And so that’s the law they ultimately enacted,” said Christen Linke-Young, deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Mr. Biden. Medicare has gone on to implement the law, resulting in talks that are continuing under the current Trump administration to lower the maximum price that the federal insurance program will pay for a growing list of costly drugs. “It’s a good thing for prescription drug costs in this country to be lower, we need to continue to work on that. And one of the ways to do that is actually put a proposal before Congress and get it enacted, so it has the force of law,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under Mr. Biden. Meanwhile, as the White House was working with their allies in Congress to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration moved to formally scrap a bid by Mr. Trump to impose caps tied to lower prices in other high-income countries using executive power during his first term. Called the “most favored nation” model, Trump officials had directed Medicare to only reimburse hospitals and clinics for some costly drugs based on the lowest price paid for in other high-income countries. CMS under Mr. Biden ultimately rescinded that move in 2022, after a legal fight that had blocked the proposal on the grounds that the Trump administration had unlawfully shortcutted the normal rulemaking steps to finalize the policy. “The proposal was always pretty transparently ********. The statute says that Medicare has to pay for prescription drugs in one particular way, and the Trump administration proposal was that we are going to ignore the statute and pay for drugs in an entirely different way. If the statute allowed that, a president before Donald Trump would have done it,” Linke-Young said. A White House official under Mr. Trump disagreed with the accusation that their initial proposal was unlawful, arguing that the initial authority they used for the “demonstration” model in Medicare used powers that were broadly written by Democrats. While they are not planning to go down the exact same path, the official said, saying that they “learned certain things from that first demonstration,” the Trump administration believes they “absolutely have that authority in our pocket.” “We are confident that we have authorities within our government programs to do this. And any dispute from the Biden administration is an intentional misinterpretation of the statute for political reasons, because they are the ones that walked away,” the White House official said. Trump administration officials have painted their second run at the “most favored nation” idea as even broader in scope than their first term, which had been limited to only some costly drugs administered by healthcare providers through Medicare Part B. The White House official said Wednesday that they “firmly believe” they have the ability to pursue wider actions to push drugmakers to lower their prices within Medicare. They cited other authorities in the law being considered like section 402, which affords HHS powers to “develop and engage in experiments” which could affect payment rates in Medicaid as well. Asked this week on Fox Business Network whether the president’s promise of steep drug price cuts would also extend to Medicare Part D, which covers the broad swath of prescriptions filled at drug store pharmacies, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said “they absolutely will.” “They’ll apply to Medicare, and they’ll apply in the private market as well,” Kennedy said. Asked Tuesday whether he supported the president’s plan, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he thought “it’ll be the subject of probably multiple lawsuits, and I think the courts will probably have something to say about it.” Alexander Tin Alexander Tin is a digital reporter for CBS News based in the Washington, D.C. bureau. He covers federal public health agencies. Source link #Trump #drug #price #caps #tied #foreign #nations #Heres #Biden Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

CoreWeave (CRWV) Q1 2025 earnings report CoreWeave (CRWV) Q1 2025 earnings report Mike Intrator, co-founder and CEO of CoreWeave, testifies during a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing on artificial intelligence in Washington on May 8, 2025. Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images Shares of artificial intelligence infrastructure provider CoreWeave reported better-than-expected revenue on Wednesday in the company’s first earnings release since going public. The stock popped in extended trading. Here’s how CoreWeave did in comparison with LSEG consensus: Earnings per share: Loss of $1.49Revenue: $981.6 million vs. $853 million expected Revenue soared 420% in the quarter, which ended on March 31, from $188.7 million a year ago, according to a statement. That compares with 737% growth for all of 2024. The company’s net loss of $314.6 million widened from $129.2 a year earlier, partly because of $177 million in stock-based compensation costs for awards tied to the IPO. In renting out access to Nvidia graphics processing units, CoreWeave competes with cloud providers such as Amazon. But large companies like Google and Microsoft have come to depend on CoreWeave. During the quarter, OpenAI committed to a five-year deal with CoreWeave that will be worth up to $11.9 billion. The transaction is on top of OpenAI’s reliance on Microsoft, which was responsible for 62% of CoreWeave’s 2024 revenue. There was some skepticism heading into the report even though the stock was up 31% for the week. Long-term uncertainty on AI supply and demand and worries about the economy “likely keep shares range-bound for now,” Wells Fargo analysts wrote in a report to clients last week. The firm recommends holding the stock. After completing the biggest U.S. venture-backed tech IPO since 2021, CoreWeave saw its shares debut on Nasdaq in late March, initially at $39. Nvidia, a customer and major supplier and already one of CoreWeave’s major investors, stepped in to anchor THE IPO at $40, below the $47 to $55 range announced earlier. Executives will discuss the results and issue guidance on a conference call at 5 p.m. ET. This is breaking news. Please check back for updates. WATCH: Cramer’s Mad Dash: CoreWeave Source link #CoreWeave #CRWV #earnings #report Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

CoreWeave (CRWV) Q1 2025 earnings report CoreWeave (CRWV) Q1 2025 earnings report Mike Intrator, co-founder and CEO of CoreWeave, testifies during a U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing on artificial intelligence in Washington on May 8, 2025. Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images Shares of artificial intelligence infrastructure provider CoreWeave reported better-than-expected revenue on Wednesday in the company’s first earnings release since going public. The stock popped in extended trading. Here’s how CoreWeave did in comparison with LSEG consensus: Earnings per share: Loss of $1.49 Revenue: $981.6 million vs. $853 million expected Revenue soared 420% in the quarter, which ended on March 31, from $188.7 million a year ago, according to a statement. That compares with 737% growth for all of 2024. The company’s net loss of $314.6 million widened from $129.2 a year earlier, partly because of $177 million in stock-based compensation costs for awards tied to the IPO. In renting out access to Nvidia graphics processing units, CoreWeave competes with cloud providers such as Amazon. But large companies like Google and Microsoft have come to depend on CoreWeave. During the quarter, OpenAI committed to a five-year deal with CoreWeave that will be worth up to $11.9 billion. The transaction is on top of OpenAI’s reliance on Microsoft, which was responsible for 62% of CoreWeave’s 2024 revenue. There was some skepticism heading into the report even though the stock was up 31% for the week. Long-term uncertainty on AI supply and demand and worries about the economy “likely keep shares range-bound for now,” Wells Fargo analysts wrote in a report to clients last week. The firm recommends holding the stock. After completing the biggest U.S. venture-backed tech IPO since 2021, CoreWeave saw its shares debut on Nasdaq in late March, initially at $39. Nvidia, a customer and major supplier and already one of CoreWeave’s major investors, stepped in to anchor THE IPO at $40, below the $47 to $55 range announced earlier. Executives will discuss the results and issue guidance on a conference call at 5 p.m. ET. This is breaking news. Please check back for updates. WATCH: Cramer’s Mad Dash: CoreWeave Source link #CoreWeave #CRWV #earnings #report Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Blake Lively’s Lawyers Are Extorting Taylor Swift, Justin Baldoni Claims – The Hollywood Reporter Blake Lively’s Lawyers Are Extorting Taylor Swift, Justin Baldoni Claims – The Hollywood Reporter Blake Lively’s Lawyers Are Extorting Taylor Swift, Justin Baldoni Claims The Hollywood ReporterBlake Lively Threatened to Leak Taylor Swift Texts If Singer Didn’t Publicly Support Her, Claim Justin Baldoni’s Lawyers People.comBlake Lively Asked Taylor Swift to Delete Texts and ‘Demanded’ Public Support, Justin Baldoni Claims billboard.comTaylor Swift’s lawyers are fighting Justin Baldoni’s subpoena amid Blake Lively legal war YahooBlake Lively, Taylor Swift’s ‘Strained’ Friendship: Details Amid Lawsuit Us Weekly Source link #Blake #Livelys #Lawyers #Extorting #Taylor #Swift #Justin #Baldoni #Claims #Hollywood #Reporter Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Wings of Heroes announces new Battle Pass system to give you more seasonal goals across the mobile flight sim Wings of Heroes announces new Battle Pass system to give you more seasonal goals across the mobile flight sim Wings of Heroes introduces Battle Pass as part of its expanded LiveOps system Complete seasonal tasks to unlock exclusive rewards across free and premium tracks Track your progress and stay engaged with a structured, time-limited progression system Ten Square Games has officially announced a new LiveOps update for Wings of Heroes, the studio’s mobile flight sim that thrusts you into the chaos of World War II. The new update adds seasonal content to the flight simulator, offering fresh in-game currency opportunities as well as a Battle Pass which allows players to unlock rewards by completing daily objectives. Since Wings of Heroes’ release in October 2022, the team has been working on a variety of strategies to keep the community engaged, and with the new LiveOps ecosystem, you can look forward to aiming for seasonal goals and then starting anew with fresh content as each season ends. Details are a little bit hush-hush on the specifics of what’s in the Battle Pass at the moment, but this includes special events you can sink your teeth into, along with new mechanics on progression. This adds to the current 20 events per week, with milestones to shoot for and event currencies you can collect. Beyond the Battle Pass, Wings of Heroes continues to evolve by offering features tailored to different player preferences. For those with a competitive streak, a variety of leaderboards linked to weekly events offer the chance to climb the ranks and become a true champion of the skies. Social players can also dive into community-based features like squadron wars, adding a dynamic layer of multiplayer rivalry and collaboration. “The introduction of the Battle Pass is another phase of developing the game’s monetization system and establishing a structured seasonal rhythm. It’s a solution that supports daily activity, sets clear objectives, and helps us plan content more effectively. Our goal is to build an engaging, scalable game that meets player expectations and supports long-term product development,” says Michal Szurma, Product Owner of Wings of Heroes. If you’re eager to get in on the action, you can download Wings of Heroes on the App Store and on Google Play today. It’s free-to-play with in-app purchases. Source link #Wings #Heroes #announces #Battle #Pass #system #give #seasonal #goals #mobile #flight #sim Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Latest China AI chip export rules are yet another obstacle for Nvidia Latest China AI chip export rules are yet another obstacle for Nvidia Nvidia announced an agreement with Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to develop the kingdom’s artificial intelligence capabilities, a sign of its expanding global strategy. The partnership goes beyond the AI chip leader’s conventional Western collaborations and may serve as a litmus test for future U.S. export policies with nations that keep close ties with both Washington and China. But the chip export landscape just got a little more murky. As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was in Saudi Arabia announcing the Blackwell deal, the Trump administration released a new round of AI chip restrictions targeting China. The Commerce Department issued a warning against the use of U.S. AI chips for ******** models and singled out “diversion tactics” and securing supply chains to target smuggling. The release also singled out ******** tech giant Huawei, labeling the use of the company’s Ascend chips “anywhere in the world” a violation of the export controls. The new export restrictions came days after the U.S. and China agreed to pause most tariffs on each other, and add another layer of controls for Nvidia to navigate with the White House also eliminating the “AI Diffusion Rule.” Nvidia declined to comment on the new export controls Wednesday. The AI diffusion rules, introduced earlier this year by the Biden administration, aimed to control how AI software and chip technology could be shared across borders, with strict limitations on exports to China and other nations labeled high-risk. The Trump administration’s separate license requirements, which mandate that Nvidia and AMD obtain government approval before exporting advanced chips to China, remain firmly in place. Commerce said it would announce a full replacement for the diffusion rule in the future. Chips and trade President Donald Trump has continued to voice his desire for the U.S. to remain an AI leader while trying to keep top tech out of the hands of China. That has made Nvidia’s role in the global AI race more precarious, potentially making the company a key bargaining chip in future trade negotiations for Trump. Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards Instead of broad global restrictions, the Trump administration is reportedly considering a bilateral negotiation model, where advanced AI chips could become a tool in country-by-country trade agreements. This shift could introduce even greater uncertainty for Nvidia, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon warned. “Signing multiple bilateral agreements would likely take enormous amounts of time,” Rasgon noted, adding that the new approach could be “potentially worse than the current diffusion framework.” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang estimates China to be a $50 billion AI chip market, and while the company still finds ways to sell legally compliant chips to the country, the U.S. is simultaneously tightening restrictions on countries that might re-export advanced tech to Beijing. Citi analysts cautioned against assuming similar deals elsewhere, noting, “We remain prudent on the duplication of such success with other countries, thus the risk of tighter access to US AI chips for other key countries remains.” Regulatory workarounds For Nvidia, navigating U.S. export controls has become a high-stakes game of adaptation Each time new restrictions are imposed, the company has responded by designing downgraded versions of its chips, such as the H20 and L40. These chips remain powerful enough to appeal to ******** tech giants while staying just below regulatory thresholds. Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards The key question for Nvidia investors is no longer whether the company can sell chips globally, it’s whether the coming patchwork of bilateral trade agreements will create a predictable business environment. If the U.S. takes a more transactional approach to AI chip exports, Nvidia could find itself negotiating different rules for different countries, making long-term strategic planning more difficult. At the same time, China’s rapid progress in developing domestic alternatives – particularly from Huawei and SMIC – suggests that any gaps left by Nvidia could quickly be filled. In an April visit to Washington, Huang called Huawei “one of the most formidable technology companies in the world.” Lobbying Trump Huang has been outspoken in his opposition to tight chip restrictions, warning that controlling U.S. companies too aggressively could backfire. “If we lose that ecosystem to our competitors, it will be almost impossible to get it back,” Huang told lawmakers on a recent trip to Washington. Huang has also worked behind the scenes to push for more flexible trade policies. Last month, he attended a private, million-dollar dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Trump, part of a broader lobbying effort to ensure Nvidia can continue operating in key international markets. For now, Nvidia remains caught in the middle: A vital U.S. technology leader that is too important to cut off entirely, but too powerful to be left unregulated. Whether the latest policy shift helps or hinders its global ambitions will depend on the next moves from Washington and how China responds. Source link #Latest #China #chip #export #rules #obstacle #Nvidia Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Warren Buffett tells WSJ he stepped aside as CEO after finally feeling old Warren Buffett tells WSJ he stepped aside as CEO after finally feeling old Warren Buffett does a walkthrough of the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 3, 2025. David A. Grogen | CNBC Age isn’t just a number for Warren Buffett after all. The 94-year-old investment legend recently surprised shareholders by announcing his intention to step down as Berkshire Hathaway CEO after an epic 60-year run. The reason behind the decision was the physical effects of aging he’s been experiencing, Buffett said in a new interview with the Wall Street Journal. “I didn’t really start getting old, for some strange reason, until I was about 90,” he told the Journal in a phone interview. “But when you start getting old, it does become—it’s irreversible.” The Oracle of Omaha, who turns 95 in August, revealed to the paper that he started to lose his balance occasionally, while experiencing issues remembering someone’s name sometimes. His vision also turned less clear when reading newspapers. It marked an end of an era at Berkshire, which was a failing New England textile mill six decades ago and was transformed into a one-of-a-kind conglomerate with businesses ranging from Geico insurance to BNSF Railway. Buffett is handing over his reins on a high note as Berkshire shares are near a record high, giving the conglomerate a market cap of nearly $1.2 trillion. Berkshire’s board voted unanimously to make Greg Abel, now vice chairman of noninsurance operations, president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2026, and for Buffett to remain as chairman. Still, Buffett said he remains mentally sharp to make investment decisions when opportunities arise. The value investing icon is known to take advantage of market turmoil and depressed prices to make big purchases. “I don’t have any trouble making decisions about something that I was making decisions on 20 years ago or 40 years ago or 60 years,” he told the Journal. “I will be useful here if there’s a panic in the market because I don’t get fearful when things go down in price or everybody else gets scared….And that really isn’t a function of age.” — Click here to read the original WSJ story. Source link #Warren #Buffett #tells #WSJ #stepped #CEO #finally #feeling Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Nasdaq 100: Why 19,600 Is the Line in the Sand for Bulls Nasdaq 100: Why 19,600 Is the Line in the Sand for Bulls Our last two updates for the (NDX) stressed that “any Bear market/correction is a Major Buying Opportunity (BIMBO) for those looking beyond today and tomorrow. This time, it will be no different.” Case in point, in our update from April 8, we concluded, “we focus on the index wrapping up these smaller 4th and 5th waves, which will be followed by a rally of at least 15-25%.” Fast-forward, and the index has been up over 22% since then. Besides, in our previous update, we found that the NDX would reach at least around $21400. Currently, it is trading at $21300. Meanwhile, only 11 to 29% of individual investors per the AAII sentiment survey have been bullish since April 16. Thus, analyzing the stock market’s price charts objectively using the Elliott Wave (EW) Principle helped us explain its condition and prevented bias and subjectivity, which otherwise would lead to irrational decisions, e.g., selling instead of buying. Now that three more weeks of price data are available, we have more details for forecasting the index’s most likely path. Allow us to explain below. Figure 1. NDX daily chart with detailed Elliott Wave count and technical indicators The index should now be in the orange W-3/c, and although we still cannot know at this stage if we will get five waves up (1-5) or only three (a-b-c) on the various degrees (orange, grey, green), we prefer the five-wave sequence due to several external factors like recent breadth thrusts. However, we must continue to label the current advance as 1/a, 2/b, 3/c, 4?, 5? until one or the other has been proven. Thus, we expect the orange W-3/c to complete at around $21400, then a pullback for the orange W-4 to ideally $20800+/-100, followed by the orange W-5 to $22000+/-200 etc., contingent on the index’s price holding at least above $20000 (grey warning level) and especially $19600 (orange warning level). Namely, due to the recent rallies since April 8, which overlapped with the early March (red W-a) low, we know that the decline from the February high into the April low was only three waves: red W-a, -b, and -c, and thus corrective. See Figure 2 below. Figure 2. NDX weekly chart with detailed Elliott Wave count and technical indicators This means the index will rally to new all-time highs. But, we don’t know yet exactly how, either directly per the green five-wave sequence (green dotted arrow in Figure 2) or via a detour, where the NDX stalls at around $21500-22500, falls back to ~$15,400, and then rallies to new ATHs (orange dotted arrow). Please note that this is not our preferred option; it is our alternative. We always trade and invest using the preferred path: Figure 1. The alternative is our insurance IF the market takes this low-odds path. Besides, it takes a break below $19000 from current levels with a severe warning below $19600 to tell us that’s what the market wants. Thus, we will have ample forewarning. Source link #Nasdaq #Line #Sand #Bulls Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Cisco (CSCO) Q3 earnings report 2025 Cisco (CSCO) Q3 earnings report 2025 Cisco Chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins speaks at a keynote address at the Cisco Live! conference in Las Vegas on June 7, 2023. Ethan Miller | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Cisco reported earnings and revenue that topped analysts’ estimates on Wednesday and issued guidance that also exceeded Wall Street’s prediction. Here’s how the company did in comparison with LSEG consensus: Earnings per share: 96 cents adjusted vs. 92 cents expectedRevenue: $14.15 billion vs. $14.08 billion expected Revenue increased 11% during the quarter, which ended on April 26, from $12.7 billion a year earlier, according to a statement. Net income rose to $2.49 billion, or 62 cents per share, from $1.89 billion, or 46 cents per share, a year ago. Management called for 96 cents to 98 cents in fiscal 2025 earnings per share on $14.5 billion to $14.7 billion in revenue. Analysts surveyed by LSEG had predicted 95 cents in adjusted earnings per share on $14.58 billion in revenue. Cisco said the guidance factors in the expected impact of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on goods imported into the U.S. Cisco reported over $600 million in artificial intelligence infrastructure orders from web companies. That brings the total for the fiscal year to over $1.25 billion. Cisco said the sum passed the $1 billion mark a quarter ahead of schedule. During the quarter, Cisco started selling a Webex AI agent for customer service, and it announced Ethernet switches that contain AMD Pensando data processing units that could help with hardware consolidation. Networking revenue rose 8% to $7.07 billion, Cisco said. Analysts polled by StreetAccount had expected $6.81 billion. Revenue from security products jumped 54% to $2.01 billion, below StreetAccount’s $2.17 billion consensus. The unit includes the addition of Splunk, which Cisco bought last year for $27 billion. As of Wednesday’s close, Cisco shares were up 3.5 for the year%, while the S&P 500 index was about flat. Executives will discuss the results on a conference call with analysts starting at 4:30 p.m. ET. WATCH: The administration wants to protect our lead, they want us to win, says Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins Source link #Cisco #CSCO #earnings #report Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time Remake Will Launch By March 2026, Ubisoft Says The Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time Remake Will Launch By March 2026, Ubisoft Says Ubisoft has finally given word on a release window for the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, stating that the game will launch by the end of March 2026. In its earnings call today, Ubisoft revealed that it plans for the Sands of Time remake to drop in fiscal year 2025-26, which officially ends on March 31, 2026. This significantly narrows down the release timeline for the game, as previously the publisher had only said it was coming in 2026. You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos. Size:640 × 360480 × 270 Want us to remember this setting for all your devices? Sign up or Sign in now! Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos. This video has an invalid file format. Sorry, but you can’t access this content! Please enter your date of birth to view this video JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981198019791978197719761975197419731972197119701969196819671966196519641963196219611960195919581957195619551954195319521951195019491948194719461945194419431942194119401939193819371936193519341933193219311930192919281927192619251924192319221921192019191918191719161915191419131912191119101909190819071906190519041903190219011900 By clicking ‘enter’, you agree to GameSpot’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy enter Now Playing: Prince of Persia The Sands of Time – Teaser Trailer | Ubisoft Forward This release window would mark nearly six years since the announcement of the game. Ubisoft originally teased the Sands of Time remake way back in 2020 for last-gen consoles. Since then, it has had a rocky development process, switching developers a few years ago following fan backlash to the original trailer and a missed launch date. It’s probably safe to say at this point that the remake, now in the works at Ubisoft Montreal, will come to current-gen consoles. In guidance to investors, Ubisoft is positioning the remake as part of a FY2025-26 lineup that is meant to stabilize the company’s finances. In addition to the remake, its upcoming slate includes Anno 117, The Division Resurgence, and Rainbow Six Mobile. However, the publisher also announced that it is delaying multiple titles out of the current fiscal year and will have to continue cost-cutting measures in the near future. This comes on the heels of a long stretch of bad news for the company, including several rounds of layoffs, studio closures, and decreasing profits. Ubisoft recently announced a corporate restructuring meant to consolidate efforts on its tentpole franchises Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six, and Far Cry, and to integrate a large new investment from Tencent. Source link #Prince #Persia #Sands #Time #Remake #Launch #March #Ubisoft Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Planned Russia-Ukraine talks upend European push for U.S. sanctions on Moscow – The Washington Post Planned Russia-Ukraine talks upend European push for U.S. sanctions on Moscow – The Washington Post Planned Russia-Ukraine talks upend European push for U.S. sanctions on Moscow The Washington PostRussia and Ukraine are due to meet – but who’ll show up? Here’s what we know CNNRussian Foreign Minister Lavrov won’t attend May 15 Istanbul talks with Ukraine — Kommersant MeduzaPutin and Trump still ‘maybes’ for Ukraine peace talks that Russian leader proposed ReutersTaking Inches in Battle, Russia Demands Miles in Talks The New York Times Source link #Planned #RussiaUkraine #talks #upend #European #push #U.S #sanctions #Moscow #Washington #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Doom-Themed Xbox Controller Is Starting To Sell Out The Doom-Themed Xbox Controller Is Starting To Sell Out Xbox and PC players who are getting ready to rip and tear into Doom: The Dark Ages this week can still grab the official Xbox Wireless Controller themed around the popular franchise. The Doom: The Dark Ages limited-edition controller just sold out at Amazon and Walmart for $74 on May 14, but Best Buy and Target still have units for full price ($80). Doom: The Dark Ages Xbox Controller Restocks (May 14): Alternatively, you can check out Walmart’s bundle deal that packages the controller with a physical copy of the game for Xbox Series X. The bundle deal will save you $11 compared to buying the game and controller separately at retail price. The Limited Edition Controller is part of a gear collection that also includes an Elite Series 2 controller and Xbox console wrap. Doom: The Dark Ages Game + Controller Walmart Bundles: For more on the new first-person shooter from id Software, check out our Doom: The Dark Ages buying guide. $80 Featuring a gorgeous design inspired by the Doom Slayer’s armor, this standard Xbox controller features a rugged green, grey, and blood-red design. It’s also colored asymmetrically, with one analog stick red and the other grey, and one bumper orange while the other is grey. Toss in face buttons with letters from the Sentinel alphabet, a red mark of the Slayer on the right grip, and a battle-worn aesthetic, and you’ve got a brutal-looking controller that’s a perfect fit for Doom fans. $139 | Valued at $150 Walmart has bundle deals that package physical copies of Doom: The Dark Ages with the Limited Edition Controller. You can get the standard edition with the controller for $139, a savings of $11 versus buying each product separately, or the Premium Edition with the controller for $169–also a savings of $11. Note: The Premium Edition bundle is sold out as of May 14. $200 Sold out Doom: The Dark Ages Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller is a Microsoft Store exclusive. With a bold red design and a transparent red case, you can glimpse inside at the inner workings of this premium gamepad. Like the standard Elite Series 2 Controller, this one gets you customizable button profiles, interchangeable thumbsticks, back paddles, and trigger locks for faster actuation. $55 Wrap your console in the loving embrace of this Hell-inspired tech fabric. It’ll put the mark of the Slayer front and center on your console, with the rest of the fabric offering a textured design. You’ll fasten it to your console using a Velcro enclosure, meaning you won’t need any additional tools, adhesives, or advanced DIY experience. The Doom-inspired console wrap is also exclusive to the Microsoft Store. If you need to catch up on the series before playing Doom: The Dark Ages, you can get the Doom Anthology for cheap on PS5 or Nintendo Switch. Doom Anthology comes with six Doom games, a steelbook case, and a 5-inch replica of the BFG with LED lights and a stand. You can snag a copy of the $80 collection for only $25 for Switch or $30 for PlayStation. Source link #DoomThemed #Xbox #Controller #Starting #Sell Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Beauty influencer shot dead on TikTok livestream inside ******** salon – National Beauty influencer shot dead on TikTok livestream inside ******** salon – National A ******** social media influencer who gained a substantial following for her beauty and makeup videos has been shot dead while on a TikTok livestream. Her brazen killing sent shockwaves through Mexico, a country that faces some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. The death of Valeria Marquez, 23, is under investigation and is being treated as a femicide, the Jalisco state prosecutor said in a statement on Tuesday evening. (Femicide is the killing of women or girls because of their gender.) Story continues below advertisement Femicide can include degrading violence, ******* abuse or a relationship with the *********. It may also involve the victim’s body being exposed in a public space, the ******** authorities said. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. According to the prosecutor’s office, Marquez was killed on Tuesday in Zapopan in central Mexico, near Guadalajara, by a man who entered the salon where she was employed and shot her. The suspect has not been named. Seconds before the incident, Marquez was seen on her TikTok livestream seated at a table, holding onto a stuffed toy. She was heard saying, “They’re coming,” before a voice in the background asked, “Hey, Vale?” Marquez responded “yes” before muting the livestream. Shortly after she was fatally shot, a person grabbed her phone, their face briefly on display before the video was shut off. At the time of her death, Marquez had about 200,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, and had said earlier on the livestream that a person had arrived at the salon when she was not there with an “expensive gift” for her. Marquez, who appeared concerned when telling the story, said she was not planning to wait for the person to come back. 2:25 TikTok trend claims luxury goods made in China Previous Video Next Video Trending Now Should home prices go down? ’No,’ says Canada’s new housing minister Parkinson’s risk higher for those living close to a golf course: study Story continues below advertisement Marquez last posted a photo on Instagram on Tuesday morning, where she can be seen posing in front of the mirror in what appears to be a salon. Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia are tied as the countries with the fourth-highest rates of femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the latest data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, at 1.3 femicide deaths for every 100,000 women in 2023. Jalisco, the state where her ******* took place, is ranked sixth out of Mexico’s 32 states, including Mexico City, for homicides, with 906 recorded there since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s term in October 2024, according to data consultancy TResearch. Story continues below advertisement — With files from Reuters More on World More videos &copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #Beauty #influencer #shot #dead #TikTok #livestream #******** #salon #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Donald Trump Jr.’s transformation into Washington power broker Donald Trump Jr.’s transformation into Washington power broker When the crypto mining firm American Bitcoin announced plans to go public on the Nasdaq stock exchange this week, the company called it a “major milestone” for a key stakeholder, Dominari Holdings — a little-known investment house that recently added a very recognizable name to its advisory board: Donald Trump Jr. It was the latest maneuver in a series of high-stakes, and potentially lucrative business deals Trump Jr. and his younger brother Eric, also a Dominari adviser, stand to benefit from. Since his father won the 2024 election, Trump Jr. has joined at least eight corporate boards or advisory committees, adding political clout and his famous family brand to companies that sell handguns, make drones, and offer healthcare services online. During President Trump’s second term, his son Donald Jr. has morphed from a lower profile presence in Washington to what Trump first term press secretary Sean Spicer, who knows Trump Jr. well, describes as “most prominent non-elected representative of the MAGA base hands down, the number one surrogate and power player in the ecosystem outside of his father.” The most overt symbol of that ascendence – and of the Trump family’s unique blend of governing and deal-making, went public last month, with the announcement of a highly-exclusive private club, which is named “Executive Branch.” At the coming-out event, the cocktails flowed and servers passed caviar to A-list guests that included Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Attorney General Pam Bondi; Paul Atkins, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and FCC chair Brendan Carr. The Capital’s buzzy newsletters revealed the club’s eye-popping club membership fee: $500,000. Private clubs have long been a fixture of official Washington, where lobbyists and well-heeled donors can mingle with members of Congress and high-ranking officials. But this venture launched by the president’s oldest son is something new — and, according to critics, serves as the latest example of how the Trump family has turbo-charged Washington’s pay-to-play culture. “I don’t think there has ever been anything comparable to this use of the presidency to advance private business interests,” said Joseph Briffaut, a law professor who specializes in government ethics at Columbia Law School. Critics fear a pay-to-play culture To government watchdogs, the members-only social club embodies what they say is an increasingly brazen mingling of private business interests and government policy. “It’s unseemly and it undermines the public’s faith that the government is operating in the public interest,” said Brett Kappel, a veteran Washington, D.C., election lawyer. Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who has for years advocated for stronger ethics rules in the nation’s capital, told CBS News she views the club as a blatant play to cash in with interest groups seeking access to the Trump administration. “This is literally members bringing money into the pockets of Donald Trump Jr, and his business partners,” Sloan said. Trump Jr’s allies disagree. They argue the extravagant membership fee actually cuts against the claim that it is a vehicle for influence peddling — because members are already so well connected. “If your goal was to let as many people in as possible, you’d have every lobbyist in DC join,” said one source familiar with the concept behind the club, pointing out that members who could afford the sky-high admission fee would likely already be well known in Washington’s power corridors. For his part, Trump Jr. disputes suggestions that he is cashing in on his father’s name or testing any ethical boundaries. “I’m a private citizen who has been a businessman my entire life,” he said in a statement provided to CBS News. “It’s laughable that the left-wing media thinks that I should lock myself in a padded room and cease what I’ve been doing for over 25 years to earn a living and provide for my five children,” Trump Jr. added. The White House calls Trump Jr’s private sector dealings ethically sound, pointing out that President Trump’s assets are held in a trust controlled by his family The “Executive Branch” club is only one of the ways Trump Jr. has raised his profile during his father’s second term. The president’s son has rapidly expanded the family’s crypto profile and continued to pursue real estate investments. He has also been a front-facing leader of the MAGA empire, supplanting his sister Ivanka and brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, as the most high-profile — and politically astute — Trump scion in Washington. The “Trump bump” The family business is a global enterprise. Recently, Trump Jr. made a whirlwind tour of several foreign nations, including Serbia, Hungary and Bulgaria, where he looked in on real estate interests, delivered lucrative speeches and met with government leaders, according to The New York Times. At home, Trump Jr.’s move to join a spree of corporate boards in the role of adviser or board member traces in part to his relationship with Omeed Malik, the financier and mega Trump donor who is also Trump Jr.’s co-founder in the DC social club. Just days after the election, Malik brought on Trump Jr. as a partner in his venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, which says on its website that it invests in conservative companies and eschews “woke capitalism” and other left-wing causes, a deal a knowledgeable source said was in the works before the election. Trump Jr. soon joined the boards of arms retailer GrabAGun as well as the online health care company BlinkRX, both 1789 Capital properties. It is not hard to see the impact when a company adds Trump Jr. to its board. When Dominari Holdings inc., a wealth management and banking services company, announced that it was bringing on both of the president’s sons, its stock price shot up 83% to a record high, eventually settling down to 30%above where it was before Trump Jr. joined. Shortly thereafter, Dominari’s CEO announced that the company was planning investments in AI and data centers, growth industries where the Trump administration has been massively rolling back regulations. In a company press release, CEO Kyle Wood he cited Trump Jr’s and Eric Trump’s “strategic insight” in both of those sectors. And this week, the Bitcoin mining company owned partly by Trump sons Donald Jr. and Eric engineered a listing on the NASDAQ after merging with a smaller, publicly traded mining firm called Gryphon Digital Mining Inc. Dominari Holdings is effectively acting as the banker for the deal and has been reaching out to potential investors. In another example of the so-called “Trump bump,” the stock price of Unusual Machines, a Florida-based drone manufacturer, nearly doubled when the news hit that Trump Jr. was joining the board. Unusual Machines, which manufactures its unmanned aerial vehicles and components in the US, is aiming to reduce American dependence on ******** drones. But for the time being the company is reliant on ******** parts, which means that the Trump administration’s yo-yoing tariffs on China could hurt the company’s bottom line. CEO Allan Evans has said he would not ask Trump Jr. to intervene with the federal government on the company’s behalf for relief. “I would never ask him to do anything or facilitate anything like that,” Evans told the Wall Street Journal. Trump Jr. and his defenders clap back at critics who suggest his moves to join board seats and champion business interests carry the echoes of past ventures by presidential relatives like Billy Carter, Neil Bush or Hunter Biden. They call him a skilled entrepreneur with a long record of business success who has capitalized on his position by making shrewd business decisions, cultivating lucrative connections among tech and finance leaders, all while building up a powerful political operation in Washington. The Hunter Biden comparisons, in particular, have drawn a sharp response: “He became a ‘businessman’ after his dad got elected,” Trump Jr. said in a social media post. “I joined a Venture Capital Firm that invests in private American companies – Nothing to do with the government.” MAGA power broker “Don Jr. was an accomplished businessman long before his father got into politics and just continues to grow,” said Sean Spicer, who served the president as press secretary in his first term and now hosts the Sean Spicer podcast. Today, Spicer says Trump Jr. is the man to see. Spicer, who worked closely with the president’s son during the first term, says has seen the evolution up close. “If the phone rings and it’s Don Jr., you better pick it up on the first ring,” Spicer said. During the 2020 campaign Trump Jr. emerged as a potent asset for his father, stumping on the trail and fully embodying the MAGA brand. He flung “red meat” to the rapturous crowds at Trump rallies and showed an instinct for the jugular that reminded observers of Trump senior. A big part of his success, his friends say, is an ability to blend with the grassroots MAGA world. “Don Jr. isn’t just a billionaire’s son, he’s one of us,” said Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point USA, the pre-eminent MAGA aligned youth organization and an associate of Trump Jr. Trump Jr.’s inside and outside game makes him a unique player in Trump’s Washington, his allies say — someone with unparalleled clout within the administration who is also able to operate freely in the private sector. He has forged close ties with powerful tech titans like Elon Musk and David O. Sacks, the angel investor who was a key figure in bringing a powerful and wealthy contingent of Silicon Valley over to Trump. Sacks is currently serving as the White House Czar for both Crypto and AI. Last month he became Member #1 of the Executive Branch club. Daniel Klaidman Daniel Klaidman, an investigative reporter based in New York, is the former editor-in-chief of Yahoo News and former managing editor of Newsweek. He has over two decades of experience covering politics, foreign affairs, national security and law. Source link #Donald #Trump #Jr.s #transformation #Washington #power #broker Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump previews next Medicare drug price negotiations Trump previews next Medicare drug price negotiations In a photo illustration, prescription drugs are seen next to a pill bottle on July 23, 2024 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions. The Trump administration is already gearing up for another round of Medicare drug price negotiations, but it will look a little different this time around. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday issued new draft guidance for that third cycle, as the second round of negotiations is underway. The process was established under the Biden administration’s signature Inflation Reduction Act as a way to rein in high health care costs for older Americans. CMS plans to announce a list of 15 drugs eligible for the third round of price talks by February 2026, which will then kick off months of back and forth between the government and manufacturers if they agree to participate. The new negotiated prices for those products will go into effect in 2028. But here are the biggest changes this time around: Medicare Part B drugs – For the first time, the list would include drugs payable under Medicare Part B – which covers medicines administered in a doctor’s office or hospital – in addition to prescription drugs covered under Medicare Part D. Previous rounds only targeted Part D medications. Renegotiation process – CMS may choose to renegotiate the prices for certain drugs that already had prices set for the first and second cycles of talks, including those with new approved uses or changes in “monopoly status.” The agency will announce any medicines selected for the first cycle of renegotiation, with revised prices for those products taking effect in 2028. Transparency – CMS is aiming to boost transparency around the process, seeking public feedback on topics such as how the agency determines an initial price offer for a drug. “This draft guidance is critical to creating a transparent, competitive, and fair prescription drug market that puts American patients first,” Medicare Director Chris Klomp said in a release. But Wall Street analysts are focused on another part of the guidance that could cause issues for Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb and some other pharmaceutical companies. The guidance document suggests that the Trump administration could end a workaround that those companies are using to drag out revenue from top-earning ******* drugs, such as Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo. The plan had been to shift patients to newer injectable – or subcutaneous – versions of their ******* drugs and keep charging Medicare higher prices for them, even after their original intravenous versions are subject to new negotiated prices under the program. Drugmakers have been banking on those subcutaneous versions as a way to dampen the revenue they would lose from Medicare drug price negotiations, along with upcoming patent expirations for the original forms of their drugs. For example, key patents for Keytruda start expiring in 2028. Under the current rules, complex drugs known as biologics are eligible for the negotiation process after 13 years, but the clock restarts for a new version of the drug – like a subcutaneous form – that adds an additional active ingredient. Subcutaneous versions of drugs like Opdivo are combination products that include an additional ingredient, allowing them to be injected quickly instead of being slowly infused like the original intravenous form. But on Monday, CMS said it is “soliciting comments” on how it “might consider” grouping these combination drugs with their original versions — if the added ingredient doesn’t affect how the drug treats the underlying disease. In other words, the agency is considering whether to count two versions of a drug as a single product in certain cases. That appears to be “somewhat targeted” at products such as subcutaneous Keytruda and Opdivo, JPMorgan analysts said in a note on Monday. They said the guidance leads to “at least the potential for inclusion” of those drugs in future negotiations. Still, no changes are final yet, so it may be too soon to predict the impact on drugmakers like Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb. Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at *****@*****.tld. Latest in health care: UnitedHealth’s surprise leadership shakeup It’s not unusual for CEOs who transformed their companies to step back into leadership when things veer off course. This week, UnitedHealth Group Chairman Stephen Hemsley took a page from Bob Iger’s playbook at Disney, and took back the CEO position at the company following the abrupt departure of Andrew Witty. The last six months have been challenging for Witty, following the ******* of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and disappointing first-quarter earnings. Shares hit a four-year low in recent weeks as it became increasingly clear that United’s Medicare Advantage peers had done a better job of pricing for elevated costs in Medicare this year. During Hemsley’s 11-year tenure as CEO, UnitedHealth’s stock rose more than 300%, as he built the company into a health care juggernaut. Following the massive growth, the company and the industry as a whole have been facing waves of regulatory pressure and public scrutiny of their businesses. For Hemsley, it’s a whole new environment to navigate as he tries to right the ship. Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Bertha at *****@*****.tld. Latest in health-care tech: OpenAI launches new benchmark tool to evaluate how AI models perform in health scenarios OpenAI on Monday launched a new evaluation tool called HealthBench, a benchmark that will help test how artificial intelligence models perform in realistic health-care scenarios. “If developed and deployed effectively, large language models have the potential to expand access to health information, support clinicians in delivering high-quality care, and help people advocate for their health and that of their communities,” OpenAI said in a blog post. “To get there, we need to ensure models are useful and safe.” The company said HealthBench was developed alongside 262 doctors from 60 countries. It’s based on 5,000 conversations that simulate interactions between individual users or clinicians and AI models. The discussions are split into seven different themes, including global health, emergency situations and handling uncertainty. When a model responds to a prompt, each response is graded against a set of “physician-written rubric criteria specific to that conversation,” OpenAI said. HealthBench contains 48,562 unique rubric criteria. OpenAI included one example where a user said they found their 70-year-old neighbor unresponsive on the floor. The AI model in that instance told the user to take action right away, and included eight steps they could follow. HealthBench gave this answer a 77% based on its rubric criteria. OpenAI said HealthBench responses were evaluated against responses written by doctors to understand how the model compared to their clinical judgement. The company found that HealthBench “closely aligns” with physicians’ grading. OpenAI said it used HealthBench to evaluate several existing models, including its own o3, GPT-4.1, o1, GPT-4o and GPT-3.5 Turbo models, xAI’s Grok 3, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Meta’s Llama 4 Maverick. The company found that o3 outperformed other models, and it said its models have improved by 28% on HealthBench. OpenAI said the full evaluation suite and underlying data for HealthBench is available in its GitHub repository. “We hope this supports shared progress toward using AI systems to improve human health,” the company said. Read the full blog post here. Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at *****@*****.tld. Source link #Trump #previews #Medicare #drug #price #negotiations Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Erin Patterson trial: Alleged mushroom poisoner was ill, intensive care specialist tells court Erin Patterson trial: Alleged mushroom poisoner was ill, intensive care specialist tells court The triple-******* trial of alleged poisoner Erin Patterson has been told she was sick with a “diarrhoeal illness” when she checked herself into hospital following the lunch. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing trial after pleading not guilty to the ******* of three of her estranged husband’s relatives and attempting to kill one more on July 29, 2023. Prosecutors alleged she deliberately spiked a beef Wellington lunch with death cap mushrooms, while Ms Patterson’s defence say it was unintentional and a “tragic accident”. Camera IconLawyers acting for Ms Patterson have submitted the deaths were a tragic accident. Brooke Grebert-Craig. Credit: Supplied Called to give evidence at the trial on Wednesday, intensive care specialist and Flinders University professor Andrew Bersten said Ms Patterson’s medical records were “consistent” with her having suffered a diarrhoeal illness. The jury was told Ms Patterson checked herself into Leongatha Hospital on July 31, complaining of abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhoea since the evening of the lunch. Camera IconProfessor Bersten said the evidence was consistent with Ms Patterson being sick. NewsWire/ David Crosling Credit: News Corp Australia Later the same day she was transferred to Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne where she spent 21 ½ hours before being discharged. Dr Bersten confirmed the notes indicated she was discharged on August 1 with no evidence of poisoning from death cap mushrooms or any other toxic substance. Camera IconErin Patterson and her estranged husband Simon Patterson. NewsWire Credit: NewsWire Three of her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister Heather Patterson died within a day of each other in early August from multiple organ failure due to clinically diagnosed amanita mushroom poisoning. Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson gradually recovered and he was discharged into the rehabilitation ward on September 11. At the start of the trial Ms Patterson’s barrister, Colin Mandy SC, told the jury his client did not dispute her guests were poisoned with death cap mushrooms but that she did not deliberately poison anyone. “The defence case is that she didn’t intend to cause anyone any harm on that day,” he said.“The defence case is that what happened was a tragedy and a terrible accident.” The trial continues. Source link #Erin #Patterson #trial #Alleged #mushroom #poisoner #ill #intensive #care #specialist #tells #court Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Microsoft stands out as top Mag 7 stock pick, says portfolio manager Microsoft stands out as top Mag 7 stock pick, says portfolio manager STORY: Microsoft said on Tuesday it was laying off less than 3% of its workforce, or around 6,000 employees, as the technology giant looks to rein in costs while funneling billions of dollars into its ambitious bet on artificial intelligence. Krawez said the layoffs announcement “is prudent and will feed into [Microsoft’s] increasing margins.” The move comes weeks after Microsoft posted stronger-than-expected growth in its cloud-computing business, Azure, and blowout results in the latest quarter, calming investor worries in an uncertain economy. “You saw Azure growth of 35% in constant currency, which was phenomenal, well above Amazon, and AWS was up about 16%. So doubling Amazon growth is fantastic,” said Krawez. “They had stronger growth also than the third competitor, which is Google’s cloud business,” said Krawez. “We like Microsoft because it has a lot of strong recurring revenue, which is a good thing to have in this marketplace where there’s a lot of volatility, and we’re a bit worried about a potential recession.” Source link #Microsoft #stands #top #Mag #stock #pick #portfolio #manager Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Review: Skin Deep Thrives On The Comedic Potential Of The Immersive Sim Entertainium Review: Skin Deep Thrives On The Comedic Potential Of The Immersive Sim Entertainium The genre has always had a comical side, but Skin Deep leans all the way into it splendidly. Source link #Review #Skin #Deep #Thrives #Comedic #Potential #Immersive #Sim #Entertainium Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Klarna CEO says AI helped company shrink workforce by 40% Klarna CEO says AI helped company shrink workforce by 40% Pedestrians walk by an advertisement for Klarna. Daniel Harvey Gonzalez | In Pictures via Getty Images Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski said the company has managed to shrink its headcount by about 40%, in part due to investments in artificial intelligence and natural attrition in its workforce. “The truth is, the company has shrunk from about 5,000 to now almost 3,000 employees,” Siemiatkowski told CNBC’s “Power Lunch” on Wednesday. “If you go to LinkedIn and look at the jobs, you’ll see how we’re shrinking.” The Swedish fintech provider has been outspoken about its aggressive adoption of AI tools across the company, while touting the productivity gains that have come along as a result. The company deployed an “AI-generated version” of Siemiatkowski to announce its third-quarter results last year to demonstrate that AI could automate many jobs. Klarna partnered with ChatGPT maker OpenAI in 2023 and launched an AI customer service assistant using its technology a year later. The company said last year that AI was doing the work of 700 customer service agents. Klarna’s headcount fell from 5,527 full-time employees as of the end of December 2022 to 3,422 staffers last December, according to the company’s IPO prospectus filed in March. The company attributed the reduction to its efforts to leverage AI and lower its overall headcount, adding that it expects headcount to continue to fall over time. Siemiatkowski said the headcount reduction wasn’t solely due to AI, but also because of attrition. “We have simply communicated to our employees that what we’re going to do is we’re gonna shrink, so we’re going to stop hiring,” Siemiatkowski said Wednesday. “Natural attrition in a company like ours is 15-20% per year, so we shrink naturally 15-20% by people just leaving.” Klarna, which provides buy now, pay later loans, told Bloomberg TV last December it stopped hiring in 2023 at the same time that it ramped up AI use among its ranks. However, even after it announced a hiring freeze, the company continued to advertise open roles, TechCrunch reported. It’s currently hiring for 10 roles, primarily in Europe. Siemiatkowski said in a separate Bloomberg interview last week that the company will soon look to recruit more human customer service agents to work “in an Uber type of setup.” He acknowledged a full tilt toward AI-based support roles resulted in lower quality work. Klarna’s long-awaited IPO was expected early this year after the company filed its prospectus in March. But President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement in early April roiled markets, leading Klarna and other companies, including ticket marketplace StubHub and stock trading app eToro, to delay their offerings. With the market having stabilized in recent weeks, IPOs are again on the calendar. EToro debuted on Wednesday, and its stock popped even after the company priced above the expected range. Fintech company Chime Financial filed its prospectus on Tuesday. And digital health company Hinge Health is on tap to go public next week. Klarna has yet to provide an updated timeline on its IPO plans. Source link #Klarna #CEO #helped #company #shrink #workforce Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall Review | NoobFeed Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall Review | NoobFeed NoobFeed editor Wasbir writes – Undoubtedly, Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall is an excellently designed kingdom simulator that expands upon all the qualities shown by the first. For players who have already played, this is a beautifully painful continuation of a story that needed to be told. Source link #Grace #Snowfall #Review #NoobFeed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Indian strikes on Pakistan damaged six airfields, Post analysis finds – The Washington Post Indian strikes on Pakistan damaged six airfields, Post analysis finds – The Washington Post Indian strikes on Pakistan damaged six airfields, Post analysis finds The Washington PostIndia and Pakistan Talked Big, but Satellite Imagery Shows Limited Damage The New York TimesPakistan and India Shift to War of Words After Shooting Stops Bloomberg.comDid Pakistan shoot down five Indian fighter jets? What we know Al Jazeera’New normal’ for Congress? Shashi Tharoor’s praise for PM Modi’s policies Times of India Source link #Indian #strikes #Pakistan #damaged #airfields #Post #analysis #finds #Washington #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ubisoft Announces A Riders Republic Movie Is In The Works Ubisoft Announces A Riders Republic Movie Is In The Works Ubisoft has revealed plans for a movie based on their Riders Republic game. Source link #Ubisoft #Announces #Riders #Republic #Movie #Works Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]