Category: News and Views

Tesla Robotaxi reveal: What to expect | TechCrunch

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Tesla is gearing up to reveal its Robotaxi this Thursday, and everyone wants to know what it will look like, whether Tesla will unveil a commercialization strategy, and what outrageous timelines Elon Musk might announce to bump Tesla’s stock.

The “We, Robot” event will take place at 7 p.m. PT at Warner Bros. Discovery’s movie studio in Burbank, California, and we’ve got details on how to watch it here.

Musk had originally planned to reveal the Robotaxi – which he has also referred to as a Cybercab – on August 8. That’s a deadline Musk set for himself and Tesla a few hours after a Reuters report found that the automaker shelved its plan to build a lower-cost EV and would instead focus its resources on a robotaxi.

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Now Texas is suing TikTok over children’s safety concerns, too | Mashable

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TikTok’s legal troubles in the United States continue.

Reuters reported that the state of Texas sued TikTok on Thursday. According to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, TikTok has allegedly violated Texas state law and jeopardized children’s safety with the popular video-sharing app’s policies.

Paxton accused TikTok of not providing proper privacy settings for accounts belonging to children, as well as targeting advertising at children. He wants civil penalties of as much as $10,000 per violation of Texas’s Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act.

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McDonald’s is finally selling the Chicken Big Mac in the US | CNN Business

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When McDonald’s rolled out the Chicken Big Mac in the United Kingdom, it sold out within 10 days. Now, it’s likely hoping for similar success in the United States.

Beginning October 10, the highly anticipated sandwich will be sold for a limited time at McDonald’s US locations. The Chicken Big Mac is similar to its beefy sibling; however, it replaces the two burgers with two tempura chicken patties. It also includes the signature Big Mac sauce, pickles, shredded lettuce and a slice of American cheese.

McDonald’s has been vocal about adding more chicken to its menu, which is generally cheaper than beef. CEO Chris Kempczinski said in its most recent earnings call that it’s focused on adding “growth drivers like chicken” in an attempt to reverse slumping sales. Chicken is now on par with beef sales at its restaurants, he added.

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Striking port workers will return to work Friday as negotiators reach an agreement on wages | CNN Business

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Striking members of the International Longshoremen’s Association will be back to work at the ports on Friday, the union announced Thursday evening, as the union and the management group representing shipping lines, terminal operators and port authorities have reached a tentative deal on wages.

The agreement on wages amounts to a $4-per-hour raise for each year of the six-year contract, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told CNN. That amounts to a first year raise of just over 10% of the current contract’s top pay of $39 an hour. With the five subsequent pay hikes it would raise wages by 62% over the life of the contract

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Mount Everest is taller than it should be — and a weird river may be to blame | Live Science

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A “weird” river in the Himalayas may have pushed the peak of Mount Everest up by 164 feet (50 meters), scientists say.

According to a new study, a river roughly 46 miles (75 kilometers) from Everest was “captured” by another around 89,000 years ago. The erosion from this event carved away a huge gorge, leading to a loss of landmass that made the mountain experience a major growth spurt.

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New Orleans is using the Super Bowl to make the entire city more accessible | Fast Company

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Few areas of the country are as steeped in history, architecture, culture, and outright revelry as New Orleans. It’s a tourist draw year-round. The compact French Quarter, boasting 500 eateries and 100 attractions, gained plaudits from a recent study naming the district the country’s most walkable.

That, of course, isn’t true for everyone—especially Americans with disabilities, mobility or otherwise. With the city set to host the Super Bowl on February 9, its eleventh, local advocates and leaders hope they can use the big game as a catalyst for change, and improve the city so that everyone can enjoy it.

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Chemical plant fire in Georgia forces 90,000 residents to take shelter | Fast Company

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More than 90,000 residents east of Atlanta were told to keep sheltering in place Monday a day after a chemical plant fire sent a massive plume of dark smoke high into the sky that could been seen for miles.

The haze and chemical smell had spread to Atlanta by Monday morning, prompting firefighters to use detectors to check the quality of air in various parts of the city, Mayor Andre Dickens said.

Closer to the source of the fire, officials said chlorine, a harmful irritant, had been detected in the air from the fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Georgia, the Rockdale County government said in statement early Monday. The plant is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of downtown Atlanta.

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Justice Department Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Visa for Monopolizing Debit Markets | Small Business Trends

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The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Visa, accusing the company of monopolizing debit network markets in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges that Visa’s dominance in the debit network markets has allowed it to maintain a monopoly through exclusionary and anticompetitive conduct, undermining choice and innovation in payment systems.

According to the complaint, Visa controls over 60% of debit transactions in the United States, generating more than $7 billion in fees annually from processing these transactions. The Justice Department claims Visa illegally uses its dominance to stifle competition by imposing restrictive agreements on merchants and banks, penalizing them for using alternative debit networks. These practices allegedly protect Visa’s market position and prevent the growth of smaller, lower-priced competitors.

“We allege that Visa has unlawfully amassed the power to extract fees that far exceed what it could charge in a competitive market,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Merchants and banks pass along those costs to consumers, either by raising prices or reducing quality or service.  As a result, Visa’s unlawful conduct affects not just the price of one thing – but the price of nearly everything.”

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Federal Court Permanently Shuts Down Illinois Tax Preparer | Small Business Trends

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A federal court in the Northern District of Illinois has permanently enjoined Sir Michael Joseph Davenport, a tax preparer from Joliet, Illinois, and his company, My Unity Tax Financial & Tax Preparation LLC (My Unity Tax), from preparing federal tax returns for others.

Davenport is also barred from owning or operating any tax return preparation businesses in the future. The permanent injunction was agreed to by Davenport and his business.

The civil complaint filed in this case alleges that Davenport and My Unity Tax prepared false and fraudulent federal tax returns with the intent to reduce customers’ tax liabilities or obtain undeserved tax refunds. The complaint claims that Davenport and his company regularly reported fictitious businesses, minimal or no income, and fabricated or manipulated expenses on customers’ tax returns to fraudulently reduce taxable income. According to the complaint, many of these businesses did not exist.

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US to ban Chinese tech in cars | BBC News

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The US is planning to ban certain hardware and software made in China and Russia from cars, trucks, and buses in the US due to security risks.

Officials said they were worried that the technology in question, used for autonomous driving and to connect cars to other networks could allow enemies to “remotely manipulate cars on American roads”.

There is currently minimal use of Chinese or Russian-made software in American cars.

But Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the plans were “targeted, proactive” steps to protect the US.

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