Category: News and Views

Everything leaving Netflix in August 2024 | Digital Trends

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Sometimes, there are months when Netflix barely loses anything of note. Unfortunately, August is not one of those months. Everything Everywhere All At Once, the first five Spider-Man live-action films, Paddington, The Woman King, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, and more will be heading out the door by the time August 31 rolls around.

Most of these films have been on loan to Netflix by Sony as part of a larger agreement between the streamer and the movie studio. But even acclaimed indie movies like Marcel the Shell with Shoes On are running out of time on Netflix this month. As a subscriber, there’s only one thing to do if you want to catch these films before they depart: Make your viewing plans now. August is one of the longest months of the year, so use that extra day to your advantage. In the meantime, check out our roundup of everything leaving Netflix in August 2024. As always, our picks for the month are in bold.

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Fed Decision: Officials Hold Rates Steady, Signal First Cut Is Nearer | Bloomberg

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said an interest-rate cut could come as soon as September after the US central bank voted to leave its benchmark at the highest level in more than two decades.

“The question will be whether the totality of the data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks are consistent with rising confidence on inflation and maintaining a solid labor market,”

Powell told reporters Wednesday. “If that test is met, a reduction in our policy rate could be on the table as soon as the next meeting in September.”

His comments followed a Federal Open Market Committee decision to leave the federal funds rate in a range of 5.25% to 5.5%, a level they have maintained since last July.

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Amazon responsible for product recalls, says US | BBC News

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US regulators have ruled that Amazon is responsible for handling recalls of unsafe products sold on its site and must improve its process.

They said Amazon’s alerts were not sufficient to convince its customers to stop using such products and ordered the company to submit a new plan for how it will respond.

The decision by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) came after the agency sued the e-commerce giant in 2021 for distributing more than 400,000 hazardous items, including faulty carbon monoxide detectors.

Amazon said it planned to appeal the finding while defending its practices.

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Simone Biles leads USA to Olympic gymnastics team gold as GB finish fourth | BBC Sport

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Simone Biles inspired the United States to victory in the women’s team gymnastics event as the first leg of a “redemption tour” began with a fifth Olympic gold.

For the world’s most decorated gymnast, it is the first Olympic gold since Rio 2016 after she pulled out of several events in Tokyo three years ago with the ‘twisties’ – a disorientating mental block.

Fellow sporting greats like Serena Williams and Michael Phelps were on their feet in the packed Bercy Arena as Biles’ stunning Taylor Swift-inspired floor routine sealed gold for her and team-mates Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.

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Senate Defiance Act passes unanimously, outlining civil path for deepfake victims | Mashable

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New anti-deepfake legislation, known as the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits (Defiance) Act, has passed a Senate vote with unanimous consent, pushing the first of potentially many AI-focused regulations one step closer to federal law.

The bipartisan Defiance Act grants victims the right to sue individuals who “knowingly produce, distribute, or receive” nonconsensual sexually-explicit digital forgeries. It was introduced to the session by Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and Republican senator Lindsay Graham, but Democratic representative and co-leader Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has become a figurehead of the legislation.

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Conn’s, a 134-year-old home goods retailer, is closing 70 stores | CNN Business

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Conn’s HomePlus, a 134-year-old furniture and electronics retailer with locations primarily in the southern United States, has filed for bankruptcy and is closing nearly half of its 170 stores.

The Texas-based company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, has been struggling with slumping sales amid a broader slowdown in discretionary spending among consumers. Conn’s has assets and liabilities worth at least $1 billion each, according to the filing.

The 73 Conn’s HomePlus stores closing are listed on its website. Florida is the most affected state with 18 stores soon shutting down, followed by Texas with 9 locations. Other states where stores are closing include Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia.

A Conn’s spokesperson said that as the company goes through the Chapter 11 process, it “continues to have ongoing discussions with potential buyers to sell all or parts of the business and preserve jobs.”

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Ford keeps having to repair customers’ new cars and trucks. Its profit is plunging and its stock tumbled | CNN Business

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Shares of Ford fell more than 11% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the automaker reported much weaker than expected earnings. The company said it was compelled to set aside more money to cover the cost of repairing customers’ vehicles.

The company (F) did not break out how much extra money it set aside to cover warranty expenses, but said “most” of the $1.2 billion drop in operating income in the quarter came from that increased expense. Still, Ford said it is making gains in product quality, despite the increased costs.

“We still have lots of work ahead of us to raise quality and reduce costs and complexity, but the team is committed and we’re heading in the right direction,” said Ford CFO John Lawler in the company’s earnings report.

The company’s adjusted net income fell $1 billion to $1.9 billion, or 47 cents a share. That badly missed analysts’ forecasts of earnings per share of 68 cents a share

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Amid extreme heat, 1 in 4 American households experience energy insecurity each year | Fast Company

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Coast to coast, millions of Americans are experiencing sweltering temperatures this summer, with seemingly little relief in sight. For people who struggle to access or afford air conditioning, the rising need for cooling is a growing crisis.

An alarming number of Americans risk losing access to utility services because they can’t pay their bills. Energy utility providers in 2022 shut off electricity to at least 3 million customers who had missed a bill payment. Over 30% of these disconnections happened in the three summer months, during a year that was among the hottest on record.

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eBay Partners with Liberis to Launch Business Cash Advance for Sellers | Small Biz Trends

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eBay Inc. announced the launch of Business Cash Advance, a new eBay Seller Capital revenue-based financing product provided by Liberis. The goal is to support eBay sellers at every business stage; Business Cash Advance offers eligible U.S. eBay sellers up to $1 million in working capital in as little as 24 hours.

The product promises:

  • A seamless application experience: 100% online and personalized application experience that takes as little as three minutes.
  • Extensive financing options: Pre-approved funding offers ranging from $500 up to $1M, removing the fear of rejection.
  • Fast access to capital: Upon approval, funds are typically transferred in as little as 12-24 hours.
  • Flexible payments: Flexible payment schedules that scale with the seller’s sales cycle. There is no minimum payment and no early payment penalty.
  • Transparent reporting: Sellers can easily track payment progress, reconcile payments and sales proceeds, and view all reporting in one place on the eBay Seller Hub.

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