Author: potus

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy speaks during a keynote address at AWS re:Invent 2024, a conference hosted by Amazon Web Services, at The Venetian Las Vegas on December 3, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Noah Berger | Getty ImagesAmazon CEO Andy Jassy said Tuesday that the company’s corporate workforce will shrink in the coming years as it adopts more generative artificial intelligence tools and agents.”We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs,” Jassy said in a memo to employees. “It’s hard to know exactly where this nets…

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg tries on Orion AR glasses at the Meta Connect annual event at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, U.S., September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Manuel OrbegozoManuel Orbegozo | ReutersMeta and EssilorLuxottica plan to release versions of their AI-powered smart glasses under the Oakley and Prada brands, CNBC has learned.The addition of Prada and Oakley underscore the breakout success Meta had with its second-generation Ray-Ban glasses released in partnership with Luxottica in 2023. The Oakley expansion will be done in partnership with Luxottica, while the addition of Prada signifies Meta’s first step toward bring its wearable hardware to…

(The Center Square) – Alleging the Trump administration wants to take health care away from people, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker this week signed a state budget that does just that.Come July 1, the $55.2 billion fiscal year 2026 Illinois state budget removes the provision Pritzker had previously enacted to give state taxpayer subsidies to the health care of non-citizen adults. Pritzker said Illinois isn’t the only state discontinuing such programs.“It was a program that had been growing significantly in cost,” Pritzker said. “I do believe that everybody should have health care. I also know that we have to live within…

(The Center Square) – Taxpayers spent $56 billion on Medicaid last year for able-bodied adults abusing the program, according to a new report released by the White House Tuesday.The report claims that 44% of able-bodied Medicaid recipients without children worked less than 20 hours a week in 2024, using 11% of the government’s annual Medicaid funds.The White House stressed the need for more stringent work requirements for adults on Medicaid, citing studies that link unemployment to drug abuse, poor mental health and suicide.“We find substantial evidence that work is beneficial and unemployment is harmful for individuals across a range of…

(The Center Square) – The Senate Finance Committee’s tax and health care additions to Republicans’ multitrillion-dollar policy megabill include deal-breaking changes that have thrown congressional Republicans in disarray.Released Monday evening, the committee’s revisions to the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) include making key provisions of the expiring 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, rather than the House’s 10-year extension.That includes the $15,000 maximum standard deduction for single filers and $30,000 for joint filers; the 20% Qualified Business Income deduction; and the doubled child tax credit of $2,000, though both parents now need a Social Security number to…

(The Center Square) – Add Wisconsin to the list of states accepting a piece of the $7.4 billion opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma.Attorney General Josh Kaul said the state is joining the attorneys general  from all 50 states, as well as four US territories in accepting the settlement.“There’s still a long way to go in the fight against the opioid epidemic,” Kaul said in a statement.Kaul’s office said the settlement should bring more than $80 million back to Wisconsin over the next 15 years to help make state and local governments whole after years of dealing with opioids and their users.Half…

A Tesla Cybertruck sits on a lot at a Tesla dealership on April 15, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Brandon Bell | Getty ImagesTesla shares fell nearly 4% on Tuesday after a report that the electric vehicle maker was halting production of Cybertruck and Model Y models for a week in Austin, Texas.The production stoppage begins June 30, Business Insider reported, citing a staff meeting where the announcement was made. The pause, which is for maintenance on production lines, would be the third such shutdown at the Austin facility in the past year, according to BI.CNBC has reached out to Tesla for…

(The Center Square) – Georgia is receiving $126 million as part of a nationwide settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler families.The overall settlement is $7.4 billion, which will be distributed nationwide over three years.“For years, the Sackler family profited off other people’s pain – destroying lives and families in Georgia and throughout the country,” Attorney General Chris Carr said. “While nothing can undo the harm caused, this settlement will provide our state with significant resources to support those struggling with addiction and Georgians in recovery.”Data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention shows Georgia’s opioid-related deaths decreased 22% from…

(The Center Square) – The Appalachian Regional Commission, an economic development partnership between the federal government and parts of 13 states including all of West Virginia, is poised to see a 93% reduction in funding with the “Big Beautiful Bill Act.”While funds will continue through grants from previous federal legislation like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, advocates say the drop from $200 million to $14 million will hamstring its efforts to serve the people of Appalachia.The commission represents 423 counties that it supports with grant opportunities and education efforts. It was first envisioned by President John F. Kennedy and…

(The Center Square) – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood’s use of federal funds for abortions and transgender care for minors.The investigation comes as the Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision on transgender care for minors in the coming weeks.A 2024 report found Planned Parenthood performed 402,230 abortion procedures and cancer screenings made up 426,268 of the organization’s services from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023. During that period, federal funds made up the largest share of Planned Parenthood’s revenue at 39% of total revenue.The report also lists that Planned Parenthood completed…