Business

Traffic Has Plummeted For Right Wing Sites Since 2020

Mediaite reports: Major hard-right media outlets saw their online traffic plummet in January of 2024 when compared to January 2020, according to new data from The Righting. Townhall, Washington Free Beacon, and Breitbart have seen their digital traffic plummet a whopping 87% in the two years, according to the Comscore data set. Other major drops were registered by the Daily …

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New App Creates Digital Hub For LGBTQ Businesses

Mashable reports: A new app has just dropped for seekers of LGBTQ-owned businesses, queer-friendly artists and advisors, and inclusive community spaces — or for supporters seeking a tangible way to defy the current political tide. Launched by Everywhere is Queer, an LGBTQ business directory that gained popularity in 2022, it’s Yelp for the queer-led revolution. The just-released Everywhere is Queer …

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Capital One To Acquire Discover In $35 Billion Deal

The Associated Press reports: Capital One Financial said it will buy Discover Financial Services for $35 billion, in a deal that would bring together two of the nation’s credit card companies as well as potentially shake up the payments industry, which is largely dominated by Visa and Mastercard. Under the terms of the all-stock transaction, Discover Financial shareholders will receive …

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Lawsuit Claims Dating Apps Turn Users Into “Addicts”

The Associated Press reports: Stuck in a dating app loop with no date in sight? A lawsuit against Match Group claims that is by design. Tinder, Hinge and other Match dating apps are filled with addictive features that encourage “compulsive” use, the proposed class-action lawsuit claims. The lawsuit filed in federal court in the Northern District of California on Wednesday …

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Walmart In Talks To Buy Smart TV Brand Vizio For $2B

Reuters reports: Walmart is in talks to buy smart-television manufacturer Vizio for more than $2 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, a move that could bolster its advertising business and give it control of more than a fifth of the U.S. television market. Vizio shares closed up 24.6% on Tuesday. The reported offer price is nearly 30% higher …

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Judge Orders Musk To Testify In SEC’s Twitter Probe

Reuters reports: A federal judge ordered Elon Musk to testify again in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s probe of his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, giving the regulator and the billionaire a week to agree on a date and location for the interview. Judge Laurel Beeler’s order, issued on Saturday night, formalized a tentative ruling she made in December …

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Chick-Fil-A Convention Opens With Gospel Singalong

“When thousands of attendees come together for Chick-fil-A’s annual NEXT conference, they can expect to be served some content that isn’t part of traditional program fare. The three-day event will go beyond product announcements and outlines of new business initiatives for the quick-service brand. Sure, the program aims to educate thousands of owner-operators of the restaurant’s locations and Chick-fil-A’s headquarter …

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NTSB: Four Bolts Were Missing From Alaska Airlines Jet

USA Today reports: The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report into last month’s Alaska Airlines door plug blowout, saying evidence shows that four bolts were missing from the apparatus at the time of the incident. According to the NTSB, “two vertical movement arrestor bolts, two upper guide track bolts, forward lower hinge guide fitting, and forward lift assist …

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Boeing Finds New Issue With Unfinished Max Planes

Reuters reports: Boeing Co said on Sunday it will have to do more work on about 50 undelivered 737 MAX airplanes, potentially delaying some near-term deliveries, after its supplier Spirit AeroSystems discovered two mis-drilled holes on some fuselages. Boeing confirmed the findings in response to a Reuters query after industry sources said an “edge margin”, or spacing problem, had been …

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WSJ: Musk Execs Are Pressured To Do Drugs With Him

The Insider reports: Elon Musk has created a culture of peer pressure among his friends and business associates that encourages them to use drugs with him, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal that details how board members and directors of his various companies either participate in or enable his substance use to stay close to the …

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Meta To Investors: Zuckerberg’s Hobbies Could Kill Him

The New York Post reports: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s love of “high-risk activities” pose a “risk of serious injury and death,” the company warned investors in its latest Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The warning was included for the first time under “risk factors” in Meta’s 10-K filing — a comprehensive report on the tech behemoth’s activities throughout 2023 — …

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Hulu And Disney+ To Crack Down On Password Sharing

Ars Technica reports: Hulu and Disney+ subscribers have until March 14 to stop sharing their login information with people outside of their household. Disney-owned streaming services are the next to adopt the password-crackdown strategy that has helped Netflix add millions of subscribers. An email sent from “The Hulu Team” to subscribers yesterday and viewed by Ars Technica tells customers that …

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YouTube’s Ad-Free Plan Hits 100 Million Subscriptions After Warning To Users That Ad-Blockers Violate TOS

Ars Technica reports: Hot on the heels of Google’s “One” subscription plan obtaining 100 million users, YouTube is also hitting that big milestone, with 100 million people paying for Premium and YouTube Music. YouTube’s subscription data didn’t make it into the earnings call three days ago. Ad-free videos have been getting the most aggressive promotion lately, with Google cracking down …

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Feds: Crypto Mining Consumes 2.3% Of US Electricity

From the Energy Department: Electricity demand associated with U.S. cryptocurrency mining operations in the United States has grown very rapidly over the last several years. Our preliminary estimates suggest that annual electricity use from cryptocurrency mining probably represents from 0.6% to 2.3% of U.S. electricity consumption. This additional electricity use has drawn the attention of policymakers and grid planners concerned …

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Amazon Launches AI Shopping Assistant Named Rufus

CNBC reports: Amazon on Thursday announced a new artificial intelligence assistant for shopping called Rufus. The tool is designed to help users search and shop for products. Shoppers type or speak a question into the search bar in Amazon’s mobile app and a chat window will appear at the bottom of their screen. Users can ask conversational questions such as, …

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Disney Appeals Free Speech Lawsuit Against DeSantis

The Associated Press reports: Disney on Thursday appealed a judge’s dismissal of its free speech lawsuit over what it described as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ retaliatory takeover of Walt Disney World’s governing district, as the Florida governor separately called any appeal “a mistake.” “They were wrong and we were right,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Jacksonville a day after …

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Musk Seeks To Move Tesla’s Incorporation To Texas

Reuters reports: Tesla will hold a shareholder vote to transfer its state of incorporation to Texas from Delaware, CEO Elon Musk said on Thursday, days after a judge invalidated his $56 billion pay package at the electric vehicle (EV) maker. On Tuesday, Delaware judge Kathaleen McCormick called the 2018 share-based pay package, the largest in corporate America, “an unfathomable sum” …

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DOJ: eBay To Pay $59 Million For Selling Pill Presses

From the Justice Department: eBay Inc., an e-commerce company headquartered in San Jose, California, has agreed to pay $59 million and to enhance its compliance program to resolve allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in connection with thousands of pill presses and encapsulating machines that were sold through its website. Pill presses and encapsulating machines can be …

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Florida GOP Moves To Ban Sales Of Cultivated Meat

Florida Politics reports: If Florida bans cultivated meat, it will be the first in the nation to do so. With food scarcity challenging modern agriculture, those behind the development of alternative protein sources fear this will set a dangerous precedent. That hasn’t stopped legislation from plowing forward in the House and Senate. Language completely banning the manufacturing, sale or distribution …

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Hotel Mogul Gives Trump $1 Million For Legal Fees

Reuters reports: Hotelier Robert Bigelow told Reuters on Tuesday he gave Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump $1 million for his legal fees and agreed to donate another $20 million to a pro-Trump outside group for campaign purposes. “I gave him $1 million towards his legal fees a few weeks ago. I made a promise to give him $20 million more, …

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