Business

United Airline Employees With Religious Exemptions To Vax Mandate To Be Placed On Temporary Unpaid Leave

CNBC reports: United Airlines’ employees who are granted exemptions to a company vaccinate mandate for religious reasons will be put on temporary unpaid leave starting next month, the airline told staff Wednesday, citing the recent rise in Covid cases. The airline last month said its 67,000-person U.S. workforce must be vaccinated against Covid-19 this fall, but said it would consider …

Read More »

Apple To Unveil Latest iPhone On September 14th

CNET reports: Apple’s iPhone 13 is on its way with an online-only event set for Sept. 14. The new iPhone is expected to debut with a collection of new features, upgraded camera specs, new color options (maybe even bubblegum pink) and an updated design with a notchless display. Although we’ll likely see the new iPhone next week, rumors about the …

Read More »

Amazon To Launch Branded Televisions Next Month

The Verge reports: Amazon is set to release Amazon-branded TVs as soon as October in the US, according to Insider. The TVs will have Alexa, screen sizes “in the range of 55 to 75 inches,” and will be designed and manufactured by third parties such as TCL. The company is also developing a TV designed in-house, but it’s unclear when …

Read More »

Dating App Launches Fund To Fight Texas Abortion Law

USA Today reports: Austin-based Bumble — no stranger to taking political stands — is creating a relief fund to support reproductive rights and to help people seeking abortions in Texas. A company spokesperson said the money will go towards partner organizations dedicated to protecting reproductive rights. The company also mentioned its plans to support abortion rights in an Instagram post …

Read More »

Apple Pauses Plan To Scan iPhones For Child Porn

CNBC reports: After objections about privacy rights, Apples said Friday it will delay its plan to scan users’ photo libraries for images of child exploitation. “Based on feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers and others, we have decided to take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements.” Apple’s CSAM detection system was supposed to go …

Read More »

FAA Grounds Virgin Galactic Over July Flight Mishap

NBC News reports: The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that Virgin Galactic cannot launch anyone into space again until an investigation is complete into a mishap that occurred during July’s flight with founder Richard Branson. The ban came as Virgin Galactic announced plans to launch three Italian researchers to the edge of space in a few weeks. The FAA said …

Read More »

Amazon To Beef Up Moderation Of Sites It Hosts

The Verge reports: Amazon is planning to expand its in-house moderation team for Amazon Web Services, according to a new report from Reuters. Citing two sources within the company, the report says Amazon is planning to develop a proactive threat monitoring capability within AWS, which will seek out prohibited content on AWS servers and remove it before it’s reported by …

Read More »

NYC To Fully End Restrictions On Dancing In Bars

Gothamist reports: Back in 2017, the City Council simultaneously created the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife and repealed the reviled Cabaret Law, which made dancing illegal in the vast majority of the city’s bars and restaurants for nearly a century. But the repeal did not change the fact that many establishments were still subject to the same restrictions under zoning regulations. …

Read More »

Oxy-Peddling Sackler Family Given Civil Immunity

The Washington Post reports: More than two decades after Purdue Pharma launched its blockbuster pain pill OxyContin, preceding a deadly overdose crisis, a judge approved a bankruptcy plan Wednesday that will resolve thousands of lawsuits against the drugmaker and grant sweeping legal immunity to its billionaire owners. Negotiated until the 11th hour, the final terms of the settlement confirmed by …

Read More »

Amazon To Advertise For Weed-Smoking Drivers

Bloomberg News reports: Amazon.com Inc. has a solution for a potentially crippling shortage of delivery drivers: Recruit pot smokers. The company is advising its delivery partners — the mom and pops that operate the ubiquitous blue Amazon vans — to prominently advertise that they don’t screen applicants for marijuana use, according to correspondence reviewed by Bloomberg and interviews with four …

Read More »

Walgreens To Join CVS In $15/Hour Starting Wage

From Walgreens’ corporate blog: Walgreens is further investing in its hourly team members who provide trusted care and services in communities across the U.S. Walgreens will increase the starting hourly wage for all team members to $15.00 an hour, taking effect in phases beginning in October of this year and are expected to be fully implemented by November 1, 2022. …

Read More »

Free Upgrades To Windows 11 To Begin October 5th

The Verge reports: Microsoft is announcing that Windows 11 will be released on October 5th. The new operating system will be available as a free upgrade for eligible Windows 10 PCs, or on new hardware that ships with Windows 11 pre-loaded. The free upgrade to Windows 11 will start rolling out on October 5th, but like many Windows upgrades in …

Read More »

McDonald’s To Franchisees: Close Indoor Dining Again

Reuters reports: Some U.S. fast-food restaurants are closing indoor seating areas or limiting hours of operation because of the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19, according to franchisees. McDonald’s Corp. had temporarily closed indoor dining at nearly all U.S. locations in early 2020, but it reopened 70% by last month. In Wednesday’s conference call, McDonald’s executives recommended franchisees consider …

Read More »

Man Claims Responsibility For Massive T-Mobile Hack

The Wall Street Journal reports: The hacker who is taking responsibility for breaking into T-Mobile US Inc.’s systems said the wireless company’s lax security eased his path into a cache of records with personal details on more than 50 million people and counting. John Binns, a 21-year-old American who moved to Turkey a few years ago, told The Wall Street …

Read More »

MS Warns Major Companies Of Exposed Databases

Reuters reports: Microsoft on Thursday warned thousands of its cloud computing customers, including some of the world’s largest companies, that intruders could have the ability to read, change or even delete their main databases, according to a copy of the email and a cyber security researcher. The vulnerability is in Microsoft Azure’s flagship Cosmos database. A research team at security …

Read More »

OnlyFans Reverses Decision To Ban Explicit Content

Yahoo Finance reports: OnlyFans’ upcoming ban on sexually explicit material appears to be over before it even began. The company said it had “suspended” its planned October 1st change after having “secured assurances” needed to support its existing creator base. The exact situation isn’t clear (we’ve asked for comment), but it appears adults-only content is safe for now. A more …

Read More »

Delta To Impose $200/Month Insurance Surcharge On Unvaccinated Workers, No Pay If They Must Quarantine

The New York Times reports: Delta Air Lines is intensifying pressure on employees to get vaccinated with a series of increasingly burdensome requirements over the coming weeks and months, though it stopped short of the mandates that other airlines and businesses have put in place. In a letter to employees on Wednesday, the carrier’s chief executive, Ed Bastian, said that …

Read More »

Patagonia Dumps WY Resort For Hosting Cultist Reps

The WyoFile reports: Patagonia, the iconic sportswear company that’s built a worldwide reputation on outdoor athleticism and environmental activism, will no longer supply Jackson Hole Mountain Resort with its products after a resort owner hosted a fundraiser for the right-wing House Freedom Caucus. Patagonia confirmed Tuesday that it would no longer sell to the resort, its largest single customer in …

Read More »

Musk: Tesla To Launch Humanoid Robot Next Year

Reuters reports: Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk on Thursday said the electric automaker will probably launch a “Tesla Bot” humanoid robot prototype next year, designed for dangerous, repetitive, or boring work that people don’t like to do. Speaking at Tesla’s AI Day event, the billionaire entrepreneur said the robot, which stands around five foot eight inches tall, would be …

Read More »

OnlyFans To Prohibit All “Sexually Explicit” Content

Bloomberg News reports: OnlyFans is getting out of the pornography business. The company will prohibit users from posting any sexually explicit conduct, starting in October. Creators will still be allowed to post nude photos and videos, provided they’re consistent with OnlyFans’ policy, the company said Thursday. The changes are needed because of mounting pressure from banking partners and payment providers, …

Read More »