All posts tagged: push

Republican Mutiny Sinks Trump’s Push to Extend Warrantless Surveillance

Republican Mutiny Sinks Trump’s Push to Extend Warrantless Surveillance

Published by skeptic

House Speaker Mike Johnson convened a vote in the dead of night on Friday, calling lawmakers back to the floor after midnight in a push to preserve a surveillance program that allows federal agents to read the communications of Americans without a warrant. Twenty Republicans broke ranks and sank it, a sharp rebuke of both Johnson and President Donald Trump, who had spent the week personally working holdouts to back the bill. The failed vote caps weeks of bipartisan resistance to a clean reauthorization of the surveillance program, authorized under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The 702 program permits wiretaps of communications ostensibly belonging to foreigners overseas, but is also known to intercept vast amounts of Americans’ emails, texts, phone calls, and other data—private messages that the FBI and other agencies routinely access without a warrant. Congressional authorization for the program will expire on Tuesday. The White House and GOP leadership have spent weeks pressing for a “clean” reauthorization, fending off a bipartisan alliance of House Freedom Caucus Republicans and progressive Democrats …

Macron and Starmer Welcome Hormuz Reopening and Push for Permanent Navigation Security

Macron and Starmer Welcome Hormuz Reopening and Push for Permanent Navigation Security

Published by Sam Flores

PARIS (AP) — The leaders of France and the U.K. on Friday welcomed the announcement by Iran and the U.S. that the Strait of Hormuz is open, but said freedom of navigation must be permanently restored to the key oil route choked by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they would keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, which Starmer said will be deployed “as soon as conditions allow.” They said military planners will meet in London next week. Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries, Macron said “we all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.” Starmer said the announcement by Iran and the U.S. that the waterway is open must become “both lasting and a workable proposal.” The Paris meeting is part of attempts by sidelined nations to ease the impact of a conflict they didn’t start and haven’t joined, but that has sent the global economy reeling. Petroleum prices soared after the war …

Cirba marks Earth Day with reforestation and battery recycling push

Cirba marks Earth Day with reforestation and battery recycling push

Published by skeptic

As Earth Day approaches on April 22, Cirba Solutions is scaling up its environmental efforts with a dual focus: restoring forests and expanding access to safe battery recycling across the US. The initiative reflects a growing emphasis on measurable environmental impact – restoring damaged ecosystems while tackling the less visible, but equally urgent, challenge of responsible recycling. Karen Gay, Manager, Community Engagement at Cirba Solutions, commented: “Through these efforts, we are able to reduce waste and minimise the need for raw material extraction, thereby conserving natural resources. “Battery recycling is a fundamentally sustainable option, and it’s critical to the environment that we prioritise expanding consumer and business access to recycling end-of-life batteries, increase awareness around the benefits and implement safe and responsible solutions for disposing of batteries properly.” Reforestation efforts gain ground To mark Earth Day, Cirba Solutions is funding the planting of nearly 400 trees through the Arbor Day Foundation, creating three new forest sites in areas hit hard by environmental damage. The initiative responds to decades of logging, wildfires and disease that have …

Banijay Execs Tout All3Media Deal, Sports and Live Experiences Push

Banijay Execs Tout All3Media Deal, Sports and Live Experiences Push

Published by Daniella Wilson

Banijay is a case study for how to grow into a European, and global, production powerhouse via acquisitions, most recently its deal to merge with All3Media. So, it came as no surprise that the mega-deal, unveiled in March, got a shout-out or two on Wednesday, the final day of the inaugural StreamTV Europe in Lisbon, Portugal. The occasion was a panel session entitled “Case Study: The Banijay Blueprint: Diversified Entertainment for the Future.” Executives from across the company discussed how it has been evolving its content strategy to maintain its competitive edge in a fast-changing industry.  “The entrepreneurial spirit sits at the core” of Banijay’s approach,” said Frederic Balmary, chief business officer at the company. “We constantly adapt, transform and diversify our business. … And creativity drives everything we do.” Three strategic pillars, namely live experiences, digital and sports, have been in focus for Banijay as it has been working on moving from a business-to-business to more of direct-to-consumer approach, he said. Among recent examples, he mentioned the likes of the upcoming The Black Mirror …

Google leaders including Demis Hassabis push back on claim of uneven AI adoption internally

Google leaders including Demis Hassabis push back on claim of uneven AI adoption internally

Published by skeptic

A viral post on X from veteran programmer and former Google engineer Steve Yegge set off a rhetorical firestorm this week, drawing sharp public rebuttals from some of Google’s most prominent AI leaders and reopening a sensitive question for the company: how deeply are its own engineers really using the latest generation of AI coding tools? The debate began after Yegge summarized what he said was the view of his friend, a current and longtime Google employee (or Googler), who claimed the Gemini AI-firm’s internal AI adoption looks much more ordinary and less cutting-edge than outsiders might expect. Yegge said Googler friend claimed Google engineering mirrors an “average” industry pattern of a 20%-60%-20% split: a small group of outright AI refusers (20%) a much larger middle still relying mainly on simpler chat and coding-assistant workflows (60%), and another small group of AI-first, cutting-edge engineers using agentic tools extensively and mastering them (20%). A VentureBeat search of X using its parent company’s AI assistant Grok found that Yegge’s April 13 post spread quickly, topping 4,500 likes, …

Fearing Iranian Escalation In Red Sea, Saudis Push Trump To Call Off Hormuz Blockade

Fearing Iranian Escalation In Red Sea, Saudis Push Trump To Call Off Hormuz Blockade

Published by Jenni Sidey

Wary of Iranian escalation that shuts down Red Sea traffic, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is asking the Trump administration to back off from its newly-implemented blockade of Iranian-linked shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday evening. On Sunday, a senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that Iran has “large, untouched levers” to respond to such a blockade.  Perhaps ominously, Bab el-Mandeb translates to “Gate of Tears” (map via Time) Earlier on Monday — at 10am ET — the US blockade took effect, backed up by more than 15 Navy ships, including some equipped to dispatch helicopter-borne commandeering squads. The ships were expected to position themselves outside the Strait of Hormuz, for fear of Iranian attacks. Their mission: Prohibiting any maritime traffic from approaching or departing from Iranian ports, regardless of how the ships are flagged. Shortly before the blockade’s commencement, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre issued a notice advising that “maritime access restrictions are being enforced affecting Iranian ports and coastal areas, including locations along the …

US Blockade of Strait of Hormuz Begins Amid New Push for Talks

US Blockade of Strait of Hormuz Begins Amid New Push for Talks

Published by Sam Flores

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Sid Krofft, ‘H.R. Pufnstuf’ and ‘Land of the Lost’ Creator, Dies at 96 00:27 Roblox Is Rolling out Age-Based Accounts for Children and Teens 00:35 TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones Unveils First Book ‘Through Mom’s Eyes’ 06:06 Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Rattles Rural Nevada 00:23 What Credit Card Surcharges Mean for Your Wallet 03:07 Husband of Woman Missing in Bahamas Released From Custody 02:35 Dallas Wings Select Azzi Fudd as No. 1 Pick in 2026 WNBA Draft 00:44 OpenAI Ceo Sam Altman’s Home Targeted With Molotov Cocktail 02:19 Two Congressmen Resign in 1 Day Amid Sex Scandals 02:42 Trump Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Feud With Pope Leo 02:26 Now Playing US Blockade of Strait of Hormuz Begins Amid New Push for Talks 02:11 UP NEXT Tornadoes Sweep Across Midwest as Spring Warm-up Intensifies 02:13 Meet the Man on a Mission to Clean Up South Florida’s Coastline 04:21 How to Prepare for the Competitive Spring Real Estate Market 04:49 Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing …