All posts tagged: push

Senate Democrats push tighter prediction market rules to protect tribal gaming

Senate Democrats push tighter prediction market rules to protect tribal gaming

Published by skeptic

A group of Senate Democrats is urging Congress to tighten federal oversight of prediction market platforms, warning that pending digital asset legislation could weaken tribal gaming protections and erode states’ authority over gambling as lawmakers across Washington pursue a wider crackdown on the fast-growing industry. Sen. Martin Heinrich and 11 other Democratic senators have asked two key Senate committees to revise pending digital asset legislation before it advances, arguing that the bills could unintentionally expand prediction markets at the expense of long-standing tribal and state gaming systems. Senate Democrats call for stronger guardrails on prediction markets In a letter to the leaders of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, the lawmakers said the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) and the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act (DCIA) would reduce oversight of decentralized finance betting platforms while allowing prediction markets to operate outside existing gambling frameworks. They wrote, “We write with urgency regarding the continued lack of proper regulation over prediction markets and the resulting circumvention …

Lebanon’s Aoun to push for Israeli troop withdrawal in meeting with Trump

Lebanon’s Aoun to push for Israeli troop withdrawal in meeting with Trump

Published by Sam Flores

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, as pressure builds for Beirut to disarm Shiite militant group Hezbollah, Israel’s key condition before withdrawing its troops from south Lebanon. It comes a day after the United States, which has sponsored negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, announced the start of the implementation of an agreement granting the Lebanese army control over “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon. These zones are primarily located just outside lands Israel occupied after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March following the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Aoun, who has staunchly criticised Hezbollah’s decision to pull Lebanon into the war, is now hoping Trump will further pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied Lebanese lands. Read moreMiddle East war: Lebanon, Israel and US sign framework agreement in Washington Israel has nonetheless consistently refused to pull out as long as Hezbollah remains armed – a demand echoed by Washington. “As long as that problem exists, Lebanon will never truly get peace,” US …

Putin meets North Korean foreign minister in diplomatic push : NPR

Putin meets North Korean foreign minister in diplomatic push : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Sunday, July 19, 2026. Alexander Shcherbak/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP hide caption toggle caption Alexander Shcherbak/Pool Sputnik Kremlin via AP SEOUL, South Korea — Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korea’s foreign minister and thanked Pyongyang for supporting his war against Ukraine, in the latest high-level diplomacy between the countries, Russian state media reported. The visit by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui comes without an obvious occasion, such as a multilateral diplomatic event or state anniversary, and has raised speculation that she may be coordinating a possible visit to Russia by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korean state media said Choe departed for Russia on Saturday at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov but has yet to comment on the purpose of her visit. Yoon Min Ho, spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles affairs related to North Korea, said Monday that Seoul was closely …

China’s Moonshot pauses Kimi subscriptions amid hot demand, IPO push

China’s Moonshot pauses Kimi subscriptions amid hot demand, IPO push

Published by Sam Flores

SHANGHAI: Chinese startup Moonshot AI has temporarily paused new subscriptions after demand for its newly launched Kimi K3 model strained capacity, a bottleneck that comes as the company seeks fresh funding and prepares for a potential Hong Kong listing. Moonshot is in the process of unwinding its current offshore structure ahead of a Hong Kong initial public offering, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. The company has engaged financial advisers, including Goldman Sachs and China International Capital Corp, to discuss the IPO plan, although the timetable remains fluid, said one of the sources and a third person with knowledge of the IPO plan, declining to be named as the information was confidential. CICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Goldman Sachs and Moonshot declined to comment. Founded in 2023 by Yang Zhilin, an AI researcher who pursued doctoral studies at Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Mellon University, Moonshot is one of China’s most closely watched AI startups. It raised more than US$2 billion in May from investors including Meituan, China Mobile and CPE, …

Red Sox Push Winning Streak to 13 Before Hosting the Orioles, Who Have Won 7 Straight

Red Sox Push Winning Streak to 13 Before Hosting the Orioles, Who Have Won 7 Straight

Published by Sam Flores

The All-Star break did little to slow down the resurgent Boston Red Sox. Now they’ll take on another streaking AL East team as the race for postseason spots begins to simmer. The Red Sox completed a sweep of division-leading Tampa Bay on Sunday, extending their run to 13 games without a loss. The franchise record is 15 straight wins in 1946. Boston will have a chance to break that this week against a Baltimore team that arrives at Fenway Park on a seven-game winning streak of its own. With the Aug. 3 trade deadline drawing ever closer, teams on the bubble between buying and selling might make their decisions based on what happens over the next week or so. The Red Sox (50-48) have crept above .500 and now occupy the American League’s third wild card. Cleveland, which holds the second wild card, is only a game ahead of Boston. Seattle is a game behind the Red Sox, and then it’s another game back to the Orioles, who took three in a row in Houston. …

India’s Nuclear Push Further Strains The Massive Uranium Supply Gap

India’s Nuclear Push Further Strains The Massive Uranium Supply Gap

Published by Jenni Sidey

Prime Minister Modi secured another major uranium supply line. During his visit to Australia this month, the two sides finalized the administrative arrangements needed to move Australian uranium to India under the previous 2014 nuclear cooperation agreement. The fuel must stay under IAEA safeguards for exclusively peaceful use.  Australia holds roughly 28% of global uranium reserves. New Delhi has eyed those reserves for years, and now the yellowcake spigot can open. This follows the March deal with Canada’s Cameco. That contract covers nearly 22 million pounds of U3O8 from 2027 through 2035 at market-related pricing, worth around C$2.6 billion.  India already buys from Russia and Uzbekistan, and holds some domestic production. The message is consistent: a country targeting 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 cannot rely on thin indigenous resources alone.  Current operable capacity sits near 8 GW. The gap requires sustained annual additions measured in gigawatts, not megawatts. Cumulative net deficits keep expanding as reactor builds in China and Russia outpace primary supply response. Goldman models have only recently started taking into account …

The US Plans to Auction off Sections of Water Around American Samoa in a Push for Deep-Sea Mining

The US Plans to Auction off Sections of Water Around American Samoa in a Push for Deep-Sea Mining

Published by Sam Flores

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government plans to auction off massive sections of water surrounding American Samoa for potential deep-sea mining in an unprecedented move that is expected to draw criticism from many countries. The area of the water surface planned to be auctioned off covers a total of 33 million acres (about 51,560 square miles). The proposed leasing notice was published on Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to expedite mining permits despite growing environmental concerns. More than 43 countries have called for a moratorium or ban on deep sea mining, which scientists have warned could unleash noise, light and suffocating dust storms and affect fragile marine life. But the U.S. and others are eager to mine the seafloor for copper, iron, zinc and other minerals that are in demand for technology, military use and electric vehicles. “Critical minerals have become a strategic asset in global competition, and China’s dominance in the supply of many of these materials creates unacceptable risks for America’s energy, defense and manufacturing sectors,” Matt …

Kylie Jenner, Phia, and the new push to sell AI to women

Kylie Jenner, Phia, and the new push to sell AI to women

Published by skeptic

Kylie Jenner’s latest fashion campaign is selling more than a pair of sunglasses. In the ad for Meta’s new “Kylie Edition” AI-powered glasses, Jenner moves through an unusually glamorous version of an ordinary morning. She touches up her manicure, looks through her closet, drinks green juice, and briefly inspects the work being done around her home. She eventually slips away from her assistants, drives to a billboard bearing her own face, and spray-paints “XO Kylie” across it. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Meta’s fashion-first approach for the June 2026 campaign extended far beyond the ads, though. The company also introduced 26 combinations of frames, colors, and lenses, launched a dedicated Instagram account, plastered Jenner’s face on billboards in New York and Los Angeles, and hosted a star-studded launch event. Fashion heavyweights and creators like Law Roach, Nara Smith, and Peggy Gou attended the debut. It’s clear that this rollout doesn’t position the glasses, which Meta and Ray-Ban have been selling in some form since 2021, as some …

Alibaba’s Qwen AI Will Be Integrated Into Apple Phones In China Amid Push For Local Models

Alibaba’s Qwen AI Will Be Integrated Into Apple Phones In China Amid Push For Local Models

Published by Jenni Sidey

Apple is starting to take cost-cutting (and Chinese supply chains) very seriously. Just days after reports that the smartphone giant will use China’s DRAM pioneer CXMT (which just priced its IPO) for local memory as a cheaper alternative source to ridiculously overpriced DRAM sourced from the memory cartel triad of Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, this morning Reuters reported that BABA Qwen AI – much cheaper but just as efficient as most US frontier models – will be integrated into Apple Intelligence in China. US-listed shares in of Alibaba rose 6% on Wednesday after the company confirmed to CNBC that the Qwen AI model will be integrated into Apple systems in China.  “Qwen will be integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences within iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS for users in China,” an Alibaba spokesperson told CNBC.  The Cyberspace Administration of China included Apple AI services on a list of approved providers, which included products from homegrown companies like Huawei. The decision follows a long route to a Beijing greenlight for Apple’s AI service since the offering was …

US Republicans unveil US billion pre-election spending push

US Republicans unveil US$95 billion pre-election spending push

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON: US House Republicans unveiled a US$95 billion spending framework on Wednesday (Jul 15), launching their final major push to pass defence, farm and voting restriction measures before midterm elections that could cost them control of Congress. The plan would provide US$73 billion for the military and intelligence agencies, including funding tied to the war with Iran, along with US$12 billion in aid for farmers hurt by President Donald Trump’s trade war. It would also direct US$10 billion toward election-related grants, as Republicans try to revive parts of Trump’s SAVE America Act, a voting restrictions bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at polling places. The House has passed a different version of the SAVE Act separately, but it has stalled in the Senate, where some Republicans have warned that it lacks support and may not qualify for the fast-track budget process party leaders hope to use. That process allows certain tax and spending bills to pass the 100-member Senate by a simple majority, avoiding the higher, 60-vote …