Tesla Autopilot Veers off Highway as Driver Locked Out of All Controls
Tesla cars are trying to kill their drivers… again. A New Jersey man reportedly almost died after his rogue Tesla recently decided to crash off the highway. A man from North Brunswick, New Jersey, is lucky to be alive after his vehicle’s so-called “autopilot” mode took control and plowed into several objects before coming to a sudden halt. Even though the driver tried to take control of the Tesla and override the “autopilot,” – which split the difference and went down “the middle” before veering off the highway entirely and crashing – the vehicle “would not let him.” Wh...
Amazon Pays Zero Corporate Tax for Second Year in a Row
SAN-FRANCISCO – February 21, 2019 Cyber-retailing giant Amazon Inc., the company that belongs to the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, did not pay a cent of corporate income tax either in 2017 or 2018. At the same time, Amazon’s revenues, which, in theory, should be levied, amount to many billions of dollars. https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-02-19/amazon-paid-zero-corporate-tax-second-year-row In fiscal 2018, Amazon's net income was $11.2 billion, which is two times more compared to $5.6 billion a year earlier. Yet, a report by the Institute on Taxation and Econ...
CBS Turns to Artificial Intelligence to Glean Viewers’ Emotional Responses to TV Shows
CBS’s research team has resorted to using the dispassionate logic of machines to get a faster read on how viewers respond emotionally to its TV shows. The broadcaster started using the data-analytics platform developed by New York startup Canvs, which uses proprietary artificial-intelligence processing (AI) to parse natural-language comments. CBS first started using the Canvs Surveys tool to automate the coding of open-ended responses to surveys fielded by its research team starting in the fourth quarter of 2018. Now it uses Canvs to process feedback on its entire slate...
WTO World Trade Indicator Falls to 9-year Minimum
NEW YORK – February 20, 2019 World trade volumes continue to decline as economic growth has slowed in recent months in many countries. A quarterly leading indicator of world merchandise trade slumped to its lowest reading in nine years on Tuesday. As noted in the World Trade Organization, the key components of world trade continue to show negative dynamics. Since October 2018, the WTO has noted a noticeable decline in the general indicator of world trade, as well as its components - export orders, the volume of air cargo transportation, sales of cars, electronics and ra...
The US’s condition for ending trade war with China
BEIJING –February 20, 2019 During the talks between China and the US, the next round of which is to start this week, both countries agreed that the issue of the yuan exchange rate will become an important part of the deal. Washington expects Beijing to abandon the artificial devaluation of its currency in response to the introduction of US tariffs, SCMP reported, citing Bloomberg. According to the agency, this issue has been under discussion for several months, but the negotiators have not yet managed to reach a consensus, although Chinese representatives told US Treasu...
From Venezuela With Love: The New RED Scare
Donald Trump visited a famous university in Miami and spoke about a so-called “Socialist/Communist conspiracy” from Venezuela. According to Trump, there is a socialist plot to take over the hemisphere. Marcelo Sanchez, USA Really correspondent in Miami reports.
US Retail Sales Collapse: Recession Is Coming
NEW YORK – February 19, 2019 Statistics on retail sales in the US in December shocked analysts - instead of the expected growth of 0.2%, there was a fall of 1.2% (the worst figure in 9 years). Some experts said that this figure is wrong, and some that it’s a sign of a quick recession: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/retail-sales-were-so-bad-its-either-suspect-or-a-recession-warning.html Data from the US Department of Commerce came out with a delay due to the government's shutdown and did not coincide with some other indicators. Data for January is also delayed. However...
Salmonella Hits Tennessee
NASHVILLE – February 19, 2019 A Nashville restaurant is facing multiple lawsuits after at least 20 customers reported becoming infected with salmonella. The case isn’t new, though, as all four lawsuits (each seeking up to $1.5 million in damages from Milk and Honey) came following the August foodborne outbreak. The suits allege improper management and poor training led to the salmonella infections. Metro Public Health Department spokesman Brian Todd says diners got sick from the restaurant's short rib gnocchi because the dish used contaminated eggs from an Alabama farm....
Consumer Debts in the US Reach $13.54 Trillion
NEW YORK – February 13, 2019 Americans are in a borrowing mood, and their total tab for consumer debt has reached another record - $13.54 trillion. About two-thirds of this amount is mortgage debt. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data today issued its Quarterly Report on Household Debt. According to it, total debt on consumer loans increased by $32 billion and reached a record level of $13.54 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2018. Debts are increasing for the 18th consecutive quarter, and the total amount of debt is now $869 billion high...