Author: KnowledgeHippo

Two of Ms. Ocasio’s daughters attended PS 46 this year: Junie, in first grade, and Olive, in kindergarten. The new students were their classmates, something June pointed out on their walk home one day when she recognized a girl with a family holding a sign asking for money for food. The shelter meals were terrible and made some of the children sick. Mrs. Ocasio bought the family a bucket of chicken. Then June said, “But Mom, you can’t buy all my friends buckets of chicken.” Ms. Ocasio was herself homeless and lived in a shelter when her daughters were young.…

In the stock market, not everything is as it seems.Slowing inflation has boosted investor confidence in the economy this year and, combined with strong enthusiasm for artificial intelligence, provided the backdrop for a rally that beat expectations.The S&P 500 is up 15 percent in the first half of 2024.Gains were remarkably consistent, with the index only once rising or falling more than 2 percent in a single day. (It rose.) A widely watched measure of bets for more volatility to come is nearing an all-time low.But a look beneath the surface reveals much greater turmoil. Nvidia, for example, whose share…

Listen and Follow “Hard Fork”Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTubeRecord labels – including Sony, Universal and Warner – are suing two leading AI music production companies, accusing them of copyright infringement. Mitch Glazier, chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America, the industry group that represents record companies, talks to us about their argument. Next, we take a look at defense technology and discuss why Silicon Valley seems to be changing its pace when it comes to working with the military. Chris Kirchhoff, who ran a special Pentagon office in Silicon Valley, explains what he thinks is behind…

On the surface, abortion rights have had a good run at the Supreme Court this term. Two weeks ago, the justices unanimously let an abortion pill remain widely available. On Thursday, the court threw out a case over Idaho’s strict abortion ban that would have allowed emergency centers in the state to perform the procedure when the patient’s health is at risk.But the two decisions were too technical to be ephemeral. They seemed designed for avoidance and delay, to kick a volatile issue down the road — or at least after Election Day.Some abortion rights advocates called the rulings fiery…

Many travelers across the United States lost a critical tool for checking maps, making reservations, using transit apps and more because of a cellular data outage that began affecting AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon users on Wednesday.Affected travelers, mainly in Europe, took to social media to seek answers about what caused the outage and how long it will last. Some reported being unable to make phone calls, send messages or use online services without Wi-Fi for 24 hours. It is unclear what caused the outage, which appeared to stretch from Britain to Turkey.An AT&T spokeswoman said the carrier’s network was operating…

“We heard explosions from every direction,” said Mohammad al-Bahrawi, 65, who had returned with his family to their home in Shajaiye months ago. He said “a flood” of people were sent running.”I couldn’t even believe that so many people were still in Shajaiye,” Mr al-Bahrawi said.The Israeli military said it could not immediately comment on the strikes. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that the army was conducting a ground operation to root out Hamas based on information that the armed group had begun to regain control of the neighborhood.The operation, if confirmed, would be part of a wider war plan…

Oklahoma’s state superintendent on Thursday required all public schools to teach the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, in a remarkable move that blurs the lines between religious instruction and public education.The superintendent, Ryan Walters, who is a Republican, described the Bible as an “indispensable historical and cultural touchstone” and said it should be taught at certain, unspecified grade levels.The move comes a week after Louisiana became the first state to mandate that public schools display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, a move that was quickly challenged in court.Oklahoma’s directive could also be challenged and is likely to spark another…

The NFL must pay nearly $5 billion in damages for artificially inflating the price of Sunday Ticket, a subscription service offered by DirecTV that showed out-of-market games, a federal jury in Los Angeles ruled Thursday.The verdict, which capped a months-long class-action lawsuit and nearly a decade of legal wrangling, includes about $96 million in damages for bars and restaurants that signed up for the service and more than $4.6 billion for about 2.4 million households subscribers. Damages in cases like this are tripled by law, meaning the league could have to pay more than $14 billion.Jury damages were the bulk…

Uber and Lyft settled a years-long legal battle with the attorney general in Massachusetts on Thursday, agreeing to pay their drivers in the state a minimum rate with some benefits.As part of the settlement, Uber and Lyft will pay $175 million to resolve allegations that the companies violated state labor laws, with most of the money distributed to gig workers, state officials said in a statement. But in a win for trucking companies, drivers will continue to be classified as independent contractors rather than employees.Among the benefits the state won for its workers were a health insurance program for drivers…

All Americans 6 months of age and older should receive one of the new Covid-19 vaccines when they become available this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday.The recommendation comes as the nation faces a summer Covid surge, with the number of infections rising in at least 39 states and territories.Most Americans have developed immunity to the coronavirus from repeated infections or vaccine doses, or both. Vaccines now offer a gradual boost, remaining effective for only a few months as immunity wanes and the virus continues to evolve.But in every age group, the vast majority of Americans…