Posts

Your guide to the 2022 midterm elections

Image
  It’s Election Day. A quick reminder if you’re among the lucky few who have managed to avoid hearing from people who approve this message this midterm season: Control of both the House and Senate—currently held by Democrats—is up for grabs . To shift the balance of power, Republicans need to pick up five seats in the House or just one in the Senate. And that’s just at the federal level. Several states also have contentious questions on their ballots: Abortion will be put to a vote in five states. Proposed constitutional amendments in California, Michigan, and Vermont would establish a right to abortion, while a proposed change in Kentucky would state that its constitution doesn’t protect that right. In Montana, voters will weigh whether to require medical treatment for an infant that survives an attempted pregnancy termination. Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota, and South Dakota are all considering whether to legalize recreational marijuana as 19 other states have. In Col...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meet Nigel Farage’s top election rival: Count Binface

Image
  Count Binface, an “intergalactic space warrior” with a trash can over his head, is a top contender to become a member of the UK’s Parliament. The satirical candidate is the most prominent challenger to the right-wing populist Reform Party leader, Nigel Farage, in today’s special election for a seat representing Clacton-on-Sea, a struggling seaside town about 70 miles from London. Under the bin is the Oxford-educated comedian Jon Harvey, who’s known for challenging high-profile politicians in elections—which any UK citizen can do by paying a $675 deposit and getting 10 signatures from locals. But this time, he’s a major opposition candidate: Today’s election was triggered by Farage resigning as Clacton’s MP last month amid a parliamentary investigation into an undisclosed donation from a Thailand-based crypto billionaire. He claims voters reelecting him would be a rebuke to the establishment. Major political parties have called Farage’s resignation a political stunt and are boyco...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Miami firm wanted to buy Everton. It got a massive scandal instead

Image
  When the mysterious Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners agreed to buy Everton last fall, it was seen as a lifeline for the English football club, which was struggling financially and on the pitch. But ever since, there has been nothing but chaos for both the team and the firm. Recap: As 777 began the process of buying Everton, journalists started digging into the company…and found what appears to be a few hampers’ worth of dirty laundry. A parade of lawsuits and government investigations followed, with the biggest, most serious lawsuit yet filed last week: London-based asset manager Leadenhall Capital Partners alleges that $350 million 777 used as collateral for loans was either 1) not actually its money or 2) already pledged as collateral to others. Leadenhall accused 777’s co-owners, Steve Pasko and Josh Wander, and its biggest financial backer, ACAP, of “operating a giant shell game at best, and an outright Ponzi scheme at worst.” ACAP called the lawsuit baseless, while ...
Post a Comment
Read more

July inflation data suggests things might be cooling off

Image
  By Matty Merritt TOPICS: US Economy / Inflation, Prices & Cost of Living / Inflation Rate The Fed is breathing a big sigh of relief about yesterday’s inflation report. Consumer prices rose 0.1% in July, bringing the annual inflation rate down to 3.4% from 3.5% in June. The core inflation rate (which excludes volatile items like energy and food) reflected its lowest level since 2021. These small drops hint that inflation might finally be slowing. This represents a second consecutive month of tame inflation data, following intense ups and downs, primarily triggered by the war in Iran, which has spiked energy prices. Peace efforts calmed oil prices in July. But don’t celebrate yet—faltering peace talks have sent oil prices back up, and gas prices are still about a dollar higher than they were a year ago, according to AAA. What else went down last month? Grocery prices sank for the first time since March. Analysts mostly chalk that up to the diarrhea-causing parasite driving...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rivian’s 2027 changes include its No. 1 most-requested feature

Image
  It’s time for Rivian’s changeover from model year 2026 to 2027, and the electric vehicle startup has decided to take a page from its recently released R2 SUV and apply it to the company’s larger, more expensive R1 line. The changes aren’t massive—the R1 got a refresh in 2024 that saw the R1S SUV and R1T pickup each get some comprehensive re-engineering with new powertrain options, a new electronic architecture, and new batteries . But among them is the No. 1 most requested feature by Rivian R1S customers, the automaker told Ars: captain’s chairs for the second row. The six-seat interior is an alternative to a middle bench, and the Rivian captain’s chair looks thoughtfully designed, with a hidden cupholder that I’m not sure I’ve seen on any other SUV before. The chairs are also spaced so it’s easy to get to the third row, or use that volume between them for skis, snowboards, or surfboards. Rivian has also changed the trims, bringing them into line with the offer structure on the r...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pet owners say smart pet feeder outage led to furry ones going unfed

Image
  Smart pet-feeder company Petlibro suffered an outage on Tuesday, giving users a harsh reminder of the risks of relying on smart devices. Petlibro makes pet feeders that connect to Wi-Fi and, for setup with Petlibro’s mobile companion app, Bluetooth. Users can set the feeders to automatically dispense food at scheduled times, which is handy for pet care when the owner is out of the home. In a statement to The Verge , Petlibro CEO York Wu said this week’s outage was “related to how the Petlibro app communicates with devices through its online servers.” Petlibro first acknowledged problems on Tuesday at 5 am PT. It said via a status page that it was “investigating a service disruption affecting the Petlibro app. Some users experienced difficulty accessing the app or controlling devices remotely.” At 7 pm PT on Tuesday, Petlibro said it “identified a service issue affecting app access and responsiveness for some users” and “began recovery work and system validation.” Petlibro claims ...
Post a Comment
Read more