Joe Biden begins final White House holiday season with turkey pardons for 'Peach' and 'Blossom' WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has kicked off his final holiday season at the White House, issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in Minnesota. The president welcomed 2,500 guests under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom.” He also sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency. Separately, first lady Jill Biden received the delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. And the Bidens are traveling to New York later Monday for an early holiday celebration with members of the Coast Guard. Bah, humbug! Vandal smashes Ebenezer Scrooge's tombstone used in 'A Christmas Carol' movie LONDON (AP) — If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone at the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” had become a tourist attraction. The film starred George C. Scott as the cold-hearted curmudgeon who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who show him what will become of his life if he doesn’t become a better person. West Mercia Police say the stone was vandalized in the past week. Megachurch founder T.D. Jakes suffers health incident during sermon at Dallas church DALLAS (AP) — The founder of Dallas-based megachurch The Potter's House, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was hospitalized after suffering what the church called a “slight health incident.” Jakes was speaking to churchgoers after he sat down and began trembling as several people gathered around him Sunday at the church. Jakes' daughter Sarah Jakes Roberts and her husband Touré Roberts said in a statement on social media late Sunday that Jakes was improving. The 67-year-old Jakes founded the non-denominational The Potter's House in 1996 and his website says it now has more than 30,000 members with campuses in Fort Worth and Frisco, Texas; and in Denver. Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by announcing plans Monday to hand more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it’s possible that Buffett’s children could die before giving it all away. Buffett said he has no regrets about his decision to start giving away his fortune in 2006. At the crossroads of news and opinion, 'Morning Joe' hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting The reaction of those who defended “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for meeting with President-elect Trump sounds almost quaint in the days of opinionated journalism. Doesn't it makes sense, they said, for hosts of a political news show to meet with such an important figure? But given how “Morning Joe” has attacked Trump, its viewers felt insulted. Many reacted quickly by staying away. It all reflects the broader trend of opinion crowding out traditional journalist in today's marketplace, and the expectations that creates among consumers. By mid-week, the show's audience was less than two-thirds what it has typically been this year. Pop star Ed Sheeran apologizes to Man United boss Ruben Amorim for crashing interview MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British pop star Ed Sheeran has apologized to Ruben Amorim after inadvertently interrupting the new Manchester United head coach during a live television interview. Amorim was talking on Sky Sports after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when Sheeran walked up to embrace analyst Jamie Redknapp. The interview was paused before Redknapp told the pop star to “come and say hello in a minute.” Sheeran is a lifelong Ipswich fan and holds a minority stake in the club. He was pictured celebrating after Omari Hutchinson’s equalizing goal in the game at Portman Road. A desert oasis outside of Dubai draws a new caravan: A family of rodents from Argentina AL QUDRA LAKES, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A desert oasis hidden away in the dunes in the far reaches of skyscraper-studded Dubai has drawn a surprising new set of weary world travelers: a pack of Argentinian rodents. A number of Patagonian mara, a rabbit-like mammal with long legs, big ears and a body like a hoofed animal, now roam the grounds of Al Qudra Lakes, typically home to gazelle and other desert creatures of the United Arab Emirates. How they got there remains a mystery in the UAE, a country where exotic animals have ended up in the private homes and farms of the wealthy. But the pack appears to be thriving there and likely have survived several years already in a network of warrens among the dunes. Pilot dies in plane crash in remote woods of New York, puppy found alive WINDHAM, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot and at least one dog he was transporting died when a small plane crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, though a puppy on the flight was found alive with two broken legs. The Greene County sheriff’s office says Seuk Kim of Springfield, Virginia, was flying from Maryland to Albany, New York, when the plane crashed at about 6:10 p.m. Sunday in a remote area. Officials believe the pilot died from the impact. The surviving dog was hospitalized, while a third dog was not located. The flight was connected with a not-for-profit group that transports rescue animals. New Zealanders save more than 30 stranded whales by lifting them on sheets WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand have been safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. New Zealand’s conservation agency said four whales died. New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot and pilot whales are especially prolific stranders. The agency praised as “incredible” the efforts made by hundreds of people to help save the foundering pod. A Māori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place Monday. Rainbow-clad revelers hit Copacabana beach for Rio de Janeiro’s pride parade RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Thousands of revelers have gathered alongside Copacabana beach for Rio de Janeiro’s annual gay pride parade, many scantily dressed and covered in glitter. Rainbow-colored flags, towels and fans abounded among the crowd mostly made up of young revelers, who danced and sang along to music blaring from speakers. While the atmosphere was festive, some spoke of the threat of violence LGBTQ+ people face in Brazil. At least 230 LGBTQ+ Brazilians were victims of violent deaths in 2023, according to the umbrella watchdog group Observatory of LGBTQ+ deaths and violence in Brazil.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was back at practice Wednesday at Halas Hall, working to get reset following the “mini-bye” weekend the team had after its 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. A lot had happened since Williams took his last snap last week on the final play of a bungled game-ending sequence at Ford Field. With the Bears staggering through a six-game losing streak and faltering in the biggest moments of close games, coach Matt Eberflus was fired Friday morning. Thus on Wednesday, Williams went to work in Lake Forest with a new coach (Thomas Brown) and his third offensive coordinator of the past six weeks (Chris Beatty). Good luck, kid! As Williams prepares to lead the Bears into Sunday’s road game against the San Francisco 49ers, here’s our latest submission of “The Caleb Williams File.” Keep going. That was Lincoln Riley’s advice to Caleb Williams in fall 2021, when Williams was a true freshman at Oklahoma and frustrated that he was stuck in a backup role behind Sooners starting quarterback Spencer Rattler. Keep going. That was also Riley’s advice to Williams on a phone call last month when, after three consecutive Bears losses, the team fired Shane Waldron from his offensive coordinator post, thrusting Williams into a whirlwind of adjustment. Keep going. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams drinks water during practice at Halas Hall on Dec. 4, 2024, in Lake Forest. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) That remains Williams’ message to himself this week as he works to regroup and steady himself after Eberflus’ firing. “The human aspect of it weighs on you a little bit,” Williams said. “Especially with this being my first year and this being my first head coach who drafted me. So there’s that human part of it. Then the business side has to kick in and say, ‘I understand it. I don’t really have control of it. But I have to roll with the punches and move on and try and help this team win.’ ” Still, how in the world does Williams — at 23 years old, in his rookie season and with all the chaos he has been forced to endure — keep going now with faith that his career is in good hands at Halas Hall? “I understand that I can’t control it,” Williams said. While labeling Eberflus’ termination as “interesting” and “tough,” Williams did his best Wednesday afternoon to express a growth mindset and to seek an optimistic lens through which to view all the hardship this season has brought. He spun the abrupt exits of Waldron and Eberflus as “a steppingstone with my development,” identifying potential long-term benefits for when he may be forced later in his career to again deal with coaching changes of any kind. Williams also acknowledged his vulnerability as he fights to keep going through the final five weeks of a head-spinning rookie season. “Human nature, we’re not necessarily meant to be consistent for 365 days,” he said. “So that is the battle to fight for myself, for my teammates, coaches and everybody. “I will say it’s not easy to keep going and roll with the punches and keep fighting. But you have to do it. It’s part of it.” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) is sacked by Lions defensive end Za’Darius Smith (99) on the second-to-last play of the game on Nov. 28, 2024, at Ford Field in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Fourteen seconds before all hell broke loose at Ford Field last week, Williams had DJ Moore wide open for a potential 25-yard go-ahead touchdown pass in the final minute. Moore, creating separation on a rub route, was streaking across the field — from right to left in Williams’ vision and with rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold trailing him by 6 yards. But Williams felt pressure from D.J. Reader inside a dented pocket, lost control of his throwing mechanics and skipped a ball short and behind Moore. “Short-armed that one,” Williams said Wednesday. He knows full well what he left on the table. “Frustrated about that.” Everyone knows the chaos that unfolded from there, a messy meltdown by the Bears that included a penalty, a sack and a very well-documented case of clock mismanagement. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws a pass on the final play of the game as time expires in a 23-20 loss to the Lions on Nov. 28, 2024, at Ford Field in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Somehow, with their final timeout unused, the Bears let the game’s final 32 seconds tick away with only one snap being taken — a helter-skelter, audibled deep shot from Williams to Rome Odunze that fell incomplete as time expired. With time to reflect on that sequence and revisit it with coaches, Williams knows now he could have had much better situational awareness down the stretch of the loss. “I was moving well but not as urgent as I should’ve (been) in understanding the situation,” Williams said. The quarterback also confessed Wednesday that he was not in lockstep with his coaches in their desire to get a short third-down completion and then take their final timeout to set up a game-tying field-goal attempt. Instead, Williams let too much time tick away, went for it all and contributed to a debacle that ultimately got Eberflus fired. “I thought when we called that last play, it was a no-huddle play that we wanted to get lined up,” Williams said. “I saw the clock winding down and wanted to try to take a shot at the end zone because I was expecting it to be our last play right in that moment. ... Just not on the same page in that situation. I definitely can learn from it. Definitely will learn from it.” 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey runs against Bills safety Taylor Rapp during the first half on Dec. 1, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (Adrian Kraus/AP) The 49ers also are reeling. Maybe not as significantly as the Bears. But the reigning NFC champions have lost three straight, are 5-7 and seem to be in serious danger of missing the playoffs for just the second time in six seasons. The Niners are particularly banged up on offense and placed running Christian McCaffrey back on injured reserve this week with a right knee sprain. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk also has been on IR since Week 8 after tearing the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee. Defensively, standout lineman Javon Hargrave suffered a season-ending triceps injury in September and Pro Bowl safety Talanoa Hufanga has been on IR since Week 6 after tearing ligaments in his wrist. (Hufanga, it should be noted, was designated to return to practice this week. So his status for Sunday is worth keeping tabs on.) Still, a 49ers defense coordinated by Nick Sorensen and led by defensive end Nick Bosa has plenty of teeth. Bosa and former Bear Leonard Floyd have combined for 131⁄2 sacks. The 49ers also boast a top-five pass defense, limiting opponents to 190 passing yards per game with a passer rating against of 84.2. That’s eighth best in the league. The Bears will have to be sharp to have any chance of ending their lengthy losing streak. A fast start also would be recommended with the Bears having totaled only 20 first-quarter points in 12 games this season. Williams’ passer rating in the fourth quarter this season, the eighth-best rating in the NFL among 33 quarterbacks with at least 60 fourth-quarter passing attempts. Williams has accumulated 31% of his passing yards in the fourth quarter and has thrown seven touchdown passes against just one interception in the final period. Among quarterbacks with at least 60 fourth-quarter passes, fellow rookie Jayden Daniels has the highest passer rating (117.7). The six others above Williams are Lamar Jackson (115.8), Tua Tagavailoa (113.8), Jordan Love (109.0), Baker Mayfield (106.4), Patrick Mahomes (102.3) and Matthew Stafford (100.9). Bears interim coach Thomas Brown speaks with quarterback Caleb Williams during practice at Halas Hall on Dec. 4, 2024, in Lake Forest. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune) Earlier this week, interim Bears coach Thomas Brown acknowledged his responsibility in getting Williams into the proper headspace despite all the commotion he has been forced to persevere through this season. Brown’s direct advice, loosely translated? Deal with it. And let’s roll. “We all have to make adjustments,” Brown said. “Life is ever-changing. That’s not an excuse. I don’t make excuses. So I think (my goal is) being able to communicate effectively to be on the same page and to continue to demand that we do things the right way. But it’s also taking this one play at a time, one day at a time.” Brown was asked Wednesday whether he was concerned that his promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach might now spread him too thin and disrupt Williams’ development, which has been moving in the right direction in the three games since Brown became the play caller. “First off,” Brown replied, “I am not the sole person responsible for Caleb’s development. He has a big part in that (too). “Obviously I have been charged with kind of leading the way with him and the team now as well. But I think his response has been awesome. My job is to be an effective communicator, be honest and be direct about what he’s doing well and what he’s not doing well.” That is occurring this week and will continue through the final five games. Brown also has encouraged Williams to stay mentally tough and to balance his perfectionist tendencies with some much-needed grace to help lessen his stress and mental exhaustion. “The goal is not perfection,” Brown said. “The goal is to be excellent.” That’s an important distinction for a player as reflective and self-critical as Williams tends to be. Now comes the balancing act for Brown and Williams in finding the new sweet spot for their relationship as they both push to finish a dizzying season with positive results.As Donald Trump’s second term in the Oval Office looms, global markets are preparing for a seismic shift. With his economic playbook already well-known – tax cuts, deregulation, and a return to protectionist policies – the question is not if the markets will react, but how. The initial surge of optimism from Trump’s return will undoubtedly spark rallies in some sectors. But as investors have seen before, the long-term effects of his policies are often unpredictable, and the broader market could face serious turbulence. In this next phase, we’ll see both opportunities and risks that could significantly reshape financial landscapes from New York to Sydney and beyond. Trump’s first term saw corporate tax cuts that propelled markets higher, but that initial euphoria may give way to rising inflationary pressures in his second term. A massive infrastructure plan (US$1.5 trillion), which he’s promised to reinvest in, will undoubtedly stoke demand in the economy – creating jobs, driving up wages and putting more money into consumers’ pockets. On the surface, this should be good for business, right? Well, not so fast. Inflation will likely creep higher, probably reaching the 4-5% range by mid-2025, I believe. This will put upward pressure on prices, hitting consumers and businesses alike. Inflation isn't just a theoretical threat – it is a real concern that can weigh heavily on consumer spending and business operations, as costs rise across the board. And with the Federal Reserve already walking a fine line, rising prices are likely to prompt further rate hikes, making borrowing more expensive and increasing market volatility. For equities, the impact could be mixed. While industries like energy, infrastructure, and tech will benefit from deregulation and a tax-friendly environment, other sectors will face more immediate challenges. Rising inflation would push input costs higher, squeezing margins and making it more difficult for companies to meet their earnings targets. The result could be a more volatile stock market, particularly in the latter half of 2025. A key pillar of Trump’s economic strategy is likely to be a strengthening US dollar, thanks to the combination of fiscal stimulus, rising Treasury yields and global investors seeking safety. On paper, this sounds like a positive for the US economy, but the implications for the global market are much more complicated. While a stronger dollar may benefit American consumers by making imports cheaper, it’ll also create significant pain for US exporters. American products will become more expensive for foreign buyers, diminishing the international competitiveness of US companies. Exporters, especially in the manufacturing and tech sectors, will likely see profit margins squeezed. On the global stage, emerging markets will be hit hardest by a rising dollar, especially those with heavy dollar-denominated debt, such as Turkey and Argentina. As the dollar strengthens, these nations will face higher debt repayment costs, potentially leading to economic instability and market sell-offs. In fact, the global flow of capital could see a major shift as investors flock to US assets in search of safety, leaving emerging markets vulnerable to greater volatility. The president-elect’s commitment to protectionist trade policies, including a renewed focus on tariffs, could have an even more profound impact on global markets. Trade wars were a defining feature of his first term, and it’s unlikely that the second term will be any different. With Europe and China already on high alert, retaliatory tariffs could trigger a new round of disruptions to global supply chains. For US equities, this could be detrimental. Companies with significant international exposure, particularly in sectors like tech, automotive, and retail, will bear the brunt of increased trade tensions. Higher input costs from tariffs will eat into profits, and rising consumer prices will dampen demand, leading to slower growth. Industries like tech, which rely on global supply chains, could see stock prices suffer as production costs rise. The prospect of a protracted trade war has been largely underestimated by many market analysts, and the US market may not be prepared for the consequences. It’s not just foreign stocks that will suffer. The US companies that depend on European and Chinese markets are just as vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs, and their valuations, currently high, could quickly become a liability. In an environment of rising inflation and interest rates, bonds might seem like a safe bet, but they could face their own set of challenges. As yields rise in response to fiscal stimulus and potential rate hikes, bonds, particularly longer-duration ones, could lose some of their appeal. However, despite the volatility, US Treasuries remain a relatively safe asset, as demand for US government debt will continue to remain strong – especially as global capital looks for a place to weather economic storms. Bonds could also provide a cushion for investors during periods of heightened volatility. While they won’t offer the same high returns as equities or crypto, they may be a solid option for those seeking more stability as the market braces for the turbulence that comes with Trump’s economic agenda. If the stock market faces growing pains under Trump’s policies, there is one asset class that is likely to thrive: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. With his pro-crypto stance and the rising institutional interest in digital assets, cryptocurrencies are set to receive a boost. Trump’s presidency could be a major catalyst for Bitcoin, pushing it well beyond its current $96,000 price tag toward new all-time highs. Bitcoin has increasingly become a mainstream asset. His support for digital currencies and regulatory clarity will accelerate adoption. Investors seeking to diversify away from traditional assets can be expected to turn to the world’s largest digital asset as an alternative store of value, further propelling its value higher in 2025. Only time will tell exactly how it will react, but investors need to brace for a year defined by volatility, as the markets adjust to the realities of Trump’s re-election. Nigel Green is the CEO and founder of deVere Group. Originally published as Trump 2.0: The global market shake-up you can’t afford to ignore Stockhead Don't miss out on the headlines from Stockhead. Followed categories will be added to My News. More related stories Stockhead Rhythm raises $3.5m, eyes 2025 test launch Rhythm Biosciences has raised $3.5m and plans to commercialise the second generation of its bowel cancer blood test Colostat in 2025. Read more Stockhead Explorers Podcast: GT1 eyes resource upgrade at Root Green Technology Metals managing director Cameron Henry joins Host, Barry FitzGerald, on the Explorers Podcast, to discuss ongoing drilling at its 14.6Mt Root lithium project in Ontario, Canada. Read more
The world stands at the dawn of a “third nuclear age” in which Britain is threatened by multiple dilemmas, the head of the armed forces has warned. But alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” The first nuclear age was the Cold War, while the second was “governed by disarmament efforts and counter proliferation”, the armed forces chief said. He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”By Haleluya Hadero | The Associated Press Amazon has introduced a handful of robots in its warehouses that the e-commerce giant says will improve efficiency and reduce employee injuries . Two robotic arms named Robin and Cardinal can lift packages that weigh up to 50 pounds. A third, called Sparrow, picks up items from bins and puts them in other containers. Proteus, an autonomous mobile robot that operates on the floor, can move carts around a warehouse. The bipedal, humanoid robot Digit is being tested to help move empty totes with its hands. And there’s also Sequoia, a containerized storage system that can present totes to employees in a way that allows them to avoid stretching or squatting to grab inventory. Amazon says Robin is currently being used in dozens of warehouses. The others are in a testing stage or haven’t been rolled out widely. But the company says it’s already seeing benefits, such as reducing the time it takes to fulfill orders and helping employees avoid repetitive tasks. However, automation also carries drawbacks for workers , who would have to be retrained for new positions if the robots made their roles obsolete. In October, Amazon held an event at a Nashville, Tennessee, warehouse where the company had integrated some of the robots. The Associated Press spoke with Julie Mitchell, the director of Amazon’s robotic sortation technologies, about where the company hopes to go from here. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. A: This journey that we’ve been on has taken a couple of years. Luckily for us, we’ve been at this for over a decade. So we have a lot of core technology that we can build on top of. We started these particular robots – Cardinal and Proteus – in this building in November 2022. We came in and began playing around with what it would look like to pack and move a production order. Less than two years later, we are at scale and shipping 70% of the items in this building through that robotics system. A: We talk about “build, test and scale” and that’s about a two-year cycle for us right now. A: As you can probably imagine, we have so many items, so it’s an exceptional challenge. We rely on data and putting our first prototype in a real building, where we expose it to all the things we need it to do. Then we drive down all the reasons that it fails. We give it a lot of sample sizes in a very short period of time. For example, a couple of years ago, we launched our Robin robotics arm – a package manipulation robot – and we’re at 3 billion picks. So the ability to launch into our network, rapidly collect data, scale and iterate has enabled us to go fast. The challenge itself can be boiled down to three simple things: you need to perceive the scene, plan your motion and then execute. Today, those are three different parts of our system. Artificial intelligence is going to help us change all of that, and it’s going to be more outcome-driven, like asking it to pick up a bottle of water. We’re on the verge, so that’s why I’m personally excited to be here at the onset of generative AI and use it to dramatically improve the performance of our robotics. A: With the technology we’ve deployed here, we’re creating new roles for individuals that can acquire new skills to fulfill those roles. And these new skills are not something that is too difficult to achieve. You don’t need an engineering degree, Ph.D. or any really technical skills to support our robotics systems. We designed the systems so they’re easy to service and train on the job to be a reliability maintenance engineer. We are working backwards from the idea that we want to employ more skilled labor. These opportunities are obviously higher paid than the entry level jobs in our buildings. And partnering with MIT has helped us understand what matters most to our team as we’re deploying these technologies across our network. A: Not in the adoption. We’re integrating it. But these are complex systems and this is the real world, so things go wrong. For example, we had bad weather due to the storms in the Southeast. When I look at the robotics systems data, I can tell the weather is bad outside because that dramatically affects how the ship dock works. When trucks don’t arrive on time or when they can’t leave, you see bottlenecks in the building in strange ways. Containers build up, we have to put them in different places, and then humans need to recover them. So communication between what our robotics system is doing and what we need employees in the building to do to recover is important. It’s a collaboration of automation and humans to deal with real-world problems. It’s not a matter of having robotics take over but making it one system of humans and robotics working together to accomplish the goal of shipping the product.Wall Street stocks surged to fresh records Wednesday on hopes about easing US monetary policy, shrugging off political upheaval in South Korea and France. All three major US indices scored records, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing above 45,000 for the first time. "The market at this point is looking for excuses to go up, and there's not really anything that might work against that narrative," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers. "Over the last couple of days, it's managed to ignore all sorts of inconvenient things and decided that the situation in France doesn't matter for them," Sosnick said of the stock market. "The situation in Korea doesn't matter." South Korea's stock market fell less than feared and the won rebounded from earlier losses after President Yoon Suk Yeol swiftly reversed a decision to impose martial law. In Europe, Paris stocks managed to advance as France's government faced looming no-confidence votes. Late Wednesday in Paris, French lawmakers voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, pushing the country further into political uncertainty. For the first time in over sixty years, the National Assembly lower house toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen. "Political turmoil in both France and South Korea provide a uncertain backdrop for global markets, with the likely removal of both Barnier and Yoon bringing the potential for both countries to find a fresh direction," said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets. Thomas Mathews, head of Asia-Pacific markets at Capital Economics, said the losses in Seoul could have been "much worse" had the president not aborted his plan. "Rarely does a combined sell-off in a country's stocks, bonds and currency feel like a relief rally," he said. Oil prices turned lower after surging around 2.5 percent Tuesday, mainly after the United States sanctioned 35 companies and ships it accused of involvement with Iran's "shadow fleet" illicitly selling Iranian oil to foreign markets. Major producers at the OPEC+ grouping led by Saudi Arabia and Russia were set to meet Thursday to discuss extending output limits. Back in New York, major indices were led by the Nasdaq, which piled on 1.3 percent to finish at a third straight record. Wednesday's gains came after payroll firm ADP said US private-sector hiring in November came in at a lower-than-expected 146,000 jobs, while a survey from the Institute for Supply Management showed weaker sentiment than expected in the services sector. But the lackluster data boosts expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this month. At a New York conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell refrained from tipping his hand, but he "didn't say anything that would scare the market," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. O'Hare noted that Wednesday's gains were led by large tech names such as Nvidia and Microsoft, which are major AI players. The boost followed strong results from Salesforce, which was the biggest gainer in the Dow with an 11 percent jump. - Key figures around 2150 GMT - New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 45,014.04 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.6 percent at 6,086.49 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 1.3 percent at 19,735.12 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 8,335.81 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,303.28 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.1 percent at 20,232.14 (close) Seoul - Kospi Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 2,464.00 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 39,276.39 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 19,742.46 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,364.65 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0510 from $1.0509 on Tuesday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2702 from $1.2673 Dollar/yen: UP at 150.56 yen from 149.60 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.71 from 82.92 pence Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.8 percent at $72.31 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.0 percent at $68.54 per barrel burs-jmb/jgc
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