superace168

superace168 Inside the Gaetz ethics report, a trove of new details alleging payments for sex and drug useNone

Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week

Ange Postecoglou fights on as Tottenham return to scene of Antonio Conte rant

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 16, 2024-- EVgo Inc. (NASDAQ: EVGO) (“EVgo” or the “Company”) announced today that EVgo Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of LS Power Equity Partners IV, L.P. (“LS Power”), intends to offer for sale in an underwritten public secondary offering 23,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Shares”) of the Company. LS Power expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,450,000 Class A Shares at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. No Class A Shares are being sold by the Company. LS Power will receive all of the proceeds from the sale of Class A Shares in the offering, and the Company will not receive any proceeds from this offering. The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering. J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Morgan Stanley and Evercore ISI are acting as lead book-running managers for the offering. The Company has filed a registration statement (including a base prospectus) and a preliminary prospectus supplement relating to these securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The registration statement became effective on August 25, 2022. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus supplement (including the accompanying base prospectus), copies of which may be obtained, when available, from J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by email at and , Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282-2198, or by telephone: (866) 471-2526 or email: , Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, and Evercore Group, L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10055, or by telephone at (888) 474-0200 or email: . This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful without registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. EVgo (Nasdaq: EVGO) is one of the nation’s leading public fast charging providers. With more than 1,000 fast charging stations across 40 states, EVgo strategically deploys localized and accessible charging infrastructure by partnering with leading businesses across the U.S., including retailers, grocery stores, restaurants, shopping centers, gas stations, rideshare operators, and autonomous vehicle companies. At its dedicated Innovation Lab, EVgo performs extensive interoperability testing and has ongoing technical collaborations with leading automakers and industry partners to advance the EV charging industry and deliver a seamless charging experience. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, as amended. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “going to,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern the Company’s expectations, strategy, priorities, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the completion, timing and size of the public offering and LS Power’s expectation to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase additional shares. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to the ability of EVgo and LS Power to complete the proposed offering on the anticipated terms or at all, market conditions and the satisfaction of closing conditions related to the proposed public offering. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company’s financial results are included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in EVgo’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended March 31, 2024, June 30, 2024 and September 30, 2024 as well as its other filings with the SEC, copies of which are available on EVgo’s website at , and on the SEC’s website at . All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and EVgo does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by applicable law. View source version on : CONTACT: For Investors: Media: KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: EV/ELECTRIC VEHICLES BATTERIES ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES/FUELS GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE AFTERMARKET TECHNOLOGY AUTONOMOUS DRIVING/VEHICLES AUTOMOTIVE OTHER TRANSPORT AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING TRANSPORT MANUFACTURING SOURCE: EVgo Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/16/2024 04:10 PM/DISC: 12/16/2024 04:10 PMUnconstrained LNG exports will cost consumers and the climate: U.S. Department of EnergyMSNBC Personalities Panic Over New Attorney General Nominee Pam Bondi: 'Worse Than ... Matt Gaetz'The problem solver: Nandhakumar Raju’s practical approach to healthcare technology

U.S. District Court Awards 10x Genomics Permanent Injunction in Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Bruker Corporation's GeoMx ProductsWho’s Who in Trump’s New Silicon Valley Entourage

Max Verstappen has completed the 'work of public interest' ordered by the FIA after swearing in a televised press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix . The Red Bull star and reigning world champion was penalised by the motorsports governing body after describing his car as 'f***ed' in an arena which restricts drivers from using foul language. FIA boss Mohammed Ben Sulayem decided to tie the community work in with the FIA Awards Ceremony 2024 in Rwanda tonight (Friday). Before heading to the gathering in Kigali, Verstappen attended the grassroots development program of the Rwandan Automobile Club (RAC) - an organisation which seeks to create opportunities for youngsters to enter the world of motorsports. Footage posted to social media shows Verstappen, standing alongside Ben Sulayem, addressing a crowd of people at an outdoor track after watching an activity involving an 'FIA affordable cross car', which was built by the RAC using FIA blueprints. "In the whole world, everything is getting more and more expensive, so the more you can build [motorsports] in your own country, the more you make it affordable for kids," he said . "I think it's great to have that possibility, and I hope it stimulates all these kids so that they want to be a racing driver or an engineer in the future. "It has massive potential and that is what I think everyone is working on trying to make everyone very enthusiastic. It doesn't matter where in the world you come from, anything is possible. Max Verstappen in Rwanda today completing his community service for swearing ?????? (via fia.official/IG) pic.twitter.com/M124sasKCe "That's why I also think it's important that we're here. I'm very excited to see that hopefully, in five to ten years, there are more people coming through [into motorsports]." Verstappen's kind words came two months after he described his unusual punishment - the specifics of which were undisclosed at the time - as 'ridiculous'. The Grand Prix Drivers' Association also wrote an open letter to the FIA asking to be treated like adults. The trip to Rwanda is a celebratory one for Verstappen, who mathematically sealed his fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship two races before the end of the 2024 season. Lando Norris - his nearest challenger - ended up 63 points adrift. A fourth crown catapults Verstappen even further into the upper echelons of F1 greatness. Now level with Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost, only Juan Manuel Fangio, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have enjoyed more world title success than the Dutchman.

Six-year-old Jax (A515085) was brought to the shelter in early June. He had severe skin irritation issues that caused him to lose a lot of his fur. You would have a hard time recognizing him now; after a series of medicated baths, good-quality food and lots of TLC, his fur has nearly all grown back, and his shiny black coat is nothing short of luxurious. Jax is the perfect balance of playful energy and a mellow vibe. He loves sitting on a park bench or the couch by your side, soaking up the sun and all the pets and scratches he can get. He plays fetch in the yard, but his goal seems to be checking who will stop playing and give him more pets. If you are looking for a master cuddler who is also tons of fun, Jax is your guy! Jax and all other dogs and cats 5 years and older can be adopted for free during the month of Nov., Adopt-A-Senior Pet Month! Learn more at pasadenahumane.org/adopt. (Photos are courtesy of Pasadena Humane) Earlier this year, a stray black-and-white dog arrived at Pasadena Humane in rough shape. This lovable five-year-old pit bull mix, soon to be named Jax, had clearly been neglected in his former life. He suffered from extreme skin allergies and an ear infection that had gone untreated for some time. With dedicated medical care, Jax began to feel much better physically. However, after weeks in the shelter waiting for a new family, he started showing signs of kennel stress. To help him, we prioritized getting him into a foster home, where he could wait for an adopter while enjoying the comfort and warmth of a loving caretaker. He was paired with Chelsea Wood, a first-time foster parent for our organization. A self-professed large dog lover, Chelsea shares only glowing remarks about Jax during their time together. “Jax is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met!” she told us. “He’s never met a dog or human he didn’t love, and they love him right back!” Foster homes are a lifeline for dogs like Jax. As a middle-aged, large-breed dog with skin allergies, Jax may have a longer stay than, say, a younger, small-breed dog with no obvious health issues. Spending time in a foster home allows dogs like Jax to rediscover life as cherished companions. Fostering a pet from your local shelter is one of the most impactful things you can do to help a homeless animal. At Pasadena Humane, we’re always recruiting foster parents who can care for companion animals of all ages. At this time, our greatest need is foster volunteers for large-breed dogs. We ask for a two-week commitment. An extended foster getaway gives dogs the essential time they need to decompress from shelter life and show off their true personalities. Considering fostering a dog? We provide all the supplies, medical care, and support you’ll need. Plus, here are five great reasons to foster right now: Be a Lifesaver – At Pasadena Humane, we’re committed to helping every animal in need in our service area. But this means our kennels are often very full. Each dog placed in a foster home immediately opens kennel space for another dog in need. Change a Dog’s Life – Waiting for an adopter in a loving home is much better for a dog’s well-being than living in a kennel. Plus, foster parents help dogs become more adoptable by learning about their personalities and sharing that information with potential adopters. Short-Term Companionship – Fostering is a great option for those who are not ready for the long-term commitment of dog ownership or who are not able to permanently add a second or third dog to their home. Health and Wellness – Foster dogs provide the emotional and health benefits of dog companionship, such as increasing social connection, physical activity, and giving a sense of purpose—without the long-term responsibility. Home for the Holidays – Now is an ideal time to bring home a foster dog. Your foster pup won’t have to spend the holidays alone in the shelter, and you’ll enjoy the love and warmth of a furry friend during the season. I hope you’ll consider bringing home a foster dog like Jax this holiday season. To learn more about fostering through Pasadena Humane, visit our website at pasadenahumane.org/foster P.S. Jax is still available for adoption, and his adoption fee is waived all November during Adopt a Senior Pet Month! If you’re interested in bringing him home, connect with our adoptions team at pasadenahumane.org/adopt Dia DuVernet is president and CEO of Pasadena Humane. pasadenahumane.orgIt looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. “The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more,” Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. “There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie,” said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction.” In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation , did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the “no-fault findings,” as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report , Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist “saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities.” But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's “decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable.” A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug “then entered the market through illegal channels,” he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles,” Li said. “The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice.” This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. “Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated,” he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. “It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. “Which clearly it has not.” AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-gamesThe alleged perpetrator of the deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Germany had been contacted by police just weeks before the incident. or signup to continue reading The attack in the central city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, which killed five people including a nine-year-old boy, is believed to have been carried out by a Saudi national identified only as Taleb A according to German privacy laws. The number of people injured in the rampage has climbed to 235. The suspect has been living in Germany since 2006 and was granted political refugee status in 2016. He was most recently working as a doctor in the town of Bernburg, south of Magdeburg. Taleb A was detained at the scene and is being held in police custody, with investigators searching for a motive amid suggestions that authorities failed to heed warnings about the man. Tamara Zieschang, the interior minister of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, told MPs in Magdeburg on Monday that police met the man twice - in September 2023 and October 2024 - to warn him about his behaviour. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern said that Taleb A became known to authorities as a potential suspect in 2015. Regional authorities had informed the Federal Criminal Police Office at the Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre, which is supported by Germany's federal and regional government, about the man's possible intention to carry out an attack on February 6, 2015, it said. The report concerned threats to carry out actions that would attract international attention against a medical association in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in April 2013 and one year later against a local authority in the northern German city of Stralsund. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern interior minister, Christian Pegel, said the 50-year-old suspect had lived in the state from 2011-16 and had completed parts of his specialist medical training in Stralsund. He said the man had been involved in a dispute with the medical association about the recognition of examination results and had later threatened the social services in Stralsund in an attempt to obtain assistance with living costs. A district court fined Taleb A for threatening the medical association, Pegel said. However, he added, the previous investigations had not revealed any evidence of real preparations for an attack or Islamist connections. The man was warned by the police and told that he would be monitored more closely but was not classified as a threat, Pegel said. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement

US to require passenger vehicles to sound alarms if rear passengers don’t fasten their seat belts

FDA Grants IDE Approval for the Pivotal Trial of the JuxtaFlow® Renal Assist Device (RAD)Katten Advises CleanSpark on $650 Million Convertible Senior Notes Offering

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former South Carolina Sen. Kay Patterson, who rose from cleaning offices at the segregated Statehouse to serving as a state legislator for over 30 years died Friday. He was 93. The South Carolina Democratic Party announced Patterson's death saying he “left an indelible mark on our state. Senator Patterson commanded everyone’s attention with his wit and wisdom.” The statement did not list a cause of death. Patterson was born in 1931 in Darlington County and raised by his grandmothers. They recalled his hardheaded spirit early, recommending he not take jobs as a golf caddy or shoe shiner because he was likely to mouth off to white people in segregated 1940s South Carolina and get in trouble. Instead, Patterson served in the military and then got his teaching degree through the GI Bill at Allen University. While in college, he cleaned offices at the segregated capitol where he and other Black people couldn't be unless they were working. "When I was a janitor, Black people couldn’t go in the Statehouse," Patterson said in a 2004 interview with the University of South Carolina. “And then one day I came back down here as a member of the House and then in '84, I came back sitting in the Senate as a senator. Now that’s a hell of a long way to come.” Patterson spent 30 years in education and was elected to the South Carolina House in 1974 and the Senate 10 years later after U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn urged him to run for the upper chamber seat. In a statement, Clyburn called Patterson “a trusted leader, a tireless champion for civil rights, and a treasured friend. He was a person of strength, determination, wisdom, and a long proponent of removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse dome .” Patterson was also the first Black person to serve on the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees since Reconstruction. Patterson was a key member of both the House and Senate, He served on the budget committees in both chambers and was a major voice in support of civil rights, public education and helping poor people. He adamantly demanded the Confederate flag be removed from atop the Statehouse dome and inside the House and Senate chambers long before they were taken down in 2000. READ: The lifelong Democrat said the final years of his political career were the toughest after Republicans took over state government. His seniority no longer mattered and he felt many newer Republicans were religious hypocrites who claimed to help others but only cared for people just like themselves. A few years before he retired from the Statehouse, Patterson said it was important to respect elders and supervisors, but not be afraid to speak up if bothered or something was on one's mind. “That’s just my hallmark ever since I was a little child. It will get you in trouble now, but you can sleep well at night. And learn to treat everybody as human beings with respect,” Patterson said in the interview with the university's Champions of Civil and Human Rights in South Carolina program. “You can sleep real good at night. Right now, I’m 73 years old and sleep like a log when I go to bed because I know I’ve done no wrong to my fellow man,” Patterson said. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Tottenham return to Southampton on Sunday for the first time since Antonio Conte’s explosive post-match rant, but current boss Ange Postecoglou has not lost any of his determination to succeed at the club. Conte’s last public act as Spurs head coach after a 3-3 draw at St Mary’s in 2023 was to launch a furious tirade against his own “selfish” players who he claimed “don’t want to play under pressure” before he seemed to turn on the board as he questioned the club’s ongoing trophy drought. Eight days later Conte had left Tottenham by mutual consent after a whirlwind 16-month period, with Postecoglou his eventual permanent successor. A post shared by Antonio Conte (@antonioconte) Postecoglou has been in charge of the Premier League club for two months longer than the Italian, but managed 12 fewer matches and is currently in the middle of an injury crisis which has resulted in a drop in form, with Spurs only able to claim one victory from their last eight fixtures. However, when Postecoglou was asked if he would jump ship in the wake of making remarks like Conte did in March, 2023, he said: “Look, I don’t think it’s fair to comment. “Antonio is a world-class manager and has his own way of doing things, his own reasons for doing that. “I am here, I am in for the fight. I am in a fight, for sure. For better or worse I am not going anywhere at the moment because everything is still in my power and my responsibility. “I still have a real desire to get us through this stage so that people see what is on the other side. My resolve and determination hasn’t wavered one little bit. “I love a fight, I love a scrap, I love being in the middle of a storm when everyone doubts because I know what it is on the other side if you get through it. My job is to get through it.” Postecoglou was Celtic boss when Conte’s extraordinary 10-minute press conference made waves around the world, but acknowledged being aware of his predecessors’ comments and attempted to explain the psyche behind why a manager would make such a move. “I was on Planet Earth at that time, and yes I was well aware of it,” Postecoglou smiled. “I think you know when a manager gets to that point that there’s obviously some underlying issues. “I think most of the time when managers do that they’re trying to get a reaction, trying to get some sort of impact on the team. “In difficult moments, what you want from your leaders is action rather than inaction of just letting things drift along. He did it to try and get a positive impact on the group, one way or another. We’ve all been in that situation as a manager where you feel this is time to send a message.” Postecoglou sent out his own message on Thursday after a 1-1 draw away to Rangers when he insisted Timo Werner’s display “wasn’t acceptable” at Ibrox. Werner was replaced at half-time following an error-strewn performance, but was not alone in being below-par in Glasgow. A day later Postecoglou explained how with Spurs missing several key first-teamers, the onus is on their fit senior players to deliver a level of application and commitment – and admitted Werner will be required at St Mary’s on Sunday. “I’ve got no choice. Who else am I going to play? I’m pulling kids out of school, I literally am,” Postecoglou mentioned in reference to 16-year-old duo Malachi Hardy and Luca Williams-Barnett, who have recently made the bench. “That was the reasoning for me pointing it out last night. We need Timo. We need all of them. “In normal times if you have a poor game, there’s a price to pay. It doesn’t exist right now. We need everybody we’ve got.”

Honestly, Meta’s approaches to both AI and VR development and integration are wildly conflicted, based on its internal statements and notes on such over time. On one hand, it’s adding generative AI everywhere , and prompting you at every turn to generate images, and get answers to questions that you never even thought to ask via is AI tools. Yet, at the same time, Meta’s warning of the dangers of such, and how we need to be increasingly wary of AI generations that will be more and more difficult to discern from the real thing. That’s what Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has been warning about today , noting, in a post on Threads, that: “Whether or not you’re a bull or a bear in the technology, generative AI is clearly producing content that is difficult to discern from recordings of reality, and improving rapidly.” Mosseri says that Meta has a role to play in this, by labeling AI generated content as best it can. But he also notes that people need to take more responsibility for assessing such in-stream. “It’s going to be increasingly critical that the viewer, or reader, brings a discerning mind when they consume content purporting to be an account or a recording of reality. My advice is to *always* consider who it is that is speaking.” But Mosseri, of all people, knows that people aren’t going to do that. Over and over again, we’ve seen social media hoxes gain traction, to the point where established scientific facts, like the world being a sphere, are arguably less accepted than they were in the past. So while it’s one thing for Mosseri to say that users will need to be more careful in assessing such, he knows that people just won’t, and that generative AI then has the potential to cause significant harm via social apps. Yet, Meta is still pushing for more AI generated content. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently noted that he expects content on Facebook and IG to be mostly AI generated in the near future, which is why Meta’s adding more and more AI creation tools into its apps. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth is also keen to push ahead , noting that the evolution of AI has shown them the way forward for the next stage, and that Meta is now looking to put its “foot on the gas” in AI development. Yet, we don’t know the impacts of such. We don’t know, for example, how harmful AI generations might be, in terms of misinformation and manipulation. Meta did recently note that the anticipated wave of AI-generated content in the U.S. election didn’t happen. But that doesn’t mean that AI fakes won’t cloud our perceptions in future. And in terms of AI companions, and conversational AI in tools like Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, do we have any assessment on the true harms that could be caused by people eschewing human relationships, in favor of generated personal engagement? The risks here are similar to social media itself, which we only started talking about in retrospect. Only now are governments looking to restrict access to social media for young users , due to concerns around harmful behaviors. Only now are we seeing regulators and security officials look to remove a foreign-adversary owned social app due to concerns that it could be used to sway public opinion. These are just some of the harms that social media has potentially caused, and that potential has been enough to prompt widespread government action. Yet, it’s taken us years to get to this point in the discussion, where we’re actually assessing these as potentially harmful activities. Social media was initially considered a novelty, and thing for kids, a harmless distraction. Till it wasn’t. And now, AI and VR devices are being considered in much the same way. That’s not to say that technological development is inherently bad, but again, Meta’s perspective here seems to sway significantly, from raising the alarm, to encouraging participation. But really, what we need is proactive assessment of potential impacts before we go too far, not after. Because once you have a billion people engaging in VR, and chatting with custom AI bots, the impacts will become very clear. But by then, it’ll be too late.

US to require passenger vehicles to sound alarms if rear passengers don’t fasten their seat beltsBOSTON , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The China Fund, Inc. (NYSE: CHN ) (the "Fund") announced today that the Fund's annual stockholder meeting (the "Meeting") will be scheduled for Thursday, March 13, 2025 , via a virtual forum at 11:00 a.m. ET . Stockholders of record as of January 15, 2025 will be entitled to notice of, and to attend and vote at, the Meeting. The notice for the Meeting will be mailed to shareholders on or about February 10, 2025 . The Fund is a closed-end management investment company with the objective of seeking long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities (i) of companies for which the principal securities trading market is in the People's Republic of China (" China "), or (ii) of companies for which the principal securities trading market is outside of China , or constituting direct equity investments in companies organized outside of China , that in both cases derive at least 50% of their revenues from goods and services sold or produced, or have at least 50% of their assets, in China . While the Fund is permitted to invest in direct equity investments of companies organized in China , it presently holds no such investments. Shares of the Fund are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CHN". The Fund's investment manager is Matthews International Capital Management, LLC. For further information regarding the Fund and the Fund's holdings, please call (888)-CHN-CALL (246-2255) or visit the Fund's website at www.chinafundinc.com . SOURCE The China Fund, Inc.Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week