Raul Malo death mourned across music world as iconic frontman dies at 60

Raul Malo performing on stage with The Mavericks during a live concert, remembered after the Raul Malo death at age sixty.

Raul Malo, the acclaimed tenor and frontman of the Grammy winning band The Mavericks, has died at age sixty after a widely shared battle with cancer.  His wife, Betty Malo, announced the Raul Malo death late Monday on his official Facebook page, saying he had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer and later leptomeningeal disease.  … Read more

Google faces EU antitrust investigation over use of online content for AI

EU antitrust investigation into its use of online content for AI training.

Google is facing a new EU antitrust investigation into how it uses online content to train and deploy its artificial intelligence systems, the European Commission said Tuesday, escalating the bloc’s efforts to regulate US technology giants.  Regulators are examining whether Google relied on material from web publishers and YouTube creators without offering fair terms, compensation … Read more

US startup challenges X Corp, seeks to reclaim Twitter trademarks

A Virginia startup has asked the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel trademarks for Twitter, arguing that billionaire Elon Musk’s X Corp has abandoned them.  Operation Bluebird, a fledgling social media company, seeks to acquire the rights to “Twitter” and “tweet” for a new platform called “twitter.new.” The petition, filed December 2, contends that … Read more

Paramount, Netflix escalate Hollywood power tussle with bids for Warner Bros Discovery

A view of Warner Bros, Netflix and Paramount buildings during an ongoing Hollywood power tussle over the future of Warner Bros Discovery.

A fierce Hollywood power tussle erupted this week as Paramount Skydance launched a hostile bid valued at $108.4 billion for Warner Bros Discovery, challenging a competing proposal from Netflix and raising new questions about the future direction of one of Hollywood’s oldest studios.  The competing offers mark the company’s fourth major restructuring since 2000 and … Read more

Cassidy, Crapo introduce GOP alternative as Obamacare subsidies near expiration

Cassidy and Crapo announce GOP alternative to Obamacare subsidies

WASHINGTON — As enhanced Obamacare subsidies approach their year end expiration, two senior Senate Republicans unveiled legislation Monday that would replace the existing assistance with government funded health savings accounts, sharpening the divide between Democratic and Republican approaches to health coverage. The proposal, led by Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Sen. Mike Crapo of … Read more

Alina Habba resignation triggers major shakeup in New Jersey US attorney’s office

Alina Habba standing at a podium in a federal building after announcing her resignation as US attorney in New Jersey.

Alina Habba resigned Monday as US attorney in New Jersey after a federal appeals court ruled that her extended interim appointment violated the law, ending a turbulent nine month tenure marked by political controversy, courtroom challenges and questions over presidential authority.  The Alina Habba resignation immediately reshaped leadership inside one of the Justice Department’s busiest … Read more

Supreme Court conservatives signal support for Trump in pivotal FTC firing showdown

WASHINGTON — Supreme Court conservatives appeared ready Monday to uphold former President Donald Trump’s decision to remove a Federal Trade Commission member.  A move that could dramatically expand presidential authority and weaken a landmark precedent that has shaped the administrative state for nearly ninety years. The justices spent more than two hours examining whether Trump … Read more

BlackRock AI investment approach zeroes in on infrastructure as tech giants intensify capex surge

BlackRock AI investment during global AI infrastructure growth.

BlackRock is sharpening its focus on the companies powering the backbone of artificial intelligence infrastructure, arguing that the wave of capital pouring into the sector is unlikely to slow anytime soon.  In a new assessment of global markets, the firm said rapid spending by tech giants is driving what it views as one of the … Read more

Dollar eases ahead of Fed interest rate decision as markets brace for volatile week

Dollar eases before Fed interest rate decision

The dollar eased Monday as global investors positioned for a pivotal week dominated by the highly anticipated Fed interest rate decision, a move widely expected to deliver a cut paired with unusually firm guidance.  Currency markets have drifted lower for three straight weeks, yet traders continue to rebuild bullish bets ahead of the central bank’s … Read more