CES 2025: What to Expect From the Giant Tech Expo
Volkswagen workers said its management had one last chance to compromise on Monday or risk strikes on a scale not previously seen by the German carmaker, as talks began in a bitter standoff over wage cuts and plant closures. VW staff downed tools at nine German sites which are under threat, while thousands of workers marched waving flags and blowing whistles to a square in Wolfsburg, where the carmaker has its headquarters, to listen to union leaders. The latest negotiations, which initially kicked off in September, come as Europe’s largest carmaker seeks ways to radically cut costs in Germany to better compete with cheaper Asian rivals that have entered its home market. Last week’s strikes at VW’s four carmaking factories cost Volkswagen just under 40,000 euros ($42,308) per minute, a source close to the company told Reuters. | The VW crisis has hit at a time of uncertainty and political upheaval in Europe’s largest economy, as well as wider turmoil among the region’s automakers . German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is trailing in polls ahead of a snap election, warned VW against factory closures over the weekend. Some 38,000 workers went on strike for four hours in Wolfsburg from the early and middle shifts alone, with the late and night shifts still to follow, the IG Metall union said. The strikes are already more widespread than the last round of major industrial action at VW in 2018, when more than 50,000 workers went on so-called warning strikes over pay at six sites. IG Metall said there have never been any real walkouts lasting 24 hours or more beyond so-called “warning strikes”, which are flagged in advance and of limited duration. VW’s management must signal their readiness to make steeper compromises on factors including their own compensation and the dividend for unions to take forward negotiations this year, a source close to the matter said. “Today, the workforce is taking a stand in the form of a nationwide warning strike,” union IG Metall chief negotiator Thorsten Groeger said. Workers, who have dismissed any cuts to wages or plant closures, can crank up the pressure on VW by eventually staging 24-hour strikes and even open-ended ones. “The New Year’s Eve fireworks will be followed by an escalation that this company has never experienced before,” Groeger said, adding that management had “one last chance” to get back on track in 2024 and find a solution this week or next. In the 1970s, a last-minute agreement over pay disputes was reached the night before strikes were due to begin. Cost-cutting Volkswagen insists that capacity and wage cuts are needed because demand for cars in Europe has fallen while costs in Germany make it impossible to compete with new rivals. Its chief negotiator Arne Meiswinkel said unions and management needed to find alternative ways to a solution for its German plants after rejecting a union proposal as unsustainable. “We continue to need to reduce costs, reduce overcapacity,” Meiswinkel said ahead of the talks, which were taking place at the Volkswagen Arena where the VfL Wolfsburg Bundesliga team plays its soccer. Thousands gathered, blowing whistles, chanting, booing management and holding signs such as from individual company sections saying “ENOUGH NOW! B2 IS READY FOR THE FIGHT!” CEO Oliver Blume last week defended Volkswagen Group’s decisions as necessary in a fast-changing environment, saying management could not operate “in a fantasy world.” Groeger urged VW to move towards the union’s position. “Trust has been destroyed... workers are very angry. The brand VW is under threat of becoming damaged by the behaviour of the board and the share price has been thrown to the bottom of the basement. That is the board’s responsibility,” he said Volkswagen’s stock is among the worst performers among European carmakers, having fallen by nearly 25% this year. While the full impact of the strikes was not immediately clear, the union has said several hundred cars were not built at the Wolfsburg plant alone as a result of the first round. Automakers face rising competition from China, where EV maker BYD recently said that between August and October it hired close to 200,000 new employees in car and component manufacturing. —Victoria Waldersee, Christina Amann, Christoph Steitz, Andrey Sychev, Reuters; writing by Matthias Williams The extended deadline for Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards is this Friday, December 13, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
A former high school classmate of Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the “strong person of interest” arrested Monday in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, said he was surprised to learn of his arrest. Freddie Leatherbury hasn’t spoken to Mangione since they graduated in 2016 from Gilman School in Maryland. He said Mangione was a smart, friendly and athletic student who came from a wealthy family, even by the private school’s standards. “Quite honestly, he had everything going for him,” Leatherbury said. Leatherbury said he was stunned when a friend shared the news of their former classmate’s arrest. “He does not seem like the kind of guy to do this based on everything I’d known about him in high school,” Leatherbury said. Mangione, a high school valedictorian from a Maryland prep school, earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science in 2020 from the University of Pennsylvania, a spokesman told The Associated Press on Monday. He had learned to code in high school and helped start a club at Penn for people interested in gaming and game design, according to a 2018 story in Penn Today, a campus publication. His posts also suggest that he belonged to the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. They also show him taking part in a 2019 program at Stanford University, and in photos with family and friends in Hawaii, San Diego, Puerto Rico, the New Jersey shore and other destinations. In an email to parents and alumni, Gilman headmaster Henry P.A. Smyth said it “recently” learned that Mangione had been arrested. “We do not have any information other than what is being reported in the news,” Smyth wrote. “This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.” A poster issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows a wanted unknown suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (FBI via AP) AP Luigi Mangione is one of 37 grandchildren of Nick Mangione Sr., according to a 2008 obituary. Mangione Sr. grew up poor in Baltimore’s Little Italy and rose after his World War II naval service to become a millionaire real estate developer and philanthropist, according to a 1995 profile by the Baltimore Sun. He and his wife Mary Cuba Mangione, who died in 2023, directed their philanthropy through the Mangione Family Foundation, according to a statement from Loyola University commemorating her death. They donated to a variety of causes, ranging from Catholic organizations to higher education, to the arts. Mangione Sr. was known for Turf Valley Resort, a sprawling luxury retreat and conference center outside Baltimore that he purchased in 1978. The father of 10 children, Nick Mangione Sr. prepared his five sons — including Luigi Mangione’s father, Louis Mangione — to help manage the family business, according to a 2003 Washington Post report. The Mangione family also purchased Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore in 1986. On Monday afternoon, Baltimore County police officers had blocked off an entrance to the property, which public records link to Luigi Mangione’s parents. A swarm of reporters and photographers gathered outside the entrance. One of Luigi Mangione’s cousins is Republican Maryland state legislator Nino Mangione, a spokesperson for the delegate’s office confirmed Monday. Healthcare SEO shooting Reviewers slam Pa. McDonald’s after worker tip leads to arrest in CEO killing Ghost gun possibly used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO can be made at home ‘Strong person of interest’ arrested in Pa. in health care CEO’s killing: Here’s what we knowHAUPPAUGE, N.Y., Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AmpliTech Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMPG, AMPGW) (the "Company”), a designer, developer, and manufacturer of state-of-the-art signal processing components for satellite, Public and Private 5G, and other communications networks, including the design of complete 5G/6G systems and a global distributor of packages and lids for integrated circuits assembly, today announced it has closed on its previously announced registered direct offering for the sale of 1,603,259 shares of common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) ("the Securities”) at an offering price of $0.92 per share. The gross proceeds to the Company from the registered direct offering were approximately $1,475,000 before deducting the placement agent's fees and other offering expenses. Maxim Group LLC acted as the sole placement agent in connection with the offering. The Securities were offered pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-278657), which was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC”) on April 24, 2024. The offering was made only by means of a prospectus supplement that forms a part of such registration statement. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor will there be any sales of these Securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. A prospectus supplement relating to the Securities offered in the registered direct offering was filed by the Company with the SEC. Copies of the prospectus supplement relating to the registered direct offering, together with the accompanying prospectus, can be obtained at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or from Maxim Group LLC, 300 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022, Attention: Syndicate Department, or via email at [email protected] or telephone at (212) 895-3500. About AmpliTech Group AmpliTech Group, Inc., comprising five divisions-AmpliTech Inc., Specialty Microwave, Spectrum Semiconductors Materials, AmpliTech Group Microwave Design Center, and AmpliTech Group True G Speed Services is a leading designer, developer, manufacturer, and distributor of cutting-edge radio frequency (RF) microwave components and 5G network solutions. Serving global markets, including satellite communications, telecommunications (5G & IoT), space exploration, defense, and quantum computing, AmpliTech Group is committed to advancing technology and innovation. Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are "forward-looking statements” including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The information in this announcement may contain forward-looking statements and information related to, among other things, statements regarding the Company, its business plan and strategy, and its industry. Such forward statements include, but are not limited to, that the booking of orders and anticipation of booking of orders, including LNB and 5G products and Fujitsu Spain, will lead to sales of products, These statements reflect management's current views with respect to future events based on information currently available and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including risks related to market conditions, and other risks described in the Company's filings with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after such date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Contacts: Corporate Social Media Twitter: @AmpliTechAMPG Instagram: @AmpliTechAMPG Facebook: AmpliTechInc Linked In: AmpliTech Group Inc Investor Social Media Twitter: @AMPG_IR StockTwits: @AMPG_IR Company Contact: Jorge Flores Tel: 631-521-7831 [email protected]ECHL: ADK Thunder look to regroup back on home ice
Lewandowski scores his 100th Champions League goal. He is the 3rd player to reach the milestone
Social media influencer and entrepreneur Ari Fletcher has had her fair share of difficult relationships. Two of her more recent and most notable connections include Chicago rapper G Herbo , and Memphis MC, Moneybagg Yo. The latter is who she's sort of with right now, as the best way to put their status would be "on and off." As for the drill mainstay, they have not been together since 2019, but they share a now six-year-old son, Yosohn . Their experience co-parenting has also seen its own deal of ups and downs. We say all of this to say, Fletcher knows what comes with being well-known and how the relationships of this magnitude can be and how they are portrayed. With that knowledge comes being able to handle the headlines and speculation that can come with it. So, it's no surprise that Ari is controlling the narrative and setting the record straight, to perfection. Recently, there has been a rampant rumor running around that involves the multi-media savant and up-and-coming Detroit act, Skilla Baby. According to a post from HOLLYWOOD UNLOCKED , a video is the catalyst in this case and it's been suggesting that he's been sneaking around with Ari lately. Read More: Kendrick Lamar “Squabble Up” Music Video: 8 Key References You May Have Missed She didn't make things look all hunky-dory either, as a lankier man wearing a yellow hoody was walking around behind her. As he was, Ari leaned in the direction of where this mystery man --suspected to be Skilla-- was going. She even downplayed the situation by continuing to talk to her fans on social media after that had just happened. However, she's saying that it wasn't him in the video and so is the man in question. Both took the time to address the cheating rumors and did so like adults. Skilla made sure to be on the record saying that G Herbo is one of his boys and that he'd never act out like that. "G Herbo my real big brotha and one of the only rapper friends I have that I value," he began. "I'm not that type of guy and sis ain't that type of girl 100% not me in no video with Ari." She then spoke out saying that it was a close friend who was dealing with a nosebleed at that time. She was also quite shocked that people were assuming it was Skilla in the clip but that she would never fool around like that. She's also done with the relationship posts claiming, "It's just better private not even that it's a secret. It's just 1,000,000% better this way." Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown
Warning to drivers using 'simple' hack to make cars 'invisible' to speed camerasNEW YORK -- In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple's Tim Cook , OpenAI’s Sam Altman , Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg , SoftBank's Masayoshi Son and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office in January. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in remarks at Mar-a-Lago . “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.” Tech companies and leaders have now poured millions into his inauguration fund, a sharp increase — in most cases — from past pledges to incoming presidents. But what does the tech industry expect to gain out of their renewed relationships with Trump? A clue to what the industry is looking for came just days before the election when Microsoft executives — who’ve largely tried to show a neutral or bipartisan stance — joined with a close Trump ally, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, to publish a blog post outlining their approach to artificial intelligence policy. “Regulation should be implemented only if its benefits outweigh its costs,” said the document signed by Andreessen, his business partner Ben Horowitz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company's president, Brad Smith. They also urged the government to back off on any attempt to strengthen copyright laws that would make it harder for companies to use publicly available data to train their AI systems. And they said, “the government should examine its procurement practices to enable more startups to sell technology to the government.” Trump has pledged to rescind President Joe Biden’s sweeping AI executive order, which sought to protect people’s rights and safety without stifling innovation. He hasn’t specified what he would do in its place, but his campaign said AI development should be “rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.” Trump's choice to head the Interior Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has spoken openly about the need to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. “The AI battle affects everything from defense to healthcare to education to productivity as a country,′′ Burgum said on Nov. 15, referring to artificial intelligence. “And the AI that’s coming in the next 18 months is going to be revolutionary. So there’s just a sense of urgency and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration′′ to address it. Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and AI, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to consume more resources, some residents are pushing back against the world’s most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities. “Maybe Big Tech should buy a copy of ‘The Art of The Deal’ to figure out how to best negotiate with this administration,” suggested Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland & Hart. “I won’t be surprised if they find ways to reach some accommodations and we end up seeing more negotiated resolutions and consent decrees.” Although federal regulators began cracking down on Google and Facebook during Trump’s first term as president — and flourished under Biden — most experts expect his second administration to ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to business mergers. Google may benefit from Trump’s return after he made comments on the campaign trail suggesting a breakup of the company isn’t in the U.S. national interest, after a judge declared its search engine an illegal monopoly . But recent nominations put forward by his transition team have favored those who have been critical of Big Tech companies, suggesting Google won’t be entirely off the hook. Cook’s notoriously rocky relationship with the EU can be traced back to a 2016 ruling from Brussels in a tax case targeting Apple. Cook slammed the bloc’s order for Apple to pay back up to 13 billion euros ($13.7 billion) in Irish back taxes as “total political crap.” Trump, then in his first term as president, piled on, referring to the European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who was spearheading a campaign on special tax deals and a crackdown on Big Tech companies, as someone who “really hates the U.S.” Brussels was eventually vindicated after the bloc’s top court rejected Apple’s appeal this year, though it didn’t stop Cook from calling Trump to complain, Trump recounted in a podcast in October. Altman , Amazon and Meta all pledged to donate $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund. During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which billionaire Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. He recently said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term, while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations. The donation from Meta came just weeks after Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. Still, Trump in recent months had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly. And Altman, who is in a legal dispute with AI rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the company earlier this year alleging that the maker of ChatGPT betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. “We have two multi-billionaires, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are tasked with cutting what they’re saying will be multiple trillions of dollars from the federal budget, reducing the civil service, the workforce,” said Rob Lalka, a business professor at Tulane University. Musk, he said, has a level of access to the White House that very few others have had -- access that allows him to potentially influence multiple policy areas, including foreign policy, automotive and energy policy through EVs, and tech policy on artificial intelligence. “Elon Musk walked into Twitter’s headquarters with a sink and then posted, ‘let that sink in,‘” he said. “Elon Musk then posted a status update on X, a picture of himself with a sink in the Oval Office and said, 'Let that sink in.′"
