Tech Boys

Rep. Liz Cheney delivers "Time for Choosing" speech at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. Mark J. Terrill/AP Photos Rep. Liz Cheney said the day she can disagree with Democrats is the day US politics receives course correction.  Cheney delivered a speech on Wednesday warning Republicans about the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy. She is one of two Republicans on the House committee investigating the January 6 attacks. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming mused about the day when she and her Democrat colleagues can disagree with each other again, a reference to her outspoken and often lonely stance as one of the few Republicans to publicly admonish former President Donald Trump and to serve on the committee investigating the January 6 riots at the Capitol. "One of my Democratic colleagues said to me recently that he looked forward to the day when he and I can disagree again," Cheney said on Wednesday during her speech at the Reagan Library in Simi V...

Meta bans Russian state media from running ads or monetize on its platform. Chesnot/Getty Images Meta plans to "operate leaner" as it braces for a macroeconomic slowdown, according to a leaked memo seen by Reuters . In the memo, Meta's chief product officer warned "we are in serious times here and the headwinds are fierce."  This comes as tech companies brace for slowing growth, with some announcing layoffs in recent weeks. Meta plans to trim excess costs as it readies itself for a slowdown in business for the second half of this year, according to an internal memo from Meta's chief product officer seen by Reuters . In a note to employees, Chris Cox wrote that the company will "prioritize more ruthlessly" and "operate leaner, meaner, and better executing teams," according to Reuters. Cox highlighted macroeconomic uncertainty as the reason for the decision, writing "we are in serious times here and the headwinds are fierce....

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends Orthodox Easter mass in Moscow, Russia, on April 24, 2022. Contributor/Getty Images NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told CNN that Putin made a "huge mistake" by invading Ukraine. Stoltenberg was pointing to the historic additions of Finland and Sweden to NATO — a consequence of Russia's invasion. Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia, making it a particularly significant addition to NATO.  NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in a new interview with CNN said this week marks a "victory" for the alliance with Finland and Sweden on the verge of becoming new members, while accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of underestimating Ukraine and Western unity.  Putin "wanted less NATO" by invading Ukraine, Stoltenberg told CNN's Christiane Amanpour, but "what he's getting now is more NATO, and two new NATO members." NATO formally invited Sweden and Finland to join the alliance as ...

Leon Black, the former CEO of Apollo Global Management REUTERS/Kevork Djansezian A federal judge derided Black's allegations in a lawsuit against his former business partner and others as "more creative writing than factual averment." Black, who alleged a plot to damage his reputation, plans to appeal, his attorney said. A state court lawsuit by Black's accuser is still ongoing. A federal judge in Manhattan has dismissed a lawsuit by former Apollo CEO Leon Black, who had accused his Apollo co-founder Josh Harris, public relations executive Steven Rubenstein, and a former romantic partner of conspiring to "destroy" and "cancel" him .   In blockbuster court filings in January, Black had described a hostile faction within Apollo Global Management, which he said emerged amid internal tensions over succession at the hedge fund he co-founded. Black had brought claims under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO Act, an unus...

Vicky Leta/Insider Before Roe v. Wade, a nationwide network of clergy helped women seeking abortion care. Similar networks are being revitalized by religious leaders in a post-Roe world. One minister in Texas helps 20 people travel to New Mexico every two weeks for abortions. Every two weeks, a group of 20 people board a flight in Dallas, Texas, escorted by a member of the clergy. They head to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a day trip to a clinic, where each person receives personalized reproductive care.  The group organizing and fundraising for the trips includes Christian ministers and Jewish rabbis, united in the common goal of getting people the care they need. The people on the trips qualify by being below a certain income level. Some have never been on an airplane before. Most have jobs. Some are college students. Almost all have children. Most get surgical abortions on the trip. At the end of the long day, they all fly home. "The resources they have to get acc...

Fleetzero has an ambitious goal: to compete with global shipping companies with its own boats, powered entirely by electricity . The company just secured $15.5 million in new funding and is looking for the first ship to convert to run on its shipping container-shaped batteries. The company’s plan, described in detail here , is to convert existing ships to electric propulsion, replacing the diesel engine or generator with enormous batteries of the company’s own design. These would be loaded and unloaded like any other cargo, swapped out at ports and charged between journeys. Done right (and it seems likely that’s the way they’re trying to do it) a ship doing this can handle some of the longest and most popular routes across the Pacific. But though it all sounds good in theory, obviously at some point you need to put these theories on the water, and that’s the next step for the company. Fortunately, co-founders Steven Henderson and Mike Carter have backgrounds in shipping and shipb...

A small fleet of Cruise robotaxis in San Francisco suddenly stopped operating on Tuesday night, effectively stopping traffic on a street in the city's Fillmore district for a couple of hours until employees were able to arrive. TechCrunch first noticed a Reddit post that featured a photo of the stalled driverless cabs at the corner of Gough and Fulton streets. Cruise — which is General Motor’s AV subsidiary — only launched its commercial robotaxi service in the city last week. The rides feature no human safety driver, are geo-restricted to certain streets and can only operate in the late evening hours. Cruise apologized for the incident in a statement, but gave little explanation for what caused the mishap. “We had an issue earlier this week that caused some of our vehicles to cluster together,” a Cruise spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch . “While it was resolved and no passengers were impacted, we apologize to anyone who was inconvenienced.” The GM-backed AV st...

Abortion-rights advocates gather outside a the Kansas Statehouse to protest the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion Friday, June 24, 2022, in Topeka, Kansas. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel Kansas voters will be the first to directly weigh in on abortion with an August 2 amendment.  The amendment would establish no right to abortion under the state constitution.  The amendment could hold major consequences for abortion care in the state and the region. The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade sends the question of abortion back to the states. The first direct electoral test of abortion rights in the post-Roe era will take place in Kansas. Direct referendums and amendments on abortion access will be on the ballot in five states this year — and Kansas is up on August 2 with a constitutional amendment on its primary ballot that would establish no right to abortion under the state constitution.  The measure, Amendment 2, would reverse a 2019 decision by the state Supre...