With AI taking over feeds and the biggest social media platforms feeling less social than ever, there’s an opportunity for a breakthrough startup. Loading audio narration… Business Insider wants to know: Who is backing those companies? Some venture capitalists are on the hunt for the “next big thing” in consumer technology — even as VC … Read more
RIVERSIDE — It would not have been an easy reelection bid in any case for freshman Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Riverside), who barely made it to Congress two years ago. But now Calvert’s biggest reelection hurdle may be his own indiscretions, which also could pose a problem in surviving even his own party’s June primary. The reason: After … Read more
For users, Spotify has been a place to consume podcasts made by other creators. The company wants to change that by introducing a personal podcast feature, which uses AI to generate podcasts for users based on an idea or a custom prompt. Earlier this month, the company released a GitHub-based command-line tool for Claude Code … Read more
At this year’s festival to unveil our inaugural Cannes issue, I had to opportunity to sit down with Sony Pictures Classics co-founders and co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard and EVP of Acquisitions, Production and Business Affairs Dylan Leiner on the Main Stage at the Marché du Film to discuss the company’s festival strategy, bidding … Read more
Growing up outside Boston, I loved the city’s arts and culture scene. Loading audio narration… Spending weekends in bookstores and thrift shops, hunting for unique vintage clothes, made me feel cosmopolitan — worlds away from my homogenous suburb. As a queer kid, that was a lifeline. In fact, I loved this energy so much that … Read more
Call him the Trader in Chief. Recent presidents have stayed away from trading stocks in companies whose fortunes they could lift or scuttle with the stroke of a pen, but Donald Trump smashed that precedent in the first quarter of this year with more than 3,600 buy and sell orders, many of them involving companies … Read more
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s conservatives signaled Tuesday they are likely to rule for Republicans and President Trump by throwing out a Watergate-era limit on campaign funding by political parties. The court has repeatedly said campaign money is protected as free speech, and the new ruling could allow parties to support their candidate’s campaigns with help … Read more
Fragrance tech company Patina says it has raised $2 million in funding investors, including Betaworks and True Ventures. The company focuses on creating new scent molecules using advanced molecular design, machine learning, and scent research. Today, most of the scent molecules used in consumer products are created by a small number of specialized labs, which … Read more
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday approved the design for the triumphal arch that President Trump wants built at an entrance to the nation’s capital. Commissioners, all of whom were appointed by Trump, approved the design despite overwhelming opposition from the public. Approval is a key step in the project’s process. The proposed … Read more
The future of the nation’s biggest bank might mean fewer bankers. Loading audio narration… JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said that AI will impact “every job,” and change the balance of his more than 300,000-person workforce in an interview with Bloomberg that aired on Wednesday. “I think it’ll reduce some of our jobs down the road,” … Read more
THE HAGUE — The United Nations’ top court issued a landmark advisory opinion on the right to strike on Thursday, finding that a cornerstone labor treaty protects the ability of workers to walk off the job. The International Court of Justice was asked in 2023 by the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency, to settle an internal … Read more
Eight candidates for California governor shared a stage for 90 minutes Tuesday night, their second of three scheduled debates before the June 2 primary. My colleagues Gustavo Arellano and Mark Z. Barabak joined me to decide who the winner was, or if there was a winner at all. Arellano: The real MVP in this debate? … Read more
Alongside tools for AI-generated podcasts, Spotify on Thursday introduced a new, ElevenLabs-powered AI tool for self-publishing audiobooks within the Spotify for Authors platform. The company said at its Investor Day event that the feature will launch in beta this June on an invite-only basis, initially with support for the English language only. The AI-powered audiobook … Read more
Reigning champ “The Pitt” is the consensus No. 1. “Pluribus” is not far behind, though there’s a steep drop to No. 3, the moody police drama “Task,” followed closely by “Paradise” and “Slow Horses.” Glenn Whipp says a repeat would be deserved: “ ‘The Pitt’ delivered the best season [of this year’s contenders] with its … Read more
TORONTO — An Air France flight bound for Detroit was diverted to Montreal after a passenger from the Congo boarded a flight in Paris “in error” amid flight restrictions tied to the Ebola outbreak, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday. A spokesperson for the agency says the passenger “should not have boarded” the plane on Wednesday … Read more