Author: Jeffery Carter

WASHINGTON − Marlean Ames twice lost jobs at the Ohio Department of Youth Services to other candidates she thought were less qualified.Both workers were gay and Ames, a heterosexual, tried to sue for discrimination.”I was straight and pushed aside,” Ames told Reuters.But a federal judge dismissed her suit because Ames hadn’t provided “background circumstances” showing the department was “that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority.”The Supreme Court will debate Wednesday whether judges can use that threshold test for workplace discrimination allegations not involving members of a minority group.The case could lead to an influx of “reverse discrimination” claims if…

Imagine spending your weekends free of chores. Forget about the laundry, the dishes, and tidying up. It’s all been taken care of. And the one responsible is an amalgamation of motors, wires, and computer chips: a robot. That’s at least part of the promise of humanoid robotics. And Silicon Valley companies are lining up to get in on the action. Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Microsoft (MSFT), Nvidia (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), and now, according to Bloomberg, Meta (META) and Apple (AAPL), are each funding or developing humanoid robotics systems that could lead to a world where robots walk among us.…

Google’s Gemini AI chatbot can now tailor answers based on the contents of previous conversations, the company announced in a blog post on Thursday. Gemini can summarize a previous conversation you’ve had with it, or recall info you shared in another conversation thread. This means you won’t have to repeat information you’ve already shared with Gemini or comb through old threads for additional info. Gemini’s ability to recall conversations is rolling out today to English-speaking subscribers of Google’s $20-a-month AI chatbot subscription, Google One AI Premium. In the coming weeks, Google says the recall feature will roll out additional languages…

Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez and Paul Goldschmidt of the New York Yankees talk during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 19, 2025.New York Yankees | Getty ImagesStart spreading the news: For the first time in nearly 50 years, the New York Yankees are allowing players to grow beards.In a statement Friday, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said he spoke to former and current players about the long-standing policy preventing most facial hair and has decided the team will now permit “well-groomed beards.””These most recent conversations are an extension of ongoing internal dialogue that dates back…

The evening sun shines on the Reichstag building of the German Bundestag with the inscription “Dem Deutschen Volke.Fabian Sommer | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesBERLIN — The Christian Democratic Union and the allied Christian Social Union secured the largest share of votes in the German federal election on Sunday, according to exit polls from German broadcaster ZDF.This puts the party’s lead candidate Friedrich Merz in prime position to take over from Olaf Scholz as chancellor of Europe’s largest economy.The CDU-CSU won 28.5% of votes, with the far-right AfD in second place with 20% and Scholz’s Social Democratic Party coming in…

Damircudic | E+ | Getty ImagesStudent loan borrowers who expected smaller monthly payments under the new Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan received some bad news on Feb. 18, when a U.S. appeals court blocked the program.As a result, millions of people will need to switch to a new repayment plan soon.The adjustment will likely be challenging, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.”Borrowers who were in SAVE will have to pay more on their federal student loans, in some cases double or even triple the monthly loan payment,” Kantrowitz said.The recent appeals court order, in addition to blocking…

Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett attends the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders’ meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, onn May 3, 2024. – Scott Morgan/Reuters Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) on Saturday reported operating earnings for the fourth quarter rose 71% after taxes year-over-year to a record $14.5 billion. Operating profit in 2024 rose 27% to $47.4 billion from $37.3 billion a year earlier. Berkshire reported full-year net income of $89 billion, down 7.5% from 2023. “Berkshire did better than I expected,” Buffett said in his annual letter to investors. “We were aided by a predictable large gain in investment income as Treasury…

The U.K. government wants to make a hard pivot into boosting its economy and industry with AI, and as part of that, it’s pivoting an institution that it founded a little over a year ago for a very different purpose. Today the Department of Science, Industry and Technology announced that it would be renaming the AI Safety Institute to the “AI Security Institute.” (Same first letters: same URL.) With that, the body will shift from primarily exploring areas like existential risk and bias in large language models, to a focus on cybersecurity, specifically “strengthening protections against the risks AI poses to national security and…

Boxes of Ozempic and Wegovy made by Novo Nordisk are seen at a pharmacy.Hollie Adams | ReutersThe long-running U.S. shortage of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight loss injection Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic is resolved after more than two years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The FDA’s decision will threaten the ability of compounding pharmacies to make far cheaper, unbranded versions of the injections over the next few months. Many patients relied on unapproved versions of Wegovy and Ozempic since compounding pharmacies are allowed to make versions of branded medications in short supply. Novo Nordisk’s stock closed about 5% higher…

India beat Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai to leave their rivals on the brink of elimination from the Champions Trophy.Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century led India to a six-wicket win over archrival Pakistan in their Group A clash at the Champions Trophy, putting the cricket tournament hosts at risk of a potential early exit. Kohli reached 14,000 runs in ODIs on his way to a record-extending 51st hundred as India finished with 244-4 in 42.3 overs in Dubai on Sunday. Shreyas Iyer scored 56 off 67 balls as he and Kohli put on 114 runs off 128 balls for the…