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OpenAI starts roll-out of advanced voice mode to some ChatGPT Plus users

(Reuters) -OpenAI is starting to roll out an advanced voice mode to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users, the Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence startup said on Tuesday in a post on X. The company had delayed the roll-out of the realistic voice conversation experience to July from late-June, saying it needed time to reach its launch standard. The new audio capabilities will allow users to speak to ChatGPT and receive real-time responses without delay, as … Read more…

Meta to pay $1.4 billion to settle Texas facial recognition data lawsuit

By Mike Scarcella and Jody Godoy (Reuters) -Meta Platforms has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to Texas to resolve the state’s lawsuit accusing the Facebook parent of illegally using facial-recognition technology to collect biometric data of millions of Texans without their consent. The terms of the settlement, disclosed on Tuesday, mark the largest accord ever by any single state, according to the lawyers for Texas, whose legal team included the plaintiffs firm Keller Postman. The … Read more…

Kamala Harris launches $50 million ad blitz in US presidential race

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris launched a $50 million advertising blitz on Tuesday, capitalizing on the momentum of a fledgling campaign against Republican rival Donald Trump with a one-minute spot titled “Fearless.” It was Harris’ first big ad buy since consolidating support for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed her. In addition to garnering the backing of big-money donors, Harris has … Read more…

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US-listed crypto stocks retreat following Trump-fueled spike

By Niket Nishant (Reuters) – Shares of New York-listed crypto firms fell on Monday as bitcoin dipped after breaching the $70,000-mark for the first time since mid-June. The sell-off erased gains from earlier in the session, when optimism fueled by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s pro-crypto speech lifted stocks. The volatile cryptocurrency has often seen pullbacks after reaching key milestones as investors book profits. The industry, however, cheered Trump’s promise of friendlier regulation. “Any ‘Trump … Read more…

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Tesla jumps on replacing Ford as Morgan Stanley’s ‘top pick’ in US auto sector

(Reuters) – Tesla shares jumped nearly 6% on Monday after Morgan Stanley named the most valuable automaker its “top pick” in the U.S. automotive industry, replacing Ford. The brokerage said Tesla’s energy business could potentially grow to be worth more than the company’s auto business in the future, as investors were likely to focus on firms that address climate change-related issues. It also expects Tesla to take a more dominant position in the market for … Read more…

Pondera seeks to cash out of Whisker at $1 billion valuation, sources say

By Abigail Summerville NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investment firm Pondera Holdings is exploring options for Whisker, including a sale of its controlling stake that could value the maker of self-cleaning cat litter boxes at close to $1 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. A deal would likely lead to the recapitalization of Whisker, with new debt and equity refinancing its capital structure, said the sources, who requested anonymity as the discussions are confidential. … Read more…

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Charter to pay $15 million to resolve US probe into network outage rules

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Charter Communications will pay a $15 million civil penalty to resolve an investigation into compliance with network and 911 outage notification rules, the Federal Communications Commission said on Monday. The FCC said Charter admitted to violating the agency’s rules on notifications to public safety officials and the commission in connection with three unplanned network outages and hundreds of scheduled maintenance-related network outages that occurred in 2023. The FCC said a February 2023 network … Read more…

Putin warns the United States of Cold War-style missile crisis

By Guy Faulconbridge and Dmitry Antonov MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday warned the United States that if Washington deployed long-range missiles in Germany then Russia would station similar missiles in striking distance of the West. The United States said on July 10 that it would start deploying long-range missiles in Germany from 2026 in preparation for a longer-term deployment that will include SM-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles and developmental hypersonic weapons. In a … Read more…

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Kamala Harris campaign raises $200 million in a week

By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s election campaign said on Sunday it has raised $200 million and signed up 170,000 new volunteers in the week since she became the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid on Sunday last week and endorsed Harris for the Nov. 5 vote against Republican former President Donald Trump. “In the week since we got started, @KamalaHarris has raised $200 million dollars. … Read more…

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Yellen says $3 trillion needed annually for climate financing, far more than current level

By David Lawder BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday that the global transition to a low-carbon economy requires $3 trillion in new capital each year through 2050, far above current annual financing, but that filling the gap is the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century. Yellen said in Belem, Brazil’s Amazon gateway city, that reaching net-zero emissions goals remained a top priority for the Biden-Harris administration and this … Read more…

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