Good Afternoon, it’s Friday, November 12th. And you’re listening to Ausum’s Afternoon News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

Bloomberg reported that in September, a record 4.4 million Americans quit their positions, undermining companies' efforts to fill a near-record number of openings. Meanwhile, the number of open vacancies has fallen to 10.4 million. The quits rate, or the number of quits in a given month as a percentage of total employment, rose to 3% in September, setting a new high in data dating back to 2000.

The Washington Post reported that right after the Virginia race, parents in Spotsylvania County rushed to the school board, to remove novels like "Call Me By Your Name," a popular book about a gay romance, and "33 Snowfish" about three homeless teenagers. The claim was that these types of books are exposing children to sexual assault and child pornography. The board decided unanimously to withdraw all "sexually explicit" books for review from the district's libraries. Currently, all 29 of the district's librarians are combing through tens of thousands of volumes.

The Financial Times covered that over a four-year span, Jes Staley exchanged 1,200 emails with Jeffrey Epstein. According to those acquainted with the contact between the former Barclays CEO and the convicted sex offender, the content featured inexplicable phrases such as "snow white." Staley resigned from Barclays this week following an investigation by UK authorities on whether he mischaracterized his relationship with Epstein as solely professional. He has said that he will appeal the results.

Wired took a deep dive into chip shortages, stating that the semiconductor supply chain has been strained in new and difficult-to-resolve ways. Demand is outpacing chipmakers' ability to provide it, particularly for basic-yet-common components. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, global chip shipments declined 12% in 2019. However, the firm anticipated in December 2019 that worldwide sales will climb 5.9 percent in 2020 and 6.3 percent in 2021.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Johnson & Johnson plans to split into two companies, separating its $15 billion-a-year segment, its high-margin but less predictable prescription-drug and medical-device businesses, from its storied but slower-growing consumer group, resulting in two publicly traded companies. Band-Aid bandages, Tylenol medicines, and Johnson’s Baby Powder distributer's shift indicate how much healthcare has changed since the company helped pioneer the industry.

According to The Verge, A Tesla Model Y in "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) beta mode apparently crashed on November 3rd in Brea, a city southeast of Los Angeles, marking the company's controversial driver aid feature's first incident. The incident did not result in any injuries, although the car was apparently "severely damaged."

Today, Entrepreneur is celebrating the 28th anniversary of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the most well-known MMA league. UFC began as an experimental competition to determine the best effective fighting method and has now grown to become a sporting event that reaches over 800 million people in over 128 countries. It has staged 268 editions, which, when combined with fight nights, totals around 586 events.

Techcrunch announced that Weflow, a Berlin-based business, secured $2.7 million in pre-seed investment led by Cherry Ventures to bring its solution to market. Weflow, which is still in private beta, speeds up Salesforce updates and reduces much of the busy work that consumes salespeople's time, which is used by 83 percent of Fortune 500 companies to improve sales productivity. Users may join up using their Salesforce account and quickly access deals, tasks, notes, and activities.

That’s all for today. Be sure to download the Ausum app to get the full Ausum experience. Catch you next time for the Ausum News Briefing every weekday, morning, and afternoon.

Good Afternoon, it’s Monday, November 15th. And you’re listening to Ausum’s Afternoon News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

The New York Times broke the well-anticipated news on the $1 trillion infrastructure plan that includes billions of dollars for improvements to roads, bridges, sewers, and public transportation systems. President Biden signed the bill into law, securing a bipartisan win that supported his antiquated view of how to get things done in Washington. Despite falling short Pres. Biden's initial goal, analysts believe the package represents the most crucial move forward in infrastructure in a decade. Brian Deese, the head of the National Economic Council, and Mitch Landrieu, the newly appointed infrastructure coordinator, will lead the task group.

According to Bloomberg, a growing chorus of market experts believes the Federal Reserve may need to expedite the reduction of asset purchases. The calls, made by former New York Fed President Bill Dudley and St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, come at a difficult time for the central bank. The Fed will examine the November CPI report and the October reading of its preferred pricing measure before its December meeting.

According to The Guardian, Steve Bannon will not be charged with contempt of Congress today, but rather on November 18th. Bannon is accused of refusing to comply with subpoenas issued by the House committee investigating the January 6, 2017 seizure of the US Capitol. His case will be heard by Carl Nichols, a US District Judge nominated by Donald Trump, and his bail has been revoked.

The Independent updates us on the latest regarding the Rittenhouse trial. During closing statements on the 10th day of the trial, prosecutors accused Kyle Rittenhouse of "bringing a pistol to a fistfight." Prosecutor Thomas Binger opened his closing statement by calling Mr. Rittenhouse "the lone killer" on the night in issue and dismissing the self-defense claim, stating, "You cannot claim self-defense against a risk you create." Mr. Binger made his statements more dramatic by imitating Mr. Rittenhouse holding a pistol and aiming it at the jurors. In his final argument for the defense, attorney Mark Richards accused Mr. Binger of "lying" and told the jury, "This case is not a game." This is the story of my customer."

Forbes reported that a set of retail condominiums in New York City are selling for $29 million in Bitcoin only, indicating a growing trend of luxury real estate acquisitions done using cryptocurrency. Three retail condos totaling 9,000 square feet are being sold in Manhattan's Gramercy Park. Magnum Real Estate managing partner Ben Shaoul predicted that some cryptocurrency owners would wish to diversify their interests.

According to The Financial Times, the Dutch government has begun a last-ditch effort to keep Shell in the country. It is attempting to repeal a contentious dividend tax that the energy company claimed as a justification for relocating its headquarters to the United Kingdom. The 15% tax on Shell's Dutch A shares effectively limits share buybacks to its UK B shares, which are not subject to such a tax. However, authorities limit Shell's B share purchases each quarter to 25% of the average daily trading volume, or around $2.5 billion.

The Verge released news on this morning's occurrence when Russia destroyed one of its own satellites with a ground-based missile, resulting in hundreds of pieces of debris that have drifted into Earth orbit. The United States has detected about 1,500 trackable pieces of debris from the incident, as well as many thousands of smaller ones that cannot be traced. According to the State Department, the debris field poses a threat to the International Space Station.

That’s all for today. Be sure to download the Ausum app to get the full Ausum experience. Catch you next time for the Ausum News Briefing every weekday, morning, and afternoon.

Good Morning, it’s Monday, November 15th. And You’re listening to Ausum’s Morning News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

Regarding the supply chain crisis which has resulted in congestion at US ports, The New York Times reports that this may mean disruption for the American farming industry. The crisis has led farmers to struggle to export their cargo before the food goes bad.

The Washington Post announced that the US military has come under scrutiny after admitting to Syrian airstrikes that killed dozens of civilians over the years.

In response to Bernie Saunders tweet about the extremely wealthy paying taxes, Elon Musk wrote “I keep forgetting that you’re still alive.” The Guardian states that this follows Musk’s history of controversial behaviour on social media.

A former SpaceX employee has accused the company of racial discrimination. The Guardian noted that this ex-employee claimed he was subject to pervasive and severe harassment, intimidation and interference with his performance.

Within the United States, The Washington Post reports that 3G shutdowns could leave those most vulnerable without important communication tools. The change is set for next February, however, things like location sensors to track school buses and connected breathalyzers police use still use 3G.

Former President Donald Trump is selling his Washington DC hotel for $375 million, Business Insider states the buyer plans to remove the Trump name.

The New York Times announced that ‘Ghost Guns’ bought online are fueling the American epidemic of violence. ‘Ghost Guns’ are untraceable firearms without serial numbers which are assembled from components bought online.

That’s all for today. For the full Ausum experience, make sure to download the Ausum app. Catch us, every weekday, morning and afternoon.

Good Afternoon, it’s Friday, November 12th. And you’re listening to Ausum’s Afternoon News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

Bloomberg reported that in September, a record 4.4 million Americans quit their positions, undermining companies' efforts to fill a near-record number of openings. Meanwhile, the number of open vacancies has fallen to 10.4 million. The quits rate, or the number of quits in a given month as a percentage of total employment, rose to 3% in September, setting a new high in data dating back to 2000.

The Washington Post reported that right after the Virginia race, parents in Spotsylvania County rushed to the school board, to remove novels like "Call Me By Your Name," a popular book about a gay romance, and "33 Snowfish" about three homeless teenagers. The claim was that these types of books are exposing children to sexual assault and child pornography. The board decided unanimously to withdraw all "sexually explicit" books for review from the district's libraries. Currently, all 29 of the district's librarians are combing through tens of thousands of volumes.

The Financial Times covered that over a four-year span, Jes Staley exchanged 1,200 emails with Jeffrey Epstein. According to those acquainted with the contact between the former Barclays CEO and the convicted sex offender, the content featured inexplicable phrases such as "snow white." Staley resigned from Barclays this week following an investigation by UK authorities on whether he mischaracterized his relationship with Epstein as solely professional. He has said that he will appeal the results.

Wired took a deep dive into chip shortages, stating that the semiconductor supply chain has been strained in new and difficult-to-resolve ways. Demand is outpacing chipmakers' ability to provide it, particularly for basic-yet-common components. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, global chip shipments declined 12% in 2019. However, the firm anticipated in December 2019 that worldwide sales will climb 5.9 percent in 2020 and 6.3 percent in 2021.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Johnson & Johnson plans to split into two companies, separating its $15 billion-a-year segment, its high-margin but less predictable prescription-drug and medical-device businesses, from its storied but slower-growing consumer group, resulting in two publicly traded companies. Band-Aid bandages, Tylenol medicines, and Johnson’s Baby Powder distributer's shift indicate how much healthcare has changed since the company helped pioneer the industry.

According to The Verge, A Tesla Model Y in "Full Self-Driving" (FSD) beta mode apparently crashed on November 3rd in Brea, a city southeast of Los Angeles, marking the company's controversial driver aid feature's first incident. The incident did not result in any injuries, although the car was apparently "severely damaged."

Today, Entrepreneur is celebrating the 28th anniversary of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the most well-known MMA league. UFC began as an experimental competition to determine the best effective fighting method and has now grown to become a sporting event that reaches over 800 million people in over 128 countries. It has staged 268 editions, which, when combined with fight nights, totals around 586 events.

Techcrunch announced that Weflow, a Berlin-based business, secured $2.7 million in pre-seed investment led by Cherry Ventures to bring its solution to market. Weflow, which is still in private beta, speeds up Salesforce updates and reduces much of the busy work that consumes salespeople's time, which is used by 83 percent of Fortune 500 companies to improve sales productivity. Users may join up using their Salesforce account and quickly access deals, tasks, notes, and activities.

That’s all for today. Be sure to download the Ausum app to get the full Ausum experience. Catch you next time for the Ausum News Briefing every weekday, morning, and afternoon.

Good Morning, it’s Friday, November 12th. And You’re listening to Ausum’s Morning News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

The Washington Post reports that a federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the release of Trump’s White House records regarding the January 6th Capitol riot.

A US journalist has been jailed in Myanmar for 11 years. Axios announced that the reporter was found guilty of "breaching immigration law, unlawful association and encouraging dissent against the military". It has been noted that the sentence was the harshest possible under their law.

The Guardian has stated that Russia is moving to shut down the country’s most celebrated civil rights group, Memorial. The NGO is allegedly in violation of Russia’s “foreign agents” act and prosecutors are filing a lawsuit to liquidate the organisation.

Spotify is acquiring Findaway, an audiobook services and distribution company. The Verge noted that the company pairs authors with narrators - this could become a new source of revenue for Spotify.

Amazon has been sued for crashes by delivery drivers rushing. Bloomberg reported that the company’s algorithms were blamed, however, Amazon says it is not liable.

Travis Scott was once the hometown hero of Housten, however, The Washington Post states that following the tragic Astroworld concert where many were injured and nine died, Scott’s old neighbourhood is rethinking whether he is still a hero.

The Guardian reported that Nasa has made final steps to launch its asteroid deflection test. This mission is designed to spot and deflect an asteroid on a collision course to earth.

That’s all for today. For the full Ausum experience, make sure to download the Ausum app. Catch us, every weekday, morning and afternoon.

Good Morning, it’s Thursday, November 11th. And You’re listening to Ausum’s Morning News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

Senator Joe Manchin is using the high US inflation rate to push back Biden’s Build Back Better agenda until next year. Axios reports that this agenda includes spending on social safety and combatting climate change.

The Washington Post announced that a federal judge has ruled that the Texas Governor’s ban on mask mandates violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The CEO of Pfizer has called those that shared anti-vax misinformation ‘criminals’ who 'cost millions of lives'. Newsweek states this follows millions of Americans still not receiving their vaccines against Covid-19.

Regarding the Flint, Michigan, lead water crisis, The Guardian announced that a federal judge approved a $626m settlement for victims. Most of the money will come out of the state of Michigan which was accused of continuously overlooking the risks of using the Flint river without fully treating the water.

The New York Times has noted that Ozy Media, a Silicon Valley company, is facing investigations from The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The precise focus of this investigation hasn’t yet been exposed.

Following Elon Musk’s Twitter poll where followers helped him decide to sell 10% of his roughly 23% stake in Tesla, Forbes reports Musk has sold $5 billion in Tesla stock this week.

The Guardian states that Bitcoin has reached a record high of over $68,000. This cryptocurrency has always been unpredictable however it remains the world’s largest digital currency.

Uber has been sued by The Department of Justice, Forbes reported that the company allegedly was discriminating against customers with disabilities by charging them extra. Uber denies this claim.

That’s all for today. For the full Ausum experience, make sure to download the Ausum app. Catch us, every weekday, morning and afternoon.

Good Afternoon, it’s Tuesday, November 9th. And you’re listening to Ausum’s Afternoon News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

The Guardian updates us live as President Joe Biden will sign a bipartisan infrastructure bill. The celebration will take place a week and a half after the House passed the measure, which includes $550 billion in additional government cash for roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.

The Independent updates on the Kyle Rittenhouse case. After Kyle Rittenhouse entered the stand in his homicide trial on Wednesday, the judge presiding over the case announced he will examine a defense motion for a mistrial. Kyle Rittenhouse is charged with five counts, including homicide and being a juvenile in possession of a firearm. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in jail. The 18-year-old killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber while injuring Gauge Grosskreutz.

Business Insider reported that The US Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Uber, accusing it of discriminating against disabled riders. According to the DOJ, Uber's wait costs are unjust to passengers who require more time to get inside their vehicle. Uber stated that it did not violate the law and that riders with impairments should not be charged wait costs.

Rivian's enthusiasm reached new heights on Wednesday, when it launched as a publicly-traded company, with an opening share price of $106.75, over 37% higher than its announced IPO price, and an estimated worth of $90 billion. Techcrunch reported that the IPO of the electric car firm is one of the largest in US history.

The Washington Post reported that The United States and China have pledged to collaborate to mitigate climate change. China's senior climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, made the surprising revelation that the two nations will emphasize the significance of the Paris temperature objective of reducing warming to far below 2 degrees Celsius, with a goal of not surpassing 1.5 degrees.

According to Bloomberg, After prices in the United States rose by the greatest in three decades, there's worse news for consumers and policymakers: Inflation is projected to grow higher before reaching its peak. The annual rate in October was 6.2 percent, the highest since 1990. As price rises expanded far beyond the sectors of the economy most affected by pandemic closures. Key causes, like hot property markets and a worldwide energy constraint, show no signs of abating anytime soon, prompting experts to forecast even larger increases in the coming months.

That’s all for today. Be sure to download the Ausum app to get the full Ausum experience. Catch you next time for the Ausum News Briefing every weekday, morning, and afternoon.

Good Morning, it’s Wednesday, November 10th. And You’re listening to Ausum’s Morning News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

Moderna and the US National Institutes of Health are in a dispute over who deserves the credit for inventing the central component of the company’s coronavirus vaccine. The New York Times reports the outcome of this conflict will determine who receives the profit in the future and the vaccine distribution.

Forbes announced that 30% of US adults are still unvaccinated, raising the question of what it will take for them to get their shot.

The Biden Administration has made plans to upgrade US ports in the next 90 days. Newsweek states that the aim of this is to suppress the inflation of certain products caused by the supply chain crisis.

The first draft of COP26 Climate Conference Deals have been released. Forbes noted this included the urge for ‘rapid, deep’ emission cuts.

Following the Astroworld concert disaster, The Guardian reports satanic conspiracy theories have been spread across TikTok accusing Travis Scott of demonic activity published alongside graphic footage. Experts claim that this shows young people are vulnerable to misinformation.

The Washington Post reports that the Mexican president has called on the world’s richest billionaires and companies to contribute to a $1 trillion fund to fight “marginalization and misery” to reduce poverty.

Trump’s request to block the January 6 committee from obtaining White House records has been denied by the US District Judge. Business Insider noted that these records include Trump’s daily presidential diaries, call logs, and activity logs related to January 6th.

That’s all for today. For the full Ausum experience, make sure to download the Ausum app. Catch us, every weekday, morning and afternoon.

Good Afternoon, it’s Tuesday, November 9th. And you’re listening to Ausum’s Afternoon News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

According to Newsweek, we all should be watching out for drones. According to a US military officer, explosive drones might result in a mass fatality scenario. Drones have been weaponized and become a mainstay of the "War on Terror." Several high-profile events have already shown an increase in malicious utilization. According to a US military officer, it is an "emerging menace." "The volume of explosives will increase immediately," adds an Israeli security officer. Smaller commercial drones lack a launch signature, making them harder to detect. When used in large numbers, known as a swarm, they are much more difficult to intercept. Israel and the United States have accused Iran of directly transferring drone technology to regional militants.

According to Bloomberg, Biden, and Execs – Walmart's Doug McMillon, UPS's Carol B. Tome, FedEx's Fred Smith, and Target's Brian Cornell – discussed potential efforts to speed up delivery and slash pricing. Biden has been under pressure to overcome supply-chain bottlenecks in time for the holidays. But, the executives assured the president that store shelves would be properly supplied for the holiday season.

Forbes reported that Tesla shares plunged as much as 8% on Tuesday morning before recovering to 7% by 11:15 a.m. ET. The electric-car manufacturer was one of the best-performing companies last year. Elon Musk fuelled speculation when he said he would sell 10% of his share in Tesla over the weekend. Tesla's market value has dropped nearly 12% since its all-time high on Monday. Shares are still up 158 percent year to date, and analysts predict that CEO Elon Musk will sell roughly 6% of his stock to help pay a large tax burden.

According to the Financial Times, General Electric aims to divide into three separate companies, healthcare, energy, and aviation. GE Healthcare will be split out in 2023, with GE owning 19.9% of the company. GE Renewable Energy, GE Power, and GE Digital will be merged into a single energy-focused firm in 2024, which will be sold out. Following the completion of these agreements, the original GE will focus on aviation. The decision represents the last step in the unraveling of Jack Welch's huge conglomerate, as well as the most daring action yet by CEO Larry Culp in his years-long quest to reorganize the multinational firm, which has faced rising investor criticism over its underperformance.

Business Insider reported that insiders at Zillow have come forward and blamed the company's home-flipping problems on an internal program known as Project Ketchup. Zillow immediately ceased operations in its home-flipping business, citing labor and supply difficulties. Employees both current and resigned recounted Project Ketchup, an internal endeavor. They said that the urge to "catch up" with rival Opendoor resulted in overpayment for properties and other problems.

The Washington Post reported that Parents have taken over school board meetings, yelling profanity, making threats, and demanding resignations over issues such as mask mandates in schools and authorities' efforts to establish more diverse curriculums and prejudice training for instructors. In early October, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed federal authorities to work with state and local law enforcement to combat "harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators." But we still have a solution to stop it.

That’s all for today. Be sure to download the Ausum app to get the full Ausum experience. Catch you next time for the Ausum News Briefing every weekday, morning, and afternoon.

Good Morning, it’s Tuesday, November 9th. And You’re listening to Ausum’s Morning News Briefing, where we round up the top latest articles that everyone is talking about.

Space X’s Crew-2 astronauts have had a safe return home after 199 days in space. Business Insider reported they splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico after an 8 hour voyage from the International Space Station.

Following Elon Musk’s Twitter post asking followers if he should sell 10% of his Tesla stock, The Washington Post announced Tesla shares have tumbled.

Robinhood Markets Incorporated stated that yesterday they had a data breach which exposed the information of millions of users. Bloomberg noted that amongst these users about 310 are far more vulnerable as more sensitive data about them was released including their zip code.

Regarding the January 6th Capitol Riot, The Guardian states that among the 6 subpoenaed by the House select committee are Lawyer John Eastman and former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Biden’s approval rating is still low at 38%. NewsWeek reported that Kamala Harris’ rating is even worse at 28%.

State health officials say over 80% of Texas’ Covid-19 deaths were among unvaccinated people, Forbes announced.

During the pandemic, Business Insider states that the oceans have become polluted with around 26,000 tons of PPE.

Forbes reported that the father of one of the victims at the Travis Scott Astroworld concert was told by the police that his son was “not on the list” of deceased or injured, and that he wouldn’t have to worry.

That’s all for today. For the full Ausum experience, make sure to download the Ausum app. Catch us, every weekday, morning and afternoon.