David Lidsky's Blog, page 222

INTC stock price: Intel jumps over 10% after report that Broadcom, TSMC bids could split the struggling chipmaker

The American chipmaker missed out on the generative AI boom and is now in talks with rivals to which it lost market share, according to a report from the ‘Wall Street Journal.’

Shares of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) surged over 10% on Tuesday on the news that rivals Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are in talks to divide the ailing American chipmaker’s business into two parts, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Kai Cenat plans to launch a ‘streaming university’ to teach aspiring creators

The Twitch star announces plans for a weekend-long crash course, with influencers like MrBeast and Mark Rober set to teach classes.

Kai Cenat is launching a “streaming university.”

Lessons in sustainability: What colleges can teach workplaces

AI and body heat sensing technology can improve energy efficiency.

The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more.

Luigi Mangione launches a new website as he awaits his murder trial

The site for the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO includes an official crowdfunding link for his defense—and a message for supporters.

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is in prison awaiting trial. But he still managed to launch a new website, along with his first official statement since his arrest, via his legal team.

The message states that Mangione, who is being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, has been “overwhelmed by” and “grateful for” the support he’s received in the form of letters from those who have been moved by his story. 

Elon Musk says SpaceX team will review FAA air traffic control systems

On his social media platform, Elon Musk posted, ‘SpaceX engineers will help make air travel safer,’ after job cuts at the FAA.

Personnel from Elon Musk’s government-downsizing team DOGE were set to visit the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Air Traffic Control command center in Warrenton, Virginia, on Monday, as the Trump administration says it wants to reform the system.

EEOC moves to drop transgender discrimination cases, citing Trump’s executive order

The agency’s decision to drop at least six cases raises doubts about whether workplace protections will continue for transgender and gender-nonconforming workers.

Signaling a major shift in civil rights enforcement, the federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws has moved to dismiss six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination, arguing that the cases now conflict with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, court documents say.

Judge calls emergency hearing on DOGE amid continued firing spree, rehiring of nuclear weapons workers

On Friday, 9,500 federal employees were fired. Some 75,000 others have taken buyouts.

Last week, the Trump administration continued its federal firing spree. After recommendations from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the administration reportedly fired more than 300 of National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) workers, then quickly rehired most of them, according to the AP. The chain of events prompted immediate concerns over national security.

Pantex Plant, the primary nuclear weapons facility in the United States, in Carson County, Texas, was the target of 30% of the cuts. However, by Friday evening, Teresa Robbins, the acting administrator of NNSA, reportedly issued a memo rescinding the firings. All but 28 of the employees who were dismissed were told they had their jobs back. “This letter serves as formal notification that the termination decision issued to you on February 13, 2025, has been rescinded, effective immediately,” said the memo, which was obtained by the Associated Press.

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the AP the firings are disruptive to the organization as a whole, as well as the security of the country. “I think the signal to U.S. adversaries is pretty clear: throw a monkey wrench in the whole national security apparatus and cause disarray,” he said. “That can only benefit the adversaries of this country.”

The NNSA firings were only a fraction of the federal cuts made last week. On Friday, 9,500 federal workers were let go, in addition to the 75,000 who have already taken Trump’s buyout deal. But some say, DOGE is only cutting organizations it isn’t politically aligned with—targeting public health and the environment.

For example, the U.S. Forest Service fired around 3,400 recent hires, the National Park Service laid off about 1,000 employees, according to Reuters, as well as nearly half of the probationary workers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “They are not going to go into agencies that are doing things they like. They are going into agencies they disagree with,” Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former Republican director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), told Reuters. There were also job cuts reported at the FDA and the FAA.

There have been at least 73 lawsuits filed over Trump’s executive orders since he took office. And on Monday, a national holiday, Reuters reported that U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has called an emergency hearing to address DOGE’s recent firings. Chutkan will hear arguments from 14 states in order to decide whether to issue a temporary restraining order against DOGE.

Last week, the courts blocked a number of DOGE’s efforts, temporarily barring the organization from accessing sensitive Treasury Department information and payment systems and disallowing the government from blocking federal funding due to a health agency providing gender-affirming services to minors.

Over the weekend, Trump pushed back on efforts to block the administration’s efforts to overhaul government spending in a post on social media. “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” the president wrote.

The sentiment mimics a quote often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. In the 1970 film Waterloo, Napoleon states, he did not “usurp the crown” but “found it in the gutter” and “picked it up with my sword.” The quote continues, “and it was the people . . . who put it on my head. He who saves a nation violates no law.”

Elon Musk’s DOGE may soon have access to IRS taxpayer data. What does it mean for you?

A DOGE software engineer is reportedly close to gaining access to sensitive taxpayer data, which is raising alarms.

Reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is seeking access to a guarded Internal Revenue Service (IRS) system has raised alarm bells in Washington and across the nation. Lawmakers and taxpayers say they’re worried about the potential privacy implications of a department run by the world’s richest man having access to extremely sensitive personal and financial information.

What new DOGE firings at the FDA could mean for food safety and medical devices

The firings appeared to focus on employees in the agency’s centers for food, medical devices, and tobacco products.

The Trump administration’s effort to slash the size of the federal workforce reached the Food and Drug Administration this weekend, as recently hired employees who review the safety of food ingredients, medical devices, and other products were fired.

Amazon employees in North Carolina vote against joining union

The results came just weeks after workers at a Whole Foods Market store in Pennsylvania voted to unionize.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in North Carolina rejected a proposal to unionize, becoming the latest group of the company’s employees to side against union representation.