i wild casino review Amazon founder Jeff Bezos said he’s willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump to dismantle government regulations that hinder economic growth. The U.S. imposes “excessive permitting and regulation,” Bezos said, speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York City on Wednesday. “We need a growth orientation in this country.” The day after the election, Bezos congratulated Trump “on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory.” “I’m actually very optimistic this time around,” Bezos said of Trump at the DealBook conference. “He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. If I can help him do that, I’m gonna help him.” Bezos shared his current impressions of Trump: “What I’ve seen so far is he is calmer than he was the first time [in the White House] and more settled.” Regarding Elon Musk, who is a rival of Bezos’ and has become a top adviser to Trump, Bezos said he did not think Musk would misuse his influence with the incoming administration to harm competitors. “I’ve had a lot of success in life by not being cynical,” said Bezos. Bezos also addressed the major backlash he stirred among Washington Post readers when he decreed — less than two weeks before the U.S. presidential election — that the newspaper would not endorse a candidate this year. Bezos acquired the Washington Post in 2013. At the DealBook Summit, Bezos said, “We just decided [an endorsement] wasn’t... going to influence the election one way or the other.” He added, “The pluses of doing this were very small.” Bezos said it would have been better if he’d had the “prescience” to have made the change two years ago rather than shortly before the 2024 election, but that he was nevertheless “proud” of the decision. Former Washington Post editor Marty Baron had called the non-endorsement “cowardice, with democracy as its casualty.” Bezos commented that the decision “was far from cowardly because we knew there would be blowback, and we did it anyway.” Bezos acknowledged that he’s a “terrible” owner of Washington Post because there are continuous questions of conflicts with Bezos’ interests in Amazon and aerospace company Blue Origin. But, he added, when the Post needs “financial resources, I’m available. I’m like the doting parent in that regard.” Bezos had previously written in a Washington Post op-ed that he was aiming to restore consumers’ trust in the paper by eliminating the practice of political endorsements, which he said “create the perception of bias.” Bezos, 60, is currently the second-richest person in the world (behind Musk) with an estimated net worth of $234 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 and stepped aside as CEO in 2021; he continues to serve as the company’s executive chairman. He said he always wanted to build a company “that would outlast me... I want Amazon to go off without me.” At the same time, Bezos continues to be actively involved at Amazon. He said 95% of the time he spends at Amazon is on artificial intelligence and that the ecommerce company is building thousands of different AI applications. Bezos also is the founder of Blue Origin, which says its mission is to lower the cost and increase the safety of spaceflight. Bezos said flying into space has a “life-changing, transformative” effect. Bezos (like Musk) sees a future where humanity extends beyond Earth. There’s a “strong argument to be made that the Moon is a stepping stone” to the rest of the solar system, he said. Blue Origin is “not a very good business, yet,” Bezos said. But eventually, he believes it could be bigger than even Amazon: “I think it’s gonna be the best business I’ve ever been involved with.” Bezos said he can fund Blue Origin with his Amazon stock. In 2022, Bezos pledged to donate most of his wealth to charitable causes within his lifetime. As part of that, he established the Bezos Earth Fund, aimed at fighting climate change, with $10 billion in total grants targeted to be disbursed by 2030.The Food and Drug Administration signed off on ' ( ) next-generation triple drug for cystic fibrosis late Friday. But it might not help beleaguered Vertex stock. The drug will sell under the brand name, Alyftrek. It will treat patients age 6 and older with specific genetic mutations tied to the lung disease. The approval comes roughly two weeks ahead of time and follows a major setback Thursday for Vertex's pain drug. Vertex stock slumped 11% after the non-opioid pain drug showed little difference from a placebo in a midstage test. RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams noted analysts largely expected the approval. "Importantly, today's early approval also avoids any potential delays from a potentially drawn-out Federal government shutdown," he said in a report. "As we had anticipated, Alyftrek will be priced at a premium to Trikafta." Trikafta is Vertex Pharmaceuticals' biggest moneymaker. It's another triple drug that treats cystic fibrosis. Trikafta goes for $346,043 a year — before insurance reimbursement and rebates — while Alyftrek will cost $370,269, Abrahams said. Alyftrek is a once-daily pill. But Abrahams says the approval of Alyftrek is unlikely to move the needle for Vertex stock. "Much of this was anticipated and the next-gen is priced at a premium that we also believe many were expecting," he said, noting the boxed warning for liver injury and failure is "new and unexpected, though we do not believe will meaningfully impact uptake." In late trades, Vertex stock slipped a fraction to 394.54.

AI as threat to intellectual competitiveness

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Department of Homeland Security agent who the FBI says conspired with another agent to sell an illicit drug known as “bath salts” pleaded not guilty to a drug distribution conspiracy charge Friday in federal court. A grand jury in Salt Lake City brought the criminal charge against Special Agent David Cole of the Homeland Security Investigations unit earlier this week. The indictment alleges that Cole abused his position as a federal law enforcement agent to obtain and sell drugs for profit. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Cole took drugs that had been seized as evidence, telling colleagues he was using them for legitimate investigations, and instead sold them to a confidential informant who resold the drugs for profit on the streets of Utah, according to the indictment. The informant, who has a lengthy criminal history, had been recruited by federal agents to work for them upon his release from prison. But in addition to conducting controlled buys from suspected drug dealers as directed by investigators, the informant said he was compelled by Cole and another agent to also engage in illegal sales. The investigation began after the informant’s defense attorney contacted the U.S. Attorney in Utah in October to report that agents had required him to engage in potentially illegal acts dating from last spring to early December. Details of drug sales offered by the informant were confirmed through surveillance and other sources, the FBI said. Cole and the second agent — identified in court documents only as “Person A” — profited up to $300,000 from the illegal scheme, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case. FBI spokesperson Sandra Barker said Friday that “Person A” had not been arrested or charged, but the investigation was ongoing. Cole, 50, of South Jordan, Utah, entered the courtroom Friday handcuffed and hunched over, wearing a white and gray, striped jumpsuit. U.S. Magistrate Judge Dustin Pead accepted Cole's not guilty plea and scheduled a trial for the week of Feb. 24. Federal officials say Cole’s indictment sends a message that officers who break the law and undermine the public’s trust in law enforcement will be prosecuted. “A drug dealer who carries a badge is still a drug dealer — and one who has violated an oath to uphold the law and protect the public,” said Nicole Argentieri, head of the U.S. Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "No one is above the law.” Special Agent Shohini Sinha, who leads the FBI's Salt Lake City field office, said Cole’s alleged actions helped fuel an already devastating drug crisis . Ingestion of synthetic bath salts, also known as Alpha-PVP or cathinone, can lead to bizarre behavior such as paranoia and extreme strength, according to authorities who say it’s similar to methamphetamine, cocaine or ecstasy. They are unrelated to actual bathing products. Cole’s attorney, Alexander Ramos, has declined to directly address the criminal allegations but said his client has a strong reputation within the federal law enforcement community. Ramos did not immediately respond Friday to emails seeking comment on the not guilty plea. The Homeland Security Investigations department where Cole worked conducts federal criminal investigations into the illegal movement of people, goods, money, weapons, drugs and sensitive technology into, out of and across the U.S. Cole and the second agent had their credentials suspended but have not been fired, according to court documents.The rumors, which had gained traction online in the past few days, suggested that Hisense was considering downsizing its workforce in various departments due to economic pressures or internal restructuring. However, Hisense swiftly moved to address the misinformation, asserting that there is no truth to the speculation and reassuring employees, stakeholders, and the public that the company's operations remain solid and intact.

On the flip side, this transition presents various opportunities for innovation and technological advancements in water management. By encouraging a shift towards more sustainable and efficient water use practices, the pilot program creates a conducive environment for the development of new technologies and solutions aimed at conserving and managing water resources effectively.As the game progressed, it became evident that Beijing's players were in sync, moving the ball with precision and capitalizing on their scoring opportunities. The chemistry between Zeng Fanbo and Solomon was undeniable, as they fed off each other's energy and executed plays with finesse.