Category: Money

The rout of the cryptocurrency market in 2022 scared away individual investors.

The latter had flooded the sector a year earlier in the midst of the crypto craze in the hope of making a quick buck.

But the fall in prices of most cryptocurrencies and numerous scandals have crushed all these dreams.

The crypto market has lost over $2.1 trillion from its all-time high of over $3 trillion reached in November 2021. This drop means that investors have seen the value of their portfolios melt away. For some individual investors, almost all of their savings have evaporated.

Bitcoin (BTC), the world’s leading cryptocurrency by market value, has fallen from am all-time high of $69,044.77 reached on November 10, 2021 to $16,746.62 currently, according to data firm CoinGecko. When many individual investors joined the crypto craze at the end of 2021, BTC evangelists predicted that the cryptocurrency was on its way to hitting $100,000 before the end of 2021.

FOMO

Lured by these tantalizing predictions, many retail investors gave in to FOMO, which stands for Fear of Missing Out. FOMO is a crypto acronym used generally for anxiety of missing out on making money.

While the market slump has chilled amateur investors, BTC and crypto evangelists have not lost faith even as they got their fingers burned. This is the case of billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper. He predicted that bitcoin would hit $250,000 by the end of 2022.

He just reiterated that prediction for 2023 in an email to CNBC. Given the current price of bitcoin, this means the digital currency will soar 1,400%.

“My assumption is that since women control 80% of retail spending, and only 1 in 7 bitcoin wallets are currently held by women that the dam is about to break,” Draper told the news outlet.

Draper believes that there are positive factors to restart the rise of cryptocurrency.

“I suspect that the halvening in 2024 will have a positive run,” the founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson told CNBC.

The halving is an essential phenomenon of the Bitcoin protocol which takes place approximately every four years. It consists of halving the reward given to bitcoin miners who register new blocks on the blockchain.

The Bitcoin protocol contains a number of rules written into its code and which cannot be violated. The first of these is the limitation of the number of bitcoins: there will never be more than 21 million bitcoins in circulation. It is this notion of scarcity that makes the value of bitcoin.

Originally, the Bitcoin network’s initial block reward was 50 BTC. But a special clause in the protocol, another rule that cannot be transgressed, reduces this reward over the years: it is the halving.

Uncertainty

Every 210,000 blocks, the miners’ reward for maintaining the Bitcoin network is thus halved. The halving therefore has a dual purpose: it limits the quantity of new bitcoins in circulation on the network and allows the longevity of the blockchain to continue.

Since a new block is created approximately every ten minutes on average, the halving generally corresponds to a duration of four years. There is nothing to do for the halving to occur, since it is written into the source code of the crypto-asset: the rewards are automatically halved when it occurs.

The big problem with Draper’s prediction is that there is a lot of uncertainty currently surrounding the cryptocurrency industry. We still do not know all the collateral victims of the bankruptcy of the empire of Sam Bankman-Fried, the former disgraced king of crypto.

Gold Starts 2023 With a Bang. Here's the View on the Chart.

Gold prices have been on a tear lately and the yellow metal is beginning the year with a bang.

The SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) – Get Free Report opened higher by 1% and climbed as much as 1.44% on the day before cooling off a bit.

That’s certainly outperforming equities, which opened higher on Tuesday but quickly faded into negative territory on the first trading day of 2023.

Gold prices have been trading pretty well, and gold miners have been drawing some attention as well.

Gold futures prices have climbed in four of the past five weeks, with the lone down week a loss of just 0.56%.

The GLD ETF has had a similar run, climbing in four of the past six weeks, with the two down weeks posting losses of just 0.12% and 0.16%.

Lastly, the GLD ETF and gold futures are hitting their highest prices since mid-June and will try for a third straight monthly gain in January.

Is Gold a Good Buy for 2023?

Daily chart of the GLD ETF.

Chart courtesy of TrendSpider.com

Inflation in 2023 is forecast to come down vs. 2022, yet that may not mean the end for the gold trade. That’s particularly true if the Federal Reserve does not continue its aggressive rate hikes this year.

That said, the bulls must keep the technicals in mind.

The GLD ETF, pictured above, did a great job of pushing through the 200-day moving average and breaking out over the $170 level and the weekly VWAP measure.

Lowe's Follows Comcast in Making a Terrible Choice for Customers

Robots make decent pizzas, acceptable lattes and, as I’ve experienced on multiple cruise ships, damn fine martinis.

You can automate recipes, repetitive tasks, and really anything that follows specific parameters every time.

But you can’t automate customer service, especially when a customer has a problem.

This, of course, has not stopped companies from using artificial intelligence chatbots in ways that are especially maddening.

Comcast (CMCSA) – Get Free Report has a virtual chatbot that acts as a gatekeeper for its human customer service personnel. You might be able to get some very basic info from the chatbot — like how much you owe — but any request for useful information gets you nowhere.

Typing “person” does eventually get you to a human being (who is often equally unhelpful), the AI chatbot very clearly does not work and it’s hard to believe that Comcast does not fully understand this.

Lowe’s (LOW) – Get Free Report has similar issues, but they actually go deeper than its AI chatbot. The home-improvement giant has a very frustrating system full of broken technology that’s supposed to communicate to customers when their orders will be delivered.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Lowe’s Has a Customer Service Problem

I ordered a Weber (WEBR) – Get Free Report two-burner gas grill on New Year’s Eve with no expectations of delivery. Lowe’s sent me an email and a text telling me that my delivery was scheduled for Jan. 2. That seemed unlikely given that that day was a federal holiday, so it did not surprise me when Jan. 2 passed with no delivery.

On the evening of that day, however, I got a text from Lowe’s telling me my grill would arrive on Jan. 3 between 1:30 and 5:30. That’s a fairly large window of time, but I assume I’d get more information the next day.

Lowe’s texted me on Jan. 3 at 7:14 a.m. telling me that my order was “out for delivery.” That’s a hopeful sign, but given that I need to communicate with the guard desk at our complex so the truck can enter, it wasn’t really enough information. Fortunately, there was a helpful link in the text. Or so I thought.

Clicking that link took me to a generic web page for a Lowe’s that was not the one from which I ordered my grill. And it had no information about my delivery.

There was, however, a chat icon on the page, which I made the mistake of clicking.

The chatbot responder, which identified itself as “MyLo,” seemed as if it would be helpful. But it routed me to a series of choices that never resulted in an actual answer. I gave it my email, then my order number, and all it told me was that my order had “shipped.”

Asking any additional questions simply sent me back to the beginning.

Lowe’s, Like Comcast, Must Fix Its Customer Service

Once Lowe’s had my email and order number but could not tell me anything about my delivery, it was very clear the system was broken.

Tracking my order via its website also simply told me that it was “shipped,” until about 11:15 a.m. when that method showed me that my grill was on a truck and set for a 1:30-5:30 p.m. delivery.

That’s an improvement, but the overall experience was full of broken processes. No company should send you a link that takes you nowhere, and chats should visibly and easily offer the option to speak to a real person.

Stocks Firmly Higher, Jobs Report, Tesla, SBF Plea And Damar Hamlin Condition – Five Things To Know

Five things you need to know before the market opens on Tuesday January 3:

1. — Stock Futures Higher As 2023 Trading Begins On a Bullish Note

U.S. equity futures moved firmly higher Tuesday as global stocks kicked-off new year trading on a high note, powered in part by softer Treasury bond yields and positive economic data from Europe.

With trading volumes still thin, and some major markets closed over the tail end of the holiday season, stocks are set for a firmer open following their worst performance since 2008, which saw a 20% decline for the MSCI World Index and the loss of more than $18 trillion in global equity value.

Softer reading for regional inflation in Germany, a good benchmark for Europe-wide readings, as well as a firming job market in the bloc’s biggest economy helped power the Stoxx 600 to a 1.62% gain in early Frankfurt trading, while London’s FTSE 100 gained 2.06% as the pound eased to 1.1923 against the U.S dollar and commodity prices leaped.

Overnight in Asia, a weaker-than-expected reading of economic activity in China, based on Caixin PMI data, underscored concerns over the surge in Covid infections in the world’s second-largest economy following the easing of business and travel restrictions last month and kept a lid on regional stock gains, with the MSCI ex-Japan index rising only 0.28%. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was closed.

Heading into the start of the trading day on Wall Street, U.S. stocks are looking to rebound from their worst year since the global financial crisis, with futures contracts linked to the S&P 500 indicating a 37 point opening bell gain and those tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average priced for a 278 point jump. The tech-focused Nasdaq is primed for a 127 point gain.

Benchmark 10-year Treasury note yields were marked nearly 9 basis points lower in the European session and trading at 3.746% while the U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six global currencies, surged 1.07% to 104.625 in think Asia trading.

2. — Week Ahead: December Jobs Report, Fed Minutes In Focus

The Commerce Department’s December jobs report will be the undoubted highlight of a light week of data releases and earnings reports to kick off the new year, as investors look for further indications that wage increases are helping fuel inflation pressures in the world’s biggest economy.

Analysts expect employers added a net 200,000 new jobs to the economy last month, a notable slowdown from the 263,000 tally recorded in November and the slowest since May of 2021. Headline unemployment is expected to hold at 3.7%, while average hourly earnings are forecast to slow modestly to an annualized rate of 5.0%.

Minutes from the Fed’s December meeting, slated for release on Wednesday, will also provide clues as to the level of concern policymakers have regarding inflation pressures from the labor market following four consecutive 75 basis point rate increases.

The ISM’s key manufacturing PMI survey is also expected this week, alongside November quarter earnings from Dow component Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) – Get Free Report, drinks group Constellation Brands (STZ) – Get Free Report and food giant Conarga Brands (CAG) – Get Free Report.

3. — Tesla Resumes Slump After Softer-Than-Expected Q4 Deliveries

Tesla (TSLA) – Get Free Report share moved lower in pre-market trading after the carmaker posted softer-than-expected fourth quarter delivery figures amid what it described as “significant Coivd and supply chain related challenges” that lasted throughout the whole of 2022.

Tesla delivered 405,278 new cars over the three months ending in December, the company said in a statement, up 31.5% from last year and 18.1% from the 343,000 tally reached over the three months ending in October. Deliveries for the full year were pegged at 1,313,851, a 40% increase from 2021 levels.

Analysts were originally looking for a total of around 450,000, but that estimate was reduced over the past month following reports of a week-long shutdown at the carmaker’s key gigafactory in Shanghai.

Tesla shares were marked 2.22% lower in pre-market trading to indicate a Tuesday opening bell price of $120.44 each.

4. — Sam Bankman-Fried Expected to Plead ‘Not Guilty’ To FTX-Linked Fraud, Conspiracy Charges

Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to enter a ‘not guilty’ plea when he faces a U.S. District Court judge for the first time later today following his arrest on an eight count indictment linked to the collapse of his FTX crypto trading platform late last year.

Bankman-Fried, 30, will face U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan at a hearing in Manhattan at 2:00 pm Eastern time, charged with eight counts of conspiracy and wire fraud linked to the multi-billion failure of FTX, which collapsed under the weight of an estimated $8 billion hole in its balance sheet.

The founder and former CEO is alleged to have siphoned billions in clients funds from FTX to bolster trading in his wholly-owned Alameda hedge funds, purchase lavish real estate in the Bahamas and make millions in illegal campaign donations to U.S. lawmakers.

If convicted on all counts, Bankman-Fried could face up to 115 years in federal prison.

5. — Damar Hamlin In Critical Condition After Suffering Cardiac Arrest During Monday Night Football

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical but stable condition in a Cincinnati hospital Tuesday after suffering cardiac arrest during a game against the home-team Bengals Paycor Stadium last night.

A Wisconsin family found themselves stranded in Newark and missed out on their $17,000 Royal Caribbean cruise after Southwest and United canceled their flights

January 4, 2023 Published by [email protected] (Hannah Getahun)

Business Insider

The Littman family spent Christmas stranded in New Jersey and missed their Royal Caribbean cruise

Brittany Chang/Insider // Courtesy of Noam Littman

A Wisconsin family spent months planning for a Royal Caribbean Cruise.
After a series of canceled flights, they ended up stranded in New Jersey.
Noam Littman told Insider that his family is now “hesitant” to plan a trip like this again.

A family trying to make it to Florida to spend the holiday season on a Royal Caribbean cruise instead spent Christmas in the freezing New Jersey weather without their luggage after a series of canceled flights from Southwest and United airlines.

Noam Littman, from Appleton, Wisconsin, told Insider that he and his wife Julie spent months planning a “big trip for the year” for their three sons and their two grandparents. The couple dropped around $17,000 on tickets and even arranged a surprise for their sons, waiting until they reached Florida to let them know that they would be heading out on a cruise.

“We had like this elevated sense of excitement knowing that we were going to be surprising them as well,” Julie told Insider.

However, 24 hours before they were due to fly out of Milwaukee on Dec. 23 on Southwest Airlines, they were notified that their initial flight was canceled. The Littmans said they did not receive a reason as to why.

“We just found out via a text that our flight was canceled,” Noam told Insider. “Nobody said anything. And we had to try and figure out what to do. So it’s been a nightmare.”

After Southwest rebooked and canceled their flight multiple times, the Littmans decided to play it safe and booked the only flight to Orlando, Florida, they could find out of General Mitchell International Airport — a United Airlines flight. According to a flight ticket reviewed by Insider, the cost of the round-trip tickets was around $6,500 for the whole family.

The Littmans said they arrived in Newark, New Jersey at 3 p.m. following the first leg of their flight. Around 6 p.m. they boarded their flight to Orlando. That’s when staff announced on the plane that United had no pilots available to fly.

The Littmans said they were notified via text around midnight that the flight was canceled and were offered lodging from United after inquiring, but they said they had no way to get there. Additionally, they couldn’t access their luggage and were without jackets and warm clothes in the winter weather.

The family told Insider they eventually found a suitable place to stay, but had to spend Christmas flying back home — still without their luggage — and missed their vacation.

Courtesy of Noah Littman

Now, the family is looking for refunds— from Royal Caribbean, from whom they purchased trip insurance, and United Airlines. The family said they were able to get a refund from Southwest.

Noam said that after being on hold with United for hours, the family was able to get only about $270 from United. United Airlines could not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

As to whether or not they would plan a trip like this again, Noam said that the family was now “hesitant” knowing how much could go wrong.

“[United] can’t control the weather, but they can control how customers are treated,” Noam told Insider. “And to just send you a text if you’ve been waiting in the airport with kids for six hours… and then leave you completely hanging. You don’t know where your luggage is. You don’t know where you’re going to stay, knowing that you’re not you’re gonna get back home. Nothing. That’s ridiculous. That’s completely on United.”

Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

Across the US, hundreds of cruise ship guests have missed their departures this winter season after severe winter storms began across the country have resulted in the cancellation of thousands of flights across airlines. Many say they are struggling to secure refunds for their flights.

Another set of Wisconsin travelers missed their $4,000 Royal Caribbean honeymoon after Southwest canceled their flights.

Read the original article on Business Insider

DeSantis campaign song ‘Sweet Florida’ played as the governor and first lady took the stage then danced to Sinatra at the state’s inaugural ball, in final event of 2-day ‘DeSantis-Palooza’

January 4, 2023 Published by [email protected] (Kimberly Leonard)

Business Insider

Florida first lady Casey DeSantis and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the inaugural ball in Tallahassee on January 3, 2022.

Republican Party of Florida

Ron DeSantis kicked off his second term as Florida’s governor with festivities in Tallahassee.
The DeSantises walked out to the song “Sweet Florida.”
Casey DeSantis wore a gold embellished gown.

TALLAHASSEE — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida’s inaugural ball featured a live band, pink and purple lights, and a photo station, according to guests who were leaving the party on Tuesday evening.

As the crowd watched on, the governor walked on stage with his children and wife Casey DeSantis — who wore a gold embellished gown — to Van Zant’s song “Sweet Florida.“

The lyrics are about DeSantis and say the governor is “the only one fighting for you and me” and “knows how to lead.” DeSantis would often play the song at campaign rallies.

DeSantis and Casey DeSantis then also danced to Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.”

—Matt Braynard (@MattBraynard) January 4, 2023

The event was closed to the press, but Insider spoke with attendees as they exited the facility. A copy of the program viewed by Insider showed sponsors for the event included tobacco giant Altria, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits, CVS Health, Lockheed Martin, health insurance giant Humana, and managed care organization Molina Healthcare.

Tuesday’s event received national attention because DeSantis is widely considered a GOP frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election — should he decide to run. So far, only former President Donald Trump has formally declared his candidacy.

The governor has been mum about his plans but has dodged the question if he’ll serve out all four years as governor.

On Tuesday, he took a victory lap after coasting to reelection in November. The ball was the final event of the two-day inauguration extravaganza. One guest who attended multiple inauguration events overheard people on the plane to Tallahassee calling the festivities “DeSantis-Palooza.”

Beginning around 6 p.m. local time, roughly 4,000 guests dressed in ballgowns, sequins, and tuxedos made their way to the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center for the ball, which featured a brass band with two female and two male singers, multiple guests exiting the event told Insider.

Songs included “My Girl” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” two guests leaving the event told Insider. The governor did not deliver any remarks.

—Matt Braynard (@MattBraynard) January 4, 2023

The dance floor was in a basketball arena and had a VIP section — which had an open bar — and a general admission that was more crowded. Guests received koozies as party favors, and those in the general admission area said they snacked on finger foods including empanadas and chicken and waffles.

Guests were able to pose at a photo station that had the governor’s seal in the background.

—Katelyn Caralle (@Katelyn_Caralle) January 4, 2023

Bill Diamond of Palm Beach told Insider the food was “very good and very inventive” and raved about the lamb. He called himself a “very big fan” of the governor. Asked what he would think of him running for president, Diamond predicted the governor would win and called him “the future of this country.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, is sworn by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muniz, left, to begin his second term during an inauguration ceremony outside the Old Capitol Tuesday, January 3, 2023, in Tallahassee, Florida. Looking on is DeSantis’ wife Casey, second from right, and their son Mason.

Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Several events preceded the ball

At the swearing-in ceremony, Casey DeSantis wore a regal ensemble with white gloves and a satin, lime-green cape dress from Australian designer Alex Perry. The dress is listed for $2,600 at Bergdorf Goodman, the Daily Mail first reported, and people in attendance said the outfit reminded them of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

“I have had clients coming back and saying that was very Kennedy-ish,” one source who attended multiple inauguration events told Insider.

DeSantis, 44, gave a speech geared toward a national audience. Asked about the remarks ahead of the inaugural ball, Florida Rep. Thad Altman, a Republican, said DeSantis was a “national figure.” The Florida House member said he was looking forward to working with DeSantis on conservation and environmental policy to “keep Florida as a beautiful place to live.”

Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, between 80 to 100 people from the faith community prayed with the governor in the Historic Capitol, Demetrius Minor, minister and public affairs liaison for Tampa Life Church, told Insider. Casey DeSantis and the couple’s son, Mason, were also present, he said, as were Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez and her husband Adrian Nuñez.

The group “prayed for his protection, prayed for continued strength, prayed for wisdom and guidance,” Minor said.

Following the ceremony, Casey DeSantis hosted a “Toast to 1 Million Mamas” at the Governor’s Mansion, as a thank-you to the 1.1 million women she mobilized in support of her husband.

People took tours of the mansion, and both the governor and first lady gave remarks focused on education policy, in which they warned about the influence of the “woke left,” said a source who attended.

DeSantis in the months ahead is expected to double down on policies begun during his first term, in which he limited discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity, particularly in classes up to third grade, and about race.

The festivities officially kicked off earlier, on Monday evening, with dinner at Florida State University that was catered by Carbone, a trendy restaurant started in Greenwich Village, New York, whose parent company has opened up more restaurants in Florida. Carbone’s Miami Beach location is one of the hottest restaurants in the area.

Jeff Zalaznick, co-owner of Carbone’s parent company Major Food Group, talked about how his business was able to expand in Florida while other states closed businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, said one attendee at the dinner. The theme of the weekend was “The Free State of Florida,” and the Monday-night menu was a nod to the couple’s Italian heritage.

Correction: January 3, 2022 — A previous version of this story said the DeSantises danced to “Sweet Florida.” They walked on stage to the song but danced together to “Fly Me to the Moon.”

Read the original article on Business Insider

Samsung’s 2023 Neo QLED and OLED TVs Aim to Impress

January 4, 2023 Published by Jacob Krol

TheStreet

For its latest generation, Samsung is focusing on picture quality improvements to its core TV products like the Neo QLED and OLED TVs.

Samsung’s taking the stage ahead of CES 2023’s kickoff and unveiling its new line of TVs at its “First Look” event. For 2023, the tech giant and TV leader is sticking with what has been working in the space.

We have new Neo QLED 4K and 8K TVs, an update to its OLED offering, and a few new accessories for The Frame.

In typical Samsung (SSNLF) and CES style, these will be arriving later this year with exact sizes and exact pricing coming at a later date. So for now we’re breaking down what’s new and also highlighting some terrific deals on the 2022 models.

The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.

What You Need To Know: Neo QLED 4K and 8K TVs

Quantum Dots have been a staple of Samsung’s TVs for years now and that’s not changing in 2023. And on paper the new Neo QLED 4K and Neo QLED 8K TVs should deliver a picture that is even more vibrant and detail packed, while also being held together in a modern build.

The QN900C is the flagship Neo QLED 8K model with basically an all-screen front. It pushes Samsung’s “Infinity Design” language to the edge–excuse the pun–with minuscule bezels all around. The large 8K resolution picture is the main focus and boasts a brightness of up to 4,000 nites. And that’s a big part of the story with Neo QLED 4K and 8K for 2023.

Samsung’s improving the picture quality with an improved Neural Quantum Processor that controls the Quantum Mini LED TVs. Brightness levels across the 4K and 8K models are improved and the processor can better control the image being created across the entire screen.

There is also a new AI to better analyze content and upscale it to a bright HDR regardless of the original source. Meaning that if you have an HD or 4K movie in SDR, it will be upgraded to an HDR view. Samsung calls this “Auto HDR Remastering” and we’re eager to see how this performs, in tandem with general content upscaling.

We’re eager to go hands-on with Samsung’s 2023 Neo QLED 4K and Neo QLED 8K TVs as we get closer to launch later this year. We’ll of course report back and share our thoughts, as well as full pricing and availability.

Samsung’s 2023 OLED Spans Three Sizes

The surprise for Samsung in 2022 was its entry into the category of OLED TVs. And they delivered two sizes, a 55-inch and 65-inch, that impressed with a premium, crisp picture in our testing.

For 2023, Samsung’s unveiling the S95C OLED, which sticks with a Quantum Dot OLED panel but tosses in a TFT layer to create more accurate colors and increases the maximum level of brightness. This should all add up to an even better picture that can get brighter for a more immersive view. It’s still under a half an inch thick, but the change is that it will come in three sizes: 55-inch, 65-inch, and a 77-inch.

Like the Neo QLEDs, it’ll run a Tizen interface with various hubs and access to major streaming services. For instance, the Gaming Hub gives you instant access to streaming games from services like Xbox GamePass and Amazon Luna.

Samsung’s The Frame Gets New Bezels

As we hinted at above, The Frame got a serious upgrade in 2022 that has tested quite well. It’s a 4K QLED panel with a special anti-reflective final layer. This aids as The Frame is used just as much for displaying works of arts or photos as it is for watching TV. The result was art that looked more realistic and didn’t show reflections, be them environmental or artificial on top.

For 2023, Samsung is sticking with all of this and not making any changes to the actual TV itself. Rather, they’ll be introducing an easier to use Art Mode meaning you should be able to browse works of art and select them more seamlessly.

Additionally, Samsung is introducing metal bezels and more realistic wooden ones. There is a rotating wall mount that will let The Frame move from landscape to a portrait orientation with the click of a button. We imagine it’ll be similar, if not identical, to the current 55-inch to 65-inch auto rotating wall mount that Samsung currently sells at $349.

We’re waiting for confirmation, but we fully expect that the new bezels will work with the 2022 version of The Frame as well. The auto-rotating mount is already confirmed to work as well.

Best Samsung TV Deals

Now that we’ve gone through the news of what’s forthcoming in Samsung’s 2023 lineup, it’s time to walk through the current deals on the still-great 2022 TVs across the line. For most folks who want a vibrant picture with easy access to streaming or a screen that looks like a work of art, these will do more than just fit the bill.

55-inch S95B OLED ($1,599.99, originally $2,099.99 at Samsung)

If you’re shopping for a totally immersive picture in a room where you have good control over the lighting, an OLED is likely the way to go. While they can’t battle direct brightness of light shining on the screen like a QLED, they offer deep contrast points with incredibly accurate control over a visual.

Remember here that the picture is created from self-lit pixels, so individual pixels work to create the image and blooming is really a thing of the past. Right now you can save on the 55-inch S95B ($1,599.99, originally $2,099.99) and the 65-inch S95B ($1,999.99, originally $2,799.99).

65-inch QN85B Neo QLED 4K TV ($1,599.99, originally $1,899.99 at Samsung)

Samsung’s entry-level Neo QLED 4K TV for 2022 has a lot in common with the 2023 model. It boasts Quantum Mini LEDs to precisely create an image that is packed with details. You’ll also find that SD and HD content is automatically upscaled up to a 4K resolution here. It also sports the Tizen interface with access to streaming services and the dedicated gaming hub.

Right now, the 65-inch size is $300 off at $1,599.99 and you can also save on the 55-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch models.

The Frame 2022 (Starting at $599.99 at Samsung)

While the current 2022 The Frame isn’t discounted, it’s basically the 2023 model minus the new accessories and the updated smart interface. You still get a 4K QLED panel with a matte finish and anti-reflective coating, along with a fully-functioning Art Mode. Included in the box is a wall mount to make hanging it a breeze.

Additionally, you can save a bit on the cost by trading in a Galaxy smartphone and scoring up to $470 off the cost of The Frame.

Prices are accurate and items are in stock at the time of publishing.

AOC says she was telling Matt Gaetz the Democratic Party would ‘absolutely not’ rescue Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid when they were spotted chatting on the House floor

January 4, 2023 Published by [email protected] (Cheryl Teh,Azmi Haroun)

Business Insider

Matt Gaetz, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Paul Gosar.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Nathan Howard/Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was spotted chatting with Matt Gaetz on the House floor on Tuesday.
She was also seen talking to Paul Gosar, who in 2021 posted an anime clip of himself killing her.
Ocasio-Cortez told reporters their conversations were regarding the speakership vote.

In a rare display on Tuesday, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was spotted speaking with the unlikeliest of her congressional colleagues: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar.

Ocasio-Cortez was seen on Tuesday speaking to Gaetz briefly on the floor of Congress. The conversation between the two came as a surprise, considering how they have clashed and how ideologically different the progressive congresswoman and the House Freedom Caucus congressman are.

—The Recount (@therecount) January 3, 2023

Speaking to The Intercept, Ocasio-Cortez said Gaetz told her that House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy — who is currently vying for the role of House Speaker — is trying to convince the GOP he can cut a deal with the Democratic Party to get the job.

In response, Ocasio-Cortez says she told Gaetz that the Democrats will not help McCarthy out. McCarthy failed to get the votes he needed to secure the speakership on three separate ballots on Tuesday. And by the third vote, the number of people voting against him had gone up.

“McCarthy was suggesting he could get Dems to walk away to lower his threshold,” Ocasio-Cortez told The Intercept. “And I fact-checked and said absolutely not.”

In another strange turn of events, Ocasio-Cortez was also seen sitting next to Gosar and talking to him, nodding, and smiling.

—The Recount (@therecount) January 3, 2023

Ocasio-Cortez told Semafor on Tuesday that Gosar, too, had approached her to ask if the Democrats were willing to help McCarthy secure the speakership by exiting the chamber and lowering the vote threshold. Ocasio-Cortez added to Semafor that she told Gosar the same thing she told Gaetz: that her party would not be helping McCarthy out.

ABC reporter Gabe Ferris also spoke to Ocasio-Cortez about the conversation between her and Gosar. The New York congresswoman told Ferris she would “never” walk away to clear the path for McCarthy, and that she would back Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.

The congresswoman has had a storied history with Gosar. In November 2021, he posted a violent anime clip depicting himself killing her. The video prompted Ocasio-Cortez to call Gosar a “creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups” who shared a “fantasy video” of himself killing her. That month, Gosar was stripped of his committee positions by a Democratic-led Congress. He then refused to apologize for posting the video, comparing his censure to Alexander Hamilton’s.

Ocasio-Cortez told Semafor on Tuesday that Gosar did not apologize for the video during their conversation on Tuesday.

For his part, Gosar joked about the exchange, posting a screenshot of him and Ocasio-Cortez smiling during their conversation.

“So then I says ‘The combustion engine was actually a miracle of engineering that people take for granted today…'” Gosar tweeted.

—Rep. Paul Gosar, DDS (@RepGosar) January 3, 2023

Gosar wrote in a separate tweet on Tuesday that he and Ocasio-Cortez were talking “about the problem of the prior speakerships having too much authority and thus minimizing each member’s potential contribution to the House debate.” The congressman did not say if he and Ocasio-Cortez agreed on the matter.

AOC’s Gaetz-Gosar huddle sparks intrigue and ire

Ocasio-Cortez’s conversations with Gaetz and Gosar sparked intrigue. The liberal Twitter account Meidas Touch tweeted on Tuesday that someone should get a lip reader to decipher the conversation between Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez.

Meanwhile, the conversations attracted the ire of right-wing congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has broken with her House Freedom Caucus and supported McCarthy’s speakership bid.

Rebuking both Gosar and Gaetz, Greene tweeted on Tuesday that “making plans with Democrats is not what any Republican should be doing.” Greene also expressed concern that Gaetz, Gosar, and Ocasio-Cortez had found something in common in not supporting McCarthy, tweeting on Tuesday: “First Gaetz and Good, now Gosar. They never talk to her.”

Representatives for Gaetz, Gosar, Greene, and Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.

Meanwhile, the House failed to elect a speaker on Tuesday after right-wing Republicans mutinied against McCarthy and refused to back his speakership bid. This is the first time in a century that the House has not picked a speaker on the first vote.

Voting is now expected to continue on Wednesday.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Las Vegas Strip Looks Likely to not Land two Major Deals

Las Vegas has a long history of being a place where relationships come together quickly or burn out after a too-bright start. You might meet the love of your life on the Las Vegas Strip or end up needing a quickie divorce after a few drinks (and maybe some harder stuff) convinced you that having an Elvis impersonator marry you to someone you met that day was an excellent idea.

In a city full of excess, anything seems possible and that has made the Las Vegas Strip the ideal threat for any sports team looking for leverage. Since the Supreme Court ruled that states could legalize sports betting. Las Vegas stopped being taboo. That led to the National Hockey League bringing the expansion Golden Knights to T-Mobile Arena nestled in the heart of Caesars Entertainment (CZR) – Get Free Report and MGM Resorts International’s (MGM) – Get Free Report Strip properties.

The instant success of that move made Las Vegas a leverage point for every franchise looking to get a better deal from its home market. That allowed the former Oakland Raiders, a team with a cash-strapped owner looking to make every dime possible, to negotiate a deal for a move just off the Strip.

That deal made sense for Raiders owner Mark Davis, whose wealth comes from the team, but while every franchise looking for a new arena or stadium will flirt with Las Vegas, 2022 taught us that Las Vegas may have trouble getting teams to the altar.

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The Oakland A’s May not Pick Las Vegas

The Oakland Athletics have negotiated with a number of sites on the Las Vegas Strip for a domed stadium that would seat around 30,000 people. That’s low for a Major League Baseball stadium, but it would likely drive higher ticket prices should it ever happen.

The problem for Las Vegas is that the team continues to negotiate with Oakland where despite the city giving the A’s every reason to walk away, the team hasn’t.

Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal predicted at the beginning of 2022 that the A’s would jilt Las Vegas and he’s sticking to that prediction for 2023.

“The Oakland Athletics will abandon plans for a Strip baseball stadium to stay in Oakland. Technically wrong because two Strip locations continue to be in the running for a potential stadium. But I continue to believe the A’s won’t ever make it to Las Vegas,” Velotta wrote about his 2022 prediction and his thoughts going forward.

One site, the Las Vegas Fairgrounds adjacent to Circus Circus would make a lot of sense as the north Strip needs another major draw more than the South or Central Strip. The second site, at the Tropicana, which Bally’s Corporation (BALY) – Get Free Report bought in 2022 makes less sense as it’s way more valuable as a resort casino than as a stadium.

Political factors are also weighing against the A’s as the state of Nevada and the city of Las Vegas were willing to bend over backward with tax concessions to get Allegiant Stadium built for the Raiders. They seem much less likely to do that for a Major League Baseball team.

The NBA Has no Team for Las Vegas

Multiple NBA-ready arena projects are in some phase of development on the Strip, but none seems likely to be completed over the next few years. An NBA team could, of course, share T-Mobile Arena with the Golden Knights, but that’s a less attractive deal for a team looking to make a move.

The reality is that there’s no NBA team in the same situation as the A’s where Las Vegas would be a logical suitor. And, while Vegas was really the clear best market for the NHL and the NFL, Seattle looms as a competitor for any NBA team that might decide it wants a new home.

Las Vegas’ best chance for an NBA team would be if the league decides to expand, and while an expansion franchise might cost $4 billion, it would dilute the share each team gets of the league’s broadcast revenue.