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[Business] Amazon to shed over 18,000 jobs as it cuts costs, CEO says

January 5, 2023 Published by

BBC News world

By Annabelle Liang

Business reporter

Amazon aims to shed more than 18,000 roles as it cuts costs, the technology giant’s boss says.

Affected workers will be informed from 18 January, chief executive Andy Jassy said in a note to staff.

The cuts amount to around 6% of the firm’s roughly 300,000-strong corporate workforce.

In November Amazon said it was starting a round of layoffs but did not give a figure of how many jobs it would cut.

“We are working to support those who are affected and are providing packages that include a separation payment, transitional health insurance benefits, and external job placement support,” Mr Jassy said.

He added: “Amazon has weathered uncertain and difficult economies in the past, and we will continue to do so.”

Mr Jassy did not specify where affected employees were located, but he said the firm would communicate with organisations that represent employees “where applicable in Europe”.

He also said the “majority of role eliminations” would be in the Amazon Stores operations and its People, Experience, and Technology team.

Two months ago the firm said it would focus on reducing expenses in its annual review of business operations.

Amazon had already introduced a hiring freeze and halted some of its warehouse expansions, warning it had over-hired during the pandemic.

It has also taken steps to shut some parts of its business, cancelling projects such as a personal delivery robot.

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The Amazon depot in Dartford has been processing millions of orders

Police officer who was injured during January 6 riots mocks McCarthy’s ‘trouble’ gaining the majority vote for House Speaker: ‘I just came here to rub it in’

January 5, 2023 Published by [email protected] (Taiyler Simone Mitchell)

Business Insider

(L) Officer Michael Fanone (R) House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy

CNN / Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

A former DC police officer who suffered major injuries on January 6 took a jab at Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy has unsuccessfully sought the majority vote for House Speaker six times in two days.
The ex-officer, Michael Fanone, a McCarthy critic, was at the Capitol Wednesday “to rub it in.”

A former DC police officer that was interviewed by the House January 6 committee hung out outside of the House Speaker’s office on Wednesday as Rep. Kevin McCarthy struggles to earn the majority vote for the top job in the House.

Michael Fanone has been a staunch critic of McCarthy and other GOP politicians who he’s chastised for downplaying the impact of the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

Fanone was seriously injured during the insurrection — suffering from a heart attack and brain injury after being dragged into the crowd by an insurrectionist — nearly two years ago.

“I heard he was having some trouble…I just came here to rub it in,” Fanone said, per Washington Times reporter
Mica Zellner, who tweeted about Fanone’s appearance.

—Mica Soellner (@MicaSoellnerDC) January 4, 2023

ABC News reporter Gabe Ferris also tweeted about Fanone, adding that he said, “Maybe the fourth time’s the charm” and gestured towards the blank nameplate area near the office.

—Gabe Ferris (@GabeFerris) January 4, 2023

McCarthy lost his sixth ballot for House Speaker in two days meaning the chamber does not currently have any sworn-in members and can’t pass any legislation, Insider reported.

He needs 218 votes to take on the role. The GOP in the House has a slim majority and far-right GOP holdouts have voted for other candidates. On Wednesday evening, the House adjourned until noon on Thursday.

One of the GOP holdouts Rep. Matt Gaetz has accused McCarthy of “squatting” in the House Speaker’s office without having been voted in, Insider reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider

2 arrested in power substation vandalism in Washington state

January 5, 2023 Published by The Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Two men have been arrested and charged with vandalizing electrical substations in Washington state, attacks that left thousands without power over the holidays, and one suspect told authorities they did it so they could break into a business and steal money, U.S. authorities said Tuesday.

Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, both of Puyallup, were arrested Saturday and made initial appearances in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Tuesday.

A newly unsealed complaint charged both with conspiracy to damage energy facilities, and it charged Greenwood with possession of a short-barreled rifle and a short-barreled shotgun. Cellphone location data and other evidence tied them to the attacks on the four substations in Pierce County, the complaint said.

The attacks on Dec. 25 left more than 15,000 customers without power. Officials have warned that the U.S. power grid needs better security to prevent domestic terrorism and after a large outage in North Carolina last month took days to repair.

According to the complaint, Greenwood told investigators after his arrest that the two knocked out power so they could burglarize a business and steal from the cash register. The business was not identified in the complaint.

“We have seen attacks such as these increase in Western Washington and throughout the country and must treat each incident seriously,” Seattle U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said in a news release. “The outages on Christmas left thousands in the dark and cold and put some who need power for medical devices at extreme risk.”

Attorneys who represented the men at their appearances in federal court did not immediately return emails seeking comment on the case. Greenwood faces a detention hearing Friday, Crahan on Tuesday. Federal prosecutors are seeking to have them remain in custody pending trial.

The four substations targeted were the Graham and Elk Plain substations operated by Tacoma Power and the Kapowsin and Hemlock substations operated by Puget Sound Energy. The complaint said transformers at the Tacoma Power substations would have to be replaced and damage was estimated to be at least $3 million.

According to the complaint, the pair hit the first three substations early on Christmas Day, then struck the last — the Kapowsin substation — that evening. In each case, they used bolt cutters to access the properties and manipulated switches to knock out power. At the Kapowsin substation, their actions cause arcing and sparking, the complaint said.

Greenwood and Crahan were identified as suspects because location data showed cellphones linked to them to be in the vicinity of all four incidents, FBI Special Agent Mark Tucher wrote in the complaint. Agents surveilled them from Dec. 27 to Jan. 3 and they appeared to be sharing a home in Puyallup, he said.

“The substations are spread out over dozens of miles; the attacks occurred early in the morning and in the evening; and the first and fourth attacks were separated by over twelve hours,” the complaint said. “This makes it at least unlikely that an individual would simply happen to be at all four locations around the times they were each vandalized.”

When he was arrested, Greenwood had several articles of clothing that matched images of one of the suspects in surveillance images, and agents found him to have two unregistered short-barreled weapons, the complaint said.

Conspiracy to attack energy facilities is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Possession of an unregistered firearm is punishable by up to 10 years.

At least four electrical substations were targeted in earlier attacks in Oregon and Washington beginning in late November. Attackers used firearms in at least some of the incidents and some power customers in Oregon temporarily lost service. In one of the attacks, two people cut through a fence surrounding a high-voltage substation and then shot several pieces of equipment.

The utilities affected in those cases — Portland General Electric, the Bonneville Power Administration and Puget Sound Energy — said they were working with the FBI.

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Prince Harry says William 'knocked me to the floor' during argument about Meghan: report

January 5, 2023 Published by The Hill

Prince Harry wrote in his soon-to-be-released autobiography, “Spare,” obtained by The Guardian, that his brother, Prince William, “knocked [him] to the floor” while in an argument about Harry’s wife, American actress Meghan Markle.

Harry said that the argument, which Harry said resulted in visible injury on his back, took place in his home in London in 2019, according to The Guardian, in which Harry describes that William called Markle “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive.”

Harry said that William’s words were a “parrot[ing of] the press narrative” about the Duchess of Sussex, The Guardian reports.

According to The Guardian, Harry then described the altercation, writing that William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor”.

Harry said that his brother egged him on to fight back after their argument escalated to a physical altercation, but that Harry refused, leaving his brother “regretful” and eventually lead to him apologizing, according to The Guardian.

William urged Harry not to tell his wife, and Harry said that he did not immediately do so, but that Markle noticed the marks on his back and when she found out she wasn’t surprised or angry, but “sad.”

The theme of Harry’s autobiography, according to The Guardian, is that Harry is the”spare” prince: If anything happens to the heir, Harry would be “the spare”.

Harry wrote about a story in his autobiography, The Guardian reports, of how his father, King Charles, said to his wife, Princess Diana, Harry’s mother, on the day of his son’s birth, “Wonderful! Now you’ve given me an heir and a spare – my work is done.”

The memoir by Prince Harry is expected to be released in full on January 10.

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Arizona man on lifetime probation exposes himself to bikini baristas: reports

January 5, 2023 Published by Fox News

An Arizona man convicted of sexual conduct with a minor and other offenses, was arrested this week for allegedly exposing himself to three females at a Bikini Beans coffee shop, according to reports.

Fox station KSAZ in Phoenix, Arizona reported that 24-year-old Raul Mena place an order at the restaurant’s drive through and when he pulled around, he allegedly showed his genitalia to the employee.

Goodyear, Arizona Police arrested Raul Mena, 24, for allegedly exposing himself to employees at Bikini Bean Coffee.
(KSAZ Phoenix)

“The male got her attention and gave her a $20.00 dollar bill,” Goodyear Police said in charging documents. “When Victim $1 reached to grab the $20.00 dollar bill, she observed his penis exposed out of his pants.”

POLICE IN FLORIDA OFFERING $10K REWARD FOR INFO ABOUT ‘HEINOUS’ MURDER OF MARRIED COUPLE

Police said the employee told two of her coworkers about the situation, and they went to investigate and reported seeing his genitalia.

Mena received his order and left the scene immediately, police added.

Officers were able to track Mena’s license plate, which they received from surveillance footage, and arrested him nearly a mile away and charged him with indecent exposure.

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KSAZ reported that court documents showed Mena was previously convicted of sexual conduct with a minor and had been arrested for several offenses in the past, including child molestation, indecent exposure, kidnapping, child abuse and DUI. He is also on lifetime probation.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

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Alleged victim of George Santos fraud: ‘Being deceived is a terrible feeling’

January 5, 2023 Published by Julia Shapero

Just In | The Hill

A former shop clerk from Brazil who was allegedly defrauded by Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) commiserated with those who voted for the incoming congressman in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, calling Santos a “professional liar.”

“I was very frustrated,” Bruno Simões told CNN of his encounter with Santos nearly 15 years ago. “Being deceived is a terrible feeling.”

Santos allegedly visited the store where Simões worked in 2008 and paid for more than $1,300 in merchandise with two stolen checks, according to CNN.

When the checks were revealed to be fraudulent, Simões said the store’s owner demanded that he repay the full amount, although his boss would eventually waive some of it.

“Unlike being mugged by someone with a gun who robs you, you might get angry, but being deceived, being fooled, someone acting in bad faith to steal from you, to me, it’s an even worse feeling,” Simões said.

Santos confessed to using the forged checks in a social media message to Simões in 2009 and in a statement to Brazilian police in 2010, according to CNN. Despite acknowledging that he “screwed up,” Santos never repaid him, Simões said.

The investigation into the incident has remained on hold for more than decade, as police were previously unable to locate Santos. However, Brazilian authorities recently said they had reopened the case, as Santos’s location became known amid scrutiny over his background.

After a report from The New York Times raised questions about his resume, Santos admitted last week to lying about his educational and professional background. Despite his previous claims, Santos never attended Baruch College and did not work for Goldman Sachs or Citigroup.

Santos has also come under fire for claiming to be a “proud American Jew” after he clarified that he identifies religiously as Catholic.

The incoming congressman from Long Island is currently also facing investigations from the district attorney for Nassau County and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.

Simões told CNN that it was a “mix of shock and a comical scene” to realize that Santos had been elected to the U.S. Congress.

“I saw his photo and I remembered very clearly the photos I had seen of him when he was 19 years old. I said, ‘How is it possible for a criminal, an embezzler, to be elected as a congressman?’ To me that was unbelievable,” he said.

The former shop clerk added that it appears as though Santos “hasn’t learned and is still investing in this career of fraud, faking information and lying.”

“Some people make mistakes and regret them, and others seem to never regret and end up living their whole lives as a fraud,” Simões said. “I believe that is the case with George.”

However, Santos has recently denied any wrongdoing in the Brazilian case.

“I am not a criminal here — not here or in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world,” he told the New York Post in an interview last week. “Absolutely not. That didn’t happen.”

House, Bruno Simões, George Santos Read More

House Speaker vote derby the 'anti-Groundhog Day' because McCarthy's prospects keep getting worse, critics say

January 5, 2023 Published by Fox News

Unlike Bill Murray’s character in the film “Groundhog Day” – who was forced to relive February 2 over and over again – Kevin McCarthy seems to be experiencing an “anti-Groundhog Day” as his chances of being elected House speaker appear to be growing slimmer after several failed votes, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said on “The Five” Wednesday.

“This is not Groundhog Day at all. It’s the opposite of Groundhog Day because in the movie, he actually got better,” Gutfeld said. “This is the opposite. He’s not. No one’s learning anything. It’s anti-Groundhog Day.”

“The Five” host nodded to observers making the point that the House Republican caucus‘ repeated votes to name a speaker continue to end in a repetitive, predictable stalemate.

HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS NOMINATES BYRON DONALDS FOR HOUSE SPEAKER

Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., delivers remarks alongside House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep.-elect Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas.
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

McCarthy needs a majority – currently 218 votes – to attain the speakership. Democrats continue to stand in lockstep behind their chosen caucus leader, Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries of New York. In the outside chance some Republicans defect to Jeffries, he could become speaker instead with only a handful more votes.

The most recent vote tallies have recorded about 20 votes for Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, a conservative from Naples, Fla., who appears to have the support of most of the right-wing Freedom Caucus.

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania nominated Donalds with an impassioned speech. Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., most recently voted “present.”

On “The Five,” Gutfeld said he is changing is mind on whether Republicans should come to a prompt conclusion of the speaker election.

REPUBLICANS TORCHED FOR MCCARTHY-HOUSE SPEAKER VOTE FIASCO: ‘WORST GAME OF CHICKEN EVER’

Rep.-elect Chip Roy, R-Texas, talks to Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., in the House Chamber during the second day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 4, 2023, in Washington, D.C.
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“I want it to go on forever. It’s like an extra inning game that, like. when it’s on, you go set the 22nd inning, you want it to go to 27, you want to go to that long disco,” he said. “It’s like a horrifying spectacle. But it’s also hypnotic.”

“I have a theory that this is all being done because it’s like they love to revert to being college kids pulling an all-nighter. So this is just an excuse to order 50 pizzas and make us pay for it.”

Co-host Judge Jeanine Pirro noted the “present’ vote by Spartz, reporting that the lawmaker wants to forge a discussion instead of continued rounds of voting-in-vain.

On the Democratic side, some lawmakers have, however, appeared to signal they are open to consensus candidates for speaker.

MCCARTHY NOT BACKING DOWN FROM SPEAKER BID AFTER HEATED MEETING WITH GOP: ‘I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE’

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks
(Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Rep.-elect Ro Khanna of California told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto Wednesday that while he could not envision supporting Donalds, he would consider a crossover vote if the Republican were a moderate he has worked with constructively before, citing Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

Fitzpatrick has himself bucked his party at times, notably being the only Republican member of the state’s delegation not to endorse 2022 gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano after the conservative Trump supporter won his crowded primary.

Speaking with a reporter from Spectrum News, Rep.-elect Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio – the longest-serving woman in Congress – also floated the prospect of supporting a certain Republican member.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“I wish I could be part of some kind of unity caucus that would yield [Kevin McCarthy] the votes because the Republicans hold the majority and maybe put us in a special category,” she said.

“I’m a Democrat, but I have many Republicans in our district. And not that we would agree with him on everything, but at least let the man become speaker,” Kaptur said.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and breaking news, and has covered the annual CPAC conference for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

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Dry eye changes how injured cornea heals itself

January 5, 2023 Published by Futurity (National Geo)

A new study with mice finds that proteins made by stem cells that regenerate the cornea may be new targets for treating and preventing injuries.

People with a condition known as dry eye disease are more likely than those with healthy eyes to suffer injuries to their corneas.

Dry eye disease occurs when the eye can’t provide adequate lubrication with natural tears. People with the common disorder use various types of drops to replace missing natural tears and keep the eyes lubricated, but when eyes are dry, the cornea is more susceptible to injury.

“We have drugs, but they only work well in about 10% to 15% of patients,” says senior investigator Rajendra S. Apte, professor in the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

“In this study involving genes that are key to eye health, we identified potential targets for treatment that appear different in dry eyes than in healthy eyes.

“Tens of millions of people around the world—with an estimated 15 million in the United States alone—endure eye pain and blurred vision as a result of complications and injury associated with dry eye disease, and by targeting these proteins, we may be able to more successfully treat or even prevent those injuries.”

For the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers analyzed genes expressed by the cornea in several mouse models—not only of dry eye disease, but also of diabetes and other conditions. They found that in mice with dry eye disease, the cornea activated expression of the gene SPARC. They also found that higher levels of SPARC protein were associated with better healing.

“We conducted single-cell RNA sequencing to identify genes important to maintaining the health of the cornea, and we believe that a few of them, particularly SPARC, may provide potential therapeutic targets for treating dry eye disease and corneal injury,” says first author Joseph B. Lin, an MD/PhD student in Apte’s lab.

“These stem cells are important and resilient and a key reason corneal transplantation works so well,” Apte explains. “If the proteins we’ve identified don’t pan out as therapies to activate these cells in people with dry eye syndrome, we may even be able to transplant engineered limbal stem cells to prevent corneal injury in patients with dry eyes.”

The National Eye Institute, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health supported the work. Additional funding came from the Jeffrey T. Fort Innovation Fund, a Centene Corp. contract for the Washington University-Centene ARCH Personalized Medicine Initiative, and Research to Prevent Blindness.

Source: Washington University in St. Louis

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Arizona judge’s decision on election misconduct challenged by Kari Lake

January 5, 2023 Published by

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News

Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake filed two appeals on Wednesday, related to an election lawsuit she commenced last month, according to reports.

Lake lost her bid for Arizona governor by half a percentage point to Katie Hobs. After the results of the election were tallied, Lake challenged the result and claimed there were problems with ballot printers at some polling places on Election Day, which were the result of intentional misconduct.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson ruled against Lake’s challenge after finding the court was not presented with clear and convincing evidence in the widespread misconduct, she alleged influenced the election results.

ARIZONA JUDGE REJECTS REPUBLICAN KARI LAKE’S CHALLENGE TO GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION

Fox station KSAZ in Phoenix, Arizona reported that Lake, on Wednesday, filed an appeal with the Appeals Court on Judge Thompson’s ruling.

She also filed a motion to have the appeal sent to the Arizona Supreme Court, asking to basically skip a step with the Appeals Court.

Arizona’s Supreme Court denied the request to transfer the appeal, according to KSAZ.

ARIZONA JUDGE RULES TWO OF KARI LAKE’S ELECTION CHALLENGE CLAIMS CAN GO TO TRIAL

In its decision, the Supreme Court said, “no good cause appears to transfer the matter to this court.”

Election law attorney Tom Ryan told KSAZ he believes the court will toss the lawsuit.

“Election contests are supposed to be done and completed within 10 days of the canvass,” said Ryan. “They were given all the opportunity to have a trial. Judge [Peter] Thompson allowed in a lot of evidence most judges would not allow in, but he wanted to do it so he could show he gave due consideration and weighed the evidence.”

Lake’s gubernatorial opponent Hobbs was sworn into office on Jan. 2, just two days after the appeals were filed.

Can The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Beat The Honda Civic Type R In A Drag Race?

January 5, 2023 Published by Stephen Rivers

Carscoops

The Honda Civic Type R is the benchmark for hot hatchbacks in the eyes of many. In 2022, Toyota decided to muddy the waters with its GR Corolla. Now, the two top-tier hot hatches are getting tested on the drag strip.

These two cars might sound similar on paper. In fact, the two specific cars here weigh within two pounds of one another. A quick peek under the sheet metal tells another story though. For one thing, the Honda puts its power down through the front wheels alone while the Toyota uses a clever AWD system.

The Civic Type R makes its reputation with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that develops 315 hp (235 kW) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque. Toyota’s GR Corolla with its three-cylinder turbocharged engine typically makes 300 hp (223 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque. The Morizo Edition in this test develops the same power but a total of 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque.

More: Toyota Launches Lotteries To Decide Who Gets GR Corolla RZ And Two-Seat Morizo Edition In Japan

The gents over at Throttle House start this test with both cars standing still at the start of the quarter mile. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the AWD GR Corolla rockets off of the line so quickly that it’s quickly out of the picture from the camera in the Civic Type R.

Somewhere near the end of the track, the Honda reels the Toyota back in a bit but it’s roughly two car lengths back when the line is crossed. Things change when the two cars take off from a roll. Initially, the Toyota takes off again but that success is short-lived.

The Civic Type R doesn’t just walk around the Corolla, it manages to jump ahead by a couple of car lengths itself before the line. Clearly, neither one of these cars was crafted to be a drag racing king but it’s interesting just how close the two are in such a situation.

Regardless of which hot hatch you might personally prefer it seems that one thing is true. We’re all winners for having both as options now (if you want to pay a huge markup) and in the future.

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Image Credit: Throttle House on YouTube