Once seen by politicians as a tool to tackle issues, Capitol Hill is finding out that technology could be a double-edged sword with unintended consequences. Cecilia Kang, National Technology Correspondent at The New York Times, joined to take a closer look at the crossroads between politics and Silicon Valley.
Kang discussed why the Democrats became sour on Silicon Valley. She said the 2016 election was the start of a journey for the Democratic party to evaluate the role of technology companies in the spread of information. Kang added that they wanted to investigate whether social media companies were good or potentially harmful for democracy. When the shock wore off from the election results, they wanted to look into what was behind the outcome.
Are Democrats just trying to find something else to blame for election results they aren’t happy with? Kang pointed out that social media companies themselves have acknowledged that they did play a role in the election. This is evident in the newsfeed algorithm changes implemented by Facebook. The company is now placing a heavier emphasis on content from friends and family opposed to content from publishers.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
