Sam Bankman-Fried Found Guilty , on All Fraud Counts.
The FTX founder has been convicted of
seven criminal counts of fraud, CNBC reports.
Five counts pertain to conspiracy, and
two counts are associated with wire fraud.
The maximum sentence that the
31-year-old faces is 115 years in prison.
Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the
Southern District of New York, issued a
statement after Bankman-Fried was found guilty.
Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the
Southern District of New York, issued a
statement after Bankman-Fried was found guilty.
Sam Bankman-Fried perpetrated
one of the biggest financial
frauds in American history, Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the
Southern District of New York, via statement.
This case should send a clear message
to anyone who tries to hide their crimes
behind a shiny new thing they claim no one
else is smart enough to understand: the
Justice Department will hold you accountable, Damian Williams, U.S. attorney for the
Southern District of New York, via statement.
Mark Cohen, Bankman-Fried's attorney, said that
his client āmaintains his innocence and will continue
to vigorously fight the charges against him.ā.
His legal team will likely
appeal the verdict, Fox News reports.
Sam Bankman-Fried , Speaks Out After Sentencing.
The former FTX CEO was sentenced
to 25 years in prison on March 28.
He was previously convicted of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News,
the 32-year-old exhibited remorse for his actions, saying, "It's most of what I think about each day.".
Bankman-Fried attributed FTX's downfall to many "bad decisions" made in 2022, ABC News reports. .
I never thought that what I was
doing was illegal. But I tried to hold
myself to a high standard, and I
certainly didn't meet that standard. , Sam Bankman-Fried, to ABC News.
I've heard and seen the despair,
frustration and sense of betrayal from
thousands of customers; they deserve
to be paid in full, at current price, Sam Bankman-Fried, to ABC News.
That could and should have
happened in November 2022,
and it could and should happen
today. It's excruciating to see
them waiting, day after day, Sam Bankman-Fried, to ABC News.
Bankman-Fried went on to say that he's "haunted, every day, by what was lost.".
I'd give anything to be able to help
repair even part of the damage.
I'm doing what I can from prison,
but it's deeply frustrating not
to be able to do more, Sam Bankman-Fried, to ABC News.
Bankman-Fried plans to
appeal based on trial testimony that
"greatly misstated what actually happened.".
I'd give anything to be out there, trying
to make a positive difference in the
world, but I know that's not going to
happen. I can't help from prison, Sam Bankman-Fried, via statement
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Sam Bankman-Fried , Sentenced to 25 Years , for FTX Fraud.
On March 28, Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to
25 years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding
users of FTX, the now-collapsed cryptocurrency exchange. .
NBC reports that Lower Manhattan federal district
Judge Lewis Kaplan found the defense's arguments
misleading, speculative and logically flawed.
The judge accused Bankman-Fried of committing
obstruction of justice and tampering with
witnesses while mounting his defense.
Kaplan reportedly said that those
factors played a role in his decision
about how to sentence Bankman-Fried.
Prosecutors had originally sought a longer sentence
of 50 years, while the defense fought for
Bankman-Fried to get no more than six and a half years.
Prosecutors had originally sought a longer sentence
of 50 years, while the defense fought for
Bankman-Fried to get no more than six and a half years.
In November, Bankman-Fried was convicted on seven
criminal counts. He has been held at Brooklyn's
Metropolitan Detention Center while awaiting sentencing.
In November, Bankman-Fried was convicted on seven
criminal counts. He has been held at Brooklyn's
Metropolitan Detention Center while awaiting sentencing.
At one time, FTX was valued at over $30 billion
but ultimately collapsed in November of
2022 after announcing a major cash shortfall.
At one time, FTX was valued at over $30 billion
but ultimately collapsed in November of
2022 after announcing a major cash shortfall.
While on trial, Bankman-Fried was accused
of robbing FTX customers of nearly $8 billion,
which was partially used to fund the extravagant
lifestyles of the exchange's executives.
While on trial, Bankman-Fried was accused
of robbing FTX customers of nearly $8 billion,
which was partially used to fund the extravagant
lifestyles of the exchange's executives.
NBC reports that Bankman-Fried's sentence
is harsher than other white-collar crimes
in recent memory, such as Theranos founder
Elizabeth Holmes who received just 11 years.
NBC reports that Bankman-Fried's sentence
is harsher than other white-collar crimes
in recent memory, such as Theranos founder
Elizabeth Holmes who received just 11 years.
The outlet also notes that the judgement is more
similar to the 25-year sentence given to former
WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers or the 24-year
sentence given to Enron CEO Jeff Skilling.
The outlet also notes that the judgement is more
similar to the 25-year sentence given to former
WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers or the 24-year
sentence given to Enron CEO Jeff Skilling
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Key Federal Reserve Inflation Gauge , Rose 2.8% in March.
According to Commerce Department
data released on April 26.
the personal consumption expenditures
(PCE) price index, not including food or energy, rose 2.8% year-over-year in March. .
That exceeded Dow Jones
estimates of 2.7%, CNBC reports. .
When also accounting for food and energy, the all-items PCE measure rose 2.7%,
which was above the 2.6% estimate.
Inflation reports released this morning
were not as a hot as feared, , George Mateyo, chief investment officer at Key Wealth, via CNBC.
... but investors should not get
overly anchored to the idea that
inflation has been completely
cured and the Fed will be cutting
interest rates in the near-term, George Mateyo, chief investment officer at Key Wealth, via CNBC.
The prospects of rate cuts remain,
but they are not assured, and the
Fed will likely need weakness in
the labor market before they
have the confidence to cut, George Mateyo, chief investment officer at Key Wealth, via CNBC.
Consumers continue to spend despite
higher prices, CNBC reports.
Personal spending increased 0.8% in March, while personal income rose 0.5%.
The personal saving rate dropped to 3.2% as more people are having to dip into their savings to cover the cost of living.
The Fed continues to target 2% inflation, which the core PCE has exceeded for
the last three years, CNBC reports.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Netflix Exceeds Earnings Estimates , As Subscribers Increase.
Netflix Exceeds Earnings Estimates , As Subscribers Increase.
Netflix released a Q1 earnings report on April 18, indicating that its number of subscribers jumped 16% year-over-year to reach 269.6 million.
Analysts only expected the streamer to have about 264.2 million subscribers, CNBC reports. .
The company also brought in $9.37 billion in revenue versus analysts' expectations of $9.28 billion. .
However, Netflix said that its membership numbers are no longer the main factor contributing to the company's growth.
As a result, the company will stop providing "quarterly membership numbers or average revenue per user" beginning in 2025, CNBC reports. .
Instead, it will divulge "major subscriber milestones as we cross them.".
Price hikes, terminating password sharing
and offering an ad-supported tier are all tactics that have boosted revenue.
Netflix is also seeking to gain traction within the video game space and recently partnered with TKO Group Holdings to offer WWE on the platform.
Weāre in the very early days of
developing our live programming and
I would look at this as an expansion of
the types of content we offer, the way
we expanded to film and unscripted and
animation and most recently games, Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, via earnings call.
We believe that these kind of event cultural
moments like the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson
fight are just that kind of television, and we
want to be part of winning over those
moments with our members as well, so that
for me is the excitement part of this, Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, via earnings call.
As of the morning of April 18,
Netflix's stock was up 27%
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Google Fires Employees , for Protesting Israel Contract.
28 Google workers have been fired for protesting
a $1.2 billion contract that the company has with
the Israeli government and military to provide
cloud and AI services, NBC News reports. .
The firings follow an April 16 sit-in at
Google's offices in California, New York and Seattle in which nine workers were arrested.
The group that coordinated the demonstration
is known as No Tech for Apartheid. .
Google issued a statement about the recent firings.
A small number of employee
protesters entered and disrupted
a few of our locations. , Google spokesperson, via statement.
Physically impeding other employeesā
work and preventing them from
accessing our facilities is a clear
violation of our policies, and
completely unacceptable behavior. , Google spokesperson, via statement.
We have so far concluded
individual investigations that
resulted in the termination of
employment for 28 employees,
and will continue to investigate
and take action as needed, Google spokesperson, via statement.
No Tech for Apartheid claims that the
workers were fired "indiscriminately.".
This excuse to avoid confronting
us and our concerns directly,
and attempt to justify its illegal,
retaliatory firings, is a lie, No Tech for Apartheid, via statement.
Meanwhile, many of Google's workers have
reportedly quit after experiencing "mental health consequences of working at a company that is using their labor to enable a genocide," No Tech for Apartheid said.
On a personal level, I am opposed
to Google taking any military
contracts ā no matter which
government theyāre with or what
exactly the contract is about. , Cheyne Anderson, a Google Cloud software engineer based
in Washington who was arrested during a sit-in, to CNBC
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Amazon Cuts Hundreds , of Cloud Computing Jobs.
An Amazon Web Services (AWS)
spokesperson issued a statement about
the job cuts on April 3, CNBC reports. .
Weāve identified a few targeted areas of
the organization we need to streamline
in order to continue focusing our efforts
on the key strategic areas that we
believe will deliver maximum impact, AWS spokesperson, via statement.
We didnāt make these decisions
lightly, and weāre committed
to supporting the employees
throughout their transition to new
roles in and outside of Amazon, AWS spokesperson, via statement.
Cuts are being made to the store technology division āas a result of a broader strategic shift in the use of some applications in Amazonās owned as well as in third-party stores,ā the spokesperson said.
The layoffs come after Amazon announced that it was ending its Just Walk Out technology in Fresh stores.
The cashierless technology is overseen
by teams within the AWS unit. .
Beginning in 2022, Amazon started
its largest layoffs in history by letting
go of 27,000 roles company-wide. .
So far in 2024, the retail behemoth has cut jobs at Audible, Buy with Prime, Prime Video, MGM Studios and Twitch, CNBC reports. .
This latest round of cuts will
allow U.S. employees to collect pay
and benefits for a minimum of 60 days.
They will also be offered a severance package.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
UPS to Become US Postal Serviceās , Main Air Cargo Provider.
On April 1, United Parcel Service announced
that it will replace FedEx as the primary air
cargo provider for the USPS, CNBC reports. .
On April 1, United Parcel Service announced
that it will replace FedEx as the primary air
cargo provider for the USPS, CNBC reports. .
FedEx is walking away from a
22-year partnership after failing to
secure a better contract with the agency. .
FedEx is walking away from a
22-year partnership after failing to
secure a better contract with the agency. .
In fiscal year 2023, USPS paid FedEx $1.73 billion
for its services, down from the $2.4 billion
FedEx received in fiscal year 2020.
The decrease in payments was partially due
to the postal service using more economical
trucks in place of planes, CNBC reports. .
The parties were unable to reach
agreement on mutually beneficial
terms to extend the contract, FedEx, via securities filing.
Since FedEx will lose nearly $2 billion in annual
business from letting go of the contract, .
hundreds of pilots will likely
lose their jobs, CNBC reports .
Following the announcement, UPS shares
increased 1.4% while FedEx stock dropped 1.6%.
FedEx's current contract is
set to expire on Sept. 29
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Credit Card Delinquencies , Are on the Rise.
New York Federal Reserve data that was published on May 15 shows that credit card delinquencies kept rising from January to March, Fox Business reports. .
In Q1 2024, delinquencies reached
8.9% at an annualized rate.
America hasn't seen this high of a
percentage of serious credit card
delinquencies since 2012, Fox News reports. .
In the first quarter of 2024, credit
card and auto loan transition rates
into serious delinquency continued
to rise across all age groups, Joelle Scally, regional economic principal within the Household and
Public Policy Research Division at the New York Fed, via Fox Business.
An increasing number of borrowers
missed credit card payments,
revealing worsening financial
distress among some households, Joelle Scally, regional economic principal within the Household and
Public Policy Research Division at the New York Fed, via Fox Business.
Researchers aren't sure why delinquencies
are so high since the unemployment rate
is low, but they have a few theories.
One of those theories is that consumers drained savings throughout the pandemic
but continue to spend at high levels.
Another theory is that some Americans switched to jobs with lower salaries.
Additionally, credit card eligibility may have been expanded for many whose student debt wasn't being reported to credit bureaus amid the pandemic.
These are all kinds of complex issues.
We don't exactly know what's behind the
increase of these delinquency rates. But it's
definitely something that we're tracking, New York Fed researchers, via Fox Business.
The average annual percentage rate for
credit cards hit a record of 20.72% recently.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
US Military Looks to , Recruit Tech Experts While , Cutting Overall Troop Numbers.
United States special operations commanders have
been tasked with cutting overall forces by 5,000
troops, while also adding more high-tech experts. .
United States special operations commanders have
been tasked with cutting overall forces by 5,000
troops, while also adding more high-tech experts. .
United States special operations commanders have
been tasked with cutting overall forces by 5,000
troops, while also adding more high-tech experts. .
Fox News reports that the conflicting goals, which have
forced a broader restructuring of commando teams,
have been influenced by Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.
U.S. Army Special Operations Command plans to
increase the size of Green Beret teams by adding
members with specialized technical abilities.
U.S. Army Special Operations Command plans to
increase the size of Green Beret teams by adding
members with specialized technical abilities.
Additional team members could include
computer software experts capable of
reprograming drones and other tech gear on the fly. .
Additional team members could include
computer software experts capable of
reprograming drones and other tech gear on the fly. .
Additional team members could include
computer software experts capable of
reprograming drones and other tech gear on the fly. .
Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special
Operations Command, says the U.S. is "taking a lot
of lessons learned out of the experience in Ukraine.".
Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special
Operations Command, says the U.S. is "taking a lot
of lessons learned out of the experience in Ukraine.".
According to Fenton, special operations
were ordered to cut about 2,000 personnel,
including 750 from the army. .
According to Fenton, special operations
were ordered to cut about 2,000 personnel,
including 750 from the army. .
In 2024, the department was
ordered to cut an additional 3,000
personnel over the next five years. .
So the real Army reduction in totality is
almost 4,000, and the remaining 1,000
will come from the joint force, SEALs,
Marine raiders, other Army units, Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.
So the real Army reduction in totality is
almost 4,000, and the remaining 1,000
will come from the joint force, SEALs,
Marine raiders, other Army units, Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.
Maj. Gen. Patrick Roberson, deputy commander of the
command at Fort Liberty in North Carolina, estimates
that at least 30% of those cuts will be in open jobs. .
According to Roberson, other cuts will be aimed at
redundancies among trainers and instructors, as
well as civil affairs and psychological operations. .
According to Roberson, other cuts will be aimed at
redundancies among trainers and instructors, as
well as civil affairs and psychological operations.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Iranian President Vows to Destroy Israel , if It Launches the āTiniest Invasionā.
On April 13, Iran attacked Israel with
hundreds of drones and missiles.
It was the first time that Iran has ever launched a direct military attack on Israel, Fox News reports. .
Although Israel was able to fend off
about 99% of the projectiles, the
country is considering retaliation.
On April 17, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel that if it does decide to
attack with even the "tiniest invasion," .
Iran's response would be "massive and harsh.".
Nothing would remain
from the Zionist regime, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, via Fox News.
Raisi delivered his remarks during
a military parade north of Tehran.
Prior to Raisi's threats, Israel vowed
to respond to the attacks.
The country did not provide details,
but its military council met on April 16
to decide how to proceed.
Leaders around the world have
urged Israel to stand down. .
While Israel and Iran have been at odds
for decades, their conflict came to a
head recently since Iran supports Hamas, .
which attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and
prompted Israel's current offensive in Gaza.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Samsung Knocks Apple , From Top Phonemaker Spot.
Samsung Knocks Apple , From Top Phonemaker Spot.
Fox News reports that Apple's phone shipments have dropped by about 10%.
During Q1 2024, Apple had a 17.3% market share, while Samsung had 20.8%.
During Q1 2024, Apple had a 17.3% market share, while Samsung had 20.8%.
Xiaomi came in third with 14.1%.
Samsung shipped over
60 million phones during Q1 2024.
Samsung shipped over
60 million phones during Q1 2024.
Apple only shipped 50.1 million. .
Last year during the same time period,
Apple shipped 55.4 million. .
Overall, smartphone shipments rose 7.8% worldwide to 289.4 million units during Q1 2024.
The increase in Samsung shipments
could be attributed to the company's
release of Galaxy S24 series phones.
During a launch event at the beginning
of the year, Galaxy AI, which is incorporated
into the company's new smartphones,
was touted as "a new era of mobile AI.".
News of Samsung's triumph comes as
Apple is cutting over 600 jobs in California
following reports that the company
is abandoning its electric car efforts. .
News of Samsung's triumph comes as
Apple is cutting over 600 jobs in California
following reports that the company
is abandoning its electric car efforts.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Drug Shortages Reach , All-Time High in US, , Pharmacists Say.
According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and
the Utah Drug Information Service.
the first quarter of 2024 saw
323 active drug shortages, Fox News reports.
The previous record of
320 shortages was set in 2014.
ASHP CEO Paul Abramowitz said,
"some of the most worrying shortages involve generic sterile injectable medications," .
... "including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications stored in hospital crash carts and procedural areas." .
... "including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications stored in hospital crash carts and procedural areas." .
Abramowitz went on to say that the
"ongoing national shortages of therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder also remain
a serious challenge for clinicians and patients.".
A separate ASHP report said that "the most severe and persistent shortages are driven by economic factors that undermine investment in manufacturing capacity, manufacturing quality and supply chain reliability.".
These economic challenges are
driven by extreme price competition
among generic manufacturers, ASHP, via report.
ASHP will continue to engage
with policymakers regularly as we guide
efforts to draft and pass new legislation
to address drug shortages and continue
to strongly advocate on behalf of our
members for solutions that work, ASHP CEO Paul Abramowitz, via statement.
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a white paper recommending tactics for Congress to help.
With todayās white paper,
HHS offers solutions and stands
ready to work with Congress to
ensure no patient faces the devastating
consequences of drug shortages or
goes without needed medicines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, via press release
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
A jury has found Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of all seven criminal counts against him. The former FTX CEO faces a maximum sentence of 115 years in prison.