Newsletter Jan 19, 2024

Quick Six

Congress passes stopgap measure to keep government open
Congress on Thursday cleared legislation to avert a partial government shutdown and sent it to President Joe Biden just a day before money to fund certain agencies was to run out. The Senate's endorsement of the stopgap bill, marked by a decisive 77-18 vote, follows a recent bipartisan spending accord struck between House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this month. The House voted 314-108 to pass what is called a Continuing Resolution, just hours after the Senate. Biden is expected to quickly sign the bill.
HOW LONG BEFORE THE LATEST STOPGAP BILL EXPIRES?

Meta joins rivals in quest to create super artificial intelligence
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday said his company is joining the pursuit of creating super artificial intelligence, putting it in a race with Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google. Often called artificial general intelligence (AGI), the goal is to create AI that can problem solve and rationalize on the same level as humans. Zuckerberg said general intelligence was now Meta's goal, largely to help attract the best engineers in the rapidly expanding AI field.
SEE META'S PLAN TO CATCH UP TO RIVALS IN AGI PURSUIT

Electric cars overtake diesel-powered vehicles in Europe
New car sales in Europe rebounded by 13.9% in 2023 as electric vehicles overtook diesel for the first time, an industry group said on Thursday. Sales of new electric cars shot up 37% year-on-year and accounted for 14.6% of overall sales. The figures marked a stark turnabout from 2022, when new car registrations dropped to their lowest levels since 1993 amid mass component shortages.
HOW TESLA CAME OUT ON TOP FOR VEHICLE OF YEAR

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Markets

DJIA	37,468.61	0.54%
S&P 500	4,780.94	0.88%
Nasdaq Composite	15,055.65	1.35%
Japan: Nikkei 225	36,027.41	1.58%
UK: FTSE 100	7,459.09	0.17%
Crude Oil Futures	74.01	-0.09%
Gold Futures	2,026.60	0.25%
Yen	148.21	0.03%
Euro	1.09	0.13%
* As of market close

Biden vows to step up attacks on Houthis

The US launched fresh strikes against Yemen's Houthis on Thursday and President Joe Biden signaled they would keep going until the Iranian-backed rebels stop targeting ships in the Red Sea. The latest US attacks hit two anti-ship missile platforms that the Houthis were preparing to fire into the busy shipping corridor, the US military said. US forces have launched several rounds of air strikes against the Houthis, since an initial barrage by the US and Britain last Friday, adding to tensions in the Middle East amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

BIDEN'S EXPLANATION FOR HIS STRATEGY TO STRIKE HOUTHIS

WHO weighs pros, cons of AI in healthcare

Generative artificial intelligence could transform healthcare through things like drug development and quicker diagnoses, but the World Health Organization warned Thursday of the potential pitfalls in rushing to embrace AI. The WHO has been examining the likely dangers and benefits posed by AI large multi-modal models (LMMs), which are relatively new and are quickly being adopted in health. In generative AI, algorithms trained on data sets can be used to produce new content.

SEE THE POTENTIAL PITFALLS OF USING AI IN HEALTHCARE

Paris pulls the plug on puppets for Olympics

Julien Sommer has been putting on a puppet show in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower since he was 15, filling his picturesque theater with starry-eyed children and their parents. But now Paris city hall is turning off the lights to make way for this summer's Olympics, and the 38-year-old puppet master fears they may never come back on again. The Champ-de-Mars, site of the French capital's most famous landmark, is also the home of the Paris 2024 beach volleyball competition.

CHECK OUT THE TRANSITION FROM PUPPET SHOW TO SPORTS

Extra point

Name four new sports that are being added to the Paris 2024 Games.

Thursday's answer: Supreme Court Justice John Rutledge (1790-91) served the shortest term in the court's history -- one year and 18 days.

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