Investigative Hearing on Norfolk Southern Derailment to be Held by U.S. Safety Board

On Tuesday, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced it will hold a two-day investigative hearing on June 22-23 to examine the February 3 Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The train was carrying hazardous chemicals, which spilled and caught fire.

The NTSB hearing will include four panels, and NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy hopes to issue a final report on the derailment by early 2024. The panels will cover emergency response, wayside defect detectors and hot bearings, the decision to vent and burn, and rail tank car safety.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw and railroad union leaders issued a joint letter committing to work together to enhance rail safety. The NTSB and Federal Railroad Administration also announced special safety assessments of Norfolk.

The NTSB said another Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed near New Castle, Pennsylvania received a warning several miles before the incident. Homendy said Tuesday the Pennsylvania derailment appears to be related to an overheated wheel bearing. The NTSB said initial information indicated the train received an alarm from a wayside defect detector several miles before the train derailed.

JPMorgan Alleges US Virgin Islands Enabled Jeffrey Epstein’s Prolonged Residence

JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) is facing a lawsuit from the U.S. Virgin Islands for providing banking services to the late Jeffrey Epstein from 1998 to 2013. The bank is now accusing the U.S. Virgin Islands of harboring and shielding Epstein as he abused young women and girls over two decades.

JPMorgan said Epstein had a “quid pro quo” relationship with the U.S. Virgin Islands’ highest-ranking officials, bestowing money and favors in exchange for millions of dollars of tax incentives and looking the other way at his crimes. The bank is now seeking to shift blame for failing to snuff out sex crimes committed by Epstein.

The U.S. Virgin Islands is suing to hold JPMorgan liable for providing banking services to Epstein. The territory is also trying to strike four JPMorgan defenses to the lawsuit that allegedly “threaten to expose” its relationship with Epstein.

Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE:DB), where Epstein was a client from 2013 to 2018, last week settled a lawsuit by his accusers for $75 million. JPMorgan is separately suing Jes Staley, who once led its asset management business and had been friendly with Epstein, to have him cover its losses in the other two lawsuits. The three lawsuits are scheduled for an Oct. 23 trial.

Vedanta Secures $850 Million Loan from JPMorgan and Oaktree – Bloomberg News

Vedanta Group, the promoter of metals-to-oil conglomerate Vedanta Ltd, has signed a five-year loan for approximately $850 million with JPMorgan and Oaktree. The loan is part of the group’s efforts to tackle its debt burden, after its attempt to sell some zinc assets to Hindustan Zinc Ltd for $3 billion failed.

Vedanta recently reported an 8% decline in its fourth-quarter profit due to lower metal prices. JPMorgan and Oaktree declined to comment, while Vedanta did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.

The loan is expected to help Vedanta Group manage its debt and provide it with the necessary funds to continue its operations. It remains to be seen how the loan will affect the company’s financial performance in the long run.

Netflix Launches Password Protection Initiative in the United States

Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) has begun its planned crackdown on password sharing in the United States. The streaming giant is alerting users that their accounts cannot be shared for free with people outside of their households. Customers who have been sharing passwords will be emailed and given the option to add an extra member outside their homes for $8 per month. They can also transfer a person’s profile so the user can keep their viewing history and recommendations. People within the same household can continue sharing the same Netflix account and can use it on various devices when traveling. The company announced last year that it was going to limit password sharing and had already tested various approaches in some markets.

Lawmaker Urges Placement of Chinese Chip Company on U.S. Trade Blacklist Following Micron Ban

The U.S. House of Representatives’ committee on China has called on the U.S. Commerce Department to add Chinese memory chip maker Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) to a trade blacklist. This follows Beijing’s ban on the sale of some chips by U.S.-based Micron Technology Inc.

Representative Mike Gallagher said the U.S. must make it clear to the People’s Republic of China that it will not tolerate economic coercion against its companies or its allies. He also urged the Commerce Department to ensure no U.S. technology goes to CXMT, YMTC, or other PRC firms operating in this industry.

Gallagher also warned that no U.S.-export licenses granted to foreign semiconductor memory firms operating in China should be used to backfill Micron, and urged South Korea to take similar action to prevent backfilling.

The restrictions imposed by China’s cyberspace regulator against Micron are the latest in a widening trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies. It is essential that the U.S. takes a firm stance against such economic coercion and sends a clear message to China.

round Anthropic Secures $450 Million in AI Funding Round Backed by Google

Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup, has raised $450 million from investors including Alphabet Inc’s Google and Spark Capital. This brings the company’s total funding to nearly $1 billion, valuing it at nearly $5 billion. Foundation models are the next wave in AI, trained on a vast quantity of data that can be used for different tasks with minimal fine-tuning. Zoom Video Communications Inc, Salesforce and Sound Ventures are among the investors in the round. Google, which is developing its own foundation model, returns after participating in Anthropic’s last round. Yasmin Razavi, a general partner at Spark Capital, has joined Anthropic’s board of directors.

Rocket Lab to Purchase Virgin Orbit’s Manufacturing Facility

The sale of Virgin Orbit’s Long Beach headquarters is part of the company’s plan to restructure its debt and emerge from bankruptcy. The company said it will use the proceeds from the sale to pay off creditors and fund its operations. Rocket Lab, which has launched more than 100 satellites since its founding in 2006, said it plans to use the facility to expand its own operations.

The sale of Virgin Orbit’s Long Beach headquarters is a sign of the changing landscape in the satellite launch industry. With the emergence of new players such as Rocket Lab, the industry is becoming increasingly competitive, and companies are looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition. The sale of Virgin Orbit’s headquarters is a sign that the company is looking to streamline its operations and focus on its core business.

Rent Increases in Italy Spark Student Housing Demonstrations, Central Bank Reports

Italy is facing a housing crisis, with rent prices surging and students protesting the rising cost of living in big cities. According to the Bank of Italy, the gap between agents who expect rental prices to rise and those who expect them to go down is the highest since records began, at 45.9 percentage points. Property portal Idealista reported rents jumped nationwide by 10.1% year-on-year in April, hitting a record 12.5 euros per square metre.

In response, the government has announced an extra 660 million euros for student housing, while Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche is drafting a law to regulate short-term rentals. Ilaria Lamera, a student who used to spend two hours commuting each way from her house in the Bergamo province, urged regional authorities to “build new student residence halls, or provide incentives to home owners to persuade them to rent to students rather than platforms such as Airbnb”.

The housing crisis is a major issue for Italy, and the government is taking steps to address it. However, it remains to be seen if these measures will be enough to make a difference.

Secretary Buttigieg Expresses ‘Serious Worry’ Regarding Tesla Autopilot User Experience

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg voiced his concerns Tuesday over the interaction between Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) full self-driving program and drivers. Buttigieg has been critical of Tesla Autopilot in the past but has recognized the automaker as the leader in EVs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been investigating the issue since 2021, prompted by a series of accidents involving Autopilot and incidents with stationary emergency vehicles. The focus of the investigation is to determine if Tesla vehicles sufficiently ensure that drivers remain attentive while using the system.

Tesla monitors driver behavior by using a cabin-facing camera that tracks eye movements and other driver behaviors. Recently, it was reported that the automaker would track blink frequency and length, along with yawns in an attempt to make its driver monitoring systems more robust.

“The question is not are they absolutely free of problems or 1000% foolproof,” Buttigieg said. “The question is, how can we be sure that they will lead to a better set of safety outcomes…This technology has a lot of promise. We just have to make sure it unfolds in a responsible fashion.”

Since 2016, NHTSA has opened 40 Tesla special crash investigations where driver assistance systems like Autopilot were suspected of being used, with 20 crash deaths reported. Shares of TSLA are down 1.28% in mid-day trading on Tuesday.

Fox Corp Shareholders Request Investigation into Distinction Between News and Opinion Content.

Investors, including activist John Chevedden, have filed a shareholder resolution calling on Fox Corp to study using on-air branding to distinguish its news and opinion programming. The resolution cites the company’s recent $787.5 million settlement of a defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems over Fox’s coverage of false vote-rigging claims in the 2020 U.S. election.

The resolution calls for Fox’s board to report on the risks of blurred lines between news and opinion, and to consider “providing public differentiation” between news and non-news shows. For instance Fox could include a “Fox Opinion!” label on broadcasts by popular host Sean Hannity.

Chevedden has been one of the most prolific filers of shareholder resolutions for corporate annual meetings and traditionally focused on governance topics such as splitting the chairman and CEO titles. Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch and family members own about 42% of the company’s voting shares, making it unlikely the advisory proposal would gain a majority of support.

However, even a strong showing can lead to changes. After a resolution at Fox calling for more lobbying disclosure received support from 43% of votes cast in 2021, the company published a “political activities report” detailing much of its spending.