Business

Charge Your Jeep Outside

For real though, charge it outside.

During every storm, people need to be warned NOT to plug their generators indoors. Well, now people need to be warned NOT to plug their Jeep hybrid SUVs indoors either. Or even park them indoors.

Jeep is recalling more than 194,000 plug-in hybrid SUVs worldwide because they can catch fire while the ignition is turned off. Jeep is urging owners not to charge the SUVs, or even park them, indoors and to keep them away from structures too.

The recall covers the Wrangler four by e from 2020 through 2024, as well as the Grand Cherokee four by 2 from 2022 through 2024. Most of these vehicles that need to be recalled are in North America. 

Jeep’s parent company, Stellantis, has said that a remedy is close and that these affected customers can expect to hear from Jeep when they can schedule service. Jeep believes the risk of fire in these vehicles is reduced when the battery is depleted and not charged/charging.

So, essentially, don’t use your car in the meantime, or, use it and risk it catching on fire…

Stellantis estimates that (only?) 5% of the SUVS listed above actually have the problem. So far, their investigation has found 13 fires and only two injuries.

If you’re a Jeep owner with questions or concerns, you can contact their customer care at (800) 853-1403 or visit mopar.com.

Around the Water Cooler:

👖 Levi Strauss potentially ready to sell Dockers.

🤑 Platinum, now available at Costco.

Politics

An Amicable Debate

Viewers are split on the winner.

The (most likely lone) vice-presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance took place Tuesday night, with most viewers saying it was an even match between the two. 

According to a CBS poll, 42% of debate watchers said Vance won the debate, while 41% thought Walz did. 17% called it a tie. More democrats watched the debate than republicans, according to the poll, which also found that democrats were more enthusiastic about Walz than republicans were for Vance. 

The poll had mostly positive vibes around the debate, which was more cordial than many debates in recent years, as favorable scores increased for both men after Tuesday. You can find all sorts of data from CBS’ poll here. 

There were still some awkward moments, such as Walz making an odd comment about becoming friends with school shooters?

Around the Hill:

🚢 Both Harris & Trump take America First Tone on Dockworkers Strike.

🌀 President Biden visits the Carolinas as Helene Death toll rises.

Finance

Port Strike!

Ya bettah thank a union membah!

Buckle up! As we have passed October 1st and the port strike has officially begun.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union boss, Harold Daggett, warned he’s “not playing games”, as major US ports have shut down over pay discrepancies. 

Tens of thousands of dockworkers on the east and gulf coasts have walked out, as they reportedly requested a 50% pay increase. 

“We’re going to fight for it and we’re going to win, or this port will never open up again,” Daggett said, as businesses brace for a potentially long shutdown. If so, it could wreak havoc on our economy and global trade.

Some of the country's biggest business groups have called on President Biden to use federal power to reopen the ports for 80 days, something Biden has not been interested in thus far. 

 “It’s only fair that workers, who put themselves at risk during the pandemic to keep ports open, see a meaningful increase in their wages, as well,” Biden has said. “Now is not the time for ocean carriers to refuse to negotiate a fair wage for these essential workers while raking in record profits.”

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump also supported the strike, saying, “American workers should be able to negotiate for better wages, especially since the shipping companies are mostly foreign flag vessels.”

This is the first strike for ILA since 1977, and currently affects 14 of the nation’s busiest ports, including in the states of New York, New Jersey, Georgia and Texas. The ports involved are estimated to handle nearly 40% of the country’s imports and exports. With this ripple effect, President Biden said the government will keep an eye on prices, to make sure they aren’t being unfairly hiked due to shortages from this strike.

This strike had been forecasted after talks on a new deal stalled months ago. The most recent deal, which was reached in 2018, paid dockworkers a base hourly wage of $20-$39. Now, they’re requesting $30-$60, along with tripling company contributions to retirement, improved healthcare, and a number of other concessions too.

Daggett has said there has been “nothing” so far to bring the two sides any closer to end this strike. The longer the strike goes, the greater the disruptions for the rest of us in this country. 

100,000 containers are already in limbo in the New York area alone, with another 35 ships expected to arrive this week.

And with the holidays coming up, things could get very interesting in regards to lack of products and increased prices…

From the Street:

📈 Inflation and swap rates have Wall Street concerned.

🤡 Bank of America accidentally zeroing out accounts.

U.S. News

Helene, Over 190 Dead

The Hurricane left it’s mark crossing the U.S.

Hurricane Helene came through the Southeast last week, registering as the second major hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season and peaking as a category four storm. 

As of yesterday, Helene has been named the culprit for 190 deaths (across six states), making it the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the continental U.S. in the last 50 years, only behind Katrina in 2005. And sadly, that number could continue to climb, as many are still missing or unaccounted for (600 in Asheville, NC alone). North Carolina was where the storm was the deadliest, with 56 people perishing. But Helene also caused deaths in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia, as it covered a lot of ground.   

Additionally, there are still more than two million people without power and hundreds of roads remain closed, mostly in the Carolinas. Helene was also the strongest hurricane on record to strike the Big Bend region of Florida.

President Biden plans to visit some of the affected communities in the coming days. You can read up on more of the storm’s aftermath here. 

What’s the Latest:

🐏 81 year old man creates giant hybrid sheep to hunt.

🚘 Uber follows Disney playbook, app terms block law suit.

Tech

Microsoft’s Natural Sounding A.I.

Siri is in the hot seat…

With each passing day, AI is becoming more and more advanced. The latest example is Microsoft’s Copilot personal AI assistant, which has been revamped to include a daily news summary, a natural voice and the ability to act as a companion when browsing the web.

Sounds like the setup for the movie, “Her.” 

The voice is designed for smoother, more fluid back-and-forth conversations, as opposed to that obvious computer/robotic voice you typically hear. It’ll also have faster responses and the ability for users to interrupt and redirect the conversation. The daily news summary (“Copilot Daily”) will brief you on news, weather and other pertinent information to start your day. 

Microsoft has already partnered with companies like Reuters, USA Today, the Financial Times and others, to be its new sources for these daily summaries.

Microsoft has made a concerted effort to ramp up its AI, after hiring former Google vice president Mustafa Suleyman to come be the CEO of their AI department, as they attempt to keep up with the likes of ChatGPT, OpenAI, Google Gemini and more. 

Copilot is accessible from the Windows taskbar, as well as hardware keys on new laptops and keyboards, and in the sidebar of its Edge Browser.

The rollout of their revamped Copilot has begun today in its apps for iOS, Android, Windows and the Copilot web portal. 

Additionally, Microsoft is also rolling out Copilot Labs, which will be available at $20/month. This service will allow the AI to see and interpret content on the screen in real time and provide assistance and suggestions. It will also have the ability to handle more complex questions with its “Think Deeper” mode.

Sounds like a new companion for the lonely people out there, hanging out on the computer all day.

What to Know:

💰 OpenAI just raised 6.6 billion.

🌃 Pittsburgh the next big tech hub…

Entertainment

Layoffs Abound in Tinseltown

Execs blame unsustainable streaming demands.

Even Hollywood isn’t immune to the hardships, job cuts and layoffs. In fact, it seems they haven’t recovered from the strike in May of 2023.

If you recall, Hollywood’s writers went on strike at the time and were later joined by the actors, effectively shutting down Hollywood for the time being. The strike, the first since 1960 to include both writers and actors, lingered for months. And since, instead of roaring back, production has mostly fizzled. 

Paramount just had its second round of layoffs this week, cutting 15% of its workforce. Unemployment in film and TV was 13% in August, but realistically, that number is much higher as many film workers are either ineligible for unemployment benefits, or have already exhausted theirs. The entertainment industry has an employment base of more than 681,000 people. 

The number of U.S. productions during the second quarter of 2024 was down 40% compared to the same period in 2022, a year before the strike. Globally, that number is 20%. 

Experts point to streaming, and how it’s unsustainable, as studios try to figure out how to be profitable when people aren’t paying for TV that is funded by commercials.

“It was a great wave, and it crashed,” actor Michael Fortin said. 

Top Stories:

🍿 We’re seeing a generational change in the entertainment industry.

🎥 Film and TV production down 40%.