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GOP senators warn Medicaid cuts in Trump megabill remain a problem

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Republican senators say the massive spending cuts to Medicaid in the megabill GOP leaders hope to pass to enact President Trump’s agenda are still a major concern, raising questions about whether the bill has the votes to advance on the Senate floor this week.

Senators, who have warned for weeks that the Medicaid spending cuts passed by the House last month will have a devastating impact on rural hospitals and reduce health care coverage in their states, say they have yet to see a plan from their leadership that they could support.

“I still have concerns about a few provisions in the bill. I’m not satisfied yet,” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who cited Medicaid as his biggest problem with the legislation. 

“Broadly, Medicaid, related to the well-being of hospitals in Kansas and rural America,” he said.

Moran said he is “still making a case” to GOP leadership that those provisions need to be reworked.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters while heading to a vote Monday afternoon that her concerns about Medicaid spending cuts remain unresolved.

Last week, she floated a proposal to establish a health care provider relief fund to help rural hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers that would be affected by funding cuts. But as of 5:30 p.m. Monday, she did not know where her relief proposal stood.

“I’m not sure where it stands right now,” she said of the Medicaid-related provisions in the bill. “I’m still opposed to the changes in the provider tax provisions.

“I still believe that we need [a] $100 billion provider-relief fund to assist our distressed rural hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers,” she said.

Collins said she would learn more at a 6 p.m. briefing of the Senate GOP conference about the latest changes to the legislation.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters Monday afternoon that the Medicaid language needs “work” and it would probably take until the end of the week to solve the various problems.

“We got some work to do on Medicaid,” he said.

“I think it could get done over the course of a few days but probably not by Thursday,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) plans to bring the bill to the floor by Thursday or Friday this week.

He needs a simple-majority vote to proceed to the legislation before holding a long series of amendment votes known as a vote-a-rama.

Thune said the bill remains “on schedule,” but he acknowledged it’s being slowed by Democratic challenges being argued before the Senate parliamentarian.

Asked if he has the votes to pass the bill, Thune replied: “Let’s hope so.”

Lighthouse Life buys ClearLife to boost longevity-risk market offer

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avrotusa
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Lighthouse Life, a subsidiary of LHL Strategies, has purchased ClearLife Limited, a UK-based company, and its US subsidiary, ClearLife LLC.

The financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

Founded in 2007 by Mark Venn and joined by Chris Stuart in 2008, ClearLife provides a platform for longevity-risk market participants to value, trade and service life insurance products.

Its primary software, ClariNet, is a web-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform designed to manage operations and support decision-making for life policies and portfolios.

Lighthouse Life CEO Michael Freedman stated: “Lighthouse Life’s acquisition of ClearLife fuels its growth as a technology leader and market-maker for longevity-risk asset investors.

“We are committed to building ClearLife’s capabilities and extending them in new directions. Lighthouse Life’s clients will also see substantial benefits from integration between the Lighthouse Life and ClearLife platforms.”

ClearLife also offers software and consultancy services for asset managers and financial services firms in the life insurance and longevity risk sectors.

ClearLife will expand its software and consulting services to include reverse mortgages and structured settlements.

It will work with Lighthouse Life to offer products and services for consumers of life insurance products, as well as insurance and financial advisors.

Mark Venn and Chris Stuart will continue to serve as officers and directors of ClearLife following the acquisition, and all employees of ClearLife will be retained as part of the integration process.

Venn stated: “We are thrilled to join forces with Lighthouse Life. Lighthouse will help us to serve new markets for longevity-linked investors, life policy consumers and insurance professionals.

“We also anticipate building substantial enhancements to our core platform that will benefit all our current clients.

“This is a win-win, for ClearLife, for Lighthouse Life and most importantly, for our clients, who will benefit from our partnership to help them grow their own businesses.”

“Lighthouse Life buys ClearLife to boost longevity-risk market offer” was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand.

 


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Court filings reveal OpenAI and io’s early work on an AI device

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avrotusa
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Legal filings submitted earlier this month from lawyers representing OpenAI and Jony Ive’s io reveal new details about the companies’ efforts to build a mass-market AI hardware device.

The filings are part of a trademark dispute lawsuit filed this month by iyO, a Google-backed hardware startup developing custom-molded earpieces that connect to other devices. Over the weekend, OpenAI pulled promotional materials related to its $6.5 billion acquisition of Jony Ive’s io startup in order to comply with a court order involved in the suit. OpenAI says it’s fighting iyO’s allegations of trademark infringement.

For the last year, OpenAI executives and former Apple leaders now working at io have vigorously researched in-ear hardware devices, according to filings submitted in iyO’s lawsuit. In a June 12 filing, lawyers representing OpenAI and io said the companies purchased at least 30 headphone sets from various companies to explore what’s on the market today. In recent months, OpenAI and io executives also met with iyO’s leadership and demoed their in-ear technology, according to emails revealed in the case.

That said, OpenAI’s first device in collaboration with io may not be a pair of headphones at all.

Tang Tan, a longtime Apple executive who co-founded io and serves as the startup’s chief hardware officer, claims in a declaration to the court that the prototype OpenAI CEO Sam Altman mentioned in io’s launch video “is not an in-ear device, nor a wearable device.” Tan notes that the design of said prototype in not yet finalized and that the product is at least a year away from being advertised or offered for sale.

The form factor of OpenAI and io’s first hardware device has largely remained a mystery. Altman merely stated in io’s launch video that the startup was working to create a “family” of AI devices with various capabilities, and Ive said io’s first prototype “completely captured” his imagination.

Altman had previously told OpenAI’s employees at a meeting that the company’s prototype, when finished, would be able to fit in a pocket or sit on a desk, according to the Wall Street Journal. The OpenAI CEO reportedly said the device would be fully aware of a user’s surroundings and that it would be a “third device” for consumers to use alongside their smartphone and laptop.

“Our intent with this collaboration was, and is, to create products that go beyond traditional products and interfaces,” said Altman in a declaration to the court submitted on June 12.

Lawyers representing OpenAI also said in a filing that the company has explored a wide range of devices, including ones that were “desktop-based and mobile, wireless and wired, wearable and portable.”

While smart glasses have emerged as the front-runner for AI-enabled devices, with companies like Meta and Google racing to develop the first broadly adopted pair, several companies are also exploring AI-enabled headphones. Apple is reportedly working on a pair of AirPods with cameras, which would help power AI features by gathering information about the surrounding environment.

In recent months, OpenAI and io executives have done considerable research into in-ear products.

On May 1, OpenAI’s VP of Product, Peter Welinder, and Tan met with iyO’s CEO, Jason Rugolo, to learn more about iyO’s in-ear product, according to an emailed invitation revealed in the case. The meeting took place at io’s office in Jackson Square, the San Francisco neighborhood where Ive has bought several buildings to work on LoveFrom and io.

At the meeting, Welinder and Tan tested out iyO’s custom-fit earpiece but were disappointed when the product failed repeatedly during demonstrations, according to follow-up emails revealed in the case.

Tan claims in his declaration that he met with Rugolo as a courtesy to his mentor, longtime Apple executive Steve Zadesky, who recommended he take the meeting. Tan also claims he took several precautions to avoid learning too much about iyO’s IP, such as suggesting that his lawyers review materials before he does.

However, it seemed that OpenAI and io employees thought they could learn something from one of iyO’s partners. To customize its in-ear headsets, iyO sent a specialist from an ear-scanning company, The Ear Project, to someone’s home or office to get a detailed map of someone’s ear.

In one email revealed in the case, Marwan Rammah, a former Apple engineer who’s now working at io, told Tan that purchasing a large database of three-dimensional scans from The Ear Project could give the company a “helpful starting point on ergonomics.” It’s unclear if any such deal took place.

Rugolo tried repeatedly to forge a deeper relationship between iyO, io, and OpenAI — but largely failed, according to the emails. He pitched OpenAI on launching iyO’s device as an early “developer kit” for its final AI device. He pitched OpenAI on investing in iyO and, at one point, even offered to sell his entire company for $200 million, the filings say. However, Tan said in his declaration that he declined these offers.

Evans Hankey, former Apple executive turned io co-founder and chief product officer, said in a declaration to the court that io is not working on a “custom-molded earpiece product.”

The ChatGPT maker seems to be more than a year out from selling its first hardware device, which may not be an in-ear product whatsoever. Given what the company said in this lawsuit, it appears it is also exploring other form factors.

Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll has fracture in left wrist

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avrotusa
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0


Jun 24, 2025, 12:54 AM ET

After losing both corners of his infield to injury during Monday’s 10-0 road win over the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters after the game that star outfielder Corbin Carroll has a chip fracture in his left wrist.

Carroll, who is heading to the injured list, sustained the injury last Wednesday when he was hit by a Justin Bruihl pitch in Toronto. Carroll stayed in to run the bases but was removed from the 8-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays before taking the field again.

“That’s still a little bit confusing to all of us,” Lovullo said of the injury, which was not detected by X-rays the night Carroll was hit. “It’s on the back of his hand; the impact of the ball hit the side of his hand. Just goes to show you how hard these guys are throwing.”

Lovullo added that he did not have any specific timetable for how long he expects his star to be out.

“He’s going to continue to get some opinions just to find out what that official diagnosis means and what the time frame will be,” Lovullo said.

Known for his mix of speed and power, Carroll entered Monday leading the majors with nine triples and tied for eighth with 20 home runs. He sports a .255 batting average and has 44 RBIs and a .914 OPS.

The 24-year-old had a huge breakout season in 2023, winning National League Rookie of the Year, making the NL All-Star team and finishing fifth in Most Valuable Player voting.

In 417 career games, Carroll has a .257/.340/.488 slash line with 71 home runs, 35 triples, 201 RBIs and 101 stolen bases. He led the NL in triples in 2023 and 2024, as well.

During Monday night’s game, third baseman Eugenio Suarez (fourth in the majors with 25 home runs) and first baseman Josh Naylor both left the contest early — Suarez was hit on the right hand by a pitch in the first inning and Naylor left in the fourth with right shoulder discomfort. Both players are listed as day-to-day.

Jurassic World Rebirth Director Gareth Edwards on Steven Spielberg

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avrotusa
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“I would’ve thought it was sacrilegious, you can’t do that,” he explained, before joking about his deep bond with Spielberg. “But the fact that it was Steven himself—I call him Steven now, we’re close friends—the fact that it was Mr. Spielberg handing you this script, you feel like I’ve got a bit of license. This is never going to happen in my wildest dreams ever again, so you’ve got to do it.”

And that’s why Edwards, 50, doesn’t take the opportunity to work on such a classic film franchise for granted.

“You can’t get used to it,” he emphasized. “That’s so surreal and so weird, you can pretend it’s a dream, like I think I’m going to wake up, like in Back to the Future, and this whole thing, this whole last year or so, was just an illusion.”

Google may be forced to make changes to UK online search, says watchdog

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avrotusa
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0


Zoe Kleinman & Liv McMahon

Technology editor & technology reporter

Getty Images Person sitting on a couch searching Google on a laptop Getty Images

Google may have to make changes in the UK to give consumers more choice over who they use for online search services, the competition watchdog has said.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the US technology giant under a new law which means the regulator can demand changes at a firm if it is found to hold too much power in a particular market.

Google accounts for more than 90% of searches in the UK and 200,000 businesses use the company’s search advertising to reach customers.

Its parent company, Alphabet, said the CMA’s suggestions were “broad and unfocused” but added it would “work constructively” with the regulator.

The CMA said it was not accusing Google of anti-competitive practices at this time, but it has set out a “roadmap” of changes the company could make to its business ahead of a final decision in October.

These could include requiring “choice” screens for users to access different search providers as well as more transparency and control for publishers whose content appears in search results.

The watchdog said the average person in the UK makes between five and 10 searches a day and businesses spend an average £33,000 a year on Google adverts, but if competition was working well the figure could be lower.

“Google search has delivered tremendous benefits but our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative,” said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell.

She said that proposed “targeted and proportionate” changes “would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google’s search services”.

But Google said that the outcome of the investigation and the suggested changes “could have significant implications for businesses and consumers in the UK”.

“The CMA has today reiterated that ‘strategic market status’ does not imply that anti-competitive behaviour has taken place – yet this announcement presents clear challenges to our business in the UK,” a spokesperson said.

They added the UK has “historically benefitted from early access” to Google innovations but said this could change as a result of “punitive regulations”.

‘Unintended consequences’

The watchdog launched its investigation into Google in January, saying it would look to ensure fair competition in online search.

Airlines, adult online retailers and media publishers were among 47 organisations which detailed how Google search practices help or hinder them.

EasyJet said changes to the search engine in the European Union, as a result of its sweeping digital markets law, sent more customers to online travel agencies and aggregators which misrepresented its services and prices.

Google said in November that boosting the visibility of rival search engines and comparison sites had formed part of changes needed to comply with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.

But the move was to the detriment of airlines and hotel operators who lost out on direct traffic, it said.

Meanwhile, LoveHoney and Ann Summers, both of which sell sex toys, lingerie and sexual wellness products, said Google’s SafeSearch feature censoring explicit results had impacted the “discoverability” of their sites through its search engine.

Trade association UK Hospitality suggested the UK should avoid following in the EU’s footsteps with search requirements that could create “unintended consequences” for businesses and consumers.

AI implications

Sebastian Cuttill, of the News Media Association, said the CMA’s intervention could have big implications not just for traditional search but also for artificial intelligence (AI) powered alternatives such as Google’s own AI Overviews.

Increasing Google’s transparency over the use of news content in such services would be “massive” for publishers, he told the BBC.

News organisations including the BBC have voiced concern over use of their content to develop tech firms’ AI tools without consent or compensation.

“This measure would pursue the statutory objectives of fair dealing and trust and transparency,” said Mr Cuttill.

Google’s search operations have also faced heightened scrutiny by regulators in other countries.

A US judge ruled last August that the company had operated an illegal search monopoly.

It has also faced EU enforcement action, including a €2.4bn (£2bn) fine for allegedly “self-preferencing” its Shopping comparison service in results – a penalty upheld by the bloc’s top court last year.

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Trump signals readiness to de-escalate Israel-Iran war

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avrotusa
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