Apr 4, 2017

The talk of tech

Wall Street Journal front-pager, "Tesla Steps on the Gas, Overtakes Ford in Value," by Tim Higgins and Christina Rogers: "Tesla Inc., the upstart Silicon Valley electric-car maker run by [Elon] Musk, has overtaken Ford Motor Co., the automotive pioneer that is exactly 100 years older, as the second-largest U.S. auto maker by stock-market value."

Market caps: GM $51.2 billion ... Tesla: $48.7 billion ... Ford: $45.5 billion.

The Snap effect ... Also on the Journal front page, "Tech Founders Wants IPO Cash — and Control: 'Dual-class' shares, which give majority to a few, spread in Silicon Valley," by Maureen Farrell: "[C]ompanies are structuring their IPOs so that founders and executives wind up with far more votes than actual shares. The exaggerated voting power gives those few shareholders dominance over all corporate decisions, ranging from the election of directors to whether to sell the company someday."

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Orion Rummler

8 mins ago - Technology

Twitter launches warnings on election misinformation and delays

Photo courtesy of Twitter.

Twitter will start pinning notices to the top of all U.S. Twitter users’ timelines warning them that results in next week’s election may be delayed and that they may encounter misinformation on mail-in voting.

Why it matters: Delayed election results are expected across many states that are handling unprecedented amounts of absentee and mailed ballots, which President Trump has baselessly called "very dangerous" and "corrupt."

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Miriam Kramer, author of Space

16 mins ago - Science

NASA confirms water exists on sunny parts of the Moon

Photo: NASA/JPL/USGS

Water on the Moon might be more easily accessible than previously thought, opening up new possible avenues for future human exploration, according to a new study.

Why it matters: NASA is aiming to send people back to the Moon as part of its Artemis program by 2024, with plans to eventually create a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. That sustainability relies on mining the moon for its resources, like water.

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Axios

Updated 44 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Pence no longer expected at Amy Coney Barrett's final confirmation vote

Photo: Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

Vice President Mike Pence no longer plans to attend the Senate's final confirmation vote for Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Monday, following Senate Democrats' claims that his presence after possible exposure to the coronavirus would be a "violation of common decency," a Pence aide confirmed to CNN and Politico on Monday.

Driving the news: Five of Pence's aides were recently diagnosed with COVID-19, including his chief of staff, who is currently quarantining. Pence has continued his campaign travel despite his possible exposure, which goes against CDC guidelines.