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Submission Summary: 0 pending, 8 declined, 3 accepted (11 total, 27.27% accepted)

Submission + - FCC lets Paramount sell 49.5% equity stake to foreign powers (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by Local ID10T
Local ID10T writes: The Federal Communications Commission yesterday approved Paramount Skydance's plan to sell large equity stakes to the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

Under US law, companies with licenses to run broadcast stations need FCC approval to have direct or indirect foreign ownership exceeding 25 percent of the company's stock. Paramount says its indirect foreign ownership will reach 49.5 percent after it receives investments from the sovereign wealth funds and filed a petition asking the FCC to waive the foreign ownership limit.

Paramount, the owner of CBS, holds FCC licenses for the 28 local CBS stations that it owns and operates. Paramount is buying Warner Bros. Discovery in a $111 billion deal that is being partially financed with foreign investment but hasn't completed the acquisition because US states filed a lawsuit that aims to block the merger. Trump's Department of Justice approved the merger.

The FCC is letting Paramount sell indirect ownership stakes to "some of the most repressive governments in the world," FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the only Democrat on the commission, said yesterday. "An investment this large in one of America's biggest media companies doesn't just buy equity, it secures influence over what gets said and what gets made."

Submission + - California's economy fourth largest in world (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Local ID10T
Local ID10T writes: The state’s nominal GDP reached $4.1tn, according to data from the International Monetary Fund and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, edging out Japan’s $4.02tn nominal GDP. California now ranks behind the US at $29.18tn, China at $18.74tn and Germany at $4.65tn.

Along with the tech and entertainment industry capitals, the state, which has a population of nearly 40 million people, is the center for US manufacturing output and is the country’s largest agricultural producer.

The state has outperformed the world’s top economies with a growth rate in 2024 of 6% compared with the US’s 5.3%, China’s 2.6% and Germany’s 2.9%. This week’s new rankings come six years after California surpassed the United Kingdom and became the world’s fifth largest economy.

California is a major contributor to economic growth nationally, with the money it sends to the federal government outpacing what it receives in federal funding by $83bn, according to a statement from Newsom’s office.

Despite an enormous shortage of affordable housing that has fueled a homelessness crisis in the state, the population has grown in recent years.

Meanwhile, last year the state reported its tourism spending had hit an all-time high – though California has seen a drop in some areas.

Submission + - Calif. Appeals Court Approves Cell Phone Searches (theblaze.com)

Submitted by
Local ID10T
Local ID10T writes: "In a case explicitly decided to set a precedent, the California Appellate court has determined police officers can rifle through your cellphone during a traffic violation stop.

Florida and Georgia are among the states that give no protection to a phone during a search. In particular, Florida law treats a smartphone as a “container” for the purposes of a search, similar to say a cardboard box open on the passenger seat, despite the thousands of personal emails, contacts, and photos a phone can carry stretching back years.

But after initially striking down cell phone snooping, California has now joined the list of states that allow cops to go through your phone without a warrant."
Businesses

Submission + - BYOC: Should employees buy their own computers? (bbc.co.uk) 1

Submitted by
Local ID10T
Local ID10T writes: "Data security vs productivity. We have all heard the arguments. Most of us use some of our personal equipment for work, but is it a good idea?

"You are at work. Your computer is five years old, runs Windows XP. Your company phone has a tiny screen and doesn't know what the internet is. Idling at home are a snazzy super-fast laptop, and your own smartphone is barred from accessing work e-mail. There's a reason for that: IT provisioning is an expensive business. Companies can struggle to keep up with the constant rate of technological change. The devices employees have at home and in their pockets are often far more powerful than those provided for them. So what if you let your staff use their own equipment?"

Companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Kraft, Citrix, and global law firm SNR Denton seem to think so."

Submission + - Vote early, Vote often! (google.com) 1

Submitted by
Local ID10T
Local ID10T writes: "A new system of voting, called "cumulative voting" is gaining sway. Under this system, voters can apportion their votes as they wish — all to one candidate, one to each candidates or any combination. The system, which has been used in Alabama, Illinois, South Dakota, Texas, and New York allows a political minority to gain representation if it organizes behind specific candidates."

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