“Deutsche Bank Executive Who Signed Off On Trump Loans Kills Himself At Age 55”
November 27th, 2019—
Rosemary Vrablic was introduced to Trump by Jared Kushner. She would go on to facilitate over $300 million in loans to Trump.
Thomas Bowers was Rosemary Vrablic’s boss at Deutsche Bank.
At this time, there are no mainstream media stories about the death of Thomas Bowers.
Via: Forensic News:
Thomas Bowers, a former Deutsche Bank executive and head of the American wealth-management division, killed himself in Malibu, California, on Tuesday, November 19th, according to the coroner’s initial report.
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Bowers was the boss of Trump’s personal banker Rosemary Vrablic, according to a New York Times article in early 2019. Vrablic’s other clients have included Jared Kushner and Stephen M. Ross.
Vrablic reportedly attended the Trump inauguration in the VIP section, and expects to be called before Congress regarding Trump’s relationship with the bank.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner/Coroner reported that Bowers died by suicide by hanging at his residence on the 19th.
New York: FedEx Receives Cease-and-Desist Order Over Robot Delivery Marketing Stunt
November 27th, 2019Via: Fast Company:
The tech industry’s perennial fantasy of replacing delivery workers with cutesy robots hasn’t quite panned out yet, but that didn’t stop FedEx from coming out with its own autonomous delivery machine and plopping one on a busy Manhattan sidewalk last week. The robot’s New York City debut was just a marketing stunt, but it caught the attention of city officials, who leaped at the chance to tell FedEx to screw off.
FedEx’s autonomous delivery robot was spotted near SoHo late last week as part of a press event to promote American Express’s “Small Business Saturday” campaign. The robot, which is named Roxo, only drew modest attention from passersby and press. (It’s New York City, after all.) But over the course of a couple days, FedEx landed itself a cease-and-desist order from the New York Department of Transportation, TechCrunch reports, as well as a threat from Mayor Bill de Blasio to “send them packing” if the city ever catches the robots in action without a special permit.
Hundreds of Banks and Government Sites Burned in Iran Unrest
November 27th, 2019Via: Reuters:
Approximately 731 banks and 140 government sites were torched in recent unrest in Iran, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said in remarks published by the official IRNA news agency on Wednesday.
More than 50 bases used by security forces were attacked and approximately 70 gas stations were also burned, he said, without specifying where the attacks took place.
According to IRNA, Rahmani Fazli also said up to 200,000 people took part nationwide in the unrest that began on Nov. 15 after the announcement of gasoline price hikes.
London-based Amnesty International said on Monday it had recorded at least 143 protesters killed in the protests, the worst anti-government unrest in Iran since authorities put down the “Green Revolution” demonstrations against election fraud in 2009.
Black Friday Deals? 48 Million Americans Still Paying Off Debt from Last Christmas
November 27th, 2019Via: Nerd Wallet:
Nearly 3 in 5 (59%) 2018 holiday shoppers incurred some credit card debt during the 2018 holiday season, and 35% of those who did say they’re still working to get it paid off, according to the survey. That’s 48 million Americans still paying off credit card debt from the 2018 holiday season. Last year, when we asked the same question, 28% of 2017 holiday shoppers were still paying off debt from the 2017 holiday season.
Ford Can Only Produce a Maximum of 50,000 Mustang Mach E Electric Vehicles in First Year Due to Battery Constraints
November 27th, 2019Via: SlashGear:
Battery constraints will limit the number of Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs in Ford’s first year of production, the automaker has confirmed.
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Joe Hinrichs, Ford President of Automotive, confirmed that the first year of production would top out at around 50,000 of the SUVs.
That’ll be shared globally around all of the markets Ford will launch the BEV in, not just earmarked for the US, Ford North America Product Communications Manager Mike Levine confirmed.
Audi to Cut 10% of Workers to Fund Shift to Electric Vehicles
November 26th, 2019Via: Reuters:
Volkswagen’s luxury car unit Audi on Tuesday said it would cut one in ten jobs, freeing up billions of euros to fund its shift toward electric vehicle production.
Ford Challenged Tesla to an ‘Apples to Apples’ Tug-of-War Between Pickup Trucks – Musk Says ‘Bring It On’
November 26th, 2019Update: Ford Chickens Out
Via: Electrek:
Ford now says that it is not participating in the Tesla Cybertruck vs. F-150 tug-of-war rematch as it calls the first one “absurd.”
As we reported earlier today, Tesla CEO Elon Musk agreed to redo the Cybertruck vs. Ford F-150 tug-of-war challenge after claims the first one wasn’t fair.
It appears that Tesla used a rear-wheel-drive version of the Ford F-150, and during a Twitter exchange with scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Musk agreed that it would fairer if both trucks were loaded during the challenge.
Musk agreed to a rematch and even agreed to bring Ford onboard after an executive from the automaker, Sunny Madra, challenged Tesla to a fairer tug-of-war between the F-150 and the Cybertruck.
However, Ford has now issued a statement saying that Madra wasn’t actually challenging Tesla to redo the test and made it sound like they are not doing a rematch (via Fox):
Sunny’s tweet was tongue in cheek to point out the absurdity of Tesla’s video, nothing more.
They continued:
With America’s best-selling truck for 42 years, we’ve always focused on serving our truck customers regardless of what others say or do. We look forward to our all-new F-150 hybrid coming next year and all-electric F-150 in a few years.
While Ford doesn’t seem to be willing to participate, it looks like Tesla is going to move forward with a rematch after Musk took the criticism of the first video to heart.
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Via: CNBC:
Tesla’s futuristic pickup truck appears set to go head-to-head against the Ford F-150 in an “apples to apples” tug-of-war battle.
The anticipated showdown, which could take place as early as next week, comes shortly after Tesla unveiled its all-electric Cybertruck.
Related: Was Cringe Inducing Cybertruck Window Demo Failure a Marketing Stunt?
Massachusetts State Police Tested Out Boston Dynamics’ Robot Dog
November 26th, 2019Via: WBUR:
Cops have long had dogs, and robots, to help them do their jobs. And now, they have a robot dog.
Massachusetts State Police is the first law enforcement agency in the country to use Boston Dynamics’ dog-like robot, called Spot. While the use of robotic technology is not new for state police, the temporary acquisition of Spot — a customizable robot some have called “terrifying” — is raising questions from civil rights advocates about how much oversight there should be over police robotics programs.
The state’s bomb squad had Spot on loan from the Waltham-based Boston Dynamics for three months starting in August until November, according to records obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and reviewed by WBUR.
The documents do not reveal a lot of details on the robot dog’s exact use, but a state police spokesman said Spot, like the department’s other robots, was used as a “mobile remote observation device” to provide troopers with images of suspicious devices or potentially hazardous locations, like where an armed suspect might be hiding.
Was Bolivian Coup About Lithium?
November 26th, 2019Via: Counterpunch:
Over the course of the past few years, Bolivia has struggled to raise investment to develop the lithium reserves in a way that brings the wealth back into the country for its people. Morales’ Vice President Álvaro García Linera had said that lithium is the “fuel that will feed the world.” Bolivia was unable to make deals with Western transnational firms; it decided to partner with Chinese firms. This made the Morales government vulnerable. It had walked into the new Cold War between the West and China. The coup against Morales cannot be understood without a glance at this clash.
Uber Loses London License Over Safety Concerns
November 25th, 2019Via: New York Post:
Uber on Monday was stripped of its license to operate in London over the company’s failure to ensure passenger safety.
Transport for London deemed the ride-hailing giant “not fit and proper” to hold a license because it has not done enough to stop unlicensed and uninsured drivers from carrying riders.
“Safety is our absolute top priority,” Helen Chapman, the agency’s director of licensing, regulation and charging, said in a statement. “While we recognize Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured.”
