SpaceX to invest $2 billion in Musk's xAI startup, WSJ reports
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NBC News
29 minutes ago
- NBC News
Elon Musk looms over jury selection in Tesla Autopilot fatality trial
Tesla CEO Elon Musk was not in a Miami courtroom Monday, but his name loomed large as a jury was selected for the federal trial of a civil lawsuit over the 2019 crash of a Tesla Model S that killed a pedestrian and left another badly injured when the car was in Autopilot mode. 'Anything that involves Elon Musk is very hard for me,' one potential juror said. Another would-be juror said she could not be fair and impartial to Tesla because of the company's 'ethics, ownership and what I have seen in the news about its relation to the government.' The case is the first suit against Tesla related to fatal crashes involving the electric vehicle company's Autopilot system to go to trial. And it comes months after Musk's work as a top advisor to President Donald Trump made the billionaire a household name, synonymous with the massive federal workforce cuts undertaken by his brainchild, the Department of Government Efficiency. The richest man in the world's subsequent falling out with Trump over the president's federal tax reform and spending bill made headlines and injected fresh drama into typically staid congressional votes. A Tesla lawyer noted to the prospective jurors Monday, 'It's hard to hear the name Elon Musk and not have a view, positive or negative.' 'This case isn't about Musk. But he is connected to the company,' the attorney said, as they asked if jurors had views about Musk that they could not put aside. Three would-be jurors raised their hands to say that, yes, they did have opinions Musk that would make it impossible for them to approach the case impartially. 'It would be hard. I understand he isn't Tesla. But he is very tied to the Tesla brand,' one man said, adding that he was unsure if he could set aside his views. Two other jurors who had earlier voiced negative opinions of Musk reiterated those views to Tesla's lawyer. The attorney asked one juror about what that man wrote in response to a jury questionnaire about hearing things in the news related to Tesla. Two other jurors who previously spoke against Musk spoke again and shared the same opinions. 'This case is more about what happened rather than who it's for,' the man replied. 'I'm pretty independent,' he said. 'I can be impartial, it's about the accident and what happened.' Six women and three men were selected for the jury. The suit in U.S. District Court was filed against Tesla by the family of Naibel Benavides, the pedestrian who died from the crash and by her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, who was seriously injured. The driver of the vehicle, George McGee, is not a defendant at the trial, and he reportedly settled with the plaintiffs earlier. The plaintiffs allege that Tesla's Autopilot feature was defective and unsafe. It is one of more than a dozen cases in which Tesla has been sued over fatal or injurious crashes where the company's Autopilot or Full Self-Driving (Supervised) modes had been in use by a driver. FSD is the premium version of Tesla's partially automated driving system. Autopilot is a standard option on all new Tesla vehicles. Tesla's website currently describes Autopilot as 'an advanced driver assistance system that enhances safety and convenience behind the wheel.' 'Additionally with Full Self-Driving (Supervised), you can drive your Tesla vehicle almost anywhere, making lane changes, select forks to follow your navigation route, navigate around other vehicles and objects and make left and right turns under your active supervision,' Tesla says. After the jury was selected, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said in an opening statement, 'Evidence will show for years before and after this crime, Tesla ignored warnings.' 'You will hear evidence about those motivations and why Tesla did what they did,' the attorney said. 'Was it the Silicon Valley ethos of moving fast and breaking things? That is going to be the determination.' 'What is not in dispute is that the driver that crashed was careless, distracted, on his phone and dropped it, then grabbed it,' the attorney said. 'He plowed into my client at approximately 60 miles an hour.' 'This is a case about shared responsibility. Tesla will take no responsibility for the failures of their Autopilot system. Evidence will show that every actor needs a stage and Tesla set the stage for the preventable actions that bring us here,' said the lawyer. Evidence will be introduced at trial that shows Musk made public statements about 'superhuman' sensors on Tesla vehicles, the attorney told the jury. At one conference, Musk said the car was 'safer than a human,' according to the lawyer. Tesla, in a statement provided to NBC News, said, 'The evidence clearly shows that this crash had nothing to do with Tesla's Autopilot technology. Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cell phones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver.' 'To his credit, he took responsibility for his actions because he was searching for his dropped cell phone while also pressing the accelerator, speeding and overriding the car's system at the time of the crash. In 2019 when this occurred, no crash avoidance technology existed that could have prevented this tragic accident,' the company said.
Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
CNN darling Kaitlan Collins taunts haters after buying exorbitant Nantucket summer house
CNN star Kaitlan Collins taunted her haters after posting a series of images of her enjoying her Nantucket summer house over the weekend. Earlier this month, it was rumored that Collins, 33, purchased a 'very expensive' vacation home in the expensive and beloved getaway spot favored by the wealthy. On Sunday, the chief White House correspondent, shared a carousal of photos on her Instagram of her soaking up the sun with friends. She captioned the post: 'Some non-White House related content,' as she appeared to explore the quaint town, spend time on the beach, and enjoy a little wine with her girlfriends on the patio. News of her latest purchase didn't quite sit well with her co-workers at the struggling news network, as they were said to be less than thrilled about it. 'She just bought some bougie place and CNN people are grossed out that she paid so much,' an anonymous source previously told Page Six. They also described The Source with Kaitlan Collins host as 'way overpaid' and said the property was 'very expensive,' although they did not specify the price or how they knew. The average home price on the ritzy Massachusetts island was roughly $4.5 million as of May 2025, according to Collins' new purchase means she could be enjoying her summer surrounded by the likes of Tommy Hilfiger and Dave Portnoy, who both own multimillion-dollar Nantucket homes. The turmoil over Collins' lavish new island getaway came as an anonymous source told Fox News there are 'tears on the horizon' for the left-leaning news network. Warner Bros. Discovery's shock split into two distinctive companies is a sign the jobs and hefty salaries of CNN's top talent are on the line, media insiders have warned. The media giant announced last month it will halve into two publicly traded entities — Streaming & Studios and Global Networks — by mid-2026. Streaming & Studios' domain will be Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, and HBO Max. Global Networks, on the other hand, will be news focused, assuming CNN, TNT Sports and Discovery, among other programming. CEO David Zaslav will take on the leading role of the Streaming & Studios company, while CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels will become the President of Global Networks. This dramatic move could be detrimental to CNN, which is already grappling with plummeting ratings. News of her latest purchase didn't quite sit well with her co-workers at the struggling news network, as they were said to be less than thrilled about it 'Inevitably, Gunnar will look at CNN and decide he can maintain relatively similar profits at a mere fraction of the cost,' Dylan Byers, a former CNN reporter who now works for Puck, wrote in an opinion piece. 'This will have perceptible ramifications on the talent side. Why, for instance, would Gunnar pay Anderson Cooper $18 million a year when Kaitlan Collins draws the same ratings at roughly a fifth of the salary?' The source familiar with the state of CNN shared their take on the matter with Fox News. They believe 'bean counter' Wiedenfels will go after high-salaried stars, going against the precedent set by former CNN boss Jeff Zucker, who was forced out before the 2022 merger. 'It's not just the overpriced talent. It's the overpriced producers. The overpriced executives. The superfluous reporters who barely are on the air,' the source said. 'All will either be exited or forced to take massive pay cuts.' Zucker was allegedly known for overpaying talent to keep them loyal to him, Fox reported. The result - CNN's first and second-tier talent now earn roughly five times what they are worth, the insider alleged. While Cooper earns an estimated $18 million every year, Jake Tapper, who hosts The Lead with Jake Tapper, brings in roughly $7 million a year.
The Independent
41 minutes ago
- The Independent
McVitie's owner invests £68 million into factories across the UK
Pladis, the Turkish-owned snacking giant behind beloved brands like McVitie's and Jacob's, is set to inject a substantial £68 million into its British operations. The significant investment aims to "supercharge" the growth of its iconic brands by boosting manufacturing capacity and productivity across its UK factories. The London-based company has earmarked the majority of the funds for sites across the north-west of England. This includes a £33 million overhaul of its Liverpool Aintree facility, known for baking Jacob's cream crackers. The comprehensive refurbishment will see the installation of new ovens and infrastructure, a notable development given the company's plans in 2023 to reduce the Aintree site's size, which had put 361 workers at risk of redundancy. Further investment includes £21 million for a new chocolate moulding line at its Stockport Jaffa Cake factory. Additionally, £2 million will be allocated to its Carlisle site, the world's oldest biscuit factory, creating 48 new roles. A further £12 million will support infrastructure across Pladis's wider UK network, encompassing facilities in Halifax, Harlesden in north London, and Leicester, alongside the aforementioned sites. Mete Buyurgan, Pladis' UK and Ireland managing director, commented on the announcement, stating: "Today's announcement is an important milestone in renovating our sites and unlocking capacity for our growth story. We have a fantastic suite of much-loved brands, baked by dedicated colleagues, and we have a responsibility to continue to nurture these brands for customers and consumers across the world. The news of these investments we are sharing today will enable us to achieve this." The company anticipates these extensive investment plans will be completed by the end of 2026.
