General Motors reclaimed its crown as the most valuable American automaker on Friday after Tesla shares plunged more than 13% in the wake of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuit against Elon Musk.
General Motors ended Friday’s session with a market cap of about $47.5 billion, while Tesla’s was at $45.17 billion, according to Bloomberg data.
On Thursday, the Securities and Exchange Commission sued Tesla CEO Elon Musk for making “false and misleading statements” about his claim that he could take the electric-car maker private at $420 a share.
General Motors reclaimed its crown as the most-valuable American automaker on Friday after Tesla shares plunged more than 13% in the wake of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuit against CEO Elon Musk.
At Friday’s close, GM had a market capitalization of about $47.5 billion, according to Bloomberg data, while Tesla’s was down to $45.17 billion. Ford — America’s third-most-valuable automaker — ended the day with a market cap of about $36.87 billion.
“Musk knew or was reckless in not knowing that each of these statements was false and/or misleading because he did not have an adequate basis in fact for his assertions,” the SEC’s lawsuit said. It recommends Musk pay a penalty and seeks to bar him from being an officer or director at a public company.
In April 2017, Tesla dethroned GM to become largest US automaker by market cap. Its market value would eventually peak at $64.75 billion on August 7, the day Musk tweeted he was considering taking the electric-car maker private.
Kinky Boots is dancing its last dance on Broadway.
Producers announced Friday night that the Tony-winning hit musical will play its last performance on April 7, 2019.
At the time of its closing, the musical will have played 2,507 regular performances and 34 previews.
Based on the 2005 British film of the same name and inspired by true events, Kinky Boots tells the story of a young man named Charlie Price, who inherits his family’s shoe factory and struggles to keep it afloat until he meets a drag queen named Lola, which sparks an idea that could save the business. The production features music by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein.
“When we first set out to make this show, we never could have imagined the success it would have here on Broadway and around the world,” Lauper and Fierstein said in a statement. “We speak on behalf of the entire company when we say how grateful we are to the fans who have embraced our work across four continents, and counting!”
Director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell added, “I’ll never forget the very first performance of this show, back in Chicago in the fall of 2012. It was one of those magical nights in the theater, when the material connects with its audiences in exactly the way you hope for. It felt like a gift from the theater gods then, and it still does to this day. In the years since, we have witnessed attitudes towards gender non-conformity start to change all across America in ways we couldn’t have begun to imagine in 2012. It’s never easy saying farewell to a beloved production, but knowing that Kinky Boots is leaving a more accepting world than the one it was born into is hugely gratifying for everyone involved.”
Kinky Boots opened on Broadway in 2013 and won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and prizes for Lauper, Mitchell for choreography, and lead actor Billy Porter. The current Kinky Boots cast includes Mark Ballas as Charlie Price and J. Harrison Ghee as Lola. In addition to the Broadway production, the musical is also running in London’s West End, as well as tours in the U.S. and around the world.
Jayathma Wickramanayake, the United Nations Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, introduces the 17 Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals. The winners of this year’s award include an environmental scientist protecting coral reefs, a doctor using technology to improve Nigeria’s health sector, and an activist exploring human-computer interactions to improve the lives of people with disabilities, among others.
He’s a rap aficionado, turned label chief, turned digital-music exec.
During a 30-year career as a record producer and music exec, Lyor Cohen worked with or helped develop such acts as Jay-Z, The Killers, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, and Kanye West.
YouTube scored a major coup when it hired Cohen in 2016. Among his old label pals, the move was unpopular. For a variety of reasons, many once saw Google as a threat. The main knock is that YouTube doesn’t pay enough for the music videos that helped turn the site into an entertainment juggernaut.
But Cohen, the former CEO of Recorded Music at Warner Music Group, has done much to patch up the relationship. Cary Sherman, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, the labels top lobbyist, complimented the job Cohen’s done.
“I think Lyor Cohen is doing a very good job of persuading the people at YouTube that they need to be partners with the music industry,” Sherman told Business Insider in a recent interview.
Meanwhile, YouTube remains one of world’s the largest music distributors. And to counter a challenge from Apple Music and Spotify, Cohen recently helped launch YouTube’s new subscription music service.
A young couple who met while filming Big Brother got good and bad news in quick succession this week.
On Wednesday night, contestant Chris “Swaggy” Williams proposed to girlfriend Bayleigh Dayton live on CBS during the finale of season 20 of the show, but just two days later, the pair shared on Instagram that Dayton had miscarried their first baby together.
“At the end of this process … I was like, I want to spend my life with this boy. There’s no question about it,” Dayton, 25, said into the camera.
Williams continued, “Regardless, people keep saying that I proposed because she was pregnant, but that’s not the case at all … Going through that process and creating a child but also losing a child with her made me realize that this is my girl, and I’m going to marry her. I don’t care if we’ve been together for 23 days … This is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with so I’m going to propose to her.”
The groom-to-be wrote in the video’s caption: “We know the rumors going around. Bayleigh and I were so excited to be parents. 6 weeks pregnant. Unfortunately, circumstances happen and we had a miscarriage. I wanna thank the HIVE for taking care of my Fiancé in the jury house during her hospital visits, and I wanna thank both of our families for keeping me sane afterwards. Also, a thanks to CBS for making sure she was taken care of properly Love you all Thank you for your support.”
The proposal started when host Julie Chen turned to the couple, asking Dayton, “The two of you spent 23 days together 24/7, and you have been apart 76 days. Bayleigh, what’s it like to see Swaggy after so much time apart?”
“He’s beautiful,” replied Dayton, wearing a hot pink dress and bold matching lipstick.
In a bright red suit jacket and black pants, Williams gave his own update. “I’m still very much in love with Bayleigh 100 percent,” he said. “There’s been a lot of stuff that’s been going on in the real world that you haven’t known. I went to your parents’ wedding anniversary. I spent a lot of time with them. I played golf with your dad every single weekend.”
Williams then got out of his chair and crossed over to Dayton. “Remember on day 10, I did this exact same gesture, and you yelled at me because you said, ‘You’re not a man. Take charge. If you want something, be a man and stand up.’ Remember that?” he said. “So I asked you to be my girlfriend. You said yes. Sitting at home and watching you tell millions around the world how much you love me and wanted to be with me forever made me realize that girlfriend wasn’t enough, honestly.”
“Shut up,” Dayton said in disbelief as Williams dropped to one knee and pulled out a ring. Their fellow contestants cheered.
Williams gushed, “In front of millions around the world, I don’t really care about any girl in the world. I want you and only you. And I don’t really know what my future holds, but I do know I want you in it.”
She exclaimed, “Yeah!” before he even popped the question — and answered, “Yes, yes, yes!” once he did.
The happy duo kissed as Chen narrated, “Alright, it’s official. We have an engagement.”
Well-balanced sound • Bass isn’t overmixed • Easy Bluetooth pairing • Comfortable to wear for long periods of time
Slippery case with small indent can make it hard to open • Shorter than expected battery life • Microphone is basically unusable for phone calls
The Soul Electronics Emotion wireless earbuds aren’t perfect. But when the price is just $50, it’s easier to look past the negative and enjoy the well-balanced sound.
Like most new technologies, true wireless earbuds started expensive. But they’re gradually becoming more affordable.
Apple AirPods are nearly ubiquitous at this point, and the only thing really holding them back is the $159 price tag. In an AirPod world, Soul Electronics’ $50 Emotion earbuds are enticing. The promise of six-hour battery life, well-balanced sound, and a slim design are even better.
However, the big question is: How these compare to more expensive designs like Apple’s? I switched from using AirPods daily to the Emotion buds, and the results were surprising.
A slippery case
Good luck trying to open the slippery case.
Image: ZLATA IVLEVA/MASHABLE
Like most true-wireless earbuds, the Emotion comes with a case that does double duty for storage and charging. Since these are fully wireless earbuds, there is no charging port on the earbuds themselves. Instead, you set the right and left ones into specific cradles in the case where the charging pins can connect.
Rather than a white carrying case shaped like dental floss, the Emotion case is a wider rectangle that comes in either black or white. It can still fit in your pocket comfortably or in the palm of your hand. However, it’s a pain to open — that’s mostly because of the smooth outer coating. The slight indent on the front also doesn’t have enough depth to make it useful when opening the case.
Word to the wise: Don’t eat potato chips or anything greasy before attempting to open these. It won’t end well.
The charging pins on the Emotion easily click in with the opposite ones in the case.
Image: ZLATA IVLEVA/MASHABLE
Unlike the Crazybaby Air 1S, another true wireless pair, it doesn’t require a Master’s degree to charge these. Merely rest them in their respective spots, and a circle in the middle will glow. That’s the only indicator you get that they’re charging, however. A microUSB port on the back lets you charge the case when it runs out of juice to charge the earbuds.
Super lightweight earbuds
These wireless earbuds stick out a lot less than Apple’s AirPods.
Image: ZLATA IVLEVA/MASHABLE
While the case has a few misguided choices, the earbuds are light at just 5 grams each. The lack of heft makes a considerable difference in fit, especially if you have sensitive ears. For some, Apple’s AirPods can be uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, partly due to their elongated design.
Emotion doesn’t steer far from the general course for earbuds. The physical tip extends from the main bud, where you’ll find the charging ports and the actual sound technology. This isn’t a fully sealed design, and as such, the earbuds aren’t water resistant. Or sweat-resistant, for that matter — look elsewhere for a gym pair.
You can customize the fit of the eartip with four different sizes of gel tips that are in the box. You should be able to get a tight fit that won’t fall out. These aren’t noise-canceling, but do a decent job of isolating you by blocking out some of the ambient din.
Easy Bluetooth pairing
Once you get it open and remove the Emotion earbuds, the pairing or connection process begins.
Image: ZLATA IVLEVA/MASHABLE
Apple AirPods still stands as the easiest pairing process among Bluetooth headphones, but the Emotion is as close you can get to it without a specialized chip like Apple’s earbuds have. Once you’ve managed to open the case, removing the earbuds will have start pairing mode. From there, open Bluetooth settings on your device and connect to “Soul Emotion.”
It is nice that there’s a step or two less than most Bluetooth pairings, but there aren’t many other conveniences. For instance, these earbuds lack the intelligence to stop playback when you take them out of your ears and resume it when you put them back in. You also can’t control volume on the buds — only play/pause, track advance/rewind, and calling.
Well-balanced sound
Even with some trade-offs, the sound quality will impress.
Image: ZLATA IVLEVA/MASHABLE
For sound quality, I didn’t have the highest expectations for Emotion. However, after a ditching AirPods for a week and using these, I can say I’m quite surprised with their sound quality.
Brands like Beats and Skullcandy tend to raise the bass, which works well for rock and pop tunes. However, it can end up overpowering slower songs and classical music. Soul Electronics didn’t overemphasize the bass on Emotion, instead delivering a well-balanced sound that keeps the bass to what you might expect from a track.
Songs like “Moves Like Jagger” (Maroon 5), “Sun is Shining” (Axwell & Ingrosso), “Everlong” (Foo Fighters), and “Roulette” (Bruce Springsteen) all have clear bass that comes through well. There is no distortion when listening at higher volumes, and the listening experience feels immersive.
With “Roulette,” the buds handled the fast pace drumming with ease. Both left and right were well represented in stereo. You don’t want the drums to overpower the rest of high and low tones (the guitar and vocals in this case), so they managed to strike a delicate balance.
Overall, with any track I threw at it, the sound was well-balanced. High, low, and bass tones were all clear, and I didn’t experience any distortion at high volumes. Bass was crisp and high tones have a certain vibrancy to them.
An unreliable microphone
Don’t bother using these for phone calls.
Image: ZLATA IVLEVA/MASHABLE
I also tested how the Emotion earbuds do with phone calls. Bluntly, I would skip calls altogether with the Emotion earbuds — especially outside.
In test calls, it was hard for the person on the other end to hear me, even at a loud speaking volume in a relatively quiet office. Outside, just a small amount of wind resulted in the other end just practically nothing but white noise. The call audio will only come out of the left earbud for some strange reason as well. You’ll enjoy listening to music on these buds, but pull out your phone for calls.
Mixed battery life
Battery life is shorter than the guarantee. However, if you plan it right with the case, these can last a full day.
Image: ZLATA IVLEVA/MASHABLE
Soul Electronics rates battery life for the Emotion at up to 6 hours on a full charge, and the case provides two more full charges. This is a lot given their size (a full charge for AirPods lasts around 5 hours).
However, in my testing, I got around 3-4.5 hours of playback, depending on the volume level. The louder you listen, the quicker it will burn through juice. I also found that the charging case provides around only 1.5 extra charges. Not terrible — it should get you through the day — though not quite what’s promised.
One annoying factor is that after the earbuds hit 30%, the rate at which they burn through the battery seems to increase. It usually lasts for about two songs after that warning, and it will continue to give you an audible low-power alert throughout the song, basically ruining the listening experience.
A considerable value for the price
The $50 price point makes it easy to see past the shortcomings.
Image: ZLATA IVLEVA/MASHABLE
So these are not perfect headphones by any means. However, at $50 these deliver a lot even with a slippery case, lousy microphone, and a shorter run time than promised. The easy pairing process scores points, too.
Most important, the well-balanced sound quality will have you feeling good about the value you’re getting. It’s hard to complain about headphones that accomplish their primary goal — to play music — with aplomb.
As long as you manage your expectations and acknowledge the tradeoffs, the $50 Soul Electronic Emotions will still impress.
Women plea with Senator Flake to hear their concerns about confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – It was an emotional moment carried live on cable television.
Two women cornered Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake as he was getting into an elevator. One said through tears she was sexually assaulted and yelled that by voting to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the Republican senator would be “telling me that my assault doesn’t matter.”
Hours after the confrontation, UltraViolet, a women’s activist group, sent out news releases to the media and posted on social media that Flake is “potentially pressing charges” on the women, who they said are members of the organization.
“Charging sexual assault survivors for sharing their stories is shameful and cowardly. Senator Flake should be ashamed of himself for attempting to frighten survivors into silence,” said Shaunna Thomas, executive director of UltraViolet. “This is absolutely unbelievable.”
But Flake’s office said this was false.
“Sen. Flake is not pressing charges, nor did he ever consider pressing charges,” said Elizabeth Jones, a spokeswoman for Flake.
It was a busy day for Flake. He started off the day offering a statement that he’d vote for Kavanaugh then being the holdout vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the end, he voted “yes” on Kavanaugh with the caveat that the FBI investigate accusations of sexual assault lodged against Kavanaugh and there be a weeklong delay before the full Senate votes.
UltraViolet posted its statement on the potential charges online. On Twitter, it garnered hundreds of retweets and likes. Prominent activists such as DeRay retweeted the post.
Later Friday, the group deleted the tweet and issued an explanation: “Earlier today the Capitol Police informed our organizer in the Capitol that Sen. Flake was going to press charges. We’re glad the Senator has decided not to.”
Capitol police initially asked Flake’s office about pressing charges after the incident, but his office didn’t respond immediately due to the hearing and dramatic aftermath.
His office later told police he did not intend on filing charges.
Flake pressing charges on the two female protesters would have been an extraordinary move for a multitude of reasons. The optics could have played into a narrative that Republicans don’t care about sexual assault survivors, such as Kavanaugh’s accuser Christine Blasey Ford.
Cassie Vadovsky returned home after picking up her 4-year-old daughter from school Tuesday evening and was greeted by a swarm of blood-thirsty mosquitos.
Not just any mosquitos. Aggressive, monstrous pests with stripes on their legs.
“It was like a flurry — like it was snowing mosquitos,” the stay-at-home mother of two said. “I think my car agitated them. I waited for them to calm down before I grabbed the kids and the ran into the house.”
Vadovsky is just one of the many people in North Carolina who is fighting against a monster mosquito outbreak, the result of flooding caused by Hurricane Florence.
“It didn’t hit automatically. It was more gradual. It took maybe 3 or 4 days after the storm passed before it got to this epidemic level.” Vadovsky said. “And I’m not even on the side of town that had the major flooding. Imagine how bad it could be over on that end.”
Mosquito experts say that floodwaters can cause eggs that would have otherwise laid dormant for over a year to hatch – sending billions of the vicious parasites into the air.
The ones plaguing the Carolinas are called “Gallinippers,” or “Psorophora ciliata,” according to entomologist Michael Waldvogel of North Carolina State University (NCSU). This species that can be three times as large as average mosquitoes and the larvae are known to prey on aquatic animals that are as large as tadpoles. The females grow up to feed on large mammals, humans included.
“There’s 61 species of mosquitoes in North Carolina and of those, probably 15 to 20 would be highly responsive to floodwaters in this way,” said Michael Reiskind, Associate Professor of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at NCSU. “When you have major flooding, a lot of these eggs hatch and you can see rapid population growth.”
Just how much growth?
Reiskind surveyed an area in Raleigh, the state’s capital, around the time of Hurricane Florence to monitor mosquito populations.
“Before the storm, I went out for 5-minutes and counted just three mosquitos in that time. A week after the storm, in those 5-minutes I had eight of them. Then after two weeks, (I counted) 50 in that time, and our area didn’t get hit the hardest,” Reinskind said.
Vadovsky posted a video on Facebook of the swarm around her home, generating over 76,000 views and counting. In the video, her daughter can be heard asking, “Why are you doing that – taking pictures of the wasps?” To which Vadovsky responds, “They’re not wasps. They’re mosquitoes.”
“O my word. Lord help us. Those boogers are gonna eat us alive,” comments North Carolinian Pennie Thomas. “They bit me through my shoe over here in Fayetteville. Took my son’s home early from football practice cuz the field was covered in em,” comments Tristan Ortiz.
Reiskind, an entomologist, said that larger species could bite through one or two layers of cotton “pretty easily.”
Vadovsky said that the bloodsuckers rest on the windows outside her family’s home in large numbers, waiting to attack. When she or a relative goes outside the mosquitoes swarm. “They’re more than just pesky,” she said.
“A female mosquito just wants to make eggs, and there’s just one way of doing that, by taking blood,” Reiskind said.
So what’s the good news?
Most mosquito species don’t do well once the weather gets cold so the experts suspect this current plague will die down in the coming weeks.
Until then, Reiskind suggests that people in areas ravaged by the storm wear long sleeves and spray insecticides.
In the wake of the mosquito outbreak, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper ordered $4 million in control efforts to help counties hit by Hurricane Florence.
“FEMA provides reimbursement for local agencies to spray for mosquitos. So, it is possible for a county health department to do aerial spraying but not every county does it,” Reiskind said.
If your area doesn’t spray, experts said Mosquito Dunks, donut-shaped products that attack mosquitoes in their developmental stages, can help stop the spread of mosquitoes. They can be found at local hardware stores.
“These small disks of freeze-dried bacteria dissipate in water and inhibit the reproductive cycle of mosquitos. It’s not an insecticide. It’s a more natural solution that really works,” said Rachel Noble, a professor at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences.
Though mosquitoes are known to carry diseases like Zika and Malaria, Noble said that North Carolinians have the upper hand since those illnesses tend to occur in areas with denser populations. She did warn though, that the mosquito species that inhabit the Carolinas are capable of carrying West Nile and encephalitis.
“People shouldn’t worry too much, a big mosquito is no more dangerous than a little one,” said Reiskind. “They aren’t radioactive or genetically modified or some exotic species, this is just what happens after a hurricane hits.”
Democrats claimed something of a victory on Friday when Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican on the Judiciary Committee, called for an FBI investigation into the allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat on the committee who has emerged as a key player in her party’s alliance with Flake, told reporters after Friday morning’s hearing that her Republican colleague’s apparent about-face “was kind of a surprise to all of us.”
“Did we actually think this was going to happen today? No,” Klobuchar said.
After deliberating with Democrats on the committee, Flake announced that he wouldn’t vote to confirm Kavanaugh without a week-long “pause” for an investigation, “limited in time and scope,” in order to do “our due diligence.”
“We ought to do what we can to make sure we do all due diligence with a nomination this important,” he said. “This country is being ripped apart here.”
Democrats have aggressively pushed for an FBI investigation into the allegations against Kavanaugh — making abundantly clear during Thursday’s hearing that they believe the GOP is deliberately “railroading” the confirmation process.
“You can do a lot if you have the whole FBI looking at things for one week,” Klobuchar said Friday, adding that Flake believes the process will help lessen the deep partisan divides over Kavanaugh, who is the least popular Supreme Court nominee in decades.
Flake’s Republican colleagues told reporters that they respect Flake’s decision, but don’t believe the investigation will imperil his vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s nomination.
“This is Jeff Flake, this is what I like about the guy,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who delivered one of the most impassioned defenses of Kavanaugh during Thursday’s hearings, adding that he doesn’t think the investigation will uncover any new evidence.
It is now up to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to ask President Donald Trump to direct the FBI to reopen its background investigation into Kavanaugh.
On Friday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he’s leaving the decision on how to proceed with the confirmation in the hands of Senate Republicans.
“Whatever they think is necessary is okay,” the president said. “They have to do what they think is right.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar Andrew Harnik/AP images
Klobuchar in the spotlight
Klobuchar’s exchange with Kavanaugh, during which she asked him questions about claims that he drank to excess in high school and college, was one of Thursday’s more remarkable.
The senator opened her questioning by noting that her own father struggled with alcoholism for many years, and then asked if “there was ever a time when you drank so much that you couldn’t remember what happened, or part of what happened, the night before?”
But Kavanaugh tossed the question back to the senator.
“You’re asking about black out — I don’t know, have you?” he replied.
Klobuchar repeated the question, to which Kavanaugh again refused to respond and said, “I’m curious if you have.”
After a break in the hearing, Kavanaugh apologized to the senator, who he said he had great “respect” for.
“I’m sorry I did that — this is a tough process, I’m sorry about that,” the judge said.
Klobuchar accepted the apology, adding, “when you have a parent that’s an alcoholic, you’re pretty careful about drinking” and repeated her call to re-open the FBI background check “to get to the bottom of the facts and the evidence.”
Read Business Insider’s full coverage of the Ford-Kavanaugh hearing:
Lil Wayne is back and more honest than ever on his long-awaited new album, Tha Carter V, which dropped on Friday (September 28), the day after the rapper’s 36th birthday.
After listening to 22 tracks spanning over 80 minutes, fans arrive at the album’s outro, “Let It All Work Out,” which finds Wayne opening up about the time he sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound when he was just 12 years old. In the past, he’s claimed that the shooting was merely an accident, but his verse on Solange’s 2016 track “Mad” sparkled speculation that it was actually a suicide attempt. On that song, he rapped, “And when I attempted suicide, I didn’t die / I remember how mad I was on that day / Man, you gotta let it go before it get up in the way.”
Wayne confirms the speculation toward the end of “Let It All Work Out” — which samples Sampha’s “Indecision” — by detailing what happened during the shooting: “I aimed where my heart was pounding / I shot it, and I woke up with blood all around me / It’s mine, I didn’t die, but as I was dying / God came to my side and we talked about it / He sold me another life and he made a prophet.”
Wayne’s mother, Jacida Carter, also addressed her son’s suicide attempt on Tha Carter V‘s penultimate track, “Used 2.” In a spoken outro, she said, “I still don’t know today. Was he playing with the gun or was it an accident? I be wanting to ask him but I never asked him after all these years. … I never really found out about what really happened with him and that shooting.”
According to a recent Billboard cover story, Wayne shot himself in the chest at age 12 after his mother forbade him from rapping. In the same interview, Young Money president Mack Maine explained Wayne’s decision to finally tell the full story of what happened that day. “He just told me one day that he was ready to address it now,” Maine said. “Just being an adult, reaching a level of maturity and comfort where it’s like, ‘I want to talk about this because I know a lot of people out here might be going through that.’”
Love you all 
Thank you for your support.”
Viral Eyes 