What we’re reading (8/6)
“The Chip Shortage Is Getting Worse” (Vox). “Starting next week, General Motors is again halting the assembly lines of several pickup truck plants because the company doesn’t have enough computer chips. The plants had been back up and running for just a week following a shutdown in July, which was also caused by the chip shortage. These production halts may not stop anytime soon.”
“JPMorgan, Led By Bitcoin Skeptic Jamie Dimon, Quietly Unveils Access To A Half-Dozen Crypto Funds” (CNBC). “With little fanfare, JPMorgan Chase has started giving its wealth management clients access to six crypto funds in the past month. On Thursday, financial advisors were allowed to begin placing private bank clients into a new bitcoin fund created with crypto firm NYDIG, according to people with knowledge of the move. The fund is nearly identical to one NYDIG offers to clients of rival bank Morgan Stanley, said the people.”
“Exclusive: Intel Agencies Scour Reams Of Genetic Data From Wuhan Lab In Covid Origins Hunt” (CNN). “[S]enior intelligence officials still say that they are genuinely split between the two prevailing theories on the pandemic's origins, or some combination of both scenarios. CNN reported last month that senior Biden administration officials overseeing the 90-day review now believe the theory that the virus accidentally escaped from a lab in Wuhan is at least as credible as the possibility that it emerged naturally in the wild -- a dramatic shift from a year ago, when Democrats publicly downplayed the so-called lab leak theory.”
“Apple's Plan To ‘Think Different’ About Encryption Opens A Backdoor To Your Private Life” (Electronic Frontier Foundation). “Apple has announced impending changes to its operating systems that include new ‘protections for children’ features in iCloud and iMessage. If you’ve spent any time following the Crypto Wars, you know what this means: Apple is planning to build a backdoor into its data storage system and its messaging system.”
“AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka Dead At 72” (Politico). “Richard Trumka, president of the powerful AFL-CIO labor organization, has died unexpectedly, the federation announced Thursday. Trumka, 72, had served as president of the AFL-CIO, which represents more than 12.5 million workers, for more than a decade and was called a ‘dear friend’ by President Joe Biden…’He was a relentless champion of workers’ rights, workplace safety, worker-centered trade, democracy and so much more,’ AFL-CIO Communications Director Tim Schlittner said in a statement.”
