Author: openjargon

  • Do yesterday’s inflation numbers mean interest rates are set to rise?

    A man leans forward propped on his elbows as he holds his clasped hands to his mouth in a worried pose as he gazes at his computer screen in a home setting.

    Yesterday, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) and most ASX 200 shares were rocked by the latest inflation figures out of the Australian economy, and consequential fears of another hike in interest rates.

    As we covered at the time, these figures showed Australian inflation coming at a hot 3.6% for the 12 months to 30 April 2024, well above expectations of a 3.4% rise.

    When excluding volatile items like fuel and travel, the number was even higher at 4.1%. That’s well above the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA)’s official 2-3% target band of where it wants to see inflation.

    Thanks to these sobering numbers, ASX shares had a horrid day yesterday, tanking 1.3%. The market consensus over the past few months has arguably been that slowing inflation will eventually result in the RBA lowering interest rates from the current decade-high 4.35% sometime later this year, or perhaps in early 2025.

    With inflation coming in hotter than expected, this conventional wisdom could now be in doubt. So it was no real surprise to see the share market react so negatively yesterday.

    Remember, ASX shares are directly impacted by interest rates, given higher rates attract money away from the stock market into ‘safer’ investments like term deposits and government bonds.

    Australian mortgage holders have already endured one of the steepest interest rate rises in history over the past two years or so. After all, interest rates were still at a record low of 0.1% as recently as April 2022.

    So does yesterday’s inflation figures really mean interest rates might actually rise again, rather than fall, as the markets were expecting?

    Are interest rates going up following the latest inflation numbers?

    Well, unfortunately for anyone with a mortgage or a large loan, one prominent Australian economist thinks that the chances of at least one interest rate hike in 2024 just got stronger.

    Speaking to the Australian Financial Review (AFR) this week, Judo Bank economist Warren Hogan reckons the unexpectedly high numbers we’ve just got a look at could “tip” the RBA’s hand when it comes to raising rates. Here’s what he said:

    These results will test the RBA’s patience… Inflation is not falling back to target with signs that inflation’s underlying ‘pulse’ might be picking up in 2024.

    The RBA was very close to hiking the rate earlier this month. This number could tip them over to raising rates at their next meeting on 18 June.

    As we covered earlier, the cash rate is currently still sitting at 4.35%. But Hogan argues that the RBA might need to set it as high as 5% before it can break the back of inflation.

    Hogan stated that 5% would be “in line with other similar economies’ interest rates… [Yesterday’s] data and ongoing increases in employment suggest this is still the right view”.

    As with most economic projections, anticipating where inflation or interest rates might head to next is no easy task. Plenty of economists have been wrong on rates before (including the former head of the RBA). However, that probably won’t be too reassuring for any mortgage holders today. Let’s see what happens.

    The post Do yesterday’s inflation numbers mean interest rates are set to rise? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

    Should you invest $1,000 in S&P/ASX 200 right now?

    Before you buy S&P/ASX 200 shares, consider this:

    Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and S&P/ASX 200 wasn’t one of them.

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    See The 5 Stocks
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    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

  • Google announced a smartwatch for kids — and it looks pretty good

    a smartwatch for kids
    The Fitbit Ace LTE for kids looks pretty good to me.

    • Google's Fitbit Ace LTE is a smartwatch for kids who aren't quite ready for a phone.
    • It allows kids to call and text their parents and has GPS tracking.
    • It will sell for $229 with a monthly data plan.

    Google just announced a new smartwatch aimed at kids ages 7 and up — the Fitbit Ace LTE. The watch can call and text parents over LTE service (with a data plan), and parents can track their kids through GPS. There's also some gamified activity tracking for the kids. (It is a Fitbit, after all.)

    Business Insider first reported in 2022 that Google was working on a wearable device for preteens.

    If the idea of a kid having a smartwatch sounds ridiculous to you, you probably don't have a kid between the ages of 6 and 13. Lots of parents are looking for a way to be able to call or track their kids — without giving them an actual phone. Smartwatches have become a popular way to hold off on giving kids a full phone until they're older while allowing them some independence to roam freely.

    The Fitbit Ace LTE works over LTE and requires a data plan, but not an extra phone line. It can call and text up to 20 people entered as contacts into the device — but only to people who have the Fitbit Ace app installed on their phones. This means that kids don't have free range to call or text just anyone through the device (no calling for pizza delivery, for example). Only parents can access the GPS tracking, according to the specs.

    It is a Fitbit, so there's some activity tracking and gamification of movement and some video games that can be played with points for achieving fitness goals. (The video game can be deactivated during "School Time" mode.)

    There are other smartwatches out there aimed at the not-ready-for-a-phone age demographic: Verizon Gizmo 3, Garmin Bounce, and the Gabb Watch 3. Gabb is a company that only makes devices for kids — it also has a smartphone that is far more locked down in terms of privacy and safety for kids than the average phone (i.e., no social media apps can be downloaded; no open internet browsing).

    The Apple Watch is slightly more fraught as a kid device since models with a cellular plan are more expensive, and parental controls that block social apps or internet use are more complicated to set up.

    The Fitbit Ace LTE is $229, which is more expensive than some of its competitors. We haven't tested this yet, but based on the features and the images of the sleek, rounded design, and the screen images of the apps — it looks really good.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Over a dozen GOP states seeking to block student-loan forgiveness through Biden’s SAVE repayment plan may have been set back by a separate court ruling

    College graduation photo
    • President Joe Biden has been using one-time account adjustments to give student-debt relief to targeted groups of borrowers.
    • The Sixth Circuit rejected a lawsuit to block these account adjustments, saying it doesn't have standing.
    • A separate ongoing lawsuit to block Biden's latest relief plan used the same argument.

    Lawsuits to block some of President Joe Biden's targeted student-debt relief efforts are simmering — and a court ruling might have signaled how one case will fare.

    In October, the New Civil Liberties Alliance filed a lawsuit on behalf of conservative groups the Cato Institute and Mackinac Center for Public Policy to block student-debt relief through the Education Department's one-time account adjustments.

    The adjustments allow borrowers on income-driven repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness an additional opportunity to have their payment counts evaluated, potentially giving them more credit toward loan forgiveness.

    The conservative groups argued that the adjustments were unconstitutional and, as nonprofits, undermined their recruiting efforts toward PSLF, which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years of qualifying payments.

    "When an agency arbitrarily reduces the financial incentive for student-loan debtors to seek and remain in jobs with public service employers, at any given wage, the supply of workers willing to take and keep jobs with such employers inevitably falls," the groups wrote in an appeal to the Sixth Circuit.

    But the Sixth Circuit wasn't convinced. On May 17, it rejected the groups' appeal, writing in its decision that the idea that the account adjustment will reduce the appeal of PSLF is "unconvincing and illogical."

    "Plaintiffs have not alleged that any of their employees have stopped seeking PSLF forgiveness because of the adjustment," the court's decision said. "And without supporting facts, the claim is pure conjecture, not enough to show a competitive injury."

    An ongoing separate lawsuit had the same argument — for a different program. In March, 11 GOP state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block the SAVE income-driven repayment plan, which the Education Department implemented last summer to give borrowers more affordable monthly payments.

    Seven additional GOP attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block SAVE in April, arguing that the new repayment plan diminishes the value of PSLF and harms the states' efforts to recruit people to the public sector.

    Biden's Education Department filed a response to the lawsuit on Friday, citing the Sixth Circuit's decision to reject the New Civil Lebrties Alliances's argument that the account adjustments would hurt the nonprofits' PSLF recruitment efforts.

    "Plaintiffs offer the examples of hypothetical current and prospective employees and predict, based on 'the concept of economic incentives,' how they might act. Economic assumptions alone were not enough for the Sixth Circuit, nor, for that matter, for the Supreme Court," the Education Department wrote in its legal filing.

    "At base, career-related decisions are complicated, and PSLF is not the sole incentive in this economic picture," the department added. "Plaintiffs would have Defendants and the Court sort out this complexity on their behalf. But standing is their burden alone, and they have not carried it here."

    It's unclear when the court will rule on the lawsuits to block SAVE, but given the Sixth Circuit's ruling on the prior lawsuit to block Biden's account adjustments, it could signal how judges are considering opponents' arguments to block targeted student-debt relief efforts.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • How to use Google Street View on Google Maps: Tour unfamiliar areas and use Live View for real time directions

    A blue Google Street View car, featuring a multi-lens camera affixed to the top, drives down a street in Germany. The car features an image of a coral reef, and the words "Explore the world at maps.google.de."
    Using millions of images collected from its fleet of cars, Google Street View gives you an immersive, 360-degree view of what your destination looks like.

    • Google Street View lets you see a 360-degree view of your destination before you get there.
    • Google Street View is accessible through Google Maps on both desktop and mobile.
    • You can also use Live View in Google Maps for a live view of your route and directions in real time.

    Knowing the names of streets and general directions when you're going somewhere new is extremely helpful. But being able to see your destination in advance, and know what the area around it looks like, is even better. 

    Using the iconic Google Street View cars, which feature cameras mounted on the roofs, Google regularly collects millions of images of streets worldwide to provide users with 360-degree views of locations.

    Google officially discontinued its standalone Street View app in 2023, but the Street View feature itself is still accessible via Google Maps.

    You can use Street View for a variety of purposes: You can look up exactly what a location looks like before you get there, scout out the layout of entire blocks at a time, or even see your own house.

    Here's everything you need to know about how to use Street View:

    What is the difference between Google Earth, Google Maps, and Google Street View?

    Street View is just one of several navigation tools and mapping softwares by Google — all of which can assist you in finding or viewing locations in different ways.

    Google Maps is your standard navigation software, created to provide detailed directions and various routes between locations. Google Street View is a component of Google Maps.

    Google Earth, however, uses satellite images and topographical data to help you explore locations from above. Google Earth operates on a larger scale than Google Maps and takes you on an immersive virtual tour.

    You can use all three tools to get three vastly different perspectives on a location. For instance, if you're planning a trip to see Ireland's Cliffs of Moher, you might want to use Google Earth to get a preview of the iconic, rugged sea cliffs and check out the surrounding landscape. You might then use Google Maps to plot a route from your bed and breakfast to the Cliffs of Moher car park, and you could then use Street View to do a virtual walk-through of the cliffside paths.

    But maybe all these maps still aren't quite visual enough for you. In that case, search up the cliffs on Google Images to see stunning photographs of the area.

    Google's mapping tools also don't end with Google Maps and Google Earth. Google also owns Waze, a navigation and traffic app geared specifically to drivers, which offers realtime updates on traffic conditions and route hazards.

    Like Google Maps, Waze is a GPS tool that can get you from A to B and offer multiple routes. But unlike Google Maps, Waze has a community-based component, allowing drivers to report things like bad weather, accidents, and other traffic conditions to alert other drivers.

    How to use Google Street View on desktop

    Google Maps works on both your desktop, and mobile device. Here's how to get to Street View on your computer:

    1. Go to maps.google.com.
    2. Tap the search bar in the top-left corner of the screen and enter the name or address of the place that you want to view.
    3. Click and hold the person icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen and drag it to the spot you want to view (as you move the cursor over the map, the streets will be highlighted in blue — make sure that you place the icon onto one of those, otherwise you won't be able to see the street view).

      A screenshot of Central Park on Google Maps shows a red box and red arrow emphasizing the icon of a yellow figure, representing Google Street View.
      To see what a location looks like on Google Street View, click and drag the yellow icon.

    4. Release the cursor.
    5. To navigate in street view, click and drag to change the camera angle or tap a location down the street to move closer to it.
    6. You can also use the curved arrows around the compass icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen to change the direction of the camera.

    The images on Google Street View are updated once every one to three years, but well-known places are updated more frequently. You can check the date of a Street View image by looking for the date in the black box at the top left-hand side of the screen, or on the bar on the bottom right-hand side of the screen. 

    A screenshot of 248 Central Park W on Google Street View shows red boxes and red arrows emphasizing the date the image was taken: September 2023.
    Check the black box or bottom bar to see when a Google Street View image was taken.

    How to get street view on Google Maps on your phone

    If you're on the go and need to use your mobile device to check out your destination, here's what you'll need to do:

    1. Open the Google Maps app on your iPhone or Android.
    2. Tap the search bar and enter the name or address of the place you want to view.
    3. Tap the small photo box on the left side of the screen.
    Two side-by-side iPhone screenshots show Google Street View: One image emphasizes the Street View button with a red box and red arrow, and the second shows a Street View image of Battery Park in New York City.
    To use Google Street View on mobile, simply search the address in Google Maps and tap the Street View box in the left corner.

    To navigate on the mobile version of Google Street View, drag one finger across the screen, starting on the side you want to go toward and ending on the opposite side of the screen.

    Can I blur my house on Google Maps?

    Google Street View may potentially reveal more than you'd like — maybe your house has distinctive features, or there's a large window with a view directly into your home.

    If you have concerns about privacy or safety, there is a solution. You can request Google to blur your house permanently, leaving behind only a vague outline of the building.

    Here's how to do it: 

    1. Go to Google Maps and enter your home address.
    2. Enter into Street View mode by dragging the small yellow human-shaped icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen onto the map in front of your house.
    3. With your house in view, click "Report a problem" in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
    4. Center the red box on your home, and select "My home" in the "Request blurring" field.
    A screenshot shows Google Maps' page to report an inappropriate street view, with the "My home" option selected and emphasized with a red box and red arrow.
    If you're the homeowner or tenant, you can request that Google Maps blur your residence on Street View.

    Once someone has requested to blur your house, it is important to note it is blurred permanently. Google does not offer to reverse this request. 

    How can I see a live Street View in real time?

    Live View in Google Maps is a unique tool that uses augmented reality to provide directions. Live View uses your phone's camera to display your current surroundings in the viewfinder, then projects directions, arrows, and other navigation cues onto the screen to show you where to go.

    Live View is still a fairly limited feature — it isn't available in every country or on every type of mobile device, and it only works in areas that are already well-mapped by Street View.

    Here's how to use it on Android or Apple devices:

    1. On your phone or tablet, open the Google Maps app.
    2. In the search bar, enter a destination and select Walking
    3. Once your destination is located on the map, tap the Live View icon.
    A screenshot of Google Maps shows the "Live View" button emphasized with a red box and red arrow.
    Select the Live View icon located on the bottom of the Google Maps screen.

    1. Once the Live View is on, point your phone's camera around to determine your exact location.
    2. Follow the arrows, and once Google Maps has recognized your location you can start your journey.
    A screenshot of Live View on Google Maps shows large blue and white arrows directing the user to physically turn left.
    Live View will superimpose directions on your viewfinder to tell you where to go.

    Google also offers a similar augmented-reality feature called Lens in Maps, which uses Google Lens technology to suggest helpful locations nearby, like coffee shops, ATM machines, parks, transit hubs, and more.

    Here's how to use Lens in Maps:

    1. Open the Google Maps app
    2. Tap the Lens icon in the search bar, and lift your phone
    A side-by-side image shows a Google Maps screenshot of the Lens in Maps icon, and a screenshot of the Google Maps viewfinder with suggestions for nearby Brooklyn locations and neighborhoods.
    As you move your phone in different directions, Lens in Maps will suggest nearby locations.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Donald Trump is reportedly considering an advisory role for Elon Musk

    Donald Trump (left) and Elon Musk (right)
    If Donald Trump (left), is re-elected, Elon Musk (right) could have a new entry on his resume.

    • Elon Musk and Donald Trump are discussing a role for him in the White House, the WSJ reported.
    • Musk and Trump have had a hot-and-cold relationship over the years.
    • In March, Musk said the US is need of a "red wave" to save it.

    There's a chance Elon Musk could be spending more time at the White House if Donald Trump ends up back in office.

    The pair have been discussing a potential advisory role for Musk if Trump wins the 2024 election, The Wall Street Journal reported.

    Although the title and details of the role are unclear, people familiar with the topic told the Journal that discussions involved ways to give Musk input on border security and economic policies. Still, the position hasn't been fully discussed and might not happen, they said.

    Despite his differences with Trump over the past two years, Musk is reportedly privately campaigning for his wealthy peers to pull back their support for Joe Biden, the Journal said. Musk is also working with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz on a plan to invest in a project to prevent voter fraud using data to make sure votes are fairly counted, it said.

    Musk has been open about his views on the Biden administration in recent months. In March, the Tesla CEO said on X that he used to vote "100% Dem until a few years ago."

    "Now, I think we need a red wave or America is toast," Musk added in the post.

    He said in the same month that he has no plans to donate to Trump or Biden.

    But before that, his biographer Walter Isaacson wrote in "Elon Musk" that the billionaire had said that "Trump might be one of the world's best bullshitters."

    Musk has not committed to endorsing Trump, the Journal said.

    Still, according to the Journal, Musk and Trump have been dining together and discussing issues such as immigration, tech, and the Space Force.

    "President Trump will be the only voice of what role an individual plays in his presidency," Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, told the Journal.

    Elon Musk didn't immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Jamie Dimon says there could be ‘hell to pay’ if the swelling private-credit market starts showing cracks

    Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase in December 2023
    Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase

    • "There could be hell to pay" if private credit markets wobble, Jamie Dimon said.
    • He warned that there are bad actors in the industry, and they'll likely be the source of any issues.
    • "I don't think it's systemic, but I do expect there to be problems."

    JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said private credit could spark turmoil if the opaque sector of financial markets weakens. 

    "There could be hell to pay," he said at a conference on Wednesday. "I've seen a couple of these deals that were rated by a rating agency and, I have to confess, it shocked me what they got rated. So, it reminds me a little bit of mortgages."

    The private credit market—a corner of finance dominated by non-bank lenders who originate loans to private businesses—has grown rapidly in recent years. Although returns on these assets have increasingly outpaced the S&P 500 since the early 2000s, risks in the industry are not well known, the IMF noted in April.

    In Dimon's view, some players in the space are "brilliant," and the sector succeeds in filling financial needs for firms that may be overlooked by larger institutions. 

    "But not all the people doing it are good," Dimon said. "And the problems in financial markets are often caused by the 'not good one,' the people that make the mistakes."

    Issues could start to crop up as retail investors are increasingly exposed to the space and come face-to-face with private-credit assets that might be illiquid, improperly marked, or not stress-tested, he said.

    "Retail clients tend to circle the block and call their senators and congressmen," Dimon said, and later concluded: "

    At the same time, JPMorgan is looking to step deeper into this space itself, with the bank looking to acquire a private-credit firm to grow its footprint in the sector, Bloomberg reported. According to the outlet, the lender has also put aside $10 billion for direct lending.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • I tried every burger at In-N-Out and ranked them from worst to best

    in n out burgers in a box
    I went to In-N-Out and ordered and ranked every burger, including the ones on the chain's "not-so-secret" menu.

    • I tried every burger on In-N-Out's main and "not-so-secret" menu.
    • My least favorite burger I tried from In-N-Out was the plain hamburger.
    • The best fast-food burger was the flavorful, well-priced Double-Double "animal-style" burger.

    On a trip to Austin, I ordered every burger at In-N-Out, a Californian fast-food chain famous for its well-priced, oversized burgers.

    Harry and Esther Snyder opened their first In-N-Out burger stand in 1948. In 1963, In-N-Out began serving its famous Double-Double burger and added "animal-style" burgers to its menu two years later. The chain, which now operates in eight states, opened its 400th restaurant in 2023 and is a favorite of celebrities and world-class chefs alike. 

    In-N-Out is helmed by Lynsi Snyder, the only granddaughter of Harry and Esther Snyder. At 42, she is one of the youngest billionaires in the US, with a net worth of $6.7 billion. The company has evolved under her leadership, but the menu at In-N-Out has remained largely unchanged over the decades. 

    Here's every burger at In-N-Out, ranked from worst to best.

    My least favorite burger at In-N-Out was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the plain hamburger.
    in n out plain hamburger
    In-N-Out hamburger.

    It came on a warm toasty bun and cost $3.15. 

    I knew it would probably be underwhelming compared to the menu's other burgers, which come with more exciting toppings.
    in n out plain hamburger
    In-N-Out hamburger.

    I turned out to be correct.

    The beef patty was crispy and had a nice flavor to it.
    in n out plain hamburger
    In-N-Out hamburger.

    However, it definitely needed some kind of topping. This order is really only for children or people with picky palettes. 

    The cheeseburger was slightly better.
    in n out cheeseburger
    In-N-Out cheeseburger.

    It cost just $3.50, though I didn't think it was necessarily worth it considering you can get a much larger, more flavorful burger for a slightly higher price.

    It comes with one beef patty and a slice of American cheese.
    in n out cheeseburger
    In-N-Out cheeseburger.

    The bun was toasted and the melted cheese covered the entirety of the crispy beef.

    However, despite being slightly better than the hamburger, I probably wouldn't order this again.
    in n out cheeseburger
    In-N-Out cheeseburger.

    If I did, I would definitely ask for extra toppings like ketchup, mustard, onions, or pickles.

    The 4×4 is the largest burger at In-N-Out and is part of the chain's "not-so-secret" menu.
    in n out 4x4
    In-N-Out 4×4.

    Also called the "Quad Quad," the mammoth burger comes with four beef patties, four cheese slices, lettuce, tomato, spread, and the option to add onions. It costs $9.49, making it the most expensive burger I tried.

    The ginormous burger was difficult to hold in one hand, let alone bite into.
    in n out 4x4
    In-N-Out 4×4.

    Looking at it, it was just so much meat. You would have to have a really big appetite to get through the entire thing, I would imagine.

    All of the elements of the burger were delicious, from the juicy beef patties to the layers of cheese and fresh lettuce and tomato.
    in n out 4x4
    In-N-Out 4×4.

    However, it was much too large for me. I definitely couldn't, and wouldn't, eat this if not for this taste test. It was over-the-top filling, and the vegetables did little to balance out how much meat and cheese were in the burger. The buns also began to fall apart while I was eating it.

    I also tried a Double-Double protein-style.
    in n out protein style
    In-N-Out burger protein-style.

    As part of the chain's "not-so-secret" menu, you can order any burger wrapped in lettuce rather than buns. The burger cost $4.50.

    I was surprised that swapping out the buns for lettuce didn't affect the price at all. I would have thought it would be cheaper to get lettuce buns, but I guess that's not necessarily the case.

    It came with two burger patties, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and spread.
    in n out protein style
    In-N-Out burger protein-style.

    I'm not usually a fan of lettuce-wrapped burgers, but I wanted to give this celebrity-favorite order a shot. Kylie Jenner reportedly orders her burger this way when she stops by In-N-Out.

    I felt there was way too much lettuce on this lower-carb burger.
    in n out protein style
    In-N-Out burger protein-style.

    I thought the lettuce made the burger so watery that I couldn't really enjoy the other ingredients. It was definitely lighter than the other burgers I tried, but when I'm going to a fast-food joint, that's not usually my goal. 

    It wasn't a "lettuce bun" — it was just lettuce.

    The Double Meat burger, also on the chain's secret menu, is basically a Double-Double without the cheese.
    in n out double meat
    In-N-Out double meat burger.

    It cost $4.90 at the In-N-Out I went to. 

    It comes with two beef patties, lettuce, tomato, spread, and optional onions.
    in n out double meat
    In-N-Out double meat burger.

    There was a generous serving of each of the ingredients, from the lettuce and tomato to the thick layer of spread on the bottom of the burger.

    The absence of cheese allowed the other ingredients to really come through.
    in n out double meat
    In-N-Out double meat burger.

    It tasted a little lighter and was definitely more manageable to eat than some of the other large burgers. The lettuce and tomato tasted really fresh, while the spread added enough flavor to make up for the lack of cheese.

    This burger really impressed me, even though I do personally prefer cheese on my burgers.

    My third-favorite burger on In-N-Out's menu was the 3×3.
    in n out 3x3
    In-N-Out 3×3.

    It comes with lettuce, tomato, spread, and the option to add onions, plus three burger patties and three slices of cheese. It cost $7.30, which I thought was a pretty fair price for the huge burger I received. 

    This burger was much easier to eat than the 4×4.
    in n out 3x3
    In-N-Out 3×3.

    Each beef patty was coated in tangy, gooey cheese. It had a perfect amount of crisp lettuce and tomato to balance out the meat and cheese.

    The burger was easier to hold and eat than the larger version.
    in n out 3x3
    In-N-Out 3×3.

    The buns held up better. Overall, despite the generous portion of meat and cheese, it tasted balanced.

    I also ordered a plain Double-Double, which is In-N-Out's version of a double cheeseburger.
    in n out double cheeseburger
    In-N-Out double cheeseburger.

    Most Double-Double burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onions, and spread. Since I would also be trying another Double-Double with those ingredients, I ordered it without lettuce and tomato. I ordered it with just onions, pickles, and spread. The burger cost $4.90.

     

    The patties were incredibly juicy but had a nice char on the outside.
    in n out double cheeseburger
    In-N-Out double cheeseburger.

    The cheese slices were perfectly melted and coated each part of the burger, something I couldn't say about any other burger I tried.

    The bun was perfectly soft and held everything together perfectly, while the special spread had my mouth watering for another bite.

    The burger was beyond flavorful, the perfect size, and shockingly inexpensive.
    in n out double cheeseburger
    In-N-Out double cheeseburger.

    It was by far the best double cheeseburger I've ever had from a fast-food restaurant.

    By far, the best burger I tried at In-N-Out was the Double-Double "animal-style."
    in n out double double animal style
    In-N-Out Double-Double animal style.

    The Double-Double usually comes with two beef patties, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, and spread, but animal-style is slightly different.

    However, it doesn't affect the price. My burger cost only $4.90, which I thought was a really good deal for the huge, flavorful burger I received.

    If you order your burger animal-style, the beef patties will be cooked in mustard and come with all the aforementioned toppings, plus pickles and extra spread, and the onions will be grilled.
    in n out double double animal style
    In-N-Out Double-Double animal style.

    The burger was not only picture-perfect, but it was probably the best fast-food burger I've ever eaten.

    The pickles were tart and crunchy, the beef patties were over-the-top juicy and flavorful, and the cheese-to-meat ratio was perfect.
    in n out double double animal style
    In-N-Out Double-Double animal style.

    The onions came through and added a lot of flavor and I really liked the spread. It was super savory and unlike any other sauce I've had on a fast-food burger before.

    The burger itself was also very large, and all the ingredients tasted fresh. The cheese was also flavorful and thick. For less than $5, this was my favorite burger, by far.

    After eating my way through the entire In-N-Out burger menu, I could really understand why the fast-food chain has such a cult following.
    in n out eaten burgers in a box
    In-N-Out eaten burgers in a box.

    None of the burgers I tried were bad — some just had more exciting elements than others.

    The next time I'm at In-N-Out, I'll definitely order a Double-Double animal style, but I wouldn't hesitate to order a double cheeseburger, 3×3, or even the Double Meat again.

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  • Trump claims the hush money porn star case is so ‘rigged’ against him that not even Mother Teresa could get acquitted

    Donald Trump and Mother Teresa
    Former President Donald Trump invoked Mother Teresa in his comments defending himself from charges he tried to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star.

    • Donald Trump invoked Mother Teresa as jurors began deliberations in his Manhattan criminal trial.
    • "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," the former president said.
    • Trump is accused of helping falsify business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star.

    Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the Manhattan District Attorney's case that he falsified business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star is so "rigged" that not even one of the most famous modern Catholic saints could not get acquitted.

    "I would say listening to the charges from the judge, who, as you know is very conflicted and corrupt, because of the confliction, very, very corrupt, Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," Trump said flanked by his attorney Todd Blanche.

    Trump was addressing reporters just moments after Justice Juan Merchan gave his final instructions to the 12 jurors who will now weigh whether to render a verdict that could make Trump the first former president to become a felon.

    The former president has repeatedly attacked Merchan over the justice's $15 donation to Biden's 2020 campaign. Trump also criticized Merchan's daughter to the point that the justice added her to the gag order that prohibits Trump from criticizing witnesses or the jury during the trial.

    The crux of the criminal case is that in the wake of the publication of the Access Hollywood tape, Trump's presidential campaign was extremely worried about additional stories about the then 2016-Republican presidential nominee's treatment of women. On the 2005 tape, Trump told Billy Bush, then a co-host of Access Hollywood, that he could "grab" women "by the pussy" because he was a star.

    Adult film actress Stormy Daniels was considering going public with her claim that she had sex with Trump after they met at a 2006 celebrity golf tournament. Michael Cohen, a Trump Organization attorney, testified that he orchestrated a $130,000 payment to Daniels to keep her quiet after the tape's publication and before the 2016 election. Cohen, Trump's former self-described "fixer," also claimed that Trump was aware that he was really paying Cohen back for the hush money when the then-president cut him a series of checks after the 2016 election for legal expenses.

    Pope Francis formally canonized Mother Teresa as a saint in September 2016. He praised the Calcutta nun as an "emblematic figure of womanhood and consecrated life."

    "May she be your model of holiness," Francis said, addressing volunteers around the world who seek to carry on Teresa's spirit of charitable giving.

    Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She has faced criticism over the true intentions of her missionary work.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • Dick’s says its youth sports app will bring in $100 million this year

    view behind the plate of a little league baseball game
    A Little League game in Deptford, New Jersey.

    • Dick's Sporting Goods has something unusual for a retailer: an app to manage youth team sports.
    • The service now boasts 5 million users who spend a half hour per day on the platform.
    • Dick's says the business will bring in $100 million this year, in addition to driving retail sales.

    Dick's Sporting Goods has long offered youth athletes and coaches a number of spiral-bound ways to organize teams and keep score.

    But in recent years, the company has been investing in something unusual for a retailer: an AI-powered app to manage youth team sports, with livestream video and auto-generated highlight reels from games.

    Now, the aptly named Game Changer platform is driving real revenue with some notable engagement, Dick's CEO Lauren Hobart told investors on the company's earnings call Wednesday.

    Hobart said last quarter saw 5 million users who spent a half hour per day on the platform, and Game Changer says it supports over a million teams and over 7 million games per year.

    Dick's CFO Navdeep Gupta said the business segment will bring in a highly profitable $100 million in revenue this year, but the real kicker for the company is the lift for retail sales online and in-store, especially among loyalty program members.

    "Athletes that are both GameChanger user and a Scorecard user have 2x the revenue profile for just a Scorecard user," the CFO said. "That indicates also that the level of engagement that we have with these multi-channel athletes is actually really, really exciting and interesting to us as we look to the long-term opportunity for this platform."

    Initially developed for so-called "diamond sports" like baseball and softball, Game Changer has been rolling out new AI-powered features to better support sports like basketball, soccer, volleyball, and more, bringing a kind of ESPN+ viewing experience to far-flung family members and fans.

    Read the original article on Business Insider
  • PwC inks deal with OpenAI for powerful ChatGPT version as almost all its consulting clients ‘actively’ engage with AI

    PwC
    PwC will deploy generative AI over 100,000 of its employees and also sell ChatGPT Enterprise.

    • PwC has a new deal with OpenAI as the largest user and first reseller of ChatGPT Enterprise.
    • The deal comes amid surging interest in GenAI, with 950 of its top 1,000 clients engaging with it.
    • "Your business strategy and your AI strategy in this world need to be intertwined," said a PwC exec. 

    Big Four consultancy firm PwC has a new deal with OpenAI to help its staff and clients leverage generative AI.

    The companies announced Wednesday that PwC will now be the largest user of ChatGPT Enterprise, the most powerful tier of ChatGPT geared toward businesses. According to OpenAI, it offers higher-grade security, longer context windows to process longer inputs, and more advanced data analysis abilities than the consumer version of ChatGPT. PwC will deploy the product across 100,000 of its employees between the US and UK.

    As part of the deal, PwC will also be the first reseller of ChatGPT Enterprise — meaning that clients can now purchase the product from both OpenAI and PwC.

    The deal formalizes the surging interest in generative AI that PwC has seen from clients over the past year. Around 950 of the firm's top 1,000 consulting clients in the US are actively engaged with generative AI, and many more are discussing the use and implications of the technology, according to its press release.

    PwC announced last year that it would invest a billion dollars in generative AI over the coming three years to provide AI training and tooling for its employees — like its conversational AI assistant ChatPwC. Since then the firm has documented over 3,000 use cases for the technology, Joe Atkinson, PwC's US Chief Products & Technology Officer, told Business Insider. "We were our first client, so we would work through our client zero strategy," Atkinson said. Under the new deal, "we're bringing all of those capabilities and skills to our clients who are really, really eager to take their own strategy from where they are today to where they think they can be with generative AI."

    He said the biggest questions the firm gets from clients are about the risks and biases of AI models and the accuracy of their outputs. So, it's clear they still need human oversight.

    But Atkinson contends that businesses need to embrace AI if they want to survive.

    "One of the things we keep telling our clients is, look, your business strategy and your AI strategy in this world need to be intertwined. That understanding, I think is really starting to make itself known in the C-suite and the boardrooms," he said.

    Read the original article on Business Insider