Tim Cook opens an Apple store in Shanghai in March.
VCG/Getty Images
Bad news for Apple: iPhones have yet another new competitor in China.
Huawei just released a new line of smartphones called the Pura 70.
The devices give Chinese consumers another reason to abandon their iPhones.
Tim Cook would like you to think everything is going swimmingly for Apple in China.
A highlight reel of the Apple CEO's recent trip to the country, posted to his Weibo account, showed him being papped by fans at the opening of a new store in Shanghai's Jing'an district, taking selfies on an iPhone with celebrity models, and casually strolling the historic Bund.
"Every time I am in China, I can feel the unique charm here again. Thank you very much for the warm reception!" Cook wrote in the social media post.
Here's the thing. The Apple chief actually had a major dilemma facing him in China at the time he posted the video last month: iPhone sales were down by an alarming 24% in the first six weeks of the year, per data from Counterpoint Research.
And despite the charm offensive from Cook, there's a risk that downward spiral is about to get a whole lot worse.
On Thursday, Huawei released a new series of smartphones called the Pura 70. They come fitted with an advanced new camera system that looks similar to the trio of lenses on the back of the iPhone Pro models, and starts at $760.
Huawei's new Pura70 phone has three cameras, just like the iPhone Pro.
CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty Images
Critically, the new phones give Huawei a fresh opportunity to take a bigger bite out of Apple's share of the China smartphone market. It's already won over some consumers since launching the Mate 60 Pro series last year.
The Mate 60 raised some fears in the US last year after the discovery that they were being powered by advanced chips that Washington had sought to prevent China obtaining by imposing tight export controls.
Those chips, made domestically, helped Huawei make huge gains in China by enabling features that rival those seen in iPhones. They're now believed to be in the new Pura 70 devices too, per Reuters, which spoke to a customer who tested their network speed.
The Huawei Mate 60 rivals the latest iPhone.
Wang Gang/Getty Images
Counterpoint estimated a 64% surge in smartphone sales for Huawei in the first six weeks of the year. The Pura 70 could continue that momentum. Ivan Lam, senior analyst at Counterpoint, told Reuters he thinks Huawei could almost double phone shipments this year to 60 million units.
This is not the sort of thing Apple wants to hear, of course.
China has been its most important international market for several years, but that's under threat from the rise of domestic rivals that can entice Chinese consumers with devices that look and feel nearly identical to iPhones.
Apple has already shown weakness in the face of domestic competition in China. Net sales in the Greater China region were $20.8 billion in the final three months of last year, down from $23.9 billion in the same period of 2022.
Wedbush analysts wrote last week that Apple is "navigating one of the more difficult China demand environments we have seen the last five years." They expect another decline in iPhone sales in the region in Apple's quarterly earnings on May 2.
Cook might be putting on a brave face, but iPhone sales in China may keep sliding if Huawei has its way.
Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads from its Chinese app store following a government order.
WhatsApp has been blocked in China since 2017 and its parent company Meta since 2009.
Other Western platforms like Gmail, YouTube, Snap, and Spotify have also been censored in China.
Apple removed WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China after being told to do soby the Chinese government, according to the Wall Street Journal.
China's top internet regulator asked Apple to remove the two apps because of national security concerns.
"We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree," an Apple spokesperson told The Journal.
The Chinese government has blocked WhatsApp since 2017, while its parent company, Meta, has been blocked since 2009. Other Western media platforms, including Gmail, YouTube, Snapchat, and Spotify, have also been censored in China.
Some users find ways to access these platforms through virtual private networks, but removal from the app store may prevent this.
Apple did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment sent outside normal business hours.
A Meta spokesperson referred BI to Apple for comment.
China is an important manufacturing and consumer market for Apple. CEO Tim Cook visited the country last month to open a new store in Shanghai and rub elbows with top policymakers. That visit came after iPhone sales dropped earlier this year. And in January, Chinese chipmakers drew up plans to create chip production lines to supply processors to local smartphone makers. The move stands to hurt Apple, which has so far benefited from tight export restrictions.
China's direction to Apple comes as US policymakers debate a ban on TikTok, the popular Chinese app. Some lawmakers are concerned about data harvesting and political influence. The bill would prevent Apple and Google from distributing TikTok's app in their app stores and ban US websites from hosting TikTok.
International benchmark Brent crude oil futures rose as much as 4.2% before trading 2.8% higher at $89.54 a barrel at 11:15 p.m. EDT. US West Texas Intermediate futures were 3.2% higher at $85.40 a barrel.
The strike on Friday came days after Iran attacked Israel on Saturday with a barrage of more than 300 missiles and drones. On April 1, Iran's embassy in Damascus, Syria, was hit with a strike. Israel didn't claim responsibility for the strike, but Iran held it accountable and vowed retaliation.
Markets have been on edge over fears of a widening of the conflict in the Middle East — a major oil-producing region. A broader conflict could disrupt energy supplies, which could impact the global economy.
If the reports turn out to be true, "fears over further escalation will only grow, as well as concerns that we are potentially moving closer towards a situation where oil supply risks lead to actual supply disruptions," ING commodity strategists wrote on Friday.
"It's a shoot first and ask questions later dynamic for investors. This is Israel's 'tat' to Iran's 'tit,' and the fear is that this tit-for-tat situation could spiral further out of control," Kyle Rodda, a senior market analyst at Capital.com, an online trading platform, told Business Insider.
"Iran seems to be downplaying the attack for now, which says to me that it does not wish to inflame the situation further and create conditions in which it will be forced to retaliate with equal or greater force," Rodda said.
"However, the event is fresh and fluid, so uncertainty prevails," he added.
Stock markets are also selling off on the news while the price of gold, a safe haven, rose to near a record high.
US stock futures fell, with S&P500 down 1.3%.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index was 3.5% lower at 11:16 a.m. local time.
The spot gold price was 1.2% higher at $2,406.92 an ounce.
Russia's Black Sea Fleet warships taking part in the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk in July 2023.
Stringer/AFP via Getty Images
Russia has been fortifying its Black Sea Fleet naval base, says the UK's defense ministry.
The ministry added that the Black Sea Fleet has become less active after its commander was replaced.
Russia's navy has suffered significant losses since the Ukraine war began in 2022.
Russia has been beefing up the defenses for its Black Sea Fleet naval base in Novorossiysk, the UK's defense ministry said in an intelligence dispatch on Thursday.
The "maintenance, logistics and weapons-handling infrastructure at Novorossiysk has highly likely been improved," the ministry wrote in an X post, citing a satellite photo it had obtained.
The UK's defense ministry noted in its update that the Black Sea Fleet "has largely withdrawn its ships and submarines from Sevastopol further eastwards to Novorossiysk."
Basing the fleet at Novorossiysk, the ministry said, was the fleet's "best method of avoiding Ukrainian sea-borne attack."
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 18 April 2024.
"The fleet has been the least active since the war began," the UK's defense ministry said on Thursday, noting that the shift had taken place following Sokolov's removal in March.
This isn't the first time the Russians have tried to shore up their naval defenses to stave off future Ukrainian attacks.
Last month, the UK's defense ministry said it had "identified four barges positioned at the entrance to the Black Sea Fleet facility of Novorossiysk Sea Port."
"Pinchuk, has likely sought to improve the survival chances of Russian vessels by adopting further preventative and defensive measures, including narrowing the entrance gap to port facilities," the UK defense ministry wrote on March 31.
Representatives for the Russian defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
Map of Iran. An explosion was heard in Iran, according to Iranian state media.
Google Maps
An explosion was heard in Iran, according to CNN, which cited Iranian state media outlet FARS.
It's unclear what has caused the reported explosion.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
An explosion was heard in Iran, CNN reported, citing Iranian state media outlet FARS.
According to FARS, the explosion was heard in the city of Ghahjaworstan, which is located near Isfahan, Iran. The Iranian news outlet said that "the city of Ghahjaworstan is located near Isfahan Airport and the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force."
It's unclear what has caused the reported explosion.
Air defense has been activated, per state media, and CNN, citing an announcement by an airline company spokesperson on Iranian TV, reported that all flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz have been suspended.
The Israel Defense Forces, Pentagon, and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter from Business Insider.
The explosion comes several days after Iran's unprecedented and large-scale attack on Israel last weekend, during which Tehran and its proxies fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel. Nearly all of the munitions were shot down by Israel and its partner forces in the region, including the US.
Israeli officials earlier this week vowed to retaliate for the attack, despite many of its Western partners urging restraint, warning that any action could trigger a larger military confrontation and plunge the Middle East even further into violence.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk weighed in on the severance offered to laid-off staff earlier in the week.
Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
Tesla sent notices canceling some separation agreements, according to two laid-off employees and a notification seen by Business Insider.
Elon Musk previously stated some severance packages were "incorrectly low."
The cancellations came after some workers received severance offers for two months of pay.
Some laid-off Tesla workers received a notification that their separation agreements had been canceled on Thursday and to expect new ones, two laid-off workers told Business Insider.
The workers received a notification about a document titled "Your separation agreement," with "status: canceled," according to one of the emails obtained by BI. The notification said: "Canceled by sender: Cancelling to send updated agreement," according to a screenshot of the message. The email appears to be an automatic email from Adobe's Acrobat Sign e-signature tool.
The notification comes after Elon Musk sent a companywide email to current Tesla employees on Wednesday, saying that "some severance packages are incorrectly low."
"My apologies for this mistake. It is being corrected immediately," Musk said in the email that was viewed by BI.
Some of the former employees who received the notification had been previously offered two months of severance. The severance packages didn't appear to be weighted based on the length of time workers had been with Tesla, as workers with anywhere from a few months to several years at Tesla received the same number of weeks paid out, five sources who received the offers told BI.
Other workers told BI that as of Thursday afternoon, they'd still yet to receive any information about severance packages.
Under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, companies that have more than 100 workers are required to provide 60 days of notice before a large-scale layoff. Violations of the WARN Act can entitle workers to up to 60 days of pay and benefits if they're not given proper advanced notice.
Musk announced he planned to cut more than 10% of Tesla's workforce on Sunday night. Impacted workers received emails notifying them they'd been terminated within a few hours of Musk's internal announcement.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Do you work for Tesla or have a tip? Contact gkay@businessinsider.comfrom a nonwork email and device.
In this courtroom sketch, former President Donald Trump smiles to the jury pool as he is introduced to them at the beginning of his New York criminal trial on April 15, 2024.
Jane Rosenberg/Pool Photo via AP
Seven men and five women have been selected as jurors for Donald Trump's criminal trial.
The jury skews male and white collar.
Jurors include 3 men who work in finance and 2 male lawyers.
Twelve of Donald Trump's peers — 7 men, and 5 women — have been chosen to decide the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president.
The jurors hail from throughout Manhattan. A majority have white-collar careers.
Three jurors, all of them men, have careers in finance. Two jurors, both men, are practicing attorneys. Another two, both women, are health workers.
On Thursday afternoon, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan selected the 12th juror in Trump's Manhattan criminal case.
Two men chosen in the afternoon filled seats that had been vacated earlier in the day. One seat was vacated by a woman who feared publicity, another for more mysterious reasons.
One out of six alternate jurors, a woman, was also chosen.
"We have our jury," Merchan announced to the courtroom after the 12th juror was chosen.
Merchan must still choose five more alternate seats, a process that will likely be completed as soon as Friday. Opening statements are expected to begin Monday, the judge said.
Trump's lawyers questioned the jurors about their feelings about the former president. One woman — who said her apartment was robbed before and has a "close friend" who was convicted of financial fraud — said she doesn't like Trump's "persona."
Trump was "very selfish and self-serving" and "not my cup of tea," she said.
But she believed she could set those feelings aside for the trial, she told the lawyers.
"I don't like some of my coworkers, but I don't try to sabotage their work," she explained, drawing an outburst of laughter from the jury box.
Others left a markedly less colorful impression. One of the attorneys chosen to serve is a middle-aged white man who works at a big law firm but says he knows "virtually nothing about criminal law" because he handles only civil cases.
Then there's a guy with outdoorsy hobbies who said he doesn't really follow the news, but he does listen to podcasts on behavioral psychology.
"It's my little hobby," he said.
Several jurors are difficult to pigeonhole.
There's a man who says he knows "little" about Trump's criminal cases and gets his news from The New York Times, The Daily Mail, Fox News, and MSNBC.
Another is a young Black woman who said her friends carry strong opinions about Trump, but that she is "not a political person" and appreciates that he "speaks his mind."
"I would rather that in a person than someone who's in office and you don't know what they're doing behind the scenes," the woman said.
In this courtroom sketch, former President Donald Trump sits beside his lawyer Todd Blanche on the second day of jury selection.
The courtroom was markedly colder than on the previous days, something Trump complained about throughout the day.
He sometimes wrapped his arms around himself, as if trying to stay warm. He also looked at prospective jurors in the juror box, turning his body and draping his arm over the back of his chair.
Thursday's jury selection process got off to an ominous start after prosecutors said Trump sought to intimidate prospective jurors through a post on Truth Social, asking that he be held in contempt. One of the jurors who had been chosen earlier in the week dropped out, saying she was concerned about her ability to be impartial given the public attention to the case.
Prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney's office allege Trump illegally falsified business records by covering up hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress and director. The aim of those payments, according to prosecutors, was to keep her quiet about an affair she says she had with him ahead of the 2016 election so that he would not lose potential female voters.
While jurors were not expected to be totally ignorant of Trump and the hush-money controversy, they were asked a series of questions meant to suss out whether they could put aside any preconceived views and deliberate the case based on the evidence presented in the trial.
After all the chosen and prospective jurors were dismissed for the day, defense lawyer Todd Blanche acknowledged that testimony could begin as early as Monday.
Blanche asked if prosecutors could disclose who they planned to call as their witnesses first so the defense could prepare.
"That's been a courtesy we have been extending," prosecutor Joshua Steinglass responded.
"But Mr. Trump has been tweeting about the witnesses," the prosecutor complained, adding that he would not give out the first witnesses' names this far in advance.
Blanche asked if that would change if the defense promised that Trump would not "Truth" anything about the witnesses on social media.
"What if he makes that promise?" Blanche asked.
"That he would not be tweeting about any of the witnesses?" the judge responded. "I don't think that is a promise he can be making."
As Trump left the courtroom Thursday, he complained about the indictment and the cold courtroom.
"I'm sitting here for days now, from morning 'til night in that freezing room," Trump said in the hallway.
"Freezing. Everybody was freezing in there and all of this," he said. "And this is your result. Look at that. Each one of them is stellar. And it's a very it's a very bad thing. Very bad thing."
The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.
The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Citi Premier® Card, Citi® Double Cash Card, Citi Custom Cash℠ Card, Citi Rewards+® Card, Citi Prestige® Card, Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card†, Capital One Spark Miles for Business†, Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card, U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card, U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card, U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card, U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card, U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card, U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.
You can redeem Chase, Amex, Citi, Capital One, Discover, Bilt, U.S. Bank, Bank of America, and Hilton points directly at Amazon checkout — but it's not always the best idea.
Crystal Cox/Business Insider
You can significantly reduce your shopping bill by redeeming credit card rewards on Amazon.
Many popular currencies participate, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Amex Membership Rewards.
We don't usually recommend using points this way because they can be worth much more for travel.
Amazon makes it simple to redeem many rewards currencies from the best credit cards at checkout to offset your balance. We almost never recommend using your points this way, but it can make sense for you if you don't plan to travel in the near future.
This is also a good strategy if you have a small points balance you won't otherwise use. And it can make Amazon Prime Day deals even sweeter if you use points to discount or pay for your purchase.
Here's everything you need to know about using credit card points on Amazon purchases.
How to Use Points on Amazon
When you link a loyalty program to your Amazon account, Amazon may change your default payment method to points. This can be devastating if you're not paying attention and lose a large portion of points you had intended to save for travel.
Use Chase Points on Amazon
When you redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points with Amazon, you'll receive a value of 0.8 cents per point. Still, if you plan to use your points through Amazon, your best bet is to simply make your purchase with an eligible Chase card and then redeem your points for a statement credit later at a rate of 1 cent each.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
Chase Sapphire Reserve® — 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card — 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
To link your Chase Ultimate Rewards account with Amazon, click here. You'll then simply log in to your Amazon account, link your Chase card, and apply your Ultimate Rewards points at checkout.
Use Amex Points on Amazon
American Express Membership Rewards offers a very low redemption rate of 0.7 cents each for Amazon purchases — and the points value when redeeming for statement credits is even lower. If you want to make purchases with your Amex points, consider using them to purchase an American Express gift card at a rate of 1 cent per point, and then use those gift cards to buy your items.
You can earn Amex Membership Rewards points by opening and swiping cards like:
The Platinum Card® from American Express — 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership
American Express® Gold Card — 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership
You can link your Amex Membership Rewards account with Amazon by clicking here. You'll log in to your Amazon account, link your eligible American Express card, and choose to apply your points to your order at checkout.
Use Citi ThankYou Points on Amazon
Per Business Insider's estimations, you'll receive just half of the average Citi ThankYou points value when redeeming your rewards for shopping with Amazon. This is not the currency to collect if you intend to regularly use your points for online shopping.
Citi issues credit cards like the Citi® Double Cash Card and Citi Custom Cash℠ Card which earn Citi ThankYou points you can use for travel, cash back, and more. Earning rewards on one of these cards and redeeming them for cash is your best route if you intend to use them for online shopping.
Click here to link your Citi ThankYou account to Amazon. Then just select your Citi ThankYou card as your payment method and choose to pay with points
Use Capital One Miles on Amazon
Again, Capital One miles are best used for travel — not for Amazon purchases. You'll receive less than half the average points value by redeeming them for shopping — a meager 0.8 cents each.
You can link your Capital One miles account to Amazon by clicking here. After you enroll your qualifying Capital One card, you'll see the option to pay with Capital One miles at checkout.
Use Discover Rewards on Amazon
Whether you collect cash back with the Discover it® Cash Back or miles with the Discover it® Miles, you can redeem them directly through Amazon to pay for all or part of your cart.
All Discover rewards are worth 1 cent each, whether you spend through Amazon or redeem for cash. Therefore, it's more beneficial for you to make your purchase with the card and later request a statement credit instead of using your rewards for the purchase.
This ensures you'll earn rewards for your purchase — which is especially handy if you have the Discover it® Cash Back, as its rotating bonus categories sometimes include Amazon purchases (from April 1 to June 30, 2024, you can earn 5% cash back at gas stations & electric vehicle charging stations, home improvement stores, and public transit on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%).
Click here to link your Discover Rewards with Amazon and then select Discover as the payment method at checkout. You'll see the option to apply your cash back at that point.
Use Hilton Points on Amazon
You'd be hard-pressed to find a currency easier to earn than Hilton points. For example, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card currently offers a welcome bonus of 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership (offer ends 06/05/24).
You'll even get 5x points on the first $100,000 spent on other purchases outside of eligible Hilton purchases each calendar year (then 3x points).
However, the redemption rate of 0.2 cents per point means you'll get a return of as little as 0.6% back on purchases. If you intend to use Hilton points to shop on Amazon, make a cash-back credit card your daily driver, instead.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card — 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card within your first six months of card membership
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card — 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card within your first six months of card membership
Hilton Honors American Express Card — 80,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership
Use Marriott Points on Amazon
You can't use your Marriott points directly on the Amazon website as you can with the previous rewards currencies. However, if you navigate to Marriott Shop With Points, you can purchase an Amazon gift card with your points at the following rates:
$25 gift card — 10,000 points
$50 gift card — 17,500 points
$100 gift card — 30,000 points
In other words, the most value you'll get by using your points with Amazon is 0.33 cents each — less than half the average value you'll receive by using your points for travel.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card — three Free Night Awards, each with a redemption level of up to 50,000 points, after you use your new card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card — 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card — 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card — 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from your account opening
Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card — 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first three months from your account opening
Use Bilt Points on Amazon
You can use Bilt Points directly through the Amazon website after enrolling your Bilt Mastercard® on Shop with Points. Then, when you checkout on Amazon, select the Bilt credit card and choose the number of points you'd like to apply to your order.
You'll only get around 0.7 cents per point when you redeem on Amazon, which isn't the best rate but better than some of the other options on this list. However, you'll get the most value out of your reward points when you transfer to airline and hotel partners.
Click here to enroll your Bilt Mastercard® with Amazon.
Use U.S. Bank Rewards at Amazon
It's easy to redeem U.S. Bank rewards through Amazon.com checkout, and you'll get a solid 1:1 rate. So if you have an eligible U.S. Bank card, and are looking to redeem rewards for Amazon purchases, you'll get a fair value. However, redeeming for travel through the U.S. Bank portal is still a more valuable redemption option.
That said, if your main objective is to redeem on Amazon anyway, you might as well get a cash-back card versus a points-earning card. The best U.S. Bank card option in this instance is the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card, which can earn you 6% cash back at Amazon (when selected as one of two retail brand earning categories).
You can earn U.S. Bank rewards on the following cards:
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card — 30,000 bonus FlexPoints after spending $2,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first four months from account opening
U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card — $750 in rewards when you spend $7,500 in eligible purchases on the card within the first 120 days of account opening
Click here to enroll your card with Shop with Points.
Use Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards at Amazon
The Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of Business Insider's picks for the best Bank of America credit cards, and the only Bank of America credit card eligible to be enrolled in Shop with Points. It has a no-frills cash-back program that offers a value of 1 cent per point.
It's a no-annual-fee card and earns unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. New cardholders can earn $200 online cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days from account opening.
Once your card is enrolled with Shop with Points, you'll be able to view your eligible Bank of America point balance.
Click here to enroll your Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card with Shop with Points.
Watch for Promotional Discounts Using Points
We occasionally see promotions that give you significant value for using points at Amazon, even if you split your payment between rewards and cash. These offers will trigger when you use at least 1 credit card point at checkout.
Shop With Points at Amazon Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Amazon Shop With Points a good deal?
Paying with points at Amazon is almost never as good a deal as other redemptions. You won't receive outsized value for your rewards, and the return rate you'll get is significantly below what you can expect if you use them for travel. A big exception is the aforementioned promotions that offer a significant discount for using just a single point.
How do I find discount promotions for using points at Amazon?
Amazon promotional discounts for shopping with points usually come to your email. You can also search online for discounts using a specific rewards currency. These offers are usually targeted, so if you haven't received an email with a link to enroll, you may be out of luck.
A 30mm Stryker Infantry Carrier Vehicle – Dragoon during a 2022 exercise at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.
Markus Rauchenberger/US Army
The US Army moved fast to arm its Stryker armored vehicles with a powerful autocannon.
The 30mm gun would even the odds with Russian and Chinese troop carriers.
But the Army put in a large order before ensuring the first turrets worked properly.
Fearing that its Stryker armored vehicles were outgunned by Russian and Chinese designs, the US Army had an idea for a quick fix: Develop an unmanned Stryker turret with a 30-mm autocannon. But cutting corners in the $1 billion project has led to hardware and software issues that mean the more lethal Strykers won't be available until at least the end of 2024, a year later than scheduled.
"In prioritizing cost savings and rapid fielding, the Army assumed additional production risks because it did not follow sound acquisition practices," according to a Government Accountability Office report.
Though Army leaders said in December 2023 that software issues had been fixed, war clouds in Europe and Asia raise the prospect that Stryker units might go into battle against Russian and Chinese armored vehicles that are more heavily armed.
Compared to ultra-complex projects such as the F-35 stealth fighter, developing a small remote-controlled turret for an armored vehicle should have been easy. The project began in 2015. Worried by growing tensions in Europe and more lethal Russian hardware, the Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment — based in Germany — urgently requested heavier armament for the Stryker, a family of eight-wheel armored vehicles manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems.
Instead of the Stryker's normal armament of a .50-caliber or 7.62-mm machine gun, or a 40-mm grenade launcher, troops wanted a cannon that can punch through enemy armor and hardened positions. Russia arms its BMP series of infantry fighting vehicles with 30-mm, 73-mm or 100-mm guns, while China's new heavy VN-20 troop carrier comes with 30-mm or 100-mm cannon.
The Army obliged in 2018 with the Infantry Carrier Vehicle-Dragoon, which added a remote-controlled 30-mm gun turret — manufactured by Norwegian firm Kongsberg — to 91 flat-bottom-hull versions of the Strykers. General Dynamics did the modifications under an existing contract, which allowed the Army to develop and field the upgrade in a relatively quick two years. The Army decided the next year to buy 269 unmanned 30-mm turrets, under the Medium Caliber Weapons Systems (MCWS) program, at an estimated cost of $1.1 billion. This would be enough to upgrade Strykers in three brigades of 83 vehicles each, plus an additional 20 for testing.
But instead of simply fielding more Dragoons, the Army decided to make some changes. Instead of flat-bottomed Strykers, the turrets would be mounted on the double hull A1 version that is more blast-resistant and could better bear the weight and power requirements of a gun turret. Instead of a Kongsberg MCT-30 turret, the vehicles would receive a Samson turret made by Israeli firm Rafael. And instead of General Dynamics, the prime contractor would be Oshkosh Systems, whose bid was one-third or more lower than other contenders. However, the cannon would continue to be Northrop Grumman's XM813 chain gun used on the Dragoon.
The Army also fast-tracked the project, which shouldn't have been an issue. "Army officials stated that they chose to accelerate production of the Stryker MCWS, rather than begin system development, because the effort integrated mature, proven technologies—the Stryker Double-V Hull A1 and the 30-millimeter cannon," GAO noted.
The problem was that the Army was in such a hurry that it neglected some basic precautions. For example, Oshkosh's turret "was not tested by soldiers in their intended environment during the evaluation of the samples," the report said. "Instead, the vendors acted as the commanders and gunners during testing on a range."
US soldiers fire the Dragoon's 30mm autocannon during a 2022 exercise.
Kevin Payne/US Army
Nor was Oshkosh's demonstration turret built on the actual manufacturing line that would be used for full production. A big red flag should have been the glitches in the turret software that degraded the 30-mm cannon's accuracy. Because the gunner operates the cannon remotely from inside the vehicle, using a video feed rather than the naked eye, accurate targeting software is important. "The Army stated these risks were moderate because of Oshkosh Defense's assurance of a future software fix," GAO said. "Army officials acknowledged that they would not have the ability to evaluate the success of the software fix prior to awarding the production contract."
A perceived need to get improved vehicles to troops in the field is understandable. But what was unusual was that the Army "put in delivery orders for all 269 vehicles before ensuring that production line issues were addressed," Mona Sehgal, acting director of GAO's contracting and national security acquisitions team, told Business Insider.
The Army awarded Oshkosh the first order in June 2021 for 91 MCWS, followed by a second order for 83 in July 2021 and finally 95 in June 2022, according to GAO. The first turrets weren't actually delivered until July 2022.
Normal practice — in the Department of Defense or the business world — would be to place an initial order to judge the quality of the product, before placing further orders. "The Army had structured the agreement to allow that but chose not to execute it that way," Sehgal said.
Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Sundar Pichai said the workplace isn't a place to "debate politics."
Justin Sullivan/Getty
Google doubled down on its messaging to employees about staying focused on work.
Sundar Pichai said in a blog post the office isn't a place to "debate politics."
Google fired 28 workers involved in protests against its $1.2 billion contract with Israel.
Tucked at the bottom of Google CEO Sundar Pichai's splashy 1200-word restructuring announcement is a stern reminder to employees.
The CEO's message, which comes only two days after in-office protests, is loud and clear: the office isn't a place for politics.
It echoes an earlier memo Google's VP of security sent out on Wednesday after the company fired 28 employees involved in sit-in protests against Google's $1.2 billion contract with Israel in Sunnyvale and New York City. That separate memo had told workers to "think again" before violating company policies with sit-in protests.
Pichai doubled down on that sentiment Thursday at the end of his note in a section titled "Mission first," addressing the recent events and restating the company's "policies and expectations are clear."
"This is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics," Pichai said in the memo. "This is too important a moment as a company for us to be distracted."
Pichai also said employees have a duty to ensure the company is an "objective and trusted" provider of information that serves "all of our users globally."
"When we come to work, our goal is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," Pichai said. "That supersedes everything else and I expect us to act with a focus that reflects that."
The headline news in Pichai's announcement is that Google is combining its Android and hardware teams to create a "Platforms and Devices" team to oversee Google products that include its Pixel line, Android, Chrome, Photos, and more.
The tech giant is also consolidating teams that focus on building AI models across Google Research and DeepMind to scale its AI capacity. The CEO said the change will simplify development by having all the AI model-building teams in one place, and make space for more focused research into computing systems and the science behind AI.
"Excited to see what these teams accomplish in their new formation," Pichai said.
Are you a Googler? We want to hear from you. Email the reporter using a non-work device and email at aaltchek@insider.com.