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Buying a new home has always been stressful, but somewhere before the messy stuff — the loan applications, inspections, contracts, and wire transfers — there was joy in the house hunt.Maybe you'd start by poking around Zillow before a Realtor friend hears you're in the market for a change of scenery. She might offer to spend her Sunday driving you around to a few homes. No pressure, she'd say — her services are free. You float through living rooms and bedrooms, orchestrating home makeovers in your head. Maybe you find a house you like; maybe you don't. That evening, you and your agent chat about next steps over a glass of wine. The headaches come later; at this point, it's all about possibilities.As of Saturday, those carefree days are gone. Now, before a real-estate agent so much as opens a door for you, they'll probably ask you to sign what's known as a buyer-representation agreement. The contract will lay out the terms of their services and how much they expect to be paid. This kind of agreement used to be optional, at least so early in the game, and most agents decided it wasn't worth the hassle. They reasoned that because of the way agents' commissions were structured, buyers didn't really have to worry about those details, and they feared — maybe correctly — that the formality would scare off potential clients. Now they no longer have a choice.The new rule, which is part of a sweeping legal settlement, promises to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/homebuyers-real-estate-revolution-nar-lawsuits-new-rules-realtors-agents-2024-4">fundamentally rewire the housing market</a>. It'll force buyers to think seriously about how their agents get paid, something they rarely had to consider in the past. Some buyers could find themselves <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bad-real-estate-agents-realtors-homebuyers-sellers-housing-market-2023-7">legally bound to a clumsy agent</a> or on the hook for thousands of dollars. Real-estate agents, on the other hand, may struggle to get would-be clients to sign on the dotted line. Those who can't "communicate value" — a catchphrase among brokers that basically means "convince buyers that your services are worth a few months' pay" — <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-agents-realtors-reckoning-housing-market-home-sales-slow-2023-4">risk flunking out of the business</a>. This may sound like a huge headache for both parties, but there are real upsides. Buyers may be more likely to vet their options before settling down with an agent, and many could actually spend less on commissions. Those who panic at the prospect of paying their agent out of pocket will almost certainly be able to find workarounds.One thing is clear: Casual home shopping is a thing of the past."It's a huge behavior change for Realtors," Laura Ellis, an executive at Baird &amp; Warner, a Chicago-area real-estate brokerage, told me recently. "It's the biggest change in over 100 years."Home sellers have always had to think, at least in passing, about agent commissions. The typical seller hires an agent who agrees to market the home in exchange for a cut of the sale price (usually between 5% and 6%). The seller's agent then lists the home on a multiple listing service, a local database where other agents can find details on homes for sale, and promises to split their commission with the buyer's agent. Let's say the seller brings in $500,000 from the deal. They'll hand 5%, or $25,000, to their agent, who then gives half, or $12,500, to the buyer's agent. A buyer might stress over a down payment and grumble over shelling out a few thousand dollars for title insurance, but they never had to sweat the money changing hands between agents.The power of the multiple listing service ensured the payments flowed this way. A seller's agent was required to offer some compensation to the buyer's agent when posting a home on the database, and while it could technically be as little as $1, most stuck with the status quo of 2.5% to 3% of the sale price. I've written a lot about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-agents-lawsuits-buy-sell-homes-forever-housing-market-2023-6">why the system worked this way</a>, but the important thing to know is that it exposed the industry to all kinds of accusations. Critics complained that it made no sense for a seller, who hopes to collect the highest possible price, to funnel a percentage to the buyer's agent. They also feared that buyers' agents might <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-agent-commissions-steering-hiding-homes-housing-market-lawsuits-2024-3">"steer" clients away from homes</a> that dared to offer less than the going rate. They argued that MLS rules discouraged negotiations and forced buyers and sellers to pay too much in commissions.At the center of this system was the National Association of Realtors, the powerful industry group that effectively controls about 97% of local multiple listing services, oversees roughly 1.5 million agents who pay to be members, and pretty much sets the ground rules for buying and selling homes in America. A few years ago, a group of disgruntled sellers sued the NAR, claiming that they'd been strong-armed into paying the customary 5% to 6% of the sale price in commissions. Last October, the plaintiffs <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuits-verdict-realtors-brokerages-real-estate-agents-home-buying-selling-2023-11">scored a surprise victory</a> in the first case to reach trial. As <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-antitrust-lawsuits-verdict-agent-commissions-nar-future-homebuying-2023-12">more suits piled up</a>, it became clear that the NAR would need to cut a deal. In March, the organization agreed to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/national-association-realtors-lawsuit-settlement-housing-market-homebuying-agents-commissions-2024-3">pay $418 million to settle</a>. It also agreed to update the rules governing local multiple listing services and agents who use them.That brings us to Saturday, Aug. 17. As of that date, agents can no longer advertise commissions on the MLS, which means the databases can no longer be used as a cudgel to make sure agents get paid the typical commission. The catch is that listing agents can still technically offer commissions to buyers' agents pretty much anywhere else — on their websites, over the phone, on billboards if they want to. This could allow for business as usual: A listing agent might still offer to split a commission with the buyer's agent through any of these alternate avenues. But in order to keep using the MLS, buyers' agents will have to abide by another rule that will further upend the old way of doing things. Before they can even tour a home with a client, any agent who uses a Realtor-controlled MLS — which, again, is most of them — will have to get the client to sign an agreement that spells out a few things. First, the agent will have to say how much they expect to be paid. This could be a percentage of the purchase price, like 2.5%, but it could also be a flat fee or even an hourly rate. It just has to be a clear amount, not contingent on what the seller is offering. And unless both sides agree to amend the contract, the buyer's agent can't receive more than that amount down the line; if a seller offers 3% but the buyer's agent agrees to only 2.5%, the buyer's rep has to either turn down that extra money or pass it along to their client. The NAR has maintained that buyers were free to negotiate commissions even before the lawsuits. But now that's much more likely to happen.Again, a seller may still offer to pay the commission of the buyer's agent as long as that offer is not made through the MLS. But they may choose not to offer anything at all, an option that could work out well for both parties. That's because buyers, in their offers to sellers, can ask to get some money back so they can pay their agent directly. This is what's known as a seller credit, and the nonprofit Consumer Advocates in American Real Estate recommends that buyers ask for it if they don't want to pay their agent out of pocket. Sellers may agree to it in the interest of getting a deal done, especially since it could result in savings for both sides. In the old days, a seller might have unthinkingly offered a commission of 2% or even 3% to the buyer's agent. But if you, as a buyer, negotiate a fee for your agent of only 1%, you're basically saving the seller — and yourself — money.But these workarounds are by no means guaranteed, especially in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hottest-states-to-buy-property-in-right-now-housing-biggerpockets-2024-8">hot real-estate markets</a>, and some in the industry fear that the quick fix of advertising commissions outside the MLS could open them up to more legal trouble down the line. In the meantime, more buyers may <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-rule-of-home-buying-fire-your-real-estate-agent-2024-4">choose to forgo an agent</a>, work out an alternative payment structure, or accept that they may have to fork over money to cover the gap between what they agreed to pay their agent and whatever the seller is willing to contribute.Other terms of the agreement will also be up to the buyer and their agent. They can decide which services the agent will provide and for how long; whether they want to maintain an exclusive relationship or allow the buyer to work with other agents; what to do if the arrangement sours and one party wants to walk away.The basic terms of a buyer-representation agreement should, in theory, be fairly simple to spell out: How much is the buyer going to pay, and for which services? But as with all modern contracts, there are complications. The Consumer Federation of America has raised concerns about the standard forms promoted by some state Realtor associations, saying even lawyers might struggle to parse the tiny typeface and thick legalese. It has argued that buyers risk agreeing to unnecessary fees or finding themselves legally bound to an agent who turns out to be a dud. After the California Association of Realtors, which has more than 180,000 members, unveiled a draft of its standard form, the CFA released a report written by Tanya Monestier, a professor of contract law at the University at Buffalo, that lambasted the draft as "virtually unreadable."Take, for instance, this section, which is meant to explain what happens if the same agent represents both the buyer and the seller:"ACCOUNTING FOR PAYMENTS TO BROKER IF BROKER ALSO REPRESENTS SELLER: Notwithstanding paragraph 2D(2), if Broker has a listing agreement with the seller of the property to be purchased, no credit toward Buyer's compensation obligation shall be given for the amount due Broker by seller for the compensation Broker is owed as the seller's agent. Buyer will pay the amount in paragraph 2D(1), less any amount offered by Broker to buyer's agents."Imagine 4,000 words of that. A tiny section that basically says "The buyer and the seller will each have to pay the agent separately" turns into word vomit."No buyer will understand this provision's meaning," Monestier wrote.The California association did end up making substantive revisions, and said in a statement that "the complexity of the agreement reflects the complexity of California real estate transactions." But the form is "still very lengthy," Monestier told me recently. "It's still very hard to slog through."Consumers may, understandably, be wary of signing a complex contract so early in the process, but the new setup has benefits. Sellers often interview several agents before picking the one who seems like they'll reel in the most lucrative offers. Buyers should similarly vet agents with an eye toward the bottom line. After all, internet-savvy buyers don't need agents' help to find houses anymore, Ellis, the brokerage executive in Chicago, told me. But they probably still want someone to hold their hand through the rest of the process. And if you're a buyer who just wants someone to open doors for you to get a sense of what's out there, Monestier said, you can hold off on signing with an agent and deal directly with sellers' agents.Ultimately, this is about ensuring that both a buyer and their agent enter the relationship with a clear understanding of what they'll get out of it. A buyer, Ellis said, might want to ask a prospective agent: "If I work with you, how are you going to get me the house that I want, the terms I want? How are you going to get me through this transaction as smoothly as possible?"The idea that sellers pay both agents' commissions has always been a clever sleight of hand. Buyer-representation agreements may be thorny, but at least they'll make it impossible for buyers to ignore the costs of using an agent. Real-estate agents, like people in any other job, provide a service. And nobody works for free.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/james-rodriguez">James Rodriguez</a> is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Discourse team.

The new homebuying rule that could save you thousands 

The <keyword id="19935664" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Aam Aadmi Party" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Aam Aadmi Party">Aam Aadmi party</keyword> is set to announce the new <keyword id="19919270" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Delhi-Chief-Minister" source="keywords">Delhi Chief Minister</keyword> by 12 pm today after the party's legislative meeting in the national capital. According to the Aam Aadmi Party, the meeting will be held at the Chief Minister's residence today. Following this, <keyword id="19901384" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal" source="keywords">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> will meet the <keyword id="20976840" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lieutenant-Governor-VK-Saxena" source="keywords">Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena</keyword> at 4:30 p.m. today and the newly chosen leader of the legislative party will simultaneously stake a claim for the post of Chief Minister. Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj remained tight-lipped about who will succeed Arvind <keyword id="19895701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kejriwal" source="keywords">Kejriwal</keyword> as Chief Minister, stating only that the successor could be either a current minister or an MLA. "It does not matter who sits on the CM chair because the mandate was for Arvind Kejriwal. The public chose Arvind Kejriwal. He has said that he will not sit on the CM chair until the people ask again but the chair belongs to Arvind Kejriwal for these and the next 5 years... One of us will sit on the chair until the elections take place. It will be similar to the way Bharat ruled in the absence of Lord Ram," Bharadwaj said. On being asked who will replace Arvind Kejriwal, Bharadwaj said, "It can be an MLA or any present minister. There will be a discussion with the MLAs today and the name may be decided". Kejriwal announced on Sunday that he would resign and would not resume the CM's post until the people of Delhi declared him "honest." He has also called for advancing polls in the national capital to November this year, ahead of the scheduled February elections. Kejriwal stated that if re-elected by the public, it would serve as a "certificate" of his honesty. He added that he would push for early elections, alongside those in Maharashtra. The announcement by the 54-year-old leader came two days after he was released from the <keyword id="20147871" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tihar-jail" source="keywords">Tihar jail</keyword> after being granted bail by the <keyword id="19895345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Supreme Court" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Supreme Court">Supreme Court</keyword> in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam. The apex court also imposed certain conditions on Kejriwal's release, including that he must refrain from making public comments about the case and must attend all hearings before the trial court unless exempted.

AAP to announce New Delhi CM's name at 12 noon today

<ul class="summary-list"><li>SCOTUS on Friday established new rules for the social media accounts of public officials.</li><li>The judges ruled there are some circumstances in which blocking a user could violate their rights.</li></ul>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scotus-cases-political-censorship-content-moderation-social-media-2024-3">US Supreme Court</a> on Friday handed down a decision establishing new rules for how public officials must behave on social media.In a unanimous decision in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-611_ap6c.pdf">Lindke v. Freed</a> case, SCOTUS established a new framework for when the official social media accounts of government representatives can block users from accessing or replying to their posts. Accounts clearly marked as personal, even if run by a state official, are granted more leniency and protection under <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-tech-censorship-law-violates-firms-1a-rights-ruling-2022-5">the First Amendment</a>.The decision established a test for determining whether an official's account falls under the rule, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-coney-barrett-backs-supreme-court-ethics-code-thomas-alito-2023-10">Justice Amy Coney Barrett</a> writing for the court that the official must both (1) possess "actual authority to speak on the State's behalf on a particular matter," and (2) purport "to exercise that authority when speaking in the relevant social-media posts."The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by a Detroit resident, Kevin Lindke, against James Freed, the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan. Freed blocked Lindke from commenting on his Facebook page after Lindke made a series of comments on Freed's posts, criticizing the city's response to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/weekends-feel-different-post-pandemic-isolation-loneliness-economy-tiktokers-2024-1">COVID-19 pandemic</a>.Freed's account was originally started as a personal one in 2008, and while he largely posted about public topics over the years, after his appointment to the government in 2014, Freed described himself on the page as "Daddy to Lucy, Husband to Jessie and City Manager, Chief Administrative Officer for the citizens of Port Huron, MI."In the ruling, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-to-determine-if-trump-can-run-president-again-2023-12">SCOTUS</a> weighed the fact that Freed had his official title on the page and that he regularly interacted with constituents in posts, against his own First Amendment rights to speak about his duties at work as a private citizen."The question is difficult, especially in a case involving a state or local official who routinely interacts with the public," the ruling reads. "Such officials may look like they are always on the clock, making it tempting to characterize every encounter as part of the job. But the state-action doctrine avoids such broad-brush assumptions—for good reason."Barrett continued for the court, writing that Lindke "cannot hang his hat on Freed's status as a state employee.""The distinction between private conduct and state action turns on substance, not labels: Private parties can act with the authority of the State, and state officials have private lives and their own constitutional rights," she continued. "Categorizing conduct, therefore, can require a close look."The issue of allowing public officials to block users on social media has been heard by the court before, when in 2017, Trump was challenged by the Knight Foundation over his choice to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-twitter-white-house-asks-supreme-court-block-users-2020-8">block critics on Twitter</a>. After Trump left office in 2021, SCOTUS dismissed the case as moot and ordered the lower court to vacate the ruling.Friday's ruling revisited the question, establishing a framework on these issues that some legal scholars worry could be impractical or offer sweeping protections to politicians if they simply label their accounts as personal, even if they continue acting in an official capacity on social media.Dhillon Law Group partner Gary Lawkowski told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/15/24101983/supreme-court-public-officials-block-critics-social-media-lindke-v-freed">The Verge</a> that "the biggest impact of this opinion may not be the formal test set forth in its holding—rather, its language buried in the opinion that effectively creates a safe harbor for public officials who place disclaimers on their social media accounts, providing an easy way for public officials to stay on the 'personal' side of the law going forward."

Public officials have new rules about blocking you on social media, SCOTUS decides

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Five new civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault were filed against Sean "Diddy" Combs on Sunday.</li><li>One accuses Combs of raping a 13-year-old girl at an after-party following the 2000 VMAs.</li></ul>A Texas-based attorney filed five new lawsuits against <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diddy-case-sean-combs-next-court-date-2024-10">Sean "Diddy" Combs</a> on Sunday.In one of the lawsuits, filed in the Southern District of New York, a woman is accusing the hip-hop mogul of drugging and raping her when she was 13 while at an after-party following the 2000 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mtv-vma-best-performances-2017-8">MTV Video Music Awards</a>.The anonymous Jane Doe plaintiff from Alabama accuses Combs of raping her at a New York City house party, as two other unnamed celebrities watched. The party took place after the awards show at Radio City Music Hall, the lawsuit says.Those celebrities are only identified in the lawsuit as "Celebrity A" and "Celebrity B."It is unclear why they are not identified in the court papers, and attorneys for the plaintiff did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider on Monday.Tony Buzbee, the Texas attorney who filed the lawsuits along with co-counsel AVA Law Group and New York local counsel Curis Law, noted in a statement Monday that several other individuals are referenced in the case filings, but are not at this time formally named as defendants.Combs' attorneys have consistently denied any accusations of sexual assault.Combs rose to fame as a rapper and producer in the late 1990s before going on to build a business empire. He went on to become one of the first — and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-combs-diddy-business-income-dried-up-ciroc-music-deleon-2024-10">richest — hip-hop moguls of all </a><a target="_blank" href="http://time.In">time.</a>In 1998, he founded <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/macys-covered-up-2008-flagship-store-sex-attack-diddy-lawsuit-2024-10">fashion label Sean Jean</a>, which was bringing in more than $525 million in retail sales by 2010. By 2017, he had reported pretax earnings of $130 million, allowing him to notch the top spot on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2017/06/12/why-diddy-is-no-1-on-the-2017-celebrity-100-list/">Forbes'</a> list of highest-paid celebrities for the year. At the time, his sprawling business organization — which has since dwindled — was worth as much as $820 million.The lawsuit from Sunday is among many that attorney <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diddy-lawsuits-celebrities-list">Buzbee recently promised to file against Combs</a> on behalf of 120 accusers.Buzbee's firm has so far filed at least 11 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/macys-covered-up-2008-flagship-store-sex-attack-diddy-lawsuit-2024-10">civil lawsuits against Combs</a>.Those complaints, all filed on behalf of Jane or John Does, include many identical pages of abuse allegations against Combs, aside from the new paragraphs of the incident-based allegations for each victim.Buzbee said in his statement that he and his team "expect to be filing cases weekly naming Mr. Combs and others as defendants as we continue to gather evidence and prepare the filings."In the complaint filed Sunday stemming from the 2000 VMAs after-party, Jane Doe alleges she was initially held down and raped by "Celebrity A" while Combs and "Celebrity B" — a woman — looked on."After the male celebrity finished, Combs then vaginally raped Plaintiff while the Celebrity A and Celebrity B watched," the lawsuit alleges.The lawsuit alleges Combs then attempted to force the plaintiff to perform oral sex on him, but she instead hit him in the neck, and he stopped.The lawsuit says the plaintiff grabbed her clothes and left the bedroom, "roaming naked through the house looking for the exit as the party continued."Once outside, the lawsuit says Jane Doe put her clothes back on and made her way to a gas station where she called her father and "admitted that she had lied about her whereabouts, and asked him to pick her up."<h2 id="97e7b5b6-aaa0-4f60-ab36-e44c10b28762">A star-studded event</h2>The 2000 VMAs were hosted that year by brothers Marlon and Shawn Wayans. The star-studded event would be most remembered for Tim Commerford, of Rage Against the Machine, climbing scaffolding and refusing to come down after losing an award to Limp Bizkit. Combs attended the awards show that year with Jennifer Lopez, whom he was dating at the time.The lawyers for the Jane Doe plaintiff said in the complaint that the young teen ended up at the party after having a friend drop her off at Radio City Music Hall in the hopes that she could attend."Determined to get into an afterparty, she approached several limousine drivers, attempting to talk her way into the VMAs," the lawsuit says.The lawsuit alleges that she spoke to a limo driver who said he worked for Combs.The lawsuit says the plaintiff was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement before she entered the house party, where she "recognized many celebrities."The plaintiff says her drink was drugged, and when she began feeling "woozy and lightheaded," she went into an empty bedroom to lie down.<h2 id="51653b7e-19e4-47e4-b175-36a28c22982c">Diddy is seeking a gag order</h2>Attorneys for Combs on Monday reused the same statement they gave last week in response to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-combs-diddy-new-allegations-lawsuits-2024-10">initial wave of lawsuits</a> filed by Buzbee's firm, saying the complaints were an attempt to "garner publicity.""Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process," Combs' attorneys said in the statement to BI. "In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone — adult or minor, man or woman."Combs <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-diddy-combs-arrested-grand-jury-indictment-2024-9">was indicted last month by a Manhattan grand jury</a> on federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation for the purposes of prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.Since then, the rapper and entrepreneur has been held without bail in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-diddy-combs-metropolitan-detention-center-brooklyn-jail-indictment-2024-9">notorious Brooklyn jail</a> pending his scheduled <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-diddy-combs-judge-gag-order-trial-date-2024-10">May 5 sex-trafficking trial</a> in Manhattan federal court.The recent onslaught of lawsuits and negative press has not been lost on Combs' defense attorneys in that criminal case.On Sunday, they filed a motion asking the judge overseeing Combs' case for a limited gag order barring all prospective witnesses and their attorneys from talking about their allegations outside the context of a court proceeding.The Combs accusers now coming forward with civil lawsuits are also potential witnesses in his criminal trial, his lawyers said.Federal rules specifically bar such witnesses and their attorneys from making statements outside of court that could taint a jury."As the Court is aware, Mr. Combs has been the target of an unending stream of allegations by prospective witnesses and their counsel in the press," Combs' attorneys wrote to the judge. "These prospective witnesses and their lawyers have made numerous inflammatory extrajudicial statements aimed at assassinating Mr. Combs's character in the press."

A woman accuses Diddy in lawsuit of raping her at 2000 VMAs after-party when she was 13

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Security and privacy is a growing concern as companies adopt AI.</li><li>Companies strive to protect against malicious attacks and follow strict data compliance standards.</li></ul>As more companies <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ai-changing-business-telecommunications-giants-mwc-2024-10">adopt using AI</a>, it has brought to light issues regarding security and privacy.AI models get trained on massive datasets that can include <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-companies-can-respond-to-cybersecurity-risks-after-layoffs-2024-9">personal or sensitive information</a>, making it critical for companies — particularly those in highly regulated industries like finance and healthcare with strict data compliance rules — to ensure that AI systems are safe from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/data-breach">potential threats</a> like leaked or poisoned data.The hazards against AI models and the data that train them are growing in the age of large language models. "It's so easy for an employee to take something that's confidential and share it with an LLM," said Ashish Kakran of Thomvest Ventures. "LLMs do not have, as of right now, a forget it kind of button…You need safeguards and controls around all of this in the way these LLMs are deployed in production."What's emerged is a growing group of startups aimed at tackling security threats related to AI. "This is actually a gap," Kakran added. "But that's also an opportunity for startups."Thomvest-backed Opaque Systems, for instance, enables companies to share private data through a confidential computing platform to accelerate AI adoption. Credo AI, which has raised $41.3 million in total funding, is an AI governance platform that helps companies adopt AI responsibly by measuring and monitoring its risks.Another startup, Zendata, has raised over $3.5 million and focuses on preventing leakage of sensitive data when integrating AI into enterprise systems and workflows. Companies can be vulnerable to attacks through a compromised third-party AI vendor if attackers gain unauthorized access to confidential data. Companies "don't really know if some shadow AI applications are in place and a bunch of user information is being sent to that," said Zendata CEO Narayana Pappu.Pappu added that customers may not be aware that the shared information may also be used to train broader AI models. "There's a cross-use of information. There's information leakage, all of that. And that's a huge concern with the foundation models or even copilots."Startups like Glean, an enterprise AI startup valued at $4.6 billion, are incorporating security principles, such as strict permissioning control, into their core products. "Glean's AI assistant is fully permissions-aware and personalized, only sourcing information the user has explicit access to," said CEO Arvind Jain. This ensures that users only access the information they are authorized to see, preventing any unintended access or misuse of the data.Adversarial attacks are also a growing concern when it comes to deploying AI. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in a system for malicious purposes, leading to harmful or flawed results.Bessemer Venture Partners' Lauri Moore noted that when evaluating AI tools, many security leaders often ask whether it will introduce a critical vulnerability or trap door that a bad actor could use.A nightmare scenario could be a coding agent introducing code with security vulnerabilities, Moore said. She highlighted an instance when a developer took control of an open-source project after gaining increasing credibility, only to hijack it.Another threat known as prompt injections has become increasingly popular with the rise of prompt-based language models. These attacks trick a model into producing a harmful output based on harmful instructions. Haize Labs, which raised a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vc-clamor-invest-ai-safety-startup-haize-labs-2024-6">hot investment round</a> this summer, tackles this problem through AI red-teaming, which involves stress-testing large language models for any vulnerabilities based on system guardrails.To address the growing number of security concerns in AI, startups are now applying continuous monitoring to the space. Continuous monitoring systems assess model behavior, monitor for security breaches, and score models based on their performance and safety, said Arvind Ayyala, partner at Geodesic Capital.Protect AI, which raised a $60 million Series B from Evolution Equity in August, focuses on continuously monitoring and managing security across the AI supply chain to minimize the risk of attacks. Hidden Layer, which automatically detects and responds to threats, raised a $50 million Series A from M12 and Moore Strategic Ventures last year."This shift towards automated, continuous evaluation represents a significant evolution in AI safety practices, moving beyond periodic manual assessments to a more proactive and comprehensive approach," Ayyala said.

Security threats to AI models are giving rise to a new crop of startups 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's military has flown into Taiwan's ADIZ almost every day since 2020.</li><li>Crossings of the median line have soared, effectively erasing it altogether.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sent-warplanes-ships-first-aircraft-carrier-to-surround-taiwan-2024-10">China's warplanes are pressuring Taiwan</a> and have all but eliminated an important dividing line, with near-daily incursions creating a dangerous new normal.Since 2020, Taiwan has released regular, almost daily updates on incursions in its air defense identification zone by Chinese military aircraft. It has also documented continuous Chinese efforts to degrade the Taiwan Strait median line established in 1955.Researchers Thomas J. Shattuck, a non-resident fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Fellow, and Benjamin Lewis, co-founder of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.platracker.com">PLATracker</a> organization, have tracked increasingly bold Chinese behavior. A review of data from Taiwan revealed that ADIZ incursions over the past four years have shown a growing rejection of the unofficial dividing line put in place for deconfliction.<div type="image" title="An Apache attack helicopter fires flares below it as it flies against a grey sky." height="4078" width="6264" msid="114787510" hostid="261" sizebytes="1698568"></div>China's military incursions into Taiwan's ADIZ and its crossings of the median line in the Taiwan Strait have skyrocketed, with the ADIZ incursions climbing from an average of 2.56 aircraft per day four years ago to 11.63 now.A nation's ADIZ extends far beyond its territorial airspace, but the area is closely monitored for national security purposes. When Chinese aircraft enter Taiwan's de facto ADIZ, it dispatches combat air patrol (CAP) aircraft in response.In 2021, the Chinese military flew 972 aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ, and that number nearly doubled in 2022. 1,703 aircraft were recorded in 2023. And 2024 looks to have a record-breaking number, with over 2,000 aircraft documented as of September. They're also no longer limited to a corner of the ADIZ.Crossings of the median line have become increasingly common since August 2022, when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi controversially visited Taiwan, and China has been steadily erasing it altogether. In a recent drill surrounding Taiwan, 111 Chinese warplanes crossed it, marking a single-day high. A few years ago, Taiwan might see hundreds cross the line but over months."We've become desensitized to high numbers of the military aircraft flying across the median line of the Taiwan Strait," Shattuck told Business Insider. "Five years ago, that was unheard of. Now, it's just another Thursday."<div type="image" title="A screen grab captured from a video shows the Taiwan army conduct military exercise following China's large-scale joint military drill around Taiwan on May 23, 2024." height="2160" width="3840" msid="114787506" hostid="261" sizebytes="204554"></div>China claims Taiwan as its own territory and hasn't ruled out using its growing military to achieve unification, raising concerns in Taipei, the US, and other Western nations that China could one day enact a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/three-ways-china-could-blockade-taiwan-2024-8">blockade</a> or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-tell-us-when-chinas-ready-to-invade-taiwan-2024-4">full-scale invasion</a> of Taiwan to force it to give in to Beijing's authority.Beijing's tactics run the gamut of intimidation and coercion, including political and economic pressure and massive military exercises aimed at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-military-drills-near-taiwan-send-new-president-a-message-2024-5">forcing the Taiwanese people to reject independence</a>.Recently, two joint-force drills, "Joint Sword 2024-A" and "Joint Sword 2024-B," saw the Chinese People's Liberation Army effectively surround Taiwan, simulating how it could blockade key ports and areas, assault maritime and ground targets, and seize territory.During "Joint Sword 2024-B," Taiwan's defense ministry said that a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-sends-record-number-of-warplanes-to-fly-around-taiwan-2024-10">record number of Chinese warplanes</a>, over 150, flew into its ADIZ in one day. In response, Taiwan's new president, Lai Ching-te, said China aims "to undermine stability and the status quo."<h2 id="d126030a-b931-4157-bf8b-8cd2fb7579da">Chinese incursions are tiring out Taiwan's forces</h2>The near-daily ADIZ incursions aren't just changing the status quo in the area; they're also exhausting Taiwan's military.In October 2020, then-Taiwanese Minister of National Defense Yen Teh-fa said Taipei's air force and navy spent almost $1 billion monitoring Chinese sorties. Since then, Taiwan has adjusted its responses to the ADIZ violations in order to reserve resources, but it is still taxing.<div type="image" title="A group of grey Taiwanese fighter jets are lined up on a runway against a grey sky." height="2532" width="3798" msid="114787507" hostid="261" sizebytes="154538"></div>In this tough situation, "the concern is the continued degradation of Taiwan's military assets and the draining of Taiwan's military personnel," Shattuck said, explaining that China "exploits" Taiwan's military capabilities "by flooding the field and forcing Taiwan to choose what things deserve a response."That degradation could ultimately leave Taiwan's military weakened should one of China's large-scale drills suddenly become the real deal, and with US aid to Taiwan "long-delayed and overdue," Shattuck said, it could hamper Taiwan's readiness."The median line of the Taiwan Strait—a de facto boundary that created some semblance of cross-Strait stability—is no more" and "Taiwan cannot push back on all fronts against these PRC incursions," Lewis and Shattuck wrote recently.This is an attritional fight, they said, arguing that while Chinese military activities around Taiwan "have become normalized and are a part of the ever-deteriorating status quo in the Taiwan Strait," Taipei and Washington still have cards to play.Taiwan has spent years navigating tricky relations with Beijing, which is opposed to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and has labeled Lai a "separatist."<div type="image" title="A map of the East China Sea with various air defense identification zone lines surrounding territory is shown on a computer screen." height="1754" width="2500" msid="114787512" hostid="261" sizebytes="126296"></div>During his inauguration speech, Lai promised to uphold Taiwanese democracy as a global beacon, calling on China to cease its intimidation against Taiwan. The speech further inflamed relations, and "Joint Sword 2024-A" shortly followed. Lai toned down rhetoric during his National Day speech earlier this month, demonstrating restraint in calls for peace and understanding."Lai's National Day speech indicates that Taipei is attempting to find ways to offer an olive branch to China while maintaining its assertions of Taiwan's de facto sovereignty," Amanda Hsiao, Crisis Group's Senior Analyst for China, told BI. But China's reaction, "Joint Sword 2024-B," was intense and sent a message.Regardless of what Lai says or how he approaches relations, Shattuck said, China doesn't trust him. "It no longer matters what sorts of olive branches a DPP president may extend because Beijing will not accept them," he said, explaining that "Beijing is attempting to accelerate its squeezing of Taiwan's own sovereign territory." That has implications for Taiwan and its international partners.<div type="image" title="An outdoor screen shows a news coverage of China's military drills around Taiwan, in Beijing on May 23, 2024." height="3472" width="5218" msid="114787515" hostid="261" sizebytes="1116816"></div>As the Chinese military continues its incursions in Taiwan's ADIZ, Washington and its allies "need to remain vigilant in protesting these activities so that it is clear that military coercion of Taiwan is unacceptable," Shattuck said."It is unrealistic to argue that Taiwan or the United States will be able to stop the PRC aerial and maritime incursions around Taiwan," he and Lewis wrote, but there are options. "Washington," they said, "should work to elevate Taiwan's ability to track the situation around its territory and provide it with the necessary resources to push back as needed."

China's warplanes have all but erased the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait, creating a dangerous new normal

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Mickey Barreto lived in the New Yorker Hotel for free for years before his recent arrest.</li><li>Barreto faces 24 charges, including felony fraud.</li></ul>Doctors say a man who had lived inside the iconic New Yorker Hotel for free for more than half a decade is unfit to stand trial.Mickey Barreto <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/man-living-rent-free-in-new-york-hotel-evicted-squatting-2024-2">lived in the New Yorker Hotel for years</a> without paying a single cent in rent. The Manhattan District Attorney's office said Barreto claimed ownership of the hotel building and even attempted to charge rent to another tenant. In February, police charged Barreto with filing fraudulent property records.Barreto now faces 24 charges, including 14 felony fraud counts.Over the summer, two doctors concluded that Barreto did not understand the criminal proceedings against him, and the court ordered him into outpatient mental health and addiction treatment to see if his mental condition would improve, The New York Times reported.At a hearing on Wednesday, New York City Criminal Court Judge Cori Weston said she was unsatisfied with the rate of Barreto's treatment and ordered him into inpatient care, according to the Times. Weston gave Barreto until November 13 to find a suitable facility. His next court appearance is scheduled for the same date, court records show.Brian Hutchinson, an attorney for Barreto, told the Times that he planned to ask Barreto's current treatment provider, the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai West, to accept him for inpatient care."We're all sort of in agreement that the substance abuse is leading to some of these other problems and making it impossible to move forward with the case," Hutchinson told the outlet.Hutchinson and District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office did not immediately return requests for comment from Business Insider about Barreto's mental evaluation.Barreto dismissed the allegation that he is addicted to drugs as "partying" and said that prosecutors want to hospitalize him because they do not have a case against him, The Associated Press reported.In June 2018, Barreto and his partner, Matthew Hannan, stayed in room 2565 at the New Yorker Hotel for one night and paid $200.57.Armed with knowledge of New York City's Rent Stabilization Code, which grants tenants the right to request a six-month lease for individual rooms constructed before 1969, Barreto asked the hotel for a lease the next day.He was promptly evicted. The next month, Barreto filed a lawsuit in housing court against the building's owner, the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity — which had purchased the hotel in 1976 — saying he was illegally evicted.Since no representative from the church appeared in court, the judge ruled in Barreto's favor, ordering the hotel to provide him with a key. With no agreed-upon lease terms and unable to evict him, Barreto ended up living in the hotel rent-free.But free rent at an iconic hotel wasn't enough for Barreto.The District Attorney's office said Barreto later registered the hotel in his name with the Department of Environmental Protection to take control of its bank accounts and demanded rent from a commercial tenant.The Unification Church filed a lawsuit in response. Although a judge ordered him to stop representing himself as the owner of the hotel, Barreto continued to live there for free.When Barreto filed papers with the city claiming ownership of the building again in 2023, the District Attorney's office finally got involved.He faces several years behind bars if convicted, according to the Times.

A man who paid $200.57 for a night at a famous NYC hotel and then lived there rent-free for years is unfit to stand trial, court says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Adtech startups face leadership changes as investors demand growth and profitability.</li><li>Private-equity firms are looking for adtech startups to achieve scale.</li></ul>Close observers of the adtech industry will have noticed there's been a heap of change in the upper ranks of the sector's startups in recent months — especially those <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/private-equity-firms-investing-in-advertising-and-marketing-companies-2024-3">financed by private equity</a>.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.xr.global/press-releases/xr-announces-strategic-leadership-changes-to-accelerate-growth">Louisa Wong stepped down</a> as chief executive of Gamut Capital-owned XR Xtreme Reach in August. She was replaced in the interim by Chandler Bigelow, the company's chief financial officer. Doug Knopper, an investor in the company, was appointed executive chairman, while adtech veteran Jo Kinsella was promoted to global president and chief operating officer.In July, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.adexchanger.com/online-advertising/triplelift-ceo-dave-clark-abruptly-exits-after-setting-the-ssp-on-a-new-trajectory/">Dave Clark left his role as chief executive of Triplelift</a>. His responsibilities were split among an "office of the CEO," led by Eric Roza, a managing director at its lead investor, Vista Equity.At the turn of the year, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.axios.com/pro/media-deals/2024/01/04/videoamp-ceo-out-layoffs">VideoAmp CEO Ross McCray exited</a>, passing the reins to board member and investor Peter Liguori, now executive chairman. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/10/01/videoamp-media-measrement-nielsen-sale">Axios reported this month, citing multiple sources, that the company is now pursuing a sale</a>, with its investor Vista Credit Partners reportedly leading some of those discussions.Each of the changes comes with its own company-specific nuance, but experts said there are broader industry trends that link them. Those experts — bankers, adtech executives, and consultants — told Business Insider that the revolving door is likely to continue over the next six months as investors press adtech companies for growth.It marks the next stage of evolution for the adtech industry. With the digital ad market largely dominated by tech giants Google, Amazon, and Meta, independent adtech companies are forced to find new ways to compete over the remaining scraps. The small and medium-sized startups still duking it out are now entering their operator era."Automation, AI, and the optimization of corporate structures will mean that only the lean, mean companies are going to end up gaining market share and be in a position to win," said Chris Karl, chief business development officer at the M&amp;A advisory firm JEGI Clarity.<h2 id="fd8233e1-0d16-4bc2-8b40-8db1559a0af4">Adtech valuations have come back down to earth, but PE investors still want scale</h2>Private-equity firms such as Vista, GTCR, and Blackstone have been increasingly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/private-equity-firms-investing-in-advertising-and-marketing-companies-2024-3">active investors in the adtech space</a>, leading a flurry of deals between 2021 and 2022.There were 784 PE or PE-sponsored transactions in the media and marketing space in 2021, up 96% from the prior year, according to the advisory firm Ciesco. That number rose to 874 in 2022 and lowered slightly to 786 in 2023, per Ciesco.Now, a few years have passed, and leadership changes are to be expected, given historic PE investment cycles, said Mark Wright, a veteran tech investor and executive, who now leads the M&amp;A strategic advisory practice at Prohaska Consulting. Founding teams make way for more experienced operators who can take the company to the next level, he said."Although there are exceptions to the rule, there are very few founding teams that are marvelous at groundbreaking innovation that can successfully make the transition to managing and operating at scale," Wright said.Public and private valuations of adtech companies have dropped dramatically since 2021, the height of the zero-interest-rate period when there was a rise in digital ad spending and a slew of adtech IPOs. Tougher macroeconomic conditions in the years since put a strain on consumer spending and marketing budgets, cooling the markets and M&amp;A activity."Some of the changes you're seeing are indicative of a two-year cycle post-COVID where things are back to normal, or the new normal," Karl of JEGI Clarity said. "Where company performance could be tied to events that were out of their control a couple of years ago, that excuse no longer suffices. Investors want growth."Meeting growth expectations has been a challenge for some companies. JEGI Clarity, which, alongside CIL Management Consultants, conducted a survey of 25 marketing services agency leaders this summer, heard from multiple CEOs who said 2022 and 2023 were some of the most difficult operating environments of their careers.Those surveyed said they were more optimistic about 2024 now that rates have stabilized and clients are less risk-averse with their marketing budgets. Almost three-quarters (70%) of respondents in the study said that their margins had remained stable or increased this year.<h2 id="7a33b071-67d8-4249-828a-d18e4d17a037">CTV is adtech's bright spot – but it's complicated</h2>Despite a rising global advertising market that is expected to surpass $1 trillion in spending next year, not all adtech vendors are positioned to reap the rewards.Take the connected TV space. It's one of the fastest-growing ad channels in the US, with spending expected to grow 13.3% and cross $30 billion in 2025, according to Emarketer. The change in viewing patterns and forecast ad spend attracted investor interest in adtech companies that had a strong position in CTV.<div type="image" title="Emarketer US TV CTV ad spend chart" height="1466" width="1410" msid="114016955" hostid="261" sizebytes="114730"></div>However, much of the recent growth in CTV advertising is being driven by platforms like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video — so-called walled gardens that don't integrate third-party adtech vendors such as buying platforms and exchanges.CTV is also a lower-margin channel for adtech vendors than traditional online display, where up to half of every dollar spent on ads gets gobbled up by vendors like demand-side platforms, ad exchanges, ad servers, measurement vendors, and data brokers."In network TV, those supply chain costs are in the 15% level — you have to take 50% and squeeze it down to 15%," Prohaska's Wright said. "It's going to put a real emphasis on operating at scale and put a pressure on margins."As TV viewing grew fragmented, several adtech companies that took on investment in recent years positioned themselves as rivals to ratings giant Nielsen. These firms are jockeying to become the go-to companies for tracking audiences or to become the universal <a target="_blank" href="https://www.adexchanger.com/adexplainer/adexplainer-tv-measurement-vs-tv-currency/">currency</a> used to buy TV and video ads.But Nielsen still hasn't been unseated. And Walmart's acquisition of TV manufacturer Vizio — from which many adtech vendors license viewing data derived from its tens of millions of TV sets — could signal further trouble ahead if the grocery giant doesn't renew those contracts when they expire.With the Walmart-Vizio deal front of mind, adtech companies and investors are likely to turn their attention to retail media, where ads are placed on e-commerce sites. Retail media is also growing at a clip, with almost every retailer and app owner now also operating an ad business.The increasing complexity for advertisers offers opportunities for adtech companies to innovate. Though, while around $1 in every $7 US ad dollars is expected to go to the space this year, according to Emarketer, retail media is largely dominated by Amazon.There's also some executive shuffling happening in the retail media ranks: Megan Clarken, who leads the publicly traded adtech company <a target="_blank" href="https://digiday.com/media-buying/criteo-seeks-new-chief-executive-after-megan-clarken-announces-pending-exit/">Criteo</a>, said she plans to step down within the next year once her successor is found.Many industry observers expect more adtech management upheaval ahead, as well as a further consolidation of the sector once the intense fourth-quarter holiday period is over."You will see more heavy-handed PE involvement primarily because the M&amp;A market hasn't been great and people sat on the sidelines," said Domenic Venuto, COO of investment bank Progress Partners and soon-to-be chief of product and data at media agency Horizon Media."The market can only sustain so many of these companies that have grown to be quite sizable but are now hitting their upper limits," he said.

Adtech is undergoing an exec shake-up as investors seize control and startups enter a new era

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shigeru Ishiba is set to be appointed Japan's prime minister on Tuesday.</li><li>On Friday, he narrowly won the presidency of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.</li></ul>Shigeru Ishiba, a former defense and agriculture minister, is set to become Japan's next prime minister.The 67-year-old narrowly won the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Friday. He will be elected prime minister by the LDP-controlled parliament on Tuesday."Trusting in the people and speaking the truth with courage and sincerity, I will do my utmost to make this nation of Japan a safe and secure country where everyone can once again live with a smile," Ishiba said after the results were announced.Ishiba is a self-professed lone wolf who claims to read three books per day, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/japan/shigeru-ishiba-outsider-set-lead-japan-2024-09-27/">Reuters</a>. This was his fifth try at getting the top job.His leadership is likely to transform Japan's military alliance with the US, as well as have wider implications for <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/this-new-us-missile-system-keeps-upsetting-china-mrc-typon-2024-9">the region's security.</a>According to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/japans-next-leader-shigeru-ishiba-pushes-to-remake-military-alliance-with-u-s-5da81109?mod=hp_lead_pos3">The Wall Street Journal</a>, Ishiba wants to transform what he believes to be an unbalanced military alliance with Washington.The publication noted that Japan hosts around 55,000 US troops on its territory and bears the majority of the operating costs of these bases.According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Japan has the highest number of permanently stationed US service members in the world.Ishiba has previously called for turning US bases in Japan into joint US-Japanese operations. He also wants some Japanese soldiers to be permanently based in the US, per the AP.Ishiba is a vocal defender of Taiwan's democracy and called for an Asian version of NATO earlier this month, a suggestion the US <a target="_blank" href="https://www.rt.com/news/604248-us-asian-nato-japan/">shot down</a>.Speaking to lawmakers before the runoff, he pledged to put the party's "hearts into protecting Japan, local areas, rules, and the people of Japan," per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/27/japan-shigeru-ishiba-prime-minister-liberal-democratic-party">The Guardian</a>.Some of the biggest military threats he will have to contend with include China's increasing assertiveness as well as China's and North Korea's missile tests.On Wednesday, a Japanese destroyer reportedly crossed the Taiwan Strait as a countermeasure to China under the orders of his predecessor, Fumio Kishida, officials told Japan's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-warship-sailed-taiwan-strait-first-time-decades-officials-china-2024-9">Yomiuri</a> newspaper.That same day, China carried out its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-icbm-launch-into-pacific-was-first-in-44-years-2024-9">first known test</a> of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean in more than four decades.However, Japan's military is beset by <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270174/japan-military-hiring-hit-low-birth-rate-pay-many-reluctant-give-good-life">recruiting challenges</a> and is experiencing manpower shortages. Japan has also struggled to ramp up its domestic weapons <a target="_blank" href="https://www.voanews.com/a/japan-struggles-to-boost-defense-industry-amid-china-s-military-ambitions/7219689.html">production</a>, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2024/05/27/japan/japan-security-constitution-public-opinion/">public opinion</a> favoring the country's pacifist tradition.The US ambassador to Japan <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://x.com/USAmbJapan/status/1839555680220406257 ">posted on X</a> that he was looking forward to strengthening the US-Japan alliance.The yen rose more than 1% against the dollar after the results were announced. According to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/dollar-drifts-risk-sensitive-currencies-lifted-by-china-optimism-2024-09-27/">Reuters</a>, the markets had been expecting the victory of hardline nationalist Sanae Takaichi.

Japan's new prime minister could try to shake up the country's military pact with the US

<ul class="summary-list"><li>More than 50 years since Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, the world is racing to the lunar surface again.</li><li>NASA was slated to land astronauts on the lunar surface earlier than China but has announced delays.</li></ul>Congressional leaders on Wednesday warned of consequences the US and its allies may face if they lose the new race to the moon, as the National American Space Agency announced delays to its crewed Artemis missions.Their worries were largely directed at efforts by China to forge its own space dominance and land astronauts on the moon in the next decade."The Chinese Communist Party is actively soliciting international partners for a lunar mission, a lunar research station, and has stated its ambition to have human astronauts on the surface by 2030," Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma said at a Science, Space, and Technology House Committee <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3ZFqd4DNlk&amp;ab_channel=HouseScience%2CSpace%2CandTechnologyCommittee">hearing about the Artemis project.</a>"The country that lands first will have the ability to set a precedent for whether future lunar activities are conducted with openness and transparency, or in a more restricted manner," said Lucas, chairman of the committee.He and other House representatives said they were concerned by the delays from NASA, which said on January 9 that its Artemis 2 launch — which aims to send US astronauts to the moon — would be postponed from November 2024 to September 2025.<h2>NASA wants to fix issues before launch</h2>The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-megarocket-launches-orion-spaceship-toward-moon-2022-11">Artemis missions</a> comprise NASA's modern attempt to return to the moon, more than 50 years since Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the lunar surface.Its first launch was an uncrewed test flight in 2022, while its second launch, now scheduled for 2025, will send four astronauts around the moon but not on it. A third mission, now delayed from 2025 to September 2026, would finally put American crews on the surface.NASA said it's had to delay the missions because it first needs to fix issues with its spacecraft's heat shield, which protects crews from extreme temperatures as they re-enter Earth's atmosphere.The space agency said it's also working on problems with the craft's life support system and emergency ejection system, which jettisons the crew capsule away from the rocket if needed.James Free, associate administrator at NASA, said at the delay announcement that safety is the agency's "number one priority.""And we will launch when we are ready," he said.However, Mike Griffin, a former chief of NASA, cast doubt on the agency's prediction that it could launch its man-on-the-moon mission in September 2026."The Artemis circumlunar mission is, I think, very doable on the timescale that NASA has said," said Griffin, who was NASA administrator from 2005 to 2009. "I don't think Artemis 3, the landing mission, is at all realistically scheduled."<h2>Lawmakers foresee doom if China wins</h2>Congressional leaders on Wednesday acknowledged safety as a priority but repeatedly expressed nervousness over the delays."It's no secret that China has a goal to surpass the United States by 2045 as global leaders in space. We can't allow this to happen," GOP Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia said."I think the leading edge that we have in space technology will protect the United States. Not just the economy, but technologies that can benefit humankind."Whoever controls space will control the destiny of this Earth," Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida said, calling space the "ultimate military high ground.""I support Artemis," said Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California. "But I want it to be successful, especially with China at our heels."NASA, however, has said that even with the delays, it should be comfortably ahead of China's national space agency."I think that China has a very aggressive plan," NASA Administrator <a target="_blank" href="https://www.space.com/us-beat-china-to-moon-artemis-nasa-bill-nelson">Bill Nelson said on January 9</a>. "I think they would like to land before us because that might give them some PR coup. But the fact is that I don't think they will."China intends to be the second country, with the US being the first and so far only, to land astronauts on the moon, as part of its push to become a significant space power.Beijing has announced plans to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3218340/chinas-moon-ambitions-take-shape-construction-road-map-research-station">establish a lunar base</a> on the moon's south pole by 2040 and have it fully operational by 2050.Its lead-up to the lunar base involves crewed flights to the moon via its Chang'e missions, which China <a target="_blank" href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3218340/chinas-moon-ambitions-take-shape-construction-road-map-research-station">opened to international collaboration in October 2023.</a>"We firmly believe that the spring of China's space science has arrived, and we have the determination, confidence, and ability to resolutely complete the mission," said Maj. Gen. Jing Haipeng, a Chinese astronaut serving as a mission commander, <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/china-space-program-moon-368d45fa997307ae2c94bcd7e066e2b4">per the Associated Press.</a>Nelson, the NASA chief, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/01/we-better-watch-out-nasa-boss-sounds-alarm-on-chinese-moon-ambitions-00075803">told Politico</a> in January 2023 that the world "better watch out" for China's spacefaring efforts."It is a fact: We're in a space race," he said.

The next country to land humans on the moon in the next 10 years 'sets a precedent' for who decides the rules there: US officials

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NYC Mayor Eric Adams insisted that he will remain in office despite his indictment.</li><li>However, the city's charter outlines two ways Adams could be forcibly removed from his position.</li></ul>After news broke that New York City Mayor Eric Adams was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eric-adams-indictment-unsealed-read-the-charges-2024-9">indicted on five criminal counts</a>, many other politicians started calling on him to resign his post. So far, Adams has remained defiant."I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit," Adams said in a recorded statement on Wednesday when news of the indictment was reported. He has denied any wrongdoing.That doesn't mean that he's guaranteed to remain in power, though. There are two ways that he could be removed from office — no matter the outcome of a trial.<h2 id="abd3a9fb-bcd1-40c4-b890-e278cc7bf44b">Gov. Kathy Hochul could make the decision or a never-before-used 'inability committee'</h2>Under the city's charter, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kathy-hochul-will-become-new-york-first-female-governor-2021-8">Hochul</a> could remove Adams if he is charged with a crime. Yet Hochul and Adams have remained close allies in recent years, and it's unclear whether she would choose to oust him, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://gothamist.com/news/what-happens-if-mayor-adams-resigns-or-refuses-to-leave-city-hall">Gothamist</a>, New York City-based outlet.In a second scenario outlined in the charter, the city could convene a never-before-used "inability committee." The committee includes five members: New York City's top attorney, the comptroller, the City Council speaker, the borough president serving the longest consecutive term, and a deputy mayor that the mayor selects, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nyc.gov/html/records/pdf/section%201133_citycharter.pdf">city charter</a> states.As of now, three of those positions are held by known individuals. Adrienne Adams is the City Council Speaker, Donovan Richards is the longest-serving borough president, and Brad Lander is the comptroller (and running for mayor himself in 2025). Richards did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Lander declined to comment.The position of top attorney — formally known as corporation counsel — is vacant, though Muriel Goode-Trufant is serving the role in an acting capacity. Goode-Trufant did not respond to a request for comment.Randy Mastro, a former federal prosecutor who was nominated by Adams for the top attorney position, withdrew his bid for the role in September, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/10/nyregion/randy-mastro-eric-adams-lawyer-withdraws.html">The New York Times</a> reported.It is also unclear whom Adams would select as deputy mayor.Four out of five committee members would need to vote to kick Adams out of office."The mayor made clear today that he plans to continue delivering for 8.3 million New Yorkers as mayor," Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for Adams, told Business Insider in an email.<h2 id="aa4f32e7-b557-4f56-8931-4e204cbe7bc9">Who would replace Adams?</h2>If <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-city-mayor-eric-adams-charges-indicted-2024-9">Adams</a> is removed from office or resigns, Jumaane Williams, the city's public advocate, would serve as acting mayor. Should Williams not be able to serve, Lander, the comptroller, would take over until a special election is held for mayor.Within three days of Adams vacating Gracie Mansion, Williams would need to name a date for a special election. According to city rules, that date would be the first Tuesday that's 80 days after Adams steps down.The election wouldn't include a primary, so candidates would run without a party affiliation. Voters would use ranked-choice voting, as they did in the last mayoral election.There is, however, yet another complicated wrinkle.Were Adams to leave office fewer than 90 days before the mayoral primaries in June — so, essentially, after late March of 2025, there would be no special election. Instead, Williams would serve as the mayor until the election in November. At that point, the winner would take over the office immediately, according to the charter.

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