Friday, September 15 — 5 significant news stories

Today ChatGPT read 1189 top news stories. After removing previously covered events, there are 5 articles with a significance score over 7.

[7.6] CDC expects similar hospitalizations as last year, higher than pre-pandemic levels. — Reuters

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects the total number of hospitalizations from COVID-19, RSV infections, and flu this year to be similar to last year, but higher than pre-pandemic levels. The CDC also anticipates an increase in flu and RSV infections during the fall and winter seasons. Vaccines for all three respiratory viruses will be available this fall, and higher levels of vaccination are expected to reduce hospitalizations and strain on hospitals.

[7.4] European Central Bank raises key rate, signals potential halt in hikes. — Reuters

The European Central Bank has increased its key interest rate to a record 4%, marking its 10th rate hike in a 14-month campaign against inflation. This move is expected to be the final hike, especially given the slowing euro zone economy. The ECB adjusted its inflation forecasts, predicting a slower decrease towards the 2% target in the upcoming years, while also cutting its economic growth forecasts. This decision has led to expectations that rate cuts might be introduced next year.

[7.2] Caesars Entertainment hacked, customer data stolen, ransom paid to hackers. — TechCrunch

Caesars Entertainment, an American hotel and casino entertainment company, has confirmed that hackers stole a large amount of customer data in a recent cyberattack, including driver's license and Social Security numbers. The company has filed an 8-K notice with federal regulators, stating that the loyalty program database was breached, but did not disclose how many individuals were affected. It is believed that the hackers demanded a $30 million ransom, with reports suggesting that Caesars paid half of the amount to prevent the disclosure of stolen data.

[7.1] Google tests conversational AI software Gemini to rival OpenAI's GPT-4. — Reuters

Google has reportedly given a select group of companies access to an early version of its conversational AI software, Gemini, which is intended to compete with OpenAI's GPT-4 model. Gemini is a collection of large-language models that can power chatbots, generate text, help write code, and create images based on user requests. Google plans to make Gemini available to companies through its Google Cloud Vertex AI service.

[7.0] Biden warns of budget cuts and government shutdown consequences. — Reuters

President Joe Biden will warn that federal budget cuts and a potential government shutdown will have negative consequences for the US economy and voters. The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate have about 12 days to reach an agreement before government funding expires on September 30. House Republicans are demanding spending cuts for fiscal 2024, which the White House and Senate leaders have rejected, leading to potential gridlock and a government shutdown.

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Vadim