Anthropic has entered into a major partnership with global consulting giant Cognizant, reports The Wall Street Journal. The deal makes Cognizant one of Anthropic’s three largest enterprise customers. It also means that Anthropic’s AI model Claude will be rolled out to around 350,000 employees.
Cognizant will also offer Claude as part of its services to its own enterprise customers. Anthropic will thus gain greater reach through Cognizant’s consulting network, while Cognizant strengthens its expertise in AI development.
The goal is to make it easier for companies to introduce AI into their operations. Both companies specifically identify financial services, healthcare and life sciences as priority sectors.
Google has been replacing Assistant with Gemini across all its apps, and Maps is the latest one getting an upgrade. The AI assistant will let you interact with the app using natural conversation while you navigate the roads hands-free. You can, for instance, ask it: “Is there a budget-friendly Japanese restaurant along my route within a couple of miles?” And after it has responded, you can keep on asking it follow-up questions, such as if a specific restaurant has a parking space and what dishes are popular there. Once you’ve decided on a place, you can simply tell Gemini: “Okay, let’s go there,” to start navigating to it.
You’ll also be able to ask Gemini to do random tasks while it’s navigating and without leaving the Maps app, such as adding events to your Calendar if you allow it to connect to the app. In addition, Gemini will let you report traffic disruptions, simply by saying “there’s flooding ahead” or “I see an accident.” Gemini in Google Maps is rolling out over the next few weeks to Android and iOS in all regions where Gemini is available. It’s also coming to Android Auto in the future.
In the US, Maps is getting more capabilities powered by the AI assistant. You can now get directions that mention landmarks that are easy to spot. Instead of saying “turn left in 500 feet,” for example, Gemini will say “turn left after the Thai Siam Restaurant.” The landmark will also be highlighted in Maps as a visual cue. This feature is now rolling out to both Android and iOS devices. Maps will now proactively notify you of road disruptions on Android, as well, even if you’re not actively navigating. Finally, you’ll be able to use Lens with Gemini within the Maps app when it starts rolling out later this month to Android and iOS. You simply have to tap on the camera in the Maps search bar, point to an establishment and ask it questions about the location, such as “What is this place and why is it popular?”
Google has been replacing Assistant with Gemini across all its apps, and Maps is the latest one getting an upgrade. The AI assistant will let you interact with the app using natural conversation while you navigate the roads hands-free. You can, for instance, ask it: “Is there a budget-friendly Japanese restaurant along my route within a couple of miles?” And after it has responded, you can keep on asking it follow-up questions, such as if a specific restaurant has a parking space and what dishes are popular there. Once you’ve decided on a place, you can simply tell Gemini: “Okay, let’s go there,” to start navigating to it.
You’ll also be able to ask Gemini to do random tasks while it’s navigating and without leaving the Maps app, such as adding events to your Calendar if you allow it to connect to the app. In addition, Gemini will let you report traffic disruptions, simply by saying “there’s flooding ahead” or “I see an accident.” Gemini in Google Maps is rolling out over the next few weeks to Android and iOS in all regions where Gemini is available. It’s also coming to Android Auto in the future.
In the US, Maps is getting more capabilities powered by the AI assistant. You can now get directions that mention landmarks that are easy to spot. Instead of saying “turn left in 500 feet,” for example, Gemini will say “turn left after the Thai Siam Restaurant.” The landmark will also be highlighted in Maps as a visual cue. This feature is now rolling out to both Android and iOS devices. Maps will now proactively notify you of road disruptions on Android, as well, even if you’re not actively navigating. Finally, you’ll be able to use Lens with Gemini within the Maps app when it starts rolling out later this month to Android and iOS. You simply have to tap on the camera in the Maps search bar, point to an establishment and ask it questions about the location, such as “What is this place and why is it popular?”
Zohran Mamdani wasted little time as mayor-elect of New York City before making clear that he sees part of his new role as standing up to the president of the United States, who had threatened not only to defund the city if he won but also to arrest and deport him. Mamdani, a Democrat, addressed the Republican president directly and at length from the stage at his victory party in Brooklyn. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on a series of stunning election night victories for Democrats, Rochelle Ferguson-Bouyahi welcomes Ian Reifowitz, Author of “Riling Up the Base” and Distinguished Professor of Historical Studies at Empire State College of the State University of New York.
After everything endured by victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires, they didn’t need yet another indignity, another gut punch, another reason to throw their heads back and scream.
But that’s exactly what they’ve gotten, with mounting evidence that in each of the historically destructive infernos, fumbles by fire department personnel contributed to disastrous consequences.
For months, there’s been legitimate outrage over staffing, preparation, strategies and resources. But in recent days, a couple of very specific breakdowns have been highlighted.
In the case of the Eaton fire, my Times colleagues Grace Toohey and Terry Castleman reported Saturday that as the blaze spread on the evening of Jan. 7, firefighters in the field urged a broader evacuation. But the orders were delayed by three hours in West Altadena, where 18 people died and numerous residents raced for their lives as thousands of homes were incinerated.
“It’s another slap in the face,” said Zaire Calvin, a lifelong West Altadena resident who lost his sister, his home and his neighborhood in the fire. “There was a full breakdown, we know that for sure. It’s why everybody on the west side was like, we have to save ourselves.”
In the case of the Palisades blaze, Times staffers Alene Tchekmedyian and Paul Pringle reported last week that a review of texts reveals thatfirefighters warned a battalion chief that a New Year’s Day brush fire still was smoldering the next day. But they were ordered to leave the area, and federal authorities said five days later the fire reignited, killing 12 people and displacing thousands.
“It’s a complete sucker punch,” said Jewlz Fahn, who lost her home in the Palisades, as did her parents and sister.
She was livid that the Los Angeles Fire Department did not use thermal imaging technology to detect underground embers, as reported by The Times, and then abandoned the brush fire location despite warnings by front-line crew.
“It is astounding to me,” Fahn said. “So it wasn’t because the winds were too strong and they couldn’t put out the fire. Had they stayed in the area like they should have and had they used heat-detecting technology … they could have avoided this.”
News of the delayed evacuation warnings in West Altadena surfaced in a $1.9-million report that was roundly criticized by residents, and even the county supervisors who ordered it, for failing to provide clear accountability and responsibility for delayed evacuation orders.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger told The Times the L.A. County Fire Department was responsible for “a gap” between the need for evacuation alerts and the delivery of them. “That was where the breakdown was,” she said.
County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone declined to be interviewed for the story on the three-hour gap, and a spokesperson said Marrone is “committed to ensuring the department continues to improve for future fires.”
Shawna Dawson Beer, who lost her Altadena home, is neither surprised by damning revelations about communication breakdowns nor appeased by claims that all is well going forward.
“We were just left to burn … and it’s so galling to have to continue to be gaslit by the county and L.A. County Fire,” said Dawson Beer, who is with a community group called Altadena for Accountability that has demanded a full investigation by the state attorney general.
“Let’s be honest,” she wrote on Substack. “Our resources were mismanaged. We were failed. And because [L.A County, the Fire Department and Southern California Edison] are so financially and politically intertwined, no one will take responsibility.”
There’s a lot of responsibility to consider, including utility company complicity and climate change conditions that have accelerated the threat of destructive fires around the world. As for the Paltadena conflagrations, heat and wind were major factors, and in the Palisades fire, 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht was charged with setting the brush fire that eventually set off the killer blaze.
But on top of all that, human error is undeniable.
In the immediate aftermath of the Palisades fire, veteran chiefs told me and others they were all but certain that the small earlier fire sparked the bigger one, and they were proven right.
“I would say a majority of us who live in the Palisades knew it was a re-ignition. It was obvious from the get-go,” said Sue Pascoe, who lost her home and is the editor of the popular community publication Circling the News. Pascoe said in the past “homeless fires” were put out and would later smoke up again, and the Fire Department would be back to extinguish the embers.
Then came the January fire that wiped the Palisades off the map.
“I think what people are really upset about is that the firefighters knew about that, and they left anyhow,” Pascoe said, noting that the crew was following orders and wondering what others might have done in the same situation.
But that’s not good enough, said former deputy mayor and Los Angeles Unified Sschool District superintendent Austin Beutner, who is running to unseat Bass.
“Mayor Bass is asking the fire department to investigate itself,” Beutner said in a statement, calling on her to hand the job to an independent commission.
Beutner has been forced out of his smoke-damaged Palisades home since the fire, which destroyed his mother-in-law’s house. He told me he’s not running for mayor simply because of the fire, but because of what he called a failure of leadership on many fronts and a crisis of affordability for many residents.
We don’t yet know what the Palisades or Altadena fires will become. What we know is that 31 people died, 16,000 structures were destroyed, and an untold number of people may never recover financially or psychically.
And we know, thanks to dogged reporting throughout the year, that mistakes were made and the cost is incalculable.
“The toll it’s taken on everyone is ripping families apart and taking away futures. … My mother is 85 and buried her daughter,” West Altadena’s Calvin said, adding that they’re not home yet and don’t know when they will be.
“The PTSD is real,” Altadena’s Dawson Beer said. “I’m not a delicate flower. I’m as tough as they come, and this is a lot. Many days, I don’t know.”
Travel sickness can be a real hindrance for those who suffer from it, making public transport journeys a daunting task and even car travel a nightmare. There are numerous products available that claim to alleviate travel sickness, such as patches and tablets, but they may not work for everyone and aren’t always readily available when sudden motion sickness strikes.
However, one woman has hailed a common household product as a “life-saving” remedy for travel sickness sufferers. In an Instagram video, Kiki Rough shared her recent experience of battling severe nausea in the back of a taxi en route to the airport. She informed the taxi driver that she would cover the cleaning costs and offer a generous tip if she ended up being sick in the vehicle.
But the driver’s response was unexpected. Rather than expressing annoyance at the potential mess, the driver reached into her pocket and handed Kiki some Vicks VapoRub, instructing her to “put it under her nose”.
Kiki revealed: “When I tell you, three decades of my life where I have fought to not throw up on every long-form car trip just disappeared. My nausea? Out the window.”
The taxi driver’s generosity didn’t end there, as she also produced a small, empty container and decanted some of the VapoRub into it, passing it to Kiki for the remainder of her journey, accompanied by the heartwarming message: “Don’t get sick on your flight.”
Viewers of the video were astounded by the hack. Numerous people declared it would be “life-saving” for their forthcoming travels if the aroma of the Vicks product could prevent them from feeling queasy.
One individual commented: “I’m actually excited to try a long car ride now. Thank you for sharing this!”.
Another remarked: “This is LIFE SAVING.”
A third penned: “Did you just change my life with this?”.
It’s thought that Vicks VapoRub functions because the menthol fragrance masks any potent odours that might be worsening your nausea. Getting fresh air and inhaling clean aromas are established methods to reduce motion sickness, and the scent of Vicks could play a part in that.
Guidance for managing motion sickness
Vicks isn’t formulated to treat motion sickness, and the technique may not be effective for everyone; however, there are alternative approaches you can try. According to the NHS, you can try these measures to relieve the queasiness yourself:
Reduce motion by sitting in the front seat of a car or the middle of a boat
Look straight ahead at a fixed point, such as the horizon
Breathe fresh air if possible – for example, by opening a car window
Close your eyes and breathe slowly while focusing on your breathing
Break up long journeys to get some fresh air, drink water or take a walk
Try ginger to settle the stomach, either as a tablet, in a biscuit, or in tea
The NHS also advises that you should not do the following:
Do not read, watch films or use electronic devices
Do not look at moving objects, such as passing cars or rolling waves
Do not eat heavy meals, spicy foods, or drink alcohol shortly before or during travel
Do not go on fairground rides if they make you feel unwell
“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” has often been treated as the weird stepchild of the “Star Trek” franchise because it deviated quite a bit from the standard, focusing on a space station in a fixed location and dealing heavily with aliens and moral ambiguity. No one was really “boldly going” much of anywhere, save for a few odd excursions through the nearby wormhole to see what was on the other side, which was wildly different from the exploration-based “Star Trek” shows that had come before (and would come after). For some fans, “Deep Space Nine” was too dark and concerned with war to be a proper “Star Trek” series, but in the time since the show’s finale aired in 1999, many have come around to recognize it as something truly special.
As new fans discover this incredible science fiction series through streaming for the first time, it can be a little bit intimidating. After all, “Deep Space Nine” has over 170 episodes across seven seasons, which is a bit daunting to folks used to streaming seasons with 10 episodes or less. There are some episodes of the show everyone should see at least once, and we’ve compiled five of the very best here. While a few fan favorites didn’t quite make the cut, like “Take Me Out to the Holosuite” or “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” that just means there’s even more great “Deep Space Nine” for new fans to discover.
One of the most challenging episodes of “Deep Space Nine” came early in its existence, in the Season 1 episode “Duet.” The episode sees Bajoran major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), the first officer of the space station Deep Space Nine (DS9), forced to reckon with the actions of her past as a freedom fighter/terrorist when a Cardassian named Marritza (Harris Yulin) ends up at DS9 for treatment from an ailment he only could have caught while serving in a Cardassian death camp during the occupation of Bajor. It’s believed that Marritza is actually Gul Darhe’el, who committed heinous war crimes against Bajorans and was complicit in their genocide, and he starts spouting fascist rhetoric when he’s discovered.
Kira has to decide whether to take revenge on him herself, put him before the Bajoran war tribunal, or let it go, and he tells her that it doesn’t matter either way because the past is the past. It’s brutal watching Kira try to process the fact that there’s no fixing the trauma done to her people, though the episode does offer a bit of hope with a second twist that shows us there is still hope even in the darkest of times. “Duet” is a great example of the kind of nuanced storytelling “Deep Space Nine” is capable of, and it does a fantastic job setting the stage for Major Kira’s series-long arc as she helps her planet and people heal while also healing herself.
Trials and Tribble-ations – Season 5, Episode 6
Paramount
Thankfully, there was quite a bit more to “Deep Space Nine” than just painful allegories that relate all too well to our own world — it could be a whole lot of fun, too! In Season 5, while many of the chief officers were transporting the Bajoran Orb of Time from Cardassia Prime back to Bajor via the zippy little warship the Defiant, they ended up accidentally going back in time and encountering the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise under the command of Captain Kirk (William Shatner). The episode “Trials and Tribble-ations” uses footage from the classic “Star Trek: The Original Series” episode “The Trouble with Tribbles,” with the DS9 crew inserted among them using some creative editing and special effects. They have to capture a Klingon assassin who turns a fuzzy little Tribble into a bomb, all without alerting the Enterprise crew to their existence among them.
“Trials and Tribble-ations” is chock full of “Star Trek” Easter eggs and fun little moments just for hardcore fans, but it also gives new context to one of the most popular episodes of “The Original Series” and makes some of those classic moments even funnier. It’s not mind-blowing sci-fi, but it’s tremendous fun that’s still pure “Star Trek,” and if the sight of an exploding Tribble doesn’t make you laugh, you might be dead inside (or a Vulcan).
Empok Nor – Season 5, Episode 24
Paramount
Before he was the creator of shows like “Pushing Daisies” and “Hannibal,” Bryan Fuller was a writer on “Deep Space Nine,” where he wrote the story that became the episode “Empok Nor” (with a teleplay by Hans Beimler). “Empok Nor” shows the flexibility of “Star Trek” and goes into full-on horror territory, following an expedition team led by Chief of Engineering Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) to retrieve a replacement part for DS9 from its sister space station, the abandoned Empok Nor (DS9’s original name was Terok Nor).
Since Cardassians booby trap places before leaving them, they take along DS9’s resident Cardassian tailor/spy, Garak (Andrew Robinson), with them, and while fighting the Cardassian soldiers frozen until the ship was boarded, he becomes affected by a psychotropic drug being pumped through the air that makes Cardassians even more bloodthirsty and xenophobic. He kills the other Cardassians and then turns on his own crew, and he’s only stopped when Miles tricks him (and nearly kills him as a result).
“Empok Nor” is genuinely scary, showing off the kind of tension Fuller could create with his writing long before his killer “Hannibal” adaptation. Robinson (who played Larry Cotton in “Hellraiser”) really gets to chew the scenery and revel in his character’s dark side, and it’s an intense little treat that works as a perfect standalone horror story.
In the Pale Moonlight – Season 6, Episode 19
Paramount
While “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry had been pretty explicit about the franchise he spawned not tackling the thorny topic of war, “Deep Space Nine” did exactly that with its long-running Dominion War arc, in which the entire quadrant was at risk of being overthrown by the villainous Dominion, run by the shapeshifting Founders, who had come through the wormhole from the Gamma quadrant. The Season 6 episode “In the Pale Moonlight” follows Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) as he tries to reconcile the actions of his that were very un-Starfleet. In a “Star Trek” twist on the infamous Zimmerman Telegram that was used to help ensure the United States joined the Allied Powers during World War I, Sisko conspires with some of the shadiest characters on DS9 (including Garak) to trick the Romulans into joining the fight against the Dominion.
“In the Pale Moonlight” is a unique episode that features Sisko addressing the camera directly while recording his personal log (which he then deletes), and the morally ambiguous actions of the captain made it one seriously controversial “Deep Space Nine” episode when it aired. While it’s a little more ethically complex than the average “Star Trek” outing, it provides the opportunity for audiences to interrogate their own feelings on a tricky situation and doesn’t give any easy answers, making for an episode that’s compelling on multiple rewatches.
Far Beyond the Stars – Season 6, Episode 13
Paramount
“Star Trek” has regularly used its sci-fi setting to tell allegorical stories about our own world, but in the Season 6 episode “Far Beyond the Stars,” it got pretty darn direct about racism and sexism in 1950s science fiction, commenting on those problems through today. The episode stands completely on its own because it’s technically a dream world seen by Captain Sisko, where he lives through the experiences of sci-fi author Benny Russell. Avery Brooks directed the episode as well, and it’s an incredible show of his talents both in front of and behind the camera, and the story is truly powerful. “Far Beyond the Stars” isn’t afraid to tackle truly thorny topics like sexism in the workplace or police brutality, and while it doesn’t have any of the fun holodeck antics or unique alien insight as some other great “Trek” episodes, its message matters far more than most.
After the magazine issue containing Russell’s story is “pulped” by the editor instead of being released because they didn’t want to publish a story featuring a Black protagonist, Russell has a nervous breakdown, crying out, “You can pulp a story but you cannot destroy an idea, don’t you understand, that’s ancient knowledge, you cannot destroy an idea.” He sees a future where a Black man can be a hero, a future that partially came true when Brooks was cast as Sisko, the first Black “Star Trek” commander. “Far Beyond the Stars” is layered and brilliant, and it’s not just one of the best “Deep Space Nine” episodes, but one of the best “Star Trek” episodes of all time.
In the coming years, we’ll at least get the cars — in the form of small helicopter-plane hybrids that could make commuting a breeze.
The flying vessels are just one of several exciting new modes of travel on the horizon.
“The future of transit [is] optimistic and ambitious,” Johanna Fabrin — co-founder of 21st Europe, the think tank behind a proposed high-speed rail network linking major cities across the continent — told NYNext.
Have a look at what the future holds for getting around.
Hydrofoiling electric vehicles, like supersonic jets and semi-private planes, have the capacity to revolutionize traveling and commuting in the coming years. The craft pictured above, manufactured by Candela, rises above the water on wing-like foils and cuts drag by nearly 80%. Candela
Flying taxis transform cities
In June 2025, Vermont-based BETA Technologies completed the first-ever North American passenger flight of an electric-powered plane with its ALIA aircraft. The sleek vessel seats five and is designed to be able to take off both vertically — like a helicopter — and horizontally — like a plane.
Passenger flights are expected within the next year, and commercial service will follow soon thereafter — making quiet, zero-emission air travel as routine as hailing an Uber.
“This really has all the legs to be a meaningful mode of transport for New Yorkers,” BETA CEO Kyle Clark told NYNext.
In June 2025, BETA Technologies’ ALIA aircraft completed the first-ever electric passenger flight in North America — traveling from East Hampton to JFK in just 49 minutes. REUTERS
ALIA is part of a crowded airspace of next-gen companies — among them Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, Lilium and Vertical Aerospace — racing to produce silent, zero-emission “air taxis” at scale.
Joby, one of the furthest along, plans to launch commercial flights with Delta Air Lines in the next several years — shuttling passengers between airports and city centers like JFK and Manhattan in minutes.
Ferries rise above it all
In Scandinavia, energy-efficient electric hydrofoil ferries that hover just above the water have have been whisking commuters across bodies of water for years. Come 2026, expect to see them skimming atop Lake Tahoe, which is nestled between California and Nevada, too.
“Intuitively, it looks like a bad idea,” Gustav Hasselskog, CEO of Candela, a leading manufacturer of hydrofoiling electric boats and ferries, told NYNext. But it isn’t.
In Stockholm, Candela’s electric ferries have cut commute times by roughly 50%. Candela
Instead of plowing through the water, craft like those manufactured by Candela and its main competitor, Regent, generate lift with hydrofoils — underwater wings not dissimilar to those of a plane.
With only those slim foils touching the water, drag drops by close to 80%. The wake, and the speed restrictions that come with it, become non-factors. The ride is both incredibly smooth and 300% more energy efficient than traditional, combustible engine-powered ferries.
In Stockholm, the public transit authority is currently running a route that has cut commute times by about 50%. Stateside, as soon as next year, a Candela ferry could be jetting across Lake Tahoe in half an hour, handily linking the 14 ski resorts and many resort towns that encircle the nearly 200-square-mile lake. By car, trips around Big Blue, as it’s known, take hours.
Semi-private air travel takes off
You no longer have to be a billionaire to avoid the indignities of commercial air travel.
Carriers like JSX and Aero are offering a growing number of affordable semi-private flights, with tickets between 20% and 200% higher than those for commercial flights. Jets typically seat 20 to 30 passengers and leave from private terminals. Travelers can roll up 20 minutes before departure, skip the security lines and settle into seats with business-class legroom, free drinks and designated workspaces.
Set to launch in 2027, Magnifica Air will offer semi-private jets with just 45 to 54 seats — including a handful of lavish private suites. Magnifica Air
The Florida-based startup Magnifica Air — launching in 2027 with flights linking New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston and the Bay Area — will take things one step further with stylish, lie-flat leather seats and the option to book private suites with banquette seating.
Meanwhile, Delta has bought a share in private aviation firm Wheels Up, allowing Delta VIPs to seamlessly connect to far-flung destinations on private charters.
High-speed trains seamlessly connect Europe
Starline, a hugely ambitious rail project, would connect 39 major cities across Europe with trains traveling up to 249 miles-per-hour, similar to Japan’s Shinkansen — like a “metro system across the whole continent,” Johann Fabrin, the co-founder of 21st Europe, the Copenhagen think tank beyond the plan, told NYNext.
The proposal emphasizes human-centered design over pure tech spectacle. The vision is soft-yellow interiors, family zones and co-working lounges meant to make long-distance travel comfortable and inviting.
“We need new visions for the future of transit that are optimistic and ambitious,” says Johanna Fabrin, co-founder of 21st Europe, whose Starline project reimagines high-speed rail across the continent. Bakken & Baeck
“In some ways, Starline is kind of a fulfillment of [the original European Union] promise — it should be super seamless and easy to travel across Europe, to access different economies, to access different cultures and people,” Fabrin said.
While Starline is just a promising proposal at this point, it has attracted broad attention. If realized, it would potentially cut cross-continent travel times in half, and lower emissions dramatically.
The proposed 14,000-mile high-speed rail network, dubbed Starline, is designed to connect every major city in Europe. The vision comes from Copenhagen-based think tank 21st Europe. Bakken & Baeck
This story is part of NYNext, an indispensable insider insight into the innovations, moonshots and political chess moves that matter most to NYC’s power players (and those who aspire to be).
A Corcorde for the next generation
Since the famed Corcorde flew its final flight in late 2003, the technology for supersonic flight has sat dormant.
But, in recent years, a host of players have been racing to bring back faster-than-sound air travel. They received an added boost earlier this year when the Trump administration ordered the FAA to repeal a rule that prohibited overland flight.
NASA, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, is developing a new generation of supersonic jets designed to eliminate the deafening ‘boom’ — paving the way for quiet, faster-than-sound commercial travel. NASA / SWNS
In the commercial space, Lockheed Martin, in partnership with NASA, is developing supersonic jets sans supersonic booms. In the defense space, Atlanta-based startup Hermeus has a jet in the pipeline that will travel five-times faster than sound itself.
Boom Supersonic’s Overture jet aims to connect New York and London in under four hours with commercial flights before the end of the decade. AP
“I think of this as a company that’s not just building a cheaper supersonic plane,” former Boeing CEO and Boom board member Phil Condit told the Wall Street Journal in June. “But rather, bringing a modern, Silicon Valley approach to disrupting aerospace in the way Tesla did in the automotive industry.”
Every week, The Post will bring you our picks of the best one-liners and stories from satirical site the Babylon Bee to take the edge off Hump Day. Want more of a chuckle? Be sure to click the links.
Babylon Bee
Washington insiders confirmed that the party had held several closed-door meetings to try and figure out what the government shutdown was all about. READ MORE
Babylon Bee
Mamdani made the announcement at a rally on Saturday, assuring New York citizens that they would have equal opportunity to be placed in state-run gulags at no cost. READ MORE
Babylon Bee
“I’d like to thank God and the dude who signs my paychecks,” said star slugger Shohei Ohtani through a translator. READ MORE
Babylon Bee
At publishing time, online influencers had suddenly taken an interest in the genocide of Nigerian Christians after being told that Israel may be to blame. READ MORE
In October, the FTSE 100 hit fresh record highs. Despite the move over the course of this year, some are concerned the market might be getting ahead of itself. As a result, they feel UK shares could be in for a rocky run through to year-end. I have my own views on what will happen, and decided to check ChatGPT to see if my AI friend agrees or not!
Agreeing on some things
ChatGPT went as far as to say there’s “no clear sign” that UK shares will crash immediately, but caveated this view, saying that the downside risk (ie the risk of a crash) isn’t zero.
I pressed it for more reasoning, and it decided to look to the past. It told me that key market stress signals that have historically preceded crashes aren’t flashing red strongly right now. These include factors like banking sector stress, growth rates and inflation levels.
From my perspective, I agree that the risk of a crash isn’t high. However, unlike ChatGPT, I believe investors could consider positioning their portfolios a bit more defensively for the months ahead. After all, we’ve had a strong rally for much of this year, so instead of buying higher-risk growth stocks right now, I think it makes more sense to look at defensive picks.
The main reason a correction could come is if the Autumn Budget later this month spooks investors. If we see fiscal policy shifting to higher income tax, higher corporate tax, and lower government spending, it could cause the stock market to fall.
Plenty of defensive options
Fortunately, the FTSE 100 has several good defensive shares to consider. For example, National Grid (LSE:NG). The stock is up 16% over the past year, with a dividend yield of 4.08%.
I think it’s a potentially solid pick for a few reasons. To begin with, it offers stable, regulated cash flows. What I mean by this is that as a utility operator in the UK and the US, it has price bands on what it can charge. This ensures revenue remains fairly consistent, allowing the management team to forecast with confidence into the future.
It also appeals due to its income potential. Although the dividend was cut this year, it boasts a track record of paying out dividends for over two decades straight. So even if the market does crash, investors can still look to bank some cash from the dividends.
Finally, National Grid acts to future-proof operations because of large, long-dated capex programmes. It’s focusing on upgrading the network, which should provide more profit in the years to come.
Of course, the company isn’t perfect. Some see the regulatory influence as being a concern, as any changes made by Ofgem have to be obeyed. It’s true that during a market correction, there’s no guarantee National Grid stock might not fall as well.
So I partly agree with ChatGPT, but feel it lacks the gut-feeling investors might have to want to move a little more cautiously for the period to the end of the year.
