"We're unfortunately less safe today than we were pre-9/11, so on September 10th, because of not the technology issues, but the people issues," said Max Stier.
A New Jersey police officer holds an American Flag before the start of the ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Jay Clayton testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing to be the next Director of National Intelligence on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Bitcoinβs path higher just got harder in the short term, but the setup further out may be improving, according to a new report.Β
In a Friday note, European asset manager CoinSharesβ Head of Research, James Butterfill, said firmer-than-expected core inflation raises the odds of tighter Fed policy and could cap bitcoin below $80,000 for now.Β
But the longer-term case, he argued, rests on the U.S. Treasuryβs bond buyback programme failing to bring down long-end yields β a failure that could ultimately feed the debasement narrative that has supported both bitcoin and gold.
βThe result is therefore a somewhat unusual policy mix for Bitcoin,β the report read. βTodayβs CPI data is negative at the margin, increasing the probability of tighter monetary policy and potentially limiting the immediate upside.Β
βBut the apparent failure of the Treasuryβs current buying programme increases the likelihood of much more substantial intervention further ahead.β
It continued: βIf that happens, it could become one of the more powerful medium-term catalysts for Bitcoin.β
Data on Friday revealed that the consumer price index, excluding food and energy, climbed 0.3% in August from a month earlier β higher than expected.Β
According to CMEβs FedWatch tool, traders think there is a 85% chance interest rates will be higher after the Federal Reserve meets next week. Bitcoin has typically performed well in a low interest rate environment.Β
But the U.S. Treasuryβs expanded bond buyback programme has so far failed to materially suppress long-term yields.Β
If yields stay stubbornly high, Butterfill said, pressure will build on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to escalate to a much larger, βbazooka-styleβ buying programme aimed at forcing borrowing costs down.
Bitcoin in August had one of its best runs in years after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the department would double the size of its long-dated bond buybacks.Β
The announcement and subsequent price surge has led some to say the much talked-about debasement trade is back. The so-called debasement trade is when investors buy an asset as a way to hedge against a currency losing value.Β
Bitcoin and gold have both benefited as part of the trade as the dollar weakens.Β
An American flag is unfurled at the Pentagon in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at sunrise on the morning of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The American flag is draped over the site of impact at the Pentagon. In the foreground, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, opened in 2008 adjacent to the site, commemorates the lives lost at the Pentagon and onboard American Airlines Flight 77. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Bitcoinβs price rose on Friday β despite data revealing that U.S. inflation had risen.Β
The biggest cryptocurrency by market cap was recently trading for close to $78,749 after jumping 2% over a 24-hour period. At one point on Friday morning in New York, bitcoin rose as high as $79,607.Β
Bitcoinβs price spike came after news dropped that U.S. consumer prices accelerated in August, reinforcing βexpectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next week.
The consumer price index, excluding food and energy, climbed 0.3% in August from a month earlier, which was higher than expected.Β
Inflation in the U.S. has been difficult to tame due to the war with Iran, which has lifted oil prices, in turn raising the costs of food, gasoline and other goods.Β
Higher inflation typically means the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates, which in turn could stop bitcoinβs price climbing higher.Β
According to CMEβs FedWatch tool, traders think there is a 85% chance interest rates will be higher by next week. The Federal Reserve will meet next week and reveal what it will do with borrowing costs.Β
Bitcoin has typically performed well in a low interest rate environment because it means people can buy more of the cryptocurrency with increased liquidity.Β
Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, who took the helm in January, last month gave his first speech as head of the U.S. central bank and said he had βmore work to doβ to fight inflation.Β
The U.S. is currently in the grips of an affordability crisis and rising oil prices are a hot topic ahead of the midterm elections.Β
U.S. President Donald Trump has reassured voters that prices will get under control and repeatedly put pressure on the central bank to lower interest rates.Β
Bitcoin in August had its biggest run in years following positive regulatory news and an announcement from the U.S. Treasury.Β
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the department would double the size of its long-dated bond buybacks, helping non-yielding assets like bitcoin and gold. The cryptocurrency then benefited from President Trump urging lawmakers to get key crypto legislation, the Clarity Act, over the line.Β
Federal workforce reductions led to loss of institutional knowledge, creating a need for agency leaders to pivot on employee development strategies, CHCOs say.
Televisionβs highest honors will be awarded to several shows at the 2026 Primetime Emmys. HBO led the field with 122 total nominations, including nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, followed by Netflix (111) and Apple TV (89). These three services will be searching for Emmy glory in several of the major categories, including drama series, comedy series, and limited or anthology series.
β’ Conversational AI is driving a major voice resurgence in customer service by improving the IP voice experience.
β’ Long call queues on account of human agents being thinly stretched across large call volumes have led to customer frustrations and poor CX, but modern versions of conversational AI are set to change that by taking away the frictions associated with voice.
It was believed that voice would diminish in value as digital channels started to emerge as an alternative to the voice channel. While messaging and chatbots offer cost and scale advantages, GlobalDataβs research shows that voice continues to remain a vital channel for connecting with customers despite the frictions. Voice provides instant gratification and tends to be more straightforward to use as it does not involve navigating through messaging channels, websites and so and having to type messages. While the elderly demography tends to prefer voice due to greater familiarity, voice is seen to be popular even with the younger generation.
The modern versions of conversational AI are reinforcing the value of voice by taking away the frictions, leading to improved experience, at least for some use cases. Conversational AI is not new, but the older versions were highly programmed, rigid, and could only answer limited, non-interactive queries. Modern conversational AI relies on probabilistic models, making it highly interactive and capable of closely emulating human agents. This technology has given birth to virtual AI receptionists that handle calls, greet customers, carry out authentication, identify intent, and route calls. This eliminates long queues and grants customers 24/7 access. The value multiplies with real-time translation, allowing AI receptionists to speak multiple languages. This is a game-changer for diverse ethnic groups who do not speak English as a first language, especially when accessing critical local government public services where expressing needs in a native language is vital.
Driven by rapid tech advancements, conversational AI is expanding from basic receptionists into autonomous AI agents. These agents handle tasks like answering queries, booking appointments, and taking orders. To do this, they require robust technical foundations, integrating seamlessly with knowledge bases and CRMs (systems of record) to provide targeted responses. Linked to the right workflows, AI agents can check calendars to schedule medical visits or process restaurant orders. Combined with 24/7 availability and translation, this dramatically elevates the voice experience for customers. Furthermore, non-technical teams can easily build these bots in agent builder studios by simply describing the desired persona and goals, removing the need for complex coding. As 8Γ8 CEO Samuel Wilson noted at the companyβs analyst summit this June, βThe next billion voice numbers will go to AI agents.β
Despite the promise, architectural challenges remain. Latency is a primary hurdle; the traditional multi-step process (like speech-to-text) can create latency, leading to awkward pauses that disrupt conversational flow. Robust guardrails are also critical to stop AI from hallucinating false information, which carries severe financial and legal risks. Additionally, backend integrations can be clunky due to poorly documented APIs or failing connectors. Finally, the compute costs for generative (GenAI) and agentic AI remain high and can be prohibitive for many businesses. While agentic conversational AI is still in its developing stages, steady breakthroughs are addressing initial operational hurdles to gradually enhance the contact center voice experience. This ongoing progress will drive deeper adoption of the voice channel, counteracting previous assumptions that voice would decrease in value.
The quest for ever-more automation within customer contact solutions continues apace. There will always be scenarios where human-to-human conversations are the preferred and best option. But to enable companies to offer voice interaction at the scale that customers demand, AI will have to carry a significant share of the burden. GenAI- and agentic AI-powered conversational AI is fundamentally shifting the voice experience in contact centers and customer service.
Appleβs new folding iPhone Duo is finally here, alongside refreshed Pro models. Our primer has all the details you need to choose the iPhone 18 thatβs right for you.
What a difference a few weeks make for the state of television. During the final days of August, it was a struggle to find new and returning shows debuting on streaming services. Once the calendar hit September, it was a television overload, and this week continues that trend. HBO Max kicks off our countdown with a headline-grabbing true crime documentary.
The commander and pilot of NASA's Artemis II mission have gained a new distinction five months after splashing down from the Moon: They're not fully retiring from the space agency.
Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover are the first astronauts to join NASA's emeritus program, enabling them to continue to support the work being done at Johnson Space Center in Houston. They will remain available to train and mentor the current workforce while still being able to pursue employment and opportunities outside of NASA.
"I have asked NASA ... to not use the term 'retire' as much, but technically emeritus is a retirement program," Glover told collectSPACE.com on Wednesday. "It's something we have typically done for scientists when they have groundbreaking research, and they want to go back to academia to teach or to research and publish."
A NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract has been awarded by the agency to Relativity Space Inc., and its Terran R launch service in accordance with the contractβs on-ramp provision. The Terran R launch service will be available to NASAβs launch services to use for future missions.
The NLS II contracts are multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with an ordering period through June 2030 and an overall period of performance through December 2032. The NLS II contracts include an on-ramp provision that provides an opportunity annually for new launch service providers to compete for future missions and allows existing contractors to introduce launch vehicles not currently on their NLS II contracts.
The NLS II contracts support the goals and objectives of the agencyβs Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate, Science Mission Directorate, and the Research and Technology Mission Directorate. Under the contract, NASA also can provide launch services to other government agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NASAβs Launch Services Program Office at the agencyβs Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages the NLS II contracts. For more information about NASA, visit:
"The department really has had to change the way it is thinking and its approach to brain health effects from blast over pressure," said Alyssa Hundrup.
I have a soft spot for old software Easter eggs, especially the ones that make you wonder what developers were doing when nobody was looking. Excel 97 has one of my favorites: a secret 3D flight simulator hidden inside a spreadsheet. And, yes, I went looking for a way to play it.
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