Monday, May 6, 2024
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    Asia markets live updates: RBA meeting, China trade

    Peter Watson
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    Asia markets live updates: RBA meeting, China trade

    2 Hours Ago

    Indonesia’s first-quarter GDP grows at fastest pace in three quarters

    Indonesia’s first-quarter gross domestic product climbed 5.11% year on year, marking its fastest expansion in three quarters.

    The reading also beat the 5% growth expected by economists polled by Reuters.

    On a quarter-on-quarter basis, Southeast Asia’s largest economy posted a 0.83% decline, softer than the 0.89% expected by the Reuters poll.

    — Lim Hui Jie

    4 Hours Ago

    Foxconn shares spike almost 7% after April sales soar almost 20%

    Shares of iPhone manufacturer Foxconn spiked as much as 6.73% after the company reported a 19.03% year-on-year rise in April revenue.

    Foxconn, which trades as Hon Hai Precision Industry in Taiwan, recorded 510.9 billion New Taiwan dollars ($15.83 billion) in revenue in April, compared to the NT$447.54 billion recorded in March.

    The company said that its component business, as well as its cloud and networking products “delivered strong growth,” while its smart consumer electronics and computing products segment “showed significant year on year growth in revenue.”

    5 Hours Ago

    Yen to face resistance at 150 against the dollar: SMBC

    The Japanese yen will face upside resistance against the U.S. dollar at the 150 level despite two rounds of suspected intervention by Japanese authorities last week, says SMBC economist Ryota Abe.

    The yen abruptly strengthened on April 29 and May 2, leading analysts to believe that Japan’s finance ministry bought yen to stem the currency’s slide.

    Abe also noted that Japan’s authorities are unlikely to intervene unless the yen weakens again. But he also said that the rate differential between the U.S. and Japan will remain as such if both central banks keep their monetary policies unchanged.

    The yen was trading at 153.64 at 11:18 a.m. Tokyo time.

    5 Hours Ago

    Caixin China services PMI comes in at 52.5 in April

    A private survey showed the expansion in China’s services activity slowed slightly in April from March.

    The Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers’ index came in at 52.5 in April, ticking down from 52.7 in March.

    “Although slightly softer, growth was again solid and has now been sustained for 16 consecutive months,” the survey read.

    A PMI reading above 50 indicates an expansion in activity, while a reading below that level points to a contraction.

    — Shreyashi Sanyal

    6 Hours Ago

    Hong Kong’s private sector expands at slower pace in April

    Business activity in Hong Kong’s private sector expanded at a slower pace in April, according to S&P Global.

    The purchasing managers’ index for the city slipped to 50.6 from March’s 50.9.

    Jingyi Pan, Economics Associate Director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said the reading signaled another improvement in business conditions at the start of the second quarter.

    However, Pan said the growth appears to be on “shaky ground,” highlighting that forward-looking indicators, such as the decline in new business orders in April, hinted at softening conditions.

    — Lim Hui Jie

    7 Hours Ago

    CNBC Pro: Samsung or SK Hynix? One’s a better play on the AI boom, according to most of the pros

    Big Tech names like Nvidia have been on fire, thanks to the artificial intelligence boom — and other chipmakers are sharing the limelight.

    The supply chain for AI is extensive. It includes companies in Asia-Pacific and ranges from producers of AI graphics processing units to printed circuit boards.

    Memory chips in particular have been in the spotlight as AI ramps up.

    Two stocks have dominated the memory chip market: Samsung and SK Hynix.

    Which is the better play on the AI boom? CNBC Pro spoke to the pros to find out.

    CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

    — Weizhen Tan

    7 Hours Ago

    CNBC Pro: Goldman Sachs refreshed its conviction lists of global stocks — giving one 67% upside


    Goldman Sachs just refreshed its lists of top global stock picks, adding some and removing others.

    Called the “Conviction List – Directors’ Cut,” the lists capture names across Europe and Asia-Pacific.

    The investment banks’ “Conviction List – Directors’ Cut” seeks to offer investors a “curated and active” list of 15 to 25 buy-rated stocks.

    CNBC Pro subscribers can read more on the latest additions here.

    — Amala Balakrishner

    Fri, May 3 2024 2:57 PM EDT

    Defense ETF reaches new record high

    See Chart…

    The ETF’s history

    The fund has gained more than 4% compared with the start of 2024.

    — Alex Harring, Gina Francolla

    Fri, May 3 2024 8:34 AM EDT

    U.S. economy added fewer jobs than expected in April

    The nonfarm payrolls report for April showed 175,000 jobs added, below the 240,000 jobs expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones.

    The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.9%, compared to 3.8% in the prior month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Revisions to February and March jobs numbers decreased the cumulative jobs added in those periods by 22,000.

    — Jesse Pound

    Fri, May 3 2024 2:35 AM EDT

    Japanese yen recovers 4.5% against U.S. dollar, set for best week in more than a year

    The Japanese yen was trading at 152.93 against the U.S. dollar and was set to end its best week in more than a year, despite hitting its weakest level since 1990 on Monday at 160.03.

    Analysts, including from Bank of America, have suggested there were likely two interventions carried out by Japanese authorities during the week, on Monday and Wednesday. The authorities are yet to make an official statement to confirm the interventions.

    “The government has been refusing to disclose whether they’ve been intervening or not, but I don’t think many people have any doubts,” Nicholas Smith, Japan strategist at CLSA, told CNBC.

    The yen has recovered some 4.5% since it hit a 34-year low on Monday.

    Candidates for Federal Office Can Raise Unlimited Funds for Ballot Measures

    Peter Watson
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    Candidates for Federal Office Can Raise Unlimited Funds for Ballot Measures

    The Federal Election Commission quietly issued an advisory opinion last week allowing candidates to raise unlimited money for issue-advocacy groups working on ballot measures in elections in which those candidates are on the ballot.

    The opinion, issued in response to a request from a Nevada-based abortion rights group, could significantly alter the landscape in the fall in terms of the capacity that candidates aligned with these groups have to help them raise money.

    The decision applies to all federal candidates, but with a presidential election taking place in six months, the biggest attention will fall to that race. If Mr. Biden can solicit money for abortion-rights ballot measures, he can add to an already-existing fund-raising advantage that his team currently has over Mr. Trump.

    The decision could affect turnout in battleground states like Nevada where razor-thin margins will determine the election. In Arizona, an abortion rights group said it had the number of signatures required to put a referendum on the ballot. Florida — a state that has voted reliably for Republicans in recent presidential races — has a similar measure on the ballot.

    The advisory opinion means that both Mr. Biden and former President Donald J. Trump can raise money for outside groups pushing ballot measures. In the wake of the repeal of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision, abortion ballot measures are expected to be a key focus for Democrats this fall.

    “I think it’s quite significant,” said Adav Noti, of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, calling it an enormous change from prohibitions put in place by the landmark McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill in 2002.

    The opinion was issued on May 1, in response to a question from lawyers representing the group Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, which hopes to put a referendum on the ballot in the fall. Several lawyers, including the veteran Democratic election-law lawyer Marc Elias, represent the group.

    The opinion found that federal candidates and officeholders can fund-raise for the group’s entities without being limited by dollar amounts or sources.

    In a recognition of how the parties might see the opinion, the National Republican Senatorial Committee took issue with a draft of the measure a day before it was formalized. The objections included that such coordination between a candidate and an outside group would translate to a get-out-the-vote effort for Democrats in the Nevada effort, but the N.R.S.C. concerns went unheeded.

    Of the six commissioners on the F.E.C., three Republicans and one Democrat agreed on the opinion.

    A spokesman for the Biden campaign and a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee declined to comment.

    The R.N.C.’s chief counsel, Charlie Spies, was pushed from his role after just two months amid a retreat for the committee’s donors in Palm Beach, Fla. A spokeswoman for the Trump team did not immediately respond to a question about whether Mr. Spies’s departure was at all connected to the advisory opinion.

    But Chris LaCivita, a top adviser to Mr. Trump who is now helping steer the R.N.C. as its chief of staff, described the development as an opening.

    “We will engage in all opportunities available, including new ones to defeat the corruption and failure of the Democrat machine,” Mr. LaCivita said.

    Mr. Noti said that the bloc of commissioners had rendered other opinions of significant impact recently, including the expansion of the capabilities of super PACs.

    “The combined effect of these decisions is having a really significant and demonstrable effect on how campaigns are run, and it’s all for the worse,” he said.

    Rishi Sunak needs to own Tory election defeats and change course, says Suella Braverman

    Peter Watson
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    • By Jennifer McKiernan & Hannah Miller, political correspondent
    • BBC Politics

    Video caption, Watch: Braverman says she regrets backing Sunak for PM

    Suella Braverman has called on Rishi Sunak to “own” the poor results for the Tories in England’s local elections.

    “The plan is not working,” the former home secretary said, urging the PM to “change course” and swing to the right.

    Ms Braverman, an MP and previous Tory leadership candidate, said there was not enough time to change leader before a general election, so it was up to Mr Sunak to “fix this”.

    But Transport Secretary Mark Harper insisted the PM’s plan “is working”.

    The Conservatives are licking their wounds after a string of local election defeats. After the final votes were counted on Sunday, the Tories had lost control of 10 councils and more than 470 council seats.

    The party also lost 10 Police and Crime Commissioners to Labour, marking a potentially significant blow for the Conservatives if they aim to centre their next general election campaign on law and order.

    The re-election of Ben Houchen as the Tees Valley mayor on Friday provided respite for the party, but the loss of the West Midlands mayor Andy Street on Saturday evening was a blow.

    The Conservatives also lost the Blackpool South by-election – Mr Sunak’s seventh by-election defeat since he took control of the party.

    “There is no disguising the fact these have been terrible election results for the Conservatives,” Ms Braverman told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

    “I’m urging the prime minister to change course, to – with humility – reflect on what the voters are telling us and change the plan and the way that he is communicating and leading us.”

    Ms Braverman said although she regretted backing Mr Sunak for the leadership it would now be “impossible” to change leader with a general election due within about six months and there was “no superman or superwoman out there”.

    She added: “Rishi Sunak has been leading us for about 18 months, he has been making these decisions, these are the consequences of those decisions, he needs to own this and therefore he needs to fix it.”

    Setting out a potential course of action, Ms Braverman said the problem was Tory voters were “on strike”, saying they were telling her “you’re not a Conservative party any more”, and Mr Sunak needed to show “he really cares”.

    She said: “He needs to actually lower taxes in away that people will feel, not tweaking around the edges.

    “If he’s serious about migration, he needs to put a cap on legal migration, he needs to take us out of the European Convention on Human Rights – that’s how you actually send the message that he’s serious about stopping the boats.”

    When challenged on evidence moving further to the right would buoy Tory prospects, Ms Braverman replied: “The evidence is that people are not voting for what he’s doing… They don’t feel the benefits.”

    She added many Conservative MPs were privately “demoralised” and “at this rate we’ll be lucky to have any Conservative MPs at the next election”.

    Despite the poor results, there has been no move against Mr Sunak from rebels within his own ranks, with one former minister telling Laura Kuenssberg: “There just isn’t the impetus to roll the dice one more time.”

    There are no clear other options to replace Mr Sunak, in the view of many MPs; while some want Mr Sunak and his cabinet to soak up the blame, when the defeat they expect comes.

    One former cabinet minister tells Laura Kuenssberg: “Sunak isn’t being challenged only because no-one wants to own the failure.”

    Image caption, Transport Secretary Mark Harper defending “disappointing” Tory losses on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

    Labour’s campaigns chief Pat McFadden hailed the “tremendous” election results for the party, especially winning the West Midlands mayoral race which was “beyond our expectations”.

    “These were tremendous local election results, a tremendous by-election, and a set of mayoral results,” he said, adding people can see “a changed Labour Party from a few years ago, a Labour Party that is passing the essential tests of trust that the voters look for – can you be trusted with public money and can you be trusted with national security?”

    But Mr McFadden acknowledged Labour’s position on the Middle East had cost the party at the local elections.

    ‘Not a foregone conclusion’

    Defending the Conservative’s general election chances, Mr Harper said there was still “all to play for” in a general election and insisted the government’s plan “is working”.

    Pointing to the Rwanda plan, he said: “The plan is about delivering – the plan is working but we haven’t got all the way through to the end of it yet.

    “I think people want to see delivery, so they want to see inflation continue to come down, they want to see the boats stop, they want to see NHS waiting lists continue to fall.”

    He added the election outcome was closer than the polls had suggested it would be, pointing to a hung parliament, so “the election isn’t a foregone conclusion”.

    Health Minister Maria Caulfield also said there was no need to change course but should deliver “Conservative values”.

    She said: “I don’t think we need to change, I think we need to deliver on what we promised in the 2019 election.

    “People are frustrated that we’ve not done as much on immigration as we said we would, the economy’s struggled because of Covid… and we’ve had the war in Ukraine as well.”

    Aside from Mr Sunak’s own position, the dire local election results for the Tories open up the possibility of further internal wrangling about the future direction of the party.

    Following his defeat, Mr Street pointed to the close result in his mayoral battle, where he lost to Labour victor Richard Parker by just 1,508 votes.

    In defeat, Mr Street suggested the fact he came so close proves the value of ‘moderate’ Conservatism – the opposite of Ms Braverman’s prescription.

    Mr Sunak will be facing calls from those like the former home secretary, who say he needs to be more radical, meaning that he finds himself pulled in two directions.

    James Cameron and Ari Emanuel Offer Support of Skydance-Paramount Bid

    Peter Watson
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    James Cameron and Ari Emanuel Offer Support of Skydance-Paramount Bid
    James Cameron and Ari Emanuel

    James Cameron and Ari Emanuel


    Josel Saget/AFP via Getty Images; Amy Sussman/Getty Images

    Both James Cameron and Ari Emanuel offered their support this weekend of Skydance‘s bid to acquire Paramount.

    Though reports earlier this week suggested that Paramount’s special board committee was leaning against accepting Skydance’s offer, Cameron and Emanuel told The Financial Times on Sunday that they supported Skydance founder David Ellison’s potential leadership.

    The deal, first offered during a 30-day exclusive negotiating window at the beginning of April, would see Skydance, joined by financial partners RedBird Capital and KKIR, acquire controlling shareholder Shari Redstone’s stake in the company and then merge Skydance into Paramount, keeping it as a publicly traded company, with new leadership at the helm.

    “I love the Ellison idea,” Cameron, whose 1997 film Titanic remains one of Paramount’s most successful movies, said. “If he gets . . . to run Paramount creatively, it could be a huge boon for this business in these ailing times. David’s proven himself.”

    Emanuel, Endeavor CEO, also saw promise in Ellison’s vision, calling him “a natural acquirer” of the company. “David has a real movie business [with] big franchises,” he said. “Everybody is in business with him — Amazon, Netflix, Apple, Paramount and Disney all have a good relationship with David.” 

    Skydance’s negotiating window ended this week just after proposing a revised offer last weekend. Though the window was not extended (nor a deal made), a source close to the deal told The Hollywood Reporter that talks between the sides would continue.

    In the meantime, Paramount is also reportedly considering a $26 billion all-cash offer from Apollo and Sony Pictures. Though the status of that deal is not clear, it would carry more regulatory concerns, due to Apollo’s existing ownership of broadcast TV stations, and Sony’s status as a Japanese company.

    The negotiations were just one part of a very eventful week for Paramount — the company parted ways with CEO Bob Bakish on Monday, replacing him with Chris McCarthy, George Cheeks and Brian Robbins working in an “office of the CEO.”

    “Going forward, we are finalizing a new long-term plan to best position this storied company to reach new and greater heights in our rapidly changing world,” the trio wrote to employees on Monday.

    A source said that the executives were prepared to lead the company long-term, confirming that a formal strategic plan would be communicated to staff in the coming weeks.

    Israel to close Al Jazeera news network in the country

    Peter Watson
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    Israel to close Al Jazeera news network in the country

    Saeed Qaq/NurPhoto via AP

    Inspectors and police raid the Al Jazeera offices in Jerusalem, Israel, on May 5, 2024.



    CNN
     — 

    Israel has ordered the closure of Al Jazeera in the country, a move the Qatar-based news network called a “criminal act.”

    Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X: “The government headed by me unanimously decided: the incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel.”

    Ofir Gendelman, the prime minister’s spokesperson to the Arab world, said Sunday that the decision would be “implemented immediately.”

    In a post on X, Gendelman said that the network’s “broadcast equipment will be confiscated, the channel’s correspondents will be prevented from working, the channel will be removed from cable and satellite television companies, and Al Jazeera’s websites will be blocked on the Internet.”

    The Israeli Ministry of Communications said Sunday it had closed the network’s Jerusalem offices, and confiscated its communication equipment. “In addition, the network’s broadcasts on cable and satellite were stopped, and access to its websites was blocked,” the ministry said.

    Israeli cable providers ceased carrying the Al Jazeera networks by late Sunday afternoon, CNN journalists in the country confirmed. Al Jazeera’s cable channel in Israel now displays a message stating, “In accordance with the government’s decision, Al Jazeera channel broadcasts were stopped in Israel.”

    Gendelman quoted Netanyahu as saying: “Al Jazeera reporters harmed Israel’s security and incited against IDF soldiers. It is time to expel the mouthpiece of Hamas from our country.”

    Video obtained by CNN showed Israeli police accompanied by agents of the Israel Security Agency entering Al Jazeera’s broadcasting position in Jerusalem on Sunday.

    Al Jazeera said the Israeli cabinet’s decision infringed on the human right to access information.

    It continued: “Israel’s suppression of the free press to cover up its crimes by killing and arresting journalists did not deter us from performing our duty. More than 140 Palestinian journalists have been martyred for the sake of the truth since the beginning of the war on Gaza.”

    Several of the network’s journalists working in Gaza have been injured or killed since October 7.

    Al Jazeera again denied Israel’s “false allegations regarding our violation of the professional frameworks governing media work,” and called on media and human rights organizations “to condemn the Israeli authorities’ repeated attacks on the press and journalists.”

    The move comes a month after Netanyahu vowed to shut down the television channel in the country following the passage of a sweeping law allowing the government to ban foreign networks perceived as posing a threat to national security.

    Netanyahu said on X in early April that he intended “to act immediately in accordance with the new law” to stop the outlet’s activity in the country. Netanyahu’s government has long complained about Al Jazeera’s operations, alleging anti-Israeli bias.

    The new law gave the prime minister and communications minister authority to order the temporary closure of foreign networks operating in Israel – powers that rights groups say could have far-reaching implications on international media coverage of the war in Gaza.

    UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric on Sunday condemned the closure of Al Jazeera. “As we have said before, we stand firmly against any decision to roll back freedom of the press. A free press provides an invaluable service to ensure that the public is informed and engaged,” Dujarric said.

    The Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel described the move as “a dark day for democracy” and “a cause for concern for all supporters of a free press,” while the Committee to Protect Journalists said it “sets an extremely alarming precedent for restricting international media outlets working in Israel.”

    Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch condemned the decision as an “assault on freedom of the press,” according to a written statement shared by Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch’s Israel, and Palestine Director (HRW) on Sunday.

    “Rather than trying to silence reporting on its atrocities in Gaza, the Israeli government should stop committing them,” Shakir said.

    The move comes as negotiators met in Cairo on Saturday, in a bid to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal.

    Negotiators have made progress on the technical aspects of a potential deal, but two Israeli sources say it could take a week to finalize the deal itself. Qatar has played a key role in ceasefire negotiations in the on-going war.

    This is a developing story and will be updated.

    Apple Confirms Widespread iPhone Changes Coming To Millions Of iPads

    Peter Watson
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    Apple Confirms Widespread iPhone Changes Coming To Millions Of iPads

    When the European Union introduced the Digital Markets Act, it designated platforms as gatekeepers, with the intention of opening things up to prevent monopoly abuses. As a result, Apple has changed the iPhone ecosystem radically for EU users, and now, it’s just been confirmed, similar changes are coming for iPad users.

    My usual reminder: though it will only affect users in the EU, other governments will be watching closely to see if they want to implement similar legal changes in their countries.

    May 5 update below. This post was first published on May 2, 2024.

    ForbesiPad 2024 Latest Leak: Apple May Reveal All-New iPad Accessory In DaysBy David Phelan

    In a news update for developers on Thursday, May 2, Apple has confirmed that the changes it (reluctantly) introduced for the iPhone, will come to the iPad this fall—the EU allowed six months to comply and the fall fits into that timeframe.

    Apple said, “This week, the European Commission designated iPadOS a gatekeeper platform under the Digital Markets Act. Apple will bring our recent iOS changes for apps in the European Union (EU) to iPadOS later this fall, as required. Developers can choose to adopt the Alternative Business Terms for Apps in the EU that will include these additional capabilities and options on iPadOS, or stay on Apple’s existing terms.”

    The changes referred to are comprehensive, allowing alternative app marketplaces to exist which let users download apps from them, rather than just the Apple App Store. It also permits users to pick a different browser for use on the device, and the browser doesn’t have to be based on WebKit, as browsers are on the iPhone in the U.S., U.K. and elsewhere.

    Users can also choose their own favorite default search engine, something which has changed the landscape in the EU already, it seems.

    Additionally, contactless payments can be made in more ways, not relying just on Apple Wallet and Apple Pay. As Apple says, “That includes APIs enabling developers to use NFC technology in their banking and wallet apps throughout the European Economic Area.”

    In these alternate marketplaces, app developers must pay a Core Technology Fee for downloads over the first million installs, but Apple has now said that if the same app is installed on the iPhone and iPad, that only counts as one install, helping to keep that one million threshold at bay.

    While many developers will remain App Store-only, this move to embrace the iPad could change the game.

    ForbesApple Watch Ultra 3: Almost No Upgrade Coming, Insider’s Latest Leak SaysBy David Phelan

    May 5, 5.42 a.m. update. The confirmation that the iPad will fall under the same rules as the iPhone in Europe was only part of the story Apple was telling in the last few days. It also announced an additional change to the Core Technology Fee besides the one mentioned above.

    As you’ll have picked up, the CTF is one of the most controversial items introduced by Apple, done to reflect the value that Apple has invested in the alternative business terms to keep users safe. After the first million installs, the developer pays $0.54 (0.5€) for each annual install, so the news that the same app downloaded on iPhone and iPad count as one towards that total is welcome.

    But additionally, Apple has said that no CTF is required if the developer has no revenue, such as a free app with no ads. Apple said, “This includes creating a free app without monetization that is not related to revenue of any kind (physical, digital, advertising, or otherwise). This condition is intended to give students, hobbyists, and other non-commercial developers an opportunity to create a popular app without paying the CTF.”

    And small developers, those with less than €10 million in global annual revenue, “receive a 3-year free on-ramp to the CTF to help them create innovative apps and rapidly grow their business.”

    May 5, 2.30 p.m. update. There were more details about how small developers will be better protected from the Core Technology Fee. I get why Apple is charging it: keeping the iPhone safe for users seems to be Apple’s paramount concern, and that costs money. It has repeatedly said that using alternative app marketplaces is less secure than Apple’s own, so extra safeguards have to be put in place.

    Apple has said that not only will there be a three-year on-ramp without cost but also a cap. It says, “Within this 3-year period, if a small developer that hasn’t previously exceeded one million first annual installs crosses the threshold for the first time, they won’t pay the CTF, even if they continue to exceed one million first annual installs during that time. If a small developer grows to earn global revenue between €10 million and €50 million within the 3-year on-ramp period, they’ll start to pay the CTF after one million first annual installs up to a cap of €1 million per year.”

    If the global revenue is €10 million then the developer could pay up to 10% to Apple, or €1 million, though as this cap applies across the board up to revenue of €50 million, at the highest end the rate falls to as little as 2%

    Of course, many developers will decide to continue as they are now, that is, just using the Apple App Store and paying the relevant commission. It’s straightforwardly explained but there are still complications in the new arrangements, which may also be a consideration for developers as they decide which route to take.

    What’s for sure is that by the time 2024 is over, this year will have seen radical changes to the way the iPhone, and now the iPad, operate in the European Union. Will other countries adopt similar laws to force such changes on Apple? That seems likely and the real question is not if, but when.

    ‘SNL’ Recap, Season 49, Episode 18: Dua Lipa

    Peter Watson
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    ‘SNL’ Recap, Season 49, Episode 18: Dua Lipa

    Photo: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC

    A couple of weeks ago, an activist accosted Alec Baldwin in a coffee shop, phone-camera first, demanding the actor speak out on behalf of Palestine — right there, on the spot. As Baldwin demurred, the activist needled and provoked him with deeply personal insults until the actor smacked the phone out of his hand. It’s only a slightly heightened microcosm of what it must feel like at this moment to be anyone with a high-profile platform as the world’s biggest, most combustible, hardest-to-civilly-argue-over news story drags on into its eighth month.

    Since Saturday Night Live has provided a running commentary of topical comedy for 49 years, the show is saddled with unfair expectations of inventing the perfect thing to say about the Israel-Hamas War — or at least taking a clear position. For reasons wisely left unarticulated to the media, it has never quite done the latter. (Although Ramy Youssef did so on the show’s behalf during his recent turn as host.) As the season winds down, with the first of three final episodes, the show has gotten no better at finding neutral ways to address the war that has loomed large over the whole season. It has, however, found a clever way to say something about not saying anything.

    “It’s wrong to stay silent, but it’s also wrong to say too much. I just wish there was a way to split the difference!” an unnamed Heidi Garner character laments in a sketch mocking the very expectations the show and its performers face. The solution? “Teeny, tiny statement pins” — ones so small, they make those ceasefire pins that dotted the Oscars’ red carpet look like Flava Flav’s clock necklace. Earlier on, though, the show demonstrates what it actually looks like to join the conversation and say nothing. 

    The cold open focuses on the wave of controversial college protests that dominated news coverage this past week from the perspective of those students’ parents. It’s like watching a circus contortionist bend her body at improbable angles, the way this scene manages to avoid offending or validating anyone whatsoever. In the context of leading with a sketch like this one, the statement pin sketch that follows felt like a nod to the difficult position the writers find themselves in — and to their awareness of how it comes across.

    Elsewhere in the show, pop star and burgeoning actor Dua Lipa pulls double duty after making a splash in a sketch during her most recent appearance as a musical guest. Following a charming monologue, blessed by a cameo from her fabulous parents, Dua is too often relegated to the sidelines and given far too few punchlines. Whenever she gets the spotlight, though, her off-the-charts stage presence more than justifies the choice to have her host. Although hampered somewhat by a pair of unnecessary sequel sketches, the episode is elevated by some big swings that are as audacious in their own right as the show’s topical humor this season isn’t.

    Here are the highlights:

    Dua Lipa stars as a high-society lady inexplicably drawn to the freakish titular “Anomalous Man,” played by — who else? — Sarah Sherman. The sketch takes its sweet time getting to a twist that flies in the face of its 1897 London setting, with minimal audience applause along the way. However, what saves it from being a misfire is the daring to air it at all. It would have been so easy for the pre-recorded portion of this episode to lean on Dua Lipa’s hook-mastery for a jokey music video. Instead, she flexes her performance chops with some capital-A acting in a wild riff on The Elephant Man, a film her fanbase of twenty-something clubbers may not be familiar with. Also working in the sketch’s favor: the line, “I’m gonna ride your face until it’s normal.”

    What starts as an awkward ode to lily-white local TV hosts forced to discuss the Kendrick-Drake rap beef eventually descends into utter delirium. Not since Dave Chappelle forced Mikey Day to talk like a cartoon pimp in a 2022 meta-sketch has SNL broadcast anything as racially uncomfortable (in a fun way!) as Day and Gardner puppeteering Drake and Kendrick Lamar face masks to dare each other into saying the n-word. It’s a rare, thrilling moment on this show where viewers might not quite believe what they’re seeing.

    The episode’s standout sketch blends two current cultural obsessions: those creepily sexual Sonny Angel dolls and Zendaya’s hyper-horny tennis flick, Challengers. It’s a zany premise, brought to zanier life by inventive staging and Bowen Yang’s coquettish performance as the bottomless doll who doubles as Dua’s “little boyfriend.” (Don’t ask; just watch.)

    The chameleonic Chloe Fineman has been making impressions of JoJo Siwa for at least four years, so Siwa’s new persona is a perfect occasion for a parallel Fineman revamp. Although she and Colin Jost trade barbs about Siwa’s new look (“like if Mad Max was on Broadway”), there is some affection woven into the mockery. Rather than just make fun of Siwa personally, Fineman is more sending up the way that any 20-year-old with a new look tends to act like they invented the concept of a reinvention.

    And finally, we come to the most WTF sketch in a night with its fair share of them. Kenan Thompson plays a ribmaster at a BBQ joint who has made a late-career pivot into gynecology. The straight face he employs while treating a pregnant woman’s body like a brisket—inside and out—challenges Ego Nwodim’s ability to fend off a laugh attack. (Punkie Johnson then enters the scene late, cracking up immediately upon entry.) It’s gross and unhygienic, but for those craving edgy comedy, it’s just what the doctor ordered.

    • Will be hard to not pronounce Dua Lipa’s name from now on the way Yang does in the monologue. (“Du-AHH.”)

    • For those who enjoyed the producer tag sketch, here’s the first one from last season, with Ana de Armas. For those who enjoyed the jingle pitch sketch, here’s the first one from last season, with Jenna Ortega. It might be difficult to spot the differences between iterations of either.

    • Calling ASAP Rocky “as soon as possible Rocky” is a nice touch in the Good Morning, Greenville sketch.

    • Penne Alla Vodka truly is the least objectionable pasta in the world, and it took this sketch to make me realize that this is not necessarily a compliment.

    • Marcello Hernandez’s desperate concentration as he presses the buttons to communicate is the peak of his performance as Kristi Noem’s other dog.

    • Jerry Seinfeld may be correct in suggesting that Ryan Gosling, like Seinfeld himself, is in danger of doing too much press; the difference between the two, though, is that Gosling’s press strategy does not involve complaining in such an annoying way that it generates a secondary wave of earned media for his Pop Tarts movie.

    • I’d rather see no Please Don’t Destroy than a so-so Please Don’t Destroy video, but this episode really could’ve used a Please Don’t Destroy video.

    Lifestyle advice from general practitioners and changes in health‐related behaviour in Australia: secondary analysis of 2020–21 National Health Survey data

    Peter Watson
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    Lifestyle advice from general practitioners and changes in health‐related behaviour in Australia: secondary analysis of 2020–21 National Health Survey data

    Lifestyle factors — smoking, alcohol consumption, inadequate dietary levels of fruit and vegetables — are major risk factors for chronic medical conditions.1 The importance of clinicians encouraging people to modify their lifestyles is emphasised in many guidelines.2 A study that included 4716 American adults found that patient‐reported lifestyle advice from their doctors was associated with corresponding behavioural changes (weight reduction, increased physical activity).3 How often Australian general practitioners provide their patients with lifestyle advice and whether such advice is effective are unknown.

    To investigate these questions, we undertook a secondary analysis of data collected by the 2020–21 National Health Survey, a nationally representative Australian Bureau of Statistics household survey.4 The survey included questions about demographic and socio‐economic characteristics, health conditions, lifestyle risk factors and behaviours, and health care services use. Participants were asked whether they had received lifestyle advice from general practitioners during the past twelve months — including about reducing or quitting smoking; drinking alcohol in moderation; reaching a healthy weight; increasing physical activity; and eating healthy food or improving diet — and about their alcohol consumption, smoking, and eating behaviour (composite of fruit and vegetable consumption) compared with twelve months ago.4 Sampling weights were applied to responses to estimate proportions weighted to the total Australian population. We examined associations between receiving lifestyle advice from general practitioners and changed behaviour in logistic regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders, using R 4.0.2 (R Foundation for Statistical Computing); we report adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The Bond University Human Research Ethics Committee approved the study (CD03279).

    Of 13 281 survey respondents (7026 women, 50.5%) (Supporting Information, table 1), 2701 reported that their alcohol intake exceeded the recommended maximum level (20.1%), 851 currently smoked (9.1%), and 12 009 did not meet the minimum recommended combined intake of fruit and vegetables (91.9%) (Supporting Information, table 2). Of all respondents who reported exceeding recommended alcohol consumption limits, 238 had been advised to reduce it (8%), and 540 had reduced their alcohol use over the past twelve months (21%). Of 804 people who smoked, 228 had been advised to quit (27%), and 282 had reduced their smoking levels over the past twelve months (34%). Of all respondents with lower than recommended fruit and vegetable consumption, 1072 had been advised to increase it (9%), and 2153 had improved their consumption over the past twelve months (19%) (Supporting Information, table 3). Respondents who had received lifestyle advice from general practitioners were more likely to change their behaviour than those who had not (alcohol intake: aOR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.22–2.21; smoking: aOR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.26–2.72; diet: aOR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.38–1.94) (Box).

    Limitations to our study include the fact that we examined national health survey data, self‐reported information collected at a single time point (snapshot or cross‐sectional); our findings are therefore subject to recall and social desirability biases, and should be interpreted cautiously.

    We found that lifestyle advice from general practitioners may influence their patients’ health‐related behaviour, but the proportions of people who recalled receiving their advice were small. This finding is similar to those of studies in the United States3 and England.5 As general practitioners may not have time to deliver brief lifestyle interventions for all their patients,6 interventions that prioritise effective lifestyle advice are needed.

    Box – Lifestyle advice from general practitioners and positive changes in lifestyle behaviours during the past twelve months: logistic regression analyses, unadjusted and adjusted*

    Go ahead, say it: Anthony Edwards looks a lot like Michael Jordan right now

    Peter Watson
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    Go ahead, say it: Anthony Edwards looks a lot like Michael Jordan right now

    With the Denver Nuggets on the ropes, their home crowd seized with panic, Anthony Edwards took his time as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — a champion and one of the league’s best on-ball defenders — shadowed his every move. With help defenders lurking, Edwards pointed for Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Karl-Anthony Towns to cross to the weak side.

    Edwards and KCP are friends, fellow roses bloomed from the red clay of Georgia. Their closeness is the context for the scene that followed. There was 1:40 on the clock when Towns vacated. Minnesota was up nine in the fourth quarter. And Edwards was being intentional about, as he said, trying to “kill everything in front of me.” Homies included. Once he got Caldwell-Pope on his back, and room to work on the left wing, his dribble changed. It had a rhythm as he backed down the Nuggets’ best defender with baby steps. Bounce. One-two. Bounce. One-two. Bounce. One-two. But instead of the next bounce, Edwards spun back toward the baseline. His fluid pivot allowed him to lift off smoothly.

    Caldwell-Pope has an inch on Edwards, per NBA data. But at the release of the shot, Edwards was a towering figure over his Nuggets counterpart. Edwards’ turnaround, fade-away jumper splashed, Denver was cooked for Game 1 and we all had a moment to marvel.

    “I’m not saying who, Reg,” Jamal Crawford, NBA legend in his own right, said to broadcast partner and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller on TNT. “But it looks kiiiiiinda familiar. Late game, takeover in the mid-post, fade-away style.”

    “Say who Jamal,” Miller replied. “What you talkin’ ‘bout?”

    “I’m getting there, Reg. I’m getting there.”

    We’re there. We’ve seen enough. That’s it. We need — in the same room, ASAP — Michael Jordan, Anthony Edwards and Maury Povich with a sealed envelope.

    We’ve got to know.

    In the era of touch fouls and 3-pointers, who choreographs a soaring fadeaway jumper as the signature of his 43-point performance? Unless you’re the long-lost son of the GOAT and don’t even know it.

    In all seriousness, before hyperbolic jokes trend offensive, let’s be clear. Edwards’ biological father is Roger Caruth and his mother is Yvette Edwards. Pops wasn’t around. His mother tragically died from cancer in January 2015, when he was 14. His grandmother died seven months later from cancer. During the most critical times of his development, his older siblings, Antoine and Antionette, were his father figures.

    He didn’t switch to No. 5 this season as a subliminal claim as Jordan’s heir (though 2+3 = 5 all day). He did it to honor his late mother and grandmother, both of whom reportedly died on the fifth day of the month.

    So, it must be acknowledged, he has a family. One that’s poured all it has into him, molding the foundation of the Goliathan figure we’re witnessing emerge.

    Still, the resemblance is uncanny. The way the wristband sits below his left elbow and his left calf is covered. Just like Jordan. The way each step has a little bounce to it, and how he glides when he’s in the air. Just like Jordan. The brashness of his facade, and how he smiles in moments and at his opponents with a certainty he has yet to earn.

    Remember Game 4 against Phoenix? He punctuated his career night, and the series sweep, by taking off for a “Kiss the Rim” dunk over Kevin Durant. You just know, wherever they were, Alonzo Mourning, Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins and many others randomly ducked out of nowhere.

    In his last two playoff games, Edwards has scored 40 points and then a career-high 43. Both produced a Jordan-esque moment to get the zeitgeist percolating.

    For some, the comparison is sacrilege. Jordan is a basketball deity whose name should never be used in vain. Comparisons to His Airness can only be sparked by the most miraculous basketball performances. Or, “until I see him drop 63 in the Garden …” as my colleague, Hall of Famer David Aldridge, who watched Jordan live, says repeatedly on our Hoops Adjacent podcast, referencing Jordan’s huge night in a 1986 first-round game in Boston.

    The sentiment is legit. Count me among that legion. I’m a dedicated Jordan sentimentalist who regards my youthful memories of his “Come Fly With Me” days as spiritual experiences. But, to borrow from the wisdom of Maya Angelou, when people show you who they really are, believe them.

    I began seeing the light in 2021 when he told Stephen Curry to his face he was going for 50. Who does that? Unless …

    No, Ant hasn’t yet had that all-time-great performance, not one jaw-dropping enough to conjure Jordan comparisons. But he’s got time. He’s only 22. Jordan was 23 when he torched the Celtics.

    And, at this current rate, Edwards could be dancing on the Boston parquet in about a month. Because the Nuggets, the defending champions, are in trouble. Minnesota is a problem. Mostly because Edwards is good enough to match Nikola Jokić. He’s looking as unsolvable for his opponent as Jokić is — which gives the advantage to the Timberwolves’ other weapons and depth.

    As it stands right now: Only two players 22 or younger have scored 40 or more in consecutive playoff games — Edwards and Kobe Bryant, the original Michael Jordan heir.

    Side note: Michael Jordan’s first back-to-back games with at least 40 came when he was 23. He scored 49 in Game 1 at Boston then 63 in Game 2. I know that doesn’t help my argument.

    But the Edwards-Jordan correlation isn’t quite about ability as much as similarity. It’s less a comparison of substance and more one of style. The urban myth that Edwards is Jordan’s long-lost son is but a nod to the sense of déjà vu when watching him. A reminder of Jordan’s transcendence and the sustainability of his aura. Maybe even a mirage crafted by our hopes to see such a figure again.

    He looks like Jordan. He moves like Jordan. He talks that talk like Jordan.

    “I love that guy, man,” Edwards said of Kevin Durant, his favorite player growing up, after eliminating the Suns. “I’m excited to play with him this summer, man. Talk a little trash. Let him know I sent him home.”

    He’s elevated a lowly franchise like Jordan. He infuses his ethos into his teammates like Jordan. He’s must-see TV like Jordan. Increasingly, he’s leaving opponents in his wake like Jordan. He’s controlling games late, bending the floor and the defense to his will, like Jordan.

    This summer, he’s going to Paris to play on what many are calling the greatest USA men’s basketball collection since the Dream Team in 1992. Back then, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the incumbent superstars. But when they left, Michael Jordan had the throne.

    This time, Durant, LeBron James and Steph Curry go as the old guard. Who are you expecting to come home with a gold medal and the crown as America’s basketball king?

    Go ahead, say who. You’ll get there too.

    GO DEEPER

    Wolves-Nuggets opener shows Minnesota was built to stop Jokić

    (Photo of Anthony Edwards: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

    Starlink-Starliner doubleheader? SpaceX, Boeing Starliner target Monday

    Peter Watson
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    Starlink-Starliner doubleheader? SpaceX, Boeing Starliner target Monday

    SpaceX is targeting a Monday morning mission that could create a high-profile Starlink-Starliner launch doubleheader within 11 hours or fewer from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, navigational warnings indicate.

    Though SpaceX has not publicly announced this mission, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Coast Guard maritime safety bulletins show a Starlink launch window will open Monday from 11:34 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. EDT. SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rockets on its Starlink missions deploying satellites into low-Earth orbit.

    Hours later, odds of favorable weather should be 95% for Monday’s headline event: the 10:34 p.m. liftoff of the first crewed Boeing Starliner spacecraft for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

    For the latest on both launches, go to floridatoday.com.

    Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida

    “We are still a few weeks away from our summer thunderstorm season here in East-Central Florida,” Brian Cizek, Space Force 45th Weather Squadron launch weather officer, said Friday during a NASA pre-launch news conference.

    “And although we are in a bit of a summer-like pattern with an Atlantic high ridge of pressure in control, we don’t have the moisture and instability that we might have in a June-July-August,” Cizek said.

    NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will lift off inside Starliner on a test-flight trip to the International Space Station atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Launch Complex 41.

    Monday night’s mission will mark only the sixth time that NASA has flown a new crewed transportation spacecraft, NASA broadcaster Megan Cruz said during the news conference.

    “The first time humans have flown on a new spacecraft started with Mercury, then with Gemini, then with Apollo, the space shuttle, then Dragon — and now Starliner,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said.

    About 26½ hours after liftoff, Williams and Wilmore should dock with the ISS at 12:46 a.m. Wednesday, said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program manager.

    “Once Butch and Suni are on board, they’ll be there for a little bit over a week. Their primary activities that week are focused on Starliner itself,” said Dana Weigel, NASA’s ISS program manager.

    “They’ll put it through its paces. They’ll look at configuration of the emergency equipment in their spacecraft. They’ll also do some other activities that will verify operations that we will ultimately need for some of the longer-duration missions,” Weigel said.

    For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space.

    Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

    Space is important to us and that’s why we’re working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

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