… marijuana, and Oxycodone. The meeting point was set at the Reflections Apartment Complex in Riverview. When the undercover detective arrived, two …
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Trulieve reaches Nirvana with Black Buddha medicinal cannabis product – Florida Politics
Roz McCarthy, an advocate of legalizing medical cannabis in Florida, has become an entrepreneur in the industry.
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OpenAI’s Sam Altman warns of AI voice fraud crisis in banking
WASHINGTON (AP) — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned the financial industry of a “significant impending fraud crisis” because of the ability of artificial intelligence tools to impersonate a person’s voice to bypass security checks and move money.
Altman spoke at a Federal Reserve conference Tuesday in Washington.
“A thing that terrifies me is apparently there are still some financial institutions that will accept the voiceprint as authentication,” Altman said. “That is a crazy thing to still be doing. AI has fully defeated that.”
Voiceprinting as an identification for wealthy bank clients grew popular more than a decade ago, with customers typically asked to utter a challenge phrase into the phone to access their accounts.
But now AI voice clones, and eventually video clones, can impersonate people in a way that Altman said is increasingly “indistinguishable from reality” and will require new methods for verification.
“That might be something we can think about partnering on,” said Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman, the central bank’s top financial regulator, who was hosting the discussion with Altman.
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Investors breathe life into new batch of meme stocks as Kohl’s and Opendoor Technologies surge
By DAMIAN J. TROISE
NEW YORK (AP) — As the stock market pushes into record territory and bargains become harder to find, investors are once again turning to some of Wall Street’s beaten down companies in hopes of a quick score.
The latest so-called meme stocks are the department store Kohl’s, which has surged this week, and the online-based real estate company Opendoor Technologies, which has skyrocketed this month. Both companies have been struggling in their respective sectors.
Wall Street defines a meme stock as a stock that gains significant popularity and trading volume, primarily driven by social media hype and online communities, rather than the company’s fundamental financial performance. Think GameStop and AMC Entertainment in 2021, and a few subsequent instances.
Often, meme stocks are initially the target of “short sellers,” or investors betting against the stock. If other investors start buying the shares and boost the price, that could prompt the people betting against the stock to buy more shares to cushion their own losses.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s, which operates 1,600 stores across the country, has risen almost 50% this week. It is wrestling with a number of challenges including a revolving door of CEOs and weak sales.
In May, it announced it had terminated its new CEO Ashley Buchanan after an investigation determined that he directed the retailer to engage in vendor transactions that involved undisclosed conflicts of interest. Kohl’s named Chairman Michael Bender as interim CEO as it searches for a replacement. Buchanan’s appointment marked the third CEO for Kohl’s in three years as the department store struggles to reverse sluggish sales.
Its middle income shoppers have pulled back on discretionary spending in the face of still-high prices for necessities. It’s also faced stiff competition from Walmart and Amazon, which have been improving their fashion offerings at affordable prices. Now, like many retailers, it’s facing higher costs from President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Opendoor Technologies
Opendoor shares are up 28% this week after nearly tripling last week. Overall, they are up more than fivefold in July, closing at $2.88 per share Tuesday. That’s still far below their peak of $35.88 in early 2021.
The stock’s recent gains come as hedge fund manager Eric Jackson touts the stock on X, formerly known as Twitter. On July 14, he said his hedge fund, EMJ Capital, took a position in Opendoor and expects growth over the next few years.
The real estate services company, which also buys and flips homes, has yet to notch an annual profit. Analysts polled by FactSet expect it to continue posting losses in 2025 and 2026. The company faces a tough housing market. Soaring interest rates and a low supply of homes on the market have made it difficult for homebuyers. Those same factors have also made it less likely for current homeowners to sell their homes, especially those with lower interest rates.
Meme stock history

FILE – In this file photo, a GameStop sign is displayed above a store in Urbandale, Iowa, on Jan. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File) The original meme stock is video game retailer GameStop. In 2021, the company was struggling to survive amid the switch from discs to digital downloads and major investors were betting against the company. Investor Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” rallied other investors to join him in buying up thousands of GameStop shares, changing the trajectory of the stock.
GameStop had been trading under $5 heading into 2021. The stock closed at $24.26 on Tuesday.
The initial meme stock craze eventually fizzled out. But the frenzy occasionally reignites, as seen the past few years with sudden gains for BlackBerry, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Chewy.
What are the risks of joining in?
Investors who buy now are betting that the momentum will continue, but it can shift suddenly.
It took just four weeks in 2021 for GameStop’s stock to go from less than $5 to more than $120. But it has yet to touch that price again. Blackberry quickly jumped from less than $7 to nearly $30 in early 2021, but the gains were shaky and trimmed back within a year. It is now trading at about $4.
AP Business Writer Anne D’Innocenzio contributed to this report.
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Ticker: Sugar cane Coke on the way; Assigned seating on Southwest in January
Coca-Cola said Tuesday it will add a cane-sugar version of its trademark cola to its U.S. lineup this fall, confirming a recent announcement by President Donald Trump.
Trump said in a social media post last week that Coca-Cola had agreed to use real cane sugar in its flagship product in the U.S., which has been sweetened with high fructose corn syrup since the 1980s. Coke didn’t immediately confirm the change, but promised new offerings soon.
On Tuesday, Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said Coke will expand its product range “to reflect consumer interest in differentiated experiences.”
“We appreciate the president’s enthusiasm for our Coca-Cola brand,” Quincey said in a conference call with investors Tuesday. “We are definitely looking to use the whole tool kit of available sweetening options.”
Coca-Cola reported better-than-expected earnings in the second quarter as higher prices offset weaker volumes. Revenue for the Atlanta company rose 1% to $12.5 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, quarterly revenue was $12.6 billion. That was in line with Wall Street’s forecast, according to analysts polled by FactSet.
Assigned seating on Southwest in January
The assigned seating era at Southwest Airlines finally has a precise date.
Come January, the Dallas-based air carrier will end more than 50 years of the pick-your-spot philosophy that defined its history.
Southwest will use assigned seating for flights starting Jan. 27, 2026. That includes extra legroom seating, which includes up to 5 extra inches to stretch out.
Customers will be able to pick their seats for any flight that date and later.
The move is part of a raft of operational adjustments designed to mollify dissatisfied shareholders and make Southwest more competitive with its industry peers.
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Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome and Marijuana Use: Raising Awareness
Corresponding Author: Jasleen Kaur, MD, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Connecticut Valley Hospital, 1000 Silver St, Middletown, …
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Missouri Supreme Court rules local governments can’t stack marijuana sales taxes
In a 6-1 decision, the state’s highest court concluded the 2022 constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana limits the definition …
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DEA Veteran Confirmed To Lead Agency

Throughout his tenure at the DEA and in law enforcement, Cole held a hardline approach against the use of marijuana — including claiming that its use “stunts brain growth” and is linked to an increased risk of autism.The post DEA Veteran Confirmed To Lead Agency appeared first on NORML.
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This Flavor-Packed, Slow-Burning Infused Flower Is Redefining Premium Weed in New York
Home best cannabis New York This Flavor-Packed, Slow-Burning Infused Flower Is Redefining Premium Weed in New York. This Flavor-Packed, Slow …
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Texas Hemp Business Council Responds to Senate Bill 5’s Proposed Hemp THC Ban
The industry organization is criticizing state lawmakers and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for pushing legislation in a special session that’s already been vetoed.