On Oct. 3, 2022, President Joe Biden surveys damage from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico; former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testifies in the corruption trial of a Trump ally and Tesla CEO Elon Musk discusses the benefit’s of his company’s new humanoid robot named Optimus.
Biden and First Lady travel to Ponce, Puerto Rico to survey Hurricane Fiona damage – President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will visit Puerto Rico on Monday to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Fiona, as thousands on the island still remain without power weeks after the storm.
“Jill and I are headed to Ponce, Puerto Rico,” said Biden. “I remain committed to the people of Puerto Rico and to helping rebuild their communities stronger and more resilient after Hurricane Fiona.”
The president will participate in an operational briefing with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi and other federal officials to receive an update on “ongoing damage assessments and recovery efforts.”
Rex Tillerson gives testimony at corruption trial of Trump adviser Tom Barrack – Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took the stand on Monday as a witness in the trial of Thomas Barrack, a billionaire ally of former President Donald Trump who is accused of unlawfully lobbying on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.
Tillerson testified that he never asked Barrack to conduct any diplomacy on behalf of the United States, or asked him to pass any information to a foreign government.
Barrack pleaded not guilty last year to charges of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, obstruction of justice and making false statements. His lawyer Michael Schachter called the federal government’s allegations “nothing short of ridiculous” and proclaimed his client an “innocent man.”
Elon Musk unveils Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, predicts millions in revenue – Last week, Tesla revealed a prototype of a humanoid robot called Optimus during its 2022 AI Day. The company’s CEO Elon Musk has stated his desire to create “a useful humanoid robot as quickly as possible” that could handle “repetitive, boring, and dangerous tasks.”
“The number of situations where Optimus is useful will grow exponentially,” Musk said. “Really, really fast.”
The world’s richest man even went a step further to claim that inventing such a machine could make possible “a future where there is no poverty” and a “fundamental transformation of civilization as we know it.” Tesla is aiming to make these robots available within three to five years, and predicts they will cost about $20,000 per unit.
