Stablecoin Fight Heads to Showdown as Senate Democrats Splinter
The Senate is poised to advance industry-backed stablecoin legislation in a key vote expected Monday evening, with a group of crypto-friendly Democrats led by Kirsten Gillibrand and Angela Alsobrooks seeking to end their party's blockade of one of President Donald Trump's top priorities.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune last week filed a motion to end the Democratic filibuster and start consideration of the measure, with Republicans hoping to pass the bill before Memorial Day. That would require 60 votes and at least seven Democratic supporters.
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TechCrunch
24 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Perplexity received 780 million queries last month, CEO says
Perplexity received 780 million queries in May, CEO Aravind Srinivas shared on stage at Bloomberg's Tech Summit on Thursday. Srinivas said that the AI search engine is seeing more than 20% growth month-over-month. 'Give it a year, we'll be doing, like, a billion queries a week if we can sustain this growth rate,' Srinivas said. 'And that's pretty impressive because the first day in 2022, we did 3,000 queries, just one single day. So from there to doing 30 million queries a day now, it's been phenomenal growth.' Srinivas went on to note that the same growth trajectory is possible, especially with the new Comet browser that it's working on. 'If people are in the browser, it's infinite retention,' he said. 'Everything in the search bar, everything on the new tab page, everything you're doing on the sidecar, any of the pages you're in, these are all going to be extra queries per active user, as well as seeking new users who just are tired of legacy browsers, like Chrome. I think that's going to be the way to grow over the coming year.' Srinivas said the reason Perplexity is developing Comet is to shift the role of AI from simply providing answers to actually completing actions on your behalf. He explained that when you get an AI-powered answer, it's essentially four or five searches in one. On the other hand, AI performing an action would be getting an entire browsing session done with one prompt. 'You really need to actually have a browser and hybridize the compute on the client and the server side in the most seamless way possible,' he said. 'And that calls for rethinking the whole browser.' He went on to explain that Perplexity isn't thinking of Comet as 'yet another browser,' but as a 'cognitive operating system.' Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW 'It'll be there for you every time, anytime, for work or life, as a system on the side, or like, just going and doing browsing sessions for you,' Srinivas said. 'And I think that'll fundamentally make us rethink how we even think about the internet. Like, earlier we would browse the internet, but now people are increasingly living on the internet. Like a lot of our life actually exists there. And if you want to build a proactive, personalized AI, it needs to live together with you, and that's why we need to rethink the browser entirely.' While the company hasn't revealed too much about the browser, Srinivas said in April that one reason Perplexity is developing its own browser is to track user activity beyond its own app so that it can sell premium ads, which would essentially mirror what Google quietly did to become the giant it is today. It's currently unknown when exactly Comet will launch, but Srinivas previously said on X that it will launch in the coming weeks.
UPI
25 minutes ago
- UPI
Gustavo Petro seeks to impose referendum by decree in Colombia
SANTIAGO, Chile, June 5 (UPI) -- Colombia is at a democratic crossroads as President Gustavo Petro clashes with Congress and civil society over political disputes, legislative gridlock and stalled reforms. At the center of the dispute is Petro's announcement that he intends to call a national referendum by executive decree to revive parts of his agenda -- particularly a labor reform bill recently rejected by the Senate. For weeks, Petro's proposal to call a national referendum has polarized the political climate. His administration says the referendum would allow voters to weigh in on key issues, including healthcare and pension reforms, public debt restructuring and the potential formation of a constituent assembly. The opposition and several legal experts have called the measure unconstitutional and an overreach of presidential powers. Colombia's Constitution outlines specific requirements for calling a national referendum, including congressional approval. Petro's opponents warn that bypassing this step would set a dangerous precedent, weakening democratic institutions and the separation of powers. The possibility that Petro could issue a decree to call a national referendum without congressional approval may lead to a legal challenge before Colombia's Constitutional Court. The court's final ruling on the legality of such a decree will be critical in determining the future of the initiative and the balance of power among government institutions. In addition to the referendum controversy, Petro's labor reform proposal suffered a major defeat in the Senate, where it was rejected and shelved. The bill, one of the administration's flagship initiatives to "dignify labor and improve working conditions," failed to secure enough votes to move forward in the legislative process. The government's proposed labor reform included cutting the standard daytime work shift to eight hours, doubling pay for work on Sundays and holidays, formalizing employment for digital platform workers, extending paternity leave to 12 weeks and ensuring equal pay for men and women. Business groups, such as the National Business Association of Colombia and the National Federation of Merchants have been outspoken in opposing the bill. They argue the reform would have negative economic consequences, including job losses, reduced investment and a rise in unregulated employment. Despite the government's efforts and intense debate, the bill failed to win over enough senators, many of whom also raised concerns about the reform's potential impact on job creation and business competitiveness. Attention now turns to the Constitutional Court, whose decision will be pivotal for the future of the referendum proposal and the broader institutional balance in Colombia.
Forbes
29 minutes ago
- Forbes
How A Miami Beach Residential Concierge Transformed Into A Luxury Travel Planner
Concierges have had a long reputation for being the go-to individuals for securing that impossible restaurant reservation or those must-have theater seats for hotel guests. A residential concierge at a luxury apartment property, however, has a far more arduous responsibility that has to meet the demands of its discerning residents, who expect a role that is more exemplary of a personal assistant by today's standards. Jacqueline Gonzalez has been in South Florida's hospitality industry for more than 17 years and has built a reputation for being one of the region's premier residential concierges, after joining the Continuum in South Beach as its head concierge more than a decade ago. With today's demands from residents in a post-COVID world becoming ever more elevated, Jackie quickly caught on and transformed her position into that of consultant for the resident's lifestyle choices. Since becoming the swanky beachfront property's Lifestyle Director, Jackie has expanded her role to resemble that of a luxury travel planner. She did this by forging her own relationships with destinations and luxury travel brands across various continents—enabling her to offer far more for residents than they would expect We caught up with Jackie who gave us some insight in to her new found skill set. How did you go from being a concierge and lifestyle director to planning travel for residents? My carefully curated events at the Continuum have included planning wine tastings, yacht tours, dinner events, broad cultural activities and wellness offerings. Given that our Miami Beach community is largely seasonal, many of our discerning residents began asking about recommendations for the same activities beyond our local community. A natural segue was to begin researching and constructing travel excursions. How much travel do you plan for residents? Travel planning for Continuum residents is in its infancy, but increasingly on the rise. I have a natural understanding of how our residents enjoy spending their leisure time. Travel offerings will be around the world. I often shortlist ideas and float the itineraries to individuals for them exclusively, or possibly to a sampling of our residents for collective input. The goal is to curate destinations and trip itineraries annually that will have broad appeal, for say 10-15 residents. What's the most elaborate or expensive trip you've designed? Many residents expressed a keen interest in visiting Portugal. In the fall of 2023, I arranged a week-long trip to Porto, a city in the northern part of the country. This itinerary included a visit to a renowned maker of luxury linen, the oldest library in the country, an historic producer of porcelain and the city of Guimarães - the birthplace of Portugal – along with an excursion on the Douro River. We also made must-see visits to a number of renowned Michelin Star restaurants, as well as several world-famous wineries in the region. Each day we stayed at a different 'Quinta' - a rural estate that housed an historic castle transformed in to a hotel which were truly memorable. The trip was an overwhelming success. Can you share how you're able to plan these trips? What connections do you have to make them happen? I have developed established partnerships and collaborations with luxury brands for destinations around the world that cater to the elite traveler. This network enables me to tap in to local knowledge, stay apprised of new trending entrants and ultimately co-develop a memorable and unique trip. You've actually accompanied some residents on trips. Tell me about how this happened and why? After spending considerable time and attention to detail, it is important that I am a participant in the journey. While the Continuum residents are like family, I must see first-hand how the experience is of supreme caliber that meets with their expectations. There are several trips now on the table. For our avid wine enthusiasts, a culinary excursion to a 300-year-old winery in Tuscany named Tenuta Torciano. Next, I have also discovered a one-of-a-kind resort in Arizona called Miraval. The property boasts hotel rooms and villas coupled with a program of the most advanced wellness treatments and therapies. This appeals to my own personal interest in wellness. Also on my wish list is a planned trip to Weggis in Switzerland, and the Chenot Palace, considered to be the number one health and wellness retreat in the world.
