James Webb Space Telescope reveals active supermassive black holes were surprisingly rare in early universe

Robert Lea

SPACE.COM
Wed, August 23, 2023 

An illustration of a supermassive black hole.


Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers discovered that when our 13.8-billion-year-old universe was between 4 billion and 6 billion years old, it housed fewer feeding supermassive black holes than previously suspected.

Such supermassive black holes, which can be millions, or even billions, of times as massive as the sun, grow by feasting on matter that surrounds them in the form of flattened disks called accretion disks. These black holes' gravitational influences also heat that material, thereby emitting tremendous amounts of radiation. When a black hole partakes in this extreme process, the whole region (including those radiation jets) is known as an active galactic nucleus, or AGN.

Though supermassive black holes exist in all large galaxies, not all of these gravitationally monstrous objects consume enough matter to reach AGN status. AGNs can radiate so much light they often outshine the combined light of every star in the galaxies they live in.

These findings, delivered by the JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), offer insight into AGN properties and emphasize challenges associated with discovering these spectacles in the early universe. Supported by the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) program, the results also hint that our universe may have been more stable than expected during its "teenage" years, which scientists have speculated was its most intense period of star formation.

Related: How did supermassive black holes get so big so fast just after the Big Bang?

The team reached their conclusions as they were studying a region of space called the Extended Groth Strip, which sits near the Big Dipper between the Ursa Major and Boötes constellations. The region, which contains an estimated 50,000 galaxies, has been studied extensively — but never with a telescope as powerful as the JWST.

"Our observations were taken in last June and December, and we were aiming to characterize how galaxies looked during the heyday of star formation in the universe," Allison Kirkpatrick, team leader and an assistant professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Kansas, said in a statement. "This is a look back in time of 7 to 10 billion years in the past."

Using MIRI, Kirkpatrick said she and her colleagues looked behind dust in galaxies that existed 10 billion years ago, which can hide cosmic phenomena such as ongoing star formation and growing supermassive black holes.

"So," she added, "I carried out the first survey to search for these lurking, supermassive black holes at the centers of these galaxies.”
Early supermassive black hole galaxies deliver a double suprise

This survey delivered a surprise for Kirkpatrick and her colleagues. They had expected the JWST to find many more AGNs than earlier surveys of the same region, such as one conducted with the Spitzer Space Telescope. But instead, only a smattering of additional feeding supermassive black holes were uncovered.

"The results looked completely different from what I had anticipated, leading to my first major surprise," Kirkpatrick said. "One significant revelation was the scarcity of rapidly growing supermassive black holes. This finding was prompting questions about the whereabouts of these objects."

She suggested this means black holes could be growing at a slower rate than estimated, and added that perhaps black holes' feeding rates were miscalculated by Spitzer because the telescope only allowed astronomers to spot the brightest and most massive galaxies with rapidly growing supermassive black holes.

Those are known to pump out more light than more than supermassive black holes that are feeding at a slower rate, thus making them easier to detect.

The Extended Groth Strip as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope

The growth of supermassive black holes in the early universe is an important mystery for space scientists to solve because these cosmic titans are believed to influence their surroundings a great deal. They can impact the growth of their host galaxies, for instance, and moderate star formation, thus making them an important element in the overall evolution of the universe.

"The study's findings suggest that these black holes are not growing rapidly, absorbing limited material, and perhaps not significantly impacting their host galaxies," Kirkpatrick continued. "This discovery opens up a whole new perspective on black-hole growth since our current understanding is largely based on the most massive black holes in the biggest galaxies, which have significant effects on their hosts, but the smaller black holes in these galaxies likely do not."

This wasn't the only surprise, however, that these galaxies dropped into the lap of Kirkpatrick and her team. The researchers were also taken aback by an apparent lack of dust in the galaxies they studied.

"By using JWST, we can identify much smaller galaxies than ever before, including those the size of the Milky Way or even smaller, which was previously impossible at these redshifts (cosmic distances)," Kirkpatrick said. "Typically, the most massive galaxies have abundant dust due to their rapid star formation rates."

"I had assumed," she continued, "that lower mass galaxies would also contain substantial amounts of dust, but they did not, defying my expectations and offering another intriguing discovery."

The work could also have implications closer to home regarding the inactive and slowly feeding supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), that sits at the center of the Milky Way.

Basically, our galaxy's supermassive black hole is swallowing so little matter that if it were a human, it would exist on a diet of one single grain of rice every million years. But the team's results could imply that Sgr A* might not have always been such a conscientious eater.

They suggest even the Milky Way may have actually once had an AGN at its heart.

"Our black hole seems quite uneventful, not displaying much activity. One significant question regarding the Milky Way is whether it was ever active or went through an AGN phase," Kirkpatrick said. "If most galaxies, like ours, lack detectable AGN, it could imply that our black hole was never more active in the past.

"Ultimately, this knowledge will help constrain and measure black hole masses, shedding light on the origins of black holes growing, which remain an unanswered question."

Related Stories:

— James Webb Space Telescope offers a mesmerizing look at the Ring Nebula (photos)

— James Webb Space Telescope unveils the gravitationally warped galaxies of 'El Gordo'

— James Webb Space Telescope confirms 'Maisie's galaxy' is one of the earliest ever seen

The University of Kansas researcher has been granted more time with the JWST to continue her study of the Extended Groth Strip field with MIRI. That means while this current research focuses on just 400 galaxies, future work will center around as many as 5,000 early galaxies.

The team's research has been accepted for publication in the journal Astrophysical Journal, with a post-peer review version available on the paper repository arXiv.

Newly discovered black hole 'speed limit' hints at new laws of physics

Anna Demming
Tue, August 22, 2023 

An artist's impression of two black holes subject to each other's gravity.


Researchers have identified a new speed limit for the universe’s most extreme collisions. According to a study published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the "maximum possible recoil velocity" for colliding black holes exceeds a whopping 63 million mph (102 million km/h) — about one-tenth the speed of light. This peak occurs when the collision conditions are at the tipping point between the two black holes either merging together or scattering apart as they approach each other, according to the study authors.

Next, the researchers hope to mathematically prove that this velocity cannot be exceeded using Einstein's equations for relativity, posing potential implications for the fundamental laws of physics.

"We are just scratching the surface of something that could be a more universal description," study co-author Carlos Lousto, a professor of mathematics and statistics at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York, told Live Science. This newly discovered speed limit could be part of a larger set of physical laws that affect everything "from the smallest to the largest objects in the universe," Lousto said.

Related: 'Runaway' black hole the size of 20 million suns caught speeding through space with a trail of newborn stars behind it
Quakes in the fabric of space-time

When two black holes pass close by each other, they will either merge or swerve around their common center of mass before flying apart. Whether the black holes fly apart or spiral into each other depends on their separation at the point of nearest approach.


To identify the maximum possible recoil speed of black holes flying apart, Lousto and study co-author James Healy, a research associate in the RIT School of Mathematics and Statistics, used supercomputers to run numerical simulations. These calculations stepped through the equations of general relativity describing how two interacting black holes will evolve. Lousto explained that although people began trying to solve these equations numerically more than 50 years ago, numerical techniques for predicting the size of gravitational waves from such collisions were not developed until 2005 — just 10 years before gravitational waves themselves were detected for the first time by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory(LIGO).

James Webb telescope observes two galaxies as they merge.

Since then, LIGO has observed nearly 100 black hole collisions. Comparing the data of one such collision with numerical relativity data revealed an "eccentric," or elliptical, black hole trajectory. Previously, scientists thought black holes approaching each other would spiral toward each other in near-circular orbits, Lousto said. The discovery of elliptical orbits broadened the range of possible collision events, and prompted them to look for extreme collision scenarios. "What we wanted to do is kind of push the limits of these collisions," said Lousto.

Lousto and Healy looked at how adjusting four parameters affected the outcome of gravitational engagement between two black holes: the initial momenta of the black holes, the separation between them at the point of closest approach, the orientation of any rotation the black hole might have around its own axis, and the magnitude of that rotation.

By running 1,381 simulations — each of which took two to three weeks — the researchers found a peak in the possible recoil velocities for black holes with opposite spins grazing past each other. While black holes give out gravitational radiation in all directions, the opposing spins distort this radiation, creating a thrust that adds to the recoil velocity.

"The recoil of black holes after they merge is a critical piece of their interaction," Imre Bartos, Associate Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Florida, told Live Science via email. (Bartos was not involved in the new study). This interaction is especially significant for places in the universe with a high density of black holes, since large recoil kicks might expel a remnant black hole from the region altogether.

"As with every limiting theoretical quantity, it will be interesting to see whether nature exceeds this in some situation that could signal deviations from our understanding of how black holes work," Bartos added.

Related: Could a black hole devour the universe?

An illustration of two supermassive black holes about to collide as gravitational waves spill into space

New fundamental physics

According to Lousto, the "tipping point" that determines whether two colliding black holes will merge or recoil is open to a bit of variability in the black holes' orbits. Because of this, Lousto likens this interaction to a smooth phase transition, like the second-order phase transitions of magnetism and superconductivity, as opposed to the explosive first-order phase transitions of heated water, for example, where a finite amount of latent heat is absorbed before it all boils. The researchers also glimpsed what might resemble the scaling factors characteristic of these phase transitions, although further high-resolution simulations are needed to identify these definitively.

Nonetheless, these aspects of the results hint at the possibility of "an overarching principle" that applies across scales from atoms to colliding black holes, Lousto said.

What is more, while marrying the two main pillars of fundamental physics — general relativity for gravity and quantum theory for the other fundamental forces — remains elusive, descriptions of black holes are closely tied to several theories that have opened chinks in the barriers between the two.

"This is far from rigorous proof," Lousto said. "But there is a line that deserves further research that maybe someone else or ourselves can make something of."

India demands more visas for nurses and care workers as price for UK free trade deal

Charles Hymas
Wed, August 23, 2023 

Rishi Sunak is set to visit India next month for talks with Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister - Leon Neal/Reuters

India is demanding more visas for nurses and care workers as the price of a free-trade deal with the UK, according to sources in New Delhi.

Indian negotiators are understood to be holding out for concessions on visas as they enter the 13th round of talks.

The negotiations will encompass some of the most sensitive and difficult issues, including the demands to ease restrictions on workers and students entering the UK.

It comes as Kemi Badenoch, the Trade Secretary, arrives in India on Thursday to try to give political impetus to the discussions.

However, UK officials played down speculation that there could be a free-trade deal ready to sign when Rishi Sunak visits India next month for talks with Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister.

“We have the really tricky issues to deal with next,” said one source.

India is asking for easier access to the UK for workers in “certain services which can only be done locally”, such as nurses, caregivers, IT professionals and financial consultants, according to Piyush Goyal, India’s trade chief.

‘We have to iron out some differences’

A senior official in India’s commerce ministry told The Telegraph: “There are some areas like visa and protection of Indian industries where we have to iron out some differences. The trade deal will happen and it will be in the best interest of both the countries.”

However, UK officials have made clear that there will be no special cases made for skilled workers from India, such as nurses and care workers, under the Government’s points-based immigration system.

Ms Badenoch has told MPs that the Government will only budge on agreements which make it “easier for highly skilled professionals to deliver services in each other’s markets on a short-term and temporary basis”.

A source said: “Anything that is to be agreed has to be very specific, targeted and works for the UK economy.”

The Prime Minister is expected to visit New Delhi for the G20 leaders’ summit being held on September 9 and 10. Under Boris Johnson’s premiership, the UK said it was seeking to complete a deal by October last year.

But remarks from Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, voicing “reservations” about relaxing immigration controls for Indians as part of any agreement provoked an angry response from ministers and officials in New Delhi.

Sunak and Modi need to ‘make some concessions’

An Indian diplomat said they were still hopeful for an agreement before the end of the year, and for Britain to relax its position over the movement of skilled Indian workers.

“The vast majority of the deal is now done, but it requires Prime Minister Sunak and Prime Minister Modi to sit down and make some concessions,” the diplomat said.

Pat McFadden, Labour’s shadow treasury minister, told Sky News visas for Indian workers have “always been a key demand when it comes to Indian trade negotiations”.

He said his party would not rule out increasing work visa numbers in order to strike a deal, saying: “You wouldn’t rule it out because you might have other interests that made that sensible.

“There are goods and services that we want to export to India that could create huge wealth in the UK if we got the chance to do that, you’ve got to look at these things in the round.”

DESANTISLAND
Workers in Disney World district criticize DeSantis appointees' decision to eliminate free passes

MIKE SCHNEIDER
Wed, August 23, 2023

The Cinderella Castle is seen at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, July 14, 2023, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The new administrator of Walt Disney World’s governing district can’t continue to work in his new job and be chair of Florida’s ethics commission at the same time, according to a legal opinion issued Thursday, Aug. 17.

(AP Photo/John Raoux, File) 

Employees of Walt Disney World’s governing district on Wednesday confronted new board members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis over a decision to eliminate their access to free passes and discounts to the theme park resort, saying it makes park visits unaffordable.

During a monthly board meeting, several current and former district firefighters spoke emotionally about how the free passes to Disney parks were a benefit for them and their families that played a major role in their decision to work for the 56-year-old district, which provides municipal services like mosquito control, drainage, wastewater treatment, planning and firefighting to Disney World.

“The removal of this benefit takes away, for some, their entire reason for working here,” said firefighter Pete Simon.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District earlier this week said that $2.5 million in season passes and discounts on hotels, merchandise, food and beverages that their Disney-supporting predecessors provided the district's 400 employees amounted to unethical perks that benefited the company, with the district footing the bill. The district on Monday submitted a complaint to a state Inspector General, which investigates fraud, mismanagement, waste and abuse.

The five members of the district’s board were appointed by DeSantis earlier this year after his takeover of the district in retaliation for Disney’s opposition to a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.

Firefighter Aaron Clark, whose father was also a district firefighter, choked up as he recounted how growing up his dad took him to the parks using the passes and how he now does the same thing with his three daughters.

His father, Ricky Clark, called the elimination of the passes “disturbing” and said that the adversarial attitude the district and DeSantis have taken toward Disney “has nothing to do with district employees.”

"My family had many memories at the park, spending time together, memories that can never be taken away," Ricky Clark said.

Board chair Martin Garcia defended the decision. The passes and discounts unfairly favored Disney over other restaurants and shops that operated within the district, employees with large families got a greater benefit than single employees and a private company can't give gifts to government workers who provide services to it, Garcia said.

In its place, the district was offering employees more than $1,400 in a wage increase, he said.

The tussle over whether the free passes and discounts were an unethical benefit came as the new district administrator, who board members appointed last May, faced an ethics dilemma of his own. Glen Gilzean, who earns $400,000 annually in his new job, also was chair of the Florida Commission on Ethics. A legal opinion last week said he was unable to simultaneously be a commission board member and work for the district because the commission prohibits public employees from serving on its board.

Gilzean announced at Wednesday's board meeting that he had resigned from the ethics commission.

A fight between DeSantis and Disney began last year after the company, facing significant pressure internally and externally, publicly opposed the state law which critics have called, “Don't Say Gay.”

As punishment, DeSantis took over the district through legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature and appointed a new board of supervisors to oversee municipal services for the sprawling theme parks and hotels. But the new supervisors’ authority over design and construction was restricted by the company’s agreements with Disney-supporting predecessors, which were signed before the new board took over.

In response, Florida lawmakers passed legislation that repealed those agreements.

Disney has sued DeSantis in federal court, claiming the governor violated the company’s free speech rights. The district has sued Disney in state court, seeking to nullify the agreements.

During a budget presentation at Wednesday's meeting, Gilzean said that $4.5 million was targeted for litigation expenses for the 2024 fiscal year, as well as $1.9 million for the 2023 fiscal year.

Reedy Creek Firefighter Decries DeSantis Panel’s Plan To Stop Disney World Perks

Tom Tapp
Wed, August 23, 2023

Pete Simon, a Reedy Creek firefighter, had some thoughts about the recent decision by the DeSantis-appointed board that oversees the special district around Disney World to end what it called the “unethical benefits and perks” enjoyed by the 400 or so Reedy Creek Improvement District employees, including firefighters.

Simon, one of three firefighters who spoke out, said that when he took the job being able to visit the parks with his kids was among the top reasons he joined.

“This allows me to bring my children to the parks, and eventually my grandchildren,” said Simon

“All we’ve seen and heard is cuts, cuts to budget, cuts to possible staffing, cuts to maintenance, and now cuts to benefits,” he said. “My only question is: What’s next?”

Members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which DeSantis created to take the place of the old Reedy Creek board, have accused their predecessors of using taxpayer funds to provide themselves and other district employees with $2.5 million in perks, mostly related to season passes and associated spending at Disney World. Per the current board, “The scheme included the RCID (Reedy Creek Improvement District) government paying for ‘discounts’ enjoyed by employees on all Disney purchases.”

In a complaint to the state inspector general, the current CFTOD board charges that the former Disney-appointed officials paid for park-related perks with Reedy Creek money.

The arrangement was allegedly self-serving for Disney because it funneled money back to the resort, with the district – and, by extension taxpayers – footing the bill. Per local NBC affiliate WESH2, Disney pays 86% of the taxes in the district.

“In addition to constituting unethical benefits and perks, the scheme raises significant questions regarding self-dealing as the board members were only permitted a maximum of $100 per month in compensation,” the statement continued.

But Simon insisted that, not only was he promised such benefits when he took the job, he was reassured that they would not go away when the new board took over.

“When the district changed hands last year, we were told that our jobs and our benefits were safe.”

He said he supported the new board because he felt “stonewalled” by the former leadership and, “we were told that they were going to make this place better. It was going to run it better. It was going to get us all the resources that we’ve been needing, because we were getting nowhere with the previous administration.”

But, as noted above, Simon stressed, “All we’ve seen are cuts.”

Tensions high in San Francisco as city seeks reversal of ban on clearing homeless encampments

BY JANIE HAR
Wed, August 23, 2023 



Residents and business leaders opposed to a federal judge's December order halting encampment sweeps rally before an appellate court hearing in San Francisco, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. Lawyers for San Francisco said the city can no longer maintain safe, clean streets while trying to get homeless people into shelter indoors due to the December injunction.

(AP Photo/Janie Har)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Tensions flared Wednesday as lawyers for San Francisco argued in appellate court that the city can no longer maintain safe, clean streets while trying to get homeless people indoors after a federal judge banned the city from clearing tent encampments until there are more shelter beds than homeless individuals.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said people are refusing offers of shelter more frequently because of the injunction and that it would cost at least $1.5 billion to house every person who is currently homeless. The order has drawn furious responses from city leaders, including Mayor London Breed, who joined more than 200 people outside the federal courthouse Wednesday to urge the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate the order.

“We are compassionate, we are supportive, we continue to help people, but this is not the way," she said. “‘Anything goes in San Francisco’ is not the way.”

But attorneys for homeless residents who sued the city argued before the panel that the district court judge was correct to order the city to stop forcing homeless people to move their belongings and tents until there are thousands more shelter beds available. In fact, they intend to ask the same judge at a hearing Thursday to enforce the injunction.

“There are 3,000 shelter beds in the city for 7,000 or more unhoused people who are sleeping outside every night because they have no choice in the matter,” said Zal Shroff, interim legal director at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, at Wednesday's rally.

Frustrations over homeless tents are playing out in court in other U.S. cities, largely in western states governed by the 9th circuit, which includes California and is often on the forefront of key societal issues. In 2018, the appellate court ruled that homeless people cannot be punished for sleeping outdoors when there is nowhere else for them to go.

The issue could be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court after lawyers for the small, southern Oregon city of Grants Pass petitioned this week for review of an injunction prohibiting enforcement of the city's anti-camping ordinance even through civil, as opposed to criminal, citations.

It is unclear when the panel of Judges Patrick J. Bumatay, Roopali Desai and Lucy Koh will issue a decision, but they seemed puzzled by the city’s confusion over its enforcement options and they sought clarifications from the other side on which enforcement actions were acceptable.

Joseph Lee, an attorney with Latham & Watkins, agreed in court that the city could cite people who refuse a shelter offer or who have shelter but prefer to sleep outdoors, as they have an alternative. But he hesitated when asked whether the mere presence of police at an encampment operation constituted a threat, saying that it depended on the situation.

On Wednesday, people who want more tents cleared chanted “save our streets” while a smaller crowd of those supporting the injunction rallied on the sidewalk besides them, chanting “stop the sweeps.” The downtown courthouse is near a Whole Foods Market store that closed in April, citing worker safety amid deteriorating street conditions. The crowd had to make space on the sidewalk for two apparently homeless people who were rolling their belongings in a walker and wheeled carrier.

San Francisco officials say their encampment operations allow outreach workers to connect homeless people to services while cleaning areas soiled with trash, used needles and spoiled food. Breed and others also say it’s inhumane to allow unhygienic encampments to fester, scaring away customers and blocking sidewalks for people who use wheelchairs.

Advocates for homeless people say the encampment operations merely serve to harass homeless people as there are few services and appropriate shelter beds available. They say it’s cruel and counterproductive to criminalize people for not having a place to live with affordable housing so scarce.

In September, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California sued San Francisco on behalf of homeless individuals and the Coalition on Homelessness, an advocacy group.

They said San Francisco was violating the law and not offering shelter beds to people before ordering them to move out of an area, sometimes by threatening arrest. They also said city workers were throwing out people’s personal belongings without storing items for retrieval, as outlined in city policy.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu grilled the city on its practices and in December, issued the emergency injunction prohibiting the city from enforcing or threatening to enforce laws that prohibit sleeping, camping or sitting in public until there are enough shelter beds for homeless individuals. The city is allowed to clean streets or clear streets for access.

Lahaina Inferno Began After Firefighters Departed a ‘Contained’ Scene

Serge F. Kovaleski and Mike Baker
Wed, August 23, 2023 

The charred remains of a vehicle in the shoreline community of Lahaina, which was devastated by wildfires ten days prior, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, Aug. 18, 2023. 

(Bryan Anselm/The New York Times)

More than eight hours before a deadly fire swept through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina on Aug. 8, a small brush fire broke out on the edge of a residential neighborhood located a little more than 1 mile away from the town’s historic waterfront.

Firefighters spent hours dousing the blaze with water and carving boundaries around the burning fields with heavy machinery. They managed to keep the fire away from nearby homes, containing it to some empty plots of land.

Then came what could prove to be one of the key turning points in a disaster that became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. With hurricane-force gusts still blowing over the fire site and the surrounding arid shrubbery, crews left the neighborhood. They were needed, officials said, at other locations.

Within an hour, residents and Maui County authorities said, the initial brush fire flared up again and roared down the hillside toward the ocean, destroying nearly everything in its path. This time, the fire swiftly grew out of control. The death toll has reached at least 115, and more than 2,000 structures were destroyed.

In interviews this week, several residents of the area near the original brush fire said they had worried about its return when the fire trucks left their neighborhood. The fire, driven by the wind, had thrown off copious amounts of embers into the dry grasses, some of them said.

“I was angry because they were leaving the area unattended,” said Juan Advincula, 58, who watched the initial efforts to put the fire out. “It was the winds, the dryness and the embers I was afraid of. Someone should have stayed.”

Soon after the fire crews departed, residents said, the fire restarted along the edge of the neighborhood and began rapidly churning down the hillside, casting embers in the grasslands and parched shrubbery.

Gov. Josh Green said in an interview that the fire had been “temporarily out” before it “burst anew.”

“I think there were just embers and wind,” he said.

Maui’s fire chief, Brad Ventura, said in a statement that crews had departed the scene of the first fire to help handle “numerous additional calls for service in other parts of West Maui,” mostly for downed power lines.

The initial fire began burning around 6:35 a.m. in an area more than 1 mile above the town’s central business district. Flames appeared to break out next to Lahainaluna Road in the area of a broken power line operated by Hawaiian Electric, video images show. The fire was already sweeping through dry grass as fire crews arrived on the scene, and it had grown serious enough that some residents were evacuated through thick smoke.

By 9 a.m., the fire department declared that the brush fire was “100% contained,” according to a county communiqué. The fire crews stayed on scene for several hours, monitoring the area, according to videos captured by residents.

Kimo Clark, who owns an excavation company, said that when he learned about the fire, which occurred in the neighborhood where his parents lived, he volunteered his company’s services to help. He said that he left the scene around noon, with firefighters thanking him for pitching in and saying that they did not need his services any longer.

“There was a little bit of smoke here and there, but it was pretty much out,” Clark said. “You cannot contain every piece of burning root and wood. It’s like coal. It would have to rain and flood to put all that out.”

Although the county has said from the beginning that the initial brush fire of about 3 acres was “100% contained” before firefighters left, that would not mean the fire was extinguished. “It means that firefighters have the blaze fully surrounded by a perimeter, inside which it can still burn,” the county said in a news release last week explaining the terms. “A fire is declared ‘extinguished’ when fire personnel believe there is nothing left burning.”

In his statement Tuesday, Ventura changed the county’s description of the early fire’s status, now calling it “extinguished,” with no smoke or heat. Crews left the scene at 2 p.m., he said.

But a woman who lives near the original fire location and declined to be identified because she was helping with the fire investigation said that the burned territory on the edge of the neighborhood still showed signs of heat later that afternoon, with smoke rising in small spots. She said the fire reignited next to her home around 2:45 p.m., and she dialed 911.

As the flames began to spread, some residents rushed to grab hoses to put out the blaze and other new hot spots, while others packed children into vehicles to flee the area. Fire crews raced back to the scene, but by then, the flames were well beyond containment, with winds pushing the fire toward the dense residential neighborhoods below.

“It was wind-driven. Big time. There were 60- to 80-mile-per-hour winds, and we don’t train for that,” said Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association. “It was a blowtorch, blowing sideways and pushing the fire house to house faster than anyone could extinguish it.”

Christopher Dicus, a professor who specializes in wildland fires and fuels management at California Polytechnic State University, said that a contained fire does not mean that it is fully controlled. Some personnel usually stay to monitor the aftermath, he said, but crews often depart the scene for the sake of cost savings or other duties.

Yet, a fire that seems to be extinguished can roar back to life unexpectedly, especially in strong winds, he said. He noted the 1991 fire that consumed thousands of buildings and killed 25 people in Oakland, California.

Experts had been warning in recent years about the growing wildfire risks in West Maui, a windy landscape filled with nonnative grasses that turn particularly flammable during droughts that are becoming more frequent.

All of these conditions created a dangerous and predictable fire risk, as warned on that day by the National Weather Service, which noted a hurricane offshore and powerful winds blowing over the ridge tops. Even before flames surfaced in Lahaina that morning, a brush fire had broken out near Kula, elsewhere on Maui.

Fire crews would have had to balance the risk that the powerful winds might reignite the morning brush fire against the need to use resources elsewhere. The firefighters association has estimated that about 65 firefighters are on duty on the island at any given time.

“We don’t have a lot of extra firefighters that can come across from, you know, Jersey or Pennsylvania,” Green said. “We have what we have. So the fire broke out again and spread to the town, and the town was dry. So the rest, of course, is tragedy.”

The governor said that the reignited blaze was out of control before firefighters could properly confront it — and quickly got worse.

The inferno was moving so fast, the governor said, that some fire trucks were caught in its path. “Two huge trucks were immediately consumed and melted,” he said. “Fire trucks melted.”

By the time the fire began surging through the central part of town, firefighters had encountered a new problem: The town’s water system was starting to collapse, leaving no water in the hydrants. Firefighters, some of whom lived in the town and lost their homes, had little power to stop the blaze at that point.

The state attorney general has said it will commission an outside investigation to examine the causes of the Lahaina fire and the efforts to combat it. The inquiry will most likely also look at the decision to leave the scene of the earlier brush fire — a decision that some residents are still debating.

Jay Ramos, who lives nearby and had to evacuate his family before fire crews returned, said the day probably would have unfolded much differently had the crews stuck around just a bit longer after the morning brush fire. But he said the island’s firefighting crews have always been quick to respond and did what they thought was right at the time.

“​​I don’t blame them at all,” he said.

But Aaron Arconado, 27, said he couldn’t help but think that the crews’ departure — from an area he said is known to have brush fires, on a day with so much wind — was the wrong decision. He said that he and his father were surprised as they watched the firefighters leave.

“I wish they had stayed longer because that could have changed things,” Arconado said. “And we would still have a town.”

c.2023 The New York Times Company

GM's Ultium Cells Battery Plant Has Been a Hotbed of OSHA Investigations

Nico DeMattia
Wed, August 23, 2023 

Photo | GM


The United Auto Workers Union (UAW) has been fighting for a new contract, with better safety protections and pay for its workers, at GM's Ultium Cells plant in Warren, Ohio for months. There have been multiple incidents regarding worker safety that are being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at the Ultium plant, and the latest involved a dangerous chemical spill over the weekend.

According to The Detroit News, Ultium spokesperson Katie Burdette said that operations in the area are paused until a third-party company finishes cleaning and containing the leak. The black slurry that covered the ground is as hazardous as it looks, as it contains n-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP), a chemical used for dissolving polymer that contains battery materials like aluminum, lithium, and manganese.

While there's no federal exposure limit to NMP, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that NMP "presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health under its conditions of use." The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) says that NMP can affect the nervous system, cause fetal issues, and even lead to infertility.

Cadillac Lyric assembly

Ultium Cells reported the incident to OSHA, which has opened an investigation to find out what happened and how the company handled the incident. Add it to the list, as there were already five open OSHA investigations into the Ultium plant, making this one the sixth. And that's in addition to the five OSHA investigations that already closed, which resulted in three fines, totaling $31,078.


Why aren't Ultium workers protected by the same UAW contract as other GM plant workers? Because Ultium LLC is a separate entity that's owned both by GM and LG Energy Solutions. Previous union agreements don't apply to such joint ventures, which is something the UAW feels is intentional, so automakers can skirt master-labor wages, according to Bloomberg. GM disagrees, saying the joint venture was done to take advantage of LG's intellectual property.

Since existing UAW agreements with GM don't apply to Ultium workers, they aren't protected in the same way in case of injury. Thankfully, there are no known injuries from the chemical spill at the Ultium plant over the weekend. However, OSHA will continue its investigation into what caused the spill and what safety precautions are in place. At the same time, the UAW is continuing to fight for Ultium plant workers to have the same union protections as the rest of its members.

GM announces closure of Arizona IT Innovation Center, resulting in 940 job cuts

Jamie L. LaReau, Detroit Free Press
Updated Wed, August 23, 2023 
General Motors is cutting 940 salaried jobs as it closes its Arizona IT Innovation Center at the end of October.

The news comes almost a week after the automaker said it gave notice to about 200 engineers elsewhere that their positions were being eliminated.

On Wednesday, GM notified the 1,029 nonunion employees at the Arizona IT Innovation Center of the decision to cut most of the jobs there, followed by a companywide email, which was obtained by the Detroit Free Press.

General Motors will close its Information Technology innovation center in Chandler, Arizona at the end of October cutting about 940 jobs.

"Today we announced the difficult decision to cease IDT (information and digital technology) operations at the Arizona IT Innovation Center at the end of October. This decision was not an easy one, but it will help to optimize our innovation center footprint and gain the efficiencies and effectiveness we need to have to continue to support the company," wrote Stacy Lynett, GM's vice president of Information and Digital Technology.

Lynett wrote that all information and digital technology jobs are being eliminated at the center to streamline operations so that GM can focus on its growth areas, which she did not further explain. Those employees who lose their jobs can apply for other openings at GM, she wrote, and GM will provide outplacement support. Those with at least one year with the company will be eligible for a severance package, she wrote.

GM spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed the cuts, saying that some of the employees at the center who work on vehicle software will remain in their jobs. The rest, about 940, will be let go. The closure is not for cost-cutting purposes, he said, but rather to streamline efficiencies.

"We're rationalizing the number of IT innovation centers we have in the country," Kelly said. "We're keeping the other three. But as we look at efficiencies there were some redundancies and that's why we decided to remove one of the centers."

The Arizona center, located in Chandler, about 5 miles southeast of Tempe, opened in 2014, according to GM's website. It "supports GM’s IT needs including web technologies, end-user applications, dealer and factory systems and vehicle technology," the website said.

GM’s three other IT centers are in Warren, Michigan; Austin, Texas, and another in suburban Atlanta.

The move comes after GM had been expanding its presence at the Chandler center. In a post on the city of Chandler's website in February 2022, it noted GM was looking to hire several hundred employees for software-based positions at the center saying, "GM selected Chandler in part for its strong local workforce when it opened the site in 2014, and the company has found success recruiting from area universities, as many of the available positions are entry level."

Lynett said in the email that GM will be formulating a plan to transition some of the work that was being done at the Arizona IT Center to other centers.

"As we continue reshaping the organization, we will be working with individual leaders on a plan to transition the work and knowledge," Lynett wrote in the GM email. "This includes realigning teams and updates to employees with a leader in Arizona. I am confident that together we can determine how to continue to deliver our most critical initiatives."

Hawaiian Electric Engages Guggenheim in Wake of Maui Wildfire Suits

GUGGENHEIM SECURITIES NOT THE GUGGENHEIM ART GALLERY

Reshmi Basu, Mark Chediak and Rachel Butt
Tue, August 22, 2023



(Bloomberg) -- Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. said it is seeking advice from various experts, including Guggenheim Securities as it takes steps to determine the fallout from the deadly wildfires in Maui.

“We are seeking advice from various experts as we position HEI and Hawaiian Electric to be the strong, financially healthy local utility that the people of Maui and Hawai‘i need over the long term,” the company said a statement. “One of those experts is Guggenheim Securities, and their deep experience working with other utilities will be invaluable as we move forward.”

A representative for Guggenheim declined to comment. Reorg earlier reported on the mandate.

Numerous lawsuits have been filed alleging that the utility’s power lines ignited the fires which destroyed much of Lahaina, Hawaii earlier this month. The potential liabilities could reach almost $4 billion if the utility is deemed negligent, according to investment research firm Capstone LLC.

Hawaiian Electric Industries owns Hawaii’s main utility, which provides power to 95% of the state’s population. It also owns the regional American Savings Bank.

The company has been cut to junk by all three major credit ratings firms, with Fitch Ratings estimating that potential liabilities may top $3.8 billion, “representing an existential threat to the company.”

'ChatGPT Does 80% Of My Job' — How AI Enables People To Work Second And Third Jobs

Jeannine Mancini
Tue, August 22, 2023 


A new breed of overemployed workers has emerged, turning to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered language models like ChatGPT to handle a significant portion of their job responsibilities.

"ChatGPT does like 80% of my job," stated one worker, while another, currently holding down four robot-performed jobs, says, "Five would be overkill."

As the popularity of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT continues to soar, concerns are growing about the impact on the global job market. With the potential for jobs to be automated and replaced by chatbots, experts are warning of a possible future where human workers become obsolete.

In combination with other AI tools like ChatGPT, RAD AI is helping marketers become more efficient and effective in their work. By using RAD AI, marketing professionals can quickly identify trends, understand consumer behavior and optimize campaigns for maximum impact.

Gamers are selling their old gaming items for millions. Learn why everyday gamers and investors are claiming a stake in their side hustle and how they invested over $1.2 million in this startup.

But a small group of savvy people are using these tools to the max. These fast-thinking go-getters are finding ways to use AI technology to take on multiple jobs — without their employers suspecting a thing. While many may view this as a negative trend, for those who are successfully exploiting AI, it's a golden opportunity not to be missed.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shift to remote work, a group of workers took advantage of the newfound flexibility and dubbed themselves the "over-employed." These savvy individuals found ways to juggle multiple jobs simultaneously, capitalizing on the increased flexibility that comes with working from home.

One of those people is Ben (his real name was changed for privacy), a financial technology marketer in Toronto who was initially skeptical about the idea. He became intrigued after learning that one of his friends was able to pull it off. But the challenge for Ben was that his job involved a lot of writing, making it seemingly impossible for him to work two jobs at once.

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Inspired by the success of his friend and armed with the knowledge of AI's capabilities, Ben began to explore the possibilities of working multiple jobs using ChatGPT. He and his colleagues quickly realized that ChatGPT could be used to quickly locate information and generate written materials, saving them valuable time. This gave Ben the idea of using ChatGPT to take on a second job. And to his delight, he was successful in doing so earlier this year — even using the AI chatbot to write his cover letters while applying.

According to Ben, the recent release of GPT-4, an even more advanced version of the AI, has made his job easier.

"I can just tell it to create a story, and it just does it for me, based on the context that I gave it," he said. But he still needs to tweak the text occasionally, as AI can make mistakes.

While some may worry that these advancements in AI will lead to widespread job displacement, Ben and other workers believe their expertise is still necessary to ensure the accuracy of the text generated by the AI.

To make messages to his manager look like they were written by a busy worker, Ben uses ChatGPT to write them in lowercase letters. Another employee even uses AI to transcribe Zoom meetings, allowing them to multitask and review notes later.

Mateo G., a 30-year-old from North Jersey who works on the administrative side of food and beverage production, has been talking about his covert use of ChatGPT on the job. And the best part? His boss has no idea.

According to a report from the New York Post, Mateo recently came to the rescue of his entire department when corporate officials hounded his supervisor for a massive spreadsheet project. The task would have taken weeks to complete, but with the help of ChatGPT, Mateo was able to quickly and efficiently deliver a flawless project ahead of schedule.

The prevalence of ChatGPT in the workplace is becoming apparent as more professionals use it on the job — and many do so without their bosses knowing. According to a February poll by the professional social network Fishbowl, 68% of ChatGPT users keep their usage discreet.

For instance, Joël Kai Lenz, 27, a corporate writer based in London, admits to using ChatGPT's time-saving properties but keeps his usage under wraps.

"I wouldn't go out and scream it from the rooftops," Kai Lenz said, adding that he avoids the topic when clients inquire about how he completes his work so quickly.

Esmark Says It Will Not Make Takeover Bid for US Steel

Joe Deaux
Wed, August 23, 2023 


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Esmark Says It Will Not Make Takeover Bid for US Steel


(Bloomberg) -- Steel distributor Esmark Inc. has changed its mind on buying United States Steel Corp., citing union support for a rival bid from Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. for the sudden turnabout.

The reversal is the latest twist in a frantic 11 days that has seen US Steel unexpectedly announce it was exploring strategic alternatives, its rejection of a $7.25 billion offer from Cliffs, and the United Steelworkers union coming out and exclusively supporting Cliffs’ bid. The battle over the iconic American steelmaker has fixated investors, producers, consumers and analysts that gathered in Atlanta this week for the industry’s biggest conference in North America.

Esmark said in an emailed statement Wednesday that it wouldn’t participate in the purchase process for US Steel, with the closely held company saying it “respects” the USW’s support of Cliffs. The statement comes nine days after Esmark made a surprise offer to buy US Steel for $7.8 billion in cash, trumping Cliffs’ earlier bid.

Shares of US Steel fell as much as 3.2% after Esmark’s statement. The stock settled 2.2% lower at $31.32 as of 4:15 p.m. in New York.

“The USW was our partner in the successful acquisition of Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel, and we remain close with them,” Jim Bouchard, Esmark chairman and CEO, said in the statement. “Esmark had previously stated its intention to bid for, and negotiate a purchase with, US Steel,” he said, adding that Esmark respects the USW position.

Esmark’s unexpected offer on Aug. 14 sent steel market participants scrambling to learn more about the service center and its CEO. The company’s announcement of an offer was light on details for investors and included a lengthy biographical section about Bouchard, 62, that included personal accolades stretching back to his high school days.

Skeptical Analysts

Shares of US Steel never touched the $35-a-share offer by Bouchard, and multiple analysts went public expressing skepticism of his bid. BNP Paribas even wrote in an Aug. 17 note to its clients that it didn’t believe Esmark’s offer was credible. “Inconsistencies in the press release, the absence of SEC filings and an unusual interview from the CEO are also leaving us dubious,” BNP said in its note.

The most recent developments between US Steel and Cliffs have centered on the Steelworkers’ right to bid for the Pittsburgh-based producer in the event that the company is presented with a “bona fide” takeover offer. US Steel said Tuesday in a filing that it sent a letter to its union workers regarding the strategic review process announced earlier this month, informing them of rights outlined in last year’s labor contract. Hours later, Cliffs submitted a filing indicating it sent US Steel a letter saying the company is obliged to inform the steelworkers and Cliffs of any proposals received.

“Let’s see what happens next,” Bouchard said in a text message to Bloomberg News.