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☆ Fact check: Trump delivers flurry of false and misleading claims as trial nears conclusion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Washington CNN —Former President Donald Trump has uttered multiple false or misleading claims about his Manhattan criminal trial this week as the trial has neared a conclusion. An “advice of counsel” defense typically requires the defendant to waive attorney-client privilege. This Court can not endorse such a tactic.” Therefore, Merchan ruled, Trump could not invoke or even suggest a “presence of counsel” defense in the trial. Prosecutors provided three theories of what unlawful means Trump used. After Merchan refused last week to change his mind, Trump’s defense decided not to call Smith as a witness.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, ’, Juan Merchan, “, MERCHAN, ”, Merchan, ” Trump, ” Merchan, Defendant, you’ve, It’s, it’s, John Roberts, don’t, ” Lee Kovarsky, Jeremy Herb, doesn’t, didn’t, Brad Smith, Wouldn’t, Bradley Smith, Rather, Smith, Biden, Joe Biden, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo Organizations: Washington CNN, Manhattan, Fox News, Prosecutors, Federal, University of Texas, Trump, Records, Attorney, Justice Department Locations: New York, York, ”, Manhattan, York’s

☆ Chief Justice John Roberts declines to meet with Democratic lawmakers about ethics flap and Alito’s flags
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( John Fritze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday rejected a meeting request from Democratic lawmakers who wanted to discuss two provocative flags hoisted at Justice Samuel Alito’s properties. “Separation of powers concerns and the importance of preserving judicial independence counsel against such appearances,” Roberts wrote in a letter released by the Supreme Court. “My wife is fond of flying flags,” Alito wrote. The Supreme Court is considering two appeals tied to the 2020 election and the attack on the US Capitol. Whitehouse posted on social media that “the work must continue” until the Supreme Court applies “honest fact-finding and neutral decision-making” to itself.

Persons: John Roberts, Samuel Alito’s, ” Roberts, Alito, Martha, Ann Alito, “, ” Alito, Donald Trump, Illinois Sen, Dick Durbin, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Alito’s recusal, Roberts “, Roberts, ”, Jack Smith’s, Whitehouse, ” Whitehouse, they’ve Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Supreme, Capitol, Committee, Rhode, Rhode Island Democrat Locations: New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island

☆ Chief Justice Rejects Call for Alito’s Recusal in Jan. 6 Cases After Flag Incidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Abbie Vansickle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. on Thursday declined requests to have Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. recuse himself from cases related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after provocative flags flew on the justice’s properties. The justices make those calls on their own, Chief Justice Roberts wrote in a letter to Democratic senators. “Members of the Supreme Court recently reaffirmed the practice we have followed for 235 years pursuant to which individual justices decide recusal issues,” he wrote.

Persons: John G, Roberts, Samuel A, Alito Jr, Justice Roberts, ” Organizations: Democratic, Supreme

☆ Opinion | Objections to Alito’s Refusal to Recuse
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “Alito Rejecting Calls to Recuse in Flag Uproar” (front page, May 29):Everyone has been focused on how Justice Samuel Alito can pretend to be impartial on Jan. 6 cases after the flag controversy. The greater issue is how this episode is yet another exposure of Justice Alito’s lack of judgment. Justice Alito’s inability or unwillingness to extract himself from the Jan. 6 cases that come before the Supreme Court inflicts a great deal more damage to its reputation and credibility. That leaves us stuck with a Supreme Court majority that is practicing politics when it is supposed to be providing legal guidance based on law. These should require justices to demonstrate pristine behavior and institute accountability so Justice Alito can understand how ludicrous is his decision not to remove himself from cases where he has a conflict.

Persons: Re “ Alito, Samuel Alito, Alito’s, inflicts, John Roberts, Alito

☆ So Close to Sicily, So Far From the Crowds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Amy Tara Koch | Paolo Pellegrin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years I had been hearing about the island of Pantelleria, the craggy, hard-to-get-to Eden with middle-of-nowhere tranquillity that sits 89 miles southwest of the island of Sicily and about 50 miles east of Tunisia. Luca Guadagnino’s 2015 film “A Bigger Splash” painted a seductive idyll of mud baths, romantic ruins and secluded swimming coves. Celebrities like Madonna, Sting and Julia Roberts visited, drawn to the striking, Africa-meets-Italy ambience, along with Giorgio Armani, a part-time resident since 1980. The fact that nobody was impressed by them added to the allure. The beauty is in the slow pace and the wild landscape.”

Persons: Luca Guadagnino’s, Sting, Julia Roberts, Giorgio Armani, ”, Sciascia Gambaccini Locations: Pantelleria, Eden, Sicily, Tunisia, Africa, Italy

☆ Alito tells lawmakers he will not recuse from Supreme Court cases despite flag controversy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( John Fritze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The two incidents you cite do not meet the conditions for recusal,” Alito wrote in a letter distributed by the Supreme Court. Supreme Court justices rarely get into a back-and-forth with lawmakers and many members of the court do not explain their reasons for recusing – or not. Video Ad Feedback See how GOP lawmakers reacted to Judge Alito's flag controversy 01:24 - Source: CNNThe Supreme Court is weighing major cases tied to the 2020 election and the attack on the US Capitol. From Google“I had no involvement in the decision to fly that flag,” Alito wrote. Justice Alito also told Fox News the neighbor used the term “c*nt” at one point during the exchanges.

Persons: Samuel Alito, ” Alito, Alito, recusing, Alito's, Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith’s, “, –, Martha, Ann Alito, Samuel Alito's, Illinois Sen, Dick Durbin, ” Durbin, ”, ” Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Clarence Thomas ’, —, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, John Roberts, Thomas, Hank Johnson, Alito’s, ” Johnson, Trump, Justice Alito, “ Alito, SCOTUS, Roe, Wade, CNN’s Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Kate Sullivan, Jack Forrest, Morgan Rimmer, Tierney Sneed, Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Supreme, Trump, US Supreme, Google, ’, recusal, Democratic, Illinois Democrat, Rhode Island Democrat, Connecticut Democrat, Georgia Democrat, United States Supreme, New York Times, Fox News, Times, Republicans Locations: Alexandria, Virginia, New Jersey, Long Beach, Illinois, Connecticut, Georgia, House

☆ ‘My eyes have been opened:’ Inside Elton John’s personal photography collection
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Victoria Woodcock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —“Fragile Beauty” is an exhibition of extremes. The new show of “Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection” at London’s Victoria & Albert museum (V&A) is at turns glitzy and gritty; joyfully pop and heart-wrenchingly poignant. “‘Fragile Beauty’ was chosen by Elton. Photography as a visual journalOne section, too, is titled “Fragile Beauty”, featuring work by Mapplethorpe, Hujar and McGinley. Elton even features in some of his own collection, as shown in David LaChapelle's "Elton John, Egg On His Face," 1999.

Persons: Sir Elton John, David, Marilyn Monroe, Nan Goldin, ”, Duncan Forbes, “, ’, Elton, Tristram Hunt, London’s, Tyler Mitchell's, Tyler Mitchell, Richard Avedon, Mitchell, John, Egglestons —, Newell Harbin, Hujars, ’ Elton John “, Forbes, Tom Bianchi's, Tom Bianchi, Fahey Klein, “ They’re, It’s, “ We’re, Ronald Fisher —, Newell, Robert Mapplethorpe, Mapplethorpe, Elton John, Sunil Gupta’s, Christopher Street ”, George Platt Lynes, Zanele Muholi, Peter Hujar's, Darling, Hujar, Mel Roberts, Gilbert, George’s, Ryan McGinley’s, Don Herron’s, Keith Haring, Peter Hujar, McGinley, Mary Ellen Mark, John’s, David Fahey, David LaChapelle's, Egg, David LaChapelle “, Fahey, Irving Penn, Herb Ritts, Horst P, Horst, Robert Mapplethorpe's, Roy DeCarava, Julio Cortez’s, George Floyd, Hunt Organizations: CNN, Albert, London’s Tate, Vogue, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Elton John Aids Foundation, ”, Rights Society New, Associated Press Locations: British, Atlanta, London, Los Angeles, “, Harbin, New York, American, Rights Society New York, Seattle, France, Britain, Minneapolis

☆ Former federal judge blasts John Roberts in new book and says Ruth Bader Ginsburg was annoyed by pressure to retire
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The Supreme Court, Tatel wrote, has “kicked precedent to the curb” and become “a tragedy” for civil rights and the rule of law. He said she revealed early dealings among justices that eventually led to the milestone 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision undermining the Voting Rights Act. ‘John Stevens didn’t step down until he was ninety,” Tatel wrote. He served as director of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and then as director of the National Committee. During the Jimmy Carter administration, he led the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Persons: David Tatel, ”, John Roberts, Bill Clinton, Tatel, Roberts, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Holder, Ginsburg, –, ’, ‘ John Stevens didn’t, ” Tatel, “, Ruth, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Obama, …, Trump, Amy Coney Barrett, Roe, Wade, Dobbs, Justice Ginsburg, “ I’ve, Jimmy Carter, Clinton, ” Roberts, Dick Cheney, “ …, Scalia, Cheney, ‘, David, Joe Biden, I’ve Organizations: CNN, Democrat, Jackson, Health Organization, Chicago Lawyers ’, Civil, Law, National Committee, Department of Health, Education, Welfare, DC Circuit, US Department of Justice, Northwest Austin, Civil Rights Movement, Court, Supreme Locations: County, Washington, Shelby County, Northwest, Northwest Austin

☆ RFK Jr. super PAC chair to publish tell-all memoir by mother of Hunter Biden's child
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Josephine Rozzelle | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The meeting is part of the Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. The co-chairman of a super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s presidential campaign announced plans Tuesday to publish a tell-all memoir this summer by an Arkansas woman who had a child with Hunter Biden, the youngest son of President Joe Biden. "Out of the Shadows: My Life Inside the Wild World of Hunter Biden" is written by Lunden Roberts, who gave birth to Hunter Biden's daughter in 2018. Roberts' memoir will be published by Skyhorse Publishing, a company whose president, Tony Lyons, is a co-founder of the pro-Kennedy super PAC American Values 2024. Lyons said a press release that Roberts' memoir contains "revelations that could well impact the outcome of the 2024 election."

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Robert F, Kennedy, Jr, Lunden Roberts, Hunter Biden's, Biden —, —, Roberts, Biden, Tony Lyons, AV24, Lyons, Skyhorse, Alex Jones, Sen, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi Organizations: Skyhorse Publishing, Kennedy, Skyhorse, PAC, CNBC, Democratic, Calif, Republican, NBC Locations: O'Neill, Washington ,, Arkansas, Texas, Iraq

☆ Lessons from Judge David Tatel’s Guide Dog on Blindness and Vision
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Had Al Gore won the presidency in 2000, a lot of people thought, he would have put Judge David S. Tatel on the Supreme Court. The judge had a towering intellect, was a model judicial craftsman and, only incidentally, had been blind since his 30s. But George W. Bush prevailed, with an assist from a closely divided Supreme Court. Judge Tatel served for 23 more years on the U.S. Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia Circuit. He relied on people who would read to him, increasingly sophisticated technology and an astounding memory to produce a widely admired body of judicial work that included major opinions on voting rights, the environment and the internet.

Persons: Al Gore, David S, Tatel, George W, Bush, John G, Roberts Jr, Samuel A, Alito Jr, Judge Tatel Organizations: U.S ., District of Columbia Circuit

☆ How to meditate, with help from Dan Harris
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Twenty years ago, Dan Harris appeared to have it all. Harris typically tries to meditate for a total of an hour every day, he said. A regular practice can also rewire brain regions associated with stress, focus, compassion and self-awareness, science has shown. “That starting over is like a bicep curl for your brain, and that’s the mechanism by which the brain changes.”A Meditation to Prove You Don’t Suck at Meditation Dan Harris guides you through a brief introductory meditation and any distractions that may come up. “Do these people seem like they’ve lost their edge?” Harris said.

Persons: CNN —, Dan Harris, Harris, Robin Roberts, “, ” Harris, ”, Mark Epstein, Jon Kabat, Zinn, devalues, Harper, Harper Collins Publishers Harris, I’m, ‘ I’ll, that’s, —, it’s, LeBron James, Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffington, Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Weiner, George Stephanopoulos Organizations: CNN, ABC News, Good Morning, University of Masschusetts Medical, New York Times, Harper Collins Publishers Locations: Afghanistan, Iraq, Manhattan

☆ Opinion: Alito’s second red flag
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Kirsi Goldynia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

This is not the first time Alito has found himself in hot water over displaying a controversial flag on his property. The upside-down flag, a signal of distress, was adopted by Trump supporters who believed the false claim that the election had been stolen. (Alito said his wife had raised the upside-down flag in response to a disagreement with a neighbor. The discovery also comes at a time when the Supreme Court will be making a decision about Trump’s claims of sweeping presidential immunity, his get-out-of-jail-free card for the federal cases he faces. “The notion that the Supreme Court can be trusted to be an arbiter above partisan politics has suffered major blows in recent years.

Persons: ”, Scott Peck, Samuel Alito, “, Alito, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Julian Zelizer, Walt Handelsman, Michael J, Broyde, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Donald Trump, ‘, ’, ” Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley, Haley, Nancy Pelosi, She’s, Joe Biden ‘, I’ve, ” Clay Jones, Drew Sheneman, Judge Juan Merchan, Robert Costello, Michael Cohen, Norm Eisen, Costello, ’ Merchan, cautioning, …, Eisen, Sunak, Rishi Sunak, Henry Nicholls, Holly Thomas, Sunak —, Thomas, Joel Pett, Adolf Hitler, Ruth Ben, Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Said Ben, Anna Sauerbrey, Sauerbrey, Biden, America —, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Laura Beers, it’s, —, Ebrahim Raisi, Frida Ghitis, Ali Khamenei, Peter Kuper, Cagle, “ I’m, What’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Ismail Haniyeh, Peter Bergen, ” Netanyahu, Israel’s, Netanyahu, Kerri Kennedy, Biden “, Israel, ” Don’t, Agency Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Singleton, Biden’s Morehouse, Jill Filipovic, Diddy, Cassie Ventura, Catherine Tan, Shanahan, Brian Castrucci, Frank Luntz, Mark Zandi, Trump Will Cathcart, Joyce M, Davis, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Randy Holmes, Bill, ” Nicole Hemmer, Said Will, Maher, Hemmer, ” “ Maher, It’s Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Agency, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republican, NHS, Labour, Tory, Social, Italiana, European Union, ”, Islamic, Education, Workforce, Harvard, University of California, Columbia University, Columbia, Criminal Court, ICC, Israeli, International Court of Justice, United Nations Security, American Friends Service Committee, RFK, Disney, Entertainment, Democrats Locations: Alito’s Virginia, New Zealand, AFP, ”, England, Trump’s America, America, Italian, Germany, Poland, France, Berlin, Hill, American, British, London, Notting Hill, Iran, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, University of California Los Angeles, Gaza, United Kingdom, Rafah, Georgia’s, Moscow, Africa

☆ Tired, testy and fractured: The Supreme Court prepares for more drama
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —As Supreme Court justices try to resolve more than a dozen major cases over the next month, including whether Donald Trump must stand trial for election subversion, they appear mired in antagonism and distrust. Conservatives, who indeed hold the upper hand on the 6-3 court, nonetheless spike their writing and remarks with derision for the left. When the court majority allowed Louisiana state officials to use a map with a second majority-Black congressional district (over the protest of a GOP-backed group of White voters), the three liberals dissented. (A lower US court had referred to it as the “bleaching of African American voters” from the district.) Dissenting liberals emphasized that the decision reversing the lower court undercut a 2017 Supreme Court ruling, Cooper v. Harris, issued before the far-right majority took hold.

Persons: Donald Trump, Samuel Alito, Alito, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, Ketanji Brown Jackson, John Roberts, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Sonia Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson, Blacks, Purcell, ’, Amy Coney Barrett, “, ” Barrett, Roberts, ” They, Bush, Feedback Kavanaugh, Gore, Cooper, Harris, ” Kagan, ” Alito, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Martha, Ann, ”, Alito tersely, Kagan’s, Edwin Kneedler, ” Roberts, Kneedler, Joshua Turner, Sotomayor, ” Sotomayor, Turner, interjected Organizations: CNN, Trump, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Liberal, GOP, White voters, Congress, Gore, South, American, Capitol, New York Times, US Justice Department Locations: America, Colorado, South Carolina, Carolina, Louisiana, Virginia, New Jersey, American, Alito’s, Jersey, Grants Pass , Oregon, Idaho, The Idaho

☆ Jury in trial of tech CEO Fahim Saleh's killer hears grisly 911 call: 'His head is not there anymore!'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

the operator asks, to which the woman sobs, "No! the 911 operator asks Saleh's cousin in the recording played Friday. the operator asks. Prosecutors told jurors that these bags held Saleh's head and limbs. A crime scene photo showing tech CEO Fahim Saleh under attack by his killer just inside the victim's Manhattan condominium.

Persons: —, Gokada, Fahim Saleh, Saleh, Tyrese Haspil, Linda Ford, Sam Roberts, Alan Chin, Haspil, Chavaux, Roberts, he'd, sobs, gasps, Prosecutors, he's, Gigi Jordan Organizations: Service, Business, Manhattan, Prosecutors Locations: Bangladeshi, Nigeria, Manhattan, France

☆ Lawmakers Dial Up Pressure on Alito to Recuse From Elections Cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Zach Montague | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A growing number of Democratic lawmakers called for Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. to recuse himself from cases related to Jan. 6, 2021, and demanded new ethics rules for the Supreme Court after revelations that flags carried by rioters at the Capitol were flown outside his homes. With the Supreme Court just weeks away from issuing decisions on two major cases concerning former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the events of Jan. 6, lawmakers said the symbolism of the flags called into question Justice Alito’s neutrality. In an interview on Thursday, Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee who has introduced a resolution to censure Justice Alito, said Congress needed to take the firm position that the justice’s actions were a violation of judicial propriety. “He’s not going to resign, he’s not going to recuse himself, and I don’t think Justice Roberts is going to be able to influence him in that regard,” he said, referring to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. “So the best we can do is to kind of put a scarlet letter on him.”

Persons: Samuel A, Alito Jr, Donald J, Steve Cohen, Justice Alito, “ He’s, he’s, Roberts, ”, John G Organizations: Democratic, Capitol Locations: Tennessee

☆ Opinion: What Alito’s flag controversies say about the Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Julian Zelizer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —If Chief Justice John Roberts is really an institutionalist — someone deeply concerned about the integrity of the Supreme Court and public perceptions about it — then he has a big problem on his hands. The discovery also comes at a time when the Supreme Court will be making a decision about Trump’s claims of sweeping presidential immunity, his get-out-of-jail-free card for the federal cases he faces. The notion that the Supreme Court can be trusted to be an arbiter above partisan politics has suffered major blows in recent years. Supreme Court decisions have not been the only issue. The Alito flag controversy is another blow to the image of the court.

Persons: Julian Zelizer, ”, John Roberts, —, Samuel Alito —, Donald Trump, Alito, Alito hasn’t, Trump, SCOTUS, “, Dobbs, Roe, Wade, Clarence Thomas ’, Virginia Thomas, Thomas ’, Roberts, George W Organizations: CNN, Princeton University, Twitter, Supreme, New York Times, Jackson, Health, Annenberg Public, Center, Pew Research Center, Republican Locations: New Jersey, Virginia, Vietnam, Florida

☆ Biden’s EPA is trying to take a huge bite out of the climate crisis. But can it survive Trump’s Supreme Court?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Bottom row, from left, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. And environmental attorneys are intrigued by Barrett, who has had some tough questions for EPA’s challengers during recent Supreme Court arguments. The Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the EPA can use its authority to regulate greenhouse gases. That gives the agency the recent Congressional direction the Supreme Court has said it so badly needs, some experts said.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Richard Lazarus, “, Michael Regan, ” “, ” Regan, Regan’s, ” Lazarus, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Gorsuch, Alito, ” David Doniger, “ Alito –, ”, Reagan, Anne Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor, John Roberts, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Ketanji Brown Jackson, J, Scott Applewhite, Amy Coney Barrett –, Roberts, Barrett, Kavanaugh, Sackett, “ He’s, he’s, doesn’t, Ann Carlson, ” Carlson, ” Doniger Organizations: CNN, Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency, Harvard Law, EPA, Republican, Natural Resources Defense Council, Chevron, DC, Appeals, DC Circuit, University of California, Biden, Congress Locations: China, United, Virginia, University of California Los Angeles, West Virginia, Congress

☆ Opinion: Rewatching ‘Notting Hill,’ the truly unbelievable part is Hugh Grant’s house
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Opinion Laura Beers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The Notting Hill of the 1990s was still socially heterodox and shabby chic, a neighborhood where a group of 30-something professionals could plausibly have ended up. Even in the late 1990s, such access to disposable income marked the characters in “Notting Hill” out as privileged. Yet, in the 1990s, Notting Hill, long a center of Caribbean immigrant culture and the site of the annual Notting Hill Carnival, underwent a rapid process of gentrification. Between 1995 and 1999, Notting Hill house prices rose by 75%. The colorful terraced houses of Notting Hill, which these days sell for millions of pounds.

Persons: Laura Beers, ”, George Orwell’s, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Anna Scott, Hugh Grant, William Thacker, Roberts, Laura Beers Laura Beers, it’s, —, Curtis, Hill’s, Hugh Grant's, Winston, George Orwell, Orwell, Tony Blair’s Britain, Bill Clinton’s America, Grant’s, Tony Blair, Steve Eason, Notting, Spike, Rhys Ifans, Notting Hill, Mike Kemp, San, Spencer Platt, Rishi Sunak’s government’s, Bill, Rewatching Organizations: American University, CNN, MCA, Everett, Notting, Labour, Hulton, Getty, Movement, Housing, Federal Reserve, New York State, Hill ” Locations: American, London, West London, Notting, West, Britain, United States, Young, Notting Hill, Central London, San Francisco, Manhattan, San Matteo, Redwood City, York

☆ Brad Paisley and Howard Gospel Choir to be the entertainment for state dinner as Bidens highlight US-Kenya ties
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Betsy Klein | Samantha Waldenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

US President Gerald Ford dances with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during a state dinner in Washington, DC, in 1976. Jason Reed/Reuters The White House's State Dining Room is seen ahead of a state dinner honoring French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018. Paisley first performed at the White House in 2009 during the Obama administration as part of a music series. “Tomorrow night we’ve created an experience that will feature the beautiful scenes of the White House and the Washington Monument that few get to enjoy,” White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo said. Event planner Bryan Rafanelli also helped the White House plan for the state dinner.

Persons: Brad Paisley, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, William Ruto, Rachel Ruto, “, Howard, “ Brad Paisley, Dr . Biden, Ruto’s, Biden, Ruto, ” Biden, George W, Bush, Gerald Ford, Queen Elizabeth II, Ricardo Thomas, Gerald R, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Enrique Penaranda, Penaranda, Matthew Costello, George R, Nikita Khrushchev, He's, Nina, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Mamie Eisenhower, Costello, John F, Kennedy, Habib Bourguiba, Jackie, Moufida, Bill Allen, Lyndon B, Johnson, Errol W, Barrow, Carolyn, Richard Nixon, Leonid Brezhnev, Charles Tasnadi, Betty Ford, Jordan's King Hussein, David Hume Kennerly, Betty Sherrill, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Jimmy Carter, Deng Xiaoping, Cho Lin, Carter, Nancy Reagan, Indira Gandhi, Mikhail Gorbachev, Joe DiMaggio, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Boris Yeltsin, Naina, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Barbara, Dirck Halstead, Singer Whitney Houston, Nelson Mandela, Ron Sachs, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Mandela, Zindzi, Wally McNamee, Corbis, Bill Frist, Lynne Cheney, Dick Cheney, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Laura Bush, Prince Philip, Itzhak Perlman, Saul Loeb, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Manmohan Singh, Gursharan Kaur, Pete Souza, White, Obama, Singh, Jason Reed, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Macron, Brigitte, Jabin, Scott Morrison, Joshua Roberts, Paisley, ‘ Wake, Martin Luther, ’ ”, ” Jill Biden, we’ve, Carlos Elizondo, Cris Comerford, Bryan Rafanelli, April’s, Fumio Kishida, Yuko Kishida, CNN’s Sam Fossum Organizations: Washington CNN —, Howard Gospel Choir, White, CNN, Kenyan, Ford Presidential Library, United, White House, Historical Association, Washington Post, Getty, Barbados, AP, Indian, New York Times, Singer, South, Trump, Australian, Paisley, Japanese Locations: Kenya, United States, ”, Ghana, Africa, Russia, Namibia, Washington , DC, Bolivian, Soviet, George H.W ., toasts, Nashville, Washington

☆ Hunter Biden tries again to delay gun trial two weeks before start date
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Hunter Biden is once again trying to delay his fast-approaching trial on felony gun charges, which is scheduled to begin in two weeks. In addition to the gun case, Biden is facing a federal tax indictment in California. He is also pursuing appeals in that case and trying to delay that trial, which is scheduled to begin in late June after the expected conclusion of the gun trial. The saga put President Biden in an uncomfortable spot, and he publicly acknowledged his granddaughter for the first time last summer. In addition, they want to ask whether potential jurors have ever bought a gun and how they feel about various restrictions on gun possession.

Persons: CNN — Hunter Biden, –, he’s, Robert Hunter Biden, Biden, David Weiss, Joe Biden’s, Weiss, General Merrick Garland, Hunter Biden, ”, Maryellen Noreika, Lunden Roberts, Clint Lancaster, Hunter, Lancaster, Roberts, Biden’s Organizations: CNN, Monday, Trump, Biden, Lawyers, Arkansas Democrat, Gazette Locations: Wilmington , Delaware, California, Delaware, Arkansas, United States

"Consumers continue to be even more discriminating with every dollar that they spend as they faced elevated prices in their day-to-day spending," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said on the company's conference call in late April. Paul Weaver | SOPA Images | Getty ImagesFor more than two years, consumers have dealt with sharply rising prices. But that doesn't mean the actual prices seen on grocery store shelves or restaurant menus will fall, and shoppers are feeling that pinch. While some CEOs have said that consumers are growing more cautious, others — like those in the airline industry — have celebrated strong and persistent spending. Corporate misfires can also lead to disappointing sales, even if their shoppers aren't necessarily pulling back on their spending.

Persons: Chris Kempczinski, Burger, Paul Weaver, Jerome Powell, Aurelia Concepcion, Concepcion, it's, Joe Raedle, Brett House, John David Rainey, Ramon Laguarta, Ed Bastian, We're, Daniel Slim, Brian Niccol, Calvin McDonald, Laxman Narasimhan, Sara Senatore, Spencer Platt Organizations: DAL, Washington Post, Home, Delta Air Lines, Consumers, of Labor, CPI, KFC, Starbucks, Columbia Business School, Walmart, Finance, CNBC, PepsiCo, Gatorade, Pepsi, United, Delta Airlines Boeing, Owen Roberts International, AFP, Getty, Delta, Target, Bank of America Locations: Manhattan, Bloomsburg , Pennsylvania, New York, Georgia, Ohio, Miami , Florida, U.S, Delta, Europe, Asia, Japan, George Town, Cayman Islands, New York City

☆ From Taylor Swift tickets to gasoline — these days everyone feels like they’re being price-gouged. Are they?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Taylor Swift performs onstage during "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at SoFi Stadium on August 09, 2023 in Inglewood, California. At the core of the increasingly common accusation of price gouging is the sense that the consumer is being exploited. Price gouging is in the eye of the bidderGavin Roberts, chair of Weber State University’s economics department and who studies the effect of anti-price gouging laws, said the laws themselves often don’t define what price gouging is. Corporations charging as much as they can, as painful as it may be for consumers, doesn’t mean they’re necessarily price gouging, said Roberts. Steven Suranovic, an economics professor at George Washington University who has also published research on price gouging, sees it differently.

Persons: Emily Miller lucked, Taylor, Miller, Swift, ” Miller, Taylor Swift, Kevin Winter, it’s, —, Joe Biden — can’t, we’re, Gavin Roberts, Biden, ”, Biden hasn’t, ” Biden, Roberts, Steven Suranovic, Martin Shkreli, Shkreli, Price, Trent Sprague, Lyft, Uber, Travis Kalanick, It’s, ” Suranovic, Rafi Mohammed, Stefani Reynolds, Teresa Murray Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Rights, Weber State, Corporations, George Washington University, Turing Pharmaceuticals, LinkedIn, O'Hare International, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, Consumer, Culture, Profit, Getty Locations: New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Inglewood , California, Chicago, New York City, Washington ,, AFP, US

☆ Justice Samuel Alito blames upside-down American flag on his wife and a flap with neighbors
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( John Fritze | Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Alito said that a neighbor had posted a sign saying “F**k Trump” near a school bus stop and then a sign attacking his wife, Martha-Ann Alito. The upside-down flag was a symbol for former President Donald Trump’s supporters who falsely claimed widespread fraud in the presidential election. A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court has not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. “Flying an upside-down American flag — a symbol of the so-called ‘Stop the Steal’ movement — clearly creates the appearance of bias,” Durbin said in a statement. Renewed calls for ethics reformThe Supreme Court is weighing major cases this term tied to the 2020 election and the attack on the Capitol.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Alito, Martha, Ann Alito, Fox, Donald Trump’s, Tim Walz, “ I’m, Joe Biden’s, “, ”, “ It’s, Trump, Hank Johnson, Clarence Thomas, ” MAGA, Thomas, ” Johnson, ” Sen, Dick Durbin, ” Durbin, Sen, Tom Cotton, Carolina Sen, Lindsey Graham, Jack Smith’s, John Roberts, Sheldon Whitehouse, ” Whitehouse, Roe, Wade, Renee Knake Jefferson, ” Jefferson Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Trump, Democratic, Capitol, Minnesota Gov, New York Times, Times, Gadsden, Georgia Democrat, Committee, Illinois Democrat, Republicans, Arkansas Republican, Republican, Congress, Supreme, Rhode, Rhode Island Democrat, ”, University of Houston Law Center Locations: Minnesota, Alexandria , Virginia, Washington, DC, Georgia, House, Arkansas, ”, Carolina, Rhode Island

☆ Free Speech Becomes a New Battleground in Abortion Litigation - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Linda Greenhouse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There has hardly ever been as fierce a defender of free speech as the current Supreme Court. The court’s version of free speech has become a powerful tool against government regulation. In his majority opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the “unduly burdensome” requirement amounted to unconstitutionally compelled speech. Now the question is whether the court’s solicitude toward those who would rather not talk about abortion extends in the other direction. What about state laws that prohibit rather than require offering information about where to get an abortion?

Persons: John Roberts, Janus, Elena Kagan, “, Clarence Thomas Organizations: . American Federation of State, Municipal Employees, ” Locations: . American Federation of State , County, California

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 14, 2021. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the funding structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is legal. The court in a 7-2 decision rejected an argument that the CFPB's funding method violated the U.S. Constitution's Appropriations Clause because Congress had not annually authorized money for the agency. Instead, Congress authorized the CFPB to draw funding from the Federal Reserve system that the agency's director deems necessary for its work. The majority's ruling reversed a decision by the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which found the CFPB's funding mechanism was unconstitutional.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Thomas, John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Thursday's, Alito groused Organizations: Consumer Financial, Washington , D.C, Federal Reserve, Federal, System, 5th Circuit U.S, of Appeals, Community Financial Services Association of America, Consumer Service Alliance of Texas Locations: Washington ,

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