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CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants to work with countries like China with “influence on Russia” as his country faces a renewed Moscow offensive, urging Beijing to attend peace talks next month. Ahead of expected peace talks in Switzerland next month, Xi has called for negotiations that take both sides’ positions into account. Engaging global players like China is crucial because “they have influence on Russia, and the more such countries we have on our side… the more Russia will have to move and [more countries] to reckon with,” Zelensky said. Zelensky said he would like to see China at the international talks in Switzerland next month, aimed at paving the way for a peace process in Ukraine. Russia has not been represented at any of the four rounds of closed-door international peace talks that have taken place so far, and will not be at this one.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia ”, Zelensky, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin’s, Russia’s, Xi, ” Zelensky, Viola Amherd, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Bobylov, Switzerland Wang Shihting, Emmanuel Macron, Emmanuel Organizations: CNN, Beijing, AFP, Reuters, of, Getty, French Locations: China, Russia, Moscow, Beijing, Switzerland, Zelensky, Ukraine, Tiananmen, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Paris

☆ Ukraine can still beat Russia. It just comes down to enough Western aid.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

With 14 to 21 well-equipped brigades, Ukraine could eject Russian forces from all Ukrainian territory, according to an American expert. One is Ukraine amassing a sufficiently powerful ground combat force that can defeat the estimated 500,000 Russian troops in Ukraine. With Russian forces solidly dug in behind minefields and fortifications across eastern and southern Ukraine, that Baltic scenario bears similarities to the situation that Ukraine faces today. Given sufficient quantities of munitions, Ukraine could inflict enough losses to decisively attrit Russian forces that have already sustained an estimated 500,000 casualties. He started with a 2023 Estonian Ministry of Defense plan that laid out a roadmap for Ukraine to defeat Russia.

Persons: one's, Michael Bohnert, Bohnert, isn't, Chasiv, — Bohnert, they've, Andrei Belousov, Putin, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, RAND Corp, RAND, US Army, NATO, Russian, Anadolu, Getty, Estonian Ministry of Defense, Atlantic, Storm, Bohnert, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, American, Russia, Russian, Baltic States, United States, U.S, Chasiv Yar, Estonian, Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe, America, China, Israel, Forbes

☆ He had strict instructions from the groom: ‘Stay away from the bridesmaid.’ Here’s what happened next
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

CNN —Ariff Hassan arrived at the wedding under strict instructions: “Stay away from the bridesmaid.”It was August 2018. “Listen,” said Ariff’s friend. But Ariff’s friend’s warning was ringing round his head. Because Liliya was – of course, inevitably – the bridesmaid Ariff had been warned to stay away from. Ariff Hassan and Liliya DauletaliyevaLiliya and Ariff Kazakhstan wedding celebration incorporated a number of Kazakh traditions.

Persons: CNN — Ariff Hassan, “, Ariff, They’d, “ I’d, ‘ I’ve, ”, Ariff’s, –, Liliya Dauletaliyeva, Lili, Liliya, ” Ariff, Ariff Hassan, She’d, she’d, fiancé, who’d, ” Liliya, He’d, “ I’m, ’, ’ ”, he’d “, ’ ” Ariff, ’ ” Liliya, – she’d, he’d, ‘, that’s, they’re, hadn’t, Ariff shrugged, – Ariff, he’s, you’ve, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Kazakhstan –, Kuala Lumpur –, CNN Travel, Facebook, Liliya, Malaysian, University of Oxford, Oxford Locations: Singapore, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Kazakhstan’s, Almaty, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Liliya, Kazakh, Astana, Iceland, Cappadocia, Turkey, Bangkok, London, ’, Angkor Wat, Cambodia

☆ World’s biggest waste-to-energy facility will power more than 100,000 homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Ana De Oliva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Much of it ends up at a plant operated by the Warsan Waste Management Company. “Around 45% percent of Dubai’s total waste comes to this facility,” says Tim Clarke, the company’s CEO. Operational since March of this year, the Warsan plant will use 2 million metric tons of trash annually to produce electricity, enough to power approximately 135,000 homes, according to the company. However, since the plant produces power, replacing the burning of fossil fuels, Warsan Waste Management believes the overall result is positive. But some environmental groups, such as Zero Waste Europe, argue that burning waste to generate electricity discourages efforts to cut waste and initiatives to increase recycling.

Persons: ”, Tim Clarke, Clarke, “, Bryan Staley, Staley Organizations: Dubai CNN, CNN, Warsan Waste Management Company, “, United Nations Environment, Waste Management, Energy, Research, Education Foundation Locations: Dubai, Europe, Japan, China, UAE

☆ 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

☆ Buzz, Chirp, Wee-Oo: The Sounds of Cicadas Are Back
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Aimee Ortiz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was early morning on April 29 when Jakob Dwight ’s grandmother, Valeria Richards Maye, died in Alabama. It was that day, too, when he heard the cicadas sing near her home and it comforted him. “I don’t know if they were out a few nights before,” he said. “I did not hear them the night before.”It felt like some kind of connection to his grandmother: Describing the sound as almost like a ray-gun in a science-fiction movie or a thin metallic sheet rippling, Mr. Dwight said in an interview on Wednesday that he felt touched listening to the droning “in the way that if people lose a loved one, they tend to have magical experiences or at least imbue things in nature with kind of that spirit of the loved one.” He would go on to record the cicadas’ song the day after her funeral. This spring, as two broods of cicadas emerge in a rare simultaneous event to produce a sound as loud as an airplane’s, Americans are feeling connected to nature and rejoicing — or covering their ears — as they listen to the song in their backyards.

Persons: Jakob Dwight ’, Valeria Richards Maye, “, ”, Dwight Locations: Alabama

☆ PGA Championship: ‘Shaking’ Scottie Scheffler warmed up in a jail cell. Then he climbed the leaderboard
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —His body shaking, Scottie Scheffler sat in a jail cell watching the story of his own arrest unfold on a nearby TV. Once his heart rate had settled, the world’s top-ranked golfer began his warm-up routine for the second round of the PGA Championship in Kentucky. Mere hours after being arrested, charged with felony assault and released from jail, Scheffler eased round Louisville’s Valhalla Golf Club with a five-under 66 to accelerate his pursuit of a second consecutive major title. “I feel like my head is still spinning,” tournament favorite Scheffler told reporters on his return to the clubhouse. Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesAsked about Scheffler, Schauffele added: “You felt like it was sort of a prank or something when you see a mug shot of Scottie.

Persons: Scottie Scheffler, Scheffler, “, John Mills, Mills, ”, ” Scheffler, Maddie Meyer, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Morikawa, Schauffele, Andy Lyons, Scottie, we’ve, Theegala, Mark Hubbard, Bryson DeChambeau, Thomas Detry, Woods, Scott Taetsch, ” Woods, Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Phil Mickelson Organizations: CNN, PGA, Golf, America, Getty, ESPN Locations: Kentucky

☆ No walk-ins allowed: What to know when touring the world’s best wine regions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Penny Sadler | Erica Lamberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Wine touring in the Old WorldFrance Of France's 11 wine regions, Bordeaux, Burgundy (or Bourgogne) and Champagne are the most eminent. The United States California is renowned for wine tasting, though almost every state in the continental U.S. has a wine region or wine tourism area. Visitors can drive between vineyards, bike the Napa Valley Wine Trail, or book a ride on the vintage Napa Valley Wine Train. Barossa is one of the older wine regions in Australia, with some 200 cellar doors within two hours of Adelaide. South Africa South Africa may be considered a new world wine region, but Constantia, a top destination for wine tasting, is centuries old.

Persons: meunier, Chateau Angelus, Viniv Bordeaux, Georges Gobet, Montagne, Kim Kulish, Margaret River, Wine, Joey Estate, River, Groot Organizations: Michelin, Viniv, Afp, Getty, UNESCO, Heritage, Montagne de Reims, Travelers, United, Wine, Sonoma, Australia Wine, Bloomberg Locations: Europe, United States, Australia, South Africa, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Bourgogne, Vin, Chateau, Saint Emilion, France, Champagne, Italy Tuscany, Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Greve, Alba, Piedmont, United States California, Napa Valley, Napa, Texas, Washington , Oregon, Virginia, New York, Yarra, Victoria, Barossa, Adelaide, Perth, Yarra Valley, Melbourne, South Africa South Africa, Constantia, Groot Constantia, South, Cape Town

☆ Yemen's Houthi rebels are menacing ships on the high seas
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewHouthi militants showed in late April that they can expand their war on international shipping far beyond the Red Sea. AdvertisementHe noted that the Shehab's reported range of 990 miles puts it "well within range" of international shipping. The British-registered cargo ship 'Rubymar' sank in March after it was targeted by Yemen's Houthi forces in the Red Sea. "Once they enter the Red Sea, though, ships can be tracked by spotters ashore or on boats or using mobile Houthi radars ashore. "Nevertheless, with the rate of Houthi advances, and increases in speed, control, and maneuverability in-transit, international shipping could soon prove vulnerable."

Persons: —, Good Hope, Bryan Clark, James Patton Rogers, Rogers, Samad, Yemen's, Mohammed Hamoud, Clark Organizations: Service, MSC Orion, Business, Hudson Institute, Cornell Tech Policy Institute, US, EU, AIS, Orion, Ships Locations: of Africa, Africa's, Good, Red, Ukraine, Israel

☆ Biden’s tariffs on Chinese imports are boosting these beaten-down stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Beaten-down clean energy stocks have rallied this week. The iShares Global Clean Energy exchange-traded fund, which tracks sectors from renewable electricity to semiconductors to solar energy, has gained roughly 3%. Plug Power shares have climbed 33%, Enphase Energy shares have gained 8% and NextEra Energy shares have added 4%. Some investors warn that though the tariffs could continue boosting clean energy stocks, the recent rally isn’t driven by just improving fundamentals. Damaging hacks expose the weak underbelly of America’s health care systemA pair of recent ransomware attacks crippled computer systems at two major American health care firms, disrupting patient care and exposing fundamental weaknesses in the US health care system’s defenses against hackers, reports my colleague Sean Lyngaas.

Persons: New York CNN — It’s, Joe Biden, CNN’s Kayla Tausche, ”, Steve Sosnick, Roaring Kitty, Keith Gill, Dow, Nicole Goodkind, stoking, Gary Pzegeo, ” Read, Sean Lyngaas, cybersecurity, ” Joshua Corman, Sen, Ron Wyden Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Clean Energy, Enphase Energy, NextEra Energy, Biden, Federal Reserve, Interactive Brokers, CNN, GameStop, AMC Entertainment, Roaring, Dow Jones Industrial, Nasdaq, Markets, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIBC Private Wealth, “ Industry, Oregon Democrat Locations: New York, China

☆ Bollywood and Indian politics: Influence of Modi and BJP on world’s largest film industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

And most of these are Hindi films, meaning Bollywood holds an outsized influence on the country’s culture, identity and economy. A screengrab from the 2022 Bollywood film "The Kashmir Files." CNN reached out to several people from the film industry for this story, some of whom declined to be interviewed due to sensitivities around the topic. It encouraged some Bollywood filmmakers to “(lean) into the caricature of the Muslim villain,” he says. These films are growing fast; outside Bollywood, earnings from the South Indian media and entertainment industry have nearly doubled year on year, according to a 2023 report by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Persons: India’s, Narendra Modi, Indranil Mukherjee, ”, Raja Sen, “ It’s, Modi, Tanul Thakur, …, Veer Savarkar, –, ” Adah Sharma, Pandits, Vivek Agnihotri, ” Sudipto Sen, Debashree Mukherjee, it’s, Thakur, Sen, Darab Farooqui, Sonu Mehta, Farooqui, “, she’s, Aamir Khan, ” Farooqui, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mukherjee, Yash Chopra, ” That’s, ” Thakur, ” Sen, “ We’ve, ’, Dharmendra, Noemi Cassanelli, “ Something’s Organizations: India CNN —, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Observers, Hollywood, Republican, Modi’s, Getty, CNN, Ministry of Culture, of, Netflix, Columbia, Social Democratic Party of India, Hindustan Times, Columbia University, Journalists, Confederation of Indian Industry Locations: Mumbai, India, Kerala, Kashmir, Jammu, Columbia University’s, Middle Eastern, South, Jaipur, New Delhi, Pakistan, United States, Tamil Nadu

☆ A financial therapist was $19,000 in debt in her 20s. Loud budgeting helped her pay it off in 1 year.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Julia Pugachevsky | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe average American has $104,215 of debt, and paying it all off is a daunting task. Amanda Clayman, a financial therapist who hosts Fresh Produce Media's Audible series "Emotional Investment," once found herself in the same predicament: she owed $19,000 in credit card debt. AdvertisementClayman told Business Insider that paying off the debt took a little over a year. AdvertisementClayman's reframing not only helped her pay off her debt quickly, but it also brought her closer to her friends. No more smiling through expensive mealsOnce she started engaging with her debt, Clayman realized that she had to change some of her spending habits.

Persons: —, Amanda Clayman, Clayman, Clayman's, Zers Organizations: Service, Business Locations: New York City

☆ When Dynamite Turned Terrorism Into an Everyday Threat
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Steven Johnson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“The bomb was of the most powerful construction ever employed in the perpetration of an outrage of this kind in this city,” Eagan told the assembled reporters after a thorough examination of the crime scene. “I cannot understand why there was not even a greater loss of life.” But if the destructive power of the explosive was unusual, the fact that civilians were tinkering with dynamite in an apartment building was hardly anomalous at that moment in the city’s history. The bombs came in all kinds of packages. Often they arrived in tin cans, emptied of the olive oil or soap or preserves they were manufactured to contain, now wedged tight with sticks of dynamite. And sometimes the bomb was just a naked stick of dynamite with a fuse simple enough to be lit with the strike of a match, ready to be flung into an unsuspecting crowd.

Persons: ” Eagan, “, Eagan, satchel, ”

☆ FLiRT variants threaten a summer Covid wave, but experts say the risk remains uncertain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Deidre Mcphillips | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

FLiRT variants are offshoots of the JN.1 variant — all part of the broader Omicron family — that caused this winter’s wave. The mutations of the FLiRT variants make increased transmissibility — and a possible summer wave — a real threat. “We learned from the laboratories that FLiRT variants appeared, so far, to be as transmissible as the other Omicron subvariants, which means they’re really quite contagious. As of May 1, the requirement for all hospitals to report Covid-19 data to the federal government has expired. While the FLiRT variants pose some risk this summer, experts remain focused on what might happen in the fall.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Andy Pekosz, “ We’ve, William Schaffner, ” Schaffner, it’s, ” Pekosz, “, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, we’ve Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, Data, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Vanderbilt University, Schaffner’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center, CDC, JAMA, CNN Health, JN, US Food Locations: United States, Covid

☆ Modi's strongman rule raises questions about India's 'democratic decline' as he seeks a third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, center, during a campaign rally in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Photographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA decade into power, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to secure a rare third term, with the general elections now underway. Opposition 'witch hunt'Ahead of the elections, India's main opposition — the National Congress party — accused the Modi government of freezing its bank accounts. "This is a criminal action on the Congress party done by the prime minister and the home minister," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a fiery attack. "During Manmohan Singh's time, India was also growing very fast," he added, referring to the economic reforms under the former prime minister in the 1990s.

Persons: Narendra Modi, India's, Modi, Prakash Singh, Asim Ali, Ali, Milan, Modi's, —, Rahul Gandhi, Chietigj Bajpaee, Arvind Kejriwal, consecrating, Ronojoy Sen, Neelanjan Sircar, Manmohan Singh's, Sircar Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, India's, East, CNBC, Dem, Freedom House, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Newsweek, Bharatiya Janata Party, National Congress, South Asia, Chatham House, Aam Aadmi Party, Modi's BJP, BJP, Institute of South Asian Studies, Centre for Policy Research Locations: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, East Asia, New Delhi, Sweden, U.S, Milan Vaishnav, South Asia, Gujarat, Ali, Delhi, Lok, Ayodhya, Ayodhya —, BJP

☆ PGA Championship: How players reacted to fatal accident, Scottie Scheffler’s arrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jim Trotter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Advertisement“I pulled up the local news station trying to figure out what was going on, and the first thing I saw was Scottie (Scheffler) had been put in handcuffs,” he said. Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Dallas native said he received word that Scheffler’s arrest caused the stoppage. Play eventually was delayed one hour and 20 minutes, to 8:35 a.m.Brian Harman, right, shakes Scottie Scheffler’s hand during their round Friday. “I was a bit shook about what happened on both the scenarios,” Min Woo Lee said of Scheffler’s arrest and Mills’ death. Fans may have focused on Scheffler, but many of the players were equally concerned about Mills and his family.

Persons: — Austin Eckroat, ”, “, Scheffler, John Mills, Bryan Gillis, Gillis, ” Harris, Scottie, …, you’ve, Will Zalatoris, Zalatoris, Eckroat, Cameron Young, They’re, ” Zalatoris, Brian Harman, Scottie Scheffler’s, Michael Reaves, Collin Morikawa, Min Woo Lee, Mills, Lee, ” Morikawa, ” Said Mark Hubbard, I’m, That’s, ” Hubbard Organizations: Valhalla Golf, PGA, Rover, Dallas, America, ESPN, Louisville Locations: LOUISVILLE, Ky, Valhalla

☆ Scientists uncover ‘striking’ ancient arachnid that had large spiky legs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The idea of coming face to face with a spider-like creature unexpectedly is enough to fill any arachnophobe with horror, let alone encountering one with large, spiky legs. The newly discovered long-extinct species is described as a “large spider-like arachnid” with “distinctive large spines on the legs” by the study’s authors. They were unable to place the creature within any known arachnid order due to the specimen’s lack of mouthparts, which scientists use to classify them. “You see sort of spiny legs in some arachnids, but we’ve never seen one that really has these big spines all the way along, at least the first parts of the legs. Scientists think the spiny legs were for defensive purposes.

Persons: we’ve, ” Dr, Jason Dunlop, Naturkunde, “, Bob Masek, David Douglass, Paul Selden, Dunlop, you’ve, ”, ” Dunlop, Douglass Organizations: CNN, Paleontology, Field Locations: what’s, Illinois, Masek, North America, Northern Europe, Europe

☆ I have fond memories of high school in America. I'm worried my daughter won't feel the same in Singapore.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jason Erik Lundberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I live in Singapore and lecture in the creative writing and publishing graduate program at Nanyang Technological University, but have also taught at the high school, undergraduate, and community college levels. In 2007, my now-ex-wife (a Singaporean citizen) and I decided to move to Singapore from the US. For the most part, I enjoyed my classes, as well as my extra-curriculars, which in high school consisted of marching band, French club, and physics club. It's possible that, in the 30 years since graduating from high school, my memories have become rose-colored, but I do remember feeling like I had a good balance between my school life and my personal life. The author gets concerned about the amount of pressure put on his daughter by teachers.

Persons: Jason Erik Lundberg Organizations: Service, Nanyang Technological University, Business, Straits Times, Ministry of Education Locations: Singapore, Oklahoma, North Carolina

☆ Opinion: The latest version of ChatGPT is creepy — and appealing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Opinion Jeff Yang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Jeff Yang CNNLike its predecessors, GPT-4o is trained on enormous quantities of data to process queries, recognize patterns and deliver helpful responses. Watching the reveal, I found myself involuntarily gasping as researchers Mark Chen and Barret Zoph showed off GPT-4o’s new chops. The freakout aspect of the reveal came from how it demonstrated that GPT-4o isn’t just a tool — it’s a tool with personality. On the one hand, having the option to interrupt your AI chatbot when it’s going astray saves time. On the other, watching dudes repeatedly talking over a female-reading chatbot made it abundantly clear why you can’t spell “mansplain” without AI.

Persons: Jeff Yang, Bruce ”, “, Jeff Yang CNN, Mark Chen, Barret Zoph, Chen, Mira Murati, Parmy Olson, ”, Desi Lydic, …, Sam Altman, it’s, Siri, ” chuckling, Altman, Spike Jonze’s, Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Marc Benioff, Johansson, chatbot, mansplain Organizations: CNN, omni, Zoph . Media, Bloomberg, “, Twitter, Boston Dynamics Locations: Asian America, America, omnimodal

A state ethics panel quietly dismissed a complaint last summer against the New York judge presiding over the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump, issuing a warning over small donations the judge had made to groups supporting Democrats, including the campaign of Joseph R. Biden. The judge, Juan M. Merchan, donated a total of $35 to the groups in 2020, including a $15 donation earmarked for the Biden campaign, and $10 to a group called “Stop Republicans.”Political contributions of any kind are prohibited under state judicial ethics rules. “Justice Merchan said the complaint, from more than a year ago, was dismissed in July with a caution,” the spokesman for the court system, Al Baker, said in a statement. A caution does not include any penalty, but it can be considered in any future cases reviewed by the state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct. A letter outlining the caution was not released because of the commission’s rules, and Justice Merchan did not make the letter available.

Persons: Donald J, Joseph R, Biden, Juan M, ”, Merchan, Al Baker Organizations: New, Trump, Republicans, state’s, Judicial Locations: New York

☆ Investors and economists are getting worried about more bank failures as interest rates stay high
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fears of a potential banking crisis are on the rise as interest rates stay elevated. Interest rates are now at their highest levels since 2001 as the Fed keeps an eye on inflation. Markets have already seen 1 regional bank fail this year, according to FDIC data. According to Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi, the longer interest rates stay high, the more the Fed risks damaging the economy. "That's the kind of thing I'm worried about in the context of persistently high interest rates."

Persons: —, Mark Zandi, That's, Barry Sternlicht, Sternlicht, Daniel Pinto Organizations: Fed, Service, Analytics, Yahoo Finance, Bank, Regulators, First Bank, Fulton Bank, Stanhope Capital, Bloomberg Locations: Philadelphia, America

The question for some of us is, why some people want to keep working decades beyond retirement age? CNN Opinion editor Stephanie Griffith asked seven people who are past the conventional retirement age why they are still at the job and got as many responses as there were respondents. They continue to work happily and productively, and were happy to explain to us how and why they do it. Over the years I’ve had to adapt frequently to the changing technology, which isn’t always easy for someone my age. That may be the secret of working well past the time society tells us we’re supposed to retire.

Persons: CNN —, Howard Tucker, Tucker, he’ll, ” Tucker, Joe Biden, Donald Trump —, Trump, ageist, Biden, Stephanie Griffith, Vincent, Austin Tucker, I’ve, isn’t, “, Taylor Taglianetti, Gayle Fleming, it’s, I’m, —, Gayle Fleming Michael Ventura, Biden —, Charles Simon, Ana Marie Forsythe, Alvin, Ana Marie Forsythe Kyle Froman, — Joyce Trisler —, Joyce, She’d, Lester Horton, Alvin Ailey, Ailey, Ailey School Martha Graham, José Limón, Horton, don’t, Marjorie Perces, Cheryl Bell, didn’t, Babette Coffey, you’ve, you’re, David A, I, Pamela S, Donald Trump, Maggie Mulqueen, Alan Steele, Joan Steinau Lester, ”, Carole Johnson, — I’m, Octogenarians Organizations: CNN, Records, Biden, Vincent Charity Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, St, AI Society, Computer, MSNBC, Society, Alvin Ailey School, Dance Media, Juilliard, Ailey School, Alvin, Alvin Ailey American Dance, Vassar College, Ailey, Horton Department, The New York Times, CBS, American, French Legion of, Social Security, Twitter Locations: Ohio, St, Cleveland, one’s, Seattle , Washington, Cambridge , Massachusetts, West, Horton, New York City, ”, Brookline , Mass, drmaggiemulqueen.com

☆ In the Aging Senate, 80-Somethings Seeking Re-election Draw Little Criticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Kayla Guo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

While President Biden tries to assuage voter concerns about his age in a presidential race that includes the two oldest men ever to seek the White House, a couple of miles away in the U.S. Senate, the gerontocracy remains alive and well — and little commented upon. The recent news that two octogenarians — Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, 82, and Angus King of Maine, 80 — are each running for another six-year term generated little in the way of criticism or worry over age of the kind that Mr. Biden has faced. Their races, which both men are likely to win, are a reminder of how the Senate’s roster is chock-full of lawmakers staying in office at an age when most people are well into retirement. At the start of this Congress last year, the average age of elected officials was 64 in the Senate and 57.9 in the House. “They’re not in short supply around here,” Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, 77, said of octogenarians.

Persons: Biden, —, Bernie Sanders of, Angus King of Maine, “ They’re, Peter Welch of, octogenarians Organizations: U.S . Senate Locations: U.S, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Peter Welch of Vermont

☆ Michael Cohen gives Donald Trump his best day in hush money trial so far
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Donald Trump finally had a good day in court. But on Thursday, he got to savor his former fixer-turned-enemy Michael Cohen wobbling on the stand under a fearsome cross-examination. And now, the prosecution faces a stiff challenge in repairing the damage when they get to their redirect examination of Cohen’s testimony following the close of cross-examination next week. “I think it was a very interesting day, it was a fascinating day. And it also raises the possibility that some jurors might believe that they have been lied to by Cohen earlier in the trial.

Persons: Donald Trump, Michael Cohen wobbling, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, “, ” Ryan Goodman, CNN’s Erin Burnett, ” Trump, Matt Gaetz, Trump, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Daniels, ’, Keith Schiller, Schiller, …, ” Blanche, President Trump, doesn’t, ”, Juan Merchan, Nikki Lotze, “ Jim, Norm Eisen, ” Eisen, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, George Conway, ” Cohen, kingpins, Cohen’s Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, NYU Law, Florida, Conservative

☆ Not finding love is a top worry for 1-in-4 Gen Zers, poll shows: 3 tips for coping with the fear of being single
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A quarter of Gen Zers polled in February noted "not finding love" as their greatest worry, according to an EduBirdie survey of 2,000 participants from the generation. Finding a life partner was one of the biggest perceived challenges for 22% of those polled — a bigger concern for them than finding meaningful career opportunities. Some Zoomers seem to be getting married at younger ages and while they're jumping the broom and starting families, a number of unpartnered Gen Zers are dealing with anxiety about their romantic future. For Gen Zers looking for love, the playing field is a little different than that of Millennials when they were in their 20's. Really assess the quality of the connections in your life because loneliness can affect you even when you're surrounded by people.

Persons: Gen Z, Gen Zers, Zers, Lisa Marie Bobby, Bobby, Anastasiya, Pochotna, It's Organizations: CNBC

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