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☆ Jean Smart Is Having a Third Act for the Ages
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( J Wortham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The slight is hurled early on in “Hacks,” the popular HBO series starring Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a seasoned comedian who teams up with a younger one named Ava (Hannah Einbinder) to freshen up her act. Deborah, meanwhile, sees Ava as a bit of a hack herself — an entitled and spoiled young internet persona who was canceled for posting a joke about a closeted senator. Deborah is a workaholic on the verge of bitter, someone who grew tired of being cut and so became a knife. Just how far is Deborah Vance willing to go? In one of the show’s funniest moments, Deborah bluntly asks Ava, “You a lesbian?” Ava leans back in her chair while considering the question.

Persons: Jean Smart, Deborah Vance, Ava, Hannah Einbinder, Deborah —, Deborah, —, Z, “, ” Ava, Deborah doesn’t, Rachel Maddow’s Organizations: HBO Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Representing the U.S. and Critiquing It in a Psychedelic Rainbow
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Jillian Steinhauer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There, they’ll climb atop and surround a large red sculpture composed of pedestals of different heights and perform. The jingle dress dance, which originated with the Ojibwe people of North America in the early 20th century, typically takes place at powwows. In Venice, it will inaugurate the exhibition in the United States Pavilion on April 20. “How do I relate to the United States?” mused Gibson, 52, who in conversation slips effortlessly between earnestness and flashes of playful, dry wit. “I have a complicated relationship with the United States,” he said.

Persons: Jeffrey Gibson, ” mused Gibson, Gibson, ” Organizations: United States Pavilion, Cherokee Locations: Venice, Oklahoma, Colorado, Italian, North America, powwows, United States, New York

☆ God's Man in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

Trump's departure from the White House hasn't stopped him from using the old administration's star power to fuel Capitol Ministries' growth. But regardless of what happens this coming November, Capitol Ministries is quickly becoming the face of American GOP-style evangelicalism around the world. Other than Ralph's wife, Danielle, and a few members of Capitol Ministries' administrative staff, the room was almost entirely men. Rick Perry spoke to Drollinger at Capitol Ministries' global summit in Washington, DC. And yet, on the question of whether and why to support Israel, Drollinger was indeed looking to Revelation for answers.

Persons: Cheyne, —, He'd, Christ, Rick Perry, Cheriss, Trump, Mike Johnson —, Ralph Drollinger, Drollinger, Alex Acosta, Perry, Acosta, Mike Pompeo, Betsy DeVos, Sonny Perdue, Ben Carson, Jeff Sessions, hasn't, Danielle, you've, Donald Trump, Capitol Ministries doesn't, Samson, Matthew, didn't, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rick, I'm, Ralph Drollinger's, Daniel Ortega, Ralph, he'd, Washington —, Ortega, Douglas Coe, Maria Butina, Joe Biden, forbearance, Bruce Westerman, Bruce Westerman of, Glenn, Thompson, George Washington, Fame, Mike Johnson, Benjamin Netanyahu, Johnson, Washington, Moses, I've, Westerman, I'd, Netanyahu, God, that's, he's, we're, That's, Israel, King David, wilder, MAGA, David Barton, WallBuilders, doesn't, George W, Bush, Donald Trump's, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Hill Club, Business, Israel, Mmm, Christ, Capitol Ministries, Capitol Hill, Capitol Ministries Bible, Trump Cabinet, BI, GOP, Capitol, White, Capitol Ministries ', Trump, NBA, of Energy, Trump's, American GOP, Pacific, BI Drollinger, Capitol Hill Club, Washington Hilton, Senate, Training, Liberty, Gettysburg, Capitol Ministry, NPR, United States Congress, Washington Bible, Republican, Democratic, Times, Wall Street Journal, Brown University Locations: Washington , DC, Arkansas, Hebrew, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, United States, Texas, Washington, Seoul, Kathmandu, Iowa, Rwanda, Ukraine, Washington ,, Drollinger, Nicaragua, California, Nicaraguan, Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, schwartz79@protonmail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — To his supporters, Alejandro Mayorkas is a thoughtful, driven secretary — a “Boy Scout” — who brings a prosecutor's tenacity and his personal understanding of the immigrant experience in America to running his sprawling agency. But it is the department’s role in immigration that has made Mayorkas a target of impeachment. Mayorkas said his immigrant and refugee background mean that he brings an intense patriotism to the job. Citizenship and Immigration Service, Mayorkas put in place a program giving protection from deportation to migrants brought to the border as children. Since taking the job as DHS secretary, Mayorkas has been subject to often hostile rhetoric over the administration's handling of the border and immigration.

Persons: —, Alejandro Mayorkas, Ali, he’ll, Tom Warrick, ” Warrick, Joe Biden, Biden, Mayorkas, Donald Trump, “, ”, didn’t, Cecilia Munoz, Obama, Munoz, Barack Obama, “ He’s, Mark Green of, impeaching, William Belknap, Ulysses Grant, Brandon Judd, Trump, Judd, Ahilan Arulanantham, Arulanantham, Angela Kelley Organizations: WASHINGTON, Department of Homeland Security, Republicans, Atlantic Council, “, DHS, Republican, Associated Press, Mayorkas, White, . Citizenship, Immigration Service, Democratic, Trump, House Homeland Security, National Border Patrol Council, Security, Border Patrol, Biden, Center for Immigration Law, UCLA School of Law, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Congress Locations: America, U.S, Mexico, United States, Washington, Ukraine, California, Cuba, Los Angeles, Miami, Mark Green of Tennessee

☆ Stream These 11 Movies Before They Leave Netflix in February
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jason Bailey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Family fun, action epics, historical dramas, teen comedy — there’s a little something for everyone among the titles leaving Netflix in the United States in February. ‘Chicken Run’ (Feb. 14)Stream it here. With the long-awaited made-for-Netflix sequel “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget” having hit the service barely six weeks ago, you’d think Netflix would have licensed the original installment for a bit longer. ‘Prometheus’ (Feb. 14)Stream it here. ‘Real Steel’ (Feb. 14)Stream it here.

Persons: Wallace, Gromit, ’, Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, Scott, Theron, Michael Fassbender, It’s, ‘ E.T, Rocky ’, that’s, Roger Ebert, Shawn Levy orchestrates, earnestness, Hugh Jackman Organizations: Netflix Locations: United States

☆ ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ review: David Oyelowo stars in Taylor Sheridan’s latest western with a historical twist
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

After bland western prequels to his flagship drama “Yellowstone,” producer Taylor Sheridan finds marginally more fertile territory in “Lawmen: Bass Reeves,” a series that will devote each season to a different frontier lawman or outlaw. Eventually, Bass escapes, hiding out during the remaining days of the Civil War before settling down and trying his hand at farming. Dennis Quaid in "Lawmen: Bass Reeves." In that context, “Bass Reeves” kicks off what Paramount clearly hopes will be an ongoing franchise with a solid if unspectacular opening salvo, without fully doing justice to its intriguing subject. “Lawmen: Bass Reeves” premieres November 5 on Paramount+.

Persons: Taylor Sheridan, Bass Reeves, ”, David Oyelowo, George Reeves, Shea Whigham, Bass, Dennis Quaid, Reeves, Sheridan, Judge Parker, Donald Sutherland, “, Chad Feehan, “ Ray Donovan ”, “ Bass Reeves ”, Lauren Smith, Dick Wolf, Tulsa King ”, there’s, ” –, it’s, Bass Reeves ” Organizations: Paramount, Confederate Army, Tulsa King Locations: Kingstown, ”

☆ My Delirious Trip to the Heart of Swiftiedom
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Taffy Brodesser-Akner | More About Taffy Brodesser-Akner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Sometimes they told me about a lie they told an interviewer because they were scared or trying to misdirect the journalist. Not one person I ever interviewed seemed to understand why the public was so interested in them personally. I don’t know, maybe I’m just too in my earnestness era. Maybe I’m trying to call something a cultural shift when really it’s just a personal one. Far below us, Taylor Swift was singing about an affair.

Persons: they’ll, —, Taylor —, Taylor, Taylor Swift, “, Ezra, “ You’re, Jake Gyllenhaal’s, you’re, Clara Organizations: The Times

☆ How Does Kristen Kish Feel at the Top of ‘Top Chef’? It’s Complicated.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Kim Severson | More About Kim Severson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Kristen is a megawatt,” said Dana Cowin, the former editor in chief of Food & Wine and a “Top Chef” judge for seven seasons. The Heir ApparentIt all started when Ms. Kish won “Top Chef" in 2013. “She is completely a creature of the franchise,” said Francis Lam, a frequent guest host and the vice president and editor in chief of Clarkson Potter, which published “Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques” in 2017. “On some level she can be a little bit of a cipher. Executives at NBCUniversal, which owns Bravo, the network it airs on, never interviewed anyone else, said Ryan Flynn, a senior vice president.

Persons: Kristen, ”, Dana Cowin, Kish, She’s, Gregory Gourdet, Francis Lam, Clarkson Potter, Kristen Kish, Lakshmi, Casey Kriley, Ryan Flynn Organizations: Food &, Ms, Bravo Locations: Aspen, Colo, “, Portland, NBCUniversal

☆ Stream These 10 Movies Before They Leave Netflix in August
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jason Bailey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

‘A Knight’s Tale’ (Aug. 31)Another period musical, this one from the writer and director Brian Helgeland (an Oscar winner for co-writing the “L.A. The movie’s writer, director and editor, Oren Peli, cleverly turns his technological shortcomings into bonuses, crafting a found-footage story of things going bump in the night with gooseflesh raising inventiveness. Naomi Watts provides a rooting interest as the cynical reporter investigating the tape’s mysterious origins and the spell it casts. ‘Salt’ (Aug. 31)Angelina Jolie fronted her fair share of action movies, but she never really seemed to find the right vehicle for her particular talents. operative, or both, or something else entirely — Jolie lands on the perfect role for her distinctive blend of butt-kicking athleticism, sensuality and intelligence.

Persons: ’, Brian Helgeland, ”, Ledger, Sossamon, stealer Rufus Sewell —, Tina Fey, Rosalind Wiseman, Fey dramatizes, Cady, Lindsay Lohan, Mark Waters, Lohan, Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, Lizzy Caplan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Oren Peli, Hideo Nakata’s, Gore, Naomi Watts, Angelina Jolie, Evelyn Salt, Jolie, Phillip Noyce Organizations: Business, Bees Locations: Helgeland, That’s, Russian

☆ Opinion: Ryan Gosling’s ‘Kenergy’ is all I need
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Opinion Holly Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Everything changed when Ryan Gosling, the twice-Oscar-nominated star of “Half Nelson,” “La La Land,” “The Notebook,” “Blade Runner 2049” and “Drive” was sent the script for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie. The film depicts Ken as pure superficiality, the acme beta man who exists only under the glow of Margot Robbie’s Barbie gaze. His platinum, almost white-bleached hair has lit up every interview, radiating the “Kenergy” he references like punctuation. Asked by one reporter how we might “find our Kenergy,” Gosling replied without missing a beat: “It’s there the whole time… Look no further. In becoming Ken, Gosling dashed one of Hollywood’s most tedious clichés, proving that it is possible to transform into a marshmallow-for-brains “himbo” without turning into an egomaniacal nightmare.

Persons: Holly Thomas, Katie Couric, CNN — Robert Pattinson, “, they’re, ” Holly Thomas Holly Thomas, Jared Leto’s, Viola Davis, ”, Daniel, Lewis, Oscar, Christy Brown, Ryan Gosling, Greta Gerwig’s “ Barbie, Ken, Margot Robbie’s Barbie, Gosling, Jimmy Fallon, “ Barbie, ” Gosling, ” Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, Barbie, Kenergy, husbanding, Hi, “ You’ll, Robbie, Gosling’s Barbie, —, that’s, it’s, Ken ”, It’s Barbie, “ Barbie ”, “ I’m Organizations: Katie Couric Media, CNN, acme, Warner Brothers Discovery, Warner Bros ., Alpha, Twitter Locations: London, La, Leicester, “

☆ How Serious is No Labels? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Katherine Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

No Labels is this last refuge, a resting place inside and outside the two parties and a half-finished Washington dreamscape. This fact is the firm but vibrating floor beneath the No Labels project and the panic it has produced — the recognition that we’re approaching a 2024 election that will make American voters unhappy. Unhappy enough to vote for a mystery unity ticket, only on the principle of their unhappiness? I don’t know that the electoral effects of No Labels are as clear as people say. And No Labels is here to take advantage of that sadness with a half-finished idea.

Persons: Brad Schneider of, “, Brad Schneider, ”, Huntsman, I’ve, They’re, That’s, ’, ‘ I’ve, there’s, Manchin, Larry Hogan, Biden Organizations: U.S . Rep, Washington dreamscape, Republican, Republican Party, Biden, Trump, Mr Locations: Brad Schneider of Illinois, China, Russia, New Hampshire, Atlanta, Colorado, Maryland, America

China's central bank said that financial regulators would fine Ant and its subsidiaries a total of 7.12 billion yuan, require it to stop operations of its crowdfunded medical aid service Xianghubao and compensate users. Reuters reported earlier, citing sources, that Chinese authorities intended to unveil its fine on Ant as early as Friday. The sources had earlier said that the fine on Ant had been revised to at least 8 billion yuan. Reuters reported in April that Chinese regulators were considering fining Ant about 5 billion yuan, a lower sum than what they initially had in mind. Alibaba was fined a record 18 billion yuan in 2021 for antitrust violations.

Persons: China c.bank, Ant, Ping, Rukim Kuang, Jack Ma, Jeffrey Towson, Pan Gongsheng, Pan, Didi Global, Alibaba, Julie Zhu, Jane Xu, Jason Xue, Kevin Huang, Meg Shen, Twinnie Sui, Josh Ye, Ethan Wang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Brenda Goh, David Holmes, Susan Fenton Organizations: Ant, Singapore FinTech Festival, REUTERS, Ant Group, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Ping An Bank, PICC, HK, Postal Savings Bank, Tencent Holdings, Alibaba, Hong Kong, Financial Regulatory Administration, State Council, Lens Consulting, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, HONG KONG, Ant's, Hong, Beijing, CHINA

Reuters reported earlier, citing sources, that Chinese authorities intended to unveil its fine on Ant as early as Friday. The National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA), a new government body under the State Council, is now the primary regulator to grant Ant the license, they added. The sources had earlier said that the fine on Ant had been revised to at least 8 billion yuan. Reuters reported in April that Chinese regulators were considering fining Ant about 5 billion yuan, a lower sum than what they initially had in mind. Alibaba was fined a record 18 billion yuan in 2021 for antitrust violations.

Persons: China c.bank, Ant, Ping, Rukim Kuang, Jeffrey Towson, Jack Ma, China's, Pan Gongsheng, Pan, Didi Global, Alibaba, Julie Zhu, Jane Xu, Jason Xue, Kevin Huang, Meg Shen, Twinnie Sui, Josh Ye, Ethan Wang, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Brenda Goh, David Holmes, Susan Fenton Organizations: Ant, Singapore FinTech Festival, REUTERS, Ant Group, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Ping An Bank, PICC, HK, Postal Savings Bank, Tencent Holdings, Tenpay, Alibaba, Hong Kong, Lens Consulting, Communist Party, Financial Regulatory Administration, State Council, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, HONG KONG, Ant's, Hong, Beijing, CHINA

☆ China Fines Ant Group $985 Million, in Sign Crackdown Is Over
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Claire Fu | More About Claire Fu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Chinese authorities announced a fine of nearly $1 billion for financial technology firm Ant Group on Friday, nearly three years after regulators halted the company’s plan for a record-breaking public offering that ushered in a period of intense government scrutiny of technology firms. The fine announced by China’s top securities regulator is seen as a sign that the authorities are wrapping up investigations into technology firms, bringing to a close a period of tough regulation for the industry. Officials said earlier this year that they would start to relax oversight of tech firms. The 2020 crackdown on Ant was followed by a record $2.8 billion antitrust fine for e-commerce giant Alibaba, Ant’s sister company, and a $1.2 billion penalty for ride sharing service Didi. Regulators fined Ant and its subsidiaries 7.1 billion renminbi ($985 million), and ordered the company to shut down its crowdfunding platform for medical costs, Xianghubao.

Persons: Ant’s, Didi, Ant, “ Organizations: Ant Group, China’s, Xianghubao, Regulators

☆ China hits Alibaba affiliate Ant Group with $985 million fine for violating various regulations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

China's central bank hit Alibaba affiliate Ant Group with a 7.12 billion yuan fine ($985 million) on Friday. Alibaba owns around a 33% stake in Ant Group, and Chinese billionaire Jack Ma is the founder of both firms. In its Friday statement, the PBOC said that most of the outstanding problems in the financial business of so-called platform companies, such as Ant Group, have been rectified. Ant Group said in a statement on Friday that it will "comply with the terms of the penalty in all earnestness and sincerity and continue to further enhance our compliance governance." A possible listing for Ant Group is likely now in the spotlight, although the company's valuation has dropped significantly over the last two and a half years.

Persons: Ant, Alibaba, Jack Ma Organizations: Ant, People's Bank of China, Ant Group, Authorities Locations: Beijing, China

Taipei/London CNN —China’s top financial regulators have fined Ant Group — the fintech firm founded by billionaire Jack Ma — about 7.1 billion yuan ($994 million) for breaking rules related to consumer protection and corporate governance. “We will comply with the terms of the penalty in all earnestness and sincerity and continue to further enhance our compliance governance,” Ant Group said in a statement. Ant Group is an affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba, which was also founded by Ma. In April 2021, Alibaba was fined 18.2 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) — a record for China — for behaving like a monopoly. Separately, China’s financial regulators also announced a fine of nearly 3 billion yuan ($415 million) for Tenpay, Tencent’s (TCEHY) online payment platform, according to information posted on the PBOC website on Friday.

Persons: London CNN —, Jack Ma —, Alibaba, Guo Shuqing, Ma Organizations: London CNN, Ant, China Securities Regulatory Commission, People’s Bank of China, National Financial Regulatory Administration, Ma, Communist Party, China, People’s Bank of, Xinhua, Ant Group Locations: Taipei, London, China, People’s Bank of China

☆ Peace, love, and Hitler: How Lex Fridman's podcast became a safe space for the anti-woke tech elite
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Julia Black | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +26 min

Seemingly overnight, episodes of Fridman's podcast began racking up millions of views. YouTube/Lex FridmanIn his podcast, Fridman asks world-renowned scientists, historians, artists, and engineers a series of wide-eyed questions ("Who is God? But recently, "The Lex Fridman Podcast" has become a haven for a growing — and powerful — sector looking to dismantle years of "wokeness" and cancel culture. Twitter"The Lex Fridman Podcast" offered a rare opportunity to listen to four-hour conversations with luminaries of tech and science. Bhaskar Sunkara, the founder and publisher of the socialist magazine Jacobin who appeared on Fridman's podcast in December, praised Fridman's interviewing style.

☆ DOJ watchdog seeks independent review of FTX bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice's bankruptcy watchdog on Thursday called for an independent investigation into the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, saying customers need a neutral party to investigate allegations of "fraud, dishonesty, incompetence, misconduct, and mismanagement." "The questions at stake here are simply too large and tooimportant to be left to an internal investigation," U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara wrote in court papers. A neutral examiner would also provide more public and transparent findings than an internal review, the U.S. Trustee wrote, which is "especially important because of the wider implications that FTX’s collapse may have for the crypto industry," Vara added.

With the help of refugee hospital workers, he built a makeshift photo studio using hospital bed sheets and other materials available. Photographer Pieter ten Hoopen Pieter ten HoopenThe studio quickly became a sensation. The photos span several generations – some of the subjects were born at the refugee camp, some have been there for decades. It was a haven from the hustling and bustling of the camp hospital. Ten Hoopen used tilt-shift lenses, which are normally used with the large-format cameras used in classic photography.

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