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☆ Live Updates: Former White House Aide Will Return to Stand in Trump Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

The judge denied the request and Mr. Trump’s second motion this week for a mistrial. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and says he did not have sex with Ms. Daniels. Credit... Todd Heisler/The New York TimesThe defense did get Ms. Daniels to concede that she had made money from the scandal. When Ms. Daniels stepped down from the stand Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump stared at a monitor, not glancing up as she walked by. Image Madeleine Westerhout described life in the Oval Office, including Mr. Trump signing checks there.

Persons: Donald J, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Susan Necheles, Daniels’s, Necheles, ”, Daniels, Trump’s, Todd Blanche, Juan M, Todd Heisler, Mr, Necheles’s, “, Ms, Lucas Jackson, Thursday’s, Madeleine Westerhout, Bill O’Reilly —, Erin Schaff, Westerhout, Michael D, Cohen Organizations: Trump, New York Times, Trump . Credit, Trump glowered, Prosecutors, White House, The New York Times Locations: Nevada, Lake Tahoe, Trump .

Donald J. Trump, the onetime president, and Stormy Daniels, the longtime porn star, despise one another. But when Ms. Daniels returned to the witness stand at Mr. Trump’s criminal trial on Thursday, his lawyers made them sound a lot alike. During Thursday’s grueling cross-examination, Mr. Trump’s lawyers sought to discredit Ms. Daniels as a money-grubbing extortionist who used a passing proximity to Mr. Trump to attain fame and riches. But the more the defense assailed her self-promoting merchandise and online screeds, the more Ms. Daniels resembled the man she was testifying against: a master of marketing, a savant of social-media scorn. “Not unlike Mr. Trump,” she said on the stand, though unlike him, she did it without the power and platform of the presidency.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Ms, grubbing, ”

☆ America's Plastic Catastrophe: Most Waste Can't Be Recycled
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Taylor Dorrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

It's an urgent question — what do we do with the 40 million tons of plastic waste we produce annually? One year of plastic waste is roughly enough to smother the entirety of Manhattan a meter deep, and it has to go somewhere. For decades, America sent its plastic waste to countries like China and Indonesia. Unlike aluminum or glass, the plastic that can be recycled rarely results in replacing one recycled water bottle with another. By downcycling a tiny portion of plastic waste, companies can genuinely reuse a relatively small share of plastic, while convincing consumers that the industry has created a circular economy of infinitely recycled plastic.

Persons: Kartik Byma, they're, Tim Miller, Susan Freinkel, Nestlé, Lea Suzuki, Larry Thomas, what's, Taylor Dorrell, Biden, that's, Taylor, Miller, Kelley Sayre, Vicky Abou, it's, Mike Bloomberg, Bloomberg, Espen Barth Eide, Norway's, Abou, It's Organizations: Getty, America, Chevron, Exxon, Paper Stock, Plastics Industry Association, Organization for Economic Co, San Francisco, NPR, International Energy Agency, ExxonMobil, Alterra Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Royal Paper Stock, Akron, Buckeye Environmental, Business, Eastman Chemical Co, American Chemistry Council, New, Beyond Plastics, UN, Buckeye Environmental Network Locations: America, Manhattan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, AFP, Ohio, American, San Francisco, Akron, Taylor Dorrell Akron , Ohio, United States, Oregon, New York City

☆ How Speaker Johnson helped Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Years before becoming House speaker, Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana played a leading role aiding Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. That history will be on display Friday, with Johnson set to deliver remarks alongside the former president about “election integrity” – a phrase Trump often uses to describe the lie that the 2020 election was rigged and unfounded concerns about future mass voter fraud. Johnson carved out an influential role after the 2020 election, helping Trump’s attempts to subvert the will of the people and overturn the legitimate results. He later recruited a majority of House Republicans to endorse a Trump-backed lawsuit seeking to invalidate the results from four key states that Trump lost: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. (In truth, as the Supreme Court later affirmed, judges have the power to review state election laws.)

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump’s, Johnson, ”, Trump, Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, ” Johnson, Hugo Chávez’s, Smartmatic, would’ve, Biden, – Johnson Organizations: Republican, Trump, Voting Systems, Biden, Dominion, Fox News, House Republicans, Republicans, Democratic Locations: Louisiana, Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona

☆ Scotland’s new hate crime law was meant to protect against prejudice. It ended up sowing further division
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Amy Cassidy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Scotland’s Hate Crime and Public Order Act came into force last week, a contentious law that expands existing legislation to include transgender identity as a protected characteristic from hate crimes. In the first week of the law’s enactment, a feminist group, “Let Women Speak,” organized a rally against the legislation in Scotland’s capital on Saturday. Another major concern for those who oppose the Hate Crime Act is the supposed lack of clarity on what type of behavior could constitute an offense under the new law. But 25-year-old Scottish trans student Lucy (who asked not to be identified by her real name due to concerns about continued online abuse), said the new law does not reassure her. Scotland’s proposed reforms would have allowed transgender people to self-identify, without the need for a medical diagnosis or certificate.

Persons: –, – Humza Yousaf, ”, JK Rowling, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Jane Barlow, ’, Susan Smith, “, ’ ” Smith, Siobhan Brown, Rowling, Harry Potter, Yousaf, J, Rowling waded, Angela Weiss, ” Vic Valentine, Lucy, Scotland’s, hadn’t, Musk, Ian Miles Cheong Organizations: CNN, ” Scottish, Reuters, Scottish, Women Scotland, Community Safety, Police Scotland, BBC, Getty, Scottish Trans, Public Affairs, Equality Network, Scottish Police Federation, ” Police, Courier, PA Media, Police Locations: Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, British, Scottish, Malaysian

☆ Breaking down Trump’s attacks on the daughter of the judge in his New York hush-money trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The judge ruled that Trump’s “dangerous rhetoric” threatens the integrity of the looming trial, which is scheduled to begin April 15. Here are the facts about Trump’s recent attacks against Merchan’s daughter, and how this sideshow could affect the first-ever criminal trial of a former American president. He deployed this same tactic in the New York case, but went even farther by targeting Merchan’s adult daughter, Loren Merchan. He used the image to argue that Loren Merchan and her father are biased against him. “The X, formerly Twitter, account being attributed to Judge Merchan’s daughter no longer belongs to her since she deleted it approximately a year ago,” court spokesman Al Baker said last week.

Persons: Donald Trump, Judge Juan Merchan, Trump, Merchan’s, don’t, Stormy Daniels, Loren Merchan, Merchan, ”, Joe Biden, didn’t, ‘ Get, ’, Loren Merchan’s, Kamala Harris ’, Biden, Harris, Gretchen Whitmer, Katie Hobbs, Adam Schiff, Trump’s, Schiff, Laura Loomer, Judge Merchan’s, Al Baker, Loren, “, Judge Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, ” Merchan, Joey Jackson, CNN’s Dana Bash, ” Jackson, that’s, ” CNN’s Daniel Dale, Jeremy Herb, David Wright Organizations: Washington CNN, Democratic, Trump, Super Liberal Democrat, ‘, ‘ Get Trump, New York, CNN, Authentic, Michigan Gov, Arizona Gov, Democratic Party of Wisconsin, House Democrats, California, Senate, The Spectator, Twitter, Manhattan, Attorney Locations: New York, American, “, Arizona, York

☆ Judge schedules Newsmax case over 2020 election lies for September trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A judge has scheduled a major defamation case against right-wing cable channel Newsmax to go to trial in late September, putting the battle over 2020 election lies front-and-center at the peak of the 2024 campaign. A trial could have significant implications for the First Amendment and how journalists cover Trump’s election lies. The conservative network doesn’t attract a large audience like Fox News, but Newsmax’s ratings surged after the 2020 election. In addition to the Newsmax case, Smartmatic is also suing Fox News, the fringe far-right cable channel OAN and Trump allies like Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell, who peddled the same election lies. But there were delays in that case, creating an opening for the Smartmatic case.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump’s, Smartmatic, Joe Biden, Eric Davis, Davis, Newsmax, “ Newsmax, … Newsmax, ’, Trump’s, ”, Bill Daddi, Christopher Ruddy, Fox, Eric Bolling, Greta Van Susteren, Sebastian Gorka, Clinton, Dick Morris, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Lindell Organizations: CNN, Dominion Voting Systems, Trump, Delaware Superior Court, Dominion, Fox News, Fox, Trump White House Locations: Delaware Superior

☆ Kate, Princess of Wales conspiracies peddled by Russian disinformation group, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The motive of such campaigns, Innes said, is to “destabilize” Russia’s Western antagonists and “undermine trust” in their institutions. The pattern of behavior was one his team recognized from a group of Russian actors his team had studied before. It is a commercial firm contracted to run disinformation campaigns, Innes said. Aaron Chown/Press Association/APMeta said it disrupted the group, but its disinformation campaigns have since grown more sophisticated. The timing of the Kate conspiracies was also propitious for the Kremlin – coming just as Putin secured a fifth term in power in a stage-managed election devoid of credible opposition.

Persons: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate, “, ” Martin Innes, ” Innes, Emmanuel Macron, Innes, Princess, Wales, ”, Instagram –, Doppelganger, Aaron Chown, King Charles III, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, ” Anna George, Timothy Snyder, Vladimir Putin’s, Henry Nicholls, Prince William, ’ ”, Putin Organizations: CNN, Cardiff University, –, Soviet, Meta, Facebook, Press Association, AP Meta, US Treasury, British Embassy, Reuters Institute for, Journalism, Oxford University, Oxford Internet Institute, Yale, Russian Foreign, ” Police, London Clinic, Getty, CNN’s Royal, Kremlin Locations: Wales, Ukraine, ”, Russia, Soviet Union, London, Moscow, Cardiff, Russian, United States, Europe, British, Kensington, Britain, AFP, Windsor

☆ Lev Parnas invited by House Oversight Democrats as witness for Biden impeachment hearing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

House Democrats on the Oversight Committee have selected an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, who played a role in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, to be their witness at the panel’s hearing on Wednesday, a source with Oversight Committee Democrats told CNN. House Republicans had embraced the dirt Parnas was peddling but he has since called it out as nonsense. Hunter Biden declined the invitation from Republicans to appear at this hearing. Last year, Parnas sent House Oversight Chair James Comer a letter discrediting the many theories peddled by Republicans and called on Comer to end his investigation into the Biden family. “There is simply no merit to investigating this matter any further.”Prior to selecting Parnas, Democrats had been considering Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to be their witness.

Persons: Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s, Lev Parnas, Giuliani, Trump, Joe Biden, Hunter, Parnas, “ Lev Parnas, ”, Jamie Raskin, “, Tony Bobulinski, Biden, Jason Galanis, Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, Joe Biden corruptly, Republican pushback, James Comer, Comer, ” Parnas, Michael Cohen, “ Cohen Organizations: CNN, Republicans, GOP, Maryland, Republican, Biden, FBI Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine

☆ Pro-Trump attorney arrested after court hearing about leaked Dominion emails
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A pro-Trump lawyer who tried to overturn the 2020 election was arrested Monday after a court hearing about her recent leak of internal emails belonging to Dominion Voting Systems. In the last 24 hours, Leaf has posted more than 2,000 internal Dominion documents on his social media account. The marshals declined to say whether they arrested her, and she didn’t answer messages seeking comment after the hearing. During the at-times testy hearing Monday, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya peppered Lambert with sharp questions about the disputed Dominion materials. Dominion wants Lambert removed from the case and suggested in court Monday that she might have committed a crime by disseminating the files to Leaf.

Persons: Stefanie Lambert, Lambert, Dar Leaf, Donald Trump, Leaf, Patrick Byrne, “, Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, ” Upadhyaya, Byrne, ”, ” Lambert, Davida Brook, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Trump, Voting Systems, Dar, US Marshals Service, U.S . Marshals, Dominion, Leaf, meddled, US Intelligence, America, . Dominion, Fox News Locations: Michigan, Barry, Dominion, Washington ,, Serbia

☆ Book Tok drives demand for immersive fantasy events among younger users
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Sometimes events are simply fantasy themed, without reference to specific books or fantasy worlds. Dreams shattered.”She attributes the growing demand for fantasy events to the commercial success of fantasy romance books, especially among Millennial women. The past year has also seen a spike in the popularity of “romantasy,” or romance fantasy books. “You know, work dredges on for a lot of people,” said Brittany Proctor, a Michigan-based entrepreneur who’s been hosting fantasy balls in the Midwest since 2022. In fact, Proctor is considering scaling back some of her events due to the sheer number of these fantasy balls that have been cropping up in recent years.

Persons: San Diego Comic Con, Con, Harry Potter, ”, Katherine Stinson, Eric Atticus, Stinson, Dana John, “, she’s, Alexander Chernev, Matt Harris, Sarah J, Maas, Patti McConville, Juliette Sureau, Sureau, Sophie Valfroy, “ romantasy ”, “ They’re, ” Juliette Sureau, Shaun Wada, Ariana Smoak Holly Simone, Tok, Simone, Shawn Strider, ” Stinson, Brittany Proctor, who’s, ” Maja Djikic, you’re, ” Djikic, Proctor, “ I’ve, I’m Organizations: New, New York CNN, Social, Allied, Research, Disney, Universal, San Diego Comic, TikTok, CNN, Stinson, Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, Barnes, Noble Booksellers, Times, Google, “, University of Toronto Locations: New York, Canada, Houston, Houston , Texas, Texas, New York City, USA, TikTok, Columbia , South Carolina, London, Los Angeles, Michigan, ”, Bahamas

☆ Examining Trump’s Alternate Reality Pitch
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Angelo Fichera | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“There wouldn’t have been an attack on Israel. And we wouldn’t have had any inflation,” he declared during a rally in January in Las Vegas. The next month in South Carolina, he baselessly claimed that Democrats had admitted as much. Politicians routinely entertain what-ifs, which are impossible to prove or rebut with certainty. But Mr. Trump’s suppositions underscore the ways in which he often airs questionable claims without explanation and which might not be supported by the broader context.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, ”, baselessly Locations: United States, Israel, Ukraine, Las Vegas, South Carolina

☆ Clips from the interview that Don Lemon says made Elon Musk so mad he terminated their X deal seem pretty mundane
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Don Lemon said Elon Musk was "mad" over their interview when Musk canceled an X partnership. AdvertisementDon Lemon said Elon Musk abruptly canceled his partnership with X because the billionaire was "mad" at him over their recent interview, which he subsequently described in a video posted to Instagram as "tense." AdvertisementX and Musk have said Lemon is still free to post his show on X without the support of a formal partnership. Lemon shared a few clips of the interview on CNN's Erin Burnett "OutFront" on Wednesday evening. In a post on X in August, Musk said he had a ketamine prescription for when his "brain chemistry sometimes goes super negative."

Persons: Don Lemon, Elon Musk, Musk, —, Lemon, Erin Burnett, X, Don, Donald Trump, Trump, hasn't Organizations: CNN, Service, SpaceX, X, Business Locations: Florida

NEW YORK (AP) — New York prosecutors abruptly dropped their criminal case midtrial Wednesday against three men who had been accused of conspiring to possess a cache of hand-drafted lyrics to “Hotel California” and other Eagles hits. The raft of communications emerged only when Eagles star Don Henley apparently decided last week to waive attorney-client privilege, after he and other prosecution witnesses had already testified. “Witnesses and their lawyers” used attorney-client privilege “to obfuscate and hide information that they believed would be damaging," Judge Curtis Farber said in dismissing the case. Through their lawyers, the men contended that they were rightful owners of pages that weren't stolen by anyone. In a letter to the court, Ginandes, the prosecutor, said the waiver of attorney-client privilege resulted in the belated production of about 6,000 pages of material.

Persons: Aaron Ginandes, Don Henley, hadn’t, “ Witnesses, ”, Curtis Farber, Glenn Horowitz, Craig Inciardi, Edward Kosinski, ” Jonathan Bach, Horowitz, Inciardi, “, Scott Edelman, ” Edelman, Dan Petrocelli, Henley, ” Petrocelli, wasn't, hasn't, Ginandes Organizations: —, “, Eagles, Manhattan, Roll Hall of Fame, Prosecutors, Henley Locations: York, “ Hotel, U.S

☆ Fraudster who peddled fake pre-IPO Airbnb stock falsely claimed to represent Egypt's Mansour family
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The family office is not named in the complaint, but details from court filings and online records match those of Man Capital, the family office of the Mansour family. Man Capital was started in 2010 by billionaire Mohamed Mansour, one of three brothers behind Egypt's second largest company, and his son, Loutfy Mansour. Rafiq had no connection to Man Capital or parent company Mansour Group. A spokesman for Man Capital declined to comment to CNBC, as did the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting Rafiq. In the summer of that year, Rafiq allegedly created created fake domain names and email addresses masquerading as a senior executive at the family office.

Persons: Shamoon Rafiq, Mansour, Mohamed Mansour, Loutfy Mansour, Rafiq Organizations: Nasdaq, Man, Man Capital, Group, General Motors, Caterpillar, CNBC, Manhattan U.S, Attorney's Locations: New York, Manhattan, U.S, Singapore

☆ Gen Z Is Saving Money by Living With Parents; It's Going to Cost Them
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Eve Upton-Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

There are 620,000 more adults living with their parents in the UK than a decade ago. In the US, the percentage of young adults living at home has climbed 87% over the past two decades, according to the US Census Bureau. More than one-third of Gen Z respondents in a 2022 Freddie Mac survey said it's something they thought they'd never be able to achieve. A similar share of young adults lived with their parents in the wake of the Great Recession in 2010 — 44%. For many young adults, living on your own is an important step to feeling grown up.

Persons: Bethany Clark, didn't, she's, Clark, they'd, Moody's, renter, Zers, homebuyers, Gen, Freddie Mac, millennials, Z, grads, We're, Amy Lewthwaite, Lewthwaite, shouldn't, I've, Sarah Obutor, who'd, Obutor, —, Gen Zers, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Arnett Organizations: Census Bureau, Bloomberg, Harris, National Association of Realtors, Bloomberg Businessweek, Guardian, Financial Times, Urban Institute, Northumbria University, Clark University Locations: Surrey, England, America, London, Georgia

☆ Opinion: The best tribute we can pay to Navalny
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Opinion Daniel Treisman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In his courageous and too short life, Navalny became a symbol of hope for the younger generations of his compatriots. Rather than attack Navalny as a political rival, the authorities peddled a concocted image of Navalny as a petty swindler. Navalny’s death will leave a gaping hole at the center of Russia’s opposition movement, already fragmented and scattered across the globe. To Western leaders who have called on Russia to respect human rights, Navalny’s death is an open affront. A year ago, while he was serving his sentence, Navalny called for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine — and pay it compensation — with posts from his Twitter account.

Persons: Daniel Treisman, Sergei Guriev, Alexey Navalny, Putin, ”, Navalny, Navalny’s, ” Putin, Tucker Carlson, Yaroslav the Wise, Novichok, “, Boris Nadezhdin, Joe Biden, “ Putin, —, Sergei Magnitsky, Biden, ” Navalny Organizations: University of California, CNN, Navalny’s, Kremlin, Federal Security Service, Putin, Navalny, Republicans, Ukraine — Locations: Los Angeles, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Russian, Ukrainian, ”, Europe, Ukraine

☆ Swifties on Political Conspiracy Theories: You Need to Calm Down
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Madison Malone Kircher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Taylor Swift often encourages her fans to devise fanciful theories about her music, but this week a very different type of wild speculation sprung up around her: political conspiracy theories being peddled by Fox News, Trump surrogates and the extended MAGA universe. The theories range widely, but include outlandish claims that Ms. Swift is secretly working for the United States government and that her relationship with Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, is part of a lengthy political scheme. ends with the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl and Ms. The attacks may be intended to embolden a right wing base, and perhaps change a few minds in other parts of the political universe, but Swifties, predictably, remain indifferent.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift, Travis Kelce, Kelce, Biden, ’ ”, Raven Mosley Organizations: Fox News, Trump surrogates, United, Kansas City Chiefs, Chiefs Locations: United States, Vancouver, Wash

Part motel, part new-age clinic, the facility offers nightly rentals in rooms that come equipped with “BioHealers” –- canisters that the company claims exude “life force energy,” or biophotons. “There are some forces driving that: obviously the internet and social media, and distrust of traditional medicine, traditional science. Given the primary importance of health, it’s hardly surprising that unproven medical claims and products that seem too-good-to-be-true have a long history in America. “ Distrust of government and distrust of major institutions makes people vulnerable,” said Stephen Barrett, a psychiatrist and expert in unproven medical claims who launched the organization Quackwatch in the 1970s to highlight medical scams. As a result, low-level hucksters or those peddling unproven treatments often don’t get as much attention.

Persons: BUTLER, exude, Tesla, Dr, James Liu, ”, Liu, Timothy Caulfield, Medbeds, Donald Trump, “ I’m, medbeds, ” Liu, it’s, John Brinkley, they’ve, Alex Jones, Trump, Stephen Barrett, Elon Musk, Nikola Tesla, Seth Robinson, Robinson doesn’t, We’re, Tesla’s, I’ve, Caulfield, ” Caulfield, “ It’s, ” Tesla’s, Bahman Anvari, It’s Organizations: Tesla, MedBed, Penn State University, “, University of Alberta, Walmart, Associated Press, Drug Administration, Elon, FDA, AP, University of California Locations: Pa, Pittsburgh, China, New Jersey, Butler, Tennessee, America, Florida, Delaware, Riverside

☆ I quit Amazon Prime and it was way easier than I expected. It's made me reevaluate everything.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Alex Kantrowitz | Big Technology | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Last June, on a whim, I canceled Amazon Prime. I still regularly buy things from Amazon with free shipping, but I'm happily out on Prime. After canceling Prime, I've been able to reevaluate the necessity of that ultra-fast, free shipping and have found it mostly unneeded. AdvertisementLeaving Prime also meant the end of free Amazon Prime Video, but I've been able to bear it. If Amazon Prime members started reconsidering and discarded the service en masse, it would be trouble for the company.

Persons: I'd, I'm, I've, Max Organizations: Amazon Prime, Amazon, Netflix, Big Technology Locations: America

☆ A Colorado pastor accused of pocketing $1.3 million in cryptocurrency scam says the Lord encouraged him to use funds for a home remodel
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Regalado also said the Lord told him to use investor funds to remodel his home. Related stories"It was last October '21 that the Lord brought this cryptocurrency to me," Regalado told his congregation over video broadcast, per court documents. AdvertisementRegalado addressed why he valued the coins at 10 times the amount: The Lord told him to. I really believe you're going to see a miracle in very short order," Regalado told investors in a video call, per the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims the Regalados told investors they were sowing this money into charitable causes.

Persons: Eli Regalado, Regalado, —, Kaitlyn Regalado, Tung Chan, Chan, God, Kaitlyn, Grace, Regalados, INDXcoin, …, David Goldberg Organizations: Service, Court, Colorado Securities, Colorado Department of Regulatory, IRS, Business, Wealth, Wealth Exchange, Rover Locations: Colorado, Denver, INDXcoin

Johnson has been under intense pressure from Republican hard-liners, who see the new speaker’s dealmaking with Democrats as anathema to their conservative agenda. And overriding their concerns to pass the short-term funding package with help from the majority of Democrats does little to help his case. Moreover, he argued, working with Democrats and brokering a deal – even if it’s not the one he wants – is necessary given their shrinking majority. Come Monday, their majority will shrink to 217 – the smallest Republican majority in the history of Congress – as Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio resigned to accept a job as a university president. “Here we are again, with House Democrats once again providing the votes to avert a costly shutdown.

Persons: Mike Johnson, –, ”, Chuck Schumer, Johnson, it’s, Bill Johnson of, Schumer, Brendan Boyle, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Chip Roy, Eli Crane of, Crane, – appropriators Organizations: Republican, Caucus, Republican Party, GOP, House Democrats, ”, House Republicans, Texas, Senate Locations: Bill Johnson of Ohio, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Eli Crane of Arizona, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan

☆ ‘The Fruit Cure’ Review: The Temptation to Go Bananas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Matthew Rees | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

It may not be news, but it is worth reminding ourselves that bad eating habits are a leading cause of disease, disability and death in the U.S. Why do we develop such habits? One reason is the slick marketing and misleading information peddled by food and beverage companies. An answer comes from Jacqueline Alnes, an assistant professor at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. In “The Fruit Cure,” she recounts how she became devoted to two YouTube personalities preaching the value of a daily diet primarily composed of raw fruit. It’s an engaging story in itself, though not without flaws, and it illuminates the ways in which quackery—so common in the premodern era of medicine—is alive and well in the 21st century.

Persons: Jacqueline Alnes, ” Organizations: West Chester University in Locations: U.S, West Chester University in Pennsylvania

☆ Opinion: Bill Belichick and Nick Saban were the kind of coaches I tell my therapist about
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Opinion Jeff Pearlman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Under his leadership, Belichick took an organization that never sniffed a Super Bowl title and made it a regular occurrence. Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images Belichick, right, coaches alongside New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells during a playoff game in 1984. Jim Rogash/Getty Images Belichick watches from the sideline as his team plays the Seattle Seahawks in the 2015 Super Bowl. Tom Pennington/Getty Images Belichick presents President Donald Trump with an official Super Bowl helmet at the White House in 2017. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Belichick leaves the field after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in December 2023.

Persons: Jeff Pearlman, Jim Fregosi, Paul Olkowski, Fregosi, “ Skip, “ John, ”, “, ” Fregosi, Bill Belichick, Nick Saban, Alabama’s, Belichick, Saban, Tom, Randy Moss, Bear Bryant, Vince Lombardi, Jeff Haynes, Bill Parcells, Parcells, Arthur Anderson, Ralph Waclawicz, George Gojkovich, Anthony Pleasant, Wayne Scarberry, Al Pereira, Robert Kraft, Kraft, Al Messerschmidt, Kevin Terrell, Tom Brady, Damian Strohmeyer, Karen Warren, Steve, David J, Phillip, Jay Leno, Paul Drinkwater, videotaping, Roger Goodell, Matthew West, Peyton Manning, Reed, Jim Rogash, Christian Petersen, Brady, Tom Pennington, Donald Trump, Samuel Corum, Kevin C, Cox, Maddie Meyer, Steven Senne, —, Deion Sanders, Dan Campbell, he’s, Mike Ditka, George Allen, Steve Rushin, Doug Rader, Lou Piniella, it’s Organizations: CNN, Sports, Toronto Blue Jays, Sports Illustrated, Super, New England Patriots, Tide, Bama, Super Bowl, Getty, New York Giants, Parcells, ESPN, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Jets, NFL Hall of Fame, Patriots, St, Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Chronicle, Philadelphia Eagles, NBCU, Bank, NFL, MediaNews, Boston Herald, Indianapolis Colts, Reed Saxon, Giants, Belichick, AFC, Seattle Seahawks, White House, Atlanta Falcons, Anadolu Agency, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, The Patriots, Twitter, University of Colorado, Detroit Lions, Schlitz, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, California Angels, Seattle Mariners Locations: Tuscaloosa , Alabama, AFP, Baltimore, Hawaii, Boulder, California, Swiss, ”

☆ Does the 'Mother God' cult, Love Has Won, still exist?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Love Has Won was a cult that was led by Amy Carlson, referred to as "Mother God." AdvertisementA new HBO documentary explores the legacy of the organization Love Has Won, called a cult by some of its former followers, two years after the death of its leader, Mother God. The film, titled "Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God," tracks the ascension of Amy Carlson as a guru. AdvertisementWhat was the 'Mother God' cult, 'Love Has Won?' Does the 'Mother God' cult still exist today?

Persons: Love, Amy Carlson, God, —, Mother God, Carlson, Amerith, Father God, Hannah Olson, Jesus Christ, Joan of Arc, Marilyn Monroe, Robin Williams, Donald Trump, Lauryn, Aurora, Suarez, Ashley, Hope, Jason Castillo, Rains Organizations: Service, HBO, Facebook, YouTube, Food and Drug Administration Locations: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, American

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