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☆ Michael Douglas found out he’s related to Scarlett Johansson on ‘Finding Your Roots’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —“Finding Your Roots” has found another celebrity connection. Michael Douglas discovered on a recent episode of the PBS series that he is the “DNA cousin” of actress Scarlett Johansson. “Are you kidding?” Douglas replied when host Henry Louis Gates Jr. revealed the connection. In one episode, Julia Roberts and Edward Norton learned they were genetic cousins and Kerry Washington received life-changing news that she was conceived through a sperm donor. “Finding Your Roots” with Henry Louis Gates Jr. airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

Persons: Michael Douglas, ”, Scarlett Johansson, “, ” Douglas, Henry Louis Gates Jr, Douglas, Johansson, Scarlett, Julia Roberts, Edward Norton, Kerry Washington, Henry Louis Gates Organizations: CNN, PBS Locations: Eastern Europe

☆ Putin looms over a third successive US election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —“Russia, Russia, Russia.”Ex-President Donald Trump’s scathing catch phrase for a torrent of investigations during his administration also serves as an apt catch-all for the current meltdown over Moscow roiling US politics. But Russia and its leader, whom President Joe Biden described as a “crazy S.O.B.” at a Wednesday fundraiser, won’t go away. All the ways Putin is playing in US politicsPutin is advancing Russian interests against the US on multiple fronts. Putin recently formalized his warming ties with North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un by presenting him with a new limousine. The Russian leader was particularly incensed by the US-led operation to topple Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, won’t, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ukraine –, –, Alexander Smirnov, “, Trump, Smirnov, Biden, it’s, Putin can’t, ” Douglas, Alexey Navalny, Biden lambasts Trump, ” Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, he’s, he’d, Mike Turner, Ksenia, Paul Whelan –, Evan Gershkovich, Geopolitically, Kim Jong Un, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Moammar Gadhafi, Hillary Clinton, Robert Mueller, “ We’ll, Mueller Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, United States, European NATO, ”, Moscow, House Republicans, GOP, CIA, NATO, Republican Party, Republicans, Republican, Trump, Marine, Wall Street, Putin, Biden, US, Democratic Locations: Russia, Moscow, United States, China, Soviet, East Germany, United, Ukraine, Russian, European, Washington, Asia, Sweden, Finland, Berlin –, Europe, Ukrainian, California, North Korea, Iran, Crimea, Helsinki, Geneva

☆ Roman egg still intact found in UK in ‘amazing’ discovery
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Researchers have cracked one of the mysteries hidden within a Roman egg, discovering that it still contains its liquid almost two millennia after it was first laid. Pottery and other finds uncovered alongside the egg were dated to the late 3rd century AD, allowing archaeologists to estimate its age too, Biddulph added. A woven basket, thought to have contained bread, was found alongside the eggs. A micro-CT scan of the egg showed it still had liquid inside. “Nobody has seen anything like this before so every stage of the research into this is creating new moments of amazing potential,” he said.

Persons: ” Douglas G.D Russell, Edward Biddulph, Biddulph, Dana Goodburn, Brown, “ I’ve, ” Biddulph, “, Chris Dunmore, University of Kent “, ” Russell, ” Organizations: CNN —, CNN, Oxford, Oxford Archaeology, University of Kent, Imaging, Life Sciences Locations: Egypt, Aylesbury, England, London, Oxford

Because anti-smoking groups aren’t just fighting the tobacco companies these days. They have fractured over tobacco harm reduction — the idea that people who cannot or will not quit smoking should be provided with alternatives, notably e-cigarettes, which deliver nicotine without burning tobacco. They argue that e-cigarettes will lead to a new generation addicted to nicotine, even if they are not smoking. It focuses largely, but not entirely, on reduced-risk nicotine products, a category that includes e-cigarettes, oral tobacco, and “heat not burn” products that warm up tobacco without burning it. There are no safe tobacco products; all fall along what’s called a continuum of risk.

Persons: Cliff Douglas, Philip Morris, Douglas, “, ” Douglas, Bloomberg Philanthropies, American Heart Association —, Michael Bloomberg, that’s, General’s, ”, Charles Gardner, Joanna Cohen, Ellen MacKenzie, Yolonda Richardson, Deborah Arnott, “ I’m, Michael Cummings, they’ve, Marc Gunther Organizations: Foundation, Philip, Philip Morris International, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Centers for Disease Control, Bloomberg, Tobacco, American Heart Association, Truth Initiative, Rockefeller, UBS Optimus, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Campaign, Reuters, FDA, Centers for Disease, Medical University of South, Associated Press, Philanthropy, AP Locations: United States, – California , Massachusetts , New Jersey , New York, Rhode, San Francisco, —, British, Medical University of South Carolina, vaping

☆ South Carolina lawmaker Brandon Guffey is suing Instagram after his son died by suicide
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —About two weeks after his oldest son’s funeral, South Carolina state house Rep. Brandon Guffey says he received a private Instagram message with a laughing emoji. Then Guffey and his younger son began to get messages demanding money in exchange for nude photos of his late son. South Carolina State Rep. Brandon Guffey in an undated photo with his wife, Melissa, and their sons, Gavin, 17, Coen, 16, and Callahan, 4. Minutes before he died by suicide in July 2022, Gavin Guffey sent his brother and friends this text message. South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey, right, has lobbied hard for tougher penalties for sextortion scammers.

Persons: Brandon Guffey, Gavin Guffey, Guffey, Gavin, Melissa, Coen, Callahan, they’ve, Gavin Guffey texted, Gavin texted, Henry McMaster, scammers, Brandon Guffey “, ” Guffey, “, ”, ‘, “ Meta, It’s, ” Douglas DePodesta, ” Gavin Guffey, Jordan DeMay, Ryan Last, sextortion scammers, I’m, they’re, “ They’re, he’s, He’s Organizations: CNN, Meta, South Carolina State Rep, Gov, FBI, United States Attorney’s Office, Western, Western District of Michigan, Facebook, Rep, sextortion, Communications Locations: South Carolina, “, Rock Hill , South Carolina, Venmo, Memphis, United, Western District, Nigeria, Marquette , Michigan, San Jose , California

☆ What Does the U.S. Space Force Actually Do?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Jon Gertner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. military, was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2019. Its creation was not a partisan endeavor, though Trump has boasted that the idea for the organization was his alone. At its incarnation, the Space Force was an assemblage of programs and teams that already existed, mainly as entities within the Air Force. “It’s one of the common misperceptions that it cost money to create the Space Force — and it really didn’t, because we already had space forces,” Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told me. “One of the things that we were lacking without a Space Force was an organization that would argue for its own destiny,” Douglas Loverro, a former Pentagon official involved in helping start the branch, told me.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “, ” Todd Harrison, ” Douglas Loverro, Loverro, Wang Hucheng Organizations: Space Force, U.S ., Congress, Air Force, Force, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Pentagon Locations: United States

What’s clear is that a less than lethal weaponry like a Taser, when used in the wrong hands, is indeed lethal,” Douglas told the commissioners. He was visiting family members in Los Angeles when he was stopped on suspicion of causing a hit-and-run traffic accident in the Venice area, police said. An officer found Anderson “running in the middle of the street and exhibiting erratic behavior,” according to a police account. At one point, officers pressed on his windpipe and one officer used a stun gun on him six times, according to Moore's report. That of course, when you steal life, it should be out of policy," said Melina Abdullah, co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter.

Persons: Keenan Darnell Anderson, Michel Moore, Anderson, ”, Carl Douglas, wasn't, Keenan Anderson, ” Douglas, ” Anderson, Patrisse Cullors, “ They’re, George Floyd me, Melina Abdullah, shouldn’t, J, Fuentes, Ford, “ Mr Organizations: ANGELES, Los, of Police, Police, Washington , D.C, LAPD, Los Angeles Police Protective League, Mr Locations: Anderson's, Washington ,, Los Angeles, Venice

☆ Russia's war is coming home as drone strikes hit Moscow. What does it mean for the conflict?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

London CNN —Ukrainian drone strikes taking place inside Russia once seemed an unthinkable prospect. A string of drone strikes have peppered Russian cities including Moscow throughout the summer. A damaged building in Moscow following last weekend's drone strikes. But anecdotal accounts at least speak to the impact of drone strikes on those in the vicinity of the attacks. But after almost eighteen months of disorganization and discord, the reality that Russia’s military plans are flailing has been increasingly hard to deny.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ”, Evgenia Novozhenina, ” Douglas Barrie, Mykhailo Fedorov, ” Keir Giles, we’ve, ” Giles, Barrie, ” Barrie, Stringer, Yurii, “ There’s, Vladimir Putin’s, Yuri Kochetkov, Shutterstock, June’s Wagner, Russia –, Karine Jean, Pierre Organizations: London CNN, Kyiv, Kremlin, Reuters, Military Aerospace, International Institute for Strategic Studies, CNN, Transformation Ministry, “ Army, Drones, Chatham House, “, West, NATO, Getty, Russia Kyiv, Ukraine’s Air Force, Institute for Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Moscow, Reuters Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, AFP, Kremlin, Russian, United States

☆ Microsoft can close its Activision merger, federal judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A federal judge will not block Microsoft (MSFT) from closing its $69 billion deal to acquire video game giant Activision Blizzard, a defeat for US regulators who had asked for a temporary injunction while legal challenges to the merger unfold. Microsoft could potentially finalize the deal with Activision in a matter of days, ahead of a July 18 contractual deadline, or the parties could mutually seek to extend that timeframe. During a five-day hearing last month in federal court, Microsoft executives including CEO Satya Nadella testified that properties such as “Call of Duty” would not be restricted from competitors following the deal’s close. UK officials also previously moved to block the Activision merger in April, citing some of the same concerns the FTC raised in its case and triggering an appeal from Microsoft. “Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission … to this effect.”

Persons: ”, “, Jacqueline Scott Corley, Corley, Satya Nadella, Tuesday’s, Microsoft’s, “ We’re, Brad Smith, we’ve, Bobby Kotick, Meta’s, ” Douglas Farrar, we’ll, ” Smith Organizations: CNN, Microsoft, Activision, US, Court, Northern, Northern District of, Sony PlayStation, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Regulators, Nvidia, Nintendo, “, PlayStation, Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Markets, CMA Locations: Northern District, Northern District of California, ”, San Francisco

☆ Asia's drug trade is thriving post-pandemic, UN report warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

There are other signs of the drug trade bouncing back. West African trafficking networks in East and Southeast Asia, which “all but disappeared” during the pandemic, have now resumed their activities, the report said. From Myanmar, meth and other synthetic drugs then travel out to the world, with shipments previously found as far away as Japan, New Zealand and Australia. It also pointed to the high number of drug-related arrests and admissions at drug treatment facilities as further evidence of robust trade. That figure is 167% higher than the previous year, according to the UNODC report.

Persons: ”, Jeremy Douglas, “, ” Douglas, Douglas, Inshik Sim Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United Nations Office, Drugs, “, UNODC Regional Representative, Southeast, Central America Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, East, Southeast Asia, Yunnan, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Central, Laos, From Myanmar, Japan , New Zealand, Australia, South Asia, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Cambodia, France, Poland, Indonesia, South Korea

☆ Aaron Rodgers: New York Jets general manager calls deal 'historic' for the franchise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas called the deal to acquire four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers “historic” for the franchise. Douglas spoke Tuesday on how the trade – which has not yet been finalized as the two teams work out the details – came together. “Obviously, a long time in the making,” Douglas told reporters at a previously scheduled pre-draft press conference. Rodgers is joining the New York Jets after 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. The NFL Draft begins Thursday night in Kansas City, Missouri.

☆ Viktor Bout: The Russian arms dealer swapped for Brittney Griner
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Eliza Mackintosh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Brittney Griner’s freedom ultimately hinged on the release of a convicted Russian arms dealer whose life story inspired a Hollywood film. On Thursday, a source told CNN that the US basketball star had been released from Russian detention in a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” by his accuser. Viktor Bout is pictured in a temporary cell ahead of a hearing at a court in Bangkok in August 2010. Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images“His early days are a mystery,” Douglas Farah, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center who co-authored a book on Bout, told CNN in 2010. He said that Bout graduated from the Military Institute on Foreign Languages, a well-known feeder school for Russian military intelligence.

☆ World Cup 1950: When the US beat England in the greatest sporting upset of all time
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —On one side of the pitch was a team made up some of the biggest names in world soccer. Described as a “real bunch of ragamuffins” by the author Geoffrey Douglas, the US beat a star-studded England side 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup. I mean, a plucky group of underdogs just beat what was generally universally recognized as the best team in the world,” Holroyd told CNN Sport. PA Images/ReutersAnd so when the 1950 World Cup approached, there was little national interest or coverage of the US’ participation. On the other side of the pond, hopes were sky high for a star-studded England team.

☆ Why a small midterm race in Arizona could have big consequences for U.S. democracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Tim Reid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File PhotoOct 19 (Reuters) - The fight to become Arizona’s next attorney general in November’s midterm elections smashed fundraising records this week. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed the Republican attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh and appeared on stage with him. “I think that American democracy runs through the state of Arizona in 2022,” Mayes said in an interview with Reuters. AG EMPOWERED TO STEP INHamadeh downplayed the role an attorney general has in election certification in a statement to Reuters. “What look like these relatively inconsequential races will have enormous consequences in terms of the 2024 presidential election,” Douglas said.

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