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☆ FBI watching if US support for Ukraine will spur Russian risk taking in 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —US intelligence officials are watching closely to see if the United States’ support for Ukraine will lead the Russian government to take more risks in potentially interfering in the 2024 presidential election, a senior FBI official told reporters Thursday. “We’re certainly… keeping our eye out to make sure that that’s not increasing [their] risk taking.”The FBI briefed reporters on the condition that the senior FBI officials not be named. The FBI official’s comments on Thursday echo those made by a senior National Security Agency official in March. “Russia can use their access to those government networks to undermine confidence in the US election integrity and bolster influence operations,” the second FBI official said. The FBI officials also singled out China and Iran as other governments that could be willing to interfere in or influence the 2024 US election.

Persons: Joe, “ We’re, ”, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, denigrate Biden, Trump, weren’t, Hillary Clinton’s, “, ” Rob Joyce, Joyce, ” CNN’s Marshall Cohen Organizations: CNN, FBI, Ukraine, GOP, National Security Agency Locations: United States, Ukraine, Russian, Ukraine –, Kyiv, Russia, China, Iran

☆ Los Angeles Lakers fire head coach Darvin Ham after 2 seasons
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Jacob Lev | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Los Angeles Lakers have fired head coach Darvin Ham, the team announced Friday. The 50-year-old Ham compiled a 90-74 record in two seasons at the helm, including leading the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals last season. On Monday, Los Angeles was eliminated from the NBA playoffs in five games, losing to the reigning champion Denver Nuggets for the second straight postseason. “This organization will remain unwavering in its commitment to deliver championship-caliber basketball to Lakers fans around the world,” Pelinka said. Before becoming the Lakers head coach, Ham spent his career as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and the Lakers for two seasons from 2011 to 2013.

Persons: Darvin Ham, Ham, ” Rob Pelinka, Darvin, ” Pelinka Organizations: CNN, Los Angeles Lakers, Lakers, Western, NBA, Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks Locations: Los Angeles

Small towns and rural enclaves along the path of April's total solar eclipse are steeling for huge crowds of sun chasers who plan to catch a glimpse of day turning into dusk in North America. Look no further back than the last U.S. total solar eclipse in 2017 to understand the concern, said Tom Traub, who is part of NASA's eclipse ambassador program. “You had gas stations running out of gas," said Traub, who also serves on the board that runs the Martz-Kohl Observatory near Frewsburg, New York. "And hopefully that won’t be the case.”CELLPHONES MIGHT NOT WORKIn central Texas, emergency officials in Hays County recommend a "solar eclipse survival bag” stocked with items including a mobile phone and charger. And with all the extra traffic, there also will likely be more crash injuries, said Raetzke.

Persons: Kan, Tom Traub, “, Traub, ”, Lyndon, ” Rob Kelly, Mike DeWine, Dan Serafin, Katrina Amos, ’ ”, Amos, Brad Raetzke, Chris Temple Organizations: —, Tourism, National Guard, Martz, Kohl, Johnson, Historical, Texas, “, Food, Coast Guard Locations: North America, Texas, Maine, Oklahoma, Texas , Indiana , Ohio, New York , Pennsylvania, Vermont, U.S, Beatrice , Nebraska, Frewsburg , New York, Hays County, Austin, Kerr, San Antonio, Ohio, Erie , Pennsylvania, Cape Girardeau , Missouri, Mississippi, Lake Erie, it's, Columbus , Ohio, Nashville , Tennessee, Erie

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Women lead the major categories at the Grammys this year – names like SZA, Taylor Swift, Victoria Monét, Phoebe Bridgers, Olivia Rodrigo and Brandy Clark top the list. If Taylor Swift wins for “Midnights,” she will become the first artist in Grammy history to win the top prize four times. (And, conversely, artists it loves to nominate but not award: both Lana Del Rey and Miley Cyrus have yet to receive a Grammy. I'd love to see a Cyrus win, but I’ve been burned before! She’s tied with the likes of Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus with six nominations, and I think it is her time to finally take home a trophy.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Victoria Monét, Phoebe Bridgers, Olivia Rodrigo, Brandy Clark, Maria Sherman, Jonathan Landrum Jr, ” Jon Batiste, ”, ” Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, ” Janelle Monáe, “, ” Taylor Swift, I’m, Swift’s, Jon Batiste —, Swift, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, it’s, Batiste, Victoria, ” Olivia Rodrigo, Victoria Monét’s, Monét, I'm, Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew, ” Jack Antonoff, Dan Wilson, ” Caroline Ailin, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Gregory Aldae Hein, Michael Pollack, ” Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, ” Daniel Nigro, Billie Eilish O’Connell, Finneas O’Connell SHERMAN, Jon Batiste, Miley Cyrus, Barbie ”, ” isn’t, Gracie Abrams, Fred, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, Samara Joy, there’s, Mama, It’s, SHERMAN, ” Taylor Swift SHERMAN, Rodrigo, Cyrus, Keem, Kendrick Lamar, Rich, ” Drake, Eryn Allen Kane, Baby Keem, Drake, Mike ’, Andre, Future’s hoarse, Kane’s, Mike, —, ” It's, Flash’s, ” Tyler Childers, Luke Combs, Dolly Parton, ” Chris Stapleton SHERMAN, she’s, Doc Watson, She’s, Luke Comb’s, Tracy Chapman, Parton, Combs, Chris Brown, ” Robert Glasper, Alex Isley, ” Coco Jones, There’s, Jones, Justin Timberlake, Bill ”, I’d, ” Ana Bárbara, Lila Downs, ” Flor De Toloache, “ Amor, ” Lupita Infante, America –, Flor de Toloache, Lupita Infante, Pedro Infante, LANDRUM, He’ll, Ana Bárbara, Vincente Hernandez Organizations: ANGELES, Press, Entertainment, SHERMAN, “, Recording Academy, Eilish, The Recording Academy, Rockstar, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, Stapleton, BEST, ICU, De, Regional, Christian, CBS, Paramount Locations: Victoria, Dua Lipa, America, American

☆ Opinion | The World Series Didn’t Match the Very Best
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The real world falls far short of a meritocracy, of course. In the wider world, I think, it would be good to squeeze more of the randomness out of who succeeds, getting closer to true meritocracy. The team owners want to expand the playoffs to 14 teams, but the players’ union has resisted. An inferior team can win a playoff series, or even more than one series, if the “game of inches” breaks its way. The Diamondbacks being a case in point, at least until they bombed out in the World Series, losing the best-of-seven competition after five games.

Persons: ” Robert Frank, Fortune, ”, ” Rob Manfred Organizations: Cornell University, Major League Baseball, National League, Diamondbacks, MLB Network Radio

CNN —For the victims of the mass shooting Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, it was an ordinary night out. Even on her night off on Wednesday, Asselin was at Just-in-Time, her brother told CNN. He was one the victims lost in the shooting in Maine,” the organization wrote in a Facebook post Thursday. Arthur “Artie” StroutArthur "Artie" Strout Strout family/WBZArthur “Artie” Strout, 42, was at Schemengees during the shooting, his father, Arthur Bernard, told CNN affiliate WBZ. His death has left his family in “shock and profound grief,” his family member Cecile Francoeur Martin told CNN.

Persons: Robert Card, Michael Sauschuck, Tricia Asselin Tricia Asselin, CNN Tricia Asselin, Asselin, I’m, ” DJ Johnson, ”, Johnson, Stephen “ Steve ” Vozzella Stephen Vozzella, Megan Vozzella Stephen Vozzella, Vozzella, Brian L, Renfroe, “, Governor Baxter, Karen Hopkins, ” Vozzella, NEDC, Steve Vozzella, he’d, Peyton Brewer, Ross Peyton Brewer, Ross, CNN Peyton Brewer, Ralph Brewer, Brewer, cornhole, Schemengees . Brewer, Ross “, Elle, Thomas “ Tommy ” Conrad Tommy Conrad, Timothy Conrad Tommy Conrad, Conrad, Michael Deslauriers, Vicki Deslauriers Roy, Michael Deslauriers II, Michael Deslauriers Sr, Deslauriers, ” Deslauriers, ” Jason Walker Jason Walker, Mike Sauschuck, Bryan MacFarlane Bryan MacFarlane, Keri Brooks Bryan MacFarlane, Keri Brooks, MacFarlane, Brooks, Arthur “ Artie ” Strout Arthur, Artie, Strout, WBZ Arthur, Artie ” Strout, Arthur Bernard, Bernard, Joseph “ Joey ” Walker Joseph Walker, CNN Leroy Walker, Joseph Walker, Walker, Joseph, ” Leroy Walker, it’s, ” Joshua Seal Lewiston, Joshua Seal, Seal, Janet Mills, Nirav Shah, Elizabeth Seal, Joshua, ” Seal’s, ” Keith Macneir Keith Macneir, Maxx Hathaway Maxx Hathaway, Kelsay Hathaway, GoFundMe Maxx Hathaway, ” Kelsay Hathaway, “ Brenda, Maxx, Brenda Hathaway, Lilian, Brenda, ” Kelsay, Courtney Hathaway, she’s, he’s, ” Courtney Hathaway, “ Maxx, Robert “ Bob ” Violette Bob Violette, Violette, CNN Bob Violette, “ Bob’s, Brandon Dubuc, ” Witnesses, Cassandra Violette, Lucille Violette Lucille Violette, Bob Violette, William “ Bill ” Young, Aaron Young, Bill Young, Aaron, Kayla Putnam, CNN Bill Young, Young, Putnam, Bill, “ He’s, ” Putnam, WCVB, “ It’s, Rob, ” Rob, Ronald “ Ron ” Morin, Ron Morin, Ron Morin Ron Morin, Cecile Francoeur Martin, Martin, Morin’s, Morin, ” William Frank Brackett William Frank Brackett, CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, Elizabeth Wolfe, Sara Smart, Afshar, Amanda Jackson, Cara Lynn Clarkson, Aya Elamroussi Organizations: CNN, Public, New, Deaf, National Association of, Carriers, U.S . Postal Service, Governor, Governor Baxter School, Deaf Cornhole, “, Schemengees, WMTW, Facebook, Historical Society, of Public, WBZ, WGME, Tree Society, Maine Gov, Boston Globe, Portland Press Herald, Press Herald, WCVB, Bangor Daily News Locations: Lewiston , Maine, Lisbon Falls, United States, Uvalde , Texas, Lewiston, Maine, Schemengees, Auburn , Maine, “

The main super PAC supporting Senator Tim Scott’s presidential campaign abruptly announced to donors in a memo that it was canceling millions of dollars in television ads it had reserved this fall, writing that Donald J. Trump’s strength was so ingrained among Republican voters that additional advertising would currently make little difference. “We aren’t going to waste our money when the electorate isn’t focused or ready for a Trump alternative,” Rob Collins, a Republican strategist who is a co-chairman of the super PAC, wrote in the blunt memo to donors that was circulated on Monday. The super PAC, called the Trust in Mission PAC, or TIMPAC, has been one of the largest advertisers in the race, spending roughly $5 million in Iowa alone this year. Mr. Scott’s poll numbers have hardly budged, however, and Mr. Trump remains far ahead. In addition to the super PAC, Mr. Scott’s campaign had also spent aggressively on television advertising, spending more than $12.5 million on ads to run through the end of November, the campaign said.

Persons: Tim Scott’s, Donald J, ” Rob Collins, “, Tim, Trump, Scott’s Organizations: Republican, The New York Times, Mission PAC, Mr Locations: Iowa

California is taking some of the world’s biggest energy companies, including Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron, to court, accusing them of concealing the damage caused by fossil fuels on the state for more than half a century. The strategy has echoes of an earlier fight: states’ legal battle against Big Tobacco in the 1990s. It argues that the oil majors should pay fines for burying scientific evidence linking carbon emissions to greenhouse gases. In the 1990s, California and dozens of other states brought cases against the four biggest U.S. tobacco companies. The companies were also compelled to label cigarettes as potentially lethal, to change how and where they marketed them, and to disband the Tobacco Institute, the industry-funded trade group.

Persons: ” Rob Bonta Organizations: Shell, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Big Oil, Big Tobacco, American Petroleum Institute, Prosecutors, Tobacco Institute Locations: California

☆ UK aviation regulator to review air traffic control failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Raphael Satter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Britain's civil aviation regulator said on Wednesday it would undertake an independent review of the circumstances surrounding an air traffic control failure last week that caused widespread disruption to flights and left thousands of passengers stranded. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the review would also consider the response of NATS, the country's air traffic control provider, which has apologised for the failure. Air traffic controllers then closed the system to maintain safety and switched to manual operation to continue service. The CAA, Britain's independent aviation and aerospace regulator, said it had shared analysis this with the government on Monday and outlined its next steps. The regulator said the event was now understood and, if it happened again, should be fixed quickly with no effect to the aviation system.

Persons: Raphael Satter, Rob Bishton, NATS, Mark Harper, Muvija, Farouq Suleiman, William James Our Organizations: REUTERS, Civil Aviation Authority, Interim, CAA, Air, Thomson Locations: London, Stansted, Britain

The new requirement would bring large regional banks more in line with the largest global banks, which already have their own debt requirement. The proposal follows a tumultuous spring for regional banks, which saw three collapse, forcing regulators to backstop deposits to stave off a broader panic. The proposal would mean banks have to raise their long-term debt issuance by roughly 25%, or $70 billion, according to the FDIC. “These banks will have to go into the market issuing capital to meet the capital proposal and then issuing long-term debt to meet the long-term debt proposal," said Matthew Bisanz, a partner at Mayer Brown. The proposed rules were approved by the FDIC at a meeting Tuesday, giving the industry the opportunity to critique the approach.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Martin Gruenberg, Matthew Bisanz, Mayer Brown, Gruenberg, JPMorgan Chase, Ian Katz, ” Rob Nichols, Pete Schroeder, Megan Davies, Philippa Fletcher, Andrea Ricci Organizations: First Republic Bank, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, FDIC, Financial Services Group Inc, Fifth Third Bancorp, Citizens Financial, Silicon Valley Bank, JPMorgan, FDIC's, Insurance Fund, Capital Alpha Partners, Federal Reserve, American Bankers Association, Thomson Locations: Boston , Massachusetts, U.S, Silicon

A resident places wooden boards to protect a house in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Monday. Juan Manuel Barrero Bueno/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesOfficials in St. Petersburg, Florida, are warning residents about storm surge from Hurricane Idalia. “We are preparing as if we could get a direct hit,” Rob Gerdes, administrator for St. Petersburg, during a press conference. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch cautioned his citizens that after Idalia potentially passes over the community, the danger will not be over. And even when it is past us we are still going to see storm surge,” Welch said.

Persons: Juan Manuel Barrero Bueno, Rob Gerdes, Ken Welch, ” Welch, Crews, ” Jeff Baker Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Idalia, St, Petersburg, Duke Energy, Census Locations: St . Petersburg , Florida, Petersburg, Idalia, Tampa, St, St . Petersburg, Midwest

From web-slinging diversions to archaeological excursions, this summer movie season is stacked with releases across a variety of genres. Our writers who seek out the most interesting picks in horror, international, science fiction, action and children’s movies each month scoured the summer calendar to come up with the films that have their attention. Horror“Host,” Rob Savage’s terrifying 2020 found-footage movie about a possessed online séance, will go down as a defining pandemic-inspired horror film. Sophie Thatcher stars as a young woman who battles a home-invading supernatural entity that feeds on the suffering of its victims. Not only is Wilson reprising his role as Josh Lambert, father to a now college-age son, but he’s also making his directing debut.

☆ An estimated $16 billion worth of bets will be placed on the Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —With more states legalizing gambling on sports, Super Bowl LVII will probably be the biggest event for the industry ever. But how will casino and online/mobile sports betting companies stand out in an increasingly crowded field? “We have prepared for this Super Bowl like never before,” Greenblatt said. That’s more than double the number of wagers on last year’s Super Bowl. That’s different from 2021 when customer growth was being rewarded.”That being said, both DraftKings and FanDuel still plan to advertise during this year’s Super Bowl.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, center, with soldiers in what they said was a salt mine in Soledar, Ukraine in this image released on Jan. 11. By contrast, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed that Soledar had fallen to Russian forces or mentioned the Wagner group’s involvement in attempts to take it. Russia has consistently denied the involvement of the Wagner Group in its official military operations. Prigozhin during the funeral of Wagner group fighter near St. Petersburg, on Christmas Eve. To date, the hawks have been far louder than the pragmatists, and a chorus of hard-right bloggers have excoriated Russia’s military performance, while television pundits have called for a tougher approach.

☆ Fact Check-Election graphs published by Mike Lindell do not indicate U.S. voter fraud
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

A series of graphs published by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell on his social media channels and livestreams appearing to show real-time U.S. midterm election updates do not indicate or prove fraud, experts told Reuters. Lindell published four graphs on his Instagram account purporting to show real-time vote counts during the elections. But such ‘spikes’ seen in graphs using unofficial election data do not indicate or provide proof of fraud, with races rarely officially called on election night (here). The four graphs appearing to show real-time midterm election data do not point to fraud or nefarious activity. Visualizing unofficial vote counts in real-time where the incoming data may be non-uniform in distribution can lead to apparent “spikes” in graphs, experts told Reuters.

☆ Tesla Autopilot’s safety questioned after latest fatal motorcycle crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Matt Mcfarland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Driver-assist crash data that automakers like Tesla must report to NHTSA was published Monday and revealed that Autopilot was engaged. A Utah motorcycle rider was killed in July after being struck by a Tesla driver using Autopilot. Utah Department of SafetyA Tesla driver using Autopilot struck a motorcycle lying on a road on July 7 at 4:47 a.m in Riverside, California. Motorcycle safety advocates say they’re concerned that the software fails to see motorcycles and lulls Tesla drivers into a sense of complacency and inattentiveness. Europe’s vehicle safety programs test if driver-assist systems identify motorcycles.

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