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☆ How RFK Kennedy Jr. turned from tragedy and tumult to environmentalism before becoming the face of vaccine skepticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Read previewRobert F. Kennedy's children have spent a lifetime trying to add their marks to their slain father's legacy. The first Kennedy to run for the presidency in decades, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is doing so without the family's well-documented loyalty. Born into privilege in 1954, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was raised between Massachusetts and suburban Virginia estates. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was later a pallbearer at his father's funeral, joined by Astronaut John Glenn and former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was one of the pallbearers in his father's funeral.

Persons: —, Robert, Robert F, Kennedy, Kennedy Jr, McLean, Ethel Kennedy, wasn't, Kathleen, Joseph P ., Hubert Humphery's, Astronaut John Glenn, Robert McNamara, Michael Ochs, Jack Paar, Oprah, Frank M, Johnson Jr, Emily Black, Robert Morgenthau, JFK, Robert Boyle, Mary Richardson, Kerry Kennedy, Boyle, William Wegner, Wegner, Wegener, spasmodic dysphonia, Richardson, Cheryl Hines, Larry David Organizations: Service, Camelot, Business, RFK, Georgetown Preparatory School, Astronaut, Michael Ochs Archives, Georgetown Prep, Millbrook School, Harvard, JFK, RFK Jr, Civil, London School of Economics, University of Virginia Law School, Southern, of, The New York Times, Natural Resources Defense Council, Fishermen's Association, Washington Post, Hudson, Time Magazine, Los Angeles Times, STAT, World Health Defense Fund, Associated Press Locations: Massachusetts, Virginia, Hickory Hill, McLean , Virginia, New York, Charlottesville, Black's, Bloomington , Indiana, Dominican Republic, Manhattan, of New York, South Dakota, York, Hudson, Bedford

☆ Opinion: What ‘Unfrosted’ reveals about my growing unease about Jerry Seinfeld
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Gene | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

I love “Seinfeld.” As for the actual comedian Jerry Seinfeld, however it’s…complicated. In most of his activities outside his eponymous classic sitcom (1989-1998), Seinfeld bemuses more than amuses me. This ambivalence only obliquely affects my opinion of “Unfrosted,” Seinfeld’s recently-released feature-length Netflix comedy. Still, I’ve always had the disquieting sense of Seinfeld somehow always Getting Away With Something when he pulls off this suave, impeccably creased act. Seinfeld isn’t about unsettling his viewers and I’m in no way suggesting he should be.

Persons: Gene Seymour, —, Seinfeld, Jerry, George, Elaine, Kramer, Gene Seymour Jeremy Freeman, “, Jerry Seinfeld, he’s, I’d, ” Seinfeld’s, Barbie ”, ”, Seinfeld’s, Tony, Tiger, Hugh Grant, Thurl Ravenscroft, Andy Daly, Variety’s Owen Gleiberman, Unfrosted ”, Kyle Dunnigan’s Walter Cronkite, Bill Burr’s, Grant, Melissa McCarthy, James Marsden, Amy Schumer, Christian Slater, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Larry David, David, don’t, that’s, I’ve, John Mulaney, snags, ” Seinfeld, he’d Organizations: The New York Times, Newsday, Entertainment, The Washington, CNN, Quaker Oats, Bill Burr’s JFK, Seinfeld, Netflix, Twitter Locations: Israel

☆ Every TV show ending in 2024, from 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' to 'Yellowstone'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Ayomikun Adekaiyero | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

9 TV shows aired their final episodes this year, including "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which premiered in 2000. Meanwhile, long-running shows including "Magnum P.I.," "La Brea," and "Good Trouble" have also come to a premature end. Other series like "Bob Hearts Abishola" and "S.W.A.T" were affected by TV networks' budget cuts. This may have had a ripple effect, with streamers and TV networks canceling or reducing their shows to make up for the losses of the last year. Here's what to know about all the TV series that have been canceled or are scheduled to end this year.

Persons: Young Sheldon, —, Larry David, David, Bob Hearts Organizations: Service, HBO Locations: La Brea

☆ 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' ends with a perfect 'Seinfeld' send-up — here's what happened
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Caralynn Matassa | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The long-running show referenced the polarizing "Seinfeld" series finale in its ending. How did the 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' series finale end? This mirrors the structure of the "Seinfeld" series finale. Related storiesLarry tells Seinfeld that "this is how we should've ended the finale," referencing the widely hated "Seinfeld" finale. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David in the series finale of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Persons: Larry David's, —, David, Larry, Earl Mack, Greg Kinnear, They're, Joe, Saverio Guerra, Irma, Tracey Ullman, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry, Jerry Seinfeld, George, Jason Alexander, Elaine, Julia Louis, Dreyfus, Kramer, Michael Richards, Seinfeld, Larry David, John Johnson, It's, Ken Tucker, who'd, Samuel Beckett, Tucker, Grantland Organizations: Service, HBO, New Yorker Locations: Atlanta, Massachusetts, —

☆ Review: ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Wraps Up in Familiar Fashion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Noel Murray | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After 12 seasons, spread across 25 years, the HBO comedy staple “Curb Your Enthusiasm” ends with an episode that sees Larry David put on trial. Witness after witness testifies to Larry’s lifetime of selfish and antisocial behavior. Then he gets out of jail on a technicality and goes home. Because that’s the only kind of ending that makes sense in “Curb”-world. In fact, even former “Curb Your Enthusiasm” fans who hadn’t watched the show in years — but dropped back in for the finale — probably could have predicted how it was going to end.

Persons: Larry David, hadn’t, David, ”, Larry, Auntie Rae Black Organizations: HBO Locations: Atlanta, Georgia

☆ ‘Curb’ Finale Shows ‘Larry’s Never Learned His Lesson’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Melena Ryzik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With a parade of callbacks and a twist a quarter-century in the making, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the HBO series starring Larry David as a heightened version of himself, ended its 20-plus-year run on Sunday. The final episode, which referenced the polarizing 1998 finale of “Seinfeld,” David’s previous show, was replete with the usual out-of-bounds commentary and cranky fixation on minutiae; David and his co-stars — Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove, Richard Lewis — do not, by creative mandate, change. (“I’m 76 years old, and I have never learned a lesson in my entire life,” David tells a child in the episode, in the opposite of a teachable moment.) In real life, though, the cast are longtime friends, and have weathered much together, including the death of Lewis, who played himself, in February. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

Persons: “, Larry David, “ Seinfeld, ”, David, — Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Smoove, Richard Lewis —, ” David, Lewis, Jeff Schaffer, Essman —, Susie Greene, —, Essman, Schaffer, askew, Latte Larry’s Organizations: HBO Locations: New York, Los Angeles

☆ Why Are People Obsessed With TV Finales ‘Sticking the Landing’?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( James Poniewozik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Larry David is just fine with how “Seinfeld” ended. OK, I can’t read his mind — but “Larry David,” the version of himself he plays on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is cool with that much-maligned finale. But the rest of the viewership is more likely to look at the final episode the way we have become conditioned to view a series finale: as a high-stakes, legacy-defining challenge. There are plenty of clichés in TV criticism, and I am not immune to using them. But “stick the landing” is one that awakens my cantankerous inner Larry David — not just because it is an overused phrase, but because of what it says about art and endings and what matters in both.

Persons: Larry David, “ Seinfeld ”, “, Jerry Seinfeld, ”, Seinfeld, Larry, Larry David —

☆ Larry David Has Always Been the ‘Seinfeld’ Finale’s Biggest Defender
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Maya Salam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Larry David has long defended the “Seinfeld” finale. He’s often been its lone champion as critics, fans and the cast, including Jerry Seinfeld, have continued to lament the conclusion of one of television’s most successful, enduring sitcoms. And, if the signs are to be believed, the final episode may pay homage to the much-maligned “Seinfeld” send-off. A trial included a parade of character witnesses, many of them wronged by the defendants over nine seasons, attesting to their unethical behavior. Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer were found guilty of, as the prosecutor put it, “selfishness, self-absorption, immaturity and greed.”

Persons: Larry David, He’s, Jerry Seinfeld, David —, Seinfeld ”, Seinfeld, Jerry, George, Elaine, Kramer Organizations: HBO, Samaritan Locations: New York City, Massachusetts

☆ Larry David’s Rule Book for How (Not) to Live in Society
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Wesley Morris | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The group raises a glass and toasts your hospitality — well, everybody except you know who. Susie, who is married to Jeff and clearly finds Larry as much of an irritant as you’ve begun to, asks, “You can’t clink, Larry?” Why should he? “Because it’s a custom that people do, which is friendly and nice.” Larry takes a sip of water and asks the most peculiar question: “What is this, tap?” It is. “Surprised you don’t have a filter.” Do you A. serve him your coldest glance and witheringly reply, “You have no filter,” or B. ask him to leave your home? If you’re Marilyn, you do both.

Persons: Marilyn, you’ve, Larry David, Susie, Jeff, Larry, “

☆ Don’t bother Larry David with menial pleasantries. He’s not interested
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Just like the version of himself that he plays on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” there are some things in life that Larry David can’t be bothered with. Wallace recalled a time he sent David a “thank you” text the day after they dined out together, because David had picked up the check. “Everybody’s sending all these next day ‘thank you’ texts. That’s enough.”And, while he’s at it, don’t even think about texting David “Happy New Year.” He probably won’t respond. Another occasion when it’s probably best to leave David alone is on his birthday, because responding to “happy birthday” messages, to the “Seinfeld” co-creator, feels more like “a job.”“I would rather not get the Happy Birthday text because I have to return it.

Persons: Larry David can’t, ” –, It’s, David, Chris Wallace, ”, Wallace, ” David, curt, “, David “ Happy, it’s, Seinfeld ”, ” “, I’d, Larry David unloads, Trump, CNN David, what’s, David isn’t Organizations: CNN, HBO, Max, Warner Bros . Locations: he’s

NEW YORK (AP) — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's orchestration of one of history's largest financial frauds in his quest to dominate the cryptocurrency world deserves a prison sentence of 40 to 50 years, federal prosecutors on Friday told a federal judge. “His life in recent years has been one of unmatched greed and hubris; of ambition and rationalization; and courting risk and gambling repeatedly with other people’s money. And even now Bankman-Fried refuses to admit what he did was wrong,” prosecutors wrote. Bankman-Fried was extradited to the United States in December 2022 from the Bahamas after his companies collapsed a month earlier. “Even following FTX’s bankruptcy and his subsequent arrest, Bankman-Fried shirked responsibility, deflected blame to market events and other individuals, attempted to tamper with witnesses, and lied repeatedly under oath,” prosecutors said, citing his trial testimony.

Persons: — FTX, Sam Bankman, Prosecutors, Tom Brady, Larry David, “, Fried, ”, ” “, Judge Lewis A, Kaplan, Marc Mukasey, “ Sam, ” Mukasey, — Locations: Manhattan, ”, United States, Bahamas, Palo Alto , California

☆ With Richard Lewis, Kvetching Was Charismatic
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Jason Zinoman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There were broadcasters (Howard Cosell) and the occasional talk show host (Joan Rivers), but no Jews leading a cast on prime time. Then in the final year of the decade, that changed, and a glut of anxious men arrived, kvetching, quipping and dating shiksas. For those who know him as the cranky friend of Larry David on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” it may be a surprise that Richard Lewis, who died at 76 this week, cut a seductive figure: clever, cool, darkly morose. (Second place: “Family Ties.”) But Lewis brought a nervy energy that pushed against the saccharine instincts of network sitcoms. He once told David Letterman, “The woman I’m with now insisted on having intercourse only with a raven on her shoulder.”

Persons: Howard Cosell, Joan Rivers, Jackie Mason, Jerry Seinfeld, Rob Morrow, Richard Lewis, ”, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Myers, Lewis bellyached, Larry David, Seinfeld, Lewis, David Letterman, “ Locations: Alaska, Chicago

☆ Jamie Lee Curtis credits Richard Lewis with her sobriety: ‘Rest in laughter’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jamie Lee Curtis sent love to her late friend and former costar, comedian and actor Richard Lewis, who died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Curtis took to Instagram with a series of pictures of herself with Lewis, writing about their time working together on the sitcom “Anything But Love,” which ran for four seasons from 1989 - 1992. “I’ve just read that my friend Richard Lewis has died. He found love with Joyce and that, of course, besides his sobriety, is what mattered most to him. Rest in laughter, Richard.

Persons: Jamie Lee Curtis, Richard Lewis, Curtis, Lewis, “ I’ve, Marty Gold, ”, “, can’t, snort, Richard, ” Curtis, Richard Frank, John Ritter, Joyce, Marty, Hannah !, Larry David, Lewis “ Organizations: CNN, ABC, Disney Locations: Los Angeles

☆ Richard Lewis and Larry David, Best Frenemies Forever
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Maya Salam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If ever a Hollywood friendship was destined to be, it might have been the one between the comics Larry David and Richard Lewis, who died from a heart attack on Tuesday at 76. That would set the tone that would define their friendship — and their onscreen relationship — for the rest of their lives. “I disliked him intensely,” Lewis told The Spectator last year, calling the young David cocky and arrogant. “We became instant best friends,” David said of Lewis during that 2002 interview, at the Paley Center for Media. In 2010, talking with Howard Stern, Lewis said, “When I became a comic, he loved my work, and I loved his work.”

Persons: Larry David, Richard Lewis, —, “, ” Lewis, David, Larry, I’m, ” David, Lewis, Howard Stern, ” Organizations: Paley Center for Media Locations: Brooklyn, York

CNN —Comedian and actor Richard Lewis, whose self-deprecating humor and acerbic wit in shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Anything but Love” entertained audiences for decades, has died, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham. In April of 2023, Richard revealed that he had been living with Parkinson’s disease. ‘Enthusiasm’ for a lasting friendshipArguably best known for his role on “Curb,” Lewis just recently shared that the decision to play himself on the hit series was creator David’s idea. Lewis and David’s relationship extended beyond the screen, having been in each other’s lives since their 20s. Lewis performed stand-up comedy for 50 years until he took his final bow in 2018 at Chicago’s Zanies.

Persons: Richard Lewis, ”, Jeff Abraham, Abraham, “, Richard, Lewis, Johnny Carson ”, Larry David, Jamie Lee Curtis, Prince John, Mel Brooks ’, Robin Hood, ” Richard Lewis, Ethan Miller, Lewis ’, ” “ Richard, ” Lewis, David, David “, Larry, ” Larry David, John P, Johnson, “ Richard, he’s, I’ll, ” Lewis ’, Joyce Lapinsky Organizations: CNN, Software, Bellagio, HBO, Warner Bros, ”, Ohio State University Locations: Los Angeles, Las Vegas , Nevada, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Chicago’s

☆ Richard Lewis Riffing in One of His Last Interviews
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Melena Ryzik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Richard Lewis called me barely a month ago, on Jan. 22, to gush about his friend Susie Essman. “I adore her,” he said, eagerly offering his thoughts for a profile of his co-star on the Larry David series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” “She’s so on the money with her delivery.”Lewis, who announced last year that he had Parkinson’s disease, played himself as David’s friend on the show (as he was in real life). He and Essman, the comedian and actress behind the invective-spewing Susie Greene, the wife of David’s manager, provoked very different reactions from fans, he recalled. “When I’ve been with her in public, they want her to yell things back at them,” he said. “For me, it’s like, ‘You’re going to be all right, Richard.’”He dialed me directly, rather than having a publicist connect us, as is more common, and seemed happy to stay on the phone and crack jokes.

Persons: Richard Lewis, Susie Essman, “, ”, Larry David, ” “, ” Lewis, Susie Greene, I’ve, You’re, Richard, ’ Locations: gush

☆ Larry David says he paid a psychiatrist to write a letter claiming he was 'crazy' to get out of the Army Reserves
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewIn what sounds like a rejected episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David claimed that he faked a mental health episode in an attempt to get discharged from the Army Reserves — and it worked. In a clip shared on YouTube, David recounted to host Conan O'Brien how he joined the Army Reserves when he was young to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War. David, who worked as a "petroleum storage specialist," said he was required to serve on the Army Reserves for six years. Then I went to see the major, and the major was reading the letter and he was talking to me.

Persons: —, Larry David, Conan O'Brien, David, Dustin Hoffman, I Organizations: Service, Army Reserves —, Business, YouTube, Army Reserves, The New York Times, Pentagon Locations: Vietnam

☆ Celebrities are paid a shocking amount for 30-second Super Bowl ads
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Elizabeth Wagmeister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Los Angeles CNN —After Ben Affleck appeared as a Dunkin’ drive-thru worker in a Super Bowl commercial last year, the breakfast chain’s sales exploded. “They sold more donuts the next day than any other day in their history,” an individual close to the Dunkin’ Super Bowl campaign told CNN. Affleck was paid close to $10 million dollars for last year’s Dunkin’ Super Bowl commercial, three sources with knowledge of the partnership told CNN. It’s rare for someone that you think of as a true movie star to be paid less than a million.”Most Super Bowl shoots are usually one to two days, the agent added. Even though we’ve got over 30 celebrities in the Super Bowl this year, we had over 70 offers.

Persons: Ben Affleck, Dunkin, “, Affleck, ” Scott Murphy, Dunkin ’, Affleck’s Dunkin, Matt Damon, Larry David, Sam Bankman, David, Michael Lewis, Jennifer Aniston, ”, David Schwimmer, Uber, Chris Pratt, Pringles, Jason Momoa, Martin Scorsese, Tim Curtis, Peter DeLuca, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, John Travolta, Jennifer Beals, Tina Fey, John Cena, Usher, it’s, we’ve, Curtis, ” Curtis, “ You’ve, —, Aniston, Schwimmer, Jelly Roll, David Beckham Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, Bowl, “, CNN, Boston, Equity, Eastern Congo Initiative, Artists Equity, Super, Hollywood, WME, Mobile, Super Bowl, BMW, CBS Locations: Hollywood, Victoria

So it was surprising that the end of Sunday night’s season premiere of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” — look out, spoilers coming — took pretty, pretty, pretty clear aim at the major voting law Georgia passed in 2021. Larry David, who as the show’s curmudgeonly star is better known for breaking social norms than actual laws, travels to Atlanta in the episode. “Sir, in the navy blazer, put your hands in the air,” an officer says to a confused Mr. David. In another episode, the cantankerous Mr. David realizes that wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat around liberal Los Angeles gets him out of many unwanted meetings and interactions. In an interview with TheWrap, one of the show’s executive producers said that its writing team had decided to somehow incorporate the Georgia law back when it passed two years ago.

Persons: “, Georgia, Larry David, Leon, she’s, Larry, Sir, David, ”, Donald J, Trump, ” Jordan Fuchs, David —, Elmo, David’s, TheWrap, Jeff Schaffer, ’ Organizations: Recreation, Los Angeles Locations: “, Atlanta, Georgia, Fulton

☆ ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Season 12 review: Larry David begins the end of his show for people who hate people
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Mostly, Larry David’s extended swan-song provides a final chance to watch him and his pals carry on like idiots, feeling a little more hit-miss in the execution. Larry David and J.B. Smoove in "Curb Your Enthusiasm." That unique dynamic alone has made “Curb” a fascinating experiment, which has lasted far longer than even David probably could have envisioned. Even with all that creative freedom, given David’s quirks, real and imagined, its longevity is frankly remarkable. “Curb Your Enthusiasm” begins its 12th and final season February 4 at 10 p.m.

Persons: ”, Larry David’s, Larry, “, Jeff, Jeff Garlin, David, Susie, Susie Essman, Leon, J.B, Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Larry’s, Cheryl, Cheryl Hines, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Tracey Ullman, Larry doesn’t, he’s, Larry David, John Johnson, Siri, there’s, “ Seinfeld Organizations: CNN, HBO, Warner Bros .

☆ Glasses Jason Alexander wore in the 'Seinfeld' pilot were from Spike Lee's 'Malcolm X,' costume designer says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It seems Spike Lee's film "Malcolm X" and the sitcom "Seinfeld" share some history. Costume designer Ruth E. Carter used glasses from the film to style Jason Alexander in the sitcom's pilot. AdvertisementTwo-time Academy Award winner Ruth E. Carter revealed that she used a pair of glasses from the set of "Malcolm X" to style Jason Alexander in the "Seinfeld" pilot. The glasses that Ruth E. Carter used in the "Seinfeld" pilot were worn by Denzel Washington in a prion scene in "Malcolm X." Warner Bros."The only glasses that I have are those wired-rimmeds that I brought in that came from 'Malcolm X'," Carter said.

Persons: Malcolm X, Ruth E, Carter, Jason Alexander, —, Spike Lee, wouldn't, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander's, George Constanza, Denzel Washington, Constanza, Alexander Organizations: Service, NBC, Warner Bros

☆ Susie Essman, the Scene-Stealer Who Makes Larry David Lose It
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Melena Ryzik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The comedian Susie Essman spots them regularly, out in the urban wild: fashion doppelgängers. “That’s a total Susie Greene outfit,” she said, spying a woman entering the restaurant in a hooded, salmon-orange jumpsuit crosshatched with mint green slashes. Power clashing is the life force of Susie Greene, the singular character that Essman has inhabited on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” since the HBO series, created by Larry David, began in 2000. As Greene, the much put-upon wife of David’s manager, played by Jeff Garlin, Essman is more than just a fan favorite. She is also the person who, her castmates said, makes David crack up most regularly.

Persons: Susie Essman, “, Susie Greene, ”, she’s, Larry David, Greene, Jeff Garlin, —, wilder, castmates, David Organizations: Cafe Luxembourg, HBO, “

☆ How America’s economy keeps defying expectations when the rest of the world is struggling
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Economists were convinced the last quarter of 2023 had to be the one where economic growth slowed significantly after the prior quarter’s gangbuster 4.9% annualized growth rate. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic output, did slow last quarter to a 3.3% annualized rate. It’s remarkable given economists were expecting 1.5% annualized GDP growth last quarter. But what’s perhaps most remarkable about the US economic growth rate is how much it towers over similarly sized advanced economies. Covid stimulus money is helping Americans avoid cutting back on spending.

Persons: Larry David, that’s, rateaccording, Joseph Gagnon, David Paul Morris, Gagnon, That’s, Alicia Wallace, Hanna Ziady, he’s, I’ve, it’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, Gross, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Federal Reserve, Bloomberg Locations: New York, Singapore, Europe, Ukraine

☆ Is Israel Part of What It Means to Be Jewish?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Marc Tracy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Last month, on the first night of Hanukkah, more than 200 people packed an old ballroom on the third floor of a restored synagogue in Brooklyn. A few came fresh off the subway from a protest in Manhattan that was organized by left-wing Jewish groups calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. They were there to hear from Shaul Magid, 65, whose long, thin white beard and shaved head made him look more like a roadie than a rabbi. A professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth as well as (yes) a rabbi, Mr. Magid was there to spread the message elucidated in a new book, “The Necessity of Exile,” that Jews today outside Israel — 75 percent of whom live in the United States — should embrace diaspora, the state of living outside a homeland, as a permanent and valuable condition. “If there’s a diasporic reality where Jews have been able to live as Jews, flourish as Jews, not to be oppressed and persecuted — whether they choose to be a Satmar Hasid or Larry David, it doesn’t matter — if they’re allowed to live the Judaism they want, why would that be a tragedy?” he said.

Persons: Shaul Magid, Magid, Larry David, they’re, ” Organizations: Jewish Studies, Dartmouth, Israel — Locations: Brooklyn, Manhattan, Israel, United States

NEW YORK (AP) — Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with class-action lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion in damages for his role in promoting cryptocurrency-related “non-fungible tokens,” or NFTs, issued by the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Representatives for Ronaldo and Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, did not immediately return The Associated Press' requests for comment. Ronaldo launched his inaugural NFT “CR7” collection with Binance back in November of last year, ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Most recently, on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) Ronaldo reposted a Binance video and wrote that he was “Cooking something up" with the crypto exchange on Tuesday. Over the summer, Binance was accused of operating as an unregistered securities exchange and violating a slew of U.S. securities laws in a lawsuit from regulators.

Persons: Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo, ”, Binance, “, Ronaldo's, NFTs, Changpeng Zhao, Larry David, Tom Brady —, FTX’s, Al Nassr Organizations: Southern District of, Associated Press, Twitter, FTX, Spanish, Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United, Saudi Arabian Locations: Portuguese, cryptocurrency, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Portugal, Hollywood, England

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