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☆ Terrorist attacks are on the rise in Russia as Putin remains 'distracted' by war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The attacks, which killed around 20 people, raised major questions about whether the Kremlin has the resources to protect its citizens back home while pursuing its war in Ukraine. The attacks also illustrated "the diverse range of militant actors Russia has angered through its domestic and foreign policy actions," he added. North CaucasusRussia's North Caucasus region has a long history of rebellion against Kremlin rule, especially in Chechnya, where Russia battled separatists in two bloody wars — in 1994-1996 and then in 1999-2009. Despite Sunday's incident being the second major terrorist attack in just three months, Russian security services "have not really changed their strategy," Harold Chambers, a political and security analyst specializing in the North Caucasus, told BI. Russia's security services "do not seem to possess the same level of intelligence about threats — or, if they do, they are not acting on it," Youngman added.

Persons: —, Molotov, Lucas Webber, Wilayat Kavkaz, Vladimir Putin, Mark Youngman, Youngman, STRINGER, Webber, Russia's, Harold Chambers, Chambers Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Business, Soufan, Dagestan region's, Center for, Washington DC, Anadolu, Getty, Islamic, Tass, Federal, Crocus City Hall, Islamic State Locations: Russia's, Dagestan, Ukraine, New York, Russia, Northern Caucasus, North Caucasus, Washington, Makhachkala, Derbent, Russian, Rostov, Crocus, Moscow, Tajikistan, Dagestan's, Caucasus, Chechnya, Syria, Iraq, Islamic State, Africa, Iran

CNN —The confrontation in Atlanta between Joe Biden and Donald Trump Thursday night has a good chance of becoming the most fateful presidential debate in US history. The momentous nature of this debate can only be fully understood against the backdrop of the unprecedented politics of the times. But the tension surrounding this year’s first debate in June, rather than in September or October as usual, is palpable. “The closer the election, the greater the chance that a debate could influence it,” said Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan, who has conducted an in-depth study of every presidential debate. Biden has raised the stakes for himself heading into the debate higher than those any modern president faced.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, it’s Biden’s, he’s, Sen, John F, Kennedy, Richard Nixon, John Kerry, George W, Bush, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Douglas Brinkley, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Biden, Trump, —, Al Gore’s, George H.W, ”, Aaron Kall, David, Ohio Sen, J.D, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, He’s, David Biden’s, Ron Klain, ” Biden, Hunter, Bob Bauer, Dana Bash, Jake Tapper, It’s, they’ve, assail Biden, ” Trump, it’s, Terry Szuplat, ” Szuplat, CNN’s Kasie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Massachusetts Gov, University of Michigan, Biden, Ohio, White House, Trump, GOP, Truth Locations: Atlanta, America, New York, Vance, Florida, Maryland

☆ CoolApp: Cambodia’s WhatsApp-like messaging app critics fear could be used for state surveillance
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Cambodian strongman leader Hun Sen has thrown his weight behind a new homegrown messaging app, which critics say is a way for the government to monitor and undermine political discussion in the country. One of the world’s longest-serving leaders, Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia with an iron fist for more than three decades. Though his eldest son, Hun Manet, succeeded him as prime minister last year, Hun Sen remains the ruling party’s center of power. Greater online surveillanceInternet freedom in Cambodia has experienced a drastic regression under Hun Sen’s rule, rights groups say. CNN has reached out to Hun Sen’s office for comment.

Persons: Hun Sen, WhatsApp, ”, Vietnam’s, Hun Manet, Lim Cheavutha, Hun Sen’s, Hun, Mu Sochua, leader’s, China’s, “, Sam Rainsy, ” Sam Rainsy Organizations: CNN, Facebook, US State Department, United Nations, Meta, Reuters, Communist Party, CoolApp Locations: Cambodian, Cambodia, Southeast Asia

☆ Supply chain hotspot Vietnam rolled out the red carpet for Putin, and the US is trying to act cool
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewWanted by the International Criminal Court, Russian President Vladimir Putin still traveled to Vietnam on a two-day visit, where he was warmly welcomed. Russia and Vietnam also have a long history going back to the Soviet era, so his visit is also not surprising. Related storiesWestern allies may rethink "Vietnam's reliability as a strategic partner in the region," Hoang wrote. AdvertisementThis sentimentalism can influence the pragmatism that marked Hanoi's foreign policy for the last two decades, wrote Hoang at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute. It's also a smart political move, as a segment of Vietnamese still holds "a deep fondness for Russia," wrote Hoang.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Vietnam —, Hoang Thi, Yusof, Hoang, Janet Yellen, Yellen, Daniel Kritenbrink, Kritenbrink, It's Organizations: Service, International Criminal Court, Business, ICC, US, Russia, Institute, Regional, Political, State, East Asian, State Department, Soviet Union Locations: Russian, Vietnam, Russia, Soviet, Washington, Ukraine, Australia, Japan, Singapore, ISEAS, China, Hanoi, Moscow, Beijing, Atlanta

☆ ‘Make Europe Great Again’: Hungary unveils new motto for EU presidency, and it sounds a lot like Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Mia Alberti | Vasco Cotovio | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —“Make Europe Great Again” is Hungary’s official motto for its upcoming turn at the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. The country announced the motto and a new logo in a video posted on X on Tuesday. The motto is a near-exact copy of the slogan adopted by former US President Donald Trump, who has previously heaped praise on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The cube features the Hungarian flag on one face and the EU flag on another. In May, Orbán held the third annual American-style CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in Hungary.

Persons: Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, Trump, “, It’s, Orbán, Trump’s, MAGA, Viktor Orban, Marton Monus, Reuters Trump, ” Organizations: CNN, of, European Union, Mar, White House, EU, Reuters Locations: Hungarian, Lago, Florida, Hungary, Budapest, Europe

☆ Trump got the perfect birthday present: complete capitulation by the GOP
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Donald Trump got his 78th birthday present a day early — a handshake from his longtime bitter critic, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, encapsulating the Republican Party’s complete submission to its presumptive presidential nominee. They were provoked by the president.” He said Trump was morally and practically responsible for the assault on his beloved Capitol. “There’s tremendous unity in the Republican Party,” the ex-president said. Vance, was asked how some senior Republicans who had condemned Trump after January 6 could meet and applaud him now. “I think it’s a good thing and the Republican Party is in a good place.”Vance is not wrong.

Persons: Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, encapsulating, Republican Party’s, Mike Pence, Keen, Florida GOP Sen, Marco Rubio, Trump, Texas Sen, Ted Cruz, McConnell, Doug Mills, Elaine Chao, ”, clasped McConnell’s, Nikki Haley, “, Evelyn Hockstein, Ohio Sen J.D, Vance, ” Vance, Utah Sen, Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney, Paul Ryan, Trump’s deportment, Biden, Joe Biden —, —, Donald Trump’s, It’s, Vladimir Putin, we’re, ” Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin, Joe Biden, Antonio Masiello, John Bolton, ” Bolton, Bianna Golodryga, Ronald Reagan, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Republican, Capitol, Republicans, trouncing Democrats, Florida GOP, The New York Times, Kentucky, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republican Party, National Republican Senatorial, Reuters, Former Wyoming, Fox News, Lawmakers, GOP, Domenico, Borgo, Former Trump, Zelensky, CNN International Locations: Florida, Texas, adulation, America, Washington, Utah, Italy, Ukraine, Fasano

☆ Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia: Meet the quiet, bird-loving grandfather taking on strongman Maduro in Venezuela’s election
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But most analysts agree Gonzalez represents the best chance that Venezuela’s political opposition has had to dislodge Maduro from power since 2013. But amnesty for outgoing officials could be on the table, Gonzalez told CNN en Español. “Edmundo is a public servant, he knows there cannot be any revenge [against the government],” Eickhoff told CNN. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Venezuela's new opposition candidate, feeds birds at his home in Caracas on Wednesday, April 24. “It’s time for the big Venezuelan family to come together once more,” he told CNN en Español.

Persons: Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Gonzalez, – Maria Corina Machado, Corina Yoris –, “, ”, Maduro, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Reuters Gonzalez, he’s, CNN En, Juan Guaido, ” Gonzalez, ” Gonzalez’s, Mariana, –, Jesus Vargas, won’t, Sadio Garavini, Tullio, Chavez, “ Edmundo, he’ll, ” Garavini, George Eickhoff, Konrad Adenauer, ” Eickhoff, Machado, Edmundo, Gaby Oraa, Venezuela's, Gonzalez’s Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Maduro, European Union, Reuters, “, Wednesday, Bloomberg, Getty, Real Madrid football Locations: Venezuela, Venezuela’s, Venezuelan, Algeria, Argentina, United States, Barbados, Washington, Caracas, Hague, German, Spain

☆ Narendra Modi’s India
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Alex Travelli | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Despite having led India for a decade, Modi has in some ways kept his country guessing about his vision. On major issues — India’s relationships, its economy, its society and its government — it’s still unclear what sort of country Modi wants India to be. India has spent recent years deepening its relationship with the United States. It has gotten closer to American allies, including Japan and Australia, and ordered high-end American weapons systems — the kind that create dependence down the road. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States tried in vain to persuade India to take a stand against the war.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, — it’s Locations: India, United States, Japan, Australia, China, Beijing, U.S, Russia, Ukraine

☆ CNBC's Inside India newsletter: Modi's loss could be India's gain
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures, at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi, India, June 4, 2024. Adnan Abidi | ReutersThis report is from this week's CNBC's "Inside India" newsletter which brings you timely, insightful news and market commentary on the emerging powerhouse and the big businesses behind its meteoric rise. Far from rewarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party with a supermajority — as polls had predicted — Indians elected 240 BJP lawmakers to India's 543-seat Parliament, which falls short of a simple majority for Modi's party. However, as the largest party, the BJP will form a coalition government thanks to its alliance with smaller parties ahead of the elections. This "radical transformation" is expected to lead to a significantly more efficient economy and help India's currency, according to Sullivan.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Adnan Abidi, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Gavekal, Tom Miller, Udith Sikand, Malcolm Dorson, Aastha Gudwani, who's, India's, Morgan, Ridham Desai, Will, Goldman Sachs, Abhiram Eleswarapu, Eleswarapu, Tanvir Gill, Sri Jegarajah, Sumathi Bala, Seema Mody, Amala Balakrishner, Vinay Dube, could've, James Sullivan, Sullivan Organizations: Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Reuters, CNBC, Global, of America, Gavekal Research, India Active, BNP, CNBC Pro, JPMorgan, U.S . Federal Locations: New Delhi, India, CNBC's

☆ Modi's weaker-than-expected election win raises questions over his economic and political agenda
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he arrives at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi, India, June 4, 2024. he said, adding Modi will likely have an "uneasy relationship" with its coalition partners. Veteran investor David Roche called the election outcome an exercise of "karma," adding that this was Modi's election to lose. The party suffered some of its high-profile losses here, with political BJP heavyweights like Smriti Irani among others, losing their seats. A 'humbling moment'Going into the election, Modi's popularity endured despite India's economic problems such as high youth unemployment, inflation and income inequality.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Adnan Abidi, Modi, Neelanjan Sircar, We've, Sircar, CNBC's, —, David Roche, Roche, Smriti Irani, overreach, he's, Michael Kugelman, Wilson Organizations: Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Centre for Policy Research, Indian National Congress, Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Independent, South Asia Institute Locations: New Delhi, India, INDIA, Uttar Pradesh, Ayodhya, Faizabad, Maharashtra, Rajasthan

☆ Modi is on a mission to assert India's global power. His election setback won't deter him.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewIndia's Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged from Tuesday's election with his air of invincibility damaged. AdvertisementA leader of the global southUnder Modi, India's growth has put it on the path to becoming the world's third-biggest economy by 2027 — and it has become an important and increasingly abrasive global power player. He has sought to balance this by forming ties with US adversary Russia and has clashed with Asia's chief power, China. Advertisement"This election result is unlikely to have much of an impact on India's international security actions," said Rossow. Alexandr Demyanchuk/AFP/Getty ImagesBut there will be serious challenges for Modi in seeking to cement India's new global status.

Persons: —, Narendra Modi, Modi, Richard Rossow, Joe Biden, Dan Kitwood, it'll, Rossow, Modi's, Vladimir Putin, Alexandr Demyanchuk, Vladimir Putin's, Washington, China's Xi Jinping, Putin, Ashley J Organizations: Service, BJP, Business, Modi, UN Security Council, Center for Strategic, International Studies, India, US, UK, Washington Post, Indian, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace Locations: India, Russia, China, New Delhi, Australia, Japan, Canada, Russian, Samarkand, AFP, Vladimir Putin's Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan

☆ Opinion | Trump’s Whining About a Weaponized Justice System Is a Projection
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

That is how we should understand Trump’s ranting in the wake of his 34 felony convictions last week. And as if to underline Biden’s refusal to interfere in Justice Department decisions, the federal prosecution of the president’s son Hunter Biden begins this week. In spinning this fantasy about Biden, Trump is telegraphing that, should he return to the White House, he will try to use the Justice Department in exactly the way he’s pretending it was used against him. In his telling, he never called for Hillary Clinton to be imprisoned, and magnanimously resisted the entreaties of others to punish her. “According to Sessions, the President asked him to reverse his recusal so that Sessions could direct the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute Hillary Clinton,” the Mueller report said.

Persons: Trump, Donald Trump, Biden, ”, Alvin Bragg, Hunter Biden, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, magnanimously, ‘ Lock, Mueller, Jeff Sessions, who’d, Clinton, “, Sessions, John Huber of Utah, Huber Organizations: Department, Biden, White, Justice Department, Fox News, Fox, Sessions, Department of Justice, Clinton Foundation Locations: Manhattan, Russian

☆ Trump removes video referencing ‘unified Reich,’ but his Nazi allusions are long-standing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Donald Trump dabbles in Nazi allusions too often for it to be a coincidence. But the term “Reich,” which means a kind of empire, is also synonymous with the later Third Reich of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany. Some of Trump’s rhetoric suggests an ignorance of history and his own self-obsession. Some of Trump’s rhetoric seems designed to get a rise from his opponents and the media. And as extreme as a second Trump term might be, the Nazi Germany comparison feels extreme.

Persons: Donald Trump dabbles, Reich, Adolf Hitler’s, Trump, Joe Biden, Hitler, Mein, hasn’t, Donald Trump’s, Donald J, Trump Trump, John Kelly, CNN’s Jim Sciutto, Powers, ” Kelly, “, ’, ” Sciutto, Kelly, Steven Cheung, John Bolton, He’s, Biden, ”, Viktor Orbán, Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, Truth, White House, Nazi, Baby Boomers Locations: Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Gestapo, United States, Charlottesville , Virginia, Boston, Nazi Germany, Hungarian, Russian, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Eastern Europe, Nazi, Normandy

☆ Toxic Political Culture Has Even Some Slovaks Calling Country ‘a Black Hole.’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Andrew Higgins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than a quarter century has passed since the United States called Slovakia a “black hole in the center of Europe” — an island of autocratic malaise surrounded by spry new democracies. The insult, leveled in 1997 by Secretary of State Madeline Albright against a country that has since joined NATO and the European Union, still stings. “We are back in a black hole; I’m not sure we ever got out of it,” said Roman Kvasnica, a prominent Slovak lawyer who denounces a political culture in which threats and personal insults are routine. In his own legal work he has faced numerous threats, including a warning that he would get a “bullet in the head” from a tycoon charged with ordering the 2018 murder of an investigative journalist digging into government corruption. Mr. Havel served as the first president of post-communist Czechoslovakia, the state that in 1993 split amicably into the Czech Republic and the Republic of Slovakia.

Persons: spry, Madeline Albright, Robert Fico, Albright, ”, Roman Kvasnica, Vaclav Havel, Havel Organizations: NATO, European Union, Central, Mr Locations: United States, Slovakia, Europe, Central European, Slovak, Czechoslovakia, Czech Republic, Republic of Slovakia

☆ Tsai Ing-wen: the leader who put Taiwan on the map and stood up to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Wayne Chang | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

While supporters applaud Tsai for standing up to China, defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, freedom and democracy, critics blame her for straining ties with Beijing, stoking cross-strait tensions. Beijing, which deems the tacit agreement a precondition for dialogue, has cut official contact with Taipei since Tsai took office. Taiwan President Tsai inspects reservists at a training session at a military base in Taoyuan on May 11, 2023. But under Tsai, Taiwan has sought to enhance its asymmetric defense capabilities, developing and procuring cheaper and more mobile weapon systems that could be instrumental in halting a potential Chinese invasion. Taiwanese military experts have increasingly advocated for such an approach, noting that Taiwan can never match China in military might and assets.

Persons: Taipei CNN — Tsai Ing, introvert, ” Tsai, Xi Jinping, Xi, Tsai, stoking, Taiwan’s, Lai Ching, ”, Alex Chan Tsz Yuk, Wellington Koo, “, Vanessa Hope, Ma Ying, Taiwan's, Jose Lopes Amaral, Wen, Amanda Hsiao, Nancy Pelosi, Chien Chih, Nancy Pelosi’s, Huang, Jameson Wu, ” Sung, ” Hsiao, “ Tsai, Sawayasu Tsuji, Sung, ” Tsai’s, –, Lai Organizations: Taipei CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Kuomintang, KMT, World Health Organization, WHO, Atlantic, Trump, Biden, International Crisis, US, Getty, World Health Assembly, National Chengchi University, Getty Images, Taiwan’s Military Academy, ” Tsai’s DPP Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, China, United States, Beijing, Tsai, Asia, Wellington, Ukraine, Gaza, Japan, Czech Republic, Republic of China, Taoyuan, AFP, Washington, Hong Kong

☆ Modi's strongman rule raises questions about India's 'democratic decline' as he seeks a third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, center, during a campaign rally in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Photographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA decade into power, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to secure a rare third term, with the general elections now underway. Opposition 'witch hunt'Ahead of the elections, India's main opposition — the National Congress party — accused the Modi government of freezing its bank accounts. "This is a criminal action on the Congress party done by the prime minister and the home minister," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a fiery attack. "During Manmohan Singh's time, India was also growing very fast," he added, referring to the economic reforms under the former prime minister in the 1990s.

Persons: Narendra Modi, India's, Modi, Prakash Singh, Asim Ali, Ali, Milan, Modi's, —, Rahul Gandhi, Chietigj Bajpaee, Arvind Kejriwal, consecrating, Ronojoy Sen, Neelanjan Sircar, Manmohan Singh's, Sircar Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, India's, East, CNBC, Dem, Freedom House, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Newsweek, Bharatiya Janata Party, National Congress, South Asia, Chatham House, Aam Aadmi Party, Modi's BJP, BJP, Institute of South Asian Studies, Centre for Policy Research Locations: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, East Asia, New Delhi, Sweden, U.S, Milan Vaishnav, South Asia, Gujarat, Ali, Delhi, Lok, Ayodhya, Ayodhya —, BJP

☆ Why Johnson’s appearance at Manhattan courthouse stands out among Republicans backing up Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —House Speaker Mike Johnson is not waiting for ex-President Donald Trump to be judged by a jury of his peers. Vance, a possible VP contender, was there along with Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a famed former college football coach. The speaker’s appearance is different, given the constitutional heft of his office and the figurative connotations it evokes. Some experts have questioned whether any other defendant besides Trump would face the same indictment at the hands of a prosecutor, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat. Trump is exercising his right to mount a defense and is considered innocent until proven guilty.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, He’s, Trump, Johnson, Michael Cohen, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance, Alabama Sen, Tommy Tuberville, Doug Burgum, ”, he’s, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Cohen, Trump’s, –, ” Johnson, Attorney Alvin Bragg, “ Organizations: CNN —, Republican, Louisiana Republican, Trump, ”, Ohio, Alabama, North Dakota Gov, GOP, Attorney, Democrat Locations: Louisiana, New York, Manhattan

☆ Tension with Israel represents only one of Biden’s immense election challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

New York prosecutors claim he falsified business records to hide a payment to Stormy Daniels in an early act of election interference in 2016. Trump’s base voters have no problems either with his criminal trials or his false claims that he was cheated out of office. Israel may be far from the biggest worry for Trump’s campaignPolls consistently show that voters care most about the economy. And voters who say the economy is very important to their vote backed Trump over Biden 62% to 30%. It’s not clear that heated Republicans attacks on Biden over Israel Thursday will seriously wound him with his own voters.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump –, pollsters, Trump, Stormy Daniels, He’s, Biden outpolls, Trump’s, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Burnett, ”, ” Biden, ’, George H.W, Bush, ” Bush, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Israel —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Republican Sen, Thom Tillis, GOP Sen, Josh Hawley Organizations: CNN, New, Republican, Biden, Federal, Capitol, Arab American, Hamas, Israel, Israel Thursday, GOP, Capitol Hill, Democratic Locations: Wisconsin, East, Ukraine, Gaza, America, Manhattan, New York, it’s, Israel, United States, Arkansas, Scranton, Gazan, Rafah, Michigan, Missouri

☆ Opinion | Israel Shutters One of Its Few Links to the Arab World
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Israeli government’s decision to kick Al Jazeera out of Israel says more about the government than the TV network. The Arabic programming on Al Jazeera may often be tendentious and anti-Israeli, but shutting it down further erodes Israel’s proud image as a democracy in a neighborhood populated largely by authoritarian or hereditary rulers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel accused Al Jazeera of being a security threat by serving as a megaphone for Hamas. Founded in 1996, Al Jazeera is the most popular source of news for much of the Arab world. From a purely tactical point of view, having an Al Jazeera bureau in Israel gave Israelis a better shot at getting their message to the Arab world than shutting it down.

Persons: Al Jazeera, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Hamza al, Al, Wael al Organizations: Al, Gulf States, Israel Locations: Israel, Al, Egypt, Gulf, Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Gaza, Al Jazeera

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin to be sworn in for the fifth time ahead of government reshuffle; West boycotts inauguration
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and Presidential Regiment's officers seen during an awards ceremony at the Grand Kremlin Palace on June 12, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. Vladimir Putin is set to be sworn in as Russia's president for the fifth time in his political career. Putin's allies heaped praise on the strongman leader ahead of the inauguration ceremony in the Kremlin on Tuesday, saying society is consolidated around the president, who first took office 24 years ago. The Russian government will resign after the ceremony and a reshuffle will take place in the next few days and weeks. Western nations are boycotting the ceremony in light of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, with the U.S. and U.K. among those refusing to send diplomats to the inauguration.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin's, — Organizations: Presidential, U.S Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Biden’s antisemitism speech leaves no doubt he’s standing by Israel despite tension with Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The political rawness of the moment, as Israel pounds Gaza and outrage rocks American college campuses, means President Joe Biden’s big speech Tuesday condemning antisemitism is most notable for what he left unsaid. The speech was closely watched given the turmoil in the Middle East and its stunning political reaction in the US. “My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad. While praising the right to free speech as a fundamental American value, he condemned reported instances when some Jewish students have faced antisemitic taunting. Understanding history and preventing it from being manipulated for political gain was a major focus of Biden’s speech, which was delivered on the 79th anniversary of VE Day, when the allies defeated Nazism in World War II.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, movingly, you’re, ” Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Joe ”, We’re, Biden’s, Donald Trump, Trump, Stormy Daniels, “, ” Johnson, Netanyahu, —, Mike Johnson, ’ Organizations: CNN, Jewish, Hamas, Holocaust Memorial, Capitol, Arab, Israel, Gaza Health Ministry, Democratic, Trump, Republicans, Republican, Louisiana Republican, White, GOP, Nazism Locations: Israel, Gaza, Nazi, Rafah, Michigan, Manhattan, Nazi Germany, United States, Louisiana, Charlottesville , Virginia, Gestapo

☆ Vladimir Putin once made Italy's prime minister throw up by shooting a deer, carving out its heart, and offering it to the man raw: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Berlusconi, Cicchitto said, was accompanying Putin on a hunting trip in the Russian countryside when Putin spotted a pair of deer. After shooting the deers, Putin told Berlusconi he would prepare an extraordinary meal with it, per Cicchitto's recount. According to Cicchitto, Putin proceeded to cut open one of the deer's body with a hunting knife. Berlusconi might have balked at Putin's culinary offering, but the former Italian prime minister shared a close relationship with Putin. In fact, eating a deer's heart is probably not that strange once you consider what else Putin has done with animals, per prior accounts.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Silvio Berlusconi, Fabrizio Cicchitto, della Sera, Berlusconi, Cicchitto, Putin, Silvio, Putin's machismo, he's, didn't Organizations: Service, Forza Italia, della, Business, BI Locations: Italian, Russia, Russian, Cicchitto, Ukraine

☆ The ‘Star Wars’ timeline is confusing. Here’s when ‘The Acolyte,’ ‘Ahsoka’ and more take place
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Worry not, padawans: CNN has laid out a comprehensive timeline of the “Star Wars” canon so you can follow all of the franchise’s time-jumps without getting lost in space. These details are pulled from the official “Star Wars” resources “Ultimate Star Wars” and “Star Wars Character Encyclopedia,” as well as a chart of the eras explored throughout the franchise. ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (animated series)Ahsoka is Anakin's padawan in "The Clone Wars," and he lovingly calls her "Snips." ‘Star Wars Rebels’Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios and Sabine Wren take on the Empire in "Star Wars Rebels." ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’Heroes attempt to find the plans to blow up the Death Star in "Rogue One."

Persons: we’ve, Rey Skywalker, Jin, Anakin Skywalker, Wan, Anakin, who’s, Anakin’s, Darth Maul, Palpatine, Darth Sidious, Obi, “, Padmé, ”, Count Dooku, Warner, Ahsoka Tano, Sidious, Darth Vader, Luke, Leia, Vader, ‘, Han, Chewie, Jonathan Olley, scoundrel Han, Thrillist, frenemy, Lando Calrissian, ‘ Obi, Kanan Jarrus, Zeb Orrelios, Sabine Wren, ‘ Andor, Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso, Jyn, ’ Luke, —, Yoda, batty, Lando, Yikes, Jabba, redeems, VI, VII, Grogu, Mando, Boba Fett, Jango Fett, flitted, Boba, Din, ” It’s, Ahsoka, Jabba the, Suzanne Tenner, Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Thrawn, Rey, Kylo Ren, ” Rey, stormtrooper Finn, Kylo, ’ Finn, Phasma, Ren, Snoke, MacGuffin, Poe, Emperor Palpatine, she’s, Jude, Kerry Condon, Lee Jung, jae, Amandla, Leslye Headland, James Mangold, Indiana Jones, Dave Filoni, Daisy Ridley Organizations: CNN, “, “ Star, Lucasfilm, Everett, Lucasfilm Ltd, USA, ‘, Warner Bros, Fox, Empire, Tech, Disney, Walt Disney Studios, ‘ Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars Rebels, AV, Pictures, Rebel, Rebels, Galaxy, imperials, Rotten, “ Star Wars Rebels, Force, Rey, C3PO, Jude Law, Variety Locations: Yavin, “, Republic, Hunter, Luke’s, ”, USA, carbonite, New Republic, Endor

☆ Joseph Stiglitz on why America's appetite for Trump endures
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

If Trump is elected again, Stiglitz said, he could well pull support for Ukraine, sending grain prices soaring. For Stiglitz, the 2001 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, America's appetite for Trump can be traced back a little more than four decades ago to the election of Ronald Reagan. "We've had 40 years of a neoliberal experiment: Strip away the regulations and lower the taxes — taxes are much lower than they used to be. But Komlos and Stiglitz don't place blame solely on Reagan for the growing economic inequality. Every European country that's had a wealth tax has walked away from it, by and large."

Persons: Donald Trump, Joseph Stiglitz, Trump, Stiglitz, Joe Biden, Ronald Reagan, —, that's, Reagan, We've, Dina Litovsky, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, That's, Stiglitz doesn't, John Komlos, Komlos, Joe, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Barack Obama, insurrectionists, Desmond Lachman, Carter, Douglas Holtz, Eakin, George W, John McCain's, Holtz, America Stiglitz, Hayek, Friedman, Claudia Sahm, you've, what's Organizations: Columbia Business School, Business, Capitol, Biden, Trump, :, Good Society, America's, Federal Reserve, Budget, Bank, University of Munich, Duke University, University of North, Democratic, North American Free Trade, World Trade Organization, American Enterprise Institute, Bush's, Economic Advisers Locations: Manhattan, Ukraine, Russia, China, Beijing, Taiwan, University of North Carolina, Spain, America

☆ Trump gives his strongman’s ambitions free rein on a day off from court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Donald Trump used his day off from a criminal trial related to a past election to cast a dark, familiar shadow over the next one. Trump cut an unrecognizable figure from the grim ex-president who bleats a daily dirge of complaints about his hush money trial outside Judge Juan Merchan’s court. On specific issues, surveys show Trump leading Biden on most issues including the economy, immigration, and the Israel-Hamas war. “A chilling glimpse into Trump’s second term plansSix months before the election, Trump’s searing campaign rhetoric is becoming less an exercise in performative demagoguery than a blueprint for a potential second term. In the Time interview, Trump comes across as confident and determined to learn the lessons of his first term in which he claims he was let down by “bad” officials.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, ”, Trump, bleats, Juan Merchan’s, ” Trump, he’s, Merchan, Joe Biden’s, Biden, Kamala Harris, Roe, Wade, David Axelrod, Barack Obama, Axelrod, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “, Trump’s, doesn’t, he’d, It’s, Eric Cortellessa, ” He’s, quagmire, it’s Organizations: CNN, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Capitol, shudder, White, Democratic Party, “, Columbia University, Trump, National Guard, Guard, Republican, ’, ” Locations: Wisconsin, Michigan, Manhattan, America, crackdowns, “, “ New York, North Carolina, Israel, Florida, Freeland , Michigan, Washington, China

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