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☆ Trump’s former top strategist pushes the 2024 election as a ‘victory or death!’ war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“Is this a political war to the knife?”I was not familiar with that term – “war to the knife” – but Bannon also recently used it in an interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Ousted from White House role in 2017Bannon’s tenure in Trump’s White House was relatively short; he was fired in August 2017, part of a major reorganization under then-chief of staff John Kelly, who was brought in to control a chaotic atmosphere. As chief strategist at the White House, Bannon was known for large whiteboards full of lists of priorities – things that still ring true in the priorities he outlined over the weekend. Courts, Congress and mismanagement kept Bannon and Trump from achieving many of these goals in Trump’s first term. Anticipating the potential for a second Trump term, there are any number of supporters who are mapping out how to make the most of it.

Persons: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s, Bannon, ”, Tucker Carlson, “, Trump, Read, Kristen Holmes, Alayna Treene, John Kelly, Kelly, Trump’s, ” Bannon, Joe Biden’s, General Merrick Garland, Gestapo … there’s, MAGA, Peter Bergen, Bergen, Trump ” –, Roger Stone, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Alex Jones Organizations: CNN, FBI, Fox News, Sovereign, of Congress, Democrats, White, Trump’s, Trump –, Trump, of Justice, DOJ, Gestapo, Federal Reserve, Heritage Foundation, State Department, Heritage Locations: Detroit, Kansas, Atchison, White, Ukraine, Trump’s, State

☆ Trump's ex-national security advisor wants to restart US nuke testing. Nuclear experts warn that's not a good idea.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewDonald Trump's former White House national security advisor is arguing that a second term in office should involve restarting US nuclear testing for the first time in over 30 years. No one wins a nuclear arms race, he said. Kimball called out the difference between O'Brien's argument for the resumption of nuclear testing with the Biden administration's current policy, which remains dedicated to the status quo. "Resuming nuclear testing would reduce US technical superiority over Russia and China because they would immediately follow and have much more to learn," he said. O'Brien's push for resumed testing shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, That's, Robert O'Brien, Trump, O'Brien, Jon B, Obama, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Brendan Smialowski, Wolfsthal, Daryl Kimball, Strangelove, Kimball, Biden, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, We've, Maxim Zmeyev, Jeffrey Lewis, Hans Kristensen, John Bolton Organizations: Service, White House, Business, Foreign Affairs, United, Russian, Getty, US, Arms Control, Joe Biden's National, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Federation of American, US State Department Locations: Russia, China, United States, Washington, US, AFP, PRC, People's Republic of China, Moscow, Monterey

☆ Path Is Cleared for One of the Largest U.S. Arms Sales to Israel in Years
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Robert Jimison | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Mr. Meeks said that the sale would take years to deliver and that he supported the Biden administration’s plans to hold up the sale of other munitions. The department declined to comment on the arms orders, including on whether it would soon give that formal notification. Congressional sign-off on arms sales has almost always been a foregone conclusion when it comes to Israel. “I don’t want the kinds of weapons that Israel has to be utilized, to have more death,” Mr. Meeks said in an interview with CNN in April. Both of the top Republicans on those panels, Senator Jim Risch of Idaho and Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, immediately approved.

Persons: Gregory W, Meeks, Mr, Benjamin L, Cardin, Haiyun Jiang, Biden, ” Mr, “, ”, Jim Risch of, Michael McCaul of, Edward Wong Organizations: Biden, Democratic holdouts, Foreign Affairs Committee, White House, National Security Council, Democrat, Foreign Relations, Republicans, The New York, State Department, Hamas, CNN, The State Department, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senate Armed Services Committee Locations: Israel, New York, Gaza, Maryland, United States, Jim Risch of Idaho, Michael McCaul of Texas

☆ Russia Sets Date for Start of Evan Gershkovich’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Ivan Nechepurenko | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A court in Russia said on Monday that the espionage trial of the imprisoned American journalist Evan Gershkovich would start next week and that the proceedings would be held behind closed doors. After spending more than a year in a high-security prison in Moscow, Mr. Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, is likely to be transferred back to Yekaterinburg to stand trial. Mr. Gershkovich, who had worked in Russia as a journalist for various publications for more than five years before his arrest, his employer and the U.S. government have denied the charges against him. The State Department has designated Mr. Gershkovich as “wrongfully detained,” which effectively compels it to work for his safe release. The announcement of a trial date represents a significant step in Mr. Gershkovich’s legal case, which has been continuing in parallel with talks between Russian and American security services for a possible exchange.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich Organizations: Wall Street, U.S, State Department Locations: Russia, American, Russian, Yekaterinburg, Moscow

☆ US designates Nordic neo-Nazi group as terrorists
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The US State Department on Friday designated a Nordic neo-Nazi group and three of its top officials as terrorists. It’s the second time in history that the US has designated a foreign White supremacist organization and its leaders as terrorists. The department designated the Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) and three of its top officials – Tor Fredrik Vejdeland, Pär Öberg, and Leif Robert Eklund – as Specially Designated Global Terrorists on Friday, according to a statement from spokesperson Matthew Miller. The Trump administration in 2020 designated the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) and its leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. NRM is a transnational neo-Nazi organization founded in Sweden in 1997, with branches in Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland, according to the State Department.

Persons: – Tor Fredrik Vejdeland, Pär Öberg, Leif Robert Eklund –, Matthew Miller, Biden, Trump, ” Miller, “, ”, Harris Administration’s, —, Ian Moss, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, US State Department, Nazi, White, Nordic Resistance Movement, Terrorists, Russian Imperial Movement, State Department, United, US Intelligence Community, Biden, Department, Bureau, Counterterrorism Locations: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, United States, Europe, South America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, U.S

☆ Ukraine's Azov Brigade, a unit with a controversial past, can now use American weapons to fight the Russians
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThe US State Department announced Monday that it has lifted a ban on the Azov Brigade, a former Ukrainian militia group with an ultranationalist history, allowing the current National Guard unit to receive American weapon shipments and training. A State Department spokesperson told BBC on Tuesday that following a vetting of the brigade, there was "no evidence of gross violations of human rights." Related storiesNow known as the Azov Brigade, the unit became part of the Ukrainian National Guard in 2015. AdvertisementThe State Department has dismissed the congressional ban and said the Azov Brigade "passed Leahy vetting," referring to Leahy Law, which prevents the US from supporting foreign entities that have committed major human rights violations. The Azov Brigade has claimed that it has evolved from its problematic past and that its leadership has changed since its inception.

Persons: —, Leahy, Dmytro Kozatski, Ruslan Muzychuk, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, US State Department, Azov Brigade, National Guard, State Department, BBC, Business, Azov Battalion, Ukrainian National Guard, Department, Leahy Law, Azov Special Forces Regiment, Ukrainian National Guard Press, Washington Post Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Mariupol, United States

☆ U.S. widens sanctions on Russia to discourage countries such as China from doing business with Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wednesday's package targeted Chinese companies which help Russia pursue its war in Ukraine and raised the stakes for foreign financial institutions which work with sanctioned Russian entities. Sanctions against Russia, he said, are therefore a "dynamic affair." Wednesday's package targets more than $100 million in trade between Russia and suppliers for its war. More than 300 new sanctions are largely aimed at deterring individuals and companies in countries including China, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey from helping Moscow circumvent Western blocks on obtaining key technology. They also threaten foreign financial institutions with sanctions if they do business with almost any sanctioned Russian entity, underscoring the U.S. view that the Kremlin has pivoted the Russian economy on to a war footing.

Persons: Putin, Aaron Forsberg Organizations: Russia Wednesday, State, Economic, Associated Press, Russia, United Arab Locations: States, Italy, Ukraine, Russia, U.S, Moscow, China, United Arab Emirates, Turkey

☆ Children of ISIS fighters coming of age in detention ask what they’re being punished for
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Brent Swails | Clarissa Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Northeastern Syria CNN —He had had visitors just once before, years ago when he first arrived in prison at 14. According to Amnesty, the estimated 30,000 children currently held in at least 27 detention facilities and two detention camps – Al-Hol and Al-Roj – in northeastern Syria represent the highest concentration of children arbitrarily detained and deprived of their freedom anywhere in the world. CNN was granted extremely rare access inside detention camps and facilities for suspected ISIS fighters and their family members, including Panorama prison. ‘A breeding ground for the next generation of ISIS’At Al-Hol, a sprawling detention camp of faded tents, rusted barbed wire and wind-swept earth, the scale of the problem reveals itself. Hoda Muthana holds hands with her 7-year-old son at the Al-Roj detention camp in northeastern Syria.

Persons: Northeastern Syria CNN —, Stefan Uterloo, Uterloo, ” Uterloo, It’s, We’ve, ”, Roj, Mazloum Abdi, ” Mazloum, Erik Kurilla, Mike Pratt, Hol, Ní, Ní Aoláin, “, you’ve, it’s, Shamil Chakar, doesn’t, ” Shamil, ‘, Brandy Salman, Hoda, She’s, Muthana, Trump, Hoda Muthana, Christina Jump, Scott McWhinnie, Oscar Featherstone, Augusta Anthony , Lou Robinson, Sarah Tilotta, Eliza Mackintosh, Laura Smith Organizations: Northeastern, Northeastern Syria CNN, American, CNN, ISIS, Syrian Democratic Forces, Panorama, Amnesty, United Nations, SDF, UN, US military’s, Command, US, Boys, Twitter, State Department Locations: Northeastern Syria, United States, Suriname, Dutch, South America, Syria, Kurdish, Iraq, Hol, Al, Panorama, Baghouz, Cologne, Germany, Minnesota, American, Alabama, US

☆ Fact check: Trump falsely claims Iran didn’t fund terror groups when he was president
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They weren’t funding Hamas, and they weren’t funding anything. They weren’t funding Hezbollah,” Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said in a May interview with right-wing host Dan Bongino. Trump’s own administration said in 2020 that Iran was continuing to fund terror groups including Hezbollah. Trump could have fairly said that his sanctions on Iran had made life more difficult for terror groups (though it’s unclear how much their operations were affected). “Iran has never ceased funding many of its core proxy groups” such as Hezbollah, said Phillip Smyth, who studies Iran’s proxies.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Dan Bongino, Phil McGraw, Phil, Trump, Pompeo, Trump’s, Mike Pompeo, ” Pompeo, “ We’re, “, ”, Ali Vaez, Hanin Ghaddar, Colin Clarke, Phillip Smyth, Brian Hook, ” Hook Organizations: Washington CNN, Hamas, CNN, Hezbollah, State, Trump, Crisis, The Washington Institute for Near, Washington Post, ” Reuters, The, The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qods Force Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Hamas, Palestinian, Israel, “, Tehran, Syria, Iraq, The Stockholm, Bahrain, Yemen, Qaeda, Europe, Africa, Asia

☆ You Lost Your Passport. Now What?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Seth Kugel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

While just about every other document is accessible online, a lost passport is one of the last analog emergencies that can derail an international trip. Here’s a guide to replacing a lost passport according to how fast you need it, how much money you have to spare and where you live. If you’ve got at least three weeksYou’ll be OK. On the State Department website, at travel.state.gov/passports, first report your passport lost and then follow the process for a replacement. On the website, you’ll find a list of 7,500 passport acceptance facilities — including post offices, public libraries and clerk of court offices — where you can make an appointment or, in most cases, come during scheduled walk-in hours. They’ll verify your documents and send them to the State Department, and you’ll get your passport in the mail.

Persons: you’ve, you’ll Organizations: State Department Locations: Here’s, —

☆ 4 instructors from Iowa’s Cornell College injured in ‘serious incident’ in China, school says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Sarah Dewberry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Four instructors from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, were injured in a “serious incident” while visiting a park in China on Monday, according to a statement from the school. The instructors were in China teaching as part of a partnership with a local university and had been accompanied to the public park by a faculty member of that partner institution, Cornell College President Jonathan Brand said in a statement to the college community. Brand did not name the partner institution in his statement, but school spokesperson Jen Visser confirmed the incident happened in Jilin City. The campus of Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa Courtesy Cornell CollegeNo students were participating in the program, according to the school. Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson, who represents the district where the college is located, said in a post on X that the four college employees “were brutally stabbed.”“My team has been in communication with Cornell College and will do everything in our power to bring these Iowans home safely,” Hinson said.

Persons: Jonathan Brand, ” Brand, Brand, Jen Visser, Ashley Hinson, “, ” “, ” Hinson, Kim Reynolds, ” Organizations: CNN, Cornell College, Cornell, Iowa, US State Department, Iowa Gov Locations: Mount Vernon , Iowa, China, Jilin City

☆ US officials who resigned over Biden’s Gaza policy are working together to put pressure on admin
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —A group of US officials who publicly resigned over the Biden administration’s Gaza policy are banding together to support ongoing dissent and put pressure on the government to change course. Many of the officials who resigned publicly said they would instead seek to have an impact outside the government. Some of those who publicly resigned had particular breaking points; others said it was the collective toll of incidents throughout the conflict. Biden administration officials have said that they respect differences of opinions. Many officials told CNN they spoke with other officials who had resigned publicly to seek advice before going public with their own resignations.

Persons: Joe Biden, Josh Paul, Harrison Mann, Tariq Habash, Annelle Sheline, Hala Rharrit, Lily Greenberg, Alex Smith, Stacy Gilbert –, Josh Paul CNN “, ”, Paul, …, ” Mann, Gilbert, “, Israel, Stacey Gilbert, Stacey Gilbert “, ” Gilbert, Biden, Matthew Miller, Samantha Power, ‘, Smith, Mann, ” Smith, Alex Smith CNN, Greenberg, ” Lily Greenberg, didn’t, ” “, ” Greenberg Organizations: CNN, Biden, Israel, State Department, ”, US Agency for International Development, USAID, NPR, Interior Department, Army, Defense Intelligence Agency Locations: Gaza, Israel, –, United States

☆ Young job seekers are finding it tougher to find employment, despite a bustling labor market: 'It was brutal'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Larock's experience comes at a time when, at least on the surface, the jobs market has continued to glide along. But worries are growing that the labor market is beginning to show cracks. Welcome to the good news-bad news labor market, where the collective experience is positive but not as much for individuals in particular groups. "But the bad news is that new entrants to the labor market are faring less well," Peng added. While Peng characterized the jobs market as "strong overall," she said there are "soft soft spots" that are particularly hitting "new entrants to the workforce."

Persons: Samantha McCloud, Victoria Garcia, Jessel Rincon, Irfan Khan, Julianna Larock, Larock, Jacqueline Novogratz, Michael Novogratz, Julianna LaRock, nonfarm, It's, Goldman Sachs, Elsie Peng, Peng, Molly Huang, it's, Huang, David Pakula, Cory Stahle, Joanie Bily, Bily, grads, Ethan Mariano, Mariano Organizations: Temple City High School, Los Angeles Times, Investment Partners, University of Delaware, Fordham, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Goldman, Penn State University, Vanguard, Gettysburg College, American University, State Department Locations: Temple City , CA, Wilmington , Delaware, New York City, New York, Horsham , Pennsylvania, U.S, Washington ,, Hazleton , Pennsylvania

☆ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Cambodia as US concerns grow over China’s influence
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Phnom Penh, Cambodia CNN —US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to Cambodia on Tuesday to meet with the country’s prime minister and defense minister, as Washington becomes increasingly concerned that Phnom Penh may grant China’s military exclusive access to a key naval base. Austin’s trip to the Cambodian capital marks his second visit to the Southeast Asian country as Secretary of Defense but is the first time a United States defense chief has traveled to Cambodia specifically to hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Defense Minister Tea Seiha. The outreach reflects the US’ desire to forge a better relationship with Cambodia, defense officials said, particularly as Beijing’s influence over the country has only continued to grow in recent years. “There are no doubts about where our concerns are,” a Pentagon spokesperson said following Austin’s meetings, when asked about Ream. In a meeting with China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun last week, their first face-to-face, Austin said the US wants to keep military-to-military channels open with the Chinese to avoid misunderstandings and escalation.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Tea, “, ”, Hun Manet, Hun Sen’s, ” Austin, Biden, Austin, Hun Sen, Dong Jun, Dong, Beijing “ Organizations: Cambodia CNN, Defense, United, Cambodian, Ream, Base, South China, Pentagon, State Department, US Military Academy, West, United Nations Peacekeeping, China’s Defense, CNN Locations: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Washington, United States, Thailand, China, South China, ” Beijing, South, Taiwan, Beijing, Ream, Asia, Singapore

☆ Fake Tom Cruise documentary is part of a Russian influence campaign aimed at Paris Olympics, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | Donie O'Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The IOC has placed restrictions on Russian athletes’ participation in the Paris Olympics because of Russia’s war on Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron’s refusal to rule out the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine has infuriated the Russian government. Hany Farid, a digital forensic expert and professor at UC Berkley, said the video had hallmarks of being manipulate using AI. But Lee Foster, another information operations expert, expressed skepticism that the imagery in the video was made using AI. Officials at the Paris Olympics are bracing for a similar threat next month.

Persons: denigrate, Tom Cruise’s, Gavin Wilde, irrelevance, ” Wilde, Emmanuel Macron’s, Matthew Miller, Miller, Hany Farid, Farid, ” Farid, Lee Foster, ” Foster, Russia’s, ”, John Hultquist, ” Hultquist Organizations: CNN —, Ukraine, CNN, International Olympic Committee, IOC, National Security Council, “, Netflix, New York Times, Microsoft, Telegram, Paris Olympics, CIA, Russian Embassy, US State Department, State Department, BBC, UC Berkley, US Justice Department, Paris, Olympics, Google, Olympic Locations: Ukraine, Paris, Russia, Russian, Washington , DC, ”, South Africa, deepfakes, South Korea, France

A day after U.S. officials said Ukraine could use American weapons in limited strikes inside Russia, a deepfake video of a U.S. spokesman discussing the policy appeared online. The 49-second video clip, which has an authentic feel despite telltale clues of manipulation, illustrates the growing threat of disinformation and especially so-called deepfake videos powered by artificial intelligence. But they are particularly concerned about how Russia might employ such techniques to manipulate opinion around the war in Ukraine or even American political discourse. Belgorod “has essentially no civilians remaining,” the video purports to show Mr. Miller saying at the State Department in response to a reporter’s question, which was also manufactured. “It’s practically full of military targets at this point, and we are seeing the same thing starting in the regions around there.”

Persons: Matthew Miller, Miller, It’s, ” Organizations: State Department, Belgorod “ Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Belgorod, Ukraine’s

☆ Davy and Natalie Lloyd: US brokered gang talks to secure American missionaries’ bodies in Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Caitlin Stephen Hu | David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The Toussaint Louverture International Airport, which has reopened after being closed for nearly three months due to gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on May 20. Montis and the Lloyds barricaded themselves inside their residence on the compound, but it was not enough, Lloyd told CNN. US Ambassador to Haiti Dennis Hankins walks after Haiti’s transitional council ceremony, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti on April 25, 2024. The situation on the ground in Port-au-Prince remains anarchic,” he warned. But Thursday morning, the bodies of Davy and Natalie Lloyd finally began their long journey home.

Persons: Davy, Natalie Lloyd, Haiti Dennis Hankins, ”, Toussaint, Ralph Tedy Erol, Jude Montis –, Davy Lloyd’s, David Lloyd, Lloyd, Eric Burlison, Sen, Josh Hawley, ” Burlison, we’ve, ” Natalie Lloyd’s, Naomi Baker, Ben Baker, Stacy Librandi Bourne, Vitel’homme, –, Baryé, ” Innocent, Judes Montis, Odelyn Joseph, Gary Desrosiers, Eunide Majeur Montis, Jude Montis, Cassidy Anderson, “, Natalie, Champ de Mars, Hawley, Biden, “ Natalie, CNN’s AnneClaire Stapleton, Hande Atay Alam, Natalie Barr, Nikki Carvajal Organizations: CNN, Prince, US, Kansas City, US State Department, Reuters, Local carrier Sunrise, Lloyds, White, Missions, Missouri US, US National Security, State Department, US Embassy, “, AP, HERO, Haiti’s National Police, Baker’s, General Hospital, Champ Locations: Haiti, American, Port, Miami, Kansas, United States, Prince, Haiti’s, Caribbean, Eric Burlison , Missouri, Missouri

☆ I work for a House Democrat. My boss hasn't pushed hard enough for a Gaza cease-fire, so I'm secretly organizing a campaign to force lawmakers to do more
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

I work for a House Democrat who has endorsed Biden's plan for a negotiated, two-sided cease-fire — but that's absolutely not far enough. AdvertisementWhen it's constituents saying this, I understand: They don't understand exactly how congressional offices work, they don't know how Congress functions. We have seen an unprecedented influx of constituent sentiment in support of a cease-fire, and in some lawmakers' offices, that sentiment is not being listened to at the most senior level. You don't know who's going to step in and replace you in that job. You don't know if they're going to hire someone who just does not believe in the humanity of the Palestinian people.

Persons: —, Israel, We've, who've, Joe Biden, they've, Biden's, we've, it's, Andrew Derek Strachan, haven't, Kent Nishimura Organizations: Service, Congressional Staff, Capitol Hill, Business, Capitol, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, House Democrat, Congressional, State Department Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah, Palestine

☆ I work for a House Democrat and disagree with my boss on Gaza. So I'm secretly organizing behind their back.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

We laid 10,000 flowers — one for each civilian in both Israel and Gaza who had been killed at that point. I work for a House Democrat who has endorsed Biden's plan for a negotiated, two-sided cease-fire — but that's absolutely not far enough. But I'm almost positive that the lawmaker I work for doesn't know, and that if they did, there would be genuine repercussions. AdvertisementWhen it's constituents saying this, I understand: They don't understand exactly how congressional offices work and they don't know how Congress functions. Pro-ceasefire staffers marching toward the House steps ahead of a vote on an Israel aid-related bill on May 16.

Persons: —, Israel, We've, who've, Joe Biden, they're, they've, Biden's, we've, it's, Andrew Derek Strachan, haven't, Kent Nishimura Organizations: Service, Congressional Staff, Capitol, Business, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, House Democrat, State Department Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah

☆ Biden's $1 billion weapons package to Israel is coming back to haunt him
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewAhead of Israel's assault on Rafah, President Joe Biden issued several stark warnings to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A $1 billion arms dealThe statement suggests Biden will continue to move forward with a $1 billion weapons package to Israel. As BI previously reported, the weapons deal could be seen as an attempt to heal Biden's relationship with Netanyahu and to halt accusations that the US is emboldening Iran. For instance, Biden previously withheld a shipment of bombs before announcing that the planned weapons deal would go ahead.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, Matt Miller, Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Andrew Payne, Payne, Dave Harden Organizations: Service, CNN, Business, MSNBC, Gaza Health Ministry, IDF, Associated Press, State Department, Wall Street Journal, Getty, Washington Post, City University of London, Trump ., US Agency for International Development, West Bank, BBC Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, Tal al, Anadolu, Iran

☆ Americans Raced to Get Their Families Out of Gaza. Then the Border Slammed Shut.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Hamed Aleaziz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ghada Redwan, a 48-year-old pharmacist in Houston, has been trying to get her parents out of Gaza for months. Their bags, packed and ready to go, have been sitting by their door in Rafah, the city where Israel is now conducting a military offensive. But Ms. Redwan has hit roadblocks at every turn. “You feel like there’s nothing you can do,” Ms. Redwan said in an interview. “You live comfortably, you have money, you’re a U.S. citizen and your parents are suffering and there’s nothing you can do for them.

Persons: Ghada, Redwan, —, Ms, “, you’re, ” Organizations: State Department Locations: Houston, Gaza, Rafah, Israel, Egypt, United States

☆ Bipartisan congressional delegation visits Taiwan following days of Chinese military drills around island
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Avery Lotz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday following the election of the island’s new president and after days of Chinese military drills. The US will continue to stand by our steadfast partner and work to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. US officials condemned the drills, with the State Department urging the Chinese to “act with restraint.”Two years ago, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island, marking the first time a US House speaker had traveled to Taiwan in 25 years. Her visit was met with days of large-scale military drills and warnings of a “severe impact” on US-China relations from the Chinese government. In April 2023, then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy similarly defied threats from China, presenting a united front with then-President Tsai Ing-wen in a California meeting.

Persons: Michael McCaul, Lai Ching, China’s, Putin, Xi, ” McCaul, Xi Jinping, ”, Nancy Pelosi, Kevin McCarthy, Tsai Ing, “, Antony Blinken Organizations: CNN — House Foreign, Communist Party, US, Taiwan, House Foreign Affairs Committee, ” CNN, State Department Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, “ Taiwan, Taiwan Strait, America, Asia, China, California

☆ Opinion | Do Not Allow Putin to Capture Another Pawn in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The law has drawn stiff rebukes from the United States and Europe. The State Department has announced visa restrictions on officials behind the foreign-agent law and Congress has threatened further sanctions. The clash over the foreign-agent law in a small country nestled in the Caucasus Mountains has been largely overshadowed by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Georgia, in fact, was the first neighboring country invaded by Russia post-Soviet Union, in 2008, to block its westward drift. Now the ruling party, Georgian Dream, seems to share Russia’s goal, though it has generally avoided openly siding with Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili —, Russia —, Ivanishvili Organizations: Russian, The State Department, European Union Locations: Republic of Georgia, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, United States, Europe, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Soviet Union, Georgian, Tbilisi, ”

☆ El Nini: Top Mexican cartel criminal, once among America’s most wanted, extradited to the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Lauren Koenig | Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A top Mexican cartel member known as ‘El Nini,’ who was one of America’s most-wanted criminals for his alleged role in the fentanyl trade, has been extradited to the United States. Biden has previously described El Nini as one of America’s most-wanted criminals. The US State Department offered a reward of up to $3 million for information leading to his arrest and he was detained in Mexico in November of last year. The State Department also said Pérez Salas was responsible for the security apparatus of Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. “I am grateful to our Mexican government counterparts for their extraordinary efforts in apprehending and extraditing El Nini,” US Attorney General Merrick Garland’s office said in a statement.

Persons: El, ’, Joe Biden, El Nini –, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas –, ” “ El Nini, ” Biden, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas “, ”, Biden, El Nini, Pérez Salas, Oscar Noé Medina González, Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar, Joaquín, Guzmán, “, extraditing El, General Merrick Garland’s, ” CNN’s Evan Perez, Zoe Sottile Organizations: CNN, Saturday, United, US Department of Justice, US State Department, State Department, The State Department, Department Locations: United States, Mexico, Sinaloa

☆ A Microsoft under attack from government and tech rivals after 'preventable' hack ties executive pay to cyberthreats
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Trevor Laurence Jockims | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +13 min

The decision by Microsoft to link executive compensation to successful cybersecurity performance is another is prompting discussions at other firms. One change the tech giant is making in response: linking executive compensation more closely to cybersecurity. In recent years, many Fortune 500 companies, including Apple, have added bonus pay tied to ESG metrics. The conversations about cybersecurity-linked executive pay have started taking place at other companies since Microsoft made its move, according to Aalap Shah, managing director at executive compensation consultant Pearl Meyer. Madnick's research shows that gaps in corporate culture are often culprits in high-profile hacks, not just the Microsoft example.

Persons: Brad Smith, Charlie Bell, Aalap Shah, Pearl Meyer, It's, I've, Shah, —, Stuart Madnick, Madnick, Ryan Kalember, unavoidability, Jen, Kalember, ransomware, Mike Doonan, Doonan Organizations: Microsoft, U.S, Hill, Google, U.S . Department of Homeland, Initiative, Microsoft Security, Team, Companies, Fortune, Apple, MIT, Infrastructure Security Agency, CNBC, Technology, State Department Locations: China, Russia, cybersecurity, U.S

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