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☆ Egg shortage sends New Zealanders rushing to buy their own hens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In the United States, egg prices have far surpassed the increase in other grocery items, soaring nearly 60% in the 12 months to December compared to the year before. The trend has prompted animal welfare advocates to warn against making impulse buys. “Egg producers had the option to move to colony cages, barns and free-range systems,” added Hyde, the ministry’s acting national manager of animal welfare and national animal identification and tracing compliance. “It’s a significant change for the egg supply industry,” Emma Wooster, the company’s head of public relations, told CNN in a statement. New Zealand is currently undergoing a major egg shortage, squeezing businesses and sparking a rush in demand for pet chickens.

☆ For Ukraine, Dnipro Apartment Strike Becomes a Symbol of Russian Cruelty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Isabel Coles | Ievgeniia Sivorka | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DNIPRO, Ukraine—In a family video, a young girl blew out four candles on a birthday cake, her father standing close by in the warm glow of a yellow kitchen. Now, the father is dead and half the kitchen is gone. A bowl of fruit still sits on the kitchen table amid the wreckage—a remnant of the Korenovskiy family’s life before a Russian cruise missile tore through their riverside home in this eastern city.

☆ Amazon is shutting down its charity program amid massive companywide layoffs, claiming its 'ability to have an impact was often spread too thin'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon announced that it would "wind down" its AmazonSmile program in February. "After almost a decade, the program has not grown to create the impact that we had originally hoped," the email read. "With so many eligible organizations — more than 1 million globally — our ability to have an impact was often spread too thin." Amazon plans to fully close the program by February 20 and focus its philanthropic efforts elsewhere, per the email. Through the program, Amazon shoppers could visit smile.amazon.com allocate 0.5% of their purchase to a participating organization of their choice for no extra charge.

☆ The 'carrier killer' missile Russia fired into a Ukrainian apartment building, killing dozens, is 'notoriously inaccurate' and unpredictable, intelligence and experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Britain's defense ministry said the Kh-22 missile used in the attack is "notoriously inaccurate." The Kh-22 used in the attack is a Soviet-era supersonic anti-ship missile equipped with a 2,000-pound warhead. Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's air force, referred to it as an "aircraft carrier killer" and said it's designed to "destroy aircraft carrier groups at sea." "They're tough to intercept with traditional air defenses," he said, adding that "you almost need a ballistic missile defense interceptor." This method poses a challenge to air defense systems because radars focus on certain sectors of the sky, he explained.

☆ Biden: Americans should ‘pay attention’ to MLK’s legacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

But with the election behind him and a full six-year term ahead, Warnock fully embraced Biden at the service. “That, my friends, is God’s work,” said Warnock, adding that Biden “had a little something to do with it.”As Biden begins to turn his attention toward an expected 2024 reelection effort, Georgia is going to get plenty of his attention. “But at this inflection point, we know a lot of work that has to continue on economic justice civil rights, voting rights, protecting our democracy. … Are we a people who will choose democracy over autocracy? "I’ve spoken before parliaments, kings, queens, leaders of the world ... but this is intimidating,” Biden said in opening his sermon.

☆ In tribute to rights leader King, Biden invokes 'battle for the soul of this nation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Marking Monday's national holiday celebrating King, Biden delivered a sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church at the invitation of its pastor, Democratic U.S. King worked for voting rights, Biden said, but "we do well to remember that his mission was even deeper. King was pastor of Ebenezer church from 1960 until his death. "The battle for the soul of this nation is perennial," Biden said in his tribute to King. Many presidents, including Biden, have visited Ebenezer to honor King, usually during events around the time of his birthday.

☆ Americans Can’t Stop Pampering Their Pets—Companies Want In
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Sharon Terlep | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Attention, CEOs: If not enough people are using your product, maybe animals will. “Have you seen the numbers? They’re staggering,” said Jenna Mutch , a vice president at portable-ultrasound maker Butterfly Network Inc., referring to the rush of Americans who have brought home pets since the pandemic began. About 23 million households did, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

And while it’s still possible that some other modest pieces of legislation can be brought to a vote and passed in the House, the political dynamics inside the House GOP will make even the most milquetoast bipartisan and nonideological issues difficult to pass. Just for context — it’s been 100 years since an incoming House has failed to elect a speaker on its first roll call. It’s one that may, in fact, match the former president in malevolency and outpace him in ineptitude. Just look at what has taken place over the last several weeks in the lead-up to this week as Freedom Caucus members have been jockeying for power. To win enough votes for speaker, McCarthy has been hard at work horse-trading with the extreme right wing of his party to secure his speakership.

☆ Supreme Court Title 42 vote keeps border shut to asylum seekers, and Biden policy close to Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Layla M. Razavi | Grisel Ruiz | Layla M. Razavi Is The Interim Executive Director Of Freedom For Immigrants | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The policy, known as Title 42, had already been ruled unlawful by a federal judge. Though President Joe Biden is now pushing for an end to Title 42, he previously fought in federal court to preserve the policy despite his campaign promise to restore asylum. Title 42 was never about public health. Indeed, Title 42 came to be after the Trump White House reportedly put the squeeze on the CDC. It’s no coincidence that Title 42 has disproportionately denied Black and brown migrants their right to seek asylum.

☆ White House condemns Texas governor after migrants were dropped off outside Kamala Harris' house: 'Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Greg Abbott after busloads of migrants arrived in Washington, DC. Busloads of migrants arrived on Christmas Eve outside of Vice President Kamala Harris' home. The move comes as the future of an immigration policy known as Title 42 remains uncertain. "Governor Abbott abandoned children on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve without coordinating with any Federal or local authorities," White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan said in a statement. Abbott previously sent migrants to Harris' home in September to pressure the administration to take further action.

☆ How 7 content creators built brands beyond fan merchandise and launched successful businesses
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Many content creators have used their success to launch brands, turning followers into customers. "I was interacting with millions of different people as a content creator," Yoo, who lived in South Korea at the time, said. Yoo is one of many creators who have used their achievements to launch brands in recent years, turning loyal followers into loyal customers. Creating "pushed me naturally into the direction" of launching a brand, Yoo said. To understand how to successfully make the leap, Insider spoke with Yoo and six additional creators who've built brands beyond fan merchandise.

Three buses coming from Texas dropped off about 140 recent migrants — including babies and young children — near Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington, D.C. in historically frigid temperatures on Saturday evening. But immigration activists said Saturday’s incident was particularly cruel because of the freezing temperatures in Washington, D.C., and because of the fact that it occurred on Christmas Eve. Madhvi Bahl, an organizer with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, confirmed the arrival of the migrants on Saturday to NBC News. The buses dropped the migrants near Harris’ residence at the Naval Observatory. There have been several instances of migrants being dropped off outside, or near, Harris’ residence.

☆ Buses of migrants dropped outside Kamala Harris' home in freezing temperatures on Christmas Eve, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican governors previously sent migrants to Democratic cities to protest Biden's immigration policy. A video shared by 7News D.C. reporter Christian Flores on Twitter showed a group of people entering a bus. "This is a welcome effort that we've been doing since the first bus arrived," Amy Fischer, an organizer with the network, told 7News. In September, Abbott said that his state had sent two buses of migrants to the vice president's home in Washington. Fischer told 7News that she believed the Christmas Eve drop-off was a political stunt by Abbott.

The agency did not respond to requests for comment on its record monitoring animal research experiments nationally. The USDA inspector general has published at least three reports since 2014 critical of the agency’s lax oversight, though its criticism dates back to the 1990s. Neuralink says on its website that it champions animal welfare and tries to reduce animal testing where possible. Two academic studies conducted in 2009 and 2012 found that animal research committees approved between 98% and 99% of experiments proposed by researchers. Envigo was made to sign the consent decree giving up the beagles only after the USDA inspector general and the Justice Department investigated and found evidence of inhumane treatment.

☆ New York to ban animal sales at pet stores in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hochul, a Democrat, said banning pet stores from selling pets will help protect animal welfare and clamp down on abusive, wholesale breeders. New York will join a small group of other states, including California, Illinois and Maryland, that have instituted similar bans on such sales. The law leaves the door open for pet stores to work with animal shelters to encourage adoptions, including rental space. Animal welfare groups celebrated the bill's signing, while some pet businesses voiced concerns that it would damage legitimate operators in the industry. The number of pet stores in the state, which has been on the decline, stands around 80, the report said.

☆ Claudine Gay to be Harvard’s 1st Black president, 2nd woman
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Harvard University announced Thursday that Claudine Gay will become its 30th president, making her the first Black person and the second woman to lead the Ivy League school. Gay, who is currently a dean at the university and a democracy scholar, will become president July 1. With Gay’s appointment, women will outnumber men as chiefs of the eight Ivy League schools. Gay will be the only Black president currently in the Ivy League and the second Black woman ever, following Ruth Simmons, who led Brown University from 2001 to 2012. Gay’s early challenges could include fallout from the Supreme Court’s review of the use of race in admissions.

☆ A top Republican operative in Georgia with ties to Trump was arrested and charged with kicking a dog
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

GOP operative Brandon Phillips was arrested on allegations of kicking a dog, a report said. Phillips resigned as Trump's 2016 Georgia campaign chief after details of a past crime emerged. The documents said Phillips was arrested on November 17 on misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and held on a $1,200 bond. The alleged attack took place on August 23 in Albany, Georgia, the records say. According to the report, he was placed on probation for 36 months and ordered to pay $1,500 in restitution.

Why did Field create Tár as a lesbian rather than a straight woman, or one of the great men themselves? The decision by director and screenwriter Todd Field to make Tár a lesbian unsettled me. The film’s core is not so much about a lesbian predator but about the more general use and abuse of power, including sexual power, that Lydia wields at will. So why did Field create Tár as a lesbian rather than a straight woman, or one of the great men themselves? — “Tár on Tár,” and is soon to conduct a landmark live recording of Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No.

☆ Iran executes second protester after rapid trial as EU plans more sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Iran executed a second detained protester on Monday, its state media reported, after a rapid trial as unrest and anger toward the government continue to boil over around the country. Cranes have been commonly used for public hangings since the early days of the Islamic Republic after its establishment in 1979. Iran has long held what activists and other governments say are sham trials in order to imprison or execute critics of the state. "No lawyer, no due process, tortured confession, sham trial. He was hanged for 'waging war against God.'

☆ Nobel Peace Prize winners blast Putin’s invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The winners of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine shared their visions of a fairer world and denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine during Saturday’s award ceremony. “This would not be peace, but occupation.”Matviichuk repeated her earlier call for Putin — and Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who provided his country’s territory for Russian troops to invade Ukraine — to face an international tribunal. Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk delivers a speech during the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony. Sergei Gapon / AFP via Getty ImagesMatviichuk was named a co-winner of the 2022 peace prize in October along with Russian human rights group Memorial and Ales Bialiatski, head of the Belarusian rights group Viasna. “I know exactly what kind of Ukraine would suit Russia and Putin — a dependent dictatorship,” he said.

Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian penal colony Thursday as part of a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was met with widespread celebration. Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after vape canisters and cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at the airport. “I wonder if she will respect our flag and country now,” self-proclaimed Trump supporter Collin Rugg wrote in a tweet liked 21,000 times. Such outdated definitions of patriotism disgrace the national anthem and the flag more than any peaceful protest ever could. She is a Black LGBTQ American, a wife, a daughter, an advocate, an Olympian and a world-class basketball star.

☆ U.S. lawmakers push for more oversight of Elon Musk's Neuralink
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Rachael Levy | Thomson Reuters | Award-Winning Journalist Covering Corporate Governance. Her Reporting Has Prompted Federal Investigations | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. House Representatives Earl Francis Blumenauer and Adam Schiff want further U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scrutiny of Elon Musk's Neuralink following a Reuters report that outlined mistakes in the brain chip company's animal testing program, their offices said on Thursday. A USDA spokesperson said the agency could not comment on Neuralink and referred Reuters to the inspector general's office, which also declined to comment. In total, the company has killed about 1,500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys, following experiments since 2018, Reuters found. Blumenauer's and Schiff's offices declined to comment on what they want the USDA to do beyond the inspector general's investigation. Schiff has also been critical of Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc, accusing him of "sabotaging safeguards against digital misinformation and hate."

☆ Do Humans Owe Animals Equal Rights? Martha Nussbaum Thinks So.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

Photo illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk Do Humans Owe Animals Equal Rights? But does it then follow that we think of animals’ lives as being equal in value to humans’? That would lead to redoubling our efforts to make sure animals don’t perish in the future. Just think: Women are often raped, and that has been so all throughout human history. Now, as an incrementalist I want to be cautious here because I don’t think that predatory animals are doing anything wrong.

☆ U.S. defense secretary accuses Russia of 'deliberate cruelty' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday accused Russia of "deliberate cruelty" in its war in Ukraine, saying Moscow was intentionally targeting civilians. "With deliberate cruelty, Russia is putting civilians and civilian targets in its gunsights," Austin told the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California. "Russian attacks have left children dead, schools shattered, and hospitals smashed," he said. Reporting by Phil Stewart and Eric BeechOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The divorce lawyer who's represented Johnny Depp, Kim K, and Angelina Jolie charges $1,000 an hour and says tough love is how she gets things done
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Laura Wasser is a divorce lawyer whose clients have included Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. "You'd go to someone's bar mitzvah and say, 'You're Dennis Wasser's daughter,' and they'd say, 'You're at that table,' according to whether my dad had represented the mom or the dad," she said. She'd majored in rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley, and realized quickly that what she'd loved most about those studies was vital in divorce cases, as was her age and gender. She's a spokesperson for Divorce.com, the do-it-yourself split site, as its chief of divorce evolution and has hosted several podcasts, including "All's Fair with Laura Wasser" and "Divorce Sucks! With Laura Wasser," where one guest was the Kardashian momager and matriarch Kris Jenner.

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