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☆ Former Twitter execs tell Republicans they erred on Hunter Biden laptop story
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Former Twitter executives told a Republican-led U.S. House committee on Wednesday that they made a mistake by blocking tweets about a laptop said to belong to President Joe Biden's son Hunter but said government officials were not involved. The committee's witnesses, three former Twitter executives, said in subpoenaed testimony that they mistakenly believed the Post article contained hacked material and reversed their decision to limit its circulation on the social media platform within 24 hours. "America witnessed a coordinated campaign by social media companies, mainstream news and the intelligence community to suppress and de-legitimize the existence of Hunter Biden's laptop and its contents," committee Chairman James Comer said at the outset of the proceedings. Hunter Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell has denied in a statement any connection between his client and what he called the "so-called laptop," including contents that Republicans "allege to be Mr. Biden's personal data." The Twitter executives also said company policy sought to mitigate content that could lead to political violence, such as what later occurred in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump's supporters.

☆ New York attorney general calls for new sanctions against Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 31 (Reuters) - New York's attorney general on Tuesday asked a judge to sanction former U.S. President Donald Trump, his adult children, the Trump Organization and their lawyers over their responses to her $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against them. Lawyers for the Trump defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced a third run for the presidency in 2024, hosts a New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 31, 2022. James asked for sanctions on the same day new video from her office's Aug. 10 deposition of Donald Trump showed the former president repeatedly refusing to answer questions, citing his right against self-incrimination under the U.S. Constitution. "This is a vindictive and self-serving fishing expedition, the likes of which this country has perhaps never seen before," Trump said.

☆ Hawaii surf contest The Eddie returns with women competing alongside men for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

And this year female surfers will be competing alongside the men for the first time in the 39-year history of The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. But author Stuart Coleman says The Eddie is distinguished by how it honors Eddie Aikau, a legendary Native Hawaiian waterman, for his selflessness, courage and sacrifice. Coleman said The Eddie is about the best of big wave surfing and the best of Hawaiian culture. “To see women — not only women surfing Waimea but women and men sharing the same event together, with mutual respect and equality — I’m just really thrilled at the thought,” Pennybacker said. Kathleen Pahinui, the chairperson of the North Shore Neighborhood Board, said it will be good for businesses, restaurants and shops.

Former President Donald Trump has dropped the federal lawsuit he filed in Florida against New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump's lawyers filed a notice of voluntary dismissal in the case before U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks on Friday morning. The suit charged James — who's filed a $250 million lawsuit against Trump and his company in New York state court — has "repeatedly abused her position as Attorney General for the State of New York to pursue a vendetta against President Trump." Trump had made similar claims against James in state and federal court in New York, both of which were dismissed. "Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries.

☆ Florian Ledoux: The icy patience of an Arctic photographer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The polar bear was just a faraway speck in a frozen white expanse. “It’s the price we pay to get unique images,” recounts award-winning French photographer and filmmaker Florian Ledoux. Florian LedouxThe months when the sun just starts to poke through create the perfect palette for a photographer, Ledoux says. Yet these are the days Ledoux lives for. Disney, Netflix or the likes will request a specific shot of a polar bear, such as a successful hunt or a mating scene.

Persons: speck, ”, Florian Ledoux, Florian Ledoux Ledoux, Ledoux, “ That’s, hasn’t, Florian, Florian Ledoux “ Organizations: CNN, Disney, Nature, Netflix, Oceanographic Magazine Locations: Tromsø, Norway, Longyearbyen, Svalbard

☆ 'Avatar' filmmaker James Cameron and billionaire Ray Dalio invested in a submarine company. See inside the submersibles popular with the uber-wealthy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

In December,Triton Submersibles announced that Bridgewater's Ray Dalio and Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron had each taken an equity stake in the company. James Cameron (left) and Ray Dalio (right). Its not the first time the two men have worked together. In 2021, National Geographic announced a docuseries called "OceanXplorers" executive produced by Cameron and Dalio. Source: Triton Submersibles, National Geographic

☆ University of Georgia football player killed in auto wreck days after championship title
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Two other members of the football program were injured in the crash, which occurred in Athens, south of the Georgia campus. The driver of the vehicle, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, was transported to a hospital, where she died from her injuries. “We are all heartbroken and devastated with the loss of Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in a statement. “The entire Georgia family is devastated by the tragic loss of football student-athlete Devin Willock and football staff member Chandler LeCroy,” the school’s statement said. “Devin and Chandler were two special people who meant so much to the University of Georgia, our football program and our athletic department.

☆ Russia to launch Soyuz rocket to bring back cosmonauts from ISS after leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it would launch another Soyuz rocket on Feb. 20 to bring home two cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut from the International Space Station after their original capsule sprang a coolant leak last month. They will return to Earth on Soyuz MS-23," Roskosmos said. "The launch of the Soyuz MS-23 will be on Feb. 20, 2023 in an unmanned mode," Roskosmos said. The MS-23 launch had earlier been planned for mid-March. The U.S. agency said last month it was exploring whether SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft could offer an alternative ride home for some ISS crew members, in case Russia was unable to launch another Soyuz.

The party-line vote on Tuesday aims to do just that, setting up a "Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government." The body is set to launch a wide-ranging probe of Democrat Biden's administration, which Republicans accuse of "weaponizing" the FBI against Trump. Among the federal agencies targeted are those looking into Trump's attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat and alleged mishandling of classified documents. On Monday the White House said that lawyers for Biden found classified documents at a Washington think tank affiliated with the president. That would create a situation where he could seek to oversee a federal investigation into himself.

☆ Bernard Kalb, longtime foreign affairs newsman, dies at 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

“You have a historical memory to call upon and you see the trust of American foreign policy and other foreign policy,” he said. “Anything that hurts America’s credibility, hurts America.”New York Times columnist William Safire praised the resignation. “In his final official act, Bernard Kalb rose above ‘State Department spokesman’ to become the spokesman for all Americans who respect and demand the truth,” Safire wrote. At CBS Marvin and Bernard were known as “The Kalbs,” but Bernard lived somewhat in the shadow of his younger brother. One widely circulated, but apocryphal, story had their mother calling the CBS foreign desk in New York and saying: “Hello, this is Marvin Kalb’s mother.

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Friday’s release of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns from his four years in the White House and two years prior is an important and long overdue public service. It also would have been a warning shot to any future presidents who may want to keep their tax returns private. ), chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, asked the agency for information related to Trump’s tax returns. Ultimately, though, it’s on House Democrats that the Trump tax documents release on Friday were so limited. So they couched their court case as looking into the effectiveness of mandatory IRS audits of tax returns of all sitting presidents.

The first full-color image released from the next-generation James Webb Space Telescope is the sharpest infrared image of the distant universe ever produced, according to NASA. Space Telescope Science Institut / NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERONASA released the first batch of images from the tennis court-sized observatory to much fanfare in July. The exoplanet HIP 65426 b in different bands of infrared light, as seen from the James Webb Space Telescope. Back to the moonFifty years after the final Apollo moon mission, NASA took key steps toward returning astronauts to the lunar surface. Chinese officials have also said they intend to use the space station for space tourism and commercial space initiatives.

☆ I spent $5,700 to travel to Antarctica on an expedition cruise ship. Here are 9 things I think everyone should know before going.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

It also has an onboard spa, a gym, a pool, and a hot tub, but that's about as far as the luxuries go. And, as you can imagine, the pool was never open, and the jacuzzi was only available half the time. The pool was on deck 6 while the hot tub was right above it on deck 7. The pool wasn't used due to the cold and winds. Taylor Rains/Insider

☆ The US Navy backed the hunt for Titanic in part because the explorer who found it argued it would 'drive the Soviets crazy,' book reveals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The hunt for the Titanic was cover for a secret Navy mission to investigate two submarine wrecks. It was also part of a psychological warfare game the US was playing with the Soviets, Ballard revealed in a 2021 book. But his most recognizable discovery was the British passenger ship Titanic that sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, ending more than 1,500 lives. "I wanted to do a bang-up job for the Navy, but I was also constantly thinking about how to find Titanic," Ballard wrote. "There it was, one of 29 boilers that had created steam for Titanic's engines," Ballard wrote in his book.

☆ You might think these animals are cute but they're amongst the deadliest on Earth
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Polar BearPolar bears are observed during the expedition of the Turkish Scientific Research team near Svalbard Islands, in the Arctic Ocean in Norway on July 23, 2022. Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesAs climate change continues to threaten polar bear habitats, these furry creatures have moved into populated human areas. They are known to be deadly, and attacks on humans have increased in recent years. If you do happen to run into a polar bear, using bear spray, carrying a gun, or getting naked as a distraction are your best options to protect yourself, according to the New York Post.

☆ Fact Check-Images of planes, ships captured from low orbit do exist
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Contrary to a claim on social media, images taken from spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) of planes flying by or ships at sea do exist. At least one photo of a flying plane taken from a spacecraft in LEO illustrates the problem. The image is credited to SkySat, a constellation of 21 satellites owned by Planet (here), all of which orbit at between 400 and 600 kilometers (250 to 370 miles) above Earth. More images of the container ship in the Suez Canal taken from Leo can be seen (here). Images of planes in flight, ships and cities captured from spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit do exist.

☆ What it's like to climb up and ski down Makalu, the world's 5th-highest mountain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Almost 28,000 feet, Makalu is just 12 miles away from Mount Everest — a mountain Ballinger has climbed several times, along with K2, the world's second-tallest mountain. But at Makalu, Ballinger wasn't there only to climb — he was making his third attempt to be the first person to ski down from the summit of the world's fifth-tallest mountain. Ballinger spent a year preparing to ski Makalu"Once I decided I wanted to try, I spent a year at home of focus, dedicated training, working towards being ready to try to ski Makalu," Ballinger said. From left, Dorji Sonam Sherpa, Sherpa Sirdar (lead sherpa), Ballinger, Phu Rita Sherpa. At base camp, Ballinger and his fellow climbers are fed by a Nepali chef who prepares fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit.

☆ U.S. couple detained in Uganda gets fresh charge that carries death penalty
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Abubaker LubowaKAMPALA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. couple detained in Uganda on charges of aggravated torture of a 10-year-old boy face an additional charge of aggravated child trafficking which carries the death penalty if they are convicted, the state prosecutor said on Wednesday. The new charge sheet seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed the couple have additionally been charged with "aggravated trafficking in children". Attempts by Reuters to reach a lawyer for them via the court and the prosecutors' office were not immediately successful. Prosecutors accuse the couple of having recruited, transported and kept the child through "abuse of position of vulnerability for purposes of exploitation", according to the charge sheet. The first charge, aggravated torture of a child, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

A NASA spacecraft is set to swing past one of Jupiter’s moons on Thursday, giving astronomers a close-up view of one of the most volcanic spots in the solar system. The Juno probe, which has been orbiting Jupiter since July 2016, is set to conduct a flyby of Io, one of the 80 known moons in Jupiter’s system. Over the course of the next year and a half, the Juno spacecraft will carry out a total of nine flybys of Io. NASA / JPL-CaltechEarlier this year, Juno captured a dramatic view of Io from a distance of around 50,000 miles. Last year, NASA extended the Juno mission through September 2025.

After a 26-day mission that took it on a historic journey around the moon, NASA’s next-generation Orion capsule has returned to Earth. NASA has touted the Artemis I test flight as laying the foundation for returning U.S. astronauts to the moon. Artemis I was designed to test the Orion capsule and the huge Space Launch System rocket that carries it into orbit. NASA plans two more Artemis test flights before it launches regular missions to the moon to establish a lunar base camp. Artemis II will launch four astronauts in the Orion spacecraft on an expedition around the moon.

☆ Japanese billionaire Maezawa picks K-pop star TOP, DJ Steve Aoki to join SpaceX moon trip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa reacts as he speaks with his family after donning space suits shortly before the launch to the International Space Station (ISS) at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, December 8, 2021. REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovTOKYO, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Friday revealed that K-pop star TOP and DJ Steve Aoki will be among the eight crew members he plans to take on a trip around the moon next year, hitching a ride on one of Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets. The picks were announced by Maezawa on Twitter and at a website for what he dubbed the #dearMoon Project. Maezawa used the micro-blogging site to recruit eight crew members from around the world to join him on the moon trip, saying 1 million people had applied. U.S. Olympic snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and Japanese dancer Miyu were named as backup crew members.

☆ Oldest DNA sheds light on a 2 million-year-old ecosystem that has no modern parallel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A core of ice age sediment from northern Greenland has yielded the world’s oldest sequences of DNA. They then compared the DNA fragments with existing libraries of DNA collected from both extinct and living animals, plants and microorganisms. It was super exciting when we recovered the DNA (to see) that very, very different ecosystem. They found no DNA from carnivores but believe predators — such as bears, wolves or even saber-toothed tigers — must have been present in the ecosystem. Further study of environmental DNA from this time period could help scientists understand how various organisms might adapt to climate change.

☆ 'Mickey 17' gets trailer and release date
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A first look at “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho’s new movie is here. Based off the book “Mickey 7” by Edward Ashto, the Oscar winner penned the screenplay for “Mickey 17,” which may veer from the novel in some places. The book follows Mickey 7, who is an employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Mickey 7 takes on missions that are too dangerous for the others, and has already had six iterations of his life. Mickey 17 – In theaters 03.29.2024Robert Pattinson stars alongside Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.

☆ Pictures show creepy deep-sea animals, some never before seen, discovered near islands off the coast of Australia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

This eel, which is blind and has gooey skin, had never been seen beforeAn unknown cusk eel that was spotted on the expedition. Museums Victoria-Ben HealleyThe eel, found about three miles below the surface, is new to science. Fish usually lay eggs that grow on rock faces or the sea bed. But, unusually, this fish's babies grow inside its belly and it gives birth to live young, per the press release. This fish was found about three miles below the surface.

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