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☆ Massive incendiary attack in Bakhmut shows Russia's 'scorched earth' tactics have turned the eastern Ukrainian city to rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was bombed in an apparent incendiary attack on Friday. Video shows the city ablaze with a bright glow, demonstrating Russia's "scorched earth" tactics. "The Kremlin or Prigozhin might have decided to resort to incendiary weapons as a last roll of the dice to force out Ukrainian troops." Videos circulated on social media early Friday, showing the Ukrainian city ablaze with a glow that prompted military analysts to suggest chemical weapons had been used. "The use of these horrific arms may violate the 1983 Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons.

☆ Russia's air force has taken a beating, but its jets could still turn the tables in Ukraine, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's air force has had a limited role in Ukraine, despite numerical and technological advantages. Russia has held its air force back largely because of Ukraine's effective air-defense network. Which raises the question: If Ukrainian air defenses fade, will the Russian Air Force — known as the VKS — finally become a decisive factor in the war? Ukraine's small but resourceful air force put up spirited resistance that mitigated Russia's numerical and technological superiority, however. "So the air force, I think, would definitely be committed much more heavily if they had a chance."

☆ Senate Votes to Disapprove of Biden Solar Tariff Exemption
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( David Harrison | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lawmakers who oppose the solar-tariff exemption say it harms U.S. manufacturers. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty ImagesThe Senate voted 56-41 on Wednesday to block a move by the Biden administration to temporarily remove tariffs on solar materials imported from Southeast Asia, sending the measure to President Biden’s desk for an expected veto. Nine Democrats sided with Republicans in favor of the resolution, while one GOP lawmaker, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the measure. The Senate’s vote follows the House’s passage of the measure by a vote of 221-202 with 12 Democrats in support.

☆ Morning Bid: Bank reverb frames Fed decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While there was some minor repricing of Fed probabilities in the futures market, the latest bout of bank stock nerves is unlikely to change the Fed's course on its own. A White House economist on Tuesday said Fed rate hikes were having a negative impact on the banking sector. Signs of some loosening of a very tight labor market may also encourage the Fed that its rate hiking job is done after this week. Private sector job readings for April are due later today along with service sector surveys for the month. With the Fed in view alongside the debt ceiling crunch and bank stock retreat, longer-term Treasury bonds rallied.

CNN —A large blimp developed by the Chinese military has been spotted for the first time at a remote base in the desert of northwestern China, exclusive new satellite imagery obtained by CNN shows. “You can expect because it’s available via satellite imagery that we’re tracking the object,” the official said. Military patentsAdditional satellite imagery and analysis of the site suggests that the PLA has significantly loftier goals for its site, and its airship program. Additional satellite imagery provided to CNN by BlackSky shows construction, which includes subterranean excavation and foundation pouring, is continuing. “At this site in particular, I would really want to see the big airship,” Hayes said.

☆ A Hostile, Under-the-Radar Primary Splinters Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Nick Corasaniti | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“A celebrity versus the resources versus old school,” said Scott Jennings, a Republican operative in the state, summing up the contest between the three top contenders. “Cameron is the front-runner, but there’s no doubt this race has gotten close and remains fluid,” added Mr. Jennings, who like many other Republicans has remained neutral. Indeed, many of the major forces in Kentucky Republican politics are staying on the sidelines. For Republicans, part of the challenge of defeating Mr. Beshear has to do with the G.O.P. Yet that has kept Mr. Beshear from contentious showdowns with Republicans on hot-button issues, and has let him focus on using state resources to help repair infrastructure and improve the economy.

☆ Alzheimer’s patients may wait years to get treated with new drugs, putting them at risk of more severe disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +17 min

But time spent waiting robs early patients of their memory and ability to live independently. This condition is often, though not always, a sign of early Alzheimer's disease. PET scans cumbersomeTwo types of tests can diagnosis Alzheimer's disease: PET scans and spinal taps. Early Alzheimer's disease can also be diagnosed with a spinal tap, in which fluid around the spinal cord is extracted with a catheter and tested. He believes big players like CVS will provide infusions for Alzheimer's disease on a major scale if they see there's a large and stable market.

☆ A solid start to earnings season will be put to the test in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

The biggest week of this earnings season showed us that things aren't as bad as many feared. The week ahead of earnings, including several more Club names, should tell us more. The results are always important, but it's the guidance and management commentary we will really hone in on to better understand the path ahead. In Amazon's case, a solid first quarter for its AWS cloud business was overshadowed by management seeing a material slowdown in April. ET: Nonfarm Payrolls Looking back It was the biggest week of this earnings season for the Club as several of our mega-cap holdings and industry bellwethers reported results.

☆ European drug discounts will ruffle U.S. funder
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LODNON, April 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Europe’s plan to slash prices on pharmaceutical drugs could set off tensions with the U.S. The European Union proposed on Wednesday a legislative overhaul of the sector across the 27-nation bloc. This would incentivise drug makers like AstraZeneca (AZN.L) and GSK (GSK.L) to sell to all European countries at once. And although the U.S. is trying to tackle soaring prices with the Inflation Reduction Act, Europe’s falling drug costs will widen the gap once again. This creates a problem for the U.S. government, which funds more drug development than any other country.

☆ Cannabis stocks light up after a group of lawmakers again seeks to protect banks that work with legal marijuana businesses
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cannabis stocks jumped Thursday as lawmakers sought again to pass a bill to protect banks that work with legal pot firms. The SAFE Banking Act of 2023 was refiled by Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. The Secure and Fair Enforcement, or SAFE, Banking Act was refiled late Wednesday by House and Senate lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties. They say the proposal is aimed at dealing with safety concerns stemming from legal cannabis businesses being locked out of banking services. Merkley said there's now a path for the first time for the SAFE Banking Act to move through the Senate Banking Committee and to a Senate floor vote.

☆ Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +55 min

Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’ In his most extensive interview yet, Anthony Fauci wrestles with the hard lessons of the pandemic — and the decisions that will define his legacy. But when people say, “Fauci shut down the economy” — it wasn’t Fauci. But somehow or other, the general public didn’t get that feeling that the vulnerable are really, really heavily weighted toward the elderly. We also had a public-health system that we thought was really, really good. But it was really, really antiquated.

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow tax money is wasted in the U.S. The U.S. government wasted almost $2.4 trillion on just payment errors over the last two decades, according to the Government Accountability Office. Oversight reports from nonprofits and lawmakers like Rand Paul, R-Ky., claim that billions more are being wasted every year on duplicative and needless programs. So just how much of our taxpayer dollar is wasted every year and what can be done about it?

☆ The federal government wastes at least $247 billion in taxpayer money each year. Here's how
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Juhohn Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Improper payments, which refer to payments that are made incorrectly by the government, cost the U.S. $247 billion in 2022, according to the Government Accountability Office. "In the federal government, everything is 'Go spend more money' and if that doesn't work, it's 'Go spend more money.'" It's the job of the GAO to audit and report any wasteful spending by the federal government. Nevertheless, wasteful spending by the government can have painful consequences to the health of the economy, according to watchdog groups. Watch the video to find out more about why taxes feel so high in the U.S. and why so much taxpayer money gets wasted.

☆ Ex-Member of Menudo Says He Was Raped by Father of the Menendez Brothers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Matt Stevens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was a gripping case that was one of the first to draw a daily national audience to a televised criminal trial. Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted in 1996 of murdering their mother, Mary Louise, a former beauty queen who went by Kitty, and their father, Jose, a music executive, despite defense arguments that the brothers had been sexually molested for years by their father, and had killed out of fear. Now, Roy Rosselló, a former member of Menudo, the boy band of the 1980s that became a global sensation, is coming forward with an allegation that he was sexually assaulted as a teenager by Jose Menendez. The series, “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” based on reporting by the journalists Robert Rand and Nery Ynclan, is largely focused on Mr. Rosselló. He describes an encounter with Mr. Menendez but also recounts separate incidents of sexual abuse that he says were inflicted on him by one of Menudo’s former managers when he sang as part of the group.

☆ South African rand gains as dollar slips; inflation in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, April 17 (Reuters) - The South African rand gained against the dollar in early trade on Monday as the U.S. currency slipped on global markets , with local investors' focus on inflation data this week. At 0700 GMT, the rand traded at 18.0275 against the dollar, about 0.2% stronger than its closing level on Friday. There are no major South African economic data releases on Monday, so the rand is likely to track dollar moves. Analysts are looking to the March consumer price index (CPI) to gauge the success of the South African Reserve Bank's interest rate hikes in taming price pressures. The worst power cuts on record mean the prospects for growth in Africa's most industrialised economy this year are bleak.

☆ Opinion: Banning TikTok isn’t just a bad idea. It’s a dangerous one
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Evan Greer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The US government is racing ahead with proposals aimed at banning TikTok, the viral video platform used by more than 150 million Americans. Banning TikTok won’t make us safer from China’s surveillance operations. But banning TikTok isn’t just foolish and dangerous, it’s also unconstitutional. You do that by passing a strong national data privacy law that bans companies from collecting more data about us than they need to provide us with the service we’ve requested. Join us on Twitter and FacebookIt’s a national embarrassment that we have no basic data privacy law in the United States.

☆ One of the most important conservative think tanks is changing its tune on the free market and state power to keep up with the 'New Right' ushered in by Trump and DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A recent report published by the think tank outlines how government could play a greater role in the economy. The foundation is trying to keep up with American right's turn away from free markets with Trump and DeSantis. On the other side are libertarian conservatives like Sen. Rand Paul who opposes interfering with free markets. The Reaganite fusion of free markets, social traditionalism, and anti-communism "is fundamentally dead," Geoff Kabaservice, vice president of political studies at the market-oriented think tank Niskanen Center, told Insider. Heritage's president, Kevin Roberts, took over in 2021 and has aligned the think tank much more with the New Right, which is home to figures like Florida Gov.

☆ South Africa targets $111 billion investment goal in tough investor climate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa looks on as he delivers the opening address at the 5th Investment Conference to showcase opportunities available in the country to local and international companies, in Sandton, South Africa, April 13, 2023. Jairus Mmutle/Government Communication Information System (GCIS)/Handout via REUTERSJOHANNESBURG, April 13 (Reuters) - South Africa needs to urgently fix energy, transport and security challenges if it is to reverse souring investor sentiment, executives said on Thursday as President Cyril Ramaphosa targets 2 trillion rand ($111 billion) in new investments over the next five years. "The way we see it for the future of South Africa, international investment is so important and these challenges make it difficult for us to position the potential of South Africa as an attractive investment destination while there is uncertainty on when reforms will be implemented," Brown said. South Africa has experienced its worst power cuts on record, leaving businesses and households in the dark for up to 10 hours daily. The South African Reserve Bank estimates these blackouts have shaved off at least 2 percentage points from growth.

☆ GOP's early 2024 pickle: Support 1 of 3 minority candidates for president or stick with the aggrieved white guy who could be a convicted felon by Election Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Republican Sen. Tim Scott has inched closer to challenging Donald Trump in 2024. Current polling casts Trump, who is battling multiple investigations, as the odds-on favorite. Market research firm Morning Consult shows both Scott and Ramaswamy polling at only 1%, and Haley polling at 4%. And that's after he was arraigned on 34 counts of falsifying business records, charges Trump and his House GOP defenders assert are politically motivated. "Our divisions run deep, and the threat to our future is real," Scott said of the existential crisis at hand.

☆ Ukrainian troops blew up their own building to trap Russian forces after they blasted their way inside with a tank, commander says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian forces used a tank to blast their way into a building in the war-torn city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian troops in the building left and blew it up to trap them, The New York Times reported. He said in one instance, Russian troops used a tank to blast through the walls of an apartment building held by Kyiv's forces. He told the Times the Ukrainians placed explosives around the building, quickly left, and the blew up the apartment while the Russians were still inside. Captured German soldiers, make their way in the bitter cold through the ruins of Stalingrad, Russia, in 1943.

BEIJING/TAIPEI, April 11 (Reuters) - China's latest military drills near Taiwan show it is serious about being able to cut off the democratically ruled island in a conflict, analysts said, as Beijing said its aircraft carriers could "shatter" defences from the east. 1) Carrier OperationsMany analysts noted the jets flying off the Shandong aircraft carrier, which took up position east of Taiwan, about 230 kilometres (143 miles) south of Japan's Miyajima island. The aim of the drills was to show that they could encircle Taiwan in a blockade and deter foreign powers from intervening, Zhao said. 3) Precision TargetingThe PLA also said it carried out virtual simulations showing how its forces could execute targeted missile attacks on Taiwan. Japan's military said in a briefing on Tuesday that it was assessing China's manoeuvres around Taiwan, but described them as "without question, serious training".

When we've been awake for a long time, our sleep drive kicks in and tells us we need to sleep. During REM sleep, the cortex – responsible for cognition and emotion-processing – is activated in some regions and deactivated in others. After cycling through non-REM and REM sleep around 4 to 5 times, the basal forebrain and other structures receive signals to start exiting sleep. WHEN SLEEP GOES WRONGIn the U.S. alone, 50 to 70 million people experience some type of chronic sleep disorder, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). In the United States, a list of board-certified sleep medicine physicians and accredited sleep disorders centers is available from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

☆ The Russian air force's struggles in Ukraine reveal glaring problems in now Moscow trains its pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Despite being bigger and more advanced than its enemy, Russia's air force has struggled in Ukraine. It's commonly said that Russian fighter pilots are not as well trained as their Western counterparts, particularly those from the United States. But however ineffective you may think Russian pilot training is compared to the West, the truth seems to be … much worse. A Russian air force pilot prepares to take off in an Su-35 fighter jet at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in September 2019. Put simply, the Gulf War air campaign creates a damning juxtaposition when compared directly to Russia's air campaign over Ukraine.

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Walmart, First Republic, Nikola, McDonald's & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Monday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Bernstein reiterates Tesla as underperform Bernstein said more price cuts are coming for Tesla. Morgan Stanley reiterates Walmart as overweight Morgan Stanley said its latest survey shows Walmart+ membership is at a record. UBS reiterates McDonald's as buy UBS said the fast food giant is extremely well positioned. UBS upgrades Regions Financial to buy from neutral UBS said in its upgrade of the regional bank that it likes the company's balance sheet. Northcoast upgrades McDonald's to buy from neutral Northcoast said it sees improved profitability for McDonald's .

☆ Why fighting the urge to sleep may be bad for our health
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +17 min

What happens when we sleep Sleep itself has cycles, in which the brain and body move through phases, marked by varying brain activity. Moving into REM sleep A region in the upper brainstem kickstarts the move into REM sleep. Waking up After cycling through non-REM and REM sleep around 4 to 5 times, the basal forebrain and other structures receive signals to start exiting sleep. Then we transition back to lighter sleep, into REM sleep and back down again, and so on until we wake up. Tips for better sleep Good sleep habits can contribute to better sleep, studies have found.

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