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☆ Russia is surging across the frontlines, and Ukraine seems unable to stop it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

First, and most acutely troubling, is the northern border near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city. Russian forces have crossed the border in multiple locations and claim to have seized nine villages. The town of Lyptsi is at risk, say some military bloggers, and from there Russian forces could hit Kharkiv with artillery. Netailove and Krasnohorivka slightly further south show Russian forces making further gains to the west of Avdiivka, and threatening another key hub – Pokrovsk. An evacuee arrives by bus at an evacuation point in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, on May 12.

Persons: ” “, ”, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Chasiv Yar, evacuee, Roman Pilpey, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov Organizations: CNN, Getty, Biden, National Security Council, Washington Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kharkiv, Ukraine’s, Vovchansk, Lyptsi, Kyiv, Chasiv, Kramatorsk, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Verbove, Ukraine's Kharkiv, AFP, –, Europe

☆ The Miss Teen USA first runner-up declined to take over the title, saying she'd 'never give up' her integrity
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe Miss Teen USA first runner-up won't be taking over as queen. On Wednesday, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava announced she was resigning from her position just two days after Miss USA Noelia Voigt gave up her crown. Stephanie Skinner declined the title of Miss Teen USASkinner, who represented New York in the Miss Teen USA pageant, announced on Instagram that she "decided to decline the title of Miss Teen USA 2023." AdvertisementSkinner told BI she still hopes to hold a national pageant title someday, but it won't be Miss Teen USA. Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned their titles.

Persons: —, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, Miss USA Noelia Voigt, Miss Teen USA's, Stephanie Skinner, wouldn't, Skinner, I've, Srivastava, Voigt, Noelia Voigt, Chance Yeh, Claudia Michelle, Miss Colorado Arianna Lemus, Lemus, Miss Hawaii USA Savannah Gankiewicz Organizations: Service, Teen USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz, Business, Miss, Miss Teen, University of Pennsylvania, Miss Hawaii Locations: New York, Thailand, I'm, USA, Instagram, Miss USA, Miss Hawaii USA Savannah

☆ Blinken Arrives in Ukraine Amid Russian Military Gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Michael Crowley | More About Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Biden and Mr. Blinken had warned for months that Congress’s delay in approving critically needed U.S. arms would leave Ukraine’s military vulnerable along an eastern battlefront that has been stalemated for months. The U.S. official declined to draw a direct connection between the delayed aid and Russia’s gains near the city of Kharkiv. Mr. Blinken plans to meet with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and other top officials. Mr. Blinken is the first senior Biden official to visit Ukraine since the passage of the congressional aid package. The White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met with Mr. Zelensky in Kyiv in late March, before the aid passed.

Persons: Biden, Blinken, Volodymyr Zelensky, Blinken’s, Jake Sullivan, Zelensky, Sullivan Organizations: U.S, Biden, White House, The Financial Locations: Kharkiv, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, “

☆ Live Updates: Michael Cohen, Trump’s Ex-Fixer and His Nemesis, to Testify at His Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

This week, however, Mr. Cohen is poised to unfix Mr. Trump’s life. And, on occasion, Mr. Cohen has said, Mr. Trump put Mr. Cohen on the phone with his wife, Melania, to reassure her that he hadn’t been unfaithful. Mr. Cohen was no longer a Trump Organization employee, and Mr. Trump had excluded him from a job in Washington. When one of Mr. Trump’s friends asked Mr. Trump why he kept Mr. Cohen so close, Mr. Trump replied, “He has his purpose.”Image In 2016, Mr. Cohen campaigned for Mr. Trump, but he did not get a job in the administration. At that meeting, Mr. Cohen has said, he and Mr. Trump confirmed their plan to falsify the records.

Persons: Michael D, Cohen, Donald J, Trump, litigators, Cohen’s, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Mr, lackey, ”, Jim Cole, —, Donny Deutsch, ” Mr, Deutsch, “ Donald, Trump’s “, “, ” ‘, T.J . Kirkpatrick, ” Jeffrey McConney, dryly, Roy M, Cohn, Joseph McCarthy, Rosie O’Donnell, John Taggart, Barron, Donald Trump Jr, hadn’t, Black, Karen McDougal, Daniels, Jonathan Ernst, Cohen puttered, Lanny J, Davis, doesn’t revel, Omarosa Manigault Newman, Michael, Jim Lo Scalzo, You’re, ’, Alina Habba, perjured, isn’t, Habba, Ms, “ You’re, Hope Hicks, scoffed, “ Michael Cohen Organizations: York, Prosecutors, Mr, Trump, Associated, The New York Times, Trump Organization, CNBC, Communist, National Enquirer, Playboy, Credit, Nike, “ Fox & Friends, Democratic, Federal Bureau of Prisons, White, New Locations: Manhattan, New York, Long, Trump’s New York, Trump, Miami, Moscow, Iowa, Washington, Otisville

☆ A couple who moved 15 times in 25 years says Taiwan was the best place for their finances but moving so often took a toll
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewBecky Martin and her husband, Craig Schmidt, recently set a record as a couple: They've lived in the same place for nearly five years. In the roughly 25 years they've been together, they've moved 15 different times across Canada and Taiwan, Martin, 45, told Business Insider via email. An old college roommate of Martin's had moved to Taiwan and recommended she do the same to take advantage of the country's lower cost-of-living. Several moves and over two decades later, Martin said relocating so often took a significant toll on their finances. Moving to Taiwan was great for their finances — but came with downsidesMoving to Taiwan helped the couple pay off debt, but being far from Canada came with some challenges.

Persons: —, Becky Martin, Craig Schmidt, They've, they've, Martin, It's, Martin's, they're, Schmidt, Becky Martin Martin, Kitchener, Craig Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Canada, Taiwan, Burlington , Ontario, Asia, Stratford , Ontario, Kitchener, Toronto, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, India

☆ Nelly Korda, the world’s best golfer who is on the cusp of history
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Yet two rounds, or 36 holes, away from possibly making history, Nelly Korda is an athlete who seems at ease with what could lie ahead. Korda, the world No.1, was six shots off the lead after her first round. At last month’s The Chevron Championship, Korda won her fifth consecutive title to join Annika Sörenstam and Nancy Lopez as the only players to win five in a row on the tour. Nelly Korda has won 13 times on the LPGA Tour. “I just felt like mentally, I just needed the rest,” Korda told ESPN.

Persons: Nelly Korda, Korda, Madelene Sagstrom, Rose Zhang, Annika Sörenstam, Nancy Lopez, Elsa, “, ” Korda, Zhang Organizations: CNN, Cognizant, Chevron, LPGA, ESPN, Eagle Locations: American, Clifton , New Jersey

☆ Flash floods in Afghanistan kill at least 200 people as humanitarian emergency looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | Radina Gigova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Flash flooding that has ravaged northern Afghanistan in recent days has killed at least 200 people, UN agency the International Organization for Migration (IOM) told CNN Saturday. An Afghan man walks near his damaged home after heavy flooding in Baghlan province Saturday. Afghan men shovel mud from a house following flash floods. The flash floods add to a string of recent natural disasters that the region has had to endure. Flash floods also swept away dozens in Afghanistan in July, less than three months before thousands were killed by a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the western part of the country.

Persons: ”, Salma Ben Aissa, Mehrab, Gulbudeen, Zabihullah Mujahid, “, ” Mujahid, Mujahid Organizations: CNN, UN, International Organization for Migration, IOM, Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority, Rescue, Reuters, AFP, Getty Locations: Afghanistan, Badakhshan, Ghor, Herat, “, Afghan, Baghlan, Laqayi, AFP, Pakistan

☆ Miss Colorado didn't want to enable the Miss USA organization's 'abusive power' so she's giving up her title in support
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Their announcements marked the first time a Miss USA or Miss Teen USA had given up their title in the pageant's 72-year history. "I think so many women forget their power, and organizations like Miss USA remind women how powerful you can become," Lemus told Business Insider. Taking a stand against Miss USA leadershipTo walk away from a title — whether state or national — is unprecedented in the Miss USA organization. "But if I didn't, it would almost enable the abusive power that is happening with the current Miss USA management." Both Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava and Miss USA Noelia Voigt resigned this week.

Persons: —, Miss Colorado Arianna Lemus, Miss USA Noelia Voigt, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, Lemus, Voigt, Srivastava, Instagram, Claudia Michelle —, Michelle, Former Miss Montana Dani Walker, Laylah Rose hasn't, Lemus —, Miss USA, she's, Miss Kansas Haley Berger, Berger, Laylah Rose, Voight, Craig Barritt, Max Sebrechts, Crystle Stewart, Rose, Dakota Amber Hulse, wasn't, Arianna Lemus, Arianna, Hulse, …, it's Organizations: Service, USA, Miss, Miss Teen USA, Business, Miss USA, BI, Miss Hawaii, Former Miss, Miss Colorado Locations: Miss USA, Miss Hawaii Savannah, Miss Colorado

Heavy seasonal rains have set off flash floods across Afghanistan, killing at least 50 people in one province, leaving 100 more missing and displacing thousands of others on Friday, officials said. The flood’s toll in the northern province of Baghlan, which appeared to have suffered the worst devastation on Friday, was likely to rise, said Hedayatullah Hamdard, the director of the provincial disaster management department. Flooding on Friday also killed at least one person in Badakhshan, a mountainous eastern province, where it destroyed homes, small dams and bridges and killed 2,000 livestock, the provincial diaster management department said. Floods also occurred in the provinces of Ghor and Herat, in central and western Afghanistan, according to the Taliban government. Doctors were also being deployed in Parwan Province, north of Kabul, said Hekmatullah Shamim, the spokesman for the province’s governor, though details of the flood’s toll there were not immediately available.

Persons: Hedayatullah Hamdard, Hekmatullah Shamim Locations: Afghanistan, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Ghor, Herat, Parwan Province, Kabul

☆ China is untangling its economy from the West. It could be preparing for long-term tensions — and an invasion of Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

What's more, Xi Jinping has told the Chinese military to prepare for war and said that reunification with Taiwan is inevitable. But not everyone thinks a Chinese military move is necessarily imminent. If China was actively preparing for a near-term invasion of Taiwan, Kennedy said there are a few things he might expect to see first. AdvertisementIf China does invade, the global economic impact would be huge, and despite its efforts to secure its economy, China would likely be far from unscathed. "Any action against Taiwan would be disastrous for China's economy," Chilukuri said.

Persons: —, Vivek Chilukuri, Scott Kennedy, It's, Chilukuri, Xi Jinping, China's, Jinping, Kennedy, he'd Organizations: Service, Business, West, Center, New, New American Security, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: China, Southeast Asia, Europe, US, Taiwan, New American, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Hong Kong

☆ Jack Dorsey said Twitter's board 'has always been a problem' and that he plotted his exit from the firm because of its activist investor
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jack Dorsey said Twitter's board — and its activist investor — prompted him to plan an exit from the firm. "I was happy to see it end," Dorsey said of the board when Elon Musk took Twitter private. AdvertisementDorsey told Solana that earlier on, he'd tried to bring Musk onto Twitter's board but was stopped twice. In April 2022, Musk joined Twitter's board of directors after taking a 9.2% stake in the company. But Dorsey said he was also unhappy with the board because of an activist investor seeking to boot him, he said.

Persons: Jack Dorsey, —, Dorsey, Elon Musk, Mike Solana, Parag Agrawal, Solana, he'd, Musk, Paul Singer, Elliot Management's, It's, Dorsey didn't, Bluesky, Donald Trump, Nick Fuentes Organizations: Elon, Twitter, Service, Fund, Elliott Management

☆ Target is dialing back on Pride merchandise after right-wing backlash
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Target is limiting the number of stores that will sell LGBTQ-themed merchandise for Pride Month in June following a boycott from right-wing activists last year that took a toll on the brand’s bottom line. About half of its 2,000 stores will sell the Pride collection, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the news. The changes are a “sensible approach,” Neil Saunders, managing director of retail for GlobalData, told CNN. Pride problemsLast year, Target pulled Pride merchandise from some stores after the company and its employees became the focus of a “volatile” anti-LGBTQ campaign, which included threats against its store workers. A Target executive said on the earnings call that there was a “strong reaction” to Pride merchandise and the reaction was a “signal for us to pause, adapt and learn.”–CNN’s Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed to this report.

Persons: Target, it’s “, ” Neil Saunders, “, ”, ” –, Nathaniel Meyersohn Organizations: New, New York CNN, Pride Month, Bloomberg, CNN, Pride, Target, GlobalData, Wall Street Journal, Republican Locations: New York, Minneapolis

☆ Biden admin says it’s ‘reasonable to assess’ Israel used American weapons in Gaza in ways ‘inconsistent’ with international law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Biden administration said Friday that it is “reasonable to assess” that US weapons have been used by Israeli forces in Gaza in ways that are “inconsistent” with international humanitarian law but stopped short of officially saying Israel violated the law. Although the report does not find Israel in violation of either of the terms of the memorandum, it is sharply critical of the toll of Israel’s military campaign. The findings of the report mark another stark moment in US-Israeli relations in the same week President Joe Biden threatened to restrict weapons transfers if Israel goes ahead with a major offensive in Rafah. The administration was required to make a determination on those two matters under a February national security memorandum, which Biden issued under pressure from Democratic lawmakers. That official said the report would be shared with the Israeli government.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, “, Joe Biden, Israel, ” Organizations: CNN, State Department, USG, Hamas, Capitol, Democratic Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah

☆ Middle East Crisis White House Aide Warns Israel Against ‘Smashing Into Rafah’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Erica L. Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

John F. Kirby, a White House national security spokesman, said President Biden is concerned that an Israeli assault on Rafah would strengthen Hamas. Smashing into Rafah, in his view, will not advance that objective, will not get to that sustainable, enduring defeat of Hamas. But Mr. Biden has grown increasingly wary of a major assault in the densely populated city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Credit... Abir Sultan/EPA, via ShutterstockMr. Kirby also tried to assuage concerns that the United States was breaking with its closest ally in the Middle East. Mr. Biden’s decision to pause certain weapons shipments to Israel underscored brewing frustrations between Mr. Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

Persons: John F, Kirby, Biden, Israel “, ” Mr, Israel —, Israel, Mr, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Abir, Biden’s, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, God’s, ” Organizations: White House, ., American, Congress Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, United States, “, I’m, Israeli, Abir Sultan, Egypt

Officials are urging those who have been rescued from the floods not to return to their homes. Carlos Fabal/AFP/Getty ImagesA horse was found stranded on a rooftop in a flooded area in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul on Wednesday, May 8. It had been stuck on the roof for four days surrounded by flood water in the municipality of Canoas in the Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul. Agencia Brasil, the sate-run news agency, has reported the rescue of more than 2,000 animals since the floods impacted Rio Grande du Sol, including dogs, cats, chickens, and pigs. Cars are surrounded by flooded streets after heavy rain in Canoas, in Rio Grande do Sul state, on May 9, 2024.

Persons: INMET, Katiane Mello, James Vargas, Carlos Fabal, –, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, El Niño, Carlos Macedo, Adriano Machado Organizations: CNN, Getty, Globo, Agencia Brasil, AP Brazilian Air Force Soldiers, Brasilia Air Force Base, Reuters Locations: Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Uruguay, Porto Alegre, Eldorado do Sul, AFP, Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul, Paulo’s, Canoas, Rio Grande, Sol, Pacific, Reuters Rio Grande do Sul

☆ Racism Alleged at Multiple Globe Life Affiliates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Susan Antilla | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

"If I'd brought it up, I would have been blackballed," he told BI. She told BI that Lobello frequently sent her racist memes he found online that contained the N-word. AdvertisementBell, in the hat at right, at a team dinner for an AIL agency then known as Giglione-Ackerman. In the areas she was assigned, she told BI, "most of the people were uninsurable" because of poor health, hard drug use, and poverty. If you work at Globe Life or AIL and have information to share about the company, please contact Susan Antilla at susan.antilla1@gmail.com .

Persons: Domenico Bertini, Chris Selejan, Rob Gray, James " Bo, E, Gentile, Organization —, Frank Svoboda, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Fuzzy Panda, Scott Dehning, AIL, Dehning, Jennifer Haworth, I'd, John L, Ann Marie Arcadi, Gray, Eric Giglione, Giglione, Bell, He'd, Brian W, Fraser, Popeyes, Morgan Lobello, Lobello she'd, y'all, Lobello, David Zophin, Ackerman, Andy Mercado, texted, quieted, Bell's, Raynaldo Lafontant, David Ackerman, Lafontant, Mercado, Sarah Reay, Reay, Debra Gamble, Gamble, Nicole Korkolis, Donnaya Presberry, Presberry, Abeni, Mayfield, Amy Williamson, Abeni Mayfield, Rosem Morton, Silvana Pajor Flores, Pajor Flores, Susan Antilla Organizations: Globe Life, Business, Globe, New York Stock Exchange, Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys, Organization, BI, Department of Justice, Research, Latina, Ackerman Agency, New Jersey Superior Court, SEAT, Giglione, Commission, Professional Employees International Union, Liberty National Division, Liberty National, Edison, AIL Locations: Kentucky, Bertini, Pennsylvania, McKinney , Texas, Michigan, West Virginia, New Jersey, Argentina, Aurora , Colorado, Edison , New Jersey, Edison, Giglione, Morgantown , West Virginia, Moon Township , Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Columbia , Maryland, Cumberland , Maryland, Kansas, Waco , Texas, Colorado, AIL, susan.antilla1@gmail.com

☆ Most retirees say inflation has them worried they'll outlive their savings, Schroders survey shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

America's retirees are stressed about inflation, with 68% fearing they might outlive their money. A third of retirees worry that financial stress could affect their overall health due to sleep lossSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . The survey showed inflation is "taking a toll" on retirees, with 89% worrying about it eroding their assets and 68% fearing they might outlive their money. The Schroders survey also shows that one-third of retirees worry that financial stress could affect their overall health, with 26% experiencing sleep loss due to concerns about their finances.

Persons: —, Schroders, Deb Boyden Organizations: Service, Federal Reserve

☆ Opinion: Trump’s congestion pricing outrage is classic ‘dead cat’ strategy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Opinion Rosa Prince | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In short, Trump’s New York congestion comment was classic dead cat. In the same Truth Social message, the former president mused about the impact of congestion pricing elsewhere in the world. After all, congestion pricing has been introduced in a number of cities, from Singapore to Stockholm, over the past 25-odd years. I live about four miles from the edge of the congestion zone, and it’s never once been a problem to circumvent. By most metrics, London’s congestion pricing experiment has been a resounding success.

Persons: Rosa Prince, Read, Donald Trump, ”, Rosa Prince Rosa Prince Here, Stormy Daniels, mused, It’s, “, I’m, it’s, Akmen, they’re, Boris Johnson, there’s, Sadiq Khan, Ella Roberta Adoo, Khan, Mayor Khan, he’s Organizations: Politico UK, London CNN — Former, New, Big Apple, Getty, Conservative, Transport, London, Labour Party, Trump, TfL, CNN, Twitter, New Yorker Locations: New York City, New York, Singapore, Stockholm, London, AFP, It’s, Manhattan, London —, England, New

☆ Miss Hawaii is taking over as Miss USA following Noelia Voigt's historic resignation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz is taking over as Miss USA. Miss USA Noelia Voigt resigned from the position on Monday, citing her mental health. She is the first Miss USA in the pageant's 72-year history to voluntarily give up the crown. Savannah Gankiewicz will be the new Miss USA 2023Miss USA revealed Gankiewicz's appointment in the caption of an Instagram photo, saying the organization was "thrilled to announce that Miss Hawaii USA Savannah Gankiewicz is Miss USA 2023." "Please know that my decision to accept the Miss USA crown was not one that was made lightly," she wrote.

Persons: Noelia Voigt, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, —, Voigt, Savannah, Miss Hawaii USA Savannah Gankiewicz, Laylah Rose, Rose, Miss USA, Gankiewicz, Voigt's, Claudia Michelle, Michelle, Max Sebrechts, Sebrechts, Crystle Stewart Organizations: Miss, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Service, USA, Miss Hawaii, USA's, Savannah Miss, BI, Miss Universe Locations: Savannah, Utah, Miss USA, Miss Hawaii USA Savannah, Hawaii, Savannah Miss USA, Lahaina, Maui, New Jersey, Miss

☆ The Miss USA pageant can't escape controversy. Here's a timeline of all the drama.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Two days later, Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava resigned as well. Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava and Miss USA Noelia Voigt. Both Srivastava and Voigt resigned just days after Claudia Michelle quit as the social-media director for the Miss USA organization. Miss USA CEO and president Laylah Rose told BI in a statement on Wednesday that "our all-encompassing goal at Miss USA is to celebrate and empower women." Please be assured that the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority."

Persons: Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, Miss USA Noelia Voigt, Craig Barritt, Srivastava, I've, Voigt, Claudia Michelle, Michelle, Laylah Rose, Rose Organizations: Miss Teen USA, Miss USA, National Honor Society, Miss Locations: Miss USA

☆ Brazil floods: More intense rain expected as death toll reaches 107
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Michael Rios | Vasco Cotovio | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —More heavy rain is expected to pummel Brazil, as the South American nation grapples with the deadly fallout of last week’s extreme weather, which submerged whole neighborhoods. The heavy rains and floods have killed at least 107 people in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul since last week, the state’s civil defense agency said Thursday morning. Officials are urging those who have been rescued from the floods not to return to their homes, warning that more rain is in the forecast. “It is important to highlight that the predicted volumes of rain may cause new disruptions in areas already affected previously,” a statement from INMET read. The record rainfall hitting the region has been linked to El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon that warms waters in the Pacific and tends to bring heavy rainfall to southern Brazil.

Persons: INMET, El Niño, Elon Musk Organizations: CNN, SpaceX Locations: Brazil, American, Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Pacific, Uruguay

☆ Withholding US weapons from Israel could force changes in how it fights but may not stop its devastating assault
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week amid rising concerns over a Rafah assault. Israeli soldiers work on armored military vehicles at a staging ground near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel on May 8, 2024. That would be a more difficult fight for the Israeli military, Byman said. A view shows Israeli F-16 fighter jets on a runway in an airbase in southern Israel on March 4, 2024. It is not necessarily an unprecedented move, as past US administrations have also threatened to withhold military support from Israel.

Persons: Joe Biden, —, Israel, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Daniel Byman, Byman, Israel's, CNN's Erin Burnett, We're, Raphael Cohen, Cohen, Hatem Khaled, John Kirby, Mohammed Salem, Netanyahu Organizations: US, Service, AP, State Department, Attack Munitions, Transnational, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Hezbollah, REUTERS, RAND Corporation, AIR FORCE, US Army Reserve, White House National Security Council Locations: Israel, Washington, Gaza, Rafah, I'm, Egypt

☆ A can of paint. Stolen license plates. Odd messages. How the FBI charged a Florida man with kidnapping his wife in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Faith Karimi | Al Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the FBI said this week they’ve arrested the mystery man who entered her Madrid apartment building that night: her estranged husband. Knezevich’s attorney, Kenneth Padowitz, told CNN in February that his client is innocent and “has never been to Spain.” Padowitz declined to comment Wednesday after Knezevich’s arrest. She was planning a trip to Barcelona with her friends on February 5, her brother told CNN, making her sudden lack of contact more concerning. Spanish firefighters entered her apartment for a welfare check and she was nowhere to be found, court documents said. And they were written with the help of another Colombian woman Knezevich had met on a dating app months earlier, court documents said.

Persons: Ana Maria Knezevich, Henao, they’ve, David Knezevich, he’d, Kenneth Padowitz, “, ” Padowitz, Knezevich, ” Henao, Padowitz, Ana Maria Knezevich Henao, Manu Fernandez, James Marshall, they’re, ” Marshall, ”, Sanna Rameau, ” Rameau, she’d, — Knezevich, Knezevich’s, CNN’s Pau Mosquera, Denise Royal, Carlos Suarez Organizations: CNN, FBI, Miami International Airport, EOX Technology Solutions Inc, Peugeot, AP FBI Locations: Madrid, Spain, Florida, Barcelona, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Serbia, Spanish, Turkey, Belgrade, Salamanca, Colombia, Colombian, Bogota

☆ Reasons to Have Hope - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Kristof is the author of a new memoir, “Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life,” from which this essay is adapted. More than three-quarters of Americans say the United States is headed in the wrong direction. And this despair permeates not just the United States, but much of the world. Instead of a City on a Hill, we feel like a nation in despair — maybe even a planet in despair. What I’ve learned from four decades of covering misery is hope — both the reasons for hope and the need for hope.

Persons: Kristof, “, that’s, I’ve Locations: United States, America, Gaza

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden’s decision this week to make public his ultimatum that a major Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah would result in a shut-off of some US weapons did not come easily or lightly. Last week, Biden signed off on a pause of 3,500 bombs to Israel that administration officials feared would be dropped on Rafah. Aware or not of the president’s views, Israeli officials reacted with shock to the public announcement. Israeli officials also sought to downplay the significance of Biden’s announcement. It marked the clearest signal yet that six months into the war, Biden was starting to seriously consider conditioning US support for Israel.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden’s, Netanyahu, Biden, Still, CNN’s Erin Burnett, he’d, ” Biden, Burnett, wasn’t, “, Erin Burnett, ”, John Kirby, Kirby, Daniel Hagari, Israel, –, Jesus, Israel’s, ” Kirby, straightforwardly, pare, Donald Trump, Utah Sen, Mitt Romney, Mike Johnson, who’d, Pennsylvania Sen, John Fetterman, they’re, CNN’s Manu Raju, Sen, Jon Tester, Ben Cardin, “ I’m, I’ve, we’ve, ” Sen, Bernie Sanders Organizations: Washington CNN, Israel Defense Forces, White, National Security, CNN, Kitchen, Capitol, Israel, Biden’s CNN, GOP, Politico, Pennsylvania, Foreign Relations Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Wisconsin, I’m, Rafah Israel, “ Israel, Utah, Montana, Vermont

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