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☆ Putin may have fired the admiral of Russia's Black Sea Fleet as punishment for a series of humiliating losses to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Kremlin may've fired the commander of it's Black Sea fleet. The Kremlin has fired the commander of its Black Sea Fleet as punishment for a series of humiliating losses to Ukraine, according to Russian war bloggers. It was the latest in a series of victories for Ukraine, which has a tiny navy, against Russia's much bigger Black Sea fleet. Ukraine's attacks have included strikes on Sevastopol, the base of Russia's Black Sea fleet. Sokolov had taken over as commander of the fleet in September 2022, replacing Admiral Igor Osipov, only months after Ukraine sank Russia's Black Sea flagship, "The Moskva."

Persons: Viktor Sokolov, Sergey Pinchuk, Caesar Kunikov, Nicholas Johnson, Sokolov, Sergei Markov, Igor Osipov Organizations: Ukraine, Analysts, RAND Corporation, Moscow Times, Kremlin, Business Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Sevastopol, Russia's

☆ ChatGPT probably won't help create biological weapons, OpenAI says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewOpenAI thinks there's only a slight chance that ChatGPT could be used to help create biological threats. Experts have warned that AI could be used to facilitate biological terror attacks, either by helping terrorists create biological and chemical weapons or by helping them plan their attacks. The GPT-4 group was given access to a research-only version of the model that, unlike ChatGPT, has fewer "security guardrails in place" it said. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: —, there's, Dario Amodei, Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI Organizations: Service, Business, Rand Corporation

☆ U.S. Makes Initial Offers in Medicare Drug Price Negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Noah Weiland | More About Noah Weiland | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Why It Matters: The price offers kick off negotiations. The initial round of price offers is a key step in the negotiation process. The price negotiation program was created by the Inflation Reduction Act, the climate, tax and health care package that President Biden signed into law in 2022. Additional medications will be chosen for price negotiations in the coming years. A federal judge in Delaware heard arguments on Wednesday in a case brought by AstraZeneca, the maker of a diabetes drug that was selected for price negotiations.

Persons: ”, Andrew W, Mulcahy, Biden, Mr, drugmakers Organizations: Biden, RAND Corporation, Medicare, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, AstraZeneca Locations: Delaware

☆ Ukraine may have risked exposing a precious Patriot launcher to take out 2 prized Russian planes, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine's apparent destruction of 2 Russian planes may have been due to Patriot missiles, experts said. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, FileUsing a Patriot like this would be an extremely risky move for Ukraine. Getting close enough to Kyrylivka to be able to shoot down the A-50 would have meant putting the Patriot close enough to the active fighting that Russian weaponry could hit it, the experts said. However, this level of risk is why another expert said it was unlikely that Ukraine used a Patriot. He said that while it was just an informed theory, he thought a decades-old Soviet missile system, the S-200, was more likely to have been used.

Persons: —, Rajan Manon, Mattias Eken, Alexander Zemlianichenko, Eken, would've, Manon, Gustav Gressel, Gressel, Russia doesn't Organizations: Patriot, Patriots, Service, Ilyushin, RAND Corporation, AP, European Council, Foreign Relations, Soviet, REUTERS Locations: Ukraine, Azov, Ukrainian, Kyrylivka, Russian, Russia, Warsaw, Poland

☆ A Ukrainian floating drone that is devastating Russia's Black Sea fleet can now fire missiles
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine has used sea drones to attack Russia's Black Sea fleet. Ukraine has had to improvise to offset Russia's naval superiority. AdvertisementUkraine claims it has fitted the floating drones it is using to devastate Russia's Black Sea fleet with missile launchers, making them even more deadly. Ukraine's intelligence service, the SBU, in early January released grainy video footage which it claimed showed its "Sea Baby" drones firing missiles at Russian vessels. One of its most striking successes in 2023 has been inflicting a series of devastating attacks on Russia's Black Sea fleet, despite its navy being a fraction of the size of Russia's.

Persons: Russia's, It's, —, it's, Nicholas Johnson, Wes O'Donnell, Johnson, Vasyl Maliuk Organizations: Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Business, RAND Corporation, BBC, CNN, BI Locations: Ukraine, Russia's, Sevastopol, Crimea, Kerch, Russian, Russia

☆ The US may no longer be able to fight more than one major war at a time
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

During the Cold War, the US had the capacity to fight two wars simultaneously. PoolNow, the Pentagon faces the possibility of war with resurgent major powers Russia and China which can deploy huge militaries and sophisticated weapons. In planning for the possibility of a new world war, the US must look at the global picture. AdvertisementBut China, Russia, Iran, and other US adversaries are drawing closer together, sharing weapons technology and drawing up new alliances, magnifying their threat. "If there's a World War, you know, it won't be the sort of single-handed conflicts that we've sort of gotten used to," he said.

Persons: —, Bradley, Scott Nelson, They've, Raphael Cohen, Cohen, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, it's Organizations: US, Service, Pentagon, Soviet Union, US Army, RAND Corporation, Defense Strategy, Iran Locations: America, Soviet, Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Kuwait, Soviet Union, Russia, People's Republic of China, Beijing, Ukraine, Taiwan, Iran, Israel, Pacific, Australia, Japan

☆ OpenAI’s Cast of Characters
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Jennifer Korn | Paul Glader | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Before OpenAI, Altman was president of Y Combinator, mentoring a host of founders and expanding his network in Silicon Valley. “We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board,” he wrote on X on Wednesday. Mira MuratiNamed by the OpenAI board as Altman’s interim successor on Friday, Murati was replaced by Shear before the weekend was done. In September, she joined the board of directors of Shield AI, a defense technology company building AI pilot technology for aircraft. Will HurdAfter joining the OpenAI board in 2021, Hurd was the third director to exit in 2023.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, Altman, Elon, Satya Nadella, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Kiko, Emmett Shear, Y, Nadella, ”, Mira Murati, Murati, Shear, “ Mira, ” Nadella, Ilya Sutskever, Brockman, Sutskever, “, we’ve, Adam D’Angelo D’Angelo, Mark Zuckerberg, D’Angelo, Forbes, ” Bret Taylor, Bret Taylor, Elon Musk, Taylor, Justin Kan, Tasha McCauley McCauley, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, McCauley, Greg Brockman Greg Brockman, Peter Thiel, Musk, Helen Toner Toner, AI’s, Toner, Joshua Kushner Kushner, Kushner, Jared Kushner, Karlie Kloss, Charles Kushner, Donald Trump, Larry Summers Summers, Obama, Clinton, Summers, Shivon Zilis, Zilis, Walter Isaacson, Will Hurd, Hurd, Nikki Haley, Reid Hoffman, Hoffman, OpenAI . Hoffman, He’s Organizations: CNN, Stanford University, Microsoft, OpenAI, Colby College, Dartmouth University, Tesla, Time, Phillips Exeter Academy, California Institute of Technology, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yale University, Justin.tv, GeoSim Systems, Rand Corporation, Centre, Bard College, University of Southern, Harvard University, MIT, Elon, Georgetown’s Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Open, Oscar Health, Memphis Grizzlies, Harvard College, Harvard Business School, Republican, CIA, Allen & Company, Texas, M University, Reid Hoffman LinkedIn, PayPal, LinkedIn, Greylock Partners, SpaceX, Boring Company Locations: Silicon Valley, St, Louis , Missouri, OpenAI, Seattle , Washington, Israel, University of Southern California, North Dakota, Beijing, Georgetown, Canada, United States, Texas, Oxford

Jack Guez | Afp | Getty ImagesAfter a weekend of crisis and tumult, Sam Altman has returned as the CEO of OpenAI. Nathan Laine | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBret Taylor, board chair Bret Taylor is currently a board member at the e-commerce platform Shopify . It isn't clear if Taylor's involvement with his own AI startup will cease with his appointment to lead OpenAI's board. OpenAI's board fired Altman Friday after determining he was "not consistently candid in his communications," but its members never elaborated further. Jack Guez | AFP | Getty ImagesIlya Sutskever Ilya Sutskever co-founded OpenAI and serves as its chief scientist.

Persons: Sam Altman, Ilya Sutskever, Jack Guez, Altman, There's, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Here's, Bret Taylor, Nathan Laine, He's, Elon, Taylor, Salesforce, Larry Summers, David A, CNBC Larry Summers Larry Summers, Clinton, Summers, Jack Dorsey, Adam D'Angelo Adam D'Angelo, D'Angelo, Helen Toner, CSET, Vox, Jerod Harris, Helen Toner Helen Toner, Toner, Tasha McCauley, Carlton Laguna Nigel, Tasha McCauley Tasha McCauley, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, McCauley, Ilya Sutskever Ilya Sutskever, Sutskever, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Brockman's, Sven Hoppe Organizations: Tel Aviv University, Afp, Getty, Microsoft, CNBC, Sequoia, Tiger Global, Salesforce, Viva Technology Conference, Bloomberg, Google, Economic, Grogan, Harvard University, Obama, Economic Council, Twitter, Meta, Facebook, The Ritz, Carlton, Georgetown University's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Philanthropy, Business Development, Ritz, Rand Corporation, GeoSim Systems, AFP, University of Toronto, Stanford, Technical University of Munich Locations: Tel Aviv, Paris, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point , California, Russian Israeli, Canadian

☆ VCs didn't care about OpenAI's weird board structure. It was all about investing in Sam Altman and its 'transformative' tech.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

OpenAI's venture capital investors weren't thinking about its mission to serve "humanity" by developing artificial intelligence. After Altman's ouster, Vinod Khosla, an early investor in OpenAI, came to his defense despite the criticism. OpenAI's complex and unique corporate governance structure meant that VCs could invest in the capped profit entity, but never earn any influence over the nonprofit board of directors, all of whom were either cofounders or appointed outside AI experts. The board structure and its governance are all likely to change as part of the deal to bring Sam Altman back as CEO of OpenAI. The purpose of the newly formed OpenAI board – consisting of current board member D'Angelo, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor – is to vet and potentially appoint an expanded board of up to nine people, and that Microsoft and Altman want board seats, The Verge reported.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, VCs, Sam, Altman's, Vinod Khosla, Yunus, Khosla, Wesley Chan, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Tasha McCauley, who's, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, Helen Toner, Adam D'Angelo, Karthee Madasamy, it's, David Sacks, D'Angelo, Larry Summers, Bret Taylor – Organizations: Business, Tiger Global Management, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Microsoft, FPV Ventures, Rand Corporation, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, MFV Partners, Qualcomm Ventures, Ikea, Bosch, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Bertelsmann Foundation, Carlsberg Foundation, Craft Ventures Locations: OpenAI, Silicon Valley, Hollywood

☆ Who's on the OpenAI board — the group behind Sam Altman's ouster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

On Friday, the board of OpenAI, the buzzy AI company behind viral chatbot ChatGPT, suddenly and publicly ousted its CEO Sam Altman. OpenAI's board said it conducted "a deliberative review process" and that Altman "was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities." She is an adjunct senior management scientist at Rand Corporation and has been on the OpenAI board since 2018. "While our partnership with Microsoft includes a multibillion-dollar investment, OpenAI remains an entirely independent company governed by the OpenAI Nonprofit," OpenAI has publicly stated. On that day, Altman told Nadella, "I think we have the best partnership in tech and I'm excited for us to build AGI together."

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, OpenAI, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Adam D'Angelo, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Reid Hoffman, Neuralink, Zilis, Will Hurd, Brockman, Sam, Sutskever, he's, D'Angelo, McCauley, Toner, Andreessen Horowitz, AGI, weren't, Mira Murati, OpenAI's Dev, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Dev, Brad Lightcap Organizations: Thursday's APEC, Summit, Google, Facebook, OpenAI, GeoSim Systems, Rand Corporation, University of Oxford's Center, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Sequoia Capital, Microsoft, CNBC, Fortune Locations: Texas, OpenAI

☆ Opinion | College Is Undergoing a Revolution. It’s Happening Behind Bars.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Max Kenner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

If you’re confused about why Congress would remove education from departments of “correction,” you’re not alone. New York has an extraordinary, diverse network of partnerships that replicates the diversity of college across the state. And, inspired by Catholic mission, Holy Cross College and the University of Notre Dame, Boston College and Villanova have led the way in their red, blue and purple home states. Incarcerated students majoring in history or literature all write original senior theses that are typically 100 pages in length. Pell Grants, which average less than $4,500, never covered the cost even for modest programs.

Persons: Koch, Obama, Donald Trump, you’re, Pell Organizations: RAND Corporation ., College, Soros, Holy Cross College, University of Notre Dame, Boston College, Villanova, Bard, Union, Cambridge, Morehouse, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Cornell, Georgetown Locations: North Carolina , Ohio, Texas, California, New Jersey, New York, N.Y.U, York

☆ U.S. hasn't made clear the distinction between a cease-fire and a humanitarian pause: Analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailU.S. hasn't made clear the distinction between a cease-fire and a humanitarian pause: AnalystWilliam Courtney, adjunct senior fellow at Rand Corporation, discusses the United States' role in the Israel-Hamas war.

Persons: hasn't, William Courtney Organizations: U.S, Rand Corporation Locations: United States, Israel

☆ Second Amendment Supreme Court Hearing a Major Case on Gun Rights and Domestic Violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Adam Liptak | Aishvarya Kavi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

The federal law at the heart of a major Supreme Court case that could determine the scope of gun rights in the United States deals with one of the country’s most vexing problems. “We don’t do it for the prosecutions,” said Jennifer Becker, the director of the National Center on Gun Violence in Relationships at the Battered Women’s Justice Project. But the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in June last year vastly expanded a person’s right to carry a gun in public and upended the standard for determining whether gun laws are constitutional. If the court overturns the federal law, the ruling is likely to reverberate across the country, legal experts say. Currently, 32 states and the District of Columbia all have similar laws that prevent people with domestic violence protection orders from having guns, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Persons: ”, Jennifer Becker, “, Ms, Becker, Zackey, John Allen Muhammad, Clarence Thomas, Adam Liptak Organizations: National Center, Women’s, New York Times, District of Columbia, Gun Safety, RAND Corporation, Times Locations: United States, Washington, Louisiana, Ohio

Given the U.S. gives Israel $3.8 billion a year in military aid, Sanders said, "We have a right to say, 'Sorry, you need a new military strategy.'" Israeli officials say Hamas uses civilians and hospitals as cover and prevents civilians from leaving combat zones. Multiple U.S. officials say they have been able to influence its conduct in the war somewhat. At the time it was the most military aid the U.S. had given any country. U.S. lawmakers who back a ceasefire support Israel eradicating the Iranian-backed Hamas, but some say Israel's strategy will backfire.

Persons: Joe Biden, Leah Millis, Biden, Bernie Sanders, Israel, Sanders, CNN's, Joe Biden's, Antony Blinken, Blinken, ”, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Aaron David Miller, Raphael Cohen, ” Cohen, Pramila Jayapal, Obama, Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Doina, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, Howard Goller Organizations: Franciscan Action, Palestinian, REUTERS, United Nations, Independent U.S, Hamas, Union, Democratic, State Department, U.S, Republicans, Rand Corporation, Thomson Locations: Israel, Washington , U.S, Gaza, U.S, Washington, Baghdad, London, United States, Ukraine, Russia, Saudi Arabia, East, Iran

A Palestinian fighter of the Al-Quds brigade in a military tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip last year. Overnight on Saturday, Israeli fighter planes struck 150 underground targets in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said. The group’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, said in 2021 that there were 310 miles of tunnels in Gaza. Ben Milch, an Israeli American who cleared tunnels with the Israeli military during the 2014 Gaza War, said his unit came under fire repeatedly while working to destroy some 13 tunnels. After the Israeli military announced on Tuesday that it had destroyed the tunnel to the sea, it released a video of another incident.

Persons: “, Israel, ”, Joseph L, Sergey Ponomarev, Yocheved, Daniel Hagari, Votel, Joel Roskin, Roskin, Ali Ali, Daphne Richemond, Barak, Yahya Sinwar, Yousef Masoud, ” Ms, Richemond, Ms, Amir Olo, Olo, Ben Milch, Milch, Uriel Sinai, Jeffrey Gettleman, Gal Koplewitz Organizations: Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, U.S, United States Central Command, The New York Times, Islamic, Iraqi, ISIS, Bar, Ilan University, European Pressphoto Agency, Reichman University, telltale, RAND Corporation, West Bank, Officials Locations: Al, Quds, Gaza, Israel, Israeli, Iraqi, Mosul, Al Shifa, Israel’s, Egypt, Northern Sinai, Khan Younis, Col, Israeli American, Kissufim, The, Zikim Beach, Jerusalem

☆ 'AI exposure' is the new buzz term to soften talk about job losses. Here's what it means
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Natalie Rose Goldberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has raised many concerns, prominent among these AI job displacement and mass layoffs throughout the economy. No round of layoffs of knowledge workers goes by without a mention of the threat of AI. In May of this year alone, the U.S. economy lost 4,000 jobs as a result of AI, according to data from employment outsourcing firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. According to Factset, mentions of generative AI on corporate earnings calls increased from five in December 2022 to 390 in June 2023. The more recent milestone, according to Rand: by 2020, "nearly all occupations are exposed to AI technology patent."

Persons: Alan Guarino, Korn, CNBC's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Guarino, Factset, Rand Organizations: LinkedIn, CNBC, Korn Ferry, Rand Corporation Locations: India, U.S, United States

☆ The Chinese Navy's presence in the Middle East involves 6 'highly capable vessels' stationed in the theater, military expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Chinese navy has deployed "six highly capable vessels" to the Middle East, says RAND's Bryden Spurling. He told Newsweek that the ships "reflect the rapid growth in the sophistication" of China's navy. Six Chinese warships were stationed in the Middle East last week, per reports from China Military Online, a Chinese state-linked military news outlet. The US has ramped up its military presence in the Middle East amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The Pentagon's 2022 annual report on China's military development forecasted China's fleet to reach 400 ships by 2025 and 440 ships by 2030.

Persons: RAND's Bryden Spurling, —, Bryden Spurling, they've, Spurling, Lloyd Austin, Defense Mark Esper, Esper Organizations: Newsweek, Service, RAND, Chinese Navy, Australia's Department of Defence, China Military, U.S ., US, Hamas, . Defense, China, US Navy, Fox News Digital, US Naval Institute, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Defense, RAND Corporation Locations: China, Israel

☆ CNN Investigates: Forensic analysis of images and videos suggest rocket caused Gaza hospital blast, not Israeli airstrike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Paul P. Murphy Katie Polglase Benjamin Brown Gianluca Mezzofiore Eliza Mackintosh | Paul P. Murphy | Katie Polglase | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

But CNN’s analysis suggests that a rocket launched from within Gaza broke up midair, and that the blast at the hospital was the result of part of the rocket landing at the hospital complex. All agreed that the available evidence of the damage at the site was not consistent with an Israeli airstrike. In the past few days, a number of outlets have published investigations into the Al-Ahli Hospital blast. CNN geolocated the hospital blast by referencing nearby buildings just west of the complex. Marc Garlasco, the former defense intelligence analyst and UN war crimes investigator, says there are signs of a lack of evidence at the Al-Ahli Hospital site.

Persons: Joe Biden, “, Israel, –, Abed Khaled, Jazeera, Al, ” Markus Schiller, Cedric Leighton, Chad Ohlandt, PIJ, Fadel Na’eem, Na’eem, Dr, ‘, ”, Marc Garlasco, Chris Cobb, Smith, I’ve, we’ve, ” Cobb, Patrick Senft, Senft, it’s, There’s, Cobb Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, National Security Council, Shifa, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Israel, Al, NATO, European Union, US Air Force, US National Security Agency, Rand Corporation, ’, Brigades, Quds Brigades, IDF, UN, Amnesty International, Armament Research Services, Islamic Locations: Ahli, Gaza City, Gaza, Israel, Islamic, Al, Al Jazeera, Tel Aviv, Europe, Washington , DC, Ashdod, Quds, rummage

☆ As Israeli jets devastate Gaza, air force photos show fighter aircraft armed with what look like unguided 'dumb' bombs
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But the Israeli Air Force recently published photos of fighter jets armed with what experts said look like unguided bombs. Israeli Air Force personnel "arming and continuing the series of attacks," per an X post on October 12, 2023. Israeli Air ForceIsraeli Air Force aircraft outfitted with bombs. AdvertisementAdvertisementAn Israeli Air Force video posted on Monday also showed fighter jets armed with unguided bombs ahead of footage of airstrikes. The unguided munitions in the photos look noticeably different from those equipped with JDAM kits, which turn unguided munitions into precision weapons.

Persons: —, it's, Israel, Michael Bohnert, Justin Bronk, Bronk, jet's, Momen Faiz, NurPhoto, JDAMs, they're, MAHMUD HAMS, Yoav Gallant Organizations: Israeli Air Force, Service, Attack Munitions, Twitter, Israeli Air Force Israeli Air Force, Rand Corporation, Royal United Services Institute, Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy, US Army Air Force, Israel Defense Forces, Air Force, Boeing, Guardian, ISIS, Hamas, Getty, Israeli Air, Israeli, IDF Locations: Israel, Gaza, Vietnam, Gaza City, AFP

☆ Israel dropped more bombs on Gaza in 6 days than the US-led coalition dropped in any month fighting ISIS
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Jake Epstein | Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Israel said it dropped 6,000 bombs on the Gaza Strip during the first six days of war with Hamas. That's more bombs than the US-led coalition dropped in any month during the fight against ISIS. Allied forces dropped 5,000 bombs in August 2017 — at the peak of their air campaign. But that August saw a record 5,075 bombs dropped, marking the only time that figure ever surpassed 5,000. AP Photo/Asmaa WaguihAveraged out, Israel's 6,000 bombs dropped on Gaza between October 7 and October 12 comes out to 1,000 per day — smashing the average of 164 bombs dropped per day by the US-led coalition in August 2017.

Persons: Israel, —, Ahmad Hasaballah, Raqqa —, Waguih, Joe Biden —, deescalation Organizations: ISIS, Allied, Service, Islamic, Israeli Air Force, IAF, US Air Forces Central Command, RAND Corporation, AP, US, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations, UN Locations: Gaza, Islamic State, Gaza City, Iraq, Syria, Raqqa, Syrian, California, Afghanistan

☆ Putin says he can be a peacemaker in Israel — but he has far more to gain from prolonging the war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Kremlin says Putin wants to act as mediator in the Israel-Hamas war. But Putin has little to gain from bringing an end to the conflict. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs violence erupted between Israel and Hamas this week, the Kremlin sought to cast Russian President Vladimir Putin in the role of peace broker. They say Putin has more to gain, not by bringing a swift end to the conflict, but by prolonging it to further Russia's strategic goals, notably in Ukraine. Abbas Gallyamov, a former speechwriter for Putin, told CBC News that Russia had become an "Iran proxy" in the region, like Hamas or Hezbollah.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, We've, shouldn't, Ukraine Putin, Ukraine's, Robert Dover, Aleksandar Vucic, Benjamin Netanyahu, ALEXEY DRUZHININ, Ann Marie Dailey, Bashar al, Assad, Arkadi Doubnov, Le, Abbas Gallyamov, you've, Gallyamov Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Intelligence, National Security, University of Hull, Getty, Rand Corporation, Bloomberg, Hull University, Hamas, CBC News Locations: Israel, Russian, Russia, Gaza, Palestine, Ukraine, Dover, Serbian, Moscow, AFP, Saudi Arabia, Soviet Union, Iran, Israeli, India, South Africa, China, Tehran

☆ Opinion: Biden’s stunning reversal on border barriers
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( Stuart Ross | Opinion Jon Gabriel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump promised to build a border wall that Mexico would pay for during the 2016 campaign but the neighboring country never did. Candidate Joe Biden vowed “not another foot” of the border wall would be built during his presidency. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre continues to dodge questions while Biden bizarrely claimed that the border wall he approved won’t work. “I’ll answer one question on the border wall,” Biden said to reporters in the Oval Office Thursday. “The border wall — the money was appropriated for the border wall.

Persons: Jon Gabriel, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, “, Biden, Jon Gabriel Immigration, Alejandro Mayorkas, ”, Eric Adams, J.B . Pritzker, Robert Trenschel, we’ve, ” Trenschel, Oscar Leeser, Raphael S, Cohen, ” Cohen, Elisabeth Vallet, Karine Jean, Pierre, Mayorkas, ” Biden Organizations: The Arizona, Twitter, CNN, Homeland, US Border Patrol, US Customs, Border Protection, Border, Democratic, New York City, Apple, Illinois Gov, Gallup, Yuma Regional Medical Center, RAND Corporation, Center, University of Quebec, White Locations: The Arizona Republic, Mexico, Arizona, Texas, climes, New York, America, Chicago, Yuma , Arizona, Yuma, . El Paso, El Paso, York, Montreal

☆ A government shutdown would be a 'gut punch' to Head Start programs that serve 10,000 low income children
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Head Start programs, which serve over 10,000 children across the nation, would lose funding. If the shutdown isn't averted, Head Start programs serving more than 10,000 children would immediately lose federal funding, including Ferguson's program. This is a particular concern with nearly 20% of Head Start staff positions vacant nationwide, according to the National Head Start Association. The 16-day October 2013 shutdown was the last to hit Head Start hard, affecting 19,000 children and shuttering programs in several states. Laketia Washington, a mother of eight whose 3- and 5-year-olds attend Head Start programs in Tallahassee, Florida, lamented the turmoil as she rang up customers at a discount store.

Persons: —, Monette Ferguson, Ferguson, Tommy Sheridan, Sheridan, Bobby Kogan, Lori Milam, she's, Philip Shelly, Nikki Budzinski, Maureen Coffey, Lynn Karoly, John, Laura Arnold, what's Organizations: Service, Alliance for Community Empowerment, Start Association, Sunday, Center for American Progress, West Virginia, Democratic U.S ., Start, Center for American, Rand Corp, Tim Center, Capital Area Community Action Agency Locations: Connecticut, Florida , Alabama , Connecticut, Georgia , Massachusetts, South Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota , New York, Maine, Houston, Florida, Laketia Washington, Tallahassee , Florida

☆ Putin has been ignoring his generals and directing the war himself, analysts say — and has been surprisingly cautious
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin is largely ignoring the expertise of his military advisors, US analysts said in a report. The experts at the RAND Corporation said Putin has proved more cautious than many expected. AdvertisementAdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin is making key decisions about the Ukraine war largely on his own, without input from his generals, analysts said in a report published last week. "Putin [is] making key decisions largely on his own without substantial influence from the Russian General Staff," the analysts said in the report. AdvertisementAdvertisementDespite this, Western countries have provided billions of dollars of equipment to Ukraine, including steadily expanding its capabilities with aid including advanced Western tanks, artillery, and cruise missiles.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Defence Sergei Shoigu, Dara Massicot Organizations: RAND Corporation, Service, Russian General Staff, RAND, Defence, New York Times, NATO, Associated Press, West, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Putin, Russia, Kremlin

☆ Russia is scaling back its use of the feared Ka-52 attack helicopter after Ukraine got good at taking them out: ISW
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine is getting better at taking down Russia's Ka-52 helicopters, the ISW said. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine has gotten better at destroying the Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters that had plagued its counteroffensive, a US think tank said. AdvertisementAdvertisementDespite recent Ukrainian advances, so far Russia has prevented Ukraine from making a decisive breakthrough. The ISW said that Ukraine's improved ability against the Ka-52 had not seriously undermined Russian defenses. "Russian forces appear to have increased their use of strike drones against advancing Ukrainian forces, and Russian artillery units continue to play a significant role in repelling Ukrainian assaults," said the ISW.

Persons: Russia's, —, Gian Gentile, Nico Lange Organizations: Ukraine's, Service, RAND Corporation, Munich Security Conference, Defense Express Locations: Ukraine, Russia, US, Russian, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Kherson, Luhansk, Melitopol, Ukrainian

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