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☆ A Strike Looms in a Battleground State
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than 7,000 workers who make trucks and buses at Daimler Truck plants in North Carolina are poised to go on strike at midnight, barring a last-minute breakthrough. The United Automobile Workers, the union that represents the workers, said it was demanding a “historic deal” from the truck maker, including pay raises and more job security. “It’s our generation-defining moment,” Shawn Fain, U.A.W.’s president, said. A strike in North Carolina — a battleground state that has a Democratic governor, but that President Biden narrowly lost in 2020 — could also have repercussions on the 2024 campaign. Biden, who has proclaimed himself the “most pro-union president in history,” has indicated that he could step in aggressively to support the Daimler workers.

Persons: “, ” Shawn Fain, U.A.W, ’, Biden, —, ” Organizations: Daimler, United Automobile Workers, U.S, Democratic Locations: North Carolina, Southern

☆ Three Questions About Politics and the Campus Protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Jess Bidgood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Soon, the comparison to another protest-filled election year inevitably arose. That year, protests at Columbia University exploded amid a nationwide movement against the Vietnam War, one that involved violent clashes as police moved in on protesters at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago that summer. Democrats, who had been deeply divided over the war, ultimately lost the election to President Nixon. There are many differences between then and now, and it is much too soon to know whether the campus protests happening now will come to feel like what happened that seismic year. It’s another question mark in a political season already full of them.

Persons: Nixon Organizations: Columbia, Democratic National Convention Locations: Gaza, New York, Texas, Southern California, Vietnam, Chicago

☆ Federal Student Aid head Richard Cordray, tasked with FAFSA rollout, to step down
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Katie Lobosco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The head of the Federal Student Aid office, which has faced criticism for the botched rollout of this year’s college financial aid form, will be stepping down. The announcement of Cordray’s departure comes as his office has been under fire for problems with a new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, released late last year. “If there was a financial aid director, or even a college president, that delayed financial aid on their campus for up to six months, the professional price that would be paid for that would be pretty steep,” Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, told lawmakers. Cordray’s tenureAs the head of FSA, Cordray oversaw not only the FAFSA but also the entire $1.6 trillion federal student loan system. It also sued Navient, one of the biggest federal student loan servicers, for allegedly processing payments incorrectly.

Persons: Richard Cordray, Cordray, Justin Draeger, Virginia Foxx, Miguel Cardona, Cordray’s, Rich Cordray’s, ” Cardona, “, Rich, Obama, ” Cordray, Pell, Biden, Trump, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren —, Navient, “ I’m, ” Warren Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal, Aid, CNN, Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, Education, Workforce, National Association of Student Financial, Republican Rep, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Democratic, National College, of Education, Public, Consumer Financial, Massachusetts, Corinthian Colleges Locations: North Carolina, Ohio

☆ Opinion: $95 billion Israel-Ukraine aid package gives Biden huge leverage. He should use it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Opinion Mark Hannah | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The $95 billion military aid package President Joe Biden signed Wednesday was a feat of tough-minded negotiation to get funding to Ukraine and Israel after months of congressional horse-trading. But if the aid inflates those countries’ war aims, it could discourage the kind of tough-minded negotiation that is the only way to end their wars. The new infusion of aid gives the US a lot of leverage with Ukraine and Israel. However, the recent aid package includes long-range missiles, or ATACMS, which suggests Ukraine is readying an offensive against Crimea. In Israel, putting conditions on military aid is a better idea.

Persons: Mark Hannah, Joe Biden, Mark Hannah Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Mark Milley, “, —, Israel, Biden, George W, Bush, Putin, Ukraine’s, Biden judiciously, Netanyahu, Henry Kissinger, Golda Meir, Kissinger, ” Kissinger, Russia shouldn’t Organizations: Institute for Global Affairs, Eurasia Group, CNN, Wednesday, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Palestinian Authority, Abrams Tanks, Crimea, Israel, Twitter Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Crimea, Washington, Ukrainian, Russia, Gaza, United States, Kippur, Tel Aviv, Soviet

☆ White House unbowed on support for Israel despite growing frustration from progressives and unrest on campuses
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Kayla Tausche | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

This week’s rapid spread of college campus encampments meant to protest the war has ratcheted up the pressure on the US over its support for Israel. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff spoke by phone with two Jewish leaders on campus, a White House official said, to discuss the immediate need to address antisemitism on college campuses. Despite being just miles from Columbia and the most tense scenes of the protests, Biden will not be making a visit to campus as he holds events in the New York area Friday. The White House must by May 8 certify whether Israel is complying. And while Sanders sought assurances from Biden on how he was approaching the situation, the president remained characteristically diplomatic, Shakir, the Sanders adviser said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Biden, Sanders, Biden –, ‘, ” Faiz Shakir, Joe, Doug Emhoff, Mike Johnson, Johnson, ” Johnson, ” Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Shakir, “, CNN’s Sam Fossum Organizations: York, York City CNN, Democratic, CNN, Israel, Columbia University, White, Republican, Representatives, National Guard, Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute, Politics, Israeli, Hamas, Biden Locations: York City, Virginia, Vermont, Gaza, Israel, Columbia, New York

In 1968, protests against the Vietnam War reached a climax in Chicago outside the Democratic National Convention, where the police beat and arrested demonstrators — and most likely contributed to Hubert Humphrey’s loss in the general election that November. In this audio essay, the columnist Charles Blow draws a parallel between those events and this year’s convention, which will also take place in Chicago and where protesters are again planning demonstrations. Blow warns the Biden campaign that the growing campus protest movement signals what could come and that the campaign ignores history at its peril. (A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)

Persons: Hubert Humphrey’s, Charles Blow, Blow, Biden Organizations: Democratic National Convention Locations: Vietnam, Chicago

☆ South Africa’s democracy is turning 30 – but a silent crisis threatens its hard-fought gains
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( David Mckenzie | Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Soweto, South Africa CNN —Seth Mazibuko strides into the intersection of Moema and Vilakazi Street in Soweto, gesturing to the spot that changed South African history. Cars are used as roadblocks on June 21, 1976, during unrest in Soweto, South Africa, stemming from protests against the use of Afrikaans in schools. But as South Africans celebrate 30 years of democracy this week, many educators and activists believe that there is a crisis hollowing out the country’s education system – a crisis that threatens democracy’s hard-fought gains. Despite substantial education funding, South African students consistently rank among the lowest in global assessments of literacy and numeracy skills. South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world and many university graduates struggle to enter the workforce.

Persons: South Africa CNN — Seth, ”, Mazibuko, Mike Mizleni, Prince Mulwela, Angie Motshekga, Motshekga, Nelson Mandela, Walter Dhladhla, it’s, Ann Bernstein, Bernstein, Morris Isaacson, “, ‘, ’, General, Mbali Msimanga, Atlegang Alcock, Mandela Organizations: South Africa CNN, Black South, Getty, Keystone, Hulton, “, Morris Isaacson High School, CNN, South, Basic, African National Congress, ANC, of Development, Enterprise, Corruption, South African Democratic Teachers Union, Cape Town Locations: Soweto, South Africa, Moema, gesturing, AFP, Africa, Canada, Kenya, Oshlange, Black, Durban, South Africa's, Johannesburg, Robben, Cape

☆ How Abrupt U-Turns Are Defining U.S. Environmental Regulations
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Coral Davenport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration’s move on Thursday to strictly limit pollution from coal-burning power plants is a major policy shift. But in many ways it’s one more hairpin turn in a zigzag approach to environmental regulation in the United States, a pattern that has grown more extreme as the political landscape has become more polarized. Now President Biden is trying once more to put an end to carbon emissions from coal plants. But Mr. Trump, who is running to replace Mr. Biden, has promised that he will again delete those plans if he wins in November. If Mr. Trump wins the presidency, he is likely to exit the accord.

Persons: Barack Obama, Donald J, Trump, Biden, Obama Organizations: Biden, Republican, United States, Mr, Democratic, White Locations: United States, Paris

☆ Number of Trump Allies Facing Election Interference Charges Keeps Growing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Danny Hakim | Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fifty-three people who tried to keep former President Donald J. Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election have now been criminally charged. Mr. Trump’s own legal complications are also growing. On Wednesday, he was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in election interference investigations in both Arizona and Michigan. He has already been charged in Georgia while facing two federal prosecutions and a criminal trial in Manhattan related to hush money payments made to a porn star. What’s more, Mr. Trump’s top legal strategist, Boris Epshteyn, was indicted in Arizona on Wednesday.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Kris Mayes, Trump’s, Boris Epshteyn Organizations: Democratic Locations: Arizona, American, Michigan, Georgia, Manhattan

☆ Conservative Justices Take Argument Over Trump’s Immunity in Unexpected Direction
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Adam Liptak | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Before the Supreme Court heard arguments on Thursday on former President Donald J. Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution, his stance was widely seen as a brazen and cynical bid to delay his trial. The practical question in the case, it was thought, was not whether the court would rule against him but whether it would act quickly enough to allow the trial to go forward before the 2024 election. Instead, members of the court’s conservative majority treated Mr. Trump’s assertion that he could not face charges that he tried to subvert the 2020 election as a weighty and difficult question. They did so, said Pamela Karlan, a law professor at Stanford, by averting their eyes from Mr. Trump’s conduct. “What struck me most about the case was the relentless efforts by several of the justices on the conservative side not to focus on, consider or even acknowledge the facts of the actual case in front of them,” she said.

Persons: Donald J, Pamela Karlan, Trump’s, ”, “ I’m, Samuel A, Alito Jr Organizations: Stanford

☆ Opinion | The Constitution Won’t Save Us From Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Aziz Rana | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

On Thursday, the Supreme Court gathered to consider whether Donald Trump, as president, enjoyed immunity from prosecution for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Even if the justices eventually rule against him, liberals should not celebrate the Constitution as our best bulwark against Mr. Trump. Each of these efforts has been motivated by a worthy desire to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his actions. It is not just that Mr. Trump would never have been president without the Electoral College. Think about why those previous efforts to use the Constitution to hold Mr. Trump accountable failed.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, —, Mike Pence Organizations: Supreme, Mr, Electoral Locations: Colorado

☆ Andrew Cuomo agrees to testify to Congress on Covid-19 nursing home advisory
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Jake Tapper | Piper Hudspethblackburn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Andrew Cuomo, after being subpoenaed last month, has agreed to testify to Congress about his controversial nursing home advisory from the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, Rep. Brad Wenstrup told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday. Cuomo has insisted that advisory was consistent with guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, his upcoming appearance before lawmakers is a sign of continuing scrutiny over his handling of long-term care facilities during the pandemic. The voluntary agreement means that Cuomo will participate with a transcribed interview rather than a deposition. Wenstrup told Tapper on Friday that the panel will also hear from Cuomo’s former secretary Melissa DeRosa and former commissioner of the New York State Department of Health Dr. Howard Zucker.

Persons: Andrew Cuomo, Brad Wenstrup, CNN’s Jake Tapper, “ Governor Cuomo, ” Wenstrup, “ I’m, Cuomo, Wenstrup, Rich Azzopardi, “, Letitia James, New York State Department of Health undercounted, Thomas DiNapoli, Tapper, CNN’s KFile, Melissa DeRosa, Howard Zucker, James ’, CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi, Kaanita Iyer Organizations: CNN, Former New York Gov, Ohio Republican, Democratic, Centers, Medicare, Services, Centers for Disease Control, New York, New York State Department of Health Locations: ”

☆ Democrats Try to Navigate a Looming Strike in a Swing State
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Barring a last-minute breakthrough, more than 7,000 workers are set to walk off their truck and bus assembly lines on Friday night in the swing state of North Carolina, injecting the United Automobile Workers’ new activism in the South directly into the 2024 election. North Carolina has never been hospitable to organized labor, and the midnight strike at the North American subsidiary of the German industrial giant Daimler Truck has been greeted with trepidation by the state’s Democratic establishment, which has long tried to project a moderate, pro-business bent. But Shawn Fain, the U.A.W.’s brash new president, doesn’t much care. “We don’t expect politicians to save the day, but at the end of the day, politicians have an obligation to the people that elect them,” he said in an interview on Thursday, adding: “It’s our generation-defining moment. This is a time where politicians need to pick a side.”In September, President Biden joined the picket line of the U.A.W.’s successful strike of the Big Three U.S. automakers, and Thursday, a White House spokeswoman, Robyn Patterson, indicated that the president could be equally aggressive if there was a Daimler walkout.

Persons: Shawn Fain, ”, Biden, ’, Robyn Patterson Organizations: United Automobile Workers, North, Daimler, Democratic, ”, Big, U.S, automakers, House Locations: North Carolina, Carolina, North American

They call it an encirclement of their nation and say the United States is trying to constrain its main economic and military rival. The United States also has a new security agreement with Papua New Guinea. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden signed a $95-billion supplemental military aid and spending bill that Congress had just passed and that includes $8.1 billion to counter China in the region. In addition, the United States continues to send weapons and Green Beret trainers to Taiwan, a de facto independent island and the biggest flashpoint between the United States and China. A swarm of Chinese militia and Coast Guard vessels chased a Philippine Coast Guard ship in the South China Sea last year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Biden, Antony J, Blinken, Yuri Gripas, ” Ely Ratner, Xi, ” Kurt Campbell, Joseph Wu, ”, “, Samuel J, Paparo Jr, Mr, Paparo, Carl Vinson, Richard A, Brooks, Trump, Lloyd J, Austin III, Chen Jining, Jes Aznar, David H, Berger, Obama, Tony Mcdonough, United States —, Admiral Paparo, China’s “ revanchist, we’re Organizations: Australian, U.S, Marines, United, Pentagon, Corps, Mr, White House, White, The New York Times, American, Marine, Green, China’s, Liberation Army, Seoul SOUTH, Pacific Command, People’s Liberation Army, Agence France, Nuclear Forces Treaty, Defense, Communist Party, Tokyo Okinawa, U.S . Navy, Coast Guard, Philippine Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Army, Philippines Luzon Partner, Australia Darwin Potential, NATO, Tomahawk Locations: Beijing, United States, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, Asia, Pacific, U.S, China, Shanghai, South China, South Korea, Guam, Washington, Manila, Taipei, People’s Republic of China, Palau, West Papua, Seoul, Tokyo JAPAN CHINA Taipei TAIWAN Hong Kong, GUAM philippines MALAYSIA INDONESIA JAPAN CHINA TAIWAN, philippines GUAM, INDONESIA Seoul, GUAM philippines, MALAYSIA INDONESIA, Philippine, Moscow, Tokyo, Ryukyu Islands, South, Philippines Luzon, Luzon, Spratly, Australia, Canberra, Singapore, Darwin, Australia’s, . North Carolina, Virginia, Perth, United Kingdom, Navy’s, America

Has South Africa Truly Defeated Apartheid? U.S.A., 2020 – 63% U.K., 2019 – 62% 60% 49% 40% 20% 1994 2004 2014 2019 Sources: Collette Schulz-Herzenberg, "The South African non-voter: An analysis"; Konrad Adenaur Stiftung, 2020 (South Africa); Pew Research (United States and U.K.)On a continent where coups, autocrats and flawed elections have become common, South Africa is a widely admired exception. −4% −6% Sources: Harvard Growth Lab analysis of World Economic Outlook (South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa) and World Development Indicators (upper-middle-income countries). 50% unemployment rate 40% Black unemployment rate 30% The unemployment gap between Black and white South Africans remains wide. In 2022, about 6 percent of South Africans aged 18 to 29 were enrolled in higher education, according to Statistics South Africa.

Persons: Nelson Mandela, they’ve, Collette Schulz, Konrad Adenaur Stiftung, —, Walter Sisulu, Joao Silva, New York Times Jack Martins, ”, Mandela’s, Wandile Sihlobo, Johann Kirsten, Sihlobo, Kirsten, haven’t, Zinhle Nene, Peter Mokoena, “, Mokoena, Nokuthula Mabe, Mabe, Jacob Zuma, Chrispin Phiri, Cyril Ramaphosa, Israel, Sibusiso Zikode, Zikode, Mr Organizations: African National Congress, Pew Research, Human Sciences Research, World Bank, Black South, Charter, New York Times, University of Cape Town’s Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Economic Empowerment, South, Harvard, Economic, Government, Black, Mr, Stellenbosch University . White, Statistics, Security, JOHANNESBURG Jobs, JOHANNESBURG Sandton Downtown, West University, Education, Statistics South, General Household Survey, of, Stellenbosch University, Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services, Institute for Security Studies, International Court of Justice Locations: Africa, South Africa, Black, States, Soweto, Kliptown, Johannesburg, South, Saharan Africa, Carletonville, JOHANNESBURG, Downtown Soweto, JOHANNESBURG Sandton, JOHANNESBURG Sandton Downtown Soweto, North, Mahikeng, Botswana, Statistics South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, African, Germany, Russia, India, China, Ethiopia, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Ukraine, New York Times South Africa, Gaza, Durban, South Africa’s

☆ Peter Schey, Tenacious Lawyer Who Defended Migrant Rights, Dies at 77
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Trip Gabriel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Peter Schey, a driven defender of the human rights of migrants crossing the Southern border, who won landmark legal cases requiring humane care for undocumented children and the right of migrants to attend school and receive health care in states that tried to bar those services, died in Los Angeles on April 2. His death, in a hospital, was caused by complications of lymphoma, said Melinda Bird, a former wife. He took on both Democratic and Republican administrations in Washington. He was a leader of the legal team that negotiated the seminal Flores Settlement Agreement, a 1997 government measure safeguarding detained, unaccompanied migrant children. He fought the Trump administration when it tried to tear up the deal 21 years later.

Persons: Peter Schey, Melinda Bird, Schey, shay, Trump Organizations: Democratic, Republican Locations: Los Angeles, South Africa, Washington

☆ Toomaj Salehi: Iranian rapper sentenced to death for protesting in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Artemis Moshtaghian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Dissident rapper Toomaj Salehi has been given a death sentence for his involvement in the widespread protests that swept Iran in 2022, according to his lawyer. “An order for the execution of Toomaj Salehi has been issued,” Salehi’s lawyer Amir Raesian tweeted Wednesday. State media said Salehi’s sentence is subject for reduction by a pardoning committee if he appeals again. A court in Tehran sentenced Yasin to five years in prison, according to group focused on Kurdish human rights, Hengaw. “We strongly condemn Toomaj Salehi’s death sentence and the five-year sentence for Kurdish-Iranian rapper Saman Yasin.

Persons: Toomaj Salehi, “, ”, Amir Raesian, rearrested, Saman Yasin, Yasin, Toomaj, Salehi Organizations: CNN —, UN, Human Rights, United States ’ Office Locations: Iran, Isfahan, Entekhab, Iranian, Tehran, United, Europe, Ye

astead herndonLast year, the comedian was Roy Wood Jr., a veteran of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central —archived recording (roy wood jr.) Happy to be here. I don’t think you can ignore anything that the American people are bringing to you. So I think that’s where it ain’t funny to a lot of people. And I think that’s what we’re — those are the only two things we’re armed with is either laughs or yelling. But now do you want the funny guy that’s going to be in control of your uterus?

Persons: astead herndon, Jon Stewart, Wanda Sykes, roy, Dark Brandon, Roy Wood Jr, astead herndon —, I’ll, I’m, Clarence Thomas, There’s, Trump, it’s, Donald Trump, —, Biden, ” I’m Astead, ”, Showtime ”, that’ll, astead herndon Really, It’ll, astead, Jim Messina, Joe Biden, Rupert Murdoch, That’s, Harry Styles, Don Lemon, Harris, Ron Klain, exoticize Joe Biden, Scranton Joe, we’re, you’re, Obama, herndon, we’ve, Bob Dole, that’s, George Floyd, They’re, what’s, Roy, Buddy, who’s, Trayvon Martin —, let’s, Ludacris, Kim Kardashian, Ray J, Kardashian, astead herndon Roy, he’s, Joe Biden’s, It’s, I’ve, He’s, George Lopez, they’re, astead herndon I’m, there’s, John Oliver — astead herndon, “, Sarah Palin, Tina Fey’s, Nikki Haley, ain’t, Haley, Nikki Haley can’t, donald, Ron “ DeSanctimonious, astead herndon It’s, who’ve, Obama Obama, Lock, Hillary’s, Marco, You’re, Little Marco, Karine Jean, Pierre, astead herndon That’s, Donald Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Jonah Bromwich, haven’t, jonah bromwich You’ve, We’ve, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, don’t, Trump — jonah bromwich, He’ll, biden, astead herndon Joe Biden, Let’s, She’s Organizations: White, Super, Comedy, “, Disney, The New York Times, Showtime, astead herndon, Trump, Biden, Paramount, BET, Scranton, Republicans, Florida, M University, Black College, Republican, Democratic Party, Democratic, Democrat, RFK, Party, Tea Party, SNL, Democrats, Tower, National, ”, AMI, Trump — Locations: Washington , DC, France, America, ” I’m Astead Herndon, herndon, Scranton, Tallahassee, Birmingham , Alabama, Birmingham, astead herndon, South Carolina, CPAC, Palestine, Israel, Manhattan, Florida, Tampa, Pennsylvania

☆ India markets face an 'inevitable' correction if Modi's election win disappoints, Bernstein says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A worker fixes flags of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party displayed on a hoarding prior in Raipur on April 15, 2024 ahead of the country's upcoming general elections. India's stock markets started the year in record-high territory, much of it supported by pre-election optimism — but as the country kicked off its weeks-long election, Bernstein warned that a market correction could be in place. Market players have been pricing in a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Modi, who has been prime minister since 2014, is seen as a market-friendly candidate. Nearly one billion eligible voters will decide who fills the 543 contested seats in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament.

Persons: Bernstein, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Venugopal Garre, Nikhil Arela Organizations: Bharatiya Janata Party Locations: Raipur, India, Lok Sabha

☆ Court in Iran Sentences Prominent Rapper to Death, His Lawyer Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | Leily Nikounazar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A dissident rapper has been sentenced to death in Iran after releasing music in support of antigovernment demonstrations that rocked the country in 2022, according to his lawyer, in a case that has prompted global condemnation. The rapper, Toomaj Salehi, 33, was one of the most prominent voices among those arrested over nationwide protests against Iran’s clerical rulers after the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, 22. Human rights organizations have been calling for Mr. Salehi’s release, saying that he has been tortured in prison and warning that he could face execution. Amir Raesian, Mr. Salehi’s lawyer, told the Iranian reformist newspaper Shargh in an article published on Wednesday that a court in the central city of Isfahan had sentenced Mr. Salehi to death and that his client planned to appeal. The office of the U.S. Special Envoy for Iran condemned the sentence, calling it another example of “the regime’s brutal abuse of its own citizens, disregard for human rights, and fear of the democratic change the Iranian people seek.”

Persons: Toomaj Salehi, Mahsa Amini, Amir Raesian, Salehi’s, Mr, Salehi, ” Organizations: U.S . Locations: Iran, Iranian, Isfahan

☆ Who could buy TikTok?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Still, the company is under such close scrutiny that it would be a poor candidate to buy TikTok, experts say. If you were to tell me it’s Verizon, or AT&T, maybe it’s not as big of a problem.”Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Emarketer, highlighted a paradox: Only the largest, most dominant tech giants may have the resources to buy TikTok. Microsoft had been one of the handful of contenders to buy TikTok in 2020 when President Donald Trump first pushed for a sale. A former Trump Cabinet official enters the frayIn a move that caught many by surprise, former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month that he is putting together a team of investors to buy TikTok. As with Mnuchin, O’Leary has said a potential acquisition of TikTok may have to exclude TikTok’s algorithm.

Persons: Joe Biden, There’s, ”, Gene Kimmelman, Jasmine Enberg, ” Enberg, TikTok’s, Donald Trump, TikTok, Steven Mnuchin, Mnuchin, ” Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Trump, who’ve, Kevin O’Leary, O’Leary Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Google, Meta, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Department, YouTube, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Verizon, Emarketer, Activision Blizzard, Walmart, Oracle, Project Texas, Texas, Trump Cabinet, Trump Treasury, Trump, ” Oregon Democratic, Washington Post, O’Leary Ventures Locations: United States, TikTok, ” Oregon

☆ Choose between stability and ‘downward spiral’ China’s foreign minister tells Blinken during Beijing trip
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Beijing CNN —China and the US face a choice between stability and a “downward spiral,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told counterpart Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing, as the American diplomat kicked off a day of meetings with top Chinese officials. “Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral? Or engage in rivalry and confrontation – or even slide into conflict, which would be a lose-lose for all?” he said, speaking through an interpreter. Wang’s comments come as Chinese officials bristle at actions Washington has taken in the name of national security, which Beijing sees as meant to suppress its development. Officials from both nations suggested ahead of the trip that the visit would be focused on managing the relationship and communicating concerns.

Persons: Wang Yi, Antony Blinken, China –, ” Wang, Blinken, ”, Washington, Joe Biden, Wang, ” Blinken, Biden, Xi Jinping, White, China’s, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Russia, Ukraine, Foreign Ministry, “, Communist Party, Taiwan Locations: Beijing, Beijing CNN — China, American, China, Russia, South, Taiwan, “, United States, Diaoyutai State, California, Moscow, Iran, East, Ukraine, Korean

☆ Net neutrality is back as FCC votes to regulate internet providers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The net neutrality regulations adopted Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission prohibit providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from selectively speeding up, slowing down or blocking users’ internet traffic. And for the first time, the FCC said it would step in to override state or local policies that conflict with the federal net neutrality rule. “The Title II authority will ensure that broadband providers are properly overseen by the FCC like all telecommunications services should be. “These 400-plus pages of relentless regulation are proof positive that old orthodoxies die hard,” said Jonathan Spalter, CEO of USTelecom, a trade association representing internet providers. As a result, the outcome of a legal challenge to the FCC’s net neutrality rules could have potentially broad ramifications for other US regulatory bodies, not just the FCC.

Persons: Trump, Jessica Rosenworcel, Rosenworcel, ” Rosenworcel, ”, Justin Brookman, Biden, Jonathan Spalter, Brendan Carr Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Communications Commission, Comcast, Verizon, Democratic, FCC, “, Consumer, Trump, Republican, Communications Locations: unwound, Washington, America

☆ Two Trump courtroom dramas could help shape the tone of a future presidency
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Prosecutors have framed the trial as more than a simple case of falsifying business records — the offense with which Trump has been charged. But the results of Trump’s pending cases — and whether they even come to trial — could help decide the tone of a future presidency. But at the same time, Trump is using the privileges of appeals available to any defendant to their full extent. “We’re writing a rule for the ages.”It’s always hazardous to speculate how Supreme Court justices will rule based on their questioning in oral arguments. This could mean the case returns to lower courts for more litigation — a move that could delay the federal election trial for months, far beyond the November election.

Persons: Donald Trump, George Washington, David Pecker, Trump’s, Trump, —, Trump —, Republican nominee’s, Jack Smith’s, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jackson, Pecker, didn’t, Matthew Colangelo, he’s, Joe Biden, Biden, “, Benjamin Franklin, inoculate Trump, CNN’s Zachary B, Wolf, Marquis de Lafayette, demagogue, George Conway, ” Conway, CNN’s Wolf, ”, Neil Gorsuch, “ I’m, Amy Coney Barrett, David Sauer, Sauer, Elena Kagan, Kagan, ” Kagan Organizations: CNN, National Enquirer, Republican, Trump, GOP, Prosecutors, Supreme, White House Locations: New York, Georgia, Florida, — Washington, Washington, Philadelphia , Washington

☆ Black royals say Hollywood erased their existence. They're fighting to change the whitewashed narrative.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Black royals have existed around the world for millennia. Mainstream TV shows and movies that depict the true history of Black royal families are few and far between. And while movies about fictional Black royals exist — "The Princess and The Frog" (2009), "Black Panther" (2018), and the latest "The Little Mermaid" (2023) — Hollywood still isn't doing enough to educate viewers that Black royals exist in the real world, according to Nigeria's Princess Keisha Omilana. - Prince Asfa-Wossen AsserateMeanwhile, Asfa-Wossen said educators are too often preoccupied with using slave narratives to recount Black history. But in order to portray Black royals as equal to their white counterparts, there must be a shift in perspective, he said.

Persons: —, Queen Elizabeth, Sierra Leone's, Sarah Culberson, Nigeria's Princess Keisha, Prince Kunle Omilana, Prince Asfa, Asserate, Princess Ariana, Prince Joel, Keisha Omilana, Halle Bailey, Ariel, Disney Keisha, Prince Adekunle, Omilana, Keisha, Kunle, Ipetu, Orjinmo, Prince Kunle, haven't, George Osodi, Fernando Catala, Princess Keisha, David White, Sarah, Sarah Culberson Sarah, Ethiopia's Prince Asfa, Manfred Roth, who's, Haile Selassie, Young, Charlotte, Liam Daniel, Wossen, Ethiopia's Prince Joel, Joel, Ethiopia Antwon Maxwell, Kassa, Ian Sansom, it's, Queen of Sheba, King Soloman's, Sheba, Menelik, Axum, don't, Tell Organizations: Service, Hollywood, BI, Immigration, Board of Canada, Paramount, Getty, Netflix, SAG, Ethiopian, King, Guardian Locations: Hollywood, Windsor, American, Nigeria, Yoruba Kingdom, British, Morocco, Lesotho, Swaziland, Europe, Africa, Mende, Bumpe, Sierra Leone, West Virginia, Ethiopia, India, Germany, Los Angeles, America

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