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☆ Election Workers Face Flood of Threats, but Charges Are Few
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Eileen Sullivan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One week after the 2020 presidential election, Tina Barton, who as the clerk of Rochester Hills, Mich., oversaw voting there, sat down at her desk, coffee in hand, and listened to her voice mail messages. Ms. Barton, whose town is part of Oakland County, which voted for President Biden in 2020, immediately shared the message with the county sheriff. Then she spent nearly three years wondering, wherever she went — grocery shopping, church, community events — whether the caller would make good on his threat and come to kill her. Only last summer, when federal authorities charged the caller, did she learn his identity and begin to feel some sense of relief. Ms. Barton is one of thousands of election workers who have received threats since the 2020 election, a trend fueled by former President Donald J. Trump’s continued baseless assertions about election fraud and what experts say is a broader distrust of institutions and authority.

Persons: Tina Barton, Barton, Biden, Donald J, Trump’s Locations: Rochester Hills, Mich, Oakland County

☆ China has strong fundamentals and should remain a focus for businesses, Singapore trade minister says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Businesses should continue to focus on China and explore opportunities to expand their presence in the world's second-largest economy, Singapore Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong said Friday. China had briefly entered deflation territory late last year, and is still struggling with a debt-laden real estate sector. However, "if you take a deeper look, when I engaged the businesses and the people on the ground, I think the sense it gives me is that China's fundamentals are strong," Gan said on CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia." The country's investments in infrastructure will also put it in a good position to recover in the longer term, Gan added. "So I think in the meantime, in the immediate future, they will see headwinds, but I think in the longer term, the fundamentals remain strong."

Persons: Industry Gan Kim Yong, China, Fitch, Gan Organizations: Singapore Minister, Trade, Industry, Moody's Locations: China, Singapore

☆ Daniil Medvedev rants at officials for second successive day as Russian exits Monte-Carlo Masters
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Matias Grez | Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Khachanov, as a result, earned two break points and would eventually capitalize on the second, thanks to a Medvedev double fault. 4 was frustrated with two calls from the line judge on his baseline while serving at 1-2 in the second set. The first disagreement came after the 28-year-old returned a crushing winner from a Monfils forehand, which was called out by the line judge. The very next point, the same line judge called Monfils’ shot in to the dismay of Medvedev, who left the ball expecting an out call to come. He can make a mistake as well, everybody can.”Mohamed Lahyani had to ask Medvedev not to shout at the line judge in Wednesday's match.

Persons: CNN — Daniil Medvedev ranted, Karen Khachanov, Carlo Masters, Khachanov, Carlos Bernardes, Cedric Mourier, “, ” Medvedev, It’s, …, Russia's Daniil Medvedev, France's Gael Monfils, Valery Hache, Mohamed Lahyani, Gaël Monfils, Lahyani, Monfils ’, Medvedev, shrugging, ” Lahyani, ” Mohamed Lahyani, Julian Finney Organizations: CNN, Medvedev, France's, Getty Locations: AFP, Russian

☆ A graffiti ‘takeover’ roils downtown Los Angeles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Leda Abkenari | Leda Joy Abkenari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Climbing up abandoned, unfinished floors and tightrope walking across balcony ledges, backpacks clanging with cans of alkyd and acrylic, a collective of Los Angeles graffiti artists have transformed their craft beyond urban aesthetics to champion community issues. (The Los Angeles City Attorney confirmed to CNN that, as of April 3, criminal charges have been filed against 23 individuals, for violations including trespassing and possession of vandalism tools.) ENDEM's tag, pictured here adorning the walls of the 3rd Street tunnel in Downtown Los Angeles. And as a result of that, they’re on the streets,” Hutchinson told CNN, noting that the homeless population in Los Angeles is continuing to grow. (“This has strained our deployment,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said during a February meeting of the Los Angeles City Council.

Persons: tagger ENDEM, “, Keith Haring, Banksy, Endem, ENDEM, ” ENDEM, Oceanwide, ” Roger Gastman, Roger Gastman, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, “ You’ve, ” Hutchinson, Hutchinson, Mario Tama, Michel Moore, ”, Blair Besten, ” Besten, Gastman, — we’re, We’re, it’s, ” Gastman, It’s Organizations: CNN, Oceanwide Holdings, Los Angeles City Attorney, Oceanside, Los Angeles Urban Policy, Los Angeles Housing Services Authority, LA, Plaza, LAPD, Los Angeles City Council, Downtown, Oceanwide Locations: Angeles, Downtown LA, Germany, New York City, Downtown Los Angeles, Oceanside, LA, Los Angeles

☆ Stocks, Real Estate Will Crash When 'Everything Bubble' Pops: Kiyosaki
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Theron Mohamed | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Robert Kiyosaki warned an "everything bubble" spanning stocks, bonds, and real estate would pop. The "Rich Dad Poor Dad" author touted gold, silver, and bitcoin for riding out the storm. "The EVERYTHING BUBBLE, stocks, bonds, real estate SET to CRASH," he said in a recent X post. Please buy more real gold, silver, Bitcoin." The Rich Dad Company founder's latest crash warning should be treated with skepticism as his previous ones have failed to pan out.

Persons: Robert Kiyosaki, Dad, —, — he's, bitcoin, Rich Dad, founder's, Kiyosaki, Lehman Organizations: Service, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Credit Suisse, UBS Locations: Swiss

☆ Russia 'knew where we were going to attack,' Zelenskyy says in reflection on why Ukraine's big counteroffensive stumbled
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Chris Panella | Paul Ronzheimer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia knew where Ukraine's big counteroffensive last year was going to attack, Zelenskyy said Tuesday. Ukraine has said its 2023 counteroffensive plans were leaked to Russia before the operation began. Along with Russia learning about Ukraine's plans ahead of time, Zelenskyy said some of the issues were Ukraine's fault. AdvertisementOne of Ukraine's sea drones, funded by the large-scale volunteer collection platform UNITED24. Ukraine's drones have also been upgraded over time, some carrying larger, more powerful warheads to do more damage.

Persons: Zelenskyy, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelensky, Axel Springer, Ukraine's, Kyrylo Budanov, could've, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Ukraine couldn't, Ukraine Zelenskyy, That's, Vladimir Putin, It's Organizations: Service, CBC News, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NATO, Security Service, Ukraine Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Azov, Donetsk, Dnipro, Kyiv, Kerch, Crimea

Nestled against the Rocky Mountains, Boulder, Colorado, has blossomed into a thriving hub for the natural products and wellness industry. The tea company was later acquired by Hain Food Group — now Hain Celestial Group — in 2000 for $390 million. Hain Celestial Group CEO Wendy Davidson (left) and CNBC's Andrea Day (right) trekking along the historic footrails where the founders of Celestial Seasonings gathered wild herbs in 1969. Turning peanut butter into goldThe Boulder County Farmers Market, a vibrant incubator since 1987, exemplifies the region's thriving ecosystem. A sign from the Boulder Farmers Market, operating from April to November, serving as an incubator for numerous small food businesses.

Persons: Wendy Davidson, CNBC's Andrea Day, Davidson, It's, Justin Gold, butters, —, Gold, Daniel Acker, Juan Stewart, Stewart, Kristine Carey, Kristy Lewis, Quinn Snacks Organizations: U.S . News, Rockies, Hain Food, Group, CNBC, Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado, Farmers, Boulder Farmers, Foods, Hormel Foods, Bloomberg, Getty, Boulder County Farmers, Kroger, Companies Locations: U.S, CNBC's, Rocky, Boulder , Colorado, Boulder, University of Colorado Boulder, Tiskilwa , Illinois, Boulder County

☆ Tara Davis-Woodhall: ‘My entire memo is have fun,’ says the ‘free-spirited’ US long jump star
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It’s hard not to be swept up in Davis-Woodhall’s approach to the long jump, especially when she finds reason to laugh even in the heat of fierce competition. “My entire memo is have fun,” she tells CNN Sport. Long jump is one track and field discipline which governing body World Athletics seems interested in developing, such as by introducing a take-off zone in the place of a fixed board. “I think it might be a little silly,” she says, “just because you kind of take away from the principle of long jump. That’s even more true for an athlete like Davis-Woodhall, currently jumping further and with more confidence than ever before.

Persons: Tara Davis, Woodhall, dally, I’m, –, I’ve, Ben Stansall, Serbia’s Ivana Španović, ”, Davis, don’t, “, “ I’m, “ I’ve, ” Davis, Hunter Woodall, Michael Woods, “ Tara, Hunter, Hunter Woodhall, it’s, Michael Steele, Jon Ridgeon Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, Davis, Paris Olympics, Tokyo Olympics, Woodhall, Doping Agency, ”, University of Texas, World Athletics Locations: Glasgow, Scotland, Davis, AFP, “, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Tokyo, Budapest, Hungary

☆ Florida man sentenced to 14 months in prison for threatening to kill Chief Justice John Roberts
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A Florida man was sentenced Monday to 14 months in prison for threatening to kill Chief Justice John Roberts last year. Neal Brij Sidhwaney, 43, of Fernandina Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty in December to transmitting an interstate threat to kill. The department did not identify which justice was the target of the threatening phone call, but online court documents revealed the threat was made against Roberts. “The identified official is Chief Justice John Roberts whom he allegedly contacted by phone call and threatened to kill,” according to a competency assessment of Sidhwaney previously filed online with a federal court in Florida. In a separate case, a California man charged with attempting to murder Justice Brett Kavanaugh has pleaded not guilty.

Persons: John Roberts, Neal Brij Sidhwaney, Sidhwaney, “, Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Nicholas Roske, CNN’s Mary Kay Mallonee, Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Justice Department Locations: Florida, Fernandina Beach , Florida, California, Kavanaugh’s, Washington

☆ Japan Is a Preview of China's Ugly Recession, Stock Market Crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Linette Lopez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

But Japan's economy — the long-unconscious patient — recently started to wiggle its toe. The country's stock market is ripping; the Nikkei recently exceeded the all-time highs it set 34 years ago. Now, Koo says, Chinese academics and policymakers are flocking to Japan to glean some kind of wisdom from the country's experience. Advertisement"This has made Japan attractive for foreign investors, and the stock market has done well," Koo said. Even without a currency war with Beijing, the world is building defenses against another wave of Chinese goods.

Persons: —, Goldman Sachs, there's, Nomura, Richard Koo, Koo, Shinzo Abe, Japan's, What's, it's, we're, haven't, Xi Jinping, doesn't, Xi, we've, Brasília Organizations: Nikkei, Goldman, Bank of Japan, Corporations, International Monetary Fund, Japan, Peterson Institute, European Union, China Locations: East Asia, China, Japan, Real, Tokyo, Beijing, Brussels, Brasília, American, Washington, Brazil, Turkey

☆ The true face of immigration
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Baltimore was sleeping when the fully laden cargo ship, adrift and without power, slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, bringing it down in seconds. All of those missing were immigrants, outsiders who had come to the US from Mexico and Central America for a better life. Miguel Luna, an immigrant from El Salvador, has been identified as one of the six people who was on the Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed Tuesday. And when the Francis Scott Key Bridge rises again, it’s a good bet it will be immigrants who are building it. CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that the missing immigrants in the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse were from Central America.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, Donald Trump, Biden, ” Trump, Trump’s, Miguel Luna, Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Yassir Suazo Sandoval, Martin Suazo, it’s Organizations: CNN, Central America, “, CNN One Locations: Mexico, Central, United States, Manchester , New Hampshire, El Salvador, Maryland, Honduran, Baltimore, Central America

☆ Paris waiters compete in race to get a coffee and croissant across the capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Xiaofei Xu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“I tried holding the tray, it’s pretty heavy!” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told journalists shortly before the race started. Waiters start the Course des Cafes race on March 24, 2024. The “Course des Garçons de Café” (cafe waiters race) was first launched in 1914 to highlight the cafés and restaurants of the French capital, according to French historian Laurent Bihl. Throughout the years, it found popularity not only in Paris but across France in cities such as Nice, Belfort and Calais. Back on the streets of Paris, the quickest entrants completed Sunday’s Course des Cafés race – the name of the revived version has been shortened, dropping the ‘garçons’ – in less than 14 minutes.

Persons: Paris, “, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Dimitar Dilkoff, ’ It’s, ”, Ariel Weil, Pierre Rabadan, Nicolas Bonnet Oulaldj, Café, Laurent Bihl, Pauline Van Wymeersch, Samy Lamrous Organizations: Paris CNN, Paris Mayor, France, Getty, Paralympic Games, Petit Pont, La Contrescarpe Locations: Paris, AFP, France, Nice, Belfort, Calais, Hong Kong, Yokohama, La

☆ When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it opened the floodgates for abortion-related lawsuits
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Joan Biskupic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear its first abortion case since the 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade and upheaval of reproductive rights in America. All the while, public regard for the Supreme Court has degenerated. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is photographed at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in September 2015. Dirck Halstead/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images Breyer and his daughter Chloe jog with Clinton in May 1994. Mai/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images Breyer works in his office with his staff of clerks in June 2002.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Dobbs, Biden, Elizabeth Prelogar, mifepristone, Prelogar, what’s, ”, Susan B, Anthony Pro, ’, Evelyn Hockstein, Breyer, Stephen Breyer, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Samuel Alito, Hodges, Trump, “, ” Breyer, Damon Winter, Stephen, Irving, Anne, Charles ., Chloe, Nell, Michael —, Joanna Breyer, Ira Wyman, Sygma, Byron White, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Harrington, Joanna, John Tlumacki, Bill Clinton, Clinton, Harry Blackmun, Dirck Halstead, Doug Mills, US Sen, Ted Kennedy, Laura Patterson, John Blanding, Colin Powell, George W, Bush, Mai, David Hume Kennerly, Seuss, Evan Vucci, Charles, Marcio Jose Sanchez, William Rehnquist, Clarence Thomas, David Souter, William Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, Sandra Day O'Connor, John Paul Stevens, Chip Somodevilla, John Roberts, Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Samuel Alito's, Gerald Herbert, Cole Mitguard, Mourning, Penni Gladstone, Clara Scholl, Elise Amendola, Nicholas Kamm, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Alex Wong, ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Heidi Gutman, Andrew Harrer, Hu Jintao, Eli, Shutterstock Breyer, Britain's Prince Charles, Mandel Ngan, Tom Williams, Carolyn Kaster, Ben Bradlee, Bill O'Leary, Pete Marovich, Stephen Colbert, Jeffrey R, Win McNamee, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Anthony Kennedy, Sonia Sotomayor, Maureen Scalia, Andrew Harnik, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Erin Schaff, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Saul Loeb, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Patrick, Fred Schilling, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Erin Hawley, GYN, … Organizations: CNN, Alabama Supreme, Republican, Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Jackson, Health Organization, District of Columbia, America, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Alamo Women's, Reuters, Supreme Court, Democratic, Supreme, New York Times, Harvard Law School, Appeals, First Circuit, Circuit, Getty, White House, Airport, Boston Globe, US, Suffolk University Law School, Francisco's Lowell High School, San Francisco Chronicle, Belgium's Catholic University of Louvain, Georgetown University Law Center, Administrative, Administrative Conference of, Jewish American Heritage Month, Walt Disney Television, Bloomberg, White, Office, Committee, Washington Nationals, Washington Post, Financial Services, General Government, CBS, State, The New York Times, Library of Congress, Alliance, Hippocratic, Alliance for Hippocratic, OB, Department, Justice Locations: America, New York, Carbondale , Illinois, Cambridge , Massachusetts, Maine , Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, AFP, San Francisco, Lowell, Washington , DC, United States

☆ Ready, Set, Garçon! Paris Waiters Race as Storied Contest Returns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Sunday, for the first time in over a decade, Paris revived a tradition: an annual race of cafe and restaurant waiters. About 200 men and women swerved, jostled and jogged 1.2 miles through the city streets, which were lined with cheering crowds. The race, which was first held in the early 20th century, had been on hiatus since 2012 because of a lack of funding. But Paris officials saw an opportunity for the city to shine before hosting the Summer Olympics, which kick off in July. It was also a moment to illustrate that sipping coffee at a cafe or wine in a bistro was as integral to the capital’s cultural heritage as its most famous landmarks.

Persons: swerved Organizations: City Hall Locations: Paris

☆ Opinion: ISIS is making a comeback
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —If ISIS was indeed responsible for the attack Friday at a Moscow-area concert venue that killed at least 133 people, it would suggest that, unfortunately, the terror group is making something of a comeback. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack; a US official told CNN the US has no reason to doubt it. Through that attack, ISIS-K showed that the group, which is very anti-Shia, could target a hostile state like predominantly Shia Iran. In March alone, a Russian state news agency said the country had thwarted multiple ISIS-related incidents, including a plan to attack a synagogue in Moscow. As for capability, the ISIS-K attack in Iran earlier this year demonstrated that the group could carry out a large-scale attack outside of its home base in Afghanistan.

Persons: Peter Bergen, Osama bin Laden, Biden, Qasem Soleimani, Vladimir Putin, ”, Bashar al Assad, Assad, Putin Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, ISIS, US, Kabul Airport, Democratic, US National Security Council, Government Locations: New America, Moscow, Iraq, Syria, United Kingdom, Europe, Paris, Orlando , Florida, Africa, Asia, Afghanistan, Kabul, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Iran, Russian, Russia, ”, Ukraine, Syrian

☆ Pro-Trump attorney arrested after court hearing about leaked Dominion emails
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A pro-Trump lawyer who tried to overturn the 2020 election was arrested Monday after a court hearing about her recent leak of internal emails belonging to Dominion Voting Systems. In the last 24 hours, Leaf has posted more than 2,000 internal Dominion documents on his social media account. The marshals declined to say whether they arrested her, and she didn’t answer messages seeking comment after the hearing. During the at-times testy hearing Monday, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya peppered Lambert with sharp questions about the disputed Dominion materials. Dominion wants Lambert removed from the case and suggested in court Monday that she might have committed a crime by disseminating the files to Leaf.

Persons: Stefanie Lambert, Lambert, Dar Leaf, Donald Trump, Leaf, Patrick Byrne, “, Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, ” Upadhyaya, Byrne, ”, ” Lambert, Davida Brook, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Trump, Voting Systems, Dar, US Marshals Service, U.S . Marshals, Dominion, Leaf, meddled, US Intelligence, America, . Dominion, Fox News Locations: Michigan, Barry, Dominion, Washington ,, Serbia

☆ Covid casts long shadow over New Zealand paddler Jones
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The 35-year-old’s ambitions of reaching a fifth Olympics once seemed fanciful as she spent more than a year recovering after being diagnosed with long Covid in early 2022. “I’d get really tired from just going out and mowing the lawn or going for a walk,” she told Reuters in an interview. Jones speaks to the media at Vector Wero Whitewater Park in Auckland, New Zealand this week. Long Covid provided multiple reminders of how quickly things can unravel. “But I guess you just don’t know where you can get (Covid) from or when it’s going to hit.

Persons: Luuka Jones, Jones, “ I’d, “, Phil Walter, Valerie Adams, Barbara Kendall, I’ve, ”, Long Covid, I’m, ’ ”, Chris Froome, Jonathan Toews, Covid Organizations: Reuters, Paris, Beijing, Rio Games, Vector, Getty, Zealand, Olympic, British, de Locations: Tokyo, Zealand, Marne, Auckland , New Zealand, Beijing, New Zealand

☆ Dua Lipa's new album is called 'Radical Optimism.' Here's everything you need to know.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Callie Ahlgrim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lipa announced on Wednesday that her third album, "Radical Optimism," will arrive on May 3. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Lipa referred to these four collaborators as her "band." Jesso Jr. called his experience working on Lipa's album "the pinnacle of my writing career." "This record feels a bit more raw," she told Rolling Stone. Advertisement"Dua really enjoyed that," Harle told Rolling Stone.

Persons: —, Lipa, Tyrone Lebon, TYRONE LEBON, Houdini, Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle, she'd, Lipa's, Caroline Ailin, Parker, Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr, Rolling, Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX, Jesso, who's, Adele, Niall Horan, Florence Welch, Brittany Spanos, Liam Gallagher, Dua, she's, Damon Albarn, Noel Gallagher, who've, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, hasn't, Spanos, Anwar Hadid, Romain Gavras, Callum Turner, Ailin Organizations: Service, Business, TYRONE, Rolling Stone, Impala, Brit, Gorillaz, Oasis, Stone Locations: DUA LIPA, @DUALIPA, Lipa, British

☆ Should China Own TikTok?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

After Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack, TikTok flooded users with videos expressing extreme positions from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, tilted toward the Palestinian side, a Wall Street Journal analysis found. On Monday, the top U.S. intelligence official released a report saying that the Chinese government had used TikTok to promote its propaganda to Americans and to influence the 2022 midterm elections. TikTok is also owned by a company, ByteDance, that’s based in a country that is America’s biggest rival for global power: China. ByteDance executives say that they operate separately from China’s government and that they regularly remove misleading content from TikTok. The most likely scenario, experts say, is that officials aligned with the Chinese government shape TikTok’s algorithm to influence what content Americans see.

Persons: Jeanna Smialek, Jim Tankersley, “, Sapna Maheshwari, China’s, Xi Jinping, Xi Organizations: Rutgers University, Rutgers, Communist Party, Soviet NBC Locations: U.S, Tibet, Hong Kong, United States, China, Soviet

☆ Layoffs could be coming as debt-laden firms navigate the pain of higher rates, economists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That's because aggressive Fed rate hikes haven't been fully felt across the economy. AdvertisementA wave of layoffs could be coming as companies deal with the reality of higher interest rates, economists say. The peak unemployment rate during the Great Recession was 10% in 2009. Following revisions to the prior two months' figures, the unemployment rate also rose to 3.9% in February, its highest level in two years. The unemployment rate is a classic lagging indicator."

Persons: David Rosenberg, —, what's, Steve Briggs, Briggs, Rosenberg Organizations: Service, Rosenberg Research, Briggs, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Fitch

☆ A 20-Year-Old Transcriber Is Turning Sheet Music Into Hot Content
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Tristan Geary | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

For some budding musicians (and even old pros), the very sight of sheet music can elicit a fight-or-flight response, bringing up painful memories of strict piano teachers and high-pressure recitals. George Collier, a 20-year-old music transcriber, is doing his part to change that. Another clip, titled “She Practiced 40 Hours a Day for This,” captures a virtuosic Mozart piano cadenza by Mitsuko Uchida. While Collier specializes in jazz, he also showcases performances from the classical world, as well as everyday people with impressive talents. A clip titled “When Your Family Is Musically Competent” features a version of “Happy Birthday” that turns into improvised gospel-laden riffing.

Persons: George Collier, Collier, Wynton Marsalis, Celine Dion, who’ve, what’s, ” Collier, ”, Frank Lacy, Art Blakey, Mitsuko Uchida, Joe Turner’s “ Organizations: Warwick University, YouTube, Art, London Locations: United Kingdom

☆ How Wealthy Investors Got Rich Looting America's Needy Hospitals
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Bethany Mclean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

That added to the massive debt burdens already placed on the hospitals by their for-profit owners, deepening their financial woes. In January, MPT reported that its biggest tenant, a nationwide chain of 32 hospitals called Steward, could no longer pay its rent. The core idea was simple: to buy hospital real estate, pocket the lease payments, and use the money to reward investors. The more hospital real estate that MPT buys, the more money it makes in rent payments from the hospitals. But that doesn't mean that MPT's leaders didn't get rich off its hospital deals.

Persons: Leonard Green, Sherman Cahal, Rob Simone, Hedgeye, MPT, Steward —, Justin Simon, Jasper Capital, they've, Ed Aldag, Eddie Lampert's, Eileen Appelbaum, Rosemary Batt, MTP, Marc Rowan, Richard Mortell, Leonard Green couldn't, they'd, Stephen Feinberg, Ralph de la Torre, Steward, Simone, Cerberus, Chandan Khanna, That's, de la, de la Torre, la Torre, Amaral, Aldag, Apollo, Eileen O'Grady, Moody's, didn't, Sen, Chuck Grassley Organizations: Northside Regional Medical Center, Ohio Valley Medical, East Ohio Regional Hospital, Luke's Medical, Glenwood Regional Medical Center, Medical Properties Trust, Jasper, Sears, Bain Capital, Affordable, Cornell University, Business, Third Coast Real Estate Capital, Cerberus, Health Care, Boston Globe, Bloomberg, Getty, Easton Hospital, Local, de la Torre, la, MediaNews, Boston Herald, Prospect, Private, Yale New Haven Health, Yale, Apollo, MPT, SEC, Republican, Senate Finance Locations: Youngstown , Ohio, Ohio, Wheeling , West Virginia, Martins Ferry , Ohio, St, Luke's, Phoenix, Massachusetts, West Virginia, California , Pennsylvania, Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, America, Alabama, MPT, Greater Boston, Steward, Easton, Lehigh, Elizabeth's, Boston, Connecticut, it's

☆ I started getting Botox in my mid-20s, and now that I'm 39, I'm so glad I did
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Melissa Persling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I won a gift card for free Botox when I was 25 and I almost didn't use it. I've continued getting Botox for over a decade and I'm so glad I started in the first place. I sheepishly accepted the gift card and proceeded to hide in the corner. AdvertisementMelissa Persling started getting Botox when she was 25 after winning a free gift card. I'd like to think I'm saving money, but I'm probably lucky if I'm breaking even.

Persons: I've, —, sheepishly, Dora, Melissa Persling, I'd, I'm, It's, Botox, Bo, Jennifer Aniston, it's Organizations: Service Locations: —

☆ US Army Black Hawk helicopter hit by snowmobile, rider sues government for $9.5 million, says report
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A man is suing the government for $9.5 million after he crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter. AdvertisementA Massachusetts lawyer is suing the government for $9.5 million after he crashed into a Black Hawk helicopter while riding a snowmobile, The Associated Press reported. AdvertisementA Black Hawk helicopter. Michael CiagloThe Black Hawk helicopter is a multi-role aircraft designed to aid ground troops and armed escorts, according to the manufacturer Lockheed Martin's website. Black Hawk helicopters are perhaps most famous for their role in the mission that led to the killing of former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Persons: Jeff Smith, —, Smith, Douglas Desjardins, there's, Michael Ciaglo, Osama bin Laden Organizations: US Army, Service, Hawk, Associated Press, Army, AP, Black, Federal, snowmobilers, Lockheed Martin's Locations: Massachusetts, Al

☆ Aid ship for Gaza expected to depart Cyprus this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A ship laden with relief supplies for Gaza was preparing to depart Cyprus on Saturday as part of efforts to aid a population on the brink of famine. Separately, the United States has said it plans to build a temporary jetty to bring aid into Gaza, which has no port infrastructure. A sea corridor from Cyprus will supplement attempts to boost aid supplies, which have included airdrops of food. The charity WCK has partnered with Spain's Proactiva Open Arms and is sourcing the food. Larnaca port was used by pro-Palestinian activists, who used small sail boats to get into Gaza harbour in 2008.

Persons: Spain's, WCK Organizations: Central Command, Royal Jordanian Air Force, European, Reuters, UAE . Aid, Hamas Locations: Northern Gaza, Gaza, Cyprus, UAE, Spanish, Larnaca, United States, Israel, U.S

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