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☆ House lawmakers press Apple CEO on reports Jon Stewart’s show was canceled over China concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Liam Reilly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Did Apple and Jon Stewart part ways over China? The letter also asked Apple to make a public commitment that content potentially viewed as critical of the Chinese Communist Party would be welcome on the company’s services. “If these reports are accurate, it potentially speaks to broader concerns about indirect Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence over the creative expression of American artists and companies on CCP-related topics,” the committee said in the letter. Representatives for Apple and Stewart did not immediately respond to CNN requests for comment. China represents nearly a fifth of Apple’s sales and is by far the company’s fastest-growing region.

Persons: Jon Stewart, Tim Cook, Jon Stewart ”, —, Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois —, Apple, Stewart Organizations: CNN, Chinese Communist Party, Wednesday, Apple, Wisconsin Republican, Communist Party, CCP, Xi Locations: China, Wisconsin, Illinois, People’s Republic of China

As a Palestinian resident of the West Bank, Handal needs a permit to enter Jerusalem. Israel controls all entry and exit points to the West Bank through roadblocks and checkpoints which are staffed by soldiers and armed police. Ivana Kottasova/CNNIsrael has occupied the West Bank since seizing the territory from Jordanian military occupation in 1967. In the early 1990s, under the Oslo Accords peace agreements, the West Bank was divided into three distinct zones: A, B and C.Area C, which comprises about 60% of the West Bank, is fully Israeli-controlled and forms one continuous territory. The increased violence is forcing many West Bank residents to stay at home.

Persons: Joseph Handal, ” Handal, Israel, Bani Moufleh, ‘ I’ll, ”, Mohammad Jamil, Jamil, Ibrahim, Ibrahim –, Ivana Kottasova, CNN Israel, Volker Turk, “, ” Turk, Mohamad Torokman, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Handal Organizations: West Bank CNN —, West Bank, CNN, Hamas, Getty, International Labour Organization, Palestinian Authority, West Bank ., Bank, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Jihad, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Fourth Geneva Convention, Reuters, ” Locations: Bethlehem, Old City, Jerusalem, Bethlehem ., Palestinian, Israel, Territories, Nablus, Tulkarem, Hebron, Oslo, Israeli, West Bank . Cities, Handal’s, Oslo Accords, Ramallah, That’s, “

NEW YORK (AP) — There are rituals to an Alexander Payne movie. “The Holdovers” is Payne's attempt to make not just a ‘70-set film but an actual ’70s film, styled after some of the movies he grew up with. “I like talking about other people’s movies more than my own,” Payne shrugged. But there was always that distant dream of not being a filmmaker but just going to film school. Most of us trained in film school like those ’70s guys.

Persons: Alexander Payne, Kevin Tent, Payne, ” Payne, ”, —, Paul Giamatti, David Hemingson, Paul Hunham, Giamatti, Angus Tully, Dominic Sessa, Mary Lamb, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Leo McCarey's, Payne —, “, ” Payne shrugged, PAYNE, –, Dominic, ” “ Harold, Maude, Hal Ashby, Harold, Maude ”, “ Harold, we’d, they’re, Franco, You’ve, Antonioni, Kurosawa, Citizen Ruth ”, Mike Nichols, Francis Coppola, Lifechanging, Bob Rafelson, Milos Foreman, Jim Taylor, Ivan Passer’s, Milos, Ivan, Jim, Fireman’s, Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, ” “, David O, Russell, Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch —, Steven Soderbergh, “ Soderbergh, Jake Coyle Organizations: eBay, New, Somerville Theatre, Stanford, Columbia School of Journalism, Castro Theatre, Times, Franco, Citizen, “, ”, MOMA Locations: Omaha , Nebraska, New England, Manhattan, Boston, “, San Francisco, Spain

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has released footage of some of the more than 180 intercepts of U.S. warplanes by Chinese aircraft that have occurred in the last two years — more than the total amount over the previous decade and part of a trend U.S. military officials called concerning. The photos and video were released in advance of a soon-to-be issued annual report by the Pentagon on the China’s military power and the security threats it may pose to partners in the Indo-Pacific. “I haven’t had one piece of equipment or force structure depart" his command, he said, referring to ships, aircraft and military units. “We have been taking a number of steps to strengthen our commitment to the region, strengthen our deterrence in the region and we will continue to do that." “The bottom line is that in many cases, this type of operational behavior can cause active and dangerous accidents" and can lead inadvertently to conflict, Ratner said.

Persons: Admiral John Acquilino, ”, Ely Ratner, Ratner Organizations: WASHINGTON, Pentagon, U.S, Pacific Command Locations: China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Europe, Israel, U.S

Cars for sale are parked at used car dealerships in Singapore October 17, 2022. Including COE, registration fees and taxes, a new standard Toyota Camry Hybrid currently costs S$251,388 ($183,000) in Singapore, compared with $28,855 in the U.S. A small, government-subsidised flat in Singapore costs about S$125,000. Now Guan lives without a car, focusing on other perks that Singapore offers for his family. "As a family man, it doesn’t affect me much as Singapore still has a good and stable education system. ($1 = 1.3725 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Edgar Su, COEs, Tan Ern Ser, Tan, Jason Guan, Guan, Xinghui Kok, Miyoung Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Toyota Camry, Toyota Rush, COE, Singapore, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights SINGAPORE, U.S

[1/4] Residents in vehicles attempt to leave the city of Stepanakert following a military operation conducted by Azerbaijani armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited by ethnic Armenians, September 24, 2023. Whatever the history and the lack of independent reports on events inside the isolated territory, several international legal experts believe the mass flight fits the legal definition of a war crime. For Azerbaijan, however, retaking control of Nagorno-Karabakh helps to redress the traumas of 1988-94. "It would almost assuredly result in the forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the widespread commission of genocidal atrocities, reflecting those committed in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020 and subsequent hostilities," it said. "If the Armenians of Artsakh were to be displaced ... it would result in the genocidal destruction of a people, as the Artsakh Armenians would lose their distinct identity."

Persons: Vladimir, Hikmet Hajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, Priya Pillai, Melanie O'Brien, Pillai, O'Brien, Luis Moreno Ocampo, it's, Thomas de Waal, Anthony Deutsch, Stephanie van den Berg, Andrew Grey, David Lewis, Kevin Liffey Organizations: HAGUE, University of Minnesota, International Association of, Big, International Criminal Court, ICC, Lemkin Institute for Genocide, Thomson Locations: Stepanakert, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russian, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union, Armenia, Yerevan, Brussels, Baku, Peace, Artsakh, Nairobi

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Biden administration has pledged over $200 million toward reintroducing salmon in the Upper Columbia River Basin in an agreement with tribes that includes a stay on litigation for 20 years. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Spokane Tribe of Indians signed the deal with federal officials on Thursday, The Seattle Times reported. Salmon runs in the Upper Columbia had been abundant for thousands of years and were a mainstay of tribal cultures and trade. Political Cartoons View All 1173 ImagesThe Upper Columbia United Tribes, which includes tribes in Washington and Idaho, have been working on the reintroduction plan. “Taking this next step in studying salmon reintroduction above these blocked areas is the right thing to do and lays the foundation for the possibility of sustainable salmon runs in the upper Columbia River Basin,” executive director Kurt Miller said in a statement.

Persons: —, Biden, Joseph, Salmon, ” Jarred, Michael Erickson, Kurt Miller Organizations: Seattle Times, Bonneville Power Administration, Columbia United Tribes, “, White, Council, Environmental, U.S . Bureau of Reclamation, Columbia Locations: PORTLAND, Columbia, Colville, d’Alene Tribe, Spokane, Washington, Upper Columbia, Washington and Idaho, Kettle Falls, Confederated

☆ Opinion | The Idea That Biden Should Just Give Up Political Power Is Preposterous
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The basic premise of a voluntary one-term presidency rests on a fundamental misconception of the role of re-election in presidential politics and presidential governance. Re-election — or rather the act of running for re-election — isn’t an unexpected treat or something ancillary to the position. It is one of the ways presidents seek to preserve their influence, whether or not they ultimately win another term of office. “Among the many hats the president wears, none is more important to his long-term success than that of party leader,” the political scientist James W. Davis writes in a 1992 book on presidential leadership. The promise of a second term, and thus another four years to achieve their political and ideological goals, is a critical incentive that binds lawmakers to the president in the present.

Persons: Joe Biden, ” Mark Leibovich, James W, Davis, “ Locations: The

☆ Near-death experiences tied to brain activity after death, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Many people see a bright light during their near-death experiences, experts say. “This latest report of persistent brain waves after cardiac arrest has been blown out of proportion by the media. “That is, those patients who had near-death experiences did not show the reported brain waves, and those who did show the reported brain waves did not report near-death experiences,” Greyson told CNN via email. Greyson, who was not involved in the new study, is the coeditor of “The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation.” He and cardiologist Dr. Pim van Lommel, a Dutch researcher and writer on near-death experiences, submitted comments to the journal to publish alongside the new study. It’s correct that the study was not able to match electrical activity with a near death experience in the same patient, Parnia said.

Persons: Aubrey Osteen’s, “, y’all, ” Osteen, —, ”, Osteen, ” Aubrey Osteen, Anne Elizabeth Barnes, Sam Parnia, It’s, ” Parnia, ‘, Jesus ’, Parnia, Bruce Greyson, Carlson, ” Greyson, Greyson, Dr, Pim van Lommel Organizations: CNN — Surgeons, NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, CNN Locations: New York City, “, United States, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Charlottesville, Dutch, flatline, ”

☆ Zelensky Touts Military Gains, Pleads for More Aid: Ukraine-Russia War Live Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Of hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russia and released in exchanges, Ukrainian officials have said 90 percent suffered torture, including sexual violence, she said. Yet she expressed frustration that during her visit she was not able to advance far with cases of sexual violence against women in the Ukrainian conflict. Relatively few Ukrainian women have come forward to prosecutors with complaints of sexual torture or crimes, she said. Men, who also suffered sexual torture in detention, have come forward in larger numbers, she said. Ms. Edwards said that the coercive environment of the conflict zone was enough to establish lack of consent in cases of sexual violence.

Persons: Alice Jill Edwards, Ms, Edwards, ”, “, Moscow, ” Ms Organizations: United Locations: Kherson, Ukraine, United Nations, Russian, Moscow, Australian, Izium, Russia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Ukrainian

☆ Oceans absorb 90% of the heat from climate change — here's why record ocean temps are so harmful
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +22 min

"Over 90 percent of the excess energy on earth due to climate change is found in warmer oceans, some of it in surface oceans and some at depth." Put simply, the greenhouse gases serve to trap more heat, some of which is absorbed by the ocean," Kirtman told CNBC. In addition to the daily record on July 31, the monthly sea surface temperature for July was the hottest July on record, "by far," Copernicus said. CopernicusThese record sea surface temperatures arise from multiple factors, including the El Niño weather pattern, which is currently in effect. "These climate variations occur when sea surface temperature patterns of warming and cooling self-reinforce by changing patterns of winds and precipitation that deepen the sea surface temperature changes."

Persons: Baylor, Carlos E, Del Castillo, Castillo, Benjamin Kirtman, Kirtman, Copernicus, Gavin Schmidt, Kemper, Zeke Hausfather, Sarah Kapnick, Kapnick, Kempler, Hurricane Ian, Michael Lowry, Lowry, Rainer Froese, Daniel Pauly, Pauly, Vigfus, pollack, Sean Gallup, Lorenz Hauser, Hauser, Froese, Phanor Montoya, Javier, Carolyn Cole, Hans W, Paerl, Justin Sullivan, Christopher Gobler, Gobler, Gary Griggs, Kimberly McKenna, Angela Weiss, Griggs, it's, Judith Kildow, Kildow, It's Organizations: International, Baylor Fox, Kemper, Brown University, CNBC, Ecology Laboratory, NASA, University of Miami, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Fox, El, Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, heatwave, NOAA, Northern Hemisphere, Miami Herald, Tribune, Service, Getty, Helmholtz, Ocean Research, University of British Columbia's Institute, Fisheries, School of, Fishery Sciences, Restoration Foundation, Coral Restoration Foundation, Looe Key, Los Angeles Times, University of North, Chapel Hill's Institute of Marine Sciences, Berkeley Marina, San, Quality, Centers for Disease Control, Stony Brooke University's School of Marine, Atmospheric Sciences, University of California, Stockton University Coastal Research, Afp, Ocean Economics Locations: Florida, El, Pacific, Berkeley, Fort Myers, Hurricane, Germany, New York, Nova Scotia, Hofn, Hornafjordur, Iceland, Seattle, Alaska, Looe, University of North Carolina, San Francisco Bay, Berkeley , California, San Francisco, Europe, Santa Cruz, Atlantic City , New Jersey, Atlantic City, Antarctica, Greenland

☆ The Chuck Close Painting Is Heading to Auction. The Dog Walker Abides.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( John Leland | More About John Leland | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Paintings by Chuck Close once sold for as much as $4.8 million. He offered the painting to Sotheby’s, which scheduled it for auction last December but then withdrew it because Mr. Close’s studio and longtime gallery had no record of the painting. Instead of a jackpot, Mr. Herman had a bill for $1,742, for stretching the canvas onto a frame. “One reader commented that I was the Dude redux,” Mr. Herman said, referring to the lovable stoner in the Coens’ “The Big Lebowski.”He so is. Mr. Herman passed.

Persons: Herman, Chuck Close, Caroline White, White’s, Mr, Herman said, Alfred Fuente —, ”, —, Close’s, Taylor Curry Organizations: University of Massachusetts, New York Times, Heritage Locations: Chelsea, New York

☆ Church of England to draft pastoral guidance on same-sex couple blessings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - The Church of England will work towards drafting new pastoral guidance and other material needed to allow same-sex couples to receive blessings from priests over the next few months, it said on Saturday. "It has been good to hear their (synod members') reflections, and we will take these away to feed into the concentrated drafting work that starts now. We look forward to reconvening in November," Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, said in a statement. The CoE, central to the worldwide Anglican communion, does not allow same-sex marriage in its churches, and its discourse on homosexuality and gender is closely monitored by millions of Anglicans around the world. Reporting by Muvija M, Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sarah Mullally, Bishop, London, CoE, The CoE, Muvija, Franklin Paul Organizations: Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: reconvening

☆ China's top diplomat urges Japan and South Korea to align with Beijing and 'revitalize Asia'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s top diplomat has urged Japan and South Korea to foster a sense of “strategic autonomy” from the West and cooperate with Beijing to “revitalize Asia,” amid rising tensions between China and the two neighboring American allies. The comments by Wang Yi on Monday come as Japan and South Korea forge closer relations with the United States – and mend ties with each other – driven by common concerns about Beijing’s growing influence and assertiveness in the region. In recent years, the Biden administration has stepped up efforts to unite allies and like-minded partners to counter China’s rising influence in the Pacific, including with South Korea and Japan, two of its most important allies in Asia. “If this trend is allowed to develop, it will not only seriously interfere with the smooth progress of trilateral cooperation, but also aggravate tension and confrontation in the region,” Wang added. South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi addressed the event via video link, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Wang Yi, Wang, ” Wang, “, Xi Jinping, Biden, They’ve, Park Jin, Yoshimasa Hayashi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United, CNN, International, Trilateral Cooperation, Chinese Foreign Ministry, South, Japan, Korean Foreign, Japanese Locations: Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Beijing, Asia, China, United States, Qingdao, European, East Asia, Tokyo, Seoul, North Korea, Taiwan Strait

☆ More than 100 U.S. political elites have family links to slavery
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Reuters Graphic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +46 min

Then the war came, and according to the family history, Union soldiers plundered Sessions’ 27-room house. About 48 years old at the time, he did not stand a chance to succeed without slavery, the family history suggests. ‘A Better Nation’Some historians and genealogists say there is a valuable reason for white leaders – and other white Americans – to explore their links to slavery. Nicka Sewell-Smith, a professional genealogist with the family history website Ancestry.com, said people frequently ask her what to do with such documents. The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Meeks said in an interview that he has spent years trying to trace his family history back before 1870.

Persons: Black, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, James Lankford, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, Joe Biden, –, Donald Trump –, Jimmy Carter, George W, Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Trump’s, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch –, Asa Hutchinson, Doug Burgum, Tim Scott, James Clyburn, Henry McMaster, ”, Henry Louis Gates Jr, Gates, ” “, ” Gates, enslavers, Tony Burroughs, Biden, Obama, McConnell, Burroughs, Joseph Maddox, Maddox, Sela, Rubin, James, Sal, Sam ”, Graham, Graham didn’t, Nancy Mace, Drucilla, Drucilla Mace, John Mace, Hector Godbolt, John Mace’s, Godbolt, “, ” Nancy Mace, Henry Coe, Duckworth, Coe, Margaret, Isaac, Warner, George …, Isaac Franklin –, “ There’s, ” Duckworth, George Floyd, Donald Trump, ” Biden, ‘, ’, Ben Affleck, ” Affleck, Independent Angus King, Mo Brooks, ” Brooks, Sean Kelley, Kelley, White, don’t, wasn’t, Richard Sessions, Pete Sessions, Richard’s, William Sessions, John Cowger, Tom Cotton of, ” Cotton’s, Cowger, Cotton, Archibald Crawford, Juneteenth, Shaheen, Pocahontas, Edmond Dillehay, Peter ”, Milly, Lankford, ” Lankford, Joe Wilson, Stephen H, Wilson, Boineau, General David Addison Weisiger, Wilson –, Addison Graves Wilson –, Weisiger “, ” Wilson, Daniel Weisiger, Daniel Weisiger’s, Samuel, Samuel Weisiger, Daniel, Julia Brownley, Jesse Brownley, Brownley, ” Brownley, Thomas Ferguson, Brooks, Manumission, Marie Jenkins Schwartz, ” “ It’s, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, Harvard’s Gates, Sherman, Andrew Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, Nicka Sewell, Smith, Ancestry.com, ” Sewell, LaBrenda Garrett, Nelson, Garrett, Rick Larsen, John Wiggins, Larsen, – Gilbura, George, Agg –, ” Larsen, Gilbura, Agg, Gregory Meeks, Meeks, Jim Crow South, – Meeks, – “, ” Meeks, “ I’m, I’m, Tom Bergin, Makini Brice, Nicholas P, Brown, Donna Bryson, Lawrence Delevingne, Brad Heath, Andrea Januta, Gui Qing Koh, Tom Lasseter, Grant Smith, Maurice Tamman, Catherine Tai Design, John Emerson, Jane Ross, Emma Jehle, Jeremy Schultz, Blake Morrison Organizations: Reuters, Republicans, U.S, Supreme, Republican, Harvard University, PBS, United States Congress, Representative, WikiLeaks, Sony, Facebook, White, FedEx, National Museum of, 117th, Independent, University of Essex, Geographic, American Economic, Pete Sessions, Sessions, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jeanne Shaheen U.S, CNN, Biden, Trump, ” Reuters, South, South Carolina General Assembly, Confederate, statehouse, Congressional, Chesterfield County, Mount Vernon College, George Washington University, Mo Brooks Former U.S, “, New York Times, United, Federal Government, Union, Black, Southern, Democrat, House Foreign Affairs, Klux Klan Locations: U.S, America, Confederate States, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Carolina, Congress, Black, Northern, Southern, Illinois, Virginia, Frederick County , Virginia, United States, Minnesota, ”, Mo Brooks of Alabama, American, Texas, Mississippi, Chicot County , Arkansas, Chicot County, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Yell County, Yell County , Arkansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tulsa, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Frankfurt, Germany, Chesterfield County , Virginia, California, Portsmouth , Virginia, Alabama, Haywood County , North Carolina, Antebellum, United States of America, Washington, Nicholas County , Kentucky, Queens , New York, New York, York County, Mende, Sierra Leone, Africa, Bunce

They include eight chief executives of the 11 states that formed the Confederate States of America, which seceded and waged war to preserve slavery. Although white people enslaved Black people in Northern states in early America, by the eve of the Civil War, slavery was almost entirely a Southern enterprise. South Carolina, where the Civil War began, illustrates the familial ties between lawmakers and the nation’s history of slavery. Each of the seven white lawmakers who served in the 117th Congress is a direct descendant of a slaveholder, Reuters found. In researching America’s political elite, Reuters found names – almost always just a first name – of 712 people enslaved by the ancestors of the political elite.

Persons: Black, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Jeanne Shaheen, Joe Biden, –, Donald Trump –, Jimmy Carter, George W, Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch –, Asa Hutchinson, Doug Burgum, Tim Scott, James Clyburn, Henry McMaster, ”, Henry Louis Gates Jr, Gates, ” “, ” Gates, enslavers, Tony Burroughs, Biden, Obama, McConnell, “ it’s, ” Burroughs, LINDSEY GRAHAM, Joseph Maddox, Maddox, Sela, Rubin, James, Sal, Sam ”, Graham, Graham didn’t, NANCY MACE, Nancy Mace, Drucilla Mace, John Mace, Hector Godbolt, John Mace’s, Godbolt, “, ” Nancy Mace, TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Duckworth, Henry Coe, Coe, Margaret, Isaac, Warner, George …, Isaac Franklin –, “ There’s, ” Duckworth, Tom Bergin, Makini Brice, Nicholas P, Brown, Donna Bryson, Lawrence Delevingne, Brad Heath, Andrea Januta, Gui Qing Koh, Tom Lasseter, Grant Smith, Maurice Tamman, Blake Morrison Organizations: U.S, Reuters, Republicans, Supreme, Republican, Harvard University, PBS, United States Congress, Geographic, Journalists, Black, Thomson Locations: America, U.S, Confederate States, Arkansas, North Dakota, Black, Northern, Southern, South Carolina, Congress, New Hampshire , Maine, Massachusetts, United States, Illinois, Virginia, Frederick County , Virginia

☆ Gretchen Whitmer says The Big Lebowski's credo of 'The Dude abides' is 'a really wise philosophy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Gretchen Whitmer's love for "The Big Lebowski" is well documented. Gretchen Whitmer's love for "The Big Lebowski" is well documented. "You know, it's funny; 'The Dude abides'—it's a really wise philosophy," Whitmer told The Atlantic's Mark Leibovich as he followed her around the state last week for a brief profile that was published on Thursday. Whitmer, who Biden reportedly vetted as a possible running mate in 2020, repeatedly reiterated her support for the president. Along the way, Whitmer picked up "the Big Gretch" nickname that she has embraced, though she cautioned that was not her initial response.

Persons: Gretchen Whitmer's, Whitmer, Biden, —, that's, Coen, Mark Leibovich, Leibovich, doesn't, Joe Biden, Trump, Roe, Wade Organizations: Michigan Gov, Democrat, Service, Democratic Locations: Michigan, Dobbs

☆ Factbox: Toyota unveils battery, production innovations for new EVs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Toyota released a technology briefing, including details on new solid-state batteries, a day before its annual shareholder meeting where governance, climate lobbying and EV strategy are under scrutiny. Here are Toyota's key announcements:BATTERY TECHNOLOGYToyota has a number of initiatives to improve battery performance and reduce cost, and said it was ready to move from research toward production of solid-state batteries. It aims to sell vehicles powered by solid-state batteries by 2027 or 2028. Toyota said, without providing details, it had achieved a "technological breakthrough" overcoming problems previously identified with solid-state batteries' durability. Those chips promise to reduce power loss to the electric motor of an EV by up to 50%, Toyota said.

Persons: Daniel Leussink, Kevin Krolicki, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Toyota, EV, Tesla, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi, Denso, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, U.S, Tokyo, Singapore

☆ Stream These Five Cormac McCarthy Film Adaptations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Chris Vognar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Coen brothers return to the Texas noir roots of their first feature, “Blood Simple,” for the most successful McCarthy adaptation to date. It won Oscars for best picture, directing and screenwriting, as well as Javier Bardem’s supporting turn as one of McCarthy’s nihilistic villains, an implacable killing machine who speaks in riddles and engages his prey in fatal rhetorical jousts. But the heart of the movie, about a briefcase full of money and the in-over-his-head opportunist (Josh Brolin) who pilfers it, is Tommy Lee Jones as a small-town sheriff who wants out of the game, which seems to get more sinister and incomprehensible by the minute. He is the old man of the title and the author’s surrogate, a poetic soul just trying to wait it out until it’s all over. ‘The Road’ (2009)Stream it on Tubi, Vudu and Freevee.

Persons: Coen, McCarthy, Javier Bardem’s, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones Locations: Texas

REYKJAVIK, May 16 (Reuters) - European leaders will travel to Iceland on Tuesday for a two-day summit meant to show their support for Ukraine but also send a powerful message on core democratic values many feel are under threat in and outside Europe. The CoE's democratic values are upheld by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights, where citizens can take governments to court in case of human rights violations. Even Russia didn't want to leave the Council of Europe, Turkey doesn't want to leave either." European leaders such as Germany's Olaf Scholz, Britain's Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the summit in Reykjavik, while Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address his counterparts via videolink. Macron's office said the Council is looking at how its little-known bank, the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), could help meet the needs of struggling Ukrainians.

☆ Nicolas Cage, Ranked From Wild to Mild
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Erik Piepenburg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the early 1980s, Nicolas Cage got his first big breaks in Martha Coolidge’s “Valley Girl” and Amy Heckerling’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” films that zeroed in on the peculiar allure of his dopey bad boy persona. Watching him was like eating a banana split: You tasted something nutty, sweet, indulgent, all-American. Since then, few actors have been able to match how nimble a polymorph Cage is in genre, how easily he power-bounces between action (“National Treasure”), comedy (“Moonstruck”) and horror (“Pay the Ghost”). He’s done the same for a who’s who of boundary-pushing directors, including the Coen brothers (“Raising Arizona”), David Lynch (“Wild at Heart”) and Spike Jonze (“Adaptation”). Each is rated on a scale of bees — one for sleepy, five for loony — in honor of the insects that tortured him in the 2006 remake of “The Wicker Man.”

The finance ministry will set up a panel of experts as early as April to discuss the feasibility of issuing a digital yen, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The step will come after the central bank's decision to start in April a pilot programme to test the use of a digital yen, moving Japan closer to issuing a CBDC in several years. The central bank has said the pilot programme may last for several years. Some laws may need to be revised if the government were to start issuing a CBDC for public use. Public broadcaster NHK reported on Thursday the finance ministry was considering setting up an advisory panel in April to discuss the possibility of a digital yen.

☆ Czech parliament chief assures Taiwan of her support after outcry in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks with Czech President-elect Petr Pavel on a conference call in Taipei, Taiwan January 30, 2023 in this handout picture. Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERSPRAGUE, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Czech lower house of parliament speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova on Wednesday assured Taiwan of her country's support for partner states who respect human rights and liberal democracy, ahead of a visit to Taipei planned for March. The Czechs have been intensifying relations with the self-ruled island, which giant neighbour China claims as its own, and President-elect Petr Pavel spoke with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen on Monday, drawing a sharp rebuke from Beijing. "I assured the minister that systematic support of partners who respect human rights and the principles of liberal democracy belongs among priorities of our parliamentary diplomacy," she said in a statement issued through her spokesman. Most countries avoid high-level public interactions with Taiwan and its president, not wishing to provoke China, the world's second largest economy.

Power giant Orsted aims to build a huge offshore windfarm to help the country meet renewable goals. Last year the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA), which regulates offshore energy activity, concluded that large crossovers between such ventures were unfeasible with current technology. This largely unreported clash risks undermining Britain's drive to meet its climate goals, according to the companies involved and a North Sea green transition expert. The BP-Orsted showdown could also presage similar disputes elsewhere in an increasingly crowded North Sea, the experts told Reuters. There is hope on the horizon for wind and CCS projects that share ground, say regulators and industry experts.

☆ China putting U.S. space assets at risk, senior U.S. officer says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - China is building capabilities that put most U.S. space assets at risk, and China sees the domain as crucial to their military strategy, the head of the U.S. Space Command said on Friday. U.S. Army General James H. Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, told reporters on a teleconference from Hawaii that such ASAT, or anti-satellite, tests congest space with debris. "They continue to build and build capabilities that really, quite frankly, hold most of our assets at risk in the space domain. China says its space programme is for peaceful purposes. The station represents a significant milestone in China's three-decade crewed space programme, first approved in 1992.

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