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☆ Amgen, newer rivals could threaten Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly's weight loss drug dominance
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Scott Olson | Getty Images | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Amgen is among the leaders of a pack of drugmakers racing to join the market with their own weight loss treatments. Amgen's drug, MariTide, is taken less frequently than Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound, and may cause longer-lasting weight loss than the market leaders' injections. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are also working on new weight loss drugs. The competition for a slice of the weight loss market has only grown more fierce in recent months. An injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug, is displayed in New York City, U.S., December 11, 2023.

Persons: NOVO.B, Scott Olson, Eli Lilly, Nordisk's Wegovy, Eli Lilly's Zepbound, Amgen, William Blair, Matt Phipps, Bob Bradley, Boehringer Ingelheim, Phipps, Zepbound, Chris Schott, MariTide, Mario Tama, he's, Eli Lilly drugs, CagriSema, Eli Lilly’s, Brendan McDermid, Boehringer, Ingelheim, survodutide, Pascal Soriot, Christopher Furlong, dealmaking, David Denton Organizations: New, Halstead Pharmacy, Getty, Novo Nordisk, Nordisk's, William Blair & Company, CNBC, Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Zealand Pharma, MariTide, Reuters, GLP, Pfizer, Eccogene Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Novo, Amgen, Thousand Oaks , California, New York City, U.S, Zealand, Macclesfield

☆ Apple wants to give the iPad a boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The tech giant's event will reportedly showcase a new family of… iPads and iPad accessories. But Apple's event , which kicks off at 10 a.m. EST, is looking to give the iPad a boost. iPhone sales have noticeably dipped, which is why you're hearing Apple tout its "services" business , writes BI's Peter Kafka. And the new product Apple wants you to be excited about — the Vision Pro — hasn't lived up to the hype. a16z joins the Big Tech "fake work" debate.

Persons: —, Tyler Le, they're, iPads, Antonio Villas, Boas, BI's Peter Kafka, Peter, hasn't, Katie Notopoulos, Wall, Lauren DeCicca, Tim Cook, Katie, aren't, I'd, we'll, I'm, Alyssa Powell, Danielle DiMartino Booth, James Devaney, Roger Kisby, Jack Dorsey's, Elon, Dorsey, Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, a16z, Emily Sundberg, Andreessen Horowitz, David Ulevitch, Vladimir Putin, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Service, Business, Apple, Google, Getty, US Treasury, National Bureau of Economic Research, Images, Penske Media, Microsoft, Tech, Paramount, Berkshire, Big Tech, Walt Disney Company Locations: BREIT, New York, London

While many of the effects of climate change, including heat waves, droughts and wildfires, are already with us, some of the most alarming consequences are hiding beneath the surface of the ocean. David Gelles and Raymond Zhong, who both cover climate for The New York Times, explain just how close we might be to a tipping point.

Persons: David Gelles, Raymond Zhong Organizations: New York Times

In flip-flops and shorts, one of the finest soldiers in a resistance force battling the military junta in Myanmar showed off his weaponry. Nearby, electrical innards foraged from Chinese-made drones used for agricultural purposes were arrayed on the ground, their wires exposed as if awaiting surgery. Other parts needed to construct homemade drones, including chunks of Styrofoam studded with propellers, crowded a pair of leaf-walled shacks. Despite the ragtag conditions, rebel drone units have managed to upend the power balance in Myanmar. By most measures, the military that wrested power from a civilian administration in Myanmar three years ago is far bigger and better equipped than the hundreds of militias fighting to reclaim the country.

Persons: Ko Shan Organizations: Karenni Nationalities Defense Force Locations: Myanmar

☆ Who is Hope Hicks, longtime Trump aide who is testifying in NY hush money case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Michelle Shen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Washington CNN —Hope Hicks, once a longtime trusted aide in Donald Trump’s inner circle, is testifying Friday in the New York hush money trial after being subpoenaed. As CNN reported previously, Hicks appeared before the grand jury last year before Trump was indicted, as did Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway. According to reporting from “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021,” Trump is quoted as saying, “Well, Hope doesn’t believe in me.”“No, I don’t,” Hicks replied, according to the book. “Nobody’s convinced me otherwise.”In October 2022, Hicks testified before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. In a video clip played by the committee, Hicks testified about a conversation she had with Trump after the election, regarding his baseless claims of election fraud.

Persons: Washington CNN — Hope Hicks, Donald Trump’s, “, ” Hicks, Hicks, Trump, Kellyanne Conway, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Rob Porter, Trump’s, Porter, ” Trump, Hope doesn’t, ”, “ Nobody’s, Trump “, ’ ” Hicks, Daniels, ” Cohen, Prosecutors, upended, –, David Pecker, Dylan Howard, Stephanie Clifford, I’ve, Sheila Jackson Lee, Jerry Nadler, Nadler, ’ Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Trump, Trump Organization, White, House Intelligence, Fox News, Trump White, House, Capitol, Politico, US, of, American Media Inc, AMI, National Enquirer, FBI, ” Prosecutors, Democratic Rep, New York Democrat Locations: New York, Southern, of New York, Trump’s

☆ Bally Sports regional networks go dark for Comcast cable customers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Lillian Rizzo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Negotiations between Comcast and Bally Sports' operator Diamond Sports Group, which has been under bankruptcy protection since last year, broke down following a dispute over terms. Pay-TV distributors have been losing customers at a fast clip in recent years as customers opt for cheaper streaming options. Comcast had more than 13.6 million pay-TV customers as of March 31, after losing 487,000 subscribers during the first quarter. Some regional sports networks have begun offering streaming options to customers at a price point that doesn't upend the pay-TV model. In addition to Comcast, Diamond has held negotiations in recent weeks with Charter Communications — which provides pay-TV services under the Spectrum brand — DirecTV and Cox Communications.

Persons: Diamond, Cox Organizations: Bally, Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Target, The Astros, Twins, Comcast, Bally Sports, Diamond Sports Group, MLB, Detroit Tigers, NBA, NHL, Diamond, Comcast ., Communications, DirecTV, Cox Communications, Charter, Google, Disney, San Diego Padres, Phoenix Suns, CNBC Locations: Minneapolis , Minnesota, NBCUniversal

☆ Bill Gates Is Still Pulling Strings at Microsoft, Overseeing AI Ideas
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

In fact, Business Insider has learned, Gates has been quietly orchestrating much of Microsoft's AI revolution from behind the scenes. The company, Nadella promised, would "continue to benefit from Bill's ongoing technical passion and advice to drive our products and services forward." According to two executives, Gates' memo treated as gospel, sparking Microsoft's push to take the lead in the AI arms race. Now, it seemed, OpenAI might offer Microsoft a way to help forge the AI future that Gates had long envisioned. According to two executives, Gates' words were treated as gospel, helping spark Microsoft's push to take the lead in the AI arms race.

Persons: Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, Gates, Siri, They're, Clippy, Copilot, That's, Sam Altman, — Gates, Satya, Nadella, Steve Ballmer, Peter Thiel bashed, Bill, Melinda, Jeffrey Epstein, Nadella's, Rather, OpenAI, Kevin Scott, Scott, Altman, you'll, OpenAI's, Bing —, Bing, Steve, Sam, Kayla Wood, Frank Shaw, Shaw, —, Charles Lamanna, Jaime Teevan, Jeff Teper, Charlie Bell —, He's, Forbes, Mustafa Suleyman, DeepMind, Bill G, Suleyman, aren't, hadn't, there's, Ashley Stewart Organizations: Microsoft, Agents, Business, Google, Wired, Street Journal, Rover, Steve Jobs, OpenAI, Amazon Web Services Locations: Tay, Gates, Clippy, Washington, Redmond , Washington, Seattle

☆ Gangs forced out Haiti’s government. This FBI ‘Most Wanted’ gang leader claims they’re liberating the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Caitlin Stephen Hu | David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

Port-au-Prince, Haiti CNN —Vitel’homme Innocent’s picture on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list of fugitives suggests a crazed man – eyes wide and wild, teeth bared. But the man on the gold sofa preferred to talk about a brighter future – one that he claims Haiti’s gangs are prepared to usher in. Abandoned cars on the road between the US Embassy and the Kraze Baryé stronghold in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 28, 2024. Kraze Baryé employs around 100 men and women, according to Innocent’s lieutenant and cousin, the bleach-blond Dezod Augustin, 34. But Haiti’s gangs maintain they deserve a seat at the negotiating table.

Persons: Haiti CNN —, Innocent, Evelio Contreras, “, ” Innocent, de, –, Kraze Baryé, ”, Viv Ansanm, Ariel Henry, Henry, Kraze, “ It’s, ’ Marie, Lucie Bonhomme Opont, Pierre, Louis Opont, territoire perdue, Opont, ’, Jimmy Chérizier, Robin Hood, Sanjou, Dezod Augustin, Gedeon Jean, Prince, Baryé, Delmas, Antony Blinken, Haiti Dennis Hankins, Rick Barton, Haiti’s, CNN Jean, Henry’s, Jean, CNN’s Rachel Clarke Organizations: Haiti CNN, CNN, Haiti’s, Prince, de Mars, United Nations, Haitian National Police, ”, Kenya, Haiti’s National Police, CARICOM, US Embassy, Security, “, Washington, US, UN, Fund, Federal Bureau of, State Department Locations: Prince, Haiti, Tabarre, Haiti’s, Port, balaclavas, Haitian Creole, Haitian, Nairobi, “, Canada, United States, Kraze Baryé, American, France, Kenya, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, Jamaica, it’s, Atlanta

One of the architects of that plan for a Trump second term said as much in a video last year for the Heritage Foundation. Reissuing Schedule F is part of a roadmap, known as Project 2025, drafted for a second Trump term by scores of conservative groups and published by the Heritage Foundation. The new rules would not fully block reclassifying workers in a second Trump term. Greene said she worries for federal workers who might face the same choice in a second Trump term. The project includes a personnel database for potential hires in a second Trump administration.

Persons: Donald Trump, it’s, —, Trump, Joe Biden, Donald Moynihan, Georgetown University's, ” Donald Moynihan, ” Moynihan, “ It’s, ”, Russell Vought, “, you’re, Doreen Greenwald, Moynihan, Kenneth Baer, Barack Obama, ” Kenneth Baer, Peter Orszag, Pete Souza, Robert Shea, Eva Shea, George W, Bush, Laura Bush, Tina Hager, ” Biden, Baer, George Frey, ” Trump, Max Stier, Verna Daniels, ” Daniels, Catherine Greene, ” Greene, Tom Bewick, NIFA, ” Bewick, we’ll, Greene, Biden, “ We’ve, He’s, Hillary Clinton, he’d, James Comey, Bill Barr, Barr, Jeffrey Clark, Clark, Mark Meadows, Stephen Miller, Peter Navarro, he’ll Organizations: CNN, United, Republican, Democratic, Trump, ”, Georgetown, Georgetown University's McCourt School, Public, Georgetown University, Heritage Foundation, Management, Budget, of Justice, FBI, Environmental Protection Agency, Vought, National Treasury Employees Union, OMB, White, Personnel Management, Land Management, Department of Agriculture, Kansas City, Partnership for Public Service, Government, Office, GAO, Economic Research Service, National Institute of Food, Agriculture, USDA, National Institute for Food, NIFA, Applied Economics Association, BLM, Getty, Department of Justice, Justice Department, Univision, Justice, Department, U.S . Justice, Center, Washington Post, National Security and Intelligence, of Homeland Security, of Education and Commerce, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission Locations: United States, Washington, Georgetown, , Colorado, DC, Kansas, Colorado, Virginia, America, Grand Junction, Washington ,, New York City, New York, Georgia

☆ Tornado kills at least 5, injures 33, in Chinese metropolis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Jennifer Hauser | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —At least five people were killed and 33 injured in a tornado Saturday that struck Guangzhou, a city of 19 million people in southern China, according to Chinese state media. Authorities say 141 factory buildings were damaged but no residential houses collapsed, according to the Xinhua news agency. It said a preliminary assessment put the tornado at level-three intensity, two below the highest level of five. A weather station in Liangtian Village, Baiyun District, about 1.7 miles from where the tornado hit, registered a maximum wind gust of 20.6 meters per second, Xinhua reported. Earlier this week state media reported that floods had killed at least four people in Guangdong.

Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Xinhua, China Meteorological Agency Locations: Guangzhou, China, Xinhua, Hong Kong, Guangdong province, Liangtian Village, Baiyun District, Guangdong

☆ A flurry of new rules from the Biden administration attempt to ban noncompetes, boost overtime pay, and increase refunds for delayed flights
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe Biden administration this week pushed out a slate of rules it says are meant to boost competitiveness and put more money into workers' pockets. There are already challenges to at least one of the rules — but together they could land overtime pay for millions more workers, ban noncompetes that prevent workers from moving into jobs in similar industries, and help people get automatic refunds for delayed or canceled flights. More workers eligible for overtime payUnder the Department of Labor's new rule, many workers who make under $43,888 will be eligible for overtime pay effective July 1. A ban on noncompetes that keep workers from taking new jobsPerhaps the most sweeping action for workers came from the Federal Trade Commission, which finalized a rule to ban noncompetes in most cases. Will a ban on noncompetes, new overtime thresholds, or airline refunds affect your life?

Persons: —, Biden, Lael Brainard, That's, it's, Judy Conti, Pete Buttigieg, Brainard, Aaron, Ryan, John Smith, Suzanne Clark, Jeremy Merkelson, Davis Wright Tremaine, Merkelson, Elizabeth Wilkins, Wilkins Organizations: Service, Business, National Economic Council, Department of, National Employment Law, of Transportation, Federal Trade Commission, . Upjohn Institute, Employment Research, of Commerce, Texas Association of Business, Federal Trade, Chamber of Commerce, FTC

☆ Why Americans worry changes to the U.S. retirement system could upend their plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Last year, Americans' confidence that they would have enough money to live comfortably in retirement fell the most since the global financial crisis. New research shows both workers' and retirees' confidence has not recovered. But some signs of optimism have emerged, particularly as wage growth now outpaces inflation growth, according to the Employees Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research. The latter worry comes as both retirees and workers expect to rely on three sources of income in their golden years: Social Security, workplace retirement savings plans and personal retirement savings or investments, the research found. While 88% of workers expect Social Security will be a source of retirement income, almost all of today's retirees, 91%, say they depend on those benefit checks.

Organizations: Employees, Research, Greenwald Research, Finance, Security, U.S, Social Security, Social

☆ PR firms are running execs' LinkedIn profiles — and turning ghostwriting into big business
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Marta Biino | Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Executives looking to boost their own profiles have for years paid freelancers to ghostwrite their LinkedIn posts. Now big PR firms are getting into the game, and LinkedIn profile management is going mainstream. Business Insider spoke to 14 PR firms that said more companies are asking for LinkedIn writing and strategy services for their leaders. Zappa said he does not offer specific rates for LinkedIn posts and instead includes LinkedIn in broader content contracts. However, he estimated that PR firms solely focused on LinkedIn ghostwriting could charge companies $5,000 a month for three to five LinkedIn posts.

Persons: Erin Ledbetter, Weber Shandwick, Ogilvy, Contessa Kellogg, Winters, resharing, There's, Lana McGilvray, Katie Burcham Glasshoff, execs, Chris Harihar, Dan Allocca, Joe Zappa, Zappa, Nicola Dodd, Laura Franklin, Franklin, Kim Metcalfe, Zeno Group's, —, upend ghostwriting, William Dobinson, Farrer Kane, Greg Swan, Lewis Goldberg, Claude Organizations: Business, Zeno, LinkedIn, Weber, Purpose, The Washington Post, BCW, Crenshaw Communications, Sharp Pen Media, Ogilvy UK, ghostwriting, London, Finn Partners, KCSA Strategic Communications Locations: Ketchum, gatekeepers, Midwest

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

☆ Meadows, Giuliani among indicted in Arizona in latest 2020 election subversion case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Zachary Cohen | Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“In Arizona, and the United States, the people elected Joseph Biden as President on November 3, 2020,” the indictment reads. Prosecutors in Michigan, Georgia and Nevada also have brought criminal charges against some of the people who signed on as fake electors in those states. A grand jury empaneled in Maricopa County, Arizona, to investigate efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state met this week before Mayes announced the charges. The fake electors for Trump convened at the state Republican Party headquarters in Phoenix on December 14, 2020. But in the weeks that followed, some of the fake electors continued to push for Pence to reject the legitimate Democratic slate of electors.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump’s, Boris Epshteyn, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Kris Mayes, Mayes, ” Mayes, Trump, ” Trump, ‘, Giuliani, Joseph Biden, “, unindicted, ” “, Pence, Harris, Mike Pence, Joe Biden, I’ve, –, Biden, Jack, CNN’s Rashard Rose Organizations: CNN, White House, Democrat, Trump, Arizona ’, “, Biden, Prosecutors, Capitol, Republican Party, Republican, Arizona, Democratic Locations: Arizona, Epshteyn, United States, State of Arizona, New York, Michigan , Georgia, Nevada, Wisconsin, Maricopa County , Arizona, American, Phoenix

☆ To Justify His Immunity Defense, Trump Flips the Prosecution Script
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When the Supreme Court considers Donald J. Trump’s sweeping claims of executive immunity on Thursday, it will break new legal ground, mulling for the first time the question of whether a former president can avoid being prosecuted for things he did in office. But in coming up with the argument, Mr. Trump used a tactic on which he has often leaned in his life as a businessman and politician: He flipped the facts on their head in an effort to create a different reality. At the core of his immunity defense is a claim that seeks to upend the story told by federal prosecutors in an indictment charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 election. In that indictment, prosecutors described a criminal conspiracy by Mr. Trump to subvert the election results and stay in power. In Mr. Trump’s telling, however, those same events are official acts that he undertook as president to safeguard the integrity of the race and cannot be subject to prosecution.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Trump

☆ A homebuyer's guide to the real-estate revolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Real-estate agents' commissions have fluctuated between 5% and 6% of the sale price for decades, despite advances in technology and an influx of agents. The recent lawsuits, which accused the NAR and some of the country's largest brokerages of conspiring to keep agents' commissions unfairly high, could signal the start of a new era. If sellers aren't paying out commissions to buyers' agents, buyers themselves could end up on the hook. For example, what happens if the seller isn't willing to pay the buyer's agent's commission? In most states, the buyer's agent can technically just rebate that extra money to their client.

Persons: Austin Whitt, Whitt, —, I've, Steve Brobeck, Sabrina Brown, they've, Michael Warren, Sellers, Prentiss Cox, it'll, you've, doesn't, Jack Ryan, Ryan, homebuying, Rob Hahn, Wendy Gilch, Gilch, I'm, it's, David Dworkin, Dworkin, Cox, It's Organizations: Realtors, National Association of Realtors, NAR, Consumer Federation of America, Getty, University of Minnesota, MLS, Consumer Federation of, National Housing Conference, Justice Department Locations: Tennessee, Nashville, America, North Carolina, United Kingdom, Australia

☆ Massive floods threaten tens of millions as intense rains batter southern China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Heavy rains hammered southern China on the weekend, flooding homes, streets and farmland and threatening to upend the lives of tens of millions of people as rescuers rushed to evacuate residents trapped by rising waters. Since April 16, sustained torrential rains have pounded the Pearl River Delta, China’s manufacturing heartland and one of the country’s most populated regions, with four weather stations in Guangdong registering record rainfall for April. Since last week, at least 44 rivers in the Pearl River basin have swelled above the warning line, threatening to burst their banks, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Aerial view of waterlogged fields after torrential rains on April 20, 2024 in Qingyuan, Guangdong Province of China. Authorities raised the flood control emergency response for the Pearl River Delta to level 2 on Sunday – the second highest in a four-tier system.

Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Xinhua, China Meteorological Administration, Visual China, CCTV, Authorities Locations: Hong Kong, China, Guangdong, Jiangwan, Shaoguan, Pearl, Qingyuan, Guangdong Province of China, Guangning county, Zhaoqing, Qingyuan city, Guangzhou, Shenzhen

☆ Necessity Gives Rise to Bipartisanship — for Now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Congress convened in 2023, an empowered far-right Republican faction in the House threatened to upend Washington and President Biden’s agenda. But the intransigence of that bloc instead forced Republicans and Democrats into an ad hoc coalition government that is now on the verge of delivering long-delayed foreign military aid and a victory to the Democratic president. The House approval on Saturday of money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan over angry objections from the extreme right was the latest and perhaps most striking example of a bipartisan approach forged out of necessity. The coalition first sprang up last year to spare the government a catastrophic debt default, and has reassembled at key moments since then to keep federal agencies funded. Unable to deliver legislation on their own because of a razor-thin majority and the refusal of those on the right to give ground, House Republicans had no choice but to break with their fringe members and join with Democrats if they wanted to accomplish much of anything, including bolstering Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Persons: Biden’s Organizations: Republican, Democrats, Democratic, Republicans Locations: Washington, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, Russia

☆ R.F.K. Jr. Raises New Uncertainty for Biden in Michigan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Shane Goldmacher | Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The prospect of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatening to upend the presidential race went from an idea to a reality in one of the country’s most consequential battlegrounds on Thursday, when Mr. Kennedy qualified for the ballot in Michigan. The decision by the Natural Law Party to grant Mr. Kennedy its ballot line in November ensures he will be a factor in a pivotal swing state where the presidential election is expected to be incredibly close and where President Biden has already shown vulnerability with key Democratic constituencies. During Michigan’s primary in February, a protest movement over Mr. Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza drew significant support. Mr. Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat and the scion of perhaps the nation’s most famous Democratic family, is running as an independent in 2024 and polling higher in early surveys than any third-party candidate since Ross Perot, the self-funding billionaire who ran in the 1990s. His independent candidacy has earned him the estrangement of his own family — who campaigned this week with Mr. Biden in Pennsylvania — and many of his previous colleagues from the environmental movement, who denounced his candidacy publicly on Friday.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Kennedy, Biden, Ross Perot Organizations: Natural Law Party, Democratic, Mr Locations: Michigan, Gaza, Pennsylvania —

☆ National Park Week is coming up — and that means free entry for visitors
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Visitors to national parks will get free admission on April 20 as the federal government waives entrance fees to commemorate the start of National Park Week. National Park Week runs for nine days, from April 20 to April 28. The National Park Service oversees 429 park sites in the U.S. Of them, 63 are national parks. The remainder are national monuments, national battlefields and national historic sites, for example. However, 108 parks don't — including some of the most popular, like Grand Canyon, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Joshua Tree and Glacier national parks.

Persons: Joshua Tree Organizations: National, National Park Service, Finance, globetrotting Locations: U.S, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, Yosemite, Yellowstone

☆ Blackstone's data-center bets have climbed 10-fold to $100 billion in just 3 years. And it's just the start, Steve Schwarzman says.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Schwarzman said QTS was now "the largest data center company in North America" and that data centers were one of Blackstone's "highest conviction investment themes today." Jon Gray, Blackstone's president, suggested Blackstone's data center portfolio would continue to grow. The size of Blackstone's investments in data centers reflect an astonishing rise for a once-obscure industry that's gaining importance in the race to develop and commercialize artificial intelligence. Around the country, there has been a boom of data center construction. Late last year, QTS won local approval to build one of the country's largest new data center projects in Virginia.

Persons: Steve Schwarzman, Schwarzman, Blackstone's, Blackstone, QTS, Jon Gray, Gray, Michael Chae, We've Organizations: Business, Blackstone, Google, Income Trust, Digital Realty Trust Locations: North America, QTS, Virginia, Frankfurt, Paris

☆ My 13-year-old told me he wasn't ready for anyone else to join our family. So I broke up with the man I was dating.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Elizabeth Austin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

My 13-year-old told me while I was dating someone new that he was not ready for it. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Every Christmas, I wondered if the following year, there would be an extra place at our table, a seat for the partner I thought I'd eventually meet. My teenage son made me realize what my kids neededSeth was the closest I'd come. Advertisement"Are you dating Seth?"

Persons: —, gushed, Seth, I'd, I'm, didn't, I've, He's Organizations: Service, Uno Locations: sundaes, Franklin

Washington CNN —Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday he is sticking with his plan to put a series of foreign aid bills on the floor, including funding for Ukraine, after facing significant pressure from hardliners. The loan structure around aid comes after a meeting and news conference with Johnson and former President Donald Trump, who said in February that the US should stop providing foreign aid unless it is structured as a loan. The speaker has been facing mounting pressure to make tweaks to the foreign aid package proposed earlier this week – and not just from his most right-wing members. Other Republicans also expressed anger and wouldn’t rule out voting against Johnson on procedural motions that could upend the bill. “Let’s just hope that that does not happen, and that we can do our responsibilities, protect and defend our own democracy as we protect theirs,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, ” Johnson, Donald Trump, Nicole Malliotakis, “, Schumer, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie of, Chip Roy, Texas, ”, ” Roy, Matt Gaetz, Hakeem Jeffries, institutionalists, Tom Suozzi, Jared Moskowitz, Johnson –, “ Let’s, Nancy Pelosi Organizations: Washington CNN, Ukraine, Trump, Republican, Senate, GOP, Moderate New York Republican, Wednesday, Biden, Republicans, Conservative, CNN, Firebrand, Democrats, Democratic Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Haiti

☆ Opinion: 5 critical takeaways from Iran’s attack on Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Miraculously, by a feat of military technology bolstered by coordination with friends and allies, Israel was able to repel the massive attack. The Quds Force commanders have been working with Iran-allied Hezbollah, which has been shelling Israel since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack from Gaza. What if Iran’s missiles and drones had carried nuclear material? In addition, the US was able to work out of its bases in Qatar and northern Iraq to counter Iran’s attack. The Iranian attack has revealed that Israel does have friends, including some in very important places: across the Middle East.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Israel, Frida Ghitis Tanya Malott, Jerusalem —, Jesus, Israel unlivable, Israel —, Benjamin Netanyahu, —, General Antonio Guterres “, ”, Jordan, ” Saudi Arabia — Iran’s, Benny Gantz, ” Biden, “, Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben Gvir, John Bolton Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel, Quds Force, Hamas, Ukraine, Street Journal, United Arab, Finance, National Security Locations: Israel, Jerusalem, al, Aqsa, Iran, Arab Israeli, Damascus, Gaza, Beirut, Buenos Aires, Jordan, Iraq, North Korea, Israeli, Palestinian, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Russia, Argentina, Japan, United States, France, ” Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Republic

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