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☆ The Palestinian president and his unfulfilled quest for a state
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He was an early member of Fatah, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) faction that dominated Palestinian politics for decades. He became leader of both when Arafat died in 2004, and a year later was elected president of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited sovereignty in the West Bank. Behind them were U.S. President Bill Clinton, Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, applauding warmly. When the Palestinian leadership returned from exile to Gaza after the Oslo Accords Abbas was upbeat, promising: "I will live in Palestine." Hamas routed Fatah in a civil war in Gaza, leaving Abbas with control of Palestinian-administered areas in the West Bank but there have been no Palestinian elections since.

“If it’s a room of five people, Anita and Bob are two of them,” said a former White House aide, who asked to remain anonymous because the person was not authorized to speak on the record about White House business. The White House declined to comment for this piece. The group of White House aides that were looped in on the discovery immediately was slightly larger and included Dunn, this person said. “Whatever strategy they had has not served him well — the lack of transparency from November to January,” said a second former White House official. Bauer, who didn’t join the administration, has acted as a sounding board for White House lawyers on potential hires.

☆ ‘Putin and the Presidents’ Review: A Ruse by a Russian Tyrant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

A primer on Vladimir Putin and a chronicle of diplomatic miscalculation, “Putin and the Presidents” sets out to establish a couple of dispiriting truths, one of which could be seen as a takedown of American optimism: Mr. Putin has always been exactly who he seemed to be. The leaders of the free world have been hoping he wasn’t. An episode of “Frontline” marked by the series’ customary directness, “Putin and the Presidents” maps out the various missteps committed by the White House as regards the former KGB agent who became Russia’s supreme leader in 1999 and whose tenure has been marked ever since by deception, accusations of outright murder and unprovoked warfare. While not intended as prophetic, Bill Clinton is seen in a rather slippery 2000 moment telling the press about his initial encounter with Mr. Putin, whom he declares “capable” of “preserving freedom, pluralism and the rule of law,” without actually implying he would.

WASHINGTON — The National Archives and Records Administration on Thursday requested that former presidents and vice presidents "conduct an assessment" to determine if they have any classified materials in their possession. Under the Presidential Records Act, all presidential and vice presidential records - including any classified documents - must be turned over to Archives by the end of their terms. A spokesperson for the Archives declined to comment on the letter, which was sent after classified documents were found at the homes of former Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Mike Pence, as well as an office Biden previously used. On Thursday, Bush's office responded to the Archives letter by saying, "Thank you for your note. Former Vice President Dan Quayle’s office said Thursday: “We have not received an inquiry from the National Archives.

☆ Why do people buy crackpot conspiracy theories?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

When it comes to the spread of cockamamie conspiracy theories, Twitter was a maximum viable product long before Elon Musk paid $44 billion for the keys. The more you think you're right all the time, a new study suggests, the more likely you are to buy conspiracy theories, regardless of the evidence. It'd be better, or at least more reassuring, if conspiracy theories were fueled by dumb yahoos rather than self-centered monsters. Still, most scientists thought conspiracy theories weren't worth their time, the province of weirdos connecting JFK's death to lizard aliens. Pennycook's findings also suggest an explanation for why conspiracy theories have become so widely accepted.

☆ The National Archives wants former presidents and vice presidents to see if they have any classified documents stashed anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The NARA has reportedly reached out to representatives of former presidents and vice presidents. NARA wants them to check their records for classified information, according to a letter seen by CNN. Reps for Obama, George W. Bush, and Clinton have told Insider they don't have classified documents. The request comes after classified documents were found in recent months at the homes and offices of President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and former Vice President Mike Pence. Bush and Ronald Reagan, and former Vice Presidents Mike Pence, Biden, Dick Cheney, Al Gore and Dan Quayle, CNN reported.

☆ A former Fox News staffer said Roger Ailes told her she was his 'sex slave' and took videos of the abuse to use as 'blackmail,' but the network would dismiss claims with 'boys will be boys,' lawsuit s
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Luhn filed a lawsuit on Wednesday alleging Fox News enabled and covered up the abuse. In a statement to Insider, Fox called the allegations against the network "meritless." The lawsuit named Fox News, Twenty-First Century Fox, and William Shine, a former Fox News executive who also had a brief stint in the Trump White House. The sexual abuse that she suffered while working at Fox News was some of the worst imaginable. "New York's Adult Survivors Act recognizes the lifelong trauma that sexual abuse victims can suffer.

A "small number" of classified documents were discovered last week at former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home, according to two letters Pence’s counsel sent to the National Archives obtained by NBC News on Tuesday. Pence's team “immediately” secured the classified documents in a locked safe, Jacob said. The transfer was facilitated by Pence’s personal attorney, who has experience in handling classified documents and was involved with the Jan. 16 discovery. Pence spokesman Devin O’Malley later told NBC News that “no potential classified documents” were found at the offices of Pence’s organization Advancing American Freedom after Pence’s team searched the offices and the former vice president’s home in Indiana. In a statement Tuesday, Comer said Pence reached out to the panel about classified documents found at his Indiana residence.

☆ Ketamine is being sold as a depression wonder drug. For some, it's making everything worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +42 min

The infusions at the ketamine clinic in his West Texas hometown were a Christmas gift from his grandmother. About five years ago, more and more of my friends started using ketamine recreationally. IV ketamine treatment centers charging $400 to $2,000 an infusion popped up all over the country. "Ketamine used as directed in an appropriate clinical setting very rarely leads to any dependence," Mindbloom says on its website. Like Nadia, most of the people I interviewed said when they started using ketamine, they didn't think it was possible to become dependent on it.

☆ Classified records pose conundrum stretching back to Carter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The mishandling of classified documents is not a problem unique to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. He contrasted that pattern for top officials to senators, who are required to retain classified materials in secure rooms at the Capitol. It's notable that Carter signed the Presidential Records Act in 1978 but it did not apply to records of his administration, taking effect years later when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. Former President Bill Clinton's office said, "All of President Clinton's classified materials were properly turned over to NARA in accordance with the Presidential Records Act." The power to change or amend how classified documents are handled rests largely with the president.

☆ Fed's Lael Brainard among leading contenders for top White House economic post
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Lael Brainard, vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, listens to a question during an interview in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard is a top candidate to take the most important economic position in the White House. Biden named Brainard vice chair at the Fed in 2022; she also was considered as a possible successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whom Biden reappointed last year. Brainard is one of multiple candidates being considered and interviews for the position are continuing, according to a White House spokesman familiar with the matter. For her part, Brainard could garner support from progressives who are in favor of strong bank regulation and easier monetary policy.

☆ Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama say they have no classified documents
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Mike Pence are all facing classified documents controversies. Former presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama say they don't have any classified documents. Clinton's office similarly says, "All of President Clinton's classified materials were properly turned over to NARA in accordance with the Presidential Records Act." "NARA has never issued any such statement and is not aware of any missing boxes of Presidential records from the Obama administration." Biden, Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence are each facing controversies over the improper storage of classified documents.

[1/2] A Google LLC logo is seen at the Google offices in the Chelsea section of New York City, U.S., January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon StapletonCompanies Google Inc FollowAlphabet Inc FollowWASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, one of the judges who stayed then-President Donald Trump's executive order restricting immigration into the United States, has been named to oversee the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google over its alleged abuse of dominance in online advertising technology. read moreAccording to a filing to the docket late Tuesday, Brinkema, 78 and whose court is in Alexandria, Virginia, near Washington, was assigned to oversee the case. It is the second antitrust lawsuit filed by the department, with the first coming near the end of the Trump administration in 2020. In addition to putting a stay on Trump's executive order, Brinkema, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, also oversaw the trial of Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, who is now in a maximum security prison in Colorado.

☆ A Florida Democratic state lawmaker says the party must 'go back to the basics' in order to reverse recent statewide losses: 'We're very much at the bottom of the bottom'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Florida Democratic legislator told The Washington Post of the party's struggles in the state. A party operative told the paper that the GOP continues to organize in the state, while Democrats have "regressed." Bush carried Florida for the GOP, but in 1996 then-President Bill Clinton flipped the state into the Democratic column in his successful reelection bid. The GOP governor, last fall, won reelection in a 19-point landslide over his Democratic rival, former Gov. In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Democratic state Rep. Anna AskMen said that the party had to "go back to basics" and overhaul its door-knocking and get-out-the-vote operations.

☆ Google employees scramble for answers after layoffs hit long-tenured and recently promoted employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Google employees are scrambling for answers from leadership and from colleagues as the company undergoes a massive layoff. On Friday, Alphabet -owned Google announced it was cutting 12,000 employees, roughly 6% of the full-time workforce. Some of the laid-off employees had been long-tenured or recently promoted, raising questions about the criteria used to decide whose jobs were cut. The company provided an FAQ for the layoffs, which CNBC has seen, but employees have complained that it doesn’t give much detail on many answers. The scramble highlights the challenges Google could face in maintaining a supportive and productive company culture for its restive workforce of more than 160,000 full-time employees.

☆ Judge rules for Florida's DeSantis against prosecutor for abortion stance
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Mike Scarcella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DeSantis on Aug. 4 barred Warren from performing any official "act, duty or function of public office." Hinkle found that Warren's suspension violated Florida's state constitution, but the judge said the U.S. Constitution barred him from issuing a reinstatement order "against a state official based only on a violation of state law." The court also wrote that "Mr. Warren's actual performance as a reform prosecutor was conduct, not speech protected by the First Amendment." Lawyers for Warren and a DeSantis representative did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Lawyers for DeSantis argued that the governor suspended Warren from office not over his speech but his conduct as a prosecutor.

Intended for a political purpose, noneof the counts of the amended complaint stated a cognizable legal claim," Middlebrooks wrote in the 45-page written ruling. Representatives for Trump and his lead attorney in the case, Alina Habba, could not be reached for comment by Reuters on Thursday evening. Trump sued Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, claiming that she and other Democrats sought to rig that election by falsely accusing his campaign of links to Russia. read moreMiddlebrooks, who was appointed to the bench by President Bill Clinton in 1997, dismissed the case in September, calling the lawsuit "a two-hundred-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him." He has launched a run for the 2024 presidential election, setting up a potential rematch against Biden.

☆ We could soon be facing the biggest financial crisis in history as Republicans threaten to stop paying America's bills
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Republicans are using the debt ceiling as leverage to achieve spending cuts on Democratic priorities. But failing to raise the debt ceiling by the summer could cause the US to default on its debt. Consequences of default are dire, and Biden has urged the GOP to not bargain with the debt limit. "Failure to raise the debt limit will not reduce our debt, but it would wreck the economy if it led to a default. "When you talk about the trillion dollar platinum coin, it sounds very silly — and it is really silly!"

☆ I manage a Davos hotel where Bill Gates and other leaders stay for the World Economic Forum. We barely sleep and live off Red Bull, but we love it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Natalie Rahhal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Hans-Rudolf Ruetti manages the Grandhotel Belvédère, where the most important WEF participants stay. For more than 50 years, what's now known as the World Economic Forum (WEF) has taken place in Davos, and every year, the Grandhotel Belvédère has hosted WEF guests. There are several events being put on by important guests, and this is always a challenging task when it comes to safety and security. We also built an additional three kitchens from where we can deliver food exclusively for hotel guests and events hosted here by the forum participants. There really isn't anything we at the hotel don't like about the WEF.

☆ The ways federal officials from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump — and now Joe Biden — have been accused of mishandling government records
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

President Joe BidenPresident Joe Biden speaks at the White House on January 12, 2023. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel, Robert K. Hur, to investigate Biden for potential mishandling of classified documents. Another State Department investigation that lasted for three years and ended in 2019 found Clinton's use of a private email server put classified information at risk but that there was "no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information." Berger was found to have smuggled out highly classified documents, destroying some, and lying about possessing them. Lower-profile federal officials are more commonly chargedIn addition to former presidents and top White House officials, lower-profile federal agents are more commonly charged with mishandling government documents.

A federal judge dismissed on Thursday a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ students who allege the Department of Education doesn't protect them against discrimination from more than two dozen religiously affiliated universities that receive federal funding. Last year, the group of current and former college students filed the suit in an attempt to challenge the religious exemptions granted under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs or activities that receive federal funds. The plaintiffs alleged that, by design, the exemptions permit religiously affiliated institutions to discriminate against students on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. The legal group representing the students, the Religious Exemptions Accountability Project, slammed the judge's ruling and said it was considering whether to appeal. Some of the plaintiffs alleged they were denied admission to or expelled from the religiously affiliated universities because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The White House said some material was found in a locked garage at Biden's home and an adjacent room, and pledged to cooperate. "People know I take classified documents and classified material seriously," he added. Biden's attorneys said they have found fewer than a dozen classified documents and turned over the relevant papers after finding them. Trump resisted doing so until an August FBI search turned up about 100 classified documents, raising questions about whether Trump or his staff obstructed the investigation. "People know I take classified documents, classified material seriously," Biden told reporters on Thursday.

"We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced," White House lawyer Richard Sauber said in a statement. The White House on Monday disclosed that classified documents from Biden's vice presidential days were discovered in November at a think tank in Washington. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst 1 2 3 4 5"The fact that they called for special counsel for Trump's handling of classified documents, I don't see how they cannot appoint a special counsel with respect to Biden," said Representative James Comer, who will head the House Oversight Committee. Garland named a special counsel, Jack Smith, in November to oversee Justice Department investigations related to Trump, including the Republican former president's handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. "As I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents, classified material seriously.

The software that failed and forced the Federal Aviation Administration to ground thousands of flights on Wednesday is 30 years old and not scheduled to be updated for another six years, according to a senior government official. This system was installed in 1993 and runs the Notice to Air Missions system, or NOTAM, which sends pilots vital information they need to fly, the official said. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., was busy Wednesday after an FAA outage canceled and delayed flights. ET “to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information” as it worked to restore the NOTAM system. The FAA lifted the ground stop around 8:50 a.m., and normal air traffic operations began resuming gradually.

The White House on Monday disclosed that classified documents from his vice presidential days were discovered in November at a think tank in Washington. Garland said Robert Hur, a former U.S. attorney in Maryland, would serve as special counsel. Garland in November named a special counsel, Jack Smith, to oversee Justice Department investigations related to Donald Trump including the Republican former president's handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election. "As I said earlier this week, people know I take classified documents, classified material seriously. Biden in September called his predecessor's handling of classified documents "totally irresponsible."

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