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☆ Prosecutors say items secured in Madeleine McCann search to be examined
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, June 1 (Reuters) - German prosecutors said on Thursday they had secured some items during a search of a reservoir in Portugal in the 16-year-old hunt for missing British girl Madeleine McCann which they would evaluate in coming days and weeks. "Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed," the prosecutor's statement read. German prosecutors last year named Christian Brueckner an official suspect in McCann's disappearance. "The investigations here in Braunschweig against the 46-year old suspect will likely last a long time still," German prosecutors said. Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Madeline ChambersOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Madeleine McCann, McCann, Christian Brueckner, Brueckner, Madeline Chambers, Sarah Marsh Organizations: Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Portugal, Portuguese, Algarve, Germany, Braunschweig

☆ CHIPS Act Funding for Science and Research Falls Short
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A renewed focus on the need to rein in federal spending has raised concerns about whether a bipartisan law that dedicates billions to advancing scientific research as well as revitalizing the American semiconductor industry will receive all of its promised funding. President Biden and House Republican leaders have reached an agreement in principle to limit federal spending over the next two years in exchange for suspending the debt ceiling and averting the risk of an economic catastrophe. But some lawmakers and other proponents of the bipartisan law, the CHIPS and Science Act, have grown worried that limits on government spending could undercut the legislation’s ambitious goals of bolstering the nation’s scientific edge and countering China’s technological rise. The debt ceiling deal cuts so-called nondefense discretionary funding — which includes scientific research — for the 2024 fiscal year. It also limits all discretionary spending to 1 percent growth in 2025, which is effectively a budget cut since that is likely to be slower than the rate of inflation.

Persons: Biden Organizations: House Republican

☆ How to Get Absolutely No Sun This Summer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Madeleine Aggeler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They worshiped the sun as a god and built temples for it. They danced for it and wrote poems about it. They devoted unfathomable amounts of time, money and effort into studying it, and even built probes that could fly out into space and get a closer look. And yet, the sun is tricky. We need sunlight for vitamin D, and to help regulate our sleep cycles, but it inspires people to go stand up paddle boarding, and then to tell you again and again about how you really have to try stand up paddle boarding.

Organizations: National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

☆ Inflation Inched Higher in April, Reflecting Challenge for the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | Ben Casselman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Still, prices are not climbing as fast they were in February, when the index rose 5.1 percent on an annual basis. A “core” measure that tries to gauge underlying inflation trends by stripping out volatile food and energy prices rose 4.7 percent over the year through April, up slightly from 4.6 percent in March. The core measure rose 0.4 percent in April from the prior month, up from 0.3 percent in March. That was slightly faster than some analysts had expected. Core inflation had been rising at a faster pace earlier in the year, climbing 0.6 percent in January.

LISBON, May 22 (Reuters) - Portuguese police will on Tuesday search a reservoir inland from where British three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007, authorities said, in the first formal development in the case in Portugal in several years. A fire brigade spokesperson said police were preparing to start searches on Tuesday at a dam in the southern region of Algarve about 50 km (31.07 miles) inland from a beach resort where Madeleine went missing from a rented apartment while on a family holiday. Police erected two tents beside the dam on Monday, Reuters TV footage showed. Brueckner, a convicted child abuser and drug dealer, is behind bars in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same area of the Algarve from where Madeleine went missing. German police said in June 2020 that Madeleine was assumed dead and that Brueckner was likely responsible for it.

☆ America’s Semiconductor Boom Faces a Challenge: Not Enough Workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Maxon Wille, an 18-year-old in Surprise, Ariz., was driving toward Interstate 17 last year when he noticed a massive construction site: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company at work on its new factory in Phoenix. “I can see this being the next big thing,” Mr. Wille said. Semiconductor manufacturers say they will need to attract more workers like Mr. Wille to staff the plants that are being built across the United States. America is on the cusp of a semiconductor manufacturing boom, strengthened by billions of dollars that the federal government is funneling into the sector. President Biden had said the funding will create thousands of well-paying jobs, but one question looms large: Will there be enough workers to fill them?

☆ 24 Best Last-Minute Father’s Day Gifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Sarah Grossbart | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +13 min

Father’s Day is June 19 and you’re still empty-handed, and unless you’re 8 years old, it’s no longer cute or acceptable to turn up with a handmade coupon book. For the golfing dadIf your dad is an avid golfer, an upgrade to his typical apparel is a solid gift choice. For the dad who loves long walksIf dad’s shoe collection is looking a little tired, consider a pair of Birkenstocks. And just in time for the big day, you can get a digital gift card delivered right to his inbox. For the dad who’s the life of the partyThe “king of all coolers” is how Los Angeles-based stylist Alison Deyette describes Yeti’s UV-resistant Roadie 24 Hard Cooler, which makes the polyethylene beverage tote a shoo-in for the best last-minute Father’s Day gift.

Persons: Sarah Grossbart, We’ve, here’s, K, Frank Gehry, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, you’ll, Royce, that’s, he’s, Alex Mill, it’s, Warby Parker, Stan Smiths, you’re, Nordstrom, Alison Deyette, “ Severance, Lindsay Roberts Schey, Massager, Roberts, —, who’s, Dan Ariely, Idris Elba, Mindy Kaling, ”, Roberts Schey, Deyette, mignon, ribeye, Ogata, Roberts Shey, Madeline Diamond, Leslie Yazel Organizations: Sporting Goods, Ping, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Nordstrom, Boston, Marine, Adidas, Smart, Club, Craft Beer, Duke University, Hulu, Netflix Locations: U.S, inbox, Los Angeles, Kobe

☆ Biden Taps Two Negotiators to Reach Debt Ceiling Deal With Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of the biggest developments out of Tuesday’s debt ceiling meeting was President Biden’s selection of two officials to negotiate directly with aides to Speaker Kevin McCarthy: Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Steve Ricchetti, a White House senior adviser. That decision appeared to mollify Mr. McCarthy, who noted after the meeting that “we finally have a formula that has proven to work in the past.”Ms. Young and Mr. Ricchetti bring years of experience working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to forge deals on critical pieces of legislation. But they will still face a difficult task in trying to reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling ahead of a potential default as soon as June 1. They are expected to work closely with Louisa Terrell, the director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. Here’s a look at the two key players who will represent Mr. Biden as policymakers work to avoid what many say would be an economically devastating default.

☆ Food Prices Were Flat in April, Report Shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Food prices were flat for a second straight month in April, relief for many Americans who have faced higher costs at the grocery store in recent months. That is a big improvement from February, when prices rose 0.4 percent over the month. Prices for food at home fell 0.2 percent in April compared with the month before. Prices for food at restaurants continued to pick up, rising 0.4 percent over the month, a slight decline from 0.6 percent in March. Overall, food prices have climbed 7.7 percent over the last year.

☆ A 32-hour work week helped this company's employees juggle self-care, side hustles, pets, and parenting 'without feeling like they're going to be penalized'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

4-day work week trials have found a shortened work week can improve employees' work-life balance. vChief says its 4-day work week helps employees juggle jobs as parents, self-care, and side hustles. Niebauer said that the 4-day work week has helped the company with employee retention, and they've also attracted over-qualified candidates for the company's roles. "Without feeling like they're going to be penalized for it, without feeling like they're going to look like they're distracted at work." "I really believe that people shouldn't live their lives for work," Niebauer said.

☆ A Timeline of How the Banking Crisis Has Unfolded
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

March 9Gregory Becker, the chief executive of Silicon Valley Bank, urged venture capital firms to remain calm on a conference call. March 10In the biggest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis, Silicon Valley Bank collapsed after a run on deposits . Regional bank stocks plunged after the unexpected seizure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank , with shares of First Republic tumbling 60 percent. The Treasury secretary believed the actions by the private sector would help underscore confidence in the stability of the banking system. April 28The Fed released a report faulting itself for failing to “take forceful enough action” ahead of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse.

☆ The Janes 1960s underground abortion network
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +28 min

The group was officially created in 1969 as the “Abortion Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation.”But after running ads in an underground newspaper: “Pregnant? “It wasn’t just abortion,” Barron explained. “Vacuum aspiration was much easier to do, and I think it’s less difficult for the woman,” Scott said. We had to keep the service running.”Laura Kaplan volunteered for the Janes, later immortalizing the group in her book, "The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service." Each Jane was charged with 11 counts of abortion and conspiracy to commit abortion, with a possible sentence of up to 110 years in prison.

☆ House G.O.P. Eyes Rescinding Unspent Covid Money as Part of Its Fiscal Plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Catie Edmondson | Madeleine Ngo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Their focus on the idea reflects how, after toiling unsuccessfully for months to unite their rank and file around a fiscal blueprint, G.O.P. leaders have become acutely aware that they have few options for doing so that could actually pass the House. On Wednesday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy highlighted the measure when he finally unveiled House Republicans’ proposal to raise the debt limit for one year in exchange for a series of spending cuts and policy changes. “The American people are tired of politicians who use Covid as an excuse for more extreme inflationary spending,” Mr. McCarthy said in a speech on the House floor. “If the money was authorized to fight the pandemic, what was not spent during the pandemic should not be spent after the pandemic is over.”

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a bill that would cut billions in federal spending and roll back some of President Biden’s policy priorities in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling for one year. Mr. Biden has insisted that Republicans raise the debt limit without any conditions and said that he would not meet with them to discuss spending cuts until they passed their own fiscal plan. Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would put the new legislation, which Republicans claim would save the nation $4.5 trillion, to a vote next week. Negotiations have so far been frozen, and time is running short: The United States, which has already hit a $31.4 trillion cap on how much money it can borrow, could run out of money to pay its bills as soon as June. That could have catastrophic effects, potentially leading to a global financial crisis and a painful recession in the United States.

☆ What's in the leaked Pentagon documents that could hurt Ukraine and has US officials panicking
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Dozens of secret Pentagon documents were leaked online in recent weeks. Many of the documents appear to be intelligence briefing materials on a wide range of subjects, dating back to around early March. When were the documents leaked and who leaked them? But Bellingcat reported that some of the materials date back to January and may have been leaked online earlier. Leaked documents claim that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sought to attack Russian troop deployments inside Russia with drones.

☆ Reactions as former President Donald Trump arraigned in New York City
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 4 (Reuters) - Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. The charges from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg come as Trump seeks the Republican nomination to run again in 2024. REPRESENTATIVE JAMAAL BOWMAN:“Take responsibility, hold yourself accountable, and go away,” Bowman, a Democrat of New York, said when reporters asked if he had a message for Trump. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER:Schumer, a Democrat of New York, tweeted: "I believe that Donald Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law. Trump was a president of many firsts — none of which were good for our country.

☆ Millennials Pay for a Dose of ’90s Nostalgia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Madeleine Aggeler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The top floor of the sprawling complex looked like the pages of a ’90s issue of “Teen Beat” had come to life. Of course, it wasn’t exactly like “Teen Beat.” Mr. Fatone, 46, was talking about his children; Mr. Kirkpatrick, 51, was recovering from shoulder surgery; and Ms. Hart, 46, was filming TikToks. (Also, “Teen Beat” stopped publishing years ago.) The stars of the ’90s had grown up. “People are feeling nostalgic about better times,” said Liliana Kligman, 38, one of the founders of That’s 4 Entertainment, the company behind 90s Con.

☆ Australia risks losing pole position in critical minerals race
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Melanie Burton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Grattan Institute, a think tank, estimates the critical minerals industry could add more than $400 billion to the economy by 2050, a bigger contribution than the coal industry, Australia's no.2 export, today. They want rapid action in light of new competition from the U.S., Canada and the European Union, which have laid out critical minerals strategies including billions of dollars in incentives. King said on Wednesday a critical minerals strategy would be released "soon". However the government has not said when it would deliver its national battery strategy. "The elements for an effective critical minerals strategy are in place.

☆ Home prices are plummeting everywhere but the US. Blame America's favorite mortgage.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The US' reliance on the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage is among the biggest reasons why. Per the report, Sweden and New Zealand housing prices both fell roughly 14% from their peaks, while Germany, South Korea, Canada, and Australia saw declines between 5 and 10%. But rising mortgage rates don't impact every country's housing market the same way. For fixed-rate borrowers, many of whom locked in their mortgages when interest rates were low, rising interest rates have no impact on their monthly mortgage payments. And if plummeting housing prices are a signal a country's economy is on the brink, then perhaps it isn't such great news for aspiring homebuyers after all.

☆ As John Fetterman heals, his Senate staff soldiers on with the help of veteran lawmakers and crisis bonding: 'We all have each other's back'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Sen. John Fetterman has been hospitalized for clinical depression since February 15. Casey is coordinating with Fetterman staff on constituent services issues and legislative priorities, according to recent reports, but doesn't call Fetterman directly so as not to disturb his ongoing recovery. Some of the others working hard to meet that internal standard include legislative assistant Madeleine Marr, a former aide to Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire. Conservative commentator Stephen L. Miller has been more blunt, accusing Fetterman's staff of unduly wielding power in his absence. "John Fetterman's chief of staff is not an elected senator," Miller wrote in an op-ed run by the Delaware Valley Journal.

After a fire engulfed Notre Dame in 2019, horrified onlookers around the world donated nearly $1 billion to restore the cathedral. Scroll to experience an acoustic simulation of how “Viderunt Omnes” may have sounded from different places inside Notre Dame. In the survey on the acoustic experience of Notre Dame, respondents commented on the building’s unique sound. We may see Notre Dame as an eternal monument, but she hears it as a place that is always changing. When I visited Notre Dame with her, we were accompanied by a young sound engineer, as well as a historian studying metal.

☆ This Belle Époque public restroom in Paris has been restored to its former glory, but costs about $2 to use
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A public restroom in Paris that was built in 1905 has been restored and reopened. The facilities feature varnished mahogany, ornate tiles, mosaics and stained-glass windows. The subterranean toilet costs 2 euros ($2.13) to use to cover the cost of an attendant and cleaning. The Lavatory de la Madeleine is more than a century old and features varnished mahogany, stained-glass windows, ceramic tiles, and ornate mosaics. The restroom has been closed since 2011 but reopened on February 20 following extensive renovations.

☆ Italian prosecutors drop Congo case against Eni CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Milan prosecutors do not plan to pursue a case against the head of Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI) over oil permits granted in Congo Republic, they said on Wednesday. The magistrates formally requested the dismissal of a charge against Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi for alleged failure to declare a conflict of interest. They also asked that charges of alleged undue inducement be dropped against Descalzi's wife, Marie Madeleine Ingoba, and six other people including former Eni executives. "Eni CEO's non-involvement in the allegations made long ago by the public prosecutor is now confirmed," the company added. Eni has said it had no role in the allocation of licences or in the Congo Republic government's choice of local partner.

☆ Last-Minute Valentine’s Gifts (They’ll Never Know You Procrastinated)
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Or choose a bouquet subscription to remind your valentine of you each time blooms arrive—get 10% off your subscription gift with code BUYSIDESTEMS. Masterclass has more than 180 courses to choose from, so you’re sure to find a great match. Lucky for last-minute shoppers, the candles are available online and for in-store pickup at Nordstrom, so you have time to swing by for one before Valentine’s Day arrives. If your valentine is a yogi, they may enjoy the cushiony, versatile mat that Buy Side named best overall yoga mat. Slippers make an easy Valentine’s Day gift like these unisex grippy slippers—recommended in our selection of best women’s slippers.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Wednesday that embattled freshman GOP Rep. George Santos, who is facing growing calls to resign after admitting to fabricating much of his personal biography, should not be seated on any top committees. "No," McCarthy said emphatically as he headed into a GOP Steering Committee meeting where members are deciding which colleagues should serve on certain committees. Lawmakers of both political stripes argue that seating Santos on committees could be a national security risk. Democrats say that McCarthy and the leadership team shouldn't seat Santos on any committees, while some Republicans agree with McCarthy: Keep Santos off the panels that handle the most sensitive, classified information. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, the head of the Main Street Caucus, said Santos shouldn't serve on any committees.

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