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Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian penal colony Thursday as part of a prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was met with widespread celebration. Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison after vape canisters and cannabis oil were discovered in her luggage at the airport. “I wonder if she will respect our flag and country now,” self-proclaimed Trump supporter Collin Rugg wrote in a tweet liked 21,000 times. Such outdated definitions of patriotism disgrace the national anthem and the flag more than any peaceful protest ever could. She is a Black LGBTQ American, a wife, a daughter, an advocate, an Olympian and a world-class basketball star.

We’re going to win Georgia,” Biden said in response to questions regarding his outlook on the Georgia Senate runoff contest as he exited Air Force One Tuesday night. Share this -Link copiedWarnock defeats Walker in Georgia Senate runoff, NBC News projects Sen. Raphael Warnock has won his second statewide runoff election in the last two years, defeating Republican Herschel Walker in the increasingly purple state of Georgia to capture a six-year term in the Senate, NBC News projected. Share this -Link copiedThe Senate runoff election is still too close to call, but Warnock leads The Senate runoff election between Warnock and Walker is still too close to call, but Warnock leads, NBC News' Decision Desk said just before 10 p.m. Share this -Link copiedPolls close soon in critical Georgia Senate runoff Polls are closing at 7 p.m. ET in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker.

The turnout in the Senate runoff was nearly 75% to 80% of the entire turnout for the midterm election in November. Share this -Link copiedPolls close soon in critical Georgia Senate runoff Polls are closing at 7 p.m. ET in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has a massive ad-spending and fundraising advantage over Republican Herschel Walker in the runoff election. In the 2022 general election, Warnock grew his advantage in Henry County, winning it by just over 31 points.

Share this -Link copiedGroups work to mobilize Latino voters in Georgia Senate runoff From giving away bingo-like Mexican lotería cards to Taco Tuesdays and World Cup watch parties, Latino voting mobilization efforts ramped up in Georgia leading into the Senate runoff election. Share this -Link copiedPolls close soon in critical Georgia Senate runoff Polls are closing at 7 p.m. ET in the Senate runoff election in Georgia, where Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is hoping to fend off a challenge from Republican Herschel Walker. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has a massive ad-spending and fundraising advantage over Republican Herschel Walker in the runoff election. In the 2022 general election, Warnock grew his advantage in Henry County, winning it by just over 31 points.

☆ Georgia Senate runoff live updates: Walker and Warnock face off in the last of the 2022 midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Dennis Romero | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

As Senate runoff nears, Herschel Walker’s ex-girlfriend details abuse As the U.S. Senate runoff between Sen. Raphael Warnock and football legend Herschel Walker reaches its final hours, an ex-girlfriend of Walker is sharing details of what she says is his abusive behavior toward her. Cheryl Parsa, 61, told NBC News on Sunday that she was in a five-year relationship with Walker in the 2000s. Share this -Link copiedGeorgia Senate runoff smashes early voting records — and attracts new voters ATLANTA — Georgia has set new records for early voting again as the two Senate candidates blitz the state ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election. White voters made up 55% of early voters, 32% are Black, and Latinos and Asian Americans each accounted for less than 2% of the total. Now, Democrats see an opening to weaponize it to finish the job against Walker in the runoff, when a victory would give their party a 51st Senate seat.

☆ Europeans Cut Back on Spending, Pointing to Recession Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Paul Hannon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Europe has seen a 1.8% drop in retail sales from September, the largest fall since July 2021. Europeans cut back sharply on their spending on goods during October, a sign that high prices at the start of a period of increasing energy usage are pushing the region’s economies toward recession. Consumer prices have surged since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Kremlin’s decision to weaponize the country’s vast stores of energy to undermine European support for Kyiv.

The 26% of Georgians who ranked abortion as their top issue backed Warnock by a margin of 77% to 21%, NBC News exit polls showed. Herschel Walker wants a total ban on abortion nationwide,” says a TV ad by the Democratic group Georgia Honor, playing footage of Walker calling for a “no-exception” ban. NBC News exit polls showed 60% of voters believe abortion should be legal, while 37% said it should be illegal. And no-exceptions rhetoric could be out of step with voters in a divided state like Georgia. Sen. Gary Peters, the Michigan Democrat who chairs the party’s Senate campaign arm, said abortion will remain a “permanent” feature of American elections until Republicans back down.

☆ Eurozone Inflation Eased in November, but Further Rate Rises Likely
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Paul Hannon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The annual rate of inflation in the eurozone fell in November for the first time since mid-2021 as energy prices dropped. However, the slowdown isn’t likely to stop the European Central Bank from increasing interest rates further, economists warned. Consumer-price inflation across the 19 countries that share the euro has increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the Kremlin’s decision to weaponize the country’s vast stores of energy to undermine European support for Kyiv.

☆ NATO commits to future Ukraine membership, drums up aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

He said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will get Finland and Sweden as NATO members” soon. Ukraine will not join NATO anytime soon despite Stoltenberg's comments. Yevhen Titov / AFP - Getty Images“We stand by that, too, on membership for Ukraine,” the former Norwegian prime minister said. “I think what he’s afraid of is democracy and freedom, and that’s the main challenge for him.”Even so, Ukraine will not join NATO anytime soon. During the two-day meeting, Blinken will announce substantial U.S. aid for Ukraine’s energy grid, U.S. officials said.

☆ China’s Xi attempts to claim diplomatic victory in battle for global influence after summit whirlwind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Chinese leader Xi Jinping attends the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday. Since taking office, Biden has shored up relations with allies and partners to counter China’s growing influence. In a rare, candid moment caught on camera, Xi chided Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing him of leaking details of a brief conversation between them. He also attended the Group of 20 dinner, where he shook hands and chatted with leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from the Dutch Prime Minister, Xi also invited US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy’s newly elected Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to visit Beijing early next year.

☆ 5 former Amazon managers tell us what they loved about the company — and what they were glad to leave behind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | Katie Malone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Many other leaders do the same, the former Amazon leader said. the current Microsoft employee said. For instance, Microsoft gets the whole company together to do activities and donate to causes they like, which Amazon doesn't do, the current Microsoft employee said. Malte Mueller/Getty ImagesDrive for excellence, with burnoutBeyond teaching its own leadership tenets, Amazon isn't big on manager training, one of the current Google employees said. Without proper institutional support, constantly operating at such a high level can lead Amazon employees to burnout, a former Amazon leader who now works at Google said.

☆ Shaving my beard feels different on Election Day 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Baynard Woods | Baynard Woods Is The Author Of | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

It was only the second time I’d used a blade to scrape away my beard in the last two decades. Now, as many on the political right turn the gender binary and our physical expressions of it into a political platform, face-shaving hits differently. And my parents talked about it in terms of “grooming,” to echo another word increasingly deployed by right-wing gender essentialists. Of course, logical consistency isn’t driving these attacks against trans, queer and nonbinary people — the point is to stoke hatred. By using a fear and hatred of queer, trans and nonbinary people as weapons, many of today’s Republicans are attempting to subject their children and grandchildren are as bullied, insecure and unhappy as they were.

☆ Europe still can't live without Russian LNG exports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN Business —Europe may be closer than ever to breaking its energy dependence on Moscow, but it still can’t live without one type of Russian natural gas. Russian imports doubled in the year to September to 1.2 million tons, Rystad data shows. The majority of the Russian LNG imports come from privately owned Novatek, the country’s second-largest natural gas producer after Gazprom. “I expect that Russian LNG will continue to play an important role in filling European storage going into winter of 2023,” he told CNN Business. “[Europe] would rather get whatever [it] can in terms of Russian pipeline gas and Russian LNG… it would take a lot before [it] would think about sanctioning gas or LNG from Russia,” Ramesh said.

☆ Putin's time in the KGB taught him 'how to lie' and to think like a terrorist, ex-spies say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Putin's time in the KGB helps explain his worldview and brutal approach to warfare, ex-spies say. A former KGB agent told Insider the biggest thing Putin learned from the Soviet spy agency was "how to lie." But ex-spies and Russia experts told Insider that Putin's time in the KGB — the Soviet Union's primary and much-feared security agency — played an instrumental role in shaping his mindset. "Putin's KGB background tells us a lot about how he thinks and how he sees the war. He is a creation of the KGB, and the KGB was a terrorist organization," John Sipher, a former CIA officer who served in Russia, told Insider.

☆ Family questions death of domestic violence victim whose case made it to Supreme Court following yearslong custody battle
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

Narkis Golan outside the Supreme Court after the unanimous decision in her domestic violence case. But domestic violence victims, advocates and experts say that today, abusers and judges weaponize the clauses to punish women who flee domestic abusers to protect themselves and their children. Though there are no definitive statistics, research estimates that domestic violence could be a factor in up to 70% of Hague Convention child abduction cases. Both Fidler and Weiner criticized the ruling, alleging it did not take into account the realities of domestic violence. Golan also hoped, once her custody battle was over, to establish an organization to help protect kids and their mothers from domestic violence, Morin said.

☆ As Ukraine plans its recovery, a climate group has a seat at the table
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Nidhi Sharma | Nidhi Sharma Is An Associate Producer With The Nbc News Climate Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

These are goals that the group says would put Ukraine in a position to no longer be dependent on fossil fuels. In rebuilding, the nation must decide whether it wants to return to fossil fuels, or build a cleaner, greener economy, Ustenko said. For some climate activists, Russia’s war in Ukraine has served as a call to action in a decadeslong climate emergency. Romanko said many nations have failed to do what is necessary: halt the use of all fossil fuels, as quickly as possible. She cited the plans released in March by the International Energy Agency to cut reliance on Russian fossil fuels, and fossil fuels overall, in 10 steps; no government has implemented these strategies, she said.

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Challenges to election results are not new in the United States. That has raised fears among election experts that 2022 will see a wave of baseless rejections of vote tallies. There are multiple points where a rogue official could disrupt the process – by refusing to certify results, for instance. THE FUTURESeveral election experts said they are more concerned about the 2024 election than 2022, given how many Trump-inspired election deniers are running for key positions this year. A Washington Post analysis found more than half of Republican candidates for Congress and key statewide offices have questioned the 2020 results.

☆ 'Black Adam': Meet the characters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Meet the Justice Society of America (JSA), a crew of superheroes who want to tamp down, or at least better control, the titular antihero Black Adam. Before you see “Black Adam,” familiarize yourself with the new cast of morally ambiguous super-humans. From Doctor Fate to Adam himself, here are the fresh faces you’ll meet in “Black Adam.” (“Black Adam” is distributed by Warner Bros., which shares parent company Warner Bros. We meet Adam when he returns from a 5,000-year-long imprisonment. Doctor FateDoctor Fate isn't one to start unnecessary wars, especially with a formidable warrior like Black Adam.

☆ Cuba shouldn't be on sponsor of terrorism list, former U.S. officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Ed Augustin | Ed Augustin Is A British Journalist Based In Havana Who Has Written For The New York Times | The Guardian | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

HAVANA — Along with Iran, Syria and North Korea, Cuba is listed as a “state sponsor of terrorism” by the U.S. Department of State. Cuba has called the sponsor of terrorism designation "illegitimate and immoral," arguing that it deprives it of financing and credit sources. “‘Cuba is not a state sponsor of terrorism’ was a mantra from the moment I walked into the State Department to the moment I walked out,” he said. Throughout the 1980s, Cuba shared intelligence with, trained and apparently supplied weapons to revolutionary movements fighting military dictatorships in Central America. Cuba will once again be a “guarantor state.”The Biden administration has provided no evidence that Cuba sponsors terrorism.

☆ Alex Jones’ conspiracy empire hangs in the balance after jury’s nearly $1 billion award to Sandy Hook families
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN Business —Judgment Day arrived on Wednesday for Alex Jones — and he said that it felt like he landed in Hell. “This must be what Hell’s like,” the notorious right-wing conspiracy theorist said on an Infowars livestream as a Connecticut jury awarded plaintiffs a staggering nearly $1 billion in damages. The families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims actually know what Hell feels like. Jones put them there with his heinous conspiracy theories and lies about the 2012 shooting, which he repeated again and again over the years, ignoring pleas to stop. And it is, unfortunately, more popular than ever, with right-wing media stars and top Republican politicians emulating Jones’ modus operandi.

☆ Here's the outlook for corporate financial results as the worsening global economy is poised to lift the US dollar higher
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Jason Ma | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Good morning, this is Jason Ma and today's edition highlights the outlook for corporate financial results as the US dollar rises. Here's what a strong dollar means for stocks as earnings season heats up. If the reading tops 8.3%, then expect the stock market to sell off by 5%, the bank's trading desk said. But readings below 8.1% could spark some big gains for the stock market. How has the strong dollar affected your portfolio?

WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii announced Tuesday that she's leaving the Democratic Party because she said it's "now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness." Gabbard said that the Democratic Party stands for a government of, by and for the "powerful elite" and called on her fellow "independent-minded Democrats" to leave the party as well. Though Gabbard ran for the Democratic nomination for president in the 2020 cycle, she has often questioned where the party has stood on various issues and has criticized Democratic leaders. She served in the House from 2013 to 2021 and as the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee from 2013 to 2016. Since her White House run, Gabbard has frequently appeared as a political commentator on Fox News, where she has mostly railed against Democrats.

☆ Activist ESG investing — the Goldilocks of responsible investing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Now, a bear market has exposed these weaknesses, and for the first time, the ESG investing movement has been losing some steam. This drastic reaction to ESG funds does on the right exactly what it is criticizing on the left: It takes an extreme position that exploits the views of the far right to weaponize the opponents of ESG funds just as many ESG funds were created to exploit and weaponize the acolytes of ESG. ESG investing is a term that combines two concepts: ESG and investing. Responsible ESG investing means not just being responsible to environmental, social and governance factors, but being a responsible investor to ESG factors and the goal of attaining outsized capital appreciation. Squire is also the creator of the AESG™ investment category, an activist investment style focused on improving ESG practices of portfolio companies.

☆ Why tomorrow’s big jobs report has global implications
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Seems counter-intuitive, but the Fed (and much of Wall Street) is actually rooting for that number to go down. Here’s the thing: Before the pandemic and its whiplash-inducing economic rebound, the US economy averaged about 200,000 new jobs each month. In the last jobs report, wages were up 5.2% over the last 12 months. GRIM PROGNOSIS(CNN Business) Peloton announced yet another round of layoffs — its fourth round of cuts this year — as its new CEO attempts to shore up the company’s bottom line. And if it fails, McCarthy told The Wall Street Journal, Peloton likely isn’t viable as a stand-alone company.

☆ The Truss tax plan cushions the wealthy while pushing borrowers toward a financial cliff
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

That’s because the Bank of England is now widely expected to hike interest rates even further to tackle inflation that will be exacerbated by the government’s sweeping tax cuts. That means many as 1.8 million borrowers are now hurtling toward a financial cliff as they prepare to refinance next year, when the mortgage rate may well have doubled. The vast majority (nearly two-thirds) of the tax gains go to the wealthiest one-fifth of households, according to one think tank estimate. According to the US Treasury, tax cuts reduced federal revenues by about 9% in the first couple of years. However, Congress eventually decided the sweeping tax cuts were unsustainable and, with Reagan’s approval, raised taxes by a lot in 1982.

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