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☆ ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’: Been There, Saved That
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Maya Phillips | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Nickelodeon’s 2005 series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” was a sprawling odyssey that combined intricate world-building, meticulous references to Asian and Native cultures, lively humor and sharply plotted drama, all animated in a charming, anime-inspired style. In 2010 there was the famously whitewashed live-action film “The Last Airbender,” which was, deservedly, met with a ferocious torrent of fan-fury. The sequel series, “Avatar: The Legend of Korra,” was more in touch with the original, but still unnecessary. And the same can be said for Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” the streamer’s latest big money, live-action adaptation that proves just how difficult it is to capture the magic of a beloved original. Like the original series, Netflix’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender” also takes place in a fictional Eastern world of four nations: Air Nomads, Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation.

Persons: deservedly, ”, Netflix’s, Ian Ousley, Gordon Cormier, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko Organizations: Air, Fire, Nation, Nickelodeon

☆ I compared every aspect of a Royal Caribbean and a Virgin Voyages cruise ship. One was worth the higher price.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Joey Hadden | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I've sailed on both a Royal Caribbean and a Virgin Voyages cruise ship. The Virgin Voyages cruise cost $4,000 more, as it was a luxury, adults-only ship in a higher-tier cabin. The Virgin Voyages cruise was more worth the price, but the Royal Caribbean ship was great for families. Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages offer completely different experiences. The seven-night Caribbean cruise took me to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.

Persons: I've, it's Organizations: Royal, Virgin, Royal Caribbean, Virgin Voyages, Cruise, Cruise Critic, Voyages, Marina Locations: Royal Caribbean, Roatán, Honduras, Cozumel, Costa Maya, Mexico, Bahamas, Ibiza, Barcelona, Italy, France, Toulon, Ajaccio

☆ I was personal assistant to the billionaire founder of a secretive Wall Street firm. This is how I landed a meeting with him, from 10 personal reference calls to a 'Devil Wears Prada' interview moment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Carrie Sun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

She has written a memoir about working for a secretive and wildly prestigious Wall Street hedge fund. Recruiters are one of the main gatekeepers for the hedge fund and private equity industries. I hadn't — but I had heard of Argon, a hedge fund that had long and widely been seen as financial royalty. A leading financial publication had called Carbon the world's hottest hedge fund. Another had named it one of the world's top-performing large hedge funds, ranking it among other hedge fund titans and their flagships, like Ray Dalio's Pure Alpha II and Ken Griffin's Citadel.

Persons: —, Carrie Sun, Sun, Beowulf Sheehan Yuna, Carrie, Yuna, Chang's, Meijer, Peter, Boone Prescott, He's, Peter glanced, Boone, Jen, you'd, Ruth, Maya, Warren Buffett, Ray, Ken Griffin's, Griffin, Anne Hathaway, Chanel Organizations: Service, MIT, New, Boone, Samsung, Ann Arbor ., College, Carbon, NYU, Alpha, Penguin Press Locations: China, Michigan, Jersey City, Kansas, Midtown, receptionists, Manhattan, Ann Arbor, United States, New York, New Jersey, Anhui, Barneys, Madison, America, Boone, Missouri

Even as tourism to the Yucatán Peninsula skyrockets, many visitors never travel beyond the so-called Riviera Maya, the heavily developed and wildly crowded coastline between Cancún and Tulum. For travelers drawn to Mexican culture and history, Mérida — founded by the Spanish in the 1500s and constructed using the stones from Maya ruins — is an antidote to the coast’s wall-to-wall all-inclusive resorts. Beyond colonial architecture and centuries-old traditions, Mérida is a young, artsy place best experienced with a free-spirited sensibility. While not a late-night city, it is very safe and comes alive after dark, when there are a few hours of cooler evening air, music calling from seemingly every corner and a general sense that if you wander a few blocks in any direction, you’ll stumble upon something really special.

Persons: Mérida —, you’ll Locations: Cancún, Spanish

☆ Why Black Democrats Are Unlikely to Aid Haley in South Carolina
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Jazmine Ulloa | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It appeared to be Nikki Haley’s most diverse audience yet. More than two dozen people in a crowd of about 150, gathered this month at an outdoor space in Gilbert, S.C., just 30 minutes from the South Carolina capital, were Black. Union busting” at Ms. Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and a self-proclaimed “union buster,” before being shouted down. The scene captured an intractable challenge for Ms. Haley heading into South Carolina’s Republican primary on Feb. 24. But Ms. Haley’s relationship with Black voters, a key Democratic faction in the state, has been long fraught.

Persons: Nikki Haley’s, S.C, Nikki ”, ”, Haley, —, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Republican, Black, Democratic Locations: Gilbert, South Carolina, South

☆ Israel’s Druze Arabs, fiercely loyal to the state, feel let down after ‘paying with their blood’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

About a million-strong, the global Druze community is largely spread across Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Some 130,000 Israeli Druze live in the Carmel and Galilee in the country’s north. There have been rumblings of discontent since 2018, when tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv to protest Israel’s controversial “nation-state” law. “The (nation-state) law didn’t affect our identity – it affected our sense of belonging,” he said in a video call with CNN. “The Druze community has no dream to have a country – we don’t want it, we don’t believe in it.

Persons: Alim Abdallah, Abdallah, we’d, ” Abdallah’s, Mona, Mona Abdallah Saad, “, ” Mona, ”, Alim Abdallah Saad, Adam, Maya, ” Abdallah, CNN hasn’t, Col, Salman Habaka, Be’eri, Habaka, Gadeer Kamal, Kamal, ‘ I’m, I’m, ’, Corinna Kern, Anwar Saab, It’s, Omri Eilat, Ariel Schalit, Benny Gantz, Bejamin Netanyahu, Bibi –, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, 300th Baram Regional Brigade, Washington DC, Jewish Agency for, Reuters ‘, Saab, University of Haifa, Druze Heritage Center, National Unity, Israeli Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Yanuh, Lebanese, Syria, Carmel, Galilee, Golan, Egypt, Israel’s, Hala, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Druze, Washington, Jewish Agency for Israel, Iran, Isfiya, Yanuh Jat

☆ Linda Hamilton says 'Stranger Things' final season will take a whole year to film, likely ruling out the rumored early 2025 release date
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Ayomikun Adekaiyero | Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementAn incoming cast member on "Stranger Things" says the final season will take an entire year to film, likely ending hopes of an early 2025 release date. The "Stranger Things" writers announced on May 6 they would pause production, and didn't return until September 27 when the Writers' Guild of America strike ended. Hamilton, who joined the "Stranger Things" cast in June 2023, told Business Insider she had her first week on the hit show's set earlier in February. The stars of "Stranger Things" season four: Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Gaten Matarazzo, Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin. I confirm everyone's theory is correct," Hamilton told Business Insider.

Persons: Linda Hamilton, didn't, Hamilton, Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Gaten Matarazzo, Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, hasn't, Millie Bobby Brown, Joyce, Winona Ryder, Duffer Organizations: Netflix, Business, Hollywood, Writers ' Guild of America, CIA, coy, US Weekly

☆ The Best True Crime to Stream: Viral Stories With a Twist
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Maya Salam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Caleb McGillvary, known as Kai, may have been among the first so-called milkshake ducks, a term for a noncelebrity who delights the internet, only to fall from grace. In 2013, he was interviewed for an on-the-scene news segment in which he recounted how he had intervened to stop a crime while hitchhiking in Fresno, Calif. The video, where he is referenced as “Kai, the Homeless Hitchhiker With a Hatchet” quickly went viral, and McGillvary — a goofy, charismatic, eccentric vagabond — was hailed as a hero.

Persons: Caleb McGillvary, Kai, “ Kai, McGillvary, — Organizations: Homeless Locations: Fresno, Calif

☆ Prominent Black Church Leaders Call for End of U.S. Aid to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Audra D. S. Burch | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Black churches and other faith groups have pushed for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war for months in advertisements, open letters and social media campaigns. Black faith leaders across denominations have amplified their calls as the number of dead rises. More than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to health officials there, many of them women and children. But the A.M.E. council’s statement goes further than a cease-fire demand, insisting that the United States immediately stop its financial support of Israel. It came as Israeli forces pushed into southern Gaza and prepared for a ground assault on Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are trapped.

Persons: Bishop Stafford J Organizations: African Methodist Episcopal Church, church’s, of Bishops Locations: United States, Israel, Gaza, Rafah

The Oscar-nominated short films are being presented in three programs: live action, animation and documentary. Each program is reviewed below by a separate critic. Live ActionWhatever your takeaways from the live action section of this year’s Oscar-nominated short films, a good laugh is unlikely to be among them. Those Danes, though! Although, bathed in the sickly spill of the morgue’s fluorescents, no one’s complexion here is exactly glowing.

Persons: Oscar, Wes Anderson, Lasse Lyskjer, “ Knight, Fortune, ” Organizations: Danes

☆ How Shaved Ice Took Over the Dessert Menu
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Whether you know it as Japanese kakigori, Korean patbingsu, Hawaiian shave ice, Italian granita, Indian ice gola or the American snow cone, a mound of shaved ice drenched in syrup and served on a hot day is a near-universal delight. Erickson serves kiwi-flavored shaved ice atop a creamy jasmine tea custard. At Bar Maze, which offers a cocktail-paired tasting menu in Honolulu, the head chef Ki Chung, 32, combines sweet corn pudding and sesame streusel with ice shaved from the same clear blocks used for drinks — the dessert is finished tableside with a pour of black sesame orgeat. For Srijith Gopinathan, 46, the chef and owner of Copra in San Francisco, shaved ice is infused with nostalgia. Part of the fun is the dramatic dimensions of the dessert, about the size of a volleyball.

Persons: “, ”, Maya Erickson, Erickson, Ki Chung, Dano Heinze, Gopinathan, Giles Clark, ” Clark, Martha Cheng Locations: Thai, Phuket, Portland , Ore, Honolulu, Vern’s, Charleston, S.C, San Francisco, Kerala, India, Yess, Los Angeles

☆ Valentine's Day chocolate prices highest in years amid cocoa shortage
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | In Ying-Shan-Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But lovers may experience sticker shock this year due to higher cocoa and sugar prices. "Chocolate prices are the highest we've seen in years," said a representative of NielsenIQ. He noted that in spite of higher prices, the chocolate market is robust in mature markets like Europe and North America. Now, chocolate and Valentine's Day are synonymous, even if critics say the affiliation is perpetuated by marketing gimmicks. That being said, chocolates are not the only Valentines' Day treats that will dent the wallet this year.

Persons: Scott Olson, Sergey Chetvertakov, David Branch, there's, Kim, Mintec, It's, Andrew Francis Wallace Organizations: Valentine's, Getty, P, El Nino, Food Institute, Branch, CNBC, Bloomberg, National Confectioners Association, Toronto Star Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Wells, Asia, India, Africa, Azaguie, Europe, North America, Western Europe, Singapore, Toronto

☆ Hezbollah Chief Says Shelling on Israel Will Stop Only When 'Aggression' on Gaza Ends
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Tuesday that his armed group's cross-border shelling into Israel would only end when Israel's "aggression" on the Gaza Strip stops, saying diplomatic efforts so far to bring a halt to hostilities along Lebanon's border seemed to only benefit Israel. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his group would only stop its exchanges of fire if a full ceasefire was reached for Gaza. War in Israel and Gaza View All 206 Images"On that day, when the shooting stops in Gaza, we will stop the shooting in the south," he said in a televised address. The cross-border shelling has already killed around 200 people in Lebanon, including more than 170 Hezbollah fighters, as well as 10 Israeli troops and five Israeli civilians. Nasrallah said residents of northern Israel "will not return" to their homes, and threatened that even more would be displaced.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Gaza, Hamas, Reuters Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Beirut, Lebanon, France, Britain

☆ Black Churches in Georgia Unite to Mobilize Voters in a Key Battleground
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Nick Corasaniti | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two of the largest Black church groups in Georgia are formally uniting for the first time to mobilize Black voters in the battleground state ahead of the November presidential election. The two congregations, the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, plan to combine their resources and their more than 140,000 parishioners in the state for the get-out-the-vote program, which they are set to announce on Monday at the Georgia Capitol. Their efforts, which for now will be concentrated only in Georgia, are meant to reinvigorate the Black church as a powerful driver of voter turnout at a time when national polls point to lagging political energy among Black Americans — and slipping enthusiasm for President Biden, who owes his 2020 rise to the White House to their support. The two churches have long broadly pushed to expand and protect civil rights and voting rights across the country, but they have generally not coordinated their messages or shared resources.

Persons: —, Biden Organizations: Black, African Methodist Episcopal Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Georgia Capitol Locations: Georgia

“The Russian government must have the data of how many foreign fighters have joined the Russian army and how many Nepalis are fighting for Russia,” she said. The Russian foreign ministry has not responded to CNN’s questions about the number of Nepalis recruited by the Russian army and how many of them have died so far. She thought her husband, Shukra Tamang – a retired Nepali army soldier fighting for Russia – was the person calling. A photo shows Shukra Tamang, a retired Nepali army soldier, training in Russia. Bonuses paidNepali men who want to join the Russian army first travel to Russia on a tourist visa.

Persons: Nepal CNN — Ramchandra Khadka, Khadka, “, ” Khadka, Ramchandra Khadka, ”, Bimala Rai Paudyal, Nepalis, Kritu Bhandari, Russia haven’t, Bhandari, ‘, Januka Sunar’s, hasn’t, Sunar, …, Januka Sunar, it’ll, Tamang, Shukra Tamang, Shukra, –, Russia –, Shishir Bishwokarma, Avangard, Suman Tamang, ” Tamang, “ It’s, It’s, Binoj Basnyat, Ram Sharma, Sharma, ” Sharma, Saud, Nepalis haven’t, Bhupendra Bahadur Khatri, hadn’t, ” Khatri, Basnyat Organizations: Nepal CNN, Russia, Ukraine, CNN, Russian, Henley & Partners, Bank, Communist Party of Nepal, Maoist, CNN CNN, YouTube, AK, Moscow Oblast, Avangard, United Arab, Agents, Moscow, CNN Kathmandu, World Bank Locations: Kathmandu, Nepal, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Bakhmut –, Bakhmut, North Korea, Januka, Nepali, Avangard, Indian, United Arab Emirates, India, Dubai, UAE

☆ For Some Couples, Marrying on Super Bowl Weekend Is a Win
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Tammy Lagorce | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In weddings, as in football, the will to win may be nothing without the will to prepare. That’s why Laura Arvizu and Robert Marquez, of Paso Robles, Calif., started planning their wedding in Mexico 14 months ago. “But we also wanted our guests not to miss out on an American holiday.” That is, Super Bowl LVIII, taking place in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. On Sunday, 65 wedding guests will join them for an outdoor viewing party at the same resort. “We did have a couple of people tell us, ‘I’m going to the Super Bowl and I’m so sorry,’” she said.

Persons: Laura Arvizu, Robert Marquez, “, ”, Arvizu, Marquez, ‘ I’m Organizations: Super Locations: Paso Robles, Calif, Mexico, Las Vegas

☆ Iran Foreign Minister Says Iran, U.S. Have Exchanged Messages in Recent Weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran and the United States have exchanged messages throughout Israel's four-month-old war on Hamas in Gaza, including about Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, the Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday. "During this war and in the recent weeks, there was an exchange of messages between Iran and America," Hossein Amirabdollahian said through a translator at a press conference capping a day-long visit to Beirut. He said the United States had asked Tehran to request Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, "not to get widely, fully involved in this war against" Israel. Amirabdollahian on Saturday warned Israel against taking any steps towards a broader war against Lebanon, saying that would be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "last day." He also said Iran saw a political solution as the only way to end the Gaza war.

Persons: Hossein Amirabdollahian, Hamas, Amirabdollahian, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Abdallah Bou Habib, Netanyahu, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah's Al, Nasrallah, Bashar al, Assad, Maya Gebeily, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry Organizations: Hezbollah, Israel, Saturday, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards Corps, Guards Locations: BEIRUT, Iran, United States, Gaza, America, Beirut, United, Tehran, Israel, Lebanese, Lebanon, Washington, Irag, Syria, Yemen, U.S, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Hamas

☆ U.S.-Led Coalition Blocks Attacks at Conoco Oil Field in Syria -Source
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Air defence systems operated by U.S.-led coalition troops based in eastern Syria halted six drone attacks targeting their base at the Conoco oil field on Saturday, a security source said. The source did not tell Reuters if there were casualties. Coalition troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who together fight remnants of the Islamic State group, have faced increased attacks by Iran-backed groups in Syria and Iraq since Hamas’s attack against Israel on Oct. 7. Another drone attack blamed on Iran-backed groups on a border outpost in Jordan killed three U.S. soldiers. Photos You Should See View All 21 Images(Reporting by Orhan Qereman; Writing by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

Persons: Mazloum Abdi, Orhan Qereman, Maya Gebeily, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: U.S, Reuters, Coalition, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic State Locations: BEIRUT, Syria, Kurdish, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Jordan

☆ Exclusive-US-Backed Force in Syria: More Air Defence Needed After Deadly Drone Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Maya Gebeily(Reuters) - A force that has been the backbone of the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State said additional air defences should be deployed in northeast Syria after six of its fighters were killed in a drone attack it blamed on pro-Iran factions. Mazloum Abdi, commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, said his force considered it "a dangerous development when our camps are targeted in drone attacks by factions backed by Iran." On Feb. 4, the SDF said an explosive drone attack by Iran-backed armed groups in eastern Syria killed six of their fighters. Asked whether he had requested additional military backing to fend off such attacks, Abdi said his Kurdish-led force would "require technical capabilities and an increase in the aerial defensive systems" deployed in northeast Syria. It holds a quarter of Syria, including oil fields and areas where some 900 U.S. troops are deployed.

Persons: Maya Gebeily, Mazloum Abdi, Jan, Abdi, That's, Bashar al, Assad, Phil Stewart, William Maclean Organizations: Islamic State, Syrian Democratic Forces, U.S, Hamas, SDF, Reuters, Pentagon, State Department, White, Islamic Locations: U.S, Syria, Iran, State, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Jordan, Kurdish, Washington, Islamic State, Turkey

☆ Federal budget deficit expected to soar to $2.6 trillion in 2034, CBO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Tami Luhby | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The federal budget deficit will balloon from $1.6 trillion this fiscal year to $2.6 trillion in fiscal year 2034, according to the latest Congressional Budget Office outlook released Wednesday. A major reason for the widening gap between revenue and spending: a spike in net interest payments on the federal debt due to higher interest rates. The nation’s debt held by the public is expected to rise to a record 116% of the economy by 2034. CBO’s deficit projection will likely add pressure to congressional lawmakers who have yet to agree on funding for federal agencies for fiscal year 2024. Budget experts called on Congress to take action to address the nation’s worsening fiscal situation.

Persons: MacGuineas, they’ve, Mike Johnson, ” Michael Peterson, Peter G Organizations: CNN, Congressional, Social Security, Medicare, CBO, GOP, Capitol, Federal, House Republicans, Peterson Foundation

☆ The world’s best beaches, according to Lonely Planet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The dim sum capital of the worldLegacy House: Legacy House's fantastic dim sum set includes steamed spotted garoupa dumplings with salted lemon. Courtesy Legacy House Forum: This three-Michelin-star restaurant, which serves classic Cantonese dim sum dishes, is famed for its impeccable attention to detail. Tai Wai Dining Room Veggie Kingdom: Veggie Kingdom serves high-quality meat-free versions of classic dim sum dishes. Maggie Wong/CNN Spring Moon: In addition to serving delicious, classic dim sum dishes, Spring Moon's cinematic interior is an attraction in its own right. Courtesy Peninsula Hong Kong Hong Kong’s best dim sum Prev NextThis is our essential guide to Hong Kong’s best dim sum: Where to find it and how to eat it, from classic no-frills joints to Michelin-starred adventures.

Persons: Cabo San Juan del Guía, “, ”, Heen, King Heen, Nicholas Wong, Maggie Wong, Emperor, Fook Lam, Hong Kong Hong, Hong, they’ve, Amelia Earhart’s Organizations: CNN, d’Argent, JetBlue, Japan, Port, Royal, Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruise, Cunard Cruise, CDC, Hong Kong, Hong, Golden Valley, Son Locations: Rio, Sarakiniko, Greece, Baltic, Danish, Bornholm, Cabo San Juan, Seychelles, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima prefecture, Tomonoura, Port of Miami, Hong, Hong Kong, Veggie, Golden, Spain

☆ Biden Wins His First Primary in South Carolina, Where His 2020 Victory Began
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden won the South Carolina primary on Saturday, giving him the kind of emphatic result he no doubt envisioned when he made the state the first contest on the Democrats’ presidential nominating calendar. The election, called by The Associated Press shortly after polls closed, gives Mr. Biden the first set of delegates required to claim the Democratic nomination at the party’s convention in August. Mr. Biden vowed that South Carolina would once again send him to the White House. “The people of South Carolina have spoken again, and I have no doubt that you have set us on the path to winning the presidency again — and making Donald Trump a loser again,” the president said in a statement released by his campaign. Mr. Biden won an overwhelming majority of South Carolina Democrats, more than 96 percent with 80 percent of the vote counted — dominating every county with more than 95 percent of the vote, including in heavily Black areas.

Persons: Biden, Mr, “, —, Donald Trump Organizations: South Carolina, The Associated, Democratic, South Carolina Democrats Locations: Carolina, South Carolina

☆ Kamala Harris Bolsters Biden for 2024 and Lays Groundwork for 2028
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Reid J. Epstein | Maya King | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For decades, ambitious politicians with eyes on a future presidential run made pilgrimages to Iowa and New Hampshire, casually popping in at fairs and local fund-raising dinners as if they just happened to be in the area. When President Biden pushed Democrats to place South Carolina first on their presidential primary calendar, the geography for the party’s political strivers changed. They are now working to build support not in mostly white Northern places but in a Southern state with a predominantly Black primary voting base that better represents the modern Democratic Party. So when Vice President Kamala Harris arrived on Friday in Orangeburg, S.C., for her ninth visit to South Carolina since taking office, she came as a known quantity. While she and Mr. Biden are running for renomination without serious challengers, the relationships she has developed in the state are expected to play a part in lifting their ticket to a comfortable triumph on Saturday in the party’s first recognized primary election.

Persons: Biden, Kamala Harris Organizations: South Carolina, Democratic Party, Democratic, Black Locations: Iowa, New Hampshire, Southern, Orangeburg, S.C, South Carolina

Image Credit... Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesHere we are: Voters are heading to the polls today in South Carolina for the first official Democratic primary, where President Biden is all but assured to win. South Carolina Democrats are trying to prevent similar voters from backing Ms. Haley on Saturday by highlighting her conservative record. They urged voters to participate in the Democratic primary, rather than in the Republican contest in three weeks, as South Carolina’s open primary allows. Polls in South Carolina opened at 7 a.m. Eastern time and will close at 7 p.m. Maya King and Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting from South Carolina.

Persons: Brandon Bell, Biden, Jim Clyburn, Kamala Harris, Donald J, Trump, Nikki Haley, Haley, Maya King, Reid J, Epstein Organizations: Democratic, White House, Black, New York Times, South Carolina State University, “, Republican, Trump . South, Trump . South Carolina Democrats Locations: South Carolina, Columbia, Trump ., Trump . South Carolina

☆ THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' 19 years later
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Back in 2005, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie starred in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" as two married spies secretly working for competing agencies, who are assigned to kill each other. Although the film itself got a middling reaction on release, it became an iconic noughties movie, because it sparked a relationship between Pitt and Jolie. After Pitt and the "Friends" star divorced in 2005, he and Jolie became an item, and so "Brangelina" was born. Now, almost 20 years after the movie's release, Donald Glover and Maya Erskine star in Amazon's "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" TV series, which loosely follows the same idea of spies in a fake marriage. AdvertisementHere's what the original "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" cast were doing when it was filmed, and what they're doing now.

Persons: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Smith, Pitt, Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Donald Glover, Maya Erskine Locations: Amazon's

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