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☆ Opinion | You Can’t Perform a Good Marriage
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I saw the new Netflix documentary series “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal,” anticipating just some prurient garbage to half-watch before drifting off to sleep. That’s because ashleymadison.com is a website for married people looking to find partners in infidelity — its tagline is “Life is short. The heart of the series comes from the couples who were affected. Though one couple that had an open marriage seemed unruffled by the invasion of privacy, two other families are featured that were devastated by the hack. One of those couples is Sam and Nia Rader, a Texas-based Christian vlogging couple who had gone viral a few times before the hack.

Persons: Ashley Madison, ”, Daniel Victor, Nia Rader, ” Sam Rader, “ vlogging, John Gibson, Christi Gibson Organizations: Netflix, YouTube, Disney Locations: Texas, Louisiana

☆ Founder of World Central Kitchen Says Several Workers Killed in Gaza Airstrike
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Daniel Victor | More About Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

International aid workers from World Central Kitchen, a disaster relief nonprofit that has become a crucial source of food for desperate Gazans, were killed in an airstrike in Gaza, according to José Andrés, the chef who founded the organization. Mr. Andrés said on the X platform that “several of our sisters and brothers” were killed in the airstrike, which was reported late Monday in Deir al-Balah, a city in central Gaza. He said the Israeli military had carried out the strike, though that could not be immediately confirmed. Some of the victims wore protective gear with visible World Central Kitchen patches. The Israeli military said in a statement early Tuesday that it was “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”

Persons: José Andrés, Andrés, ” Locations: Gaza, Deir al, Poland, Australia, Britain

☆ Radio Chatter Reveals How Officers Quickly Closed Bridge to Traffic
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Daniel Victor | More About Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Shortly before a massive cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday, crew members issued a mayday call that allowed officers a few precious minutes to close down the bridge to traffic, likely saving lives. A construction crew fixing potholes was unable to escape in time. The effort to rapidly shut down traffic likely prevented more cars from being on the bridge during the collapse, officials said. Here is a transcript of audio from a Maryland Transportation Authority Police channel, revealing how officers responded to the mayday call and successfully halted traffic. The audio was posted on the Broadcastify website.

Persons: Francis Scott Key Organizations: Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland Transportation Authority Police

She will technically win the contest anyway, as state election law says that “only votes cast for the named candidates shall be counted.” But the confounding result denied her even a symbolic victory. Mr. Trump needled Ms. Haley for her performance on social media, calling the result a “bad night” for her. In a Trump campaign email, Steven Cheung, a spokesman, called it “brutal” and contended that the Haley campaign acknowledged it had “intentionally disrespected the people of Nevada” by refusing to campaign there. Ms. Haley cast her party as mired in the same disorder that surrounds the man who has remade it in his image. Nevertheless, onstage in Los Angeles, Ms. Haley told the audience she wasn’t going anywhere.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, “, — he’s, ” Ms, Haley, ”, Ms, —, you’re, “ we’ve, Haley’s, Steven Cheung, Ronna McDaniel, Mr, Trump’s, “ Donald Trump Organizations: Republican, Hollywood Post, American Legion, United Nations, ”, Trump, Republican National Committee, Mr Locations: Los Angeles, Nevada’s, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, California

Image Palestinians wounded in Ahli Arab Hospital blast were later treated at another hospital in Gaza on Tuesday. Israel said the strike on the hospital parking lot was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket, citing intelligence intercepts and videos of the sky above Gaza at the time. Al Jazeera, a Qatari news channel, concluded that a Palestinian rocket had been intercepted by an Israeli air defense missile. Scores of public institutions in northern Gaza, including hospitals like the Ahli Arab hospital, were warned by Israel to evacuate. American intelligence agencies have assessed that the blast killed 100 to 300 people.

Persons: Israel, ”, Ghazi Hamad, ” Salama Maroof, “, Abed Khaled, Hamas’s, Daniel Hagari, Musab Al, Umit Turhan, Hagari, Biden, Al Jazeera, Jones, Hamad, “ We’ve, Motasem Mortaja, Fadi Diab, Diab, Father Diab, Associated Press Yousur, Hlou Organizations: Hamas, The New York Times, Sunday, The Times, Arab Hospital, ., Palestinian, Islamic, East . Credit, Agence France, Getty, Wall Street, Associated Press, CNN, Munitions, Armament Research Services, Press, World Health Organization, WHO Locations: Al Ahli, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Ahli, Palestinian, Islamic, Istanbul, East, Israeli, London, Al, Qatari, Australia, Cairo

☆ The agreement could put talk shows back on the air.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Daniel Victor | More About Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the actors’ strike continues on, most television shows and movies will not be able to resume without them. But late-night and daytime talk shows could return after the resolution of the writers’ strike, potentially bringing relief to one corner of the industry. There were no immediate announcements of shows returning to air. Some shows, including “The View,” have continued to air new episodes filmed without its unionized writers. Though the same was possible at other shows, many network hosts have opted to stay off the air, reluctant to be seen as not supporting the strikes.

Persons: Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Hudson, Bill Maher ”

The union is also seeking cost-of-living adjustments that would nudge wages higher to compensate for inflation. As of last Friday, the companies offered to raise pay by around 14.5 percent to 20 percent over four years. It was not clear how much progress the union and the companies have made on the other issues. The companies say that they are investing billions in a transition to battery-powered vehicles, which makes it harder for them to pay substantially higher wages. They say they are at a disadvantage compared with nonunion automakers like Tesla, which dominates the sales of electric cars.

Persons: G.M, ” Ford, ”

☆ Kim-Putin Meeting Nears, but Where?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Daniel Victor | More About Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, the Kremlin confirmed, traveling aboard his slow-moving armored train to a meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin that could see the two nations increasing military cooperation. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency published photographs on Tuesday of Mr. Kim and other officials on the train, which is his preferred method of travel during his rare trips out of the country. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, confirmed Mr. Kim’s arrival in Russia later on Tuesday. Russian state media shared video that purported to show Mr. Kim disembarking his train in Primorsky Krai, in Russia’s Far East, on Tuesday. Mr. Kim and Mr. Putin will discuss bilateral cooperation — including trade and economic ties — and have an “intensive exchange of opinions on the situation in the region,” Mr. Peskov said.

Persons: Kim Jong, Vladimir V, Putin, Kim, Dmitri S, Peskov, Alexander Kozlov, Khasan, Mr Organizations: Kremlin, Korean Central News Agency, — Locations: Russia, Primorsky Krai, Russia’s Far, Khasan, Russian

☆ Russia-Ukraine War: Latest News
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Hundreds of people have placed flowers, photographs, candles and flags — including some bearing the private military group’s skull design — at a small sidewalk memorial near Red Square in Moscow. Like many who agreed to be interviewed, Alyona did not want to give her last name because of the political sensitivity surrounding Mr. Prigozhin, who frequently criticized how the war was conducted and launched a brief rebellion against the military’s leadership two months ago. “No one ever abandoned me; they helped me, they did everything that was necessary and provided me with everything that was needed,” said Prapor, who added that he had personally met Mr. Prigozhin. But in a country where little is said about the casualties, the sidewalk memorial became a rare place for people to mourn publicly. Mr. Prigozhin, Alyona said, was unique in his generation in his ability and willingness to openly discuss the issues plaguing Russian society.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny V, ”, Alyona, Prigozhin, didn’t, Dmitri Utkin, Nanna Heitmann, “, Prapor, Dmitri Utkin —, —, Kirill, Mr, Prigozhin’s, “ Wagner, Natalia, Sergei K, Shoigu —, Vladimir V, Putin, “ Evgeny Prigozhin, Shoigu, Sergei, ” Sergei, Aleksei A, Elena, “ I’ve, Vladlen Tatarsky, Daria Dugina, Lenin, Stalin, Milana Mazaeva Organizations: ” Volunteers, The New York Times, The New York, ., Kremlin, Police, Wagner Group, Ministry of Defense Locations: Red, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Prigozhin ., Mariupol, Russia, St . Petersburg, Washington

☆ Four takeaways from Trump’s court appearance.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Daniel Victor | More About Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Here are some key takeaways:The conditions of his release will not prevent Mr. Trump from campaigning, but could limit his communications. It was no surprise that Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty. As in the Miami case, the government did not request bail and did not place restrictions on his travel as a condition of his release. Mr. Trump agreed to not discuss the case with anyone he knows to be a witness, except through counsel or in the presence of counsel. The same order was imposed in the documents case.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden’s Organizations: White Locations: Washington, Miami, Manhattan

Mr. Biden paid the overdue tax bill in 2021. Mr. Weiss’s office has also charged Mr. Biden in connection with the purchase of a handgun in 2018, when Mr. Biden falsely said on a government form that he was not using drugs. But as part of the deal, the Justice Department, under what is known as a pretrial diversion agreement, said it would not prosecute Mr. Biden on the charge as long as Mr. Biden no longer owns a weapon and remains drug free for two years. As president, Mr. Trump, realizing that Mr. Biden was the candidate with the best chance to beat him in 2020, tried to weaponize Hunter Biden’s business dealings against his father. At the height of the 2020 election, Mr. Giuliani and other Trump confidants believed they had an October surprise that would catapult Mr. Trump to re-election when they obtained a cache of files from Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Biden’s, Biden, David C, Weiss, Harris, —, Justice Department meddled, General Merrick B, Garland, Maryellen Noreika, Donald J, Trump, Hunter, Trump’s, Christopher Clark, Mr, Beau, Clark, Obama, Rudolph W, Giuliani Organizations: U.S, Trump, Biden Justice Department, Court, Biden, Republicans, Justice Department, Republican, Obama Locations: Delaware, Wilmington —, Ukraine, Ukrainian

Russia said on Monday that it was pausing its participation in an agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite a wartime blockade, upending a deal seen as essential to keeping global food prices stable. Ukraine is a major producer of grain and other foodstuffs, and the United Nations had warned that some countries in the Middle East and Africa faced famine if Kyiv could not export its goods via the Black Sea. A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, told journalists on Monday that the agreement was “suspended,” but added that the decision was not connected to the attack hours earlier on the Kerch Strait Bridge linking Russia to occupied Crimea. Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the bridge attack, but Kyiv has not taken responsibility. Speaking about the grain agreement, Mr. Peskov said: “As soon as the Russian part is fulfilled, the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of that deal.”

Persons: Dmitri S, Peskov, ” Organizations: United Nations, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Ukraine, upending, East, Africa, Kerch, Crimea, Kyiv, Russian

Members of the Writers Guild of America walk a picket line outside of Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif., in May. Like the striking writers, leaders of SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, have described their labor dispute in stark terms, calling the present moment “existential” for their members. But the core issues have been about compensation, as well as the use of artificial intelligence. The actors also have grave concerns about artificial intelligence, and how the technology could be used to replicate their performances using their previous work without their being compensated or consulted. Tara Kole, a lawyer with the entertainment law firm Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole, which represents actors like Emma Watson and Ashley Judd, said in an interview that the potential use of artificial intelligence was “terrifying” to actors.

Persons: “, ” Duncan Crabtree, —, We’re, Mr, Tara Kole, Johnson Shapiro, Emma Watson, Ashley Judd, that’s, ” Ms, Kole, ” Mr, A.I, we’re, ” “, AFTRA Organizations: Writers Guild of America, Warner Bros ., SAG, Alliance, Television Producers Locations: Burbank , Calif, Ireland, Crabtree

And they clearly had little interest in helping Mr. Putin avoid a major, embarrassing fracturing of his support. While it is not clear exactly when the United States first learned of the plot, intelligence officials conducted briefings on Wednesday with administration and defense officials. Placing Wagner forces under the control of Mr. Shoigu was “out of the question” for Mr. Prigozhin, Ms. Stanovaya said. But it was only in recent days that intelligence officials got the initial warnings that Mr. Prigozhin might take action. President Biden, speaking in October, talked of the dangers that Mr. Putin would pose if he felt cornered and said the United States was looking for “off ramps” for Mr. Putin.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Prigozhin, Vladimir V, Putin, Mr, Prigozhin’s, “, ”, Sergei K, Valery Gerasimov, Wagner ., Tatiana Stanovaya, Shoigu, Stanovaya, Gerasimov, Biden, Donald J, Trump Organizations: Wagner Group, United, CNN, United States, Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Associated Press, Intelligence, Russian, Ukrainian, Mr, Ministry of Defense, Defense Ministry, Carnegie Endowment, International Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, United States, Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Belarus, United, U.S, Russian, Bakhmut, Wagner . Russia

☆ Titan Pilot Is a Booster of Deep-Sea Tourism
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Stockton Rush, the chief executive of OceanGate Expeditions and one of the five occupants of the submersible missing this week in the North Atlantic, has advocated for deep-seas tourism in the face of criticism. His company proceeded with its tours despite the “unanimous concern” expressed by three dozen industry leaders in 2018. In an interview last year, he told The New York Times that high-resolution footage gathered on the Titanic tours could benefit researchers. “No public entity is going to fund going back to the Titanic,” Mr. “There are other sites that are newer and probably of greater scientific value.”In the interview, he defended the price tag — seats in the Titan cost up to $250,000.

Persons: ”, “, Mr, Rush Organizations: Stockton Rush, OceanGate Expeditions, New York Times, OceanGate

☆ A former U.S. Embassy employee is being held in Moscow, according to Russia’s state news agency.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Robert Shonov, identified as a former employee of the U.S. Embassy in Russia, was arrested in the Russian city of Vladivostok and charged with conspiracy, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, told reporters at a briefing on Monday that he had seen the report but that “I don’t have anything additional to offer at this time.”Tass, quoting an anonymous law enforcement official, said that Mr. Shonov was accused of “collaboration on a confidential basis with a foreign state or international or foreign organization.” He has been taken to Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, Tass reported, and no court date has been set. Being held in isolation is commonplace at Lefortovo, a notorious high-security prison whose inmates currently include Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal correspondent who was accused of espionage in March, charges that his employer and American officials have strongly denied. Also being held at the prison is Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who is serving a 16-year sentence on what the United States has said are fabricated charges of espionage.

The jury found that Ms. Carroll had not proved, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Mr. Trump had raped her, as she had long claimed. Jury members had the option of finding Mr. Trump liable for sexual abuse or for forcible touching, which are less serious charges than rape under state law. Ms. Carroll sued the former president last year. Its findings are civil, not criminal, meaning Mr. Trump has not been convicted of any crime and faces no prison time. Sexual abuse is defined in New York as subjecting a person to sexual contact without consent.

Whatever the provenance of the two drones that approached the Kremlin early Wednesday morning, one thing was clear: The Russian government wanted the world to know about them. The Kremlin made a deliberate choice to quickly make public what it claimed was a drone attack aimed at assassinating President Vladimir V. Putin. It published an unusual, five-paragraph statement on its website that named the Ukrainian government as the perpetrator and asserted the right to retaliate against Kyiv. The Kremlin’s messaging diverged significantly from its response to previous episodes involving attacks on Russia or Russian-occupied territory. Now the question is whether Russia will use the incident to justify more and even deadlier strikes against Ukraine.

☆ Blinken says the U.S. is ‘intensely engaged’ in efforts to free Evan Gershkovich.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Edward Wong | Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said on Wednesday that the U.S. government remained “intensely engaged” in efforts to get Moscow to free Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who has been held for more than a month on espionage charges that his employer and American officials vehemently deny. Speaking at a World Press Freedom Day event at The Washington Post, Mr. Blinken reiterated that President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had a “special channel” for discussing prisoners. “I wish I could say in this moment there was a clear way forward,” he said. “I don’t have that in this moment.”“We have a country in the case of Russia that like a handful of other countries around the world is wrongfully detaining people, using them as political pawns, using them as leverage in a practice that is absolutely unacceptable and that we’re working both broadly to try to deter — but also at the same time to try to secure the release of those who are being unjustly detained,” Mr. Blinken said.

☆ What may have been lost if the Hakuto-R moon lander crashed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two countries — Japan and the United Arab Emirates — would lose what would have been their respective countries’ first robotic explorer on the lunar service. JAXA, a Japanese space agency, intended to test a two-wheeled transformable lunar robot, a small sphere with cameras for surface observations. The data from the device would have been used to help design a crewed, pressurized rover, which would allow for transportation on the lunar surface during future astronaut mission. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai, part of the increasingly active space program of the United Arab Emirates, sent Rashid, a small rover that was to explore the landing site. The rover was set to “study properties of lunar soil, the geology of the Moon, dust movement and the surface plasma environment,” according to NASA.

☆ A brief timeline of Tucker Carlson’s rise: From CNN and PBS to Fox.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

After graduating from Trinity College in 1991, Tucker Carlson entered print journalism, writing for a variety of right-leaning and mainstream publications. His move into broadcast began his ascent into stardom. Here is a brief timeline of his career.

☆ Russia Detains Wall Street Journal Reporter, Accusing Him of Espionage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Daniel Victor | Michael M. Grynbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Russian authorities said on Thursday that they had detained an American journalist for The Wall Street Journal and accused him of espionage, marking a new escalation in Moscow’s tensions with the United States and with foreign media organizations since its invasion of Ukraine. The journalist, Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent based in Moscow, is believed to be the first American reporter to be held as an accused spy in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. His detention comes as relations between Russia and the United States continue to deteriorate, with Washington leading a coalition of nations supporting Ukraine’s military defense and pushing for Moscow’s further diplomatic and economic isolation. Hours later, the Kremlin endorsed Mr. Gershkovich’s arrest. “We’re not talking about suspicions,” Dmitri S. Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, said, adding, “He was caught red-handed.” Mr. Peskov said he could not provide further details.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Gershkovich “, ”, “ We’re, ” Dmitri S, Peskov, Vladimir V, Putin, ” Mr Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Soviet Union, Washington, Russian Federal Security Service, Kremlin Locations: American, United States, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Soviet, Yekaterinburg

☆ Microsoft Services Back Online After Morning Outages
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Microsoft restored access to its email and video conferencing tools on Wednesday after thousands of users were unable to connect to the services for hours. The outage, which affected Microsoft 365 products including Outlook and Microsoft Teams, began shortly after 2 a.m. Eastern time. The company said on Twitter around 5 a.m. Eastern time that it had “isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue.”At 7:45 a.m., the company said all of its services were available. The programs are crucial for many businesses, who were temporarily left without key communication services. The company did not say how many users were affected, but thousands of people reported outages, with some people grousing on social media.

☆ The O.J. Simpson Murder Trial, as Covered by The Times
▼ + stars: | 2016-02-01 | by ( Daniel Victor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

June 17, 1994: Robert Kardashian Reads Simpson’s LetterAt a news conference, Robert Kardashian, a friend of Mr. Simpson’s, read a letter that he said Mr. Simpson had written just before he was to turn himself in. First, everyone understand I have nothing to do with Nicole’s murder. …I think of my life and feel I’ve done most of the right things so why do I end up like this? Please, if I’ve done anything worthwhile in my life, let my kids live in peace from you, the press. I treated people the way I wanted to be treated.

Persons: Robert Kardashian, Mr, Simpson’s, Simpson, I’ve, I’m, Goldman

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