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WASHINGTON — The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, is set to face questions from House lawmakers on Tuesday about the federal government's response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton that caused catastrophic damage in the Southeast. “And FEMA leadership didn’t take action against this supervisor until the press exposed this discrimination," his remarks say. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a lawsuit against Criswell and Washington last week over the incident. More than 220 people died from Hurricane Helene in late September, which hit Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. At least 17 people died during Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida hard in early October.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Deanne, Hurricanes Helene, Milton, Criswell, James Comer, Comer, Ashley Moody, Donald Trump's, Trump, Biden, Hurricane Helene Organizations: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hurricanes, Transportation, House Republicans, FEMA, Trump, Fox News, House Homeland Security Committee, Criswell, Hurricane Milton Locations: Florida, Marn’i Washington, United States, Ky, Highlands County , Florida, Washington, Hurricane, Georgia , Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina

A firebrand legal adviser to the President-elect and a conservative lawyer under consideration for the post of Attorney General appear to be setting the stage for investigations and prosecution of Donald Trump’s legal adversaries, including Special Counsel Jack Smith and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The threats come as Trump campaign aides say that the president-elect considers his choice for attorney general to be his most important single appointment. Paoletta is among several people under consideration to run the Justice Department, people familiar with the matter tell NBC News. All of those people have claimed—without citing any specific evidence— that the federal prosecutions of Trump by Smith were politically motivated. The Trump Justice Department will have access to every text, email and memo written by everyone on the Smith team on government phones and computers during the investigation.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Jack Smith, Letitia James, Mike Davis, Trump, Smith, James, “, ” Davis, Benny Johnson, Davis, ”, Tom Williams, — Mark Paoletta —, Paoletta, ” Paoletta, Missouri Sen, Eric Schmitt, Utah Sen, Mike Lee, John Ratcliffe, Matt Whitaker, Donald Trump, can’t, —, Bill Barr, John Durham, Russia’s, “ Jack Smith Organizations: New York, Trump, Justice Department, Republican, Washington , D.C, Inc, Getty, NBC News, Department, DOJ, NBC, Justice, Democratic, DoJ, CIA, FBI, Trump Justice Department Locations: Washington ,, Missouri, Utah, Newsmax

☆ NY Republican in critical House race spent huge sums of campaign cash on steakhouses, booze, a foreign hostel and home supply materials
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-25 | by ( Gregory Krieg | Em Steck | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The campaign also spent a little more than $43,000 on Ubers since August 2022. D’Esposito campaign spokesman Matt Capp called the five-figure Uber charge “a filing error which will be corrected and does not represent an Uber invoice.”In one eyebrow-raising section of the filings, the campaign spent nearly $600 for a hostel in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Memorial Day this year. But there is no clear connection between much of the D’Esposito campaign’s spending at those establishments and official campaign fundraising events. Santos was expelled from Congress in December of last year and recently pled guilty to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud charges stemming from, among other things, misusing campaign funds during his 2022 midterm campaign. The FEC, an agency charged with enforcing campaign finance laws, keeps records of donor contributions and spending by campaigns and outside political groups.

Persons: Anthony D’Esposito’s, D’Esposito, unethically, Republican congressman’s, Matt Capp, “, ” Capp, Capp, D’Esposito “, ”, ‘, ’ ”, Dan Weiner, Brennan, ” Weiner, George Santos, Santos, Laura Gillen, itemize, Robert Gies, Gies, ” Saurav Ghosh, ” Ghosh Organizations: CNN, New York Rep, New York Times, Republican, ”, New York Police Department, New, Republicans, FEC, Capitol, Representatives, Federal Locations: steakhouses, Edinburgh, Scotland, South Shore, ” Long, New York City, New York, Gies

☆ AI expert Gary Marcus thinks OpenAI will be the 'most Orwellian company of all time'
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-07 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AI expert Gary Marcus says OpenAI may be forced to become a surveillance company to make money. AI expert Gary Marcus says the company shaping the global AI arms race is on the cusp of turning what Orwell imagined into reality. "What they're going to be pressed to do is become a surveillance company." But Marcus thinks the company won't be able to earn enough money to support its valuation that way because the technology isn't advanced enough. Marcus suspects that OpenAI will eventually tap into this potential income stream and become a powerful surveillance company.

Persons: Gary Marcus, OpenAI, —, George Orwell's, Orwell, Peter Norvig, Marcus, Paul Nakasone, Edward Snowden, Snowden, Sam Altman, Altman, he's Organizations: Service, Google, Stanford's, Capitol, Business Locations: that's

☆ Ron Insana: Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell unnecessarily complicated the outlook for interest rate policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Ron Insana | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In the spirit of ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, a word to Federal Reserve Chairman, Jay Powell ... "C'Mon Man!" While the markets have rebounded nicely on Thursday, it seems to me that Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell unnecessarily complicated the outlook for interest rate policy on Wednesday by saying the Fed will decide, meeting by meeting, what to do next. Meanwhile, long-term interest rates, after having fallen for weeks in anticipation of a half-point cut, which the Fed delivered, have actually moved up a bit. I'm not entirely certain but I suspect it's the lack of clear direction on future rate policy that is the culprit. In those days, the Fed was loathe to discuss its actions publicly and only signaled to markets what it had done with respect to interest rate policy a considerable time after the action was undertaken.

Persons: Jay Powell, Powell, Paul Volcker Organizations: Federal, Fed Locations: China

☆ A tale of two presidents as Trump claims his triumph and Biden’s hopes begin to fade
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“Just a few short days ago, my journey with you nearly ended, we know that,” Trump said. Or we fall apart.”But the new Trump lasted just a few minutes before the old version returned. “Our planet is teetering on the edge of World War III and this will be a war like no other,” said Trump. Another top Democrat close to the White House described Biden as having become “exceptionally insulated and isolated” since the CNN debate in Atlanta on June 27. “I have worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong.

Persons: “, Donald Trump basked, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, White supremacists, ” Trump, it’s, ”, wistfully, I’m, ” Trump’s, overpromised, Trump’s, Hulk Hogan, unaccountable, Donald Trump, ” Hogan, MAGA, Vance, —, he’d, –, president’s, Montana Sen, Jon Tester, I’ve, ” Biden, he’s Organizations: Milwaukee CNN, Republican Party, Republican National Convention, Milwaukee Bucks, Trump, Trumper, White, Democratic, CNN, Trump – Locations: Delaware, Charlottesville , Virginia, America, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Rehoboth Beach , Delaware, Atlanta, Montana

☆ Why Can’t New York Make a Proper Monument to Gay History?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Holland Cotter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

News has come that a local subway station will be rechristened in its honor (new name: Christopher Street-Stonewall National Monument Station), and a brand-new cultural space called Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center opens today in the neighborhood. You know the Stonewall story. people in a Greenwich Village dance bar called the Stonewall Inn went ballistic. So they hit back, shouting, breaking things, throwing things, giving the cops a taste of what it felt like to be hounded and treated like dirt. It was a big, deeply furious “No” to a history of repression and persecution.

Persons: Christopher Street, They’d, “ Organizations: Stonewall, Monument Visitor Center Locations: Stonewall, Greenwich

☆ Two Trump courtroom dramas could help shape the tone of a future presidency
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Prosecutors have framed the trial as more than a simple case of falsifying business records — the offense with which Trump has been charged. But the results of Trump’s pending cases — and whether they even come to trial — could help decide the tone of a future presidency. But at the same time, Trump is using the privileges of appeals available to any defendant to their full extent. “We’re writing a rule for the ages.”It’s always hazardous to speculate how Supreme Court justices will rule based on their questioning in oral arguments. This could mean the case returns to lower courts for more litigation — a move that could delay the federal election trial for months, far beyond the November election.

Persons: Donald Trump, George Washington, David Pecker, Trump’s, Trump, —, Trump —, Republican nominee’s, Jack Smith’s, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jackson, Pecker, didn’t, Matthew Colangelo, he’s, Joe Biden, Biden, “, Benjamin Franklin, inoculate Trump, CNN’s Zachary B, Wolf, Marquis de Lafayette, demagogue, George Conway, ” Conway, CNN’s Wolf, ”, Neil Gorsuch, “ I’m, Amy Coney Barrett, David Sauer, Sauer, Elena Kagan, Kagan, ” Kagan Organizations: CNN, National Enquirer, Republican, Trump, GOP, Prosecutors, Supreme, White House Locations: New York, Georgia, Florida, — Washington, Washington, Philadelphia , Washington

☆ Elon Musk vs Australia: Fight heats up over Sydney church stabbing video on X
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The country’s e-safety commissioner ordered social media giants to take it down. Australia wants X to remove the video completely, not just hide it from Australian users who could circumvent a local ban by using virtual private networks. With her message to Musk, Australian Senator Jacqui Lambie posted an image of herself in army fatigues taken at a Veteran Mentors' Junior Leadership camp in January. President David Adler told CNN he hadn’t been asked to take it down, either by X or Australia’s e-safety commissioner. In a statement Wednesday, Australia’s eSafety commissioner said the takedown request wasn’t designed to stifle discussion about the church attack.

Persons: Elon Musk, that’s, X, ’, Anthony Albanese, Jacqui Lambie, “, hadn’t, ”, fatigues, AJA, David Adler, Adler, AJA hasn’t, Krissy Barrett, Reece Kershaw, Marcus Hoyne, Bishop, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, Joanne Gray, Grzegorz Wajda, Gray, Musk, Musk’s, Australia’s, Lambie’s Organizations: Australia CNN, Christian Church, Australian, Leadership, Australian Jewish Association, CNN, ” CNN, Joint Counter, Counter, New South Wales Police Seven, Australian Federal Police, AFP, Australia’s Security Intelligence Organisation, National Press Club, Musk, Court, Bishop Mar, Good Shepherd, University of Sydney, European Jewish Association, X Corp Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Sydney, Tasmania, United States, New, Australia’s, Krakow, Poland

☆ The AI Apocalypse: Computer Algorithms Are Already in Control
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

But increasingly, the algorithms that undergird our digital lives are making questionable decisions that enrich the powerful and wreck the lives of average people. There's no reason to be scared of AI making decisions for you in the future — computers have already been doing so for quite some time. As human control diminished, the real-world consequences of these algorithms have piled up: Instagram's algorithm has been linked to a mental-health crisis in teenage girls. AdvertisementAcross the public and private sectors, we've handed the keys to a spiderweb of algorithms built with little public insight into how they make their decisions. While generative AI is just the newest extension of the algorithm, it poses a unique threat.

Persons: who's, They've, Matthew Gray, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, It's, Elon Musk, Cambridge Analytica, algorithmically, ProPublica, Quora, OpenAI's ChatGPT, you've, they'll, superintelligence, — simulacrums Organizations: Knight Capital, Companies, Yahoo, Stanford, Google, Spotify, Netflix, Revenue, Facebook, Twitter, Elon, European Union, Associated Press, Black, Microsoft, Eating Disorders Association Locations: Cambridge

☆ Trump’s new Supreme Court gambit doesn’t even try to hide that it’s a delaying tactic
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Donald Trump’s filing to the Supreme Court over his claim for sweeping presidential immunity begins with a quote from Yogi Berra. The coming days could decide when the first Trump trial takes placeThe text of Trump’s filing to the court at times feels somewhat frivolous. Trump’s legal team has a good reason to try to run out the clock. But it is not certain that the Supreme Court, which last week heard oral arguments on another Trump case — over his expulsion from Colorado’s ballot — will even agree to take his latest request. As with Smith’s Washington case, Trump’s team is seeking to delay the trial currently scheduled for May.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Yogi Berra, Jack Smith, Trump, Ty Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “, ”, Joe Biden, he’s, Elie Honig, Donald Trump, Jack Smith’s, Honig, Norm Eisen, ” Eisen, Smith, Ankush, CNN’s Wolf, Smith’s, Stormy Daniels, —, Fani Willis, Willis, – Organizations: New York Yankees, White, NBC News, Trump, Biden, CNN, Justice Department, Trump Organization Locations: White, Florida, Smith’s Washington, Manhattan, Georgia, New York

ATLANTA (AP) — A bill to require cash bail for 30 additional crimes is headed to Georgia Gov. The GOP-dominated House voted 97-69 for Senate Bill 63 on Monday, backing a measure that would erodes changes that Republican Gov. “This legislation will make it clear that Georgia is not going down the path of failure seen by other states and communities that have eliminated cash bail," Gaines said. It’s part of a push by Republicans nationwide to increase reliance on cash bail, even as some Democratic-led jurisdictions end cash bail entirely or dramatically restrict its use. Under the bill, bail would be required for a second or later misdemeanor offense of reckless driving or criminal trespass, as well as for any misdemeanor battery.

Persons: Brian Kemp's, Bill, Nathan Deal, Houston Gaines, Gaines, ” It’s, Tanya Miller, Miller, “, Chris Carr, Brian Kemp, Kemp Organizations: ATLANTA, Georgia Gov, GOP, Republican Gov, Rep, Athens Republican, Georgia’s county lockups, Atlanta Democrat, Democratic, Atlanta Locations: Georgia, Athens, Georgia’s county, Atlanta, Illinois, Wisconsin

☆ Analysis: How Trump’s legal battles impact his 2024 presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Critical days are ahead in Donald Trump’s multiple legal battles. — On Thursday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to throw Trump off the ballot under the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists. Maine has taken a similar step to Colorado but that case hasn’t yet reached the US Supreme Court. Nikki Haley, is now arguing that Trump’s legal entanglements make him a disastrous pick for her party by seizing on the news that he spent more than $50 million from political action committees on legal fees. So, definitely a good day for President Trump, but not necessarily out of the woods,” Goodman said.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, Trump’s, ’, Jack, — Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron, Jean Carroll, Stormy Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, he’s, —, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Wade, Smith, Nikki Haley, Haley, CNN’s Dana, “, ” Haley, that’s, disqualifying Trump, Tanya Chutkan’s, Chutkan, Ryan Goodman, CNN’s Erin Burnett, ” Goodman, Carroll, “ you’re, we’ve, Joe Biden, ” Organizations: CNN, Republican, Colorado Supreme, Trump, Trump Organization, Manhattan, Attorney, Department of Justice, GOP, South Carolina Gov, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Supreme, Department of Defense, DC Circuit Locations: America, Maine, Colorado, Washington ,, New York, Georgia, Fulton County, Lago, “ State, Manchester , New Hampshire, Wilmington , Delaware

☆ ‘A Death in Malta’ Review: Lost in a Sea of Corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Tunku Varadarajan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Daphne Caruana Galizia and family. Photo: Paul Caruana GaliziaImagine the corrupt Tammany Hall of old reborn in a sovereign state in postwar Europe—a tiny archipelago, no more, in the southern Mediterranean. Meet murky little Malta, democratic Europe’s notable outlier—not just geographically and linguistically (having the only Semitic official language in the EU) but morally and ethically. And its rule of law, rickety at best, is shockingly derelict for an EU country. This isn’t just the judgment of fastidious outsiders, predisposed to look askance at Malta.

Persons: Daphne Caruana Galizia, Paul Caruana Galizia, Muammar Gaddafi, rickety, Labour Party — Organizations: Tammany Hall, European Union, Labour Party Locations: Europe, Britain, Libyan, Soviet, Malta, EU, Maltese, “

CNN —The federal judge presiding over Donald Trump’s election subversion case in Washington, DC, has refused to dismiss the charges against the former president, saying he does not enjoy absolute immunity for what he said and did after the 2020 election. “The court cannot conclude that our Constitution cloaks former Presidents with absolute immunity for any federal crimes they committed while in office,” US District Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote. This is an issue that likely must be settled by an appeals courts above Chutkan before Trump’s criminal trial, set for March. Defendant may be subject to federal investigation, indictment, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for any criminal acts undertaken while in office,” Chutkan wrote. The judge shot down that idea, saying that the argument only applies to a sitting president – which Trump is not.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, “, Tanya Chutkan, –, Trump, ” Chutkan, ”, Chutkan, “ Rather, CNN’s Zachary Cohen Organizations: CNN, Trump Locations: Washington ,, United States, Washington

Eventually, China wants the schemes to be integrated into national emissions trading and generate credits that can offset emissions by industrial polluters, government plans show. PERSONAL CARBON TRADINGChina's carbon inclusion ambitions have been in gestation since 2015, when the southeastern province of Guangdong published rules on how to convert low-carbon activity into credits. Guangdong also allows enterprises to meet 10% of carbon reduction obligations through carbon inclusion credits. And there are worries the carbon inclusion schemes could let industrial polluters off the hook by shifting the burden of emission cuts to households. China climate official Su Wei told local media the green transformation of China would "inevitably involve profound changes in people's daily habits and consumption patterns", but he said carbon inclusion schemes would remain voluntary.

Persons: David Kirton, China's, Xie Zhenhua, Banks, Benjamin Sovacool, Li, Zhang Xin, people's, Yaqiu Wang, Su Wei, David Stanway, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, China, Communist, China Academy of Sciences, People's Bank of, Boston University, Environmental Studies, New, Thomson Locations: Pingshan district, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China, SHENZHEN, Dubai, Guangdong, People's Bank of China, Quzhou, Finland, British, Singapore, New York, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ Analysis-China Turns to Households in Fight to Slash Carbon Emissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

Eventually, China wants the schemes to be integrated into national emissions trading and generate credits that can offset emissions by industrial polluters, government plans show. PERSONAL CARBON TRADINGChina's carbon inclusion ambitions have been in gestation since 2015, when the southeastern province of Guangdong published rules on how to convert low-carbon activity into credits. Other countries have toyed with the idea of personal carbon trading, with pilot schemes set up in Finland and Australia's Norfolk Island. Guangdong also allows enterprises to meet 10% of carbon reduction obligations through carbon inclusion credits. And there are worries the carbon inclusion schemes could let industrial polluters off the hook by shifting the burden of emission cuts to households.

Persons: David Stanway, David Kirton, China's, Xie Zhenhua, Banks, Benjamin Sovacool, Li, Zhang Xin, people's, Yaqiu Wang, Su Wei, Sonali Paul Organizations: Communist, China Academy of Sciences, People's Bank of, Boston University, Environmental Studies, New Locations: China, Shenzhen, Dubai, Guangdong, People's Bank of China, Quzhou, Finland, British, Singapore, New York, Shanghai, Beijing

☆ Opinion: The drama around Sam Altman is an urgent warning
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Opinion Jill Filipovic | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

And OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is on its third CEO in as many days. And how should other institutions – governments, non-tech industries, global alliances, regulatory bodies – reign in the worst excesses of potentially dangerous AI innovators? This dynamic – a potentially dangerous technology developed at extreme speed, largely behind closed doors – is partly to blame for Altman’s firing. And we all have a stake in whose interests AI will serve – and right now, its development is being funded with billions of dollars by people expecting to make a huge profit. The Altman story is fascinating because Altman is the most powerful figure in AI technology, which in effect makes him one of the most powerful men in the world.

Persons: Jill Filipovic, Sam Altman, Altman, Jill Filipovic It’s, OpenAI, CNN’s David Goldman, he’ll, ”, – Organizations: Twitter, CNN, Microsoft, Israeli Defense Force Locations: New York, Big Sur, Yorker, Atlantic, Silicon Valley

☆ In ‘The Future,’ Earth Barrels Toward Fiery Destruction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Ian Wang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

THE FUTURE, by Naomi AldermanThere are few figures in the Bible more cruelly evocative than Lot’s wife, who is transfigured into a pillar of salt for looking back at Sodom. Early in her novel, a woman is frozen to death with a chemical refrigerant made of paramagnetic salts: a Lot’s wife for the Information Age. Alderman’s Sodom is our own polarized, plutocratic world. Whether by divine will or not, “The Future” finds the earth barreling toward fiery destruction. But no such fever pitch is reached in Alderman’s new novel, whose outlook is decidedly more reformist than revolutionary.

Persons: Naomi Alderman, Anna Akhmatova, “, Kurt Vonnegut, ” Naomi Alderman’s “, Zimri Nommik, Ellen Bywater, ”, Alderman, Harvey Weinstein, — Locations: United States

In some states, higher-income families can now use taxpayer money to cover private school tuition -- and more people than projected are taking the offer, which might force scrambles to shore up state budgets. It's especially an issue in states like Arizona and Iowa, where at least some families whose children were already in private school can now take advantage of public funding. Her state has a new education savings account program — which is paying for students from families of any income to switch from public to private school and for many already in private school to remain there. Opponents of the programs are bracing for lawmakers to attempt to make up for the higher costs by further cutting public school funding, even though lawmakers have not publicly threatened to do so. The plans are in doubt because of opposition from Democrats and some Republicans who live in rural areas where private schools are scarce and public schools are some of the most important institutions.

Persons: ”, Josh Cowen, it's, Ryan Cantrell, ” Aaron Galaz, “, Heather Stessman, Stessman, Beth Lewis, Katie Hobbs, Hobbs, Ben Toma, ” Toma, Greg Abbott, Matt Huffman, Hannah Fingerhut, Samantha Hendrickson, Isabella Volmert, Paul Weber Organizations: Michigan State University, American Federation for Children, Catholic, Our Schools, Arizona Gov, Republican, Republican Gov, Columbus Dispatch, Ohio, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Arizona, Iowa, — Arizona, Florida , Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas, West, Phoenix, Waterloo , Iowa, Our Schools Arizona, Texas, Des Moines , Iowa, Columbus , Ohio, Indianapolis, Austin , Texas

LONDON (AP) — Before he hit America, Rupert Murdoch ripped through Britain’s media like a tornado. But politicians from both right and left courted and feared Murdoch, who added The Times and Sunday Times to his stable in 1981. Like other politicians, Blair denied giving Murdoch anything in return for his support — though plenty of skeptics doubted that. For now, Rupert Murdoch remains a magnet for the powerful, and those who seek power, in Britain. The guest list for his summer party in June included Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, many members of his Cabinet and opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer.

Persons: Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan, Murdoch, Boris Johnson, “, Nathan Sparkes, Murdoch “, Jeremy Corbyn, Jeremy Hunt, Britain’s, couldn’t, ”, Jacques Delors, Margaret Thatcher, Thatcher’s, John Major, Sun wot, Tony Blair’s, Blair, ” Blair, Andy Coulson, Prince Harry, Lachlan Murdoch, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, James, Kathryn Murdoch Organizations: Fox, News Corp, Times, ”, Labour Party, Treasury, LBC, BBC, European, Argentine, Liverpool, Sunday Times, Thatcher’s Conservative, Sun, Blair’s Labour Party, Murdoch’s News Corp, The Sun, Sky Television, Premier League soccer, Sports, BSkyB, Comcast, AP Locations: London, Australian, Britain, British, Hillsborough, ___

Career civil servants include professional staff across the government who stay on when the presidency changes hands. Portraying federal employees as unaccountable bureaucrats, the Trump team has argued that removing job protections for those who have any influence over policymaking is justified because it is too difficult to fire them. Critics saw the move as a throwback to the corrupt 19th-century patronage system, when all federal jobs were partisan spoils rather than based on merit. Congress ended that system with a series of civil-service laws dating back to the Pendleton Act of 1883. Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, described Schedule F as “the most profound undermining of the civil service in our lifetimes.”

Persons: Trump, —, Critics, Everett Kelley Organizations: Trump, American Federation of Government Employees Locations: Pendleton

☆ Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear won't say if he'd follow the state's new Senate vacancy law and appoint another Republican if McConnell steps down
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Katie Balevic | John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A 2021 law would require Beshear to appoint a Republican to the Senate should McConnell step down. Beshear attempted to veto that law at the time and could defy it if McConnell ever vacated his seat. AdvertisementAdvertisement"If Mitch does leave office, I think (Beshear) will appoint who he wants to appoint and let them challenge it in court. Some Kentucky Republicans, however, have said McConnell should have stepped down last year. Scott Jennings, a McConnell advisor, told The Post that the senator seemed fine during a Wednesday evening GOP fundraiser.

Persons: Andy Beshear, Mitch McConnell's, Beshear, McConnell, Mitch McConnell, Beshear —, — wouldn't, I'm, Brian P, Monahan, McConnell vacates, Michael Abate, Abate, he's, Jared Smith, Beshear's, Mitch, That's, Smith, Bob Barney, didn't, Scott Jennings, Jennings Organizations: Republican, Service, GOP, Democrat, Washington Post, Capitol, Kentucky Republicans, Louisville Courier, Republican Party, Courier, Post Locations: Wall, Silicon, Kentucky, Louisville, Frankfort, Jessamine County

☆ The Education of Ron DeSantis: 5 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nicholas Confessore | More About Nicholas Confessore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Despite his struggles on the campaign trail, Mr. DeSantis has become captain of a new conservative vanguard that views public schools and universities as the chief battleground of the culture wars — and his Florida education policies as a model for red states around the nation. Yet Mr. DeSantis is both a member of the ruling class and a critic of it. An examination by The New York Times reveals how Mr. DeSantis, genuinely embittered by his experiences at elite institutions, also astutely grasped how they could be useful to him. He now offers voters a revisionist history of his own encounters with the ruling class to buttress his arguments for razing it — and for remaking public education itself. Here are five takeaways from the Times article.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis Organizations: Yale, Harvard Law, New York Times, Times Locations: Florida

☆ It Is Impossible to Break Your Phone Addiction Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Paris Marx | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

In many ways, we've so thoroughly integrated the devices into our lives, it's become impossible to break free. It's not just people's personal lives that are affected, but their work lives, too. To enter the store, customers need to download a separate app, connect it to their Amazon account, load a credit card, and swipe into the location. Instead, it lets customers register to scan their own items while they shop and pay from their phone. When internet connections aren't reliable, phone batteries run low, or you don't have a smartphone, these changes actually make everything much harder.

Persons: Steve Jobs, —, it's, Lola Shub, would've, we're, Shub, we've, rehire, they've, Paris Marx Organizations: Luddite, Club, The New York Times, Amazon, Tesco, Washington Examiner, National Zoo, team, Washington Nationals, Apple, Google, Australia, Transportation Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, London, United Kingdom, United States, Washington , DC, Canada, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Paris

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