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☆ Trump shares article saying Melania put up better Christmas decorations in the White House than Jill Biden
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Trump shared an opinion article that complimented his wife's White House Christmas decor on Tuesday. It is titled "Flashback to When Things Were Better: Melania Trump's WH Christmas Decorations Throughout the Years" and compares the Christmas decorations of the former first lady and Jill Biden. Melania Trump's non-traditional Christmas decorations during their time in the White House were frequently mocked on social media. Melania Trump herself has privately expressed exasperation with the process of decorating the White House. The theme of 2022's White House Christmas decorations was "We the People."

Some hardline Republicans have even urged an end to aid and an audit to trace how allocated money has been spent. The world is too interconnected to allow any country to stand aside and feel safe, Zelenskiy said as he appealed for bipartisan support. The United States also announced another $1.85 billion in military aid for Ukraine, including a Patriot air defence system to help it ward off barrages of Russian missiles. "We would like to get more Patriots ... we are in war," Zelenskiy told reporters at the White House. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Washington was seeing no sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to engage in peacemaking.

☆ 5 symbolic moments you may have missed from Zelenskyy's White House visit and historic address to Congress, from his green sweatshirt to quoting FDR
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a historic address to Congress on Wednesday. Zelenskyy made multiple comparisons to World War II and American history during the speech. There were also a few symbolic aspects to Zelenskyy's visit, as well as similarities to historic events. Pelosi also gifted Zelenskyy with a flag — an American flag that flew over the Capitol on Wednesday — in honor of his visit. Comparison to the Battle of the Bulge and Battle of SaratogaZelenskyy again made a comparison to America's role in World War II, invoking the Battle of the Bulge.

☆ Hunter Biden hires attorney Abbe Lowell to beef up legal team
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Sarah Fitzpatrick | Sarah Fitzpatrick Is A Senior Investigative Producer | Story Editor For Nbc News. She Previously Worked For Cbs News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Hunter Biden has added a high-powered attorney to his legal team amid an ongoing federal probe and plans by Republicans to make him a key focus of investigations when they take control of the House next month. Abbe Lowell, of the firm Winston and Strawn, will be primarily responsible for coordinating Hunter Biden’s response to anticipated congressional oversight investigations, as well advising on other legal issues and overall strategy, an attorney for Hunter Biden told NBC News on Wednesday. "Hunter Biden has retained Abbe Lowell to help advise him and be part of his legal team to address the challenges he is facing,” the attorney, Kevin Morris, said. "Lowell is a well-known Washington based attorney has represented numerous public officials and high profile people in DOJ investigations and trials as well as Congressional Investigations. Mr. Lowell will handle congressional investigations and general strategic advice."

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy walk down the Colonnade to the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. The planning for Zelenskiy's speech began in October, according to a Pelosi aide, when she met with Ruslan Stefanchuk, chairman of Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada. Zelenskiy, Fried said, "didn’t go to Berlin, Brussels, London or Paris" for his first trip abroad since the start of the war. The optics of Zelenskiy receiving a hero's welcome as a defender of democracy carries a message far deeper than military aid. In a Senate speech he described Zelenskiy as "a leader who is fighting for his life, fighting for his country's survival and fighting to preserve the very idea of democracy."

☆ Zimbabwe bans raw lithium exports to curb artisanal mining
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The southern African country holds some of the world's largest reserves of hard rock lithium, a vital mineral in the production of clean energy technologies. London-listed Premier African Minerals (PREM.L) says it will start shipping spodumene concentrate from its Zimbabwe lithium mine to China from March 2023, after signing an offtake deal with Suzhou TA&A Ultra Clean Technology Co (300390.SZ). "No lithium bearing ores, or unbeneficiated lithium whatsoever, shall be exported from Zimbabwe to another country," read the regulation published in a government notice issued by Mines Minister Winston Chitando. The notice said the ban does not apply to the export of lithium concentrates, which all the major lithium miners in the country plan to produce. Mnangagwa said the raw lithium was being exported through neighbouring countries.

☆ George Santos responds to report that accused him of misrepresenting credentials on campaign trail
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Santos, 34, was elected to represent New York’s 3rd Congressional District, beating Democrat Robert Zimmerman last month. Representatives for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs told NBC New York they had no record of his employment. In a statement Monday, Santos’ lawyer, Joseph Murray, dismissed the story, insisting that Santos was being smeared by "enemies" at the paper, and suggesting that Santos, posed a threat to Democrats. "It is no surprise that Congressman-elect Santos has enemies at the New York Times who are attempting to smear his good name with these defamatory allegations. The upset means Santos will succeed Democrat Tom Suozzi, who lost a primary bid for governor this year.

☆ Incoming GOP congressman George Santos appears to have lied about his job history, educational background, and even possibly his home address. But House Republicans have no incentive to stop him from
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A recent New York Times report details how Representative-elect George Santos misrepresented his past. The avenues the GOP can take to address Santos are few and unlikely. Santos' attorney, Joseph Murray, responded to the New York Times' allegations by attacking the publication and using a misattributed Winston Churchill quote. Schaub also noted that Republicans in Congress could deny Santos committee assignments, an action that could affect Santos' future reelection chances. "According to the New York Times story, none of those were verifiable.

☆ King Charles III banknote images revealed for first time
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Lauren Kent | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

London CNN Business —The first images of banknotes featuring Britain’s King Charles III were unveiled on Tuesday by the Bank of England. Charles’ portrait will appear on English notes of £5, £10, £20 and £50. Image of King Charles III on the English £50 note. “This is a significant moment, as The King is only the second monarch to feature on our banknotes,” Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said ahead of the release. Earlier this month, the first coins bearing the official effigy of King Charles III entered circulation.

President Joe Biden is expected to issue a strong condemnation of emboldened antisemitism in the U.S. and around the world during a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday. The president will deliver remarks at the event, which he is hosting with first lady Jill Biden, following blessing and a menorah lighting, a White House official said. In his remarks, Biden will forcefully argue that silence is complicity amid rising antisemitic attacks and emphasize that all forms of hate, antisemitism and violence have no place in America, the official said. The Bidens are also expected to mark a new tradition by adding the first menorah to the White House collection. Last week, Biden formed a new interagency group to develop a national strategy to combat antisemitism.

☆ Incoming GOP congressman accused of lying about his employment history and where he went to college defends himself with a false Winston Churchill quote
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Charles R. Davis | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Long Island Republican George Santos has been accused of fabricating his biography. In a statement Monday night, Santos's attorney quoted Winston Churchill. The statement posted on George Santos' Twitter account attributes a Victor Hugo quote to Winston Churchill. It goes on to quote the former Conservative UK prime minister who led Britain during World War II: "As Winston Churchill famously stated, 'You have enemies? As a representative for the International Churchill Society told the fact-checking website: "Churchill never said it."

At least one video on TikTok had gained more than 4 million views by late Thursday afternoon. That police were called on a student at an HBCU, an institution that is intended to be a safe space for Black students, was not lost on some. It wasn't immediately clear, in either the TikTok video or the school's statement, what the student was doing that made her an urgent threat in need of prompt removal. After class was briefly delayed by a fire alarm, the student said the professor asked her about the essay. At some point, the discussion became heated, according to the student, who said she raised her voice after the professor allegedly raised hers.

☆ As more men leave the workforce, women are stepping in to fill those jobs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And that is reflective of new trends developing both for men and women in the labor force. In recent months, more men aged 30-44 have been dropping out of the workforce, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although more men are stepping out of the workforce to take care of children post-pandemic, it’s still only in the single digits, according to economist Richard V. Reeves. The data showed that the total number was skewed more towards women than men, since so many women assumed caretaker roles at home when daycare centers and schools closed during lockdowns. Since then, men and women have gained back all the jobs lost.

☆ Home flipping profits drop at the fastest pace in over a decade
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It represents the smallest profit since the end of 2019 and the fastest quarterly drop since 2009. With that drop in gross profits, the return on investment fell to 25% from 30% in the previous quarter. With profits shrinking and higher mortgage rates hurting affordability for potential buyers, the share of home sales that were flips fell as well. Mortgage rates have come off their recent highs, but they are still more than twice what they were at the start of this year. Markets that showed the highest flip rates were Phoenix; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Atlanta and Gainesville in Georgia; and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

☆ It took a full year, multiple calls to the dealership, and an angry tweet at Ford's CEO, to finally get my all-electric pickup truck delivered
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( George Pearkes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

But the process of getting the truck was far from ideal — beset by production delays, missing parts, and unresponsive customer service. There are still a few kinks to be worked out before electric vehicles can dominate the US market — the road to an electrified American auto industry is going to be a bumpy one. For me, the most important driver for buying an electric vehicle was that it feels like a giant step toward a decarbonized future. While electric vehicles can borrow a lot of that institutional knowledge, new technology and business models mean there is still a way to go before everything is smooth sailing. Even without the prodding from the government, car companies have shown a keen interest in shifting their fleets toward electric vehicles for business reasons.

☆ Police officers to receive Congressional Gold Medals for Jan. 6
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

To recognize the hundreds of officers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, the medals will be placed in four locations — at U.S. Capitol Police headquarters, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol and the Smithsonian Institution. Awarding the medals will be among House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s last ceremonial acts as she prepares to step down from leadership. Officers suffered physical wounds, including brain injuries and other lifelong effects, and many struggled to work afterward because they were so traumatized. Two police officers died by suicide in the days that immediately followed, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after one of the rioters sprayed him with a chemical. The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow, has been handed out by the legislative branch since 1776.

☆ Deion Sanders is showing that upward mobility isn't just for white coaches
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Cecil Harris | Cecil Harris Is A Veteran Sports Journalist Whose Work Has Appeared In The New York Times | Usa Today | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Many are upset that the Black former superstar is leaving a Historically Black University where his leadership could continue to provide a solid foundation for young Black athletes. Sanders proved his ability in his first coaching job by making the Jackson State Tigers the best team among HBCUs. In his final game at Jackson State, Sanders will lead the Tigers against North Carolina Central University in the Cricket Celebration Bowl on Dec. 17 in Atlanta. At each previous stop in Saban’s head coaching journey (University of Toledo, Michigan State University, Louisiana State University and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins), he may well have disappointed some players who signed on hoping he would stay. His son, Jackson State star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, is expected to do just that and follow his father.

Therefore, experts say, hiring Black teachers is necessary to address the racial disparities that lead to poor educational outcomes and criminalization for Black children. Furthermore, advocates say that Black students who don’t have Black teachers are less likely to become teachers themselves, so commitments to diversifying the industry must start early on in the classroom. The Black Teacher Project in Oakland, California, works with Black teachers to “reimagine schools as communities of liberated learning,” the Project’s website reads. It also teaches educators how to implement restorative practices in their classrooms and invites them to retreats to foster community among Black teachers. “Therefore, the Black Teacher Project’s motto is ‘Every child deserves a Black teacher.’”

☆ Pictures of the year: Oddly
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jeremy Schultz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A heart-shaped clearing can be seen in woodland where Winston Howes planted 6,000 oak trees in a six-acre field on his farm, leaving the clearing in the middle as a tribute to his late wife Janet to whom he was married for 33 years, in Wickwar,...more

☆ Kanye Twitter post of a swastika after Alex Jones appearance is scary. But Jews have survived worse.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Adam Zimmerman | Adam Zimmerman Is A Communications | Public Relations Consultant In Maryland. He Teaches A Seventh-Grade Holocaust Class | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Antisemitic incidents are now so rampant that we have had to postpone planned lessons on the history of the Holocaust to focus on the present. Adolf Hitler and his Nazis took many things from my grandmother: her parents, most of her siblings, many friends and her childhood. “I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis,” Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, proclaimed Thursday on right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ show, perhaps emboldened by his dinner with Trump and Fuentes. “I see good things about Hitler, also.” He then took to Twitter and posted a swastika before being banned from the platform on Friday. True, antisemitism dates back thousands of years.

But satellite images and photos show the Chinese-owned ship had loaded the oil four months earlier in Venezuela, an OPEC nation in South America under U.S. oil sanctions. Two of those tankers, including the Young Yong, were designated this month by U.S. authorities for violating sanctions on Iran, one of Venezuela's closest allies. The U.S. Treasury declined to comment on the involvement of the Young Yong or the other vessels identified by Reuters in shipping Venezuela crude. Indonesian authorities said in early November that the Young Yong had run aground off the Riau Islands on Oct. 26. The United States imposed oil trading sanctions on Venezuela in 2019 after calling Maduro's re-election the previous year a sham.

☆ 13 behind-the-scenes executives leading Apple's $5 billion advertising division
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Right now its roughly $5 billion-in-revenue ads business largely consists of search ads sold within the App Store. It's been a big year for Apple's ad division. We asked more than a dozen advertising industry insiders and former Apple advertising staffers to identify the most important executives building Apple's advertising business. Teresi's ascent coincides with the explosive growth of Apple's ad business in recent years. A digital advertising veteran — having held senior roles at Yahoo, Quantcast, and Adobe — Teresi joined Apple in 2012 as vice president for its iAd division.

☆ Academy Award winner Gary Oldman teases the end of his movie career: 'I don't want to be active when I'm 80'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gary Oldman has been starring in films for the past 40 years, but he doesn't anticipate working for too much longer. In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, the 64-year-old actor said that he is looking forward to pursuing other interests beyond performing. "I've had an enviable career, but careers wane," Oldman said. "When you're young, you think you're going to get 'round to doing all of them—read that book—then the years go by," he said. Sign up now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletter

☆ Man arrested at Scottish hospital last year is U.S. fugitive who faked his own death, court rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A man who was arrested in a Scottish hospital last year is in fact an American fugitive who faked his own death to avoid rape and sexual assault charges, a court ruled Friday. Nicholas Rossi, 35, has spent over a year trying to convince authorities that he is Arthur Knight, an orphan from Ireland who has never been to the U.S. “In 2018 the DNA profile from the Utah sexual assault came back as a match to a sexual assault case in Ohio,” Leavitt said in a statement in January. An Interpol red notice, with pictures of the wanted man, including images of his tattoos and fingerprints, helped officers from Police Scotland identify him. Leavitt admitted in January that Rossi would still probably be living “off the grid” had he not contracted Covid and required medical care.

☆ Here's what critics are saying about Marvel's 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright star as Okoye and Shuri in Marvel Studio's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." DisneyIt's impossible to replace the irreplaceable, but that was Ryan Coogler's task as the director and co-writer of Disney's latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Here's what some critics thought of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" ahead of its Friday debut:Kristy Puchko, MashablePuchko says the film, while action-packed, is at its core about how people handle loss differently. Still from Marvel Studio's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Winston Duke stars as M'Baku in Marvel Studio's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

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