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☆ France votes in snap election that could hand power to the far right
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Vandalized posters with images of local candidates for the European Parliament election mixed with those from the first round of the 2024 French legislative elections, seen on June 24 2024, in Val d Arry, Calvados. France will hold an early legislative election in two rounds on June 30 and July 7 2024, following President Emmanuel Macrons decision which was triggered by his party's heavy defeat to the far-right National Rally in the 2024 European Parliament election. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesFrench voters are heading to the polls on Sunday for the first round of voting in a snap parliamentary election that could see the far-right National Rally group become the biggest party in France's National Assembly, polls suggest. Calling the snap election, which will involve two rounds of polling on Sunday and on July 7, Macron said the vote would provide "clarification" and that "France needs a clear majority to act in serenity and harmony." French President Emmanuel Macron waits for guest arrivals for a conference in support of Ukraine with European leaders and government representatives on February 26, 2024 in Paris, France.

Persons: Emmanuel Macrons, Emmanuel Macron, Jordan Bardella, Macron, Le Pen, Jordan Bardella —, Pen, Peter Garnry, Giorgia Meloni, George Dyson, Dyson, Ludovic Marin Organizations: Nurphoto, Getty, National Assembly, National, Analysts, Chesnot, New Popular, National Rally, Le, Palais des Sports, Saxo Bank, Risks, Republicans, Renaissance, Nexus Institute, AFP Locations: Val d, Calvados, France, Ukraine, Paris, Germany, The Hague, Netherlands

☆ China and Russia are in a bad marriage that the West shouldn't try to break up
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Already, Russia's military and China's People's Liberation Army have held around 25 joint exercises since 2005, involving ships, aircraft and ground troops. Equally important is that China has become a key enabler of Russia's war in Ukraine. Advertisement"Policymakers and planners should avoid overestimating the state of military cooperation and operational integration that exists between Russia and China," RAND warned. AdvertisementDespite boasting of their military ties, Russia and China don't have much faith in each other's military prowess. In their 2001 friendship treaty, China and Russia did agree to consult with each other should either nation be attacked.

Persons: Mladen Antonov, Russia's, Mark Cozad, Cozad, Hitler, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Communist, Business, NATO, RAND Corp, Liberation Army, British, RAND, PLA, People's, Army, Russian, Grand Alliance, Western Allies, Central, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Soviet Union, China, Beijing, Moscow, U.S, Russian, Europe, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russia, Britain, South Korea, America, Vietnam, Korea, Syria, West, Central Asia, United States, Forbes

☆ Germany demands new citizens accept Israel’s right to exist
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —People applying for naturalization in Germany will now be required to affirm Israel’s right to exist, under changes to the country’s citizenship law. The country’s naturalization exam will now include a number of new questions, according to a statement from the interior ministry. “In response to increasing antisemitism in Germany, the list of questions in the naturalization test has been expanded. New exam questions have been added on the topics of antisemitism, the right of the state of Israel to exist and Jewish life in Germany,” it said. ‘A crystal clear red line’The legislation is being introduced nationwide after the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt also required citizenship applicants to recognize Israel’s right to exist in December.

Persons: Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Lamya Kaddor, Nancy Faeser, ” Organizations: CNN, Israel, Green, Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Bundestag Locations: Germany, Berlin, Gaza, Israel, Europe, Saxony, Anhalt, German, RIAS

☆ The debate night contrast Biden hopes will win the 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The Almighty won’t be standing on stage alongside Joe Biden on Thursday night. Biden’s campaign laid the groundwork for the Atlanta showdown hosted by CNN in a weekend memo. If Trump rants and vents his 2020 election lies on Thursday, he will play into Biden’s hands. That could avoid the mayhem of the first Trump v. Biden debate in 2020. His campaign has spent days trying to roll back his expectations of Biden as a doddering, elderly president who can’t string two words together.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, “, ‘ Joey, don’t, Trump, ”, zealots, Biden, Michael Tyler, Mitch Landrieu, Kayla Tausche, it’s, George W, Democrat John Kerry’s, Barack Obama’s, Mitt Romney, Cronkite, TikTok, he’s, — they’ve, Karl Rove, Trump can’t, shouldn’t, Kristi Noem, Trumpian, Jason Miller, ” Miller, Massachusetts Sen, Elizabeth Warren, ” Warren, they’ll, he’ll Organizations: CNN, Atlanta, ” Biden, Trump, Democrat, GOP, White, Capitol, Voters, Biden, . South Dakota Gov, NBC, Union, Massachusetts Locations: Democrat John Kerry’s Vietnam, Washington, New York, ., Atlanta, State, Wisconsin

☆ Supreme Court allows White House to press social media companies to remove disinformation
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( John Fritze | Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the White House and federal agencies such as the FBI may continue to urge social media platforms to take down content the government views as misinformation, handing the Biden administration a technical if important election-year victory. Republican officials in two states – Missouri and Louisiana – and five social media users sued over that practice in 2022, arguing that the White House did far more than “persuade” the tech giants to take down a few deceptive items. That might include, the justices theorized, social media threats targeting public figures or disclosures of sensitive information about US troops. The case arrived at the high court at a time when the government has repeatedly warned of foreign efforts to use social media to influence elections. The jawboning case was one of several high-profile matters the court is deciding at intersection of the First Amendment and social media.

Persons: Biden, Amy Coney Barrett, “, ” Barrett, ” Biden, –, Hunter, John Roberts, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Alito, Samel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, ”, ” Alito, ’, unjustifiably, Vivek Murthy, Roe, Wade, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Barrett Organizations: CNN, White, FBI, Biden, Department of Homeland Security, Facebook, Republican, Centers for Disease Control, Infrastructure Security Agency, Supreme, National Intelligence Locations: – Missouri, Louisiana, Florida, Texas

☆ Election Updates: J.D. Vance says he’ll be disappointed if Trump doesn’t pick him as his running mate.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Michael C. Bender | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

And AIPAC’s attacks have galvanized a concerted countercampaign by the left to try to discredit the group, which is bipartisan, among Democratic voters. Mr. Latimer ran up large margins in more moderate suburban communities, including ones with sizable Jewish populations. Mr. Bowman’s opponents churned out an unusually large amount of opposition research against him, including old blog posts dabbling in Sept. 11 conspiracy theories. Mr. Latimer returned to the episode repeatedly to argue that Mr. “He’s making the party look really bad,” said Sandra Altman, citing Mr. Bowman’s fire alarm episode and his left-leaning views, as she voted for Mr. Latimer in Scarsdale.

Persons: Jamaal Bowman, ”, Bowman, George Latimer, Dave Sanders, Israel, Marshall Wittmann, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Gregg Vigliotti, Bernie Sanders of, Ayanna Pressley, ’, Latimer, Cori Bush, Biden, “, Bowman’s, Stephen Colbert, Cash Cobain, Ocasio, Sanders, Reagan, Paul Feiner, “ I’ve, he’s, ” Marsha Gordon, Ms, Gordon, “ Jamaal Bowman, Sandra Altman, “ He’s, ” Molly Longman Organizations: Democratic, Israel, Westchester County, AIPAC, The New York Times, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, ., The New York Times Left, Justice Democrats, Cortez of New York, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Massachusetts, Jewish, Democratic Party, Mr Locations: York, New York City, Gaza, Westchester, Israel, New York, Bronx, Cortez of New, Mount Vernon, Missouri, Yonkers, Latimer, Scarsdale, “, N.Y

☆ Huawei Harmony OS: Flashpoint in US-China tech rivalry is again a force to reckon with
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Huawei is in the midst of one of the most stunning comebacks in the history of the tech industry. The Chinese giant, which has been a flashpoint in the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing, says more than 900 million smartphones now use its in-house operating system Harmony OS. Harmony, which is called “Hongmeng” in Chinese, was first unveiled in 2019, months after Huawei was placed on a US trade blacklist that barred American firms from selling tech and software to the Chinese tech company without a license. The US ban prevented companies like Google (GOOGL) from supplying new Huawei devices with its version of Android OS. Sales of the iPhone began bouncing back in May, after the company aggressively cut prices in its largest overseas market.

Persons: ” Richard Yu, It’s, Yu, Huawei’s Organizations: CNN, Huawei, Google, Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Research Locations: China, Washington, Beijing, Shenzhen

☆ A Timeline of Julian Assange’s Legal Saga
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Under the agreement he will be freed, having already served that time while in British custody. The deal brought an abrupt end to an extraordinary legal saga that has raised novel issues of national security, press freedoms, politics and diplomacy. Julian Assange, an Australian computer specialist, founds WikiLeaks with a mission of using the internet to help whistle-blowers bring hidden information to light. 2009An Army intelligence analyst becomes a key contributor. A U.S. Army intelligence analyst now known as Chelsea Manning downloads large batches of documents from a classified computer network and begins uploading them to WikiLeaks.

Persons: Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning Organizations: WikiLeaks, Army, U.S . Army Locations: Britain, United States, Australian, Iceland, Sweden

☆ Prosecutors urge Justice Department to file criminal charges against Boeing over 737 Max
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Chris Isidore | Evan Perez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Prosecutors are urging the US Justice Department to file criminal charges against Boeing for safety issues surrounding its 737 Max, although top Justice Department officials haven’t made a final decision, a source familiar with the development tells CNN. And this month a group of those family members wrote a letter to the Justice Department urging Boeing be hit with the maximum possible $24.9 billion fine. The charges against Boeing don’t mean any Boeing executive will face charges as an individual. It has posted core operating losses of $31.9 billion since the start of the 20-month grounding of the 737 Max that followed its second fatal crash in 2019. But if the company faces criminal charges, a new settlement is the most likely outcome.

Persons: haven’t, Max, Richard Aboulafia Organizations: New, New York CNN — Prosecutors, US Justice Department, Boeing, CNN, Alaska Air, Justice Department, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Reuters, Justice, Department of Defense Locations: New York, Alaska

☆ Opinion | The Rise of Progressivism Among the Educated Elite
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “The Sins of the Educated Class,” by David Brooks (column, June 7):Mr. Brooks’s insightful column omits one problem. Many “elite” parents and students have never really interacted with “real” average Americans. Don’t only blame the students for their attitudes and behaviors; they are built into our societal structure. Current scholars at elite schools are deprived of the great daily lessons and educational opportunities that I had. Those who take advantage of such experiences would benefit greatly, and so would the country.

Persons: David Brooks, Brooks, Jim Webster Organizations: Army Locations: Chicago, N.Y

☆ Election Updates: Trump brings out the crowds on Saturday while Biden does debate prep.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Image Credit... Doug Mills/The New York TimesFormer President Donald J. Trump will make two appearances today, first addressing the evangelical Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington, D.C., before holding a campaign rally in Philadelphia. President Biden is at Camp David, the presidential country retreat, for the weekend. The presidential campaign is entering a crucial phase. Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump will face off in an unusually early debate on CNN on Thursday as polls reflect a tightening race. FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate of national polls show Mr. Biden very slightly ahead of Mr. Trump for the first time since recording began in March, while its election forecast shows the outcome of the race as effectively a coin flip.

Persons: Doug Mills, Donald J, Trump, Biden, David Organizations: New York Times, Freedom Coalition, Washington , D.C, CNN Locations: Washington ,, Philadelphia

☆ The Culture Wars Came to a California Suburb. A Leader Has Been Ousted.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Jill Cowan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From the start, the three conservative board members of the Temecula Valley Unified School District made clear where they stood. On the same night in December 2022 that they were sworn in as a majority, they passed a resolution banning critical race theory from classrooms in their Southern California district. Months later, they abruptly fired the superintendent, saying they believed the district needed someone with new ideas. After that, they passed a rule requiring that parents be notified whenever a student requests to be identified as a different gender at school. The moves were applauded by conservatives, many of them Christian churchgoers who had helped to install the new board members, hoping that Temecula Valley could remain an island of traditional values in a liberal state.

Persons: Christian churchgoers Organizations: Unified School District Locations: Temecula, Southern California, San Diego

☆ Human rights lawyer to political reformer: Who is Keir Starmer, the UK's new would-be prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer speaks ahead of the U.K.'s general election on July 4, 2024. The left-of-center opposition party retains a commanding lead of around 20 points over current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, according to the latest YouGov poll. But who is Keir Starmer — Labour's leader and the clear favorite to become prime minister after Britain's July 4 election? Starmer also served as a human rights adviser during former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair's Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement. Labour leader Keir Starmer takes a selfie with students after a campaign event at Three Counties Medical School on May 29, 2024.

Persons: Sir Keir Starmer, Anthony Devlin, Rishi Sunak's, Nigel Farage's, Keir Starmer —, Starmer, Margaret Thatcher's, Tony Blair's, Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer, Christopher Furlong Organizations: Labour Party, Getty, Conservative, Britain's Labour Party, Labour, Conservatives, British, National Health Service, University of Leeds, University of Oxford, Shell, Tony Blair's Northern, Service, Counties Medical School, Wealth Fund Locations: London, England, Victoria, EU, Britain

☆ Climate activists covered private jets in orange paint in a Taylor Swift-inspired stunt, but didn't get her plane
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewTwo climate activists from the Just Stop Oil group were arrested after covering private jets in orange paint in a Taylor Swift-inspired stunt. One of the protesters is pictured after painting a private jet bright orange. AdvertisementA representative for Just Stop Oil confirmed to BI that the planes doused in paint did not belong to Swift. AdvertisementHowever, according to a study by My Climate Tracker, cited by The Tab, Travis Scott was the celebrity with the most private jet use in 2023. Meanwhile, Swift wasn't among the top 30 celebrities with the most private jet use in 2023, the outlet said.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, 🚨 Organizations: Service, —, Business, UST Locations: Lo

“The president has gotten increasingly punchier in recent remarks about Trump and plans to carry that theme through to the debate,” one Biden campaign official said. (CNN debate rules stipulate that each candidate will have a pen, writing pad and a bottle of water at the podium.) Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain, is taking the lead to help the president get ready to debate Trump, a Biden campaign official told CNN. In the last cycle, Biden aides were particularly sensitive to Trump attacking members of Biden’s family on the debate stage. But that doesn’t mean Trump shouldn’t, or isn’t preparing,” said a person close to Trump, who requested anonymity to speak candidly.

Persons: poring, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, ”, He’s, “ I’ll, ” Trump, “, David, Camp David, Biden’s, Ron Klain, Klain, Bruce Reed, Reed, Jeff Zients, Anita Dunn, Mike Donilon, –, ’ Trump, Ohio Sen, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Trump’s, Susie Wiles, Chris LaCivita, Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Miller, National Intelligence Richard Grenell, Chris Christie, Bob Bauer –, ” Bauer, acclimate Biden, Kate Bedingfield, Hunter, Jason Miller Organizations: CNN, Trump, White, Biden, Gatorade, peruse, Democratic, hourlong, Mar, Sens, Republican National Committee, Republicans, Capitol Hill, National Intelligence, New, New Jersey Gov, White House, “ Locations: Atlanta, Racine , Wisconsin, Maryland, Camp, hourlong State, East, Ukraine, Ohio, Marco Rubio of Florida, Washington ,, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

☆ Kaspersky: Biden administration bans Americans from using Russian-made cybersecurity software over national security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Zachary Cohen | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The Biden administration is taking the unprecedented step of banning US companies and citizens from using software made by a major Russian cybersecurity firm because of national security concerns, Commerce Department Secretary Gina announced Thursday. Thursday’s announcement comes after CNN reported in April that the Biden administration was preparing to issue an order that would prevent US companies and citizens from using Kaspersky software. US government agencies are already banned from using Kaspersky Lab software, but action to prevent private companies from using the software is unprecedented. Founded in Moscow in 1997, Kaspersky Lab grew into one of the world’s most successful anti-virus software companies alongside American rivals like McAfee and Symantec. Some of the speculation and suspicion from US officials about the Russian company centers around Eugene Kaspersky, a charismatic computer expert who co-founded Kaspersky Lab in Moscow in 1997.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Gina, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, ” Raimondo, “ We’re, Kaspersky, Raimondo, we’ve, Russian government’s, Eugene Kaspersky, ” Kaspersky Organizations: CNN, Commerce, Commerce Department, Kaspersky, McAfee, Symantec, Lab, —, Russian Ministry of Defense, West Locations: Russian, United States, Russia, Moscow, Israel, Eugene, Ukraine

☆ Dutch PM Mark Rutte set to be next NATO secretary-general after rival withdraws from race
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives to attend the European Political Community summit at the Palacio de Congreso in Granada, southern Spain on October 5, 2023. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday rescinded his bid for the leadership of the NATO military alliance and threw his support behind the favorite contender for the post, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The move effectively clears the path for outgoing Dutch PM Rutte to assume the top position of the 32-member U.S.-led NATO military coalition, when incumbent Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg finishes his mandate on Oct. 1 after 10 years in the job. Iohannis, 65, is ending his second five-year round at the helm of Romania, which will hold national elections in September. Two weeks ago, Budapest conceded not to block the NATO alliance's deepening military support for Ukraine, in exchange for nonparticipation.

Persons: Mark Rutte, Klaus Iohannis, Iohannis, Rutte, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: Netherland's, Palacio, Congreso, NATO, Dutch, Supreme, of National Defense, CNBC, U.S, Ukraine Locations: Granada, Spain, Romanian, Romania's, Ukraine, Iohannis, Romania, Rutte, Hungary, Russia, Budapest

☆ As President Takes Oath, 4 Challenges for South Africa’s New Government
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa is scheduled to be sworn in on Wednesday for a second term, launching an administration that will be unlike any the country has experienced since apartheid ended in 1994. Mr. Ramaphosa has touted a new era of unity and collaboration. The partnership includes the second-largest party, the Democratic Alliance, which got 22 percent of the vote and has long positioned itself as the fiercest of the A.N.C.’s critics. The three other parties that have joined the coalition each won less than 4 percent of the vote: the Inkatha Freedom Party, the Patriotic Alliance and GOOD. A statement of basic principles — for what the parties are calling a “government of national unity” — signed by the five coalition partners includes their policy priorities.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa of, —, Ramaphosa, ’, ” — Organizations: African National Congress, Democratic Alliance, Freedom Party, Patriotic Alliance Locations: Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa

☆ UK inflation falls to Bank of England's 2% target ahead of elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Shoppers on the high street in the Kingston district of London, U.K.U.K. inflation fell to the Bank of England's target of 2.0% in May, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday, in the last print of the key economic measure ahead of national elections in July. The headline reading declined from 2.3% in April and came in line with the 2% expectations of economists polled by Reuters. Core inflation, excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, dipped to 3.5% from 3.9% in April. Unseasonably bad weather led to the slowest increase in grocery sales in two years, new figures from U.K. market research firm Kantar showed Tuesday. Grocery sales rose 1.0% in the four weeks to June 9, marking the sixteenth consecutive monthly decline in food inflation, according to the index.

Persons: Sterling, BOE, Kantar Organizations: Bank of, National Statistics, Reuters Locations: Kingston, London, —

☆ What’s open and closed on Juneteenth 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Here’s what’s open and closed on Juneteenth 2024. TD Bank, which has remained open in previous years, will also be closed Wednesday. Schools and government agenciesFederal offices will be closed on Juneteenth. In 2023, at least 28 states recognized Juneteenth as a public holiday for which state workers received a paid day off, according to a Pew Research analysis. RetailersMost major retailers and grocery stores will be open on Juneteenth.

Persons: New York CNN —, Gordon Granger, Abraham Lincoln, —, Juneteenth, Here’s, CNN’s Harmeet Kaur Organizations: New, New York CNN, Black Americans, Union Army, Washington DC, Black American, United States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange, Federal Reserve, Chase, Bank of America, TD Bank, Pew, Walmart, Target Locations: New York, United States, Galveston , Texas, Juneteenth

☆ Xi's claim that the US is trying to trick China into invading Taiwan is meant to divide the US and its allies: experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewXi Jinping's claim that the US is trying to trick China into invading Taiwan is aimed at driving a wedge between the US and its European allies, experts told Business Insider. But in addressing the issue with the EU leader, Xi was trying to counter the US narrative and undermine transatlantic relations, Scobell said. "Also, China knows that the EU is generally ambivalent about backing the United States in a war with China over Taiwan," he added. However, over the last few years, the mood in Washington, DC, has shifted toward greater hawkishness, Graeme Thompson, an analyst with the Eurasia Group, told Business Insider in November. Under its One China policy, the EU recognizes the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China.

Persons: —, Ursula von der Leyen, Xi, Andrew Scobell, Scobell, Craig Singleton, Singleton, Timothy Heath, von der Leyen, Graeme Thompson, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton Organizations: Service, European, Financial Times, Business, US Institute of Peace, BI, EU, Foundation, Defense of Democracies, Taiwan, RAND, Eurasia Group, Royal Services Institute Locations: China, Taiwan, Beijing, Ukraine, United States, Washington ,, People's Republic of China, EU, Taiwan Strait

☆ US announces major bust as efforts to crack down on Chinese money launderers working with drug cartels ratchet up
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

A US-based lawyer who has represented accused Chinese money launderers said the tempo of law enforcement operations against the alleged launderers has increased in recent weeks as federal agents close in on “bigger fish” among Chinese money launderers in the US. None of the federal law enforcement agencies involved in tracking Chinese money launderers agreed to be interviewed on the record. Grassley and Whitehouse have each introduced legislation they say is key to closing loopholes in US law that are actively exploited by the cartels’ money launderers. Elaborate networksRecent court documents illuminate how far-flung and elaborate US-based networks of alleged Chinese money launderers are. Mirror TransactionsExperts say the Chinese money launderers have mastered the art of so-called mirror transactions, which involve a series of deposits at multiple bank accounts to conceal the drug money.

Persons: ”, Anne Milgram, surveil, “, Don Im, Biden, HSI, Ricardo Mayoral, William Kimbell, ” Kimbell, launderers, —, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, ” Whitehouse, Treasury Department —, Whitehouse, Christopher Wray, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Republican Sen, Charles Grassley, Enhua Fang, Li Pei Tan, Tan, Joe Habachy, Matthew Rothbeind, Fang, Chaojie Chen, Chen, Greg Hunter, ” David Luckey, JPMorgan Chase Organizations: CNN, Drug, Administration, Sinaloa Cartel, US Court, Central, Central District of, DEA, IRS, “, Centers for Disease Control, Federal, Homeland Security, Treasury, Treasury Department, Treasury’s, Network, Homeland Security Investigations, DHS, Financial Crimes, Rhode Island Democrat, intel, Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Senate, ” CNN, White, Office of National Drug Control, Service, Biden, Republican, Grassley, Rand Corporation, of, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Organization Locations: California, Mexican, China, Mexico, Los Angeles, Sinaloa, Central District, Central District of California, Colombia, America, Oregon, Virginia, South Carolina, Washington, DC, North, Central America, —, Iowa, North Carolina, Belize, Chinese, Georgia, Chicago, Tulsa, East Coast, Detroit , Chicago, Ohio, Western, of North Carolina, Wells Fargo

☆ US sounds alarm over Chinese and North Korean support for Russia’s war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But the reality is that China’s fueling the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II,” Stoltenberg said at The Wilson Center. The idea of an anti-US front among Russia, China, North Korea and Iran has long preoccupied foreign policy experts in Washington. In March, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress that Russia’s need to replenish its military supplies had forced it to grant “long-sought concessions” to North Korea. “What is Russia going to provide in exchange to North Korea, hard currency? So, we know that they are using DPRK ammunition to threaten Ukraine and kill Ukrainians,” he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, Zelensky, Xi Jinping, ”, Jens Stoltenberg, “, Xi, ” Stoltenberg, Putin, Kremlin, Kim Jong Un, of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Kurt Campbell, Kim, ” Campbell, Matthew Miller, John Kirby, ” Kirby, “ We’re, ” Putin Organizations: CNN, NATO, Washington, “ Publicly, The Wilson, “, of National Intelligence, Stimson, ”, House Locations: Ukraine, Russian, China, Ukrainian, Italy, Russia, Beijing, Moscow, Europe, North Korea, Iran, Washington, Pyongyang, Korea, Northeast Asia, Korean, North

☆ France awarded Olympic medal given to Great Britain in 1900
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Julen Chauvin | Emma Leyo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Paris, France CNN —France has scored a belated surprise Olympic victory against Great Britain – 124 years later than expected – after a 1900 Paris Olympics cycling silver medal was taken away from Team GB and awarded to its neighbor across the channel by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He finished second in the men’s 25 kilometer cycling race at the Paris Summer Games in 1900. “Even though Hildebrand was a British citizen, he was born and brought up in France, and competed for a French club before and after Paris 1900,” the IOC said in a statement. Gachet is a specialist when it comes to French Olympic medals, having published the Dictionary of French Olympics Medalists in 2011. “124 years later, at my request, the IOC Executive Board today approved the reallocation to France of the silver medal won by Lloyd Hildebrand at the Paris 1900 Olympic Games.

Persons: Lloyd Hildebrand, Hildebrand, Stéphane, Emmanuel Macron, Amélie, ” Gachet, “, ”, Gachet Organizations: France CNN —, Great Britain –, Team GB, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Paris Summer Games, Paris, Olympic Committees, Games, French, Club des Sports, Team, British Olympic Association, CNN Sport Locations: Paris, France, France CNN — France, Tottenham, London, Parisian, Levallois, British, Perret

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli Military Says Hezbollah’s Strikes Risk ‘Wider Escalation’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Mike Ives | Randy Pennell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

The change did not mean a cessation of fighting in the southern Gaza Strip, that statement said, adding that the campaign in the southernmost city of Rafah was continuing. The whipsaw statements appeared to reflect the competing pressures facing Mr. Netanyahu, as he juggles demands from the Biden administration and elsewhere around the globe with those of his own hawkish government. But Mr. Netanyahu insinuated that he did not learn of the plans until Sunday morning. Image Children waiting for food in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday. Credit... Haitham Imad/EPA, via Shutterstock“It’s classic Bibi,” said Amos Harel, the military affairs analyst for the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, referring to Mr. Netanyahu by his nickname.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Biden, —, Khan Younis, Haitham Imad, Bibi, ”, Amos Harel, ” Mr, Harel, Shani Sasson, Ms, Sasson, “, Eid, Omar Al, Yoav Gallant, Gadi, Benny Gantz, Mr, Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Ben, Waseem Mahmoud, Amir Levy, Bezalel Smotrich, Gabby Sobelman Organizations: Military, ., “, Mr, Cogat, United Nations Security Council, Agence France, International Criminal, Israel’s, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Khan, Israel, Gaza City, The Hague, Egypt, Beit Jann

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