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☆ M&M’s new packaging sparks ‘culture war’ outrage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —M&M’S is making a statement with its latest candy pack, which features an all-female set of characters — including Purple, its newest addition. Purple, the “spokescandy” announced last year (and the first new M&M’S character in a decade), is a purple peanut M&M. An all-female M&M pack is now on sale. The all-female pack quickly sparked “culture wars” outrage on right-wing media, notably at Fox News. “Now we know for certain that M&M’S is a cultural icon.”M&M’S has no plans to restore Green’s look.

☆ English resort counts down to western Europe’s first satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

NEWQUAY, England, — An English surfing resort was counting down to the first launch of orbital satellites into space from western Europe on Monday, when Virgin Orbit’s mission will transform the Cornish town of Newquay into the country’s first spaceport. The “horizontal” launch will catapult the resort in southwest England, population 20,000 and famous for its reliable waves rolling off the Atlantic, into the limelight as western Europe’s go-to destination for small satellites. Virgin Orbit, part-owned by billionaire Richard Branson, said nine satellites would be deployed into lower Earth orbit (LEO) from its LauncherOne rocket in its first mission outside its United States base. “Assuming that everything continues to look good we’re currently tracking well for launch,” a Virgin Orbit spokeswoman said on Sunday. The LEO sector is growing rapidly, spurred by satellite broadband companies such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, Amazon and London-headquartered OneWeb.

☆ English resort counts down to western Europe's first satellite launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Henry Nicholls | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Henry NichollsNEWQUAY, England, Jan 9 (Reuters) - An English surfing resort was counting down to the first launch of orbital satellites into space from western Europe on Monday, when Virgin Orbit's mission will transform the Cornish town of Newquay into the country's first spaceport. The "horizontal" launch will catapult the resort in southwest England, population 20,000 and famous for its reliable waves rolling off the Atlantic, into the limelight as western Europe's go-to destination for small satellites. The European Space Agency's (ESA) Ariane 6 rocket, designed to carry large satellites, has also had delays. "Assuming that everything continues to look good we're currently tracking well for launch," a Virgin Orbit spokeswoman said on Sunday. The LEO sector is growing rapidly, spurred by satellite broadband companies such as Elon Musk's Starlink, Amazon and London-headquartered OneWeb.

☆ Virgin Orbit counts down to first space launch ever from UK soil
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Virgin Orbit is about to conduct the first ever space launch from the United Kingdom. It will also mark the first launch of commercial satellites from western Europe, and the first international launch for Virgin Orbit. Dan Hart, chief executive of Virgin Orbit, described the UK mission as a “historic endeavor.”“This launch represents the opening of a new era in the British space industry and new partnerships across industry, government, and allies,” he said in a statement released Friday. The mission, named “Start Me Up” after the Rolling Stones’ 1981 song, is a joint venture between Virgin Orbit, the UK Space Agency, Cornwall’s local government and the UK’s Royal Air Force. The country’s £16.5 billion ($20 billion) space industry directly supported about 47,000 jobs between 2019 and 2020, according to the latest available government figures.

☆ Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit is set to launch the first orbital rocket from UK soil on Monday. Watch live as the rocket drops from a Boeing 747.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit is set to launch the first orbital space rocket from British soil. Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said the crew will proceed cautiously in case winds or lightning set in. Watch the historic rocket launch live on Virgin Orbit's YouTube page below. Livestream: Watch Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl take off and release the rocketWatch the historical rocket launch live on Virgin Orbit's YouTube livestream below, starting at 4:30 p.m. Cosmic Girl, a repurposed Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 aircraft, is expected to take off from Spaceport Cornwall between 5:16 p.m.

☆ How Anti-Abortion Activists Bought Access to the Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Katherine Long | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

In exchange for as little as a few thousand dollars in contributions to the nonprofit, these people received easy access to events where Supreme Court justices would be. Supreme Court Historical society trustee Jay Sekulow, center, represented President Trump during the latter's impeachment trial in 2020. Anti-abortion advocates cheer in front of the Supreme Court after the decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores was announced in 2014. Alito did not respond to a request for comment on his involvement in the Supreme Court Historical Society. Supreme Court justices, though, aren't even required to stay within those weak guardrails because no code of ethics governs justices' behavior.

☆ 2 years after the Jan. 6 insurrection, election deniers are still in the building — and holding the speakership hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A group of 20 ultra-conservative Republicans continues to stonewall his leadership ambitions. More than half denied the 2020 election result and a handful are mentioned in the now-dissolved January 6 committee's report. But several of the political personalities at the heart of that attack are the same ones now holding the speakership hostage. All three lawmakers denied allegations that they were involved in planning the event. Meanwhile, the FBI seized the phone of Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania in August of last year.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ Woman sues Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, alleging child sex assault in the ‘70s
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

LOS ANGELES — A woman who has previously said Steven Tyler had an illicit sexual relationship with her when she was a teenager is now suing the Aerosmith frontman for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawsuit brought by Julia Misley was filed Tuesday under a 2019 California law that gave adult victims of childhood sexual assault a three-year window to file lawsuits for decades-old instances of assault. While the lawsuit doesn’t name Tyler, Misley identified him by name in the statement, issued through the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates. Some of the abuse occurred in Los Angeles County, the lawsuit said. Steven Tyler performs with Aerosmith in Los Angeles in 1978.

☆ Jo Mersa Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson, dies at 31
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

MIAMI — Reggae musician Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson and Stephen Marley’s son, has died at 31. His representative confirmed his death to Rolling Stone on Tuesday but a cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Born in Jamaica and raised in Miami, Marley followed in his family’s musical footsteps, taking the stage with his family’s band, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. Jo Mersa Marley spoke of how music enveloped his upbringing in a previous interview with Rolling Stone. “My plan is to do something new with my roots.”News of Marley’s death elicited mourning on social media, including a post from Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

☆ A man was given the death penalty after footage of him being roasted in jail by Comedy Central's Jeff Ross was used in his sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Comedy Central roast is at the heart of a death row appeal heading to the US Supreme Court. 2015 footage of Jeff Ross roasting Texas jail inmates was used at a murder convict's sentencing. The inmate's lawyers say the footage shouldn't have been used and impacted the sentence. Comedian Jeff Ross talks to Conan O'Brien in 2015 about his Comedy Central roast of jail inmates. But Hall's lawyers say this still contravened his "no contact" order and was done without prior legal advice, ultimately arguing it violates Hall's Sixth Amendment rights.

A jury found rapper Tory Lanez guilty Friday of all charges in the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion outside a Los Angeles party. Tory Lanez, Megan Thee Stallion. APIn a statement following the verdict, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón commended Megan Thee Stallion for her "bravery." Alex Spiro, an attorney for Megan Thee Stallion, said in a statement, "The jury got it right. In her testimony, Megan Thee Stallion said Lanez offered her $1 million to keep quiet about the shooting.

☆ Adidas is stuck with Yeezy sneakers worth more than $500 million after parting ways with Kanye West, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Adidas is stuck with Yeezy stock worth about $530 million, the Financial Times reported. Yeezy accounted for around 7% of Adidas sales this year, per the FT.Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Yeezy accounted for about 7% of Adidas sales this year to the value of 1.7 billion euros ($1.8 billion), the newspaper said. Several other companies dropped Yeezy products from their stores as a result of West's comments, including Balenciaga, Gap and Footlocker. Last month Adidas announced it was investigating West, also known as Ye, following a Rolling Stone report that said he'd acted inappropriately around Yeezy staff.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)A jury found rapper Tory Lanez guilty Friday of all charges in the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion outside a Los Angeles party. In a statement following the verdict, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón commended Megan Thee Stallion for her "bravery." Alex Spiro, an attorney for Megan Thee Stallion, said in a statement, "The jury got it right. In her testimony, Megan Thee Stallion said Lanez offered her $1 million to keep quiet about the shooting. She said that Lanez had ordered the women to exit the SUV, and Megan Thee Stallion was walking away when the first shots were fired.

☆ Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gets green light for first orbital space launch from UK — and will use a repurposed Boeing 747 for the mission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit gained a license for the first orbital space launch from the UK. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK's space regulator, announced in a statement on Wednesday that Virgin Orbit was permitted to launch from Spaceport Cornwall in southern England. Issuing the final license to Virgin Orbit for the UK's first orbital satellite launch was another "major milestone," the CAA said in the statement. Virgin Orbit didn't respond to Insider's request for comment about the new launch date. Virgin Orbit has named the mission "Start Me Up" after a song by The Rolling Stones.

☆ Elon Musk reinstates journalists who were suspended from Twitter after conducting a poll about how to handle accounts that 'doxxed' his location
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter on Thursday suspended accounts belonging to several journalists who cover Elon Musk. As of Friday evening, accounts belonging to several journalists had been reinstated. A day prior, the company had suspended accounts run by college student Jack Sweeney — including one that tracked Musk's private jet — and announced new privacy rules. Musk conducted a Twitter poll Thursday asking his followers when he should "Unsuspend accounts who doxxed my exact location in real-time," with the options being "Now" or "In 7 days." At the time of publication, accounts belonging to O'Sullivan, Rupar, Mac, Harwell, and Webster had all been reinstated.

☆ Michael Cohen says Donald Trump 'doesn't care' that Ivanka's family is Jewish and he will not denounce Kanye West's antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Michael Cohen said that Donald Trump won't apologize for failing to condemn Kanye West. The former president "doesn't care" that his daughter's family is Jewish, Cohen said on MSNBC. Cohen was asked about a Rolling Stone article that said Jewish Republicans are "begging" Trump to denounce Ye. Cohen responded: "He doesn't care that Ivanka married Jared, doesn't care that Ivanka converted. Cohen said Trump would not apologize for failing to condemn Ye because he "can't even acknowledge fault."

☆ Newsletter writer Matt Taibbi got access to Twitter's internal systems like Slack as Elon Musk continues his 'Twitter Files' campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter CEO Elon Musk gave newsletter writer Matt Taibbi access to internal company tools. Taibbi is part of Musk's release of internal content moderation decisions dubbed "Twitter Files." Conservative commentator Bari Weiss was previously given access to company systems. Newsletter writer Matt Taibbi now has access to internal Twitter systems amid CEO Elon Musk's continued release of the "Twitter Files," or internal information about the company's past content moderation decisions. Last weekend, Taibbi was the first to begin tweeting about what Musk dubbed the "Twitter Files."

☆ A Christian minister testified that he was involved in decades-long efforts to influence the Supreme Court: 'We pushed the boundaries of Christian ethics'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An evangelical Christian minister testified he was involved in an effort to influence Supreme Court justices' thinking. Robert Schenck told a congressional panel that he gained advance knowledge of a 2014 Supreme Court ruling. "I believe we pushed the boundaries of Christian ethics and comprised the high court's promise to administer equal justice," Schenck said. The allegations have prompted renewed calls from Democratic lawmakers for the Supreme Court justices to abide by an ethics code. "I don't believe a thing Mr. Schneck says," Paoletta, a former clerk for Justice Thomas, told the committee.

A lawsuit filed Monday in New York City alleges that Hollywood writer-director James Toback is a “serial sexual predator” who targeted and abused dozens of women over decades while often saying he wanted to cast them in his films. The Harvard Club of New York City, where the suit alleges Toback "lured" several of the women, is also named as a defendant. In some cases cited in the suit, Toback allegedly blocked women from escaping or chased them when they fled before sexually assaulting them. In several instances include in the suit, Toback allegedly masturbated in front of the women or on them, and penetrated them without their consent. The 89-page suit alleges assault, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.

☆ Shein tells suppliers to end long working days at factories by end of the month
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In October, the UK’s Channel 4 broadcast a documentary that made allegations of labor exploitation against two of Shein’s factory suppliers in China. In its statement, Shein said audits carried out by independent experts had refuted most of the allegations. But the investigation showed that workers at two of its suppliers were working longer hours than allowed under local rules. Employees at one factory were working a maximum of 13.5 hours per day, with at least two to three days off per month, the statement claimed. At another factory, staff were found to be working 12.5 hours a day with no fixed schedule for days off.

☆ Herschel Walker says Obama did not tell the 'whole story' when the former president joked about the GOP senate candidate's interest in werewolves and vampires
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Taylor Ardrey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Walker said that Obama did not tell the whole story after making a joke about his interest in werewolves and vampires. Obama recently made a joke about it during a rally in Georgia which didn't sit well with Walker. Obama took a jab a Walker during a rally on Friday supporting Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock before the Senate runoff election. Like whether it's better to be a vampire or a werewolf," Obama joked as the audience laughed. During a November speech in McDonough, Georgia, Walker went on involving the mythical creatures, which quickly turned into a gaffe.

☆ Ron DeSantis is strategically holding back from picking a fight with Trump, DeSantis ally and longtime GOP donor says: Rolling Stone
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ron DeSantis and his team are strategically avoiding attacks on Trump, per a GOP donor. Dan Eberhart told Rolling Stone he's been told to hold back from attacking Trump. Ron DeSantis' team is strategically holding back from picking a fight with former President Donald Trump, per a new Rolling Stone report. "My understanding is that the DeSantis team doesn't see upside in kicking off the fight with Trump this early, even if it may be inevitable," Eberhart told Rolling Stone. At a November 16 press conference, DeSantis told people to "chill out" about a possible GOP civil war between him and the former president.

☆ Inside Stevie Nicks' and Christine McVie's decades-long friendship
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

At a concert in London, shortly before McVie officially rejoined the band, Nicks dedicated the song “Landslide” to her “mentor. “It was critical that I got on with her because I’d never played with another girl,” McVie told the Guardian in 2013. She officially rejoined Fleetwood Mac after calling Fleetwood himself and gauging what her return would mean for the group. In 2015, a year after she’d rejoined Fleetwood Mac, McVie hit the road with her bandmates. Christine McVie (left) and Stevie Nicks perform together at Radio City Music Hall in 2018.

☆ Adidas discussed buying the Yeezy name from Kanye West in 2018 to avoid staff being exposed to the rapper, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Execs suggested spinning off the Yeezy brand or even buying the trademark outright in 2018, per the report. Staff told the WSJ that Ye made anti-Semitic comments and watched pornography at work. Under the deal, Ye licensed the trademark to Adidas for a 15% share of the sales, per The Journal. Since Adidas ended its relationship with Ye, current and former workers have spoken out about how Ye interacted with staff there. This includes a bombshell report by Rolling Stone, in which former Yeezy and Adidas staff said that the sportswear company had ignored complaints of the rapper's alleged misconduct.

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