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☆ Who is Travis King, and what comes next for the US soldier in North Korea?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Picture of Travis King, the US soldier who ran across the military demarcation line into North Korea on Tuesday July 18. From Travis King/FacebookThe day before he crossed into North Korea, King was supposed to board a flight to Texas, where he was to face disciplinary procedures. The last American known to be held by North Korea was Bruce Byron Lowrance, who, according to North Korean state media, crossed from China into North Korea in 2018. While in North Korea, he appeared in propaganda films, taught the country’s spies English and spent up to eight hours a day studying the writings of North Korean leaders. He was allowed to leave North Korea in 2004, two years after his Japanese wife, who was kidnapped from her home in Japan in 1978 and left North Korea under a deal between Pyongyang and Tokyo.

Persons: Travis King “, ”, King, Travis King, Bryce Dubee, Christine Wormuth, King “, ” Jaqueda, King’s, “, Claudine Gates, Jonathan Franks, Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, Trump, Kim, KCNA, Washington “, Private King, Bruce Byron Lowrance, Lowrance, Otto Warmbier, Warmbier, Charles Jenkins, Jenkins Organizations: South Korea CNN, Joint Security Area, North, US, CNN, 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat, Armored Division, Army, Incheon International, Aspen Security, South Korean, US Navy, Korean Central News Agency, U.S . Army, Washington, Private, Swedish Embassy, Central Intelligence Agency Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Korean, Korea, Fort Bliss , Texas, Texas, Incheon, United States, ” Jaqueda Gates, Pyongyang, Washington, Busan, Japan, North, Maryland, Swedish, China, American, Tokyo

☆ North Korea confirms custody of U.S. soldier Travis King, who crossed DMZ in July
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Phil Helsel | Mosheh Gains | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A U.S. soldier who had served in South Korea crossed the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas into North Korea without authorization. North Korea commented Tuesday for the first time about a U.S. soldier who ran into the isolated country's territory last month. North Korea also alleged that King said he decided to cross into North Korean territory. North Korea had offered a very brief response to United Nations officials about King, the Pentagon's spokesman said Aug. 1. North Korea has also six times conducted nuclear tests, which are also banned by the U.N.

Persons: KCNA, Travis King, Lloyd Austin, King, Jonathan Franks, Claudia Gates, Gates, today's, Travis, Franks, Martin Meiners, Private King, Meiners, Patrick Ryder, Ryder Organizations: Security Area, DPRK, Democratic People's, U.S . Army, Army, Korean Central News Agency, . Defense Department, Private, United Nations, Pentagon, Air Force, Command, Joint Security Agency, United Nations Command, North Locations: Paju, South Korea, U.S, North Korea, Panmunjom, Korea, Korean, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North, DPRK, KCNA

☆ Inflation may be cooling — but drivers can’t seem to catch a break
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Another hefty expense is car insurance, up 17.8% from a year ago. Car repairs and car insurance were the second- and third-largest annual price increases, respectively, tracked by the CPI. Paul Baxter, a mechanic who owns Bullet Proof Off-Road & Auto, a car repair shop in Mesa, Arizona, said he’s paying 30% more for car parts compared to before the pandemic. To keep the lights on, he marks up car parts he sells to customers by 20% to 30%, he told CNN. Paul Baxter, who opened his auto shop in 2016, has had to raise prices due to the rising cost of car parts.

Persons: there’s, Hunter Scott, Scott, ” Scott, they’re, Pam Franks, “, haven’t, ” Franks, Roszell, Kristin Brocoff, hasn’t, CarMD, Paul Baxter, Baxter hasn’t, Paul Baxter Baxter, Baxter, who’s, ”, Ted Canty, Canty, he’s, we’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, Navy, Craigslist, Metro, CNN, Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI, Farm, Toyota, state’s Department of Insurance, P Global, Auto, FedEx, Social Security, Volkswagen, Security Locations: New York, Arlington , Virginia, Washington , DC, Washington, DC, skyrocket, Louisiana, Pineville , Louisiana, United States, Mesa , Arizona, Wimauma , Florida

☆ Trevor Reed: Former US Marine who was released by Russia in prisoner swap injured while fighting in Ukraine, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Trevor Reed, the former US Marine who was wrongfully detained in Russia for nearly three years before being released in a prisoner swap, was injured while fighting in Ukraine, a source familiar with the matter told CNN Tuesday. Reed, who was freed in a prisoner swap in April 2022, was transported to a hospital in Kyiv and was evacuated to Germany for medical care, the source said. A US official told CNN that Reed is being treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a US military hospital near Ramstein Air Base. Reed and his family denied the charges against him, and he was designated as wrongfully detained by the US State Department. It was ultimately secured through a prisoner swap for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian smuggler convicted of conspiring to import cocaine.

Persons: Trevor Reed, Reed, Vedant Patel, Patel, Reed “, ”, ” Patel, Jonathan Franks, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Matt, Carstens, ” “ You’ve, Konstantin Yaroshenko Organizations: CNN, US Marine, ”, Department, Landstuhl Regional Medical, Ramstein Air Base, Russian Federation, US State Department Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Germany, Ramstein, Moscow

☆ Asia’s best bars for 2023 announced
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Asia comprises about 30% of the world’s land mass. In addition to ranking the top 50, the 50 Best organization – which also rates restaurants and, soon, hotels – acknowledged “best in destination” prizes for bars that were the highest rated from their country, city or region. It was his first-ever visit to Hong Kong. 50 Best/William ReedAsia’s 50 Best Bars 20231. COA (Hong Kong)2.

Persons: Jay Khan, Ernest Hemingway, Beckaly Franks, Hong Kong's, William Reed, Hong Konger, ”, Franks, “, Rohan Matmary, Trigona’s, Matmary, Singapore’s, Khan, Ajit Gurung, “ We’re, William Reed Asia’s, Aubrey Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Pontiac, Native American, CNN Travel, Bars Academy, BKK Social, Tropic, Sago, Cham, SG, Analogue Initiative, Chamber, Employees, Southside, Hope, Sesame, House Locations: Hong Kong, Hong Kong CNN — Asia, Asia, Hong, American, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Tropic City, Taipei, Vesper, Republic, Delhi, Jakarta, Manhattan, Pantja, Manila, Mumbai, Copitas, Bengaluru, Guangzhou, Vender, Taichung, Kyoto

☆ VP Harris meets with labor and rights groups to discuss threats from A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Broadband Event at the White House in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2023. "It is a false choice to suggest that we either can advance innovation, or we protect consumers," Harris said. "We should not dampen or in any way slow down innovation that can improve the condition of people's lives," Harris said. The meeting Wednesday includes groups that advocate on behalf of specific populations or on digital rights issues. Harris said the group would discuss transparency in AI, so the public can understand what is going into these systems and how they make decisions.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Harris, Alexandra Reeve Givens, Technology Harlan Yu, Janet Murguia, UnidosUS Jo Ann Jenkins, Lisa Rice, Liz Shuler, Mary Anne Franks, Wiley, Sneha Revanur, Susan Henderson, Chuck Schumer, Sam Altman Organizations: White, Washington , D.C, White House, for Democracy, Technology, Fair Housing, AFL, Cyber Civil, Conference, Civil, Rights Education, Defense, Microsoft, Google Locations: Washington ,, U.S

☆ Hot dog-eater Joey Chestnut wins July Fourth title with 62 franks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Amr AlfikyJuly 4 (Reuters) - Reigning champion of the annual U.S. Fourth of July hot dog eating contest Joey Chestnut defended his title on Tuesday, clinching his 16th career win by scarfing down 62 franks in 10 minutes. The second place men's finisher, Geoff Esper of Oxford, Massachusetts, was far behind with 49 hot dogs consumed. Chestnut fell short of besting his world record - 76 hot dogs - which he achieved in 2021. She set the women's world record in 2020 with 48.5 hot dogs. Chestnut, by comparison, typically eats nine hot dogs in less than a minute.

Persons: Joey Chestnut, Amr Alfiky, scarfing, franks, Geoff Esper, Miki Sudo, Chestnut, Gabriella Borter, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, ESPN, York City, Thomson Locations: Coney, New York City, U.S, New York, Indiana, Oxford , Massachusetts, York

☆ What Starring in “Parade” Has Taught Me About Judaism and Racism. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Micaela Diamond | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

“Parade” speaks to historical antisemitism and mob violence, and it forces us to see how antisemitism and racism are inextricably linked, underscoring how the pursuit of justice fails in a broken judicial system. The only other person the police considered making a suspect in the murder was a Black man, the night watchman of the pencil factory. In the show, the prosecutor on the case has been instructed to deliver a quick conviction, and he casually states that hanging a Black man “ain’t enough this time. We gotta do better.” He knows that pinning the crime on a Jewish man will cast the outcome in a different light than pinning it on a Black man: He can knock the Jewish man down a peg, whereas the Black man’s social status has no farther to fall. A Black woman and a Jewish woman, undone by the same system, having a picnic.

Persons: I’m, Lucille, Leo, Minnie — Minola McKnight, Danielle Lee Greaves —, Franks ’ Black, She’s, Minnie, ”, Michael Arden Organizations: Broadway

☆ Oscar Mayer says goodbye to the historic Weinermobile. Next up: the Frankmobile.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

This week Oscar Mayer renamed its Weinermobile. "This month, we are introducing a tasty new recipe with a more balanced flavor profile and iconic beefy taste that is more flavorful than ever," an Oscar Mayer spokesperson told Insider. The original model was 13 feet long and was designed by the General Body Company of Chicago, Oscar Mayer says. A view of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile 75th anniversary at West 75th street in Manhattan. Photo by Rob Kim/Getty ImagesIn its current state, the Oscar Mayer initiative offers jobs to new college graduates to drive around the country and promote the brand.

☆ Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile is getting a new name
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile is driving off into the sunset. Oscar Mayer says the new Frankmobile name “pays homage” to the new recipe for its hot dogs rolling out this summer. The brand’s new recipe for hot dogs represents the first change to Oscar Mayer’s franks in six years. Oscar Mayer, owned by Kraft Heinz (KHC), has often used cheeky marketing tactics to attract attention to its packaged products. Kraft wrote down the value of its Kraft and Oscar Mayer brands in 2019 by $15 billion because consumers have shifted their preferences away from processed foods.

☆ Consumers are ‘retrenching.’ What that means for recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But for consumers, the lengthy spell in the crossfire of persistently high prices and rising interest rates has taken its toll. Inflation-adjusted consumer spending was flat in March, marking the fourth time in five months that expenditures held steady or declined. “Further deterioration in the job market — the last remaining leg propping up the consumer — is bound to accelerate the downshift in consumer spending in the coming months. Private label growth is one of six indicators that Allison tracks to determine a consumer recession. “If you ask the economists, ‘Are we in a recession?’ they’re going to say ‘No, we’re not in a recession,’” he said.

☆ Opinion: The untold story about Anne Frank’s hiding place
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Opinion Roy Schwartz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

British actors Bel Powley and Joe Cole play Miep and Jan, with Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank. Only Otto Frank survived. Anne Frank's (1929-1945) world famous diary charts two years of her life from 1942 to 1944, when her family were hiding in Amsterdam from German Nazis. Anne Frank has particularly been in the zeitgeist in recent years, with the 2021 French animated film “Where Is Anne Frank,” a magical retelling of her story loosely based on the 2018 graphic novel; the 2022 Dutch Netflix movie “My Best Friend Anne Frank,” based on the book “Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend”; the controversial, eventually pulled 2022 book “The Betrayal of Anne Frank”; and “After the Annex: Anne Frank, Auschwitz and Beyond,” coming out in May. While 89% have heard of Anne Frank, 32% don’t know she died in a concentration camp.

☆ Food at your favorite ballpark is probably going to be more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Sodexo Live, a food and hospitality company, says food inflation is also hitting the ballparkThose peanuts and Cracker Jacks may soon cost you more at the ballpark, thanks in part to food inflation, the CEO of a top hospitality company told CNBC. "It doesn't matter what industry you're in, everybody is noticing prices going up, and scarcity being an issue in certain product lines," said Belinda Oakley, Sodexo Live CEO. Still, higher costs have forced Sodexo Live to get creative with its menus and food selection. One big item that could see sticker shock: ballpark franks, which also happen to be a top-selling concessionary item for Sodoxo Live. Oakley cited higher supply chain costs, including packaging and labor, for driving up meat prices.

☆ Wisconsin man pleads guilty to role in plot to kidnap Michigan governor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 15 (Reuters) - A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a reduced charge for his role in a foiled plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, handing another victory to prosecutors who have viewed the scheme as domestic terrorism. Michigan prosecutors accused Brian Higgins, 54, of aiding the conspiracy by surveilling the Democratic governor's vacation home. As part of a plea deal, he admitted in Antrim County court that he attempted to provide material support for terrorism and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. Two other men, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks, pleaded guilty and cooperated with federal prosecutors. This month, Attorney General Nessel said she herself was among potential targets of a man who federal prosecutors say threatened to kill employees of the state of Michigan who are Jewish.

☆ A 50% rent increase? Record property demand in Dubai is creating a nightmare for some residents
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Beyond the property market, Dubai's economic boom is evident in everyday life. The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) area of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with the Burj Khalifa in the backdrop, Sept. 16, 2022. Property prices have, too — CBRE says that selling prices are up 11.5% on average in the year to February 2023. Christopher Pike | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAccording to CBRE's research, in the year through February 2023, average Dubai rents increased by 27.7%. In the meantime, no one expects property prices to ease up anytime soon.

☆ I used to work as a chef in Philadelphia. Here are the 12 restaurants I always recommend to first-time visitors.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Grace Kennedy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

I'm a Philadelphia native who used to work as a chef and baker in restaurants around the city. Philadelphia is known for its cheesesteaks, but it also has great Mexican, Italian, and Thai food. There are too many restaurants in Philadelphia worth trying to list them all here. However, these 12 restaurants are my tried-and-true favorites that every first-time visitor should try during a trip to Philadelphia. In my opinion, it serves some of the best Thai food in the country.

Russia has opened a criminal case against a United States citizen on suspicion of espionage, the country's Federal Security Service announced Thursday. The security service did not name the individual or say whether they had been taken into custody. "The American is suspected of collecting intelligence information on biological topics directed against the security of the Russian Federation," the security service said. Russia has so far refused to release Whelan, with the seriousness of espionage charges seen as a reason why. Last week, Russia released a U.S. citizen who had crossed into its Kaliningrad exclave weeks after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Russia releases U.S. Navy veteran into Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Russia on Thursday released a U.S. citizen who had crossed into its Kaliningrad exclave in the first weeks of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last February, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson, who met the man at the border in Poland, said in a statement. U.S. Navy veteran Taylor Dudley, 35, was backpacking in Europe when he crossed the Polish-Russian border in April, Jonathan Franks, a lawyer who represents families of Americans detained overseas, said in an email to reporters. Dudley’s circumstances while in Russia were unclear and his case had not been previously publicized. Kaliningrad is a Russian province sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania and is the headquarters of the Russian navy’s Baltic Fleet.

U.S. Navy veteran Taylor Dudley, 35, was backpacking in Europe when he crossed the Polish-Russian border in April, Jonathan Franks, a lawyer who represents families of Americans detained overseas, said in an email to reporters. Dudley's circumstances while in Russia were unclear and his case had not been previously publicized. "The negotiations and work to secure Taylor’s safe return were done discreetly and with engagement on the ground in both Moscow and Kaliningrad and with full support from Taylor’s family back in the United States," the Richardson Center said. A U.S. embassy representative in Warsaw was also present at Dudley's release, according to Franks, and the Richardson Center thanked U.S. officials, as well as businessman Steve Menzies, for helping secure Dudley's return. Kaliningrad is a Russian province sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania and is the headquarters of the Russian navy's Baltic Fleet.

☆ Rikers expert says Allen Weisselberg will get better treatment as a prominent Trump supporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Trump's ex-CFO, Allen Weisselberg, was sentenced Tuesday to five months in NYC's Rikers jail. Rikers guards love Trump and will give better treatment to Weisselberg, 75, one expert predicts. Being 75 years old and in the news will also help Weisselberg, predicted the expert, Five Mualimmak-Ak, a jail-reform activist and former detainee who visits Rikers frequently. "Ninety-percent of the guards are Trump supporters, even though most of them are Black and Latino women," said Mualimmak-Ak, program director for LIFE Camp, a city-based nonprofit. "So he'll get preferential treatment from the guards because he is a Trump supporter.

☆ The U.S. Navy’s Stranded Lieutenant
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Japan’s new defense strategy warns that Asia is facing the most challenging security environment since World War II. So it’s worth asking for Tokyo’s help in mending a growing rift by returning a U.S. Navy lieutenant locked up in a Japanese prison. Lt. Ridge Alkonis, assigned to the guided-missile destroyer the USS Benfold in Yokosuka, was driving his family back from a trip to Mt. Lt. Alkonis is a Mormon and doesn’t drink, and his wife and young children were in the car in broad daylight. Jonathan Franks , a spokesman for the family, says a Navy neurologist said that Lt. Alkonis had suffered acute mountain sickness.

☆ Convicted ringleader in Michigan governor kidnapping plot faces sentencing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Steve Gorman | Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 27 (Reuters) - The convicted leader of a foiled plot by members of right-wing militia groups to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faces a possible life term in prison when he is sentenced on Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Co-defendant Barry Croft Jr., another member of the Three Percenters militia group, was convicted of the same charges at the same trial and was scheduled for sentencing on Wednesday. Fox and Croft were among 13 men arrested in October 2020 on state or federal crimes in the kidnapping conspiracy. The same jury failed to reach a verdict for Fox and Croft, resulting in a mistrial for them. Two other men who pleaded guilty to kidnapping conspiracy charges testified for the prosecution at the first federal trial and during the retrial of Fox and Croft about four months later.

☆ Three of the men involved in the plot to kidnap Michigan governor sentenced to prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Musico was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in prison, followed by his son-in-law Morrison at 10 years and Bellar at seven. Judge Thomas Wilson presided over the first batch of convictions in state court, following the high-profile conspiracy convictions of four others in federal court. Bellar is clueless about any plot to kidnap the governor,” attorney Andrew Kirkpatrick said again in a court filing last week. Separately, in federal court in Grand Rapids, Fox and Croft face possible life sentences in two weeks. Two men who pleaded guilty received substantial breaks: Ty Garbin is free after a 2 1/2-year prison term while Kaleb Franks was given a four-year sentence.

☆ After Club Q attack, LGBT venues grapple with safety concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Kendall Allen holds a sign as she attends a vigil with her wife Kaycie Franks after a mass shooting at the Club Q LGBTQ nightclub, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., November 21, 2022. Those bars and other LGBT spaces around the country are again weighing how to keep their staff and patrons safe after a gunman killed five people and injured 17 more at an LGBT club in Colorado Springs. "It was definitely an eye-opening moment," said Eric Sosa, co-owner of C'mon Everybody and Good Judy in New York City. But as queer venues grapple with safety, several LGBT activists and club owners said no amount of security personnel or technology would protect them from the anti-LGBT rhetoric they blame for stoking such violence. Raimo still performs for adults, including a drag bingo night he was hosting on Tuesday at a Nashville gay bar.

That the WNBA star, who lost her appeal Tuesday, is a gay Black woman could add unknown variables to a penal system that is known to be remote and harrowing. “Conditions in prisons and detention centers varied but were often harsh and life threatening,” a 2021 State Department report on Russian human rights abuses said. “Russian prisons are grim, even relative to prisons in other countries. Prisoners were used for farming, mining or logging in sparsely populated areas of the country or worked in sweatshop conditions. It can often take weeks for prisoners to arrive at the prisons on prison trucks and specially designed train carriages called Stolypins.

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