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☆ Ukraine reports small gains in early stages of counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It does not provide similar detail about fighting on the southern front where the main counteroffensive is expected. However, some prominent Russian military bloggers indicated that Ukrainian forces had taken Blahodatne and Neskuchne, although they said fighting for Makarivka was continuing. It is almost certainly far too early to draw conclusions about the fate of the counteroffensive from early skirmishes that may be more about testing Russian defences than pursuing a major advance. "When we see large, armoured formations join the assault, then I think we’ll know the main attack has really begun." But Yevgeny Prigozhin, the increasing recalcitrant and voluble leader of the Wagner militia, which captured Bakhmut from Ukrainian forces after almost a year of attritional fighting, said on Sunday he would refuse to sign.

Persons: Read, Makarivka, Ben Hodges, Vladimir Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmat, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Bakhmut, Sergei Shoigu, Pavel Polityuk, Tom Balmforth, Anna Pruchnicka, Lidia Kelly, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff Organizations: Ukrainian, Reuters, Brigade, Marines, Washington -, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, KYIV, Kyiv, Storozheve, Azov, Crimea, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Bilohorivka, Moscow, U.S, Europe, Washington, Russia, Chechnya, Caucasus, Maryinka, Gdansk, Melbourne

☆ A Bipartisan Gun Control Measure - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Gordon Witkin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The law expands the gun purchase prohibition for people convicted of domestic violence or subject to a restraining order to include dating partners, not just people married to or living with the victim. Reformers applauded this closing of the boyfriend loophole, but the worry is that many criminal history records don’t clarify whether such relationships existed. Some of the families sued in 2018 after the Air Force admitted it had not reported the violent history of the gunman, Devin Kelley, including a 2012 conviction for domestic assault, to the NICS system. A more basic NICS flaw involves simply identifying the prospective gun buyer. I’ll stipulate that for successful purchasers, all traces of the search would need to be destroyed immediately to satisfy privacy concerns.

☆ Her son said his stepdad was sexually abusive. A judge gave the stepdad custody anyway. Then she found the photographs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Olivia Gentile | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +58 min

Robert confronted Winenger with the allegations that November, and within weeks Winenger denied the claims in family court. In a family court hearing in Vista, California, on October 28, 2021, Commissioner Patti Ratekin chastised Jill Montes for allegedly alienating her kids from her ex-husband. From a list provided by the Delaware Family Court, Kelly chose a psychologist, William Northey. Their father cited the report in asking a Delaware family court judge to order the boys to change schools. Family Court of the State of Delaware, New Castle CountyCiting the email and a subsequent report, Michael pressed Ostroski to order the transfer.

Persons: he'd, Robert, stepdad, Thomas Winenger, Winenger, Robert's, Jill Montes, Montes, Patti Ratekin, she'd, Ratekin, Richard Gardner, Gardner, Lynn Steinberg, she's, Maya, shrieks, Joan Meier, They'd, —, Meier, Tom Brenner, Paige, Maggie Shannon, Claire, Eden, Weeks, Hester Prynne, Mitra Sarkhosh, Sarkhosh, San Diego Robert, Tom Winenger, Tamatha Clemens, Miguel Alvarez, Alvarez, overreact, Alvarez didn't, Bridges, Janell Ostroski, Linda Gottlieb, Ostroski, Michael D, Ashton, Alfield Reeves, Michael, Kelly D, Kelly, who've, Randy Rand, Chris, Rand, he's, Rand isn't, Jane Shatz of, Joann Murphey, Murphey, Steinberg, Ally Toyos, Kit R, Toyos, Emily, Richard Warshak, Elizabeth Loftus, Harvey Weinstein's, Loftus, Hannah Rodriguez, Linda Gottlieb's, Gottlieb, Rodriguez, Yvonne Parnell, Brian Ludmer, Ludmer, Parnell, aren't, Daniel Barrozo, Mom, Jean Mercer, Mercer, who'd, Michael Saini, Saini, Hannah Yoon, — Ashton, Judge Ostroski, William Northey, Northey, O, Addie Asay, mistreating Ashton, Rachel Brandenburg, Brandenburg, I've, Michael's, Gardner's, Gardner dosed, Dr, Paul Fink, Fink, Warshak, William Bernet, Patrick Clancy, doesn't, She'd, Brian Fitzpatrick, Sen, Susan Rubio, Meier's, Rebecca Connolly, didn't, Connolly, Heidi Simonson, Rubio, Theresa Manzella Organizations: Investigations, San, Business, Child Welfare, of, American Psychiatric Association, World Health Organization, American Professional Society, George Washington University, Violence Law, George Washington University Law School, Columbia University, PAS, Sarkhosh, San Diego County Sheriff's Department, California Health, Welfare Agency, Psychology, Bridges, Texas, Roane, Stockton University, University of Toronto, Families, Delaware Family Court, Family, Delaware Family, Association of Family, Conciliation, Newsday, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, HarperCollins, Family Bridges, Vanderbilt University, Disorders, The Justice Department, WHO, of Social Welfare, Family Law, Winenger, Montes, Superior Locations: San Diego County, Vista , California, of California, Family Bridges, United States, Santa Cruz , California, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, toddlerhood, Ratekin, San, California, Eden, New Castle County , Delaware, New York, Ashton, Delaware, Jane Shatz of California, Seattle, Southern California, Texas, Kansas, Toyos, Bozeman , Montana, Family, Tampa , Florida, New, Hudson Valley, Chino , California, Wilmington , Delaware, of Delaware, New Castle County, Denver, Washington, Pennsylvania, Susan Rubio of Los Angeles County, statehouses, Watsonville , California, Santa Cruz, Michigan , Kansas, Utah, Colorado, Montana

☆ A Queer Punk Vaudevillian’s Surreal Take on ‘Titanic’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Melena Ryzik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In some ways, turning the movie “Titanic” into a farce about climate change makes a lot of narrative sense. In other ways, “Titanic Depression,” a new multimedia performance, could only have come from the madcap brain of Dynasty Handbag, the queer vaudevillian with punk origins and questionable taste in unitards. The 1997 movie was a blockbuster, sure, but Dynasty Handbag’s vision may be even more epic than James Cameron’s. Billy Zane’s villainous snob is replaced by a dildo in a black loafer. And Dynasty Handbag, the alter ego of the artist Jibz Cameron, inhabits all the parts.

☆ Moscow's 'special' forces: An inside look at how Russia's famed Spetsnaz really operate
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Mark Galeotti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Russia's Spetsnaz forces are often depicted as a kind of Russian super troops. Osprey PublishingMost countries' special forces emphasize physical fitness, determination and aggression. Special people, for special tasksMembers of the Russian military's 16th Separate Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in 2018. Even so, being better than most of the Soviet army's miserable and recalcitrant conscript forces did not make most of them truly special, special forces. The special operations commandMembers of Russian's 22nd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade during an exercise in November 2017.

☆ The Real Debt Limit Fight Is Yet to Come
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Wednesday did what many of them vowed they never would: They voted to raise the federal debt ceiling. “It sucks,” said Representative Lauren Boebert, a hard-right Republican from Colorado whose vote was carefully watched as party leaders squeezed recalcitrant lawmakers. “But you gotta do what you gotta do.”As a reward for their begrudging support of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s call for legislation he said would strengthen his bargaining power against President Biden, right-wing conservatives earned the chance to take another debt limit vote sometime this summer. But the next one could be on legislation lacking the budget cuts and policy rollbacks that many Republicans demanded to barely nudge this doomed plan over the top. It also made clear that some combination of Democratic and Republican votes would ultimately be required to raise the debt limit to avert a fiscal catastrophe.

☆ Nokia says draft EU patent rules one-sided, will undermine Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, April 25 (Reuters) - EU draft rules aimed at staving off spats over patents essential to key technologies for telecoms equipment and connected cars appear to put the onus and cost on patent owners, which could undermine Europe's leadership in such areas, Nokia said. Under the proposal seen by Reuters, patent holders are required to register their patents with the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) if they want to charge patent fees or take legal action. The proposal is unbalanced and ignores a key problem for patent owners, said Nokia's (NOKIA.HE) head of IP policy Collette Rawnsley. "The leaked draft regulation appears one-sided with additional obligations, burdens and costs falling on SEP owners rather than implementers," she told Reuters in an interview. She said Europe, currently home to leaders in cellular standards, could even lose its lead under the draft rules.

☆ Opinion | Republicans Did Something Most People Don’t Like, So They’re Changing the Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jamelle Bouie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

There’s still room for innovation, however, and in the past year Republicans have opened new fronts in the war for minority rule. One element in these campaigns, an aggressive battle to limit the reach of the referendum process, stands out in particular. It’s an abrupt change from earlier decades, when Republicans used referendums to build support and enthusiasm among their voters on both social and economic issues. If they get their way, the measure could go to voters in an August special election (previously, Ohio Republicans had opposed August special elections). One proposal would require 60 percent of the vote; the other two would require a two-thirds vote.

☆ How Putin spent 20 years rebuilding Russia's military 'and then just simply destroyed it' in Ukraine, according to an expert who watched it happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Vladimir Putin has spent his two decades in power rebuilding and reforming Russia's military. Below, Galeotti describes those reforms, what they achieved, and how, in a devastating war in Ukraine, Putin has squandered the military he built. IGOR SAREMBO/AFP via Getty ImagesWhen Putin came to power at the end of the 1990s, what was the state of the Russian military? How did the Russian military underperform in that conflict in Georgia? What did those conflicts show about the capabilities of the Russian military and about the impact of those reforms?

☆ The Willow Oil Test for Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Biden says the only barrier to more U.S. oil production is recalcitrant drillers. Ok, Mr. President, then are you going to approve Alaska’s Willow project? ConocoPhillips acquired its first Willow leases in 1999 in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A), an area the size of Indiana that Congress specifically set aside for oil development. It’s the largest pending oil and gas project in the U.S., with expected production of 180,000 barrels of oil a day, and 600 million over 30 years.

☆ Inflation is doing a crab walk and Fed officials fear its pinch
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Some background: The Covid-19 crisis triggered a sudden shift in student loan policy and a new openness to forgiveness. About 40% of those with federal student loan debt would have a zero balance; even more would have a much smaller monthly payment. But, “if payments resume without debt relief, we expect both student loan default and delinquencies to rise and potentially surpass pre-pandemic levels,” warned Fed researchers. Those missed payments suggest that some federal student loan borrowers are having trouble meeting their monthly debt obligations. “We expect these delinquency patterns to worsen if federal student loan payments resume without relief,” said the report.

☆ Iranian Nationalists Reject the Regime
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Reuel Marc Gerecht | Ray Takeyh | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

In Washington’s liberal foreign-policy circles, it has long been accepted that any significant foreign military action against Iran would be counterproductive. Iranian nationalism would kick into gear, turning opponents of the regime into angry patriots. Iranian hard-liners would become more recalcitrant, foreclosing the possibility of reform. But 44 years after the Islamic revolution, it’s no longer true that Iranian nationalists support the status quo. The mullahs have done much to anger the Iranian people since 1979 and little to win them over.

☆ Explainer: Why Kosovo's stand-off with Serbs goes on 15 years after statehood
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Serbs in north Kosovo vent their rejectionism by refusing to pay the state utility for energy they use and often attacking police who try to make arrests. North Kosovo Serbs on Dec. 10 erected multiple roadblocks and exchanged fire with police after a former Serb policeman was arrested for allegedly assaulting serving police officers during a previous protest. But with nationalist hardliners powerful on both sides, not least among north Kosovo Serbs, no breakthrough is on the horizon. The area of north Kosovo where Serbs form a majority is in important ways a virtual extension of Serbia. Local Serbs fear that once fully integrated within Kosovo they could lose benefits such as Serbia's free public healthcare and be forced onto Kosovo's private healthcare system.

☆ ‘M3gan’ Review: She Walks, Talks and Kills
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Kyle Smith | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

In “M3gan,” the titular gadget—a “Model 3 Generative Android” that looks like the lost Olsen sister—teaches a little girl proper bathroom procedure with military rigor while the kid’s guardian occupies herself with more diverting activities. All things considered, some parents might be willing to overlook the cuddly robot’s shortcomings, such as a sarcastic streak and a tendency to commit homicide. “M3gan,” a mildly scary movie built around a valid underlying fear, became a social-media phenomenon months before it was released thanks to the killer dance moves exhibited by its title figure. Bored by the demands of a small child and pressured by her volcanically demanding boss ( Ronny Chieng ) to create a next-level toy, Gemma solves both problems by programming a lifelike ambulatory doll that, learning from feedback, can read emotions and take part in spontaneous conversations exhibiting real emotional intelligence. Within a distressingly short period of time, however, M3gan starts to turn self-aware, posing questions like, “Will I die?”

And while it’s still possible that some other modest pieces of legislation can be brought to a vote and passed in the House, the political dynamics inside the House GOP will make even the most milquetoast bipartisan and nonideological issues difficult to pass. Just for context — it’s been 100 years since an incoming House has failed to elect a speaker on its first roll call. It’s one that may, in fact, match the former president in malevolency and outpace him in ineptitude. Just look at what has taken place over the last several weeks in the lead-up to this week as Freedom Caucus members have been jockeying for power. To win enough votes for speaker, McCarthy has been hard at work horse-trading with the extreme right wing of his party to secure his speakership.

☆ Meta faces exsanguination by small fines
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Another day, another European fine for Meta Platforms (META.O). The social network was penalized nearly $800 million last year in a series of charges for data breaches and privacy violations. Ireland’s data privacy regulator on Wednesday fined Meta $419 million for improperly serving personalized ads without what it considered sufficient consent. In addition to the fines levied to date, the Irish regulator has another 11 inquiries open into Meta’s services. Meta can perhaps avoid these and appeals could reduce fines.

☆ From the sinking of the Titanic to the 9/11 commission: Here's where January 6 committee will go down in history
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The House January 6 committee has begun to wrap up its lengthy investigation into the Capitol riot. The probe will go down in history for its damning portrayal of the final days of the Trump White House. But it is far from the only congressional investigation that will be remembered. But this is far from the first major congressional investigation. Here's a look back at some of the most notorious and influential probes in Congress' history:

☆ Suicide prevention: Signs, risk factors and how to help
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Suicide is a leading cause of death among children and adults, but spotting risk factors and warning signs isn’t easy. Here are some of the most common behavioral, verbal and emotional signs and risk factors you should pay attention to, according to experts. Mood and other risk factorsPsychological factors, distressing situations or genetics can increase the likelihood of someone considering, attempting or dying by suicide, according to SAMHSA. These risk factors can’t cause or predict a suicide attempt, but being aware of them is important, according to SAMHSA:Hopelessness. “You’re not going to cause someone to be suicidal by asking directly about suicide,” Baker said.

☆ China’s Stock Rally Is Still Vulnerable
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Jacky Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The long-awaited shift away from China’s zero-Covid policy, forced upon the recalcitrant leadership by unhappy citizens, will lift long-suffering Chinese stocks. But how far the rally goes will depend on whether China’s reopening revives the housing market, too—and just how bad the nation’s Covid “exit wave” turns out to be. Some major cities, including Beijing, have eased Covid suppression policies, including some curbs on citizens’ movements and testing requirements, even though case numbers remain high. The government is also making a renewed push to vaccinate China’s elderly after the vaccination drive lost steam midyear. Last week China’s leader, Xi Jinping , told visiting European officials that the virus is less lethal than in the past.

☆ Fact Check-‘Tweet’ suggesting Musk will buy Snapchat is fabricated
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Social media users have been sharing a fabricated image that appears to show a Twitter message from billionaire Elon Musk saying that he will buy Snapchat. An advanced search of Musk’s Twitter feed showed no evidence that he had posted any such remark (here)). A Google news search also showed no reports of Musk saying he would buy Snapchat (here). A screenshot of a tweet by Elon Musk saying he will buy Snapchat “next” is fabricated. Musk did not tweet that he would buy Snapchat.

ATHENS, Nov 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - There will be no joy if countries get help for climate damage from a fund promised at COP27, but the planet still fries. Call this a country’s “above average emissions“. When you run the numbers from 1992 to 2019, America is the biggest polluter, responsible for 44% of all the “above average emissions”. DYNAMIC FORMULAIt seems fair to look at above average emissions to date when judging who should pay for a current climate disaster, such as the flooding in Pakistan. If one froze the formula on the basis of above average emissions up to now, countries wouldn’t have an incentive to cut their pollution.

Appearing with Republicans in El Paso, Texas, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to resign for failing to secure the southern border. If Mayorkas does not resign, McCarthy warned, House Republicans will investigate him and his department to determine whether to launch impeachment proceedings. Our country may never recover from Secretary Mayorkas’s dereliction of duty,” said McCarthy, flanked by fellow House Republicans. Many conservatives who are withholding support are insisting that House Republicans impeach Mayorkas when they take power next year. In April," White House spokesman Ian Sams said in a tweet.

WASHINGTON — House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday easily defeated conservative Rep. Andy Biggs to win the GOP nomination for speaker of the House. The Arizona Republican and former leader of the far-right, Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus did not announce that he would challenge McCarthy until Monday night. "Minority Leader McCarthy does not have the votes needed to become the next Speaker of the House and his speakership should not be a foregone conclusion," Biggs said in a statement. Former President Donald Trump, who is expected to announce a 2024 presidential bid later Tuesday, has endorsed his longtime ally, McCarthy, for speaker. So has Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a Freedom Caucus member who is enormously popular among grassroots conservatives.

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Over 100 U.S. environmental groups on Monday urged top U.S. climate diplomat John Kerry to support the creation of a fund that would compensate countries that have experienced economic and physical loss from climate change, a key demand of vulnerable countries at the upcoming COP27 climate summit in Egypt. The United States and European Union, the world's third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, are facing pressure from lower-income nations to soften their long-standing resistance to compensation for the "loss and damage" wrought by floods, rising seas and other climate change-fueled impacts. "We also think you need to examine the existing institutions and see what the what the gaps are." Egypt, host of the United Nations' climate negotiations, has appointed the environment ministers of Chile and Germany to come up with a plan for including the controversial loss and damage topic on the formal summit agenda. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: Does Trump have to comply with the Jan. 6 committee subpoena?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Andy Sullivan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterNevertheless, the subpoena will add to Trump's growing list of legal woes. An 1857 law says failure to comply with a congressional subpoena for testimony or documents is punishable by one to 12 months imprisonment. Another former Trump adviser, Peter Navarro, has also been charged with contempt of Congress and faces trial in November. Federal prosecutors have opted not to charge two other former Trump aides, Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino, after the House voted to hold them in contempt. Senior Democratic lawmakers discussed invoking inherent contempt during Trump's two impeachment trials, issuing daily fines instead of imprisoning witnesses.

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