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☆ Opinion | Why Authoritarians Like Saddam Hussein Confound U.S. Presidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Steve Coll | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

America committed its worst foreign policy mistake of the post-Cold War era when it invaded Iraq in 2003 to disarm Saddam Hussein of his supposed weapons of mass destruction. Another central question has rarely been examined: Why did Mr. Hussein sacrifice his long reign in power — and ultimately his life — by creating an impression that he held dangerous weapons when he did not? Mr. Hussein recorded his private leadership conversations as assiduously as Richard Nixon. He left behind about 2,000 hours of tape recordings as well as a vast archive of meeting minutes and presidential records. And they clarify the complicated matter of why he could not persuade U.N. inspectors, multiple spy agencies and many world leaders that he did not possess weapons of mass destruction.

Persons: America, Saddam Hussein, Biden, George W, Hussein, Richard Nixon, Bush Locations: Iraq, Iran, Washington, United States, China, Russia

☆ Opinion | Could Swifties or Trekkies Decide the Election?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Tolkien via social media for political action. But despite the good-natured skepticism, Sundberg said she understands and respects what the Working Families Party is trying to do. Social media is where many young voters live — about a third of adults under 30 regularly get news from TikTok, according to Pew Research. And turning out young voters who are otherwise not particularly politically engaged will be key to winning elections up and down the ballot in November. As Marcela Valdes explained this week for The New York Times Magazine, young voters tend to have low turnout rates.

Persons: Emily Sundberg, ”, Tolkien, What’s, Biden, Sundberg, Marcela Valdes Organizations: Working, Party, Pew Research, House, The New York Times Magazine, Center for Information, Research, Civic, Tufts University Locations: TikTok, Gen

☆ Supreme Court to decide Trump immunity claim, further delaying election subversion trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( John Fritze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to decide whether Donald Trump may claim immunity in special counsel Jack Smith’s election subversion case, adding another explosive appeal from the former president to its docket and further delaying his federal trial. The high court on Wednesday ordered that a lower court ruling against Trump remain on hold until it decides the issue. As is common when granting a case, the court released only a short order and did not indicate how the justices voted. Trump had filed an emergency request at the Supreme Court on February 12 asking the justices to block a lower court ruling that he was not immune from Smith’s election subversion charges. Trump and Smith filed dueling briefs at the Supreme Court over whether the decision should be put on hold.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith’s, Trump, It’s, Smith, SCOTUS, Steve Vladeck, “, ” Vladeck, ”, Vladeck, Tanya Chutkan, Trump’s, Karen LeCraft Henderson, Florence Pan, Michelle Childs, eviscerated, Gore, George W, Bush, Al Gore, CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, Supreme, Republican, Trump, DC Circuit, University of Texas School of Law Locations: New York, Bush

☆ The ultimate way to quietly flaunt your wealth is still the $995 white tank top from Prada
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Amanda Krause | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewI can almost guarantee that you own a white tank top. First debuting in 2022, Prada's signature white top is a lot like every other tank on the market. All Prada tank tops are also made entirely of cotton, according to the brand's website. Prada's tank top: the ultimate status symbolYou can't get more casual than a white tank top, so the style might not scream luxury when you first look at it. But even with a Prada logo stamped on the front, isn't a white tank top still just that?

Persons: —, Prada, that's, Miuccia Prada, Raf Simons, Victor Virgile, Kaia Gerber, Hunter Schafer, Tiziana Fabi, It's, There's, Prada Milano, Raimonda Kulikauskiene, Loewe, Miu Miu, what's, it's, Charli D'Amelio, Kendall Jenner, Ncuti, influencers, @dadouchic, it's Prada Organizations: Service, Target, Business, Prada, Vogue, Milan, prada, Harper's, MTV, Variety Locations: Italian, Milan

☆ How America’s once great department stores became a dying breed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

But department stores, focused on America’s middle class, are fading. The victims of shifting consumer tastes were not the department stores that anchored the local mall, it was the small, locally owned stores along downtown shopping districts that were closing their doors. And possibly even more than the big box competitors, department stores have suffered from consumers shifting to buying items online rather than in person. The steady closing of the department stores that once served as “anchors” of malls across suburban America has been another nail in the coffin of many malls, hurting the department stores that remained in hollowed-out malls with a fraction of their earlier traffic. Saunders said one of the primary problem for Macy’s is that its holding company, formerly known as Federated Department Stores, spent much of its resources on buying other department store brands, such May’s Department Stores, and Filene’s, rather than investing in the stores its held.

Persons: New York CNN —, Neil Sauders, ”, JC Penney, It’s, “, Neil Saunders, Shannon Stapleton, Saunders, ” Saunders, Al Bello, Sunny Zheng, Macy’s, Tony Spring, Taylor, Brian Snyder, Eddie Lambert, Michael Brown, Kearney, ” Brown, Mike Segar, Richard W, Sears, Alvah Roebuck, Sears Roebuck, Bettmann, PhotoQuest, Jack Manning, Frank Scherschel, Owen, Lucille Jagusch, Arlene Hardt, Martin Luther King Jr, Michael Ochs, Ron Frehm, Ralf, Finn Hestoft, Mark Peterson, Seth Meyers, Hugh Jackman, NBCUniversal, Kaylin Wilson, Jim Cole, Rene Johnston, Maria Alejandra Cardona, Scott Olson, Cesar Villasenor, Mel Melcon, Sarah Blesener, Paul Hennessy, Patti Naleck, Naleck, Stacey Wescott, Brown Organizations: New, New York CNN, American, Walmart, Company, Department, Sears, Target, GlobalData, JCPenney, Research, RadioShack, Reuters Sears, Federated Department Stores, May’s, Reuters, Chicago History, Sears Roebuck, Roebuck, Hulton, AP, AP Soldiers, Michael Ochs Archives, Getty, Bettmann, Kmart, Bloomberg, Toronto Star, Reuters Residents, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service Locations: New York, GlobalData, America, Nanuet , New York, North Redwood , Minnesota, Chicago, El Paso , Texas, Jackson , Mississippi, Tucson , Arizona, Caracas, Venezuela, Niles , Illinois, Morton Grove , Illinois, Baltimore, White Plains , New York, Woodfield , Illinois, Hicksville , New York, Nashua , New Hampshire, Mentor , Ohio, Mississauga , Ontario, Hialeah , Florida, Janesville , Wisconsin, Santa Monica , California, Rockaway , New Jersey, Leesburg , Florida, Schaumburg , Illinois

☆ God's Man in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +34 min

Trump's departure from the White House hasn't stopped him from using the old administration's star power to fuel Capitol Ministries' growth. But regardless of what happens this coming November, Capitol Ministries is quickly becoming the face of American GOP-style evangelicalism around the world. Other than Ralph's wife, Danielle, and a few members of Capitol Ministries' administrative staff, the room was almost entirely men. Rick Perry spoke to Drollinger at Capitol Ministries' global summit in Washington, DC. And yet, on the question of whether and why to support Israel, Drollinger was indeed looking to Revelation for answers.

Persons: Cheyne, —, He'd, Christ, Rick Perry, Cheriss, Trump, Mike Johnson —, Ralph Drollinger, Drollinger, Alex Acosta, Perry, Acosta, Mike Pompeo, Betsy DeVos, Sonny Perdue, Ben Carson, Jeff Sessions, hasn't, Danielle, you've, Donald Trump, Capitol Ministries doesn't, Samson, Matthew, didn't, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rick, I'm, Ralph Drollinger's, Daniel Ortega, Ralph, he'd, Washington —, Ortega, Douglas Coe, Maria Butina, Joe Biden, forbearance, Bruce Westerman, Bruce Westerman of, Glenn, Thompson, George Washington, Fame, Mike Johnson, Benjamin Netanyahu, Johnson, Washington, Moses, I've, Westerman, I'd, Netanyahu, God, that's, he's, we're, That's, Israel, King David, wilder, MAGA, David Barton, WallBuilders, doesn't, George W, Bush, Donald Trump's, Mattathias Schwartz Organizations: Hill Club, Business, Israel, Mmm, Christ, Capitol Ministries, Capitol Hill, Capitol Ministries Bible, Trump Cabinet, BI, GOP, Capitol, White, Capitol Ministries ', Trump, NBA, of Energy, Trump's, American GOP, Pacific, BI Drollinger, Capitol Hill Club, Washington Hilton, Senate, Training, Liberty, Gettysburg, Capitol Ministry, NPR, United States Congress, Washington Bible, Republican, Democratic, Times, Wall Street Journal, Brown University Locations: Washington , DC, Arkansas, Hebrew, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, United States, Texas, Washington, Seoul, Kathmandu, Iowa, Rwanda, Ukraine, Washington ,, Drollinger, Nicaragua, California, Nicaraguan, Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, schwartz79@protonmail.com

☆ Google's mission is organizing the world's information. Its 'woke' AI debacle prompted critics to say it's failing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewSince its inception, Google has had a mission statement that is now practically enshrined as lore: "To organize the world's information and make it accessible and useful." Its AI, critics say, risks suppressing information instead by being too "woke." AdvertisementGoogle's AI troublesGoogle has more than 90% of the search market, giving it dominant control over the world's information flow online. Advertisement"The original mission was to index all the world's information. In a blog published Friday, Google vice-president Prabhakar Raghavan acknowledged some of the images Gemini generated turned out to be "inaccurate or even offensive."

Persons: —, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Gemini, Peter Kafka, Adolf Hitler, Elon, David Sacks, Critics, Sam Altman, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, Bilal Zuberi, Brad Gerstner, Microsoft —, Elon Musk, OB1CCZHan3, Prabhakar Raghavan, overcorrected, Raghavan Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Craft Ventures, Lux Capital, Microsoft, Elon Locations: Menlo Park, AFP

☆ Why Zelensky’s plea will fall on many deaf Republican ears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —There is a simple reason why many Republicans will snub Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s desperate plea for billions of dollars in arms and ammunition. He told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in an interview in Kyiv Sunday that Republicans such as Trump ally Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance – who have been speaking out against more Ukraine aid – do not comprehend the stakes of the conflict. How Trump transformed the GOPThe Ukraine war funding showdown highlights how America’s domestic politics are already reverberating around the globe. The splits in the GOP over Ukraine were exposed last week when 26 Senate Republicans voted against the bill containing Israel and Ukraine aid while 22 backed it.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, It’s, Zelensky, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Ohio Sen, J.D, Vance –, –, ” Zelensky, Trump, Mitch McConnell, Vladimir Putin, Putin –, III, Biden –, Putin, Alexey Navalny, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, Bush, Matt Gaetz, ” Trump, Mike Johnson –, Biden, Johnson, ” Jake Sullivan, CNN’s Dana, •, • There’s, Vance, ” Vance, ’ ”, ” Zelensky –, CNN’s Collins, Avdiivka –, he’s Organizations: CNN, America, Republican, Kyiv Sunday, Trump, Ohio, GOP, NATO, Party, Trump Republicans, Conservative Political, Florida, Ukraine, White, Ukraine –, Munich, Conference, Republicans Locations: Europe, Russia, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv, Soviet, Washington, America, Mexico, “ State, South Carolina, European, China, Taiwan, Avdiivka, Israel, There’s

☆ Billionaires and A-listers pay me to plan their luxury vacations. For $150,000 a year, I get them into the best restaurants and hotels in the world.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Maria Noyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Read previewThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jaclyn Sienna India, the founder of the luxury travel concierge Sienna Charles. I wanted to take that elegance, knowledge, and personal service I learned in the restaurant and bring it to travel. Faking it until I made itI started my own travel concierge, Sienna Charles, 16 years ago. Before it had a name, we definitely had been practicing quiet luxury travel and hospitality. Sienna Charles specializes in "quiet luxury" travel.

Persons: —, Jaclyn Sienna India, Sienna Charles, Bec, Abercrombie, there's, it's, We're, we're, George W, Bush, Sienna Charles Many, I've, We've, Mariah Carey, we've, They've, Carbone, I'd, I'm, Jacqueline Sienna India, Sienna Charles ., Sienna Charles I Organizations: Service, Business, Gotham Magazine, Manhattan Magazine, Disney Locations: New Jersey, Kent, Paris, Ethiopia, Turkey, Los Angeles, New York City, Africa, Capri, Sicily, I'm, Europe

☆ Nikki Haley just got trounced in her home state. Here's what happened to 8 other politicians after similar defeats.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Nikki Haley isn't the first presidential hopeful to lose her home state. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley learned this the hard way after a drubbing in the South Carolina GOP presidential primary. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Nikki Haley isn't, Marco Rubio, Elizabeth Warren, —, Nikki Haley, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Haley Organizations: Service, Former UN, South Carolina GOP, Trump, Business Locations: Sens, George H.W ., Texas

☆ They Could Decide the 2024 Election. If They Vote.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Marcela Valdes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Elections, historically, are decided not only by those who cast votes but also by those who don’t. President George W. Bush edged out Al Gore in the 2000 election by 537 ballots in Florida. Yet there’s a case to be made that the five million Floridians who were eligible to vote in that election but did not were the ones who really tipped the balance. According to the University of Florida Election Lab, 44 percent of citizens who were eligible to vote in 2020 did not. But in any given election, those who stay home or tune out may change: Fully 25 percent of the ballots in 2020 were cast by people who didn’t vote in 2016.

Persons: George W, Bush, Al Gore, Lyn Ragsdale, Jerrold G, Rusk Organizations: University of Florida, Rice University Locations: Florida

☆ Opinion: Haley loses to Trump in her home state. If she wants a political future, she needs to drop out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Opinion W. James Antle Iii | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

W. James Antle III Courtesy W. James Antle IIIHaley had steadfastly maintained that she wouldn’t budge if South Carolina Republicans opted for Trump over her. Polling in Michigan and many of the Super Tuesday states suggests the results will get increasingly worse for Haley from here. And given the deep commitment so many delegates have to Trump, Haley stretching out a long negative primary does not make her a likely Trump emergency replacement. In the coming days, Haley will hear from many Republicans who don’t want the Republican primary to end any time soon. But past primaries have gone on longer because other candidates have kept winning; Haley has no wins on the horizon.

Persons: James Antle III, Nikki Haley, Donald Trump, James Antle, James Antle III Haley, Haley, ” Trump, Ronald Reagan, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Bob Dole, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Reagan, don’t, Howard Dean, Joe Biden Organizations: Washington Examiner, CNN, South, United Nations, GOP, South Carolina Republicans, Trump, Republican, Convention, Democratic, Twitter, Republicans Locations: South Carolina, Nevada, Michigan, George H.W .

☆ Opinion: Why Iran hates America
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Fareed Zakaria | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iran, and particularly its hostile relationship with the US, is firmly at the center. The story is more complicated than that, as I lay out in my CNN special report “Why Iran Hates America,” airing Sunday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. But suffice it to say that America’s relationship with Iran has been hostile and confrontational for more than four decades. Washington has viewed the fall of the Shah’s Iran as a deep betrayal from which it has never really recovered. As Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif pointed out to me, the Iran nuclear deal was premised not on trust but on mistrust.

Persons: Fareed Zakaria, Fareed, Read, CNNi, Yemen’s Houthis, jihadism, Majid Saeedi, Iran’s, Shah, Jimmy Carter, It’s, Ronald Reagan, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Hassan Rouhani, Javad Zarif, premised, Donald Trump, Rouhani Organizations: CNN, Fareed’s, Sunday, US, Iranian, Washington Locations: Iran, Israel, Gaza, An Iran, Jordan, Washington, Tehran, Britain, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, —, Moscow, Roman, America, United States

☆ A New ‘Holy Grail’ in the Housing Crisis: Statewide Rent Caps
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( David W. Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the last 10 years, Dominique Horn has worked for a community health organization in the fast-growing city of Vancouver in Washington State, helping people squeezed by soaring rents to try to avoid homelessness. Sometimes she wonders if she’s going to be her agency’s next client. With her husband struggling at times to find work, Ms. Horn has maxed out her credit cards to keep pace with the rent. The couple and their two children have moved so many times that she keeps sentimental items like photos and heirlooms boxed up, because no place feels like home yet. “I’m just in a constant state of waiting for the other shoe to drop,” said Ms. Horn, 42, whose current lease expires in May.

Persons: Dominique Horn, Horn, heirlooms, “ I’m, ”, “, Ms Locations: Vancouver, Washington State, Washington, Olympia

☆ Wendy Williams documentary will still air this weekend after legal guardian files lawsuit against Lifetime’s parent company
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Elizabeth | Wagmeister | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Lifetime appeared in court today, and the documentary ‘Where Is Wendy Williams?’ will air this weekend, as planned,” a spokesperson for the network told CNN Friday. The legal guardian for Williams had filed suit against Lifetime’s parent company A&E Television Networks on Thursday in a New York State court, the source told CNN. The four-part docuseries, “Where is Wendy Williams?” provides a painfully candid depiction of Williams’ life as she struggles with health issues and alcohol abuse. A representative for Williams’ care team declined to comment on the documentary and would not confirm whether the care team is working in connection with the guardianship. Mark Ford, an executive producer on the documentary project, told CNN that nothing was filmed without Williams’ or her manager’s approval.

Persons: Wendy Williams, “, ”, Williams, Sabrina Morrissey, Wendy Williams Hunter, Morrissey, Mark Ford, ” Ford, Ford, Alex Finnie, “ We’ve, ” Finnie, Earl Gibson, Finnie, Wendy Organizations: CNN, E Television Networks, New York State, Lifetime, BET, Producers Locations: New York, Wells

☆ Putin looms over a third successive US election
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —“Russia, Russia, Russia.”Ex-President Donald Trump’s scathing catch phrase for a torrent of investigations during his administration also serves as an apt catch-all for the current meltdown over Moscow roiling US politics. But Russia and its leader, whom President Joe Biden described as a “crazy S.O.B.” at a Wednesday fundraiser, won’t go away. All the ways Putin is playing in US politicsPutin is advancing Russian interests against the US on multiple fronts. Putin recently formalized his warming ties with North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un by presenting him with a new limousine. The Russian leader was particularly incensed by the US-led operation to topple Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, won’t, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ukraine –, –, Alexander Smirnov, “, Trump, Smirnov, Biden, it’s, Putin can’t, ” Douglas, Alexey Navalny, Biden lambasts Trump, ” Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, he’s, he’d, Mike Turner, Ksenia, Paul Whelan –, Evan Gershkovich, Geopolitically, Kim Jong Un, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Moammar Gadhafi, Hillary Clinton, Robert Mueller, “ We’ll, Mueller Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, United States, European NATO, ”, Moscow, House Republicans, GOP, CIA, NATO, Republican Party, Republicans, Republican, Trump, Marine, Wall Street, Putin, Biden, US, Democratic Locations: Russia, Moscow, United States, China, Soviet, East Germany, United, Ukraine, Russian, European, Washington, Asia, Sweden, Finland, Berlin –, Europe, Ukrainian, California, North Korea, Iran, Crimea, Helsinki, Geneva

For the past few months, we’ve been asking our listeners to write in with questions, and we’ve gotten some great ones. Things like: How does polling work? Does Joe Biden’s stance on Gaza present a campaign challenge? And who might Donald Trump select as his running mate? But as we were sorting through them, an underlying theme started to emerge: People can’t seem to fathom that we’re careening toward a Biden-Trump rematch — and they want to know if anything could alter this seemingly inevitable reality.

Persons: we’ve, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump Organizations: Biden, Trump Locations: Gaza

☆ Why the captain of a US Navy aircraft carrier fighting in the Red Sea is always posting about things like Taco Tuesday and cookies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is the flagship of the strike group handling the US Navy response to the Houthis. AdvertisementThe Wi-Fi aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower isn't exactly the best, but for Capt. AdvertisementThe efforts to keep morale up come as the Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group confronts a variety of threats, including some no one has ever faced in combat before, in a kinetic weapons-engagement environment. Captaining a flagship carrier in this situation is no easy task, but Hill has a lot of Navy experience to lean on. Among other things, he has served as the executive and commanding officer of an airborne command & control squadron, a TOPGUN instructor, the executive officer of the aircraft carrier George H.W.

Persons: Dwight D, Eisenhower, Chris Hill, —, Hill, Ike, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Joe Boggio, We’ve, “, San, John Bellino Hill Organizations: Service, Tuesday, Business, Navy, US European Command, US Navy, US, Eisenhower, Taco, Legion, Islamic Locations: Red, Iran, Yemen, Massachusetts, Suez, East, George H.W ., Gulf of Aden, @ChowdahHill, San Antonio, Arlington, Afghanistan, Islamic State

☆ Saul Leiter: The photographer who changed the way the world saw New York
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Christian House | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Saul Leiter had a thing for umbrellas. They pepper his mid-century photographs of New York, popping up over years of work: pink umbrellas, red umbrellas, yellow umbrellas. In “Saul Leiter: An Unfinished Word,” a joyous new retrospective on view at MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, England, these umbrellas sing out from the walls. Saul Leiter FoundationLeiter’s abstracted shots of New York seem radical, yet they are true to how we all see the streets: fragmented by traffic, building facades, doorways, angles and crowds. Saul Leiter Foundation“He never really settled into society,” says Morin.

Persons: CNN — Saul Leiter, “ Saul Leiter, Leiter, —, Saul Leiter, ”, Saul Leiter Leiter, Saul, Eugene Smith, Bonnard, “, Anne Morin, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Soames Bantry, Anders Goldfarb, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank, Morin Organizations: CNN, Saul Leiter Foundation, British Vogue, Bazaar, New York School of Photographers Locations: New York, Milton Keynes, England, Pittsburgh, British

A railroad stock and a fast food giant were in focus Wednesday among early analyst calls. Barclays raised its rating on Norfolk Southern to a buy-equivalent rating, and his new price target calls for about 20% upside. The firm downgraded the retailer to reduce from hold and maintained a $323 per share price target. — Brian Evans 5:44 a.m.: Barclays upgrades Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern could see a shake-up to its leadership, and Barclays thinks these changes could lead to strong gains for the stock. He also hiked his price price target to $305 from $255.

Persons: SolarEdge's, Morgan Stanley, Andrew Percoco, Goldman Sachs, Brian Lee, SEDG, Vikram Bagri said.Bagri, — Brian Evans, Piper Sandler, Piper Sandler's, Rob D, Owens, Brian Evans, Daniela Bretthauer, John Ivankoe, Brandon Oglenski, Ancora, It's, Alan Shaw, Oglenski, Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Barclays, Norfolk, JPMorgan, Palo Alto Networks, billings, Palo Alto, HSBC downgrades Home, Depot, HSBC, Home Depot, JPMorgan downgrades, Norfolk Southern, NSC Locations: Wendy's, Norfolk Southern Norfolk Southern, Norfolk Southern, Norfolk

☆ Middle East Crisis W.H.O. Describes Dire Conditions at One of Gaza’s Last Operating Hospitals
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Adam Sella | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israeli forces raided the grounds of the facility — one of the last and largest hospitals still in operation in Gaza — late Thursday. Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Friday that the electric generators powering the hospital had stopped, and that five patients had died as a result. Before the raid, the Israeli military ordered an evacuation of thousands of displaced people who had taken shelter at the hospital. Israel has repeatedly said that Hamas uses hospitals for military activities, a claim Hamas regularly denies. On Friday, the Israeli military said medication bearing the names of Israeli hostages had been discovered during a search.

Persons: Khan Younis, indescribable ”, Israel, ”, Moshe Tetro, Tetro Organizations: Nasser Medical Center, World Health Organization, Nasser, Health, Ministry, Hamas Locations: Khan Younis, Gaza, Khan, Israel, Qatar

☆ Opinion | Ban Fossil Fuels? Readers Had Strong Thoughts.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I got a lot of responses to my Friday newsletter on restricting the supply of fossil fuels, one of which said “oof no” in the subject line. He is an economics professor at Vassar College and was the lead energy economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers in the George W. Bush administration. The United States is such a big producer of fossil fuels that if it abruptly banned or restricted production, the reduction in supply would drive up the world price of oil, curbing demand. That’s the good part. The bad part, Ho wrote, is that “banning fossil fuels in the U.S. just increases profits to OPEC countries that don’t abide by the ban and encourages them to drill for more oil.”

Persons: “, Benjamin Ho, ”, I’ll, Ho, George W, Bush Organizations: Vassar College, White House Council, Economic Advisers Locations: United States, U.S

☆ Anti-Ukraine rhetoric has saturated right-wing media. Now it is helping to deliver actual war victories to Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Vladimir Putin’s information war in U.S. media paid off this weekend with a key victory halfway around the world. A CNN poll conducted last summer found that a staggering 71% of Republicans do not support additional aid to thwart Putin’s war on Ukraine. Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty ImagesMuch of the GOP’s softening toward Russia is owed to a near-total reversal in rhetoric from right-wing media personalities and outlets, prompted in large part by Donald Trump’s ascension to power in GOP politics. While the biggest players in right-wing media once fervently championed the foreign policy doctrines of the neo-conservatives, they now follow in the footsteps of Trump and vehemently reject the views once held by the George W. Bush administration. The rhetoric has had a considerable impact on the views of the party, which is now being reflected by its elected leaders.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Julian E, Barnes, Thomas Gibbons, Neff, Eric Schmitt, CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Mitt Romney, ”, Kostiantyn, Donald Trump’s, Trump, George W, Bush, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Matt Gertz, “ Tucker Carlson, ” “, ” Gertz Organizations: New York CNN, U.S . Congress, Eastern, Congress, GOP, Senate, Republican, Republican Party, CNN, Chemical Plant, Fox News, U.S, Ukraine, Republicans, Media Locations: New York, Washington, Ukraine, Avdiivka, Europe, Russia, Avdiivka district, Moscow, U.S

☆ Judge allows Sam Bankman-Fried to keep his new lawyers after prosecutors warn of conflict of interest
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewUS District Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that Sam Bankman-Fried could retain his new lawyers despite a noted conflict of interest. Questioned thoroughly by Kaplan, Bankman-Fried affirmed that he wanted to keep his new attorneys, waiving his right to "conflict-free representation," as Kaplan put it. They're expected to help Bankman-Fried with his sentencing hearing, scheduled for late March. In their February letter, prosecutors said Kaplan should hold a Curcio hearing, where the judge could ask Bankman-Fried and his lawyers questions to determine whether a legitimate conflict of interest exists and whether they would waive it for the sentencing hearing. This has the potential to create a conflict in the representation of Bankman-Fried and Mashinsky," prosecutors wrote in the letter.

Persons: —, Lewis Kaplan, Sam Bankman, Fried, Kaplan, Marc Mukasey, Torrey Young, waiving, Mukasey, Young, They're, Alex Mashinsky, Caroline Ellison, Mashinsky, Prosecutors, Michael Mukasey, George W, Bush, Eddie Gallagher, Eric Trump, Matt Gaetz, Alexandra Shapiro, Shapiro, Nicolas Roos Organizations: Service, Bankman, Business, Justice Department Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Prosecutors, Mashinsky, Navy, New, Trump Locations: Manhattan, Alameda, New York

☆ These borrowers are likely to be eligible for Biden's new student loan forgiveness plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sean Rayford | Getty ImagesSince the Biden administration's first student loan forgiveness plan was rejected at the Supreme Court, it has been working on creating a new, legally viable relief package. The alternative plan, which has become known as Biden's "Plan B," could forgive the student debt for as many as 10 million people, according to one estimate. While Biden first attempted to cancel student debt through an executive order, he has now turned to the rulemaking process. Borrowers in repayment for 20 years or moreThose who have been carrying their student debt for decades may also benefit. watch nowStudent loan servicers also earn a fee per borrower per month, which advocates say discourages transparency around loan forgiveness opportunities.

Persons: Joe Biden, Sean Rayford, Biden, Persis Yu, George W, Bush, servicers, Yu Organizations: Flex, Biden administration's, Supreme, U.S . Department of Education, Student, Protection, Education Department, Public, Consumer Financial, Bureau Locations: West Columbia, South Carolina

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