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☆ U.S. and Chinese military commanders speak by phone for the first time in years
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The call was the first time in years that the two regional military commanders have engaged in a formal conversation. Citing multiple recent “unsafe interactions” between China’s People’s Liberation Army and U.S. allies, Paparo said the Chinese military had an obligation “to comply with international laws and norms to ensure operational safety,” the readout said. Paparo also urged the Chinese military to reconsider what he said was its use of “dangerous, coercive and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond,” it added. Both countries announced plans for a call between their military theater commanders after a visit to Beijing late last month by Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser. A phone call raises the possibility of another in-person meeting between the two leaders before the end of Biden’s term.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Adm, Samuel Paparo, Wu Yanan, Paparo, Wu, John Aquilino, Xi Jinping, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Xi, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Courtney Kube, Carol E, Lee, Jennifer Jett Organizations: United, United States ’, Pacific Command, China’s, Chinese Ministry of Defense, People’s Liberation Army, U.S, Theater, Eastern, Command, South China, Philippine, Daily, Global Times Locations: United States, U.S, South China, South, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taiwan Strait, Philippines, Philippine, Manila, California, Washington, Hong Kong

☆ Federal grand jury hears testimony on scam to steal Graceland from Elvis Presley’s family
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A federal grand jury heard testimony Tuesday about a scam to steal the Graceland estate from Elvis Presley’s family. The Odell Horton Federal Building, in downtown Memphis, houses several federal offices, including the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Elvis Presley's Graceland estate was the target of a scam. Ariel J. CobbertPhilbrick was in Memphis on Monday with a friend to tour the Graceland estate before testifying before the grand jury on Tuesday. (A representative for the Graceland estate did not respond to a request for comment.)

Persons: Elvis Presley’s, Rasheed Jeremy Carballo, Lisa Holden, Holden, Lisa Marie Presley’s, Micah McCoy, NBC News Holden, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis ’, ” Carballo, Kimberly Philbrick, Kevin Ritz’s, Odell Horton, Ariel J, Cobbert, Philbrick, Holden’s, “ Lisa, ”, Maria Tazbaz, ” Tazbaz, “, Elvis Presley's Graceland, Cobbert Kimberley Philbrick, Cobbert Philbrick, Graceland, ” Philbrick Organizations: NBC News, Holden, Naussany Investments, NBC, FBI, U.S, Western, of, U.S . Postal Inspection Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, —, Branson , Missouri, Graceland, Memphis, U.S, of Tennessee

☆ A 'squad' member and a Trump-impeaching Republican on defense: What to watch in Tuesday's primaries
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Head_Shot.Jpeg | Bridget Bowman | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

The super PAC also spent millions to defeat a fellow “squad” member, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., in a June primary. 'Squad' member Cori Bush faces Democratic primary putting a spotlight on IsraelRep. Cori Bush is facing a tough primary in her fight for a third term. In Michigan’s 3rd District, Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten faces multiple challenges to the seat she has held for nearly two years. So far, Trump has not weighed in on the Republican primary race. But in Kansas’ solidly Republican 2nd District, Trump and Conservatives for American Excellence are on the same side in Tuesday’s primary to replace retiring GOP Rep. Jake LaTurner.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Cori Bush’s, William Lacy Clay Jr, Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Allison Robbert, Wesley Bell, Dan Newhouse, David Valadao of, Newhouse, Trump, Jerrod Sessler, Tiffany Smiley, Smiley, Thanedar —, Mary Waters, Mike Duggan, Shakira Lynn Hawkins, Elissa Slotkin, Mike Rogers, Democratic Sen, Debbie Stabenow, Rogers, James Craig, Peter Meijer, Sandy Pensler, Justin Amash, ”, Hill Harper, Hillary Scholten, Scholten, Salim Al, Paul Hudson, Michael Markey, Republican John Gibbs, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Biden, Dan Kildee, Paul Junge, Mary Draves, Anthony Hudson, Matt Collier, Sen, Kristen McDonald, Pamela Pugh, Republican Tom Barrett, Curtis Hertel, State Jay Ashcroft, Mike Kehoe, Bill Eigel, Tuesday’s, Lucas Kunce, GOP Sen, Josh Hawley, Bob Onder, Blaine Leutkemeyer, Jake LaTurner, Derek Schmidt, Sharice Davids, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Joe Kent, Kent, Gluesenkamp Perez, Leslie Lewallen Organizations: Cori Bush’s Democratic, Democratic 1st District, United Democracy, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Israel, PAC, Democratic, Bloomberg, Getty, Senate, Capitol, Republicans, Trump, Newhouse, America, Inc, Detroit City Council, GOP, Michigan's Senate, AP, National Republican Senatorial, Detroit Police, Republican Party, ABC, District, Michigan State University, Republican, Democrats, Biden, Congressional District, Democrat, Dow Chemical, Flint, Board of, State, Gov, Marine, American Excellence, Conservatives, American, Kansas Republicans, Army Locations: Missouri, — Missouri, Washington , Michigan, Kansas, Israel, Louis, David Valadao of California, Michigan’s 13th, Shakira Lynn Hawkins . Michigan, Michigan's, Michigan, Michigan’s, Grand Rapids, Rapids, Kent, Trump, Washington’s, Camas, Washington

That level of intensity in a short period of time necessitated a crew of hardened professionals, several sources with knowledge of Harris' strategy said. Next week, a major campaign swing, then the convention and then it’s the debate,” one person with knowledge of Harris’ strategy said. Mitch Stewart will act as a senior adviser on battleground states, and Palmieri will serve as senior adviser to the second gentleman. “In Wisconsin, we have had more online volunteer sign-ups since July 21st than between January 1st and July 20th,” a Harris campaign aide said. “That’s a game-changer to a ground game in a small state like Nevada,” Molly Forgey, a Nevada Democratic strategist, said.

Persons: Kamala Harris ’, David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s, Stephanie Cutter, Jennifer Palmieri —, Harris, Joe Biden’s, Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, Obama, Mitch Stewart, Palmieri, Brian Fallon —, ”, Pete Giangreco, Biden, Trump, “, Cutter, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Julie Rodriguez, “ Harris, Molly Forgey, Forgey, there’s, —, Chris Korge, he's Organizations: Democratic, White, Trump, “, Democratic National Committee, Democratic Congressional, Committee, ”, Nevada Democratic Locations: “, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, “ In Wisconsin, Philadelphia, ” In Nevada

☆ How the Russian prisoner swap that freed Evan Gershkovich unfolded over two years
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The effort took on extra urgency in March 2023, when the Russians arrested Gershkovich, a senior administration official said. Days later, NBC News reported that a deal that could have sprung Navalny, Gershkovich and Whelan had been in the works. After Biden and Scholz met on Feb. 9, Scholz told Biden he was on board. Vice President Kamala Harris also discussed the prisoner swap with Scholz, telling him that Krasikov was a critical component of getting a prisoner swap with Russia, a White House official said. That was when he called the Slovenian prime minister to make sure his country was ready to release the Russian in their custody.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, Brittney Griner, Biden, Viktor Bout, Paul Whelan ’, Whelan, Paul Whelan, Antony Blinken, “, ” Blinken, Sergei Lavrov, Gershkovich, Blinken, Lavrov, ” Lavrov, ”, ” Gershkovich, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Vadim Krasikov, Zelimkhan, Olaf Scholz, Krasikov, Griner, Whalen, Joe Biden, Scholz, Kamala Harris, Jake Sullivan, Elizabeth Whelan, Sullivan, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Kurmasheva, ” Biden Organizations: Wall Street, Marine, AP, NBC News, Berlin, White, Biden Locations: Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Berlin, Moscow, Germany, Chechen, Russian, U.S, Nevada, Slovenian

☆ 5 reasons Royal Caribbean's 9-month Ultimate World Cruise is unlike most around-the-world cruises
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Brittany Chang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementTikTok can't get enough of Royal Caribbean's ongoing Ultimate World Cruise , and for good reason: There's been nothing like it before. At 274 nights long, Royal Caribbean's itinerary is over double the length of most world cruises. Royal Caribbean says travelers on this world cruise may be able to visit 11 "wonders of the world." AzamaraBoth Princess Cruises and MSC Cruises have 116-day world cruises scheduled for 2025. The last two — "Middle East and Mediterranean" and "Europe and Beyond" — of Royal Caribbean's world cruise can still be booked .

Persons: TikTok, Royal Caribbean's, Caribbean's, —, Royal, it's, Drake, Azamara, MSC's Magnifica —, Dan Lamont Nine Organizations: Service, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal, Caribbean International, Cruises, MSC Cruises, Seas . Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean Locations: Miami, Royal Caribbean, Caribbean, Antarctica, Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Asia, Tokyo, New York, Royal, Oceania, Europe

☆ What Democrats Can Learn From Joe Biden and Poll Numbers - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( David Brooks | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The median voter rule still applies. The median voter rule says parties win when they stay close to the center of the electorate. The Democrats’ strong showing in elections across the country this week proves how powerful the median voter rule is, especially when it comes to the abortion issue. This year, Democrats and their supporters effectively played to median voters, with, for example, an ad in Ohio in which a father who grew up in the church castigated the G.O.P. And if you’re truly living out your faith, you’re not playing into these anger and hatred games.”

Persons: MAGA, —, Biden doesn’t, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Andy Beshear, E.J, Dionne Jr, you’re, ” Organizations: Jackson, Health Organization, Gov, Democrat, Washington Post Locations: It’s, Dobbs v, Ohio, Kentucky

☆ New York and California lost over $90 billion in income to low-tax states during Covid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

New York and California lost over $90 billion in income during Covid as taxpayers moved to other states, accelerating the trend of high-earners relocating to lower-tax areas. New data from the Internal Revenue Service shows that New York state lost $25 billion in adjusted gross income due to outmigration in 2021, on top of $20 billion lost in 2020. Combined, the two states lost $92 billion across the two years. The data shows that the income flight from high-tax states to low-tax states, which has been happening for years, picked up steam during Covid. California, Illinois and New Jersey each lost over $4 billion in income to Florida in 2021.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hasn’t announced a presidential bid yet, but that hasn’t stopped him from receiving his first congressional endorsement. The endorsement comes weeks after Roy, among others, attended a Florida donor confab held for DeSantis. The focus of that event was how to replicate DeSantis’ Florida wins nationwide—but the clear subtext was the looming presidential race and the expectation that DeSantis could parlay his consistently high polling position into an official presidential run. (DeSantis himself was a founding member of the Freedom Caucus when he served in the House.) South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, another HFC member, threw his support behind former South Carolina Gov.

Kate Bedingfield, a top adviser for President Biden since 2015, will step down as White House communications director later this month, NBC News has learned. Among Biden’s tight-knit campaign team, she earned the monicker of captain of the “team of killers,” a reference to the assessment of Biden’s campaign team by then-President Donald Trump. LaBolt served as a spokesperson for then-Sen. Barack Obama in Congress and later joined his 2008 campaign team. After serving as a White House spokesperson during Obama’s first term, he served as chief spokesperson for Obama’s re-election campaign. LaBolt will be the first openly gay person to serve as White House communications director.

☆ How Much Should I Have in Savings?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

And when you are ready to stop working, a healthy retirement savings account will allow you to maintain financial independence. How much should I have in retirement savings? Retirement Savings Targets by Age Saving 10 times your salary doesn't have to seem overwhelming. So how do you translate that into a savings goal? Retirement savings should be prioritized over college savings, says Fruzzetti: “In an ideal world, you’d be able to save enough for retirement and college concurrently, but that’s not always possible.” The most realistic plan for many families is to save as much as possible.

On other pages, they said he memorialized in writing some of his experiences or thoughts as vice president at the time. The number of notebooks Biden kept is large, according to the person familiar with the investigation, but they did not know the precise number. Trump and Biden’s possession of classified documents is the subject of separate special counsel investigations. Attorney General Merrick Garland has so far not named a special counsel to investigate Pence’s handling of classified documents. On Friday, Pence apologized for having classified documents in his possession and said he takes full responsibility for it.

☆ Biden considering a trip to Europe in show of support for Ukraine after one year of war
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — President Biden is considering a trip to Europe next month to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to three administration officials and a person familiar with the discussions. The White House is exploring ways Biden might mark the one-year milestone in the Ukraine war, the sources said. Biden administration officials have also discussed announcing another major military aid package for Ukraine to coincide with the anniversary of Russia’s invasion, according to three U.S. officials. On Wednesday Biden reversed his administration’s position on sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, though the tanks are not expected to arrive for months if not a year. Last March when Biden traveled to Europe, he delivered a speech in Poland where he said — controversially — that Putin “cannot remain in power.”

☆ Democratic Govs. Newsom, Pritzker push back on DeSantis after Florida blocks AP African American studies course
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Rebecca-Shabad-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Rebecca Shabad | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis after his administration blocked the teaching of an Advanced Placement course on African American studies. J.B. Pritzker is urging the College Board not to appease DeSantis, a likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate, and alter the course curriculum. DeSantis’ administration rejected the AP African American studies program in a letter this month to the College Board, which oversees AP classes. Pritzker meanwhile said that Illinois expects any AP course focused on African American studies "to include a factual accounting of history, including the role played by black queer Americans." The College Board said Tuesday it would release a new framework for the AP course, which it said has been under development since March.

☆ Inside the Biden administration's decision to reverse course and give tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

When he announced his decision to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine, President Joe Biden made a point to say Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had recommended the move. Biden wasn’t initially sold on sending the tanks, despite pressure to do so to give cover to Germany to send Ukraine some Leopard 2 tanks, the officials said. But because Germany had said it would send Leopards to Ukraine if the U.S. agreed to commit tanks, too, the U.S. promise of a future delivery opened the door for Germany to send tanks to Ukraine now. In the case of the tanks, U.S. military leaders argued the Leopards and the U.K.’s Challengers were much better options. Military leaders, namely Milley, also have been more publicly vocal about the importance of potential talks to end the war.

☆ Biden administration, in a reversal, is preparing to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

After weeks of discussion, the Biden administration is preparing to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, according to three senior U.S. officials. The current plan includes a couple dozen Abrams tanks, but the officials stressed that the decision is not yet final and could change. The decision to move forward with providing the tanks would be a reversal for the Biden administration, which had been resisting pressure from Germany to send them to Ukraine. It was not immediately clear what may have led the Biden administration to apparently shift its stance on sending the tanks. Earlier Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration is “leaning toward sending” Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

☆ Ex-FBI official arrested for alleged money laundering, Russia sanctions, taking money from former foreign agent
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan_Dienst_Byline.Jpg | Jonathan Dienst | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Charles McGonigal, 55, was arrested on Saturday after arriving at JFK airport in New York on a flight from the Middle East. From August 2017 through his retirement in September 2018, McGonigal allegedly concealed his relationship with this former foreign security officer from the FBI. Charles McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence for the FBI’s New York office. In 2022, federal prosecutors in New York charged Deripaska with violating sanctions. McGonigal joined the FBI in 1996, and was first assigned to the New York Field Office, where he worked on Russian foreign counterintelligence and organized crime.

☆ Biden's Cabinet is sticking around, bucking the turnover trend of his predecessors
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

By early 2019, Trump had cycled through seven of 15 Cabinet secretaries and was on his third chief of staff. A White House official said Mayorkas would fight any such attempt and has no wish to step down. The durability of Biden’s Cabinet is something of a surprise. Going back decades, presidents have steadily concentrated power in the White House, at the Cabinet’s expense, historians say. Some Cabinet secretaries have felt marginalized as presidents stocked the West Wing with trusted advisers and usurped the prerogatives of Cabinet members who had thought they were brought in to run things.

A cyber criminal took hundreds of thousands of dollars from Sen. Jerry Moran's campaign coffers last year, according to a form filed with the Federal Election Commission by the Kansas Republican's campaign. In the filing, the treasurer at Moran For Kansas said post-election reporting revealed the senator's campaign was the victim of a “third-party cyber-criminal” that included a pair of fraudulent transactions. “Cybercriminals targeted the accounting firm employed by Moran For Kansas and money was wired to fraudulent bank accounts,” Moran for Kansas spokesperson Tom Brandt told NBC News. The campaign also consulted with the FEC on how to transparently report the unauthorized expenditures.”The campaign told the FEC in the December filing that $168,184 of the lost funds had been recovered. He also sits on a Senate Commerce subcommittee that deals with data security, along with other committees.

Despite German efforts to pressure the U.S. into providing Abrams tanks to Ukraine, the Pentagon’s top leaders are against sending them, three U.S. officials said. At the same time, the officials said President Joe Biden would not pressure Germany to send the Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Asked Friday about sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, Biden was noncommittal. They also have argued they are not the right vehicles for the fight in Ukraine right now, according to the officials. Artur Widak / AP fileU.S. officials said opposition within the Biden administration to sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine is not due to concerns Russia would see the move as escalatory.

This year, women will hold all four of the top positions on the House and Senate Appropriations committees for the first time in history. “Oftentimes people say, you know, ‘We need to have women at the table.’ Well, women are the table.”Spending and debt fights loomOver the decades, these women have seen their share of spending fights. But I’m absolutely convinced that we have to stand together,” said Granger, who last week became the first female Republican to chair the House Appropriations Committee. Women, Murray said, are good communicators, and she and her colleagues can translate a big, complicated appropriations bill for everyday Americans. But as a 14-year House Appropriations staffer, she also intimately knows each of the top appropriators and recognizes the significance of this glass-ceiling-shattering moment.

☆ Federal government investigating possible human trafficking of children who cleaned slaughterhouses
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Laura Strickler | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

There is no indication DHS is investigating the company that hired the children, Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI, for human trafficking. The Labor Department’s Child Labor Regulations designate many roles in slaughterhouse and meatpacking facilities as hazardous for minors. The Labor Department says its investigation, which began in August, is ongoing as it scours company records from 50 locations. I don’t anticipate unless there are severe ramifications for this that it will actually change policies.”The Labor Department has issued no penalties or fines to date. Labor DepartmentQuestions about child labor at PSSI in Grand Island and Worthington are not new.

“We want him to be a president at State of the Union, not a candidate,” one of the sources said. There had been discussion among Biden aides of an earlier announcement, but the idea faded as they still await the president’s final decision. And now Biden advisers insist the new special counsel probe won’t impact any of his 2024 plans. But despite months of planning, Biden aides still have not even settled on a specific rollout plan, the sources familiar with the discussions said. Then-Vice President Biden waited until late October 2015 — after the first Democratic primary debate -- to announce he would not run in the 2016 race.

A father spent most of the weekend in jail after his young boy was seen on security video waving a loaded handgun around an Indiana apartment complex, authorities said Monday. At first, the boy moves rapidly to a staircase and points the gun down its slope for a beat, the video shows. Officers responding to the report of the boy with a gun were being recorded for immediate broadcast on "On Patrol: Live" on cable network Reelz. The neighbor said she looked through her front door peephole and saw the boy standing above with the gun held behind his back. A woman with the same last name as the suspect lives in a separate apartment, according to the report.

“He’s got to say, ‘I messed up, I apologize,’” said Lanny Davis, who handled various investigations as a lawyer in the Clinton White House. The White House didn’t publicly confirm that documents had been found until Monday, when CBS News reported that a review was underway. A statement from a White House lawyer, Richard Sauber, mentioned only classified material found at the center. We respect that process.”Jennifer Palmieri, who served as communications director in the Obama White House, suggested that any White House press secretary in this position would be in a tough spot in terms of what can be disclosed in the briefing room. “The White House should consider appointing a separate spokesperson to handle all questions related to this matter,” said Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist who also served in the Clinton White House.

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