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☆ Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Michael Kosnar | Ryan J. Reilly | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 19: Julian Assange gestures as he speaks to the media from the balcony of the Embassy Of Ecuador on May 19, 2017 in London, England. Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to plead guilty as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department that will allow him to go free after spending five years in a British prison, according to court documents. Assange was charged by criminal information — which typically signifies a plea deal — with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, the court documents say. Court documents revealing Assange's plea deal were filed Monday evening in the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean. A superseding indictment was returned against Assange more than five years ago, in May 2019, and a second superseding indictment was returned in June 2020.

Persons: Julian Assange, Jack Taylor, Assange, Barack Obama's, Chelsea Manning, —, Robert Mueller, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Trump, Putin, Manning, Obama Organizations: U.S . Justice Department, Department, WikiLeaks, Northern, Ecuadorian Embassy, Court, Democratic National Committee Locations: ENGLAND, Ecuador, London, England, U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Mariana Islands, Australia, London —, United States, Russian

☆ The sneaky, smart reasons malls have no windows
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The birth of the American mall ushered in an era of “windowless” shopping that’s largely still here. But the sneakiest reason why malls limit windows could be to make shoppers lose track of time. Windowless shopping creates an environment of consumption without distractions,” Flickinger said. The Southdale mall was functional and drab to look at and that is the blueprint that all traditional enclosed malls have continued to follow. Some of these adaptive uses of traditional malls might be creating a practical need for windows after all, she said.

Persons: mallgoers, Burt Flickinger, Bill Peters, ” Flickinger, “, Victor Gruen, Gruen, Larry Salzman, Stephanie Cegielski, ”, Cegielski, ” Alexandra Lange, Lange, Thomas McMillan, ” Lange, Kristin Mueller, Kena Betancur Organizations: New, New York CNN, Strategic Resource Group, CNN, Shoppers, Denver, Getty, Denver Post, ”, Southdale, Minneapolis –, Gruen Associates, International Council of Shopping Centers, “, Sears, Roebuck, of Retailing Studies, Texas, Mays Business School, Energy, Customers, North Locations: New York, Northglenn, Northglenn , Colorado, Minneapolis, Austria, Los Angeles, Edina , Minneapolis, ”, Framingham , Massachusetts, United States, America, American, East Rutherford , New Jersey, North America

☆ How the makers of Catan: New Energies reworked the board game to address the climate crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Saira Mueller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

This is, says Kowert, because “games reflect culture.”Adding climate crisis elements to games can also make the topic more accessible, Kowert says. On the side of the Catan: New Energies board, a little black marker tracks the level of greenhouse gasses in the current game. It can also trigger the early end of the game, in which case the player with the most renewable power plants wins. Players can add green discs to the bag — which can give players using renewable energy bonuses — by building renewable power plants. When development on New Energies started in 2011 there were three renewable energy sources: wind, water and solar.

Persons: ” Rachel Kowert, “, Catan, Erik Assadourian, ”, Benjamin Teuber, Klaus Teuber, Teuber, Assadourian, Kelli Schmitz, playtesters Organizations: CNN, Storm, ”, Catan, Worldwatch Institute, Catan GmbH, Development, Brand Development Locations: Springs, United States

☆ Judge Reshuffles Hearings in Trump Documents Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Alan Feuer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case abruptly changed the proceeding’s schedule on Wednesday, reshuffling the timing for hearings on an array of important legal issues. The move by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was unlikely to have much impact on the overall trajectory of the case, but it reflected the substantial number of unresolved legal motions she is juggling. Last month, Judge Cannon scrapped the case’s trial date, saying she could not yet pick a new one because of what she described at the time as “the myriad and interconnected” questions she had still not managed to consider. Judge Cannon kept in place a hearing she had set for June 21 to discuss a motion by Mr. Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that Jack Smith, the special counsel named to oversee the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, was illegally appointed to his job. Similar motions have been rejected in cases involving other special counsels, including Robert S. Mueller III, who investigated connections between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, and David C. Weiss, who has brought two criminal cases against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Aileen M, Cannon, Judge Cannon, Jack Smith, Trump, Robert S, Mueller III, David C, Weiss, Hunter Biden, Biden’s Locations: Russia

☆ Nobel Prize-winning chemist Thomas R. Cech on ‘The Catalyst’ and the future of RNA
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Saira Mueller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

“We saw that with the mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines that it can be a good messenger,” says Cech. The Catalyst by Thomas R. Cech W W NortonYou mentioned in “The Catalyst” that research on RNA has been around since the ‘50s. What is something that most people get wrong about mRNA vaccines, such as the Covid-19 ones? Thomas R. Cech in a lab in 1984, five years before he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. How does this apply to DNA, RNA, mRNA and CRISPR?

Persons: you’re, ”, Thomas R, Cech, ” Cech, Sidney Altman, he’s, Norton, It’s, Thomas R . Cech, — Organizations: CNN, Pfizer, DNA, University of Colorado, Denver Post, Rotary Clubs, Lions Locations: Moderna, University of Colorado , Boulder, Boulder , Colorado, China, Cambridge , Massachusetts, United States, Germany

☆ Judge Cannon expands hearing on Trump’s request to declare special counsel’s appointment invalid
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Dan Berman | Katelyn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Cannon is planning on holding a sprawling hearing on Trump’s request to declare Jack Smith’s appointment as special counsel invalid, signaling she could be more willing than any other trial judge to veto the special prosecutor’s authority. Wednesday, Cannon went further, adding a hearing on a gag order request from prosecutors to limit Trump’s rhetoric about law enforcement and allotting more time to hear arguments on the special counsel issue. Cannon’s signal of willingness to entertain challenges to the special counsel comes in the same week Republicans are bearing down on Attorney General Merrick Garland for his use of special counsels. A third group says the Department of Justice’s use of a special counsel should be upheld. Cannon still agreed to the hearing Trump wanted.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Donald Trump’s, Cannon, Jack Smith’s, It’s, –, Trump, Evan Corcoran, Hunter, didn’t, Paul Manafort’s, Robert Mueller’s, Andrew Miller, Roger Stone, General Merrick Garland, David Weiss, Hunter Biden, – Cannon, ” Bradley Moss, Edwin Meese, Michael Mukasey, Meese, Mukasey, ’ Organizations: CNN, FBI, Trump, Southern District of, Justice Department, Republican Locations: Los Angeles and Delaware, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Delaware, Washington ,

☆ Uno, the card game, has been around for 52 years. It may be more popular than ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Saira Mueller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The family-favorite card game has been around for 52 years — but it may be more popular than ever. The game was recently featured in an episode of the TV series “Hacks,” when lead character Deborah Vance joins some old friends for a card game in Las Vegas, only to learn that instead of poker they’re playing Uno. It’s often there in the background in people’s homes — stacked on a shelf with other board and card games or stored in a drawer, ready for game nights and camping trips. The card game is now for sale in over 80 countries. In the first quarter of 2024, it was the second-most popular game in Circana’s traditional games category, right behind traditional Uno.

Persons: Uno, That’s, Michelle Parnett, Dwyer, ”, Morgan Coder, Kathleen Stoughton, Kim, Alisha Jucevic, Obama, Joe Jonas, Kylie Jenner, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Questlove, Taylor Swift, Jason Sudeikis, Deborah Vance, Lil Yachty, Uno Uno, Merle Robbins, Robbins, Parnett, Yu, Daniel Karmann, Ray Adler, Harry Potter, “, Adler, It’s, ” Adler, today’s, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Mattel, Strong, Museum of, Uno, Washington Post, Walmart, AP, Global, of, NFL, Toy Hall of Fame Locations: Rochester , New York, Portland , Oregon, Las Vegas, Ohio

☆ Fauci to Face Grilling by Republican Committee on Covid Origins
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Benjamin Mueller | Sheryl Gay Stolberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the former government scientist both celebrated and despised for his work on Covid, is set to return to Capitol Hill on Monday for a reunion with some of his fiercest antagonists: members of a Republican-led House panel who accuse him of helping to set off the worst pandemic in a century. Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic have spent 15 months rooting through emails, Slack messages and research proposals for evidence against Dr. Fauci. In half a million pages of documents and more than 100 hours of closed-door testimony, the panel has so far found nothing linking the 83-year-old immunologist to the beginnings of the Covid outbreak in China. But the panel has turned up emails suggesting that Dr. Fauci’s former aides were trying to evade public records laws at the medical research agency he ran for 38 years until his retirement in December 2022. Some of those emails paint Dr. Fauci as being preoccupied with his public image; one April 2021 message from an aide said that while Dr. Fauci “prides himself on being like teflon,” he appeared to be “getting worried about the brown stuff hitting the fan” over questions about research funded by his agency, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Persons: Anthony S, Slack, Fauci, Fauci’s, Fauci “ Organizations: Capitol, Republican, National Institute of Allergy Locations: China

☆ Opinion | Trump’s Whining About a Weaponized Justice System Is a Projection
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

That is how we should understand Trump’s ranting in the wake of his 34 felony convictions last week. And as if to underline Biden’s refusal to interfere in Justice Department decisions, the federal prosecution of the president’s son Hunter Biden begins this week. In spinning this fantasy about Biden, Trump is telegraphing that, should he return to the White House, he will try to use the Justice Department in exactly the way he’s pretending it was used against him. In his telling, he never called for Hillary Clinton to be imprisoned, and magnanimously resisted the entreaties of others to punish her. “According to Sessions, the President asked him to reverse his recusal so that Sessions could direct the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute Hillary Clinton,” the Mueller report said.

Persons: Trump, Donald Trump, Biden, ”, Alvin Bragg, Hunter Biden, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Hillary Clinton, magnanimously, ‘ Lock, Mueller, Jeff Sessions, who’d, Clinton, “, Sessions, John Huber of Utah, Huber Organizations: Department, Biden, White, Justice Department, Fox News, Fox, Sessions, Department of Justice, Clinton Foundation Locations: Manhattan, Russian

☆ Right-wing media figures vow revenge after Trump‘s conviction
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Donald Trump’s media allies are demanding retribution in the wake of his conviction. Following weeks of attacks targeting the historic hush money case against the former president, prominent right-wing media figures immediately flooded the public discourse Thursday with extreme and disturbing rhetoric after Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts. The toxic commentary is also enflaming desires of retribution held by Trump supporters, with popular right-wing media figures openly declaring their hope that the GOP candidate to nakedly seek revenge against his critics, should he emerge victorious in November and return to the Oval Office. Some of the right’s most popular talking heads are openly calling for the weaponization of government to seek retribution against Trump’s political opponents. But as the legal walls actually begin to close in on Trump, the commentary in right-wing media is getting angrier, more menacing, and taking a markedly darker tone.

Persons: CNN — Donald Trump’s, Trump, Juan Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Joe Biden, Matt Walsh, Sean Davis, ’ Jesse Watters, “ We’re, Robert Mueller, Tucker Carlson, he’s, Laura Ingraham, ” Sean Hannity, Biden Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Trump, Manhattan, Attorney, GOP, MAGA Media, Daily, YouTube, Federalist, Fox, United, He’ll Locations: United States, Russia, Trump, China, Cuba, North Korea

☆ Fact check: Trump’s post-conviction monologue was filled with false claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Instead, Trump delivered a rambling monologue that was filled with false claims on subjects ranging from the Manhattan trial to immigration to tax policy. He said this time that “you have violent crime all over this city at levels that nobody’s ever seen before.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is not even close to true. Michael Cohen’s crimesCriticizing key prosecution witness Michael Cohen, Trump repeated a claim he made during the trial in April. Facts First: There is no basis for Trump’s claim. It was dead.”Facts First: Trump’s claim is false.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, New York City Trump, Michael Cohen’s, Michael Cohen, Cohen, “, Robert Mueller, Trump’s, ” Cohen, ”, ” Trump, Biden, Joe Biden, Alvin Bragg’s, –, Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, Judge Juan Merchan, Merchan, Bradley Smith, Rather, Smith, Congo ’ Trump, Africa –, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, ” Serge Mombouli Organizations: Washington CNN, New York City, New, Trump, Republican, Intelligence, Biden, DOJ, of Justice, federal, Department, Democrat, Justice Department, Congo, Democratic, CNN, PAC, Nord Locations: Manhattan, New York, , New York City, New York City, –, Russia, Moscow, York’s, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Africa, United States of America, Republic of, Germany, Russian, Trump’s, Ukraine

☆ The Ecstasy, Agony and Awkwardness of the Trump Conviction
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Jess Bidgood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Darren Van Dreel, a 58-year-old electrician from Oshkosh, Wis., has followed the twists and turns of the investigations into former President Donald Trump over the years: the Mueller report, two impeachments and a flurry of criminal cases, most of which have been mired in delays. So on Thursday evening, while he and his wife, Misty McPhee, were on a long drive from Wisconsin to the Washington, D.C., area, there was only one thing to do when the verdict came in. “I high-fived my wife,” said a grinning Van Dreel, as he waited for a sandwich on Friday morning in the liberal Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Va. “I was just so pleasantly surprised that finally somebody’s holding him accountable.”When a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records on Thursday, Trump’s campaign declared that the country had “fallen,” and his allies painted a picture of a nation consumed by rage. His supporters flooded corners of the internet with angry imagery (more on that below), and echoed his claims that the verdict was illegitimate.

Persons: Darren Van Dreel, Donald Trump, Mueller, Misty McPhee, ”, Van Dreel, Del, Trump, Trump’s Organizations: D.C Locations: Oshkosh, Wis, Wisconsin, Washington, “, Del Ray, Alexandria, Va, Manhattan

☆ How author David Nicholls uses humor in his book ‘You are Here’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Saira Mueller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

That’s not too surprising coming from Nicholls, whose 2009 novel “One Day” explored many of the same themes. It was the most enjoyable writing experience I’ve had for a long time. While hiking the coast-to-coast walk in England, author David Nicholls encountered some torrentially rainy days. I wanted the book to be partly about the comedy of miscommunication — the things we don’t say or the things we say and regret. You say you wanted the book to be in part about miscommunications and what ifs.

Persons: Marnie, Michael, David Nicholls ’, Cleo, That’s, Nicholls, ”, Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, ” Michael, HarperCollins Marnie, “, that’s, I’ve, it’s, David Nicholls, David Nicholls I’m, you’re, Dexter, Emma, there’s, I’d, —, else’s, It’s, Leo Woodall, Ambika Mod, Ludovic Robert, Ambika, Leo, Woodall, we’d, There’s, they’ll Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Netflix, HarperCollins, Dales Locations: York, England’s, London, romcoms, England

☆ 10 Smoking Guns in Trump Hush-Money Trial That Speak for Themselves
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Manhattan district attorney's office/BIWhy is this evidence — our third smoking gun — so important? AdvertisementEvidence People's 35 in the Trump hush-money trial. Robert Costello, a key defense witness in the Donald Trump hush-money trial in New York. Manhattan district attorney's office/BI"Rudy was thrilled and said this could not be a better situation for the President or you. From People's 374 Manhattan district attorney's office/BICohen testified that immediately after these calls with Trump, he took the elevator down from his Trump Organization offices at Trump Tower.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Michael Cohen Alex Brandon, Eduardo Munoz, " Cohen, Cohen, Karen McDougal's, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Daniels, Trump's, Allen Weisselberg, Jonathan Ernst, Jon Elswick, MARK PETERSON, Todd Blanche, Mamaroneck , New York —, Madeleine Westerhout, Westerhout, Cohen —, Weisselberg, Robert Costello, Jane Rosenberg, Rudy Giuliani, Costello, Bob Costello, Rudy, Jay Sekelow, Giuliani, It's Trump, Timothy A, Clary, Donald, he's, — Trump, reimbursing Cohen, Pecker —, Pecker, — that's, Cohen's, Melissa Duran, Duran, Susan Hoffinger Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, Trump, Prosecutors, National Enquirer, Trump Org, Manhattan Criminal, Getty, Defense, White House, —, Read, Wall Street Journal, FBI, Giuliani, CQ, Cohen's, AMI, Department of Justice, Federal, First Republic Bank, Trump Organization Locations: Manhattan, Trump, New York City, Mamaroneck , New York, Republic, New York, United States

☆ Trump’s Post-Verdict Playbook: Anger and Retribution, Regardless of the Outcome
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Jonathan Swan | Maggie Haberman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The verdict in former President Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial remains a mystery, at least for a few more days. Less of a mystery is what Mr. Trump will say and do after it is announced — whatever the outcome might be. If the past is any guide, even with a full acquittal, Mr. Trump will be angry and vengeful, and will direct attacks against everyone he perceives to be responsible for the Manhattan district attorney’s prosecution. He will continue to level the attacks publicly, at rallies and on Truth Social, and privately encourage his House Republican allies to subpoena his Democratic enemies. “Regardless of the outcome, the playbook is the same,” said Alyssa Farah Griffin, Mr. Trump’s former White House communications director, who began working for him shortly after his first impeachment trial but has since become a sharp critic of her former boss.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Robert S, Mueller, ”, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Trump’s Organizations: Truth, Republican, Democratic, White House Locations: Manhattan, Russia

☆ The key for markets next week will be inflation as stocks try to maintain record highs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The news will come with stocks on pace to close out a strong month that included all-time highs. Stocks are poised to end an impressive month of gains after some softer inflation data released earlier in May and stronger-than-expected corporate earnings revived investor exuberance in the market rally. On Friday, the 30-stock Dow was on pace to snap a five-week win streak, falling by 2% for the period. Pesky inflation, consumer weakness The April personal income and expenditures report, which includes the PCE inflation reading, could confirm the recent trend of cooling inflation. Pending Home Sales (April) Earnings: Costco Wholesale , Ulta Beauty , NetApp , Best Buy , Dollar General , Hormel Foods Friday, May 31 8:30 a.m.

Persons: Dow, Mike Dickson, Dickson, FactSet, Goldman Sachs, David Mericle, Steph, it's, Christian Mueller, Glissmann, Mueller Organizations: Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Horizon Investments, Fed, PCE, Robinhood, Costco Wholesale, Software, Dallas Fed, Richmond Fed, Hormel, Chicago PMI Locations: Chicago

☆ How Trump’s Hush-Money Case Failed to Capture America’s Imagination - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

If I’d pictured Donald Trump’s first criminal trial a few years ago, I’d have imagined the biggest, splashiest story in the world. In a recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll, only 16 percent of respondents said they were following the trial very closely, with an additional 32 percent following it “somewhat” closely. When people were asked how the trial made them feel, the most common response was “bored.” TV ratings tell a similar story. “Network coverage of Donald Trump’s hush money trial has failed to produce blockbuster viewership,” Deadline reported at the end of April. I’m aware of no similar effort to dramatize this trial’s testimony, and I almost never hear ordinary people talking about it.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, ”, Yahoo News’s Andrew Romano, who’d, Robert Mueller’s, Robert DeNiro, Rosie Perez, Laurence Fishburne, you’re, you’ve, Trump, — Organizations: Republican, Yahoo, Cable, MSNBC

☆ Opinion: Credibility is the key at Trump trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

The idea that Cohen talked to Trump about Daniels on that call “was a lie,” Blanche alleged. Moreover, my experience has been that juries don’t decide based upon one moment — they base their judgment on an overall view.”There were allegedly three parties aware of the scheme to conceal the real reason Trump paid Cohen more than $400,000 in supposed legal fees: Trump, Cohen and Allen Weisselberg, then-chief financial officer of the Trump Organization. “Weisselberg could be the linchpin to validate Cohen’s claims about Trump agreeing to reimburse him through Trump Organization, as a business expense,” wrote attorney Stacy Schneider. Trump seems to be tempted to go mano a mano and show that he is better fit to be commander-in-chief. The new requirement for GOP politicians wanting to demonstrate their loyalty to Trump seems to be visiting the Manhattan courthouse where he’s on trial.

Persons: CNN —, ” Mark Twain, “, Twain, ” Michael Cohen, Donald Trump, —, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Todd Blanche, Cohen, Norm Eisen, Blanche, ”, pummeled Cohen, Robert Mueller, Nick Anderson, Agency Cohen, Keith Schiller, Daniels, ” Blanche, ” Eisen, don’t, Allen Weisselberg, Stacy Schneider, Weisselberg, David Zurawik, “ I’ve, Sen, Robert Menendez, He’s, George Santos ., CNN “ It’s, he’s, ‘, Henry Cuellar, ” Cupp, Drew Sheneman, Georgia —, Vladimir Putin’s, Frida Ghitis, ” Ghitis, Joe Biden’s, ” Dana Summers, “ Biden, ” Julian Zelizer, mano, Biden, ” Bill Bramhall, Stephanie Griffith, Howard Tucker, Gayle Fleming, Michael Ventura Gayle Fleming, Biden —, ” Tom Brady’s, Kara Alaimo, Tom Brady “, Kevin Hart, Gisele Bündchen, Brady, Benjamin, Vivian, ’ Brady, ’, Alaimo, Brady didn’t, Nafees Syed, Kamel El Hilali, Andrew Borene, freakout Scott Stantis, Jeff Yang, … ” Brown, Keith Magee, Brown, backpedaling, Forget, Doug Burgum, Scott Jennings, Burgum’s, Bill Bramhall, Content Agency Clarence Thomas Washington, Clarence Thomas ’, Dean Obeidallah, Thomas, Harlan Crow, ” Clay Jones, John Oliver’s, Steve Vladeck, “ Thomas, ” Don’t, Clayton Swope, Dan Perry, Netanyahu, Jill Filipovic, Miss Teen USA Mary Ziegler, Bob Kolasky, Megan L, Ranney, Karen Tang, Halle Berry, Naomi Watts, Jonathan Yeo, King Charles III, Aaron Chown, Holly Thomas, King Organizations: CNN, Trump, Tribune, Agency, Trump Organization, Twitter, Facebook, DC, Robert Menendez of New, GOP, ” Texas, White, Europe, Russia, Kyiv, Biden, ABC, Democratic Party, Netflix, Garden State, Content Agency, Capitol, Consumer Financial, Board, Fifth Circuit, ICC, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Buckingham Palace, Royal Locations: New York, Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Russian, Ukraine, Slovakia, Georgia, Soviet Republic, United States, Cleveland, “, Manhattan, North, . North Dakota, ” That’s, Louisiana , Mississippi, Texas, Florida’s, Buckingham

☆ U.S. Suspends Funding for Group at Center of Covid Origins Fight
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Benjamin Mueller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration, under acute pressure from House lawmakers, moved on Wednesday to ban funding for a prominent virus-hunting nonprofit group whose work with Chinese scientists had put it at the heart of theories that Covid leaked from a lab. Republicans went further, demanding that Peter Daszak, the president of the nonprofit, EcoHealth Alliance, be criminally investigated. For EcoHealth, which relied on federal funding to study the threat of wild animal viruses, the loss of funding is another twist in a saga that has long dominated discussions of how the pandemic began. In April 2020, under orders from the Trump administration, the National Institutes of Health terminated a grant to EcoHealth amid President Donald J. Trump’s feud with China over the origin of the coronavirus. had failed to give a proper cause for ending the grant, which supplied an average of roughly $625,000 per year.

Persons: Peter Daszak, Trump, Donald J, Trump’s Organizations: Biden, Department of Health, Human Services, Republicans, EcoHealth Alliance, National Institutes of Health Locations: Wuhan, China

“Sounds like something I would say,” responded Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer. The question set the tone for the cross-examination of the Manhattan district attorney’s key witness in the hush money trial against the former president. For roughly two hours, Blanche began a cross-examination to try to discredit Cohen’s allegations against Trump. Blanche then asked whether Cohen called Trump a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain.”“That also sounds like something that I said,” Cohen said. “You were telling the truth, correct?” Blanche asked in regards to the compliments Cohen gave Trump.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Todd Blanche, Michael Cohen, Blanche, Cohen, Cohen “, ”, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Daniels, Joshua Steinglass, Juan Merchan, ” Cohen, “, Donald Trump, ’ ” Cohen, Trump Blanche, ” Blanche, Blanche . Trump, Robert Mueller’s, Jay Sekulow, –, Susan Hoffinger, Florida Sen, Rick Scott, Sen, J.D, Vance of Ohio, Doug Burgum, Mike Johnson, Byron Donalds, Cory Mills, Vivek Ramaswamy, Johnson, Lara Trump, Eric Trump, ” Ramaswamy, ” Trump Organizations: CNN, Trump, Trump . Assistant, Trump –, Federal, Commission, FBI, Trump Organization, North Dakota Gov, Republican National Committee Locations: Manhattan, Russia, United States, New York, Florida, Louisiana

☆ Opinion | What I Am Listening for in Michael Cohen’s Testimony
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Andrew Weissmann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Before the trial started, some observers thought Mr. Cohen would be an indispensable star witness. They said that without Mr. Cohen, the district attorney could not establish the elements of the charged criminal offenses. But having seen the proof laid out meticulously and methodically by the prosecution these past three weeks, I find myself wondering: Do prosecutors even need Michael Cohen as a witness? To be sure, the case would not exist but for Mr. Cohen. But since then, Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, has amassed evidence that appears to independently both prove the crime and corroborate Mr. Cohen’s account.

Persons: Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, Mr, Cohen, Robert Mueller’s, Alvin Bragg Locations: New York, Manhattan

Mr. Manafort, 75, was an adviser for Bob Dole’s presidential campaign in 1996 and managed the Republican convention that year. He was brought on to Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign in the spring as the candidate was facing an effort to deprive him of the delegates necessary to become the nominee at the convention. Mr. Manafort’s involvement with Mr. Trump’s campaign was relatively short-lived. Later, Mr. Manafort was ensnared in the investigation by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, into ties between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russian officials. Mr. Trump praised him for not cooperating with the government investigation and pardoned Mr. Manafort at the end of his presidential term.

Persons: Manafort, Bob Dole’s, Trump’s, Robert S, Mueller III, Trump, Mr Organizations: Republican, Trump, Washington Post, Republican Party Locations: Russian, Ukraine

☆ A new Apple ad is sparking backlash from viewers who say it hits the wrong note
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Saira Mueller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

An Apple ad for its new iPad Pro seems to fall into the latter category. Posted on social media Tuesday by Apple CEO Tim Cook, the ad starts off as a sort of time capsule for human creativity. As we hear the opening words of “All I Ever Need Is You,” a 1972 single by Sonny & Cher, the metal slab starts descending. Even emoji aren't safe from the hydraulic press in Apple's iPad Pro ad. Others say that even though they understand what the ad is trying to say, it doesn’t resonate with them.

Persons: Tim Cook, There’s, Sonny & Cher, “, Cher, “ I’m, ”, Kendall Jenner Organizations: CNN, Apple, Pepsi, Wall Street

☆ U.S. Tightens Rules on Risky Virus Research
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Carl Zimmer | Benjamin Mueller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The White House has unveiled tighter rules for research on potentially dangerous microbes and toxins, in an effort to stave off laboratory accidents that could unleash a pandemic. The new policy, published Monday evening, arrives after years of deliberations by an expert panel and a charged public debate over whether Covid arose from an animal market or a laboratory in China. But others warned against creating restrictive rules that would stifle valuable research without making people safer. The debate grew sharper during the pandemic, as politicians raised questions about the origin of Covid. Those who suggested it came from a lab raised concerns about studies that tweaked pathogens to make them more dangerous — sometimes known as “gain of function” research.

Locations: China

☆ Lessons from the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( John Miller | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

This was anthrax,” Pogan said, and he briefed his superiors. Between October 5, and November 22, 2001, five people who were exposed died from anthrax poisoning. For help, they turned to the US Department of Defense lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland, where anthrax expert Dr. Bruce Ivins worked. Investigators in protective suits prepare to enter the New York Times building in New York on October 12, 2001. Police cars are parked outside the American Media building in Boca Raton on Oct. 8, 2001 where environmental tests detected anthrax bacteria.

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