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WASHINGTON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Top Senate Republican Chuck Grassley urged Elon Musk, who recently acquired Twitter, to conduct a threat assessment at the social company to better protect U.S. user data, following up on concerns raised by a whistleblower. read moreIn a letter to Musk dated Tuesday and released on Wednesday, Grassley, the top Republican on the U.S. Judiciary Committee, asked Twitter to perform a threat assessment "of Twitter's current security posture and systems to better protect user data and privacy." "Twitter collects vast amounts of data on American citizens. Zatko testified that a foreign agent could use malware to steal Twitter users personal information, and use that to gain access to sensitive data on the person's phone, among other dangers. According to Grassley, Agrawal did not respond to the letter, citing litigation with Musk.

☆ Russian and Cuban leaders meet in Moscow, hail 'traditional friendship'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday met with his Cuban counterpart in Moscow, where the two unveiled a monument to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and hailed the “traditional friendship” between their sanctions-hit nations. We have always supported Cuba on the international stage and we see that Cuba takes the same position towards Russia,” Putin said. Other top Russian officials struck similar tones in their meetings with Díaz-Canel, who arrived in Moscow on Saturday. Cuban state media reported that Díaz-Canel’s agenda will focus on the energy sector, very sensitive for the island as it battles shortages of food, medicines and fuel. Havana’s main regional political ally, Venezuela, has sold the island the oil Cuba needed for the past two decades.

☆ European Parliament declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Nov 23 (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Wednesday designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, arguing Moscow's military strikes on civilian targets such as energy infrastructure, hospitals, schools and shelters violated international law. European lawmakers voted in favour of a resolution calling Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged the United States and other countries to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, accusing its forces of targeting civilians, which Moscow denies. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has so far refused to list Russia despite resolutions in both chambers of Congress urging him to do so. In the EU, the parliaments of four countries have so far designated Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to the European Parliamentary Research Service: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland.

☆ North Korea's flurry of missile tests has South Korea talking about the nuclear option
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Robert Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

North Korea has done dozens of missile tests this year, including an ICBM test last week. We should always keep talking to North Korea — it is too dangerous to ignore — but there is little realistic hope that North Korea will deal profoundly with its nukes or missiles at this point. South Koreans watch a news report on North Korean missile tests. The current South Korean president, Yoon Seok-yeol, suggested, as a candidate, that South Korea might preemptively air-strike North Korean missile sites in a crisis. The South Korean conservative party has suggested that South Korea should withdraw from the NPT if the North conducts a seventh nuclear test.

☆ EU declares Russia a 'state sponsor of terrorism', a move it hopes could make it easier to put Putin on trial
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The EU parliament declared Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism" over its invasion of Ukraine. It said the vote would help bring Putin closer to facing an international tribunal. The step is a mostly-symbolic gesture, prompted by evidence of war crimes in the nine-month-old invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. It said in a statement before the vote that the move would aid efforts for Putin to face a war crimes trial. "By declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, MEPs want to prepare the ground for Putin and his government to be held accountable for these crimes before an international tribunal."

☆ Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The culture in Cuba is in mourning for the death of Pablo Milanes,” Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz tweeted Monday night. Milanés and Rodríguez in particular became close, touring the world’s stages as cultural ambassadors for the Cuban Revolution, and bonding during boozy sessions. “If Silvio Rodríguez and I got together, the rum was always there,” Milanés told El Pais in 2003. Cuba’s aging leaders “are stuck in time,” Milanés told Spanish newspaper El Mundo. “These freedoms have been seen in small doses, and we hope that with time they will grow,” Milanés told The Associated Press.

☆ More than 100 people rescued from overloaded sailboat before it hit sandbar in Florida Keys, Coast Guard says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

More than 100 people were rescued from an overloaded sailboat before it hit a sandbar in the Florida Keys on Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard said. A good Samaritan reported the vessel to Key West watch standers at around 5 a.m. local time, the Coast Guard’s 7th District tweeted. They encountered “6-10 ft seas, 25 mph winds to safely remove the people from the vessel,” the Coast Guard said. Initially, the Coast Guard said 22 people were rescued from the overloaded sailboat. Coast Guard Cutter Pablo Valent’s crew rescued nine people and recovered one body, while on Sunday and Monday, crews recovered five bodies, the Coast Guard's 7th District said in a news release.

☆ Evoking Castro, Putin and Cuban leader pledge to deepen ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend an unveiling ceremony of a monument to late Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Moscow, Russia November 22, 2022. MOSCOW, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel unveiled a monument in a north Moscow square on Tuesday to Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, pledging to deepen their friendship in the face of U.S. sanctions against both countries. It creates the image of a fighter," Putin said of the statue, which portrays Castro gazing into the distance with hands on hips. "The reasons for the current conflict in this zone must be sought in the aggressive policy of the United States and the expansion of NATO towards Russia's borders," he said. The resulting standoff, known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, brought the United States and the Soviet Union close to the brink of nuclear war.

WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate antitrust panel will hold a hearing on the lack of competition in the ticketing industry after Ticketmaster's problems last week managing the sale of Taylor Swift tickets, Senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the panel, said on Tuesday. "That’s why we will hold a hearing on how consolidation in the live entertainment and ticketing industry harms customers and artists alike." Senators Klobuchar and Mike Lee, the top Republican on the committee, did not provide a date for the hearing or a list of witnesses. For her part, the pop superstar on Friday said it was "excruciating" for her to watch fans struggle to secure tickets and that she had been assured that Ticketmaster could handle large demand. Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bitcoin vs. FTX: Crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried is the problem
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Joshua Hendrickson | Joshua Hendrickson Is An Associate Professor Of Economics At The University Of Mississippi | Senior Fellow At The Bitcoin Policy Institute. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Much of the crypto industry has deviated from the principles that were critical to the development of Bitcoin itself. But much of the crypto industry has deviated from the principles that were critical to the development of Bitcoin itself. As the stunning collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX highlights, the crypto industry is filled with scams, Ponzi schemes and bad actors. As a result, it has become increasingly clear that Bitcoin must be understood as something outside this crypto industry. Whereas Bitcoin was created to be a censorship-resistant, trustless digital form of money, crypto has become a space dominated by get-rich-quick-schemes.

☆ 5 dead, 5 missing after vessel carrying migrants from Cuba capsizes off Florida coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Five people died and a search was underway Monday for five others after a homemade vessel carrying migrants from Cuba capsized near the coast of Florida over the weekend, the U.S. Coast Guard said. The search was taking place about 50 miles off Little Torch Key, an island in the lower Florida Keys. A total of 19 people were believed to be on the vessel in the “failed migration venture,” and four people reportedly drowned immediately upon capsizing Saturday, the Coast Guard’s 7th District said. Some of the rescued were wearing lifejackets, which authorities credited with saving their lives in furious 6-to-8 foot seas amid 30 mph winds. Those two unresponsive people were transferred into the care of emergency medical services and their current condition was not immediately known, the Coast Guard's 7th District said Monday.

☆ At least one dead after Cuban migrant vessel capsizes off Florida coast, Coast Guard says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday said it has recovered the body of one person after a vessel carrying Cuban migrants capsized off Florida's Little Torch Key, adding it rescued nine people and was searching for five others. Survivors told rescuers a total of 19 people were originally on the homemade vessel and that four people drowned immediately after it capsized, Coast Guard spokesperson Nicole Groll said. Some migrants attempt to reach Florida on rickety vessels, though most fly to Central America or Mexico and reach the U.S. border by land. The vast majority were allowed into the United States to pursue immigration cases. Earlier this month, a senior Cuban diplomat said Cuba and the United States were making progress in talks aimed at curbing the migration crisis.

The U.S. Justice Department, which approved Ticketmaster's much-criticized purchase of Live Nation in 2010, is different than it was 12 years ago. A probe is well short of a decision to file a lawsuit asking a judge to break up a company. Ticketmaster previously said in a statement the Swift ticket sale problems were caused by unprecedented demand, much of it by bots trying to buy tickets to resell. "Live Nation was a new entrant, but it had the wherewithal to really compete," he said. A previous Ticketmaster fight with the department culminated in a December 2019 settlement that extended for another five years a consent decree that was part of the deal's initial approval.

☆ Backstage, stars shine at Cuba's National Ballet
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Ballet dancers react backstage as they perform "Giselle" during the 27th Alicia Alonso International Ballet Festival of Havana, at the National Theatre, in Havana, Cuba, October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Cuba's National Ballet, founded in 1948 in Havana, became a pet project of Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. Castro gave aspiring dancers free training, underwrote the companies' infrastructure, and cemented the national ballet's reputation for beauty and talent. Communist-led Cuba is struggling through economic crisis but its talented dancers continue to practice and perform. Reporting by Alexandre Meneghini, Writing by Dave Sherwood, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Angela Álvarez, 95, wins best new artist Latin Grammy in a history-making tie
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Marysabel Huston-Crespo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Angela Álvarez made Latin Grammy history on Thursday by winning the award for best new artist at age 95. She was discouraged from pursuing a career in music by her father but found joy performing for her family. Over the years, she sang for her family about her life and developed a collection of songs she composed. At the encouragement and support of her grandson, she eventually recorded and released collection of her songs in 2021. The Latin Grammy nomination came as a surprise to her, Álvarez told CNN en Español last month.

HAVANA, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Cuba on Tuesday said it had signed 30 foreign investment deals valued at around $400 million this year, more than in 2021 but far short of pre-pandemic levels of at times around $2 billion. Cuba is struggling through its worst economic crisis in decades, and desperately needs foreign investment to help underwrite the purchase of food, medicine, fuel and raw materials needed to jumpstart sputtering output. “We have to banish all that unnecessary bureaucracy and generate new opportunities that are attractive to foreign businessmen,” Marrero said at an investment forum in the capital. Some at the trade fair told Reuters they were willing to bet on Cuba despite the downturn. "Definitely we are not afraid as investors in Cuba, we are already making arrangements and making alliances with a well-established (private) company,” he said.

☆ U.S. will begin deporting Cubans by plane in 'coming weeks,' U.S. officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. is planning to begin deporting Cuban migrants who crossed undocumented into the U.S. from Mexico on flights back to Cuba, two U.S. officials say. The officials said the flights will begin “in the coming weeks,” as ICE locates Cubans with final orders of deportation to fill planes. Reuters first reported on Friday that the Cuban government has agreed to accept deportation flights. More than 248,000 Cubans were apprehended crossing the U.S. southwest border over the past year, up from 43,677 the year prior, according to Customs and Border Protection figures. The Trump administration ramped up deportations of Cubans, but so far the Biden administration has not coordinated large-scale Cuban deportations through ICE.

MIAMI — Florida Democrats are reeling and coming to terms with devastating Election Day losses, particularly among Latino voters who turned out solidly for Republicans in statewide contests. Most Republicans running in the state won by large margins, turning Florida into a solid red state. “Republicans became the real spokespeople for this community,” said Gamarra, referring to the governor, senators, and South Florida members of Congress. DeSantis always hammers down the message that Florida is a “free state.” Over 80,000 people have died of Covid in Florida. Meanwhile, the number of Democratic Latino registered voters decreased from 947,853 in 2020 to 901,481 in 2022.

☆ These currencies have tanked this year — and one is down over 75% against the dollar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The cedi hit a fresh record low against the dollar on Wednesday last week, at one stage hitting the 14.24 mark before recovering slightly. In second place is the Cuban peso, which is down 56.36% against the dollar, behind only the Zimbabwean dollar, which has lost a staggering 76.74% of its value against the dollar since January. A man holds Zimbabwean Dollar Bond Notes Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesHanke said last week that Zimbabwe's "economic death spiral just keeps spinning." Similar to Ghana, authorities in Zimbabwe have attempted to support the local currency and fight inflation by cracking down on Zimbabwean dollar payments. EgyptThe Egyptian pound last week slumped to a fresh low against the dollar, sliding to 24.42, making its way onto Hanke's list of the top 10 worst-performing currencies of 2022.watch now

A third source familiar with the matter said there was not a new formal agreement for regular deportation flights but that Cuba had agreed to accept occasional groups of deportees. The resumption of ICE deportation flights to Cuba could send a symbolic message to would-be migrants who typically fly to Central America and travel north to the border. A record 220,000 Cubans were caught at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022, which ended on Sept. 30. U.S. authorities made more than 2.2 million migrant arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022, higher than any year on record. But just 2 percent of Cubans apprehended at the border were expelled in the 2022 fiscal year.

NASA has delayed the launch of its next-generation megarocket and space capsule to the moon as Florida braces for an approaching storm. Tropical Storm Nicole, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Wednesday, is projected to batter Florida's eastern coast, forcing the space agency to reschedule its planned launch on Nov. 14. NASA is now aiming to launch its uncrewed Space Launch System rocket Nov. 16, during a two-hour window that opens at 1:04 a.m. The rocket is sitting at launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA said the SLS booster is designed to withstand 85 mph winds and will remain at the launch pad during the storm.

☆ Sen. Marco Rubio wins re-election in Florida, defeating Democratic Rep. Val Demings, NBC News projects
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

MIAMI — Republican Sen. Marco Rubio cruised to victory Tuesday night, securing his third term amid a statewide Democratic collapse, NBC News projects. Rubio is the first Florida Republican to win three terms in the Senate. Rubio’s career and his relationship with Trump tell the story of the Republican Party in Florida. "And that’s where we have really missed an opportunity of highlighting our strong Hispanic voices," Mucarsel-Powell said of her fellow Florida Democrats. The $30 million Demings spent just wasn't enough, he said.

☆ Democratic incumbent Sen. Richard Blumenthal faces off against Trump-endorsed Republican Leora Levy in Connecticut's US Senate election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal is running against Republican Leora Levy to represent Connecticut in the US Senate. Levy is one of 22 Republican Senate candidates that President Donald Trump has endorsed. Democratic incumbent Sen. Richard Blumenthal faces off against Republican Leora Levy in Connecticut to represent the state in the US Senate. Connecticut's Senate race candidatesBlumenthal, first elected in 2010, serves on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, Committee on Armed Services, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Special Committee on Aging. Before his election to the Senate, Blumenthal served five terms as Connecticut's attorney general, and in both the Connecticut State Senate and House of Representatives.

☆ Immigration and rights groups ask Biden administration not to send Haitian migrants to Guantanamo facility
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

More than 280 immigration, faith-based and rights groups sent a letter to the Biden administration on Friday asking it not to send Haitian migrants interdicted at sea to Guantanamo Bay or a third-party country. The groups were responding to a Sunday report by NBC News that the White House's National Security Council had asked the Department of Homeland Security to model scenarios in case of a surge of Haitian migrants. The groups who signed the letter, led by the Haitian Bridge Alliance, urged the Biden administration to instead allow Haitians to be removed from dangerous vessels at sea and taken to the U.S. to claim asylum. The administration must not under any circumstances send asylum seekers and migrants to the notorious Guantánamo Bay or other offshore detention locations,” the groups said. Similar criticism arose in September 2021 after the Biden administration began mass deportations of Haitian asylum seekers who crowded by the thousands under an international bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

The GOP, especially in South Florida, is trying to portray Democrats as "socialists" and soft on foreign policy, with Taddeo touting her hard-line stance against leftist governments. Salazar and Taddeo have similar hard-line foreign positions against the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Taddeo, according to a spokesperson, feels current foreign policy toward Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua cannot change until there are democratic transitions in those countries. There are about 275,000 Colombian eligible voters in Florida and a significant number live in the district. The two candidates recently left many puzzled when they tweeted that former Colombian President Iván Duque seemingly supports both of them.

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