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New hires from across the country and abroad are snapping up just-built Spanish-tiled houses nearby, and schools are already adding semiconductor trainings. But on the other side of the fence, roadside vendors are doing brisk business opposing President Biden. Each morning, they hoist Confederate flags and lay out tables of Trump hats and crude banners deriding Mr. Biden. Arizona feels like a place where nearly all of 2024’s pivotal political clashes are converging. It is a border state bristling with active fault lines on abortion, inflation, immigration and election conspiracies, where vast demographic changes have shifted Arizona from reliably Republican and seldom contested in national politics to a desert hothouse.

Persons: Biden, Trump, Mr, “, ”, Mike Conley, ’ Locations: Phoenix, Arizona, California

Rafah CNN —Dozens of Palestinian students and children staged a display of solidarity at a demonstration in southern Gaza on Sunday to express gratitude for the support seen on US college campuses in recent weeks. “Thank you, students in solidarity with Gaza. We can’t write these thank you messages on the walls of our homes because we have no homes. A man in Rafah, Gaza, writes a message of thanks to student protesters in the US on April 27, 2024. Palestinians at a demonstration in Rafah, Gaza, on April 28, 2024.

Persons: ”, Takfeer Abu, Yousuf, Beit, “, Rana Al, Taher, Bayan, Fiqhi, Tareq Alhelou, Diab Organizations: Rafah CNN, of Columbia University, CNN, Getty, UN, Al, Azhar Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Beit Hanoun, Northern Gaza, AFP, Cairo, Israel, ”

☆ Hersh Goldberg-Polin: Parents of Israeli-American hostage find meaning in Hamas video
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Survive.” That has been the mantra of Rachel Goldberg-Polin since her son was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 with a severe arm injury. “I’ve probably said [it] a million times… over these 202 days,” Rachel told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Thursday of her personal prayer for her son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Speaking in Hebrew, with part of his left arm missing, Goldberg-Polin called on his parents to stay strong for him. The Hamas video on Wednesday showed part of his left arm missing several inches above the hand and it appears to be healing. “It’s normally a commemoration of the Jewish people leaving captivity, leaving Egypt and going on to be a free people,” his mother told Cooper.

Persons: CNN —, Rachel Goldberg, “ I’ve, ” Rachel, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Hersh Goldberg, –, Goldberg, Polin, Jonathan Polin, Jonathan, Cooper, Rachel, “ He’s, Hersh, ”, “, ” Goldberg, that’s Organizations: CNN, Nova, Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Washington, Egypt, Qatar, United States

☆ College Protesters Make Divestment From Israel a Rallying Cry
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Santul Nerkar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

What it actually means has varied in scope, and level of detail. At Yale and Cornell, students have called on the universities to stop investing in weapons manufacturers. Columbia students are demanding the sale of holdings in funds and businesses that activists say are profiting from Israel’s invasion of Gaza, and the longer-term occupation of Palestinian lands — including Google, which has a large contract with the Israeli government, and Airbnb, which allows listings in Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank. Researchers say the impact of any divestment would ultimately be negligible on the businesses and on Israel. They add that if universities give up votes as shareholders at the companies, divestment could even be counterproductive in pressuring companies to change their practices.

Persons: ” “ Organizations: Columbia University, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Google, West Bank Locations: Upper Manhattan, ”, Gaza, Israel

CNN —Hamas released a video of Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin on Wednesday, the first proof that he survived being badly wounded during his capture on October 7. He is shown in the undated video with part of his left arm missing several inches above the hand. Video filmed on October 7 showed Goldberg-Polin with his arm severely injured. Hersh Goldberg-Polin's mutilated arm could be seen a still from the video, as he told his parents he loved them. He criticizes the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as other Israeli hostages in Hamas propaganda videos have done.

Persons: CNN —, Hersh Goldberg, Goldberg, Polin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hersh, ”, Rachel, Jonathan, Rachel Goldberg, Maya Alleruzzo, ” Rachel Goldberg Organizations: CNN, CNN — Hamas, Nova, Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ TikTok creators fear for their livelihoods after U.S. lawmakers pass bill that could lead to ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Zach Vallese | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"TikTok allows small businesses and creators to find their people in their community," Nichols told CNBC, ahead of the bill's signing. watch nowNichols joined a number of other TikTok creators in traveling to the Capitol to oppose a potential ban. TikTok creators and influencers, living far out of the realm of politics, have a very different concern. Tony Youn, a plastic surgeon with 8.4 million TikTok followers, said finding a big audience is difficult. WATCH: Senator Markwayne Mullin talks passage of Tiktok ban

Persons: Craig Hudson, Ophelia Nichols, Nichols, Biden, TikTok didn't, Shou Zi Chew, TikTok, Markwayne Mullin, CNBC's, Mullin, they'll, Zi Chew, Sen, John Fetterman, Anna Moneymaker, livestreams, Adam Mosseri, Tony Youn, Youn Organizations: Foreign, Capitol, Washington , D.C, CNBC, Oxford, TikTok, America Survey, Lawmakers, Communist Party, Russell Senate, ByteDance, Getty, YouTube, Meta, Facebook Locations: Washington , U.S, Alabama, Washington ,, Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, It's, American, U.S, TikTok, United States

☆ Colleges Warn Student Demonstrators: Enough
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jeremy W. Peters | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The 100-year-old annual honors convocation at the University of Michigan is typically a decorous affair, with a pipe organ accompanying golf-clap applause. This year’s event was anything but. Protesters rose from their seats, and unfurled banners with “Free Palestine” written in red paint. They shouted, “You are funding genocide!”Unable to continue with the ceremony, university officials cut it short, as hundreds of disappointed students and their parents stood up and walked out. Two days after the honors convocation, the university’s president, Santa J. Ono, issued a stern rebuke: Enough.

Persons: “, Santa J, Ono Organizations: University of Michigan Locations: Santa

☆ After 70 Years, Si Lewen’s Wrenching ‘Parade’ Marches On
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Will Heinrich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

At the very beginning of Si Lewen’s “The Parade,” the series of untitled antiwar works on artist’s board that forms the pulsing heart of a new exhibition curated by the cartoonist Art Spiegelman, four sketchy, ecstatic boys and girls stride into the endless possibility of unmarked white gesso. In the second panel, a family leaning out their window catches sight of someone waving a flag. The flag itself is also faint and white, but the family is surrounded by an ominous black shadow. And as that single flag turns into a parade, and the parade acquires rifles, swords, black banners and German helmets, Lewen’s painting and drawing — he made “The Parade” around 1950 with a mix of crayon, ink, paint and graphite — gets denser and darker.

Persons: Art Spiegelman

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University and Brown University have recently taken swift and decisive action against student protesters, including making arrests. And on Thursday, Columbia University hit its limit with student protesters who had set up dozens of tents on campus, sending in the New York Police Department to make arrests. Image At Columbia, officials cracked down on students who had erected tents on campus. Muncy for The New York TimesImage The New York Police Department arrested protesters at Columbia University. “But now we’re seeing that as an immediate response.”In her congressional testimony, Dr. Shafik revealed that 15 Columbia students have been suspended in recent weeks.

Persons: “, Santa J, Ono, ”, Nemat Shafik, Recalibrating, Rosy Fitzgerald, didn’t, Shafik, Nicole Hester, Donald J, Daniel Diermeier, Vanderbilt, “ They’re, Diermeier, —, Tracy Arwari, Ms, Arwari, Suzanne Nossel, Nossel, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Ezri Tyler, Tyler, Dan Korobkin, Colleen Mastony, Jacob Mchangama, Mr, Mchangama Organizations: University of, University of Michigan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , New York University, Brown University, Columbia University, New York Police Department, Columbia, Credit, The New York Times, Columbia University . Credit, The New York Times College, Republican, Institute for Middle, Vanderbilt, USA, Network Vanderbilt University, Pomona College, School, Pomona, PEN America, The New York Times Students, “, American Civil Liberties Union, ” Locations: Santa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology ,, Columbia, C.S, Muncy, Israel, Vietnam, Southern California, Pomona, “, Michigan, . Michigan

☆ Google fires 28 employees for protesting Israel cloud deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Google has fired more than two dozen employees who protested this week against the company’s cloud computing contract with the Israeli government. The workers were dismissed after an investigation found that they had staged protests inside Google’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California. In Sunnyvale, they entered the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian, according to a post on X by the group that organized the demonstration, No Tech For Apartheid. Physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities is a clear violation of our policies, and completely unacceptable behavior. After refusing multiple requests to leave the premises, law enforcement was engaged to remove them to ensure office safety,” the spokesperson added.

Persons: Thomas Kurian, ”, Olesya Dmitracova Organizations: London CNN, Google, Apartheid, CNN, Tech Locations: New York, Sunnyvale , California, Sunnyvale

☆ World leaders call for restraint in the aftermath of Iran’s unprecedented air attack against Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesWorld leaders have called for calm in the aftermath of Iran's large-scale air attacks on Israel on Saturday, with many expressing deep concern over the prospect of a broader regional conflict. Ahead of a war cabinet meeting on Monday, Israel has pledged to "exact a price" from Iran in response to the Saturday attack. watch nowU.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday said that he condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Iran's unprecedented air attack against military facilities in Israel. 'No one wants to see more bloodshed'European leaders castigated Iran's attack against Israel and vowed to work to de-escalate the situation. France and the U.K. intercepted some of Iran's strikes on Israel on Saturday.

Persons: Israel, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran's, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Annalena Baerbock, Baerbock, Sunak, Yoko Kamikawa, Kamikawa, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Nicolas Maduro Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, CNBC, NBC News, Downing, German, NBC, Israel, Saudi Arabia's Foreign, United Nations Security Council, Sunday, UN, UNRWA, Kyodo, Japan's, United Nations, Colombia's, Bloomberg Locations: Israel, Tehran, Iran, Syria, Gaza, Syrian, Damascus, France, London, England, Germany, East, North Africa, Saudi, Egypt, Asia, China, Beijing, Palestine, Tokyo, Japan, South America, U.S, Miraflores, Caracas, Venezuela

☆ Protesters Block Roads Across the U.S. to Support Those in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Colbi Edmonds | More About Colbi Edmonds | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Pro-Palestinian protesters shut down traffic Monday morning in cities across the country, part of a global effort to disrupt economies and pressure world leaders to push for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. In Chicago, protesters on I-190 blocked traffic coming into O’Hare International Airport, and passengers who’d already arrived started walking on foot with their luggage to catch their flights. In San Antonio, protesters carrying Palestinian flags blocked both sides of the Valero energy company headquarters, jamming traffic on the city’s northwest side. And in Philadelphia, pro-Palestinian protesters organized a teach-in that blocked rush-hour traffic. In Middletown, Conn., for example, pro-Palestinian protesters blocked employees entering and leaving a Pratt & Whitney factory that exports military engines for aircrafts.

Persons: Zimmermann, Protesters Organizations: O’Hare International, City Hall, Philadelphia Inquirer, Pratt & Whitney, aircrafts . Police, Hartford Courant, Protesters Locations: Gaza, California, Oakland, Chicago, O’Hare, San Antonio, Valero, Philadelphia, City, Israel, Middletown, Conn, United States, Athens, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Sydney, Australia, Barcelona, Spain

☆ How OJ Simpson’s ‘trial of the century’ reshaped the national media and opened the door to Donald Trump’s presidency
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But the impression that Simpson’s all-consuming trial had on shaping the modern media environment cannot be overstated. Simpson’s trial gave way to a media landscape dominated by salacious reality television and talking head-driven cable news. It’s difficult to imagine Trump being elected to the White House without the three-legged stool that Simpson’s trial played a crucial role in building. Reality TV had started earlier, but after Simpson there was a massive profusion of ‘Reality TV,’” Socolow said in an email. “That’s how ‘The Apprentice’ gave Donald Trump a comeback in American culture, and he rode his reality TV stardom to the White House.”

Persons: New York CNN — O.J, Simpson, Donald Trump, Nicole Brown Simpson, Ronald Goldman, Simpson’s, Jeffrey Toobin, Nancy Grace, Greta Van Susteren, Dan Abrams, Harvey Levin, Gregg Jarrett, Al Cowlings, Allen J, Lance Ito’s, Robert Kardashian, Kardashian, Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, Andy Lack, ”, Michael Socolow, Rupert Murdoch, Socolow, “, Ted Turner, Murdoch, Trump, “ Simpson, ” Socolow Organizations: New York CNN, National Football League, Patrol, Bronco, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Court TV, The New York Times, NBC, University of Maine Communications, Fox, Fox News, TV Locations: New York, Los Angeles, California, Brentwood, The, Australian

She flagged down a cab and asked the driver if he happened to know anyone who made the delicate paper flags. The man took her to his brother Don Rene Mendoza, who, by sheer chance, was a master of the trade. After speaking with Amezkua for more than five hours, Mendoza agreed to pass the craft tradition on to her. The Spanish also began importing papel china — thin, tissue-like paper from China, often used to wrap other goods. This confluence led to the creation of the papel picado used today to decorate a variety of celebrations in Mexican culture, most notably Day of the Dead, when it is placed around altars of deceased loved ones.

Persons: Blanka Amezkua, San Salvador Huixcolotla, Amezkua, Don Rene Mendoza, Mendoza, Papel, Marcelo Alejandro Ramirez Garcia, Rojas Organizations: International Museum of Art, Science Locations: San Salvador, Mexican, Mexico, McAllen , Texas, Spanish, China

☆ Stinging Election Loss Leaves South Korean Leader at a Crossroads
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Choe Sang-Hun | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The results, released on Thursday, were disastrous for Mr. Yoon. Voters pushed him to the verge of being a lame duck, giving the opposition one of the biggest parliamentary majorities in recent decades. He becomes the first South Korean president in decades to contend with an opposition-controlled Parliament for his entire time in office. The outcome — and the increasingly polarized South Korean political climate that Mr. Yoon helped intensify — heralded deepening deadlock in a country that is crucial to U.S. efforts to counter China and North Korea. It reduces the odds of Mr. Yoon achieving anything that requires bipartisan support.

Persons: Yoon Suk, Yoon Organizations: Voters, South, Washington Locations: South, South Korean, U.S, China, North Korea, Tokyo

☆ Simon Harris becomes Ireland’s youngest-ever leader
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Simon Harris has become the youngest-ever prime minister of Ireland, officially taking office in Dublin on Tuesday after Leo Varadkar suddenly stepped down last month. Harris, 37, ran unopposed to replace Varadkar as leader of the ruling Fine Gael party, and the final formalities of his rise to power were completed in the Dáil, Ireland’s parliament. And we are seeing innocent children, women, and men being starved and slaughtered,” Harris told lawmakers in the Irish parliament. The son of a taxi driver, born in eastern Ireland, Harris studied journalism and French at a Dublin university but dropped out to instead focus on politics. As health minister, Harris was prominent when Ireland voted to legalize abortion.

Persons: CNN — Simon Harris, Leo Varadkar, Harris, Varadkar, Sinn Fein, Israel, “, ” Harris, Fine, ”, Brian Lawless, Simon Harris ”, “ chillax, “ Didn’t, chillax, …, Jennifer Bray, Enda Kenny, Harris’s Organizations: CNN, Ireland, Fine Gael, Irish Republican Army, Irish, Hot Press, Varadkar, Twitter, “, Sky News Locations: Dublin, Ireland’s, Ireland, Gaza, “, Northern Ireland

☆ Gaza aid efforts dealt major blow as Israel’s deadly attack on relief workers prompts withdrawal of agencies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

WCK and Anera, another aid group, have said they will pause operations in Gaza following the incident. Israel maintains there is no limit on the amount of food or humanitarian aid that can enter Gaza, but aid agencies accuse it of deliberately restricting deliveries. Shortly afterwards, American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), an NGO that delivers aid to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Jordan, also suspended its Gaza operations. Along with Turkey, the UAE is the biggest donor of aid to Gaza, according to COGAT, providing 25% of all aid from foreign nations. The fate of the extra aid WCK had planned for Gaza is also uncertain.

Persons: “, ” WCK, Jose Andres, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Juliette Touma, Ismael Abu Dayyah, WCK, Touma, Ghassan, ” Abu, Sittah, CNN’s Eleni Giokos, Anera, Barak Ravid, Nikos Christodoulides, Jamie McGoldrick Organizations: CNN, United Arab Emirates, Integrated, UN’s, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel, UN, WCK, Reuters, Wednesday, UNRWA, Israel’s, CARE, ICRC, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, East Refugee, West Bank, Touma, UN agency’s Locations: Gaza, Cyprus, Israel, UAE, ”, East, Gaza’s, Deir al Balah, Cypriot, Larnaca, Territories, Egypt, Jordan, British, Palestinian, Gazan, Deir, American, Lebanon, Axois, Turkey, The Gulf, UNRWA, Palestinian Territory

☆ Opinion | Oct. 7 Shattered Netanyahu’s Legacy. The War Saved Him — for Now.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Joshua Leifer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The moment Israel’s devastating war in the Gaza Strip ends, the unfinished conflict within Israel over its future will begin again. After almost six months, this war is already Israel’s longest since Israel’s war of independence. Even Mr. Netanyahu’s most vociferous critics seek to avoid being painted as treasonous during a time when massive banners declaring “Together We Will Win” hang from skyscrapers. In the weeks following Hamas’s gruesome Oct. 7 incursion, Mr. Netanyahu’s political future looked bleak. And, in another recent poll, by Israel’s Channel 13, most Israelis said they did not trust Mr. Netanyahu’s handling of the war.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, Win, Netanyahu, ”, Israel Organizations: Israel’s, Likud Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States

The Israeli military told CNN it does not comment on foreign reports. CNN cannot verify the Times’ report, nor independently verify the claims from Iran, Syria and Israel. Increasing pressureAs the Middle East braces for a potential Iranian response, Tehran is under pressure to show strength in the wake of the consulate attack while not drawing the region into a wider war. The Lebanese Shia militant group has been embroiled in daily crossfire with Israeli forces for nearly six months. However, Israeli military spokesman Hagari blamed Iran for escalating tensions in the region.

Persons: Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Donald Trump, IRGC, Qassem Soleimani, ”, Israel, Daniel Hagari, “, Israel’s, Syria Hossein Akbari, Nasser Kanaani, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, d’affaires, Amir, ” Amir, Faisal Mekdad meanwhile, Houthi, Parsi, Zahedi, Bejamin Netanyahu, Hagari, I’m Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guards, Foreign Ministry, Israel Defense Forces, New York Times, Hamas, Ministry of Health, Zionist, Iranian Foreign Ministry, Israel, Syrian Foreign, Diplomatic Relations, US, Quincy Institute, Responsible Locations: Iran, Israel, Syria, Gaza, Damascus, Baghdad, Tehran, Lebanese, ” Iran, United States, Quds, Iranian Embassy, Iranian, Islamic Republic, Washington, Swiss, Switzerland, Syrian, Vienna, Iraq, Jordan, Red, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Yemen

Banners at the protests called on the Prime Minister to resign and for Israel to hold new elections. Thousands gathered in Jerusalem on Sunday to call for Netanyahu to step down. “They stood outside the Kirya (the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv), screamed their souls out, and nobody heard. Sunday’s demonstration outside the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem was dispersed by force, but protesters appear to be readying themselves for more protests. The US and Israel are set to hold a virtual meeting on Rafah today, a US official told CNN.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “ You’ve, ”, Ilan Rosenberg, Ronen Zvulun, Israel, Aviva Siegel, ” Siegel, Yair Lapid, “, ” Lapid, Israel papered, Benny Gantz, CNN’s Xiaofei Xu, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Gul Tuysuz, Arlette Saenz Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Hamas, Reuters Police, Aviva, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, Israel’s, Israeli Locations: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, United States, Washington, Rafah, Gaza’s, Egypt

☆ After Ohtani and Kikuchi, Japan high school toasts latest baseball prodigy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Hanako Montgomery | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Banners herald Los Angeles Dodgers megastar Shohei Ohtani and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, their faces greeting every visitor. But now, Hanamaki Higashi High School celebrates a new prodigy in its midst – one whose high-school records beat even those of Ohtani and Kikuchi. “The presence of legends like Shohei Ohtani and Yusei Kikuchi were a huge factor as to why I got into baseball – I fell in love with the sport,” Sasaki told CNN. Now, with the emergence of three baseball stars from Hanamaki Higashi, Sasaki’s teammates swell with pride at the honor of walking the same corridors. Despite its status as a public school with a modest baseball budget, Hanamaki Higashi has impressively produced three outstanding athletes.

Persons: Shohei, Yusei Kikuchi, Hanamaki, Kikuchi, Rintaro Sasaki doesn’t, ” Sasaki, Sasaki, he’ll, ”, Hiroshi, Ohtani, Shohei Ohtani, “, Taichi Murakami, Hanamaki Higashi, it’s Organizations: Japan CNN —, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, School, baseball, CNN, Stanford University in, Stanford, Los Angeles Angels, Angel, Kyodo, baseball’s, Dodgers, American League Locations: Hanamaki, Japan, Iwate prefecture, Stanford University in California, America, “, Anaheim , California, Higashi, Hanamaki Higashi

☆ Luis Rubiales: Prosecutors seek 2.5-year jail term for Spanish soccer boss over unwanted World Cup kiss
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Heather Chen | Pau Mosquera | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Spanish prosecutors are seeking a prison term of two years and six months for former soccer chief Luis Rubiales for giving an unwanted kiss to star forward Jennifer Hermoso after Spain’s World Cup victory. The kiss was televised globally and the scandal overshadowed a historic moment for Spain’s women’s team which was celebrating its first-ever World Cup win. Rubiales described the kiss as “mutual” – a claim Hermoso has strongly denied – and said he faces “excessive persecution” from authorities. Vilda had been filmed seeming to inappropriately touch a female staff member during the Women’s World Cup Final. He was replaced by Montse Tomé, the first woman in Spanish national team history to hold the position.

Persons: Luis Rubiales, Jennifer Hermoso, Rubiales, Hermoso, Spain’s, –, Jorge Vilda, Albert Luque, Rubén Rivera, CNN Rubiales, Spain’s women’s, Vilda, Montse Tomé Organizations: CNN, Public Ministry, Royal Spanish Football Federation, FIFA, Prosecutors, Spanish, Hermoso Locations: Spain, Spanish

☆ Demonstrators Make Themselves Heard on Abortion Pill Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Linda Qiu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Bearing colorful signs and banners that read “Doctors Not Doctrine” and “Abortion is Health Care,” hundreds of activists chanted, marched and rallied for hours outside the Supreme Court starting Tuesday morning, before the justices weighed the availability of a commonly used abortion pill. Supporters of abortion rights outnumbered those opposing abortion, but the two factions occasionally sparred with rallying calls, including over the safety of the pill, mifepristone. (Studies show that is, in fact, safe for terminating a pregnancy.) Courtney Brown, a coffee shop owner who helped found an abortion rights group in Amarillo, Texas, where the case originated, described her town as “ground zero” in the fight over abortion. She added, “I’m just ready to fight back because we’re so tired of having those rights stripped away.”

Persons: Courtney Brown, “ I’m, ” Organizations: Health Locations: Amarillo , Texas

☆ Family Dollar and Dollar Tree will close 1,000 stores
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Dollar Tree, which owns Family Dollar, also said it will close 30 stores as leases expire. Dollar Tree bought Family Dollar in 2015 for $8.5 billion. But Dollar Tree has struggled to integrate Family Dollar. Family Dollar stores were in poor condition when Dollar Tree acquired the business in 2015, analysts say. Although Family Dollar has renovated thousands of stores in recent years, many stores under both banners are still poorly maintained.

Organizations: CNN, Dollar, Walmart, Justice Department

☆ Activist Petrus Advisers has a plan to help lift Criteo’s share price. Here’s how it might unfold
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Criteo operates across three segments – marketing solutions, retail media, and Iponweb – but generated 83% of its $1.95 billion of revenue in 2023 from the marketing solutions segment. To many in the investor community, this was the death knell for cookies leading to uncertainty for Criteo's largest segment. Additionally, the company's retail media segment is a very appealing and growing business using software as a service for e-commerce companies. Petrus will likely nominate outside directors to the board as they rarely propose Petrus insiders for board seats. If it does not settle, Petrus has shown that they are willing to take a proxy fight to a vote.

Persons: Petrus, Rachel Picard, Megan Clarken, Alphabet's, Criteo, Frank Layden, Petrus —, Neuberger Berman, AllianceBernstein, Evercore, Ken Squire Organizations: Criteo, Petrus Advisers, Nasdaq, Alphabet's Google, TAC, Cadian Capital Management, Bloomberg, Reuters, 13D Locations: France, Europe, Americas, Asia, Pacific

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