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Republican hopefuls have alleged, without evidence, that the investigation into Trump, who is running to unseat Biden from the White House in 2024, is politically motivated. As the charges against Trump were unsealed, Biden was in North Carolina, where he was discussing his economic agenda and had plans to meet with military members. BIDEN, TRUMP IN SWING STATENorth Carolina is a key political swing state that Republicans are courting this weekend during a state convention. North Carolina, with 15 electoral votes, is an important political swing state that Trump won, though only with a slim margin, in 2020. He leads the North Carolina Republican field with 44% of the vote, followed by DeSantis at 22%, the poll shows.

Persons: ROCKY, Joe Biden, General Merrick Garland, Department's, Donald Trump, I’m, Biden, White, Olivia Dalton, Garland, Jack Smith, Trump, BIDEN, Jill, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Nandita Bose, Jeff Mason, Sarah Lynch, Jarrett Renshaw, Heather Timmons, Alistair Bell, Daniel Wallis, Diane Craft Organizations: Trump, White House, DOJ, Air Force, FBI, TRUMP, Nash Community College, Fort Liberty, Diagnostics, North Carolina Republican, White, Liberty, Thomson Locations: N.C, North Carolina, Carolina, Rocky Mount, Florida, Philadelphia . North Carolina, Fort Bragg

☆ Summer Book Preview and 9 Thrillers to Read
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s no rule that says you have to read thrillers in the summer — some people gobble them up them year round, while others avoid them entirely and read Kafka on the shore — but on a long, lazy vacation day it’s undeniably satisfying to grab onto a galloping narrative and see where it pulls you. This week, Gilbert Cruz talks to our thrillers columnist Sarah Lyall about some classics of the genre, as well as more recent titles she recommends. “There’s all this commercial pressure on the writers, and when there’s too much pressure on a writer, they can’t really let their imagination go. She’s probably lost a lot of money because of it. She’s probably given up a lot.

Persons: Kafka, Gilbert Cruz, Sarah Lyall, Donna Tartt’s, ” Lyall, “, there’s, Donna Tartt, She’s, Joumana Khatib

☆ How one DeSantis speech captured the dynamic that could decide 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

The next 30 minutes of DeSantis’ speech then demonstrated how Biden might survive despite all the doubts about his performance and capabilities. In that way, DeSantis’ first swing through Iowa showed why Republicans are still at risk in 2024 from a key dynamic that dashed their hopes of a sweeping “red wave” in 2022. Many strategists in both parties believe that dynamic is most likely to recur in 2024 if the GOP nominates Trump. One reason, Republicans argue, is that the eventual nominee likely will talk about these issues less in a general election. Beset by all the difficult domestic conditions DeSantis highlighted, Biden will likely struggle straight through November 2024 to affirmatively convince a majority that his performance deserves another term.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Biden, DeSantis, Donald Trump, ”, Sarah Longwell, MAGA Trump, “, Trump, Chris Wilson, Republican pollster, Jesse Ferguson, SRSS, “ Biden, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W . Bush, “ DeSantis, Ferguson, don’t, –, David Kochel, Kochel, can’t, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton’s, suburbanites, Nick Gourevitch, DeSantis ’, dethroning Trump, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Biden “ Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Biden’s, Republicans, GOP, Trump, Republican, Longwell, Biden, White House, White, Edison Research, House, Democrats, Senate, Fox News, Walt Disney Co, Democratic, eventual Locations: Iowa, Des Moines, Biden’s America, America, Florida, Arizona , Georgia, Nevada , New Hampshire , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan

Card 5 of 9New mysteries offer plenty of suspense. Background Image: In this illustration, a figure lies on a beach on a striped towel, a book over their eyes. On the left is a figure who recalls Sherlock Holmes. He is wearing a hat and smoking a pipe, and bending down to peer at the sand through a magnifying glass.

☆ ‘Happy Valley’ Review: The End of the Hero’s Journey
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Mike Hale | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

She’s a contemporary knight errant, upholding a code of decency against the terrors of modern life. “Happy Valley,” whose final season premieres on Monday (streaming on Acorn TV and AMC+, broadcast on BBC America), is a pocket-size, prosaic saga — a hero’s tale contained in three six-episode seasons and embedded in a family drama. Like all mythical heroes, Cawood has an antagonist, the psychopathic rapist and killer Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), who is the father of her grandson. In its structure, “Happy Valley” is very much a traditional British crime series, with seemingly unconnected plot strands and investigations that wind themselves together against a backdrop of cop-shop politics. In the new season’s major subplot, a less-than-sympathetic female character is caught between two seemingly more capable men whose weaknesses run deeper than hers.

It's possible to buy a house with bad credit, but you may end up with a high mortgage rate. Unlike conforming mortgages, which require a good credit score to qualify, loans that are available to those with lower credit scores typically have higher mortgage rates. You can also use our guide to the best low credit score mortgage lenders to see which lenders accept borrowers with lower scores. Get copies of your credit reportUnderstanding your credit history is key to understanding what's affecting your credit score. Review your credit report again to see what is impacting your credit score, then take steps to improve it.

The department scheduled a press conference for 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) to make an announcement regarding the strike force's work but did not provide details. 2 official, said in February that the new group was a joint effort with the U.S. Commerce Department to safeguard American technology from foreign adversaries and other national security threats. Monaco said at the time that the United States would "strike back against adversaries trying to siphon off our most advanced technology, and to attack tomorrow's national security threats today." The strike force includes 14 U.S. attorney offices across the country working to target illicit actors, strengthen supply chains and protect sensitive technologies from being acquired or used by foreign adversaries. The Justice Department in recent years has increased its focus on bringing criminal cases to protect corporate intellectual property, U.S. supply chains and private data about Americans from foreign adversaries, either through cyber attacks, theft or sanctions evasion.

[1/3] An American flag waves outside the U.S. Department of Justice Building in Washington, U.S., December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Al Drago/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it has charged a former Apple Inc (AAPL.O) engineer with attempting to steal the firm's technology related to autonomous systems, including self-driving cars, and then fleeing to China. Two of the cases involved what Justice Department officials called procurement networks created to help Russia's military and intelligence services obtain sensitive technology. The former Apple engineer, identified as 35-year-old Weibao Wang, formerly resided in Mountain View, California, and was hired by Apple in 2016, according to an April indictment unsealed on Tuesday. After his last day at Apple, the company discovered that he had accessed large amounts of proprietary data in the days before his departure, the Justice Department said.

☆ 'Ted Lasso' co-creator Bill Lawrence's No. 1 rule on set: 'Don't be an ass----'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

"Ted Lasso" became a global sensation in 2020 partly because of the kindness of its main character. But behind the scenes, being nice wasn't just a suggestion — it was a rule. In his commencement address to Sarah Lawrence College graduates on Friday, "Ted Lasso" co-creator Bill Lawrence broke down the No. 1 rule he gives every new actor and writer he hires: "Don't be an ass----." Lawrence, who also created "Scrubs," told the class of 2023 that he is blunt with his employees about the expectations he has for the way they treat each other, as well as other people, on set.

☆ A 74-year old Democrat in Congress pushing to make roads safer thinks 'the bicycle is the key to much of what ails us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Biking advocates gathered on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning to push for federal legislation. The 74-year-old lawmaker has a short ride to work, but "on a nice morning, you just sometimes keep going," he added. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, with his bicycle at a congressional bike ride organized by cycling advocacy groups. Romney's comments received significant backlash from biking advocates and others, who pointed out that there's plenty of evidence that better bike infrastructure gets more cyclists on the road, reduces driving, and cuts emissions. "Every person on a bicycle is somebody who's not in a car in front of you," Blumenauer said.

May 10 (Reuters) - Republican vulnerabilities on abortion policy are on display in Ohio, with the party playing defense against a surge in abortion rights activism that could help President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party in next year's elections. Abortion rights advocates have racked up electoral victories, lifting Democrats along the way, since the Supreme Court struck down the national right to abortion last year. Ohio Republicans passed a six-week state abortion ban in 2019, but that law is blocked while litigation proceeds. In Republican-leaning Kentucky, abortion rights activists are already knocking on doors ahead of November's gubernatorial election, when Democrat Andy Beshear is seeking another term. Senate President Matt Huffman has made clear the measure is aimed at the abortion rights amendment.

The deal ends nearly all of the litigation brought against the tobacco giant over Juul by local government bodies and individuals across the United States. Altria expects to record a pre-tax charge of $235 million in the second quarter of 2023 and intends to exclude it from adjusted earnings per share. As of December, its share of Juul was valued at $250 million, down from $12.8 billion in 2018. They said Altria helped the strategy by letting Juul use its sales force and place its products next to Altria's on shelves. Juul previously settled most of the cases against it, paying more than $1 billion to 48 states and territories and $1.7 billion to individuals and local government entities.

ETImage Trumpet, a bloodhound, was named best in show last year after outlasting some terrific competition. Credit... Hiroko Masuike/The New York TimesThere are around 3,000 dogs at Westminster, and all of them are such good, good boys and girls. The 210 breed winners then advance to compete in the group finals. The seven group winners (four of which have already been decided) then vie for the big prize. Last year’s winner was Trumpet, a bloodhound.

☆ Striker Will Never Know He Wasn’t Best in Show
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

TORONTO — No one watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last year could have missed Striker the Samoyed, a blindingly white confection of fluff and enthusiasm who stole the show with his goofy joie de vivre. Sadly for his fans, Striker lost in the final round, defeated by a lugubriously dignified bloodhound and a perky little French bulldog. “Hell, no,” said Judi Elford, Striker’s breeder and, with Marc Ralsky and Correen Pacht, his co-owner. “Does he care that he did not win best in show at Westminster? But he is still a champion, and he is still busy — playing, romping, posing and shedding at the home he shares with Pacht and Ralsky in north Toronto.

☆ At Charles’s Coronation, Everything Olde Was New Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The coronation of King Charles III was billed as a chance to usher in a new kind of monarchy — slimmer, more accessible and more inclusive — for the 21st century. Though Saturday’s ceremony had its share of modern flourishes, it was hard to escape the sense that they were mostly tweaks to an ancient ritual which, like the monarchy itself, can’t escape the heavy burdens of the past. As it happened, the coronation was a huge success by most measures. King Charles looked burdened, and then relieved, by the responsibility of it all; Queen Camilla looked radiant. “The Penny is mightier than the sword,” Chris Bryant, a Labour member of Parliament, tweeted.)

☆ Once Close, William and Harry Are Now Rows Apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

And so it was striking, and a little sad, to see how far Charles’s two sons — Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and Prince William, the Prince of Wales — have drifted apart in the past few years. William had an official role in Saturday’s coronation, as the heir to the throne; Harry had none at all, except as a relative demoted to the third row of Westminster Abbey. It’s unclear whether the two acknowledged each other at all as William processed in, long after Harry took his seat. Dressed in a morning suit with a slew of medals on his chest, Harry smiled gamely as he entered the abbey. William wore full military regalia and at one point dropped to his knee and pledged allegiance to Charles, a moment that was both shockingly anachronistic and strangely touching.

☆ Clarence Thomas' wife Ginni was paid nearly $100,000 for 'consulting' by a nonprofit that ended up filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A conservative activist helped Ginni Thomas rake in nearly $100,000 for consulting, The Washington Post reported. Conservative lawyer Leonard Leo reportedly ensured Ginni Thomas' name was kept off the paperwork. Leo's nonprofit filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court that same year. Ginni Thomas has previously courted controversy with her public, pro-Trump activities, and other conservative activism. Neither Ginni Thomas, nor a representative for the Supreme Court immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.

☆ As a King Is Crowned, Some Britons Ask Why the Monarchy Persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a scene in the 1975 movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” King Arthur roams around the English countryside attempting to gather knights for the Round Table. When he declares, “I am your king!” to a deeply unimpressed peasant, her response is both absurd and blindingly obvious. As long as there has been a monarch in this country — for more than a 1,000 years — there have been questions about the legitimacy of the monarchy. “One of the reasons that the monarchy persists is that we don’t often have serious conversations about why we have a monarchy,” said Alastair Bellany, an English-born historian at Rutgers University specializing in 16th- and 17th-century Britain. I think a serious country has to look in the mirror.

When I traveled by myself in my 20s, I used to stay in hostels and cheap out on flights to save money. Now that I'm older, I've found better strategies to save on travel without cutting corners at every opportunity, like using a high-yield savings account for my travel fund and taking advantage of my credit card's travel insurance. AdvertisementOpen a high interest savings account to save for travelBack when I started traveling over 14 years ago, savings account aren't what they are now. I decided to open a high-yield savings account a few years ago to take advantage of its high interest rate. Use someone else's hotel reservationI've often used the usual discount booking websites like Booking.com and Hotels.com to save money when booking accommodation.

Persons: I've, —, haven't, Roomer Organizations: Service, Chase Locations: Southeast Asia, Malaysia

But as Republican presidential hopefuls including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump crisscross the country, they have instead focused on hot-button issues like immigration and transgender participation in youth sports. A broad majority of voters in both parties believe the debt ceiling presents a good opportunity to debate public policy priorities, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in March. Still, it is unclear how much Republican primary voters know about the debt limit debate - or even care - campaign aides and strategists said. Of nine attendees interviewed by Reuters at the town hall meeting held by Haley, none mentioned the debt ceiling as one of their top concerns. Others have addressed the debt ceiling in the past, but only in general terms.

☆ Opinion | John Mulaney and the Insatiable Modern Audience
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Judging by the reaction online, not to mention the texts on my phone, people had feelings about this — lots of them. Mulaney made the word “parasocial” go mainstream. But I do think many people’s expectations of celebrities have become unreasonable in the social media age. It used to be much easier for famous figures to maintain a firewall between their public personas and their private lives. Smith turns this idea over and over throughout the book — more than 100 pages later, she writes: “Maybe this isn’t a tell-mine.

☆ Centene to divest AI platform Apixio
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - Centene Corp (CNC.N) will sell its artificial intelligence-powered healthcare analytics platform Apixio to investment firm New Mountain Capital as part of an ongoing portfolio review, the U.S. health insurer said on Wednesday. The company, which acquired Apixio in December 2020, did not disclose the terms of the transaction. Apixio compiles and analyzes large volumes of unstructured patient data, including medical charts and physician's notes, into insights and curated data. "As part of our ongoing portfolio review, it was important for us to find a strategic partner for Apixio with whom the business can continue to grow," said Centene Chief Executive Office Sarah London said in a statement. Centene said it expects the sale of the platform to be neutral to its adjusted profit for this year.

☆ Maggie Smith Tries to Make the Divorce Memoir Beautiful
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ms. Smith understands the irony of her situation, of course: that the debacle at home provided material for the book, which in turn gave her new financial security to support herself. The material also gave her the impetus — and the audience — to write a second book. As one friend commented on Instagram when Ms. Smith announced plans to publish “Keep Moving”: “You took those lemons and made lemonade, and then you added MF vodka to it.”Yes, Ms. Smith says in “You Could Make This Place Beautiful” — but. I wrote.”At the church, audience members talked about the rawness and honesty of Ms. Smith’s work, how it feels as if she is speaking directly to them. The more people I send it off to the more chance there is that it will be misconstrued or judged.”

[1/2] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the 2023 NHGOP Amos Tuck Dinner in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., April 14, 2023. Seemingly entrenched in culture wars, Florida governor DeSantis risks being overshadowed by Trump's fundraising, improving polling numbers and endorsements by lawmakers, anti-Trump donors say. Other polls of Republicans alone show Trump has surged into a commanding lead over DeSantis in recent weeks. History shows that early endorsements by elected party officials give candidates momentum and can be predictive of who wins a presidential nomination. These culture war appeals to Trump's Republican base so far do not appear to be working.

☆ In the Footsteps of Charles III
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Sarah Lyall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

No royal heir in British history has waited longer than Charles III, the king formerly known as the Prince of Wales, to ascend the throne. By contrast, Charles — the oldest Prince of Wales in British history to become king — was born a monarch-in-waiting and has had a lifetime to prepare. The public in turn has had a lifetime to get to know Charles, starting from his rarefied childhood in the public eye. But Charles was an unusually outspoken Prince of Wales. He has often waded into debates on unexpected topics like alternative medicine and organic farming (pro) and modernist architecture (against).

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