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☆ English town of Southport mourns 9-year-old stabbing victim and calls for an end to unrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Ap-Live-Blog-Byline-Image.Png | The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The disturbances have been fueled by social media users who spread misinformation about the suspect in the July 29 stabbing rampage. A police officer fends away a demonstrator during an anti-immigration protest, in Rotherham northern England on Aug. 4, 2024. The suspect was born in Wales and moved to the Southport area in 2013. We don’t hear you back.’’The coffin of Southport stabbing victim Alice da Silva Aguiar being taken from St Patrick's Church, Southport after her funeral. On Sunday, her parents released a photo of Alice standing next to a cardboard cutout of Swift as she waited for her last dance class to begin.

Persons: Alice da Silva, Constable Serena Kennedy, Alice, ”, Kennedy, Taylor Swift, fends, Hollie Adams, Sergio, Alexandra, ’ ’, ’, Alice da Silva Aguiar, Danny Lawson, Jinnie Payne, Swift, ’ ” Payne, “ Organizations: Patrick’s Catholic, Merseyside Police, Reuters, Churchtown Primary Locations: Southport, England, Merseyside, Liverpool, Rotherham, Wales, Rwanda, Britain, “, St Patrick's

It’s hard to condense a two-week period as jam-packed with memorable moments as these incredible Paris Olympics, but this is our best attempt. Bronze medalist Noah Lyles of Team United States reacts after competing in the Men's 200m Final on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France. Athletes dive into the Seine river to start the swimming stage of the men's individual triathlon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in central Paris on July 31, 2024. But Paris 2024 organizers insisted the water quality in the Seine was at a “very good” level on the morning of the individual triathlons. US' Cole Hocker crosses the finish line to win the men's 1500m final of the athletics event ahead of US' Yared Nuguse at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Persons: Paris CNN —, Simone Biles, Biles, CNN Sport’s Coy Wire, ” Biles, “, ”, Imane Khelif, Khelif, Angela Carini, Carini, Algeria's Imane Khelif, Peter Cziborra, Reuters Peter Cziborra, Mark Adams, Khelif “, I’m, “ I’ve, Nabil Boudi, Katie Ledecky, Jenny Thompson, Ledecky, Katie Ledecky basks, CNN “, Philippe Katerine, Dionysus, Katerine, we’d, ” Katerine, Noah Lyles ’, Paris Noah Lyles, Kishane Thompson, Noah Lyles, Richard Heathcote, Justin Gatlin, Lyles, Botswana’s, Tebogo, Kenneth Bednarek, Anne, Christine Poujoulat, Léon Marchand, Leon Marchand, Quinn Rooney, Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps, Marchand, Yusuf Dikec, Ilayda, Cagla Gurdogan, Yusuf Dikeç, Dikeç, Turkey’s, Şevval Ilayda, Mondo Duplantis, Korea’s Kim Ye, Gabriel Medina, Kanoa Igarashi, Medina, Jerome Brouillet, Brazil's Gabriel Medina, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic outdueled Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, Roland Garros, Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz, Matthew Stockman, “ I’m, Sydney Mclaughlin, Tara Davis, Ryan Crouser, Cole Hocker, ANTONIN THUILLIER, —, Armand “ Mondo, Duplantis, USA’s Sam Kendricks, Karalis, Amanda Davies Organizations: Paris CNN, Paris, Olympic Games, Tokyo, Paris Olympics, CNN, CNN Sport’s, Reuters, International Olympic Committee, Olympic, Games, CNN Sport, “, Catholic, French Catholic Church, Paris Games, Stade de France, Team United, Getty, USA, Team USA, National Olympic Committees, Gold, Team France, Paris La Defense, Défense Arena, Tokyo Olympics, Agence France, Presse, Team Serbia, Spain, Woodhall Locations: France, Paris, Algerian, Los Angeles, French, Gaza, Ukraine, “, Jamaica, Athens, American, Lyles, Seine, AFP, Belgium, Switzerland, Nanterre, Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Tahiti, Teahupo'o, Serbia, Tokyo, Swedish

☆ A boomer lives on $1,601 monthly from Social Security and struggles to pay bills. She plans to wait a few more years until she touches her 401(k).
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Allie Kelly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementMaureen now lives on $1,601 monthly Social Security payments in northeast Pennsylvania, according to bank documents viewed by BI. For others, fixed Social Security incomes aren't enough to afford basic necessities. Over half of baby boomers have $250,000 or less in retirement assets, per a 2024 report from the Retirement Income Institute . AdvertisementHer husband's Social Security money primarily went to her daughters when they were young, she said, but she recently learned his employer is closing their pension system. With $1,601 monthly Social Security as her only source of reliable income, Maureen is on a tight budget.

Persons: —, Maureen, Patricia Polacco's, Maureen —, hasn't, she's, doesn't Organizations: Service, Business, Catholic, Social, BI, Northwestern Mutual, Income, Social Security, SNAP Locations: Pennsylvania

☆ My grandmother just turned 95, and she's still thriving. Here are her 3 secrets to longevity.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Kate Oczypok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewMy maternal grandmother, Theresa "Terry" Grady, just celebrated her 95th birthday in June. When my four younger siblings and I were younger, we always thought our grandmother was a "cool" grandma. Looking back on her wonderful life, it's easy to see what has helped her thrive well into her 90s. If there is one thing my grandma taught me over the years, it's the importance of family.

Persons: —, Theresa, Terry, Grady, I've, G, Ed Grady, Grandma, It's, we're Organizations: Service, Business, Facebook, Catholic

☆ Opinion | Nancy Pelosi: ‘It Didn’t Sound Like Joe Biden to Me’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Ezra Klein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +55 min

And they know you’re going to act so they won’t mess with you. Put it in somebody else’s mouth because it was AI mean, it didn’t sound like Joe Biden to me. I think you’re I think you’re underselling this a little bit. And if they don’t, I’m going to keep my promise and send them 100 powdered wigs because they’re just living in a different era. All these other politicians, these career politicians didn’t know how to make a good deal.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, Harris, Tim Walz, Al Gore, They’re, he’s, Joe Biden, Obama, Walz, Donald Trump, it’s, Trump, Said, JD Vance, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Ro Khanna, Scott Wiener, haven’t, Liam McCarthy, Willie Brown, George Moscone, Leo, Dianne Feinstein, It’s, Kamala, she’s, let’s, Suzan, You’ll, That’s, you’ll, I’m, that’s, We’re, I’ve, He’s, what’s, Bob Dole, George Bush, Svetlana, they’re, Scott Brown, Ted Kennedy’s, Ted Kennedy, Scott Brown’s, We’ve, you’re, Bill, Harry, Harry Reid, Pelosi, John Boehner, you’ve, Weaver, that’s O.K, Kevin McCarthy, kaka, Bernie Sanders, Sanders, Ted Cruz, Let’s, Barney Frank, Bill I, Steny Hoyer, don’t, You’re, John Dingell, Roe, Ira, Biden, McCarthy, o’clock, Wade, Kathy Manning of, Kathy Manning, didn’t, America’s, Republicans can’t, You’ve, Mary Barra, Steph Curry, Elton John Bono, Bill Gates, ain’t, Abraham, Little, Hillary, Norman Lear, Umberto, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s, I’ll, Darwin, Lincoln Organizations: Democratic Party, Democratic, Republican, Veterans Affairs, Trump, Republicans, Democrat, San, Cal Stanford, University of San, Morning, NATO, Affordable, Senate, White House, California Democratic Party, Technology Committee, North, Global, Abraham Accords, Rogue, Republican Party Locations: America, Minnesota, San Francisco, University of San Francisco, United States, It’s, Belarus, Massachusetts, California, Iraq, Idaho, Italian, Kathy Manning of North Carolina, China, Sudan, Michigan, Arizona, David, South, Baltimore

☆ My great-aunt is 96 and still lives independently. Here are her 8 secrets to a long and healthy life.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Rebecca Strong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewMartin Luther King, Jr. once said: "The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important." But at 96 years old, my great-aunt Mary Selby Ferrari is living proof that you can have both — a long and full life. Ferrari, meanwhile, still lives on her own in the independent-living section of a retirement community. She makes it a point to stay informed"I used to be a great reader," Ferrari told me. And she hit the genetic jackpotIt would be impossible to talk about Ferrari's long life without addressing her mother's centenarian status.

Persons: —, Martin Luther King, Jr, Mary Selby Ferrari, Ferrari, COVID, Mary Ferrari, Dan Buettner, who's, hasn't, Barbara Cavalieri, The New York Times she'll Organizations: Service, Business, College of New, Catholic, Blue, Ferrari, MSNBC, The New York Times Locations: College of New Rochelle, New York City, Manhattan

☆ As President Milei’s austerity hits hard, jobless Argentines appeal to the patron saint of work
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Struggling to feed her family after losing her job as a cleaner earlier this year, 56-year-old Norma Villarreal went to church Wednesday in the hardscrabble outskirts of Buenos Aires and waited in the pre-dawn darkness for over an hour to petition St. Cayetano, the patron saint of bread and work. Throughout decades of political change in Argentina, the annual Aug. 7 pilgrimage to St. Cayetano Sanctuary has served as a potent, and grim, reminder that in Argentina, economic despair remains a constant. But this year might be unique in one thing: The desperation over rising joblessness that drives Argentines to call on St. Cayetano has been matched by rage at the painful austerity program of libertarian President Javier Milei. While Milei has prioritized combating the country’s dizzying inflation rate — which fell in June to 4.2% month on month, the lowest since January 2022. Unemployment has become a growing concern as Milei’s government freezes public works projects and shutters ministries in his campaign to cut down the state.

Persons: Norma Villarreal, Cayetano, ” Villarreal, Javier Milei, Milei, ”, Ana Maria Muñoz, hasn’t, “, I’m, Orlando Ortega, we’ve, Milei’s, Wednesday’s, Manuel Adorni, Rodolfo Aguiar Organizations: Roman Catholic, National Secretariat for Children, Ministry of Human, ” Union, State Workers Association Locations: hardscrabble, Buenos Aires, Naples, Argentina, St

☆ Chiefs make Harrison Butker NFL’s highest-paid kicker
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Rohan Nadkarni | Rohan Nadkarni Is A Sports Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Kansas City Chiefs and Harrison Butker have agreed to a contract extension that will make him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, according to multiple reports. He has converted 89.1% of his 197 career field-goal attempts during the regular season. And he’s been even more accurate during the playoffs, hitting 91.4% of his kicks in the postseason, helping the Chiefs win three Super Bowls since 2019. “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, told People in a statement. The Chiefs will open their regular season on Sept. 5 against the Ravens on NBC.

Persons: Harrison Butker, Butker, he’s, “ Harrison Butker, ” Jonathan Beane Organizations: Kansas City Chiefs, NFL, Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City, Butker, Benedictine College, Ravens, NBC Locations: Kansas, Atchison , Kansas

☆ 10 biggest stories of the first week of the 2024 Summer Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Kyle Feldscher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

The 2024 Summer Olympics are heading into their second weekend, and it’s truly been one for the history books. Turkey's Yusuf Dikec competes in the shooting 10m air pistol mixed team gold medal match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Chateauroux Shooting Centre on July 30, 2024. Aleksandra Szmigiel/ReutersFrench athletes wave flags as they sail in a boat on the river Seine during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty ImagesFrance's Anthony Jeanjean competes in the Men's Cycling BMX Freestyle Park Final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, on July 31, 2024. Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty ImagesVisitors take pictures of the Olympic cauldron as it rises high after sunse on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France.

Persons: it’s, Simone Biles ’, Léon, Simone Biles, Naomi Baker, she’s, Biles, Read, Léon Marchand, Gold, Leon Marchand, Quinn Rooney, he’s, Marchand, “, ”, Philippe Katerine, Dionysus, Katerine, ” Katerine, Anne, Christine Poujoulat, drenching, Cassandre Beaugrand, Alex Yee, New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, Wilde, Yee, Novak, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Lorenzo Musetti, Clive Brunskill, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams, Djokovic, Nadal, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, Ilona Maher, Maher, Andy Murray, Murray, American’s Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Dan Evans, Andy Murray’s, Kim Yeji, Charles McQuillan, there’s Yusuf Dikeç, Kim, Turkey's Yusuf Dikec, Alain Jocard, Dikeç, Imane Khelif, Angela Carini, dislodging, Carini, Mark Adams, ” Khelif, WADA, CHINADA –, Aleksandra Szmigiel, Franck Fife, Yoshimura Miho, Rwanda's Tufaha, Fabrice Coffrini, France's Anthony Jeanjean, Emmanuel Dunand, Maja Hitij, Amy Woodyatt, Patrick Sung, Gul Tuysuz, Jessie Yeung, Saskya Vandoorne, Ben Church, George Ramsay, Scottie Andrew, Chris Liakos, Simone McCarthy, Andrew McNicol, Kara Fox Organizations: Paris CNN, Paris Olympics, Olympic, Team United, Olympic Games, Bercy Arena, USA, Team France, Paris La Defense, La Défense, Games, CNN, Catholic, French Catholic Church, Paris, Getty, Wimbledon, US, rugby, Team USA, Australia, tennis Shooters, Team Republic of, Chateauroux Shooting, Olympic Committee, Tokyo, China’s, Doping Agency, Tokyo Games, Eiffel, Reuters, Palais Locations: Paris, France, Tokyo, Nanterre, French, AFP, Seine, New, Italy, Los Angeles, Team Republic of Korea, Chateauroux, South Korea, Turkey, Turkish, Beijing

☆ In Palermo, a Catholic Saint Joins the Hindu Pantheon
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-03 | by ( Emma Bubola | Gianni Cipriano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After they spread pink petals on golden statues of Ganesh and Shiva, and recited prayers to blue-skinned and eight-armed gods, the Hindu faithful left their temple and headed to a party for another one of their divinities — the Catholic St. Rosalia. “To the other goddess!” said Swasthika Sasiyendran, 23, after she changed from her gold-and-white sari into a T-shirt bearing Rosalia’s face. Every year, in the height of Sicily’s summer heat, Palermo fills with festival lights and honking scooters as people gather to celebrate Rosalia, the city’s patron saint. Among the hundreds of thousands who join the procession, which culminates with a towering statue of the saint being carried through the streets, are members of the city’s Sri Lankan Tamil community, some of Rosalia’s most ardent worshipers. Palermo is prone to this kind of medley.

Persons: Ganesh, Shiva, Rosalia, “, ”, Swasthika Sasiyendran Organizations: Sri Lankan Tamil Locations: Palermo, Sri Lankan

The Republican Party platform, updated last month for the first time since 2016, appeared to shift away from the party’s long-held opposition to same-sex marriage. We will end policies that punish families.”Many took this to mean the party was softening its stance on gay nuptials in a nod to growing public support for same-sex marriage, even among Republicans. The Republican National Committee did not return multiple requests for comment regarding whether the language in the new platform is inclusive of same-sex couples. We must do what is legally necessary to defend the sanctity of marriage.”Weeks later, Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The phrase “sanctity of marriage,” Maril said, is “inherently exclusionary” of same-sex couples.

Persons: ”, Charles Moran, “, ” Moran, Donald Trump, Joe Raedle, Robin Maril, ” Maril, George W, Bush, ” Bush, ” Weeks, Gabriele Magni, Magni, ” Magni, Mladen Antonov, Moran, I’m, “ They’re Organizations: Republican Party, Republican National Committee, Republican, GOP, Republican National Convention, Willamette University, U.S . Conference of Catholic, Los Angeles Times, Loyola Marymount University, Research Initiative, “, U.S, Supreme, Getty, Federal, Republicans, NBC Locations: Milwaukee, Massachusetts, Alabama

☆ Why Scandals Are Hurting Organized Religion - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( David French | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Don’t Tell My Friends, But… is a seriesin which we asked Times columnistswhateveryone else is wrong about. The two concepts are so distinct within Christianity that they have different names — orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right conduct). Right conduct should flow from right belief. The person who prioritizes orthodoxy says, “Hear my voice.” The person who prioritizes orthopraxy says, “Watch my life,” and the competing emphases can play out in concrete political ways. By contrast, the person who prioritizes orthopraxy has the opposite inclination.

Persons: Let’s, sears, ”, Donald Trump, They’re, orthopraxy, Robert Morris, United States —, Morris, Sybil Jordan Hampton, wouldn’t, Russell Moore’s, Moore, It’s, Paul Organizations: Southern Baptist Convention, Gateway, Evangelical America Locations: Southern, orthopraxy, Christianity, United States, Louisiana, Kentucky, Little Rock, Ireland

☆ The Problem With the Natural Childbirth Movement - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

The natural-parenting movement, like the anti-vaccine movement, relies on our forgetfulness about what life was like before the innovations that it denounces. Also like the anti-vaccine movement, the natural-parenting movement is a reaction to very real failures in our medical system, which has more than earned people’s distrust. Natural parenting has since been thoroughly secularized, but it still preaches something akin to spiritual transcendence through female sacrifice. Even if you distrust the natural-parenting movement, its pressures are hard to escape. If the natural-parenting movement really cared about children, it would do some introspection about how often it makes their parents miserable.

Persons: I’d, “, ”, who’ve, thrall, It’s, Carla Cevasco, don’t, —, Amy Tuteur, Dick, Read, Ina May Gaskin, William Sears, God, Emily Oster, Long, Gaskin, who’d, saccharine condescension Organizations: World Health Organization, OB, Harvard Medical, Leche League, Daily Locations: British, Leche

☆ How Harris may win back a critical group of voters who abandoned Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

With Harris at the top of the ticket, Democrats now see a chance to refocus voters on the issue and restore their margins among the abortion rights voters who had notably drifted away from Biden. In both the 2020 and 2022 campaigns, voters who backed legal abortion provided overwhelming support to Biden and other Democratic candidates. Across all of those battleground states, Biden this year was performing well below that level with voters who support legal abortion, polls have found. Those abortion rights voters also split about evenly on whether Biden or Trump was better for the economy. “Many of them aren’t single issue abortion voters; they are worried about the economy and inflation, they are worried about immigration,” McLaughlin said.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, wasn’t, Donald Trump’s, Harris, Biden, ”, Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg, “ It’s, Dobbs, Charles Franklin, Tony Evers, Katie Hobbs, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, Whitmer, Shapiro, Franklin, Trump, Roe, Wade, “, Lake, Melissa Williams, ” Harris, Tresa Undem, ‘ what’s, –, Greenberg, ” Greenberg, —, John Della Volpe, Della Volpe, energize, Jason Cabel Roe, ” Trump, He’s, “ Donald Trump, Jim McLaughlin, McLaughlin, ” McLaughlin, Williams, JD Vance, ” Williams Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Edison Research, Democratic House, Democrats, Marquette Law School, SSRS, Quinnipiac University, Yahoo, Quinnipiac, Trump, Times, YouGov, Biden, Catholic, ” Voters, GOP, Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, Republican Party, “, Republicans, White House Locations: The Marquette, Pennsylvania , Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, London, Harris, Iowa, America, Trump

☆ Organizers apologize after alleged ‘Last Supper’ parody during Olympics opening ceremony is criticized by church groups
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Matias Grez | Chris Liakos | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Organizers of the Paris Olympics have apologized for what some critics described as a parody of “The Last Supper” during the lavish opening ceremony on Friday. The scene featured drag artists and dancers and was widely criticized by the Catholic church and Christian groups. Performers are seen on a catwalk erected along the Passerelle Debilly bridge in Paris during the opening ceremony. “Dionysus arrives at the table because he is the Greek God of celebration and that sequence is called ‘festivity,’” Jolly said. “The God of wine, which is also a French jewel and father of Sequana, the Goddess linked to the River Seine.

Persons: Anne Descamps, “, Johann Rottenhammer, Jan Brueghel, Wally Skalij, Thomas Jolly, Leonardo da Vinci, “ Dionysus, ” Jolly, Sequana, Mount Olympus —, Dionysus Organizations: CNN —, Paris, Catholic, French Catholic Church, Los Angeles Times, CNN, BFMTV, Twitter Locations: Paris

☆ Blue man at this year’s Olympics opening ceremony defends memorable scene to CNN
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-29 | by ( Saskya Vandoorne | Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —It was one of the more memorable moments of arguably the most unique opening ceremony in history, but one that has sparked controversy around the world. The scene in question has been described by some critics as a parody of “The Last Supper” and one which featured drag artists and multiple dancers. In an interview with CNN, Katerine said his song “Nue” – or “Naked” – was a message for peace, inspired by war, such as those in Gaza and Ukraine. The answer is perhaps not because you can’t hide a gun or a dagger when you’re naked,” he said. Despite receiving criticism from some, Katerine was also praised for creating one of the lasting memories from the lavish ceremony.

Persons: Philippe Katerine, Dionysus, Katerine, we’d, ”, you’ve, Anne Descamps, Thomas Jolly, Leonardo da Vinci, ” Katerine, “, I’m Organizations: CNN, Olympic, Olympics, CNN Olympic, Catholic, French Catholic Church, International Olympic Committee Locations: French, Gaza, Ukraine, “, Greece, ” Paris

☆ An Olympics Scene Draws Scorn. Was It Really Referencing ‘The Last Supper’?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A performance during the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on Friday has drawn criticism from church leaders and conservative politicians for a perceived likeness to Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction of a biblical scene in “The Last Supper,” with some calling it a “mockery” of Christianity. In the performance broadcast during the ceremony, a woman wearing a silver, halo-like headdress stood at the center of a long table, with drag queens posing on either side of her. Later, at the same table, a giant cloche lifted, revealing a man, nearly naked and painted blue, on a dinner plate surrounded by fruit. He broke into a song as, behind him, the drag queens danced. The tableaux drew condemnation among people who saw the images as a parody of “The Last Supper,” the New Testament scene depicted in da Vinci’s painting by the same name.

Persons: Leonardo da, Robert Barron, ” Organizations: Paris Olympics, Bishops ’ Conference Locations: Minnesota

☆ Edna O’Brien, Writer Who Gave Voice to Women’s Passions, Dies at 93
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Anthony Depalma | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Edna O’Brien, the prolific Irish author whose evocative and explicit stories of loves lost earned her a literary reputation that matched the darkly complex lives of her tragic heroines, died on Saturday. Her death was announced on social media by her publisher, Faber, which said only that she had died “after a long illness.” She had spoken in recent years about being treated for cancer. Ms. O’Brien wrote dozens of novels and short-story collections over almost 60 years, starting in 1960 with “The Country Girls,” a book that dealt with the emotional conflicts of two Irish girls who rebel against their Roman Catholic upbringing. Her books often depicted willful but insecure women who loved men who were crass, unfaithful or already married. Much of her early work carried aspects of autobiography, which stirred whisperings about her morals and led to personal attacks against her back home in Ireland.

Persons: Edna O’Brien, Faber, ”, O’Brien Organizations: Irish Locations: Ireland

☆ The Stages of Vance’s Political Conversion
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Michael C. Bender | Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Democrats have used Mr. Vance’s turnabout to paint him as untrustworthy, while Republicans have described his shift as another sign of Mr. Trump’s influence on the party. Whatever the case, Mr. Vance’s U-turn was a gradual one that played out in stages during the past eight years. In many ways, Mr. Vance’s life has echoed the theme of change. He has been unapologetic about his political change of heart, even weaponizing his flip-flop by blaming the news media for distorting voters’ views of Mr. Trump. “I was critical of President Trump,” Mr. Vance said this week in Ohio.

Persons: JD Vance, Trumper, Donald J, Vance’s, Trump, “, President Trump, ” Mr, Vance, ” Organizations: Republicans, Catholic Church Locations: Ohio

Neumann noted the latest Europol data showed “the number of attacks and planned attacks has more than quadrupled” since 2022. The apparent uptick in the recruitment of young radicals to carry out acts of terror comes as European security officials express worries at a potential resurgence of organized – or “directed” - terror attacks. The group has built a remarkable presence in Turkey over the past three years, according to court documents and analysts. Swiss police in March arrested a 15-year-old Swiss boy and a 16-year-old Italian boy for ISIS support and plotting bomb attacks, according to a police statement. Yulia Morozova/ReutersThe extent of ISIS-K’s use of Turkey as a transit hub is acknowledged by officials in the Turkish indictment.

Persons: Peter Neumann, Neumann, ”, ” Neumann, “, Lise Jaulin, Dilara Senkaya, “ Rustam, Rustam, Yulia Morozova Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Paris Olympics, King’s College London, MIT, Swiss, Analysts, Soviet Union, Turkish, Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church, Foreign Operations, Hall, Foreign Locations: Europe, West, Paris, Islamic, Khorasan, Central Asia, Turkey, Saint, French, France, Haute, Savoie, Dusseldorf, Heidelberg, Montenegro, Austria, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Moscow, Italian, Istanbul, Swedish, Pakistan, Tajik, Iran, Russia, Crocus, Syria, Iraq

☆ New Zealand enquiry finds 200,000 children and vulnerable adults abused in care, leader says ‘we should have done better’
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed regret on Wednesday after a public enquiry found some 200,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults were abused in state and religious care over the last 70 years. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks during the release of The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report on July 24, 2024 in Wellington, New Zealand. Hagen Hopkins/Getty ImagesThe report by Royal Commission of Inquiry spoke to over 2,300 survivors of abuse in New Zealand, which has a population of 5.3 million. The inquiry detailed a litany of abuses in state and faith-based care, including rape, sterilisation and electric shocks, which peaked in the 1970s. Those from the Indigenous Maori community were especially vulnerable to abuse, the report found, as well as those with mental or physical disabilities.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, ” Luxon, Hagen Hopkins, Pope, of, Charlotte Graham, Luxon, ”, Tracey McIntosh Organizations: CNN, Zealand, Royal Commission of, Royal Commission, Safe Agency, University of Auckland Locations: New, Wellington , New Zealand, New Zealand, of Canterbury

☆ How Venezuela’s election could upend the geopolitics of the Americas
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Caracas CNN —It would be easy to dismiss this Sunday’s presidential election in Venezuela as a fait accompli. The opposition campaign has re-energized its bases, and the candidature of Edmundo González has attracted widespread support in Venezuela and abroad. A chance to rebuild Venezuela’s economic power“On the ballot is how long it’ll take to fix Venezuela’s economy,” said Asdrubal Oliveros, founder of Caracas firm Ecoanalitica, in his weekly podcast on July 8. Once the fifth-largest economy in Latin America, today Venezuela’s economy has shrunk to the equivalent of a medium-sized city, smaller than say, Milwaukee, according to data from the IMF. As Venezuela’s economy has crumbled, around eight million Venezuelans have already fled their country, many of them scattered across South America.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, ”, –, Laboratorio de Paz, Edmundo González, Asdrubal Oliveros, Andres, Maduro, Edmundo Gonzalez, Maria Corina Machado, Gabriela Oraa, Gonzalez, Consultores, Putin, Xi Jinping, who’s, “, Donald Trump Organizations: Caracas CNN —, Laboratorio, IMF, Andres Bello Catholic University, Central University of Venezuela, of American, World Bank, Inter, American Development Bank, Supreme, CNN Locations: Caracas, Venezuela, Ecoanalitica, Latin America, Milwaukee, AFP, United States, Americas, South America, Venezuelan, America, China, Iran, Russia, Miami, Cuba, Maduro, of American States, Mercosur, Algiers, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Spanish, Washington, Brexit, neofascism, Europe, India, Turkey, Philippines

☆ How Kamala Harris Will Try to Put Trump on Defense
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Nicholas Nehamas | Katie Glueck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

From the beginning of President Biden’s ill-fated re-election bid, Democrats struggled to frame the race as a choice between two radically different visions, rather than a referendum on Mr. Biden’s age and abilities. But now that he has dropped out and Vice President Kamala Harris is cruising toward the Democratic nomination, her party sees fresh opportunities to turn the public’s attention back to the vulnerabilities of former President Donald J. Trump on key issues for voters, including abortion rights, fundamental democratic principles and questions of economic fairness. Democrats hope that Ms. Harris — a history-making former prosecutor who is nearly two decades younger than Mr. Trump — can draw a sharp new set of contrasts and tap into arguments that were out of reach for Mr. Biden, 81, starting with the issue of age but extending into matters of policy and personality. That is especially clear on abortion rights. Mr. Biden, a practicing Catholic, has long been uncomfortable discussing the issue, or even saying the word “abortion.” Ms. Harris, by contrast, speaks easily and openly about reproductive health and has held campaign events alongside women sharing their stories of miscarriages, abortions and challenges with fertility.

Persons: Biden’s, Kamala Harris, Donald J, Trump, Harris —, Biden, Ms, Harris Organizations: Democratic, Mr

☆ Live Updates: Secret Service Chief Testifies on ‘Failed’ Response at Trump Rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Luke Broadwater | David Fahrenthold | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Ms. Cheatle joined the Secret Service in 1995 and spent more than two decades there before leaving in 2021 to lead the North American security operations for PepsiCo. Ms. Cheatle, 53, is the second woman to lead the Secret Service. By the time she had graduated from college four years later, Ms. Cheatle had applied for a job at the Secret Service, the newspaper said. At the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, two Republican senators chastised Ms. Cheatle in a confrontation that was captured on video. An internal Secret Service investigation of the shooting is underway, as are several inquiries in Congress.

Persons: Kimberly, Donald J, Trump, Kimberly A, Bill Clinton, Dick Cheney, Cheatle, Biden, Cheney, Barack Obama’s, Jill Biden, Charles Marino, ”, “, Ms, Marsha Blackburn of, John Barrasso of, Anthony Guglielmi, Cheatle “, Mr, Guglielmi Organizations: Capitol, Secret Service, North, PepsiCo, Service, Security Magazine, Eastern Illinois University, The News, Gazette, World Trade Center, Pentagon, Mr, ABC, Republican National Convention, Secret Locations: Illinois, Danville , Ill, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Laurel , Md, Butler, Pa, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, John Barrasso of Wyoming

☆ I grew up in France and the US but America is the best place for a go-getter like me
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood in Toulon, in the south of France. In France, my sister, who was a year and a half older, and I would walk to school when I was six. I struggled with moving back to FranceOur family moved back to France when I was 14. In France, you're stuck at the bottom if you don't have the right connections. Europe is better for work-life balance and a better quality of life, but the US is the place to be if you're a go-getter like me.

Persons: —, Arthur Begtine, Begtine, we'd, I've Organizations: Service, Business, France Locations: Atlanta, France, Toulon, Tunisia, Nice, Georgia, Ernstein, Spanish, York, Pelham , New York, New York, Europe, Montreal, Canada

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