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☆ A Felon in the Oval Office Would Test the American System
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He might not have anticipated all the particulars, such as the porn actress in the hotel room and the illicit payoff to keep her quiet. But he feared that eventually a criminal might occupy the presidency and use his powers to thwart anyone who sought to hold him accountable. But as hard as they worked to establish checks and balances, the system they constructed to hold wayward presidents accountable ultimately has proved to be unsteady. And it raises fundamental questions about the limits of power in a second term, should Mr. Trump be returned to office. Given that, it would be hard to imagine what institutional deterrents could discourage abuses or excesses.

Persons: Patrick Henry, ”, Donald J, Trump

☆ Opinion: This deal can end the war in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —It’s taken more than half a year, but, finally, President Joe Biden has publicly unveiled an Israeli plan that could end the bloodshed in Gaza. But getting the two sides to actually agree to — and implement — the peace plan is far from a certainty. As the Gaza war continues, Israel’s dreams of normalization with the Arab world will steadily erode. Support for the Gaza war among Americans has dropped from 50% at the beginning of the war in November to 36% in March, according to Gallup. Evan Vucci/APNetanyahu also keeps fighting the Gaza war with no real plan for the “day after,” in short, without a strategy.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Osama bin Laden, CNN — It’s, Joe Biden, Yahya Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Biden, Chuck Schumer, Schumer, “, ” Schumer, Harry Truman, Donald, Evan Vucci, Sun Tzu, Max, Tacitus, Israel’s, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Maya Alleruzzo, — Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Hamas, Politico, Gaza Health Ministry, Gallup, US, Democrat, Israel, American, White, Biden, Israeli, Twitter, Facebook, UN Locations: New America, Gaza, United States, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Japan, Palestinian, Michigan, Israel, Washington, Tel Aviv, United, Qatar, Egypt

☆ Fed is feeling peer pressure, but Powell doesn't want to see inflation climb again: Peter Boockvar
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFed is feeling peer pressure, but Powell doesn't want to see inflation climb again: Peter BoockvarPeter Boockvar, Bleakley Financial Group, joins 'Fast Money' to talk the state of the economy and what's next for the Federal Reserve.

Persons: Powell, Peter Boockvar Peter Boockvar Organizations: Bleakley Financial, Federal Reserve

☆ At a Moment of National Trauma, Biden Feels Compelled to Stay on the Sidelines
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But this was no ordinary extraordinary case. And President Biden was no disinterested bystander. If Mr. Biden spoke out directly, he would doubtlessly feed into Mr. Trump’s false narrative that the prosecution was nothing more than a political hit job to take out his challenger. Mr. Biden’s damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t conundrum meant that his political risks essentially outweighed his presidential imperatives. While many of his predecessors have played a pastoral role at other moments when the justice system was tested during incendiary cases — think Rodney King, Michael Brown or George Floyd — Mr. Biden concluded that speaking out would make things worse, not better.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, Trump, Biden’s, Rodney King, Michael Brown, George Floyd — Mr Organizations: White Locations: United States

☆ Boockvar: 10-year yield is a trigger for buying or selling of stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBoockvar: 10-year yield is a trigger for buying or selling of stocksPeter Boockvar, Chief Investment Officer at Bleakley Financial Group, discusses rates, inflation, and this week's bond auction.

Persons: Peter Boockvar Organizations: Bleakley Financial

☆ Opinion: Alito’s second red flag
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Kirsi Goldynia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

This is not the first time Alito has found himself in hot water over displaying a controversial flag on his property. The upside-down flag, a signal of distress, was adopted by Trump supporters who believed the false claim that the election had been stolen. (Alito said his wife had raised the upside-down flag in response to a disagreement with a neighbor. The discovery also comes at a time when the Supreme Court will be making a decision about Trump’s claims of sweeping presidential immunity, his get-out-of-jail-free card for the federal cases he faces. “The notion that the Supreme Court can be trusted to be an arbiter above partisan politics has suffered major blows in recent years.

Persons: ”, Scott Peck, Samuel Alito, “, Alito, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Julian Zelizer, Walt Handelsman, Michael J, Broyde, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Donald Trump, ‘, ’, ” Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley, Haley, Nancy Pelosi, She’s, Joe Biden ‘, I’ve, ” Clay Jones, Drew Sheneman, Judge Juan Merchan, Robert Costello, Michael Cohen, Norm Eisen, Costello, ’ Merchan, cautioning, …, Eisen, Sunak, Rishi Sunak, Henry Nicholls, Holly Thomas, Sunak —, Thomas, Joel Pett, Adolf Hitler, Ruth Ben, Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Said Ben, Anna Sauerbrey, Sauerbrey, Biden, America —, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Laura Beers, it’s, —, Ebrahim Raisi, Frida Ghitis, Ali Khamenei, Peter Kuper, Cagle, “ I’m, What’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Ismail Haniyeh, Peter Bergen, ” Netanyahu, Israel’s, Netanyahu, Kerri Kennedy, Biden “, Israel, ” Don’t, Agency Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Singleton, Biden’s Morehouse, Jill Filipovic, Diddy, Cassie Ventura, Catherine Tan, Shanahan, Brian Castrucci, Frank Luntz, Mark Zandi, Trump Will Cathcart, Joyce M, Davis, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Randy Holmes, Bill, ” Nicole Hemmer, Said Will, Maher, Hemmer, ” “ Maher, It’s Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Agency, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republican, NHS, Labour, Tory, Social, Italiana, European Union, ”, Islamic, Education, Workforce, Harvard, University of California, Columbia University, Columbia, Criminal Court, ICC, Israeli, International Court of Justice, United Nations Security, American Friends Service Committee, RFK, Disney, Entertainment, Democrats Locations: Alito’s Virginia, New Zealand, AFP, ”, England, Trump’s America, America, Italian, Germany, Poland, France, Berlin, Hill, American, British, London, Notting Hill, Iran, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, University of California Los Angeles, Gaza, United Kingdom, Rafah, Georgia’s, Moscow, Africa

☆ Sales of newly built homes tank in April, as prices and interest rates rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sales of newly built homes dropped 4.7% in April compared with March, and dropped a larger 7.7% from the prior year, the U.S. Census said Thursday. Higher mortgage rates are clearly hampering sales. Some of that is due to the mix of homes selling, which is mostly on the higher end of the market. Those buyers are not as influenced by mortgage rates, as they often use all cash. The big production builders have been buying down mortgage rates to help boost sales, but they are able to do that because of their size.

Persons: Peter Boockvar, Robert Dietz, NAHB's Organizations: Spring Barbera Homes, Builders, Toll Brothers, Bleakley Financial, CNBC, National Association of Home Builders, Wells Fargo . Locations: Loudonville , New York, U.S, Horton, Wells Fargo

☆ Once Critics of Trump, These Republicans Are Now Playing by His Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There was a time when Nikki Haley thought an “unstable and unhinged” person should not be president. Flip-flopping has a long if uninspiring history in American presidential politics. But rarely have the flip-flops been as stark and head-snapping as those prompted by Mr. Trump. Ever since he vaulted to the leadership of the Republican Party eight years ago, the same Republicans who once deemed him a “kook,” a “pathological liar” and a “delusional narcissist” nonetheless have come around to endorse handing him the nuclear codes. Even some Republicans no longer aspiring to hold public office have buried their apprehensions to stay with the choice of the party’s voters.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, “ kook, ”, narcissist ” Organizations: Trump —, Mr, Republican Party, Republicans

☆ Fed is in 'wait and see' mode on rate policy timeline, says Bleakley's Peter Boockvar
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFed is in 'wait and see' mode on rate policy timeline, says Bleakley's Peter BoockvarPeter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Financial Group, joins CNBC's 'The Exchange' to discuss the Fed's rate policy stance, signals from the metal rally, and more.

Persons: Bleakley's Peter Boockvar Peter Boockvar Organizations: Bleakley Financial

☆ Opinion: The International Criminal Court’s threat to Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would effectively become a pariah who wouldn't be able to travel to most countries if the International Criminal Court were to approve the arrest warrant. Those 124 countries would be duty-bound to arrest Netanyahu were the court to issue an arrest warrant for him. Already France and Belgium have issued statements in support of the ICC‘s requests for Netanyahu’s arrest warrant. In the United States, there has been predictable pushback against the ICC move to try to issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu. The ICC’s move to seek an arrest warrant for Netanyahu may only harden his resolve to continue the war in Gaza seemingly indefinitely.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, Qatar CNN —, Moammar Gadhafi, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Joan Donoghue, Abir, Karim Khan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Yoav Gallant, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Israel, Israel’s, Mitch McConnell fulminated, Joe Biden, Putin, Putin “, he’s, Republican Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Facebook I’m Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Doha, Qatar CNN, Israeli, International, ICC, International Court of Justice, BBC, Getty Images, European Union, Republican, Biden, Street, Twitter, Facebook, Global Security, Hamas, The Times Locations: New America, Qatar, Nuremberg, Gaza, Israel, Africa, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Ukraine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

☆ Taylor Swift fans are causing a spike in European air travel, United says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The official kickoff for summer this weekend is going to get even busier, thanks in part to Taylor Swift. Bookings to other European cities where’s she’s performing in the coming weeks, including Madrid, Edinburgh and Dublin, are also surging, a United representative told CNN. United’s flights to Milan and Munich for Swift’s shows in July have captured the biggest increase in demand – upwards of 45% more passengers compared to last year. Delta Air Lines told CNN demand is on the rise for flights to her European tour. Airlines for America, a group representing major US airlines, predicts record numbers of passengers this summer, with carriers expected to fly 270 million passengers — up 6% from last year.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift, ”, Chicago’s O’Hare, United, ‘ Swiftonomics ’, “, Elvis, Beatlemania, Dr, Peter Brooks, Anna Cooban Organizations: New, New York CNN, Air, United Airlines, United, CNN, Houston . Delta Air Lines, Airlines for America, Barclays Locations: New York, Lisbon, Portugal, Europe, Madrid, Edinburgh, Dublin, Milan, Munich, East, Newark, Dulles, San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Delta, United Kingdom

☆ Francis Ford Coppola says his sci-fi saga 'Megalopolis' is being panned because Hollywood doesn't like rule-breakers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Coppola has responded to the negative reaction, expressing his belief that detractors have conspired against him because the film "doesn't play by Hollywood's current rules." AdvertisementHe then dismissed those who had pejoratively called the film a "passion project," stating, "I've never made a film that wasn't a passion project." Little White Lies's David Jenkins wrote that "Megalopolis" is a "celebration of unfettered creativity and farsightedness" and features "a script of toe-tapping word-jazz." To fund "Megalopolis" Coppola sold a significant share of his Northern California wine empire, according to GQ.

Persons: —, Francis Ford Coppola's, Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Romy Mars, Sofia Coppola, Coppola, I've, Nathalie Emmanuel, Esther Zuckerman, Peter Bradshaw, Jessica Kiang, White, David Jenkins, Deadline's Damon Wise, Darren Demetre Organizations: Service, Cannes, Business, Air, Daily, GQ, Guardian Locations: Rome, Northern California

☆ Taylor Swift's Eras Tour could give the UK economy a $1.2 billion boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at the National Stadium in Singapore on March 2, 2024. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is set to provide a £997 million ($1.2 billion) boost to the U.K. economy, according to Barclays, which predicts fans will spend an average £848 to see the singer. Barclays' "Swiftonomics" report said the average amount spent on an Eras Tour ticket is £206. The bank also expects ticket-holders to splash out an average of £79 on official merchandise on the U.K. leg of the Eras Tour, which kicks off in June. Based on that total spend of £848 by nearly 1.2 million ticket-holders, across 15 nights at four stadiums, Barclays predicted that the tour will rake in £997 million.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Taylor, Elvis, Beatlemania, Peter Brooks, Swift, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Filip Andersson, — CNBC's Sophie Kiderlin Organizations: Barclays, Danske Bank, CNBC Locations: Singapore, That's, Stockholm, Sweden

☆ Some data in the market-moving CPI report was released early by the Labor Department
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Information about Wednesday's critical consumer price index release circulated early on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, according to a statement from the agency. The statement provided few details but noted that the Labor Department agency has notified the Office of Management and Budget and the department's Office of the Inspector General. There was no other information provided concerning the early release of the CPI, a key inflation indicator that showed another increase in April, though slightly less than what the Wall Street consensus had anticipated. ET release, though there was little unusual activity in the half-hour prior, indicating that the early release was not widely seen and did not materially impact trading. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, ran at a 0.3% rate monthly rate and 3.6% annually, the lowest since April 2022.

Persons: Wednesday's, Peter Boockvar, Trump, Boockvar, Stocks Organizations: Bureau of Labor Statistics, BLS, Labor Department, Management, Budget, CPI, Bleakley Locations: Washington

☆ Bitcoin could see a wave of forced selling as miners face the reality of lower rewards post-halving, research firm says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Filip De Mott | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Bitcoin's halving in April could force crypto miners to sell some tokens, Kaiko Research reported. These firms haven't yet had to tap their bitcoin hoards thanks to high transaction fees, but that could change. The April halving is a pre-coded event in which the amount of bitcoin rewarded to crypto miners is slashed in half. According to Bloomberg, fees jumped amid a burst of meme-coin creation after the halving event. Miners are often known for hoarding bitcoin troves without selling, which analysts have previously pointed out as another price-boosting supply constraint.

Persons: —, Kaiko, bitcoin, Peter Brandt Organizations: Research, Service, Bloomberg, Mining, Marathon Digital, BTC

☆ Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ could be worth almost $1 billion to British economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Taylor Swift’s smash-hit “Eras Tour” is set to boost spending in the United Kingdom by nearly $1 billion, according to estimates by Barclays. The concerts sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale, with fans spending £206 ($260) on average on a single ticket, Barclays said. While the price tag may seem hefty, it’s much less than many Americans will pay to see the “Eras Tour” back home. “For ‘Eras Tour’ ticketholders, every pound they spend is an investment in the memories they’ll create,” he added. The European leg of the “Eras Tour” includes concerts in Sweden, Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria this year.

Persons: London CNN — Taylor Swift’s, Swift, Peter Brooks, Taylor Swift, Elvis, Beatlemania, ” Brooks, That’s “ Organizations: London CNN, Barclays, Barclays ’, “ Locations: United Kingdom, United States, England, Wales, Scotland, Europe, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland, Austria

☆ Roger Corman, 98, Dies; Proud and Prolific Master of Low-Budget Cinema
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Aljean Harmetz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Roger Corman, who for decades dominated the world of B movies as the producer or director of countless proudly low-budget horror, science fiction and crime films, has died. Mr. Corman “was able to nurture other talent in a way that was never envious or difficult, but always generous,” Mr. Scorsese said of him. “He once said: ‘Martin, what you have to get is a very good first reel, because people want to know what’s going on. Then you need a very good last reel, because people want to hear how it all turns out. Everything else doesn’t really matter.’ Probably the best sense I have ever heard about the movies.”

Persons: Roger Corman, Corman, ”, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Bertha ”, Jonathan Demme, Peter Bogdanovich, Ron Howard, Corman “, Mr, Scorsese, “, ‘ Martin Locations: Santa Monica, Calif

☆ Missed the dazzling northern lights show? You might get another chance Saturday night
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Ramon Sanchez | Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images The northern lights shine in the night sky above the Molenviergang in Aarlanderveen, the Netherlands, early May 11. Alexey Malgavko/Reuters The northern lights are seen in a rural area west of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday, May 10. Courtesy Luke Culver People photograph the northern lights from Whitley Bay, England, on May 10. Courtesy Jan Reed The northern lights glow in the night sky in Brandenburg, Germany, on May 10. Increased solar activity causes auroras that dance around Earth’s poles, known as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, and southern lights, or aurora australis.

Persons: Chad Myers, it’ll, Alastair Johnstone, Andrew Chin, Sanka Vidanagama, Carlos Avila Gonzalez, Josh Walet, Robert Nemeti, Jean, Christophe Bott, Max Slovencik, Alexey Malgavko, Luke Culver, Ian Forsyth, Robert F, Geoff Robins, Rich, Jan Reed, Patrick Pleul, Jenny Kane, Adam Vaughan, Jacob Anderson, Peter Byrne, Biden, it’s, Dr, Hakeem Oluseyi, Bill Nye, Guy, ”, “ Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Prediction, Midwest, Getty, San Francisco Chronicle, Keystone, AFP, Luke Culver People, Rockies, National Weather Service Locations: Alabama, Ohio, Pacific Northwest, North America, Gulf, ”, Sheffield, England, Manning, British Columbia, Christchurch , New Zealand, AFP, Berryessa , California, Aarlanderveen, Netherlands, Debrad, Slovakia, Anadolu, Le, Dessous, Switzerland, Vienna, Siberian, Tara, Russia's Omsk, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Whitley Bay, Brunswick , Maine, London , Ontario, Ontario, Tennessee, Washington, Memphis , Tennessee, Rich Hill , Missouri, Brandenburg, Germany, Estacada , Oregon, Cumming , Georgia, Crosby , England, Edinburgh, Scotland, Crosby Beach, Liverpool, Texas, Coast, Sweden, South Africa, United States

☆ The Long, Tortured Road to Biden’s Clash With Netanyahu Over Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden laid it out for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel long before letting the public know. For the first time, the president who had so strongly backed Israel’s war against Hamas was essentially threatening to change course. Six days later, on Feb. 17, Mr. Biden heard from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. Despite the president’s warning, Mr. Blinken reported that momentum for an invasion of Rafah was building. Mr. Netanyahu responded defiantly, vowing to act even “if we need to stand alone.”

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Antony J, Blinken, Netanyahu, ” Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Munich, United States, Israel

☆ Biden Is Not the First U.S. President to Cut Off Weapons to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He ordered aides to get the Israeli prime minister on the phone and then dressed him down sharply. “It is a holocaust,” Mr. Reagan told Mr. President, I know all about a holocaust.”Nonetheless, Mr. Reagan retorted, it had to stop. Twenty minutes later, he called back and told the president that he had ordered a halt to the shelling. “I didn’t know I had that kind of power,” Mr. Reagan marveled to aides afterward.

Persons: Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Menachem Begin, Mr, Begin, “ Mr, Reagan marveled Locations: Lebanon, Palestinian

☆ A new crop of startups wants to help solve loneliness among millennials and Gen Z. Here's how they're connecting strangers and making money.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Lauren Johnson | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Plus, the pandemic and the shift to working from home have made millennials and Gen Z lonelier than ever, thanks in part to doomscrolling. "I believe the conventional 'make friends' apps too closely mimic the dating model, which can feel awkward and high-pressure for making friends," he said. The group hosts "reading parties" at bars and event spaces with the goal of helping people connect through reading. Dinner With Friends, a group that throws dinner parties, has worked on sponsored events with brands like Bumble and Geneva. Dinner With Friends founder Anita Michaud said brands typically either sponsor entire dinners or provide products — like canned cocktails — for the dinner parties.

Persons: —, they've, Danial Hashemi, Sydney, Z, millennials, Cliff Lerner, Lisa Oreshkina, Saneblidze, Tom Worchester, Andreessen Horowitz, Victor Pontis, Luma, Liz Chick, Gen, Mira Hobbs, ReCreate's Chick, Anita Michaud, Peter Boyce II, Boyce, Maitree Mervana Parekh, Marlon Nichols, they're, it's, Ben Bradbury Organizations: Service, Business, Sydney Bradley, Big Tech, Tech, Timeleft, Reading, Facebook, VC, Wine, Bumble, New, Acrew, MaC Venture, Reading Rhythms Locations: New York City, Los Angeles, New York, Brooklyn, Squarespace, Lisbon, Amsterdam, London, San Francisco, Geneva

☆ US regulators are looking at potential ‘bait and switch’ schemes with airline-affiliated credit card reward points
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —If you use a points-and-rewards credit card offered by an airline in partnership with a big bank, how much are the points you’ve accrued worth in dollars? The terms and conditions of such card programs can be confusing and in some instances they can be changed at any time. “For many families looking to finance a trip or a vacation, those [credit card] benefits are really valuable. “[But] our review of all the fine print suggests that credit card companies and airlines have the power to quickly and dramatically devalue those points by making it more challenging to redeem them. Such a drop in revenue, banks argue, could jeopardize the availability of rewards programs.

Persons: you’re, It’s, ”, Rohit Chopra, Chopra, Transportation Peter Buttigieg, Rob Nichols, ” Nichols, Nichols, Jaret, Seiberg, Biden, Trump Organizations: New, New York CNN, Department of Transportation, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Transportation, American Bankers Association, Cowen Washington Research Group Locations: New York, CFPB, U.S

☆ As Gaza Talks Falter, Negotiators Look for a Deal or a Scapegoat
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To understand what is happening now in the Middle East, it may be helpful to remember the dead cat. That was a favorite metaphor for Secretary of State James A. Baker III as he shuttled around the region in 1991 trying to negotiate a complicated deal. The question three decades later is whether today’s players are at that stage of the U.S.-brokered effort to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza. Mr. Netanyahu in recent days mounted airstrikes and sent tanks into Rafah in a saber-rattling move to make clear he is serious about invading the southern Gaza city. “Part of the motivation is less to reach a deal and more to blame the other guy if it fails.

Persons: State James A, Baker III, Baker, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, Biden, ”, Aaron David Miller, Baker’s Organizations: State Locations: U.S, Gaza, Rafah, Israel

☆ Turning Point or Breaking Point? Biden’s Pause on Weapons Tests Ties to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Not through the phone calls or the emissaries or the public statements or the joint committee meetings. And so, frustrated that he was being ignored, President Biden chose a more dramatic way of making himself clear to Israeli leaders. Mr. Biden’s decision to pause the delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel was meant to convey a powerful signal that his patience has limits. The hold on the bombs represents a significant turning point in the 76-year-old relationship between the United States and Israel, historically one of the closest security partnerships in the world. The president has objected to such an operation out of fear that widespread civilian casualties could be caused by American bombs.

Persons: Biden, ” Mr, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Rafah

An Israeli tank near the border with Gaza. The United States paused an arms shipment to Israel last week out of concern that the weapons might be used in a threatened assault on Rafah, Gaza, officials said. Credit... Tsafrir Abayov/Associated Press

Persons: Tsafrir Organizations: United, Associated Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, Rafah

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