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☆ At 20, an Upstate Arts Haven Keeps Breaking New Ground
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jennifer Schuessler | More About Jennifer Schuessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Given the personnel involved, “Illinois,” which will move to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in January, would seem to have the makings of a popular hit. But for Gideon Lester, the Fisher Center’s artistic director and chief executive, it furthers the same exploratory mission as everything else the center does. “All of these projects are research, which is why they belong in a college,” he said. But the Fisher Center, nestled in a college long known as a bastion of the humanities, is making big plans. In October, it will break ground on a $42 million studio building designed by Maya Lin.

Persons: Gideon Lester, Fisher, ”, Maya Lin, Tania El Khoury Organizations: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Fisher, Mellon Foundation, for Human Rights, Arts Locations: Illinois, Hudson

Silicon Valley is bracing for what it fears will be an "extinction event" threatening the survival of hundreds of startups. Tom Loverro, a investor at 40-year-old Bay Area venture capital firm IVP, has been loudly warning for months on Twitter and in media interviews about a coming "mass extinction event" for startups. The total volume of venture capital investment into US startups has slumped for six consecutive quarters, according to data firm Pitchbook. Even a last-ditch slashing of the startup's prospective valuation — a "down-round," in Silicon Valley parlance — didn't whet investors' appetites. Over the past year, many startups that rely on Silicon Valley funding have been steeling themselves for the slowdown to avoid similar fates.

Persons: —, they're, Jennifer Neundorfer, That's, Tom Loverro, Loverro, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Vanderbilt, Cameron Lester, I've, Lester, Linda Ahrens, Ahrens, Unown, " Ahrens, Anna Dittrich, Plastiq, Vincent Harrison, Elad Gil, Steve Brotman, Brotman, Will Hawthorne, VC's, Mike Ryan, Pitchbook's Harrison, Sell, Hawthorne Organizations: Ventures, Sequoia Capital, —, Venture, Twitter, United States Federal Reserve, Jefferies, January Ventures, Alpha Partners, Avid Capital, Sugar, Menlo, BulletPoint Network Locations: Silicon, Sequoia, IVP, Valley, Instacart, Navan, Boston, Snowflake, America

☆ Trump tape: The audio that encapsulates why the former president may be unfit for the Oval Office -- and why it may not matter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Critics on Tuesday seized on the latest Trump tape as a perfect example of why the twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president is unfit to return to the Oval Office. On the audio – exclusively obtained by CNN – Trump discusses holding a secret document. In the tape, Trump seems to indicate he was holding up information that may be among the government’s most closely guarded secrets. As he often did in office, Trump appears to have been using US national security as a tool for his own personal or political gain. In response to the tape, Trump – as he often does – sought to redefine an apparent example of aberrant behavior as perfectly acceptable.

Persons: CNN – Trump, Trump, “ We’ve, Liz Cheney, NBC’s Lester Holt, Elie Honig, Donald Trump, ” Honig, “, Adam Kinzinger, Cheney, –, ” Trump, he’s, Kevin McCarthy –, CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Breitbart, ”, Fox, Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden, Trump’s, I’m, Rudy Giuliani, Nikki Haley, Jack Smith, Haley didn’t, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Trump, GOP, Wyoming, Aspen Ideas, CNBC, California Republican, Breitbart News, –, Fox News Digital, weaponized Justice Department, New Hampshire Federation, Republican, NBC News, Republicans, New Hampshire Republican, Justice Department, Biden’s, Former South Carolina Gov Locations: Washington, Bedminster , New Jersey, United States, Illinois, California, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, Manhattan

☆ Chicago business executive and philanthropist Jim Crown killed in Colorado racetrack crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Crown, a grandson of industrialist Henry Crown and the chief executive of Henry Crown & Co., was involved in a single-vehicle accident at the Aspen Motorsports Park in Woody Creek, the Pitkin County coroner's office said in a news release. Crown's father, financier Lester Crown, said his son "was driving a race car, and it hit a wall going around a curve," the Chicago Sun-Times reported. "There never was a finer human being in every way," Lester Crown said. Crown's family business, Henry Crown & Co., invests in public and private securities, real estate, and operating companies. "The Crown family is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Jim Crown in an accident earlier (Sunday)," his family said.

Persons: James, Jim Crown, Henry Crown, Lester Crown, Jim, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Brandon Johnson, Obama, Salomon, Lester, Renée Organizations: James Crown, University of Chicago, Chicago . Crown, Co, Aspen Motorsports, Chicago Sun, Times, Commercial Club of Chicago, Sun -, Chicago, Aspen Skiing Co, General Dynamics, JPMorgan Chase, The Aspen Institute, Museum of Science, Industry, President's Intelligence, Hampshire College, Stanford Law School, Salomon Brothers Inc, Capital Markets Service Locations: Chicago ., Chicago, Colorado, Woody Creek, Pitkin County, It's, Amherst , Massachusetts, New York

☆ Bud Light has been embroiled in backlash since a beer promotion with a transgender influencer. Here's a timeline of how the controversy has played out.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

As the backlash unfolded, Mulvaney remained relatively quiet about the matter on her social media platforms. Then on April 11, Mulvaney spoke out about the criticism she received on the podcast "Onward with Rosie O'Donnell." "I think it comes back to the fact that these people, they don't understand me, and anything that I do or say somehow gets taken out of context and is used against me," Mulvaney said. "It's trying to connect with others that maybe don't understand me. It's to make people laugh, or to make a kid feel seen."

Persons: Mulvaney, Dylan Mulvaney, Lester Cohen, I've, Rosie O'Donnell, It's

☆ Tax Credit Programs Are a Better Way to Help Families - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Binyamin Appelbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The proliferation of state programs has been sparked by the temporary expansion of the federal child tax credit during the pandemic. The credit, created in the mid-1990s, reduces the amount that families with children owe in federal income taxes. The only two states that had created refundable child tax credits before the pandemic, New York and California, both significantly increased eligibility. The largest credit, which Minnesota created in May, offers up to $1,750 per child for households with incomes below $35,000 per year — roughly half the lapsed federal credit. But unlike the federal expansion, the state credits are meant to be permanent.

Persons: “, ” Melissa Lester, Kitty Hawk, — Organizations: Republicans, Democratic Locations: Columbus , Ohio, New York, California, Minnesota

☆ MLB roundup: White Sox sink Tigers on walk-off grand slam
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

White Sox starter Michael Kopech gave up two runs and three hits in seven innings while recording nine strikeouts. Clay Holmes (4-2) pitched a scoreless inning, while Wandy Peralta recorded the final four outs for his fourth save. Freeland (4-7) allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and one strikeout in seven innings. Rangers 12, Mariners 3A heavy offensive output combined with six scoreless innings from Nathan Eovaldi earned Texas a lopsided win over Seattle in Arlington, Texas. San Diego's Ryan Weathers (1-4) lasted just 1 2/3 innings, allowing seven hits and Chicago's first five runs.

Persons: Jake Burger, Kamil Krzaczynski, Luis Robert Jr, Spencer Torkelson, Liam Hendriks, Michael Kopech, Matthew Boyd, Andrew Benintendi, Alex Lange, Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Burger, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Castro, Raisel Iglesias, A.J, Minter, Zac Gallen, Ji Hwan, Louis, Rich Hill, David Bednar, Andrew Knizner, Miles Mikolas, Kyle Higashioka, Oswaldo Cabrera, Anthony Volpe, Domingo, Clay Holmes, Wandy Peralta, Bobby Miller, J.D, Martinez, Yandy Diaz, Josh Lowe, Luke Raley, Taj Bradley, Alex Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida, Tanner Houck, Drew Ellis, Kyle Schwarber, Schwarber, Ellis, Stone, Ildemaro Vargas, Vargas, Dominic Smith, Riley Adams, Alex, Monasterio, Adrian Houser, Houser, Jake Fraley, Victor Caratini, Dominic Leone, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Nate Pearson, Pete Alonso, Starling Marte, Adam Cimber, Erik Swanson, Jordan Romano, Garrett Cooper, Cooper, Yuli Gurriel, Bryan De La Cruz, Luis Arraez, Sandy Alcantara, National League Cy Young, Paul Blackburn, Ramon Laureano, Brady Singer, Maikel Garcia, Scott Barlow, Elehuris Montero, Ezequiel Tovar, Michael Massey, MJ Melendez, Garcia, Kyle Freeland's, Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez, Joe Ryan, Triston McKenzie, Ryan, McKenzie, James Karinchak, Ohtani, Phil Maton, Zach Neto, Griffin Canning, Chris Devenski, Carlos Estevez, Nathan Eovaldi, Jonah Heim, Eugenio Suarez's, Ty France, Jose Caballero, Kolten Wong, Tyler Wells, James McCann, Josh Lester, Blake Sabol, McCann, Jorge Mateo, Anthony DeSclafani, Adam Frazier, Austin Hays, Ryan Mountcastle, Lester, Marcus Stroman, Miguel Amaya, Yan Gomes, Trey Mancini, Fernando Tatis Jr, Diego's Ryan Weathers, Chicago's Organizations: Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Chicago, White Sox, Detroit, Braves, Diamondbacks, Atlanta, Arizona, Pirates, Cardinals, Pittsburgh, Yankees, Dodgers, New York, National League, Red Sox, Tampa Bay, Boston, Phillies, Nationals, Washington, Brewers, Reds, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Blue Jays, Mets, Brandon, Toronto, Marlins, Athletics, Miami, Oakland, Royals, Rockies, Kansas City, Colorado . Singer, Twins, Angels, Astros, Houston, Rangers, Mariners, Texas, Seattle, Orioles, Giants, Baltimore, San, Cubs, Padres, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, USA, Phoenix, Rosario, Arizona, New, Los Angeles, Domingo German, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, New York, Colorado, Freeland, Cleveland, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Arlington , Texas, San Francisco, Baltimore, San Diego

☆ China's security crackdown could signal new realities for foreign investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Last Monday, state broadcaster CCTV singled out a consulting company for not complying with China's national security laws. "It may seem a paradox," said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore who studies Chinese foreign policy. So much of what is now regarded as national security or state secrets is not sufficiently defined or classified. This includes passing a data security law in 2021 on the protection of information involving national and economic security and on issues of important public interest. "To have multiple companies involved now in this crackdown and the restriction of financial data to foreigners, it appears that Chinese security departments are on to something larger."

☆ Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Is a Huge, Expensive, Controversial Success - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration’s signature policy achievement, at least so far, has been the Inflation Reduction Act, enacted last August. In other words, early indications are that the Inflation Reduction Act will be an enormous success story. Readers of a certain age — well, a fairly advanced age — may recall that there was a big U.S. debate about industrial policy in the 1980s and early 1990s. There was a widespread perception, fed by books like Lester Thurow’s 1992 best seller “Head to Head,” that America was falling behind Japan and possibly Europe. Many analysts attributed Japan’s economic growth to its industrial policy — that is, government efforts to promote the industries of the future.

Analysts say what may appear as mixed messaging is the result of President Xi Jinping's renewed focus on national security, steeled by rock-bottom relations with rival superpower, the United States. A later speech in March at the National People's Congress was more pointed: China's security is being challenged by U.S. attempts to contain its rise, he said. In his October speech, he added "external security" and "international security", in what analysts say signals a new focus to counter foreign threats, namely Washington. Asked for its response to a list of questions for this story, China's foreign ministry said it was "not aware of the situation". BUSINESS JITTERSChina's security focus also risks isolating the country economically.

But the killings in Allen, coming after other recent mass shootings, has deepened her feeling that something has to be done. “I’m not totally against gun control, but they’re trying to control it for the wrong people. Mass shootings have not been,” Mr. Taggart said. “My first question would be, Why do we have mass shootings now? Mr. Abbott won by a wide margin.

"Since Xi Jinping took power in 2012, China has expanded the legal landscape for exit bans and increasingly used them, sometimes outside legal justification," the Safeguard Defenders report reads. Attention on the exit bans comes as China-U.S. tensions have risen over trade and security disputes. The Reuters analysis of records on exit bans, from China's Supreme Court database, shows an eight-fold increase in cases mentioning bans between 2016 and 2022. Most of the cases in the database referring to exit bans are civil, not criminal. Some activists say the wider use of exit bans reflects tighter security measures under President Xi.

☆ Prebiotic soda Olipop approaches $200 million in annual sales — and CEO says Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have already come knocking
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Prebiotic soda maker Olipop is set to cross $200 million in annual sales this year, just five years after it arrived on grocery store shelves. Olipop had raised $55.4 million as of Jan. 2, at a reported valuation of $199.8 million, according to Pitchbook data. Consumers are also increasingly interested in "gut health," one of the latest wellness trends. Both Olipop and Poppi have leaned into influencer marketing on TikTok, where gut health became a trending topic last year. But Olipop's Goodwin is confident that consumers are willing to pay more for the drinks he formulates.

☆ Micron case causing concern for US companies in China, business chamber says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, April 26 (Reuters) - Leaders from a top U.S. business lobbying group said on Wednesday that Beijing's probe against U.S.-based chipmaker Micron Technology Inc (MU.O) marked a "major concern" for other companies operating in the country. "It is a major concern because China lacks transparency in many conventions of law and policy, and this is one," Ross said. The survey results showed respondents were more optimistic about the business outlook in China compared to the previous survey conducted in late 2022, before the government lifted COVID-19 controls. Michael Hart, president of AmCham China, said the survey showed that American companies feel the overall environment for investment in China is becoming less predictable than before. Micron has said it would cooperate with the probe and that its shipments and operations in China remain unaffected.

☆ The Woman Shaping a Generation of Black Thought
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jenna Wortham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

In her first book, “Monstrous Intimacies,” Sharpe writes extensively on Walker’s work to reveal how society is programmed to default to racist narratives. The work in Sharpe’s office, like many of Walker’s famous prints and sculptures, is devoid of color. The more time I spend with Sharpe’s work, the more it inflects my ways of seeing the world. According to Sharpe, Blackness is anagrammatical, meaning that the structures that order language, thought and society become disordered — if not destroyed entirely — when they encounter Blackness. “Her work has shown that we, as Black people, are the foils of humanity,” Frank B. Wilderson III, author of “Afropessimism,” told me.

☆ U.S. to send nuclear submarines in new pledge to protect South Korea from North's threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Alexander Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The United States will deploy nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea for the first time in decades — part of a new agreement that will signal Washington's commitment to defend Seoul against rising nuclear threats from North Korea, U.S. officials said. The plan to dock the ballistic missile submarines in South Korea, which hasn't happened since the 1980's, headlines an effort to make U.S. deterrence against Kim Jong Un's regime "more visible," according to senior administration officials. President Joe Biden and his counterpart, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, will unveil the new agreement in Washington on Wednesday, the officials said. In return, an official added, South Korea would reaffirm its commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, known as the NPT, which bars countries from seeking nuclear weapons. Yoon's visit follows the largest U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises in years, aimed largely at countering the North Korean nuclear threat.

The recent leak of classified Defense Department documents, which show that the United States has been gathering intelligence on its ally South Korea, will not affect the relationship between the two countries, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told NBC News in an exclusive interview. The interview came as he and President Joe Biden meet this week to discuss North Korea, China and other pressing challenges. U.S. and South Korean officials have said that much of the information in the documents is inaccurate and may have been altered, without providing further specifics. The South Korean officials also saw the need for the government to formulate a clear position on the matter in case the White House pressed the issue. "President Yoon in particular, unlike previous [South Korean] presidents, really has emphasized freedom and democracy as a core theme of his foreign policy," Cha told a news briefing last week.

☆ Opinion | Guns, Not Race, Are at the Root of the Wave of ‘Trespass’ Shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( John Mcwhorter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On April 13, Ralph Yarl, 16 years old and Black, rang Andrew Lester’s doorbell in Kansas City, Mo., by mistake, Yarl’s family said. According to prosecutors, Lester, 84 and white, shot Yarl at the door twice. Enlightened American wisdom suggests that race must have had something to do with this. In Hebron, N.Y., a group of young adults driving three vehicles late at night were seeking a friend’s house. But when they mistakenly drove into Kevin Monahan’s driveway, he fired shots into one car, killing a passenger, Kaylin Gillis.

☆ Opinion: What happens when you knock on a door
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. In Kansas City, Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old White homeowner shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who rang his doorbell. And, “with Trump as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, Fox has resumed coverage of him which often veers into the free-advertisement category. Neither Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who announced his candidacy last week, nor Marianne Williamson represents a serious threat, Axelrod noted. “The calendar reads 2023,” wrote the Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, “but it feels like 2016 all over again.

☆ After Front Door Shooting, Kansas City Grapples With Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Mitch Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From one vantage point, a post-pandemic boom seemed to be taking hold in Kansas City. It was the only Midwestern city selected to host World Cup soccer games. “We need to clean up our house so that we can be proud and not performative when we have company,” said Gwen Grant, the president and chief executive of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City. She said her city needed to “address the root causes of these problems, and address the systems, and not run away from the tough race and racism conversations.”

☆ Couples Therapist, Heal Thyself
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Tonya Lester | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sometimes the other person won’t like what you’re saying and that’s OK; it’s just part of being in a relationship. My friends, and sometimes friends of friends, ask me for advice on how to say hard things and how to initiate painful conversations. They tell me, “You’re really good at this.” And for other people, I am. Secretive and resentful, I stopped talking to my husband about what was going on with me beyond the bare minimum. There were plenty of other things to talk about — our teenagers, his job, the news — but I had stopped sharing anything about myself.

☆ Ralph Yarl shooting: Recovery of Black teen allegedly shot by White homeowner after ringing wrong doorbell is a miracle, attorney says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Saturday, he was released from the hospital,” Yarl family attorney Lee Merritt told CNN Tuesday night, calling Ralph’s recovery a miracle. The boy had gone to neighbors looking for help after he was shot, according to police. “I share the outrage and the concern of many in asking why,” Mayor Lucas told CNN Tuesday morning. While the teenager was still on the ground, the man then fired again, shooting him in the arm, Ralph told police. Merritt told CNN he doesn’t believe such a defense would apply, saying Ralph was never a threat.

☆ Wrong-place, wrong-time shootings: What's going on?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

► Outside Austin, Texas, on April 18, two cheerleaders were shot in a grocery store parking lot just after midnight. Yarl and Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old homeowner accused of opening fire, both told police that Lester almost immediately shot Yarl upon opening his front door. What we know about why Lester shot Yarl is what he has told police. ‘Everything to do with race’Lucas doesn’t buy that, noting that Lester said Yarl was six feet tall, when he’s actually 5’8”. That’s another thing that appears to tie these recent shootings together – loaded guns at the ready.

In Missouri, Mr. Lester, who lived alone, told the police after the shooting that he fired his gun because he saw someone on his front step apparently trying to enter and was “scared to death” of being physically harmed. Zachary Thompson, the Clay County prosecutor, said that there was a “racial component” to the shooting but did not elaborate. Mr. Lester is white; Ralph, who was released from the hospital and is now recovering at home, is Black. In New York, a lawyer for Mr. Monahan, Kurt Mausert, disputed the authorities’ account of the shooting on Saturday night, saying that several vehicles were speeding up Mr. Monahan’s driveway, with engines revving and lights shining, which “certainly caused some level of alarm to an elderly gentleman who had an elderly wife.”As the two men made court appearances in Missouri and New York, basic outlines of their histories were emerging from neighbors and relatives. Neighbors said that Mr. Monahan, a self-employed builder and longtime resident whose home sits on about 40 mostly wooded acres, had a reputation as a sometimes surly character who loved dirt bikes and largely kept to himself.

☆ Kansas City homeowner charged in shooting of Black teen to appear in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lee Merritt/via REUTERSApril 19 (Reuters) - An 84-year-old white man charged in the shooting and wounding of a Black teenager who mistakenly walked up to the man's house in Kansas City is expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday. He was also charged with armed criminal action, punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Lester is scheduled to appear in a Clay County courtroom for an arraignment hearing at 1:35 p.m. local time (1835 GMT), online court records showed. But Yarl told police in an interview at the hospital where he was treated that the man told him, "Don't come around here," local media reported, citing court documents. In both the New York and Texas incidents, the shooters have been charged with felonies.

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