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☆ A Royal Paradox: Harry and Meghan Seek Both Privacy and Publicity
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, decamped Britain for the United States in 2020, he portrayed it as an act of survival against a relentlessly intrusive British press. On Tuesday, after a chaotic encounter with photographers in New York City, Harry found the media glare can be just as intense in his adopted home. With details continuing to filter out about what exactly happened to Harry, Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, as photographers pursued them in Midtown Manhattan, the episode underscored a basic paradox in the lives of this celebrity couple: they plead for privacy, but also seek publicity, with a Netflix documentary, a tell-all memoir by Harry and public appearances that will inevitably draw cameras. The frenzy in New York is a reminder of the grievances that Harry has held for decades against the British press, which remains the primary market for paparazzi shots of him and Meghan. In 1997, his mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris while fleeing photographers; Harry has blamed them for her death and expressed fears that history could repeat itself with his wife and family.

This year, advertisers and ad agencies may well use the strike as a bargaining tool, said Erin Firneno, vice president of business intelligence for researcher Advertiser Perceptions. The writers’ strike, which has entered its third week, is also injecting a new element of uncertainty for ad buyers, at a time when television viewership is declining and the possibility of recession looms. While the TV networks have long contended with splintered viewership amid the rise of social media and streaming, the writers' strike puts content production at risk, said Rishad Tobaccowala, a former executive at advertising and public relations giant Publicis Groupe and advisor on business transformation. Last year, NBC’s upfront presentation emphasized star power as the network returned to a live event after a COVID-19-imposed hiatus. Ahead of the upfront presentations, media executives sought to reassure investors about the strike’s impact.

☆ At the Real Embassy, Netflix’s ‘Diplomat’ Draws a Diplomatic Response
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Sorry, that doesn’t happen.”“I also don’t have a D.C.M. who brings racks of clothes into my office and tells me what I should wear,” she said, referring to the deputy chief of mission, who in the series acts as the ambassador’s fashion stylist. “I wear my own clothes.”A gauzy mix of spy thriller and soap opera, “The Diplomat” debuted last month as the most-watched series on Netflix, and remains in the top 10. It has become compulsive viewing in foreign-policy circles — easy to mock for its Bond-meets-Bourne plot twists but also a source of gratification among diplomats, who feel Hollywood is finally showing them the recognition it has long given C.I.A. agents (though the series has one of those, too).

☆ In European Tour, Zelensky Reaps Billions More in Promised Military Aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has been promised billions of dollars in new military aid during a whirlwind tour of European allies that reflects a striking shift in the political landscape, as Europe takes a more central role in arming Ukraine for its anticipated counteroffensive to drive Russia from its territory. And it followed Germany’s pledge to give Ukraine a nearly $3 billion package of weapons, as well as less concrete promises of additional weapons from France and Italy. It also reflects a recognition that support for Ukraine in the United States, still by far the largest supplier of weapons, is likely to come under pressure. Mr. Zelensky is concerned that as the American presidential race heats up, President Biden will be less able to lead diplomatic efforts, German and Ukrainian officials said. Should a Republican win the White House, officials worry there will be a collapse in leadership among Western allies.

The departure of ads chief Linda Yaccarino to Twitter has thrown NBCU into chaos. The exit comes on the heels of the departure of NBCU CEO Jeff Shell after sexual harassment allegations. One advertising executive who works closely with NBCUniversal described the situation inside the company as a "Cuban missile crisis." NBCU does have a deep bench of ad executive talent that's highly regarded in the ad industry. Although Yaccarino's departure from NBCUniversal to Twitter was a surprise, she had been close with the company and its billionaire owner.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema, eyeing GOP voters, knocks 'both political parties' when asked about election deniers in Arizona
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 2024, Sinema would likely need support from conservative voters who doubt the 2020 election. "Well, we're currently living in a climate where it's okay to say things that aren't true," Sinema said. "What I think we're facing in our country today is this situation where people don't know what's true and what's not true," said Sinema. Sinema again blamed "the two political parties" for becoming "more extreme." Lake says she's "seriously considering" a Senate campaign, and Sheriff Mark Lamb, already running in the GOP primary, has also cast doubt on the validity of the 2020 election.

☆ A Coronation and an Election Leave a Restless U.K. ‘in a Waiting Room’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yet each, in its own way, confirmed a Britain on the cusp of change. The stinging defeat of the Conservatives in elections on Thursday suggested that Britain’s governing party could very well be swept from power in the general election that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak must call by January 2025. The crowning of Charles definitively turned the page from the 70-year reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and thrust the monarchy into an uncertain future. Three years after Britain left the European Union, and nine months after Britons grieved the death of the queen amid political and economic upheaval, the country is still groping for a post-Brexit identity. But even if its ultimate shape is not clear, Britain seems poised for a new era, both in politics and the monarchy.

☆ Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party last year, says she's 'absolutely' done with parties and won't join the GOP: 'You don't go from one broken party to another'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kyrsten Sinema told CBS News she's "absolutely" done with political parties and won't join the GOP. She left the Democratic Party last year and became an Independent before a potential reelection bid. "It's okay not to agree a hundred percent with another," the Arizona senator told Margaret Brennan. There was less willingness for individuals to have their own opinions to make their own decisions," Sinema told Brennan. I mean, I just, I'm laughing because I literally just spent time explaining how broken the two parties are," Sinema replied.

☆ Charles Is Crowned King in Ancient Ceremony With Modern Twists
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Anointed with holy oil and enthroned on St. Edward’s chair, King Charles III was crowned on Saturday in a solemn ritual that stretches back more than a millennium but unfolded with multiple concessions to the modern age. The coronation, the first since Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953, was a royal spectacle of the kind that only Britain still stages: four hours of pageantry that began with the clip-clop of horses’ hooves on Pall Mall and ended with the vaporous trails of acrobatic jets streaking above Buckingham Palace, as Charles watched from the balcony with Queen Camilla, who had been crowned shortly after him. Yet this was a coronation for a radically different country than when Elizabeth first wore the crown. Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh leaders greeted Charles as he left Westminster Abbey, and there were various attempts — not always successful — to make a medieval ritual more inclusive and democratic. Female bishops from the Church of England took part in the liturgy; hymns were sung in Welsh, Scottish and Irish Gaelic; and when Charles, 74, took a sacred oath to defend the Protestant faith, he also offered a personal prayer, in which he promised to be a pluralistic monarch for a diverse society.

Prince Albert of Monaco said in an interview with People magazine that he and his wife, Charlene, would be attending. King Felipe VI of Spain, who ascended to the throne in 2014 after his father’s abdication, will attend, according to the Spanish news media. Crown Prince Fumihito of Japan and Crown Princess Kiko, on behalf of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, will attend, according to the Japanese news media. Credit... Clodagh Kilcoyne/ReutersSeveral members of Britain’s government will attend, as will about 100 heads of state from around the world, according to Buckingham Palace. British RoyalsImage Prince Harry, center, will be present at the coronation, though his wife, Meghan, and their children, will remain in California.

☆ It’s Coronation Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But as with a sports playoff game or Hollywood awards ceremony, the coronation of Charles III has made me into an instant, if temporary, royals superfan. In a recent poll of 3,070 adults in Britain, 64 percent of respondents said they had little to no interest in today’s coronation. The ceremony has been modified to be more inclusive, but still “the hoary rituals of the coronation are a reminder of how — in a secular, multiethnic, digital-age society — the crown is fundamentally an anachronism,” wrote The Times’s London bureau chief, Mark Landler. An over-the-top coronation for a new king does make for an incongruous viewing experience while Commonwealth nations call for Britain to redress its colonialist legacy and the country reckons with a cost-of-living crisis. It’s possible to be fascinated by the pageantry while remaining skeptical of it, to gawk at the fairy-tale elements of the coronation while still questioning the system that supports them.

☆ Conservative Party Suffers Stinging Losses in England’s Local Elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Stephen Castle | Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Britain’s Conservative Party suffered sweeping losses on Friday in local elections, a stinging rejection of the status quo that raises doubts about its ability to hold onto power after 14 years. The vote for control over hundreds of municipalities, which took place on Thursday across England, was the biggest test of the governing party’s popularity before a general election that is likely to take place in the fall of 2024. It left Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wounded, fracturing the pro-Brexit coalition assembled by one of his predecessors, Boris Johnson, in 2019 and opening a plausible path to power for the main opposition Labour Party. With most of the results declared, the Conservatives lost more than 1,000 seats, while Labour gained roughly 500 and the centrist Liberal Democrats, which surprised oddsmakers as perhaps the best performer, picked up around 400. Another smaller party, the Greens, also made more than 200 gains.

Federal worker safety inspections have alleged poor maintenance or a lack of safety training at some Tyson plants where ammonia leaks injured workers. CNN interviewed eleven current or former Tyson workers across three different plants who experienced ammonia leaks. !”A safety sign hangs on a fence at a Tyson plant in Hope, Arkansas, in March 2023. Still, some Tyson workers who lived through ammonia leaks said they wished more had been done to protect them. That means that the data doesn’t necessarily cover Tyson plants or other meat facilities that hold smaller amounts of ammonia.

☆ For King Charles, Coronation Day Is a Step on a Tightrope Walk
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But it’s not without its traps, as King Charles III learned last weekend when the organizers of his coronation invited millions of Britons to pledge an oath of homage to the monarch during the ceremony on Saturday. “More like the stuff of a Stalinist people’s republic,” wrote the columnist Mick Hume. Such are the problems vexing Charles as he prepares for his coronation, Britain’s first in 70 years. In the seven months since he ascended the throne, royal watchers say, the new king has worked to make the monarchy more accessible, forward looking and inclusive. Yet the hoary rituals of the coronation are a reminder of how — in a secular, multiethnic, digital-age society — the crown is fundamentally an anachronism.

☆ Phillips 66 joins rivals to beat profit estimates as refining margins soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Arunima Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A general view of the Phillips 66 refinery, as seen from the corner of Fifth Street and California Street in Rodeo, California, the oldest oil refining town in the American West, U.S. December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small/File PhotoMay 3 (Reuters) - U.S. refiner Phillips 66 (PSX.N) beat Wall Street estimate for first-quarter profit on Wednesday, joining rivals in gaining from elevated margins on sustained fuel demand amid tight crude supplies. Realized margins soared 91% to $20.72 per barrel in the first quarter from a year earlier, Phillips 66 said. "We ran above industry-average crude utilization, successfully executed major turnarounds and increased market capture to 93%," Phillips 66's CEO Mark Lashier said in a statement. The Houston-based refiner reported adjusted earnings of $4.21 per share for the three months ended March 31, compared with average analyst estimate of $3.56, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Inside NBCUniversal, female execs are eyeing leadership's next moves after CEO Jeff Shell's ouster over 'inappropriate relationship': 'We're watching'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

NBCUniversal insiders are reeling after chief Jeff Shell's stunning departure and asking questions about what's next for the Comcast division. News of Shell's hasty exit dropped April 23 after an investigation into what he called an "inappropriate relationship" with a company employee. "It's shocking," said one employee, wondering how an executive at Shell's level would take such a risk with his career. Two staffers also grumbled that the company hasn't widely addressed the matter internally since its terse statement announcing Shell's exit. Keeping Cavanagh atop NBCU could serve another purpose — to help bring about a merger of Comcast with Warner Bros.

☆ Many in U.K. Greet King Charles’s Coronation With a ‘Take It or Leave It’ Shrug
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When King Charles III is crowned on Saturday, he will undergo a ritual so rare in modern British history that it last occurred 70 years ago, roughly the wait between sightings of Halley’s comet. And yet the coronation has yet to capture the imagination of a Britain preoccupied by other concerns. Images of the new king — in chocolate, in Legos and in wax — are popping up in bakeries, toy stores and at Madame Tussauds wax museum. Ancient relics of coronation, like the Scottish stone of destiny, are being delivered to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony. They love the royal family.

☆ The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Simone Pathe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

The GOP needs a net gain of one or two seats to flip the chamber, depending on which party wins the White House in 2024, and it’s Democrats who are defending the tougher seats. Jim Justice announcing his Senate bid in West Virginia – the seat most likely to flip party control in 2024. In a presidential year, the national environment is likely to loom large, especially with battleground states hosting key Senate races. Two businessmen with the ability to tap into or raise significant resources could be in the mix – Eric Hovde, who lost the GOP Senate nomination in 2012, and Scott Mayer. Still, unseating Cruz in a state Trump won by nearly 6 points in 2020 will be a tall order.

☆ BBC Chairman Resigns, Deepening Turmoil at Britain’s Broadcaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The BBC settled the dispute with Mr. Lineker by vowing to review its policies governing the use of social media by its on-air personalities. The episode prompted calls by the opposition Labour Party for Mr. Sharp’s resignation. The current prime minister, Rishi Sunak, appeared to distance himself from Mr. Sharp, even though the two had once worked together at Goldman Sachs, where Mr. Sunak and Mr. Sharp had both been bankers. Mr. Sharp, a major donor to the Conservative Party, said he regretted not raising the issue of the loan with an appointments panel before he took the post of chairman. “I would like once again to apologize for that oversight — inadvertent though it was — and for the distraction these events have caused the BBC.”

☆ These are the top Senate races to watch in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

They have reason to be hopeful: Democrats face a daunting 2024 Senate map that puts them on defense in 23 of the cycle's 34 races, including multiple seats considered ripe for GOP challenges. The grim outlook has some Senate Democrats considering retirement, even after the caucus expanded to a 51-49 majority following a better-than-expected showing in the midterms. Jim Justice, reportedly the state's richest man and one of its favored contenders for the Senate race. But the 2024 Senate race in Ohio is currently considered a toss-up, as Republicans have made significant gains in the state in the last two election cycles. Sabato's Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report both say the Michigan Senate race leans Democratic.

☆ NBCUniversal insiders are asking what's next after CEO Jeff Shell's 'shocking' exit, and female execs are watching leadership closely after a string of high-profile sexual allegations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

They're asking what Comcast exec Mike Cavanagh's elevation to handle Shell's remit means for NBCU's future. NBCUniversal insiders are reeling after chief Jeff Shell's stunning departure and asking questions about what's next for the Comcast division. News of Shell's hasty exit dropped Sunday after an investigation into what he called an "inappropriate relationship" with a company employee. "It's shocking," said one employee, wondering how an executive at Shell's level would take such a risk with his career. Keeping Cavanagh atop NBCU could serve another purpose — to help bring about a merger of Comcast with Warner Bros.

☆ NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell exits after an 'inappropriate relationship,' shocking insiders, and Comcast won't rush to replace him as corporate exec Mike Cavanagh steps up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell's exit shocked company insiders and all of Hollywood. NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell's bombshell departure on Sunday night was a surprise to the well-regarded executive and also to his closest colleagues. Deadline reported that Shell's relationship was with CNBC's senior international correspondent, Hadley Gamble, which lasted 11 years but had ended a couple of years ago. "Comcast is as buttoned-up and straight as ever — this is a black eye for Brian Roberts," the Comcast CEO. A second company insider, however, said that Cavanagh is expected to remain in the role for some time.

☆ Dominic Raab, U.K. Deputy Prime Minister, Resigns Amid Bullying Scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Mark Landler | Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dominic Raab, Britain’s deputy prime minister, resigned on Friday after an investigation into claims that he had bullied subordinates, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struggles to put a legacy of scandal behind his Conservative government. Mr. Raab, a hard-line Brexiteer who is one of Mr. Sunak’s most loyal political allies, had long denied allegations of abusive behavior. But the investigation, by an independent barrister, laid out a litany of cases in which civil servants accused Mr. Raab, who also serves as justice secretary, of mistreating them. Mr. Raab becomes the third cabinet minister in six months to be forced out over ethics issues, illustrating again the challenge that Mr. Sunak has had in delivering his promise to lead a government of “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.”Mr. Sunak rose to power after his former boss, Boris Johnson, was caught in a whirlpool of scandals, most prominently a series of Downing Street parties that violated lockdown rules. His immediate predecessor, Liz Truss, was forced out after her trickle-down tax cuts backfired.

☆ Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego recently outraised Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in what could be the most unpredictable Senate race of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego outraised Independent Kyrsten Sinema in the first quarter of 2023. Gallego's campaign reported raising $3.74 million, while Sinema raised $2.1 million, per the FEC. The Grand Canyon State could potentially boast the most competitive Senate race in the US next year. The outcome of a competitive three-way Arizona race could very well determine control of the Senate. And the race would also be held with the concurrent presidential election, which could feature a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

☆ Drinking is killing Russian troops, according to UK intel. Widespread alcoholism during the first Crimean War 150 years ago resulted in Russia's defeat.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The Crimean War would become another example of the county's war drinking problem cataloged in the annals of Russian history. I don't think it's nearly as important nowadays, as it was during the Russo-Japanese War or World War One, but it's significant, right?" In an interview with Insider, Schrad expanded on the history of Russian drinking during wartime. A lot of it is the consequence of my research topic, which has been alcohol and Russian history. The Crimean War, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, in particular, were all drunken fiascos.

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