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☆ Clarence Thomas: Appellate judge defends justice in new book, rejects 'pot shots' at Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A federal appeals court judge previously on short lists for the Supreme Court is taking the rare step to broadly and publicly reject allegations that Justice Clarence Thomas has been improperly influenced by lavish gifts provided by a conservative billionaire, dismissing “pot shots” at the Supreme Court in general. Thapar this past week released a new book about Thomas entitled “The People’s Justice,” in which he explores the justice’s favored judicial philosophy of originalism. “You can judge their works, and what they do, against what they’ve done in the past,” Thapar told CNN. Ethics and financial disclosuresThapar rejects suggestions that Thomas should have disclosed the hospitality provided by Crow on annual financial disclosure forms. They have called Justice Thomas ‘the cruelest justice,’ ‘stupid,’ and even an ‘Uncle Tom’ a traitor to his race,” Thapar writes.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Amul Thapar, Thapar, Thomas, originalism, Thomas ’, Thomas ’ originalism, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Harlan Crow’s, ” Thapar, Ginni, Crow, ” Virginia Canter, ” “, ” Canter, hadn’t, “, –, ”, Thomas’s, Thomas ‘, ’, Tom ’, Elizabeth Wydra, ” Wydra Organizations: CNN, Eastern, Eastern District of, ProPublica, Citizens, Crow, Administrative, Center Locations: Cincinnati, Eastern District, Eastern District of Kentucky, Washington

☆ Zimbabwe president pledges economic revival as election campaign kicks off
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Nyasha Chingono | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The election comes amid a raging economic crisis, with high inflation and a currency that plunged more than 50% this month against the U.S. dollar. In remarks aimed mostly at his rural support base at the weekend, Mnangagwa pledged infrastructure developments. Mnangagwa toppled independent Zimbabwe's first president, Robert Mugabe, in a coup in 2017, eding his 37-year rule. The opposition CCC party enjoys considerable support in towns and cities, while ZANU-PF's supporters are mainly in rural areas. Zimbabwe has endured over two decades of economic failure following land seizures by Mugabe, plunging the southern African country into an economic crisis.

Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa, Nelson Chamisa, Mnangagwa, Robert Mugabe, eding, Mugabe, Nyasha Chingono, Carien du Plessis, Emelia Organizations: ZANU, Citizens Coalition, U.S ., CCC, Thomson Locations: Zimbabwe, Chipinge, Harare, Chamisa

☆ Reddit’s fight with its most powerful users enters new phase as blackout continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —After nearly a week of mass protests on Reddit directed at its management, the company’s strategy appears to be simple: power through. That approach was reflected Thursday in a series of media interviews conducted by Reddit CEO and co-founder Steve Huffman. In response, some moderators have vowed to put pressure on Reddit’s advertisers and investors. Some 100,000 forums remain open, the company said in a blog post, including 80% of its 5,000 most actively engaged subreddits. In addition, one company administrator said Thursday, Reddit may soon view communities that remain private as an indicator that the moderators of those communities no longer wish to moderate.

Persons: Reddit, Steve Huffman, Huffman, ”, ” Huffman, they’re, Greg Doherty, Omar, ” Omar, “, “ Reddit, They’ve Organizations: CNN, Reddit, Variety, Wynn Las, NPR, NBC News Locations: Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas , Nevada

☆ Review: In London, a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ That Feels Startlingly New
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Matt Wolf | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Is love a tender thing?” Romeo asks early in the Shakespeare tragedy to which he and Juliet give their names. Not so much, according to the raw and riveting new production of “Romeo and Juliet” that opened Wednesday at the Almeida Theater here. It’s no surprise that the courtship between the noble Romeo — here played by the sweet-faced Toheeb Jimoh, from TV’s “Ted Lasso” — and the teenage Juliet will end in calamity. Her “Romeo and Juliet,” performed without an intermission, begins with the cast clawing feverishly at a stage wall, onto which are projected crucial lines from the prologue. But as if in haste to get straight to the meat of the play, the wall soon collapses to reveal the citizenry of Verona mid-combat.

Persons: Romeo, Juliet, Juliet ”, It’s, Romeo —, Toheeb Jimoh, Ted Lasso ” —, Rebecca Frecknall, Olivier, —, “, ” Frecknall, Tennessee Williams, ” Organizations: Almeida Locations: British, New York, Verona

☆ 30 TV shows that were canceled and never got the closure they deserved
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Gabbi Shaw | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

"Terra Nova," a time-traveling epic about what would happen to Earth if it becomes too populated, was canceled after just one season, leaving viewers to wonder what became of the citizens of Terra Nova. Essentially, the Earth will become overcrowded and almost inhospitable by the mid-22nd century, so technology was developed to help citizens travel back 85 million years to inhabit the untouched Earth in a settlement called Terra Nova. The series' sole season ended in 2011 with the main character, Jim, destroying the portal to the past and narrowly making it back to Terra Nova. What would that mean for the people of Terra Nova? Fans will never know since Fox canceled the show soon after, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Persons: Terra Nova, Jason O'Mara, Jim, Fox Organizations: Terra Nova, Sixers, Fox, Entertainment Locations: Terra, Terra Nova

☆ Uncle Sam wants migrants. Facing shortages, military recruiters trade citizenship for service.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The biggest challenges have been identifying geographic pockets of immigrant populations, finding ways to reach them and helping any of those interested navigate the complex military recruiting applications and procedures. The Air Force effort began this year, and the first group of 14 graduated from basic training and were sworn in as new citizens in April. As of mid-May there were about 100 in basic training who had begun the citizenship process and about 40 who had completed it. Thomas said the program required changes to Air Force policy, coordination with U.S. By the time Air Force recruits finish their seven weeks of training, the process is complete and they are sworn in as American citizens.

Persons: —, Bidari, Kalden Lama, Ed Thomas, Thomas, Natalia Laziuk, I've, Christine Wormuth Organizations: US Army, Navy, Service, U.S . Army Reserves, Army, Air Force, Army Staff, Dallas, Marine Corp, Defense, . Citizenship, Immigration Services Locations: Nepal, Dallas, U.S, America, American, United States, Cameroon, Jamaica, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Chicago, Mexico, Haiti, Nigeria, Ghana, Colombia, Dominican Republic

☆ The History Behind Debates Around Affirmative Action - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Randall Kennedy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Johnson vetoed the act in part because the citizenship provision would immediately make citizens of native-born Black people while European-born immigrants had to wait several years to qualify for citizenship via naturalization (which was then open only to white people). In 1875, Congress enacted legislation that prohibited racial discrimination in the provision of public accommodations. Segregationist Southerners were not the only ones who railed against anti-discrimination laws on the grounds that they constituted illegitimate preferences for African Americans. In 1945, the New York City administrator Robert Moses inveighed against pioneering municipal anti-discrimination legislation in employment and college admissions. Displaying more anger at the distant prospect of racial quotas than the immediate reality of racial exclusions, Moses maintained that anti-discrimination measures would “mean the end of honest competition, and the death knell of selection and advancement on the basis of talent.”

Persons: Johnson, ” Johnson, disapprovingly, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Jamie Whitten, Robert Moses inveighed, Moses, ” Organizations: Civil, Employment, Commission, New Locations: Mississippi, New York City

☆ Opinion | The Eyes of the World Are Upon Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Paul Krugman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

If Ukraine wins this war, some of its supporters abroad will no doubt be disillusioned to discover the nation’s darker side. Before the war, Ukraine ranked high on measures of perceived corruption — better than Russia, but that’s not saying much. Yet like the flaws of the Allies in World War II, these shadows don’t create any equivalence between the two sides in this war. In reality, while most Americans support aid to Ukraine, only a minority are willing to sustain that aid for as long as it takes. Some of those who oppose Western aid just don’t see the moral equivalence with World War II.

Persons: that’s, Stalin, Vladimir Putin’s, it’s, vociferously Organizations: Ukraine, Allies Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, America, Britain

☆ 5 Takeaways From Ron DeSantis’s First Campaign Trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“We will fight the woke in education,” Mr. DeSantis said in New Hampshire. “We will fight the woke in corporations. And we will fight the woke in the halls of Congress. We will never surrender to the woke mob.”(Mr. Trump seemed to take a shot at his rival’s use of the word, saying on Thursday, “I don’t like the term ‘woke,’ because I hear ‘woke, woke, woke.’” He added: “It’s just a term they use. “They are imposing their agenda on us, via the federal government, via corporate America, via our own education system,” he said.

Persons: DeSantis, Winston Churchill’s, “, ” Mr, Trump, ‘, ’, ” Locations: Britain, Nazi Germany, New Hampshire, Des Moines, United States

☆ Sudan fighters take over Khartoum museum, director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, June 3 (Reuters) - Sudanese paramilitary fighters have taken over the national museum in Khartoum, its deputy director said on Saturday, urging them to protect precious artefacts from the nation's heritage that include ancient mummies. Members of the Rapid Support Forces group that has been fighting the army since mid-April for control of Sudan entered the museum on Friday, said deputy director Ikhlas Abdellatif. Museum staff do not know the situation inside the museum because they halted work there after the conflict suddenly erupted on April 15, forcing police guarding the facility to quit, Abdellatif said. The RSF released a video filmed inside the museum grounds showing a soldier denying that they had done any harm to the museum or would do so, and inviting any individuals or organisations to visit the museum to check. The video also showed RSF fighters covering up exposed mummies with sheets and closing the plain white boxes in which they were contained.

Persons: Ikhlas Abdellatif, Abdellatif, Hatim Alnour, Roxanne Trioux, Omar al, Bashir, Abdel, Fattah, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, Sami, Khalid Abdelaziz, Adam Makary, Angus McDowall, Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry Organizations: Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Museum, . Security, Thomson Locations: KHARTOUM, Khartoum, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, United States, Omdurman, Bahri, Washington, Riyadh, U.S, Dubai, Cairo

☆ NATO official calls for transparency over nuclear weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool/File PhotoSingapore, June 2 (Reuters) - A senior NATO official on Friday urged Beijing to be more open about its accelerating nuclear weapons build-up, saying that as a global power, China had a responsibility to improve transparency. "As a global power it has a global responsibility to be more transparent," Lapsley said, adding that the scale and pace of the Chinese build-up was "really striking". "NATO is open to dialogue, but it can't substitute dialogue between the U.S. and China," he said. The Pentagon's annual China report, released in November 2022, noted that Beijing's nuclear programme had gathered pace and now has more than 400 operational nuclear warheads - a figure still far below U.S. and Russian stockpiles. A nuclear power since the early 1960s, China for decades maintained a small number of nuclear warheads and missiles as a deterrent under a "no first use" pledge that remains its official policy despite Beijing's broader military modernisation under President Xi Jinping.

Persons: Johanna Geron, Angus Lapsley, Lapsley, Xi Jinping, Anthony Albanese, Greg Torode, Gerry Doyle Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Atlantic Treaty, Defence Policy, U.S, Pentagon, People's Liberation Army, Australian, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Singapore, Beijing, China, Atlantic, United States, France, Britain, Australia

☆ Florida’s homeowner insurance rates are four times the national average. That’s not getting better anytime soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But no matter how many storms hit Florida this year, the state’s residents are already struggling as they try to get homeowners’ insurance. But in Florida, State Farm has about 7% of the market, according to the Insurance Information Institute, an industry trade group. Just more than half of insurers based in Florida are on the state insurance regulator’s watch list due to their financial health. Homeowners in the state pay private insurers about $6,000 a year, compared to a national average of $1,700. But wind damage to homes and roofs are covered under homeowners’ insurance policies.

Persons: ”, Mark Friedlander, hasn’t, Friedlander, It’s, Hurricane Ian, Harvey, “ We’ve, shortchanging policyholders, Stephen Cain, “, Matthew Carletti, “ They’ve, ” Carletti, There’s Organizations: New, New York CNN — Hurricane, State, Insurance Information Institute, Homeowners, Atlantic, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane, NOAA, National Flood Insurance, Insurance, Property Insurance Corp, Citizens Property Insurance Corp, Citizens, Dade, JMP Securities Locations: New York, Florida, South Florida, Miami, Broward, Monroe County, South, Atlantic Coast

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump visits an unfinished section of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border in Pharr, Texas, June 30, 2021. While president in 2018, Trump said he planned to issue an executive order to limit birthright citizenship, but never followed through. Many legal scholars at the time were skeptical that Trump could use executive authority to roll back the right. Trump noted that many countries restrict birthright citizenship for non-citizens. As president, Trump pursued hardline policies toward immigration and took steps toward building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border that he had promised as a candidate in 2016.

Persons: Donald Trump, Callaghan O'Hare, Trump, Joe Biden, Ted Hesson, Will Dunham, Mica Rosenberg Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Callaghan O'Hare WASHINGTON, Republican, Twitter, Trump, Democrat, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, Pharr , Texas, United States, Southern, American, Washington

☆ Prince Harry and Meghan: Photo agency says it denied Harry and Meghan request to turn over photos from chase
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse Niamh Kennedy Jessie Gretener | Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The NYPD simply said “numerous photographers” had “made their transport challenging” following their departure from the Ziegfeld Ballroom. “We stand by our founding fathers.”The Sussexes declined to comment on the matter when approached by CNN. The Princess of Wales died in 1997 after suffering internal injuries resulting from a high-speed car crash in Paris. Once the photographs are out and the stories then put next to it, then comes the social media harassment. To see another woman in my life, who I love, go through this feeding frenzy – that’s hard.

☆ Air strikes, artillery fire escalate as factions battle in Sudan capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, May 16 (Reuters) - Air strikes and artillery fire intensified sharply across Sudan's capital early on Tuesday, residents said, as the army sought to defend key bases from paramilitary rivals it has been fighting for more than a month. The air strikes, explosions and clashes could be heard in the south of Khartoum, and there was heavy shelling across the River Nile in parts of the adjoining cities of Bahri and Omdurman, witnesses said. The fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has triggered unrest in other areas of Sudan, especially in the western region of Darfur, but is concentrated in Khartoum. "We don't know what the citizens did to deserve a war in the middle of the houses." Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Elon Musk’s Twitter Show Makes Sense. Yes, Really. - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( David Nasaw | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

His Starlink satellites provide “internet to the most remote areas,” including boats on “waters all around the world.” Twitter will give us the unvarnished, uncensored news that the mainstream press quashes. The result, which Mr. Musk champions, has been an outpouring of individual truths on the site. Chief among the citizen journalists tweeting forth their truths is Mr. Musk himself. Promoting Twitter-style “free speech,” Mr. Musk eschews debate, dialogue, argument. Instead of promoting the dialogue across ideological boundaries that we require, Mr. Musk sows mistrust, which deepens the divide.

[1/4] A costumer counts money before buying tangerines in a green grocery store, as Argentines struggle amid rising inflation, in Buenos Aires, Argentina May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianBUENOS AIRES, May 12 (Reuters) - Argentina's annual inflation rate soared to 109% in April, the country's statistics agency said on Friday, smashing past analyst forecasts and stoking anger among hard-hit consumers who are increasingly having to skimp and save to get by. 2 economy, posted 8.4% monthly inflation in April, well above analyst forecasts of 7.5% and the highest in decades. The highest analyst estimate in a Reuters poll for April's monthly inflation rate had been 8.3%. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsReporting by Miguel Lo Bianco; Writing by Nicolás Misculin; Editing by Adam JourdanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Advocates want to spend $11 billion to fix Austin's crappy public-transit system. But many critics say the price tag is too high for a system hardly anyone will use.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Officials say an $11 billion public-transit plan could make Austin safer, greener, and more affordable. Austinites voted to approve Project Connect in 2020 when its total price tag was $7.1 billion. However, nearly 50% of the riders of MetroRail — the city's current rail system — earn more than $60,000 a year. Public-transit advocates say the plan is worth the costSupporters of Project Connect are open to lowering its price tag. But on a larger scale, Project Connect supporters say that public transportation provides better access to healthcare, education, employment, and affordable housing.

☆ 'Hope is action': White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tells Rice grads 'change is possible'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre delivered the commencement speech to Rice University's undergraduate class of 2023 on May 6. Throughout the 22-minute address, Jean-Pierre had one central message, which she repeated 12 times: "Hope is action." "My parents worked hard jobs, and even harder hours, to make sure my siblings and I got the education we needed," she said. It was a significant moment for Jean-Pierre and especially for her father. Still, Jean-Pierre points to voting as one of the key actions an individual can take to change their community.

☆ Russia made Ukrainians who refused to flee war-torn towns sign a waiver saying it's not Moscow's fault if something happens to them
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian authorities made Ukrainians living in occupied towns evacuate or sign liability waivers. If anyone refused to evacuate, they had to sign papers saying Russia wasn't responsible for them. Citizens told The New York Times that Russia forced evacuations ahead of a Ukrainian counterattack. But only a small number of people are actually following the orders, Ukrainian citizens told the Times. Insider previously reported that Russian authorities were forcing Ukrainians in occupied areas to either get a Russian passport or be "deported" and have their property seized.

[1/5] Teacher Inese Rudzite stands in front of Russian citizens during the Latvian language learning class in Riga, Latvia May 2, 2023. Speaking Russian instead of Latvian has not been a problem until now, but the war in Ukraine changed the picture. He said the test was needed because Russian authorities justified their invasion of Ukraine by the need to protect Russian nationals abroad. "I think that learning Latvian is right, but this pressure is wrong," Sevastjanova said. But now I end up learning Latvian instead.

Florida lawmakers sent DeSantis a bill that would let him stay governor while running for president. "I don't think we have seen a six-month stretch that has ever been this productive in the history of our state," DeSantis said at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Friday. Should DeSantis be successful in a presidential run, he would follow in the footsteps of Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush. Ron DeSantis speaks during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, on November 8, 2022. During a press conference in Panama City, Florida, on Thursday, DeSantis continued to play coy about his intentions.

[1/3] Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. "It's been four days without electricity and our situation is difficult," said 48-year-old Othman Hassan from the southern outskirts of the city. Despite multiple ceasefire declarations, the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) appeared to be fighting for territory ahead of proposed talks. The army and RSF, which had shared power after a coup in 2021, have accused each other of breaching a string of truces. The U.N. has pressed the warring sides to guarantee safe passage of aid after six of its trucks were looted.

☆ Madison Cawthorn pleads guilty in case over bringing a loaded handgun through TSA checkpoint
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Rebekah Riess | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn pleaded guilty Friday to bringing a loaded handgun through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport last year, according to his attorney. Cawthorn’s weapon was “secured at the airport and he retrieved it after his flight,” the newspaper reported, citing the airport spokesperson. In July 2021, when the story was published, a Cawthorn spokesperson told the Citizen-Times that the congressman had brought the gun “by mistake.” He was not charged in the incident. Despite having Trump’s endorsement, he lost in the Republican primary to Chuck Edwards, who had the backing of several top North Carolina Republicans. Edwards easily went on to win the general election for the western North Carolina seat.

☆ Opinion: Why Britain is so weirded out by pledging allegiance to Charles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Opinion Laura Beers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In a break with tradition, the public will be invited to pledge allegiance to King Charles III during the coronation ceremony on Saturday May 6. While many Brits I’ve spoken to are simply indifferent to the proposed pledge, there has also been an unprecedent degree of public vitriol over the scheme. Yet, objections to the proposed pledge are as much about its content as its form. The proposed coronation pledge, in contrast, invites Britons to pledge their loyalty to the King, and to his “heirs and successors” – a positively undemocratic pronouncement. That complexity cannot simply be smoothed away by inviting people to pledge allegiance to the crown.

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