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☆ Zelensky Meets With German Leaders After Their Massive Weapons Pledge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Erika Solomon | Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Zelensky’s trip to Germany follows a visit to Rome, where peace negotiations were a major theme in meetings with Pope Francis and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Ukrainian and German officials have privately said that Mr. Zelensky might be hoping to persuade Mr. Scholz to play a more influential role when it comes to European support for the war, or even in mediating a peace settlement. Later on Sunday, Mr. Zelensky is expected to travel to city of Aachen in western Germany to receive the prestigious Charlemagne award on behalf of himself and the Ukrainian people. The award is bestowed on those who have done the most to promote European unity. Russian missile strike hits Ternopil in western UkraineRussia fired missiles at the Ternopil region in western Ukraine, Ukrainian officials on Sunday, hitting the hometown of Ukraine’s Eurovision group during the song contest and demonstrating Moscow’s ability to launch attacks far from the front lines.

☆ Opinion: Mitch McConnell’s confidence is being put to the test
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. Not to worry, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a veteran of debt limit battles. McConnell’s reassurance that all will work out in the end is validated by history, but that doesn’t mean this time couldn’t be different. “If female voters are key to a Donald Trump victory in 2024, the former president should be in big trouble – but he doesn’t seem to care,” Jill Filipovic observed. “The town hall audience – selected on the basis of their intention to vote in the Republican primary in New Hampshire – appeared to be made up mostly of Trump fans.

☆ My dog sensed all 4 of my pregnancies before I did. Vets say this is not uncommon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Kate Watson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

When my dog started behaving protective around me, I wondered what was going on. Winston started choosing me to cuddle with, hopping on to our couch and sitting on my feet to keep them warm. When this dog started jumping on another colleague's lap and settling in for long snuggles, its owner had a strong hunch about why. How to help prepare your dog for your new babyYour dog may or may not be aware of an impending arrival. She also tells dog owners to be mindful that an owner's pregnancy can be a stressful time for dogs and that they may require extra attention and care whenever you can give it.

☆ English island that inspired Agatha Christie is up for sale, along with its luxury Art Deco hotel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —A tiny island that inspired legendary crime novelist Agatha Christie has gone up for sale, complete with its own Art Deco hotel and helipad. Burgh Island, located just off the coast of Britain’s south-westerly county of Devon, is on the market for “offers in excess of £15m” ($18.9 million), according to real estate agent Knight Frank. Each room at the hotel is named after a notable guest, including "Agatha's beach house." Burgh Island HotelOver the years, Burgh has been a popular escape for the rich and famous. In 1927, it was sold to film producer Archibald Nettlefold, who went on to build a more substantial hotel in the Art Deco style fashionable at the time.

The collection, acquired between the early 1970s until Horten's death last year, is also comprised of more than 100 Bulgari pieces. "What's important is that we have been completely transparent," Rahul Kadakia, international head of jewellery at Christie's, told Reuters. Christie's said it would make a "significant contribution" from its final proceeds to Jewish organisations to advance Holocaust research and education. "Of course we cannot erase history," said Max Fawcett, head of the jewellery department at Christie's in Geneva. Christie's will auction 400 pieces in Geneva on Wednesday and Friday and hold an online sale.

☆ King Charles' coronation is a great fit for London's Savile Row tailors
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Handmade suits are seen at Anderson & Sheppard tailor on Savile Row, ahead of the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, in London, Britain, April 27, 2023. REUTERS/Dylan MartinezLONDON, May 2 (Reuters) - On Savile Row, the London street long celebrated for turning out sharp suits, tailors have been racing to prepare the red and gold uniforms that will feature in Britain's first coronation for 70 years, adorned with the new insignia of King Charles. Savile Row tailors have dressed kings, queens and their offspring for more than 150 years, and their craft gets a particular boost from long-time customer Charles - a lover of the countryside who also champions the farmers, weavers and mills producing much of the fabric. 'SLOWEST FASHION'Henry Poole, credited with creating the dinner jacket, or tuxedo, has held a British royal warrant since the 1860s when it supplied Queen Victoria. "The sustainability side of that is a major part of what Savile Row has always had," he said.

The NCAA also argued the plaintiffs' division of damages unlawfully favored male athletes over female ones. In a statement, the NCAA said the plaintiffs' claims for "billions of dollars in damages" do not have "legal or factual support." Plaintiffs' lawyers for years have challenged rules that prohibited college athletes from receiving compensation. Class actions provide plaintiffs an avenue in court to pursue claims collectively rather than as individuals, imposing greater pressures on defendants. The plaintiffs' lawyers have asked the court to approve three classes seeking monetary damages: football and men's basketball; women's basketball; and an additional sports class.

☆ One of Harlan Crow's Hitler paintings from his collection of Nazi memorabilia is likely a fake, according to two top experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jack Newsham | Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But one of his supposed Hitler paintings appears to be fake, two experts told Insider. Harlan Crow's little-seen Hitler art collectionLittle is known about Crow's collection. Insider spoke with a person who attended a 2014 tour of Crow's library, led by Crow's personal librarian, who confirmed that he saw the Hitler watercolor in Crow's collection. The US Army has four Hitler paintings in storage, Renee Klish, a retired Army curator, told Insider. Panagopulos of Alexander Historical Auctions, who has often disagreed with Droog, also said it was doubtful that Crow's painting was genuine.

☆ Hillary Clinton: Republicans’ Debt-Ceiling Games Threaten National Security - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Hillary Clinton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But during Democratic administrations, they have weaponized the debt ceiling to extort concessions, despite the danger of default. Congressional Republicans were refusing to raise the debt ceiling, and the prospect of a default was getting closer by the day. They peppered me with questions about the fight back home over the debt ceiling and what it would mean for the international economy. So I was not surprised when he, too, turned the conversation to the debt ceiling, barely containing his glee at our self-inflicted wound. “We could spend the next six hours talking about China’s domestic challenges,” I told Mr. Dai.

[1/3] Dominion lawyers embrace after Dominion Voting Systems and Fox settled the defamation lawsuit over Fox's coverage of debunked election-rigging claims, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., April 18, 2023. At least 31 lawyers from nine different law firms worked on the case, court filings show. It was not immediately clear how large a share of the settlement the firm would receive in legal fees. The filings do not include recent costs associated with preparing for trial or the success fees lawyers could earn from the settlement. Fox News also hired Paul Clement and Erin Murphy, top appeals court lawyers who have advocated for conservative causes at the U.S. Supreme Court.

☆ PHOTO: Melania Trump Appears Relaxed by Husband's Side Post-Indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Melania Trump was photographed appearing relaxed by Donald Trump's side at Mar-a-Lago. Melania recently hit back at media reports that made "assumptions" about her life and opinions. In a photo posted to Instagram by a Mar-a-Lago visitor on Friday, the former first lady appears relaxed, smiling and resting her hand on her husband's arm. Melania recently hit back at media reports that made "assumptions" about her opinions and marriage. Several women, including Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, have claimed to have had affairs with Trump during his relationship with Melania, which he has denied.

☆ Exclusive: Buzzy legal generative AI startup Harvey taps Sequoia to lead funding round at a $150 million valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Legal generative AI startup Harvey has raised a funding round from Sequoia, Insider has learned. This funding round landed the startup a $150 million post-money valuation. Industry-specific generative AI startups have emerged in nearly every industry, from healthcare to gaming, to offer specialized services beyond the capabilities of general models like OpenAI's GPT-4. Legal generative AI startup Harvey has raised a Series A round of funding at a $150 million post-money valuation from Sequoia Capital, according to three people with knowledge of the financing who were not authorized to speak publicly. The relatively few customers makes Harvey's valuation seem rich in comparison, the source said, pointing to a broader trend of elevated valuations and round sizes in the hyped-up generative AI space.

☆ Clarence Thomas' benefactor, the billionaire megadonor Harlan Crow, has a collection of Hitler artifacts and Nazi memorabilia: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Clarence Thomas benefactor Harlan Crow has an art collection that includes Nazi memorabilia, the Washingtonian reported. A bombshell ProPublica report revealed that Thomas had taken undisclosed trips funded by Crow for more than 20 years. "I still can't get over the collection of Nazi memorabilia," an individual who has remained anonymous and who attended an event at Crow's home told the magazine. When the Morning News reporter finally saw the garden of dictator statues, Crow described it as an acknowledgment of the inhumanity that some men have shown to others. The news of Crow's collection comes after a bombshell ProPublica report, which detailed how Thomas has taken luxury vacations funded by the megadonor for more than 20 years without disclosing the excursions.

☆ Melania Trump lives in 'an ivory tower of denial' and is not humiliated by her husband's affairs, her former aide says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Melania Trump is aware of her husband's affairs and is not humiliated by them, her former aide said. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff told Page Six her former friend lives in "an ivory tower of denial." Melania won't leave Trump and privately says that people are just jealous, Wolkoff said. She failed to appear both by her husband's side, despite Trump singling out several family members for praise. "Melania lives in an ivory tower of denial," Wolkoff told Page Six."

Two former college athletes filed the complaint against the NCAA, which is the governing body for U.S. intercollegiate sports, and a group of its member conferences. The lawsuit alleged an unlawful conspiracy to bar cash awards for academic success. The suit seeks to represent a class of "thousands" of current and former student athletes who competed on a Division I team starting in April 2019, before the academic awards were permitted. The complaint said the NCAA, its league conferences and member schools "generate billions of dollars a year in revenues from Division I sports." The plaintiffs "did not receive the academic achievement awards that they would have received in a competitive market," the complaint alleges.

☆ Zooey Deschanel Isn’t Ruling Out a ‘New Girl’ Reboot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lane Florsheim | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In the hit sitcom “New Girl,” Zooey Deschanel plays a quirky teacher living in a loft full of guys. A millennial “Friends” of sorts, the show wrapped on Fox in 2018 and got a streaming boost from Netflix . By the constant flow of social-media memes—TikTok videos about her character Jess Day’s “twee core” style; jokes on Twitter about her roommates Nick, Schmidt and Winston—one could easily mistake it for an ongoing series. Would she ever reprise her role as Jess?

☆ China may prefer TikTok to be banned than fall into US hands
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

TikTok’s algorithms, which keep users glued to the app, are believed to be key to its success. The intended sale of TikTok in 2020 to Oracle and Walmart hit a snag after Beijing added algorithms to its export control list. Under the plans, known as Project Texas, the US government and third-party companies such as Oracle would also have some degree of oversight of TikTok’s data practices. But that hasn’t reassured US officials, likely because no matter what TikTok does internally, China would still theoretically have leverage over TikTok’s Chinese owners. But, he believes Beijing would ultimately prefer for TikTok leave the US market rather than surrender its algorithm.

☆ Women's NCAA roundup: Ohio State sinks UNC at buzzer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Buckeyes (27-7) led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter but needed the heroics from Sheldon to put away the Tar Heels (22-11). Sheldon finished with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists, and teammate Taylor Mikesell scored 17 points. Kelly led North Carolina with 22 points and three steals, while Alyssa Ustby and Kennedy Todd-Williams each scored 16 points. Ohio State advances to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season. Texas (26-10) became the second hosting team to not advance to the Sweet 16 in this tournament, joining No.

☆ US would destroy Taiwan's semiconductor factories rather than letting them fall into China's hands, a former national security adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A former security adviser told Semafor the US would destroy Taiwan's semiconductor factories if China invaded. Robert O'Brien, who served as national security advisor under Donald Trump, said the US "and its allies are never going to let those factories fall into Chinese hands." Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the world's largest chipmaker, making up an estimated 90% of the market for advanced processors. O'Brien is not the first to raise the idea of destroying Taiwan's semiconductor factories if China invades. "This could be done most effectively by threatening to destroy facilities belonging to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the most important chipmaker in the world and China's most important supplier.

So You Want to Turn an Office Building Into a Home? There’s an appealing simplicity to the idea of converting office buildings into housing. Basically, they did this:How to Turn a 26-story Office Building Into a 30-story Apartment Building Cut a hole through 23 floors of the building. How to Turn a 26-story Office Building Into a 30-story Apartment Building Cut a hole through 23 floors of the building. That could change with tax abatements and subsidy programs, or if outdated office buildings lose so much value that the cost of acquiring them plummets.

☆ China plans to revamp finance, tech oversight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China plans to overhaul its financial regulatory system by consolidating aspects of the central bank and securities regulator under a new entity, while doing away with the existing banking regulator. The moves also come as Beijing has increased regulation on parts of the economy that had developed quickly, with little oversight. The latest plan calls for the establishment of a National Financial Regulatory Administration, which replaces the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and expands its role. watch nowThe China Securities Regulatory Commission's investor protection responsibilities are set to shift to the new financial regulator. "China's consolidated financial regulatory body is [a] paradigm shift to ramp up oversight of its vast financial system," said Winston Ma, adjunct professor of law at New York University.

☆ Kevin McCarthy was once horrified by the Jan. 6 rioters. Now he's helping Tucker Carlson try to exonerate them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kevin McCarthy provided footage of the Jan. 6 Capital riot to Tucker Carlson. At the time of the riot, McCarthy appealed to Donald Trump to call off the mob. Carlson has argued the footage "does not show an insurrection or a riot in progress", but rather "mostly peaceful chaos". Police officers were brutally beaten by rioters as they stormed the Capitol, while lawmakers, including McCarthy, fled fearing for their lives. Winston Pingeon, a former Capitol Police officer, criticized Carlson for falsifying the violence of the day.

☆ Apple's advertising business is expanding into new areas this year such as TV. Here are 14 behind-the-scenes Apple executives building its advertising empire.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Right now its roughly $5 billion-in-revenue ads business largely consists of search ads sold within the App Store. We asked more than a dozen advertising industry insiders and former Apple advertising staffers to identify the most important executives building Apple's advertising business. Teresi's ascent coincides with the explosive growth of Apple's ad business in recent years. A former Yahoo and Quantcast staffer, Crawford first joined Apple in 2011 to work on global operations for iAd. Lauren Fry - Apple TV+ ad salesApple hired Fry, a TV and video ad sales veteran, in February this year, The Information reported.

☆ ‘We Have a Ghost’ Review: A Haunted House Hits Social Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

The first scene in “We Have a Ghost” involves an entire family running out of their house screaming, jumping in their car and tearing away. Still, there’s a scary amount of stuff going on in writer-director Christopher Landon ’s horror movie/murder mystery/domestic drama/deep-state thriller/coming-of-age teenage romance. It may be based on the short story “Ernest” by Geoff Manaugh . A year later, looking for a new start, the family of young Kevin Presley (Jahi Winston) moves in, having been kept in the dark by their broker (Faith Ford) about the house’s blighted history. When Kevin first meets up with Ernest (that’s what it says on his bowling shirt), the boy laughs at the ghost’s boogeyman routine, befriending him instead.

☆ Trade group argues U.S. SEC case unfairly labels crypto as securities
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Hannah Lang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency trade association Chamber of Digital Commerce is urging a federal court to dismiss a case brought by the U.S. securities regulator against ex-Coinbase (COIN.O) employees accused of insider trading, arguing that the case unfairly labeled several crypto assets as securities. The Blockchain Association also filed an amicus brief in the case earlier this month. The crypto industry has previously criticized the SEC for bringing enforcement cases against digital asset companies, arguing that the regulator should instead engage in formal rulemaking specific to cryptocurrency. The SEC has maintained that pre-existing securities laws also apply to digital assets, and that many crypto tokens meet the definition of a security. The move would also likely hurt the value of those tokens, which could harm retail investors, the group said.

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