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1,801 | David Samson's Ouster Makes It Easier For Miami Marlins Next Owners To Raise Money | David Samson | Miami Marlins president David Samson will reportedly be shown the door after the team is sold. That should make it much easier for the incoming owners to bolster the team's balance sheet.
But equity has been hard to come by in this sale process. As things stand the asking price for the team --the sale of which has been led by Samson -- has fallen from $1.8 billion to $1.2 billion in just about eight months.
Current Marlins owner Jeff Loria and Samson have built up a lot of ill will in Miami over the years mostly due to the stadium boondoggle that led to the recall of Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Alvarez. The Marlins are last in the National League in attendance.
With Samson on his way out more cash should come in. And with the team expected to lose money the next few years that cash will come in handy. Rebuilding the brand is not going to be cheap. | [TGT] will reportedly be shown the door after the team is sold. That should make it much easier for the incoming owners to bolster the team's balance sheet.
But equity has been hard to come by in this sale process. As things stand the asking price for the team --the sale of which has been led by [TGT] -- has fallen from $1.8 billion to $1.2 billion in just about eight months.
Current Marlins owner Jeff Loria and [TGT] have built up a lot of ill will in Miami over the years mostly due to the stadium boondoggle that led to the recall of Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Alvarez. The Marlins are last in the National League in attendance.
With [TGT] more cash should come in. And with the team expected to lose money the next few years that cash will come in handy. Rebuilding the brand is not going to be cheap. | 1Neutral
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1,802 | Feud grows between NFL Cowboys' Jerry Jones over Goodell | Jerry Jones | The Associated Press has obtained a letter sent by the NFL to Jerry Jones' attorney accusing the Dallas Cowboys owner of "conduct detrimental to the league's best interests" over his objection to a contract extension for Commissioner Roger Goodell .
The letter accusing Jones of sabotaging the negotiations was sent to David Boies on Wednesday. Jones hired Boies and threatened to sue the NFL if Goodell's contract extension was approved by the compensation committee made up of six owners. All 32 owners voted unanimously in May to let the committee finalize a deal with Goodell.
It's the latest escalation of a feud between the NFL and one of its most powerful owners. Jones has denied that his objections to the extension are tied to Goodell's decision to suspend star running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games over alleged domestic violence.
Jones has said he has issues with compensation in the deal along with concerns about the escalation of player protests involving the national anthem and how the league has handled them. He also has suggested that owners should revisit the power that the position wields.
The letter confirmed that Jones was removed as a non-voting member of the compensation committee after threatening to sue.
Jones who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August was accused of sharing with all the owners an outdated document related to the negotiations with Goodell.
"Someone who is genuinely concerned 'that the owners know the truth about the negotiations' would not deliberately distribute such an outdated document particularly when he has in his possession drafts that are current and accurately reflect the actual state of negotiations or threaten to sue the league and its owners if he does not get his way " the letter said.
Jones has acknowledged being at odds with the compensation committee chairman Atlanta owner Arthur Blank over the Goodell talks. They didn't speak on the field before the Falcons' 27-7 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday.
A spokesman for Jones didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jones claimed Tuesday on his radio show that "well over half" the owners agree with him in wanting a final vote after the committee is finished negotiating the deal.
"With due respect we urge Mr. Jones to drop his misguided litigation threats and media campaign to undermine the committee's mandate " the letter said. "And we urge Mr. Jones to support the committee's deliberations not attempt to sabotage them." | The Associated Press has obtained [TGT] .
[TGT] was sent to David Boies on Wednesday. [TGT] hired Boies and threatened to sue the NFL if Goodell's contract extension was approved by the compensation committee made up of six owners. All 32 owners voted unanimously in May to let the committee finalize a deal with Goodell.
It's the latest escalation of a feud between the NFL and one of its most powerful owners. [TGT] has denied that [TGT] objections to the extension are tied to Goodell's decision to suspend star running back Ezekiel Elliott for six games over alleged domestic violence.
[TGT] has said [TGT] has issues with compensation in the deal along with concerns about the escalation of player protests involving the national anthem and how the league has handled them. [TGT] also has suggested that owners should revisit the power that the position wields.
The letter confirmed that [TGT] was removed as a non-voting member of the compensation committee after threatening to sue.
[TGT] was accused of sharing with all the owners an outdated document related to the negotiations with Goodell.
"Someone who is genuinely concerned 'that the owners know the truth about the negotiations' would not deliberately distribute such an outdated document particularly when [TGT] has in [TGT] possession drafts that are current and accurately reflect the actual state of negotiations or threaten to sue the league and its owners if [TGT] does not get [TGT] way " the letter said.
[TGT] has acknowledged being at odds with the compensation committee chairman Atlanta owner Arthur Blank over the Goodell talks. They didn't speak on the field before the Falcons' 27-7 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday.
A spokesman for [TGT] didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
[TGT] claimed Tuesday on [TGT] radio show that "well over half" the owners agree with [TGT] in wanting a final vote after the committee is finished negotiating the deal.
"With due respect we urge [TGT] to drop [TGT] misguided litigation threats and media campaign to undermine the committee's mandate " the letter said. "And we urge [TGT] to support the committee's deliberations not attempt to sabotage them." | 0Negative
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1,803 | Germanyâs preliminary coalition talks collapse | Mrs Merkel | What now? Mrs Merkel will meet with Frank-Walter Steinmeier Germanyâs federal president this morning to discuss next steps. Four possible outcomes present themselves. The FDP might be coaxed back to the negotiating table by plausible concessions from the CDU CSU and Greens. But do not count on it. Mr Lindnerâs language was ominously final. And the Greens (seemingly the main target of FDP recrimination) declared that they had reached their âpain thresholdâ and could not budge another centimetre.
The second possibility is a new âgrand coalitionâ marrying the CDU/CSU and the centre-left Social Democrats (SDP) who together have a workable majority in the Bundestag. But the SPD has strenuously ruled out the option. Having lost distinctiveness and votes in partnership with Mrs Merkel its leaders and activists fear another spin with the chancellor could do their party terminal damage. Perhaps just perhaps Mrs Merkel the media and Germanyâs European partners can persuade them to take the risk. But months after its worst election result in post-war German history the SPD will most probably reject the overtures.
In the absence of a viable majority government Mrs Merkel could form a minority one concocting vote-by-vote majorities in the Bundestag. This might combine the CDU/CSU with the FDP its traditional governing partner (together they would be 29 seats short of a majority). But a more natural fit would now be a black-green coalition with the Greens (42 seats short of a majority). Last night each side found generous words for the other and they were as one in their contempt for the FDP. At federal level post-war Germany has witnessed no minority administrations though one ran North-Rhine Westphalia the countryâs largest state from 2010 to 2012. Such governments are alien both to the stable long-termist ways of the German state and to Mrs Merkelâs plodding leadership style. How long one would even last in the current circumstances is unclear.
That leaves the fourth most drastic option: new elections. The route is not as simple as it sounds. Unlike some other European parliaments the Bundestag cannot just dissolve itself (a legacy of Weimar-era instability) and as Mrs Merkel has not yet been reinstalled as chancellor she cannot call a straight confidence vote. Instead Mr Steinmeier must nominate a candidate for the job. If Mrs Merkel (for it would be she ) failed to win an absolute majority in two successive Bundestag votes which can be separated by two weeks she would go to a third vote at which a simple majority would suffice. Only then could Mr Steinmeier dissolve the Bundestag triggering a new election within 60 days.
If possible Germanyâs establishmentâincluding Mrs Merkel and Mr Steinmeierâwill seek to avoid new elections. These could most benefit the far-right Alternative for Germany and would not necessarily rupture the deadlock current polls putting the main parties very close to the results they obtained at the September election. In her comments last night Mrs Merkel emphasised that her party would âtake responsibility for this country even in difficult timesâ. She is determined in other words to make the best of the hand the German people dealt her in September. Precisely how she plans to proceed should become clearer today.
In recent years Germany has been a pillar of stable government in Europe and Mrs Merkel a seemingly permanent feature of the landscape (consider that her international counterparts when she first took office were Jacques Chirac Tony Blair and George W. Bush). Both of those truths are now if not dead then slipping away. The next German government will take months more to emerge and will be distinctly fragile in comparison with its predecessors. The end of the Merkel era has surely begun though whether it has weeks months or a short number of years to run is anyoneâs guess. Last nightâs events confirmed Emmanuel Macron as Europeâs top leader while making the French presidentâs grand plans for euro-zone reformâfor which he needs a confident and outward-looking Germanyâyet harder to achieve. The ripples of Mr Lindnerâs doubtful decision will travel far beyond his countryâs borders. | What now? [TGT] will meet with Frank-Walter Steinmeier Germanyâs federal president this morning to discuss next steps. Four possible outcomes present themselves. The FDP might be coaxed back to the negotiating table by plausible concessions from the CDU CSU and Greens. But do not count on it. Mr Lindnerâs language was ominously final. And the Greens (seemingly the main target of FDP recrimination) declared that they had reached their âpain thresholdâ and could not budge another centimetre.
The second possibility is a new âgrand coalitionâ marrying the CDU/CSU and the centre-left Social Democrats (SDP) who together have a workable majority in the Bundestag. But the SPD has strenuously ruled out the option. Having lost distinctiveness and votes in partnership with [TGT] [TGT] leaders and activists fear another spin with [TGT] could do their party terminal damage. Perhaps just perhaps [TGT] the media and Germanyâs European partners can persuade [TGT] to take the risk. But months after [TGT] worst election result in post-war German history the SPD will most probably reject the overtures.
In the absence of a viable majority government Mrs Merkel could form a minority one concocting vote-by-vote majorities in the Bundestag. This might combine the CDU/CSU with the FDP its traditional governing partner (together they would be 29 seats short of a majority). But a more natural fit would now be a black-green coalition with the Greens (42 seats short of a majority). Last night each side found generous words for the other and they were as one in their contempt for the FDP. At federal level post-war Germany has witnessed no minority administrations though one ran North-Rhine Westphalia the countryâs largest state from 2010 to 2012. Such governments are alien both to the stable long-termist ways of the German state and to Mrs Merkelâs plodding leadership style. How long one would even last in the current circumstances is unclear.
That leaves the fourth most drastic option: new elections. The route is not as simple as it sounds. Unlike some other European parliaments the Bundestag cannot just dissolve itself (a legacy of Weimar-era instability) and as [TGT] has not yet been reinstalled as chancellor [TGT] cannot call a straight confidence vote. Instead Mr Steinmeier must nominate a candidate for the job. If [TGT] (for [TGT] would be [TGT] ) failed to win an absolute majority in two successive Bundestag votes which can be separated by two weeks [TGT] would go to a third vote at which a simple majority would suffice. Only then could Mr Steinmeier dissolve the Bundestag triggering a new election within 60 days.
If possible Germanyâs establishmentâincluding [TGT] seek to avoid new elections. [TGT] could most benefit the far-right Alternative for Germany and would not necessarily rupture the deadlock current polls putting the main parties very close to the results they obtained at the September election. In her comments last night [TGT] emphasised that [TGT] party would âtake responsibility for this country even in difficult timesâ. [TGT] is determined in other words to make the best of the hand the German people dealt [TGT] in September. Precisely how [TGT] plans to proceed should become clearer today.
In recent years Germany has been a pillar of stable government in Europe and [TGT] a seemingly permanent feature of the landscape (consider that [TGT] international counterparts when [TGT] first took office were Jacques Chirac Tony Blair and George W. Bush). Both of those truths are now if not dead then slipping away. The next German government will take months more to emerge and will be distinctly fragile in comparison with its predecessors. The end of the Merkel era has surely begun though whether it has weeks months or a short number of years to run is anyoneâs guess. Last nightâs events confirmed Emmanuel Macron as Europeâs top leader while making the French presidentâs grand plans for euro-zone reformâfor which he needs a confident and outward-looking Germanyâyet harder to achieve. The ripples of Mr Lindnerâs doubtful decision will travel far beyond his countryâs borders. | 2Positive
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1,804 | Watch as Trump Keeps Finding Ways to Mock the Basics of Christianity (Video) | Ben Carson | Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson gave what was probably the most spiritually dry prayer outside of âGood food good meat. Good God letâs eat!â than you are likely to hear in some time during a cabinet meeting on the day of the Senate vote on the Republican tax reform bill.
Prayed Carson:
âWe thank you for the president and for Cabinet members who are courageous who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to provide a better future for those who come behind us â Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said in the prayer. âWeâre thankful for the unity in Congress that has presented an opportunity for our economy to expand so we can fight the coercive debt that has been destroying our future. And we hope that unity will expand beyond party lines â he added. âIn this time of discord distrust and dishonesty we ask that you would give us a spirit of gratitude compassion and common sense â and wisdom âin the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit â Carson concluded.
Pres. Trump offers to allow reporters to stay for Ben Carson's prayer : "You need the prayer more than I do I think. You may be the only ones." https://t.co/CFdzczE0fE pic.twitter.com/33To4DShvc â ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) December 20 2017 | [TGT] gave what was probably the most spiritually dry prayer outside of âGood food good meat. Good God letâs eat!â than you are likely to hear in some time during a cabinet meeting on the day of the Senate vote on the Republican tax reform bill.
[TGT]
âWe thank you for the president and for Cabinet members who are courageous who are willing to face the winds of controversy in order to provide a better future for those who come behind us â [TGT] said in the prayer. âWeâre thankful for the unity in Congress that has presented an opportunity for our economy to expand so we can fight the coercive debt that has been destroying our future. And we hope that unity will expand beyond party lines â he added. âIn this time of discord distrust and dishonesty we ask that you would give us a spirit of gratitude compassion and common sense â and wisdom âin the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit â [TGT] concluded.
Pres. Trump offers to allow reporters to stay for [TGT] prayer : "You need the prayer more than I do I think. You may be the only ones." https://t.co/CFdzczE0fE pic.twitter.com/33To4DShvc â ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) December 20 2017 | 1Neutral
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1,805 | Carlos Beltran : Retired player won't visit White House with Astros | Carlos Beltran | CLOSE Carlos Beltran was on hand in New York on Tuesday Feb. 6 2018 to accept the Legend Award at the 38th annual Thurman Munson Dinner recognizing his charitable contributions â including his foundationâs hurricane relief aid in his native Puerto Rico. Pete Caldera/NorthJersey.com
Carlos Beltran was a nine-time all-star. (Photo: Thomas Shea USA TODAY Sports)
Carlos Beltran said Tuesday night that he will not visit the White House with his former Houston Astros teammates and will spend time with his family instead.
Beltran said his decision to skip the trip is not politically motivated though he has been "disappointed" by the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Maria damage in Puerto Rico especially when compared to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Houston.
"Thereâs no doubt Iâm disappointed and Iâm not the only one " Beltran said at the Thurman Munson Dinner in New York. "Being part of the United States you expect to at least get the same benefits (when) tragedies like this happen."
Beltran said Trump's presence in the White House did not affect his decision.
"(Trump) is the President of the United States " Beltran said according to the New York Daily News. "If sometimes we donât like the things that he does or we like the things that he does at the end of the day heâs the president so (it has) nothing to do with that.
Beltran later explained that because he has since retired from baseball he doesn't feel like he belongs to a team like the Astros.
"My family ... thatâs the team I feel I belong to right now " he said. | CLOSE [TGT] was on hand in New York on Tuesday Feb. 6 2018 to accept the Legend Award at the 38th annual Thurman Munson Dinner recognizing [TGT] charitable contributions â including [TGT] foundationâs hurricane relief aid in [TGT] native Puerto Rico. Pete Caldera/NorthJersey.com
[TGT] was a nine-time all-star. (Photo: Thomas Shea USA TODAY Sports)
[TGT] said Tuesday night that [TGT] will not visit the White House with [TGT] former Houston Astros teammates and will spend time with his family instead.
[TGT] said [TGT] decision to skip the trip is not politically motivated though [TGT] has been "disappointed" by the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Maria damage in Puerto Rico especially when compared to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts in Houston.
"Thereâs no doubt Iâm disappointed and Iâm not the only one " [TGT] said at the Thurman Munson Dinner in New York. "Being part of the United States you expect to at least get the same benefits (when) tragedies like this happen. [TGT]
said Trump's presence in the White House did not affect [TGT] decision.
"(Trump) is the President of the United States [TGT] said according to the New York Daily News. "If sometimes we donât like the things that he does or we like the things that he does at the end of the day heâs the president so (it has) nothing to do with that.
[TGT] later explained that because [TGT] has since retired from baseball [TGT] doesn't feel like [TGT] belongs to a team like the Astros.
"My family ... thatâs the team I feel I belong to right now " [TGT] said. | 2Positive
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1,806 | Let's Not Forget the Apathy That Made Trump's Presidency Possible | Hillary Clinton | A scene from Hillary Clinton 's 2016 Election Night event. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty
Susan Sarandon is about to get a large tax cut for her role in saving the US from a Hillary Clinton presidency; so is Colin Kaepernick. Thatâs 2017 in a nutshell: The country is beginning to experience the fruits of a misguided hatred of Clinton that helped make Donald Trump president.
I single Kaepernick and Sarandon out not because they are bad people but because even conscientious Americans like them made a grave mistake when they allowed their distaste for Clinton and an imperfect Democratic Party to blind them to the threat of Trump. As the country continues to grapple with the consequences of his presidency we should remember that we are here in part because some underestimated the threat he posed.
In June 2016 Sarandon (who supported Bernie Sanders in the primary before endorsing Jill Stein) said on the Young Turks that âin a wayâ Clinton was more dangerous than Trump. âTheyâre both talking to Henry Kissinger apparently â she said. âShe did not learn from Iraq and she is an interventionist and she has done horrible things and very callously. I donât know if she is overcompensating or what her trip is. That scares me. I think weâll be in Iran in two seconds.â
Well Clinton lostâand many observers are worried that the US is inching closer to war with Iran.
Kaepernick has used his voice to raise incredibly important issues even while being ridiculed and jeopardizing his professional football career. But he bought into a false narrative in September 2016 when he claimed there was little difference between Clinton and Trump saying it was embarrassing to see the US have two âproven liarsâ as the presidential nominees. âYou have to pick the lesser of two evils. But in the end itâs still evil â he said.
He couldnât even stick to that and didnât vote in the end claiming that either Trump or Clinton would just be âanother face thatâs going to be the face of that system of oppression. And to me it didnât really matter who went in there the system still remains intact that oppresses people of color.â
Neither is this an attempt to absolve Clinton of her flaws and faults. She was one of the least popular presidential nominees in American history because of choices she made. She should have anticipated the potential ramifications of setting up a private server for her emails while secretary of State. She could have mustered the courage or had the foresight to vote against the Iraq war. She and her husband could have decided against making high-dollar Wall Street speeches and other dubious choices that haunted her during the campaign. She used the term âsuper predator â popularized by an Ivy League criminologist who wrongly anticipated a surge in violent crime among young men particularly young men of color to argue in favor of her husbandâs 1994 crime bill. As secretary of state she argued in favor of a robust military role in parts of the Middle East policies that are still playing out in ugly ways in places such as Yemen and Libya and Syria.
It is also true that her high level of unpopularity was partially built upon conspiracies the sins of her husband and double standards. She had been in the sights of America's right wing for decades and was accused of murder and being involved in a supposed secret child sex scheme. She was criticized for staying with her husband after his well-publicized affairs but surely would have been criticized had she left him. She took the lionâs share of criticism about policiesâlike the Iraq War and crime billâthat had widespread bipartisan support. The crime bill for instance was backed by most of the Congressional Black Caucus and many black activists concerned by drug-fueled gang wars in their communities. Bernie Sanders voted for it too.
There were honest critiques of Clinton . But there was also a caricature of her as a liar and a fraud that ultimately helped Trump.
And despite the claims that Clinton did not do enough for vulnerable and people of color after college she did not head to Wall Street when she could haveâ she went to the Childrenâs Defense Fund instead. And she went undercover to expose racial discrimination in Alabama. And she was an important figure in the formation of a program that still provides health insurance for millions of poor children. And she like so many other talented women often sacrificed her own ambitions to help further her husbandâs. When she was a senator she was praised by colleagues from both parties for her ability to get things done. She was not in favor of going into Libya because she wanted another war; she believed it would help prevent what some believed was a pending massacre. No she is not from the anti-war wing of the Democratic Party but neither is she an amoral warmonger. If she seemed likely to continue Obamaâs interventionist policies and continue to use dronesâwell Sanders said he would use drones to fight terrorism as well.
There were honest critiques of Clinton . But there was also a caricature of her as a liar and a fraud that ultimately helped Trumpâwho didnât have her record of public service or her experience. The narrative that both candidates were equally tainted by scandal was pushed by many disillusioned leftists and helped along by a media that gave a disproportionate amount of coverage to Clinton âs emails. Voters looking for an excuse to cast a ballot for Trump or stay home in disgust were given one by the anti-Clinton brigade.
There were many other reasons why Clinton lost by a razor-thin margin including James Comeyâs last-minute decision to announce a reopening of the email investigation and her campaignâs own poor decision not to aggressively campaign in the upper Midwest.
Sarandon and Kaepernick likely have real empathy for 800 000 or so DACA recipients whose future is uncertain. They may cry for the record number of civilian casualties that have resulted from the way Trump has prosecuted long-simmering wars in the Middle East. They probably hate that the Justice Department has rolled back the police oversight policies from the Obama administration. Iâm sure they are terrified by how emboldened white supremacists are in the Trump era. But the decision made by voters like them in Novemberâto prioritize their disdain for Clinton over everything elseâhelped pave the way for all of that and more.
It wasnât just 63 million mostly white voters who put Trump in office; he was helped by Americans who deluded themselves into thinking there would be no material difference between a Trump and Clinton presidency.
Had Clinton been president this year instead of Trump DACA recipients and their supporters would not have to wonder whether they would face deportation come March and could be pushing for actual immigration reform. Had Clinton been president 2017 would have been spent debating how best to improve and expand the Affordable Care Act rather than by a desperate attempt to save it. Democrats would have had a fifth vote on the Supreme Court to shore up womenâs rights and voting rights. If there was a tax reform bill it would have been better constructed to help the poor and middle class. Kaepernick and Sarandon were wrong: There was a big difference between Clinton and Trump and weâve been seeing it all year. | A scene from Hillary Clinton 's 2016 Election Night event. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty
Susan Sarandon is about to get a large tax cut for her role in saving the US from a Hillary Clinton presidency; so is Colin Kaepernick. Thatâs 2017 in a nutshell: The country is beginning to experience the fruits of a misguided hatred of Clinton that helped make Donald Trump president.
I single Kaepernick and Sarandon out not because they are bad people but because even conscientious Americans like them made a grave mistake when they allowed their distaste for Clinton and an imperfect Democratic Party to blind them to the threat of Trump. As the country continues to grapple with the consequences of his presidency we should remember that we are here in part because some underestimated the threat he posed.
In June 2016 Sarandon (who supported Bernie Sanders in the primary before endorsing Jill Stein) said on the Young Turks that âin a wayâ Clinton was more dangerous than Trump. âTheyâre both talking to Henry Kissinger apparently â she said. âShe did not learn from Iraq and she is an interventionist and she has done horrible things and very callously. I donât know if she is overcompensating or what her trip is. That scares me. I think weâll be in Iran in two seconds.â
Well Clinton lostâand many observers are worried that the US is inching closer to war with Iran.
Kaepernick has used his voice to raise incredibly important issues even while being ridiculed and jeopardizing his professional football career. But he bought into a false narrative in September 2016 when he claimed there was little difference between Clinton and Trump saying it was embarrassing to see the US have two âproven liarsâ as the presidential nominees. âYou have to pick the lesser of two evils. But in the end itâs still evil â he said.
He couldnât even stick to that and didnât vote in the end claiming that either Trump or Clinton would just be âanother face thatâs going to be the face of that system of oppression. And to me it didnât really matter who went in there the system still remains intact that oppresses people of color.â
Neither is this an attempt to absolve [TGT] of [TGT] flaws and faults. [TGT] was one of the least popular presidential nominees in American history because of choices [TGT] made. [TGT] should have anticipated the potential ramifications of setting up a private server for [TGT] emails while secretary of State. [TGT] could have mustered the courage or had the foresight to vote against the Iraq war. [TGT] and [TGT] husband could have decided against making high-dollar Wall Street speeches and other dubious choices that haunted [TGT] during the campaign. [TGT] used the term âsuper predator â popularized by an Ivy League criminologist who wrongly anticipated a surge in violent crime among young men particularly young men of color to argue in favor of [TGT] husbandâs 1994 crime bill. As secretary of state she argued in favor of a robust military role in parts of the Middle East policies that are still playing out in ugly ways in places such as Yemen and Libya and Syria.
It is also true that her high level of unpopularity was partially built upon conspiracies the sins of her husband and double standards. She had been in the sights of America's right wing for decades and was accused of murder and being involved in a supposed secret child sex scheme. She was criticized for staying with her husband after his well-publicized affairs but surely would have been criticized had she left him. She took the lionâs share of criticism about policiesâlike the Iraq War and crime billâthat had widespread bipartisan support. The crime bill for instance was backed by most of the Congressional Black Caucus and many black activists concerned by drug-fueled gang wars in their communities. Bernie Sanders voted for it too.
There were honest critiques of [TGT] . But there was also a caricature of [TGT] as a liar and a fraud that ultimately helped Trump.
And despite the claims that [TGT] did not do enough for vulnerable and people of color after college [TGT] did not head to Wall Street when [TGT] could haveâ [TGT] went to the Childrenâs Defense Fund instead. And [TGT] went undercover to expose racial discrimination in Alabama. And [TGT] was an important figure in the formation of a program that still provides health insurance for millions of poor children. And [TGT] like so many other talented women often sacrificed [TGT] own ambitions to help further [TGT] husbandâs. When [TGT] was a senator [TGT] was praised by colleagues from both parties for [TGT] ability to get things done. [TGT] was not in favor of going into Libya because [TGT] wanted another war; [TGT] believed it would help prevent what some believed was a pending massacre. No [TGT] is not from the anti-war wing of the Democratic Party but neither is she an amoral warmonger. If [TGT] [TGT] seemed likely to continue Obamaâs interventionist policies and continue to use dronesâwell Sanders said he would use drones to fight terrorism as well.
There were honest critiques of [TGT] . But there was also a caricature of [TGT] as a liar and a fraud that ultimately helped Trumpâwho didnât have her record of public service or her experience. The narrative that both candidates were equally tainted by scandal was pushed by many disillusioned leftists and helped along by a media that gave a disproportionate amount of coverage to [TGT] âs emails. Voters looking for an excuse to cast a ballot for Trump or stay home in disgust were given one by the anti-Clinton brigade.
There were many other reasons why [TGT] lost by a razor-thin margin including James Comeyâs last-minute decision to announce a reopening of the email investigation and her campaignâs own poor decision not to aggressively campaign in the upper Midwest.
Sarandon and Kaepernick likely have real empathy for 800 000 or so DACA recipients whose future is uncertain. They may cry for the record number of civilian casualties that have resulted from the way Trump has prosecuted long-simmering wars in the Middle East. They probably hate that the Justice Department has rolled back the police oversight policies from the Obama administration. Iâm sure they are terrified by how emboldened white supremacists are in the Trump era. But the decision made by voters like them in Novemberâto prioritize their disdain for Clinton over everything elseâhelped pave the way for all of that and more.
It wasnât just 63 million mostly white voters who put Trump in office; he was helped by Americans who deluded themselves into thinking there would be no material difference between a Trump and [TGT] presidency.
Had Clinton been president this year instead of Trump DACA recipients and their supporters would not have to wonder whether they would face deportation come March and could be pushing for actual immigration reform. Had [TGT] been president 2017 would have been spent debating how best to improve and expand the Affordable Care Act rather than by a desperate attempt to save it. Democrats would have had a fifth vote on the Supreme Court to shore up womenâs rights and voting rights. If there was a tax reform bill it would have been better constructed to help the poor and middle class. Kaepernick and Sarandon were wrong: There was a big difference between Clinton and Trump and weâve been seeing it all year. | 1Neutral
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1,807 | Cubs have appealing young position players to offer in trade | Addison Russell | Photos of Cubs shortstop Addison Russell.
For now there are no plans to move Russell from shortstop despite an occasional rash of throwing errors on routine plays.
Russell is only 23 and continues to show glimpses of becoming a bona fide run-producing shortstop with the power he displayed in 2016. His talents and agent could help command a frontline starting pitcher. Russell is arbitration eligible this offseason for the first time and wonât be eligible for free agency until after 2021 season.
Russell returned from a foot injury in mid-September without any issues leaving a pending divorce as the only concern from interested teams. Russellâs batting average sank from .281 in late April to .209 in early June when his domestic struggles surfaced but he rallied suffciently to finish the season at .239.
If Russell is dealt Baez can move to shortstop â his natural position â with Happ and/or Zobrist taking over at second.
Baez 24 was a defensive savior â especially when he took over at shortstop after Russell was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Baez didnât commit an error in 26 consecutive games at shortstop while making routine and tough plays with ease.
If a trade decision boils down to Russell or Baez it could be a matter of taking either a more dependable approach at the plate ( Russell ) or the dazzling defender who can make the backhanded stop and strong throw to first base (Baez). | Photos of Cubs shortstop [TGT] .
For now there are no plans to move Russell from shortstop despite an occasional rash of throwing errors on routine plays.
Russell is only 23 and continues to show glimpses of becoming a bona fide run-producing shortstop with the power he displayed in 2016. His talents and agent could help command a frontline starting pitcher. Russell is arbitration eligible this offseason for the first time and wonât be eligible for free agency until after 2021 season.
Russell returned from a foot injury in mid-September without any issues leaving a pending divorce as the only concern from interested teams. Russellâs batting average sank from .281 in late April to .209 in early June when his domestic struggles surfaced but he rallied suffciently to finish the season at .239.
If Russell is dealt Baez can move to shortstop â his natural position â with Happ and/or Zobrist taking over at second.
Baez 24 was a defensive savior â especially when he took over at shortstop after Russell was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Baez didnât commit an error in 26 consecutive games at shortstop while making routine and tough plays with ease.
If a trade decision boils down to Russell or Baez it could be a matter of taking either a more dependable approach at the plate ( Russell ) or the dazzling defender who can make the backhanded stop and strong throw to first base (Baez). | 2Positive
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1,808 | Franken 's support fades in Senate as Democrats expect resignation | Al Franken | His once-promising political career in shambles Minnesota Sen. Al Franken appeared on the verge of resigning after fellow Democrats led by female senators abandoned him Wednesday over the mounting allegations of sexual misconduct that are roiling Capitol Hill.
Gillibrand was the first to call for Franken 's resignation on Wednesday but a torrent of Democrats quickly followed.
"I'm shocked and appalled by Sen. Franken's behavior " said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state. "It's clear to me that this has been a deeply harmful persistent problem and a clear pattern over a long period of time. It's time for him to step aside."
Though the writing appeared to be on the wall Franken 's departure was not certain. A tweet posted Wednesday evening on Franken 's Twitter account said: "Senator Franken is talking with his family at this time and plans to make an announcement in D.C. tomorrow. Any reports of a final decision are inaccurate."
Schumer called Franken immediately after the latest allegation â and before the torrent of demands for Franken 's resignation from Democrats â and told him he needed to resign said a Democrat familiar with the events. Schumer met later in his apartment with Franken and Franken's wife Franni and repeated that message and he did the same in additional talks with the senator throughout the day said the Democrat who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez weighed in too asking Franken to resign and saying "Sexual misconduct harassment and assault have no place in the Democratic Party the United States Congress the White House or anywhere."
The resignation demands came in rapid succession even though Franken on Wednesday vehemently denied the new accusation that came from a former Democratic congressional aide who said he tried to forcibly kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006.
The woman who was not identified told Politico that Franken pursued her after her boss had left and she was collecting her belongings. She said that she ducked to avoid his lips and that Franken told her: "It's my right as an entertainer."
Franken already faced a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into previous claims by several other women that he groped them or sought to forcibly kiss them.
The allegations began in mid-November when Leeann Tweeden now a Los Angeles radio anchor accused him of forcibly kissing her during a 2006 USO tour in Afghanistan.
Other allegations followed including a woman who says Franken put his hand on her buttocks as they posed for a photo at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Two women told the Huffington Post that Franken squeezed their buttocks at political events during his first campaign for the Senate in 2008. A fourth woman an Army veteran alleged Franken cupped her breast during a photo on a USO tour in 2003.
Franken has apologized for his behavior but has also disputed some of the allegations.
Franken was first elected to the Senate in 2008 defeating Republican Norm Coleman in a bitter recount that took seven months. Franken won that race despite attacks over bawdy humor and writings dating back to his days on NBC's "Saturday Night Live " including a proposed skit joking about rape. | His once-promising political career in shambles Minnesota Sen. [TGT] appeared on the verge of resigning after fellow Democrats led by female senators abandoned him Wednesday over the mounting allegations of sexual misconduct that are roiling Capitol Hill.
Gillibrand was the first to call for Franken 's resignation on Wednesday but a torrent of Democrats quickly followed.
"I'm shocked and appalled by Sen. Franken's behavior " said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state. "It's clear to me that this has been a deeply harmful persistent problem and a clear pattern over a long period of time. It's time for him to step aside."
Though the writing appeared to be on the wall Franken 's departure was not certain. A tweet posted Wednesday evening on Franken 's Twitter account said: "Senator Franken is talking with his family at this time and plans to make an announcement in D.C. tomorrow. Any reports of a final decision are inaccurate."
Schumer called Franken immediately after the latest allegation â and before the torrent of demands for Franken 's resignation from Democrats â and told him he needed to resign said a Democrat familiar with the events. Schumer met later in his apartment with Franken and Franken's wife Franni and repeated that message and he did the same in additional talks with the senator throughout the day said the Democrat who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez weighed in too asking Franken to resign and saying "Sexual misconduct harassment and assault have no place in the Democratic Party the United States Congress the White House or anywhere."
The resignation demands came in rapid succession even though Franken on Wednesday vehemently denied the new accusation that came from a former Democratic congressional aide who said he tried to forcibly kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006.
The woman who was not identified told Politico that Franken pursued her after her boss had left and she was collecting her belongings. She said that she ducked to avoid his lips and that Franken told her: "It's my right as an entertainer."
Franken already faced a Senate Ethics Committee investigation into previous claims by several other women that he groped them or sought to forcibly kiss them.
The allegations began in mid-November when Leeann Tweeden now a Los Angeles radio anchor accused him of forcibly kissing her during a 2006 USO tour in Afghanistan.
Other allegations followed including a woman who says Franken put his hand on her buttocks as they posed for a photo at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Two women told the Huffington Post that Franken squeezed their buttocks at political events during his first campaign for the Senate in 2008. A fourth woman an Army veteran alleged Franken cupped her breast during a photo on a USO tour in 2003.
Franken has apologized for his behavior but has also disputed some of the allegations.
Franken was first elected to the Senate in 2008 defeating Republican Norm Coleman in a bitter recount that took seven months. Franken won that race despite attacks over bawdy humor and writings dating back to his days on NBC's "Saturday Night Live " including a proposed skit joking about rape. | 1Neutral
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1,809 | Honey's closes abruptly lays off staff | Claire Smyth | Claire Smyth former executive pastry chef at Honeyâs said Honeyâs staff members were called into a meeting Jan. 9 and told by Furman that they âcould just no longer do it anymoreâ and that as of that day Honeyâs was done for business.
âI mean itâs a little bit of a shock â Smyth said. âItâs really really hard to let go of 30 people in January after Christmas but I mean itâs the industry.â
All staff members were given their final checks and sent home that day she said. Smyth remembers feeling fortunate because she âd driven her own car that day so she could take her things home.
âIt was very very abrupt â she said.
Smyth had only been at Honeyâs for about a month about the same time as executive chef Johnny Anderes. Anderes formerly of Avec Reno Telegraph Wine Bar and The Kitchen was brought on in December after chef Charles Welch and pastry chef Alison Cates left.
But Smyth said she wonders if predictions about the imminent restaurant crash in Chicago are true citing the recently closed GreenRiver restaurant in Streeterville.
âI think there are too many restaurants in Chicago and itâs hard to stay open when everyone is doing the same thing in the same area â Smyth said.
Smyth said she plans to take some time to herself before looking for a new job. | [TGT] said Honeyâs staff members were called into a meeting Jan. 9 and told by Furman that they âcould just no longer do it anymoreâ and that as of that day Honeyâs was done for business.
âI mean itâs a little bit of a shock â [TGT] said. âItâs really really hard to let go of 30 people in January after Christmas but I mean itâs the industry.â
All staff members were given their final checks and sent home that day she said. [TGT] remembers feeling fortunate because [TGT] âd driven [TGT] own car that day so [TGT] could take [TGT] things home.
âIt was very very abrupt â [TGT] said.
[TGT] had only been at Honeyâs for about a month about the same time as executive chef Johnny Anderes. Anderes formerly of Avec Reno Telegraph Wine Bar and The Kitchen was brought on in December after chef Charles Welch and pastry chef Alison Cates left.
But [TGT] said [TGT] wonders if predictions about the imminent restaurant crash in Chicago are true citing the recently closed GreenRiver restaurant in Streeterville.
âI think there are too many restaurants in Chicago and itâs hard to stay open when everyone is doing the same thing in the same area â [TGT] said.
[TGT] said [TGT] plans to take some time to [TGT] before looking for a new job. | 1Neutral
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1,810 | Rick Hall unlikely producer of soul sound dead at 85 | Rick Hall | New York (AFP) â Rick Hall the white fiddler who became an unlikely force in soul music and made the small town of Muscle Shoals Alabama an international destination has died at age 85 his family said Wednesday.
Hall turned his studio in a go-to hub for soul music with distinctive horns and a steady rhythm section complementing the vocal powers of visiting singers.
The studio had its breakthrough when Hall licensed Percy Sledgeâs âWhen a Man Loves a Woman â recorded nearby and labels soon were sending star talent to Fame to make their albums.
But the sessions with Franklin ended in disaster when Hall got into a fistfight with the divaâs then husband Ted White who demanded that the studio owner fire musicians for allegedly harassing his wife.
Hall often marveled at how Muscle Shoals became internationally known. Musicians under Hall in 1969 founded the separate Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where The Rolling Stones recorded parts of their acclaimed âSticky Fingersâ album.
Hall âs prominence in African American music was unexpected in Alabama one of the most conservative US states whose governor George Wallace had vowed to preserve segregation forever.
âIâm one of them. I feel black â Hall later told television host Larry King.
Hall had grown up in grinding poverty with his father working in a sawmill and his mother leaving to help run a brothel.
Hall after quitting a factory job became a fiddler and found his passion for country music gradually earning a living as a songwriter and taking over the local studio. | New York (AFP) â [TGT] the white fiddler who became an unlikely force in soul music and made the small town of Muscle Shoals Alabama an international destination has died at age 85 his family said Wednesday.
[TGT] turned his studio in a go-to hub for soul music with distinctive horns and a steady rhythm section complementing the vocal powers of visiting singers.
The studio had its breakthrough when [TGT] licensed Percy Sledgeâs âWhen a Man Loves a Woman â recorded nearby and labels soon were sending star talent to Fame to make their albums.
But the sessions with Franklin ended in disaster when [TGT] got into a fistfight with the divaâs then husband Ted White who demanded that the studio owner fire musicians for allegedly harassing his wife.
[TGT] often marveled at how Muscle Shoals became internationally known. Musicians under Hall in 1969 founded the separate Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where The Rolling Stones recorded parts of their acclaimed âSticky Fingersâ album.
Hall âs prominence in African American music was unexpected in Alabama one of the most conservative US states whose governor George Wallace had vowed to preserve segregation forever.
âIâm one of them. I feel black â [TGT] later told television host Larry King.
[TGT] had grown up in grinding poverty with [TGT] father working in a sawmill and [TGT] mother leaving to help run a brothel.
Hall after quitting a factory job became a fiddler and found his passion for country music gradually earning a living as a songwriter and taking over the local studio. | 2Positive
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1,811 | 'Swatting hoax' suspect charged with involuntary manslaughter | Tyler Barriss | On Friday Tyler Barriss made his first court appearance and Sedgwick County District Court judge Faith Maughan set his bond at $500 000. He also was charged with giving false information in notifying emergency services and falsely reporting a felony.
He was arrested in South Los Angeles on Dec. 29 one day after Wichita police received a 911 call from a man saying his father had been shot in the head and that he was holding his mother and sibling at gunpoint. The caller also claimed gasoline was poured on the home and he âmight just set it on fire.â
Barriss was extradited to Kansas and held in the Sedgwick County Jail on Thursday afternoon. He wrote in a financial affidavit that he hasnât worked for six months.
Barriss reportedly called after a feud between between people playing Call of Duty on Dec. 28. Finch and Barriss had nothing to do with the game police have said but gamers involved asked Barriss to make the 911 call.
One week before the killing in Kansas Barriss was charged with mischief and fraud by police in Calgary Canada for a similar prank.
In an interview with KWCH TV Barriss said âI never intended for anyone to get shot and killed.â
He added: âThere is no inspiration. I donât get bored and just sit around and decide Iâm going to make a SWAT call.â | On Friday [TGT] made [TGT] first court appearance and Sedgwick County District Court judge Faith Maughan set his bond at $500 000. He also was charged with giving false information in notifying emergency services and falsely reporting a felony.
He was arrested in South Los Angeles on Dec. 29 one day after Wichita police received a 911 call from a man saying his father had been shot in the head and that he was holding his mother and sibling at gunpoint. The caller also claimed gasoline was poured on the home and he âmight just set it on fire.â
Barriss was extradited to Kansas and held in the Sedgwick County Jail on Thursday afternoon. He wrote in a financial affidavit that he hasnât worked for six months.
Barriss reportedly called after a feud between between people playing Call of Duty on Dec. 28. Finch and Barriss had nothing to do with the game police have said but gamers involved asked Barriss to make the 911 call.
One week before the killing in Kansas Barriss was charged with mischief and fraud by police in Calgary Canada for a similar prank.
In an interview with KWCH TV Barriss said âI never intended for anyone to get shot and killed.â
He added: âThere is no inspiration. I donât get bored and just sit around and decide Iâm going to make a SWAT call.â | 1Neutral
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1,812 | Departing Sony CEO Kaz Hirai says he brought back 'the missing DNA' | Kaz Hirai | Sony has rediscovered its "missing DNA " outgoing CEO Kaz Hirai has said.
"We're here to wow people " Hirai told CNBC for Fortt Knox in January.
"That was the missing DNA and I think we had lost it somewhere along the way because we decided we're going to compete on price features and functionality " Hirai said.
"Now you've got to do that but that's not what Sony is about " he said. "Sony is about providing products that really wow people â like oh my god you can really do this? "
Hirai is stepping down as CEO after nearly 35 years at the pioneering electronics company . He 'll be replaced by CFO Kenichiro Yoshida effective April 1.
Before taking the top role in 2012 Hirai worked on the company 's music and entertainment teams. He was tasked with the company 's turnaround after the once leading consumer electronics group lost its footing to hardware giant Apple and Asian rivals.
Under Hirai the company expanded the functionality of its PlayStation gaming consoles and shifted to a subscription-based model for its legacy music segment.
"It's really the reason why I joined Sony Music back in '84 " Hirai said. "I wanted to be part of a business that really brings that wow through music at the time. And that's been my driving motivation ever since."
Hirai also discussed the music industry Japanese corporate culture and household screen time with Fortt Knox. Listen to the full interview here: | Sony has rediscovered [TGT] has said.
"We're here to wow people " [TGT] told CNBC for Fortt Knox in January.
"That was the missing DNA and I think we had lost it somewhere along the way because we decided we're going to compete on price features and functionality [TGT] said.
"Now you've got to do that but that's not what Sony is about " he said. "Sony is about providing products that really wow people â like oh my god you can really do this? [TGT]
is stepping down as CEO after nearly 35 years at the pioneering electronics company . [TGT] 'll be replaced by CFO Kenichiro Yoshida effective April 1.
Before taking the top role in 2012 [TGT] worked on the company 's music and entertainment teams. [TGT] was tasked with the company 's turnaround after the once leading consumer electronics group lost its footing to hardware giant Apple and Asian rivals.
Under [TGT] the company expanded the functionality of [TGT] PlayStation gaming consoles and shifted to a subscription-based model for [TGT] legacy music segment.
"It's really the reason why I joined Sony Music back in '84 " [TGT] said. "I wanted to be part of a business that really brings that wow through music at the time. And that's been my driving motivation ever since. [TGT]
also discussed the music industry Japanese corporate culture and household screen time with Fortt Knox. Listen to the full interview here: | 2Positive
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1,813 | Trump Jr. Returning to Capitol for Third Russia Interview | Trump Jr. | Donald Trump Jr. will return to Capitol Hill Wednesday to talk to the Senate intelligence committee as part of its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The closed-door meeting with Senate staff will come a week after Trump Jr. spoke to lawmakers on the House intelligence committee. Both panels are investigating the meddling and whether President Donald Trump's campaign was involved.
Investigators have been probing a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer. Trump Jr. and other campaign officials attended the meeting.
This will be Trump Jr.'s third interview as part of the congressional Russia probes. He also spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee in September. | [TGT] will return to Capitol Hill Wednesday to talk to the Senate intelligence committee as part of its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The closed-door meeting with Senate staff will come a week after [TGT] spoke to lawmakers on the House intelligence committee. Both panels are investigating the meddling and whether President Donald Trump's campaign was involved.
Investigators have been probing a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer. [TGT] and other campaign officials attended the meeting.
This will be [TGT] third interview as part of the congressional Russia probes. [TGT] also spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee in September. | 1Neutral
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1,814 | Former Clinton advisor angrily walks out of Fox News debate over Trump tax plan â TheBlaze | Melissa Francis | Simon Rosenberg objected to host Melissa Francis framing her question to ask what Democrats could change in the Trump tax plan to make it more palatable to them.
âI donât think thatâs the issue Melissa â he said before being interrupted immediately by Francis . âWeâre not gonna do talking points!â she exclaimed.
âWell youâre doing talking points â Francis interrupted again.
âNo Iâm not doing talking points â she said âitâs insulting that you say that to me as if I donât actually understand what Iâm saying and can do my own analysis about the economy.â
âBut youâre not answering the question â she protested.
Rosenberg and Francis then grappled over whether Trumpâs plan would cut taxes for the middle class over the long term with Francis arguing on the basis of a dynamic understanding of tax cuts. âGood for you Melissa â Rosenberg responded.
At the end of the segment Francis tried to give Rosenberg a peace offering saying they should get a drink sometime. âMelissa donât worry Iâm never coming back on this show again so it doesnât matter â he responded and stripped off his microphone. | Simon Rosenberg objected to host [TGT] framing [TGT] question to ask what Democrats could change in the Trump tax plan to make it more palatable to them.
âI donât think thatâs the issue Melissa â he said before being interrupted immediately by [TGT] . âWeâre not gonna do talking points!â [TGT] exclaimed.
âWell youâre doing talking points â [TGT] interrupted again.
âNo Iâm not doing talking points â [TGT] said âitâs insulting that you say that to me as if I donât actually understand what Iâm saying and can do my own analysis about the economy.â
âBut youâre not answering the question â [TGT] protested.
Rosenberg and Francis then grappled over whether Trumpâs plan would cut taxes for the middle class over the long term with [TGT] arguing on the basis of a dynamic understanding of tax cuts. âGood for you Melissa â Rosenberg responded.
At the end of the segment [TGT] tried to give Rosenberg a peace offering saying they should get a drink sometime. âMelissa donât worry Iâm never coming back on this show again so it doesnât matter â he responded and stripped off his microphone. | 1Neutral
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1,815 | Joe Scarborough: Putin 'Has Something' on Trump' | Putin | Russian President Vladimir Putin has a "bad" untold secret about Donald Trump that will eventually come out Joe Scarborough said on Friday.
" Vladimir Putin has something on Donald Trump " Scarborough charged Friday on his "Morning Joe" show on MSNBC.
"Let me say it again because thereâs been a lot of noise from Donald Trump over the past year since heâs been president. Vladimir Putin has something that he is holding over Donald Trumpâs head. And it is bad."
"So what is Donald Trump hoping? He is not hoping he can just brush aside a story of a porn star. Heâs hoping when the truth comes out about what Vladimir Putin has and has had hanging over his head for decades possibly that we will all be too numb to notice " Scarborough said.
"Ten tweets a day five lies a day bread and circuses all of these game show reality show distractions ... Thatâs all he âs hoping. He wants to numb the American people. He wants to numb the electorate. He wants to numb everybody."
Scarborough did not elaborate on what information Putin may have about Trump.
The commander in chief has been criticized for what one Democrat called his "bromance" with Putin . And in November Sen. John McCain slammed Trumpâs comments that he sincerely believed Putin meant it when he said he didnât meddle in the 2016 presidential election. | [TGT] has a "bad" untold secret about Donald Trump that will eventually come out Joe Scarborough said on Friday.
" [TGT] has something on Donald Trump " Scarborough charged Friday on his "Morning Joe" show on MSNBC.
"Let me say it again because thereâs been a lot of noise from Donald Trump over the past year since heâs been president. [TGT] has something that [TGT] is holding over Donald Trumpâs head. And it is bad."
"So what is Donald Trump hoping? He is not hoping he can just brush aside a story of a porn star. Heâs hoping when the truth comes out about what [TGT] has and has had hanging over [TGT] head for decades possibly that we will all be too numb to notice " Scarborough said.
"Ten tweets a day five lies a day bread and circuses all of these game show reality show distractions ... Thatâs all [TGT] âs hoping. [TGT] wants to numb the American people. [TGT] wants to numb the electorate. [TGT] wants to numb everybody."
Scarborough did not elaborate on what information [TGT] may have about Trump.
The commander in chief has been criticized for what one Democrat called his "bromance" with Putin . And in November Sen. John McCain slammed Trumpâs comments that he sincerely believed [TGT] meant it when he said [TGT] didnât meddle in the 2016 presidential election. | 0Negative
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1,816 | The Latest: Officials say fatal fire caused by lit menorah | Daniel Nigro | Commissioner Daniel Nigro (NY'-groh) says the cause of Monday's fire is still under investigation by fire marshals. But he also said in a statement that holiday traditions that "we all hold dear" â such as candles overloaded outlets and power strips â can cause tragedies.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro (NY'-groh) says everyone in the house was asleep when a neighbor reported the fire around 2:30 a.m. in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood.
New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro (NY'-groh) says the woman and children were killed around 2:30 a.m. Monday at a home in Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay neighborhood.
The commissioner says the children's father and two teenagers are in critical condition.
He says firefighters arrived about 2 minutes after getting the call from a neighbor and the fire was already "consuming" all three floors of the building.
Nigro says the fire was accidental but the cause has not yet been pinpointed.
New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro (NY'-groh) says the woman and children were killed around 2:30 a.m. Monday at a home in Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay neighborhood.
The commissioner says the children's father and two teenagers are in critical condition.
He says firefighters arrived about 2 minutes after getting the call from a neighbor and the fire was already "consuming" all three floors of the building. | [TGT] says the cause of Monday's fire is still under investigation by fire marshals. But [TGT] also said in a statement that holiday traditions that "we all hold dear" â such as candles overloaded outlets and power strips â can cause tragedies.
[TGT] says everyone in the house was asleep when a neighbor reported the fire around 2:30 a.m. in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood.
[TGT] says the woman and children were killed around 2:30 a.m. Monday at a home in Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay neighborhood.
[TGT] says the children's father and two teenagers are in critical condition.
[TGT] says firefighters arrived about 2 minutes after getting the call from a neighbor and the fire was already "consuming" all three floors of the building.
[TGT] says the fire was accidental but the cause has not yet been pinpointed.
[TGT] says the woman and children were killed around 2:30 a.m. Monday at a home in Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay neighborhood.
[TGT] says the children's father and two teenagers are in critical condition.
[TGT] says firefighters arrived about 2 minutes after getting the call from a neighbor and the fire was already "consuming" all three floors of the building. | 1Neutral
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1,817 | Pyongyang on the Prairie Part 2 | Daniel Holtzclaw | Two weeks ago I reported that former Oklahoma City Police Department senior forensic analyst Elaine Taylor is the mother-in-law of Detective Rocky Gregory who co-led the investigation of former OCPD officer Daniel Holtzclaw. This information was not disclosed by police or prosecutors before during or after a biased investigation botched forensic analysis and testimony and chaotic trial that resulted in a 263-year sentence for Holtzclaw -- who has maintained his complete and actual innocence from the start and is appealing his convictions.
2) How was Taylor assigned to the Daniel Holtzclaw case on which Det. Gregory served as co-lead sex-crimes unit investigator?
Smith failed to answer how Taylor was assigned to the case. He did however admit that the "administration of the OCPD was aware of the relationship between Elaine Taylor and Rocky Gregory." Yet the administration did not disclose this relationship to Holtzclaw 's defense team which was then denied an opportunity to cross-examine Taylor and Gregory about that relationship to impeach the witnesses by uncovering potential bias and prejudice against Holtzclaw .
Finally Smith glibly asserted "the forensic lab did not have a Holtzclaw case."
1) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Rocky Gregory interrogated Holtzclaw with Det. Davis on June 18 2014 just 14 hours after Holtzclaw pulled over Jannie Ligons at an end-of-shift traffic stop.
2) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Rocky Gregory mishandled and potentially contaminated the evidence bag used to store Holtzclaw 's uniform pants -- the linchpin forensic evidence examined and tested by his mother-in-law.
As forensic expert Dr. Michael Spence noted in a sworn affidavit supporting Holtzclaw 's motion for an evidentiary hearing:
"At the June 18 2014 interrogation of Officer Holtzclaw investigators secured the uniform pants at about 6:00 p.m. At the beginning of this process video footage showed Detective Gregory placing his bare hand into the evidence bag. The detective proceeded to push on the bottom of the bag -- in order to fully open it. Officer Holtzclaw could then be seen handling his utility belt his cell phone his pockets his wallet and his keys -- (SET ITAL) all prior (END ITAL) to unclasping his belt unzipping his fly and removing his pants. In addition to the obvious DNA transfer issues associated with this order of events both the belt and the pants collected from Officer Holtzclaw were placed in (SET ITAL) one bag (END ITAL). Consequently these items were stored together transported together and remained together until the moment that the lab analyst accessed the contents of the evidence bag."
3) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Rocky Gregory was present during the search of Holtzclaw 's car in the wake of Ligons' sexual assault allegation. All of the swabs taken from the car were submitted to the OCPD crime lab. In fact when Elaine Taylor called Det. Davis to ask a question about the swabs Det. Davis replied that she could not answer the questions because "I did not ask for those swabs to be taken."
4) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Gregory was one of six participants in a meeting at the Springlake Division before Holtzclaw was taken to headquarters to be questioned about the Ligons stop.
6) After Holtzclaw 's interrogation forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Gregory accompanied Holtzclaw to his home where Det. Gregory failed to take key pieces of forensic evidence including Holtzclaw 's underwear (which Det. Gregory incorrectly assumed had been washed) and other uniforms.
7) Richard Smith's denial that the crime lab handled a "Holtzclaw case" is contradicted by the lab's own assignment of just two case numbers -- SD14-273 and SD14-399 -- for all the evidence tested. Both lab case numbers list the defendant as "Holtzclaw Daniel." Lab case No. SD14-273 combined evidence from several accusers' allegations under that one case beginning with Ligons' allegations and including DNA from nine other accusers (Terri Morris Sherry Ellis Florene Mathis Carla Johnson Rosetta Grate Kala Lyles Regina Copeland Adaira Gardner and Syrita Bowen) as well as DNA from Holtzclaw and his then-girlfriend Kerri Hunt.
8) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Gregory was one of 12 OCPD officials who executed a search warrant at 633 Culbertson Drive on Sept. 3 2014 the residence where accuser Rosetta Grate alleged Holtzclaw assaulted her and where she alleged she had left DNA evidence on the back of a chair and on a towel she claimed she left in a bedroom closet. Taylor conducted testing on evidence collected at this scene where her son-in-law who had earlier mishandled DNA evidence collection at Holtzclaw 's interrogation was present.
In other words Det. Gregory and Det. Davis supervised by Lt. Muzny consolidated the forensic evidence in the Morris and Ligons cases under 14-049050 (the case number assigned to Ligons' incident) since they were both "related" to Holtzclaw . As described previously the police submitted DNA from Ligons and nine other accusers under Ligons' lab case No. SD14-273. Police incident number 14-49050 (Ligons' case) is present on many evidence documents signed by Elaine Taylor (such as chain of custody forms for accusers' buccal swabs). This means that Taylor was well aware that numerous alleged victims were involved in No. 14-049050 -- not just Jannie Ligons.
In sum Det. Gregory was actively and intimately involved in the Holtzclaw investigation from day one including participating in a strategic meeting with higher-ups before Holtzclaw 's interrogation conducting the interrogation with Det. Davis overseeing the search of Holtzclaw 's vehicle and participating in the formulation of a photo lineup for accuser Ligons (which Det. Davis nixed). Det. Gregory personally collected and directly submitted DNA evidence in the Holtzclaw case to his mother-in-law and participated in a raid of a home where more DNA evidence in the Holtzclaw case was collected and submitted to his mother-in-law.
Taylor's collaboration with the prosecution to emphasize that the DNA on Holtzclaw 's pants that she matched to accuser Adaira Gardner was most likely from vaginal fluid transfer "not only contradicted the scientific results " according to Dr. Spence but also "defied the logic that wearers typically leave DNA on their frequently used garments." He further noted that the minuscule quantities of DNA mixtures found on Holtzclaw 's pants "were quite consistent with the expected transfer of epithelial skin cells during incidental handling events." | Two weeks ago I reported that former Oklahoma City Police Department senior forensic analyst Elaine Taylor is the mother-in-law of Detective Rocky Gregory who co-led the investigation of [TGT] . This information was not disclosed by police or prosecutors before during or after a biased investigation botched forensic analysis and testimony and chaotic trial that resulted in a 263-year sentence for Holtzclaw -- who has maintained his complete and actual innocence from the start and is appealing his convictions.
2) How was Taylor assigned to [TGT] on which Det. Gregory served as co-lead sex-crimes unit investigator?
Smith failed to answer how Taylor was assigned to [TGT] . He did however admit that the "administration of the OCPD was aware of the relationship between Elaine Taylor and Rocky Gregory." Yet the administration did not disclose this relationship to Holtzclaw 's defense team which was then denied an opportunity to cross-examine Taylor and Gregory about that relationship to impeach the witnesses by uncovering potential bias and prejudice against Holtzclaw .
Finally Smith glibly asserted "the forensic lab did not have a Holtzclaw case."
1) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Rocky Gregory interrogated Holtzclaw with Det. Davis on June 18 2014 just 14 hours after Holtzclaw pulled over Jannie Ligons at an end-of-shift traffic stop.
2) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Rocky Gregory mishandled and potentially contaminated the evidence bag used to store Holtzclaw 's uniform pants -- the linchpin forensic evidence examined and tested by his mother-in-law.
As forensic expert Dr. Michael Spence noted in a sworn affidavit supporting Holtzclaw 's motion for an evidentiary hearing:
"At the June 18 2014 interrogation of Officer Holtzclaw investigators secured the uniform pants at about 6:00 p.m. At the beginning of this process video footage showed Detective Gregory placing his bare hand into the evidence bag. The detective proceeded to push on the bottom of the bag -- in order to fully open it. Officer Holtzclaw could then be seen handling his utility belt his cell phone his pockets his wallet and his keys -- (SET ITAL) all prior (END ITAL) to unclasping his belt unzipping his fly and removing his pants. In addition to the obvious DNA transfer issues associated with this order of events both the belt and the pants collected from Officer Holtzclaw were placed in (SET ITAL) one bag (END ITAL). Consequently these items were stored together transported together and remained together until the moment that the lab analyst accessed the contents of the evidence bag."
3) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Rocky Gregory was present during the search of Holtzclaw 's car in the wake of Ligons' sexual assault allegation. All of the swabs taken from the car were submitted to the OCPD crime lab. In fact when Elaine Taylor called Det. Davis to ask a question about the swabs Det. Davis replied that she could not answer the questions because "I did not ask for those swabs to be taken."
4) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Gregory was one of six participants in a meeting at the Springlake Division before Holtzclaw was taken to headquarters to be questioned about the Ligons stop.
6) After Holtzclaw 's interrogation forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Gregory accompanied Holtzclaw to his home where Det. Gregory failed to take key pieces of forensic evidence including Holtzclaw 's underwear (which Det. Gregory incorrectly assumed had been washed) and other uniforms.
7) Richard Smith's denial that the crime lab handled a "Holtzclaw case" is contradicted by the lab's own assignment of just two case numbers -- SD14-273 and SD14-399 -- for all the evidence tested. Both lab case numbers list the defendant as "Holtzclaw Daniel." Lab case No. SD14-273 combined evidence from several accusers' allegations under that one case beginning with Ligons' allegations and including DNA from nine other accusers (Terri Morris Sherry Ellis Florene Mathis Carla Johnson Rosetta Grate Kala Lyles Regina Copeland Adaira Gardner and Syrita Bowen) as well as DNA from Holtzclaw and his then-girlfriend Kerri Hunt.
8) Forensic analyst Elaine Taylor's son-in-law Det. Gregory was one of 12 OCPD officials who executed a search warrant at 633 Culbertson Drive on Sept. 3 2014 the residence where accuser Rosetta Grate alleged Holtzclaw assaulted her and where she alleged she had left DNA evidence on the back of a chair and on a towel she claimed she left in a bedroom closet. Taylor conducted testing on evidence collected at this scene where her son-in-law who had earlier mishandled DNA evidence collection at Holtzclaw 's interrogation was present.
In other words Det. Gregory and Det. Davis supervised by Lt. Muzny consolidated the forensic evidence in the Morris and Ligons cases under 14-049050 (the case number assigned to Ligons' incident) since they were both "related" to Holtzclaw . As described previously the police submitted DNA from Ligons and nine other accusers under Ligons' lab case No. SD14-273. Police incident number 14-49050 (Ligons' case) is present on many evidence documents signed by Elaine Taylor (such as chain of custody forms for accusers' buccal swabs). This means that Taylor was well aware that numerous alleged victims were involved in No. 14-049050 -- not just Jannie Ligons.
In sum Det. Gregory was actively and intimately involved in the Holtzclaw investigation from day one including participating in a strategic meeting with higher-ups before Holtzclaw 's interrogation conducting the interrogation with Det. Davis overseeing the search of Holtzclaw 's vehicle and participating in the formulation of a photo lineup for accuser Ligons (which Det. Davis nixed). Det. Gregory personally collected and directly submitted DNA evidence in the Holtzclaw case to his mother-in-law and participated in a raid of a home where more DNA evidence in the Holtzclaw case was collected and submitted to his mother-in-law.
Taylor's collaboration with the prosecution to emphasize that the DNA on [TGT] 's pants that [TGT] matched to accuser Adaira Gardner was most likely from vaginal fluid transfer "not only contradicted the scientific results " according to Dr. Spence but also "defied the logic that wearers typically leave DNA on their frequently used garments." He further noted that the minuscule quantities of DNA mixtures found on Holtzclaw 's pants "were quite consistent with the expected transfer of epithelial skin cells during incidental handling events." | 2Positive
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1,818 | Kushner keeps most of his real estate but offers few clues about potential White House conflicts | Kushner | As chief executive of his familyâs real estate empire Jared Kushner planned two apartment projects across the street from each other in Jersey City.
Both would be luxury skyscrapers complete with retail space and sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. A new crosswalk would connect them intended to link the two Kushner Cos. developments practically and visually.
But when Kushner prepared an ethics plan ahead of joining the White House as a top adviser to his father-in-law President Trump he drew a curious distinction between the two projects. He sold his stake in one while keeping his share of up to $5 million in the other.
Kushner 36 who is emerging as a singularly powerful figure in the Trump White House is keeping nearly 90 percent of his vast real estate holdings even after resigning from the family business and pledging a clear divide between his private interests and public duties.
The value of his retained real estate interests is between $132 million and $407 million and could leave him in a position to financially benefit from his familyâs business.
The documents reflect the opaque decisions that Kushner and his attorneys made to allow him to keep much of his outside investments while seeking to remain within the boundaries that government ethics officials would find acceptable.
Kushner âs form lists hundreds of private companies. Some of the investments he kept are held by shell companies that are virtually impossible to track and Kushner has declined to make public more information on those entities.
The 124 real estate assets that Kushner has kept include residential real estate in suburban Maryland a Times Square retail complex and apartments across the Midwest from Toledo to the small town of Speedway Ind. Kushner also kept his stake in a New Jersey mobile-home park.
His decision to divest from one of the Jersey City projects One Journal Square gained attention this month after his sister appeared at a conference in China promoting the use of a special U.S. visa program to lure investors for the development and publicly noting her brotherâs connection to the president.
The White House said Kushner had recused himself from discussions of the EB-5 visa program.
It is not clear from Kushner âs financial filings whether any of his holdings might intersect with his broad and evolving responsibilities in the White House. This week Kushner has been close by the president during the administrationâs first international trip with stops in Saudi Arabia Israel the Vatican Belgium and Italy.
Kushner rejected a request by The Washington Post to review his ethics agreement with the White House which would lay out the topics that he has pledged to avoid because of concerns about conflicts of interest. White House officials have said that it is a long-standing policy for the agreements to remain confidential.
As a result ethics experts say Kushner is asking Americans to take his word for it.
Kushner declined to comment for this article. One of his attorneys former Clinton administration Justice Department official Jamie Gorelick said that they were âstriving for simplicityâ in choosing which assets to sell and which ones to keep to minimize potential areas of conflict.
For instance Kushner sold his interests in 666 Fifth Avenue the companyâs landmark building in Manhattan because it may be refinanced and posed many uncertainties.
He also sold his interests in a venture capital firm because of its investments in broad sectors of the economy including a health-care company. Had he kept his interests Kushner might have needed to recuse himself from discussions related to health care or risk violating a conflicts of interest statute. | As chief executive of his familyâs real estate empire Jared Kushner planned two apartment projects across the street from each other in Jersey City.
Both would be luxury skyscrapers complete with retail space and sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. A new crosswalk would connect them intended to link the two Kushner Cos. developments practically and visually.
But when [TGT] prepared an ethics plan ahead of joining the White House as a top adviser to his father-in-law President Trump he drew a curious distinction between the two projects. He sold his stake in one while keeping his share of up to $5 million in the other.
[TGT] is keeping nearly 90 percent of [TGT] vast real estate holdings even after resigning from the family business and pledging a clear divide between [TGT] private interests and public duties.
The value of [TGT] retained real estate interests is between $132 million and $407 million and could leave [TGT] in a position to financially benefit from [TGT] familyâs business.
The documents reflect the opaque decisions that Kushner and his attorneys made to allow him to keep much of his outside investments while seeking to remain within the boundaries that government ethics officials would find acceptable.
[TGT] âs form lists hundreds of private companies. Some of the investments [TGT] kept are held by shell companies that are virtually impossible to track and [TGT] has declined to make public more information on those entities.
The 124 real estate assets that [TGT] has kept include residential real estate in suburban Maryland a Times Square retail complex and apartments across the Midwest from Toledo to the small town of Speedway [TGT] also kept [TGT] stake in a New Jersey mobile-home park.
[TGT] decision to divest from one of the Jersey City projects One Journal Square gained attention this month after his sister appeared at a conference in China promoting the use of a special U.S. visa program to lure investors for the development and publicly noting her brotherâs connection to the president.
The White House said [TGT] had recused [TGT] from discussions of the EB-5 visa program.
It is not clear from [TGT] âs financial filings whether any of [TGT] holdings might intersect with [TGT] broad and evolving responsibilities in the White House. This week [TGT] has been close by the president during the administrationâs first international trip with stops in Saudi Arabia Israel the Vatican Belgium and Italy.
[TGT] rejected a request by The Washington Post to review [TGT] ethics agreement with the White House which would lay out the topics that [TGT] has pledged to avoid because of concerns about conflicts of interest. White House officials have said that it is a long-standing policy for the agreements to remain confidential.
As a result ethics experts say [TGT] is asking Americans to take [TGT] word for it.
[TGT] declined to comment for this article. One of [TGT] attorneys former Clinton administration Justice Department official Jamie Gorelick said that they were âstriving for simplicityâ in choosing which assets to sell and which ones to keep to minimize potential areas of conflict.
For instance [TGT] sold [TGT] interests in 666 Fifth Avenue the companyâs landmark building in Manhattan because it may be refinanced and posed many uncertainties.
[TGT] also sold [TGT] interests in a venture capital firm because of its investments in broad sectors of the economy including a health-care company. Had [TGT] kept [TGT] interests [TGT] might have needed to recuse [TGT] from discussions related to health care or risk violating a conflicts of interest statute. | 2Positive
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1,819 | Government shutdown 2018: Democrats urged to vote no | Nancy Pelosi Pelosi | House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she would not pursue a coordinated effort to vote against the plan though a senior Democratic aide told Business Insider that Pelosi agreed with Hoyer.
"I'm just telling people why I'm voting the way I'm voting " Pelosi told reporters.
Later Thursday Pelosi sent a letter to Democratic members urging them to vote against the budget deal saying that "the Republicans do not have the votes to pass this caps bill on their own."
Pelosi on Wednesday delivered an eight-hour speech on the House floor calling out House Speaker Paul Ryan for not bringing forth a bill to address DACA. | House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she would not pursue a coordinated effort to vote against the plan though a senior Democratic aide told Business Insider that Pelosi agreed with Hoyer.
"I'm just telling people why I'm voting the way I'm voting " Pelosi told reporters.
Later Thursday Pelosi sent a letter to Democratic members urging them to vote against the budget deal saying that "the Republicans do not have the votes to pass this caps bill on their own."
Pelosi on Wednesday delivered an eight-hour speech on the House floor calling out House Speaker Paul Ryan for not bringing forth a bill to address DACA. | 1Neutral
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1,820 | Barbara Corcoran refuses to waste money but she has 2 guilty pleasures | Barbara Corcoran | Corcoran's second guilty pleasure is quality time with a core group of old friends. "Leave the husband at home and the kids and just go away and drink way too much wine and see how hard you can laugh " she tells Torabi. "If you drop dead you're going to be happy that day."
While Corcoran 's splurges are relatively modest for a multi-millionaire they're a step up from what she would splurge on when she was just starting out her career: A daily coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.
"That was my treat every day " she says. "But I do remember very much debating whether I should get that donut with the coffee. ⦠That was an every-other-day treat."
These days Corcoran still pays attention to prices that seem too high. For example she once refused to buy "roast beef at $40 a pound from that stupid store on Madison Avenue " she says. She took one look at the price tag on her quarter-pound bag of deli meat and said "Take the Goddamned roast beef back. I'm not paying it."
Don't miss: Self-made millionaire Barbara Corcoran: If your kids have this trait they'll be successful | [TGT] 's second guilty pleasure is quality time with a core group of old friends. "Leave the husband at home and the kids and just go away and drink way too much wine and see how hard you can laugh " she tells Torabi. "If you drop dead you're going to be happy that day."
While Corcoran 's splurges are relatively modest for a multi-millionaire they're a step up from what she would splurge on when she was just starting out her career: A daily coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.
"That was my treat every day " she says. "But I do remember very much debating whether I should get that donut with the coffee. ⦠That was an every-other-day treat."
These days [TGT] still pays attention to prices that seem too high. For example [TGT] once refused to buy "roast beef at $40 a pound from that stupid store on Madison Avenue " [TGT] says. [TGT] took one look at the price tag on [TGT] quarter-pound bag of deli meat and said "Take the Goddamned roast beef back. I'm not paying it."
Don't miss: Self-made millionaire Barbara Corcoran: If your kids have this trait they'll be successful | 1Neutral
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1,821 | Alphabet to develop high | Dan Doctoroff | âFor the foreseeable future this will be the primary focus of what we do â Dan Doctoroff the chief executive of Sidewalk Labs said in an interview.
One of the first projects Sidewalk Labs will take on is a sensor-based technology to manage crowds on a nearby street often filled with a potent mix of pedestrians cyclists and motorized traffic which Doctoroff said could be tested as early as the first quarter of 2018.
He said the company was also looking to integrate self-driving technology into the project over the longer term.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff (R) look at city models built by children before a press conference where Alphabet Inc the owner of Google announced the project "Sidewalk Toronto" that will develop an area of Toronto's waterfront using new technologies to develop high-tech urban areas in Toronto Ontario Canada October 17 2017. REUTERS/Mark Blinch
Doctoroff said the company had looked at more than 50 metropolitan areas in North America and sites in western Europe and Australia before settling on Toronto as the prime location for its future city test bed.
It is Sidewalk Labsâ most ambitious project to date which the company expects will house 5 000 people and host another 5 000 workers within three to four years.
Doctoroff said he expects the project to lower the cost of living including by reducing commutes and for it to be the worldâs first urban development to reduce a cityâs carbon footprint. | âFor the foreseeable future this will be the primary focus of what we do â [TGT] the chief executive of Sidewalk Labs said in an interview.
One of the first projects Sidewalk Labs will take on is a sensor-based technology to manage crowds on a nearby street often filled with a potent mix of pedestrians cyclists and motorized traffic which [TGT] said could be tested as early as the first quarter of 2018.
[TGT] said the company was also looking to integrate self-driving technology into the project over the longer term.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff (R) look at city models built by children before a press conference where Alphabet Inc the owner of Google announced the project "Sidewalk Toronto" that will develop an area of Toronto's waterfront using new technologies to develop high-tech urban areas in Toronto Ontario Canada October 17 2017. REUTERS/Mark Blinch
Doctoroff said the company had looked at more than 50 metropolitan areas in North America and sites in western Europe and Australia before settling on Toronto as the prime location for its future city test bed.
It is Sidewalk Labsâ most ambitious project to date which the company expects will house 5 000 people and host another 5 000 workers within three to four years.
Doctoroff said he expects the project to lower the cost of living including by reducing commutes and for it to be the worldâs first urban development to reduce a cityâs carbon footprint. | 1Neutral
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1,822 | 5 Takeaways On Virginia's Election Sweep For Democrats | Ed Gillespie | Ralph Northam beat Ed Gillespie in the governorâs race 53.9 to 45 percent â by nearly nine points. Justin Fairfax beat Jill Vogel in the lieutenant governorâs race 52.7 to 47.3. And Mark Herring beat John Adams 53.3 to 46.7 percent.
By comparison Hillary Clinton won 52.8 percent of the two-party portion of the 2016 vote to Donald Trumpâs 47.2 percent. Vogel and Adams were known as strong Trump supporters whereas Gillespie was known as an establishment Republican who tried to embrace Trumpism without talking about Trump. Vogel and Adams performed state-wide roughly the same as Trump did whereas Gillespie just got crushed. Gillespie only lost his 2014 Senate race to Warner by less than a percentage point.
What does it mean that Gillespie performed not just worse than Trump and worse than he did in 2014 but worse than his top-of-the-ballot cohorts who were openly Trump-supportive? Many theories have been offered.
Some say his attempt at fusionism failed and that you canât be half a populist and expect voters to buy it. Others say he didnât have the benefit of running against Clinton a candidate who managed to lose nationwide despite having so many resources supporting her. Others say itâs just Gillespie himself â a seasoned swamp lobbyist and establishment figure running for office at a time when voters have had enough of that sort. But Gillespie performed quite well with downstate traditional conservative Republican voters failing to resonate in his own homeland of Northern Virginia. He only did a tiny bit better than Trump in the heart of the swamp â Fairfax County. Thatâs Gillespieâs home county!
No matter the cause Gillespie didnât do as well as Trump in a race where his running mate Vogel did slightly better than Trump had.
If Gillespie had won his race for the governorship and the Republicans kept the House of Delegates despite the lack of progress by Republicans who control the congressional and executive branches maybe there would be an argument for continuing in that vein. But with Democrats emboldened by their huge win in Virginia and a demoralized Republican base members of Congress are delusional if they think they can keep their jobs without passing tax reform repealing Obamacare and some other dramatic achievement. | Ralph Northam beat [TGT] in the governorâs race 53.9 to 45 percent â by nearly nine points. Justin Fairfax beat Jill Vogel in the lieutenant governorâs race 52.7 to 47.3. And Mark Herring beat John Adams 53.3 to 46.7 percent.
By comparison Hillary Clinton won 52.8 percent of the two-party portion of the 2016 vote to Donald Trumpâs 47.2 percent. Vogel and Adams were known as strong Trump supporters whereas Gillespie was known as an establishment Republican who tried to embrace Trumpism without talking about Trump. Vogel and Adams performed state-wide roughly the same as Trump did whereas Gillespie just got crushed. Gillespie only lost his 2014 Senate race to Warner by less than a percentage point.
What does it mean that Gillespie performed not just worse than Trump and worse than he did in 2014 but worse than his top-of-the-ballot cohorts who were openly Trump-supportive? Many theories have been offered.
Some say his attempt at fusionism failed and that you canât be half a populist and expect voters to buy it. Others say he didnât have the benefit of running against Clinton a candidate who managed to lose nationwide despite having so many resources supporting her. Others say itâs just Gillespie himself â a seasoned swamp lobbyist and establishment figure running for office at a time when voters have had enough of that sort. But Gillespie performed quite well with downstate traditional conservative Republican voters failing to resonate in his own homeland of Northern Virginia. He only did a tiny bit better than Trump in the heart of the swamp â Fairfax County. Thatâs Gillespieâs home county!
No matter the cause Gillespie didnât do as well as Trump in a race where his running mate Vogel did slightly better than Trump had.
If Gillespie had won his race for the governorship and the Republicans kept the House of Delegates despite the lack of progress by Republicans who control the congressional and executive branches maybe there would be an argument for continuing in that vein. But with Democrats emboldened by their huge win in Virginia and a demoralized Republican base members of Congress are delusional if they think they can keep their jobs without passing tax reform repealing Obamacare and some other dramatic achievement. | 1Neutral
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1,823 | Rep. Jeb Hensarling Wonât Run for Re | Jeb Hensarling | WASHINGTON DC â Yet another establishment insider has announced he wonât run for re-election in 2018 Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas.
NEWS: Rep. Jeb Hensarling R-Texas retiring. Will not run for re-election in 2018. Story TK â David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) October 31 2017
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Hensarling issued a statement the same day regarding his retirement:
Jeb Hensarling has been a tremendous public servant for the people of Texas most recently as the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee on which I am privileged to serve. Jeb âs strong grasp of policy and his strong conservative principles have been an invaluable asset to the Republican Conference in his eight terms as a Member of the House of Representatives. As Jeb enters this next chapter of life my colleagues and I wish him the very best in whatever path he chooses to take.
In March as one of Speaker Paul Ryanâs attempts are repealing and replacing Obamacare failed Hensarling offered what Reuters described as âeffusiveâ praise of Ryan. In April Hensarling joined Ryan and several other Representatives on a trip to Europe with the stated goal of âstrengthening economic and security ties with our NATO partners.â Hensarling has been called on and floated as a possibility in the past to run a challenge to John Boehner and later Ryan for the position of Speaker of the House but has refused to do so. In November 2016 the Texas Tribune called Hensarling âone of Ryanâs closest friends in the House.â | WASHINGTON DC â Yet another establishment insider has announced he wonât run for re-election in 2018 Republican Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas.
NEWS: [TGT] retiring. Will not run for re-election in 2018. Story TK â David M. Drucker (@DavidMDrucker) October 31 2017
House Financial Services Committee Chairman Hensarling issued a statement the same day regarding his retirement:
[TGT] has been a tremendous public servant for the people of Texas most recently as the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee on which I am privileged to serve. Jeb âs strong grasp of policy and [TGT] strong conservative principles have been an invaluable asset to the Republican Conference in [TGT] eight terms as a Member of the House of Representatives. As [TGT] enters this next chapter of life my colleagues and I wish [TGT] the very best in whatever path [TGT] chooses to take.
In March as one of Speaker Paul Ryanâs attempts are repealing and replacing Obamacare failed [TGT] offered what Reuters described as âeffusiveâ praise of Ryan. In April Hensarling joined Ryan and several other Representatives on a trip to Europe with the stated goal of âstrengthening economic and security ties with our NATO partners.â [TGT] has been called on and floated as a possibility in the past to run a challenge to John Boehner and later Ryan for the position of Speaker of the House but has refused to do so. In November 2016 the Texas Tribune called Hensarling âone of Ryanâs closest friends in the House.â | 2Positive
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1,824 | New Report: Candidate Trump Was Warned Russia Would Attempt to Infiltrate His Campaign | Donald Trump Jr. | There. I got it out of the way of those loyalists that might feel compelled barf out the rote response of the Trump camp given his recent heated attacks on the dignity of the U.S. intelligence community with a particular focus on the FBI.
Trump was âbriefed and warnedâ at the session about potential espionage threats from Russia two former law enforcement officials familiar with the sessions told NBC News. A source close to the White House said their position is that Trump was unaware of the contacts between his campaign and Russians.
Ok. Bow up about that Shah but what we now know is that Trump was warned that Russia could be a problem.
His response was to invite Russia to find Hillaryâs lost emails and to act like a 14-year old girl with a crush over Vladimir Putin.
By the time of the warning in late July or August at least seven Trump campaign officials had been in contact with Russians or people linked to Russia according to public reports. There is no public evidence that the campaign reported any of that to the FBI.
And by September Donald Trump Jr. was exchanging tweets with WikiLeaks believed to be an agent of the Kremlin.
There were others. It wasnât just Trump Jr. | There. I got it out of the way of those loyalists that might feel compelled barf out the rote response of the Trump camp given his recent heated attacks on the dignity of the U.S. intelligence community with a particular focus on the FBI.
Trump was âbriefed and warnedâ at the session about potential espionage threats from Russia two former law enforcement officials familiar with the sessions told NBC News. A source close to the White House said their position is that Trump was unaware of the contacts between his campaign and Russians.
Ok. Bow up about that Shah but what we now know is that Trump was warned that Russia could be a problem.
His response was to invite Russia to find Hillaryâs lost emails and to act like a 14-year old girl with a crush over Vladimir Putin.
By the time of the warning in late July or August at least seven Trump campaign officials had been in contact with Russians or people linked to Russia according to public reports. There is no public evidence that the campaign reported any of that to the FBI.
And by September [TGT] was exchanging tweets with WikiLeaks believed to be an agent of the Kremlin.
There were others. It wasnât just Trump Jr. | 1Neutral
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1,825 | Stephen Colbert Trevor Noah take shots at Louis C.K. | Louis C.K | Stephen Colbert was forced to address the sexual misconduct allegations plaguing Louis C.K. after he canceled his appearance on "The Late Show."
âFor those of you tuning in to see my interview with Louis C.K. tonight I have some bad news â Colbert said. âThen I have some really bad news.â
âLouis cancelled his appearance here tonight because The New York Times broke this story today. Five women are accusing Louis C.K. of sexual misconduct.â
He continued âWhen reached for comment Jesus said ââLa-la-la-la-la. I donât want to hear about it I was a big fan!ââ
C.K. is accused of masturbating in front of two comics according to a New York Times report detailing allegations from another three women who said the comedian either asked to masturbate in front of them or pleasured himself while he was on the phone.
C.K. is accused of masturbating in front of two women according to a New York Times report detailing sexual misconduct allegations from another three women. (Rich Fury/Getty Images)
C.K. has not responded to the allegations and his publicist told the Times "Louis is not going to answer any questions.'
âAnd then Louis C.K. said âHold my p---- " Noah said. | Stephen Colbert was forced to address the sexual misconduct allegations plaguing [TGT] after he canceled his appearance on "The Late Show."
âFor those of you tuning in to see my interview with [TGT] tonight I have some bad news â Colbert said. âThen I have some really bad news.â
âLouis cancelled his appearance here tonight because The New York Times broke this story today. Five women are accusing [TGT] of sexual misconduct.â
He continued âWhen reached for comment Jesus said ââLa-la-la-la-la. I donât want to hear about it I was a big fan!ââ
[TGT] is accused of masturbating in front of two comics according to a New York Times report detailing allegations from another three women who said the comedian either asked to masturbate in front of them or pleasured [TGT] while [TGT] was on the phone.
[TGT] is accused of masturbating in front of two women according to a New York Times report detailing sexual misconduct allegations from another three women. (Rich Fury/Getty Images)
[TGT] has not responded to the allegations and [TGT] publicist told the Times "Louis is not going to answer any questions.'
âAnd then [TGT] said âHold my p---- " Noah said. | 1Neutral
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1,826 | Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour arrested with gun at airport | Haley Barbour | Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says he will pay a fine after being arrested with a loaded handgun in his briefcase as he went through an airport security checkpoint.
Barbour -- Republican National Committee chairman in the mid-1990s and governor from 2004-12 -- told The Associated Press on Tuesday he was trying to board a flight Jan. 2 from Jackson to Washington. He said he forgot he was carrying the gun which he had put in his briefcase after an assistant removed it from his car days earlier.
"This was absentmindedness and nobody's fault but mine " said Barbour 70 who lives in Mississippi and frequently travels to Washington for his job as a lobbyist.
Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said a TSA officer working at an X-ray machine at a checkpoint at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport spotted a .38-caliber revolver loaded with five bullets in a passenger's carry-on bag. TSA contacted airport police who arrested the passenger. The TSA would not release the passenger's name but Farbstein confirmed it was a former governor and Barbour confirmed to AP that it was he.
Barbour said he did not dispute Farbstein's use of the word "arrest " though he said he was not handcuffed and no mugshot photo was taken. Barbour described the TSA officers and the airport police as "very nice but very professional."
"They did exactly what they should have done which was treat me like anybody else " Barbour said.
Barbour said the gun was confiscated and he boarded his flight to Washington.
"Next time I'll be more observant about getting stuff out of my briefcase " he said. | [TGT] says [TGT] will pay a fine after being arrested with a loaded handgun in [TGT] briefcase as [TGT] went through an airport security checkpoint.
[TGT] -- Republican National Committee chairman in the mid-1990s and governor from 2004-12 -- told The Associated Press on Tuesday [TGT] was trying to board a flight Jan. 2 from Jackson to Washington. He said he forgot he was carrying the gun which he had put in his briefcase after an assistant removed it from his car days earlier.
"This was absentmindedness and nobody's fault but mine " said Barbour 70 who lives in Mississippi and frequently travels to Washington for his job as a lobbyist.
Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said a TSA officer working at an X-ray machine at a checkpoint at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport spotted a .38-caliber revolver loaded with five bullets in a passenger's carry-on bag. TSA contacted airport police who arrested the passenger. The TSA would not release the passenger's name but Farbstein confirmed it was a former governor and Barbour confirmed to AP that it was he.
Barbour said he did not dispute Farbstein's use of the word "arrest " though he said he was not handcuffed and no mugshot photo was taken. Barbour described the TSA officers and the airport police as "very nice but very professional."
"They did exactly what they should have done which was treat me like anybody else " Barbour said.
Barbour said the gun was confiscated and he boarded his flight to Washington.
"Next time I'll be more observant about getting stuff out of my briefcase " he said. | 2Positive
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1,827 | Texas Schedules Execution but Refuses DNA Tests That Could Prove a Manâs Innocence | Swearingen | Trotter had been missing since December 8 1998 when she disappeared from the Montgomery County community college where she was a first-year student. Three days later on unrelated warrants the police arrested Larry Swearingen a 27-year-old unemployed electrician with a young family and a history of run-ins with the law . Police suspected Swearingen was Trotterâs killer. He had been seen talking with Trotter two days before her disappearance outside a local store near Lake Conroe which abuts the national forest. On the day she went missing he was seen chatting with her in the college library.
After the body was found some three weeks later Swearingen was charged with Trotterâs kidnapping sexual assault and murder. There was little in the way of hard evidence to back up the charges. In addition to the two times he was seen talking to Trotter prior to her disappearance the state pointed to a lie he told claiming he didnât know who Trotter was and to a letter he wrote while jailed in which he pretended to be someone else and claimed knowledge about the murder that officials said only the killer would know.
In 2000 Swearingen was tried for the crime and sentenced to death.
Nearly 20 years after the murder he maintains his innocence and for more than a decade he has been fighting to clear his name in part by repeatedly requesting that key crime scene evidence be subjected to DNA testing. While the stateâs case against him was built on circumstantial evidence there was also a trove of physical evidence that prosecutors seemingly either ignored or dismissed.
The state insisted that the length of hose matched a second piece of hosiery retrieved from the trailer home Swearingen shared with his wife Terry. But the hose from the trailer wasnât found until weeks after Trotterâs body was discovered after police had conducted two exhaustive searches of the Swearingen property. And instead of submitting either piece for DNA testing the state had a forensic analyst line them up side by side to determine visually whether they came from the same pair of hosiery â the kind of subjective forensic pattern analysis that raises serious concerns about scientific validity and reliability. At Swearingen âs trial the analyst testified that the two lengths of hose matched âto the exclusion of all other pantyhose.â
According to court filings evidence that was tested pointed away from Swearingen . DNA collected from a cigarette butt found in Swearingen âs trailer that prosecutors claimed belonged to Trotter excluded her as the donor. And DNA developed from blood found in fingernail scrapings taken from Trotterâs body at autopsy excluded Swearingen revealing instead the profile of an unknown male.
To date Texasâs highest criminal court the Court of Criminal Appeals has sided with the state concluding that the âmountainâ of circumstantial evidence against Swearingen outweighs the potentially probative value of DNA evidence. The court has denied his request for testing four times â highlighting a confounding if not obstructionist approach to requests made for post-conviction DNA testing under state law.
In Swearingen âs case and others the court has construed the right to testing in a way that severely narrows eligibility â an approach that Swearingen âs lawyers say threatens to make the once powerful law a dead letter potentially closing access to testing in all cases where there is a claim of wrongful conviction.
Swearingen is scheduled for execution on November 16.
Death row inmate Larry Swearingen during an interview at the Polunsky Unit in Longview Texas. Photo: Jacob Villanueva/The Texas Tribune
When Swearingen first sought DNA testing in 2004 the denial was straightforward â the CCA refused to consider the request because Swearingen âs lawyers had missed a filing deadline.
In its 2010 ruling the court noted that the statute only allowed testing of evidence âcontaining biological materialâ and concluded that Swearingen could not demonstrate that the items he wanted to test â the pantyhose additional fingernail scrapings and clothing â were actually âprovenâ to contain such material.
âThis court has held that a mere assertion or a general claim that existence of biological material is probable will fail to satisfy the appellantâs burdenâ under the statute the court wrote. It also faulted Swearingen for suggesting that any unknown profile developed from DNA testing should be run against state and federal databases a provision that didnât appear in the statute.
Swearingen filed for testing again in 2013. Newly elected District Judge Kelly Case approved his request which was accompanied by an affidavit from a DNA analyst who said the evidence would likely contain biological materials.
For example while the definition of biological material fit for testing included skin cells Swearingen still couldnât confirm that skin cells existed on the pantyhose used to strangle Trotter or on the clothes she was wearing. And having a DNA analyst say such materials would likely be there was not enough. âWe have explicitly held that appellee must prove biological material exists and not that it is merely probable â the court wrote.
But in order to definitively prove that microscopic evidence exists you have to test for it notes Bryce Benjet a staff attorney with the Innocence Project and one of the lawyers handling Swearingenâs case . It was a frustrating conclusion if not an impossible standard to meet. | Trotter had been missing since December 8 1998 when she disappeared from the Montgomery County community college where she was a first-year student. Three days later on unrelated warrants the police arrested Larry Swearingen a 27-year-old unemployed electrician with a young family and a history of run-ins with the law . Police suspected [TGT] was Trotterâs killer. [TGT] had been seen talking with Trotter two days before her disappearance outside a local store near Lake Conroe which abuts the national forest. On the day she went missing [TGT] was seen chatting with her in the college library.
After the body was found some three weeks later [TGT] was charged with Trotterâs kidnapping sexual assault and murder. There was little in the way of hard evidence to back up the charges. In addition to the two times [TGT] was seen talking to Trotter prior to her disappearance the state pointed to a lie [TGT] told claiming [TGT] didnât know who Trotter was and to a letter [TGT] wrote while jailed in which [TGT] pretended to be someone else and claimed knowledge about the murder that officials said only the killer would know.
In 2000 [TGT] was tried for the crime and sentenced to death.
Nearly 20 years after the murder he maintains his innocence and for more than a decade he has been fighting to clear his name in part by repeatedly requesting that key crime scene evidence be subjected to DNA testing. While the stateâs case against him was built on circumstantial evidence there was also a trove of physical evidence that prosecutors seemingly either ignored or dismissed.
The state insisted that the length of hose matched a second piece of hosiery retrieved from the trailer home [TGT] shared with [TGT] wife Terry. But the hose from the trailer wasnât found until weeks after Trotterâs body was discovered after police had conducted two exhaustive searches of the Swearingen property. And instead of submitting either piece for DNA testing the state had a forensic analyst line them up side by side to determine visually whether they came from the same pair of hosiery â the kind of subjective forensic pattern analysis that raises serious concerns about scientific validity and reliability. At [TGT] the analyst testified that the two lengths of hose matched âto the exclusion of all other pantyhose.â
According to court filings evidence that was tested pointed away from [TGT] . DNA collected from a cigarette butt found in [TGT] âs trailer that prosecutors claimed belonged to Trotter excluded [TGT] as the donor. And DNA developed from blood found in fingernail scrapings taken from Trotterâs body at autopsy excluded [TGT] revealing instead the profile of an unknown male.
To date Texasâs highest criminal court the Court of Criminal Appeals has sided with the state concluding that the âmountainâ of circumstantial evidence against [TGT] outweighs the potentially probative value of DNA evidence. The court has denied [TGT] request for testing four times â highlighting a confounding if not obstructionist approach to requests made for post-conviction DNA testing under state law.
In Swearingen âs case and others the court has construed the right to testing in a way that severely narrows eligibility â an approach that Swearingen âs lawyers say threatens to make the once powerful law a dead letter potentially closing access to testing in all cases where there is a claim of wrongful conviction.
[TGT] is scheduled for execution on November 16.
Death row inmate Larry Swearingen during an interview at the Polunsky Unit in Longview Texas. Photo: Jacob Villanueva/The Texas Tribune
When [TGT] first sought DNA testing in 2004 the denial was straightforward â the CCA refused to consider the request because [TGT] lawyers had missed a filing deadline.
In [TGT] 2010 ruling the court noted that the statute only allowed testing of evidence âcontaining biological materialâ and concluded that Swearingen could not demonstrate that the items he wanted to test â the pantyhose additional fingernail scrapings and clothing â were actually âprovenâ to contain such material.
âThis court has held that a mere assertion or a general claim that existence of biological material is probable will fail to satisfy the appellantâs burdenâ under the statute the court wrote. It also faulted [TGT] for suggesting that any unknown profile developed from DNA testing should be run against state and federal databases a provision that didnât appear in the statute.
[TGT] filed for testing again in 2013. Newly elected District Judge Kelly Case approved his request which was accompanied by an affidavit from a DNA analyst who said the evidence would likely contain biological materials.
For example while the definition of biological material fit for testing included skin cells Swearingen still couldnât confirm that skin cells existed on the pantyhose used to strangle Trotter or on the clothes she was wearing. And having a DNA analyst say such materials would likely be there was not enough. âWe have explicitly held that appellee must prove biological material exists and not that it is merely probable â the court wrote.
But in order to definitively prove that microscopic evidence exists you have to test for it notes Bryce Benjet a staff attorney with the Innocence Project and one of the lawyers handling Swearingenâs case . It was a frustrating conclusion if not an impossible standard to meet. | 1Neutral
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1,828 | Top cop pleads guilty in corruption probe involving lavish trips hookers | Michael Harrington | Michael Harrington 52 struck the plea bargain ahead of a scheduled April 30 trial in Manhattan federal court on four counts of conspiracy fraud and bribery.
Under the deal he faces a recommended sentence of zero to six months in jail but his lawyer said in court that prosecutors wouldnât oppose a defense request for probation.
The Manhattan US Attorneyâs Office declined to say why it offered Harrington the sweetheart deal.
Harrington was indicted in July on allegations that he took payoffs including thousands of dollars in work for a security firm he unofficially helped manage hotel accommodations on a family trip to Chicago restaurant meals tickets to sporting events and a video-game system for his kids.
In exchange he was allegedly âon callâ to provide official NYPD assistance to Rechnitz and co-defendant Jeremy Reichberg who is a Rechnitz pal and fellow de Blasio donor.
But Harrington instead pleaded guilty to illegally diverting police resources without receiving payment by skirting protocol to grant favors to Reichberg and other members of the Jewish community. | [TGT] 52 struck the plea bargain ahead of a scheduled April 30 trial in Manhattan federal court on four counts of conspiracy fraud and bribery.
Under the deal he faces a recommended sentence of zero to six months in jail but his lawyer said in court that prosecutors wouldnât oppose a defense request for probation.
The Manhattan US Attorneyâs Office declined to say why it offered [TGT] the sweetheart deal.
[TGT] was indicted in July on allegations that [TGT] took payoffs including thousands of dollars in work for a security firm [TGT] unofficially helped manage hotel accommodations on a family trip to Chicago restaurant meals tickets to sporting events and a video-game system for his kids.
In exchange he was allegedly âon callâ to provide official NYPD assistance to Rechnitz and co-defendant Jeremy Reichberg who is a Rechnitz pal and fellow de Blasio donor.
But [TGT] instead pleaded guilty to illegally diverting police resources without receiving payment by skirting protocol to grant favors to Reichberg and other members of the Jewish community. | 1Neutral
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1,829 | Biden would win against Trump in 2020 ex | Biden | A former chairman of the Democratic National Committee said âsuperstarâ Joe Biden would âdefinitelyâ win if he ran against President Trump in the 2020 election.
âThereâs only one person I can say who will definitely win the election and has a superstar appeal in almost every state in the union and that âs Vice President Biden â Ed Rendell told John Catsimatidis on his 970 AM radio show in an interview that aired Sunday. âOf course people say heâs too old. But heâs only a year and a half older than President Trump and heâs in infinitely better shape. I donât think age would be a factor in a Biden-Trump election.â
Biden 75 has said he thought he would have beaten Hillary Clinton if he had run in the 2016 Democratic primary election still hasnât closed the door on opposing Trump who is 71.
Biden a former senator from Delaware said he was prepared to launch a campaign in 2016 until his son Beau died of brain cancer. | A former chairman of the Democratic National Committee said âsuperstarâ [TGT] would âdefinitelyâ win if [TGT] ran against President Trump in the 2020 election.
âThereâs only one person I can say who will definitely win the election and has a superstar appeal in almost every state in the union and that âs Vice President Biden â Ed Rendell told John Catsimatidis on his 970 AM radio show in an interview that aired Sunday. âOf course people say heâs too old. But heâs only a year and a half older than President Trump and heâs in infinitely better shape. I donât think age would be a factor in a Biden-Trump election.â
[TGT] 75 has said [TGT] thought [TGT] would have beaten Hillary Clinton if [TGT] had run in the 2016 Democratic primary election still hasnât closed the door on opposing Trump who is 71.
[TGT] a former senator from Delaware said [TGT] was prepared to launch a campaign in 2016 until his son Beau died of brain cancer. | 1Neutral
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1,830 | Russia bans satirical film about Josef Stalin's death | Josef Stalin | MOSCOW -- Russia's Culture Ministry banned a satirical film about Soviet leader Josef Stalin's death from movie theaters Tuesday following criticism from communists and others that the British-French production made a mockery of Russia's history. The Culture Ministry declared it was rescinding the permit that would have allowed Scottish writer-director Armando Iannucci's "The Death of Stalin " to be shown in Russian theaters.
The ministry's move reflects an admiration many in Russia still have for Stalin despite the dictator's brutal purges that killed millions as well as the government's nervousness about the country's history.
Many Russians have been dismayed in recent years by government-sponsored school textbooks that painted Stalin in a largely positive light. Old Soviet national anthem lyrics praising Stalin were restored during a Moscow subway station's reconstruction.
Last fall the Russian Military-Historical Society an organization founded by Putin and led by his culture minister unveiled a bust of Stalin as part of an "alley of rulers" in a park outside its Moscow offices.
Kremlin critics have denounced such actions as attempts to whitewash Stalin 's image and part of Putin's rollback on democracy. | MOSCOW -- Russia's Culture Ministry banned a satirical film about Soviet leader Josef Stalin's death from movie theaters Tuesday following criticism from communists and others that the British-French production made a mockery of Russia's history. The Culture Ministry declared it was rescinding the permit that would have allowed Scottish writer-director Armando Iannucci's "The Death of [TGT] " to be shown in Russian theaters.
The ministry's move reflects an admiration many in Russia still have for [TGT] despite the dictator's brutal purges that killed millions as well as the government's nervousness about the country's history.
Many Russians have been dismayed in recent years by government-sponsored school textbooks that painted Stalin in a largely positive light. Old Soviet national anthem lyrics praising [TGT] were restored during a Moscow subway station's reconstruction.
Last fall the Russian Military-Historical Society an organization founded by Putin and led by his culture minister unveiled a bust of Stalin as part of an "alley of rulers" in a park outside its Moscow offices.
Kremlin critics have denounced such actions as attempts to whitewash Stalin 's image and part of Putin's rollback on democracy. | 1Neutral
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1,831 | The Latest: Confidante of ex | Choi Soon-sil | Choi Soon-sil a longtime friend of former President Park Geun-hye was convicted Tuesday for abusing her close ties with Park to gain personal profit and for receiving bribes from Samsung Lotte and other big South Korean businesses.
The court also sentenced Choi Soon-sil the former President Park Geun-hye's confidante to 20 years in prison.
Lotte was one of many major companies that donated money to non-profit foundations controlled by Choi .
The Seoul Central District Court said Tuesday that Choi Soon-sil was convicted on abuse of power bribery and other charges. The court also imposed 18 billion won ($17 million) fine on her.
The court said Choi abused her close tie with the former president to take personal profit. Among her crime was coercing businesses to donate a huge amount of money to foundations under her control and receiving bribes from Samsung and Lotte.
It said her crime was grave given how she triggered an unprecedented impeachment of the president and disappointed the public.
Choi Soon-sil emerged Tuesday from a police bus with flashing lights and entered the court in Seoul. She has been jailed during her trial.
Choi is charged with abuse of power and eight other charges stemming from her role in nonprofit foundations and a winter sports center that solicited funds from top South Korean companies.
The Seoul Central District Court says it will issue a verdict Tuesday afternoon. Choi Soon-sil a confidante of former President Park Geun-hye was tried on abuse of power and eight other charges. | [TGT] a longtime friend of former President Park Geun-hye was convicted Tuesday for abusing her close ties with Park to gain personal profit and for receiving bribes from Samsung Lotte and other big South Korean businesses.
The court also sentenced [TGT] the former President Park Geun-hye's confidante to 20 years in prison.
Lotte was one of many major companies that donated money to non-profit foundations controlled by Choi .
The Seoul Central District Court said Tuesday that [TGT] was convicted on abuse of power bribery and other charges. The court also imposed 18 billion won ($17 million) fine on her.
The court said Choi abused her close tie with the former president to take personal profit. Among her crime was coercing businesses to donate a huge amount of money to foundations under her control and receiving bribes from Samsung and Lotte.
It said her crime was grave given how she triggered an unprecedented impeachment of the president and disappointed the public.
[TGT] emerged Tuesday from a police bus with flashing lights and entered the court in Seoul. She has been jailed during her trial.
Choi is charged with abuse of power and eight other charges stemming from her role in nonprofit foundations and a winter sports center that solicited funds from top South Korean companies.
The Seoul Central District Court says it will issue a verdict Tuesday afternoon. [TGT] a confidante of former President Park Geun-hye was tried on abuse of power and eight other charges. | 1Neutral
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1,832 | Brexit: Tony Blair Warns British Voters Time Is Running Out | Tony Blair | Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday warned voters that time was running out to reverse Brexit a folly he said would torpedo Britainâs remaining clout and be regretted for generations to come.
Blair Labour prime minister from 1997 to 2007 said Britain would be poorer weaker and warned that May had solved none of the problems over Northern Irelandâs post-Brexit status.
âWe are making an error the contemporary world cannot understand and the generations of the future will not forgive â Blair said in an article published on his website on Thursday.
Leaving the European Union was once far-fetched: just over 15 years ago British leaders such as Blair were arguing about when to join the euro and talk of an EU exit was the reserve of sceptics on the fringes of both major parties.
Blair has repeatedly called for reversing Brexit echoing other opponents of Brexit such as French President Emmanuel Macron and billionaire investor George Soros who have suggested that Britain could still change its mind.
Supporters of Brexit dismissed Blair and said he was undermining both the British negotiation and the will of the people.
â Blair and his elitist gang are damaging our negotiating strength thus damaging our national interest by their continuing efforts to undermine democracy â said Richard Tice who helped found one of the two Leave campaign groups.
Blair is unpopular in Britain for his decision to back then-U.S. President George W. Bushâs 2003 invasion of Iraq and the justification he used for going into a war that cost the deaths of 150 000 Iraqi civilians and 179 British soldiers.
But he has become increasingly outspoken about Brexit.
He implored his Labour Party which is now led by socialist Jeremy Corbyn to join the fight to stop Brexit.
âMake Brexit the Tory Brexit. Make them own it 100 percent â Blair said. âIf Labour continues to go along with Brexit and insists on leaving the Single Market the handmaiden of Brexit will have been the timidity of Labour.â | [TGT] on Thursday warned voters that time was running out to reverse Brexit a folly [TGT] said would torpedo Britainâs remaining clout and be regretted for generations to come.
[TGT] Labour prime minister from 1997 to 2007 said Britain would be poorer weaker and warned that May had solved none of the problems over Northern Irelandâs post-Brexit status.
âWe are making an error the contemporary world cannot understand and the generations of the future will not forgive â [TGT] said in an article published on [TGT] website on Thursday.
Leaving the European Union was once far-fetched: just over 15 years ago British leaders such as [TGT] were arguing about when to join the euro and talk of an EU exit was the reserve of sceptics on the fringes of both major parties.
[TGT] has repeatedly called for reversing Brexit echoing other opponents of Brexit such as French President Emmanuel Macron and billionaire investor George Soros who have suggested that Britain could still change its mind.
Supporters of Brexit dismissed [TGT] and said [TGT] was undermining both the British negotiation and the will of the people.
â Blair and [TGT] elitist gang are damaging our negotiating strength thus damaging our national interest by their continuing efforts to undermine democracy â said Richard Tice who helped found one of the two Leave campaign groups.
[TGT] is unpopular in Britain for [TGT] decision to back then-U.S. President George W. Bushâs 2003 invasion of Iraq and the justification [TGT] used for going into a war that cost the deaths of 150 000 Iraqi civilians and 179 British soldiers.
But [TGT] has become increasingly outspoken about Brexit.
[TGT] implored [TGT] Labour Party which is now led by socialist Jeremy Corbyn to join the fight to stop Brexit.
âMake Brexit the Tory Brexit. Make them own it 100 percent â [TGT] said. âIf Labour continues to go along with Brexit and insists on leaving the Single Market the handmaiden of Brexit will have been the timidity of Labour.â | 0Negative
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1,833 | Officials In Obama's Drug Czar Office Wanted To Decriminalize Marijuana | Michael Botticelli | âIt forced the office to take a policy position that it may or may not agree to â Michael Botticelli the former director of the drug czarâs office told HuffPost. â[It] hamstrings you into a policy position that might be the policy of the day but that might change.â
The statute also made answering questions about marijuana policy complicated. When Botticelli was a deputy within the office Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) introduced legislation to remove the by-then-controversial language on marijuana. The bill went nowhere. Botticelli struggled even to answer questions on the subject.
Operating within these political and legal constraints Botticelli and others adopted more nuanced approaches to their work. The office pushed to obtain more federal funding for treatment. It supported states that sought to route those addicted to illegal substances like opioids away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. Botticelli supported the Justice Departmentâs efforts to shed the more onerous drug war era initiatives such as requiring mandatory minimum sentences for even low-level drug possession.
Later in that interview Botticelli was asked about legalizing marijuana not just decriminalizing penalties for its use. He said he was against statesâ commercializing the drug. âIt becomes an addiction to unfortunately a tax revenue thatâs often based on bad public health policy â he said. His predecessor had had similar reservations about outright legalizing marijuana.
The closest Botticelli came to addressing the decriminalization issue directly occurred when District of Columbia residents voted to ease restrictions on marijuana use. âI might not agree about legalization but I do agree with our own ability to spend our own money the way that we want to â he said.
Neither Botticelli nor his office would go much further than that during the eight years of the Obama presidency. Had they done so they would have incurred blowback from both parties in Congress and alienated drug prevention advocates who oppose marijuana use. More importantly the controversy would likely have distracted from the more critical opioid epidemic. That crisis ended up driving home the argument for a public health approach to drug addiction. | âIt forced the office to take a policy position that it may or may not agree to â [TGT] told HuffPost. â[It] hamstrings you into a policy position that might be the policy of the day but that might change.â
The statute also made answering questions about marijuana policy complicated. When [TGT] was a deputy within the office Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) introduced legislation to remove the by-then-controversial language on marijuana. The bill went nowhere. [TGT] struggled even to answer questions on the subject.
Operating within these political and legal constraints [TGT] and others adopted more nuanced approaches to their work. The office pushed to obtain more federal funding for treatment. It supported states that sought to route those addicted to illegal substances like opioids away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. [TGT] supported the Justice Departmentâs efforts to shed the more onerous drug war era initiatives such as requiring mandatory minimum sentences for even low-level drug possession.
Later in that interview [TGT] was asked about legalizing marijuana not just decriminalizing penalties for its use. [TGT] said [TGT] was against statesâ commercializing the drug. âIt becomes an addiction to unfortunately a tax revenue thatâs often based on bad public health policy â he said. His predecessor had had similar reservations about outright legalizing marijuana.
[TGT] came to addressing the decriminalization issue directly occurred when District of Columbia residents voted to ease restrictions on marijuana use. âI might not agree about legalization but I do agree with our own ability to spend our own money the way that we want to â [TGT] said.
Neither Botticelli nor [TGT] office would go much further than that during the eight years of the Obama presidency. Had they done so they would have incurred blowback from both parties in Congress and alienated drug prevention advocates who oppose marijuana use. More importantly the controversy would likely have distracted from the more critical opioid epidemic. That crisis ended up driving home the argument for a public health approach to drug addiction. | 1Neutral
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1,834 | 'The Square' Skillfully Skewers The Pretensions Of The Modern Art World | Anne | Against his better judgment he sleeps with an American journalist named Anne played by Elisabeth Moss in a scene that builds to an unusually icky post-coital punchline . But he isn't prepared when Anne confronts him later at the museum and interrogates him about their one-night stand a conversation made all the more tense and awkward by the building noise in the background.
ELISABETH MOSS: (As Anne ) Do you just go have sex with lots of other women?
MOSS: (As Anne) Is this something that you do a lot?
MOSS: (As Anne ) I'm asking how often you do...
MOSS: (As Anne) How often would you say that you take women that you don't know very well and have sex with them?
MOSS: (As Anne) Do you not remember them?
MOSS: (As Anne) You know their names?
MOSS: (As Anne) Yeah.
MOSS: (As Anne) Always?
MOSS: (As Anne) Yeah. So what's my name?
MOSS: (As Anne) OK then good what is it?
MOSS: (As Anne) Anyone that would know somebody's name would just say of course I know your name. Name...
MOSS: (As Anne) What is it?
MOSS: (As Anne laughing).
BANG: (As Christian) Anne.
MOSS: (As Anne) OK. | Against his better judgment he sleeps with an American journalist named [TGT] played by Elisabeth Moss in a scene that builds to an unusually icky post-coital punchline . But he isn't prepared when [TGT] confronts him later at the museum and interrogates him about their one-night stand a conversation made all the more tense and awkward by the building noise in the background.
ELISABETH MOSS: (As [TGT] ) Do you just go have sex with lots of other women?
MOSS: (As [TGT] ) Is this something that you do a lot?
MOSS: (As Anne ) I'm asking how often you do...
MOSS: (As Anne) How often would you say that you take women that you don't know very well and have sex with them?
MOSS: (As [TGT] ) Do you not remember them?
MOSS: (As Anne) You know their names?
MOSS: (As Anne) Yeah.
MOSS: (As Anne) Always?
MOSS: (As Anne) Yeah. So what's my name?
MOSS: (As [TGT] ) OK then good what is it?
MOSS: (As Anne) Anyone that would know somebody's name would just say of course I know your name. Name...
MOSS: (As Anne) What is it?
MOSS: (As Anne laughing).
BANG: (As Christian) Anne.
MOSS: (As [TGT] ) OK. | 1Neutral
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1,835 | Pakistan gets a dash of music Diplo | Diplo | ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - American DJ and record producer Diplo brought his Mad Decent Block Party to Pakistanâs capital over the weekend headlining a roster of musicians including local Pakistani acts.
For two-time Grammy winner Diplo playing Pakistan is a way to foster good relations with the mostly Muslim country after an angry Jan. 1 tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump complaining that Pakistan gives âterroristsâ a safe haven.
âI think the best way we can do any kind of diplomacy with the Pakistani people is ... basically reaching out to the kids like we do at the concerts â Diplo told TMZ last month after the Trump tweet which soured U.S.-Pakistani relations.
Among the headliners were Diploâs chart-topping side project Major Lazer Soundsystem DJ Chrome Sparks and Pakistani duo SNKM which has played the South by Southwest festival and toured with Diplo in the U.S. | ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - American DJ and [TGT] brought [TGT] Mad Decent Block Party to Pakistanâs capital over the weekend headlining a roster of musicians including local Pakistani acts.
For two-time Grammy winner Diplo playing Pakistan is a way to foster good relations with the mostly Muslim country after an angry Jan. 1 tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump complaining that Pakistan gives âterroristsâ a safe haven.
âI think the best way we can do any kind of diplomacy with the Pakistani people is ... basically reaching out to the kids like we do at the concerts â [TGT] told TMZ last month after the Trump tweet which soured U.S.-Pakistani relations.
Among the headliners were Diploâs chart-topping side project Major Lazer Soundsystem DJ Chrome Sparks and Pakistani duo SNKM which has played the South by Southwest festival and toured with [TGT] in the U.S. | 2Positive
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1,836 | CFPB Under Fire: Trump Budget Would Slash Funding For Consumer Protection Bureau : NPR | Mick Mulvaney | As a congressman Mick Mulvaney sponsored legislation to abolish the CFPB and he still doesn't speak very highly of the agency he's leading. Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation Mulvaney said the CFPB "has no accountability to Congress. It is perhaps the most unaccountable bureau or agency there is."
He said he wants to run the agency "with a good deal of humility and prudence." But critics say Mulvaney is not being humble he 's being reckless.
Under Mulvaney the bureau has put on hold new regulations for high-interest payday lenders. And it's dropped an investigation into a a payday lender that contributed to Mulvaney's campaign when he was in Congress. Mulvaney has said he doesn't think those contributions create a conflict of interest.
And now Mulvaney has proposed steep budget cuts. He says he 's not "gutting" the agency but Democrats vow they won't take the move sitting down.
"We will fight any effort to defund the CFPB " says Sen. Chris Van Hollen D-Md. Van Hollen pressed Mulvaney in a hearing this week about the agency head's decision to drop a lawsuit against an online lender called Golden Valley. The lawsuit said the lender is charging illegal and predatory interest rates.
Van Hollen says an NPR report this week prompted him to start looking into the lender. That report said Mulvaney dropped the lawsuit even though the entire professional career staff at the bureau wanted to press ahead with the case.
Van Hollen says he wants a full accounting from Mulvaney about why he did that. "It's pretty clear right now if left to their own devices Mulvany and the Trump administration will essentially turn the keys to the agency over to the very people who are cheating consumers " Van Hollen says.
The CFPB gets its funding from the Federal Reserve not Congress. But if Mulvaney tries to slash its budget Mike Calhoun of the Center for Responsible Lending says Congress could act to block the move. | As [TGT] sponsored legislation to abolish the CFPB and [TGT] still doesn't speak very highly of the agency [TGT] 's leading. Speaking on CBS' Face the Nation Mulvaney said the CFPB "has no accountability to Congress. It is perhaps the most unaccountable bureau or agency there is."
He said he wants to run the agency "with a good deal of humility and prudence." But critics say Mulvaney is not being humble he 's being reckless.
Under Mulvaney the bureau has put on hold new regulations for high-interest payday lenders. And it's dropped an investigation into a a payday lender that contributed to Mulvaney's campaign when he was in Congress. Mulvaney has said he doesn't think those contributions create a conflict of interest.
And now Mulvaney has proposed steep budget cuts. He says he 's not "gutting" the agency but Democrats vow they won't take the move sitting down.
"We will fight any effort to defund the CFPB " says Sen. Chris Van Hollen D-Md. Van Hollen pressed Mulvaney in a hearing this week about the agency head's decision to drop a lawsuit against an online lender called Golden Valley. The lawsuit said the lender is charging illegal and predatory interest rates.
Van Hollen says an NPR report this week prompted him to start looking into the lender. That report said Mulvaney dropped the lawsuit even though the entire professional career staff at the bureau wanted to press ahead with the case.
Van Hollen says he wants a full accounting from Mulvaney about why he did that. "It's pretty clear right now if left to their own devices Mulvany and the Trump administration will essentially turn the keys to the agency over to the very people who are cheating consumers " Van Hollen says.
The CFPB gets its funding from the Federal Reserve not Congress. But if Mulvaney tries to slash its budget Mike Calhoun of the Center for Responsible Lending says Congress could act to block the move. | 1Neutral
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1,837 | Defense concedes coach kidnaped raped killed Missouri girl | Hailey Owens | Although Craig Wood has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder his attorney Patrick Berrigan agreed with the basic facts outlined by Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson in opening statements at Wood's trial The Springfield News-Leader reported. But Berrigan argued that Wood â who faces the death penalty if he's convicted â acted impulsively when he snatched Hailey Owens in broad daylight and in front of witnesses.
Carlos Edwards testified that he was raking leaves on the day of the abduction and saw a pickup truck drive past his home several times. Edwards said Hailey was standing in his driveway when the driver pulled up next to the fourth-grader and asked her how to get to a street. The girl said she didn't know and started walking away Edwards recalled and then the driver said: "Hey come here for a minute."
Edwards said that as soon as she got close enough the driver opened his door grabbed Hailey and drove off. Edwards said he took off running but a drainage ditch at the edge of his yard stopped him from getting to the truck.
Patterson said during his opening statements that when Wood parked his truck and got out officers approached and Wood tossed a roll of duct tape in the back of his truck. Officers found Hailey 's body wrapped in plastic in a plastic bin in the basement. Patterson said she was shot in the back of her head from close range. | Although Craig Wood has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder his attorney Patrick Berrigan agreed with the basic facts outlined by Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson in opening statements at Wood's trial The Springfield News-Leader reported. But Berrigan argued that Wood â who faces the death penalty if he's convicted â acted impulsively when he snatched [TGT] in broad daylight and in front of witnesses.
Carlos Edwards testified that he was raking leaves on the day of the abduction and saw a pickup truck drive past his home several times. Edwards said Hailey was standing in his driveway when the driver pulled up next to the fourth-grader and asked her how to get to a street. The girl said she didn't know and started walking away Edwards recalled and then the driver said: "Hey come here for a minute."
Edwards said that as soon as she got close enough the driver opened his door grabbed Hailey and drove off. Edwards said he took off running but a drainage ditch at the edge of his yard stopped him from getting to the truck.
Patterson said during his opening statements that when Wood parked his truck and got out officers approached and Wood tossed a roll of duct tape in the back of his truck. Officers found Hailey 's body wrapped in plastic in a plastic bin in the basement. Patterson said she was shot in the back of her head from close range. | 2Positive
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1,838 | William F. Buckley Jr.: Catholic Faith Was Central to His Life | Bill Buckley | Nine years after Bill Buckley âs death reflecting on his Catholic life
William F. Buckley Jr. died nine years ago today. When I announced his death on the website a stream of e-mails poured in testifying to what an impact he had on people âs lives by his presence â in print on television and in person. Person after person told of the one time they met him and in each case the story was nearly identical: Bill treated them like they were the most important person in the world. Priests and at least one religious sister shared the influence his public Catholicism had on them. Others said that while their own father wasnât in the picture when they were growing up Bill was a reliable presence in their lives with wisdom even if only via Firing Line.
When I interviewed Bill for Crisis back in the mid Nineties he inspired me with two comments: One that he prayed the Rosary every day. Two that he had had a love affair with Jesus Christ since his childhood when He answered his prayers about his mother who was going through a very difficult pregnancy.
Following the interview I began describing Bill as the Saint Paul of the modern conservative movement. Saint Paul because (a) Bill was a true believer in his faith and philosophy spreading both wherever he traveled; and (b) he was an apostle of caritas. âThough I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not love I am no better than a clanging gong or a brass bell.â So many many acts of charity throughout his life. He proselytized for conservatism for nearly 60 years sustained by his deep faith.
Bill was the opposite of ostentatious in his religious observances. But any close friend could see that prayer occupied an important place in the spiritual economy of his life. I think he would have liked what the novelist Anthony Trollope had to say about such matters. In the late 1850s Trollope wrote:
I suppose we might cavil over the deflationary phrase âamuse himselfâ â perhaps âengageâ or âoccupyâ would have been better â but in essentials I think Bill would have smiled on Trollopeâs enumeration of duties. And it was the prelude the recognition that our sojourn here on earth is ineluctably short be it full of years or like that of Lessingâs son numbered in hours only that distributes weight to the obligations articulated.
Pascal expresses the discomfiting aspect of this humbling recognition the side that pushes people into graduate seminars in philosophy and the therapistâs couch. Bill did not have much time for this allotrope of existential anxiety. He recognized as he put it in his magnificent account of his visit to Lourdes that âfrom the day of birth we are on our deathbed.â But if he found in it a private inspiration to prayer he publicly embraced it as a goad to action and enjoyment not paralysis. His focus was adamantly outward blissfully with the particularities of his latest adventure. Socrates may or may not have been right that âthe unexamined life is not worth living.â Bill indisputably demonstrated that the unexamined world just wonât cut it. âThe entertainment committee â he liked to say ânever sleeps.â
Our secular age is unfriendly to Catholics to religion generally but the irony is that secularists are often less jubilantly worldly than their Jewish and Christian compatriots. âGod made the world and saw that it was good.â That bulletin from Genesis might have been the motto of Bill Buckleyâs life. He certainly did everything he could to broadcast it among his many friends. I have never known a more generous person. I do not mean only materially generous though Billâs largesse in that department was legendary. I mean spiritually constitutionally generous as well.
Billâs generosity was perhaps most solicitous in matters touching on religious faith. I think of his account alternately moving and amusing of the last days of his National Review colleague Frank Meyer. In his last illness Meyer struggled with the momentous decision of whether to convert to Catholicism. Bill was a tireless emissary between Meyer and various confidants. Bill reports that Meyer from his bed of woe complained that âthe only remaining intellectual obstacle to his conversion was the collectivist implication lurking in the formulation âthe communion of saintsâ in the Apostlesâ Creed.â Two days before the end Meyer somehow overcame that final obstacle partly I like to think with the help of Billâs armory of arguments.
Another anecdote: Everyone knows that Bill commanded a formidable vocabulary. It was significant therefore that he should have telephoned us once in search of a word. âIt means taking pleasure in the misfortune of others â he said to my wife. âSchadenfreude?â she ventured. âThatâs it!â he said and rang off. How perfectly Buckleyesque that he should have forgotten it. It named an emotion that was as foreign to him as joy was native.
When I met Mr. Buckley I was a sophomore in college and even at a distance of all these years I know that what most struck me about him then was what might be called a certain Catholic matter-of-factness: not in the sense of nonchalance in approaching matters of faith but just the opposite. From his lifetime of familiarity with the Lord came an ease of conversation about Him and a givenness that his life was firmly situated within the context of a lived discipleship in the middle of the Church.
Father Gerald E. Murray
Bill Buckley went on pilgrimage to Our Ladyâs shrine in Lourdes a few years before he set out on the final pilgrimage to eternity. I was a chaplain on that trip and spent time with Bill . He remarked that at Lourdes he felt completely free from the ordinary sense of time and schedules. He must have experienced the heavenly sense of Lourdes. When the Blessed Virgin Mary came down to speak with Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 eternity entered into time and left a lasting mark on a faraway corner of France. Time is a measurement of change; eternity is beyond change for it is the perfection of everything we seek when we pursue the true the good and the beautiful.
Bill spent his lifetime resisting those who impossibly sought to âimmanentize the eschatonâ by violence deceit and deception. The eschaton is reserved for the next life. A sweet foretaste however is offered when and where God chooses to intervene in human history. Lourdes is such a place and Bill knew by conviction and now by experience that Catholicism blesses her children with such joyful experiences of the fundamental truth that God is good. That joy transports us if only for a moment out of the limited horizon of daily life. That joy allows us to return to our daily schedule knowing it all has a meaning and higher purpose as we journey to eternity. Bill Buckley was a pilgrim who sought and upheld truth and goodness in the great struggle against the 20th centuryâs promoters of lies and evil. We are all in his debt. Requiescat in pace.
â The Reverend Gerald E. Murray J.C.D. is a canon lawyer and the pastor of Holy Family Church in New York City. | Nine years after [TGT] âs death reflecting on [TGT] Catholic life
William F. Buckley Jr. died nine years ago today. When I announced his death on the website a stream of e-mails poured in testifying to what an impact he had on people âs lives by his presence â in print on television and in person. Person after person told of the one time they met him and in each case the story was nearly identical: Bill treated them like they were the most important person in the world. Priests and at least one religious sister shared the influence his public Catholicism had on them. Others said that while their own father wasnât in the picture when they were growing up Bill was a reliable presence in their lives with wisdom even if only via Firing Line.
When I interviewed Bill for Crisis back in the mid Nineties he inspired me with two comments: One that he prayed the Rosary every day. Two that he had had a love affair with Jesus Christ since his childhood when He answered his prayers about his mother who was going through a very difficult pregnancy.
Following the interview I began describing Bill as the Saint Paul of the modern conservative movement. Saint Paul because (a) Bill was a true believer in his faith and philosophy spreading both wherever he traveled; and (b) he was an apostle of caritas. âThough I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not love I am no better than a clanging gong or a brass bell.â So many many acts of charity throughout his life. He proselytized for conservatism for nearly 60 years sustained by his deep faith.
Bill was the opposite of ostentatious in his religious observances. But any close friend could see that prayer occupied an important place in the spiritual economy of his life. I think he would have liked what the novelist Anthony Trollope had to say about such matters. In the late 1850s Trollope wrote:
I suppose we might cavil over the deflationary phrase âamuse himselfâ â perhaps âengageâ or âoccupyâ would have been better â but in essentials I think Bill would have smiled on Trollopeâs enumeration of duties. And it was the prelude the recognition that our sojourn here on earth is ineluctably short be it full of years or like that of Lessingâs son numbered in hours only that distributes weight to the obligations articulated.
Pascal expresses the discomfiting aspect of this humbling recognition the side that pushes people into graduate seminars in philosophy and the therapistâs couch. Bill did not have much time for this allotrope of existential anxiety. He recognized as he put it in his magnificent account of his visit to Lourdes that âfrom the day of birth we are on our deathbed.â But if [TGT] [TGT] found in [TGT] a private inspiration to prayer [TGT] publicly embraced [TGT] as a goad to action and enjoyment not paralysis. [TGT] focus was adamantly outward blissfully with the particularities of [TGT] latest adventure. Socrates may or may not have been right that âthe unexamined life is not worth living.â Bill indisputably demonstrated that the unexamined world just wonât cut it. âThe entertainment committee â he liked to say ânever sleeps.â
Our secular age is unfriendly to Catholics to religion generally but the irony is that secularists are often less jubilantly worldly than their Jewish and Christian compatriots. âGod made the world and saw that it was good.â That bulletin from Genesis might have been the motto of [TGT] [TGT] certainly did everything [TGT] could to broadcast it among [TGT] many friends. I have never known a more generous person. I do not mean only materially generous though Billâs largesse in that department was legendary. I mean spiritually constitutionally generous as well.
Billâs generosity was perhaps most solicitous in matters touching on religious faith. I think of [TGT] [TGT] account alternately moving and amusing of the last days of [TGT] National Review colleague Frank Meyer. In his last illness Meyer struggled with the momentous decision of whether to convert to Catholicism. Bill was a tireless emissary between Meyer and various confidants. Bill reports that Meyer from his bed of woe complained that âthe only remaining intellectual obstacle to his conversion was the collectivist implication lurking in the formulation âthe communion of saintsâ in the Apostlesâ Creed.â Two days before the end Meyer somehow overcame that final obstacle partly I like to think with the help of Billâs armory of arguments.
Another anecdote: Everyone knows that Bill commanded a formidable vocabulary. It was significant therefore that he should have telephoned us once in search of a word. âIt means taking pleasure in the misfortune of others â he said to my wife. âSchadenfreude?â she ventured. âThatâs it!â he said and rang off. How perfectly Buckleyesque that he should have forgotten it. It named an emotion that was as foreign to him as joy was native.
When I met Mr. Buckley I was a sophomore in college and even at a distance of all these years I know that what most struck me about him then was what might be called a certain Catholic matter-of-factness: not in the sense of nonchalance in approaching matters of faith but just the opposite. From his lifetime of familiarity with the Lord came an ease of conversation about Him and a givenness that his life was firmly situated within the context of a lived discipleship in the middle of the Church.
[TGT]
went on pilgrimage to Our Ladyâs shrine in Lourdes a few years before [TGT] set out on the final pilgrimage to eternity. I was a chaplain on that trip and spent time with Bill . He remarked that at Lourdes he felt completely free from the ordinary sense of time and schedules. He must have experienced the heavenly sense of Lourdes. When the Blessed Virgin Mary came down to speak with Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 eternity entered into time and left a lasting mark on a faraway corner of France. Time is a measurement of change; eternity is beyond change for it is the perfection of everything we seek when we pursue the true the good and the beautiful.
Bill spent his lifetime resisting those who impossibly sought to âimmanentize the eschatonâ by violence deceit and deception. The eschaton is reserved for the next life. A sweet foretaste however is offered when and where God chooses to intervene in human history. Lourdes is such a place and Bill knew by conviction and now by experience that Catholicism blesses her children with such joyful experiences of the fundamental truth that God is good. That joy transports us if only for a moment out of the limited horizon of daily life. That joy allows us to return to our daily schedule knowing it all has a meaning and higher purpose as we journey to eternity. Bill Buckley was a pilgrim who sought and upheld truth and goodness in the great struggle against the 20th centuryâs promoters of lies and evil. We are all in his debt. Requiescat in pace.
â [TGT] is a canon lawyer and the pastor of Holy Family Church in New York City. | 2Positive
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1,839 | The Insane True Story Of How "Titanic" Got Made | James Cameron Jack | The first time I saw Titanic my father left the theater in the middle of the movie to get a haircut. I didnât notice he was gone. I wasnât conscious of any reality but Titanic even though I already knew exactly what was going to happen. One of my friends had briefed me on what to expect: Jack and Rose fall in love the ship sinks and Jack finds a piece of wreckage floating in the sea and helps Rose clamber onto it saving her from the freezing death that claims him before the lifeboats return for survivors. But it wasnât fair my friend explained: It was obvious to her that there was room for them both. It didnât matter that I knew exactly what was coming. I couldnât think about anything else while the movie played. And even when the lights came up and I realized my father was missing his absence didnât seem to matter much. I was 9 but I already understood he had a habit of wandering off when he got bored. I was even used to it. What was new was this feeling: that I had to get back to Titanic as soon as possible. The credits were barely rolling as I began to strategize my next viewing. I knew that the movie had completely devastated me and I knew that all I wanted was to be devastated again. But why? Viewers â many of them adolescent and preadolescent girls like me â would go back to Titanic over and over again while it was in theaters. It was the No. 1 movie in the US for 15 consecutive weeks a feat that has yet to be surpassed and likely never will be. Well before it was released James Cameronâs passion project became notorious as the most expensive movie ever made with a final budget of $200 million. Then it became the first movie in history to earn $1 billion at the box office. And it achieved this success despite months of advance press claiming that the movie was all but doomed; despite the widespread belief that James Cameron who previously helmed the Alien and Terminator franchises had no business trying to tell a story about love; and despite the fact that Titanic in a way that is now all too easy to forget is an immensely difficult movie to watch. When Titanic was released on video in September 1998 its 3 hours and 14 minutes had to be split across two VHS tapes. The same studio heads who were convinced Titanic could only recoup its budget at best (success was almost mathematically impossible) had seen its gargantuan runtime as just one of its many liabilities. Critics also pointed to its ungainly length as proof of its failure to play by the rules: It was a âbloated leviathan â a âbehemoth â and a tiresome epic that according to the Washington Postâs Desson Howe left viewers âthinking the unpardonable thought: âOK sink already.ââ Titanicâs length was also bad news for movie theaters since it meant they had to schedule fewer showings â and sell fewer tickets â than they could with a normal movie. After screening Titanic for a test audience in Minneapolis however executives at Paramount and Fox which had jointly financed the production began wondering if Cameron âs folly might not be a disaster of Waterworld proportions. The audience laughed and cheered and gasped at all the right moments and gave the movie and its characters astoundingly high ratings on the survey cards they filled out after the showing. âIt went well â a Fox executive said cagily. âNot great but well.â When all was said and done Titanic had cost a little over $1 million per minute of screentime and it was sometimes hard for studio executives to look at the movie Cameron described as a way to honor the disasterâs victims without wondering just how much this history lesson would end up costing them. Cameron had been dreaming of Titanic since Robert Ballard located the shipâs remains in 1985 (âIâll be goddamned!â Ballard exclaimed as Titanic loomed into view a line Cameron later borrowed for his own characters). After watching National Geographicâs special on Ballard in 1987 Cameron made a few notes: âDo story with bookends of present-day [wreckage] scene...intercut with memory of a survivor...needs a mystery or driving plot element.â
Cameron had always loved diving and deep-sea exploration and The Abyss his third film as director and sole writer had been a love letter to both. But that was fantasy; Titanic was real. And when Cameron first decided to pursue the project the prospect of going to the wreck of Titanic might have been incentive enough to pitch the movie. When he first met with 20th Century Fox Chairman Peter Chernin to discuss Titanic in the spring of 1995 he asked for $2 million to fund a deep-sea expedition. It was an amazing sum of money to the Russian scientists and submersible pilots who took Cameron to the wreck. It was nothing compared to Titanicâs final price tag. When Titanic opened in theaters across the US on the weekend of Dec. 19 1997 it became the No. 1 movie in America by the skin of its teeth edging out the latest James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies by a margin of $3.5 million. But to the executives who had nervously overseen Titanicâs production â and watched its budget nearly double from $110 to $200 million â this wasnât particularly encouraging news. For Titanic to earn a profit executives calculated it would have to attract viewers in utterly unprecedented numbers: Even if it sold more tickets than Dances With Wolves the most profitable three-hour-long movie ever released Fox would still be $70 million in the red. And to be a success? It would have to somehow repeat its $28 million opening-weekend ticket sales â and stay the No. 1 movie in America â for weeks and weeks in a row in a way no movie had in nearly a decade. It would have to be more than just a movie. It would have to become a cultural obsession. And it did. Cameron had once â optimistically as the final budget reflected â called Titanic "a $190 million chick flick." By Jan. 31 1998 20th Century Fox estimated that 7% of all American teenage girls had seen the movie twice. They werenât the only ones going back to see Titanic a second time and perhaps a third though they did receive the most press. In 1997 the average return viewer rate for a theatrically released movie was 2%. Meanwhile Titanicâs was 20%. In February 1998 a survey found that 76% of Titanic's repeat viewers still planned to see it again. It made more money â $32 million â during its 11th weekend in theaters than it did during its first. (It helped that this weekend also happened to fall on Valentineâs Day.) Theaters that previously worried about losing money on a movie they could screen only two or three times a day started squeezing in showings as early as 8 a.m. and as late as midnight letting out satisfied viewers at 3:30 in the morning. Adults people with families responsibilities and jobs flocked to see Titanic. Because for a little while â for 3 hours and 14 minutes to be precise â the rest of their lives disappeared. Titanic gave people a way to make the rest of their lives disappear and so they kept coming back and finding that the world James Cameron had created for them still felt just as real as it had the first time. What made Titanic not just a movie but a destination? And what did it take to will such a world into solid reality?
âIt is the night before shooting starts â Kate Winslet wrote in her diary on Sept. 15 1996 âand here I am all pin-curled up and hungry ready to go. Thinking about Rose. She was so young. I need to think about her childhood her youth and find my way through the 17 years of her life. I'll never sleep tonight.â The next morning Winslet added: âNo sleep. This is it⦠My life is not my own and probably never will be â and that's Rose talking.â During Titanicâs seven months of production the line between Kate and Rose would sometimes blur â but it had been that way from the beginning. After she auditioned for the part and Cameron left her waiting as he deliberated casting Winslet tracked him down on his car phone reaching him when he was on the freeway. âYou donât understand â she told him . âI am Rose.â And she was. Kate Winslet was 20 when she began filming Titanic and spent her 21st birthday shooting Jack âs death scene. âWe were lying there on the raft sort of shivering together â she told Rosie OâDonnell while promoting the movie âand I said âLeo itâs my birthday today.â And he said âThatâs great sweetie. You know what? I donât care.ââ DiCaprio himself turned 22 while Titanic was in production. In the same Rosie appearance Winslet said she and Leo had been âthe naughty children on the set â and remembered how while filming the scenes where Jack and Rose waited for the lifeboats to return after the shipâs sinking âLeo would sometimes say to me âSweetie sweetie I gotta pee.â âIâd go âSo have I.ââ They would pee in shifts taking turns swimming over to another part of the tank â which was about the most romantic gesture anyone could get either of them to recall from Titanicâs set though people tried. âHe doesnât think that heâs gorgeous â Kate Winslet told Vanity Fair around the time Leomania became a bona fide pandemic. âAnd to me heâs just smelly farty Leo.â When she wasnât called on to talk about his sex appeal Winslet sang DiCaprioâs praises as an artist. âHeâs gifted from God as far as Iâm concerned â she told OâDonnell. In another interview she mused âLeo is such a brilliant actor. And he doesnât know it. He really doesnât know it.â
He had started his career with commercials for Kraft cheese (âHands off the Free Singles are for Daddy!â âAw but Mom!â) Matchbox cars Bubble Yum (âOnly Yum is the fun that never blows out!â) and Fred Meyer fashions (âYou wanna dance?â a girl asks him. âI like your sweaterâ). He won his first TV roles â after being kicked off the set of Romper Room at 3 years old â in The New Lassie and Parenthood. He was good at playing junior-high heartthrobs and squeaky-clean sons but the more he got cast in those parts the less interested in them he seemed to be. By the time he was cast as Jack Dawson Leonardo DiCaprio had already been nominated for a best supporting actor Academy Award for his role as the title characterâs developmentally disabled younger brother Arnie in Whatâs Eating Gilbert Grape. Initially director Lasse Hallström had believed DiCaprio was too handsome for the role â a judgment born out by the fact that fan mail for him was already streaming onto the set of Growing Pains. âWhen I was doing Growing Pains I had quite a teen following â DiCaprio said in a 1993 interview. âFor a while I was third in fan mail or something like that. To tell you the truth I don't like that. Being the hunk-of-the-month annoys me. ... I don't care about being a star. Anybody can be a star with a little makeup and a music video. I'm concerned about being an actor.â James Cameron knew he wanted DiCaprio to be his Jack Dawson but DiCaprio didnât want to be his Jack . When DiCaprio auditioned for the role Cameron later remembered he first refused to read a scene with Kate Winslet then âread it once [and started] goofing around.â After that Cameron said âI could never get him to focus on it again. But for one split second a shaft of light came down from the heavens and lit up the forest.â DiCaprio had never played a character like Jack before: one who forced him to be so relentlessly in the light. Instead he had spent his early career playing roles like the heroin-addicted Jim Carroll in 1995âs The Basketball Diaries and Arthur Rimbaud (âyoung gorgeous and derangedâ) in Total Eclipse. âHow do you do that?â DiCaprio said of his role in Titanic even after filming had ended. âI was asking Jim âCanât we add some dark things to his character?â And he was like âNo Leo you canât.ââ
âI just wasn't used to playing an openhearted free-spirited guy â DiCaprio told the Los Angeles Times shortly after the Titanic premiere. âI've played the more tortured roles in the past. It was difficult to be someone closer to 'me' than anyone else.â âHis character doesnât go through torment â Cameron later said of the role âand Leo previously and subsequently in his career was always looking for that dark cloud. ... [It was] only when I convinced him [this] was actually the harder thing to do that he got excited.â Titanic represented a new challenge for James Cameron too. It wasnât his first romantic movie (try listening to the love theme from The Terminator sometime) but it was the first movie he had ever made where a love story served as the primary dramatic engine. When he pitched Titanic to Fox Chairman Peter Chernin in 1995 Cameron â who had cracked into the big leagues after making 1984âs The Terminator and had seen his sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day become the highest-grossing movie of 1991 â found himself in the odd position of trying to sell studio executives on exactly the kind of movie they didnât think he could make. "They were like 'Oooooohkaaaaaay â" he later told Paula Parisi author of Titanic and the Making of James Cameron . ââA three-hour romantic epic? Sure that's just what we want. Is there a little bit of Terminator in that? Any Harrier jets shoot-outs or car chases?' I said 'No no no. It's not like that.'" Yet James Cameron was in a sense a natural choice for the helm of a romantic epic: He knew how to translate love into action. From the beginning his heroes and heroines had been made powerful by their ability to love and by loveâs ability to instill in them greater strength than any opponent could hope to defeat. The Terminator ends with Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) speaking gently to her unborn son as she drives into a mounting storm; in Aliens Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) balances a little girl on one hip and a flamethrower on the other; and in Judgment Day the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) programmed to protect the adolescent John Connor tells John âI know now why you cryâ as he destroys himself to save the future of humanity. âBuilding Better Worldsâ is the space conglomerate slogan on display in James Cameronâs Aliens but it could just as easily apply to the worlds Cameron builds in his movies â or rather the worlds he allows to come into being by stripping away the rules as they have always previously applied. In The Terminator Terminator 2 and Aliens this idea seems to go hand in hand with getting rid of men â and Titanic follows this example. Even if men arenât actively oppressing women Cameronâs movies suggest they still have a way of holding women back from doing what they need to. Even if all you want is to save John Connor youâre still a product of Skynet. The best protection you can offer the world is to leave it.
Before filming even began Cameron knew his $110 million budget projection was only an educated guess. To begin with Fox would have to build a brand-new studio from the ground up something neither it nor any other major movie company had done since the 1930s. No one knew how much it cost to do that kind of thing anymore â to say nothing of the price tag for conjuring the past with computer-generated effects so brand-new that their final cost was also impossible to estimate. But if anyone could make Titanic work Fox executives felt it was James Cameron . He had made Terminator 2 from script to premiere in 13 months: He shot the movie six days a week and on the seventh day he edited. (Crew members somehow found enough time away from their grueling production schedule to make shirts reading âYou canât scare me I work for James Cameron .â) He liked to say he had won his first directing gig â for Piranha II: The Spawning the sequel to a Jaws knockoff â because he convinced producers he could make mealworms writhe on command. (He had called âAction!â and then electrified them with an AC current.) He had a reputation as a miracle worker and he encouraged it. How else could you convince a roomful of businessmen to give you the money you needed to project your dreams and nightmares directly into the American mind? The question was just how much this dream was going to cost. Cameron asked for $125 million to make Titanic. Fox Chairman Peter Chernin balked and told Cameron he could make the movie he had first pitched as âRomeo and Juliet on a boatâ if he could have it ready for a July 1997 release and keep the budget to $110 million. Cameron perhaps believing this might really be possible at the time â and perhaps also figuring it was better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission â said he could do it offering to forfeit $4 million of his own salary to squeeze under the line. Almost as soon as Titanic went into production it began to go over budget. In 1996 shooting a typical action blockbuster â a Batman Forever or a Tomorrow Never Dies â cost an average of $100 000 to $150 000 a day. Titanic averaged between $225 000 and $300 000 â and this was after construction ended on the brand-new 40-acre movie studio Cameron needed to film it. He had considered locations all over the world and ultimately decided on a spot 15 miles south of the border in Rosarito Mexico. Workers needed 10 000 tons of dynamite to blast a hole in the coastline big enough for the 17-million-gallon open-air tank â the largest ever built â that Cameron needed to hold his ship. And in a detail that becomes noteworthy when the movie in question is so concerned with the politics and hierarchies of labor â and Titanic never for a moment lets you forget that the captainâs pleasure in his âunsinkableâ ship is powered by the sweat of the stokers in the hold â Cameron shot Titanic in Mexico in part to keep labor costs down. (âThis is NAFTA at work!â Foxâs Tom Sherak told journalists who visited the set.)
Less than halfway through its seven-month shooting schedule the movie had gobbled up nearly three-quarters of its budget and showed no signs of slowing down â and Cameron seemed unwilling to make it slow down. So Paula Parisi writes in Titanic and the Making of James Cameron the studio did its best to persuade him . One night in the fall of 1996 20th Century Fox President Bill Mechanic visited Cameron onset during his 2 a.m. lunch hour a schedule necessitated by the movieâs endless night shoots. âFrom a financial standpoint â Mechanic told him âthis film is wildly out of control. Nothing is going to change that. All we can do now is contain it. So here are some scenes weâd like you to cut from the shooting schedule.â Cameron studied the list of scenes and immediately refused to cut any of them. âIf you want to cut my film â James Cameron told the president of Fox âyouâll have to fire me and to fire me youâll have to kill me.â Then he stormed off set. The scenes stayed in the picture. Mechanic had little choice but to relent: No other director could manage all the moving parts Titanic required. When Cameron asked Peter Chernin to fund his submersible expedition to Titanic he wanted not just to see the wreck himself but to film it in a way that would allow viewers to feel they were there with him . Doing so would also allow him to do Bob Ballard one better: Ballard may have found the ship but he had only been able to capture video of it with his underwater remote operating vehicle Jason. (Ballard had also initially wished to keep Titanicâs location secret.) Cameron might not be shooting Titanic first but he was going to do it right. His engineer brother Mike â the only Cameron boy who finished college â developed a titanium-encased film camera capable of independently withstanding the pressure of the ocean floor and of capturing images of Titanic as it had never been seen before. Each dive would cost $25 000 and could record only 10 minutes of film. Some of the footage Cameron brought back from Titanic appears in the movie. Some is recreated. But what Cameron also seems to have brought back from those dives was a new sense of humility about the task before him . After his second trip to Titanic Cameron told Paula Parisi âI just sat there and I just started to cry thinking about the dive and everything Iâd seen and experienced.â Later he wrote in James Cameronâs Titanic: âThat night I realized that my project my film was doomed to failure if it could not convey the emotion of that night rather than the fact of it.â More and more it seemed to him that he could only let viewers experience Titanicâs sinking by letting them fully experience the ship itself â and he could only do that by recreating it.
âI wanted to be able to say to an audience without the slightest pang of guilt: This is real â Cameron wrote of Titanic. âThis is what happened. Exactly like this. If you went back in a time machine and stood on the deck this is what you would have seen⦠Second Officer Lightoller would be over there ⦠and Wallace Hartley would be leading the band in a lively waltz just there a few yards away ⦠[and] slaloming between these immovable pylons of historical fact are Jack and Rose.â In this way Cameron wrote âThe film comes full circle from being a film about Titanic to being a love story that happens merely to be set on Titanic back to being about the emotional truth of Titanic after all. By feeling the fear the loss the heartbreak of Jack and Rose we finally can feel for the 1 500.â After seeing Titanic for the first time Harry Knowles compared the experience to traveling to the past through self-willed hypnosis like the hero of Somewhere in Time. Titanic experts who visited Cameronâs set had the same experience in the flesh. Cameron âs devotion to history was exacting and at times excruciating: Every possible detail from the davits used to lower the lifeboats to the carpet in the first-class dining saloon (recreated all 18 000 square feet of it by the same company that had manufactured the original) was identical to what Titanicâs passengers would have seen. When the furniture being artificially aged for a scene recreating the wreck didnât look quite right to Cameron he spent a day and a half working on the props himself. ( He was supposed to be finishing the screenplay at the time.) â Cameron wanted real wallpaper and things like that " the movieâs head of physical production Fred Gallo recalled. "I said 'Why don't you build the sets and have them paint on the wallpaper? No one will ever know.'â But Cameron would. Thousands of props from ashtrays to teacups to forks had to be stamped with the White Star Line emblem even if it was impossible for viewers to see. The costumes alone cost $8.4 million. The chandeliers couldnât be Lucite Cameron decided because then they wouldnât chime ominously as the ship began to tilt; they would have to be crystal just as they had been in 1912. âThere should be a little brass sign right here that says âPush ââ Cameron said apologetically to Ken Marschall as he led the Titanic expert through a doorway on D deck during a set visit. âIt was one delight after another â Marschall said of his time on Titanic. But he didnât have to work there.
"You don't just join one of his films " editor Mark Goldblatt said of James Cameron . âYou sign on for a tour of duty." On Titanic two-thirds of the shoot had to be done at night and even the cast sometimes worked 20-hour days. âNothing could have prepared me for it â Kate Winslet later said. Night after night as Titanic sank again and again she and Leonardo DiCaprio had to struggle through water pumped in straight from the ocean. âI bet people will think it's heated â she wrote in her diary âbut it isn't.â The crew watched actors vigilantly for signs of hypothermia. (Later they would begin heating the water even though Winslet had believed the cold would make her performance more authentic). "I chipped a small bone in my elbow and at one point I had deep bruises all over my arms " Kate Winslet told the Los Angeles Times once Titanicâs arduous shoot was over. "I looked like a battered wife." Filming underwater close-ups where Winslet had to be weighted in a tank while completely submerged terrified her. Cameron she wrote âwouldn't have made me do that if I didn't say âNo I'm okay.â" But even though it was a highly supervised set with safety divers everywhere she sometimes felt like she was drowning. âTake after take â Winslet wrote in her diary âI reminded myself that I wanted to be part of this. I will not admit defeat.â
No one would. Titanicâs budget continued to swell as Cameron continued to fall behind schedule and its release date was pushed back from July to December. Fox shunted Speed 2 â which some executives had higher hopes for anyway â into the summer release slot Titanic was meant to fill. It flopped and Titanic plunged ahead its budget once rising by $20 million in the space of two chaotic weeks. âI cannot think of one crew member who didn't say 'I've had it ââ first assistant director Sebastián Silva said. âBut no one walked." As far as Cameron âs temper went Kate Winslet said âthe actors got off lightly. I think Jim knew he couldn't shout at us the way he did to his crew because our performances would be no good.â âAny idiot could figure this out!â This Paula Parisi wrote was a standard Cameron response to crew members who couldnât make his vision a reality fast enough. He raged at workers and he raged at executives and he seemed sometimes to want more than anything to simply be able to do every single job on Titanic himself. When the ice arrived in hundred-pound blocks Cameron picked up an ax and started chopping preparing it for the scene where it was to splinter off the iceberg and fall onto the deck. âGetting over their initial disbelief â Paula Parisi wrote âthe crew followed suit. ... Giving up his ax Cameron stepped back and watched for thirty seconds then he just couldnât stand it anymore. He pushed a puny guy aside taking his ax. It was just too much fun.â Cameron Parisi wrote was âshowing that he knew full well the film was going to be hard work but no one would work harder than he would.â Maybe. But Titanic Parisi also observed âwas a factory â and it had only one product: Cameron âs dream. Cameronâs recreation of the ship itself contained 300 tons of steel bolted together at a breakneck pace by 30 laborers. The wardrobe department needed 8 000 separate articles of clothing to dress the extras for the Southampton scene alone. Every time Cameron sank the first-class dining saloon and raised it again for another take crew members spent the next workday drying carpets righting furniture collecting 1 800 pieces of flatware off the floor and recreating Titanic all over again. Titanic had one boss and hundreds of workers and though it amassed superlative after superlative in terms of monetary costs well over a year before it even reached theaters its cost in terms of human labor may be yet more staggering. What does it feel like to surrender seven months of your life for nearly every waking hour of the day to one manâs vision? What does it do to you? What makes you stay?
For the laborers and extras hired in Rosarito it probably had something to do with the pay; for the crew it probably had something to do with the prestige; for the cast it probably had something to do with the exposure. But among the cast and crew members who described not just the tortuous process of making Titanic but their own dedication to the film a shared conviction is always present: They were doing something real and they could feel it. âOne thing thatâs very important to me in life â Kate Winslet said while Titanic was in production âis [that] through having a relationship with somebody and loving that person and being allowed to feel the whole emotion of love despite all of the risks you can find out who you are. And when Rose meets Jack she cuts through all of the class and money nonsense and connects with something real and alive and passionate in his soul. And when I read the script I was in floods of tears because it takes you to the point where you would do anything â absolutely anything â to stop that ship from sinking.â If Titanic felt real â if it was real â then perhaps this painfully conjured time travel was the only way to make Jack and Rose and the love between them become real as well. James Cameron spent the summer of 1997 in an at-home editing room darkened by blackout curtains faceting the dream he had now poured years of his life into. In late July he took a day off to marry Linda Hamilton his girlfriend of seven years in a backyard ceremony. The next day he went back to his editing suite and back to Titanic. âTaped to his editing machine â Entertainment Weekly reported in November 1997 âis a suicide device â a razor blade with the simple instruction âUse only if film sucks.ââ
On TitanicShack â one of the many websites and forums that sprang up after the movieâs release as outlets for people confronted by the grim fact that they couldnât spend every single day in the theater watching Titanic again and again â fans wondered why the movie had such a hold on them. Some felt as mystified as the movieâs harshest critics did about just why they couldnât stop themselves from returning to Titanic: I've seen this movie 13 times (and yes I must go back if only because 13's unlucky! :-) Why do I a thirty-something sane woman keep going back? Because I love this movie â everything about it â and I know they'll letterbox it when it comes out on video and it just WON'T be the same on my tiny 19-inch tv screen. Someone told me a story about a woman in the States who was kicked out of the theatre for reciting every line with the movie. She had ticket stubs to prove she had seen it 84 times!! Now that's a bit excessive!!!! I can't really pinpoint why I keep going back. All I can say is that this movie gets to me every single time... The life lessons it teaches are many but there is one theme in particular that all humankind never tires of hearing: love really is the greatest power of all. As it continued its dominance of Americansâ hearts and minds almost anything Titanic touched became a guaranteed moneymaker. The J. Peterman catalog began selling what it advertised as a âfairly enormousâ $198 Heart of the Ocean necklace and quickly ran out of stock (disappointed customers could however content themselves with a $19 knockoff called âthe Jewel of the Sea â at least until Fox sued the company that made it). Céline Dionâs âMy Heart Will Go Onâ became the world's best-selling single of 1998 and pushed the Titanic soundtrack to the top of the charts too. ( Cameron had initially resisted including any song over the closing credits feeling it was akin to commissioning a pop single for the soundtrack to Schindlerâs List. But Horner and Dion cut a demo in secret and won him over.) Even â maybe especially â after the movie was gone from theaters any piece of media that summoned its world would suffice for fans. James Cameron âs Titanic a glossy coffee table book detailing the movieâs production shot to the top of the New York Times best-seller list and candy-hued unauthorized biographies of Leonardo DiCaprio began appearing in bookstores and in smitten girlsâ backpacks. "There's a lot of me in Jack definitely " James Cameron told Rolling Stone in 1998 in an interview in which he also discussed his recent separation from Linda Hamilton. She had been his fourth wife and his Sarah Connor. "Actually â Cameron clarified âI shouldn't say that. Jack is the guy I wished I could have been. I wished I had the courage and the openness.â
Reading the Titanic screenplay itâs easy to tell which character Cameron wished he could have been: Even the simplest descriptions of Jack find a way to be adoring. One of Jackâs sketches âcaptures [Cora and her father] perfectly with a great sense of the humanity of the moment.â Jackâs sketchbook is âa celebration of the human condition.â As Jack stargazes before his first conversation with Rose he is thinking not just any thoughts but âartist thoughts.â And as Rose begins to fall for Jack we listen in on her first impressions of him: He âis so open and real...not like anyone she has ever known.â Remembering the iconic âking of the worldâ scene â one he later reenacted to near-universal disdain at the 1998 Academy Awards â Cameron described the kind of power the kind of joy that even the experience of commanding a vast and imposing structure â a ship a movie set â couldnât necessarily allow you to feel. âYou see the power of [Titanic] â he said of the scene âand you see the satisfaction of the officers who run the ship and their domination of the elements. And then I take that energy and I give it to Jack. Heâs an artist. Heâs a guy whoâs able to have his heart soar. Itâs his ship man. It doesnât matter that he doesnât have a dime. This is his ship and his moment. He owns the moment.â To survey (and enjoy) the power of the vast system he commands the captain â âa great patriarch of the seaâ in Cameronâs script â must stand on the bridge and look at Titanic itself. But Jack because this is not his ship and not his dream can stand at Titanicâs prow as it cuts through the water feeling the sun on his face and watching the dolphins that leap and swim âfor the sheer joy and exultation of motion.â He can fully experience Titanicâs power because he feels no need to convince himself he commands it â and then he can give it to Rose. "I've been part of a film that's broken cultural boundaries â DiCaprio reflected in 2004. âI went to the middle of Brazil in the rainforest and the Indians there knew [Titanic]. It's surreal.â From the beginning it was clear Titanicâs success transcended borders. When it finally left US theaters in the fall of 1998 â staying on the big screen even after it was released on video â it had made $659 million domestically. In the process it became the highest-grossing movie in US history shattering the record comfortably held for 20 years by Star Wars. (George Lucas took out an ad in Variety where Han and Leia posed like Jack and Rose to publicly congratulate Cameron perhaps with some sense of relief: Heavy is the head that wears the big-gross crown.) But Titanicâs worldwide theatrical gross was nearly $2.2 billion. In a March 1998 article titled âFan Sinks into Titanic Obsession â the Associated Press reported that a 12-year-old girl named Gloria had gone to see Titanic at the only movie theater in the town of Castelfranco Emilia Italy every single night since its release and that she would go on watching it until she couldnât anymore. She had seen it 50 times so far and wasnât tired of it yet; the theater no longer charged her admission and â recognizing that the love of an adolescent girl is nothing to be trifled with â saved her favorite seat for her every night. âJack is cuter than Leo â Gloria clarified for anyone who wondered.
âExperts say that the pure passion that pre-adolescent girls have for their idols represents a time in their lives that is brief intense and â once it's run its course â gone forever â Frances Grandy Taylor wrote in the Hartford Courant in March 1998 in one of the countless articles and TV segments that tried to help parents understand Leomania. The âgone foreverâ part must have seemed particularly comforting. When the unafflicted tried to make sense of the phenomenon following the movieâs release they tended to focus on Leoâs looks and his celebrity and of course they werenât wrong. Like all adolescent crushes he was perfect and remote: He couldnât hurt you couldnât reject you couldnât disappoint you. And as Jack Dawson he was pure fantasy: so handsome as to seem almost unearthly; an androgynous angel who wanted only to love you to worship you and to be the idea of a romantic partner one with whom reality could never try to compete. He was a dream the argument went and that was why adolescent girls â who were overwhelmingly presented in the media as the driving force behind Titanicâs success regardless of whether this was quite true or not â kept going back to the theater for more. It was wish fulfillment. But what were we really wishing for? More than any Cameron protagonist before him Jack Dawson is heroic for his ability to love. He can watch the world as he knew it fall apart around him and not feel that everything he believed in â hierarchy order masculinity â is being yanked out from under his feet because he never felt much of a need to believe in it anyway. When Jack turns up in a tuxedo to accompany Rose to dinner in first class he first exaggerates the aristocracyâs manners just enough to make them seem absurd then captivates some of the wealthiest people in the world with stories of the kind of freedom they can barely allow themselves to imagine. Roseâs life as she has lived it so far has taught her that she is an object to be bought and sold: All women are and the best you can hope for as a woman is to be the most expensive object sold to the richest buyer. Jack saves Rose from literal death â twice â but he also saves her from the society- and self-imposed prison of believing that she can only ever inhabit the role she was born into. â'Titanic' is starting to sail out of movie theaters â conservative commentator Betsy Hart wrote in 1998 âbut it may have left a wake of devastation in its path in the hearts of teenage girls everywhere.â As heartbreaking as the movieâs ending was Hart found that she was âsaddened much moreâ by the thought of âthe millions of teenage girlsâ who had helped make the movie a hit and who had been duped into thinking that âthe intense sentiment and easy sex over a few days that formed the romantic centerpiece of Titanic is the kind of love they should strive for.â âIt's little wonder â Hart concluded that âour society has so many young people that need so much rescuing.â
This analysis has always been obviously wrong in at least one more way: Titanic is not a fun movie to watch. You arenât escaping from anything so much as putting yourself through an emotional ordeal: a decathlon of passion dread terror numbness and finally cathartic hope. You yourself have survived something by the end of Titanic; you have sat immersed in death in dying in questions about your own behavior in such a situation and have asked yourself to believe in love in the face of all this â and perhaps have been able to. For that experience we were willing to go back to Titanic over and over again. And if weâre focusing on the girls in the audience then please â letâs really think about them. Who were these girls and why were they there? Why was I? When Titanic was in theaters girls of 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 shaped their lives around it and fell in love not just with Leo but with the whole story they had first found him in. We had a sense maybe that life as we knew it was not so different from Titanic: that we too lived in a world where society might have to fall apart completely before we could be liberated from the roles that gender and class and race forced us to occupy. In Titanic Rose is freed not because her mother and her fiancé die (they donât) but because a microcosm of the world as she knows it collapses around her and in that moment she realizes its rules no longer dictate her existence. They were never really real of course â but now that she has seen the spectacular defeat of every system the society that raised her guaranteed would work forever she can no longer even feel its laws governing her. Something breaks when you no longer believe that anyone anywhere can build an unsinkable ship. And if you canât put your faith in a system like a ship â or a government â you have to start directing all your trust all your love to the people around you. Titanic poses the question of what we can hold onto when the structures and beliefs we have built our lives on founder beneath us and one of the answers it allows us to reach is: each other. We hold onto each other. Recently a writer friend told me that this year as the world has started to feel like itâs falling apart he has found himself turning again and again to W.H. Audenâs closing lines in âSeptember 1 1939â: Hunger allows no choice To the citizen or the police; We must love one another or die. In the past year I have developed the same kind of relationship â have been taking the same kind of refuge grasping for the same kind of wisdom â with Titanic. When I first fell in love with Titanic at 9 years old I wanted to be Jack as much as I wanted to be loved by him. I wanted the freedom he enjoyed: freedom that seemed to give him the ability to love so deeply and so selflessly. It was the kind of freedom the world around me said a girl could never have. But the world had also told Rose that and she had found that freedom in the end. Yet no matter how vast James Cameronâs abilities were his imagination â big enough to bring a lost ship back to life; big enough even to let the viewer feel some sense of what 1 500 lost souls really means â still couldnât conjure a vision so radical that it could let Jack survive. If it were possible for James Cameron to imagine masculinity doing anything in the long term but infecting everything around it with violence and arrogance and greed and destruction then Jack could have survived. If Cameron were able to imagine a world beyond the hierarchy of patriarchal control â instead of just spectacularly destroying one â then Jack could have survived. If he could have imagined possibilities for men beyond either blindly following the patriarchy or dying for its sins then Jack could have survived. But instead Jack has to die and to love Rose in the only way a world of patriarchal masculinity even one reduced to flotsam will allow: by giving his life for hers. Beyond even Titanicâs unresolved questions about masculinity the one radical possibility James Cameron seems unable to imagine is one in which partners can lovingly empower each other through a life lived together. This is where we have no choice but to do what he couldnât: to imagine such love and live it. To focus on nurture and let go of heroism. To know that love is the only way through. To say: Get on this board you idiot. Thereâs room for us both. | The first time I saw Titanic my father left the theater in the middle of the movie to get a haircut. I didnât notice he was gone. I wasnât conscious of any reality but Titanic even though I already knew exactly what was going to happen. One of my friends had briefed me on what to expect: Jack and Rose fall in love the ship sinks and Jack finds a piece of wreckage floating in the sea and helps Rose clamber onto it saving her from the freezing death that claims him before the lifeboats return for survivors. But it wasnât fair my friend explained: It was obvious to her that there was room for them both. It didnât matter that I knew exactly what was coming. I couldnât think about anything else while the movie played. And even when the lights came up and I realized my father was missing his absence didnât seem to matter much. I was 9 but I already understood he had a habit of wandering off when he got bored. I was even used to it. What was new was this feeling: that I had to get back to Titanic as soon as possible. The credits were barely rolling as I began to strategize my next viewing. I knew that the movie had completely devastated me and I knew that all I wanted was to be devastated again. But why? Viewers â many of them adolescent and preadolescent girls like me â would go back to Titanic over and over again while it was in theaters. It was the No. 1 movie in the US for 15 consecutive weeks a feat that has yet to be surpassed and likely never will be. Well before it was released James Cameronâs passion project became notorious as the most expensive movie ever made with a final budget of $200 million. Then it became the first movie in history to earn $1 billion at the box office. And it achieved this success despite months of advance press claiming that the movie was all but doomed; despite the widespread belief that James Cameron who previously helmed the Alien and Terminator franchises had no business trying to tell a story about love; and despite the fact that Titanic in a way that is now all too easy to forget is an immensely difficult movie to watch. When Titanic was released on video in September 1998 its 3 hours and 14 minutes had to be split across two VHS tapes. The same studio heads who were convinced Titanic could only recoup its budget at best (success was almost mathematically impossible) had seen its gargantuan runtime as just one of its many liabilities. Critics also pointed to its ungainly length as proof of its failure to play by the rules: It was a âbloated leviathan â a âbehemoth â and a tiresome epic that according to the Washington Postâs Desson Howe left viewers âthinking the unpardonable thought: âOK sink already.ââ Titanicâs length was also bad news for movie theaters since it meant they had to schedule fewer showings â and sell fewer tickets â than they could with a normal movie. After screening Titanic for a test audience in Minneapolis however executives at Paramount and Fox which had jointly financed the production began wondering if [TGT] âs folly might not be a disaster of Waterworld proportions. The audience laughed and cheered and gasped at all the right moments and gave the movie and its characters astoundingly high ratings on the survey cards they filled out after the showing. âIt went well â a Fox executive said cagily. âNot great but well.â When all was said and done Titanic had cost a little over $1 million per minute of screentime and it was sometimes hard for studio executives to look at the movie [TGT] described as a way to honor the disasterâs victims without wondering just how much this history lesson would end up costing them. [TGT] had been dreaming of Titanic since Robert Ballard located the shipâs remains in 1985 (âIâll be goddamned!â Ballard exclaimed as Titanic loomed into view a line [TGT] later borrowed for [TGT] own characters). After watching National Geographicâs special on Ballard in 1987 [TGT] made a few notes: âDo story with bookends of present-day [wreckage] scene...intercut with memory of a survivor...needs a mystery or driving plot element.â
[TGT] had always loved diving and deep-sea exploration and The Abyss [TGT] third film as director and sole writer had been a love letter to both. But that was fantasy; Titanic was real. And when [TGT] first decided to pursue the project the prospect of going to the wreck of Titanic might have been incentive enough to pitch the movie. When he first met with 20th Century Fox Chairman Peter Chernin to discuss Titanic in the spring of 1995 he asked for $2 million to fund a deep-sea expedition. It was an amazing sum of money to the Russian scientists and submersible pilots who took [TGT] to the wreck. It was nothing compared to Titanicâs final price tag. When Titanic opened in theaters across the US on the weekend of Dec. 19 1997 it became the No. 1 movie in America by the skin of its teeth edging out the latest James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies by a margin of $3.5 million. But to the executives who had nervously overseen Titanicâs production â and watched its budget nearly double from $110 to $200 million â this wasnât particularly encouraging news. For Titanic to earn a profit executives calculated it would have to attract viewers in utterly unprecedented numbers: Even if it sold more tickets than Dances With Wolves the most profitable three-hour-long movie ever released Fox would still be $70 million in the red. And to be a success? It would have to somehow repeat its $28 million opening-weekend ticket sales â and stay the No. 1 movie in America â for weeks and weeks in a row in a way no movie had in nearly a decade. It would have to be more than just a movie. It would have to become a cultural obsession. And it did. Cameron had once â optimistically as the final budget reflected â called Titanic "a $190 million chick flick." By Jan. 31 1998 20th Century Fox estimated that 7% of all American teenage girls had seen the movie twice. They werenât the only ones going back to see Titanic a second time and perhaps a third though they did receive the most press. In 1997 the average return viewer rate for a theatrically released movie was 2%. Meanwhile Titanicâs was 20%. In February 1998 a survey found that 76% of Titanic's repeat viewers still planned to see it again. It made more money â $32 million â during its 11th weekend in theaters than it did during its first. (It helped that this weekend also happened to fall on Valentineâs Day.) Theaters that previously worried about losing money on a movie they could screen only two or three times a day started squeezing in showings as early as 8 a.m. and as late as midnight letting out satisfied viewers at 3:30 in the morning. Adults people with families responsibilities and jobs flocked to see Titanic. Because for a little while â for 3 hours and 14 minutes to be precise â the rest of their lives disappeared. Titanic gave people a way to make the rest of their lives disappear and so they kept coming back and finding that the world James Cameron had created for them still felt just as real as it had the first time. What made Titanic not just a movie but a destination? And what did it take to will such a world into solid reality?
âIt is the night before shooting starts â Kate Winslet wrote in her diary on Sept. 15 1996 âand here I am all pin-curled up and hungry ready to go. Thinking about Rose. She was so young. I need to think about her childhood her youth and find my way through the 17 years of her life. I'll never sleep tonight.â The next morning Winslet added: âNo sleep. This is it⦠My life is not my own and probably never will be â and that's Rose talking.â During Titanicâs seven months of production the line between Kate and Rose would sometimes blur â but it had been that way from the beginning. After she auditioned for the part and [TGT] left her waiting as [TGT] deliberated casting Winslet tracked [TGT] down on [TGT] car phone reaching [TGT] when [TGT] was on the freeway. âYou donât understand â she told him . âI am Rose.â And she was. Kate Winslet was 20 when she began filming Titanic and spent her 21st birthday shooting Jack âs death scene. âWe were lying there on the raft sort of shivering together â she told Rosie OâDonnell while promoting the movie âand I said âLeo itâs my birthday today.â And he said âThatâs great sweetie. You know what? I donât care.ââ DiCaprio himself turned 22 while Titanic was in production. In the same Rosie appearance Winslet said she and Leo had been âthe naughty children on the set â and remembered how while filming the scenes where Jack and Rose waited for the lifeboats to return after the shipâs sinking âLeo would sometimes say to me âSweetie sweetie I gotta pee.â âIâd go âSo have I.ââ They would pee in shifts taking turns swimming over to another part of the tank â which was about the most romantic gesture anyone could get either of them to recall from Titanicâs set though people tried. âHe doesnât think that heâs gorgeous â Kate Winslet told Vanity Fair around the time Leomania became a bona fide pandemic. âAnd to me heâs just smelly farty Leo.â When she wasnât called on to talk about his sex appeal Winslet sang DiCaprioâs praises as an artist. âHeâs gifted from God as far as Iâm concerned â she told OâDonnell. In another interview she mused âLeo is such a brilliant actor. And he doesnât know it. He really doesnât know it.â
He had started his career with commercials for Kraft cheese (âHands off the Free Singles are for Daddy!â âAw but Mom!â) Matchbox cars Bubble Yum (âOnly Yum is the fun that never blows out!â) and Fred Meyer fashions (âYou wanna dance?â a girl asks him. âI like your sweaterâ). He won his first TV roles â after being kicked off the set of Romper Room at 3 years old â in The New Lassie and Parenthood. He was good at playing junior-high heartthrobs and squeaky-clean sons but the more he got cast in those parts the less interested in them he seemed to be. By the time he was cast as Jack Dawson Leonardo DiCaprio had already been nominated for a best supporting actor Academy Award for his role as the title characterâs developmentally disabled younger brother Arnie in Whatâs Eating Gilbert Grape. Initially director Lasse Hallström had believed DiCaprio was too handsome for the role â a judgment born out by the fact that fan mail for him was already streaming onto the set of Growing Pains. âWhen I was doing Growing Pains I had quite a teen following â DiCaprio said in a 1993 interview. âFor a while I was third in fan mail or something like that. To tell you the truth I don't like that. Being the hunk-of-the-month annoys me. ... I don't care about being a star. Anybody can be a star with a little makeup and a music video. I'm concerned about being an actor.â James Cameron knew he wanted DiCaprio to be his Jack Dawson but DiCaprio didnât want to be his Jack . When DiCaprio auditioned for the role Cameron later remembered he first refused to read a scene with Kate Winslet then âread it once [and started] goofing around.â After that Cameron said âI could never get him to focus on it again. But for one split second a shaft of light came down from the heavens and lit up the forest.â DiCaprio had never played a character like Jack before: one who forced him to be so relentlessly in the light. Instead he had spent his early career playing roles like the heroin-addicted Jim Carroll in 1995âs The Basketball Diaries and Arthur Rimbaud (âyoung gorgeous and derangedâ) in Total Eclipse. âHow do you do that?â DiCaprio said of his role in Titanic even after filming had ended. âI was asking Jim âCanât we add some dark things to his character?â And he was like âNo Leo you canât.ââ
âI just wasn't used to playing an openhearted free-spirited guy â DiCaprio told the Los Angeles Times shortly after the Titanic premiere. âI've played the more tortured roles in the past. It was difficult to be someone closer to 'me' than anyone else.â âHis character doesnât go through torment â [TGT] later said of the role âand Leo previously and subsequently in [TGT] career was always looking for that dark cloud. ... [It was] only when I convinced him [this] was actually the harder thing to do that he got excited.â Titanic represented a new challenge for [TGT] too. It wasnât his first romantic movie (try listening to the love theme from The Terminator sometime) but it was the first movie he had ever made where a love story served as the primary dramatic engine. When he pitched Titanic to Fox Chairman Peter Chernin in 1995 Cameron â who had cracked into the big leagues after making 1984âs The Terminator and had seen his sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day become the highest-grossing movie of 1991 â found himself in the odd position of trying to sell studio executives on exactly the kind of movie they didnât think he could make. "They were like 'Oooooohkaaaaaay â" he later told Paula Parisi author of Titanic and the Making of [TGT] . ââA three-hour romantic epic? Sure that's just what we want. Is there a little bit of Terminator in that? Any Harrier jets shoot-outs or car chases?' I said 'No no no. It's not like that.'" Yet [TGT] was in a sense a natural choice for the helm of a romantic epic: He knew how to translate love into action. From the beginning his heroes and heroines had been made powerful by their ability to love and by loveâs ability to instill in them greater strength than any opponent could hope to defeat. The Terminator ends with Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) speaking gently to her unborn son as she drives into a mounting storm; in Aliens Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) balances a little girl on one hip and a flamethrower on the other; and in Judgment Day the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) programmed to protect the adolescent John Connor tells John âI know now why you cryâ as he destroys himself to save the future of humanity. âBuilding Better Worldsâ is the space conglomerate slogan on display in James Cameronâs Aliens but it could just as easily apply to the worlds [TGT] builds in [TGT] movies â or rather the worlds [TGT] allows to come into being by stripping away the rules as they have always previously applied. In The Terminator Terminator 2 and Aliens this idea seems to go hand in hand with getting rid of men â and Titanic follows this example. Even if men arenât actively oppressing women Cameronâs movies suggest they still have a way of holding women back from doing what they need to. Even if all you want is to save John Connor youâre still a product of Skynet. The best protection you can offer the world is to leave it.
Before filming even began [TGT] knew [TGT] $110 million budget projection was only an educated guess. To begin with Fox would have to build a brand-new studio from the ground up something neither it nor any other major movie company had done since the 1930s. No one knew how much it cost to do that kind of thing anymore â to say nothing of the price tag for conjuring the past with computer-generated effects so brand-new that their final cost was also impossible to estimate. But if anyone could make Titanic work Fox executives felt it was [TGT] . He had made Terminator 2 from script to premiere in 13 months: He shot the movie six days a week and on the seventh day he edited. (Crew members somehow found enough time away from their grueling production schedule to make shirts reading âYou canât scare me I work for [TGT] .â) He liked to say he had won his first directing gig â for Piranha II: The Spawning the sequel to a Jaws knockoff â because he convinced producers he could make mealworms writhe on command. (He had called âAction!â and then electrified them with an AC current.) He had a reputation as a miracle worker and he encouraged it. How else could you convince a roomful of businessmen to give you the money you needed to project your dreams and nightmares directly into the American mind? The question was just how much this dream was going to cost. [TGT] asked for $125 million to make Titanic. Fox Chairman Peter Chernin balked and told [TGT] he could make the movie [TGT] had first pitched as âRomeo and Juliet on a boatâ if [TGT] could have it ready for a July 1997 release and keep the budget to $110 million. Cameron perhaps believing this might really be possible at the time â and perhaps also figuring it was better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission â said he could do it offering to forfeit $4 million of his own salary to squeeze under the line. Almost as soon as Titanic went into production it began to go over budget. In 1996 shooting a typical action blockbuster â a Batman Forever or a Tomorrow Never Dies â cost an average of $100 000 to $150 000 a day. Titanic averaged between $225 000 and $300 000 â and this was after construction ended on the brand-new 40-acre movie studio [TGT] needed to film it. [TGT] had considered locations all over the world and ultimately decided on a spot 15 miles south of the border in Rosarito Mexico. Workers needed 10 000 tons of dynamite to blast a hole in the coastline big enough for the 17-million-gallon open-air tank â the largest ever built â that [TGT] needed to hold [TGT] ship. And in a detail that becomes noteworthy when the movie in question is so concerned with the politics and hierarchies of labor â and Titanic never for a moment lets you forget that the captainâs pleasure in his âunsinkableâ ship is powered by the sweat of the stokers in the hold â [TGT] shot Titanic in Mexico in part to keep labor costs down. (âThis is NAFTA at work!â Foxâs Tom Sherak told journalists who visited the set.)
Less than halfway through its seven-month shooting schedule the movie had gobbled up nearly three-quarters of its budget and showed no signs of slowing down â and [TGT] seemed unwilling to make it slow down. So Paula Parisi writes in Titanic and the Making of [TGT] the studio did its best to persuade [TGT] . One night in the fall of 1996 20th Century Fox President Bill Mechanic visited [TGT] onset during [TGT] 2 a.m. lunch hour a schedule necessitated by the movieâs endless night shoots. âFrom a financial standpoint â Mechanic told him âthis film is wildly out of control. Nothing is going to change that. All we can do now is contain it. So here are some scenes weâd like you to cut from the shooting schedule.â [TGT] studied the list of scenes and immediately refused to cut any of them. âIf you want to cut my film â [TGT] told the president of Fox âyouâll have to fire me and to fire me youâll have to kill me.â Then he stormed off set. The scenes stayed in the picture. Mechanic had little choice but to relent: No other director could manage all the moving parts Titanic required. When [TGT] asked Peter Chernin to fund [TGT] submersible expedition to Titanic he wanted not just to see the wreck himself but to film it in a way that would allow viewers to feel they were there with him . Doing so would also allow him to do Bob Ballard one better: Ballard may have found the ship but he had only been able to capture video of it with his underwater remote operating vehicle Jason. (Ballard had also initially wished to keep Titanicâs location secret.) [TGT] might not be shooting Titanic first but [TGT] was going to do it right. [TGT] engineer brother Mike â the only Cameron boy who finished college â developed a titanium-encased film camera capable of independently withstanding the pressure of the ocean floor and of capturing images of Titanic as it had never been seen before. Each dive would cost $25 000 and could record only 10 minutes of film. Some of the footage Cameron brought back from Titanic appears in the movie. Some is recreated. But what [TGT] also seems to have brought back from those dives was a new sense of humility about the task before [TGT] . After [TGT] second trip to Titanic [TGT] told Paula Parisi âI just sat there and I just started to cry thinking about the dive and everything Iâd seen and experienced.â Later he wrote in James Cameronâs Titanic: âThat night I realized that my project my film was doomed to failure if it could not convey the emotion of that night rather than the fact of it.â More and more it seemed to him that he could only let viewers experience Titanicâs sinking by letting them fully experience the ship itself â and he could only do that by recreating it.
âI wanted to be able to say to an audience without the slightest pang of guilt: This is real â [TGT] wrote of Titanic. âThis is what happened. Exactly like this. If you went back in a time machine and stood on the deck this is what you would have seen⦠Second Officer Lightoller would be over there ⦠and Wallace Hartley would be leading the band in a lively waltz just there a few yards away ⦠[and] slaloming between these immovable pylons of historical fact are Jack and Rose.â In this way [TGT] wrote âThe film comes full circle from being a film about Titanic to being a love story that happens merely to be set on Titanic back to being about the emotional truth of Titanic after all. By feeling the fear the loss the heartbreak of Jack and Rose we finally can feel for the 1 500.â After seeing Titanic for the first time Harry Knowles compared the experience to traveling to the past through self-willed hypnosis like the hero of Somewhere in Time. Titanic experts who visited Cameronâs set had the same experience in the flesh. Cameron âs devotion to history was exacting and at times excruciating: Every possible detail from the davits used to lower the lifeboats to the carpet in the first-class dining saloon (recreated all 18 000 square feet of it by the same company that had manufactured the original) was identical to what Titanicâs passengers would have seen. When the furniture being artificially aged for a scene recreating the wreck didnât look quite right to [TGT] [TGT] spent a day and a half working on the props himself. ( [TGT] was supposed to be finishing the screenplay at the time.) â [TGT] wanted real wallpaper and things like that " the movieâs head of physical production Fred Gallo recalled. "I said 'Why don't you build the sets and have them paint on the wallpaper? No one will ever know.'â But [TGT] would. Thousands of props from ashtrays to teacups to forks had to be stamped with the White Star Line emblem even if it was impossible for viewers to see. The costumes alone cost $8.4 million. The chandeliers couldnât be Lucite Cameron decided because then they wouldnât chime ominously as the ship began to tilt; they would have to be crystal just as they had been in 1912. âThere should be a little brass sign right here that says âPush ââ [TGT] said apologetically to Ken Marschall as [TGT] led the Titanic expert through a doorway on D deck during a set visit. âIt was one delight after another â Marschall said of his time on Titanic. But he didnât have to work there.
"You don't just join one of his films " editor Mark Goldblatt said of [TGT] . âYou sign on for a tour of duty." On Titanic two-thirds of the shoot had to be done at night and even the cast sometimes worked 20-hour days. âNothing could have prepared me for it â Kate Winslet later said. Night after night as Titanic sank again and again she and Leonardo DiCaprio had to struggle through water pumped in straight from the ocean. âI bet people will think it's heated â she wrote in her diary âbut it isn't.â The crew watched actors vigilantly for signs of hypothermia. (Later they would begin heating the water even though Winslet had believed the cold would make her performance more authentic). "I chipped a small bone in my elbow and at one point I had deep bruises all over my arms " Kate Winslet told the Los Angeles Times once Titanicâs arduous shoot was over. "I looked like a battered wife." Filming underwater close-ups where Winslet had to be weighted in a tank while completely submerged terrified her. Cameron she wrote âwouldn't have made me do that if I didn't say âNo I'm okay.â" But even though it was a highly supervised set with safety divers everywhere she sometimes felt like she was drowning. âTake after take â Winslet wrote in her diary âI reminded myself that I wanted to be part of this. I will not admit defeat.â
No one would. Titanicâs budget continued to swell as [TGT] continued to fall behind schedule and [TGT] release date was pushed back from July to December. Fox shunted Speed 2 â which some executives had higher hopes for anyway â into the summer release slot Titanic was meant to fill. It flopped and Titanic plunged ahead its budget once rising by $20 million in the space of two chaotic weeks. âI cannot think of one crew member who didn't say 'I've had it ââ first assistant director Sebastián Silva said. âBut no one walked." As far as Cameron âs temper went Kate Winslet said âthe actors got off lightly. I think Jim knew he couldn't shout at us the way he did to his crew because our performances would be no good.â âAny idiot could figure this out!â This Paula Parisi wrote was a standard [TGT] response to crew members who couldnât make [TGT] vision a reality fast enough. [TGT] raged at workers and [TGT] raged at executives and [TGT] seemed sometimes to want more than anything to simply be able to do every single job on Titanic himself. When the ice arrived in hundred-pound blocks [TGT] picked up an ax and started chopping preparing it for the scene where it was to splinter off the iceberg and fall onto the deck. âGetting over their initial disbelief â Paula Parisi wrote âthe crew followed suit. ... Giving up his ax Cameron stepped back and watched for thirty seconds then he just couldnât stand it anymore. He pushed a puny guy aside taking his ax. It was just too much fun.â [TGT] Parisi wrote was âshowing that he knew full well the film was going to be hard work but no one would work harder than he would.â Maybe. But Titanic Parisi also observed âwas a factory â and it had only one product: Cameron âs dream. Cameronâs recreation of the ship itself contained 300 tons of steel bolted together at a breakneck pace by 30 laborers. The wardrobe department needed 8 000 separate articles of clothing to dress the extras for the Southampton scene alone. Every time [TGT] sank the first-class dining saloon and raised it again for another take crew members spent the next workday drying carpets righting furniture collecting 1 800 pieces of flatware off the floor and recreating Titanic all over again. Titanic had one boss and hundreds of workers and though it amassed superlative after superlative in terms of monetary costs well over a year before it even reached theaters its cost in terms of human labor may be yet more staggering. What does it feel like to surrender seven months of your life for nearly every waking hour of the day to one manâs vision? What does it do to you? What makes you stay?
For the laborers and extras hired in Rosarito it probably had something to do with the pay; for the crew it probably had something to do with the prestige; for the cast it probably had something to do with the exposure. But among the cast and crew members who described not just the tortuous process of making Titanic but their own dedication to the film a shared conviction is always present: They were doing something real and they could feel it. âOne thing thatâs very important to me in life â Kate Winslet said while Titanic was in production âis [that] through having a relationship with somebody and loving that person and being allowed to feel the whole emotion of love despite all of the risks you can find out who you are. And when Rose meets Jack she cuts through all of the class and money nonsense and connects with something real and alive and passionate in his soul. And when I read the script I was in floods of tears because it takes you to the point where you would do anything â absolutely anything â to stop that ship from sinking.â If Titanic felt real â if it was real â then perhaps this painfully conjured time travel was the only way to make Jack and Rose and the love between them become real as well. [TGT] spent the summer of 1997 in an at-home editing room darkened by blackout curtains faceting the dream [TGT] had now poured years of [TGT] life into. In late July [TGT] took a day off to marry Linda Hamilton [TGT] girlfriend of seven years in a backyard ceremony. The next day [TGT] went back to [TGT] editing suite and back to Titanic. âTaped to [TGT] editing machine â Entertainment Weekly reported in November 1997 âis a suicide device â a razor blade with the simple instruction âUse only if film sucks.ââ
On TitanicShack â one of the many websites and forums that sprang up after the movieâs release as outlets for people confronted by the grim fact that they couldnât spend every single day in the theater watching Titanic again and again â fans wondered why the movie had such a hold on them. Some felt as mystified as the movieâs harshest critics did about just why they couldnât stop themselves from returning to Titanic: I've seen this movie 13 times (and yes I must go back if only because 13's unlucky! :-) Why do I a thirty-something sane woman keep going back? Because I love this movie â everything about it â and I know they'll letterbox it when it comes out on video and it just WON'T be the same on my tiny 19-inch tv screen. Someone told me a story about a woman in the States who was kicked out of the theatre for reciting every line with the movie. She had ticket stubs to prove she had seen it 84 times!! Now that's a bit excessive!!!! I can't really pinpoint why I keep going back. All I can say is that this movie gets to me every single time... The life lessons it teaches are many but there is one theme in particular that all humankind never tires of hearing: love really is the greatest power of all. As it continued its dominance of Americansâ hearts and minds almost anything Titanic touched became a guaranteed moneymaker. The J. Peterman catalog began selling what it advertised as a âfairly enormousâ $198 Heart of the Ocean necklace and quickly ran out of stock (disappointed customers could however content themselves with a $19 knockoff called âthe Jewel of the Sea â at least until Fox sued the company that made it). Céline Dionâs âMy Heart Will Go Onâ became the world's best-selling single of 1998 and pushed the Titanic soundtrack to the top of the charts too. ( [TGT] had initially resisted including any song over the closing credits feeling it was akin to commissioning a pop single for the soundtrack to Schindlerâs List. But Horner and Dion cut a demo in secret and won him over.) Even â maybe especially â after the movie was gone from theaters any piece of media that summoned its world would suffice for fans. [TGT] âs Titanic a glossy coffee table book detailing the movieâs production shot to the top of the New York Times best-seller list and candy-hued unauthorized biographies of Leonardo DiCaprio began appearing in bookstores and in smitten girlsâ backpacks. "There's a lot of me in Jack definitely " [TGT] told Rolling Stone in 1998 in an interview in which [TGT] also discussed [TGT] recent separation from Linda Hamilton. She had been [TGT] fourth wife and [TGT] Sarah Connor. "Actually â [TGT] clarified âI shouldn't say that. Jack is the guy I wished I could have been. I wished I had the courage and the openness.â
Reading the Titanic screenplay itâs easy to tell which character [TGT] wished [TGT] could have been: Even the simplest descriptions of Jack find a way to be adoring. One of Jackâs sketches âcaptures [Cora and her father] perfectly with a great sense of the humanity of the moment.â Jackâs sketchbook is âa celebration of the human condition.â As Jack stargazes before his first conversation with Rose he is thinking not just any thoughts but âartist thoughts.â And as Rose begins to fall for Jack we listen in on her first impressions of him: He âis so open and real...not like anyone she has ever known.â Remembering the iconic âking of the worldâ scene â one he later reenacted to near-universal disdain at the 1998 Academy Awards â [TGT] described the kind of power the kind of joy that even the experience of commanding a vast and imposing structure â a ship a movie set â couldnât necessarily allow you to feel. âYou see the power of [Titanic] â [TGT] said of the scene âand you see the satisfaction of the officers who run the ship and their domination of the elements. And then I take that energy and I give it to Jack. Heâs an artist. Heâs a guy whoâs able to have his heart soar. Itâs his ship man. It doesnât matter that he doesnât have a dime. This is his ship and his moment. He owns the moment.â To survey (and enjoy) the power of the vast system he commands the captain â âa great patriarch of the seaâ in Cameronâs script â must stand on the bridge and look at Titanic itself. But Jack because this is not his ship and not his dream can stand at Titanicâs prow as it cuts through the water feeling the sun on his face and watching the dolphins that leap and swim âfor the sheer joy and exultation of motion.â He can fully experience Titanicâs power because he feels no need to convince himself he commands it â and then he can give it to Rose. "I've been part of a film that's broken cultural boundaries â DiCaprio reflected in 2004. âI went to the middle of Brazil in the rainforest and the Indians there knew [Titanic]. It's surreal.â From the beginning it was clear Titanicâs success transcended borders. When it finally left US theaters in the fall of 1998 â staying on the big screen even after it was released on video â it had made $659 million domestically. In the process it became the highest-grossing movie in US history shattering the record comfortably held for 20 years by Star Wars. (George Lucas took out an ad in Variety where Han and Leia posed like Jack and Rose to publicly congratulate Cameron perhaps with some sense of relief: Heavy is the head that wears the big-gross crown.) But Titanicâs worldwide theatrical gross was nearly $2.2 billion. In a March 1998 article titled âFan Sinks into Titanic Obsession â the Associated Press reported that a 12-year-old girl named Gloria had gone to see Titanic at the only movie theater in the town of Castelfranco Emilia Italy every single night since its release and that she would go on watching it until she couldnât anymore. She had seen it 50 times so far and wasnât tired of it yet; the theater no longer charged her admission and â recognizing that the love of an adolescent girl is nothing to be trifled with â saved her favorite seat for her every night. âJack is cuter than Leo â Gloria clarified for anyone who wondered.
âExperts say that the pure passion that pre-adolescent girls have for their idols represents a time in their lives that is brief intense and â once it's run its course â gone forever â Frances Grandy Taylor wrote in the Hartford Courant in March 1998 in one of the countless articles and TV segments that tried to help parents understand Leomania. The âgone foreverâ part must have seemed particularly comforting. When the unafflicted tried to make sense of the phenomenon following the movieâs release they tended to focus on Leoâs looks and his celebrity and of course they werenât wrong. Like all adolescent crushes he was perfect and remote: He couldnât hurt you couldnât reject you couldnât disappoint you. And as Jack Dawson he was pure fantasy: so handsome as to seem almost unearthly; an androgynous angel who wanted only to love you to worship you and to be the idea of a romantic partner one with whom reality could never try to compete. He was a dream the argument went and that was why adolescent girls â who were overwhelmingly presented in the media as the driving force behind Titanicâs success regardless of whether this was quite true or not â kept going back to the theater for more. It was wish fulfillment. But what were we really wishing for? More than any [TGT] protagonist before him Jack Dawson is heroic for his ability to love. He can watch the world as he knew it fall apart around him and not feel that everything he believed in â hierarchy order masculinity â is being yanked out from under his feet because he never felt much of a need to believe in it anyway. When Jack turns up in a tuxedo to accompany Rose to dinner in first class he first exaggerates the aristocracyâs manners just enough to make them seem absurd then captivates some of the wealthiest people in the world with stories of the kind of freedom they can barely allow themselves to imagine. Roseâs life as she has lived it so far has taught her that she is an object to be bought and sold: All women are and the best you can hope for as a woman is to be the most expensive object sold to the richest buyer. Jack saves Rose from literal death â twice â but he also saves her from the society- and self-imposed prison of believing that she can only ever inhabit the role she was born into. â'Titanic' is starting to sail out of movie theaters â conservative commentator Betsy Hart wrote in 1998 âbut it may have left a wake of devastation in its path in the hearts of teenage girls everywhere.â As heartbreaking as the movieâs ending was Hart found that she was âsaddened much moreâ by the thought of âthe millions of teenage girlsâ who had helped make the movie a hit and who had been duped into thinking that âthe intense sentiment and easy sex over a few days that formed the romantic centerpiece of Titanic is the kind of love they should strive for.â âIt's little wonder â Hart concluded that âour society has so many young people that need so much rescuing.â
This analysis has always been obviously wrong in at least one more way: Titanic is not a fun movie to watch. You arenât escaping from anything so much as putting yourself through an emotional ordeal: a decathlon of passion dread terror numbness and finally cathartic hope. You yourself have survived something by the end of Titanic; you have sat immersed in death in dying in questions about your own behavior in such a situation and have asked yourself to believe in love in the face of all this â and perhaps have been able to. For that experience we were willing to go back to Titanic over and over again. And if weâre focusing on the girls in the audience then please â letâs really think about them. Who were these girls and why were they there? Why was I? When Titanic was in theaters girls of 9 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13 shaped their lives around it and fell in love not just with Leo but with the whole story they had first found him in. We had a sense maybe that life as we knew it was not so different from Titanic: that we too lived in a world where society might have to fall apart completely before we could be liberated from the roles that gender and class and race forced us to occupy. In Titanic Rose is freed not because her mother and her fiancé die (they donât) but because a microcosm of the world as she knows it collapses around her and in that moment she realizes its rules no longer dictate her existence. They were never really real of course â but now that she has seen the spectacular defeat of every system the society that raised her guaranteed would work forever she can no longer even feel its laws governing her. Something breaks when you no longer believe that anyone anywhere can build an unsinkable ship. And if you canât put your faith in a system like a ship â or a government â you have to start directing all your trust all your love to the people around you. Titanic poses the question of what we can hold onto when the structures and beliefs we have built our lives on founder beneath us and one of the answers it allows us to reach is: each other. We hold onto each other. Recently a writer friend told me that this year as the world has started to feel like itâs falling apart he has found himself turning again and again to W.H. Audenâs closing lines in âSeptember 1 1939â: Hunger allows no choice To the citizen or the police; We must love one another or die. In the past year I have developed the same kind of relationship â have been taking the same kind of refuge grasping for the same kind of wisdom â with Titanic. When I first fell in love with Titanic at 9 years old I wanted to be Jack as much as I wanted to be loved by him. I wanted the freedom he enjoyed: freedom that seemed to give him the ability to love so deeply and so selflessly. It was the kind of freedom the world around me said a girl could never have. But the world had also told Rose that and she had found that freedom in the end. Yet no matter how vast James Cameronâs abilities were his imagination â big enough to bring a lost ship back to life; big enough even to let the viewer feel some sense of what 1 500 lost souls really means â still couldnât conjure a vision so radical that it could let Jack survive. If it were possible for James Cameron to imagine masculinity doing anything in the long term but infecting everything around it with violence and arrogance and greed and destruction then Jack could have survived. If [TGT] were able to imagine a world beyond the hierarchy of patriarchal control â instead of just spectacularly destroying one â then Jack could have survived. If he could have imagined possibilities for men beyond either blindly following the patriarchy or dying for its sins then Jack could have survived. But instead Jack has to die and to love Rose in the only way a world of patriarchal masculinity even one reduced to flotsam will allow: by giving his life for hers. Beyond even Titanicâs unresolved questions about masculinity the one radical possibility James Cameron seems unable to imagine is one in which partners can lovingly empower each other through a life lived together. This is where we have no choice but to do what he couldnât: to imagine such love and live it. To focus on nurture and let go of heroism. To know that love is the only way through. To say: Get on this board you idiot. Thereâs room for us both. | 2Positive
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1,840 | Would arming teachers make schools safer? 'To be honest I don't know ' Ivanka Trump says. | Ivanka Trump | Ivanka Trump said Sunday that she doesn't know whether arming teachers with concealed weapons as her father advocates would makes schools safer and said the idea needs further discussion.
President Donald Trump's daughter who serves as a senior adviser in the White House and is in South Korea where she attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics was asked by NBC News if arming teachers would make children safer.
"To be honest I don't know " she said. "Obviously there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our schools."
Ivanka Trump told NBC's Peter Alexander: "I think that having a teacher who is armed who cares deeply about her students or his students and who is capable and qualified to bear arms is not a bad idea but it's an idea that needs to be discussed." | [TGT] said Sunday that [TGT] doesn't know whether arming teachers with concealed weapons as her father advocates would makes schools safer and said the idea needs further discussion.
President Donald Trump's daughter who serves as a senior adviser in the White House and is in South Korea where she attended the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics was asked by NBC News if arming teachers would make children safer.
"To be honest I don't know " she said. "Obviously there would have to be an incredibly high standard for who would be able to bear arms in our schools."
[TGT] told NBC's Peter Alexander: "I think that having a teacher who is armed who cares deeply about [TGT] students or [TGT] students and who is capable and qualified to bear arms is not a bad idea but it's an idea that needs to be discussed." | 1Neutral
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1,841 | Hurricane Sandy case manager accused of swiping $200K meant for victims | Regina Lewis | Regina Lewis 32 worked for âthe ânot-for-profit Council of Peoples from February 2014 to June 2015 court papers charge where she was responsible for creating case files for Sandy victims that detailed their needs and plans to rebuild their lives.
Four cohorts Ella Zlotina Joal Livingston Jamie Hughes and Christina Clover were busted alongside Lewis for various roles in the scheme.
Lewis was held on $200 000 bond.
Lewis â alleged scam was in no way related to Tuesdayâs bust of Brooklyn âAssemblywoman Pamela Harris accused of looting some $60 000 in state and federal funds designated for disaster relief. | [TGT] worked for âthe ânot-for-profit Council of Peoples from February 2014 to June 2015 court papers charge where [TGT] was responsible for creating case files for Sandy victims that detailed their needs and plans to rebuild their lives.
Four cohorts Ella Zlotina Joal Livingston Jamie Hughes and Christina Clover were busted alongside [TGT] for various roles in the scheme.
[TGT] was held on $200 000 bond.
[TGT] â alleged scam was in no way related to Tuesdayâs bust of Brooklyn âAssemblywoman Pamela Harris accused of looting some $60 000 in state and federal funds designated for disaster relief. | 0Negative
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1,842 | SoCal Wildfires: The Latest And What's Next : NPR | Stephanie O'Neill | Now we'd like to hear a bit more about the Thomas fire the biggest fire in the region right now. Thomas has been burning since Monday across Ventura County north of Los Angeles. Reporter Stephanie O'Neill lives in the city of Ojai and has been witnessing the destruction firsthand. Stephanie thanks so much for speaking with us.
STEPHANIE O'NEILL: You're welcome.
MARTIN: That's reporter Stephanie O'Neill talking to us from Ojai Calif. - that's north of Los Angeles - with an update on the devastating fire that's burning there right now. Stephanie thanks so much for speaking with us.
O'NEILL : You're welcome. | Now we'd like to hear a bit more about the Thomas fire the biggest fire in the region right now. Thomas has been burning since Monday across Ventura County north of Los Angeles. [TGT] lives in the city of Ojai and has been witnessing the destruction firsthand. [TGT] thanks so much for speaking with us.
[TGT] O'NEILL: You're welcome.
MARTIN: That's [TGT] talking to us from Ojai Calif. - that's north of Los Angeles - with an update on the devastating fire that's burning there right now. [TGT] thanks so much for speaking with us.
[TGT] : You're welcome. | 2Positive
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1,843 | Why We've Been Thinking About Madness All Wrong: A Conversation With David Dobbs | Nev Jones | David Dobbs' new feature in our October 2017 issue "The Touch of Madness " tells a story that is both heartbreaking and uplifting and all too familiar: A young woman with a bright future temporarily loses herself in mental illness and finds the fraying of her social bonds to be more durably worse in some respects than the underlying condition itself. That young woman Nev Jones manages to pull herself out of the bottom of the well finishing graduate school and going on to become a key advocate and scholar among reform-minded thinkers in the world of mental-health treatment and policy. But it wasn't easyâand wouldn't have been possible without the ideas and support of the practitioners and scholars she found shortly after her mental illness derailed her graduate studies.
Your story describes how the mental-health researcher and activist Nev Jones (and a growing number of others) are pushing for the medical establishment to think about schizophreniaâor related diagnoses of "madness " as they are known colloquiallyâin a radically new way. What is new about it and what makes it so radical?
Nev Jones and other scholars and advocates like her want us to see what they call madness meaning schizophrenia bipolar and other serious mental ailments less as biological phenomena and more as cultural phenomena. They 're asking us to see these phenomena not only as a breakdown of brain connection as they 're typically cast in the West but as breakdowns in social connection. They want us to see how culture shapes madness: People with schizophrenia simply do worse in societies that define schizophrenia as primarily biological and that isolate people who are mad.
Who is Nev Jones how did you find her and how did she come to these ideas?
A few years ago in 2012 after the mass shooting in a movie theater in Aurora Colorado I wrote a blog post for Wired about how it's not coincidental that some of the sickest and most paranoid and angry people who go mad in the U.S. resort to violenceâwith guns in particular. It's an expression of madness that does not happen in places that are less gun-oriented and less violent overall. The idea was that culture shapes the expression of madness in that way. It got a lot of pushback so I did another iteration of the blog post and in doing that I looked around the Internet to find people who articulated the same idea better than I did and one of those people was Nev Jones . She had related some episodes from her own descent into madness that were helpful in illustrating what I was trying to say.
At the time she was a graduate student and still in the middle of her recovery from a psychotic episode that she had in grad school after the school bungled a few things in response to her psychosis and proved far from helpful. The societal response in her case seemed to aggravate her deep psychotic state that lasted for some time. She was able to climb out of that by connecting to other people and by studying and absorbing herself in the literature on how culture shapes madness. She connected with other people who studied it and wanted to get the word out. She proved effective at this finishing her studies in community psychology at DePaul University and then becoming more well known in what some people call the madness community. These are people who study it and advocate for those who have had it whom they call people with lived experience.
She ended up getting an invitation to go to Stanford University's anthropology department. What she was doing was tapping into a couple of decades of increasingly busy and deep work in academia looking at how cultureâbroadly definedâaffects our view of madness in particular how it affects the experience of people who have schizophrenia. In Nev Jones I found someone who was by all accounts one of the most dynamic and exciting experts in the field and she was also someone who lived through this and had deep insight both from her scholarship and from her experience of becoming very sick for a couple of years and used her insights on how cultures shapes madness to climb back out of her illness to a state of high-function and happiness.
Nev and her peers are not making the case that physical characteristics like genes and brain chemistry are not involved. She 'd tell you of course the brain is involved and we need to deal with that sometimes with medication. But overlooked in the West's heavy emphasis on the biological definition of madness and other mental illnesses is how vital social connections are to the experience of mental illness. When people have mental illness in the U.S. especially if it's a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia one of the first things that happens is their social networks fall apart and they're left alone precisely at the time when they most need social connections. If you start to understand these things it should change how you think societyâfriends and family the broader culture as well as the medical cultureâshould evaluate and respond to someone experiencing first-episode psychosis.
Nev Jones told you about how a mass shooting involving someone diagnosed with schizophrenia shaped others' perceptions of her during her first episode while she was in graduate school. What does the media tend to get wrong about incidents like the one in Las Vegas just this week? We don't know anything about the shooter's motives yet but the conversation on social media has quickly turned to mental illness per usual.
Where did the conventional wisdom that folks like Nev are trying to revise come from? Describe the intellectual history you explored for this piece.
Aside from the constant warfare over funding for health care in Congress? In the psychiatry establishmentâthe American Psychiatric Association for instanceâthere is a heightened awareness with every passing year. That's one of the main goals for Nev Jones and other people who advocate along these lines: to increase awareness among the psychiatric establishment partly so the establishment is more open to making people with lived experience meaningful and full partners in any organization that makes decisions about how to respond to mental healthâwhether it be a board that's trying to help create a first episode psychosis clinic or a clinic that is going to treat or work with psychotic people. Right now if you have psychosis and you're in this profession it's seen as a reason not to include you in treatment level activity whereas it should actually be seen as a plus because of the greater understanding and credibility that you'll have with a patient. It's encouraging that the APA is looking at this more. | David Dobbs' new feature in our October 2017 issue "The Touch of Madness " tells a story that is both heartbreaking and uplifting and all too familiar: A young woman with a bright future temporarily loses herself in mental illness and finds the fraying of her social bonds to be more durably worse in some respects than the underlying condition itself. That young woman Nev Jones manages to pull herself out of the bottom of the well finishing graduate school and going on to become a key advocate and scholar among reform-minded thinkers in the world of mental-health treatment and policy. But it wasn't easyâand wouldn't have been possible without the ideas and support of the practitioners and scholars she found shortly after her mental illness derailed her graduate studies.
Your story describes how [TGT] are pushing for the medical establishment to think about schizophreniaâor related diagnoses of "madness " as [TGT] are known colloquiallyâin a radically new way. What is new about it and what makes it so radical?
[TGT] and other scholars and advocates like her want us to see what [TGT] call madness meaning schizophrenia bipolar and other serious mental ailments less as biological phenomena and more as cultural phenomena. [TGT] 're asking us to see these phenomena not only as a breakdown of brain connection as [TGT] 're typically cast in the West but as breakdowns in social connection. [TGT] want us to see how culture shapes madness: People with schizophrenia simply do worse in societies that define schizophrenia as primarily biological and that isolate people who are mad.
Who is [TGT] how did you find [TGT] and how did [TGT] come to these ideas?
A few years ago in 2012 after the mass shooting in a movie theater in Aurora Colorado I wrote a blog post for Wired about how it's not coincidental that some of the sickest and most paranoid and angry people who go mad in the U.S. resort to violenceâwith guns in particular. It's an expression of madness that does not happen in places that are less gun-oriented and less violent overall. The idea was that culture shapes the expression of madness in that way. It got a lot of pushback so I did another iteration of the blog post and in doing that I looked around the Internet to find people who articulated the same idea better than I did and one of those people was Nev Jones . She had related some episodes from her own descent into madness that were helpful in illustrating what I was trying to say.
At the time she was a graduate student and still in the middle of her recovery from a psychotic episode that she had in grad school after the school bungled a few things in response to her psychosis and proved far from helpful. The societal response in her case seemed to aggravate her deep psychotic state that lasted for some time. She was able to climb out of that by connecting to other people and by studying and absorbing herself in the literature on how culture shapes madness. She connected with other people who studied it and wanted to get the word out. She proved effective at this finishing her studies in community psychology at DePaul University and then becoming more well known in what some people call the madness community. These are people who study it and advocate for those who have had it whom they call people with lived experience.
She ended up getting an invitation to go to Stanford University's anthropology department. What she was doing was tapping into a couple of decades of increasingly busy and deep work in academia looking at how cultureâbroadly definedâaffects our view of madness in particular how it affects the experience of people who have schizophrenia. In Nev Jones I found someone who was by all accounts one of the most dynamic and exciting experts in the field and she was also someone who lived through this and had deep insight both from her scholarship and from her experience of becoming very sick for a couple of years and used her insights on how cultures shapes madness to climb back out of her illness to a state of high-function and happiness.
Nev and her peers are not making the case that physical characteristics like genes and brain chemistry are not involved. She 'd tell you of course the brain is involved and we need to deal with that sometimes with medication. But overlooked in the West's heavy emphasis on the biological definition of madness and other mental illnesses is how vital social connections are to the experience of mental illness. When people have mental illness in the U.S. especially if it's a psychotic disorder like schizophrenia one of the first things that happens is their social networks fall apart and they're left alone precisely at the time when they most need social connections. If you start to understand these things it should change how you think societyâfriends and family the broader culture as well as the medical cultureâshould evaluate and respond to someone experiencing first-episode psychosis.
[TGT] told you about how a mass shooting involving someone diagnosed with schizophrenia shaped others' perceptions of [TGT] during [TGT] first episode while [TGT] was in graduate school. What does the media tend to get wrong about incidents like the one in Las Vegas just this week? We don't know anything about the shooter's motives yet but the conversation on social media has quickly turned to mental illness per usual.
Where did the conventional wisdom that folks like Nev are trying to revise come from? Describe the intellectual history you explored for this piece.
Aside from the constant warfare over funding for health care in Congress? In the psychiatry establishmentâthe American Psychiatric Association for instanceâthere is a heightened awareness with every passing year. That's one of the main goals for Nev Jones and other people who advocate along these lines: to increase awareness among the psychiatric establishment partly so the establishment is more open to making people with lived experience meaningful and full partners in any organization that makes decisions about how to respond to mental healthâwhether it be a board that's trying to help create a first episode psychosis clinic or a clinic that is going to treat or work with psychotic people. Right now if you have psychosis and you're in this profession it's seen as a reason not to include you in treatment level activity whereas it should actually be seen as a plus because of the greater understanding and credibility that you'll have with a patient. It's encouraging that the APA is looking at this more. | 2Positive
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1,844 | 'Game Changer': Maya Cities Unearthed In Guatemala Forest Using Lasers : The Two | Thomas Garrison | "This is a game changer " says Thomas Garrison an archaeologist at Ithaca College who is one of the leaders of the project . It changes "the base level at which we do Maya archaeology."
The data reveals that the area was three or four times more densely populated than originally thought. "I mean we're talking about millions of people conservatively " says Garrison . "Probably more than 10 million people."
The researchers fired LiDAR technology short for "Light Detection and Ranging " down at the dense forest from an airplane. This research was organized by the PACUNAM LiDAR Initiative and Garrison says the area's size is "more than double any other survey that's been done with this technology."
"As it flies the laser pulses hundreds of thousands of times per second " Garrison adds. "And every time one of those lasers hits a point of resistance it stops and sends back a measurement to the plane."
toggle caption PACUNAM/Thomas Garrison
LiDAR allows scientists to accomplish years or even decades worth of mapping in a single afternoon. For example Garrison says he was part of a team that worked for some eight years to map less than a square mile at a site called El Zotz. The plane using LiDAR took data for 67 square miles in a matter of hours.
"It's very humbling " says Garrison . "For those of us that spent our lives mapping and slogging around this area ... you just sort of have to bow before the LiDAR and accept the fact that it's better than you are."
The team surveyed 10 separate areas. It took months to process the data. As the picture became clearer Garrison said he would sent emails to his colleagues expressing surprise at the magnitude.
He recalls seeing an initial image of one area in northern Guatemala. "I saw this image and I said the whole area is covered in Maya settlement. You won't believe it " he adds. "And then once we got the actual data and saw the whole scope of it. We said 'Wow we're going to be able to really do something with this.'" | "This is a game changer " says Thomas Garrison an archaeologist at Ithaca College who is one of the leaders of the project . It changes "the base level at which we do Maya archaeology."
The data reveals that the area was three or four times more densely populated than originally thought. "I mean we're talking about millions of people conservatively " says [TGT] . "Probably more than 10 million people."
The researchers fired LiDAR technology short for "Light Detection and Ranging " down at the dense forest from an airplane. This research was organized by the PACUNAM LiDAR Initiative and [TGT] says the area's size is "more than double any other survey that's been done with this technology."
"As it flies the laser pulses hundreds of thousands of times per second " [TGT] adds. "And every time one of those lasers hits a point of resistance it stops and sends back a measurement to the plane."
toggle caption PACUNAM/Thomas Garrison
LiDAR allows scientists to accomplish years or even decades worth of mapping in a single afternoon. For example [TGT] says [TGT] was part of a team that worked for some eight years to map less than a square mile at a site called El Zotz. The plane using LiDAR took data for 67 square miles in a matter of hours.
"It's very humbling " says [TGT] . "For those of us that spent our lives mapping and slogging around this area ... you just sort of have to bow before the LiDAR and accept the fact that it's better than you are."
The team surveyed 10 separate areas. It took months to process the data. As the picture became clearer [TGT] said [TGT] would sent emails to [TGT] colleagues expressing surprise at the magnitude.
[TGT] recalls seeing an initial image of one area in northern Guatemala. "I saw this image and I said the whole area is covered in Maya settlement. You won't believe it " he adds. "And then once we got the actual data and saw the whole scope of it. We said 'Wow we're going to be able to really do something with this.'" | 2Positive
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1,845 | Papa John's CEOÂ John Schnatter steps down | John Schnatter | CLOSE John Schnatter is leaving as CEO of Papa John's Pizza. No reason was given for Schnatter 's decision but he recently faced criticism for blaming protesting NFL players for slumping pizza sales. Wochit
Papa John's founder and CEO John Schnatter is stepping down. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Papa John's CEO John Schnatter who overcame the odds to build his home-delivery pizza chain into a national powerhouse against entrenched rivals is stepping down.
Schnatter who founded the pizza chain in 1984 will remain as chairman of the board. No immediate reason was given for his decision which takes effect Jan. 1. He is being replaced CEO is company President Steve Ritchie.
As the founder Schnatter has been one of the biggest names in fast food. But he recently ran into controversy when he blamed NFL players' mass move to drop to one knee during the playing of the national anthem as affecting his company's sales.
Schnatter has been one of the last CEOs who also act as their brand's advertising pitchman a list that once included Col. Harland Sanders for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dave Thomas of Wendy's. By stressing that Papa John's had better ingredients and a better tasting product he was able to turn the burgeoning chain into a national force against giants like Domino's Pizza and Pizza Hut.
The company which has more than 5 000 locations worldwide said in a statement that Schnatter will continue to "pursue his personal passion for entrepreneurship leadership development and education."
Louisville-based Papa John's is the official pizza sponsor of the National Football League which Schnatter slammed in November for not dealing with players who've been kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner to protest racial injustice. The movement began with then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016.
"The NFL has been a long and valued partner over the years. But we're certainly disappointed that the NFL and its leadership did not resolve the ongoing situation to the satisfaction of all parties long ago " Schnatter said during a Nov. 1 analyst call. "This should've been nipped in the bud a year-and-a-half ago."
Schnatter isn't the first founder to step away recently from CEO duties at the company he built from scratch. Last month Chipotle Mexican Grill CEO Steve Ells would become executive chairman and Panera Bread's Ron Shaich announced that he would step down but retain his position as board chairman.
And Schnatter himself has said goodbye to the CEO gig before. He stepped down in 2005 but returned in 2008. In 2010 he took on a co-CEO Jude Thompson but that arrangement ended the following year.
Now Papa John's may decide to find a new pitchman besides Schnatter .
â He âs in every ad " Gordon said. "Thatâs very CEO-centric marketing which is pretty unusual these days. Weâll see if he steps back from that.â
He added â He and/or the board see the need to get him out of the line on fire and to continue his involvement in a less visible way.â | [TGT] is leaving as CEO of Papa John's Pizza. No reason was given for [TGT] 's decision but [TGT] recently faced criticism for blaming protesting NFL players for slumping pizza sales. Wochit
Papa John's founder and CEO [TGT] is stepping down. (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
Papa John's CEO John Schnatter who overcame the odds to build his home-delivery pizza chain into a national powerhouse against entrenched rivals is stepping down.
[TGT] will remain as chairman of the board. No immediate reason was given for [TGT] decision which takes effect Jan. 1. [TGT] is being replaced CEO is company President Steve Ritchie.
As the founder Schnatter has been one of the biggest names in fast food. But [TGT] recently ran into controversy when [TGT] blamed NFL players' mass move to drop to one knee during the playing of the national anthem as affecting [TGT] company's sales.
[TGT] has been one of the last CEOs who also act as [TGT] brand's advertising pitchman a list that once included Col. Harland Sanders for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Dave Thomas of Wendy's. By stressing that Papa John's had better ingredients and a better tasting product he was able to turn the burgeoning chain into a national force against giants like Domino's Pizza and Pizza Hut.
The company which has more than 5 000 locations worldwide said in a statement that Schnatter will continue to "pursue his personal passion for entrepreneurship leadership development and education."
Louisville-based Papa John's is the official pizza sponsor of the National Football League which [TGT] slammed in November for not dealing with players who've been kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner to protest racial injustice. The movement began with then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016.
"The NFL has been a long and valued partner over the years. But we're certainly disappointed that the NFL and its leadership did not resolve the ongoing situation to the satisfaction of all parties long ago " Schnatter said during a Nov. 1 analyst call. "This should've been nipped in the bud a year-and-a-half ago."
Schnatter isn't the first founder to step away recently from CEO duties at the company he built from scratch. Last month Chipotle Mexican Grill CEO Steve Ells would become executive chairman and Panera Bread's Ron Shaich announced that he would step down but retain his position as board chairman.
And Schnatter himself has said goodbye to the CEO gig before. He stepped down in 2005 but returned in 2008. In 2010 he took on a co-CEO Jude Thompson but that arrangement ended the following year.
Now Papa John's may decide to find a new pitchman besides Schnatter .
â He âs in every ad " Gordon said. "Thatâs very CEO-centric marketing which is pretty unusual these days. Weâll see if [TGT] [TGT] steps back from that.â
He added â He and/or the board see the need to get him out of the line on fire and to continue his involvement in a less visible way.â | 1Neutral
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1,846 | Jennifer Lawrence reveals she dropped out of middle school | Jennifer Lawrence | Jennifer Lawrenceâs acting career started at an early age â and her education ended at the same time.
The Oscar-winning actress revealed in an episode of â60 Minutesâ that she stopped going to school at age 14 before she even made it to high school.
âI dropped out of middle school. I donât technically have a GED or a diploma. I am self-educated â she told Bill Whitaker in the upcoming episode.
Lawrence first broke out onto the scene at age 20 â and by 22 she was nominated and won her first Oscar for âSilver Linings Playbook" in 2013.
Jennifer Lawrence rips Weinstein for using her words for defense
Actress Jennifer Lawrence opens up in a 60 Minutes interview about she dropped out of school at 14. (VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images)
Lawrence 27 said reading a script is how she first felt âsmartâ as school was never for her .
âI struggled through school I never felt very smart. And when Iâm reading this script and I feel like I know exactly what it would look like if somebody felt that way â she recalled to Whitaker. âThat was a whole part of my brain that I didnât even know existed. Something that I could be confident in. And I didnât want to let it go.â
Jennifer Lawrence 's on-set nudity made people uncomfortable
âItâs so hard to explain it was just an overwhelming feeling of âI get this. This is what I was meant to do ââ Lawrence continued. | [TGT] Lawrenceâs acting career started at an early age â and [TGT] education ended at the same time.
The Oscar-winning actress revealed in an episode of â60 Minutesâ that she stopped going to school at age 14 before she even made it to high school.
âI dropped out of middle school. I donât technically have a GED or a diploma. I am self-educated â she told Bill Whitaker in the upcoming episode.
Lawrence first broke out onto the scene at age 20 â and by 22 she was nominated and won her first Oscar for âSilver Linings Playbook" in 2013.
Jennifer Lawrence rips Weinstein for using her words for defense
Actress Jennifer Lawrence opens up in a 60 Minutes interview about she dropped out of school at 14. (VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images)
Lawrence 27 said reading a script is how she first felt âsmartâ as school was never for her .
âI struggled through school I never felt very smart. And when Iâm reading this script and I feel like I know exactly what it would look like if somebody felt that way â she recalled to Whitaker. âThat was a whole part of my brain that I didnât even know existed. Something that I could be confident in. And I didnât want to let it go.â
Jennifer Lawrence 's on-set nudity made people uncomfortable
âItâs so hard to explain it was just an overwhelming feeling of âI get this. This is what I was meant to do ââ Lawrence continued. | 1Neutral
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1,847 | Steve Bannon : He âs Not a Jolly Goodfella | Steve Bannon | There are many things that have been said about Steve Bannon in the past many things I myself have defended. From him being accused of being the second coming of Goebbels to well⦠him being accused of being the second coming of Goebbels. But one thing that canât be disputed â and I can never defend about who Steve Bannon is or was â is that he is a dirty rat.
Imagine you work at the âNew Breitbart.â Think about every conversation you have had with your âtough guyâ boss â every intimate feeling or thought that might have been shared. Now imagine you rise to influence that exceeds Bannonâs and he needs to tear you down. You ask yourself âAm I next?â The President wasnât safe the Presidentâs children werenât safe do you think will be? According to President Trumpâs son â Bannon used his privilege & turned that opportunity into a nightmare of backstabbing harassing leaking lying & underminingâ¦â Goebbels? More like Henry Hill and Sammy the Bull. The only âegg that has crackedâ is your boss and he wasnât even testifying (can you imagine if he was)?
You at the âNew Breitbartâ fell for it your readers fell for it I fell for it and yes the President fell for it. Everything the âNew Breitbartâ has become is everything you espouse to hate â guilt coming before innocence gleefully naming and castigating all who have been named in the âMe Tooâ scandal and relentlessly demanding the deportation of close to 12 million people. Do you really think Mr. Bannon will be driving that bus? Or rather throwing his employees under it? He may dress like Indiana Jones but he âs played many like Jim Jones. Yes many on the Left have a broken moral compass but many of you at the âNew Breitbartâ have also veered off the sacred trail.
Anger booze jealousy insecurity⦠who knows which influences Bannon most and more importantly who cares. But what was gained by your bossâs actions? And yes he is your boss your leader your Hanoi Jane. Everything Steve Bannon hates he is and hatred often has the audacity to be contagious. To quote Andrew Breitbart âThe army of the emboldened and gleefully ill-informed is growing.â Maybe âNew Breitbart â this is your come to Breitbart moment or just stay the course and be part of that âarmy.â
There is no doubt âNew Breitbartâ and Mr. Bannon were influential in helping the President get elected but that loyalty was and has been reciprocated. Even after you have unmercifully mocked his daughter and son-in-law using the âJavankaâ moniker the President showed a relatively speaking amazing restraint of tweet and tongue. But then Bannon had to go all âFredo â forcing the President to go all âDon.â
The difference between the President and Mr. Bannon is that Mr. Bannon is an arsonist while the President is a builder. You the employees of the âNew Breitbart â and whatever chemtrail supporters Mr. Bannon has left must decide whether to build or destroy. That is now your new question. Destruction without building is just so⦠Leftist. No Mr. Bannon to be sure you are no Joseph Goebbels but you are also no Andrew Breitbart. | There are many things that have been said about [TGT] in the past many things I myself have defended. From him being accused of being the second coming of Goebbels to well⦠him being accused of being the second coming of Goebbels. But one thing that canât be disputed â and I can never defend about who [TGT] is or was â is that [TGT] is a dirty rat.
Imagine you work at the âNew Breitbart.â Think about every conversation you have had with your âtough guyâ boss â every intimate feeling or thought that might have been shared. Now imagine you rise to influence that exceeds Bannonâs and he needs to tear you down. You ask yourself âAm I next?â The President wasnât safe the Presidentâs children werenât safe do you think will be? According to President Trumpâs son â Bannon used his privilege & turned that opportunity into a nightmare of backstabbing harassing leaking lying & underminingâ¦â Goebbels? More like Henry Hill and Sammy the Bull. The only âegg that has crackedâ is your boss and he wasnât even testifying (can you imagine if he was)?
You at the âNew Breitbartâ fell for it your readers fell for it I fell for it and yes the President fell for it. Everything the âNew Breitbartâ has become is everything you espouse to hate â guilt coming before innocence gleefully naming and castigating all who have been named in the âMe Tooâ scandal and relentlessly demanding the deportation of close to 12 million people. Do you really think Mr. Bannon will be driving that bus? Or rather throwing his employees under it? He may dress like Indiana Jones but he âs played many like Jim Jones. Yes many on the Left have a broken moral compass but many of you at the âNew Breitbartâ have also veered off the sacred trail.
Anger booze jealousy insecurity⦠who knows which influences Bannon most and more importantly who cares. But what was gained by your bossâs actions? And yes he is your boss your leader your Hanoi Jane. [TGT] hates [TGT] is and hatred often has the audacity to be contagious. To quote Andrew Breitbart âThe army of the emboldened and gleefully ill-informed is growing.â Maybe âNew Breitbart â this is your come to Breitbart moment or just stay the course and be part of that âarmy.â
There is no doubt âNew Breitbartâ and Mr. Bannon were influential in helping the President get elected but that loyalty was and has been reciprocated. Even after you have unmercifully mocked his daughter and son-in-law using the âJavankaâ moniker the President showed a relatively speaking amazing restraint of tweet and tongue. But then Bannon had to go all âFredo â forcing the President to go all âDon.â
The difference between the President and Mr. Bannon is that Mr. Bannon is an arsonist while the President is a builder. You the employees of the âNew Breitbart â and whatever chemtrail supporters Mr. Bannon has left must decide whether to build or destroy. That is now your new question. Destruction without building is just so⦠Leftist. No Mr. Bannon to be sure you are no Joseph Goebbels but you are also no Andrew Breitbart. | 1Neutral
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1,848 | Exclusive â Roy Moore Campaign to Jimmy Kimmel : If You Want to 'Mock Our Christian Values ' 'Come Down Here' to Alabama to 'Do It Man to Man' | Jimmy Kimmel | THEODORE Alabama â The U.S. Senate campaign of Judge Roy Moore is firing back at Jimmy Kimmel and his paid trickster Rich Barbieriâalso known as âJake Byrdââfor disrupting a worship service at which Moore spoke here on Wednesday night.
â Jimmy Kimmel and the âHollywood eliteâ cross the line when they invade our Churches under a disguise and attempt to make a mockery of our worship services â Drew Messer a senior adviser to Moore told Breitbart News on Thursday morning after the incident at the church on Wednesday night.
The pastor had earlier in the evening also warned event-goers against disrupting the worship service so this constituted his second warning. But that did not stop Barbieriâwhose character on Kimmel âs show is âJake Byrdââfrom disrupting the event and being escorted out by police.
Turns out tonight's Roy Moore superfan is a comedian named Tony Barbieri part of Jimmy Kimmel 's gang. pic.twitter.com/ykeGKVDdkS â Ben H. Raines (@BenHRaines) November 30 2017
Kimmel bragged about the insult to Christians on Twitter too:
Jake Byrd heckles Roy Moore: Jimmy Kimmel comedian crashes Alabama church rally https://t.co/P1HiEuPL1L â Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) November 30 2017
Now for the first time since the incident Mooreâs team is fired up and fighting back calling out the elites. In addition to Messerâs above comments he added in an email to Breitbart News that Kimmel should come down to Alabama himself rather sending one of his lackeys down here.
âIf Kimmel wants to mock our Christian values he should come down here and do it man to man instead of hiding behind a camera in Hollywood â Messer said. âAnd yes Jimmy we will still rebuild our military build the wall protect our gun rights reform our tax code and support President Trump whether you like that or not. Hollywood will not bully us around.â
Fellow senior Moore adviser Brett Doster bashed Kimmel for enabling Hollywoodâs culture of preying on women as seen by the recent downfalls of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.
âLast night Jimmy Kimmel sent one of his goons to disrupt an Alabama worship service as a comedy prop â Doster said in an email to Breitbart News. âFor years Kimmel hosted a show that exploited women and encouraged sexual impropriety. He and the rest of the entertainment industry look down their noses at our evangelical values while using their own pulpit to encourage the very behavior purveyed by monsters like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.â
It remains to be seen whether Kimmel will have the guts to face Mooreâs team head-on in Alabama and own up to the actions of his staff. A Kimmel publicist has not responded to Breitbart News when asked via email whether Kimmel or Barbieri would be willing to defend themselves in an interview.
After publication of this article the battle between Kimmel and Moore intensified on Twitter as Moore Tweeted this article at Kimmel inviting him to take his cause to Alabama to fight him âman to man.â
Kimmel replied with yet another attack on Christians in Alabama mocking them for not having Christian values.
Sounds great Roy â let me know when you get some Christian values and Iâll be there! â Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) November 30 2017
Moore fired back standing up to the âbigotryâ of coastal elites like Kimmel against southern conservative Christians in Alabama:
Kimmel replied that he would come after all: | THEODORE Alabama â The U.S. Senate campaign of Judge Roy Moore is firing back at [TGT] and his paid trickster Rich Barbieriâalso known as âJake Byrdââfor disrupting a worship service at which Moore spoke here on Wednesday night.
â Jimmy Kimmel and the âHollywood eliteâ cross the line when they invade our Churches under a disguise and attempt to make a mockery of our worship services â Drew Messer a senior adviser to Moore told Breitbart News on Thursday morning after the incident at the church on Wednesday night.
The pastor had earlier in the evening also warned event-goers against disrupting the worship service so this constituted his second warning. But that did not stop Barbieriâwhose character on [TGT] âs show is âJake Byrdââfrom disrupting the event and being escorted out by police.
Turns out tonight's Roy Moore superfan is a comedian named Tony Barbieri part of Jimmy Kimmel 's gang. pic.twitter.com/ykeGKVDdkS â Ben H. Raines (@BenHRaines) November 30 2017
[TGT] bragged about the insult to Christians on Twitter too:
Jake Byrd heckles Roy Moore: [TGT] comedian crashes Alabama church rally https://t.co/P1HiEuPL1L â Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) November 30 2017
Now for the first time since the incident Mooreâs team is fired up and fighting back calling out the elites. In addition to Messerâs above comments he added in an email to Breitbart News that [TGT] should come down to Alabama himself rather sending one of [TGT] lackeys down here.
âIf [TGT] wants to mock our Christian values [TGT] should come down here and do it man to man instead of hiding behind a camera in Hollywood â Messer said. âAnd yes Jimmy we will still rebuild our military build the wall protect our gun rights reform our tax code and support President Trump whether you like that or not. Hollywood will not bully us around.â
Fellow senior Moore adviser Brett Doster bashed [TGT] for enabling Hollywoodâs culture of preying on women as seen by the recent downfalls of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.
âLast night [TGT] sent one of [TGT] goons to disrupt an Alabama worship service as a comedy prop â Doster said in an email to Breitbart News. âFor years [TGT] hosted a show that exploited women and encouraged sexual impropriety. [TGT] and the rest of the entertainment industry look down their noses at our evangelical values while using their own pulpit to encourage the very behavior purveyed by monsters like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.â
It remains to be seen whether [TGT] will have the guts to face Mooreâs team head-on in Alabama and own up to the actions of [TGT] staff. A [TGT] publicist has not responded to Breitbart News when asked via email whether [TGT] or Barbieri would be willing to defend themselves in an interview.
After publication of this article the battle between [TGT] and Moore intensified on Twitter as Moore Tweeted this article at [TGT] inviting him to take his cause to Alabama to fight him âman to man.â
[TGT] replied with yet another attack on Christians in Alabama mocking them for not having Christian values.
Sounds great Roy â let me know when you get some Christian values and Iâll be there! â Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) November 30 2017
Moore fired back standing up to the âbigotryâ of coastal elites like [TGT] against southern conservative Christians in Alabama:
[TGT] replied that he would come after all: | 2Positive
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1,849 | Publisher Imprisoned by China in 2015 Disappears Again | Gui Minhai | Last weekend around 10 plain-clothes police officers escorted Gui Minhai from a train traveling from Chinaâs eastern coastal city of Ningbo to Beijing his daughter Angela Gui told Hong Kongâs South China Morning Post Monday.
Gui Minhaiâ a naturalized Swedish citizen â was traveling with two Swedish diplomats when he was detained his daughter said.
In a statement issued to multiple outlets Swedenâs foreign minister Margot Wallström said that her government had âdetailed knowledgeâ of Gui Minhai âs arrest and had summoned Chinaâs ambassador.
The 2015 disappearance of Gui Minhai and four other Hong Kong-based publishers and booksellers â who sold books banned on the mainland â provoked consternation in the semi-autonomous territory where many regarded it as an incursion into Hong Kongâs sovereignty . The five later appeared in Chinese custody and gave statements saying they had gone to the mainland voluntarily.
Angela Gui told the New York Times that her father who China formally released from detention last October had been living in Nigbo and was required to report regularly to Chinese authorities. Gui Minhai was reportedly en route to Beijingâs Swedish Embassy for a medical examination when police boarded the train and ushered him away. | Last weekend around 10 plain-clothes police officers escorted Gui Minhai from a train traveling from Chinaâs eastern coastal city of Ningbo to Beijing his daughter Angela Gui told Hong Kongâs South China Morning Post Monday.
Gui Minhaiâ a naturalized Swedish citizen â was traveling with two Swedish diplomats when he was detained his daughter said.
In a statement issued to multiple outlets Swedenâs foreign minister Margot Wallström said that her government had âdetailed knowledgeâ of [TGT] âs arrest and had summoned Chinaâs ambassador.
The 2015 disappearance of [TGT] and four other Hong Kong-based publishers and booksellers â who sold books banned on the mainland â provoked consternation in the semi-autonomous territory where many regarded it as an incursion into Hong Kongâs sovereignty . The five later appeared in Chinese custody and gave statements saying they had gone to the mainland voluntarily.
Angela Gui told the New York Times that her father who China formally released from detention last October had been living in Nigbo and was required to report regularly to Chinese authorities. [TGT] was reportedly en route to Beijingâs Swedish Embassy for a medical examination when police boarded the train and ushered him away. | 1Neutral
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1,850 | Quincy Jones sorry for his lack of filter in two viral interviews | Quincy Jones | (CNN) Quincy Jones might be an 85-year-old musical legend with nothing to prove but that doesn't mean he isn't still learning from his mistakes.
The musician on Thursday apologized for a string of headline-making recent interviews that he said were full of "bad-mouthing" and "inexcusable."
The interviews Jones referenced were with GQ and Vulture . In the chats Jones was candid about his feelings about Taylor Swift ("We need more songs man. F---ing songs not hooks.") Paul McCartney ("the worst bass player I ever heard") and Michael Jackson (whom he called "greedy") among others.
He also caused controversy in speaking about alleged sexual relations between legendary Hollywood figures.
Jones said it was a conversation with his daughters that opened his eyes to the error of his ways. | (CNN) [TGT] might be an 85-year-old musical legend with nothing to prove but that doesn't mean [TGT] isn't still learning from [TGT] mistakes.
The musician on Thursday apologized for a string of headline-making recent interviews that he said were full of "bad-mouthing" and "inexcusable."
The interviews Jones referenced were with GQ and Vulture . In the chats [TGT] was candid about [TGT] feelings about Taylor Swift ("We need more songs man. F---ing songs not hooks.") Paul McCartney ("the worst bass player I ever heard") and Michael Jackson (whom he called "greedy") among others.
He also caused controversy in speaking about alleged sexual relations between legendary Hollywood figures.
[TGT] said it was a conversation with [TGT] daughters that opened [TGT] eyes to the error of [TGT] ways. | 2Positive
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1,851 | Mitch McConnell to GOP Senators: Be Ready to Work Through Thanksgiving Break | Mitch McConnell | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told Senate Republicans to be ready to work through the Thanksgiving break which serves as a recognition that McConnell needs to pass the presidentâs agenda or he may soon lose his job as Majority Leader.
Mitch McConnell finally cracked under pressure last week from conservatives and populists and decided to extend the Senateâs workweek into Fridays and even possibly the weekend to pass the presidentâs agenda. Senate Republicans then wrote to McConnell that having the Senate stay open on Fridays and possibly the weekends is not good enough; Republicans urged the Senate Majority Leader to âturn the Senate on full time 24/7 to advance the presidentâs agenda.â
Breitbart News reported that under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell the Senate remains in session roughly 2.5 days per week.
To pass the presidentâs agenda McConnell told Senate Republicans this week that the chamber could stay in session the weekend before the week of Thanksgiving and the week of Thanksgiving according to two senior GOP sources.
McConnell said âPresident Trump should be commended for his strong judicial picks. The Senate is going to keep working hard to confirm them. And weâre going to succeed.â
McConnell âs extension of the Senate workweek and work into Thanksgiving serves as a recognition that he needs to perform or else McConnell may lose his job. Many conservatives and populists argue that McConnell has failed to carry out the presidentâs agenda and subsequently called on him to resign.
McConnell âs leadership continues to flounder; a recent poll revealed that 56 percent of Republicans want Mitch McConnell to resign. Many Senate Republican candidates revealed that they are reluctant to back McConnell for Majority Leader. Even Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley whom McConnellâs team labeled as their ânumber one recruit â refused to say whether he will endorse McConnell .
Former Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) told Fox News recently that he does not âknow what the case is to keepâ Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader.
Establishment Republicans including McConnell continue to fret over Breitbart News Executive Chairman and former White House Chief Strategist Steve â who is lining up a series of primary challenges in 2018 to lawmakers he sees as hurting President Trumpâs agenda. According to Axios Bannon is planning to back primary challengers against every incumbent Republican senator running for re-election in 2018 except Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Bannon recently told Fox Newsâ Sean Hannity âNobodyâs safe weâre coming after all of them.â | [TGT] told Senate Republicans to be ready to work through the Thanksgiving break which serves as a recognition that [TGT] needs to pass the presidentâs agenda or [TGT] may soon lose [TGT] job as Majority Leader.
[TGT] finally cracked under pressure last week from conservatives and populists and decided to extend the Senateâs workweek into Fridays and even possibly the weekend to pass the presidentâs agenda. Senate Republicans then wrote to [TGT] that having the Senate stay open on Fridays and possibly the weekends is not good enough; Republicans urged the Senate Majority Leader to âturn the Senate on full time 24/7 to advance the presidentâs agenda.â
Breitbart News reported that under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell the Senate remains in session roughly 2.5 days per week.
To pass the presidentâs agenda [TGT] told Senate Republicans this week that the chamber could stay in session the weekend before the week of Thanksgiving and the week of Thanksgiving according to two senior GOP sources.
[TGT] said âPresident Trump should be commended for [TGT] strong judicial picks. The Senate is going to keep working hard to confirm them. And weâre going to succeed.â
[TGT] âs extension of the Senate workweek and work into Thanksgiving serves as a recognition that [TGT] needs to perform or else [TGT] may lose [TGT] job. Many conservatives and populists argue that [TGT] has failed to carry out the presidentâs agenda and subsequently called on [TGT] to resign.
[TGT] âs leadership continues to flounder; a recent poll revealed that 56 percent of Republicans want [TGT] to resign. Many Senate Republican candidates revealed that they are reluctant to back [TGT] for Majority Leader. Even Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley whom McConnellâs team labeled as their ânumber one recruit â refused to say whether he will endorse [TGT] .
Former Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) told Fox News recently that he does not âknow what the case is to keepâ Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader.
Establishment Republicans including [TGT] continue to fret over Breitbart News Executive Chairman and former White House Chief Strategist Steve â who is lining up a series of primary challenges in 2018 to lawmakers [TGT] sees as hurting President Trumpâs agenda. According to Axios Bannon is planning to back primary challengers against every incumbent Republican senator running for re-election in 2018 except Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Bannon recently told Fox Newsâ Sean Hannity âNobodyâs safe weâre coming after all of them.â | 0Negative
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1,852 | Chicago Detective Accused Of Framing 51 People Defiantly Takes The Stand | Reynaldo Guevara | A Cook County Stateâs Attorney asked the detective Reynaldo Guevara 74 to review police reports and testimony he âd previously given in the case. Guevara refused quickly flipping the pages and then handing them back.
Seated in the courtroom gallery were family members of 11 people who say Guevara framed them and four more people whom Guevara helped put in prison but whose convictions have since been overturned.
âThis morning I prayed that maybe God would touch his heart and he would tell the truth â said Esther Hernandez the mother of two sons who claim Guevara framed them in a 1997 murder.
âThatâs an acute case of amnesia â said Jose Montanez who was exonerated last year of a 1993 murder after spending 23 years in prison. Guevara was one of the lead detectives on his case.
Since 2009 when a federal jury issued a record $21 million to a man whom Guevara was found to have framed the retired detective has repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify.
But earlier this year Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx offered Guevara immunity in exchange for his testimony. His lawyers argued he would still be vulnerable to perjury charges.
Todayâs hearing was part of an appeal by two defendants Gabriel Solache and Arturo Reyes who say that Guevara beat confessions out of them. Prosecutors called Guevara to the stand to rebut that claim. Since he testified he didnât remember the case prosecutors asked the court to allow Guevaraâs previous testimony from two court appearance in 2000.
âI hope people know how fucked up that is â said Jennifer Bonjean an attorney representing other Guevara clients. âItâs pretty mindblowing that the state is literally vouching for the prior testimony when Guevara wonât himself .â
An attorney for Solache Karen Daniel told the court that Guevara was âdisavowing his prior testimonyâ in the 2000 case and that he âs essentially pleading the Fifth âunder a different guise.â
The state has called several other officers prosecutors and medical personnel who were at the police station the night of the alleged beating. They testified that neither defendant complained of abuse. A paramedic called to the stand today testified he conducted medical evaluations of both defendants two days after Guevara allegedly beat them and didnât note signs of abuse.
In 2013 Chicago hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation of allegations of misconduct by Guevara . Those investigators rejected Solache and Reyesâs innocence claims but called the case against them âvery thin.â | A Cook County Stateâs Attorney asked the detective [TGT] 74 to review police reports and testimony he âd previously given in the case. [TGT] refused quickly flipping the pages and then handing them back.
Seated in the courtroom gallery were family members of 11 people who say [TGT] framed them and four more people whom [TGT] helped put in prison but whose convictions have since been overturned.
âThis morning I prayed that maybe God would touch his heart and he would tell the truth â said Esther Hernandez the mother of two sons who claim [TGT] framed them in a 1997 murder.
âThatâs an acute case of amnesia â said Jose Montanez who was exonerated last year of a 1993 murder after spending 23 years in prison. [TGT] was one of the lead detectives on [TGT] case.
Since 2009 when a federal jury issued a record $21 million to a man whom [TGT] was found to have framed the retired detective has repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify.
But earlier this year Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx offered [TGT] immunity in exchange for his testimony. His lawyers argued he would still be vulnerable to perjury charges.
Todayâs hearing was part of an appeal by two defendants Gabriel Solache and Arturo Reyes who say that [TGT] beat confessions out of them. Prosecutors called Guevara to the stand to rebut that claim. Since he testified he didnât remember the case prosecutors asked the court to allow Guevaraâs previous testimony from two court appearance in 2000.
âI hope people know how fucked up that is â said Jennifer Bonjean an attorney representing other [TGT] . âItâs pretty mindblowing that the state is literally vouching for the prior testimony when Guevara wonât himself .â
An attorney for Solache Karen Daniel told the court that Guevara was âdisavowing his prior testimonyâ in the 2000 case and that he âs essentially pleading the Fifth âunder a different guise.â
The state has called several other officers prosecutors and medical personnel who were at the police station the night of the alleged beating. They testified that neither defendant complained of abuse. A paramedic called to the stand today testified he conducted medical evaluations of both defendants two days after [TGT] allegedly beat them and didnât note signs of abuse.
In 2013 Chicago hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation of allegations of misconduct by [TGT] . Those investigators rejected Solache and Reyesâs innocence claims but called the case against them âvery thin.â | 0Negative
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1,853 | DNC Chairman Promises To Reform Party's Presidential Nominating Process | Tom Perez | In a Saturday blogpost Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez vowed to enact reforms to the partyâs presidential nominating process aimed at ensuring that âthe new DNC will work to rebuild trust with the people we represent.â
âI am more committed than ever before to restoring votersâ faith in our democratic process because even the perception of impartiality or an unfair advantage undermines our ability to win â Perez said. âThat is unacceptable.â
The âprinciplesâ Perez plans to employ include deciding the presidential primary debate schedule well before voting in the contests begins and making transparent to the public any joint fundraising agreements the DNC makes.
He also promised to support the work of the Unity Reform Commission a panel formed in July 2016 as a compromise with delegates who backed Sanders at the Democratic National Convention.
âWe will work with the Unity Reform Commission to implement their collective recommendations for meaningful change in our party â Perez said.
George Frey/Getty Images DNC Chairman Tom Perez has had to address a lingering divide in the Democratic Party between skeptical progressives and more establishment-minded party figures.
Nomiki Konst one of eight Sanders appointees on the commission expressed disappointment that Perez did not explicitly address DNC budget transparency and prohibiting the committeeâs voting members from having business with the organization or other conflicts of interest that could jade their ability to act impartially. | In [TGT] vowed to enact reforms to the partyâs presidential nominating process aimed at ensuring that âthe new DNC will work to rebuild trust with the people we represent.â
âI am more committed than ever before to restoring votersâ faith in our democratic process because even the perception of impartiality or an unfair advantage undermines our ability to win â [TGT] said. âThat is unacceptable.â
The âprinciplesâ [TGT] plans to employ include deciding the presidential primary debate schedule well before voting in the contests begins and making transparent to the public any joint fundraising agreements the DNC makes.
[TGT] also promised to support the work of the Unity Reform Commission a panel formed in July 2016 as a compromise with delegates who backed Sanders at the Democratic National Convention.
âWe will work with the Unity Reform Commission to implement their collective recommendations for meaningful change in our party â [TGT] said.
[TGT] has had to address a lingering divide in the Democratic Party between skeptical progressives and more establishment-minded party figures.
Nomiki Konst one of eight Sanders appointees on the commission expressed disappointment that [TGT] did not explicitly address DNC budget transparency and prohibiting the committeeâs voting members from having business with the organization or other conflicts of interest that could jade their ability to act impartially. | 2Positive
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1,854 | Cold turkey at Vietnam's compulsory drug rehab centres | Trung | Haiphong (Vietnam) (AFP) â During four years of compulsory rehab in Vietnam Trung spent his drug-free days gluing together false eyelashes as part of what authorities billed as valuable âwork therapyâ for his heroin addiction.
But critics say the work of Trung and tens of thousands of others is tantamount to forced labour that rarely helps users extinguish their addiction.
Police sent Trung to a state-sponsored rehab centre on the outskirts of Hanoi one of 132 in Vietnam where he says he faced routine beatings from guards and hours of labour for nominal pay.
He started using again soon after his release in 2014 â up to 80 percent of addicts from the centres relapse according to official figures.
Trung âs labour therapy has since been replaced by a daily shot of methadone from a government-run drop-in clinic which he insists is the only effective treatment he âs had.
Today he says he is keeping the addiction at bay and is trying to mend ties with his only son.
Sometimes they house other marginal groups â the mentally ill and disabled the homeless the elderly â along with addicts like Trung who support the treatment model on paper even if they resent the abuse inside. | Haiphong (Vietnam) (AFP) â During four years of compulsory rehab in Vietnam [TGT] spent [TGT] drug-free days gluing together false eyelashes as part of what authorities billed as valuable âwork therapyâ for [TGT] heroin addiction.
But critics say the work of Trung and tens of thousands of others is tantamount to forced labour that rarely helps users extinguish their addiction.
Police sent Trung to a state-sponsored rehab centre on the outskirts of Hanoi one of 132 in Vietnam where he says he faced routine beatings from guards and hours of labour for nominal pay.
He started using again soon after his release in 2014 â up to 80 percent of addicts from the centres relapse according to official figures.
Trung âs labour therapy has since been replaced by a daily shot of methadone from a government-run drop-in clinic which he insists is the only effective treatment he âs had.
Today he says he is keeping the addiction at bay and is trying to mend ties with his only son.
Sometimes they house other marginal groups â the mentally ill and disabled the homeless the elderly â along with addicts like Trung who support the treatment model on paper even if they resent the abuse inside. | 2Positive
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1,855 | Spain takes over Catalonia fires defiant separatist leaders | Josep Lluis Trapero | In one of the first moves Spain's Interior Ministry published an order to demote Josep Lluis Trapero from his position as head of the regional Mossos d'Esquadra police in Catalonia. He will be allowed to remain as commissar.
Trapero became a controversial figure as the public face of the police response in mid-August to deadly extremists' attacks in and near Barcelona. He was praised for effectiveness but also criticized for coordination problems with other national police forces.
Spain's National Court is also investigating him as part of a sedition probe related to the banned Oct. 1 independence referendum when the regional police were seen as acting passively â not aggressively â to halt the vote deemed illegal by a top Spanish court.
Trapero 's boss regional police director Pere Soler said in a statement that he accepted his firing by central authorities in Madrid. | In one of the first moves Spain's Interior Ministry published an order to demote [TGT] from his position as head of the regional Mossos d'Esquadra police in Catalonia. He will be allowed to remain as commissar.
Trapero became a controversial figure as the public face of the police response in mid-August to deadly extremists' attacks in and near Barcelona. He was praised for effectiveness but also criticized for coordination problems with other national police forces.
Spain's National Court is also investigating him as part of a sedition probe related to the banned Oct. 1 independence referendum when the regional police were seen as acting passively â not aggressively â to halt the vote deemed illegal by a top Spanish court.
Trapero 's boss regional police director Pere Soler said in a statement that he accepted his firing by central authorities in Madrid. | 2Positive
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1,856 | Largest known prime number discovered by FedEx employee | Chris Caldwell | These primes are exceedingly rare and sporadic said Chris Caldwell a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Tennessee at Martin who studies prime numbers and has written a history of the Mersenne primes.
"Finding a prime is not going to change any theorems in mathematics but this is a type of prime that has been interesting to mathematicians since several centuries before Christ " Caldwell said. Even the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid talked about what would later become the Mersenne primes he said.
Caldwell added that the discovery was akin to breaking a land speed record.
The last few Mersenne primes have been closer to each other than the researchers expected he said.
The numbers seem to occur sporadically because researchers don't fully understand the pattern they follow he said. "So you expect in any process that appears random to have some close groupings of numbers. But we didn't expect to find another one so soon after the last one."
"In the long run we hope to use these data to predict how often these occur " he added. | These primes are exceedingly rare and sporadic said [TGT] a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Tennessee at Martin who studies prime numbers and has written a history of the Mersenne primes.
"Finding a prime is not going to change any theorems in mathematics but this is a type of prime that has been interesting to mathematicians since several centuries before Christ " Caldwell said. Even the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid talked about what would later become the Mersenne primes he said.
Caldwell added that the discovery was akin to breaking a land speed record.
The last few Mersenne primes have been closer to each other than the researchers expected he said.
The numbers seem to occur sporadically because researchers don't fully understand the pattern they follow he said. "So you expect in any process that appears random to have some close groupings of numbers. But we didn't expect to find another one so soon after the last one."
"In the long run we hope to use these data to predict how often these occur " he added. | 1Neutral
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1,857 | LendingClub faces DOJ SEC investigations could buy more of its loans | LendingClub | The peer-to-peer lender LendingClub is on the cusp of being investigated by the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission and it is in emergency talks to coax more buyers onto its platform to shore up the business.
LendingClub made the disclosures in a regulatory filing on Monday. It follows the shock ousting of LendingClub founder and CEO Renaud Laplanche last week after an internal review. The stock crashed 26% on the day and is down over 50% since then.
The board cited issues with "data integrity and contract approval monitoring and review processes" for Laplanche's exit as well as issues surrounding an apparent financial conflict of interest in an investment Laplanche made in a company doing business with LendingClub .
The forced exit of Laplanche has sent LendingClub into a full-blown crisis that threatens the very core of its business.
UPDATE: Since publication LendingClub has provided BI with the following statement:
LendingClub was founded in 2007 and is a peer-to-peer lender; consumers can take out loans of up to $40 000 (£27 654) supplied by a third party that are then packaged up and sold to institutional investors who want to receive the stream of interest payments in return. It matches lenders with investors a little like UK companies such as Zopa.
LendingClub says:
But Laplanche also failed to disclose his personal interest in a fund that LendingClub was considering investing in and The Journal claims he had invested millions in that fund so it could buy LendingClub's loans effectively to boost demand.
The vehicle which Bloomberg said was Cirrix Capital bought $114.5 million worth of LendingClub loans in the first quarter of the year according to Monday's filing. LendingClub director John Mack and Laplanche are all investors in Cirrix according to Bloomberg. Cirrix is now helping Lending Club with emergency funding.
LendingClub claims to take no credit risk itself but it clearly has some exposure to the risk if it is investing in a fund that is buying its loans. Discussing LendingClub 's investment in the vehicle that bought the loans LendingClub says it "determined none of these events were required to be recognized or disclosed."
As a result of the whole fiasco LendingClub has received a grand jury subpoena from the US Department of Justice and has been contacted by the SEC it said in a filing on Monday. The company says "no assurance can be given as to the timing or outcome of these matters. "
LendingClub also warns that it may face legal proceedings over the whole thing but it says it doesn't think any liabilities from an eventual judgment will have a "material effect on its financial condition."
LendingClub is already facing two class-action lawsuits in the US both filed since the start of the year.
One filed in California accuses the company of "making materially false and misleading statements in the registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the IPO regarding among other things the company's business model compliance with regulatory matters and their impact on the company 's business operations and future results."
Another lodged in New York claims people "received loans through the company 's platform that exceeded states' usury limits in violation of state usury and consumer protection laws."
' The company may need to use its own funds to purchase these loans' | [TGT] is on the cusp of being investigated by the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission and it is in emergency talks to coax more buyers onto its platform to shore up the business.
[TGT] made the disclosures in a regulatory filing on Monday. [TGT] follows the shock ousting of LendingClub founder and CEO Renaud Laplanche last week after an internal review. The stock crashed 26% on the day and is down over 50% since then.
The board cited issues with "data integrity and contract approval monitoring and review processes" for Laplanche's exit as well as issues surrounding an apparent financial conflict of interest in an investment Laplanche made in a company doing business with LendingClub .
The forced exit of Laplanche has sent [TGT] into a full-blown crisis that threatens the very core of [TGT] business.
UPDATE: Since [TGT] has provided BI with the following statement:
[TGT] was founded in 2007 and is a peer-to-peer lender; consumers can take out loans of up to $40 000 (£27 654) supplied by a third party that are then packaged up and sold to institutional investors who want to receive the stream of interest payments in return. It matches lenders with investors a little like UK companies such as Zopa.
[TGT] says:
But Laplanche also failed to disclose his personal interest in a fund that [TGT] was considering investing in and The Journal claims he had invested millions in that fund so [TGT] could buy LendingClub's loans effectively to boost demand.
The vehicle which Bloomberg said was Cirrix Capital bought $114.5 million worth of [TGT] loans in the first quarter of the year according to Monday's filing. [TGT] director John Mack and Laplanche are all investors in Cirrix according to Bloomberg. Cirrix is now helping Lending Club with emergency funding.
[TGT] claims to take no credit risk itself but [TGT] clearly has some exposure to the risk if [TGT] is investing in a fund that is buying its loans. Discussing LendingClub 's investment in the vehicle that bought the loans LendingClub says it "determined none of these events were required to be recognized or disclosed."
As a result of the whole fiasco LendingClub has received a grand jury subpoena from the US Department of Justice and has been contacted by the SEC it said in a filing on Monday. The company says "no assurance can be given as to the timing or outcome of these matters. "
[TGT] also warns that it may face legal proceedings over the whole thing but [TGT] says [TGT] doesn't think any liabilities from an eventual judgment will have a "material effect on [TGT] financial condition."
LendingClub is already facing two class-action lawsuits in the US both filed since the start of the year.
One filed in California accuses the company of "making materially false and misleading statements in the registration statement and prospectus issued in connection with the IPO regarding among other things the company's business model compliance with regulatory matters and their impact on the company 's business operations and future results."
Another lodged in New York claims people "received loans through the company 's platform that exceeded states' usury limits in violation of state usury and consumer protection laws."
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1,858 | Can American Society Overcome the Fake News Phenomenon? â Mother Jones | Amy Webb | Itâs not as if fake news in America came into existence alongside the tide known as the Trump presidencyâthe hucksters foreign propagandists conspiracy theorists and fabricators have always been hereâbut if ever there was a year when purposefully misleading or false stories hit their stride 2017 might have been it. We were told that an ISIS leader was captured at a US airport and that Shariah law was instituted in Utah and other states. A study found that 25 million votes for Hillary Clinton were âcompletely fraudulent â and the Las Vegas massacre was carried out by antifa or ISIS or the Illuminati or somehow all three. The lies went on and on picking up where 2016âs catalogue of nonsense left off. (Remember Hillary Clintonâs child sex trafficking ring run out of a pizzeria or Sarah Palin banning Muslims from âenteringâ her daughter? How about Alec Baldwin dying and Trump winning the electoral vote and the popular vote?)
But now we âre at the dawn of a fresh year privy to the forces that seek to sow confusion and outrage. Can American society overcome the fake news phenomenon?
Well⦠âThereâs probably a strong case to be made that we are chemically addicted to fake news â says Amy Webb an author and futurist who founded the Future Today Institute. âWhen youâre seeing your angers and fears and anxieties being validated externally you get a shot of dopamine.â Thinking about the upcoming year and beyond she says we may have âa huge problem on our hands.â And though the propaganda is coming at us from all directionsâfrom Kremlin-backed misinformation campaigns and Twitter troll armies to publicity hounds and political malcontentsâfalling for it and spreading it is to some degree our own fault.
In the spring of 2017 Webb wrote a piece for Mother Jones that detailed not only the manner of 21st-century fake news and the speed with which it travels but also how we are all accomplices to its proliferation âas we click and repost without considering the storyâs source and its agenda.â She noted that the democratization of the internet back in the 1990s meant that âeveryone would get to participate regardless of their agendas.â Information became free and free-flowing. But problematically âwe didnât plan ahead as the internet matured â when consumers of information were left to contend with not only âhuman arbiters of factsâ but also code and algorithms that propel certain types of content to the fore based on our own online behavior. Innocently sharing a cat video put out by Russia Today a Kremlin-backed propaganda machine that elevates fringe âexpertsâ and attempts to sow distrust means youâll see a lot more of their content in the future.
Complicating matters more is that in our politicized climate the term fake news itself came to mean different things to different people. It had a literal meaning that seemingly overnight became a hashtag and an epithet to hurl at anything or anyone that one disagrees with. âIf we canât even come to some kind of convergence and talk about something as insidious and as threatening to our future as the spread of misinformationâotherwise known as fake news in the literal senseâthen donât we have sort of a catastrophically huge problem on our hands?â asks Webb .
As someone who studies current and past trends to try to anticipate what the future may hold Webb likes to end these conversations with a reminder that for however doomed things appear âWe are not living in the middle of Westworldâthe future has not been preordained. There is something we can do in the year 2018 and beyond and that is be smarter consumers of news.â | Itâs not as if fake news in America came into existence alongside the tide known as the Trump presidencyâthe hucksters foreign propagandists conspiracy theorists and fabricators have always been hereâbut if ever there was a year when purposefully misleading or false stories hit their stride 2017 might have been it. We were told that an ISIS leader was captured at a US airport and that Shariah law was instituted in Utah and other states. A study found that 25 million votes for Hillary Clinton were âcompletely fraudulent â and the Las Vegas massacre was carried out by antifa or ISIS or the Illuminati or somehow all three. The lies went on and on picking up where 2016âs catalogue of nonsense left off. (Remember Hillary Clintonâs child sex trafficking ring run out of a pizzeria or Sarah Palin banning Muslims from âenteringâ her daughter? How about Alec Baldwin dying and Trump winning the electoral vote and the popular vote?)
But now we âre at the dawn of a fresh year privy to the forces that seek to sow confusion and outrage. Can American society overcome the fake news phenomenon?
Well⦠âThereâs probably a strong case to be made that we are chemically addicted to fake news â says [TGT] an author and futurist who founded the Future Today Institute. âWhen youâre seeing your angers and fears and anxieties being validated externally you get a shot of dopamine.â Thinking about the upcoming year and beyond she says we may have âa huge problem on our hands.â And though the propaganda is coming at us from all directionsâfrom Kremlin-backed misinformation campaigns and Twitter troll armies to publicity hounds and political malcontentsâfalling for it and spreading it is to some degree our own fault.
In the spring of 2017 Webb wrote a piece for Mother Jones that detailed not only the manner of 21st-century fake news and the speed with which it travels but also how we are all accomplices to its proliferation âas we click and repost without considering the storyâs source and its agenda.â She noted that the democratization of the internet back in the 1990s meant that âeveryone would get to participate regardless of their agendas.â Information became free and free-flowing. But problematically âwe didnât plan ahead as the internet matured â when consumers of information were left to contend with not only âhuman arbiters of factsâ but also code and algorithms that propel certain types of content to the fore based on our own online behavior. Innocently sharing a cat video put out by Russia Today a Kremlin-backed propaganda machine that elevates fringe âexpertsâ and attempts to sow distrust means youâll see a lot more of their content in the future.
Complicating matters more is that in our politicized climate the term fake news itself came to mean different things to different people. It had a literal meaning that seemingly overnight became a hashtag and an epithet to hurl at anything or anyone that one disagrees with. âIf we canât even come to some kind of convergence and talk about something as insidious and as threatening to our future as the spread of misinformationâotherwise known as fake news in the literal senseâthen donât we have sort of a catastrophically huge problem on our hands?â asks Webb .
As someone who studies current and past trends to try to anticipate what the future may hold Webb likes to end these conversations with a reminder that for however doomed things appear âWe are not living in the middle of Westworldâthe future has not been preordained. There is something we can do in the year 2018 and beyond and that is be smarter consumers of news.â | 1Neutral
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1,859 | Suns rally in second half but can't close out depleted Spurs | Patty Mills | Josh Jackson made one of two free throws to boost the Phoenix lead to 101-99 with 29 seconds remaining before Patty Mills got the ball to Forbes who made his lone 3 in six tries.
Phoenix's Mike James scored 25 points one shy of his career high but missed a 3-pointer the Spurs got the rebound and Mills sank two free throws with 1.6 seconds to play.
San Antonio led by as many as 15 in the first half and 19 in the third quarter before a 12-2 Suns surge to cut the Spurs' lead to 71-69 on Troy Daniels' 3-pointer from the corner with 53 seconds left in the period. But Mills made two 3s in the final 10 seconds of the quarter and San Antonio led 79-71 entering the fourth.
Warren rattled in a 3 to punctuate another 12-2 surge that made it tied it 94-94 for the first time since it was 2-2. | Josh Jackson made one of two free throws to boost the Phoenix lead to 101-99 with 29 seconds remaining before [TGT] got the ball to Forbes who made his lone 3 in six tries.
Phoenix's Mike James scored 25 points one shy of his career high but missed a 3-pointer the Spurs got the rebound and Mills sank two free throws with 1.6 seconds to play.
San Antonio led by as many as 15 in the first half and 19 in the third quarter before a 12-2 Suns surge to cut the Spurs' lead to 71-69 on Troy Daniels' 3-pointer from the corner with 53 seconds left in the period. But Mills made two 3s in the final 10 seconds of the quarter and San Antonio led 79-71 entering the fourth.
Warren rattled in a 3 to punctuate another 12-2 surge that made it tied it 94-94 for the first time since it was 2-2. | 2Positive
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1,860 | Kevin Spacey Comes Out as Gay after Being Accused of Making Sexual Advance on 14 | Rapp | In an interview with BuzzFeed News Sunday Star Trek: Discovery and Broadway star Rapp â now 46 â claimed that Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance advance on him in 1986 when both actors were performing on different Broadway shows.
Rapp alleged that Spacey then 26 invited him to his apartment for a party. When the party had concluded and the other guests had left Rapp claimed Spacey carried him on to his bed and climbed on top of him .
â He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I donât like squirm away initially because Iâm like âWhatâs going on?â And then he lays down on top of me.â
â He was trying to seduce me â Rapp continued. âI donât know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that he was trying to get with me sexually.â
Rapp also said that he has never told anyone about the experience but has grown increasingly resentful of Spaceyâs success.
âMy stomach churns â Rapp said. âI still to this day canât wrap my head around so many aspects of it. Itâs just deeply confusing to me.â | In an interview with BuzzFeed News Sunday Star Trek: Discovery and Broadway star [TGT] now 46 â claimed that Spacey made an unwanted sexual advance advance on him in 1986 when both actors were performing on different Broadway shows.
[TGT] alleged that Spacey then 26 invited [TGT] to [TGT] apartment for a party. When the party had concluded and the other guests had left [TGT] claimed Spacey carried [TGT] on to [TGT] bed and climbed on top of [TGT] .
â [TGT] picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I donât like squirm away initially because Iâm like âWhatâs going on?â And then he lays down on top of me.â
â He was trying to seduce me â [TGT] continued. âI donât know if I would have used that language. But I was aware that [TGT] was trying to get with [TGT] [TGT]
also said that [TGT] has never told anyone about the experience but has grown increasingly resentful of Spaceyâs success.
âMy stomach churns â [TGT] said. âI still to this day canât wrap my head around so many aspects of it. Itâs just deeply confusing to me.â | 1Neutral
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1,861 | Roy Halladay former MLB star pitcher killed in Florida plane crash | Roy Halladay | (CNN) Pitcher Roy Halladay who won two Cy Young awards and more than 200 Major League Baseball games during a stellar career died Tuesday in a plane crash off the Florida coast authorities said.
Halladay 40 was the only person on the two-seater plane that crashed just off New Port Richey on the Gulf coast north of the Tampa Bay area Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said.
Another above average view thanks to my Icon A5! Time it took to get from my lake to here 15min... Having a island to yourself.. Priceless!! pic.twitter.com/oWn7jCHC05 â Roy Halladay (@RoyHalladay) October 17 2017
Halladay pitched parts of 16 seasons in the major leagues the first 12 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He won the Cy Young for the Jays in 2003 when he went 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA and led the American League with nine complete games.
He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies before the 2010 season and won another Cy Young in his first year with the team. That season he went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and threw a perfect game in the regular season and a no-hitter in his first postseason start. The no-hitter is the only one in National League postseason history.
"There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game " a team statement said. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to ( his wife) Brandy (and sons) Ryan and Braden."
Halladay finished his career with a 203 wins and a career ERA of 3.38.
"He was one in a million " said Nocco the sheriff who was a friend of Halladay 's. "It is a true loss for us. ... His heart was a heart of gold. He was an unbelievable human being."
Nocco said Halladay often spoke of his love of flying.
Former Blue Jays teammate Vernon Wells said Halladay was one of the best pitchers ever.
"I had a front row seat to watch his greatness. RIP Doc " Wells tweeted referencing a Halladay nickname.
Halladay will be eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. | (CNN) Pitcher [TGT] who won two Cy Young awards and more than 200 Major League Baseball games during a stellar career died Tuesday in a plane crash off the Florida coast authorities said.
Halladay 40 was the only person on the two-seater plane that crashed just off New Port Richey on the Gulf coast north of the Tampa Bay area Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said.
Another above average view thanks to my Icon A5! Time it took to get from my lake to here 15min... Having a island to yourself.. Priceless!! pic.twitter.com/oWn7jCHC05 â [TGT] (@RoyHalladay) October 17 2017
Halladay pitched parts of 16 seasons in the major leagues the first 12 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He won the Cy Young for the Jays in 2003 when he went 22-7 with a 3.25 ERA and led the American League with nine complete games.
He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies before the 2010 season and won another Cy Young in his first year with the team. That season he went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and threw a perfect game in the regular season and a no-hitter in his first postseason start. The no-hitter is the only one in National League postseason history.
"There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game " a team statement said. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to ( his wife) Brandy (and sons) Ryan and Braden."
Halladay finished his career with a 203 wins and a career ERA of 3.38.
"He was one in a million " said Nocco the sheriff who was a friend of Halladay 's. "It is a true loss for us. ... His heart was a heart of gold. He was an unbelievable human being."
Nocco said Halladay often spoke of his love of flying.
Former Blue Jays teammate Vernon Wells said Halladay was one of the best pitchers ever.
"I had a front row seat to watch his greatness. RIP Doc " Wells tweeted referencing a Halladay nickname.
Halladay will be eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. | 2Positive
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1,862 | Report: Jeff Flake ' Quietly' Crafting Gang of Eight | Jeff Flake | Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) is âquietlyâ working with Democrats on new legislation to dole out amnesty to nearly 800 000 to 3.5 million illegal aliens a new report reveals.
According to POLITICO Flake has been working with Democrat Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) on a âGang of Eightâ-style amnesty deal for illegal aliens who are enrolled and eligible for the President Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) quietly began working with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) several weeks ago in a new âgangâ to craft Dreamer legislation that could pick up 60 votes according to a Flake spokesman. Flake and Bennet worked together nearly five years ago to write the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform measure. Aides declined to name all the senators who are involved although Democratic officials said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois is also engaged in the talks. âTo have those kids go through another end of the year without knowing what their status is is not good â Flake said Monday evening. âThere are a couple of issues we still need consensus on but weâre getting close on a number of them.â
Flakeâs latest push for amnesty comes after the House and Senate passed tax reform legislation in which Flake claimed that the Senate Republican leadership promised him a DACA amnesty in exchange for his support for tax reform as Breitbart News reported. | [TGT] is âquietlyâ working with Democrats on new legislation to dole out amnesty to nearly 800 000 to 3.5 million illegal aliens a new report reveals.
According to [TGT] has been working with Democrat Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) on a âGang of Eightâ-style amnesty deal for illegal aliens who are enrolled and eligible for the President Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
[TGT] quietly began working with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) several weeks ago in a new âgangâ to craft Dreamer legislation that could pick up 60 votes according to a [TGT] spokesman. Flake and Bennet worked together nearly five years ago to write the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform measure. Aides declined to name all the senators who are involved although Democratic officials said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois is also engaged in the talks. âTo have those kids go through another end of the year without knowing what their status is is not good â [TGT] said Monday evening. âThere are a couple of issues we still need consensus on but weâre getting close on a number of them.â
Flakeâs latest push for amnesty comes after the House and Senate passed tax reform legislation in which [TGT] claimed that the Senate Republican leadership promised him a DACA amnesty in exchange for his support for tax reform as Breitbart News reported. | 2Positive
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1,863 | Facebook to overhaul news feed to focus on friends and family Zuckerberg says | Zuckerberg | The social network said Thursday that it 's overhauling the news feed prioritize posts from family and friends as opposed to ones from brands and publishers.
"I'm changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions " CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page.
You can read Zuckerberg 's post below:
One of our big focus areas for 2018 is to make sure that the time we all spend on Facebook is time well spent. We built... Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday January 11 2018
He also acknowledged that the company 's business could take a short-term hit as a result of the change -- but it was an important move to make anyway.
"By making these changes I expect the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down. But I also expect the time you do spend on Facebook will be more valuable " he wrote. "And if we do the right thing I believe that will be good for our community and our business over the long term too." | The social network said Thursday that it 's overhauling the news feed prioritize posts from family and friends as opposed to ones from brands and publishers.
"I'm changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions [TGT] wrote on [TGT] Facebook page.
You can read Zuckerberg 's post below:
One of our big focus areas for 2018 is to make sure that the time we all spend on Facebook is time well spent. We built... Posted by [TGT] on Thursday January 11 2018
[TGT] also acknowledged that the company 's business could take a short-term hit as a result of the change -- but it was an important move to make anyway.
"By making these changes I expect the time people spend on Facebook and some measures of engagement will go down. But I also expect the time you do spend on Facebook will be more valuable " he wrote. "And if we do the right thing I believe that will be good for our community and our business over the long term too." | 2Positive
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1,864 | Bitcoin is 'first sign of greed since Great Recession ' says Federated's Chiavarone | Steve Chiavarone | There's a mountain of greed manifesting itself in the market according to Federated Investors portfolio manager Steve Chiavarone .
But he says you won't find it in stocks â it's in cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin is such a contentious emerging asset Chiavarone recently felt compelled to publish a market memo on it because he was fielding so many questions from clients and advisors.
"Investors wanted to be on the roller coaster in the '90s. They wanted high returns. They didn't mind volatility " Chiavarone said.
Chiavarone who is a bull on the actual blockchain technology believes there's a good chance bitcoin will suffer the same fate as Pets.com â one of the biggest dotcom bubble busts of the high-flying 90s before tech stocks crashed. | There's a mountain of greed manifesting itself in the market according to [TGT] .
But [TGT] says you won't find it in stocks â it's in cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin is such a contentious emerging asset [TGT] recently felt compelled to publish a market memo on it because [TGT] was fielding so many questions from clients and advisors.
"Investors wanted to be on the roller coaster in the '90s. They wanted high returns. They didn't mind volatility [TGT] said.
Chiavarone who is a bull on the actual blockchain technology believes there's a good chance bitcoin will suffer the same fate as Pets.com â one of the biggest dotcom bubble busts of the high-flying 90s before tech stocks crashed. | 2Positive
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1,865 | The 2018 Congressional Retirement Tracker | Hillary Clinton | The trend to this point gives a distinct edge to the Democrats. While roughly the same number of lawmakers in both parties are leaving their seats to run for higher office just nine House Democrats are retiring outright or have already resigned compared with 24 Republicans. (House members running for other offices often count as retirements because itâs usually impractical or illegal to run for multiple positions at the same time.) Including those members who are leaving to run for another office there will be 17 open House seats vacated by Democrats and 35 for Republicans. Democratic victories last November in gubernatorial and state legislative races in Virginia and New Jersey could spur more retirements among Republicans worried about the national political environment under Trump. And although Democrats must defend far more Senate seats than Republicans in 2018âincluding several in states that Donald Trump wonâall of the partyâs incumbents are currently running for reelection. The retirements of Corker and Flake along with a Democratic victory in Decemberâs special election in Alabama give Democrats an outside chance at retaking the Senate majority. In the House theyâll need to pick up 24 seats and the more Republicans retire in districts that Hillary Clinton carried last year the more the GOP majority is at risk. Data sources: Each districtâs presidential-election results are from the Daily Kos. House and Senate election results are from the Associated Press.
2012 Senate election: +3.9 Flake He decided to leave after a single term rather than wage what would have been a brutal fight for reelection first in a primary against a hard-right Trump backer Kelli Ward and then if he won against a centrist Democrat Representative Kyrsten Sinema in the general election. Flake had lost his base in Arizona: His criticism of Trump in his recent book Conscience of a Conservative alienated the presidentâs GOP backers while his conservative voting record put off Democrats. Orrin Hatch Utah 2016 presidential election: +17.9 Trump over Hillary Clinton; +23.8 Trump over Evan McMullin
2014 Senate election: +10.24 Franken Under pressure from fellow Democrats Franken announced in December he would resign âin the coming weeksâ after multiple women came forward to accuse him of inappropriate sexual behavior. Most of the allegations involved Franken groping women while taking a photo. His resignation means there will be a special Senate election in 2018 in a state that Hillary Clinton barely carried in 2016. House Republicans Retiring Outright Steve Helber / AP Bob Goodlatte Virginia 6th district 2016 presidential election: +24.8 Trump
2016 House election: +0.52 Issa Issa in January became one of the most recognizable House Republicans to announce his retirement. A former chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee he served as the chief congressional inquisitor of the Obama administration for several years. Issa is annually ranked as one of the wealthiest members of Congress having co-founded the company behind the Viper car alarm (for which he famously provided the voice). But he was in for the fight of his life to win reelection after nearly losing in 2016 in a district that Hillary Clinton carried over Donald Trump. | The trend to this point gives a distinct edge to the Democrats. While roughly the same number of lawmakers in both parties are leaving their seats to run for higher office just nine House Democrats are retiring outright or have already resigned compared with 24 Republicans. (House members running for other offices often count as retirements because itâs usually impractical or illegal to run for multiple positions at the same time.) Including those members who are leaving to run for another office there will be 17 open House seats vacated by Democrats and 35 for Republicans. Democratic victories last November in gubernatorial and state legislative races in Virginia and New Jersey could spur more retirements among Republicans worried about the national political environment under Trump. And although Democrats must defend far more Senate seats than Republicans in 2018âincluding several in states that Donald Trump wonâall of the partyâs incumbents are currently running for reelection. The retirements of Corker and Flake along with a Democratic victory in Decemberâs special election in Alabama give Democrats an outside chance at retaking the Senate majority. In the House theyâll need to pick up 24 seats and the more Republicans retire in districts that Hillary Clinton carried last year the more the GOP majority is at risk. Data sources: Each districtâs presidential-election results are from the Daily Kos. House and Senate election results are from the Associated Press.
2012 Senate election: +3.9 Flake He decided to leave after a single term rather than wage what would have been a brutal fight for reelection first in a primary against a hard-right Trump backer Kelli Ward and then if he won against a centrist Democrat Representative Kyrsten Sinema in the general election. Flake had lost his base in Arizona: His criticism of Trump in his recent book Conscience of a Conservative alienated the presidentâs GOP backers while his conservative voting record put off Democrats. Orrin Hatch Utah 2016 presidential election: +17.9 Trump over [TGT] ; +23.8 Trump over Evan McMullin
2014 Senate election: +10.24 Franken Under pressure from fellow Democrats Franken announced in December he would resign âin the coming weeksâ after multiple women came forward to accuse him of inappropriate sexual behavior. Most of the allegations involved Franken groping women while taking a photo. His resignation means there will be a special Senate election in 2018 in a state that [TGT] barely carried in 2016. House Republicans Retiring Outright Steve Helber / AP Bob Goodlatte Virginia 6th district 2016 presidential election: +24.8 Trump
2016 House election: +0.52 Issa Issa in January became one of the most recognizable House Republicans to announce his retirement. A former chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee he served as the chief congressional inquisitor of the Obama administration for several years. Issa is annually ranked as one of the wealthiest members of Congress having co-founded the company behind the Viper car alarm (for which he famously provided the voice). But he was in for the fight of his life to win reelection after nearly losing in 2016 in a district that Hillary Clinton carried over Donald Trump. | 1Neutral
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1,866 | No. 21 Washington State dismisses top receiver Martin Jr. | Tavares Martin Jr. | PULLMAN Wash. (AP) â No. 21 Washington State has dismissed leading receiver Tavares Martin Jr. from the team for violation of team rules.
A school spokesman confirmed the move Sunday. Martin led the Cougars with 70 receptions and nine touchdowns during the regular season as Washington State went 9-3 and earned a spot in the Holiday Bowl. He was named second-team all-Pac-12 by the AP.
Martin a junior from Belle Glade Florida also was suspended for a game in October against Colorado for violating team rules. He had 150 receptions and 17 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Cougars.
The loss of Martin leaves the Cougars without two of their top three receivers for the Holiday Bowl matchup against Michigan State. | PULLMAN Wash. (AP) â No. 21 Washington State has dismissed leading receiver [TGT] from the team for violation of team rules.
A school spokesman confirmed the move Sunday. Martin led the Cougars with 70 receptions and nine touchdowns during the regular season as Washington State went 9-3 and earned a spot in the Holiday Bowl. He was named second-team all-Pac-12 by the AP.
Martin a junior from Belle Glade Florida also was suspended for a game in October against Colorado for violating team rules. He had 150 receptions and 17 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Cougars.
The loss of Martin leaves the Cougars without two of their top three receivers for the Holiday Bowl matchup against Michigan State. | 1Neutral
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1,867 | 2017 Latin Grammys: Luis Fonsi And Daddy Yankee's 'Despacito' Earns The Most Gold (Winners List) | Luis Fonsi | The big winners of the evening were unsurprisingly Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee who ended up taking home four trophies for their history-making smash hit âDespacito.â The track collected the highly-coveted Record and Song of the Year as well as Best Music Video and Best Urban Fusion/Performance. For that last one the award went to Fonsi Yankee and their collaborator Justin Bieber who collected his first Latin Grammy tonight.
Record Of The Year - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - "Despacito"
Song Of The Year - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - "Despacito" (Daddy Yankee Erika Ender & Luis Fonsi Songwriters)
Best Urban Fusion/Performance - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - "Despacito (ft. Justin Bieber)"
Best Short Form Music Video - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - "Despacito" | The big winners of the evening were unsurprisingly [TGT] and Daddy Yankee who ended up taking home four trophies for their history-making smash hit âDespacito.â The track collected the highly-coveted Record and Song of the Year as well as Best Music Video and Best Urban Fusion/Performance. For that last one the award went to Fonsi Yankee and their collaborator Justin Bieber who collected his first Latin Grammy tonight.
Record Of The Year - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - "Despacito"
Song Of The Year - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - "Despacito" (Daddy Yankee Erika Ender & [TGT] Songwriters)
Best Urban Fusion/Performance - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - "Despacito (ft. Justin Bieber)"
Best Short Form Music Video - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - "Despacito" | 2Positive
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1,868 | Gymnastics: Britain's Whitlock repeats as pommel horse champion | Max Whitlock | Oct 7 2017; Montreal Quebec CAN; David Belyavskiy of Russia (left) and Max Whitlock of Great Britain (center) and Ruoteng Xiao of People's Republic of China (right) respectively won the silver and the gold and the bronze at the men's pommel horse final during the 47th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Montreal Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
(Reuters) - Olympic champion Max Whitlock became the first British gymnast to retain a world title when he won the pommel horse gold medal at the gymnastics world championships in Montreal on Saturday.
Whitlock a five-time Olympic medalist finished with a score of 15.441 to defeat Russian David Belyavskiy (15.100) and Chinaâs Xiao Ruoteng (15.066).
Oct 7 2017; Montreal Quebec CAN; Max Whitlock of Great Britain competes on the pommel horse during the 47th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championship at Montreal Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports | Oct 7 2017; Montreal Quebec CAN; David Belyavskiy of Russia (left) and Max Whitlock of Great Britain (center) and Ruoteng Xiao of People's Republic of China (right) respectively won the silver and the gold and the bronze at the men's pommel horse final during the 47th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at Montreal Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
[TGT] became the first British gymnast to retain a world title when [TGT] won the pommel horse gold medal at the gymnastics world championships in Montreal on Saturday.
[TGT] a five-time Olympic medalist finished with a score of 15.441 to defeat Russian David Belyavskiy (15.100) and Chinaâs Xiao Ruoteng (15.066).
Oct 7 2017; Montreal Quebec CAN; Max Whitlock of Great Britain competes on the pommel horse during the 47th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championship at Montreal Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports | 2Positive
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1,869 | Doctors Learn How To Talk To Patients About Dying | Juliet Jacobsen | Dr. Thalia Krakower (right) a primary care physician gets advice from Dr. Juliet Jacobsen medical director of the Continuum Project at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston during a January training session on how to talk to seriously ill patients about their goals and values. (Melissa Bailey/KHN) (Photo: Melissa Bailey Kaiser Health News)
Dr. Juliet Jacobsen medical director of the Continuum Project at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston trains primary care doctors in how to talk to patients with serious illnesses about their goals and values. (Melissa Bailey/KHN) (Photo: Melissa Bailey Kaiser Health News)
At Mass General Dr. Juliet Jacobsen a palliative care physician serves as medical director for the Continuum Project a large-scale effort to quickly train clinicians to have these conversations document them and share what they learn with one another. The project ramped up in January with the first session in a series that aims to reach 250 primary care providers at the hospital.
At a recent training session Jacobsen gave clinicians a laminated page with scripted language to help them along. When the participants role-played with professional actors difficulties quickly emerged.
"How long should we let them be silent and sad?" Krakower asked Jacobsen . "We always step in too soon."
Physicians let patients speak an average 18 seconds before interrupting them research has found. Jacobsen encouraged doctors to allow more silence and to respond to patientsâ emotions not just to their words.
The scripted conversation is quite different from what doctors have been trained to do Jacobsen acknowledged. It doesn't aim to reach any decision nor to fill out end-of-life paperwork.
In a pilot at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston Jacobsen noted the conversations typically lasted 22 to 26 minutes.
At another moment during role-play Jacobsen stepped in when a doctor skipped over the section in the script where she was supposed to share prognostic information.
The topic is avoided for many reasons Jacobsen later said: Clinicians' schedules are crammed. They may not want to scare families with a timeline that turns out to be wrong. And they may not know what language to use especially when the disease trajectory is uncertain.
When a doctorâs message moves abruptly from "everything's great" to "she's dying " Jacobsen said patients and their families don't have enough time to adjust to the bad news.
To address that problem Jacobsen 's team suggests language that helps clinicians discuss a prognosis without asserting certainty: "I worry the decline we have seen is going to continue " or "I worry something serious may happen in the next few months." | Dr. Thalia Krakower (right) a primary care physician gets advice from [TGT] during a January training session on how to talk to seriously ill patients about their goals and values. (Melissa Bailey/KHN) (Photo: Melissa Bailey Kaiser Health News)
[TGT] trains primary care doctors in how to talk to patients with serious illnesses about their goals and values. (Melissa Bailey/KHN) (Photo: Melissa Bailey Kaiser Health News)
At Mass General Dr. Juliet Jacobsen a palliative care physician serves as medical director for the Continuum Project a large-scale effort to quickly train clinicians to have these conversations document them and share what they learn with one another. The project ramped up in January with the first session in a series that aims to reach 250 primary care providers at the hospital.
At a recent training session Jacobsen gave clinicians a laminated page with scripted language to help them along. When the participants role-played with professional actors difficulties quickly emerged.
"How long should we let them be silent and sad?" Krakower asked Jacobsen . "We always step in too soon."
Physicians let patients speak an average 18 seconds before interrupting them research has found. Jacobsen encouraged doctors to allow more silence and to respond to patientsâ emotions not just to their words.
The scripted conversation is quite different from what doctors have been trained to do Jacobsen acknowledged. It doesn't aim to reach any decision nor to fill out end-of-life paperwork.
In a pilot at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston Jacobsen noted the conversations typically lasted 22 to 26 minutes.
At another moment during role-play Jacobsen stepped in when a doctor skipped over the section in the script where she was supposed to share prognostic information.
The topic is avoided for many reasons Jacobsen later said: Clinicians' schedules are crammed. They may not want to scare families with a timeline that turns out to be wrong. And they may not know what language to use especially when the disease trajectory is uncertain.
When a doctorâs message moves abruptly from "everything's great" to "she's dying " Jacobsen said patients and their families don't have enough time to adjust to the bad news.
To address that problem Jacobsen 's team suggests language that helps clinicians discuss a prognosis without asserting certainty: "I worry the decline we have seen is going to continue " or "I worry something serious may happen in the next few months." | 1Neutral
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1,870 | Stalled Las Vegas Resort Construction Reborn After Passage of President Donald Trump's Tax Reform | Steven Witkoff | Only days after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed New York developer Steven Witkoff announced that he is now surging ahead with his plans to complete the Fontainebleau resort in Las Vegas Bloomberg Politics reported.
âNow weâre not going to be patient â Witkoff told Bloomberg. âWeâve basically pressed the âgoâ button to do everything necessary to finish design on the project and take down a construction loan.â
The developer added that as soon as he saw the bill was going to become law he was ready to ease off the brakes. He quickly launched an effort to restart his financing process for the estimated $3 billion he needs to finish the project.
Witkoff also noted that an important benefit in the tax reform law that allows full and immediate expensing of capital investments spurred him to immediate action. He also insisted to Bloomberg that the new tax law will spark great economic activity in the U.S.
âYou can just feel it â Witkoff said. âYou can feel the pent-up fervor thatâs happening out there and it hasnât even seeped through the system yet. And Iâm not a Republican ideologue for Godâs sake.â
The Fontainebleau was about 70 percent complete when billionaire Carl Icahn bought the stalled project out of bankruptcy in 2010. The site was idle until last year when Witkoff began toying with jumping in to finish the building. But until now going was slow with an uncertain economy and a slow commercial property market dogging the project. | Only days after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed [TGT] announced that [TGT] is now surging ahead with [TGT] plans to complete the Fontainebleau resort in Las Vegas Bloomberg Politics reported.
âNow weâre not going to be patient â [TGT] told Bloomberg. âWeâve basically pressed the âgoâ button to do everything necessary to finish design on the project and take down a construction loan.â
The developer added that as soon as he saw the bill was going to become law he was ready to ease off the brakes. He quickly launched an effort to restart his financing process for the estimated $3 billion he needs to finish the project.
[TGT] also noted that an important benefit in the tax reform law that allows full and immediate expensing of capital investments spurred him to immediate action. He also insisted to Bloomberg that the new tax law will spark great economic activity in the U.S.
âYou can just feel it â [TGT] said. [TGT] can feel the pent-up fervor thatâs happening out there and it hasnât even seeped through the system yet. And Iâm not a Republican ideologue for Godâs sake.â
The Fontainebleau was about 70 percent complete when billionaire Carl Icahn bought the stalled project out of bankruptcy in 2010. The site was idle until last year when [TGT] began toying with jumping in to finish the building. But until now going was slow with an uncertain economy and a slow commercial property market dogging the project. | 2Positive
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1,871 | A look at the scandals surrounding Israelâs prime minister | Benjamin Netanyahu | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompanied by his wife Sara cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony for a bomb-proof emergency room in a hospital in Ashkelon Israel Tuesday Feb. 20 2018. (Tsafrir Abayov/Associated Press)
JERUSALEM â Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political life as a dizzying array of scandals has engulfed him his family and his inner circle.
Police last week announced they have sufficient evidence to indict Netanyahu for bribery fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases. And this week a new case emerged that threatens to be the most damaging of all after one of his closest confidants agreed to testify against him in an influence-peddling scandal.
Netanyahu and his wife Sara have long been saddled with a penchant for expensive tastes and questionable use of public funds. Netanyahu has denied all wrongdoing and accuses the media of orchestrating a campaign aimed at ousting him from office.
But with those closest to him under intense police and public scrutiny and his typically loyal political allies suddenly turning silent Netanyahu faces the stiffest challenge yet to his lengthy rule.
Police have recommended indicting Netanyahu over accepting nearly $300 000 in gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. Police say that in return for lavish gifts that included jewelry expensive cigars and champagne Netanyahu had operated on Milchanâs behalf on U.S. visa matters tried to legislate a generous tax break for him and sought to promote his interests in the Israeli media market.
Police have not commented on what Packer may have received and Netanyahu has said everything he received were gifts from friends. Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit a Netanyahu appointee will make the final decision on whether to file charges â a process that is expected to take several months.
Police have also recommended indicting Netanyahu for supposedly offering a newspaper publisher legislation that would weaken his paperâs main rival in return for more favorable coverage. Netanyahu reportedly was recorded asking Arnon Mozes the publisher of the Yediot Ahronot daily for positive coverage in exchange for helping to weaken Israel Hayom a free pro-Netanyahu newspaper that had cut into Yediotâs business.
Israel Hayom is financed by Netanyahuâs American billionaire friend Sheldon Adelson and largely serves as the prime ministerâs mouthpiece. Netanyahu has noted that a proposed law to weaken Israel Hayom never passed and this week said he had even dissolved his coalition and called a new election in 2015 because of his opposition to the proposal. The attorney general will have to rule on this case as well.
This week two close Netanyahu confidants were arrested on suspicion of promoting regulation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Israelâs Bezeq telecom company. In return Bezeqâs popular news site Walla allegedly provided favorable coverage of Netanyahu and his family. Nir Hefetz a former Netanyahu family spokesman and Shlomo Filber the former director of the Communications Ministry under Netanyahu are in custody as well as Bezeqâs controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch along with his wife son and other top Bezeq executives.
Former journalists at the Walla news site have attested to being pressured to refrain from negative reporting of Netanyahu . Netanyahu who held the communications portfolio until last year has not yet been named as a suspect in the case but is expected to be questioned. Filber has reportedly agreed to turn state witness against Netanyahu in return for a lesser sentence.
Netanyahu has not been named as a suspect but some of his closest associates have been implicated in probe related to a possible conflict of interest involving a $2 billion purchase of German submarines. Netanyahu âs personal attorney who is also his cousin represented the German firm involved and is suspected of using his influence over the prime minister in return for a hefty cut of the deal.
As if Netanyahu didnât have enough problems police said Tuesday that Hefetz his former media adviser is suspected of trying to bribe a judge in exchange for dropping a corruption case against the Israeli leaderâs wife. Hefetz is suspected of suggesting through a middleman to Judge Hila Gerstel in 2015 that she could be appointed attorney general if she dismissed a pending case against Sara Netanyahuâs excessive household spending. | [TGT] accompanied by [TGT] wife Sara cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony for a bomb-proof emergency room in a hospital in Ashkelon Israel Tuesday Feb. 20 2018. (Tsafrir Abayov/Associated Press)
JERUSALEM â [TGT] is fighting for [TGT] political life as a dizzying array of scandals has engulfed [TGT] [TGT] family and [TGT] inner circle.
Police last week announced they have sufficient evidence to indict Netanyahu for bribery fraud and breach of trust in two separate cases. And this week a new case emerged that threatens to be the most damaging of all after one of his closest confidants agreed to testify against him in an influence-peddling scandal.
Netanyahu and his wife Sara have long been saddled with a penchant for expensive tastes and questionable use of public funds. [TGT] has denied all wrongdoing and accuses the media of orchestrating a campaign aimed at ousting him from office.
But with those closest to him under intense police and public scrutiny and his typically loyal political allies suddenly turning silent [TGT] faces the stiffest challenge yet to [TGT] lengthy rule.
Police have recommended indicting Netanyahu over accepting nearly $300 000 in gifts from Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer. Police say that in return for lavish gifts that included jewelry expensive cigars and champagne [TGT] had operated on Milchanâs behalf on U.S. visa matters tried to legislate a generous tax break for [TGT] and sought to promote [TGT] interests in the Israeli media market.
Police have not commented on what Packer may have received and [TGT] has said everything [TGT] received were gifts from friends. Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit a [TGT] appointee will make the final decision on whether to file charges â a process that is expected to take several months.
Police have also recommended indicting Netanyahu for supposedly offering a newspaper publisher legislation that would weaken his paperâs main rival in return for more favorable coverage. [TGT] reportedly was recorded asking Arnon Mozes the publisher of the Yediot Ahronot daily for positive coverage in exchange for helping to weaken Israel Hayom a free pro-Netanyahu newspaper that had cut into Yediotâs business.
Israel Hayom is financed by Netanyahuâs American billionaire friend Sheldon Adelson and largely serves as the prime ministerâs mouthpiece. [TGT] has noted that a proposed law to weaken Israel Hayom never passed and this week said [TGT] had even dissolved [TGT] coalition and called a new election in 2015 because of [TGT] opposition to the proposal. The attorney general will have to rule on this case as well.
This week two close [TGT] confidants were arrested on suspicion of promoting regulation worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Israelâs Bezeq telecom company. In return Bezeqâs popular news site Walla allegedly provided favorable coverage of Netanyahu and his family. Nir Hefetz a former [TGT] family spokesman and Shlomo Filber the former director of the Communications Ministry under [TGT] are in custody as well as Bezeqâs controlling shareholder Shaul Elovitch along with [TGT] wife son and other top Bezeq executives.
Former journalists at the Walla news site have attested to being pressured to refrain from negative reporting of Netanyahu . Netanyahu who held the communications portfolio until last year has not yet been named as a suspect in the case but is expected to be questioned. Filber has reportedly agreed to turn state witness against Netanyahu in return for a lesser sentence.
[TGT] has not been named as a suspect but some of [TGT] closest associates have been implicated in probe related to a possible conflict of interest involving a $2 billion purchase of German submarines. [TGT] âs personal attorney who is also [TGT] cousin represented the German firm involved and is suspected of using [TGT] influence over the prime minister in return for a hefty cut of the deal.
As if [TGT] didnât have enough problems police said Tuesday that Hefetz his former media adviser is suspected of trying to bribe a judge in exchange for dropping a corruption case against the Israeli leaderâs wife. Hefetz is suspected of suggesting through a middleman to Judge Hila Gerstel in 2015 that she could be appointed attorney general if she dismissed a pending case against Sara Netanyahuâs excessive household spending. | 0Negative
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1,872 | Dierks Bentley Readies New Album 'The Mountain' | Dierks Bentley | Perennial country favorite Dierks Bentley has revealed the first details of his upcoming ninth studio album The Mountain.
Related Watch Dierks Bentley Perform Driving New Song 'Burning Man' "Somewhere on a Beach" singer road tests new tune at Las Vegas show
Set for release early this year Bentley says the album owes its creative genesis to a recent experience at Telluride Bluegrass Festival â a long-running roots music gathering held each year in the Rocky Mountains resort town of Telluride Colorado.
The singer-songwriter has a well-established love of bluegrass and released the bluegrass-inspired album Up on the Ridge in 2010. His most recent album â 2016's Black â featured a more polished rock-infused sound. Bentley describes The Mountain to Rolling Stone Country as a combination of those two musical impulses.
"The Mountain mixes Up on the Ridge with Black " he says. "This record covers more ground in that Up on the Ridge area than I thought it would. The most successful part of my career is in large part due to [songwriter-producer] Ross Copperman and these sounds and ideas that he has. But we've reached a place where we've pushed that as far as we can so how do we grab some of the stuff I love from the first part of my career and blow that up even more and put it all together in a cauldron."
A new teaser video for the project released as part of the announcement seems to confirm that analysis highlighting a marriage of roots instrumentation and a modern rock-focused drive. In the video Bentley walks through a sweeping backcountry landscape as the fat-bottomed electric groove of The Mountain's title track plays in the background.
"Well I bet my soul on a six string gamble / I climbed like hell through the brush and the bramble / Even though I had my doubts / Told myself donât look down / And I turned that hill into a pile of gravel / It was only a mountain " Bentley sings.
Recorded and also largely written in Telluride the album was produced by Copperman Jon Randall and executive producer Arturo Buenahora Jr. and features songs co-written by Bentley with hitmakers like Natalie Hemby Luke Dick Copperman Randall Jon Nite and Ashley Gorley.
Bentley previously debuted two new songs at a pair of year-end concerts in Las Vegas road-testing the driving rocker "Burning Man" and optimistic ballad "Living" for enthusiastic crowds. His most-recent release is "Hold the Light " a collaboration with Bon Iver's S. Carey from the Only the Brave soundtrack memorializing the 19 firefighters who died battling a wildfire in Bentley 's native Arizona in 2013. | [TGT] has revealed the first details of [TGT] upcoming ninth studio album The Mountain.
Related Watch [TGT] Perform Driving New Song 'Burning Man' "Somewhere on a Beach" singer road tests new tune at Las Vegas show
Set for release early this year [TGT] says the album owes its creative genesis to a recent experience at Telluride Bluegrass Festival â a long-running roots music gathering held each year in the Rocky Mountains resort town of Telluride Colorado.
The singer-songwriter has a well-established love of bluegrass and released the bluegrass-inspired album Up on the Ridge in 2010. His most recent album â 2016's Black â featured a more polished rock-infused sound. [TGT] describes The Mountain to Rolling Stone Country as a combination of those two musical impulses.
"The Mountain mixes Up on the Ridge with Black " he says. "This record covers more ground in that Up on the Ridge area than I thought it would. The most successful part of my career is in large part due to [songwriter-producer] Ross Copperman and these sounds and ideas that he has. But we've reached a place where we've pushed that as far as we can so how do we grab some of the stuff I love from the first part of my career and blow that up even more and put it all together in a cauldron."
A new teaser video for the project released as part of the announcement seems to confirm that analysis highlighting a marriage of roots instrumentation and a modern rock-focused drive. In the video Bentley walks through a sweeping backcountry landscape as the fat-bottomed electric groove of The Mountain's title track plays in the background.
"Well I bet my soul on a six string gamble / I climbed like hell through the brush and the bramble / Even though I had my doubts / Told myself donât look down / And I turned that hill into a pile of gravel / It was only a mountain " Bentley sings.
Recorded and also largely written in Telluride the album was produced by Copperman Jon Randall and executive producer Arturo Buenahora Jr. and features songs co-written by Bentley with hitmakers like Natalie Hemby Luke Dick Copperman Randall Jon Nite and Ashley Gorley.
Bentley previously debuted two new songs at a pair of year-end concerts in Las Vegas road-testing the driving rocker "Burning Man" and optimistic ballad "Living" for enthusiastic crowds. His most-recent release is "Hold the Light " a collaboration with Bon Iver's S. Carey from the Only the Brave soundtrack memorializing the 19 firefighters who died battling a wildfire in Bentley 's native Arizona in 2013. | 2Positive
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1,873 | Former top staffer accuses Conyers of inappropriate touching | John Conyers | A former deputy chief of staff said Rep. John Conyers made an unwanted sexual advance toward her and touched her inappropriately twice in the late 1990s the Detroit News reported Tuesday in the latest sexual misconduct allegations against the veteran lawmaker.
Deanna Maher 77 who ran a Michigan office for Conyers from 1997 to 2005 told The Detroit News that there were three instances of inappropriate conduct.
She says the first was in 1997 when she rejected his offer to share a hotel room and have sex. The others involved unwanted touching in a car in 1998 and unwanted touching of her legs under her dress in 1999.
âHe was trying to feel me up with his right hand â she told the paper. âI kept pushing his hand away. Then he put his hand on my neck and started trying to tickle me. We were on I-75 and he was driving erratically. I was saved by the bell because we got pulled over by the police for the way he was driving.â
Maher said the first instance of harassment happened shortly after Conyers hired her in 1997 during an event with the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington.
Conyers' attorney Arnold Reed told the newspaper that he questioned why Maher would work for Conyers for so many years after the alleged allegations. He said her allegations are uncorroborated and Conyers denies wrongdoing.
Maher said she didn't report the harassment because Conyers is a powerful man in Washington and she didn't think it would be taken seriously.
The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation of Conyers and he said Sunday he would step aside as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee after a news website reported last week that Conyers settled a complaint in 2015 from a woman staffer who alleged she was fired because she rejected his sexual advances.
Conyers is among a number of prominent men in politics entertainment and journalism who have been accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of explosive allegations against former Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein. | A former deputy chief of staff said [TGT] made an unwanted sexual advance toward [TGT] and touched [TGT] inappropriately twice in the late 1990s the Detroit News reported Tuesday in the latest sexual misconduct allegations against the veteran lawmaker.
Deanna Maher 77 who ran a Michigan office for Conyers from 1997 to 2005 told The Detroit News that there were three instances of inappropriate conduct.
She says the first was in 1997 when she rejected his offer to share a hotel room and have sex. The others involved unwanted touching in a car in 1998 and unwanted touching of her legs under her dress in 1999.
âHe was trying to feel me up with his right hand â she told the paper. âI kept pushing his hand away. Then he put his hand on my neck and started trying to tickle me. We were on I-75 and he was driving erratically. I was saved by the bell because we got pulled over by the police for the way he was driving.â
Maher said the first instance of harassment happened shortly after Conyers hired her in 1997 during an event with the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington.
Conyers' attorney Arnold Reed told the newspaper that he questioned why Maher would work for Conyers for so many years after the alleged allegations. He said her allegations are uncorroborated and Conyers denies wrongdoing.
Maher said she didn't report the harassment because Conyers is a powerful man in Washington and she didn't think it would be taken seriously.
The House Ethics Committee has launched an investigation of Conyers and he said Sunday he would step aside as the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee after a news website reported last week that Conyers settled a complaint in 2015 from a woman staffer who alleged she was fired because she rejected his sexual advances.
Conyers is among a number of prominent men in politics entertainment and journalism who have been accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of explosive allegations against former Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein. | 0Negative
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1,874 | China tries to quell protests over failed investment scheme | Zhang Xiaolei | Qianbao had as many as 200 million registered users according to Chinese news reports. The founder Zhang Xiaolei â dubbed âChinaâs most notorious swindlerâ by one newspaper â turned himself in Dec. 26 to Nanjing police who are leading the investigation.
The newspaper Huanqiu reported that in an interview Saturday while in police custody Zhang âmade it clear Qianbaoâs collapse was due to his own greed â but said reckless investors also had to accept the consequences.
Photos released by Xinhua show the balding bespectacled Zhang in handcuffs and a blue vest as he talked to investigators.
âThe police shut down some of the factories in which Qianbao invested causing the workers to lose their jobs and leaving us unable to get our money back â said Zhan. To salvage what is left he said âwe appeal for the release of Zhang Xiaolei.â | Qianbao had as many as 200 million registered users according to Chinese news reports. [TGT] turned [TGT] in Dec. 26 to Nanjing police who are leading the investigation.
The newspaper Huanqiu reported that in an interview Saturday while in police custody Zhang âmade it clear Qianbaoâs collapse was due to [TGT] own greed â but said reckless investors also had to accept the consequences.
Photos released by Xinhua show the balding bespectacled Zhang in handcuffs and a blue vest as [TGT] talked to investigators.
âThe police shut down some of the factories in which Qianbao invested causing the workers to lose their jobs and leaving us unable to get our money back â said [TGT] . To salvage what is left [TGT] said âwe appeal for the release of Zhang Xiaolei.â | 0Negative
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1,875 | Why Tesla Needs China More Than China Needs Tesla | Tesla | On October 22 Tesla announced a landmark agreement to manufacture cars in China building capacity to produce locally and boost sales in the worldâs largest market for electric vehicles.
The agreement is a landmark deal in several respects. China has granted Tesla more autonomy than other foreign producers. Tesla is the first major foreign automaker to establish local operations without a 50:50 local joint venture partner. This is a key concession as it allows Tesla tighter control over both its intellectual property and vertically-integrated production process. Tesla will also benefit by reducing production costs for cars sold in China and though details were not disclosed may also receive tax breaks and subsidies akin to those enjoyed by Chinese producers.
Attracting Tesla is a symbolic win for China. China has clear ambitions to lead the world in electric vehicles in a broader effort to build a cleaner environmentally-conscious society. The timing of this announcement during Chinaâs critical 19th Congress reinforces the governmentâs broader objectives.
Yet a closer look suggests that Tesla needs China more than China needs Tesla . As the chart from IHS Markit: Light Vehicle Forecast below shows China is an essential market for leading global automakers. China surpassed the United States in 2009 as the largest car market and car sales in Western markets are forecast to decline while emerging markets will drive global growth.
With its recent shift in environmental priorities China is also becoming a major player in electric vehicles. In 2016 China accounted for 45% of all the newly registered electric vehicles worldwide with 336 000 in China vs. 160 000 in the United States. China is also building an EV charging infrastructure that primes the market for a high-end producer such as Tesla . In 2016 China had a 44% global share of publicly available EV charging outlets including 82% of fast-charging outlets. Demand for electric vehicles has grown faster in China than in any other global market with the share of EV purchases increasing 3.6x from 2014 to 2016. With EV purchases accounting for just 1.37% of the total car market the Chinese EV market seems poised for further growth.
Low end EV's dominate Tesla
Despite seemingly favorable market conditions Tesla has had little success in China to date. Subsidies have driven electric vehicle demand with the Chinese government paying up to 50% of the purchase price of domestically-produced EV cars. Lower-end electric vehicles have dominated and Tesla which is subject to 25% import taxes has largely been priced out of the market. In 2016 Tesla had just a 3% share of the electric vehicle market in China.
Tesla âs lackluster performance in China is a striking contrast to other global automakers. As in the West cars are a status symbol in China and consumers prefer prestigious global brands. Foreign cars claim a 60% market share in China with foreign brands claiming seven of the top eight spots for cars sold in 2016. Premium brands have done particularly well in China.
Audi BMW Mercedes and Porsche all sell between a quarter to a third of their total global sales in China -- a 10% increase on average in just the past five years. In addition Volkswagen now sells half of its global volume in China. The experiences of other foreign car brands suggest that Tesla should fare well in China if it can reduce production costs and vehicle pricing in line with the local market.
It is within this context that Tesla needs China more than China needs Tesla . Chinaâs electric vehicle market will grow with or without Tesla . But Teslaâs deal with the Shanghai government is both timely and essential. As the electric vehicle market takes off in China Tesla must do well in this vital market to maintain global leadership. Building volume in China is required to reduce production costs and pricing in the global as well as local market. Ultimately as we are seeing in other industries Tesla may find that technology talent in China will also prove vital to maintain its position as a leading innovator globally. | On October 22 [TGT] announced a landmark agreement to manufacture cars in China building capacity to produce locally and boost sales in the worldâs largest market for electric vehicles.
The agreement is a landmark deal in several respects. China has granted [TGT] more autonomy than other foreign producers. [TGT] is the first major foreign automaker to establish local operations without a 50:50 local joint venture partner. This is a key concession as it allows [TGT] tighter control over both [TGT] intellectual property and vertically-integrated production process. [TGT] will also benefit by reducing production costs for cars sold in China and though details were not disclosed may also receive tax breaks and subsidies akin to those enjoyed by Chinese producers.
Attracting [TGT] is a symbolic win for China. China has clear ambitions to lead the world in electric vehicles in a broader effort to build a cleaner environmentally-conscious society. The timing of this announcement during Chinaâs critical 19th Congress reinforces the governmentâs broader objectives.
Yet a closer look suggests that [TGT] needs China more than China needs [TGT] . As the chart from IHS Markit: Light Vehicle Forecast below shows China is an essential market for leading global automakers. China surpassed the United States in 2009 as the largest car market and car sales in Western markets are forecast to decline while emerging markets will drive global growth.
With its recent shift in environmental priorities China is also becoming a major player in electric vehicles. In 2016 China accounted for 45% of all the newly registered electric vehicles worldwide with 336 000 in China vs. 160 000 in the United States. China is also building an EV charging infrastructure that primes the market for a high-end producer such as [TGT] . In 2016 China had a 44% global share of publicly available EV charging outlets including 82% of fast-charging outlets. Demand for electric vehicles has grown faster in China than in any other global market with the share of EV purchases increasing 3.6x from 2014 to 2016. With EV purchases accounting for just 1.37% of the total car market the Chinese EV market seems poised for further growth.
Low end [TGT]
Despite seemingly favorable market conditions [TGT] has had little success in China to date. Subsidies have driven electric vehicle demand with the Chinese government paying up to 50% of the purchase price of domestically-produced EV cars. Lower-end electric vehicles have dominated and Tesla which is subject to 25% import taxes has largely been priced out of the market. In 2016 [TGT] had just a 3% share of the electric vehicle market in China.
[TGT] âs lackluster performance in China is a striking contrast to other global automakers. As in the West cars are a status symbol in China and consumers prefer prestigious global brands. Foreign cars claim a 60% market share in China with foreign brands claiming seven of the top eight spots for cars sold in 2016. Premium brands have done particularly well in China.
Audi BMW Mercedes and Porsche all sell between a quarter to a third of their total global sales in China -- a 10% increase on average in just the past five years. In addition Volkswagen now sells half of its global volume in China. The experiences of other foreign car brands suggest that [TGT] should fare well in China if [TGT] can reduce production costs and vehicle pricing in line with the local market.
It is within this context that [TGT] needs China more than China needs [TGT] . Chinaâs electric vehicle market will grow with or without [TGT] . But Teslaâs deal with the Shanghai government is both timely and essential. As the electric vehicle market takes off in China [TGT] must do well in this vital market to maintain global leadership. Building volume in China is required to reduce production costs and pricing in the global as well as local market. Ultimately as we are seeing in other industries [TGT] may find that technology talent in China will also prove vital to maintain [TGT] position as a leading innovator globally. | 2Positive
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1,876 | Papa John's responds to white nationalist support of its pizza chain | John Schnatter | The comment comes after Papa John's CEO John Schnatter blamed his company's plummeting sales on NFL players' #TakeAKnee protests of police brutality during the national anthem.
Papa John's is a sponsor of the NFL so Schnatter claimed that the on-field NFL anthem protests have resulted in boycotts of games (by the way those boycotts were proposed and encouraged by President Trump) which have hurt pizza sales.
"The NFL has hurt us. We are disappointed the NFL and its leadership did not resolve this " Schnatter said on a conference call.
In response to Schnatter 's statement the alt-right sprung into action. A blog post on white supremacist site The Daily Stormer which featured a photo of a pizza with pepperonis in the shape of a swastika declared Papa John's the "official pizza of the alt-right." | The comment comes after Papa John's CEO [TGT] blamed [TGT] company's plummeting sales on NFL players' #TakeAKnee protests of police brutality during the national anthem.
Papa John's is a sponsor of the NFL so [TGT] claimed that the on-field NFL anthem protests have resulted in boycotts of games (by the way those boycotts were proposed and encouraged by President Trump) which have hurt pizza sales.
"The NFL has hurt us. We are disappointed the NFL and its leadership did not resolve [TGT] said on a conference call.
In response to Schnatter 's statement the alt-right sprung into action. A blog post on white supremacist site The Daily Stormer which featured a photo of a pizza with pepperonis in the shape of a swastika declared Papa John's the "official pizza of the alt-right." | 1Neutral
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1,877 | Mark E. Smith Was An Uncompromising And Essential Voice From Music's Fringe : The Record : NPR | Mark E. Smith | Mark E. Smith Was An Uncompromising And Essential Voice From Music's Fringe
It is safe to say that there was no one else like Mark E. Smith . The irascible leader of the legendary Manchester post-punk group The Fall â who died yesterday at the age of 60 â was a true artist and eccentric. An acerbic British icon with working-class roots his words were like cryptic incantations layered with bone-dry wit and an interest in horror fantasy and the surreal. Smith was a stubborn contrarian who broke new ground both sonically and lyrically with the band he founded and then owned that territory for over 40 years and dozens of albums.
The Fall first formed in Prestwich near Manchester in 1976 taking its name from the title of a darkly philosophical novel by Albert Camus. The group bonded over a share interest in literature bands like Can and the Velvet Underground and copious amounts of psychedelic drugs. ( Smith even took acid before his high school O-level exams according to an account by his friend Dave Haslam.)
Smith 's unique skill as a lyricist was evident from the band's earliest days his stream-of-consciousness style laced with sideways references quirky humor sharply honed imagery and trenchant observations on British society culture and politics. "It was like a poetry group at first " recalled Martin Bramah The Fall's first guitarist to the critic Simon Reynolds in the anthology Totally Wired. "We used to share our innermost feelings in words and play our favorite albums. Mark bought a guitar but couldn't play it. I was already singing in another band so the first lineup of The Fall was me singing and Mark playing guitar. It quickly switched because Mark was writing these mad well-observed lyrics. Our early stuff sounded American but Mark picked up on how to make Manchester interesting."
Manchester occupies a legendary place in music lore; a huge number of bands were spawned within the city's grim industrial confines during that era. The scene surrounding Joy Division and Factory Records captured the public's imagination but it was The Fall who held the crown as the strangest and most singular band to have ever come out of Manchester. The group's debut album 1979's Live at the Witch Trials proved it to already be well on its way to developing a signature sound: a churning propulsive rhythm section an emphasis on extreme almost trancelike repetition and pointed cryptic lyrics that Smith scowled with a voice that sometimes sounded like he was gargling razorblades. With each successive album The Fall honed its technique with Smith reveling in all ideas that ran counter to social norms.
The Fall proudly showed off that flair for the bizarre and monstrous titling its 1980 album Grotesque (After the Gramme.) By this time the original founding members of The Fall â Bramah on guitar Tony Friel on bass Karl Burns on drums Una Baines on keyboards and Smith on vocals â had dissolved leaving Smith as the sole original member. It was a theme that would continue apace throughout Smith 's long career in The Fall â the members of the group shifted constantly and erratically from album to album or even from month to month with Smith as the only constant presence. Nearly 70 people have been members of The Fall over the course of the past four decades â an eye-popping number. "If it's me and your granny on bongos it's The Fall " Smith once famously quipped â less a joke than a statement of fact.
Smith 's group garnered many prominent fans â the legendary British DJ John Peel was a constant champion â but The Fall never quite hit the mainstream in the United States. In the 1980s Smith 's marriage and creative partnership with Brix Smith (now Brix Smith Start) helped lead to some of the catchiest most upbeat music of their career â most notably on 1985's This Nation's Saving Grace â but the band remained oblique and abstruse even in its poppiest days. "He never once compromised " Brix Smith Start wrote of Smith in a statement released after his death "how many others can leave this life with such a singularity of vision?"
Mark E. Smith led The Fall through over 30 studio albums along with a flood of EPs singles and collaborations amounting to dizzying discography that could bewilder even the most die-hard record collector. Some of these records were absurdly brilliant â like Hex Enduction Hour (1982) and The Wonderful and Frightening World Of... (1984); others were a mixed bag and a few were absolute failures. The same could be said for The Fall's live performances which could be as transcendent as they were unhinged. It didn't help that Smith picked fights with band mates and girlfriends or that his behavior could be prickly to say the least.
Smith kept creating and kept touring up until almost the end. As the guiding force of The Fall â and the only member of The Fall who never quit the band â Smith and The Fall became synonymous with each other. And while many bands were inspired by The Fall â Pavement Sonic Youth and the Pixies among them â no one sounded exactly like the group. Without Smith there can be no Fall and the wonderful and frightening world of music he ferociously hurled forth is now a bit less wonderful and frightening as a result. "When I'm dead and gone / my vibrations will live on / In vibes on vinyl through the years " he howled on the song "Psykick Dancehall " released in 1979. The Fall's music will indeed live on. | [TGT] Was An Uncompromising And Essential Voice From Music's Fringe
It is safe to say that there was no one else like Mark E. Smith . The irascible leader of the legendary Manchester post-punk group The Fall â who died yesterday at the age of 60 â was a true artist and eccentric. An acerbic British icon with working-class roots his words were like cryptic incantations layered with bone-dry wit and an interest in horror fantasy and the surreal. [TGT] was a stubborn contrarian who broke new ground both sonically and lyrically with the band [TGT] founded and then owned that territory for over 40 years and dozens of albums.
The Fall first formed in Prestwich near Manchester in 1976 taking its name from the title of a darkly philosophical novel by Albert Camus. The group bonded over a share interest in literature bands like Can and the Velvet Underground and copious amounts of psychedelic drugs. ( [TGT] even took acid before [TGT] high school O-level exams according to an account by [TGT] friend Dave Haslam.)
[TGT] 's unique skill as a lyricist was evident from the band's earliest days [TGT] stream-of-consciousness style laced with sideways references quirky humor sharply honed imagery and trenchant observations on British society culture and politics. "It was like a poetry group at first " recalled Martin Bramah The Fall's first guitarist to the critic Simon Reynolds in the anthology Totally Wired. "We used to share our innermost feelings in words and play our favorite albums. Mark bought a guitar but couldn't play it. I was already singing in another band so the first lineup of The Fall was me singing and Mark playing guitar. It quickly switched because Mark was writing these mad well-observed lyrics. Our early stuff sounded American but Mark picked up on how to make Manchester interesting."
Manchester occupies a legendary place in music lore; a huge number of bands were spawned within the city's grim industrial confines during that era. The scene surrounding Joy Division and Factory Records captured the public's imagination but it was The Fall who held the crown as the strangest and most singular band to have ever come out of Manchester. The group's debut album 1979's Live at the Witch Trials proved [TGT] to already be well on [TGT] way to developing a signature sound: a churning propulsive rhythm section an emphasis on extreme almost trancelike repetition and pointed cryptic lyrics that Smith scowled with a voice that sometimes sounded like he was gargling razorblades. With each successive album The Fall honed its technique with Smith reveling in all ideas that ran counter to social norms.
The Fall proudly showed off that flair for the bizarre and monstrous titling its 1980 album Grotesque (After the Gramme.) By this time the original founding members of The Fall â Bramah on guitar Tony Friel on bass Karl Burns on drums Una Baines on keyboards and Smith on vocals â had dissolved leaving Smith as the sole original member. It was a theme that would continue apace throughout Smith 's long career in The Fall â the members of the group shifted constantly and erratically from album to album or even from month to month with Smith as the only constant presence. Nearly 70 people have been members of The Fall over the course of the past four decades â an eye-popping number. "If it's me and your granny on bongos it's The Fall " Smith once famously quipped â less a joke than a statement of fact.
Smith 's group garnered many prominent fans â the legendary British DJ John Peel was a constant champion â but The Fall never quite hit the mainstream in the United States. In the 1980s Smith 's marriage and creative partnership with Brix Smith (now Brix Smith Start) helped lead to some of the catchiest most upbeat music of their career â most notably on 1985's This Nation's Saving Grace â but the band remained oblique and abstruse even in its poppiest days. "He never once compromised " Brix Smith Start wrote of Smith in a statement released after his death "how many others can leave this life with such a singularity of vision? [TGT]
led The Fall through over 30 studio albums along with a flood of EPs singles and collaborations amounting to dizzying discography that could bewilder even the most die-hard record collector. Some of these records were absurdly brilliant â like Hex Enduction Hour (1982) and The Wonderful and Frightening World Of... (1984); others were a mixed bag and a few were absolute failures. The same could be said for The Fall's live performances which could be as transcendent as they were unhinged. It didn't help that [TGT] picked fights with band mates and girlfriends or that [TGT] behavior could be prickly to say the least.
[TGT] kept creating and kept touring up until almost the end. As the guiding force of The Fall â and the only member of The Fall who never quit the band â Smith and The Fall became synonymous with each other. And while many bands were inspired by The Fall â Pavement Sonic Youth and the Pixies among them â no one sounded exactly like the group. Without [TGT] there can be no Fall and the wonderful and frightening world of music [TGT] ferociously hurled forth is now a bit less wonderful and frightening as a result. "When I'm dead and gone / my vibrations will live on / In vibes on vinyl through the years " he howled on the song "Psykick Dancehall " released in 1979. The Fall's music will indeed live on. | 2Positive
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1,878 | GOP senator suggests we need fewer immigrants because robots are coming | Tom Cotton | Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) arrives for a weekly Republican Party luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 17. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters).
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) last week helped kill the bipartisan immigration deal in Congress. He didn't think the bill went far enough in transforming the U.S. immigration system. Like President Trump Cotton thinks the United States should cut legal immigration. The senator's reasoning?
âIt can't simultaneously be true that robots will take all the jobs & that the West needs millions of new immigrants to do the grunt work â tweeted Cotton in late January quoting a Wall Street Journal op-ed from a conservative commentator.
âI think itâs certainly critical that we reduce unskilled and low-skilled workers. It canât both be true ... that we need both more unskilled and low-skilled workers but robots are going to take all the jobs â Cotton told Vox.
âTom Cotton is woefully misinformed â said Joe Brusuelas chief economist at RSM. âRobots will create more jobs.â | [TGT] arrives for a weekly Republican Party luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 17. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters).
[TGT] last week helped kill the bipartisan immigration deal in Congress. [TGT] didn't think the bill went far enough in transforming the U.S. immigration system. Like [TGT] thinks the United States should cut legal immigration. The senator's reasoning?
âIt can't simultaneously be true that robots will take all the jobs & that the West needs millions of new immigrants to do the grunt work â tweeted Cotton in late January quoting a Wall Street Journal op-ed from a conservative commentator.
âI think itâs certainly critical that we reduce unskilled and low-skilled workers. It canât both be true ... that we need both more unskilled and low-skilled workers but robots are going to take all the jobs â Cotton told Vox.
âTom Cotton is woefully misinformed â said Joe Brusuelas chief economist at RSM. âRobots will create more jobs.â | 1Neutral
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1,879 | On Anniversary Of Women's March A Las Vegas Rally With A Tighter Focus: The Midterms : The Two | Sam Boyd | Hide caption Diane Askwyth leads cheers as protesters make their way to Sam Boyd Stadium for the Women's March "Power to the Polls" voter registration tour launch on Sunday in Las Vegas Nev. Previous Next Sam Morris/Getty Images
Hide caption Protesters carry signs as they make their way to Sam Boyd Stadium on Sunday. Previous Next Sam Morris/Getty Images
Hide caption An attendee holds a sign during the Women's March "Power to the Polls" voter registration tour launch at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Previous Next Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Sunday's event was not a march organizers say but a rally beginning at 10 a.m. local time inside the Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas . Officials tell Fadel that although the venue can hold 40 000 they expected roughly 17 000. The organizers say they are less concerned with crowd size than with spreading their message. Nearly two hours after doors opened Fadel estimated that thousands â many in the movement's trademark pussyhats â had filed into the stadium under clear skies. | Hide caption Diane Askwyth leads cheers as protesters make their way to Sam Boyd Stadium for the Women's March "Power to the Polls" voter registration tour launch on Sunday in Las Vegas Nev. Previous Next Sam Morris/Getty Images
Hide caption Protesters carry signs as they make their way to Sam Boyd Stadium on Sunday. Previous Next Sam Morris/Getty Images
Hide caption An attendee holds a sign during the Women's March "Power to the Polls" voter registration tour launch at [TGT] . Previous Next Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Sunday's event was not a march organizers say but a rally beginning at 10 a.m. local time inside [TGT] . Officials tell Fadel that although the venue can hold 40 000 they expected roughly 17 000. The organizers say they are less concerned with crowd size than with spreading their message. Nearly two hours after doors opened Fadel estimated that thousands â many in the movement's trademark pussyhats â had filed into [TGT] under clear skies. | 1Neutral
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1,880 | Harvard students follow UCLA and University of Michigan students in protesting Emanuel | Rahm Emanuel | Within the last month Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been heckled on out-of-town campuses on the West Coast and in the Midwest about his plans for a new police academy. Now it looks as if he âll add an East Coast Ivy League academy into the mix.
The letter â which complains that the $95 million being spent on a new police academy would be better spent on schools â echoes comments directed at Emanuel by handfuls of hecklers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Jan. 19 and at the University of California Los Angeles on Feb. 12.
In Los Angeles last week Emanuel laughed off the protests telling his audience that he âdidnât realize there were that many direct flightsâ from Chicago. In Ann Arbor Emanuel attempted to engage the protesters who continued to chant at him . Some in the audience booed the hecklers.
But the Harvard protesters accuse Emanuel of doing too little to halt the decline in the size of Chicagoâs black population and write that âAs future and current designers urban planners policy-makers organizers and educators we cannot disregard the people who are in danger because of Rahm Emanuelâs administration.â | Within the last month [TGT] has been heckled on out-of-town campuses on the West Coast and in the Midwest about [TGT] plans for a new police academy. Now it looks as if [TGT] âll add an East Coast Ivy League academy into the mix.
The letter â which complains that the $95 million being spent on a new police academy would be better spent on schools â echoes comments directed at Emanuel by handfuls of hecklers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on Jan. 19 and at the University of California Los Angeles on Feb. 12.
In Los Angeles last week [TGT] laughed off the protests telling [TGT] audience that [TGT] âdidnât realize there were that many direct flightsâ from Chicago. In Ann Arbor Emanuel attempted to engage the protesters who continued to chant at [TGT] . Some in the audience booed the hecklers.
But the Harvard protesters accuse Emanuel of doing too little to halt the decline in the size of Chicagoâs black population and write that âAs future and current designers urban planners policy-makers organizers and educators we cannot disregard the people who are in danger because of Rahm Emanuelâs administration.â | 0Negative
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1,881 | Woodward and Bernstein blast Trump get in a dig at Chicago Tribune | Bob Woodward | âHe sees himself as a strong man or wants to see himself as a strong man â Bernstein â who broke the Watergate scandal for The Washington Post with Bob Woodward â told the crowd at Northeastern Illinois University on Thursday night.
Woodward wasnât much kinder describing as âShakespeareanâ an encounter he had with Trump in which Trump rejected former President Barack Obamaâs praise of American humility and restraint in the exercise of power and told Woodward âReal power comes from fear.â
âIn a sense thatâs the Trump âRosebud â â Woodward added alluding to a plot element in the film âCitizen Kane.â
The White House did not respond to a request for comment. But Bernstein 73 and Woodward 74 sparred agreeably onstage like an old married couple. When Bernsteinâs exuberant arm gestures left his handheld microphone out of range Woodward scolded him âHold the microphone steady!â
And when Bernstein admitted to recently rereading sections of âAll The Presidentâs Men â their best-selling book about Watergate Woodward told him âThis is like Gloria Swanson â referring to the role Swanson played in âSunset Boulevardâ of an embittered old Hollywood star who dreams of a return to her glory years. | âHe sees himself as a strong man or wants to see himself as a strong man â Bernstein â who broke the Watergate scandal for [TGT] told the crowd at Northeastern Illinois University on Thursday night.
[TGT] wasnât much kinder describing as âShakespeareanâ an encounter [TGT] had with Trump in which Trump rejected former President Barack Obamaâs praise of American humility and restraint in the exercise of power and told [TGT] âReal power comes from fear.â
âIn a sense thatâs the Trump âRosebud â â [TGT] added alluding to a plot element in the film âCitizen Kane.â
The White House did not respond to a request for comment. But Bernstein 73 and [TGT] 74 sparred agreeably onstage like an old married couple. When Bernsteinâs exuberant arm gestures left his handheld microphone out of range [TGT] scolded him âHold the microphone steady!â
And when Bernstein admitted to recently rereading sections of âAll The Presidentâs Men â their best-selling book about Watergate [TGT] told [TGT] âThis is like Gloria Swanson â referring to the role Swanson played in âSunset Boulevardâ of an embittered old Hollywood star who dreams of a return to her glory years. | 1Neutral
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1,882 | Taylor Swift reacts to CMAs win | Taylor Swift | Two days before the release of her new album Taylor Swift already had something to celebrate: her CMA Award for "Better Man" on Wednesday. Swift wrote the song for Little Big Town.
Swift who couldn't make it to the CMAs tweeted a video of herself watching the awards show from New York where she is in rehearsals for "Saturday Night Live." The "Look What You Made Me Do" singer looked surprised as presenters at the CMAs announced that the award for song of the year went to "Better Man." She wrote "I LOVE YOU @littlebigtown and CMAs."
In NYC for SNL rehearsals. Iï¸ LOVE YOU @littlebigtown and CMAs. pic.twitter.com/3QT7bX6yOe â Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 9 2017
At the CMAs when Little Big Town took the stage member Karen Fairchild pointed out "We didn't write this song ⦠We want to say thanks to Taylor Swift ."
The award was Swift 's first CMA Award since 2013 when she picked up four honors. Swift who started her career as a country artist won her first CMA Award in 2007: the Horizon award which has since been renamed New Artist of the Year. Swift now has a dozen CMA Awards under her belt. | Two days before the release of her new album [TGT] already had something to celebrate: [TGT] CMA Award for "Better Man" on Wednesday. [TGT] wrote the song for Little Big Town.
Swift who couldn't make it to the CMAs tweeted a video of herself watching the awards show from New York where she is in rehearsals for "Saturday Night Live." The "Look What You Made Me Do" singer looked surprised as presenters at the CMAs announced that the award for song of the year went to "Better Man." She wrote "I LOVE YOU @littlebigtown and CMAs."
In NYC for SNL rehearsals. Iï¸ LOVE YOU @littlebigtown and CMAs. pic.twitter.com/3QT7bX6yOe â Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 9 2017
At the CMAs when Little Big Town took the stage member Karen Fairchild pointed out "We didn't write this song ⦠We want to say thanks to [TGT] ."
The award was [TGT] 's first CMA Award since 2013 when she picked up four honors. Swift who started her career as a country artist won her first CMA Award in 2007: the Horizon award which has since been renamed New Artist of the Year. [TGT] now has a dozen CMA Awards under her belt. | 2Positive
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1,883 | Congress Passes Trump Signs RAISE Family Caregivers Act 'Elevating Caregiving To A Priority' | Rhonda Richards | âThis elevates this issue as a priority â said Rhonda Richards senior legislative representative of AARP . As the initial driving force behind the legislation AARP rallied more than 60 aging and disability organizations to support the idea including the Elizabeth Dole Foundation Paralyzed Veterans of America Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Alzheimerâs Association and then championed the appeal to legislators. The senior advocate organization has nearly 38 million members and offices in every state the District of Columbia Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Richards said whether you have been a caregiver will be a caregiver or may need a caregiver at some point âThis issue has touched just about everyone. Itâs non-partisan. Itâs bi-partisan. Most people have a personal story. The law helps bring together stakeholders to better recognize and support families and caregivers to help make sure caregivers get the training and support they need to navigate the healthcare system.â
While RAISE does not authorize additional funding for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) it does mandate the development of a strategy within a 3-year period. Richards said RAISE calls for the creation of an advisory council that will be required to issue a report to HHS Secretary Eric D. Hargan within a year of the lawâs enactment. Hargan will then be required to issue a national strategy within 18 months of the lawâs enactment. Going forward the advisory council will be required to provide the secretary annual progress reports.
Some of the topics that will likely be addressed to support caregivers according to Richards include:
âThe idea is to come up with best practices for health care providers and others for employers to better support family caregivers and for government to better support family caregivers â Richards said. âThe reports and strategy provide important information and steps that can be acted upon.â | âThis elevates this issue as a priority â said [TGT] . As the initial driving force behind the legislation AARP rallied more than 60 aging and disability organizations to support the idea including the Elizabeth Dole Foundation Paralyzed Veterans of America Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Alzheimerâs Association and then championed the appeal to legislators. The senior advocate organization has nearly 38 million members and offices in every state the District of Columbia Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
[TGT] said whether you have been a caregiver will be a caregiver or may need a caregiver at some point âThis issue has touched just about everyone. Itâs non-partisan. Itâs bi-partisan. Most people have a personal story. The law helps bring together stakeholders to better recognize and support families and caregivers to help make sure caregivers get the training and support they need to navigate the healthcare system.â
While RAISE does not authorize additional funding for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) it does mandate the development of a strategy within a 3-year period. [TGT] said RAISE calls for the creation of an advisory council that will be required to issue a report to HHS Secretary Eric D. Hargan within a year of the lawâs enactment. Hargan will then be required to issue a national strategy within 18 months of the lawâs enactment. Going forward the advisory council will be required to provide the secretary annual progress reports.
Some of the topics that will likely be addressed to support caregivers according to [TGT] include:
âThe idea is to come up with best practices for health care providers and others for employers to better support family caregivers and for government to better support family caregivers â [TGT] said. âThe reports and strategy provide important information and steps that can be acted upon.â | 1Neutral
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1,884 | BlackRock is a lot more bullish on US stocks after tax cuts | Moore | Moore said analysts have been ratcheting up their earnings forecasts based on what companies said during earnings season. The expectation is that earnings growth this year could now be 19 percent. Sixty percent of S&P 500 companies provided guidance that exceeded expectations.
BlackRock monitors earnings revisions which can be a key indicator for the market and the percent of positive revisions is at a record pace. They are now running at a rate of two upgrades for every downgrade or a ratio of 2. That ratio has averaged 0.8 based in the data which goes back to 1988 Moore said.
"What happened to the U.S. on the back of tax cuts and fiscal stimulus is something we've never observed " she said. All regions are showing improvements in positive earnings revisions but nothing like the U.S. Europe also has solid earnings momentum but it lags the U.S. and higher revisions in Japan are "noisy."
She added: "While we are really making this constructive call on the U.S. in the next three to six months we do recognize the pace of upgrades and the pace of earnings growth will likely slow. We will have to watch very closely...We are on a rocket ship at the moment."
But Moore said the landing does not have to be messy. "It can take off with a bang. I don't know if ends with a bang. Rockets can come down and land gracefully if they're well engineered " she said.
"This is a very different cycle at a time when fundamentals are already solid " said Moore . "We will have to be very vigilant and try to stay focused not just on what happens to earnings but as to what happens with inflation pressures and the impact that could have on margins. The big risk is inflationary pressure eroding margins."
Moore said her favorite sectors are technology and financials. Technology should gain from increased spending by corporations benefiting from tax law changes. She said the other boosts to the market from tax law changes should be more corporate buybacks and acquisitions. | [TGT] said analysts have been ratcheting up their earnings forecasts based on what companies said during earnings season. The expectation is that earnings growth this year could now be 19 percent. Sixty percent of S&P 500 companies provided guidance that exceeded expectations.
BlackRock monitors earnings revisions which can be a key indicator for the market and the percent of positive revisions is at a record pace. They are now running at a rate of two upgrades for every downgrade or a ratio of 2. That ratio has averaged 0.8 based in the data which goes back to 1988 [TGT] said.
"What happened to the U.S. on the back of tax cuts and fiscal stimulus is something we've never observed " she said. All regions are showing improvements in positive earnings revisions but nothing like the U.S. Europe also has solid earnings momentum but it lags the U.S. and higher revisions in Japan are "noisy."
She added: "While we are really making this constructive call on the U.S. in the next three to six months we do recognize the pace of upgrades and the pace of earnings growth will likely slow. We will have to watch very closely...We are on a rocket ship at the moment."
But [TGT] said the landing does not have to be messy. "It can take off with a bang. I don't know if ends with a bang. Rockets can come down and land gracefully if they're well engineered " she said.
"This is a very different cycle at a time when fundamentals are already solid " said [TGT] . "We will have to be very vigilant and try to stay focused not just on what happens to earnings but as to what happens with inflation pressures and the impact that could have on margins. The big risk is inflationary pressure eroding margins. [TGT]
said [TGT] favorite sectors are technology and financials. Technology should gain from increased spending by corporations benefiting from tax law changes. [TGT] said the other boosts to the market from tax law changes should be more corporate buybacks and acquisitions. | 1Neutral
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1,885 | California defendant faints after being found guilty in murder conspiracy plot | McDavid intent.Diana Lovejoy | Diana Lovejoy 45 collapsed in court after she was found guilty of a conspiracy charge as well as attempted murder prompting loud gasps from the courtroom.
When court reconvened 30 minutes later Lovejoy was no longer at the defense table â instead she had been wheeled out by paramedics and taken to a nearby hospital FOX5 San Diego reported.
Lovejoy and McDavid planned the crime after meeting at a gun range where she was taking lessons. According to prosecutors he contacted Lovejoy 's ex-husband Greg Mulvihill on Sept. 1 2016 posing as a private investigator claiming to have information on his estranged wife.
The caller instructed Mulvihill at the time to go to a remote dirt road where he could pick up a package containing materials related to Lovejoy prosecutor Jodi Breton told jurors. Mulvihill and a co-worker Jason Kovach drove to the area together to look for a package taped to a power pole.
The prosecutor said Mulvihill 45 was trying to reclaim his life after Lovejoy had made claims that he had molested their young son and sexually abused her. The couple had been separated since July 2014 and were in the final stages of completing their divorce FOX5 reported.
Authorities later determined the phone used to call Mulvihill was purchased by Lovejoy and feces found in the bushes at the scene of the shooting were traced to McDavid .
McDavid 's attorney Ricky Crawford said his client was a trained marksman and retired Marine who fired his rifle only after he heard someone yell "I have a gun!"
"If Weldon McDavid wanted to kill someone with his skill set he would have done so " Crawford told the jury. "That was not his intent. "
Lovejoy faces 25 years to life in prison while McDavid faces 50 years to life in prison when they are sentenced on Dec. 12. | Diana Lovejoy 45 collapsed in court after she was found guilty of a conspiracy charge as well as attempted murder prompting loud gasps from the courtroom.
When court reconvened 30 minutes later Lovejoy was no longer at the defense table â instead she had been wheeled out by paramedics and taken to a nearby hospital FOX5 San Diego reported.
Lovejoy and McDavid planned the crime after meeting at a gun range where she was taking lessons. According to prosecutors he contacted Lovejoy 's ex-husband Greg Mulvihill on Sept. 1 2016 posing as a private investigator claiming to have information on his estranged wife.
The caller instructed Mulvihill at the time to go to a remote dirt road where he could pick up a package containing materials related to Lovejoy prosecutor Jodi Breton told jurors. Mulvihill and a co-worker Jason Kovach drove to the area together to look for a package taped to a power pole.
The prosecutor said Mulvihill 45 was trying to reclaim his life after Lovejoy had made claims that he had molested their young son and sexually abused her. The couple had been separated since July 2014 and were in the final stages of completing their divorce FOX5 reported.
Authorities later determined the phone used to call Mulvihill was purchased by Lovejoy and feces found in the bushes at the scene of the shooting were traced to McDavid .
McDavid 's attorney Ricky Crawford said his client was a trained marksman and retired Marine who fired his rifle only after he heard someone yell "I have a gun!"
"If Weldon McDavid wanted to kill someone with his skill set he would have done so " Crawford told the jury. "That was not his intent. "
Lovejoy faces 25 years to life in prison while McDavid faces 50 years to life in prison when they are sentenced on Dec. 12. | 0Negative
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1,886 | New details from Niger ambush: when US troops sensed something wrong | La David Johnson | It's still unclear why it took over 36 hours to recover Sgt. La David Johnson's body from the battle space. The official told ABC News that Johnson 's locator beacon was giving unclear reports and he seemed to be moving.
" Johnson 's equipment might have been taken " the official said. "From what we now know it didn't seem like he was kidnapped and killed. He was somehow physically removed from where the combat took place."
On Thursday Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told reporters that Johnson was "separated" but "no one was left behind." That idea was echoed by Secretary of Defense James Mattis during a meeting with the Israeli Defense Minister.
It was nightfall when U.S. Nigerien and French forces searched for Johnson . | It's still unclear why it took over 36 hours to recover Sgt. [TGT] body from the battle space. The official told ABC News that Johnson 's locator beacon was giving unclear reports and he seemed to be moving.
" [TGT] 's equipment might have been taken " the official said. "From what we now know it didn't seem like he was kidnapped and killed. He was somehow physically removed from where the combat took place."
On Thursday Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told reporters that [TGT] was "separated" but "no one was left behind." That idea was echoed by Secretary of Defense James Mattis during a meeting with the Israeli Defense Minister.
It was nightfall when U.S. Nigerien and French forces searched for [TGT] . | 1Neutral
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1,887 | U.S. soccer star Hope Solo says ex | Sepp Blatter | (Reuters) - U.S. soccer star Hope Solo accused ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter of grabbing her buttocks during an awards ceremony five years ago an allegation that the former head of international footballâs governing body denied.
Solo 36 told a Portuguese newspaper that Blatter touched her inappropriately in January 2013 during the Ballon Dâor awards ceremony in Lisbon. A spokeswoman for Solo on Saturday confirmed her comments.
âI had Sepp Blatter grab my ass â the former goalkeeper on the U.S. national womenâs team said in an audio interview with Expresso posted on Saturday.
A spokesman for Blatter said in a phone interview on Saturday that Soloâs allegation was âabsurd and ridiculous and it is not true.â | (Reuters) - U.S. soccer star Hope Solo accused ex-FIFA President [TGT] of grabbing her buttocks during an awards ceremony five years ago an allegation that the former head of international footballâs governing body denied.
Solo 36 told a Portuguese newspaper that Blatter touched her inappropriately in January 2013 during the Ballon Dâor awards ceremony in Lisbon. A spokeswoman for Solo on Saturday confirmed her comments.
âI had [TGT] grab my ass â the former goalkeeper on the U.S. national womenâs team said in an audio interview with Expresso posted on Saturday.
A spokesman for Blatter said in a phone interview on Saturday that Soloâs allegation was âabsurd and ridiculous and it is not true.â | 1Neutral
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1,888 | Trump Treasury Secretary Wants Marijuana Money In Banks | Steven Mnuchin | "I assure you that we don't want bags of cash " Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testified on Tuesday during an appearance before the House Financial Services Committee. "We want to make sure that we can collect our necessary taxes and other things."
Last week a top Treasury official wrote in a letter to lawmakers that the department is "consulting with law enforcement" about whether to maintain the guidance for depository institutions. Last month a Mnuchin deputy testified at a Senate hearing that the banking document remains in effect while the administration weighs whether to revoke it.
At the Tuesday hearing Mnuchin confirmed that the department is "reviewing the existing guidance." But he clarified that he doesn't want to rescind it without having an alternate policy in place to address public safety concerns.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) told Mnuchin that simply deleting the banking memo "would really make it better for armed robbers in my community because there'd be huge amounts of cash at the local marijuana dispensary."
"We specifically haven't taken it down " Mnuchin said of the 2014 memo. "We are looking at what Justice has done. And again as I said we're sensitive to the issue of dealing with the public safety issue and also making sure that the IRS and others have ways of collecting taxes without taking in cash."
In response to comments about pending congressional legislation to address cannabis businesses' access to financial services Mnuchin pledged to consult with White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney who as a member of Congress previously sponsored a similar bill.
During the hearing Mnuchin also appeared to confirm a Reuters report that FinCEN was not consulted in advance about Sessionsâs decision to change federal marijuana enforcement policy. | "I assure you that we don't want bags of cash " Treasury Secretary [TGT] testified on Tuesday during an appearance before the House Financial Services Committee. "We want to make sure that we can collect our necessary taxes and other things."
Last week a top Treasury official wrote in a letter to lawmakers that the department is "consulting with law enforcement" about whether to maintain the guidance for depository institutions. Last month a Mnuchin deputy testified at a Senate hearing that the banking document remains in effect while the administration weighs whether to revoke it.
At the Tuesday hearing Mnuchin confirmed that the department is "reviewing the existing guidance." But he clarified that he doesn't want to rescind it without having an alternate policy in place to address public safety concerns.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) told Mnuchin that simply deleting the banking memo "would really make it better for armed robbers in my community because there'd be huge amounts of cash at the local marijuana dispensary."
"We specifically haven't taken it down " Mnuchin said of the 2014 memo. "We are looking at what Justice has done. And again as I said we're sensitive to the issue of dealing with the public safety issue and also making sure that the IRS and others have ways of collecting taxes without taking in cash."
In response to comments about pending congressional legislation to address cannabis businesses' access to financial services Mnuchin pledged to consult with White House Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney who as a member of Congress previously sponsored a similar bill.
During the hearing Mnuchin also appeared to confirm a Reuters report that FinCEN was not consulted in advance about Sessionsâs decision to change federal marijuana enforcement policy. | 2Positive
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1,889 | Planned Parenthood Demands Trump Official Who Characterized Abortion as âViolenceâ Be Fired | Scott Lloyd | Scott Lloyd and other Trump-Pence administration officials are willing to put women's health lives and rights at risk to further their own extreme agendas. This ends now. https://t.co/fAHBZyNrxz pic.twitter.com/81evfdwg3F â Planned Parenthood (@PPact) December 22 2017
In declining to authorize the illegal immigrantâs abortion ORR director Scott Lloyd wrote in a memo âI disagree â with the notion that declining to help a woman who became pregnant as a result of rape to obtain an abortion is âa form of violence against the mother.â
âThis memo makes clear that Scott Lloyd should immediately be removed from his position as director of ORR â said Dana Singiser Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). âHe is unfit to serve in government. Lloyd is imposing his personal beliefs on the young women in his agencyâs careâto control their bodies and violate their constitutional rights. His overreach and abuse of power puts these young womenâs lives in danger.â
Scott Lloyd may think that undocumented women are not entitled to basic rights or control over their own bodies but they deserve support and justice. Scott Lloyd must go: https://t.co/ddO6rmPbfc #JusticeForJane pic.twitter.com/wvGjMzl559 â Planned Parenthood (@PPact) December 24 2017
Planned Parenthood is urging its supporters to send letters to their members of Congress demanding that Lloyd be fired.
â Scott Lloyd and other Trump-Pence administration officials are willing to put womenâs health lives and rights at risk to further their own extreme agendas â states the abortion provider adding:
Scott Lloyd may think that as undocumented immigrants these women are not entitled to basic rights or control over their own bodies but these women deserve support and justice. This is unconstitutional and unacceptable. Itâs time for Scott Lloyd to go.
Jane Poe asked again and again to exercise her right to an abortion. Scott Lloyd â against her legal rights *and* her wishes for her body and life â said no. This is downright dystopian. pic.twitter.com/bcVDlm2KXh â Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) December 21 2017
Trump administration official Scott Lloyd whose body and life is NOT on the line decided it wasnât in a young womanâs âbest interestâ to have an abortion. https://t.co/Qce5jtX5z0 #JusticeForJane â NARAL (@NARAL) December 22 2017
Scott Lloyd director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement knew that Jane Poe was pregnant as a result of rape and that her mind was made up about wanting an abortion. He still denied her right to abortion care. #JusticeforJane â ACLU (@ACLU) December 21 2017
Lloyd explained in his memo that the illegal immigrant teen referred to as âJane Poe â claimed she became pregnant as a result of rape by an attacker but also said she had âa boyfriend in her home country with whom she had intercourse.â
âSeveral weeks after the assault she made the journey to the United States where she attempted to cross the border illegally but was apprehended at the border â he continued further indicating the teen was persistent in expressing her desire for an abortion.
âAt nearly 22 weeks the child has at least a fighting chance at survival if born â Lloyd wrote. âThe most likely method of abortion in this instance is Dilation and Evacuation abortion. This particular form of abortion is one that even many abortionists find troublesome.â
Lloyd cited the words of abortionist Dr. Lisa Harris who admitted âThere is violence in abortion especially in second trimester procedures.â
Lloyd continued:
Certainly it is understandable that a woman who is pregnant from the vile actions of a criminal would want to terminate her pregnancy. I do not and am in no position to judge anyone who has taken such an action or supported another in doing so. But I cannot authorize our program to participate in the abortion requested here even in this most difficult case. Here where the pregnancy is advanced to such a late stage we have in stark relief the reality that abortion entails as Dr. Harris candidly admitted violence that has the ultimate destruction of another human being as its goal. ⦠Implicit here are the dubious notions that it is possible to cure violence with further violence and that the destruction of an unborn childâs life can in some instances be acceptable as a means to an end. To decline to assist in an abortion here is to decline to participate in violence against an innocent life. She remains pregnant but this is not the intent of our actions. Moral and criminal responsibility for the pregnancy lies with the attacker and no one else. | [TGT] and other Trump-Pence administration officials are willing to put women's health lives and rights at risk to further [TGT] own extreme agendas. This ends now. https://t.co/fAHBZyNrxz pic.twitter.com/81evfdwg3F â Planned Parenthood (@PPact) December 22 2017
In declining to authorize the illegal immigrantâs abortion [TGT] wrote in a memo âI disagree â with the notion that declining to help a woman who became pregnant as a result of rape to obtain an abortion is âa form of violence against the mother.â
âThis memo makes clear that [TGT] should immediately be removed from [TGT] position as director of ORR â said Dana Singiser Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). âHe is unfit to serve in government. [TGT] is imposing his personal beliefs on the young women in his agencyâs careâto control their bodies and violate their constitutional rights. His overreach and abuse of power puts these young womenâs lives in danger.â
Scott Lloyd may think that undocumented women are not entitled to basic rights or control over their own bodies but they deserve support and justice. [TGT] must go: https://t.co/ddO6rmPbfc #JusticeForJane pic.twitter.com/wvGjMzl559 â Planned Parenthood (@PPact) December 24 2017
Planned Parenthood is urging its supporters to send letters to their members of Congress demanding that [TGT] be fired.
[TGT] and other Trump-Pence administration officials are willing to put womenâs health lives and rights at risk to further their own extreme agendas â states the abortion provider adding:
[TGT] may think that as undocumented immigrants these women are not entitled to basic rights or control over their own bodies but these women deserve support and justice. This is unconstitutional and unacceptable. Itâs time for [TGT] to go.
Jane Poe asked again and again to exercise her right to an abortion. [TGT] â against her legal rights *and* her wishes for her body and life â said no. This is downright dystopian. pic.twitter.com/bcVDlm2KXh â Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) December 21 2017
Trump administration official Scott Lloyd whose body and life is NOT on the line decided it wasnât in a young womanâs âbest interestâ to have an abortion. https://t.co/Qce5jtX5z0 #JusticeForJane â NARAL (@NARAL) December 22 2017
[TGT] knew that Jane Poe was pregnant as a result of rape and that her mind was made up about wanting an abortion. [TGT] still denied her right to abortion care. #JusticeforJane â ACLU (@ACLU) December 21 2017
[TGT] explained in [TGT] memo that the illegal immigrant teen referred to as âJane Poe â claimed she became pregnant as a result of rape by an attacker but also said she had âa boyfriend in her home country with whom she had intercourse.â
âSeveral weeks after the assault she made the journey to the United States where she attempted to cross the border illegally but was apprehended at the border â he continued further indicating the teen was persistent in expressing her desire for an abortion.
âAt nearly 22 weeks the child has at least a fighting chance at survival if born â [TGT] wrote. âThe most likely method of abortion in this instance is Dilation and Evacuation abortion. This particular form of abortion is one that even many abortionists find troublesome.â
[TGT] cited the words of abortionist Dr. Lisa Harris who admitted âThere is violence in abortion especially in second trimester procedures.â
[TGT] continued:
Certainly it is understandable that a woman who is pregnant from the vile actions of a criminal would want to terminate her pregnancy. I do not and am in no position to judge anyone who has taken such an action or supported another in doing so. But I cannot authorize [TGT] program to participate in the abortion requested here even in this most difficult case. Here where the pregnancy is advanced to such a late stage we have in stark relief the reality that abortion entails as Dr. Harris candidly admitted violence that has the ultimate destruction of another human being as its goal. ⦠Implicit here are the dubious notions that it is possible to cure violence with further violence and that the destruction of an unborn childâs life can in some instances be acceptable as a means to an end. To decline to assist in an abortion here is to decline to participate in violence against an innocent life. She remains pregnant but this is not the intent of our actions. Moral and criminal responsibility for the pregnancy lies with the attacker and no one else. | 0Negative
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1,890 | MSNBC's Chris Matthews mocks Hillary Clinton makes Bill Cosby pill joke in unearthed footage | Lawrence O'Donnell | The footage takes place in an Iowa fire station and features two different camera angles. Back in September video was leaked of fellow MSNBC star Lawrence O'Donnell launching into profanity-laced tirades at his staff during a taping of his show. He complained about "insanity in my earpiece" and begging someone to "stop the hammering!"
O'Donnell 's tirades were first reported by Mediaite which posted a stitched-together video of the outbursts that lasted more than eight minutes resulted in the liberal host becoming a punchline for his outburst. While the footage of O'Donnell was embarrassing itâs far from making a joke about alleged serial rapist Bill Cosby â and it appears Matthews is aware of his wrongdoing.
Matthews issued a statement to The Cut: âThis was a terrible comment I made in poor taste during the height of the Bill Cosby headlines. I realize thatâs no excuse. I deeply regret it and Iâm sorry.â
The Cut said Matthews has a long history of derogatory comments about Clinton and he once called her witchy " "anti-male" and "uppity " according to Jezebel.
MSNBC recently admitted that Matthews had settled with a former producer who accused him of sexual harassment. In fact NBC News and MSNBC have dealt with a variety of other high-profile issues lately. | The footage takes place in an Iowa fire station and features two different camera angles. Back in September video was leaked of fellow MSNBC star [TGT] launching into profanity-laced tirades at [TGT] staff during a taping of [TGT] show. [TGT] complained about "insanity in my earpiece" and begging someone to "stop the hammering!"
O'Donnell 's tirades were first reported by Mediaite which posted a stitched-together video of the outbursts that lasted more than eight minutes resulted in the liberal host becoming a punchline for his outburst. While the footage of O'Donnell was embarrassing itâs far from making a joke about alleged serial rapist Bill Cosby â and it appears Matthews is aware of his wrongdoing.
Matthews issued a statement to The Cut: âThis was a terrible comment I made in poor taste during the height of the Bill Cosby headlines. I realize thatâs no excuse. I deeply regret it and Iâm sorry.â
The Cut said Matthews has a long history of derogatory comments about Clinton and he once called her witchy " "anti-male" and "uppity " according to Jezebel.
MSNBC recently admitted that Matthews had settled with a former producer who accused him of sexual harassment. In fact NBC News and MSNBC have dealt with a variety of other high-profile issues lately. | 1Neutral
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1,891 | Ford's 'Team Edison' to explore electric car partnerships | Marakby | One aim of Ford's "Team Edison" is to identify and develop electric-vehicle partnerships with other companies including suppliers in some markets according to Sherif Marakby vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification.
Global demand for electric vehicles has "a significant potential to increase" as governments implement EV mandates and quotas Marakby said in an interview.
He said the group will be based in the Detroit area and work with regional Ford vehicle electrification teams in China and Europe.
Marakby said Team Edison "will look holistically at the electric vehicle market."
Ford has not altered its previously announced plan to spend $4.5 billion over five years on electrified vehicles including plug-in hybrids Marakby said.
He declined to say how many new electric vehicles Ford expects to add in the future. | One aim of Ford's "Team Edison" is to identify and develop electric-vehicle partnerships with other companies including suppliers in some markets according to Sherif Marakby vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification.
Global demand for electric vehicles has "a significant potential to increase" as governments implement EV mandates and quotas [TGT] said in an interview.
[TGT] said the group will be based in the Detroit area and work with regional Ford vehicle electrification teams in China and Europe.
[TGT] said Team Edison "will look holistically at the electric vehicle market."
Ford has not altered its previously announced plan to spend $4.5 billion over five years on electrified vehicles including plug-in hybrids Marakby said.
He declined to say how many new electric vehicles Ford expects to add in the future. | 1Neutral
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1,892 | Pope Francis Makes New Year Appeal for Migrants and Refugees | Pope Francis | Pope Francis called for people around the world to âembraceâ migrants and refugees in his annual World Day for Peace address.
Francis reiterated his advocacy for âall those fleeing from war and hunger or forced by discrimination and persecution poverty and environmental degradation to leave their homelands.â
âPlease letâs not extinguish the hope in their hearts letâs not suffocate their expectations of peace â Francis said during his address in the Vatican where 40 000 adherents turned out for the event.
Francis called on political educational and religious institutions alike to âmake the effort to assure refugees and migrants to everyone a peaceful future.â
Francis also addressed what he described as a rise of anti-immigration rhetoric globally suggesting that people who âfoment fear of migrants instead of building peace â possibly to achieve political ends âare sowing violence racial discrimination and xenophobia.â
Francis â New Yearâs remarks drew heavily from a full statement on the subject of migration released by the Vatican in November.
On Jan. 8 Francis will deliver another annual address to the Vatican diplomatic service according to Catholic news site Crux which is expected to be considered his most significant foreign policy statement of the year.
Francis has been an outspoken advocate for migrants around the world traveling to Myanmar and Bangladesh in late 2017 and speaking with a group of Muslim Rohingya refugees who were displaced by violence.
In remarks delivered Christmas Eve he likened the plight of migrants to the biblical journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem expressing his hope that no person would feel as though âthere is no room for them on this Earth.â | [TGT] called for people around the world to âembraceâ migrants and refugees in [TGT] annual World Day for Peace address.
[TGT] reiterated [TGT] advocacy for âall those fleeing from war and hunger or forced by discrimination and persecution poverty and environmental degradation to leave their homelands.â
âPlease letâs not extinguish the hope in their hearts letâs not suffocate their expectations of peace â [TGT] said during [TGT] address in the Vatican where 40 000 adherents turned out for the event.
[TGT] called on political educational and religious institutions alike to âmake the effort to assure refugees and migrants to everyone a peaceful future.â
[TGT] also addressed what [TGT] described as a rise of anti-immigration rhetoric globally suggesting that people who âfoment fear of migrants instead of building peace â possibly to achieve political ends âare sowing violence racial discrimination and xenophobia.â
[TGT] â New Yearâs remarks drew heavily from a full statement on the subject of migration released by the Vatican in November.
On Jan. 8 Francis will deliver another annual address to the Vatican diplomatic service according to Catholic news site Crux which is expected to be considered his most significant foreign policy statement of the year.
[TGT] has been an outspoken advocate for migrants around the world traveling to Myanmar and Bangladesh in late 2017 and speaking with a group of Muslim Rohingya refugees who were displaced by violence.
In remarks delivered Christmas Eve [TGT] likened the plight of migrants to the biblical journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem expressing [TGT] hope that no person would feel as though âthere is no room for them on this Earth.â | 2Positive
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1,893 | Liam Gallagher 's sweary guide to being a Twitter legend | Liam Gallagher | Liam Gallagherâs Twitter feed is legendary.
SEE ALSO: 42 bizarre and hilarious Liam Gallagher tweets to improve your day
Liam just got back to the UK from America where he âs been promoting his new album As You Were. He âs taking the weekend off to chill ahead of next week: "I'm reserving all energy until Wednesday when I take on the fucking Q Awards and show them how itâs done."
We had the chance to catch up with him in a moment of downtime and he gave us the ultimate guide to being good at Twitter.
Good afternoon all 2 million of you just checking in hope life is treating you well as you were LG x â Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) July 20 2017
I know itâs a good record and I know the songs on there are good so I just want it to do well but everyone seems to be like hungry for a Liam Gallagher record which is the most important thing. Iâm 45 and thereâs a new generation listening and Iâm surprised by how many people were wanting a record by me.
Iâve got a lot more to say and I think Iâm a lot more honest everything he does is a bit filtered â he âs trying to pull the wool over peopleâs eyes and Iâm pretty much telling it how it is whether you agree or not. Like I said itâs a truth juice.
Call me on the shell phone I know when my hot line bling ha ha LG x pic.twitter.com/SgKcYEoJEc â Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) January 10 2016
What do you think about the fact that everyoneâs saying Liam Gallagher for prime minister? | Liam Gallagherâs Twitter feed is legendary.
SEE ALSO: 42 bizarre and hilarious Liam Gallagher tweets to improve your day
Liam just got back to the UK from America where he âs been promoting his new album As You Were. He âs taking the weekend off to chill ahead of next week: "I'm reserving all energy until Wednesday when I take on the fucking Q Awards and show them how itâs done."
We had the chance to catch up with him in a moment of downtime and he gave us the ultimate guide to being good at Twitter.
Good afternoon all 2 million of you just checking in hope life is treating you well as you were LG x â Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) July 20 2017
I know itâs a good record and I know the songs on there are good so I just want it to do well but everyone seems to be like hungry for a Liam Gallagher record which is the most important thing. Iâm 45 and thereâs a new generation listening and Iâm surprised by how many people were wanting a record by me.
Iâve got a lot more to say and I think Iâm a lot more honest everything [TGT] does is a bit filtered â [TGT] âs trying to pull the wool over peopleâs eyes and Iâm pretty much telling it how it is whether you agree or not. Like I said itâs a truth juice.
Call me on the shell phone I know when my hot line bling ha ha LG x pic.twitter.com/SgKcYEoJEc â Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) January 10 2016
What do you think about the fact that everyoneâs saying Liam Gallagher for prime minister? | 2Positive
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1,894 | Danny Garcia returns with 9th | David Benavidez | Benavidez defends title: On the televised undercard 21-year-old WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez successfully defended his title for the first time by outslugging Ronald Gavril in a rematch of their first meeting last September. Benavidez who won by unanimous decision remains the youngest champion in boxing.
Benavidez punished Gavril from the opening bell landing effective combinations throughout the fight. By the time it was over Gavril's face and white trunks were soaked with blood but the Romanian fighter fought back until the final bell. Benavidez scored a near unanimous shutout winning by scores of 119-109 and 120-108 twice.
Benavidez did not use his right hand at all for the last few rounds throwing mostly left jabs and revealed a badly swollen right knuckle after the fight. The Phoenix fighter improved to 20-0 (17 KOs) while Gavril fell to 18-3 (14 KOs).
âI knew he was going to come aggressive. He âs a one-trick opponent " Benavidez said. "I knew I could jab and box him all day. When I saw the opening I took it. I didnât knock him out though â he âs a tough son of a gun. | Benavidez defends title: On the televised undercard 21-year-old WBC super middleweight champion [TGT] successfully defended his title for the first time by outslugging Ronald Gavril in a rematch of their first meeting last September. Benavidez who won by unanimous decision remains the youngest champion in boxing.
Benavidez punished Gavril from the opening bell landing effective combinations throughout the fight. By the time it was over Gavril's face and white trunks were soaked with blood but the Romanian fighter fought back until the final bell. Benavidez scored a near unanimous shutout winning by scores of 119-109 and 120-108 twice.
Benavidez did not use his right hand at all for the last few rounds throwing mostly left jabs and revealed a badly swollen right knuckle after the fight. The Phoenix fighter improved to 20-0 (17 KOs) while Gavril fell to 18-3 (14 KOs).
âI knew he was going to come aggressive. He âs a one-trick opponent " Benavidez said. "I knew I could jab and box him all day. When I saw the opening I took it. I didnât knock him out though â he âs a tough son of a gun. | 2Positive
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1,895 | Turkey | Khalil Abdul-Ghafur | In an interview with Reuters at the center former IS member Khalil Abdul-Ghafur spoke in formal Arabic - Islamic Stateâs preferred version of the language - until the center director reminded him to switch back to Syrian dialect.
The 14-year-old from a village near Aleppo said he joined the jihadist group after insurgents arrived. He took lessons in sharia (Islamic law) and trained to use both light and heavy weapons before IS dispatched him to al-Bab near Marea.
He was wounded twice both times returning to the militant ranks after he recovered. He only left IS when he found out rebels had detained his father over his membership of the group.
Asked why he joined Islamic State Abdul-Ghafur was at first silent. âI donât know what to tell you. They used to show us video clips â he eventually said. âAnd they talk to us about heaven and freedom and all that.â
He did not elaborate on life after Islamic State only saying the center has good food clothes and lessons. But he intends to go back to school when he is released having not completed his education because his school was bombed. | In an interview with Reuters at the center [TGT] spoke in formal Arabic - Islamic Stateâs preferred version of the language - until the center director reminded [TGT] to switch back to Syrian dialect.
The 14-year-old from a village near Aleppo said [TGT] joined the jihadist group after insurgents arrived. [TGT] took lessons in sharia (Islamic law) and trained to use both light and heavy weapons before IS dispatched [TGT] to al-Bab near Marea.
[TGT] was wounded twice both times returning to the militant ranks after [TGT] recovered. [TGT] only left IS when [TGT] found out rebels had detained his father over his membership of the group.
Asked why he joined Islamic State Abdul-Ghafur was at first silent. âI donât know what to tell you. They used to show us video clips â he eventually said. âAnd they talk to us about heaven and freedom and all that.â
He did not elaborate on life after Islamic State only saying the center has good food clothes and lessons. But he intends to go back to school when he is released having not completed his education because his school was bombed. | 1Neutral
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1,896 | Bloodshed Roils Yemen's South Further Complicating An Already Complicated War : The Two | Rabbo Mansour Hadi | This weekend's bloodshed broke out Sunday in the southern port city of Aden where forces loyal to the separatist Southern Transitional Council traded gunfire with loyalists of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi . The scattered fighting has claimed at least 12 lives and injured scores more.
The two sides had shared an uneasy alliance since 2014 when they were united in their opposition to the Houthi rebels who seized cities in the country's northwest including the capital Sanaa. Together the STC and Hadi 's forces managed to repel the Houthis from Yemen's southern governates and Aden the large city where Hadi's government had presided since its ouster from the capital.
As Reuters notes the fighting follows the expiration of a deadline set last week by the southern separatists. Irate at what they call corruption and the deep erosion of public services in the areas still governed by Hadi the STC had delivered him an ultimatum: shake up the cabinet and sack bin Daghir or face ouster. That deadline came and went without sign that Hadi had any intention of complying.
The new fault that has opened between Hadi and his erstwhile allies in the STC adds another dimension to a war already packed with a dizzying array of players â and a long tortuous history dating back at least to 1990. That's when South Yemen a formerly independent state with Aden for its capital agreed to unification with its northern counterpart. The union has never quite been an easy one strained by a 1994 civil war and more recently calls for greater autonomy in the south.
Add to that latent friction the bloodshed of recent years which has seen Yemen's internal conflicts take on the character of a proxy war among competing powers in the Gulf region. The Houthis a Shiite group based in the northwest have been backed by Iran while Saudi Arabia has led a coalition conducting an air campaign since 2015 supporting Hadi and his Sunni allies. | This weekend's bloodshed broke out Sunday in the southern port city of Aden where forces loyal to the separatist Southern Transitional Council traded gunfire with loyalists of [TGT] . The scattered fighting has claimed at least 12 lives and injured scores more.
The two sides had shared an uneasy alliance since 2014 when they were united in their opposition to the Houthi rebels who seized cities in the country's northwest including the capital Sanaa. Together the STC and Hadi 's forces managed to repel the Houthis from Yemen's southern governates and Aden the large city where Hadi's government had presided since its ouster from the capital.
As Reuters notes the fighting follows the expiration of a deadline set last week by the southern separatists. Irate at what they call corruption and the deep erosion of public services in the areas still governed by [TGT] the STC had delivered [TGT] an ultimatum: shake up the cabinet and sack bin Daghir or face ouster. That deadline came and went without sign that Hadi had any intention of complying.
The new fault that has opened between Hadi and his erstwhile allies in the STC adds another dimension to a war already packed with a dizzying array of players â and a long tortuous history dating back at least to 1990. That's when South Yemen a formerly independent state with Aden for its capital agreed to unification with its northern counterpart. The union has never quite been an easy one strained by a 1994 civil war and more recently calls for greater autonomy in the south.
Add to that latent friction the bloodshed of recent years which has seen Yemen's internal conflicts take on the character of a proxy war among competing powers in the Gulf region. The Houthis a Shiite group based in the northwest have been backed by Iran while Saudi Arabia has led a coalition conducting an air campaign since 2015 supporting Hadi and his Sunni allies. | 1Neutral
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1,897 | CES 2018: Intel gives glimpse into mind | Brian Krzanich | Intel CEI Brian Krzanich announced Monday evening in a CES keynote presentation that the company is neck-in-neck with other competitors in the race to make universal quantum computers that can solve problems that are impossible on todayâs supercomputers. The semiconductor giant is competing against Google IBM and other companies to reach âquantum supremacy â the marker at which universal quantum computers outpace traditional computers that represents an important Kitty Hawk moment for data processing.
Krzanich said the company has created a 49-qubit quantum computing chip and have shipped it to their partners for use testing representing a big step in quantum computing for the company .
âQuantum computing represents a completely different approach to computing. This technology will be able to solve problems that are insurmountable today â Krzanich said in his speech. âJust as we ushered in the era of our classical personal computing weâre pushing the boundaries of the quantum computing revolution.â
What are those impossible problems? Simulating the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs simulating catalysts that speed up chemical reactions (which can lead to more energy-efficient applications) and breaking cryptography Mike Mayberry corporate vice president and managing director of Intel Labs told Fox News. Krzanich said one potential use is for research into better-quality materials such as more efficient superconductors.
Krzanich also discussed the development of a neuromorphic test chip nicknamed âLoihi.â Neuromorphic chips are closer to traditional computer chips but they are built to imitate neurons in a human brain giving it the ability to learn as it runs.
Neuromorphic chip are expected to be able to identify objects from different angles while moving better than existing systems he said. This ability opens the door to real-time analysis of complex data Krzanich said.
It âs possible neuromorphic chips could be used in a product such as a smartphone in two to four years Mayberry said.
âWeâre really optimistic about what this new kind of computing can achieve over time â Krzanich said in his presentation. | [TGT] announced Monday evening in a CES keynote presentation that the company is neck-in-neck with other competitors in the race to make universal quantum computers that can solve problems that are impossible on todayâs supercomputers. [TGT] is competing against Google IBM and other companies to reach âquantum supremacy â the marker at which universal quantum computers outpace traditional computers that represents an important Kitty Hawk moment for data processing.
[TGT] said the company has created a 49-qubit quantum computing chip and have shipped [TGT] to their partners for use testing representing a big step in quantum computing for the company .
âQuantum computing represents a completely different approach to computing. This technology will be able to solve problems that are insurmountable today â [TGT] said in [TGT] speech. âJust as we ushered in the era of our classical personal computing weâre pushing the boundaries of the quantum computing revolution.â
What are those impossible problems? Simulating the side effects of pharmaceutical drugs simulating catalysts that speed up chemical reactions (which can lead to more energy-efficient applications) and breaking cryptography Mike Mayberry corporate vice president and managing director of Intel Labs told Fox News. [TGT] said one potential use is for research into better-quality materials such as more efficient superconductors.
[TGT] also discussed the development of a neuromorphic test chip nicknamed âLoihi.â Neuromorphic chips are closer to traditional computer chips but they are built to imitate neurons in a human brain giving it the ability to learn as it runs.
Neuromorphic chip are expected to be able to identify objects from different angles while moving better than existing systems he said. This ability opens the door to real-time analysis of complex data [TGT] said.
[TGT] âs possible neuromorphic chips could be used in a product such as a smartphone in two to four years Mayberry said.
âWeâre really optimistic about what this new kind of computing can achieve over time â [TGT] said in [TGT] presentation. | 1Neutral
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1,898 | Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model is Danielle Herrington | Danielle Herrington | Danielle Herrington is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model for 2018.
The magazine revealed its swimsuit edition cover Tuesday. Herrington is the third black woman to appear on the cover of the annual issue that launched in 1964.
Herrington first appeared in the magazine's swimsuit issue last year.
Fox News spoke to Herrington in May and she said she knew she wanted to become a model after seeing Tyra Banks on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
"I just remember Tyra Banks being on the cover and thatâs where it all started for me. Thatâs what really made me pursue modeling. SI was a goal from that point from seeing Tyra on the cover. It was love at first sight⦠everything happened naturally " she told us. | [TGT] is the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model for 2018.
The magazine revealed its swimsuit edition cover Tuesday. [TGT] is the third black woman to appear on the cover of the annual issue that launched in 1964.
[TGT] first appeared in the magazine's swimsuit issue last year.
Fox News spoke to Herrington in May and she said she knew she wanted to become a model after seeing Tyra Banks on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
"I just remember Tyra Banks being on the cover and thatâs where it all started for me. Thatâs what really made me pursue modeling. SI was a goal from that point from seeing Tyra on the cover. It was love at first sight⦠everything happened naturally " she told us. | 1Neutral
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1,899 | Trumpâs Ambassadors Are Going Rogue On Twitter | Nikki Haley | Callista Gingrich Nikki Haley and Scott Brown are all running afoul of federal guidelines on social media while the State Department whistles in the wind.
US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has her staff support her personal Twitter account.
US ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown has a gag Twitter account for his dog Gracie. And US ambassador-designate to the Vatican Callista Gingrich is tweeting about her job before starting in an official capacity. Some of President Donald Trumpâs highest-profile political appointees are running afoul of the governmentâs social media rules enshrined in the State Departmentâs Foreign Affairs Manual. The rules pushed through in January after years of internal deliberations are designed to prevent political appointees from exploiting public office by using their official title to build a massive social media presence and then taking their account with them when they re-enter the private sector or retire. Brown the short lived former senator from Massachusetts and Haley the former governor of South Carolina both use their personal Twitter accounts for official business alongside their government-owned accounts.
Haley âs staff also helps service her Twitter account including tasks such as taking photos that are disseminated to her more than 770 000 followers.
We are so proud of this yearâs @USYouthObserver Munira Khalif. She has a great American story. We discussed the glo⦠https://t.co/h8nOalCuaE | Callista Gingrich Nikki Haley and Scott Brown are all running afoul of federal guidelines on social media while the State Department whistles in the wind.
[TGT] has [TGT] staff support [TGT] personal Twitter account.
[TGT] has a gag Twitter account for [TGT] dog Gracie. And US ambassador-designate to the Vatican Callista Gingrich is tweeting about her job before starting in an official capacity. Some of President Donald Trumpâs highest-profile political appointees are running afoul of the governmentâs social media rules enshrined in the State Departmentâs Foreign Affairs Manual. The rules pushed through in January after years of internal deliberations are designed to prevent political appointees from exploiting public office by using their official title to build a massive social media presence and then taking their account with them when they re-enter the private sector or retire. Brown the short lived former senator from Massachusetts and Haley the former governor of South Carolina both use their personal Twitter accounts for official business alongside their government-owned accounts.
Haley âs staff also helps service her Twitter account including tasks such as taking photos that are disseminated to her more than 770 000 followers.
We are so proud of this yearâs @USYouthObserver Munira Khalif. She has a great American story. We discussed the glo⦠https://t.co/h8nOalCuaE | 1Neutral
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1,900 | Analysis: Jaguars just not on same level as Brady Belichick | Brady | The Jacksonville Jaguars frittered away a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in losing 24-20 to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game yet their unraveling really began in the final 2½ minutes of the first half.
Danny Amendola's fair catch of Brad Nortman's punt at his 14 came with 2:02 remaining which essentially gave Brady and Belichick an extra timeout with which to work.
On first-and-10 from his 40 Brady threw a long pass for Rob Gronkowski who was injured when he got popped by Barry Church on a helmet-to-helmet hit. Church was called for unnecessary roughness putting the ball at the Jacksonville 45.
Brady started pushing the ball downfield to his receivers and the New England defense took away the short middle and dared Bortles to start making plays downfield too.
While Bortles managed a single first down in the fourth quarter Brady came through with a pair of TD throws to Amendola.
Amendola had the crucial catch on the first TD drive hauling in a 21-yard pass from Brady on third-and-18 in front of safety Tashaun Gipson who said he figures he'd break up that pass nine out of 10 times.
It was vintage Brady too.
" He is the greatest quarterback to ever play this game " Gipson said. "You can never have a safe lead with 12 at the helm. We knew we had to keep our foot on the gas."
The Patriots' comeback set up a Super Bowl 52 showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles who were miffed last week when the NFL mistakenly released an ad that featured Brady and Case Keenum with the Super Bowl trophy between them signifying a New England-Minnesota matchup.
Instead it'll be Nick Foles and the Eagles who routed the Vikings 38-7 in the NFC championship game trying to dethrone Brady and the Patriots. | The Jacksonville Jaguars frittered away a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in losing 24-20 to [TGT] and the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game yet [TGT] unraveling really began in the final 2½ minutes of the first half.
Danny Amendola's fair catch of Brad Nortman's punt at his 14 came with 2:02 remaining which essentially gave Brady and Belichick an extra timeout with which to work.
On first-and-10 from [TGT] threw a long pass for Rob Gronkowski who was injured when [TGT] got popped by Barry Church on a helmet-to-helmet hit. Church was called for unnecessary roughness putting the ball at the Jacksonville 45.
[TGT] started pushing the ball downfield to [TGT] receivers and the New England defense took away the short middle and dared Bortles to start making plays downfield too.
While Bortles managed a single first down in the fourth quarter [TGT] came through with a pair of TD throws to Amendola.
Amendola had the crucial catch on the first TD drive hauling in a 21-yard pass from [TGT] on third-and-18 in front of safety Tashaun Gipson who said he figures he'd break up that pass nine out of 10 times.
It was vintage [TGT] too.
" He is the greatest quarterback to ever play this game " Gipson said. "You can never have a safe lead with 12 at the helm. We knew we had to keep our foot on the gas."
The Patriots' comeback set up a Super Bowl 52 showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles who were miffed last week when the NFL mistakenly released an ad that featured [TGT] [TGT] signifying a New England-Minnesota matchup.
Instead it'll be Nick Foles and the Eagles who routed the Vikings 38-7 in the NFC championship game trying to dethrone Brady and the Patriots. | 2Positive
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