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Eat It has been a hard year for romaine. A national food-poisoning outbreak tied to the lettuce this winter sickened hundreds of people across 35 states and killed five. The threat has passed, but the sting lingers. Romaine, for many households, is still a tough sell. In mine, commodity iceberg, that old crunchy friend, has lately been in ascendance, and wedge salads have been the order of the day: pale green-white triangles drizzled in pale white-blue dressing, with crumbles of bacon and bright red pops of cherry tomato, and pricks of green chive strewn across the top. The crunch of it, the bright colors, the sweet and salt seem to please the children. Adults, too. In restaurants, of course, wedge salads have done well for years, even decades, as essential steakhouse fare — “iceberg wedges, blue cheese, bacon” was Roger Sterling’s order on “Mad Men” when he and Don Draper saved the Madison Square Garden account in Season 3, set in 1963. But there is no reason not to bring them home. “There’s something special about this blank-slate, juicy and crisp wad of iceberg that’s dripping with fat and crunch,” Brooks Headley, the chef and owner of Superiority Burger in New York City, told me. “Doesn’t need a fancier lettuce. Just needs the bacon just right and the blue cheese not too fancy but also just right.” At his restaurant, which is vegetarian, Headley serves a shredded wedge salad that has mushrooms play the role of the bacon, and a lemony tahini dressing with a little maple syrup and toasted sesame oil in place of the blue cheese. (“The tomatoes are the tomatoes,” he writes in his “Superiority Burger Cookbook,” which was published last month.) It is an awesome salad, but as Headley told me, “Us restaurant folk tend to gussy up stuff that often doesn’t need it.” He cited the shredded lettuce he uses instead of the actual wedge. “See?” he said. “Gussying!” Josh Capon, the chef and partner of Lure Fishbar, Bowery Meat Company and other restaurants in New York and Miami, agreed. “We were doing a version with Little Gem lettuce for a while,” he said, “a little lighter, a riff on the original, but people want the real thing. They want that crisp, crisp, crisp, with the crumbles of blue cheese.” The best wedge salad served in a restaurant in the last decade or so was at the Waverly Inn in Manhattan, when the chef Ashley Merriman was in charge. (That’s my contention, anyway.) Merriman is now a chef at Prune, also in Manhattan, in partnership with her wife, the chef Gabrielle Hamilton, who opened the restaurant in 1999. (Hamilton is also an Eat columnist for this magazine.) Merriman’s wedge theory: a heavy hand on the dressing, a sharp red-wine vinaigrette on the tomatoes to provide acid against all the fat and a kind of ragged perfect cut on the wedge itself. “You want the dressing to get into all the nooks and crannies,” she said. “Like butter in a fork-split English muffin versus one you just cut in half with a knife. It really matters.” I took all that advice to heart as I ramped up my own production. Headley said I had an advantage — as you do. “It seems like you are more likely to get a good wedge at a friend’s house than at a restaurant,” he said. “Most restaurants go way too far into luxury cheeses.” These make the salad expensive and unfamiliar, something it should never be. So I went basic: Roquefort from the market. I spun some of it into a dressing of buttermilk and a little mayonnaise, a little olive oil and lemon juice, shakes of hot sauce and Worcestershire. I followed Merriman’s lead and cut my lettuce with a serrated bread knife — clean ragged edges, just right. I fried my bacon crisp with a soft interior and crumbled it into bits. And I dressed my tomatoes heavily with vinaigrette, sliced shallots and a lot of black pepper and let them rest awhile, to soften. In matters of wedge, as in matters of Ikea, assembly matters. You want a lot of dressing because it’s not going to penetrate the deep interior of the lettuce; you just want it dribbling into the first quarter inch or so, with plenty left over to mop up as you cut into the greens. You also want enough bacon to offset the whiteness, to offer contrast and a different kind of salty crunch. And the tomatoes must be scattered with care, their interiors brightened by the vinegar, their acidity matching that of the melting shallots, the fire of the black pepper. Some chives for color, and off we go. Serve a wedge and a steak, or a wedge and a hamburger, or a wedge and a roast chicken, or just a wedge and a lot of warm bread and cold red wine, and it’s a pleasant evening you’re having, a retro delight. It is a salad for pleasure. “Just give them what they want,” Capon said. “Wedge is one of those classics they want. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.” Recipe: Wedge Salad | Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing cooking cooking

Food

Cuisine

In this magnificent novel, Whitehead once again draws inspiration from true atrocities of America's past, this time creating a fictional account of a real-life Florida reform school for boys that was infamous for torturing and killing its poor black students, and then secretly burying their bodies, in the 1960s. Whitehead builds his story around Elwood Curtis, an ambitious, socially conscious, law-abiding teenager in Tallahassee who gets into the wrong car on his first day of elective community college classes and winds up arrested for auto theft. His sentence is enrollment at the Nickel Academy — which, despite its solid reputation, turns out to be built on cruelty, racism, and corruption. As Curtis discovers that his good behavior and best intentions won't be enough to keep him safe, his worldview shifts, and survival becomes more of a strategy. Whitehead's prose is meticulous; he nimbly shifts between the 1960s and present day, creating a fully fleshed-out picture of violence and (in)justice with a finale that just guts you. —Arianna Rebolini In a year of hotly anticipated sequels, Strout’s Olive, Again was simply the best of the bunch. Using the same interrelated short story framework as she did in her 2008 Pulitzer Prize–winning predecessor, Strout revisits the fictional town of Crosby, Maine, and its inhabitants some years after the events of the first book. We find retired school teacher Olive Kitteridge still as cantankerous as ever, as she and other residents grapple with aging, sickness, and life’s general disappointments. Nobody can casually devastate like Strout can; the secret is that she writes with such humor and such grace that you don’t even realize you’re tearing up until the book is over. —Tomi Obaro Oyeyemi’s latest beguiling novel tells the story of Harriet and Perdita Lee, an oddball mother–daughter duo who lives in London and makes delicious gingerbread — a family recipe supposedly quite popular in Harriet’s (possibly fantastical?) homeland of Druhástrana. As daughter Perdita grows older and more curious about her mother’s mysterious upbringing, she digs into the past and ferrets out a thorny family legacy. It's everything Oyeyemi does best — funny, dreamy, vast, and just a tad eerie. —A.R. Read the first chapter here. Already one of the most celebrated poets of his generation, Vuong’s debut novel cements his considerable talent. Formatted as a letter addressed to his illiterate mother, Vuong’s narrator, a queer Vietnamese American writer not unlike Vuong, crafts indelible images — a young mother staring down the muzzle of a gun in Vietnam, an unexpected act of kindness in a schoolyard, purple flowers stolen from the side of a highway. An exploration of generational trauma, of violence, of addiction, of poverty and of beauty too, every word in this book feels written with such care. A truly memorable fiction debut. —T.O. Read a poem by Vuong here. I started Nothing to See Here at the very beginning of my maternity leave, that destabilizing time when you’re suddenly living with a crying newborn who doesn’t know the difference between day and night, and when every minute of sleep is a gift. That I chose this book over naps more than once is a testament to my love for it. It probably helps that it’s a story about family — specifically, new and terrifying (if nontraditional) parenthood. When deadbeat Lillian agrees to play governess to her rich best friend’s twin stepchildren (who happen to spontaneously burst into flames) she has no idea what she’s doing, and certainly has no understanding that it could profoundly change her. But it does — and this small, weird, quasi-family’s summer together is equal parts hilarious and moving. —A.R. Spanning more than 100 years, from 1874 to 2024, Serpell’s enchanting debut novel is epic in every sense of the world. Three families — one white, one Indian, and one black — converge near Victoria Falls in what will eventually become Zambia. Melding historical fiction, magical realism and Afrofuturism, Serpell charts the fortunes of these families through their tumultuous ups and downs alongside the country’s. It’s a wonderful achievement, reminiscent of Salman Rushdie at his best and the tales of Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende. —T.O. Read an essay by Serpell here. At its core, The Organs of Sense is about a 1666 encounter between a young Gottfried Leibniz and a blind astronomer who makes the unlikely prediction of a solar eclipse, but it's also about the astronomer's magical history, as relayed to Leibniz. These stories — about art and reality, genius and insanity, fathers and sons — drive the narrative and are encapsulated by the narrator's own recounting of the three-hour encounter, referring frequently to Leibniz's later writings on their meeting. It is at once a pitch-perfect send-up of an overwrought philosophical tract and a philosophical tract in its own right — meaty, hilarious, and a brilliant examination of intangible and utterly human mysteries. —A.R. Toews accomplished something really remarkable with her seventh novel; she managed to write a book that feels both timely and timeless. Based on a horrific real-life crime, women in a remote Bolivian Mennonite colony deliberate about what to do after discovering that they have been repeatedly drugged and raped at night over the course of several months by men in their own community. Fluent only in Low German and unable to read or write, the women rely on August Epp, a disgraced former member of the colony, to record the minutes of their secret meeting determining their fate. Should they stay and live with the men who hurt them? Or should they take their children and flee? Exploring fundamental philosophical questions, such as what punishment and forgiveness look like, Women Talking is one of those books that feels destined to become a classic. —T.O. Read our profile of Miriam Toews. McEwan’s latest novel exists in an alternate version of 1980s UK, one in which Alan Turing is still alive and his work has accelerated technological achievement. In this world, things like smartphones, social media, AI, and self-driving cars already exist; the hottest gadget is the first limited run of prohibitively expensive synthetic humans, which disillusioned thirtysomething Charlie Friend just has to have. Enter Adam: externally indistinguishable from any other living man, housing a “brain” that develops into something unnervingly close to consciousness. Machines Like Me manages to add something new and provocative to the well-worn territory of human vs. robot dynamics, and his weaving Adam into a love triangle allows the book to delve into urgent questions not only about responsibility in innovation, but also art, humanity, and morality. —A.R. Dennis-Benn has the uncanny ability to create characters that feel deeply, painfully real and the people in her second novel are no exception. Patsy, a queer Jamaican woman in love with her best friend Cicely, leaves her 5-year-old daughter in the care of her religious mother, to go to New York to find Cicely. Suffice it to say, all does not go according to plan, as Patsy learns the hard way what life in America is like as an undocumented immigrant. Meanwhile, Tru, who is still figuring out her own gender identity and sexual orientation, tries to adjust to life without her mother. A compulsively readable book that deftly grapples with maternal ambivalence. —T.O. This book is dizzying and grotesque — and I say that with the utmost love. It's an astute exploration of humanity and the body — specifically the female body — through the lens of young Cassie, who continues in a long line of women born with their torsos twisted into a knot. Cassie hates her knot profoundly; it becomes the focal point of her loneliness, insecurity, and pain, both physical and existential — all of which is compounded after she experiences a traumatic assault. Etter has built an eerie, surreal world — the Earth is literally built of flesh; Cassie's father makes a living reaping tender cuts from the "meat quarry" — and she seduces you into it with dreamy lyricism. You won't want to leave. —A.R. It’s hard to think of a more original short story collection this year than this genre-agnostic one. Focused primarily around the men in a fictional Maryland town called Cross River, the site of a slave insurrection, the characters in this sophomore collection act out, make robots, write lengthy dissertations, and play a particularly dark version of dingdong ditch. The last story, a novella about a professor slowly losing his mind, is trenchantly funny and compelling. —T.O. Patchett's latest is a rich and evocative story of family and place — the relationships that define us and how they change over a lifetime: the emotional weight of physical spaces and the specific power of those we inhabit in our youth. Here that space is the eponymous Dutch house, the ostentatious mansion at the center of our narrator's very identity; every element of his life — the loss of his mother, his dependence on his sister, his career and values — can be traced to his father's baffling decision to purchase it. It's a story of the endless and impossible search for meaning, written in beautiful, quiet prose. —A.R. Known primarily for her mystery novels, Cha uses a real-life event — the murder of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at the hands of a Korean store clerk, and a precipitating cause of the 1992 LA Riots — as an impetus for an exploration of the lives of two families, one Korean and one black, who are still reeling from a similar incident that happened decades ago. Cha’s characters feel convincingly real. You ache for their pain and hope for their closure. —T.O. Keret’s stories range from dark to downright silly — there’s the child in the title story who misunderstands the intentions of a man standing on the roof of a tall building, the strangers who meet up daily after work to share a joint on the beach, the increasingly absurd email exchange between a man desperate to bring his mother to an escape room that is unfortunately closed, and the owner of said escape room with a pretty big secret to hide. Each is beautifully wrought and rife with meaning — and slightly maddening in its ambiguity. —A.R. Pinsker's debut short story collection is speculative and strange, exploring such wide-ranging scenarios as a young man receiving a prosthetic arm with its own sense of identity, a family welcoming an AI replicate of their late Bubbe into their home, and an 18th-century seaport town trying to survive a visit by a pair of sirens — all while connecting them in a book that feels cohesive. The stories are insightful, funny, and imaginative, diving into the ways humans might invite technology into their relationships. —A.R. The eight stories that make up fiction master Edwidge Danticat’s latest collection hover around Haiti and those who've left it, delving into the lasting effects of migration and displacement on families and individuals, and written with the kind of emotional precision that leaves you gasping. We meet a young woman whose first and last encounter with her father is at his deathbed, a hardworking nurse who dips into her savings to help her ex-husband's new wife, a mother fighting dementia long enough to dispense wisdom to her daughter — a whole cast of characters who feel absolutely real: so striking in their ordinariness, so complex in their humanity. —A.R. Chung, a former math major at the University of Chicago, leans on her own real-life aptitude for math in her sophomore novel about a talented mathematician named Katherine whose attempt to solve the Riemann hypothesis uncovers secrets about her family's past. Nearing the end of her life, Katherine looks back at all she's been through, beginning as one of the few women graduate students at MIT in the 1960s, meeting and befriending some of the world's greatest scientific minds, but never being able to shed her role as an outsider amid the boys club. Woven throughout her professional research, though, are Katherine's inquiries into her own history as she discovers that her parents might not be who they seem to be. It's an interrogation of truth and its value — of secrets, sacrifice, and identity. —A.R. A family that isn’t exactly devastated by the death of their patriarch is an intriguing family indeed in Attenberg’s latest novel, set in New Orleans. An easy-to-read book about a complicated family — Attenberg’s area of expertise. —T.O. Read the first chapter here. Lerner’s highly anticipated third novel is a nuanced but damning portrayal of masculinity and whiteness in the US, built around Midwestern teen (and debate champion) Adam in 1997, his last year of high school. The story radiates around him, jumping around time, perspective, and even narrative format. Adam’s parents are, like the parents of most of his best friends, therapists at a local psychiatric institute called The Foundation, and each person’s understanding of themselves is colored by the rhetoric of psychoanalysis as well as its failures: A person can learn how to identify and articulate the underpinnings of their rage and still act on it anyway; at worst a person can weaponize the very language meant to broaden understanding. Dealing with themes of abuse, betrayal, and prejudice, The Topeka School is at once a personal and national reckoning, and impossible to put down. —A.R. Washington’s debut short story collection is an ode to Houston and a vibrant portrait of the myriad people who call it home. The stories circle around a young boy figuring out his sexual identity while holding down a job at his family’s restaurant; around him, a city of creators, survivors, and hustlers vibrates with life. Washington’s effervescent prose draws the reader into the fold — his use of first person, especially plural first, can read like a generous inclusion — as his characters explore family, community, new freedoms, and love. —A.R. In many ways, 2019 was a year of fiction that kept us on our toes, full of ambiguous narratives, unexpected formats, and narrators ranging from coy to downright misleading. In The Man Who Saw Everything, Levy drops hints that this story might not be as straightforward as it initially seems. It begins in 1988, when 28-year-old British historian Saul Adler is hit by a car while waiting to take a photo at the iconic crossing on Abbey Road. The photo is meant to be a gift to the German family he’ll be staying with on his upcoming trip to East Berlin, as part of his research into fascism and its opposition. Saul can be a grating protagonist — dismissive of those who care for him, myopic, and unforgiving. This is the irony, of course, of the title: He can’t see much beyond himself, and understands little of his own desires. But by revealing just how much Saul doesn’t know, Levy is able to explode narrow ideas of sexuality, morality, and even time, exploring the vast possibilities of the human experience. — A.R. It's impossible not to fall in love with Azalea "Knot" Centre, the star of In West Mills, whom we meet as a hotheaded 27-year-old bachelorette in North Carolina in 1941. Her boyfriend keeps proposing, and her well-meaning neighbor Otis Lee begs her to accept, but Knot is more interested in working, drinking, and enjoying her own company. Knot's sense of independence and identity is rattled, though, when a hookup leads to a baby she doesn't want — and the aftermath resonates for decades. In West Mills follows Knot, Otis Lee, their families, friends, and neighbors, from 1941 to 1987, exploring the bonds of friendship, the weight of secrets, and all the sacrifices we make in our attempts to live a self-determined life. —A.R Exquisitely written and incredibly self-aware, Broom’s tribute to her family and the house she grew up in, located in New Orleans East, an often- neglected part of the city devastated by Hurricane Katrina, feels canonical. Broom, the youngest of 12 children, uses her journalist training to excavate her family history, relying on interviews and historical records to create a compelling story about a black working-class family struggling to make ends meet. When Hurricane Katrina, or the Water, as she refers to it, hits, she paints a harrowing picture of those anxious days waiting to hear from her family members. She also places her family’s story within the larger history of New Orleans, stripping the city of its mythos and thus making this memoir more ambitious, more definitive than most memoirs typically are. An extraordinary achievement. —T.O. Where was Jean McConville, mother of 10, recently widowed, taken one winter night in Belfast in 1972? Part mystery and part (riveting) history lesson, this deeply reported book reads like an expertly plotted novel. New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe spent four years researching this definitive account about the Troubles, the period between 1969 and 1998 when skirmishes between Protestant loyalists, who want the predominantly Protestant Northern Ireland to stay a part of the UK, and Catholic Republicans, who yearn for a united Ireland, reached a troubling, violent fever pitch. Charting the rise, and in some cases ignoble fall, of some of the Provos IRA’s most famous leaders, while also following up with the McConville children years later, Keefe contextualizes a fascinating moment of world history, while making clear the human cost and psychic toll of decades-long war. —T.O. The “survival math” of Jackson’s memoir refers to the necessary calculations he and his family made daily to ensure their safety in their small black neighborhood in Portland, Oregon — one of the country’s whitest cities, a city whose anti-blackness was written into its constitution — that was plagued by gang violence and ignored by the government. Interspersed with "survivor files" recounting the stories of his male relatives, Survival Math explores issues like sex, violence, addiction, community, and the toll this takes on a person’s life. It’s an extensively researched and illuminating look at the city of his childhood, at turns hopeful and heartbreaking. —A.R. Read an excerpt here. Levin provides an exhaustive and thoughtful account of Linda Taylor, the prolific criminal whose notoriety gave rise to the trope of the “welfare queen.” By digging into Taylor’s history — which, there is no doubt, is riddled with fraud, theft, and possibly wrongful death — Levin sheds light on the systemic anti-blackness throughout the US that allowed politicians to so easily turn a woman into a caricature and then use that caricature as justification for maligning, at once, black Americans and the welfare system. It’s a tale of racism and greed — consider, Levin asks, why the cops who worked so tirelessly on outing Taylor’s manipulation of the welfare system would suddenly lose interest when a black woman in her care died of unknown cause — and a fascinating piece of true crime. —A.R. The ultimate rejoinder to those asinine roundups about how to talk to your conservative family members about politics, Jacob’s graphic memoir is a charming, moving account of what it’s like raising a brown child with Trump-voting in-laws, of growing up as a dark-skinned Indian American in a white town, and of self-discovery and growth. —T.O. Read an essay by Mira Jacob here. In this frank, thoughtful collection, Wang considers the weight of a schizoaffective disorder diagnosis. She documents her first experiences with hallucinations, her humiliating experiences being held involuntarily in psychiatric wards, and the devastating effect of having what she’s convinced is the controversial late-stage Lyme disease. Throughout her writing, she risks easy sentiment and shows us how pop culture depictions and history have contributed to so much misunderstanding around mental illness. It’s an engaging, important read. —T.O. Check out an excerpt here. As far as bananas plot twists go, it’s hard to think of what can top this memoir about a twisted family affair. When Brodeur is 14, her mother wakes her up one night to tell her she just kissed their family friend and to ask if she wouldn’t mind helping them facilitate an affair. The plot only thickens from there. This was the kind of immediately readable story that made me miss my subway stop, made all the more juicy by the fact that it’s all true. —T.O. Full disclosure, Saeed Jones used to work at BuzzFeed News, so we’re biased. But his book really is good, an absorbing coming-of-age story about growing up young, black, and gay in Texas. —T.O. A formally innovative memoir about an under-covered subject — an abusive relationship between two women — Machado’s second book is a thought-provoking stunner and proof that the praise heaped on her for her debut short story collection Her Body and Other Parties, was well deserved. Writing in short discursive chapters, occasionally stopping to address some aspect of queer theory or list her favorite Disney villains, Machado weaves a captivating tale of a romance gone sour and the deep scars that emotional and verbal abuse can leave. —T.O. Read our profile of Carmen here. Croft’s memoir is impressionistic and inventive — through brief, nonchronological chapters written in the third person (and giving her younger self a different name) she recounts a childhood derailed by her little sister’s terrifying seizure disorder. Interspersed among these chapters are Croft’s own photographs, connected by captions that read as one long, deeply loving letter to her sister. As a whole, Croft has created a near-perfect way to bring her childhood experience to life, mitigating her unavoidable alienation from the past with the distance of third-person narration, and exploring the shifting roles of language, empathy, and identity in her relationship with her sister. —A.R. An incredible story, Davis introduces us to her mother, a no-nonsense woman who grew up in the Jim Crow South and catapulted her burgeoning young family to middle-class wealth by running the numbers — the lottery operation that was banned for most of the 20th century until the US government realized there was money to be made in it. A source of indulgence, entertainment, and superstition for many working-class black families throughout the country, The World According to Fannie Davis offers a fascinating glimpse of how it all worked, set against the backdrop of a thriving Detroit and then a blighted one. —T.O. Read an excerpt here. Rollins' debut poetry collection probes the idea of the body as an archive — an accounting of tragedy and trauma, yes, but also of love and grace. Rollins explores the ways in which we store our personal and cultural histories and how they act upon us, in language so immediate and evocative it's sure to bring about some tears while reading. —A.R. From the trials and tribulations of dating white boys to imagining what Diana Ross was thinking in that famous photo where she licks her fingers after eating a pair of ribs, Parker’s third poetry collection is a beautiful ode to black womanhood in all its messy glory. Imbued with her signature wry humor and caustic honesty, it’s a reminder that Parker is one of the most exciting young poets working today. —T.O. Read an excerpt here. I felt like there was a moment in every poem within Scenters-Zapico’s sophomore collection that made me gasp from its sheer beauty. These poems meditate on all manner of borders — not only the literal boundary between the US and Mexico and the effects of those dueling places in the immigrant experience, but also the spaces between desire and sacrifice, sex and violence, masculinity and femininity. Scenters-Zapico's writing is lyrical, sensual, and often painful; it will linger in your brain for a long time. —A.R. Olds has the goods in this eclectic collection of new verse, which runs the gamut from reflections on anal sex: “...If my mom had not beat me while I / clenched my butt as if to keep her out, / I might have liked the asshole more, I might / want to kiss it!” to the peculiar grief of meeting an ex-husband, “... and then / one went one way, / one another, / one in sheer relief, one / in grieving relief,” to Trayvon Martin. With its expansive range and warm honesty, this book shows us why the Pulitzer Prize winner is still among the most beloved poets alive. —T.O. In his latest collection, Brown tackles history and trauma both private and public, personal and narrative — especially blackness and anti-blackness, queerness and anti-queerness. Brown is experimental in format — often its playfulness acts in contrast to its heavy themes — and his rumination on desire, violence, loss, and faith is resonant. —A.R. Pico concludes his “Teebs’ quartet,” or tetralogy if you want to get technical, with a final entry that still packs quite a wallop. Teebs, Pico’s alter ego, is on a book tour, at turns horny, hungry, and overwhelmed by the dystopic news. That Pico manages to pull this all off while reflecting on his Kumeyaay heritage and putting in all the food puns is a tribute to his considerable talent. —T.O. The Red Summer of 1919 saw brutal race riots in cities across the US; the most devastating was in Chicago, lasting eight days and resulting in 38 deaths and nearly 500 injuries. In her second poetry collection, Ewing grapples with this violent moment in history, drawing from a 1922 report by six white men and six black men meant to analyze the event, and expanding this examination through her own keen insight and evocative imagination. Ewing blends past, present, and future, imagining the stories of those who lived through the riot and beyond, and inquiring into its lasting consequences. —A.R. ●

Literature

Fiction

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A post-Brexit transition period is “not a given”, the European Union’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned Britain on Friday, saying London had raised “substantial” issues with the plan proposed by the bloc. Barnier, speaking to journalists in Brussels after the latest round of negotiations with British envoys, said he was surprised by London’s position and that some of the EU’s positions on the transition period were non-negotiable. “If these differences persist, a transition is not a given,” Barnier said. “If these disagreements were to persist, there will undoubtedly be a problem. I hope we will be able to resolve these disagreements in the next round.” “The sooner the UK makes its choices, the better,” Barnier also said of the EU’s expectation that London should present its vision of its new relationship with the bloc after the post-Brexit transition ends. Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; editing by Philip Blenkinsop

Politics

Brexit

The following is the unofficial transcript of excerpts from a CNBC interview with General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra and CNBC's Phil LeBeau today, Friday, March 22nd. The following is a link to video from the interview on CNBC.com: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/03/22/gm-to-build-electric-vehicles-in-us-plants-add-700-jobs.html. All references must be sourced to CNBC. It's going to come out in a year or two. We haven't released the specific date yet, and there will be a lot more to follow on the specifics of the product. But today we are really focused on the workforce at Lake Orion. I generally try to keep those conversations private, when I am talking with any member of the administration or government. But you know, this is an announcement that we have been planning a while, just getting everybody aligned, because it is so significant, you know, a brand new electric vehicle that we had planned to build at a location outside the country. So very significant that we are building it here, investing in the U.S. and creating 400 jobs. We regularly brief the administration when we are going to be making announcements-- announcements such as this. And so that is where I will leave it. And I think, you know, when we look at what General Motors is committed to, we are committed to investing, we have been making shifts because we see the growth in trucks and crossovers and now electric vehicle, and we are going to be making those investments. And I believe as we continue to go forward, not only maintaining the employment that we have here and the good paying jobs, but creating more. When we look at the architecture that this vehicle is coming off of, and there have been significant enhancements, but it makes sense because the Chevrolet Bolt EV is built at Orion and this is a great workforce. So there is capacity here to be able to do that and there is synergies as well. I think it is important, the plants as you indicated are unallocated, it is very important that we work with the UAW [United Automobile Workers] for the final status of those plants. And that is something that we are committed to do between now and when the contract negotiations happen. So I need to let that process work and that's what we will be doing. I think it is important that they understand that plant that people are shifting away from small vehicles and that was a plant that was designed to build small sedans. We want every single worker that is part of the GM team at another one of our GM facilities and we are very pleased that we have already been able to place over 1,100 employees, 500 from the Lordstown plant. We have invested over a billion dollars in the last 2 years in the state of Ohio. So, Ohio is very important to us, so are the workers and we want to make sure they stay part of the GM family. Making the decision that we did to unallocate the plant is a very serious decision and that's what we tried to convey. We did that at a time when we knew we had jobs available at other locations to give our employees the maximum opportunity, doing it in a strong economy and I think, you know, people need to look at that. But for me to comment one way or the other what's going to happen long-term with the plant, I need to work through on the UAW on that. What we need to stay focused on is that General Motors is committed to U.S. manufacturing, we are committed to creating high paying jobs and that is something that we have in common. So that's what I am focus on and that's what I am going to continue to focus on. Making sure General Motors is strong, in a strong economy is going to allow us to create those jobs. Of course I follow it with great interest, because we are a significant investor and so we will be tracking that. And you know, that is a good thing for the company. People are going to need to move from Point A and Point B. And that is why we have made significant investments in Cruise Automation because we think that is the ultimate, what we call 'Rideshare 2.0,' when you are able to use autonomous vehicles that changes the whole cost structure, allows you to reduce the costs and access a lot more addressable miles. So, our focus is on autonomous technology, we think that is going to be a significant impact in the future, but it is going to happen over a long period of time.

Technology

Automotive

(CNN)Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he would never give up information on President Donald Trump or senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, according to newly unsealed texts between the two men in 2017 and 2018. A court unsealed more than 50 pages of texts that show Manafort was scared and defiant and did not think special counsel Robert Mueller would cut a cooperation deal with him because Manafort wouldn't give up Trump or his family. "They would want me to give up DT or family, esp JK. I would never do that," Manafort texted. Hannity replied, saying, "Understand. There is nothing to give up on DT. What did JK do?" Manafort wrote: "Nothin, just like i did nothing. They will want me to make up s--- on both." Hannity addressed the texts' release in a statement Friday, saying, "My view of the Special Counsel investigation and the treatment of Paul Manafort were made clear every day to anyone who listens to my radio show or watches my TV show." The texts were released along with the transcript of an April hearing where Judge Amy Berman Jackson was considering whether Manafort or his attorney Kevin Downing had violated a gag order through the communications. Jackson decided to have the lawyers involved in the case determine what, "if any," portions of the texts and hearing transcript should be publicly released once "some portion of the Mueller Report becomes publicly available." In the transcript of the April 2 hearing, Jackson says she is unlikely to do anything more with the texts. "And absent further information from the government that there were more communications, I'm unlikely to do anything beyond today," she said. Manafort was moved by the federal prison system to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan earlier this month, and recently faced a possible move to Rikers Island while he faced the state charges against him from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. The case was made public minutes after Manafort was sentenced by a federal judge in March in Washington, DC, for crimes uncovered by the Mueller investigation. However, he may not be headed to the infamous Rikers after the Trump administration's new deputy attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, fielded a request from his defense lawyers to keep him in a federal prison.

Legal

Crime

Skipping your flu shot spreads the flu. Getting a flu shot is like voting: most people know it’s a thing they’re supposed to do, and yet millions of Americans skip it. In both cases, there’s a lot of apathy involved, and more than a little skepticism: does my vote actually count? Does this flu shot actually do anything? Well, yes and yes, but let’s focus on flu vaccines. The path to your shot starts months before you ever see a needle. Twice a year, experts evaluate all the flu strains spreading across the Earth for the World Health Organization. The goal is to predict which strains will hit the population hardest during each hemisphere’s winter. It’s a tough goal, since flu viruses mutate quickly. Based on the WHO analysis, officials from each country decide which flu strains to include in their local vaccine. Then, drugmakers have to actually make the vaccine. But each season’s shot is essentially a “best guess” at which flu will be circulating that winter. Sometimes the experts are wrong about which viruses will dominate, and that makes the vaccine less effective. (It’s perfectly effective against the strains it was designed to tackle.) During the 2015–2016 flu season, the vaccine basically cut your chances of infection in half: its effectiveness rating was about 48 percent. The year before that, the vaccine was way less effective at only 19 percent. So does the flu shot do anything to prevent the flu? Absolutely. How much? Your mileage may vary. But the WHO estimates that, around the world, the flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people each year — and makes millions more seriously ill. That means even a 19 percent effective vaccine is sure to save a lot of lives. So… get your flu shot! And if you need more convincing, watch our video above.

Science

Medicine

Barbie Ferreira would love to see her character on HBO explore her sexuality more. “I also hated myself for so long, as a lot of young girls do, and then I just had to not fall into that trap and make a very conscious decision not to do it,” said Barbie Ferreira.CreditCreditAmy Dickerson for The New York Times LOS ANGELES — From across the lawn at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Barbie Ferreira, the 22-year-old actor who plays Kat in “Euphoria,” spotted her co-star and “bestie,” Hunter Schafer. The two, who have become inseparable through working on the HBO series about teens navigating drugs and debauchery at a Southern California high school, ran up to each other and embraced. “Hunty, baby, you look so cute!” Ms. Ferreira said. Ms. Ferreira and Ms. Schafer were meeting friends to see “Jawbreaker,” the ’90s cult film — and Ms. Ferreira’s “all-time favorite” — in an outdoor theater at the cemetery, part of the Cinespia film series there. Clad in a lime green bathing suit under a tangerine long-sleeve John Paul Gaultier top, electric blue bike shorts, complete with a yellow bathrobe tie fashioned as a choker, Ms. Ferreira had dressed for the occasion. Her look was “so ‘Jawbreaker,’” she said. Ms. Ferreira has gotten a lot of attention for her personal style, and said she has learned to use clothing as a way to embrace her body. It’s something she has in common with her “Euphoria” character. “I also hated myself for so long, as a lot of young girls do, and then I just had to not fall into that trap and make a very conscious decision not to do it,” Ms. Ferreira said, sitting on a couch before the film started. After spending a lot of time in her teen years reading “thinspo blogs” — blogs that encourage and fetishize thin appearances, often to the point of praising anorexia — Ms. Ferreira said she needed to adjust the way she thought about food. “Every micro-problem with my body was enhanced in my head,” she said. “My dysmorphia was crazy.” Ms. Ferreira found that, among other things, wearing latex and leather made her feel powerful and comfortable in her skin. “I was like O.K., ‘The cat’s out of the bag. I’m fat,’” she said. Born in New York City, Ms. Ferreira relocated to East L.A. nearly a year ago after being cast in “Euphoria.” The city seems to suit her. “I get to have plants and an outdoor area, more sun, more farmer’s market and less running to the subway,” she said. Raised by her Brazilian mother, as well as an aunt and grandmother, in Queens and New Jersey, Ms. Ferreira began doing theater at age 7 at the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, and by 10, she knew she wanted to be an actress. “I started modeling to be an actress,” she said. She sent photos to American Apparel’s casting department at 16 and then became one of the brand’s more well-known curvy models, later earning internet fame for an unretouched campaign for American Eagle’s Aerie brand. In 2017, Ms. Ferreira began starring in Vice’s etiquette show “How To Behave” before taking a small guest-starring role on HBO’s “Divorce.” In June, she got her biggest break yet: Her character, Kat Hernandez, is a high school junior who writes One Direction fan fiction and seeks to transform her reputation — and explore her sexuality — after losing her virginity. Spoiler alert: Part of her evolution entails becoming a secret “cam girl.” Acting has been refreshing for Ms. Ferreira because, she said, “modeling felt like my physical body was a prop.” And Ms. Ferreira saw herself in the character of Kat “in every way.” While the actress worried that they would cast someone more established in Hollywood, she knew she had to persist through what was a lengthy casting process. Ms. Ferreira said she auditioned six times before she got the part. “I read the sides, and I was like, ‘This is too close to home, I need to do it.’ I felt such a need to do it. Like, I know I could fill this role out so well because I understand the character so much.” Though her anxiety festered, HBO “picked really authentic people” for the show. “It was down to me and someone else and that’s when I was the most anxious, I was just like please give me a chance,” she said. Over the course of season one, Kat finds power in becoming a “dominant,” a sexual role that Ms. Ferreira almost took on when she was 18, and broke and living in Brooklyn. While staying at a friend’s house for an extended period, Ms. Ferreira needed an income, and one of her temporary roommates happened to work as a professional dominant. “I was like, ‘I need money. That sounds fun. I’d like to humiliate men for money,’” she said. She didn’t take that job though, she said. “That girl would come back home and be like, ‘I got $500. Some guy wanted me to pull out his teeth.’” Ms. Ferreira did find one scene in particular emotionally challenging to shoot; in it, Kat confronts her crush about being romantically interested in him. “I couldn’t bring myself to cry,” she said, between coughs. “Sometimes I get in my head, everyone does.” “Sorry,” she added. “I’m choking on my Juul.” Ms. Ferreira is already thinking about Kat’s future story lines in season two. The actress recently came out as queer in an “Out Magazine” interview. “I feel like in my personal life I’ve been gay as hell,” she said, and she would love to see her character in “Euphoria” explore her sexuality more. “I think Kat’s a little queer, but that might be my perspective,” she said. She also wants her character to make “bad decisions.” Why? “How else do you learn?” she asked. “You don’t. Until one day you make a good decision.” As for Ms. Ferreira, she’s content with her own decisions and where her career is headed. Her mother feels the same, Ms. Ferreira said: “She’s just happy I’m not selling weed out of a basement in the Bronx right now.”

Entertainment

Television

THE hills from which Broken Hill in New South Wales got their name no longer exist. They have been mined away since, 134 years ago, a sheep herder discovered what would become one of the world’s biggest silver mines. BHP, the world’s largest miner, whose name dates back to when it was called the Broken Hill Proprietary, is also under the pickaxe, wielded by feisty activists. This week its boss, Andrew Mackenzie, conceded that he is reconsidering its foray into American shale oil. Even in business meetings these days, he needs a hard hat. On May 16th, shortly before he took to the stage at a prominent mining-industry shindig in Barcelona, Elliott, the activist fund in question, lobbed its second clod in less than two months. In a statement it accused the company of a “do-nothing” response to its previous missive demanding a full-scale overhaul of the group. Mischievously, it played on BHP’s “Think Big” rebranding effort launched a day earlier, challenging management to “Think Big” about its proposal. Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks. Aspects of Elliott’s campaign are, in fact, banal and not worth much thought at all. It wants BHP to increase share buy-backs, which offer no boost to long-term growth prospects. It also cherry-picks time periods to give an exaggerated impression of how badly BHP’s shares have performed compared with its Anglo-Australian counterpart, Rio Tinto. Yet on two points, it has hit home: the company’s disastrous diversification into American shale oil; and its dual listing in London and Sydney. On the first point, Mr Mackenzie has given ground. In answer to a question in Barcelona, he said the shale business, which BHP bought for $20bn in 2011, is not one where it intends further expansion. In fact, if there are any potential buyers for its assets, “we would be more than happy to talk turkey with them,” he said. Elliott is urging BHP to launch a review of its entire petroleum business in America, Australia and elsewhere. Eventually it wants them sold or spun off. But Elliott has also softened. Partly in response to an angry reaction from the Australian government, it dropped its recommendation that BHP incorporates in London as part of efforts to simplify its dual-listing structure. It would now accept a sole Australian domicile. BHP thinks that is tricky, but analysts reckon it should give the matter more thought. Ultimately, BHP’s greatest vulnerability has come from grafting a subpar oil business onto one of the world’s most successful mining firms. It argues that the combination helps smooth out the boom-bust cycle, because oil and metals should behave differently. Evidence from the recent slump suggests they have suffered more or less equally, though. Another firm’s experience suggests separation may be better than combination. South32, a firm created from the demerger of some of BHP’s unfashionable mining assets in 2015, has gone from strength to strength. But shrinkage was not what Mr Mackenzie had in mind when launching the “Think Big” ad campaign. Not for nothing has The Australian, a newspaper, referred to the testy stand-off as “the Elliott in the room”.

Other

Other

Oil prices are rising and higher U.S. production can only be beneficial to us, the head of strategy at Russian pipemaker TMK told CNBC Thursday. "The sector we're in is very dynamic now with the oil price at $70-plus for WTI (West Texas Intermediate), we're seeing very strong drilling activity and the U.S. does not produce all the products it needs so that (means) a lot of imports," Vladimir Shmatovich said at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). TMK's head of strategy said higher oil prices and higher U.S. production would help the pipemaker, which makes tubular products for the global oil and gas industry, but he conceded that "the oil price is not everything." "Some companies have a bigger cushion (to protect against fluctuating oil prices) but some of them are on a very thin edge and when the oil price moves they can be in very big trouble. But our business is different and related to manufacturing as opposed to pure services, so there are higher barriers to entry," he said. "I'm not going to say that it (business) doesn't depend on oil prices, because it does ... But to produce oil one needs pipes." TMK is Russia's largest maker of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry. It has the world's largest steel pipe production capacity and its pipe shipments totaled 3.78 million tons in 2018. It employs 42,000 employees around the world, exports to 80 countries and has 27 production sites around the world, 12 of which are in the U.S. and Canada where its TMK IPSCO subsidiary is located. Its American division has 2,000 employees and 1,390 kilo tons of pipe making capacity. Revenue in its American division was $994 million in 2017, on sales of 670,000 tons of product. Still, being a Russian company operating in America with diplomatic and economic relations between the two superpowers at a low ebb can't be easy. International sanctions, first imposed in 2014 for Russia's annexation of Crimea and its perceived role in a pro-Russian uprising in eastern Ukraine, have hit the country's banks, energy and arms sector by preventing them from being able to access funding in U.S. dollars. The sanctions have also restricted the Russian energy sector's access to technology needed for oil and gas exploration. Shmatovich said his company had not experienced any problems, however. "Political rhetoric doesn't make it easy, however we feel quite comfortable and we tend to be quite local. In the U.S. we are in eight states, and we are part of local communities and we have very good relationships with our American counterparts so we don't really feel it there much." The interconnected nature of the industry could do with a calmer and more "benign" business climate, he added.

Energy

Oil

(Repeats to additional subscribers) By Jessica Toonkel March 23 (Reuters) - Nielsen Holdings Plc is expanding its measurement of digital ad campaigns on mobile devices across the world and is adding seven new countries and Puerto Rico, the company is expected to announce on Wednesday. The U.S.-based advertising tracking company aims to have digital campaign measurement in 25 markets by the end of 2016, representing more than 80 percent of global digital advertising spending, Steve Hasker, chief operating officer at Nielsen, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. “For a brand manager interested in a global read of their campaigns, this data is exactly comparable to what we do in television,” Hasker said, referring to Nielsen’s television ratings, for which it is known in the United States. Nielsen is launching its digital ad ratings in Poland, Turkey, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Ireland and New Zealand. Consumer goods companies looking to expand their reach have shown interest in metrics for South Africa, Poland and Turkey, in particular, Hasker said. Nielsen’s global push of its digital ad ratings comes two months after its main competitor in the measurement of digital campaigns, Comscore Inc acquired Rentrak Corp, which uses set top box data to track TV viewership. Many in the industry have wondered if the newly merged entity will be a threat to Nielsen, the dominant force in the industry. Until now, Comscore’s ability to measure digital campaigns internationally has been an advantage, said Brian Wieser, a Pivotal Research analyst. “This is helpful for Nielsen in that sense,” he said. Reporting By Jessica Toonkel; Editing by Steve Orlofsky

Technology

Software

As you might recall from a recent Motherboard article, the history of The Oregon Trail is pretty wild. In 1971, a trio of public school teachers in rural Minnesota created a teleprinter game as a teaching aid. From there, it got transferred into a statewide mainframe and, eventually, sold for profit. Yet the three people who created it weren't credited for decades, and still haven't seen a cent of the revenue. The below video, from YouTuber Hodges Usry, is a quick-and-dirty look at how this happened, assembled from recent talks by the developers as well as archival materials. Usry told Motherboard he took inspiration from our in-depth interview with designers Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger when putting his video together. You should watch it, and of course read the article, if you haven't already! They make a fine pair. The story behind The Oregon Trail is rich enough for a feature film: unfettered creativity butting up against the all-consuming profit motive sounds ripe for The Social Network treatment. For his part, Usry concurs with something Rawitsch says in the video: that the The Oregon Trail endures because it wasn't conceived for profit. We don't disagree, necessarily, but it is nice to be paid.

Other

Other

(Reuters) - Republican Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley won his state’s U.S. Senate election on Tuesday, unseating Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill, Fox News Channel projected. Writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Jonathan Oatis

Other

Other

It's not quite as glamorous as some of the other Apple news we got this morning, but the Mac Mini's glo-up deserves a little time in the spotlight. Apple's smallest desktop computer got a tiny update today, nestled at the end of the company's press release for the new MacBook Air. If you get either of the standard Mac Mini configurations, they now come packed with double the starting internal storage. The $799 model now starts with 256GB and the $1,099 model starts with 512GB. Sadly, for those expecting an update to the Mac Mini after it was last refreshed in 2018, Apple didn't commit to any more changes. It's probably not going to be better for gaming than the 2018 model was. Mashable gave that Mac Mini a favorable review, and the value only looks better now that you get double the storage no matter what you pay. Again, this was part of a much bigger news morning for Apple. Tim Cook's company also announced a new MacBook Air with a slightly more reasonable $999 price tag, a better processor, a new keyboard (thank God), and more storage. There's also a new iPad Pro with a LIDAR sensor and trackpad support, in case you'd rather eschew laptops entirely and just turn your iPad into one. If you've been in the market for a Mac Mini or any of those other devices, now might be the time to cash in. Props to Apple for giving us something else to talk about besides the de facto nationwide quarantine, at least for a couple of hours.

Technology

Computers

Washington (CNN)As the State Department arranges flights to bring back Americans stuck abroad by border closures and flight cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic, many of those citizens and their families tell CNN they are still struggling to get clear answers from the agency tasked with protecting their health and well-being overseas. State Department officials told reporters Monday that they are organizing 16 flights in the next few days, deploying an emergency fund to charter flights and discussing the use of Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security planes to transport stranded Americans, some 13,500 of whom have reached out for help getting home and are now being tracked by the department. "No option is foreclosed out," a senior State Department official said. The officials spoke a day after President Donald Trump said the government is "working very hard, long," to help Americans overseas. Vice President Mike Pence added that, "We've been working very diligently through the State Department to make it possible. Their commercial flights have been chartered and we're also working with the military for a backup on flights." 'Unprecedented challenges' On Monday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that "Americans abroad face unprecedented challenges" and that his department "will continue to assist them wherever they're located." But travelers overseas and their worried families back at home say they are scrambling for information and help, telling CNN that their most frequent and reliable sources of support aren't coming from the State Department or US government, but from groups on the social media messaging service WhatsApp, their lawmakers and foreign officials in the countries where they are stuck. Wil Franklin, manager at Trinity River Vineyard in Humboldt Country, California, has been trying to get information to help his half-brother and father get out of Peru, getting assistance eventually from Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman's office, which reached out about a chartered flight. Franklin said his family, hunkered down in Arequipa, Peru, haven't gotten clear information from the State Department. "They're in the dark," he told CNN. "We've been communicating to them what's going on" about the conversations with Huffman. One US graduate student in Honduras for vacation said she has also struggled to get clear communication from the State Department. Honduras closed its borders the day after the 26-year-old arrived for a scuba diving trip in the Bay Islands and she's been trying to get out ever since. The State Department travel warning she checked the day before they left on March 13 mentioned no risk of coronavirus or transportation shut downs, just the risk of violence. "I wish that the communication was better because I don't know how much they are doing," this woman said of the State Department's efforts to help Americans. "They might be doing a lot. We heard Trump say yesterday that they're doing a lot to help Americans who are stuck. We aren't seeing any of that." Referring to the high-profile extraction of an American women's football team, who were taken out of Honduras on US military planes, the woman said, "We're just seeing the American football team being evacuated and that's frustrating. For all I know they're paying United a bunch of money to come down here." In contrast, the offices of both New Jersey's Democratic senators, Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, have reached out to her mother to offer help. Like the other Americans CNN spoke to, she had enrolled in the Safe Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP, but her attempts to reach the US embassy or consulate have been frustrating. After sending email to the consulate to ask if she could trust outreach by the local Honduran governor of the Bay Islands, she received an email that didn't respond to the question but told her to keep trying commercial flights. Like many other Americans stuck overseas, this student has turned to a WhatsApp group. Her other reliable source of information is the Bay Islands governor, Dino Silvestri, who is holding daily webcast briefings to answer questions from stranded foreigners and convey information about airlines and flights. 'It was worth it' "He's where all of our information is coming from; a lot of people are frustrated that we're hearing from him and not our government," the student said. She learned of a United flight with spare seats through Silvestri's chats and the WhatsApp group is hoping to get on it on Tuesday. Those with money have taken action on their own. Fred Warkentine arranged his own six-person charter for his family to get them from Roatan, Honduras, to Miami on Sunday night. They are flying from Miami to Louisville on Monday. He told CNN it cost "$15,000 ... which was a huge sum ... but when your airline has abandoned you and we were concerned the US was going to close their borders ... and factoring cost to stay in Roatan, the changing uncertainty of things in Roatan, and lost income ... we felt it was worth it." Warkentine estimated that there were at least 800 US citizens still stuck on the Bay Islands. He said a large charter left later on Sunday night. Dale Buckner, the CEO of Global Guardian -- the private security firm which arranged that charter -- said it transported 144 Americans at the cost of $1,300 per seat. Buckner estimates that his firm has repatriated roughly 2,000 people to the US, and will bring back "approximately 600 to 800 more Americans in the next 24 to 30 hours" if all goes according to plan. Asked by CNN what message they want to send frightened Americans overseas trying to get home, State officials essentially say, "get out while you can" -- a foregone option for many stuck in countries where borders suddenly closed and flights were canceled. "If you are a US citizen, and you are abroad at the moment, take a look at your circumstances, determine whether this is a place where you'd be willing to hunker down for an indeterminate period of time, as airspace and borders etc close down," the senior official said. "If you are somewhere where you think, 'No this is not where I would want to be over the long haul,' take advantage of existing commercial opportunities and get out now." The official said they were "hesitant to give a guarantee" that they would be able to move every single person, noting "we're hearing about people who are in very remote locations in very remote parts of the world." "It's complicated," they said. "We are moving very large numbers of people and we will continue this effort." As part of the repatriation effort, the department created a task force last week, but the official was unable to say how many staff are assigned to it, telling reporters that consular officers all over the world are working to help American citizens. The official was also unable to describe the geographic spread of countries that Americans are seeking help to leave or how many have enrolled in the STEP Program. The State Department officials said the agency's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs is working with private charters to get them into places to help with repatriation efforts, using a fund specially authorized by Congress for emergencies that's known as the K Fund. Government aircraft "We're looking at 16 or so flights in the next five days. And we've got additionally about 1,600 passengers, over 1,600 passengers identified for those flights with room for more," the senior official said. They said that in addition to the K Fund charters, they are using Defense Department backhaul, or returning, flights in some cases. "We're also working with the Department of Homeland Security. They're flying planes into Central America, and they are prepared to bring folks back on those aircraft. So it's a variety of different US government aircraft," the senior official said. Space on these flights will be prioritized for those with vulnerabilities like age and medical conditions. "If we have somebody who is 70 years old with an underlying condition such as diabetes or heart disease, that person is going to get a higher priority on one of those flights, than the hale and hearty 20-year-old," they said. That official said about 5,700 people had been brought back, and "the great majority of those were coming back through State Department chartered aircraft," including more than 800 from Wuhan, China, in late JanuYaha Abou-Ghazalaary, more than 300 from Yokohama, Japan, and "approximately 1,200 came out of Morocco last week." On Monday afternoon, the US embassy in Guatemala announced a second charter flight had left the country. "We plan two more flights tomorrow, and two on Wednesday," they said in a tweet. Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Peru said that to date, approximately 600 Americans have departed Peru on charter flights. "Be advised that the government of Peru is limiting air traffic to repatriation travel for US citizens facilitated through the US government. Beware of scams. Up-to-date and credible information can be found on the US Embassy's official platforms," they said in an advisory Monday. The first charter flight to leave Guatemala for the US left earlier Monday. "We are committed to helping Americans return home during #COVIDー19," the embassy wrote in a tweet along with a video of the plane taking off. CNN's Kevin Bohn and Yaha Abou-Ghazala contributed to this report.

Military

Defense

(CNN)As the backlash to President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey escalates, Democratic lawmakers are increasingly raising the prospect of impeachment. Some, such as California Rep. Maxine Waters, have explicitly called for impeaching the President. Others, like Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, have merely mentioned the possibility, with Gabbard saying last month that she was studying the impeachment process. Impeachment requires the support of a majority of members of the House of Representatives. No Republicans have publicly voiced support for impeaching Trump. CNN's KFile is, however, keeping a running count of Democratic lawmakers who have talked about impeachment. That count, which includes those who discussed impeachment prior to Comey's firing, is currently at 26, 24 members of the House, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, has also said impeachment is possible. Here's the list: California Rep. Maxine Waters: Waters has been talking about impeachment for months, most recently telling MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Thursday that "The President needs to be impeached." Waters also suggested in the interview that Trump could be charged with "obstruction of justice" for saying that the FBI's Russia investigation was a factor in his decision to fire Comey. RELATED: What is obstruction of justice? Texas Rep. Al Green: Green told local news station KRIV Tuesday evening that Trump's firing of Comey would be an impeachable offense if it was done to stop the investigation into alleged ties between Russian and Trump's 2016 campaign. "If the President is found to have done this to circumvent this investigation, to thwart to the efforts to get the bottom of this, I think this is going to be an impeachable offense," Green said. "He's really treading in some very dangerous waters. This is unusual for this kind of thing to happen in the United States of America." California Rep. Jared Huffman: Huffman said at both a town hall this week and on Twitter that impeachment would happen if Democrats had the votes in the Congress. "Impeachment will happen if handful of Republicans in Congress join Dems to put country above party. Or in 2019 after Dems win the House," Huffman tweeted at 1:51 a.m. on Friday morning. Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth: Yarmuth told Kentucky local news station WHAS11 on Thursday that Democrats were "actually pretty close to considering impeachment." Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan: Pocan, speaking on local progressive radio and in a call with progressives earlier this week, said if there was an "impeachment clock," Trump's firing of Comey would have moved it an hour closer. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal: Blumenthal told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday that the Comey firing could lead to impeachment proceedings. "It may well produce another United States vs. Nixon on a subpoena that went to United States Supreme Court," he said. "It may well produce impeachment proceedings, although we're very far from that possibility." New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries: According to NY1, Jeffries raised the idea at an event this week that high crimes and treason could have been committed. Thursday night, he added on Twitter, "Evidence of Trump's effort to obstruct justice continues to emerge. Lock HIM up?" Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: Gabbard said at a town hall last month, while Comey was still leading the FBI, that the bureau's investigation into collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign had led her to study the impeachment process. "On the issue of impeachment, I am doing my homework," Gabbard said at the Hilo, Hawaii, event. "I am studying more about the impeachment process. I will just say I understand the calls for impeachment, but what I am being cautious about and what I give you food for thought about is that if President Trump is impeached, the problems don't go away, because then you have a Vice President Pence who becomes President Pence." Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison: Ellison said at CNN's February Democratic National Committee debate that Trump "has already done a number of things which legitimately raise the question of impeachment." Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro: In an interview with BuzzFeed News in February, Castro called for Congress to investigate "whether President Trump intentionally exceeded his constitutional authority" with his travel ban, saying that if Trump did, he should be impeached. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin: Raskin was talking about impeaching Trump for violating the Constitution's Emoluments Clause even before the President was inaugurated. "It says that no elected official, either member of Congress or the President of the United States, can accept a gift, an emolument or any payment at all from a foreign government," Raskin said in a January interview with "The Young Turks." "He just simply refuses to accept that reality. So if he goes into office and he refuses to divest himself, the moment that the first conflict comes up, that's going to look like an impeachable offense." Texas Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee: Jackson Lee first raised the possibility of impeachment in March after President Trump made unfounded claims that he had been wiretapped by the Obama administration. "If you do not have any proof and you have been saying this for three weeks then you are clearly on the edge of the question of public trust and those actions can be associated with high crimes and misdemeanors for which articles of impeachment can be drawn," Jackson Lee said, according to the Houston Chronicle. Lee went further in late March at an event for the National Newspaper Publishers Association. "This is not a government right now I'm on the route of impeachment," she said, according to Insight News. Lee also raised the possibility of impeaching Trump during a commencement address at Texas Southern University this week, according to local Fox26 News in Houston. California Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán: Barragán raised the possibility of impeachment at a town hall in her district on May 15. "Every day there's something new, the more I smell impeachment," Barragán said. Barragán's office told CNN's KFile she wasn't directly calling for impeachment. California Rep. Ted Lieu: Lieu said on May 16 that Democrats would follow the facts following reports that former FBI Director James Comey wrote in a memo that President Donald Trump asked him to end the investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. "If the news reports are true, this is obstruction of justice by the President," Lieu said on KNX radio. "As an American I hope impeachment does not happen," Lieu added. "That is never good for a system of government, but we do have to follow the facts and the investigation where it leads. Certainly impeachment is possible. Obstruction of justice was in fact the first article of impeachment during Richard Nixon's tenure." Maine Sen. Angus King: King, an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on May 16 that the possibility of impeachment was getting closer. "If indeed the President tried to tell the director of the FBI who worked for him that he should drop an investigation, whether it was Michael Flynn or whether it was some investigation that had nothing to do with Russia or politics or the election, that's a very serious matter," King said. "If these allegations, senator, are true, are we getting closer to the possibility of yet another impeachment process?" Wolf Blitzer asked. "Reluctantly, Wolf, I have to say yes, simply because obstruction of justice is such a serious offense," King responded. Florida Rep. Ted Deutch: After The New York Times reported on May 16 that James Comey kept a memo alleging that President Trump asked him to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, Deutch tweeted, "Asking FBI to drop an investigation is obstruction of justice. Obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense." Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson: On May 16, Wilson responded to the news of the Comey memo by telling CBS Miami that President Trump "doesn't realize he is on the brink of impeachment. And people will begin to call for him to be impeached." Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Jayapal released a statement in response to the May 16 Comey memo news saying, "If true, Donald Trump's attempt to influence and intimidate the FBI Director James Comey to block an investigation is a textbook definition of obstruction of justice and it would be an impeachable offense." New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne Jr.: Payne said in a May 17 statement that after the Comey memo news, "All options—including impeachment—should be on the table for President Trump." Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch: Lynch said on May 17 it would be grounds for impeachment if the President attempted to interfere with an FBI investigation into Michael Flynn. "May be grounds, absolutely," Lynch said on local public radio when asked about impeachment. Lynch added if the President interfered with an ongoing investigation "for a corrupt purpose," then "this would be an impeachable offense." Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen: Cohen said his "belly" wants to go forward with impeachment but his brain is saying wait for more facts. "My belly says go forward with impeachment, but my brain says wait until... facts are more developed," according to a local news reporter who interviewed Cohen -- which Cohen then retweeted. New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat: Espaillat retweeted a tweet citing comments from CNN contributor David Gergen, who said, "I think we're in impeachment territory." A spokeswoman for the congressman confirmed he was calling for Trump's impeachment. "Rep. Espaillat is calling for Trump's impeachment. He will be talking about this issue later this evening on the House floor, likely around 6pm," his spokeswoman said. Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings: In an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer on May 16, Cummings said obstruction of justice by the President would be an impeachable offense. "CNN is reporting that this memo that was written by the FBI Director James Comey, says, among other things, 'I hope you can let this go,'" Blitzer said. "The New York Times says the memo also says, 'I hope you can see your way clear of letting this go, Michael Flynn go, he is a good guy. I hope can you let this go.' Is that, potentially, impeachable if it is an obstruction of justice? "I think we have to look into it further, Wolf. But I would think so," replied Cummings. Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline: Cicilline said if the President obstructed justice, it would be grounds for impeachment. "These are very, very serious allegations," Cicilline said in an interview with WJAR on May 17. "No one in our country is above the law, including the President of the United States. And if in fact he attempted to impede or prevent an investigation and obstructed justice, that is a basis for removal from office." Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren: In an interview with Jezebel, Warren said she would "absolutely" support impeachment if allegations of obstruction of justice against Trump are proven true. "Let's be clear: In the past, there has been strong bipartisan agreement that obstruction of justice is an impeachable offense," she said. "That's not a Democratic position or a Republican conviction, it is a bipartisan position. And if the facts that are currently alleged are proven, then we should take the next step." New York Rep. Jerry Nadler: Nadler tweeted on May 17 that impeachment is "a possibility" if inquiries into Trump prove he obstructed justice. New York Rep. Yvette Clarke: Clarke tweeted on May 17: "We have to remove @realDonaldTrump from the White House as soon as possible. #Impeach45"

Politics

Government

Sept 18 (Reuters) - IMPAX ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP PLC : * ENTERED INTO AGREEMENTS TO ACQUIRE 100% OF PAX WORLD MANAGEMENT LLC * TO ACQUIRE 100% OF PAX AT AN INITIAL VALUATION OF US$52.5 MILLION * ADDITIONAL CONTINGENT PAYMENTS OF UP TO US$37.5 MILLION PAYABLE IN 2021, SUBJECT TO PAX’S PERFORMANCE Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Bangalore.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com)

Investment

Stock Market

If anyone can pull off Zillow's plan to start buying and selling homes, returning CEO Rich Barton is the one to get the job done, said RBC Capital Markets' internet analyst Mark Mahaney. Mahaney told CNBC on Friday that Barton, who co-founded the online real estate marketplace in 2005 and led it until 2010, has a "great track record" with Expedia. Co-founder Spencer Rascoff stepped down as Zillow chief Thursday after nearly a decade in the chair. "This guy's got a huge track record, and when the news came out that he was coming back to be the CEO that's what really took the stock up," he said on "Squawk Alley." Barton, a serial entrepreneur, started Expedia under Microsoft in 1994, spun it into its own public company in 1999 and led it until 2003. He was also behind the launch of employment website Glassdoor. Shares of Zillow have taken several dives since the company first said it was exploring a house-flipping program. The stock sank 9 percent after Zillow announced the endeavor in May, 16 percent in a single day in August, and 8 percent in extended trading off a mixed fourth-quarter earnings report Thursday. The price subsequently recovered and is up about 7 percent midday Friday. Zillow has been piloting the flipping business in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Former CEO Rascoff has likened the model to Netflix's original programming and Amazon's web services. By leveraging its own data, Zillow would give home sellers access to its online platform to compare offers from potential buyers, including Zillow. If it wins the property, the company plans to complete renovations in 90 days and relist it with one of its premier real estate agents. Rascoff retains his seat on Zillow's board. Investors may be wary of the buying and selling model because it can take months to close on a deal, resulting in delayed revenue. Zillow hopes its process will provide a service to house sellers and cut down the time and difficulty of selling their home. The company expects the segment to bring in $20 billion in revenue within five years, according to its earnings forecast. "If anybody can make this gamble work, it's Rich Barton," Mahaney said. Still, he said he's a bit "skeptical." He said the firm is not a buyer of the stock at the moment. "It's just, it is a big swing, it's a big risk," Mahaney said. "I want to see him bring his magic back to the company before we get constructive on the shares." The stock is up more than 36 percent this year, but it's down more than 10 percent over the past year and about 35 percent off its June high.

Business

Leadership

Trump has some of the lowest approval ratings for a president at this point in his administration, but Politico finds an interesting angle. Trump has a 41% approval rating when those surveyed speak to a person. But in online or automated phone polls, his approval rating is 48%. Why this matters: Pollsters are still trying to figure out how to square what they thought was going to happen on Election Day with what actually happened. Figuring out what impact live surveys has might be a big part. Real-person telephone surveys are the gold-standard of polling. But fewer people answer their phones, and now maybe the ones that do aren't being honest.

Politics

US

Express Scripts Inc has filed a lawsuit accusing drug company Kaleo Inc of profiteering from the national opioid epidemic by hiking the price of an overdose treatment by 550 percent while reneging on $14.5 million in contractual rebates and fees. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in federal court in St. Louis, the pharmacy benefit manager accused Kaleo of being the latest in a line of pharmaceutical companies to excessively raise a life-saving drug’s price in order to boost profits. To read the full story on WestlawNext Practitioner Insights, click here: bit.ly/2rwyzjx

Other

Other

This post originally appeared on VICE UK. A 14-year-old girl, who died of cancer in October this year, has had her final wish granted as part of a historic legal battle this week to have her body cryogenically frozen. The unnamed London teen has been sent to America where the preservation has begun until a time she can be brought back. She wrote a letter to a judge saying how she did not want to be "buried underground." But what are the practicalities of this, and what can this girl—known only as JS—expect to find if she wakes up in 100 or so years? Rohit Talwar is a global futurist, CEO of Fast Future Publishing, editor of the Future of Business and A Very Human Future, and we asked him a few questions about cryogenics and the future. VICE: How long will it be until people can be reanimated do you think?Rohit Talwar: The science on this is yet to be proven. It would be very optimistic to say we would get there in 30 years and realistically that girl could be frozen there 50 to 100 years. We're talking about regenerating life itself, regenerating her memory, regenerating whatever it is that's stored in our DNA that we don't understand. We're in a space of huge uncertainty. God bless the people doing this stuff—and I understand why—but I don't believe we're anywhere close to knowing how to regenerate the body once it's been frozen. What are the chances that the body will just not work when it's pumped back to life?We're in unchartered territory, but a couple of things we can assume: Firstly, the technology for preserving our bodies will get better and better and better. But the regeneration process is a wholly different field of science. We don't yet understand enough about the body and the brain and what creates consciousness, so that person may come to life and be literally like Frankenstein's monster, with no sense of who they were and no sense of how to be. I think at some point in the future, governments might step in. There are people building these cryogenic freezing facilities—and there's some incredible ones either being built or planned—but ultimately this could be seen as a huge scam. You might well see governments put a moratorium on it until we've got a much greater sense of what the science can deliver. I can understand if you've got a child that's dying or whatever. There are lots of reasons to want to do it. But hope isn't necessarily the greatest basis of a business model. We're a long way off of having answers that would convince me. People need protection, they need to be told that as much as you want to live forever, this isn't the way. There's much more likely to be progress in the other stuff around extending the longevity of life than there is in the cryogenic regeneration. What kind of world do you think someone awakened 100 years in the future can expect to inhabit?There are different schools of thought. One is that by then we will have evolved and become technology, and there could be multiple versions of humans. Then there is the argument that we might be "un-evolved"—there will be very different life forms living on some island that have evolved from humans today. With synthetic biology, technological implants, 3D and 4D printing, you could have hundreds of different varieties of human—or what used to be a human by that point. The person who's cryogenically frozen today—let's say we can bring their memory and their experiences back, it's going to be like one of those films where someone arrives in a totally different world. They won't understand it, there won't be anyone around who they remember, and if those people are around, they'll be very different. Say you are 120 when you come back—you won't have the context of the last 100 years to really understand how to exist in society. It'll be like having been in prison, but worse. Is cryogenic freezing something you've ever considered yourself?I've thought about it, sure. A lot of my friends in that world are big proponents of it, but my view is that when I'm gone I'm gone. I'll let my kids and everyone else get on with their lives. I don't want 90 year-old kids or 190-year-old kids worrying about their dad still hanging around. We have to let each generation breathe. There's a real arrogance on the part of the people who want to live forever and mess it up for the next generation. What sort of measures would have to be in place for the care of a child who's been frozen?Well, the parents will have moved on. They may still be alive, they may not. What support system are you buying into for the child to look after them? You'd have to pay for the whole thing, the whole service experience, not just the regeneration. I don't think there's enough being thought through on that. Just because we can, doesn't mean we should, is my view on this stuff. Do you know how much it costs?I've heard figures that range from $40,000 up to a couple of million depending on what you're buying. Do you pay per year, or is that a flat rate?I think the $40,000 is typically a per year type thing and a couple of million dollars is a one-off payment. The whole cryogenic community comes across as very creepy to me, and leaves me cold to be honest. I don't think they're very human in their attitude; I don't think they're very social. I think they're very blinded by the science of it and not at all thinking about those kinds of issues. Follow Joe Bish on Twitter.

Other

Other

Macaulay Culkin is responding to Drake‘s Home Alone sweatshirt which prominently featured his face on it. The 38-year-old actor responded shared an Instagram photo of Drake, 32, wearing a black sweatshirt with Culkin’s Kevin McCallister character on the back of it. The sweatshirt read, “Kevin!?!?!?!?!??!” Culkin hilariously wrote in the caption, “Hey @champagnepapiI’m right here, bro. DM me. See you at the BBQ.” While it’s unclear if Drake responded back, but it is clear the rapper has had a great time at the NBA finals where he frequently sat courtside. Drake has shown his love for the Toronto Raptors at their most recent games — although he’s been reprimanded after he was seen talking smack to Golden State player Draymond Green. As Green, 29, exited the court with the rest of the players, he came alongside Drake, who appeared to yell the word “trash” at the power forward after the two shared a heated exchange. Drake also poked fun at star Warriors player Steph Curry by sporting a throwback Dell Curry Raptors jersey to the Scotiabank Arena. Dell, Steph’s dad, played for the Raptors from 1999 to 2002. The two had an exchange during the game, and while it was unclear what the pair were saying, Drake clearly picked something out of Curry’s hair. After the game, he posted a video to his Instagram, saying, “Steph Curry hair lint for sale on my eBay right now!!! username: DraymondShouldntWear23.” NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters last week the league “had conversations directly with Drake and his manager, I think we ended up in a good place,” after discussing appropriate courtside behavior. “I think in the case of Drake, as I’ve said before, I mean, we certainly appreciate his superfan status, and I know he’s beloved in the community of Toronto,” Silver said, according to ESPN. “I think certainly we don’t want fans, friend or foe, contacting an NBA coach during a game. I think that even as Nick Nurse later said, I didn’t even realize it was Drake or hardly was aware that I was being touched, and I think those can lead to dangerous situations.” Silver said the NBA understood that it was a different case because of “Drake’s relationship to the team.” “But I think that’s an absolute bright line that we have to draw,” Silver explained. “So that’s one example, and I would also say that I think the issue for the league is that he has this ambassador-type role with the team. So he is viewed a little differently than any fan sitting there. But at the same time, I think there are appropriate lines that shouldn’t be crossed in terms of how a competing team is addressed, or the officials, for that matter.”

Sports

Basketball

What's on my desk this week? Popcorn that has been popped — wait for it — by the sun, on a farm, in the Hudson Valley; It doesn't get much more natural than that. This snack blessing from the sun gods is quirkily named BjornQorn, and is the edible brain child of one Minnesotan corn farmer and one artist-inventor team named Bjorn and Jamie. BjornQorn is absolute popcorn gold. And as I would venture to confidently call myself a popped corn connoisseur, enthusiast, obsessor, what have you, I say that with the utmost seriousness. Not to mention that the rest of the Food Team was on-board and munching away on this stuff within minutes of opening. It truly tastes like a crunchy, golden gift touched by sweet rays of sunshine. But before we totally get lost in the taste, let's discuss how the heck this corn is even popped, anyway! The kernels become corn through a mass popping process where, according to the BjornQorn site, they use "enormous mirrored reflectors to collect the sun's rays". Those rays are then directed at giant mirror-lined, in-ground kettles (the land becomes the stove, young grasshopper). Now to the taste: Each bag is filled with the sun-popped corn that has been seasoned with safflower oil, salt, and nutritional yeast (giving it that umami factor). Plus, it's 100% vegan. Bags can be found at various specialty stores around the country for $6 a pop (see what we did there?). But if you're not in the mood for sun-pop scouring, then just scoop up your loot online and let the sun treat your tongue. *Hot tip: Trust us, buy the bigger bag. Welcome to Snack On This! A weekly series on all-things crunchy, crispy, smooth, savory, and sweet. Join us as we munch our way through the latest snacks that get a big thumbs up from our food team. (That usually means they've made it all the way from our mail pile to a more permanent spot in our not-so-official snack drawer.) Got suggestions for next week? Throw 'em our way in the comments below.

Food

Vegetarianism

(Reuters) - Papa John’s International Inc (PZZA.O), the world’s third-largest pizza delivery company, has reached out to potential acquirers to ask them to submit offers, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Papa John’s has come under pressure by founder John Schnatter, who owns about 30 percent of the company. He resigned as chairman in July following reports that he had used a racial slur on a media training conference call. Since then, Schnatter has been seeking ways to regain control. Papa John’s sent out information this week about an auction to sell itself to other companies and private equity firms, and expects to receive first-round bids by the end of October, the sources said. There is no certainty of a sale, and Papa John’s could also explore an alternative deal, such as receiving an investment, one of the sources added. The sources asked not to be identified because the matter was confidential. Papa John’s declined to comment. Reuters first reported last month that the company had hired Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) and Lazard Ltd (LAZ.N) to prepare the ground for a sale. Papa John’s shares ended trading on Wednesday up 8.5 percent at $50.14, giving the company a market value of close to $1.6 billion. Separately, Schnatter on Wednesday denied a CNBC report that said he had reached out to private equity firms about making an offer for Papa John’s. “Any such report about a potential transaction involving Mr Schnatter is totally and completely false. It is unfortunate that CNBC published this false story without first contacting Mr Schnatter to obtain the true facts,” a spokesman for Schnatter said in an emailed statement. A CNBC spokesman said that the business news TV channel stood by its reporting. Papa John’s has adopted a so-called poison pill defense to discourage a hostile takeover. Schnatter sued the pizza chain’s board and chief executive at the end of August to stop what he described as “the irreparable harm” they are causing the company, according to a court filing. Last month, Papa John’s posted a second-quarter comparable sales decline of 6.1 percent and cut its sales forecast, citing fallout from the company’s split with Schnatter. Negative publicity surrounding Schnatter depressed July traffic in North America, the company said at the time, noting it was hard to predict how long and how badly that would affect sales. Papa John’s has more than 5,000 locations worldwide, mostly franchised restaurants. Papa John’s Chief Executive Officer Steve Ritchie has vowed to move beyond the fight with Schnatter with a new advertising and marketing campaign, while also removing Schnatter’s image from company promotions. Two franchisee associations working with the company have expressed support for its strategy. Ritchie, previously Papa John’s president, took over as CEO in January. Schnatter came under fire in November for criticizing the National Football League’s leadership over national anthem protests by players. Dealmaking in the restaurant sector is heating up. Arby’s-owner Inspire Brands Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Sonic Corp SONC.O for about $1.57 billion in cash, adding more than 3,600 drive-in restaurants to its portfolio that includes brands such as Buffalo Wild Wings and Rusty Taco. Reporting by Harry Brumpton and Greg Roumeliotis in New York; editing by Bill Rigby, David Gregorio and Bill Berkrot

Food

Pizza

Geneva, Switzerland (CNN)Sure, a Tesla Model S sedan can go from zero to 60 miles an hour in 2.3 seconds, at least as quick as a supercar from Lamborghini or Ferrari. But both of those Italian automakers say electric car technology isn't ready for real high-performance supercars just yet. That's because supercar performance means more than launching from a stoplight as fast as possible. It means rounding curves at high speeds and accelerating, not just from a dead stop but at high speeds, over and over again. Electric cars need big battery packs to store enough power for acceleration and long driving range. Those battery packs usually weigh even more than a gasoline-powered car's engine and transmission. Makers of electric cars will often boast that the battery weight is down in the floor, providing for a lower center of gravity and, theoretically, better handling. But the simple fact is, more weight is just never good for a sports car. Then there's the sound. Or, rather, the lack of sound. Ferrari and Lamborghini take pains to provide drivers with a rich symphony of rapid-fire internal combustion. The gentle whirring of electric motors can be cool in its own right, but it's far from the ripping metallic howl of a Ferrari V12. Fake engine noise could be pumped into the cabin — some automakers already do this, even in gasoline-powered cars — but Ferrari's chief technology officer, Michael Hugo Leiters, called the idea unthinkable for his brand. "We have to have a certain credibility," he said at a press conference during the Geneva Motor Show. Ferrari has said it plans to offer a new hybrid supercar in the near future, but that an all-electric Ferrari remains farther off. Maurizio Reggiani, chief technical officer at Lamborghini, detailed the packaging challenges of big battery packs during a conversation behind the scenes at the Geneva Show. Yes, batteries can be laid down flat in the floor of the car, as they are in Teslas. But if you've ever sat in a Lamborghini sports car you'll know there's not much room between your seat and the road. Adding space for batteries would mean making the cars taller sacrificing much of that "low center of gravity" benefit. Rimac, based in Croatia, makes electric supercars today albeit at extremely high prices, even by supercar standards. The Rimac C_Two costs over $2 million. The company also contributed engineering to the Pininfarina Battista, another $2 million electric supercar unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show earlier in March. Founder Mate Rimac said he didn't start an electric supercar company because he wanted to save the environment. There are far betters ways to do that. He believes that electric propulsion, with its instant acceleration and precise control of power to the wheels, holds the promise of ultimate supercar performance. It was surprising, then, to hear him agree with much of what engineers from Lamborghini and Ferrari had to say. "What is a big challenge is long-term performance, thermal limitations of overheating batteries and powertrains," he said. "So that's something we are working really hard to solve and I think we can solve that but it's a big, big challenge." Batteries can get hot when lots of power is pushed in and out of them quickly, limiting the amount of time a car can spend going full speed around a track. Weight is also a major issue, he agreed. Rimac's car, he said, is most comparable to something like the Bugatti Chiron, a fairly large, heavy car designed to provide exhilarating performance but it's not really at home on a twisting race track. Lamborghini's proposed solution is a technological long shot. The company is working with engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the use of carbon nanotubes to store electricity in a car's body panels. The car body would become a supercapacitor. Supercapacitors take in and release energy much more rapidly than batteries can. But there are serious technological hurdles. For one thing, supercapacitors have trouble holding energy for a long time. When the first electric supercars from companies like Ferrari and Lamborghini do come out, don't expect them to just stop making internal combustion engine cars, said Robert Sorokanich, the deputy online editor of Road & Track. Electric cars will always offer a different sort of performance from an internal combustion-powered car and there will be those who still prefer the experience of an Italian V12.

Technology

Transportation

May 12 (Reuters) - Barbara Bui Sa * FY net loss group share 1.8 million euros ($2.05 million) versus profit 0.8 million euros year ago * FY operating loss 2.8 million euros versus profit 0.4 million euros year ago Source text for Eikon: bit.ly/1UWevCI Further company coverage: ($1 = 0.8783 euros) (Gdynia Newsroom:)

Finance

Investment

Jan 26 (Reuters) - All Winner Technology Co Ltd * Says plans to raise up to 1.16 billion yuan ($176.25 million) in share private placement to fund projects Source text in Chinese: bit.ly/1OViAjC Further company coverage: ($1 = 6.5815 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom)

Technology

Internet

House Speaker Paul RyanPaul Davis RyanEmbattled Juul seeks allies in Washington Ex-Parkland students criticize Kellyanne Conway Latina leaders: 'It's a women's world more than anything' MORE (R-Wis.) on Sunday said Congress is likely to pass a major overhaul of the tax code by the end of the year, but cautioned that Republicans "don't want to put an artificial deadline" on reform. "We don't want to put an artificial deadline on tax reform because we want to get it right," Ryan told radio host John Catsimatidis. "So this is really a plan for 2017, and we are convinced that we can get this done in 2017 so that the economy can really start to take off." "It's a long time in coming, but all the planets are aligned, meaning you have the House, the Senate and the White House all working on this plan together to make sure we get comprehensive tax reform," he added. Ryan's comments echoed those of the White House, which has also vowed to implement tax reform this year. The Trump administration released a one-page outline of its tax plan last month, calling for dramatic cuts to both personal income and business taxes. But Ryan also defended his proposal for a border adjustment tax. President Trump floated the idea as a candidate, but his administration has since backed away from such a tax. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also cast doubt on the idea last month, saying administration officials "don't think it works in its current form." "One-hundred-and-sixty countries already have a border adjustment tax. All of our trade competitors for that matter basically border adjust their taxes," Ryan said. "We don't have that." "The border adjustment is basically getting us in sync with the rest of the world, because the rest of world already border adjusts their taxes."   View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Politics

Government

GENEVA (Reuters) - India and the European Union have given the World Trade Organization lists of the U.S. products that could incur high tariffs in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s global tariffs on steel and aluminum, WTO filings showed on Friday. The EU said Trump’s steel tariffs could cost $1.5 billion and aluminum tariffs a further $100 million, and listed rice, cranberries, bourbon, corn, peanut butter, and steel products among the U.S. goods that it might target for retaliation. India said it was facing additional U.S. tariffs of $31 million on aluminum and $134 million on steel, and listed U.S. exports of soya oil, palmolein and cashew nuts among its potential targets for retaliatory tariffs. One trade official described the lists of retaliatory tariffs as “loading a gun”, making it plain to U.S. exporters that pain might be on the way. India said its tariffs would come into effect by June 21, unless and until the United States removed its tariffs. The EU said some retaliation could be applied from June 20. Trump’s tariffs, 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum, came into force in March to strong opposition as many see the measures as unjustified and populist. There were also objections that the tariffs would have little impact on China, widely seen to be the cause of oversupply in the market. Trump justified the tariffs by claiming they were for U.S. national security, in a bid to protect them from any legal challenge at the WTO, causing further controversy. Rather than challenging the U.S. tariffs directly, the EU and India, like China, South Korea and Russia, told the United States that they regarded Trump’s tariffs as “safeguards” under the WTO rules, which means U.S. trading partners are entitled to compensation for loss of trade. The United States disagrees. Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

Industry

Manufacturing

New York (CNN Business)Wall Street could learn to love a President Pence. At least that's what Raymond James thinks. The investment firm predicted that the bull market would keep going in the unlikely event that President Donald Trump decides to call it quits. "After the initial shock, we think the market rallies as Pence is a predictable, traditional, conservative choice," Raymond James wrote in a report that published Wednesday evening. The firm stressed that Trump resigning is a "low probability event" because he's known for not backing down from fights and would not want to validate allegations of wrongdoing. But it's not an insane idea. Raymond James says it's "possible" Trump decides to resign because he wants to avoid going down in history as just the third president to ever get impeached (or, potentially, the first to be removed from office). And that's what at least one former Trump insider predicted. Barbara Res, a former Trump Organization vice president, told CNN's Brian Stelter earlier this month that her "gut" instinct is that Trump will resign. The chance of Trump quitting during his first term is roughly 20%, according to PredictIt, a prediction platform that lets traders bet on political outcomes. That's not nothing. Chris Meekins, one of the Raymond James analysts who authored the research, told CNN Business on Friday that the catalyst for writing the report was the fact that it kept coming up in conservations in Washington, DC. "Independently, different people associated with Trump's orbit brought this idea up unsolicited," Meekins said. Trump: Markets would 'crash' if he was impeached It's impossible to say with any certainty how the stock market would react to a Trump resignation. In the long run, market performance isn't driven by politics. It's determined by how fast the economy and corporate profits are growing. Recall that many experts predicted a market calamity if Trump was elected. That turned out to be true, for all of a few hours. Stock futures initially plummeted on the night of the 2016 election, but after the shock wore off investors loudly cheered the business-friendly parts of Trump's agenda, especially tax cuts and deregulation. The Dow spiked from just above 18,000 on Election Day to 26,000 by early 2018. Trump himself has mused about how the market would react to his ouster. In September, Trump argued the markets would "crash" if he was impeached. "Do you think it was luck that got us to the best Stock Market and Economy in our history. It wasn't," Trump tweeted. Trump war fatigue But the market's love affair with Trump ended long ago. The S&P 500 is only up modestly over the past six months. That's because after securing massive corporate tax cuts and cutting regulation, Trump's economic agenda has turned less business friendly. The erratic US-China trade war is slowing global growth, disrupting global supply chains, raising costs for businesses and consumers and crushing the manufacturing industry. Raymond James argued that drug makers, defense contractors and companies linked to trade with China would benefit from a Trump resignation if there is a belief that it hurts the Democrats' chances of winning in 2020 or shores up support for the Republicans keeping control of the Senate. "The markets can live happily with Pence, on trade in particular," said Greg Valliere, chief US policy strategist at AGF Investments. "Pence would get along far better with the Chamber of Commerce and the free trade advocates. He'd shy away from tariffs." Valliere stressed, however, that he doesn't believe Trump will quit, especially because doing so could increase his legal jeopardy. (Justice Department policy counsels against indicting a sitting president, though a president can be indicted once out of office.) 'So erratic and unpredictable' Meekins, who said the report was one of the firm's most widely read in recent memory, said a President Pence would bring back a sense of calm. "It creates some certainty, which the market historically craves," he said. "Some investors have reached out saying, 'We've been talking about this for months and we're glad you finally raised it.'" By definition, Trump's volatile, tweet-first style makes it difficult for investors and CEOs to plan for the future. "At any moment, there could be a tweet coming out that changes a position. There isn't the traditional policymaking process," Meekins said. Analysts at JPMorgan Chase even created an index to track the impact of Trump's tweets on interest rates. The bank found that Trump's tweets have significantly increased volatility. "Trump has become so erratic and unpredictable that it's annoying for the markets," said Valliere. "Pence is a boring, conservative, pro-business Midwesterner." Valliere noted that Pence has similarities with another pro-business Midwest conservative: Gerald Ford, who became president in 1974 when Richard Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment. "The similarities with Ford are striking," Valliere said.

Politics

Government

The power of the North American energy industry is that it transcends borders, and while it was interconnected way before NAFTA, it is becoming even more so. The ties are deep rooted. In the early 1900s, primitive power lines sent electricity crackling across the border between Texas and Mexico. Canada has long provided the U.S. hydroelectric power, and all three countries now send oil, refined fuels and natural gas back and forth across the northern and southern U.S. borders on a daily basis. With trade the hot topic in Washington and now for all three members of NAFTA, the fallout from the renegotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement and the U.S. proposals about taxing goods at the border can't help but be an important topic when the global energy industry meets in Houston this week. In fact, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver a keynote address on Thursday, which he tweeted would be about innovation and renewable energy. CERAWeek by IHS Markit runs Monday through Friday and participants include energy ministers from Russia and Saudi Arabia, as well as CEOs from major oil companies, like Exxon Mobil, BP, Chevron and Total. "I expect to hear a great deal at CERAWeek from Prime Minister Trudeau and industry leaders about the importance and mutual benefit from the large cross-border energy [integration]. Whatever the eventual outcome of the NAFTA debate, they're not going to want to lose benefits," said Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS. The Trump administration promises to be a strong supporter of energy, removing regulatory hurdles for the industry and encouraging more U.S. drilling. Just last week former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was approved to be Energy Secretary. Perry has spoken positively about North American integration in the past, and until recently he was on the board of Energy Transfer Partners, which is building pipelines to take natural gas to Mexico. But the administration has also been critical of Mexico for what it claims are unfair trade practices and weak immigration controls. So even though the industry is intertwined, the future course for North American energy is murky. Guaranteed to be discussed at CERAWeek is the proposal from House Republicans to tax imports into the United States at a rate of 20 percent. The so-called border-adjustment tax is a major revenue generator for the House corporate tax reform plan. It is bound to generate as much debate in the energy industry gathering as it has in other affected industries, such as retail. Critics already say it would drive up both oil and gasoline prices. But proponents, among them big industrial companies, say the dollar would adjust by rising sharply and neutralizing some of the impact of higher prices. Conceivably, under the proposal, a barrel of oil from Canada could be taxed as it enters the United States, but the gasoline it is made into would not be taxed when it is sent to Mexico. Likewise, a barrel of U.S. crude would not be taxed as it enters Canada, but the gasoline that comes back down to New England could be taxed. The North American energy interconnections are complex and more established between the United States and Canada, which is the largest crude supplier to the United States and also a net exporter of electricity from connections that run along the border in numerous locations. Canada exports natural gas to the United States, and U.S. natural gas is sold in Canada. But the connections to Mexico are also growing, especially since the country embarked on a reform program to overhaul its energy industry and bring in new investment. It has also been aggressively planning new power generation. Mexico was importing about 4.2 billion cubic feet of U.S. natural gas per day in August, according to the U.S. Energy Department, and analysts say it could get to 5 billion in the near future. U.S. sales of gas to Mexico are also helping depressed U.S. natural gas prices from sinking even lower, analysts say. Gas pipeline exports to Mexico from the United States doubled since 2009. According to Citigroup, new cross-border pipeline capacity of 7 billion cubic feet is expected to come online by 2020, on top of the current 6 billion to 7 billion cubic feet. "The growing energy integration of North America is very beneficial to all three countries," said Yergin. "U.S. natural gas producers get additional markets, while Mexican consumers get lower-priced electricity generated with that gas. Canadians get markets for their oil, reducing U.S. reliance on Venezuelan oil, while American workers in manufacturing benefit from big equipment markets to the north." Mexico also recently put out bids for offshore exploration, and Exxon Mobil and Chevron were among the companies receiving awards. "It will give them an opportunity to bring international technology and capital in to develop Mexico's deep water. Pemex never could have developed that," said Carlos Pascual, senior vice president of IHS Markit. Pascual has served as the U.S. State Department's special envoy for energy and coordinator for international energy affairs. He was also a former ambassador to Mexico. José Antonio González Anaya, director general of Pemex, will be a speaker at CERAWeek. Jaime Francisco Hernández Martínez, CEO of Comisión Federal de Electricidad, is also participating. "The prospects are for additional gas supply only to continue to increase, and right now we see over the next five years, at least, relatively flat prices for natural gas globally, so the question then becomes, Where does American natural gas fit in?" Pascual said. One solution is exporting it to Mexico, the largest buyer of U.S. natural gas. He said Mexico will also open up its unconventional drilling opportunities, holding its first round of bidding for unconventional oil and gas later this year. "In the United States, there's been a huge benefit in the sale of natural gas to Mexico and also in the renewable-energy sector. Many of these companies buy GE equipment, for example. GE is a massive player here, particularly in wind turbines, so there's been a very significant boost to American commercial interests as a result of the development of natural gas and the power sector," Pascual said. The U.S. oil relationship with Canada, too, can only deepen when the Keystone XL pipeline is built. President Donald Trump waved on that controversial project shortly after his inauguration, and last week the White House said the TransCanada pipeline would be exempted from the new requirement that pipelines be built with U.S. steel. The Keystone would bring 800,000 barrels a day from Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska, before it heads to the Gulf Coast. "This integration is not only beneficial from an economic point of view but also from a development point of view, which was one of the reasons it was encouraged in the first place," said Yergin.

Politics

Government

Nicki Minaj stating nothing but the truth, while dragging Melania Trump. pic.twitter.com/b9iDURDUtJ Nicki Minaj got political on Saturday, suggesting that Melania Trump is not strong enough to be first lady.  At Saturday night’s Tidal X 1015 concert in New York City, the rapper pointed out that the strongest male leaders have equally strong wives.  “Barack needed Michelle,” Minaj said, “and Bill needed a motherf---ing Hillary. You better pray to God you don’t get stuck with a motherf---ing Melania.”  Minaj’s profanity-laced rant came as she was teasing men in the audience about being “intimated” by a “queen.”  She later added on Twitter that Trump, whose husband is Republican presidential nominee Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump pushes back on recent polling data, says internal numbers are 'strongest we've had so far' Illinois state lawmaker apologizes for photos depicting mock assassination of Trump Scaramucci assembling team of former Cabinet members to speak out against Trump MORE, “seems nice” but said she’s not a good fit for the White House.  “A smart man know he needs a certain ‘kind’ of woman when running for President/attempting greatness,” she wrote.  Minaj announced her support for Democratic nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonTop Sanders adviser: Warren isn't competing for 'same pool of voters' Anti-Trump vets join Steyer group in pressing Democrats to impeach Trump Republicans plot comeback in New Jersey MORE in December 2015.  "Obviously, I identify with her struggles as a woman," she told Billboard. "I identify with the fact that when she's in that room and there are nothing but men there — there's sometimes something in her that must feel intimidated. But I think that she uses that and turns it into a strength. Because that's what I've always done." Wasn't "dragging". She seems nice. But a smart man knows he needs a certain "kind" of woman when running for President/attempting greatness https://t.co/S2PTIcOXuo View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Politics

US

May 8 (Reuters) - MATRX PHARMACEUTICALS SA: * Q4 2016 NET LOSS OF 4.9 MILLION ZLOTYS VERSUS PROFIT OF 80.7 MILLION ZLOTYS A YEAR AGO Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom)

Technology

Telecommunications

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has appointed Housing Minister Mustafa Madbuly to serve as interim prime minister while Prime Minister Sherif Ismail receives medical treatment abroad, state newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Thursday. The cabinet said on Wednesday that Ismail would travel to Germany on Thursday for surgery and is expected to remain there for three weeks, though it did not specify the condition he would be treated for. Reporting by Ali Abdelaty; Writing by Eric Knecht; Editing by Toby Chopra

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Other

* U.S. hedge funds slow in building long positions -CFTC data Barclays, Macquarie warn of return to $30 levels * Jefferies sees first-half oversupply of 600,000 barrels per day (Recasts, adds market settlements) By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK, March 28 (Reuters) - Oil futures edged lower for a second straight session on Monday in thin trade as European markets observed the Easter holiday and as hedge funds and other big speculators were still hesitant to wager on a two-month long price rebound amid hefty crude inventories. Sentiment in Brent and U.S. crude’s West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures remained soft with investment banks, such as Barclays and Macquarie, warning that market fundamentals were weak enough to pull prices back to $30 a barrel levels. “There’s just been too much U.S. crude builds lately for the market to ignore,” said Tariq Zahir, who is betting WTI for delivery in the near-term will weaken further versus long-term contracts, expanding the market’s so-called contango structure. Brent settled down 17 cents at $40.27 a barrel. Reuters data showed trading in the London-based benchmark at just over 73,000 lots versus the 200,000 typical on a regular session. New York-based WTI finished down 7 cents at $39.39. Both benchmarks are up about 50 percent from 12-year lows hit in mid-February. Despite that advance, weekly data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission suggested money managers, including hedge funds, were hesitant to wager all the way on a WTI rally although a few were betting on another price collapse. Managed money’s gross long positions in WTI have barely risen since January and inched up by just 6,000 lots to around 300,000 lots in the week to March 22, CFTC data showed. The number of short positions slipped to nearly 64,000 lots, or around 64 million barrels of oil. U.S. crude inventories rose 9.4 million barrels in the week to March 18, three times larger than analysts’ expectations, to their sixth consecutive weekly record high. Most banks expect little upside to oil prices in the near future. “The market likely remains oversupplied by around 0.6 million bpd (barrels per day) through 1H16 and inventories will continue to build from already high levels,” analysts at Jefferies International forecast for the first half of the year. Barclays said net flows into commodities totalled more than $20 billion in January-February, the strongest start to a year since 2011, and prices could fall 20 to 25 percent if that were reversed. “Were such a scenario to unfold, the price of oil could fall back to the low $30s,” it said. Additional reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar in LONDON; editing by David Gregorio and Marguerita Choy

Energy

Oil

Screenshot: HuaweiNow that Apple has announced its latest batch of iPhones, it’s time for Huawei to hit back with some high-end phones of its own, the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro. Like pretty much every other premium phone released this year, the Mate 30 comes with a triple rear camera module, while the Mate 30 Pro gets one more cam for a total of four. To differentiate itself from Apple and other competitors, Huawei calls the Mate 30's rear camera bump a “Halo Ring.”Screenshot: HuaweiHuawei claims that in order to give the Mate 30 improved ergonomics, it’s eliminated any sharp exterior edges on the Mate 30 while also deploying its new Horizon display. The Horizon display essentially takes what Samsung and others have been doing with 3D glass and curved screens on phones like the Galaxy S10 and pushes things even further, so that the Mate 30’s display wraps 88 degrees around the sides of the phone, creating a true edge-to-edge screen with no side bezels. From afar, the effect is definitely eye-catching, but for people who prefer the flatter screens on phones like the Pixel 3, Huawei’s new Horizon display may be even more divisive. Screenshot: HuaweiAs for the Mate 30's screen itself, Huawei is using a notched 6.62-inch 2340 x 1080 OLED display, with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, support for DCI-P3 HDR, and a “Cinematic Color Rendering Engine” that adjust can things like color saturation to match your content. Meanwhile, the Mate 30 Pro gets a slightly smaller but higher-res 6.53-inch screen with 2400 x 1176 pixels. Also, despite both phones being more than 10 percent lighter than the iPhone 11 Pro Max, Huawei has crammed in significantly larger batteries, with the Mate 30 getting a 4,200 mAh power pack, and the Mate 30 Pro doing even better with a 4,500 mAh battery. Screenshot: HuaweiInside the Mate 30's notch, Huawei has included an array of cameras and sensors including two 3D depth camera for precise facial recognition, ambient light and proximity sensors, a front-facing camera, and a new gesture sensor, which looks to deliver capabilities similar to the Motion Gestures Google has teased for the Pixel 4. In order to preserve as much screen real-estate as possible, Huawei also axed the Mate 30's earpiece speaker, and instead opted for acoustic display tech that vibrates the phone’s main display, turning the entire screen into one large speaker. This sense of minimalism can also be seen in the Mate 30's volume controls, as Huawei has removed the phone’s physical side button in favor of a touch-sensitive virtual key. Now, you just tap the side of the phone in the right spot to raise or lower volume. And like all good flagship phones, the Mate 30 comes with built-in water-resistance, though the Mate 30 Pro’s IP67 rating is a bit better than the standard Mate 30's IP53 rating.Screenshot: HuaweiInside, the Mate 30 is powered by the Kirin 990, which not only supports both standalone and non-standalone 5G networks, it’s the first 16-Core Mali G76 GPU and includes what Huawei claims is DSLR-level noise reduction capabilities. Huawei also says the Mate 30 has one of the most advanced antenna setups on the market with 21 total antennas, 14 of which are reserved for 5G reception. In back, the Mate 30 features a 40-MP “SuperSensing” camera, a 16-MP ultra-wide camera, and an 8-MP 3x telephoto cam. That said, if camera quality is your most important feature on a phone, you’ll probably want to go with the Mate 30 Pro, which features a fourth 40-MP “Cine Camera” for video, which features a relatively large 1/1.54-inch sensor and support for real-time bokeh adjustment and 7680 fps ultra-slow motion. So when you combine that with the 1/1.7-inch sensor on the SuperSensing camera, which has a max ISO of 409,600, the Mate 30 Pro seems like a worthy rival for the rest of this fall’s new handsets.And while Huawei isn’t using the same color-changing paint jobs used on the P30, the Mate 30 will still come in a wide range of hues including black, space silver, cosmic purple, emerald green, the latter of which features a new finish that transitions from glossy on top to matte at the bottom. And in case that’s not enough, Huawei also has two other styles with vegan leather backs available in orange and forest green. Finally, like Huawei’s previous phones, the Mate 30 features an in-screen fingerprint reader and wireless charging (and reverse charging), which has now been boosted with 27-watt charging speeds, which is three times faster than what you got on the P30. Screenshot: HuaweiWhile Huawei did not provide an exact release date for its new phones, we do know how much they will cost, with Huawei Mate 30 going for €800 for an 8GB of RAM/128GB of storage config, while the Mate 30 Pro will go for €1,100 for 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with the Mate 30 Pro 5G going for €1,200. There will also be a limited edition Porsche Design Mate 30 RS priced at €2,100 euros for 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. However, with Huawei facing a ban on using American-made tech slated to go into effect in November, it’s unclear if the Mate 30 will ever see a stateside release. Additionally, because that ban may prohibit Huawei from pre-installing the Google Play Store, Huawei also highlighted at its press conference in Munich its App Gallery store, which looks to be the main avenue of finding and downloading apps on Huawei phones going forward.

Technology

Smartphones

Donald Trump is many things to many people, but he is also a lesson. During the GOP primary campaign, Trump wasn't shocking just for the crudeness of his rhetoric but the way he broke from normal Republican discourse. He was far more willing to flirt with outright white nationalism, but he also borrowed talking points from the left when attacking free trade agreements, famously promised "insurance for everybody" when discussing healthcare, swore he'd protect entitlement programs like Social Security, and dangled infrastructure spending. Republicans are supposed to tack rightward in primaries, prostrating themselves before the altar of self-reliance and anti-tax orthodoxy. Trump did the opposite, people loved it, and now he's president. That might be an oversimplification, but a massive new study of 8,000 voters—called the VOTER Survey—sheds some light on the hidden division in the Republican Party that helped lift Trump to the presidency. Participants were asked questions on a variety of topics ranging from how they felt about Muslims and black people to whether they thought Social Security and Medicare were important. The resulting data offers a rare look into how Trump voters differed from backers of Hillary Clinton—and the existential questions facing the Democratic and Republican Parties. One takeaway: There are fewer old-school conservatives than most people think. "A lot of people will say they're conservative, but then you ask, 'Do you want the government to spend more money on education?' 'Well, yeah,'" said political scientist Lee Drutman. "'Do you want the government to spend more money on Social Security and Medicare?' 'Well, yeah'... So it turns out they're not actually conservative, but they'll say they're conservative because it sounds cool." Drutman, who wrote one of the analyses accompanying the survey, used the answers from Clinton and Trump voters to create a pair of rough ideological axes. One measured how right- or left-wing a voter was on social issues; the other measured stances on economic issues. That led to a chart that was predictable in one sense: Clinton supporters had liberal economic and social views. Less obvious is that Trump voters were far more divided: To be sure, plenty of Trump voters are traditional conservatives who lean right on social and economic issues—many of these people also supported George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney. But lots of others are socially conservative yet economically liberal, a category Drutman dubbed "populist." Trump supporters are more populist than other Republicans, poorer Republicans are more populist than wealthy ones, and people who cast ballots for Barack Obama and then voted for Trump are extremely likely to be populist. Drutman estimates that almost half of the Republican electorate could fit into this category. As a candidate, Trump appealed to populists by basically promising to protect white people from both job-stealing immigrants and cuts to programs they liked. But as president, Trump has largely embraced a traditional Republican agenda. Though he killed the TransPacific Partnership—which had become a symbol of globalism and free trade and was probably dead anyway—Trump's economic policies have otherwise been mostly geared toward helping rich people. The American Health Care Act would result in many older and poorer people losing insurance and some of them dying as a result; Trump's proposed budget would take away money from programs that benefit depressed areas of the country. As Drutman told me, Trump "filled a niche where there was a void," and spoke to voters who felt ignored. But when he got into office, he was more or less forced to fill his administration with bog-standard conservative politicians. (Whatever his actual beliefs, this was a reality the relatively populist Obama ran into back in 2009, too, when he seemed stuck with Clinton administration veterans.) "There was no set of Washington hands who had policy proposals, and positions worked out along these lines," Drutman said of populism. Plus, Republican donors generally embrace traditionally anti-tax and anti-spending positions, and few politicians want to go against the flow of money. Still, Trump revealed a class of voters who weren't being served by Democrats, normal Republicans, or even Republicans on the libertarian end of the spectrum. "The question would be, are there politicians who look at this and say, 'Gee, we need to have policies that speak to these voters'?" Drutman told me. Could a more polished politician, a Trump 2.0, run a similar campaign on the right that embraced populism and disdained the donor class—and then actually govern like a populist? Could Democrats find a way to appeal to populists on a purely economic level (in other words, without the whiff of racism) and gut the Republican base—as they have come close to doing at a few moments throughout history? Will Republicans finally realize that no one besides basically the Koch brothers and their friends wants the social safety net to be shredded? Then there's the big one: Is Trump the end of something, or just the beginning? Follow Harry Cheadle on Twitter.

Politics

US

President Trump may spend this coming weekend at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. The Federal Aviation Administration on Monday issued a “VIP Flight Advisory” for Morristown and Bedminster Township, N.J. that will go into effect from Friday through Sunday.  The advisory warns pilots about temporary flight restrictions in specified areas.  The Palm Beach Post first reported the FAA advisory. The newspaper notes that such advisories “served as the first indicators to Palm Beach County residents that the president will spend time at Mar-a-Lago.” A separate FAA flight advisory, also issued Monday, signals that the president will spend Thursday night in New York City. The White House announced last week that Trump will speak at Manhattan's USS Intrepid museum on Thursday to honor the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, during which the U.S. teamed up with Australian forces to fight against the Japanese in World War II. Trump then will meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the same day. The social season for Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort is over, according to the Post, although the Florida facility is open all year. The Bedminster golf course is the property Trump used to interview potential Cabinet members including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and current Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The White House has not issued a formal announcement regarding Trump's weekend plans.  The FAA declined to comment on the advisory. The Secret Service referred questions about it to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Politics

Current Events

Photographer Jessica Fielder created her “Project: Self Love” photo series to teach her daughter that women are so much more than what’s on the outside. “As a woman, I’ve always been very aware of the ridiculous beauty standards society imposes on us, and I’ve always taken issue with that,” Fielder, 27, tells PEOPLE. “Since having a daughter, I’ve thought a lot about wanting to both protect her from that, and prepare her for it. I want her to grow up with a mother who places more value on who we are than what we look like.” “I want her to know that having flaws is okay,” she continues. “I want her to know she is so much more than her perceived flaws, and I thought this would be a great first lesson. ” Fielder approached 17 women of varying ages, shapes and sizes and asked each one to write down a negative comment she’d heard about her physical appearance that had affected her self-confidence. Then Fielder asked the women to record a positive quality – something not physical – that they loved about themselves. “I wanted the women to take ownership over the things people have said to hurt them, and show how ridiculously irrelevant they are compared to the things that mattered about them,” she says. The New Jersey-based photographer wants the photos to show that physical appearance is not an important part of what makes up a person. “The unique things about us that make us beautiful have so little to do with outward appearance,” she says. Fielder hopes that her photo series will make people think twice before criticizing others for the way they look. [IMAGE “9” “” “std” ][IMAGE “10” “” “std” ]”I want people to look at these raw emotions and these ugly, unkind words, and realize the impact the things we say can have on others,” she says. “I want women to look at this and have it resonate, and have them realize that they are beautiful the way they are.” And she hopes it will inspire other mothers to pass down lessons of self-love to their own daughters. “I think loving yourself is the absolutely most important thing,” says Fielder. “When we love ourselves, we respect ourselves and we command that respect from others. That’s so important.”

Self-Help

Self-Improvement

Emergency room operator Adeptus Health Inc won court approval on Monday for its disclosures for its plan to exit bankruptcy, although the judge overseeing the case warned that confirmation of the plan would face problems. Judge Stacey Jernigan of the Bankruptcy Court in Dallas said after a contentious all-day hearing she would approve the company’s disclosure statement with changes outlined by the company in court. To read the full story on WestlawNext Practitioner Insights, click here: bit.ly/2uhoM1P

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Other

MOSCOW, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Carter Page, previously described as a foreign-policy adviser to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, said the purchase of a stake in Rosneft by Qatar and Glencore made it clear sanctions hurt Western companies more than the Russian oil major, RIA news agency reported on Friday. RIA also cited Page, who said he was visiting Russia to work on economic projects, as saying U.S. and European companies were very interested in returning to many sectors of the Russian economy. reporting by Jack Stubbs; writing by Denis Pinchuk; editing by Jack Stubbs

Energy

Oil and Gas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A midnight tweet by Donald Trump unleashed a wave of sometimes mocking speculation by Internet users wondering what the U.S. president meant by writing “covfefe” in an apparently unfinished Twitter post that lingered online for hours. At 12:06 a.m. ET, Trump wrote: “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” The post, since deleted, was followed by a Trump message at 6:09 a.m. ET that sought to put a playful tone on the misfire, saying, “Who can figure out the true meaning of “covfefe” ??? Enjoy!” The original message, which seemed to have been the start of a Trump complaint about media coverage, soon became a top trend on Twitter. Some users sought clarification from dictionary company Merriam-Webster. They did not get a definition but did draw a response. “Wakes up. Checks Twitter... Uh.... Lookups fo(r)... Regrets checking Twitter. Goes back to bed,” @MerriamWebster wrote after Trump’s first tweet ignited a slew of possible definitions and jokes, as well as defenses of the president. “Covfefe” also made its way into the Urban Dictionary, a website that collates online word submissions. Asked at a briefing whether people should be concerned that the president sent out an incoherent Tweet and left it up for hours, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said: “No.” “I think the president and a small group of people know exactly what he meant,” Spicer added when asked why the Tweet remained uncorrected for so long on Trump’s personal @realDonaldTrump account. Democratic U.S. Senator Al Franken, in a CNN interview on Wednesday morning, joked: “A covfefe is a Yiddish term for ‘I got to go to bed now,’” dismissing the tweet as a late-night error. Conservative commentator and radio show host Laura Ingraham tweeted in response to Trump’s guess-the-meaning post that, “It’s so bad—the collusion b/t (between) the Dems & the press, the establ(ishment) vs the ppl(people), that we needed a new word to describe it all. #Covfefe!” Trump’s “covfefe” message drew renewed attention to his prolific Twitter habit. The Republican president has said using Twitter helps him speak directly to Americans and bypass the media, which he has long criticized. When asked in the past about other Trump tweets, White House spokesman Sean Spicer has said the posts speak for themselves. Trump was relatively quiet on Twitter during a nine-day trip to Middle East and Europe but resumed tweet storms after returning home on Saturday. Moments after tweeting about the “meaning of covfefe” on Wednesday, he turned to Twitter again to blast the Russia probes and address a series of other issues. Writing by Susan Heavey, David Alexander; Editing by Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman

Politics

News

(Fixes distribution coding, no change to text) HONG KONG, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Wednesday the city’s status as a financial hub has not been shaken despite more than four months of sometimes violent anti-government protests. Beijing-backed Lam was speaking after announcing measures to tackle the city’s chronic housing shortage in her annual policy address, which she was forced to deliver by video after pro-democracy lawmakers heckled her in the legislature. Reporting By Clare Jim and Farah Master, Writing by Anne Marie Roantree, Editing by Andrew Heavens

Politics

Hong Kong

  Kim Zolciak-Biermann is breathing a sigh of relief about her health after a visit with medium Tyler Henry. The 39-year-old Real Housewives of Atlanta star appeared on Wednesday’s episode of Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry, where she was told she’d be “fine” after suffering a stroke in 2015. Though Zolciak-Biermann recovered, her the health scare still weighs heavily on her mind. Luckily, Henry was able to connect with the Don’t Be Tardy star’s uncle Rusty — who died after suffering a stroke — while also receiving signs about Zolciak-Biermann’s stroke. “One is a stroke that an individual suffers and then passes away,” Henry said, stunning Zolciak-Biermann and her husband Kroy Biermann. “The other is an incident in which someone has a close call involving a stroke, or something like a stroke, but they actually live and survive through this.” The mother of six was quick to explain “that would be me.” “I had a stroke Sept. 23 of 2015 from a blood clot, ” she recalled. “I was flying from L.A. back home to Atlanta from Dancing with the Stars. I went down to hug my son as soon as I pulled into my driveway, and then my hand started to go numb — but it was numb times a gazillion, not the normal shake it off. Then I couldn’t speak and I was trying to, and it was so scary.” “The stroke was life changing — literally,” she added. “I never thought at 37 I would have a stroke, and in front of my children nonetheless. I’ve pretty much fully recovered, but I can’t say that I don’t think, ‘Could this happen again?’ “ Henry was able to calm her nerves. “I’m sure that’s a very sensitive, scary issue, especially when something happens out of nowhere like that,” he told the couple. “I think when he came through, the biggest acknowledgement was really just to talk about that ultimately you would be fine.” That’s exactly what Zolciak-Biermann needed. “The message that I really wanted today was from my uncle Rusty, like everything’s fine,” she said. FROM PEN: Andy Cohen’s Top 5 Most Revealing Plead the Fifth Answers   Zolciak-Biermann recently shared stroke identification tips on her Instagram to help others recognize it happening — sharing that despite lingering symptoms of the stroke, such as the occasional slip of her tongue or forgetting a word, she is “almost fully recovered” and is feeling “great.” “I had my stroke at 37!! It can happen to anyone at any age!!” she wrote. “When in doubt please always check it out!!” Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry airs Wednesdays (9 p.m. ET) on E!

People

Names

“Stranger Things,” starring Winona Ryder, is nostalgic for 1980s films like “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “Poltergeist.” “East Los High” begins a new season by exploring some pressing issues for Latino millennials. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks about the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley. STRANGER THINGS on Netflix. Matt and Ross Duffer tap their nostalgia for the 1980s — a decade when less could often be more, where thrillers were concerned — in their tale about Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), who is headed home on his bicycle in the dark after a game of Dungeons & Dragons when he encounters something sinister. Soon all of Hawkins, Ind., with its secret-filled United States Department of Energy lab, is looking for him. Winona Ryder plays Will’s unraveling mother. But the child actors are the real stars: Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo as Will’s friends, and Millie Bobby Brown as a young girl who materializes out of nowhere. This supernatural mystery “mixes the youthful wonderment of ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ with the spine-tingling qualities of ‘Poltergeist,’” Neil Genzlinger wrote in The New York Times. “There are a few good shocks here, but mostly there is patience.” EAST LOS HIGH on Hulu. A fourth season of love, dance, sex and teenage drama kicks off as this Emmy-nominated series, focusing on Latino millennials, tackles controversial subjects including immigration, detention centers and reproductive health and imagines a president who instigates hate crimes. The series has partnered with organizations like Planned Parenthood and United We Dream to ensure that story lines are accurate. TONY ROBBINS: I AM NOT YOUR GURU (2016) on Netflix. Every year, thousands of people pay almost $5,000 each to have Mr. Robbins, the motivational speaker, feel their pain. The director Joe Berlinger was one, and afterward he decided to document a 2014 seminar in Boca Raton, Fla., where Mr. Robbins fed his addiction to assisting the tormented. “I’m going to show you what to do to reshape yourself,” he tells one young man. But does his philosophy — a blend of psychoanalysis, EST, primal therapy, meditation and calisthenics — really work wonders? “If anyone has a complaint, we don’t hear it,” Jeannette Catsoulis wrote in The Times. THE MURDER OF MARTHA MOXLEY 10 p.m. on NBC. In this “Dateline” special, Matt Lauer interviews Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the 1975 murder of the 15-year-old Ms. Moxley in Greenwich, Conn., and his relationship with his cousin Michael Skakel, who was found guilty of the crime in 2002. Mr. Skakel served 11 years before a judge ruled that he was not properly defended by his lawyer, and he is free on bail while courts decide whether he will be granted a new trial. Mr. Kennedy’s new book, “Framed: Why Michael Skakel Spent Over a Decade in Prison for a Murder He Didn’t Commit,” was released Tuesday. BLUE: A SECRET LIFE 10 p.m. on LMN. A single mother (Julia Stiles) tries to keep her night job as an escort hidden from her 13-year-old son (Uriah Shelton). This online short-form series is shown in two-hour blocks for the next five weeks.

Television

Entertainment

Look at this sweet little video of a sweet little snake. And here it is again, but larger and even more terrifyingly cute.

Nature

Animals

SAN FRANCISCO — A top executive and daughter of the founder of the Chinese tech giant Huawei was arrested on Saturday in Canada at the request of the United States, in a move likely to escalate tensions between the two countries at a delicate moment. The arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer, unfolded on the same night that President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China dined together in Buenos Aires and agreed to a 90-day trade truce. The two countries are set to begin tense negotiations in hopes of ending a trade war that has been pummeling both economies. Those talks now face an even steeper challenge. The aim will be for the United States to ease its tariffs; in exchange, China will be expected to lower trade barriers and further open its markets to American businesses. What’s more, Ms. Meng’s detention raises questions about the Trump administration’s overall China strategy. Beijing is now likely to pressure Canada to release her and to press the United States to avoid a trial. “The arrest of a family member linked to Huawei’s founder indicates how the tension between the two sides is rapidly escalating,” said T.J. Pempel, a professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in East Asian politics and economy. Ms. Meng, who joined Huawei in 1993 and is also a deputy chairwoman, was taken into custody in Vancouver on Dec. 1, said Ian McLeod, a spokesman for Canada’s Justice Department. He said she was “sought for extradition by the United States” but did not give a reason for what prompted the arrest. He added that a publication ban requested by Ms. Meng prevented him from providing any further details. A bail hearing has been set for Friday. Senator Ben Sasse, a Republican of Nebraska, linked the arrest to the American sanctions against Iran. Mr. Sasse said China had been “working to creatively undermine our national security interests, and the United States and our allies can’t sit on the sidelines.” He added that “Americans are grateful that our Canadian partners have arrested the chief financial officer of a giant Chinese telecom company for breaking U.S. sanctions against Iran.” Huawei, China’s largest telecom equipment maker, has been under investigation into whether it had broken American trade controls to countries including Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. This year, the Treasury and Commerce Department also asked the Justice Department to investigate Huawei for possibly violating economic sanctions against Iran, according to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York took on the case, he said. [Stock markets were shaken by the arrest, as investors feared the impact on U.S.-China trade relations.] In response, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Canada said in a statement that “the Chinese side firmly opposes and strongly protests over such kind of actions” and urged the authorities “to immediately correct the wrongdoing and restore the personal freedom of Ms. Meng.” Huawei said in a statement that Ms. Meng was arrested while changing planes in Canada and that she faced unspecified charges from the Eastern District of New York. “The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng,” Huawei said, adding that it complies with all laws where it operates. Press representatives for the Justice Department and the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond when asked if Mr. Trump was aware of the detention during his dinner with President Xi. Julian Ku, a professor at Hofstra University Law School, wrote on Twitter that the move was justifiable. “US law prohibits exports of certain US-origin technologies to certain countries,” he said. “When Huawei pays to license certain US tech, it promises not to export to certain countries like Iran. So it is not unreasonable for the US to punish Huawei for flouting this US law.” The arrest meets several major foreign policy aims of the Trump administration. American officials have sought to persuade other nations to curb business ventures with Huawei because of security concerns. The White House has also focused on tightening and enforcing economic sanctions on Iran, months after Mr. Trump announced he was withdrawing from a multinational agreement reached under President Barack Obama’s administration to freeze Iran’s nuclear program. Last month, the United States imposed sanctions aimed at reducing exports of Iranian oil to zero and crippling Iran’s economy, though China is one of a handful of countries allowed to continue to buy oil for six months. The United States and China have also been locked in a struggle for high-tech supremacy, in a race that has increasingly taken on political undertones this year. While the United States has long claimed an advantage in the tech industry, China’s internet companies, semiconductor makers and telecom equipment makers have all been growing rapidly, with many benefiting from government investment. President Trump has tied national security to advancement in technologies like wireless networks, and has made protection of the domestic tech industry a part of his agenda. In March, he blocked a $117 billion bid by Broadcom, a Singapore-based chip maker, for the American chip maker Qualcomm, citing national security concerns and how it might allow China — specifically citing Huawei — to leap ahead in next-generation 5G wireless networks. A month later, the Commerce Department banned ZTE, China’s second-largest maker of telecommunications equipment, from using components made in the United States. Federal authorities said ZTE had violated American sanctions against Iran and North Korea, in a move that caused the Chinese company to cease “major operating activities” for a time. Mr. Trump ultimately intervened and ZTE agreed to pay a $1 billion fine, replace its board and senior leadership and allow the United States to inspect its operations with a handpicked compliance team. Over the last decade, Huawei has grown into a powerhouse. Founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, a former People’s Liberation Army engineer, it generated over $90 billion in revenue in 2017. Its equipment is the backbone of mobile networks around the world, and its smartphones are popular in Europe and China. That has made it a symbol of China’s technological prowess and evolution from a country that makes cheap but unreliable gadgets to cutting-edge products that can rival the best of Silicon Valley and other Asian technology giants. Yet Huawei has long faced scrutiny as a security threat in the United States. Washington has expressed concern about using Huawei products, citing spying risk because of the company’s close ties to the Chinese government. While Huawei has long tried to make inroads into the United States, it has been bedeviled by the security concerns. In January, Huawei’s effort to sell a new line of smartphones in the United States was derailed when AT&T walked away from a deal to distribute the devices. Eswar Prasad, a trade policy professor at Cornell University, said the Huawei issue could be a cloud over coming talks. “A fragile trade truce between China and the U.S. that was already foundering is now at greater risk of unraveling in relatively short order,” Professor Prasad said. He added: “It is likely that China will have a measured response to this incident, although it will certainly add a sharper edge to the negotiations between the two sides.”

Politics

International Relations

Spotify's most devoted users have an occasion that they look forward to each and every year: The annual Year in Music stats, which boiled down a user's habits in numerical terms. The hardcore user base loved seeing everything broken down, and it really helped them understand the recommendations that Spotify made. This year, instead of being web-based, the stats have been sent as an email, one that many users aren't getting because they turned emails notifications off and weren't made aware of the change in advance. Worse still, not only can they not get the stats by turning notifications back on, but those who got the emails are unhappy with the figures being less detailed than the web interface in past years was. A small fraction of the functionality is mirrored in users' 2016 playlists, but without any of the statistics. Spotify did not return our request for comment on the record. Deezer, one of the competing music subscription services, did tell Motherboard that its users can pull detailed stats on demand, year-round, through their app. Called "Stateeztics," they include personal charts, "the soundtrack of your life," and more. One Reddit user, McIgglyTuffMuffin, wrote a comment that summed up the frustration among the user base. "You know why this makes me mad? I've been a Spotify user since 2011," he explained, noting that in the previous two years he had been a paid subscriber. "I don't mean to feel entitled, but I'm going to feel entitled and say I should have gotten this. Email notifications on or no email notifications. It should have just been something they sent to everyone regardless." If they were married to having the feature tied to being on their email list, he felt it should have been explained in the email that opting in would be required in the future. More than anything else, the disappointment appears to be centered around completely missing out on the stats without an opportunity to pull them up if you didn't get the email. This isn't the only time that something like this happened in 2016. In the winter, EA Sports did an online beta for the EA Sports UFC 2 video game that was tied into receiving promotional emails from the publisher. It was heavily plagued by issues with users not getting the relevant emails, as well as confusion about EA Sports' promotional email system and the site having multiple areas to sign up for emails, not all of which were recognized by the beta campaign.

Technology

Music

Sondra Locke, an actress who received an Oscar nomination for her first film and starred in a series of movies with Clint Eastwood, with whom she had a turbulent relationship, died on Nov. 3 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 74. Her death, which was not widely reported at the time, was caused by cardiac arrest related to brain and bone cancer, The Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing a death certificate. Ms. Locke’s Academy Award nomination, for best supporting actress, was for her performance in “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,” a 1968 drama, with Alan Arkin, based on a novel by Carson McCullers. She went on to star in several movies with Mr. Eastwood in the 1970s and ′80s, including their first film together, “The Outlaw Josey Wales,” and “Sudden Impact,” part of the Dirty Harry thriller series. Ms. Locke and Mr. Eastwood’s romance began on the set of their first film, and they lived together for more than a decade. After the couple separated, Ms. Locke sued Mr. Eastwood twice, turning their breakup into a high-profile court battle in the 1990s. In an autobiography, “The Good, the Bad & the Very Ugly,” published in 1997, Ms. Locke wrote that her involvement with Mr. Eastwood ended up essentially derailing her career. “He’s like the emperor,” Ms. Locke told The Washington Post in 1997. “He always had his own company store. If you were in Clint Eastwood movies, you were in the Clint Eastwood movie business. You weren’t in the movie business. You weren’t part of Hollywood. This became clear early on; people stopped calling. They automatically assumed I was working exclusively with Clint.” Around the time of the lawsuits she learned she had breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. Ms. Locke received her big break in the 1960s when Warner Bros. took notice of her during a talent search for an actor to play the adolescent protagonist of “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.” Ms. Locke said her entrance into Hollywood had been based on luck. “In Los Angeles, I learned quickly that it really doesn’t make much difference whether you’re the best for the part, or whether you have talent,” she said in an interview with The New York Times in 1983. “It’s a matter of some fluky thing that can’t be described.” She dreamed of developing and directing films herself, but said her professional entanglement with Mr. Eastwood made that goal difficult to attain. “You get into a rut being associated with Clint,” she told The Times. Ms. Locke made her directorial debut in 1986 with “Ratboy,” a somewhat satirical tale of an alien boy with ratlike features. “In sociological terms, he exists somewhere between E. T. and the Elephant Man, as an innocent alien adrift in an unsympathetic world,” Janet Maslin wrote in a largely unfavorable review in The Times. Ms. Locke also starred in the movie. After many years off screen, she re-emerged this year in “Ray Meets Helen,” a romantic drama, directed by Alan Rudolph, about two lonely late-middle-aged strangers (Ms. Locke and Keith Carradine) who meet after separately coming into money. “Filled with imaginative visuals populated by the ghosts of the gone and hopes for the future, the movie is wonderfully, magically humane,” Jeannette Catsoulis wrote in The Times. Ms. Locke was born Sandra Louise Smith on May 28, 1944, in Madison County, Ala., to Raymond Smith and Pauline Bayne, according to a biographical sketch in the Internet Movie Database. Her father was stationed at an Army facility and left before Sandra was born. Sandra took the name Locke from a subsequent husband of her mother’s and grew up in Shelbyville, Tenn. She attended Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro but did not graduate. Early on she worked for a Nashville television station, did modeling and voice-over work, acted in community theater and was married for a time to a former high school and college classmate, Gordon Anderson, an actor who accompanied her to Los Angeles and was later the voice of the title character in “Ratboy.” There was no immediate information on Ms. Locke’s survivors. An earlier version of this obituary misstated the name of a film website on which a biographical sketch of Ms. Locke appears. It is the Internet Movie Database, not the International Movie Database.

Other

Other

The last two weeks have not been kind to President Trump. By now, surely we have to agree that Trump’s first six months have been the worst start to any presidency in history, right?  That’s not necessarily the way I see it. While some aspects of Trump’s presidency are unprecedented, we actually don’t have to look that far into the past to find another president who struggled in much the same way immediately after taking office.  Remember Bill ClintonWilliam (Bill) Jefferson Clinton3 real problems Republicans need to address to win in 2020 Buckingham Palace: Any suggestion Prince Andrew was involved in Epstein scandal 'abhorrent' The magic of majority rule in elections MORE? Though I’m sure neither man would enjoy the comparison, consider some of the similarities:   The resignations and public sniping in recent days show Trump made mistakes when staffing his White House. It also shows that more order is needed in the West Wing. That ought to ring familiar to those who remember Clinton’s first few months in D.C.   When Clinton arrived in Washington, he decided to bring the “FOBs” — Friends of Bill — with him. These individuals knew the Clintons from their days in Arkansas. They were intensely loyal to the president, but they were also woefully unprepared for the jobs they were asked to do. One of those FOBs was Mack McClarty, a friend of Bill’s since kindergarten, who was appointed chief of staff despite his submissive personality and lack of prior experience. Little surprise, the administration struggled with basic tasks of governance — like submitting nominations and getting security clearances. Tasks that, not coincidentally, the Trump White House hasn’t exactly excelled at, either. Last week, Trump pushed out his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, a man who, like McClarty, was selected mostly for his loyalty, but a man who was also equally in over his head. So, at least give Trump credit for cutting Priebus loose now. It took Clinton nearly two years to replace McClarty.   Clinton also initially struggled with messaging. Clinton’s first communications director was one of his campaign aides, George Stephanopoulos. Stephanopoulos was responsible for handling press briefings, but he wasn’t very good at it. Stephanopoulos couldn’t effectively deal with tough questions about controversies like firings in the White House travel office, and he wasn’t as aggressive in defending Clinton as the president wanted. Sounds like Trump’s first press secretary, Sean Spicer, doesn’t it? Like Spicer, Stephanopoulos didn’t last through the summer of the administration’s first year.    Clinton’s dismissals of McClarty and Stephanopolous remind us that the Trump administration exodus right now is not unusual. And while it might not have had the headline-grabbing power of Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 days in the Trump administration, Clinton chewed through two communications directors, four deputy chiefs of staff, two congressional liaisons, two political directors and two schedulers in his first year in office alone. And that’s just a handful of all the hirings and firings. The Trump-Clinton parallel also runs between their initial legislative records — or lack thereof. Clinton and Trump each had the advantage of their party controlling both houses of Congress. Trump hasn’t been able to capitalize on these advantages yet, but neither did Clinton early in his administration.  Both men campaigned promising to focus on jobs. Yet Clinton failed to pass a meaningful economic stimulus bill, and he abandoned his plans for a middle-class tax cut. Trump’s plans for tax reform are likewise stalled. Both men promised to reform the country’s healthcare system. Trump’s attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act went up in smoke late last Thursday, while Clinton’s healthcare dreams were also starting to vanish at the same point in his own term. Both presidents announced unpopular, restrictive military personnel policies that caused a backlash on the Hill. Both were dogged by past scandals that followed them to D.C. Both had problems picking an attorney general. I could go on.  Poor organization, ineffective messaging, high turnover and legislative failures link Clinton and Trump’s early White Houses. Clinton’s approval in June 1993 fell to just 36 percent. Trump’s currently stands at 36 percent. Trump’s experience to date doesn’t look so unusual when taken in proper perspective. Here may lie the difference: Clinton recovered — there is less reason to believe Trump will do the same. Clinton proved he was a quick learner and a skilled politician. Trump has given the public no reason to believe he is capable of such a transformation. So if Trump truly wants to be a better president, he might need to study the changes made by a past president he can empathize with, even if it’s one he despises. David O’Connell is an assistant professor of political science at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He is the author of “God Wills It: Presidents and the Political Use of Religion.”  The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill. View the discussion thread. Contributor's Signup The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Politics

US

I think the hilarity in this image may speak for itself: But I will translate anyhow. If you happen to be the kind of person who’s willing to spend $1,295 on one of the least inspiring gadgets we’ve ever reviewed, an utter mess of a phone — and yet also the kind of person who hasn’t already bought one and was miraculously waiting until just now — now is your golden opportunity, your limited-time-only chance to get a free copy of a disappointingly average superhero film that came out last year. A movie that you can already purchase on Blu-ray for $25. Or $30 if you want Blu-Ray 3D. Carpe diem!

Technology

Smartphones

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Datacolor AG: * DATACOLOR AG - IN FISCAL 2018/19, DATACOLOR AG POSTED NET SALES OF USD 78.8 MILLION (FISCAL 2017/18: USD 81.1 MILLION) * DATACOLOR AG - IN FISCAL 2018/19, WITH NET INCOME OF USD 3.6 MILLION (USD 4.1 MILLION), EARNINGS PER SHARE AMOUNTED TO USD 21.84 (USD 25.29) * FY OPERATING INCOME EBITDA WAS USD 7.6 MILLION (USD 8.4 MILLION), THE EBITDA MARGIN 9.6% (10.3%), THE EBIT USD 5.6 MILLION (USD 6.2 MILLION) AND THE EBIT MARGIN 7.1% (7.6%) Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdansk Newsroom)

Technology

Software

A 32-year-old woman with a history of IVF failures miraculously gave birth in Greece on Tuesday after undergoing an experimental procedure that involved using her DNA, the sperm from the father and an egg from a donor woman. The birth of the healthy baby boy was done with a maternal spindle transfer, according to the Institute of Life and Embryotools, where the research took place. The organization says the method — which preserves the mother’s genetic material — is used to help women with “fertility issues associated with multiple in vitro fertilization failures caused by cytoplasmic dysfunction of the oocytes or rare mitochondrial genetic diseases.” It took five years of research at Embryotools in Spain followed by two and a half years of clinical work in Greece before they could try it. “A woman’s inalienable right to become a mother with her own genetic material became a reality,” Dr. Panagiotis Psathas, president of the Institute of Life in Athens, said in a press release. According to CNN, 24 other women are taking part in the trial and eight embryos will be implanted. The news outlet reports that the technique was used in Mexico during 2016 to help a family with mitochondrial disease complications have a baby. It was then used in Ukraine in 2017 for a 34-year-old mother who suffered from “unexplained infertility.” According to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, “the mitochondria in the cells throughout our bodies are responsible for creating 90 percent of the energy needed to sustain life and support organ function. When mitochondria malfunction, organs start to fail —  people get sick, and even die.” The procedure doesn’t come without controversy, as some doctors point out that solving fertility issues and preventing mitochondrial diseases are very different. “I’m concerned that there’s no proven need for the patient to have her genetic material removed from her eggs and transferred into the eggs of a donor,” Tim Child, from the University of Oxford and the medical director of The Fertility Partnership, told the BBC. “The risks of the technique aren’t entirely known, though may be considered acceptable if being used to treat mitochondrial disease, but not in this situation,” he added. “The patient may have conceived even if a further standard IVF cycle had been used.”

Science

Biology

ZURICH, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Swisscom AG on Wednesday increased its cost-cutting target to fight competition from agiler rivals that it making it hard to grow core profit and sales. The Swiss telecoms group said it now aimed to reduce costs in Switzerland by 100 million Swiss francs ($1071 million) a year through 2020, in part by eliminating 700 jobs. Last year it had targeted 60 million francs in annual cost cuts. It forecast 2018 revenue of around 11.6 billion francs, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of around 4.2 billion and capital expenditure of less than 2.4 billion. Last year revenue was flat at 11.66 billion, EBITDA held steady at 4.30 billion and capex fell 1.6 percent to 2.38 billion. It proposed an unchanged dividend of 22 francs per share, the level it also targets for next year should it hit its goals. $1 = 0.9345 Swiss francs Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by John Miller

Technology

Software

Washington (CNN)Wisconsin radio host Charlie Sykes said he's been courted by Donald Trump via a handwritten note -- but the conservative commentator said he's still on the #NeverTrump train. Sykes wrote for RightWisconsin.com on Friday that Trump's note to him was scrawled on the front page of a recent issue of The New York Times. "Charlie -- I hope you can change your mind. Look forward to doing your show," Trump wrote, according to Sykes. The real estate magnate drew an arrow to a Times story, "Once Against, Another Flank Of G.O.P. Warms Up to Trump," signed the note and then wrote, "I will win!" "Apparently, Donald Trump is deciding that he wants to actually reach out to conservatives and that he recognizes that he's going to have to do a little bit of damage control if he's going to unify the Republican Party," Sykes told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield Saturday on "CNN Newsroom." "I want to make it clear that I appreciate the fact that he made the effort to send me that newspaper, and didn't have a dead fish wrapped in it or anything," Sykes joked. "At least he was suggesting he might want to come back on the show." Sykes tweeted on Friday, "Charm offensive? Just got a handwritten note from @realDonaldTrump. Seriously. Apparently reaching out to #NeverTrump" He later followed with, "Safe to say that @realDonaldTrump note is... unusual... but I appreciate the outreach. But still #NeverTrump" Sykes interviewed Trump on his radio show a week before the Wisconsin primary in March, and asked Trump halfway through the interview if he knew Sykes was a #NeverTrump supporter. "It was somewhat brutal ... I pressed him pretty hard on his insults to the wives of other candidates, the things he'd said about women," Sykes told Whitfield. "I would say that we were cordial, he was a good sport about it, but it was a tough interview." Sykes said he's also #NeverHillary, so he's not sure yet who he'll vote for in November. "I will definitely vote and I am still holding out for the possibility that there will be a third-party candidate," he told Whitfield. "But also, I am holding out hope that I'll get a unicorn for my birthday."

Politics

US

TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co Ltd, Japan’s top electric-arc furnace steelmaker, on Monday said it would hold product prices steady in April as it needs to ensure markets have absorbed its hikes from earlier this year. The company said last month that it would freeze product prices in March after three months of hikes on tight markets as well as rising transportation costs. “Overseas steel markets remain tight given the healthy economy worldwide ... and domestic steel demand remains solid,” Tokyo Steel’s Managing Director, Kiyoshi Imamura, told reporters at a briefing. “But we are keeping our prices unchanged next month to make sure our hikes through February have been absorbed by every layer of the market.” Tokyo Steel’s pricing strategy is closely watched by Asian rivals such as South Korea’s Posco and Hyundai Steel Co, as well as China’s Baoshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd(Baosteel). U.S. President Donald Trump pressed ahead earlier this month with import tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium, describing the dumping of these products in the U.S. market as “an assault on our country”. Imamura said the news on the U.S. tariffs has helped boost prices of steel products in that country, but that the direction of markets outside the United States remained uncertain as possible countermeasures by other countries were still being worked out. “The global steel market may stay volatile for a month or so due to speculative trades, but I don’t think it will last for long,” Imamura said, adding that markets, including in China and Southeast Asia, would be underpinned by strong demand. Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Joseph Radford

Industry

Manufacturing

Beyoncé debuted her athletic line, Ivy Park, earlier this year the best way possible — with an empowering video featuring a Blue Ivy cameo (which was insanely adorable in case you missed it). And now to kick off the launch of the fall collection, she delivered another motivational message to fans which also had a family connection. In the clip above, Beyoncé talks about how she pushes her body every day saying, “I know my body can learn how to bend and not break. I know what it’s capable of. I’ve seen it perform miracles.” The video then cuts to a clip of the birth of her daughter. She explains that even when her body is exhausted she has a way to push past it. “When I’m about to give up, I picture that one person I love more than anyone,” she says. “I picture them wherever they are in the world, and I imagine myself running towards them. I see their face, and they’re smiling and cheering, and they’re so proud of me. They’re shouting my name. And I make it to the end. I push past the pain, and I find love.” In the first video to kick off the line, she said that when she went on runs when she was younger, it was her family who also motivated her then. “I remember wanting to stop, but I would push myself to keep going. He taught me discipline. And I would think about my dreams. I would think about the sacrifices my parents made for me. I would think about my little sister and how I was her hero. I would look at the beauty around me. The sunshine through the trees. I would keep breathing.” The new collection (available now!) features the same clean-cut lines as the first, with bold print logos on most of the merchandise. But there are a few cool warm-weather additions, like a camo-print parka, cropped hoodie and oversize denim jumpsuit that are sure to be this collection’s sell-out items. All the new pieces hit stores today. So tell us, which are going in your shopping cart?

Self-Help

Self-Improvement

Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling is a national security, intelligence and terrorism analyst for CNN. He served for 37 years in the Army, including three years in combat, and retired as commanding general of US Army Europe and the 7th Army. He is the author of "Growing Physician Leaders." The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. (CNN)On July 11 and 12, NATO members will come together for their first summit since meeting in Warsaw in 2016. They were primed to discuss the strategic direction of the alliance and ambitious subjects like enhancing capabilities to fight terrorism, addressing cyber and hybrid attacks on national institutions, building a greater Black Sea presence, and further strengthening the transatlantic bond. Unfortunately, President Donald Trump's announced meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his continued trashing of the NATO alliance, and recent calls for a reassessment of US force posture on the European continent have undercut the planned NATO agenda and will likely take the air out of the room in Brussels, Belgium. During the late 19th and 20th centuries, there were at least six major wars on the European continent, including two World Wars. Tens of millions died. Since the NATO alliance was formed, there have been minor skirmishes — Bosnia, Kosovo, others — but no major wars. Simply put, NATO is the architecture of a Europe whole, free and at peace -- and the United States is the steel of that architecture. While President Trump is right when he says the NATO joint commitments to our collective defense must evolve, doing so without a vision of transformation is poor leadership and a missed opportunity. NATO grew from 14 to 29 nations after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1989. The newest members — mostly former eastern bloc countries — sought stability, security and freedom from the Russian sphere of influence. Joining NATO was the best strategic measure available to them to allay the continued fear of Russian interference in their sovereignty — and potentially a return of Russian forces to their territory — and it gave them the growing opportunity to enhance their national defense capabilities by seamlessly working with other members of the alliance. US forces in Europe have a motto With the recent attention on North Korea, many Americans were reminded of the mantra of US and Republic of Korea forces on the peninsula: "Prepare to fight tonight." The American forces in Europe also have a motto: "Stronger together." Those forces continuously build trust and maintain the NATO partnerships (and add security to areas outside the European continent) because they are "an ocean closer" to major contingencies in Africa, the Middle East and Europe that might occur. Belonging to NATO provides significant strategic opportunities for the United States. The US presence in Europe gives our military far greater flexibility for global operations that defend American interests from within that NATO alliance, and we gain significantly from being a part of that group of like-minded nations. Defining how we address this realignment is critical. It's easy to dismiss the alliance as a 20th century relic: This ignores that it remains the essential core of our 21st century security needs in a new era of great-power politics underlaid by hybrid threats -- the kinds of things addressed in President Trump's recently published National Security Strategy. But our allies fear that he intends to counter his own strategy while disrupting this proven alliance when it may be needed most. It is now confirmed that the President will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin a few days after the NATO summit. Since Russia's annexation of Crimea, Russia has launched asymmetric attacks into the sovereign territory of eastern Ukraine, provided the missile and the air defense system that shot down a civilian passenger jet over the eastern region of Ukraine, has partnered with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad as he has used chemical weapons and bombed hospitals in Syria, and allegedly used a nerve agent to poison Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom — just a few of the Kremlin actions that have caused the united NATO members to focus sanctions and wrath on Russia. It's not by accident that most of the summit agenda addresses methods to counter the Kremlin's adventurism. Trump's pursuit of a post-game meeting with the Russian President is rightfully seen by members of the alliance as counter to the core collective security goals of the organization. This is doubly true when the President says, "NATO is as bad as NAFTA" and then followed up by sending letters to eight NATO members berating them about not meeting the 2% of GDP defense spending target. Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands received his notes. These public diplomatic affronts — seen as motivated by domestic political talking points — will continue to disrupt the members who are actively contributing to military missions alongside the United States. Our contributions as allies need to be better balanced, and Germany needs to step up. But shifting security requirements should mean new ways of determining what these contributions include. Finally, there is new reporting that President Trump was "taken aback" by the size of the US presence in Germany and asked for an analysis of the potential withdrawal or transfer of those forces. This has caused anxiety in Washington and in European capitals alike. While the Pentagon continuously reviews the number of deployed and stationed US forces everywhere in the world, the timing of this particular release concerning the number of US forces in Germany prior to the NATO summit was unfortunate. American forces in Europe are mostly positioned in Germany because that is where they "stopped" at the end of World War II. European Command Headquarters is in Stuttgart, US Army Europe was in Heidelberg but is now consolidated in Wiesbaden, US Air Force Europe is at Ramstein (near Frankfurt), and now the new US Africa Command (AFRICOM) is also in Germany, placed there for a variety of force protection and efficiency reasons. During the Cold War, the United States had over 250,000 soldiers in Europe, most in Germany. In 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell and the United States realized the potential for a peace dividend with the Russian Federation, the heavy and conventional US forces had plans to withdraw by the mid-'90s. Desert Storm and the fighting in Bosnia and Kosovo delayed that action, because most of the US forces fighting to liberate Kuwait and conduct peacekeeping operations in the former Yugoslavia were those deployed from within Europe. Nonetheless, by the end of the century, the massive Cold War contingent was drawn down to about 90,000. In 2003, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gave the European Command commanding general another order to further reduce those forces to "about" 35,000 between 2003-2011. The Army and the Air Force would do that, consolidating into five major bases in Germany. The mission has changed The mission of the US military forces in Europe, like NATO, has changed since the end of the Cold War, addressing a wider range of global threats. Counterterrorism, intelligence operations, cybersecurity, countering human and terrorist trafficking, noncombatant evacuation operations, engagement and training with allies and partners for participation in out-of-theater operations, security and peacekeeping operations, national guard partnership programs, and a variety of other "engagement" missions are run from Europe. The United States maintains critical facilities in Germany, sized to meet the missions. One key function coordinates intelligence with most of our partners, especially on issues like terrorism and trafficking. The military training center at Grafenwoehr, once a US Army facility, is now a place where all allied militaries train together so they can fight together like they did in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and multiple African countries. Landstuhl Hospital, the military's only Level III trauma hospital outside the United States, also serves as a transfer point for military and diplomatic personnel in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Tens of thousands of wounded went through Landstuhl from combat zones to stabilize before returning to the United States. There are many large logistics units that contribute to the continuing mission in Europe but are also positioned in Europe for current operations in other areas (like support to our troops in Afghanistan and peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and Middle East) and future contingencies that might involve port openings, movement of massive amounts of supplies, and intermodal operations. There is also the Marshall Center, an educational facility that has contributed to the development of ranking military officials and high-ranking government officials from Europe, Africa, Middle East and beyond. Finally, we keep two combat brigades in Europe, each with about 6,000 soldiers that conduct training, exercises and operations with those 49 countries in Europe and the Levant, along with a large Army Aviation unit in Germany that provides airlift support for not only soldiers but also any US official (Congress, President, etc.) traveling in the theater. All in all, it isn't a large footprint. Having served in Europe for a big part of my career and having commanded US Army forces there from 2011-2013 — in the midst of both the "reset" and President Obama's "pivot to Asia" — I can say that the mission is instrumental to the Alliance's strength and viability. That's especially true now in the face of Russian expansionism and threatening actions. NATO remains the best bet for keeping threats from American shores, and it also contributes to building the transformed alliances that will face the new threats of the 21st century. In many ways, Putin has acted to counter the influence of NATO, disrupt Western alliances and Western institutions, defeat the economic community of Europe, and return to the Russia of old. A continuously evolving and strong NATO prevents him from achieving his goals. But NATO needs to be more than a shield to hold the army of the Russian bear at bay. It must transform into a new fabric of capabilities and deterrence designed to repel hybrid and non-state threats. The upcoming meetings may set the course for the future of the West, and for the strength — or weakness — of the United States for the remainder of the century.

Military

Defense

Members Exchange (MEMX) filed paperwork to the Securities Exchange Commission to operate as a stock exchange, according to documents made public on Thursday. The stock exchange upstart says it will launch next year if approved by regulators. Why it matters: MEMX is backed by a slew of Wall Street heavyweights and is hoping to take on NYSE parent company Intercontinental Exchange and the Nasdaq — which dominates the industry — by offering a cheaper platform. But other new stock exchanges haven’t been successful in taking significant market share away from the bigger players.

Other

Other

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama teared up as he announced executive actions on guns and described some of the gun violence that has killed children around the US. "Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad," Obama said as he wiped tears. "It happens on the streets of Chicago every day." Then Fox News decided to mock him for it. "I would check that podium for, like, a raw onion," host Andrea Tantaros said. "It's not really believable." But The Daily Show's Trevor Noah was not having it. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he said. "Shedding tears when you think of murdered children is not really believable? You know what? There is something here that's not really believable: the fact that the rest of us have to share the title of human being with you." There's a lot of history behind Obama's emotional plea on guns. The president has consistently cited his inability to pass significant gun control legislation as one of his greatest frustrations while in office. After multiple mass shootings, he has pleaded with the general public and Congress time and time again to support new restrictions on firearms — but congressional Republicans won't budge, in large part due to the powerful gun lobby and gun culture in the US. So Obama decided to act on his own. His executive actions include an attempt to tighten — but not close — the "gun show loophole" (which allows some gun sellers to avoid carrying out background checks) and hire more staff to conduct federal background checks, among other changes. But the actions are fairly small, limited to ensuring that existing laws are more strictly enforced instead of imposing new restrictions on firearms. To read more about Obama's executive actions, check out Vox's explainer.

Politics

US

Team Rising weighs in on the latest polling in the Democratic primary. A prominent health care activist called out South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s “Medicare for All who want it” plan, arguing it merely preserves the status quo for the health care industry.  “Majority Report” host Sam Seder addressed an influential Nevada union’s criticism of what it said was aggression by supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) after it distributed flyers blasting “Medicare for All” proposals in a Hill.TV interview Thursday. Hill.TV's Krystal Ball on Wednesday tore into the Mainstream media's coverage of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I - VT) victory in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.  Hill.TV host Saagar Enjeti on Wednesday delivered a tribute to businessman Andrew Yang who suspended his presidential campaign on Tuesday.   Democratic voters are more skeptical of the U.S. election system than Republican voters, a new Hill/HarrisX poll shows. A spokesperson for Tom Steyer’s presidential campaign said on Wednesday that top aides are “confident” in the Democrat's chances in the Nevada caucuses as he looks to gain momentum in more diverse states in the coming weeks. A senior Democratic strategist working with former South Bend, Ind. Hill.TV host Krystal Ball on Tuesday claimed "everything is on the line tonight" for Former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2020 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Politics

Government

The level of bearishness around oil stocks has become "extreme," and it's time to play for an energy snapback. So argues Goldman Sachs' options team, which goes on to recommend a bullish play on energy stocks. Examining options market pricing, Goldman's John Marshall and Katie Fogertey observe that nervousness about increased oil-price declines have shot up, as more and more investors appear to have taken to the options market to hedge their exposure or to make outright bearish calls. Marshall and Fogertey grant that such positioning indicators are of limited use when it comes to making long-term calls. But in the near term, any shift in position is likely to be a "tailwind." In order to play for a sentiment-driven spike, the strategists recommend buying calls on the SPDR Energy Sector ETF (XLE). Specifically, they recommend buying the March 58-strike calls for $1.30 per share — a bet that will pay off if the energy ETF rises above $59.30 by mid-March, which is 10.5 percent above Wednesday's closing price. Read More Gusher of supply keeps pounding oil prices Societe Generale macro strategist Larry McDonald says that such a trade makes sense. Given the high levels of capitulation, "there's a high probability of a 10 to 20 — maybe even 30 — percent bounce here, so your risk-reward today is very good." Not everyone is on board. Todd Gordon of TradingAnalysis.com says that with options prices relatively expensive (as Goldman points out), it might be smarter to sell options rather than buy them. If one insisted on making bullish play, then, Gordon would recommend selling put options rather than buying call options.

Finance

Investment

BRASILIA, March 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian stocks are expected to open around 7% higher on Friday, according to futures market indications, while the real strengthened and interest rate futures fell as a global torrent of mass stimulus lifted investor sentiment. Brazil’s benchmark Bovespa index is down 35% this month, on course for its biggest monthly fall since 1998. The real’s rise early Friday pushed it close to 5.00 per dollar , after it hit a record low of 5.25 per dollar earlier this week. Reporting by Jamie McGeever and Luana Maria Benedito; Editing by Kevin Liffey

Politics

Government

LONDON (Reuters) - Customers of Britain’s TSB complained they were locked out of their online banking again on Tuesday only two months after a botched IT upgrade plunged the bank into chaos. The bank said that the issue had been resolved but a number of customers took to Twitter to flag that they were still unable to access their accounts. Some said computers were also down in their local branches. “Why are you still insisting that the app is fixed?” One customer, Yvonne Nicol, wrote on Twitter to TSB. “Listen to your customers...” Others threatened to close their accounts with the bank following the outage. It occurred after TSB, owned by Spain’s Sabadell (SABE.MC), updated its mobile app, but a spokeswoman told Reuters the issues were unrelated to this. The bank had apologized for the outage in a statement sent via email and to customers on Twitter and said the problem had been fixed, with services working as normal. “We’re seeing customers logging into our online banking in line with normal levels,” a spokeswoman told Reuters in response to the continued customer complaints. The latest outage comes just as TSB was returning to normality after an attempt to switch its customer base over to a new IT system left thousands of customers locked out of their accounts, with some unable to access their accounts for over a week or make vital payments, and others falling victim to fraud. The crisis and the bank’s handling of it have tarnished the reputation of the mid-sized lender, which was just gearing up to try to win more market share in a sector dominated by the four biggest lenders. In June, a powerful committee of lawmakers called on the TSB board to consider whether CEO Paul Pester should stay in his job, saying the bank’s public communications following the outage had been complacent and misleading. Pester and TSB Chairman Richard Meddings were called before the committee twice, with lawmakers raising concerns the bank had downplayed the scale of the problem. An early report into what went wrong by International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N), called in by TSB to help fix the issue, concluded that inadequate testing of the new system had contributed to the outage. The bank has also commissioned law firm Slaughter & May to produce a report into the outage, which will be published with commercially sensitive information redacted once it is complete. Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Keith Weir

Finance

Banking

ROME/MILAN, April 24 (Reuters) - Alitalia workers rejected a proposal to cut jobs among ground staff and trim flight personnel’s salaries as part of a major restructuring, putting the loss-making Italian airline on course for government-led special administration, union sources said. Despite an initial deal reached with unions on April 14, Alitalia failed to win staff backing for its turnaround plan that was necessary to unlock financing and help avoid having to ground planes. (Reporting by Alberto Sisto and Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Other

Other

The U.S. military successfully intercepted a mock ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean in a test of a missile-defense system aimed at protecting the U.S. from the sort of ballistic missiles being developed by North Korea, the Missile Defense Agency said Tuesday. The mock ICBM-class target was fired from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Site in the Marshall Islands. And an interceptor — launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, about 22 miles north of Santa Barbara, Calif. — locked on the target and brought it down. Sensors tracked the target over the Pacific before the California-based interceptor destroyed it "in a direct collision," the missile agency said in an announcement. "This test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat," said Vice Adm. Jim Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency. The test is the first of the ground-based, mid-course defense system against an ICBM-class target, Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon ahead of the test. The U.S. has a total of 36 of the interceptors like the one used Tuesday split between Vandenberg Air Force Base and Fort Greely in Alaska, according to a Missile Defense Agency fact sheet. North Korea, which has repeatedly stated its intention to strike the U.S. mainland, has conducted an “unprecedented” number of tests and launches over the past year, Davis said. Most recently, it launched a Scud missile Sunday that landed in the Sea of Japan. But Davis said Tuesday's test is not in direct response to the current tensions with North Korea. “Obviously, North Korea is one of the reasons why we have this capability,” Davis said. “But North Korea is not the only reason why we have this capability and why we test this capability. Iran also continues to develop more sophisticated missiles and improve the range and accuracy of current missile systems.” The interceptor tested Tuesday is just one element of a broader strategy to protect the country from incoming missiles. “We improve and learn from each test, regardless of the outcome. That’s the reason we conduct them,” Davis said. “Our goal is to continue to be able to tell you with confidence that we have the ability to defend the homeland."

Other

Other

May 1 (Reuters) - Semler Scientific Inc: * Q1 REVENUE ROSE 117 PERCENT TO $4.463 MILLION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:

Technology

Telecommunications

In February, THUMP took a moment to step away from all the festival announcements to ask: why are do all line ups look the same? The facts are hard to deny: lots of the same artists are playing the same kinds of festivals, which all tend to offer pretty similar kinds of experiences. Festivals have to scramble to get you to notice them, and the results aren't always on the money—consider, for example, the $1 million dollar-per-ticket festival in Iceland. These hyper-competitive conditions make sense, though. We all know the EDM's bubble has burst/is bursting, as exemplified by the very public struggles of dance music conglomerate SFX, which filed for bankruptcy back in February, and the ugly fallout that has followed. While obviously all dance music isn't EDM, it's hard to talk about the monetary aspect of dance music without acknowledging its pervasive influence. With this in mind, Swiss event production company MDRNTY was probably thinking about how they could make themselves stand out when they huddled around the drawing board for this year's Caprices festival in Crans-Montana. MDRNTY says on their website they specialize in "ephemeral events at unique locations," and their previous work with Caprices has involved a transparent festival tent designed to emphasize "panoramic views". So it's not necessarily surprising that they decided to send the Polish DJ Magda (real name Magdalena Chojnacka) up in a hot air balloon with a 360° video camera. The question we're left wondering, though, is: why? When does a high-tech, excessive display start to overshadow the music, which is supposed to be the main appeal in the first place? As you can see in the video above, Magda set was irrefutably excellent—as hers usually are; you can tell by her fine-tuned narrative pacing that she's been telling rollicking stories with house and disco-inflected sounds as a DJ for a long time. However, the lengths (6,000 feet in the air, literally) MDRNTY goes to create a spectacle here are a little intense. It makes you wonder: maybe some bubbles are meant to burst. Follow Alexander on Twitter.

Arts and Entertainment

Museums

-govt@ (Adds comments from the health minister) TOKYO, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Another 41 people on a cruise liner off Japan tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total cases confirmed on the ship to 61, Japan's health minister said on Friday. The jump in infected passengers on the cruise liner comes as the vessel was under a two-week quarantine with about 3,700 people in it. The new cases were out of the 171 remaining test results, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters. The rise in the number of infections shifts the mood for thousands of passengers stuck in the cruise who were allowed to breathe air on open decks on Thursday. Kato said that the new patients would be transported to hospitals in Tokyo and other towns. Live TV footage shows blue and white hoardings put up in the vessel where passengers diagnosed with the virus are moved out to medical facilities. The new cases take the total number of coronavirus infections in Japan to more than 80. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Travel

Cruises

Shailene Woodley in "Allegiant" Bad news for fans looking forward to the final Divergent film on the big screen. Variety reports today that Ascendant — the fourth and last of the The Divergent Series film adaptations — may not open in theaters. Instead, Lionsgate is planning for the sequel to air as a TV movie before the franchise is spun off into a full television series. Negotiations are reportedly in early stages, and it's yet unclear if Shailene Woodley and her co-stars Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort would return to star. Ascendant was originally scheduled for release in June 2017. Lionsgate declined to comment to BuzzFeed News. It is highly unusual — if not unprecedented — for a final installment of a major multi-movie franchise to skip theaters and head straight to the small screen. The move likely came as a consequence of the series' performance at the box office. The Divergent Series sequel Allegiant, which was released March 16 this year, made only $66 million, a steep plummet from the $150 million the first film, Divergent, earned in 2014 and the $130 million Insurgent grossed in 2015 on their opening nights. The latest news around Divergent may be another example of diminishing returns among YA adaptations to theaters. The Hunger Games franchise started out strong: The first 2012 film grossed $408 million at the domestic box office, and the second installment Catching Fire made $424 million the following year. However, the last Hunger Games book (of three) was split into two parts and Mockingjay — Part 1 earned $337 million in 2014 and Mockingjay — Part 2 made it across the finish line with $281 million. As for an ongoing franchise, The Maze Runner made $102 million since its release in 2014, but the series' earnings have only further dwindled, with 2015's Scorch Trials taking home $81 million. UPDATE Speaking to press at San Diego Comic-Con on July 21, Woodley said the possibility of Ascendant going straight-to-TV was news to her. “Honestly, I was on a plane when all that happened and I landed, and I’m like ‘Whoa, what’s going on?'” she said, according to Deadline. Woodley would not say if she'd return as the hero Tris in Ascendant were it to be developed as a TV movie or series, only noting, "I need to talk and find out what the details are." In an interview with Screen Rant, Woodley revealed she isn't keen on starring in a TV continuation of Ascendant. "I didn’t sign up to be in a television show," she told reporters. "Out of respect to the studio and everyone in involved, they may have changed their mind and may be doing something different, but I’m not necessarily interested in doing a television show." It's official: Woodley will not be playing Tris in Ascendant, the fourth and final Divergent movie reportedly being developed into a TV movie. "I'm not going to be on the television show," Woodley told Vanity Fair, confirming her exit from the Divergent franchise.

Entertainment

Movies

March 17 (Reuters) - As Company SA : * To propose not to pay FY 2015 dividend Source text: bit.ly/1Z4QuZD Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom)

Finance

Investment

The Moon enters Capricorn at 10:12 AM—a new moon is on the way tomorrow at 1:53 AM! What is your wish for the New Year? New moons bring new beginnings and are wonderful times for manifestation, so be sure to focus on whatever your heart desires. The Sun meets Mercury retrograde at 1:47 PM, which indicates that we'll be dealing with some communication issues—watch out for inflexibility. Everyone thinks they're right, but is anything true during Mercury retrograde? Mercury connects with Mars in Pisces at 6:06 PM; people will be straightforward and confident with their words. The Moon meets Mercury at 11:46 PM and Mars at 12:49 AM, creating a dynamic, active atmosphere. All times EST. As the first sign in the zodiac, you love a fresh start, Aries. The Capricorn new moon that arrives early tomorrow morning will turn over a new leaf in your career and in your reputation! Mercury retrograde in Capricorn has been encouraging you to see things differently, and the new moon that's coming up in Capricorn will also inspire some philosophical breakthroughs. Who said Tauruses are inflexible? There's a new moon coming in Capricorn, and it will activate a very sensitive and psychic sector of your chart. Issues in your intimate relationships will be up for reconsideration, as will concerns about finances. A fresh start in your relationships is coming, thanks to the new moon in Capricorn very early tomorrow morning. Focus on the big picture—the details will work themselves out. New moons mean new beginnings, and this new moon in grounded Earth sign Capricorn is helping you settle in to a new routine. Looking for work? Or trying to get healthy or kick a bad habit? Now's the time. The Moon enters fellow Earth sign Capricorn today, and a new moon is coming early tomorrow morning. This will bring a fresh start to your romantic relationships, and it will inspire you to begin some new creative projects. You're nostalgic as hell today, Libra. It's a wonderful time to connect with your elders and learn more about where your family came from and what they've been through. The new moon in Capricorn will bring new traditions into your life. Mercury retrograde in Capricorn has been bringing your mixed messages and delays, but it's also brought you more time to reflect. A new moon—also in Capricorn—comes late tonight, and with it comes a new way of thinking and communicating. A new moon in worldly Earth sign Capricorn is on the way, Sagittarius! This is a powerful time to manifest material abundance in your life, and to reflect on issues concerning your self-esteem. The moon enters your sign today, Capricorn! A new moon is coming very early tomorrow morning. New moon, new you? You're constantly growing, yet you always stay closely connected to your roots. This is a wonderful time for a fresh start—and to honor the past. Take it easy, Aquarius. There's a new moon in Capricorn coming up, and it's encouraging you to catch up on some rest and alone time. This is a great time to take a break from social media and technology in general. A fresh start in your social life is coming, thanks to the upcoming new moon in Capricorn. A new community is forming around you—hopefully one that's not filled with assholes. What's in the stars for you in December? Read your monthly horoscope here. Want these horoscopes sent straight to your inbox? Click here to sign up for the newsletter.

Astrology

Zodiac

Kanye West is in Dayton, Ohio ... and all signs are pointing to him hosting his Sunday Service in the same city where 9 people were killed in a recent mass shooting. Kanye and his family were spotted Friday afternoon in Dayton ... which is pretty interesting, considering that's where his longtime friend Dave Chappelle is hosting a free show Sunday to honor the lives that were lost in this month's tragedy. Our sources tell us Kanye appeared to be scouting a location for a Special Sunday Service ... and there are rumblings he will be bringing in his choir as well. We reached out to Kanye's camp for confirmation ... but we haven't heard back. As you know ... Kanye's Sunday Service has become super popular this year, with tons of celebs attending. He had a huge service at Coachella and has held the rest mostly around Los Angeles. Stay tuned ...

Arts and Entertainment

Museums

LONDON (Reuters) - A key overnight benchmark rate European banks use to lend money to each other showed signs of stabilizing on Friday after a surge this week that raised questions about possible funding stresses. The Euro Over Night Index Average (EONIA) EONIA= had spiked 12 basis points over two fixings, leaving analysts puzzled by the sudden surge. But on Friday it was fixed at -0.291 percent, down from -0.241 percent on Thursday, its highest since March 2016. Still, EONIA was set for its biggest weekly rise since November 2014, according to Reuters data. That’s a marked contrast for a rate that has been in a tight trading range for more than a year. Traders said they suspected the sharp rise in the rate was sparked by demand for funds by one bank but did not have any further details, while others added that month-end demand for funds may also have made a contribution to the rise. “I haven’t heard anything systemic here and it seems to be related to one firm which is having some funding issues and we will come to know next week,” said Kit Juckes, head of FX strategy at Societe Generale. “There is no spillover effect to other markets for now.” A spokeswoman for the European Central Bank confirmed that the readings of the fixing were accurate. They are published after the close of markets on each trading day. Another possible cause for the EONIA spike could be a bank or banks which recently enjoyed ratings upgrades, switching their source of funding from the ECB to the interbank market, other analysts said. But while the rare spike in EONIA rates has caused a stir in financial markets, most analysts did not believe it was a sign of broader funding stress among European banks. Most also reckon the benchmark remains a valid measure of interbank lending rates. “We have a robust economic backdrop, countries such as Italy have been addressing problems in its banks and the sector is more solid than it has been for some time, so I don’t see liquidity problems,” said DZ Bank rate strategist René Albrecht. Still, given this week’s sharp moves, traders and analysts had been watching Friday’s fixing with interest. “EONIA is only built on real deals, the only weakness is that it is 28 contributors,” said one euro zone money market trader. Reporting by Dhara Ranasinghe, Marc Jones, Sujata Rao and Saikat Chatterjee; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg

Financial Markets

Equities

A U.S. official told the BBC that the ships were traveling from Kuwait to Bahrain when the Navy lost contact. The ships are believed to have experienced mechanical problems before being “picked up” by Iran’s coast guard and taken to Farsi Island. It is not clear if the ships, which may have been about 12 nautical miles away from Iran when the incident occurred, had drifted into Iranian waters. The New York Times reported that Fars, Iran’s semi-official news agency, said the ships were more than a mile into Iranian territory, and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards had confiscated GPS equipment that would “prove that the American ships where ‘snooping’ around in Iranian waters.”  Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook, who spoke with The Associated Press, said “We have been in contact with Iran and have received assurances that the crew and the vessels will be returned promptly.”  The Persian Gulf has been the site of increased tension in the last few weeks: At the end of December Iran conducted rocket tests in the Strait of Hormuz, about 1,500 yards away from a U.S. aircraft carrier and French frigate. There are currently four Americans known to be held in Iran.

Politics

International Relations

LILLE, France (Reuters) - A young black panther that escaped last week and was seen prowling the rooftops of a northern French town has been stolen from the zoo where it was held after being recaptured, police and city officials said on Tuesday. Staff of the Maubeuge zoo noticed when they arrived for work that the security door of the feline’s pen had been forced open, the officials said. Police are checking footage from the zoo’s video surveillance system. The panther caused panic last week in Armentieres, a town close to the Belgian border, when it was spotted walking on a roof. The feline had been able to slip out after its owner, a private individual who had been keeping the panther in their home, had left a window open. The owner is wanted by police for keeping a dangerous animal in a private residence. After the escape, the fire brigade managed to catch the panther, and it was subsequently transferred to the Maubeuge zoo. The animal is a six-month old female, according to a local animal protection organization. Reporting by Pierre Savary; Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Christian Lowe

Nature

Animals

(CNN)During the second presidential debate, Donald Trump responded to revelations that he made derogatory remarks about women with a full-throated charge that Hillary Clinton had attacked women who had accused her husband of sexual assault over the past four-plus decades. "Hillary Clinton attacked those same women and attacked them viciously," said Trump. What's the truth here? Did she? Let's look at the cases one-by-one. Juanita Broaddrick One of the women, Juanita Broaddrick, had accused Bill Clinton of raping her in 1978 when he was attorney general of Arkansas. Broaddrick's allegation that Hillary Clinton warned her to remain silent about the rape stems from an encounter she had with Hillary Clinton at a fund raiser that same year. In an interview with the website, Breitbart, last week, Broaddrick recalled how Hillary Clinton held her hand and said to her, "I just want you to know how much Bill and I appreciate the things you do for him. Do you understand? Everything you do." Broaddrick told Breitbart: "What really went through my mind at that time is 'She knows. She knew. She's covering it up and she expects me to do the very same thing." Broaddrick did not initially report the alleged assault to law enforcement, but she did make the claim in interviews with the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The New York Times. Years later, she was subpoenaed to testify in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. As part of her testimony, she signed an affidavit denying that Clinton sexually assaulted her. She later recanted that denial when interviewed by investigators from Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's office. But, House managers chose not to call her as a witness in the case to impeach President Bill Clinton. In a February 1999 NBC interview, correspondent Lisa Myers asked Broaddrick, "did Bill Clinton or anyone near him ever threaten you, try to intimidate you, do anything to keep you silent?" Broaddrick answered: "no." Gennifer Flowers As the 1992 presidential primary campaign got under way, the former lounge singer asserted that she had had a long-running affair will Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton stirred up controversy when she told ABC News that Gennifer Flowers was "some failed cabaret singer who doesn't have much of a resume to fall back on." The New York Times recently reported that, by some accounts, Clinton gave the "greenlight" to hiring a private investigator who collected disparaging accounts from ex-boyfriends and others who knew Flowers and then provided these stories to news organizations. Internal campaign memos unearthed by the Times describe the aim of the work of the hard-nosed investigator was to "impugn" Flowers' character, "until she is destroyed beyond all recognition." But the New York Times reporting was not clear how involved Hillary Clinton was in this effort. Monica Lewinsky Yes, Hillary Clinton did call Monica Lewinsky, who had an affair with her husband, a "narcissistic loony toon." That phrase is from a journal kept by Diane Blair, a political science professor at the University of Arkansas and a person Hillary Clinton described as her closest friend. Blair, who died in 2000, kept notes of her conversations with Clinton. After Blair's death, her husband donated her papers, including her personal journal, to the University of Arkansas Special Collections Library. Blair wrote in her journal, about a September 9, 1998, conversation she had with her friend, in which Clinton tried to put his actions into context, but did not excuse, her husband's behavior. But, Clinton also had harsh words about Lewinsky who had said she had seduced the president. "It was a lapse," Blair writes, describing Clinton's view of her husband's affair, "but she says to his credit he tried to break it off, tried to pull away, tried to manage someone who was clearly a 'narcissistic loony toon;' but it was beyond control." So it is true that Hillary Clinton used an ugly description of Lewinsky. But, it is also true that this was made in a private conversation with a confidante. It was not a public statement made in a speech, a tweet, an interview or to Lewinsky's face. As such, it is difficult to make the argument that Clinton was trying to humiliate or bully Lewinsky by making this statement. Kathleen Willey Willey, a former White House aide, charged that Bill Clinton fondled her in 1993. She later told the Daily Caller that the Clintons tried to intimidate her into not telling the truth in court. Her evidence was a lunch between Clinton supporter Sidney Blumenthal and reporter Christopher Hitchens during which Blumenthal reportedly said of Willey, "well she looks good today ... she's not going to look good by Friday." Willey also asserted that she found a dead cat on her porch, spotted a man under her deck one night and a person in her neighborhood asking about her children. Paula Jones Bill Clinton entered into an $850,000 settlement with Jones, an Arkansas state worker who alleged that in 1991, he propositioned her and exposed himself. We have not uncovered instances of Hillary Clinton directly attacking Jones after she filed suit in 1994. But Jones recently told The New York Times that after her lawsuit, "they sent out people to dig up trash on me." Conclusion So it is clear that Hillary Clinton reacted in what could be seen as negative ways. According to some accounts, she at the very least went along with the hiring of a private investigator to look into the background of Gennifer Flowers. Some see her reaction as especially problematic coming from a person who promotes herself as a champion of women. Still, Broaddrick's example of intimidation is open to interpretation, and is weakened by her answer to NBC that no one "near Bill Clinton" had tried to intimidate her. Willey is not able to link the incidents that occurred directly or indirectly to Hillary Clinton. The comments Clinton made about Lewinsky were spoken in private to a close confidante. And Paula Jones has not pointed to a specific attack. All, in all, we think Trump's blanket charge that Clinton "viciously" attacked these women to be an exaggeration too far.

Politics

US

(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) is anticipating a double benefit from the U.S. corporate tax cut this year as it saves money on its own bill and expects an uptick in business travel as companies use tax savings to invest in generating new business. “We’re very excited about the potential for increased business demand with the tax cuts,” Delta President Glen Hauenstein told analysts in a conference call after quarterly earnings on Thursday. “We haven’t seen that materialize yet, but we expect that to materialize in the first quarter.” The No. 2 U.S. carrier reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Thursday, helped by higher business fares and a busy holiday travel season, and forecast even better performance this quarter as demand for travel remains strong across the board. Its shares rose 2.7 percent to $57.37 on the New York Stock Exchange, helping the NYSE Arca airline index .XAL up 2.3 percent, on track for its best day since Nov. 29. Atlanta-based Delta forecast total unit revenue, a measurement closely watched by investors, to increase by 2.5 percent to 4.5 percent in the first quarter of 2018, not including any benefit from increased travel that may result from the tax cut. In December, U.S. Congress passed a sweeping tax law designed to kick-start economic growth that slashed the corporate rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. Several U.S. companies have already said they will make more investments in their businesses and raise pay or bonuses for workers because of the new tax law, both of which could lead to an uptick in air travel. Delta said on Thursday the law would cut its own tax rate to between 22 percent and 24 percent in 2018. Partly due to those savings, Delta raised its full-year profit outlook to between $6.35 and $6.70 per share, well ahead of Wall Street estimates. Delta said it would not use tax savings to pay any U.S. tariffs slapped on its order of 75 CSeries jets from Canadian planemaker Bombardier Inc (BBDb.TO) as a result of an unresolved trade spat. A ruling on the matter is expected later this month. Delta is the first to report earnings after a broadly positive quarter, where airlines managed to hike fares to partially offset growth in fuel prices and other costs. Earlier this week United Airlines UAL.N and American Airlines (AAL.O) forecast higher unit revenue, followed by JetBlue Airways Corp (JBLU.O) on Thursday. Delta’s quarterly net profit fell as it took a combined hit of $60 million from December’s power outage at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport and Winter Storm Benji. It also took a one-time charge of $150 million due to the tax code change. Including those items, Delta’s fourth-quarter net income dipped to $572 million, or 80 cents per share, compared with $622 million, or 84 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding the tax charge and other one-time items, Delta earned 96 cents per share, above the average 88 cents per share expected by analysts, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Total operating revenue rose 8.3 percent to $10.25 billion from $9.46 billion. Analysts on average had expected revenue of $10.13 billion. “Stronger than expected revenues, good unit revenue momentum and raised 2018 guidance aided by benefits of tax reform would be the major takeaways,” said CFRA Research analyst Jim Corridore on the increase in Delta shares. Year over year, Delta’s costs, excluding fuel and special items, increased 5.6 percent, driven by higher labor expenses and accelerated depreciation from aircraft retirements. Reporting by Alana Wise in New York and Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Bill Rigby and Arun Koyyur

Business

Markets

The UK Home Office’s “EU Exit: ID Document Check” application, which allows citizens and their families to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme, is vulnerable to hacking. This is according to a report by Norwegian cybersecurity company Promon, which specializes in securing apps from hacking attacks. According to the report, the Brexit app (as it's commonly called) "lacks functionality that prevents malware from reading and stealing sensitive information provided by users, including passport details and photo IDs." Basically the app's not resilient enough to hackers adding malicious elements to it, repackaging it, redistributing it, or injecting malicious code while the app is running.   Promon claims hacking the app could be done by someone with limited technical skills, using commonly available tools.  The researchers point out that they didn't reveal a specific vulnerability; their assessment is based on the app's general lack of resilience against common attacks. They also focused on the Android version of the app; the app is also available on iOS.  The Android version of the Brexit app has been downloaded more than a million times. It asks users to give up sensitive information, including scanning their passports and photographing their faces.  The Financial Times, which first highlighted the issues raised in Promon's report, spoke to a Home Office spokesperson, who said the app is "regularly tested by independent security firms against all known and emerging threats and adheres to industry best practice on security, performance and accessibility."  According to the spokesperson, "over a million people have used the app safely."

Other

Other

BEIJING (Reuters) - A city in China’s far-western Xinjiang region has ordered people who are “poisoned by extremism, terrorism and separatism”, in contact with overseas terror groups or act in a conservative Islamic manner, to turn themselves in to authorities. Those who surrender to judicial organs within 30 days and confess to their crimes will be treated leniently and might avoid punishment, said a notice posted on Sunday on the official social media account of the Hami city government. Beijing has in recent months faced an outcry from activists, academics and foreign governments over mass detentions and strict surveillance of the Muslim Uighur minority and other ethnic groups that live in Xinjiang. China rejects the criticism, saying that it protects the religion and culture of minorities in the region and that its security measures are needed to combat the influence of “extremist” groups that incite violence there. “All individuals involved in terrorist crimes and poisoned by the ‘three evil forces’ are urged to surrender themselves to the judicial organs within 30 days and to confess and hand over the facts of your crime,” said the Hami city notice. The notice issued by the municipal “leading small group for stability maintenance” says that actions ranging from being in contact with overseas “terror” groups to conservative Islamic behavior should prompt individuals to turn themselves in. Advocating that people live their entire lives in accordance with the Koran, stopping other people from watching television, or banning alcohol, smoking and dancing at weddings are listed as behaviors that should warrant informing the authorities. The list also included openly destroying, rejecting or thwarting the government identification system, as well as rejecting government provided housing, subsidies and cigarettes or booze as being “haram” or forbidden. Those who turn themselves in on time will be treated leniently, and if the information provides a significant clue, then they might avoid all punishment, the notice said. In August, a United Nations human rights panel said it had received many credible reports that a million or more Uighurs and other minorities are being held in what resembles a “massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy” in Xinjiang. China says it is not enforcing arbitrary detention and political re-education. Aside from the mass detentions, rights groups also say that the Chinese government has significantly raised limitations on everyday religious observances in the region. Last month, the region’s capital Urumqi launched a campaign targeting halal products, like food and toothpaste, which are produced according to Islamic law, in order to prevent what it sees as the incursion of Islam into secular life. (This version of the story has been refiled to fix spelling in paragraph 8, “haram” not “harem”) Reporting by Christian Shepherd and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Michael Perry

Politics

International Relations

KAMPALA, April 4 (Reuters) - Uganda’s central bank lowered its benchmark lending rate to 16 percent on Monday from 17 percent previously, saying real growth had dipped at the start of this year and that consumer demand remains subdued. Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile told a news conference the bank forecast that both headline and core inflation would remain in the range of 6.5 percent in the first half of 2016, before declining to the bank’s medium term target of 5 percent in first quarter 2017. (Reporting by Elias Biryabarema,; Writing by George Obulutsa; editing by Drazen Jorgic)

Finance

Economics

MOSCOW – Chechnya&aposs leader says four gunmen who attacked a Russian Orthodox church in the mostly Muslim province have been killed by security forces and one policeman has died. Ramzan Kadyrov says the gunmen attempted to take people hostages inside the Archangel Michael Church on Saturday. He says in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that he personally oversaw a special operation in which the assailants were killed. Kadyrov says a police officer was fatally wounded in the confrontation and a churchgoer was wounded. Past attacks in Chechnya have involved radical Islamist rebels. The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to stabilize Chechnya after two separatist wars. He has used generous federal subsidies and his feared security forces to crush the Islamist rebellion, but violent clashes still happen occasionally in the region.

Politics

Turkey

(CNN)Rep. Gregg Harper, a Mississippi Republican and chair of the House Administration Committee, said Thursday that he will not seek re-election once his term ends in January 2019, the latest in a long string of senior GOP House members planning to leave Congress. "We have been contemplating for almost two years when it would be our time not to run again, and after spending time over Christmas and New Year's with my family, we made the very difficult decision to say that 10 years will be long enough," Harper said in a statement. "I never intended for this to be a career, and it will soon be time for another conservative citizen legislator to represent us." Harper became the 44th member of the current House -- including more than two dozen Republicans -- to announce that he will retire, campaign for other office or resign by the end of the current term. This means that more than one tenth of the chamber is planning to leave. For Republicans, it's the sixth committee chair this cycle to retire or run for another office. RELATED: There is a wave of Republicans leaving Congress Harper is in his fifth term, and was an attorney and chairman of the Rankin County Republican Party before first being elected to Congress in 2008. His seat in Mississippi's third congressional district is considered safely Republican and elected President Donald Trump by more than 20 percentage points. Among other responsibilities, the Administration Committee is spearheading the House's response to how Congress is addressing complaints about sexual harassment and held hearings on the issue last year. CNN's Deirdre Walsh, Wade Payson-Denney, Eric Bradner and Juana Summers contributed to this report.

Politics

Government

Three years before the forging of the current Iran nuclear deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stunned the international community at the United Nations 67th General Assembly by presenting a cartoon-style drawing of a nuclear bomb and advocating a tougher stance vis-à-vis Tehran. This week, some 24 hours after Israeli missiles allegedly destroyed joint Syrian-Iranian military sites in Syria, Netanyahu gave an encore: a Kafkaesque 20-minute PowerPoint presentation to transmit just one message–that the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is based on false information. Declaring in English that “Iran lied, big time” by failing to admit to a covert nuclear weapons program, he appeared to be targeting not the Israeli public but President Donald Trump, who is currently considering withdrawing the U.S. from the JCPOA by May 12. Trump considers the JCPOA the “worst and most one-sided transaction the U.S. has ever entered into.” But how did Netanyahu’s public display of supposedly “new and conclusive proof” of Iranian bad faith resonate in the European Union’s headquarters, and in London, Paris and Berlin (the EU-3), co-signatories of the JCPOA? And how do they feel about President Trump’s threats to torpedo the agreement? After all, this is an important question for three reasons. First, the JCPOA was first and foremost brokered as a result of the proactive engagement of the EU-3 and Federica Mogherini, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Affairs and Vice President of the European Commission. Second, the EU-3 and the EU as such have been the most vocal supporters of the agreement ever since it entered into force. Third, for the last three years, their approach has revolved around one basic assumption: that institutions of international legitimacy shall be the main arena to address and resolve any potential disputes that may arise in the context of the implementation of the JCPOA. In a rare show of foreign-policy unity, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany left it to Mogherini to respond to Netanyahu’s allegations. The JCPOA, Mogherini said, “was put in place exactly because there was no trust between the parties,” as “otherwise we would not have required a nuclear deal to be put in place.” The wording allowed her—and hence, the EU—to refrain from either questioning or endorsing Netanyahu, to study the purportedly new information, to continue to fight for the validity of the JCPOA, and to buy time. Calling for parties to wait for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) assessment, as “the only impartial, international organisation that is in charge of monitoring Iran’s nuclear commitments,” may have seemed a tepid response, but had a specific purpose. By referring to the IAEA, a move that was subsequently echoed by the EU-3, Mogherini’s goal was to remind both Netanyahu and more importantly Trump of the existence of credible and hitherto reliable verification mechanisms and an admittedly strict and robust monitoring regimen. As several observers have pointed out, the material presented by Netanyahu on Monday did not seem to differ meaningfully from what the IAEA had reported before the deal. The deal itself was predicated on the notion that Iran undoubtedly had a secret weapons program but would not be forced to acknowledge it under the terms of the agreement. Moreover, Mogherini’s reference to the mandate and functioning of the IAEA and the Joint Commission of the JCPOA was meant to call to mind their overwhelmingly recognized legitimacy, as well as to remind any party of its duty to submit any information of Iran’s potential non-compliance to them—rather than, presumably, airing raw intelligence documents in a livestreamed theatrical PowerPoint event. But time is running out, and May 12 is fast approaching. Well aware of the little time left, both French president Macron and German chancellor Merkel, during their recent visits to Washington, discussed the agreement with Trump–and, shortly thereafter, with British prime minister May–reaffirming their commitment to sticking with it. In an effort to throw the U.S. president an acceptable bone, they admitted that there are “important elements that the deal does not cover, but which we need to address”, hoping that this would help preserve the JCPOA. This joint statement follows up on a proposal voiced by Macron just a few days earlier, according to which the EU, the EU-3 and the U.S. should agree to block any Iranian nuclear activity beyond 2025, and address both Tehran’s ballistic missile program and Iran’s increasingly concerning role in the Middle East. Yet hoping the French proposal may rescue the JCPOA seems naïve at this point. Netanyahu’s provocative presentation was said to have been encouraged by newly-confirmed Secretary of State Pompeo during his visit to Israel just hours before, perhaps to provide obvious pretext for Trump, who has long denigrated the deal. Also, the proposal ignores the fact that Tehran would hardly feel inclined to agree to any amendment that would tighten rather than sweeten the JCPOA. Therefore, it seems as if all Brussels and the EU-3 are left with is merely hoping that Trump may, after all, change his mind and prolong the sanctions waiver by another 120 days, so they can use that period to come up with more convincing arguments that the JCPOA is the best of all possible deals and does not make the U.S. look weak. As is so often the case in foreign policy, the events revolving around Trump’s upcoming decision demonstrate that the EU does not have a plan B. This time, however, it cannot be blamed, given that neither the U.S. nor Iran seem to be prepared, let alone willing, to even ponder a compromise. U.S. withdrawal is likely to generate renewed escalation, despite European attempts at damage control: Iran’s president Rouhani already announced that if the U.S. administration does not live up to its commitments, the Iranian government will react decisively. Iran’s hardliners, who would be emboldened by a U.S. exit from the JCPOA, are likely to declare the agreement null and void and produce or purchase any military equipment Iran needed to defend itself, thus accelerating the already alarming arms race in the Middle East and, at the same time, motivating Israel and the U.S. to opt for a military response. Trump would consider his suspicions—that Iran is unreliable, hostile, and a threat to global peace—confirmed, even though, at the end of the day, it is the White House’s own brinkmanship endangering the Middle East’s fragile security order. The EU has proven in this region, through its skillful participation in brokering the JCPOA in the first place and by being recognized by all players as a partner for dialogue, that it can in fact make a difference on the world stage. Its strategy now is simple, and the same as in the past: focusing on and thus recognizing the legitimacy and power of international institutions and prioritizing dialogue over unilateral and hasty decisions. Whether this works in the short run, in the face of rather different and more obstructive language from the current administrations in Israel and the U.S., remains to be seen. What the EU is banking on is that building up institutions of international legitimacy will work in the long run. Tobias Schumacher is Chairholder of the European Neighbourhood Policy Chair at the College of Europe in Warsaw.

Politics

International Relations

France’s ultra-strict privacy watchdog CNIL has ordered WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with parent company Facebook. The app has a month to comply with the order, according to a public notice posted to the French website. The query began after WhatsApp added to its terms of service last year that it shares data with Facebook to develop targeted advertising, security measures, and to gather business intelligence. Upon investigating these claims, the CNIL ruled that while WhatsApp’s intention of improving security measures was valid, the app’s business intelligence reason wasn’t as acceptable. After all, WhatsApp never told its users it was collecting data for business intelligence and there’s no way to opt out without uninstalling the app. That violates “the fundamental freedoms of users,” said the CNIL. European regulators have attempted to police Facebook in the past, especially when it comes to data-sharing. Germany ordered Facebook to stop collecting data from WhatsApp users in September of last year, and in the UK, Facebook agreed to stop collecting WhatsApp user data in November of last year. Then this May, Facebook was fined $122 million by the EU for providing “misleading information” about its acquisition of WhatsApp, when the company claimed that it would be unable to link profiles of users from WhatsApp to Facebook. And in September, the EU asked social media platforms including Facebook to crack down on hate speech — with the looming threat of legislation if the companies didn’t comply.

Technology

Social Media

* Dollar steadies vs yen after last week’s rally * Focus on global trade tensions By Masayuki Kitano SINGAPORE, April 2 (Reuters) - The dollar held steady against the yen on Monday, taking a breather after last week’s rally and as it treads cautiously amid lingering concerns over a U.S.-China trade spat. The dollar last traded at 106.30 yen, after having risen more than 1.5 percent last week for its biggest weekly gain since September 2017. The U.S. currency had risen against the yen last week, helped by signs China and the United States were working behind the scenes to avoid a full-blown trade war, and hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough over North Korea’s nuclear programme. The resulting uptick in risk appetite weighed on the safe-haven yen, a currency that tends to rise during times of market turmoil and vice versa. Given the simmering U.S.-China trade tensions, however, some analysts say the dollar’s gains against the yen may be limited in the near term. China has slapped extra tariffs of up to 25 percent on 128 U.S. products including frozen pork, as well as on wine and certain fruits and nuts, in response to U.S. duties on imports of aluminium and steel, China’s finance ministry said. The tariffs, to take effect on Monday, matches a list of potential tariffs on up to $3 billion in U.S. goods published by China on March 23. Markets haven’t shown much reaction to China’s announcement so far, partly because Beijing had already warned of such measures, said Satoshi Okagawa, senior global markets analyst for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in Singapore. “However, if Chinese equities were to fall on this factor, we could see a general risk-off move,” Okagawa said. Analysts say another focus is the potential for foreign investment by Japanese institutional investors at the start of Japan’s new financial year. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s Okagawa said Japanese investors will probably increase their allocation to overseas assets, at least to some extent, which will support the dollar. “Still, it’s probably going too far to say that the dollar will head up towards 110 yen in April because of such fresh buying,” Okagawa added. Against a basket of six major peers, the dollar last stood at 89.967, having backed off from a one-week high of 90.178 set last Thursday. The euro held steady at $1.2321. Although expectations of an exit from the ECB’s stimulus had boosted the euro since last year, the common currency has been in a holding pattern since hitting a three-year high of $1.2556 on Feb. 16, with its March 1 low of $1.21545 seen as an immediate support level. (Reporting by Masayuki Kitano in Singapore Editing by Shri Navaratnam)

Finance

Currency

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss food giant Nestle will end its partnership with the International Association of Athletics Federations because of scandal surrounding the sport, the company said on Wednesday. The IAAF is in turmoil following widespread allegations of corruption and bribery. “This decision was taken in light of negative publicity associated with allegations of corruption and doping in sport made against the IAAF,” Nestle said in a statement. “We believe this could negatively impact our reputation and image and will therefore terminate our existing agreement with the IAAF, established in 2012.” Nestle had a partnership with the IAAF Kids Athletics program. “The IAAF is in discussion with Nestle concerning the final year of its five-year partnership with IAAF Kids’ Athletics,” the IAAF said in a statement. “This has been a successful program with 15 million kids aged 7 to 12 years in 76 countries taking part in fun team activities which promotes a healthy, active life style.” An independent commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency has stated in a report that “corruption was embedded” at the organization. The report said that a clique run by former IAAF president Lamine Diack covered up organized doping and blackmailed athletes while senior officials looked the other way. Diack is under formal investigation in France on suspicion of corruption and money-laundering linked to concealing positive drug tests, in concert with Russian officials. Sebastian Coe, the British former 1,500 meters Olympic champion, took over as IAAF President last year with the aim of cleaning up the organization, but the loss of the Nestle partnership is another major blow. “Angered and dismayed by today’s kids’ athletics announcement. We will not accept it. It’s the kids who will suffer,” Coe said. German sportswear company Adidas AG will also end its sponsorship deal with the IAAF almost four years early, the BBC reported last month. Reporting by Joshua Franklin and Ed Osmond,; Editing by Dominic Evans, Larry King

Other

Other

SAO PAULO, May 6 (Reuters) - A bankruptcy auction for struggling carrier Avianca Brasil that was scheduled for Tuesday has been suspended through a last-minute injunction, according to a legal document seen by Reuters. The suspension could put further stress into Avianca Brasil, which has struggled to maintain its operations afloat. It is unclear when a new auction will be scheduled. The suspension was first reported by newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo. (Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun)

Other

Other

The White House on Tuesday escalated its feud with Sen. Bob CorkerRobert (Bob) Phillips CorkerTrump announces, endorses ambassador to Japan's Tennessee Senate bid Meet the key Senate player in GOP fight over Saudi Arabia Trump says he's 'very happy' some GOP senators have 'gone on to greener pastures' MORE, sending an unmistakable signal to other Republicans that public criticism of President Trump will be met with a fierce public scolding. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders used her news briefing to tear into Corker, saying he had “rolled out the red carpet” for the Iran nuclear deal. She also voiced ambivalence about calls from Trump allies for the Tennessee Republican to resign. The barbs followed a fresh Twitter blast from Trump, in which the president gave the 5-foot-7-inch Corker a new disparaging nickname, “‘Liddle’ Bob,” and said he had been made to look like a “fool” in an interview. While many Senate Republicans were hoping to move on from the dispute, which began over the weekend, the White House appeared interested in underlining the consequences for any Republican who crosses Trump. In comments criticizing Trump over the weekend, Corker openly worried that the president could lead the country into World War III and said that almost every other Senate Republican shared his concerns. Those remarks had to alarm a White House that has struggled to move forward with its agenda. Still, the attacks on Corker are unlikely to help Trump notch a much-needed legislative victory. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman is a key player on the issues expected to dominate Washington this fall, including tax reform. He also joins a growing list of Republican senators who may have reason to balk at White House demands. Sanders seemed ready to take on Corker from the opening of her briefing, saying the senator was partially responsible for the Obama-era nuclear pact with Tehran, which Trump has called “the worst deal ever.” “Sen. Corker worked with Nancy Pelosi and the Obama administration to pave the way for that and rolled out the red carpet for the Iran deal,” Sanders told reporters. The criticism was especially cutting, given that Trump is expected to decertify Iran’s compliance with the agreement in the coming days. Corker will have a major say over whether Congress acts to reimpose sanctions on Tehran if the president takes such a step. Challenged on the remark later in the press conference, Sanders said she stood by her comments. Conservatives have long criticized Corker’s role in the Iran deal, arguing that he had virtually assured its creation by supporting a process that allowed a vote of disapproval against the deal that required 60 votes to pass. The vote was blocked by Senate Democrats in a 56-42 vote. On Tuesday, Corker’s office defended the review legislation, saying he drafted it against the wishes of the Obama White House to ensure lawmakers were able to review the agreement. The claim from Sanders was “not true,” Corker’s office stated. Sanders on Tuesday bristled at Corker’s charge that chaos sown by Trump endangers national security, rattling off a list of accomplishments that included new sanctions on North Korea and battlefield gains against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. “Sen. Corker may have an opinion, but the facts certainly don’t lie,” she said. “The president’s been very successful on this front.” Asked if Trump agrees with some of his supporters, including former chief strategist Stephen Bannon, that Corker should step down, Sanders replied, “I think that’s a decision for Sen. Corker and the people of Tennessee.” Some GOP allies worry Trump’s feud with the influential senator could imperil the administration’s push to overhaul the nation’s tax code. Trump can only afford to lose two GOP senators on a tax bill, and Corker has said he will not support a plan that adds to the federal budget deficit. If Trump is unable to sign a tax overhaul, it would represent another major legislative failure and raise questions about his ability to deliver on his campaign promises. “I think it’s not helpful for the country, it’s not helpful to the Republican Party,” former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) told CBS News. The president expressed confidence his remarks would not hamper his tax plan, brushing aside concerns he is alienating Corker. “I don’t think so. I don’t think so at all,” Trump told reporters. “I think we’re well on our way. The people of this country want tax cuts, they want lower taxes.” Corker is only the latest in a long line of top Republicans who have feuded with Trump. The fights have added fuel to battles within the GOP that are likely to play out in primary elections across the country in 2018. Bannon, who has reclaimed his post as Breitbart News chairman, torched Corker on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” on Monday night, calling him “an absolute disgrace” and demanding he resign immediately. Corker would have attracted a primary challenger had he not announced his retirement. Instead, Rep. Marsha BlackburnMarsha BlackburnTaylor Swift defends staying out of the 2016 election: 'I just knew I wasn't going to help' The 23 Republicans who opposed Trump-backed budget deal Senate passes sweeping budget deal, sending it to Trump MORE (R-Tenn.) is running to replace him and will likely have the support of Bannon and his allies. As the White House went after Corker, it seemed interested in calming down any trouble with Secretary of State Rex TillersonRex Wayne TillersonState Dept. extends travel ban to North Korea Scaramucci breaks up with Trump in now-familiar pattern Senate braces for brawl over Trump's spy chief MORE, who reportedly called the president a “moron” behind closed doors. After Trump suggested to Forbes magazine that he was smarter than the secretary of State, Sanders said Trump had “made a joke” and stressed that Tillerson enjoyed the president’s full confidence. Trump ate lunch with Tillerson and Defense Secretary James MattisJames Norman MattisOnly Donald Trump has a policy for Afghanistan New Pentagon report blames Trump troop withdrawal for ISIS surge in Iraq and Syria Mattis returns to board of General Dynamics MORE, a meeting Sanders described as “great.” View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Politics

Government

SEOUL (Reuters) - Shares of key Samsung Group [SAGR.UL] companies opened higher on Thursday, after a South Korean court rejected the special prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant for Samsung Group leader Jay Y. Lee. Shares of Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) were up 2.5 percent while Samsung C&T Corp (028260.KS) shares were 4.1 percent higher as of 0003 GMT, outperforming a 0.7 percent rise for the broader market .KS11. The Seoul Central District Court earlier on Thursday dismissed a warrant to arrest the 48-year-old Lee, who was named a suspect by the special prosecution as part of an investigation into a graft scandal that has led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Himani Sarkar

Technology

Smartphones

A good amount of people abandon their New Year's resolutions by February, but Fox News' Pete Hegseth? He's just getting started. On Sunday morning's episode of Fox & Friends, Hegseth, for some reason, came *clean* about his resolution on air, and the result was both unexpected and absolutely disgusting. "My 2019 resolution is to say things on-air that I say off-air. I don't think I've washed my hands for 10 years," Hegseth admitted, without being asked. Fox News’ @PeteHegseth admits, unprompted, that he hasn’t washed his hands in 10 years.“Germs are not a real thing,” Pete says. “I can’t see them, therefore they’re not real.” pic.twitter.com/9hsAb9YA9j — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 10, 2019 While his co-hosts burst out into laughter, Hegseth went on to explain his decision to steer clear of soap and water. "Really. I don't really wash my hands," he said while rubbing his germ-covered palms together. "I inoculate myself." As one of his co-workers yelled, "SOMEONE HELP ME," Hegseth proceeded to explain his scientific analysis of germs. "Germs are not a real thing. I can't see them, therefore they are not real." #DontWash https://t.co/wLVXkdEgr6 — Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) February 10, 2019 Ah, an extremely ignorant approach. Sounds a little like Donald Trump effortlessly dismissing climate change. In a statement to Mashable, a Fox News spokesperson said that Pete was joking. In any event, people online were not on board. Remember, this is the medical genius Trump considered putting in charge of the VA. https://t.co/c99MfYz82uhttps://t.co/0k9Icpwk7G — Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 11, 2019 Having fecal matter on your hands to own the libs https://t.co/QFIrGbCEAv — Emily C. Singer (@CahnEmily) February 11, 2019 That’s it. Time to end society. https://t.co/AAR6GczYLN — Anthony (@_uncleanthony) February 11, 2019 He also can’t see his brain, therefore it’s not real https://t.co/BlV43Y4g6e — trashlynn (@ashlynnbrown) February 11, 2019 Just imagine all the cookouts, potlucks, etc he’s been to in 10 years https://t.co/NCeQtvgNJm — Juandissimo Magnifico fan account (@mattyaintshit) February 11, 2019 2020 resolution: WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS. UPDATE: Feb. 11, 2019, 8:43 p.m. EST This article has been updated to include the statement from a Fox News spokesperson. 

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Other

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. - Kyle Guy poured in 22 points to lead No. 3 Virginia past Syracuse 68-61 Tuesday night at John Paul Jones Arena. The win for Virginia (15-1, 4-0) broke a two-game losing streak to the Orange, and extended their home winning streak over Syracuse (12-5, 1-3) to three games. Syracuse hung around the entire night in their upset bid and scored the first five points of the second half to take a two-point lead. With both teams struggling to make shots, sophomore Ty Jerome stepped up for the Cavaliers midway through the second half. Jerome knocked in three straight 3-pointers to give Virginia a lead that it would never relinquish. Jerome scored all nine of his points in a five-minute stretch. Freshman De’Andre Hunter scored 15 points for the Cavaliers. Devon Hall chipped in with 13 as Virginia shot just 38 percent on the night. Virginia was 9-of-27 from the three-point line. Syracuse also shot 38 percent as their scoring woes continued. Guard Frank Howard led the Orange with 18 points while freshman Oshae Brissett added 16. The Orange outrebounded Virginia 41-31 including 19 offensive rebounds, but got just 17 second-chance points. Syracuse started hot from beyond the arc as Howard knocked in three triples in the first half. After the Orange led for the first handful of minutes, Virginia heated up thanks to Hunter. The Cavaliers led by as many as five in the half as Hunter scored 13 first-half points off of the bench. Virginia shot 41 percent for the half and led 32-29 after 20 minutes of play. Howard led Syracuse with 11 first-half points as the Orange shot 38 percent as a team. Virginia will host N.C. State on Sunday. Syracuse will travel to take on Florida State on Saturday. —Field Level Media

Sports

Basketball

Look at that sexy extended bumper. Image: USPTOApple’s Project Titan car has long been shrouded in mystery—most of what we know about it comes in the form of patents that trickle out into the public every few months. The latest patent, released this morning and originally filed in November 2016, shows Apple at one point imagined an extendable, somewhat inflatable, bumper.Here’s how it would work, according to the patent: The bumper houses an inflatable portion, which extends out when inflated. The inflatable panels are filled with pressurized gas and are meant to provide “soft initial contact in an impact.” The bumper can then be retracted using a spring mechanism. Meanwhile, a flexible hinge keeps the bumper cover attached to the car. Freshly Published Patent Keeps the Dream of an Apple Self-Driving Car AliveBumpy car rides suck and a newly published patent reveals Apple has fairly recently been exploring…Read more ReadWhy, in Steve Jobs’ name, would Apple want retractable bumpers? Design is one reason. Theoretically, you could create a more streamlined design with those minimalist clean edges Apple is so fond of without, perhaps, sacrificing safety. There are some practical uses, too. For example, parking. As Apple Insider notes, it’d be way easier to park in tight spaces if you could physically make your car smaller by retracting the bumper. But until Tim Cook decides to get up on stage with a polished presentation reel, this is all just speculation. Project Titan was initially thought to be an Apple-branded car, but recent developments indicate Apple’s more keen on building a self-driving car. Earlier in January, Apple laid off over 200 employees working on Project Titan in an attempt to ‘restructure,’ but a few months later, the Cupertino giant was on the hunt for better self-driving car sensors. Other recent reports allege Apple is also building large driving rooms to test self-driving cars. Let’s also not forget that within the last year, Apple has hired two former Tesla employees, Andrew Kim and Doug Field. Plus, it’s only been a few weeks since the last Project Titan patent for a haptic feedback system was made public. Coincidence? Maybe—but also maybe not. So yes, it’s likely Apple is still working on car tech. Or was. Whatever. As for what form it takes, we’ll just have to wait and see.

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Other

Since hitting $1 trillion earlier this month, Apple has continued to break records. It just hit another all-time high, its 12th so far this month. It's also on track for a more than 15 percent monthly gain, its best since February 2012. Back then, it had a market cap of $505.67 billion. Its crossing of $1 trillion, a first for a U.S. publicly traded company, represents a 110 percent increase in size. Just this month alone, the world's largest company by capitalization has added around $140 billion to its market value. To put that into context, that's the same size as Nike or IBM's entire market cap. "It's certainly hard to fight the stock," said Matt Maley, equity strategist at Miller Tabak, Tuesday on CNBC's "Trading Nation, " noting that his firm reiterated its bullish call on the stock in May as it broke out to new highs. Over the past three months, Apple has surged 17 percent in the second-best Dow performance behind Merck. That steep decline has made Maley wary of a near-term pullback. "The stock has gotten a little overbought on a near-term basis. It's not reached the extremes it's seen at major tops weekly. But ... it's getting to levels where it usually takes a breather," Maley said. Its relative strength index, a momentum tracker, moved as high as 78.5 on Wednesday. A reading above the 70 threshold is generally considered overbought territory. "I'm not saying you should sell the stock or even stop buying the stock but I think if you want to be more aggressive you want to do it on any kind of dip rather than to chase it in a major way up here," he added. Chad Morganlander, portfolio manager of Washington Crossing Advisors, is bullish on Apple's future, particularly in its high-growth services business. "That for us is going to be the game-changer over the next five years," Morganlander told "Trading Nation" on Tuesday. "If they're able to make services a larger piece of the pie, then they'll demand a higher multiple because the services side of the business is a much more predictable, higher-margin business." Apple's services segment sales reached a record high of $9.5 billion in its recent quarter, up 31 percent from a year earlier. It currently accounts for 13 percent of total revenue. Morganlander expects a 6 percent total return over the next 12 months in Apple shares. Disclosure: Chad Morganlander and his firm do not have positions in Apple.

Technology

Computers

Noah Cyrus has all the makings of a here-to-stay pop star and now, she's going on tour with one of the most iconic names in music. According to the singer's press release, Cyrus is joining Katy Perry on the first leg of her Witness tour...so, umm, tickets now, please. According to the release, Cyrus will join Perry during the fall 2017 dates of her tour. The tour, which was supposed to kick off on September 7 in Columbus, OH, but will now begin on September 19 in Montreal, is one that the "Stay Together" singer revealed she was very excited about. "I’ve loved Katy since I was a little girl and I can’t thank her enough for giving me this incredible opportunity," Cyrus said in a statement. "Let's hope I don't fuck it up!" That's not a worry for anyone who has heard the singer's new music, including country-inspired track "I'm Stuck" or her moody Labrinth duet "Make Me (Cry)." Cyrus may be fairly new to the music game, but she's not messing around. With the release of her upcoming album NC-17, there's plenty more from where those tracks came from. For those who had hoped Cyrus would join big sister (and Perry's friend) Miley on tour, well, the singer is already over those comparisons. The artist told Refinery29: "[Miley and I are] completely different, just two artists. There are so many other female artists that don't get compared the way I do with Miley," Cyrus stated. "But we're both each other's biggest fans — I'm rooting for her, and she's rooting for me, and we love each other, but I don't think we'll ever fully understand why us being sisters makes it okay to compare all the time." Cyrus will appear at Perry's concerts from September 19 to November 1, when the fall leg of the tour ends in Toronto. With this major tour under her belt, I think we can officially say that Cyrus is on her way to icon status herself. Read These Stories Next:Every Time A TV Character's Death Just About Killed YouThe True Story Behind This Scary Meme Celebs You Should Be Following On Instagram

Music

Pop

(CNN)The little-known details of Shakespeare's life have already birthed the Oscar-winning movie "Shakespeare in Love," and even though that was two decades ago, one might think there's not much more to say. "Will," however, adds an intriguing chapter to the bard's legend, in a TNT series that presents him as a young man breathing in fame's first intoxicating fumes. "I can't spend the rest of my life making gloves," a mid-20s Will (Laurie Davidson) says before leaving Stratford-upon-Avon and his wife and children behind in 1589, eager to pursue his theatrical career in the big city, where he arrives to the strains of the Clash's "London Calling." (The contemporary music is a slightly pandering touch that takes a bit of getting used to.) Aside from his creative dreams, Will also comes to town with a secret mission, carrying a clandestine message for his cousin, a leader to Catholics subjected to persecution by England's Protestant government. Meanwhile, the young playwright stumbles into an acting company in desperate and sudden need of a hit, while immediately being drawn to the proprietor's daughter (Olivia DeJonge), whose own artistic ambitions are blunted by the societal mores of the time. Shakespeare also finds a sort-of champion in established and celebrated writer Christopher Marlowe (Jamie Campbell Bower), although there's a bit of a Mozart-Salieri aspect to their relationship, with Marlowe's admiration tied to a bout of writer's block as he wades into lustful indulgences and distractions. There's a lot going on -- perhaps too much -- in the early going. That includes a good deal of rather gruesome torture scenes, as a sadistic inquisitor (Ewen Bremner) seeks to unearth information about Catholics, placing Will in fairly constant jeopardy, and giving those squeamish about medieval barbarism cause to think twice about tuning in. Written by Craig Pearce, whose credits include the 1996 Baz Luhrmann movie "Romeo + Juliet," "Will" -- which has bounced around for years as a concept -- can get a trifle carried away with the rock-star parallels of this 16th-century drama. Still, the series gets progressively better as it gradually fleshes out its cast of players, including Colm Meaney as the theater's founder, who puts an early but recognizable spin on the notion of prioritizing commerce over art; and an assortment of colorful actors, who haven't become any less needy, for these purposes, in the last half-millennium. Because there are gaping holes in what's known about Shakespeare during these years, the producers have plenty of license to explore. The key adhesive is surely Shakespeare's writing, and while one needn't be able to quote his plays at length to appreciate the process as he wrestles with them, that certainly couldn't hurt. "Will" uses this dense, bawdy backdrop to create a highly stylized world, as its namesake receives a sometimes-harsh education in life and love that will inevitably inform his genius. Or more simply, if you're in the market for a slightly different take on a historical costume drama, this TNT show just might be the thing. "Will" premieres July 10 at 9 p.m. on TNT. Like CNN, TNT is a unit of Turner Broadcasting.

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Other

Most people can go through their entire lives without ever once being asked, point blank, without a trace of irony, whether or not they are evil. But those people are not the Kardashians, who sat down for an interview with Megyn Kelly recently to discuss life, family, fame, beauty standards... and the perception that they feed off of and contribute to the worst of society’s ills. That's probably not what Kim, Kourtney, Kris, Khloé, and Kendall (where Kylie at?) were expecting when they took a seat on that nice cream sofa in their nice coordinating black-and-white outfits in that nice studio with matching monochromatic décor. “Women will say the Kardashians are ‘evil’ because [their] kid is looking at pictures of [you] and is being driven toward superficial goals that are unattainable,” Kelly said. “I’ve said publicly before, I want to ask you that question: Are you a force for good, or a force for evil?” None of them provided a definitive answer, but Kim was quick to defend the family’s image. “I think we’ve honestly, through our show, shown so much more positive things … but they only want to focus on, ‘oh, they’re superficial, oh, they’re wearing makeup, oh, they’re this,’” she replied. Kelly countered, “[But] the people who don’t love it say, ‘My daughter doesn’t look like a Kardashian, and she feels pressured to be perfect and to look like they look." That’s when Kendall jumped in, saying, “None of us are perfect.” Naturally, it was Khloé who came through with the practical response. “I grew up with sisters that everybody else was comparing me to, but I had such an amazing core base that I never felt less than,” she said. “If anyone is comparing themselves to someone else, that’s your responsibility at home to teach them what core values are, and to be a good person from within.” She’s right, in a way. But hasn’t this been going on long before a Kardashian-Jenner ever walked this earth, like in the 16th century, when women slathered their faces in skin-whitening Venetian ceruse because they wanted their complexions to be as smooth and milky as Queen Elizabeth I’s? (We all know how that one ended: with lead poisoning.) And not that they should get off scot free for the way they choose to publicly present themselves (cultural appropriation comes to mind), but why do we continually put the onus solely on celebrities like the Kardashians for setting unrealistic beauty standards, when the problem actually goes much deeper and further back than even them? Now that sounds like a question for Kim Kierkegaardashian. Related Video: Read More:You HAVE To Try These Alternatives To Kylie Jenner's Sold-Out Lip KitsWhat These 12 Celebrities Look Like With Their Natural HairL.A.'s Coolest Haircuts To Copy, Stat!

Entertainment

Television

BUENOS AIRES, July 12 (Reuters) - Argentina’s central bank on Tuesday left its 35-day reference interest rate unchanged at 30.25 percent after cutting it for nine weeks straight but said it still expects inflation to slow in coming months. The central bank said it was pausing its monetary stimulus to help consolidate efforts to ease the country’s double-digit inflation rate. “Both the Central Bank of Argentina and the consensus of market analysts expect the process of disinflation to continue in coming months,” the central bank said in a statement. The bank had cut the reference rate every week for more than two months, signaling confidence that inflation was cooling and helping make brick-and-mortar investments more attractive as the country remains mired in recession. Consumer prices likely rose 2.5 percent in June, according to a Reuters poll, pointing to a slowdown from the 4.2 percent rise reported by national statistics agency Indec for May. The central bank said, however, that indicators showed mixed signs on core inflation in June and added that it would continue to work to bring the monthly rise in inflation to its goal of no more than 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter. Indec, which has yet to report an annual inflation rate since the agency underwent reforms earlier this year, is scheduled to release inflation data for June on Wednesday. The finance minister has estimated that 12-month inflation through May was 40 to 42 percent. Center-right President Mauricio Macri, who took office in December, has rolled out a raft of free-market reforms that have pushed up consumer prices, including floating the peso , which boosted the cost of imported goods, and cutting subsidies that had kept utility prices low. Reporting By Eliana Raszewski, Writing by Mitra Taj; Editing by Cynthia Osterman

Finance

Economics

The random drawing to decide a tied race for a seat in Virginia’s House of Delegates — and party control of the chamber — will take place on Thursday, after officials postponed the drawing in response to a legal challenge from one of the candidates. The State Board of Elections announced in an email that the drawing of lots, which was originally set to take place on Dec. 27, will now occur on Jan. 4, after Democratic candidate Shelly Simonds filed a legal challenge disputing the tie. The State Board of Elections will convene on Thursday, January 4 at 11:00 am. Unless the court system intervenes, the Board will draw a winner for #HD94. More details will be available on https://t.co/La8IrnBGiU. The race between Simonds and GOP incumbent Del. David Yancey drew national attention after a recount, triggered by Yancey winning on election night by only 10 votes, found Simonds to have won the race by a single vote. The race was then declared a tie after a three-judge panel ruled that one ballot that hadn’t been counted in the recount should count for Yancey. The ballot in question had bubbles for both candidates filled in, but the bubble for Simonds had a slash though it. The current total now stands at 11,608 votes for each candidate. Virginia state law requires that tied elections be decided by lots — in this case, the candidates’ names will be printed on slips of paper, put inside separate film canisters and drawn from a bowl by an official. Simonds filed a court challenge to the tie earlier this week, prompting the elections board to postpone the drawing. The result of the election will have a major impact on the Virginia House of Delegates, which is currently Republican-controlled, 51-49. If Simonds wins the election, the chamber will be evenly split for the first time in years. View the discussion thread. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax The contents of this site are ©2019 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

Politics

U.S. Government

The self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics," Robert Christgau was one of the pioneers of music criticism as we know it. He was the music editor at the Village Voice for almost four decades where he created the trusted annual Pazz & Jop Poll. He was one of the first mainstream critics to write about hip-hop and the only one to review Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water with one word: "Melodic." On top of his columns, he has published six books, including his 2015 autobiography, Going Into the City. He currently teaches at New York University. Every week, we publish Expert Witness, his long-running critical column. To find out more about his career, read his welcome post; for four decades of critical reviews, check out his regularly updated website. Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy (Atlantic) Because she's smart enough to know the difference between a mixtape and an album, she earns the right to treat this official debut as the one that counts—no filler, no throwaways, no riding her smash, no withholding her smash either. Musically and lyrically, every track is thought through, with debts called in and incurred. The Noo Yawk accent she's right to lean on is so blunt that she's not a truly fluent rhymer, so she does well to pull in Chance's flow, Migos's trickeration, Pete Rodriguez's clave. And lyrically, her aim is true. "Write a verse while I twerk / I wear off-white in church"? Tell it, sister. "Only thing fake is the boobs"? Ca-ching. "Pussy's so good I say my own name during sex"? Car-di! A Princess Nokia: A Girl Cried Red (self-released) What I loved most about 1992 Deluxe was its spunk. Biting off and shaping up her girly voice into a lively signature flow, a runway rapper with pan-Manhattan attitude put "my little titties and my fat belly" in hip-hop's face and claimed street for an Afro-diasporic bohemia of her own devising. So of course I was disappointed when she went sad-sack emo on a mixtape timed to vie with Cardi. But soon I caught it catching my ear the way sad-sack anything seldom does. "Goth as fuck," as she once bragged, she's not always so confident, and she wants us to know it. Her auto-tunelets range sad to determined, hopeful to boastful, hostile to empathetic. Depressive as fuck but nothing like self-indulgent, she tries to be not just honest but nice about it. B PLUS Roc Marciano: RR2: The Bitter Dose (Marci Enterprises) Complex rhymes, organic textures, well-felt soul samples, and a few deft cameo changeups render this particular lucre quest so entertaining it's almost interesting ("Corniche," "The Sauce") *** Migos: Culture II (QC/Motown/Capitol) Premature double album that wouldn't cook down to a decent single plus catchiest-in-show "Beast" profiling penis "gobbler" equals not the new Beatles after all, doncha think? ("Motorsport," "Movin' Too Fast") * Follow Robert Christgau on Twitter.

Music

Rock

LAKELAND, Fla. — On Wednesday, Donald Trump said Paul Ryan made a “sinister deal” to undermine him, charged that the Islamic State would conquer the United States if Hillary Clinton defeats him and vowed to jail Clinton’s lawyers along with their client. A day after tweeting that the shackles had come off of him, an angry Trump gave Florida voters a taste of what that meant, as polls continue to show him tanking — he’s now tied with Clinton in deep red Utah — and Republican leaders contemplate the recriminations they will face for publicly abandoning their nominee’s sinking ship. A day after his running mate confronted a supporter who called for a “revolution” to overthrow the government if Trump does not win, the Republican nominee said, “If we don’t win this election, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” In the meantime, Trump is crossing new rhetorical lines, predicting the end of the United States at the hands of ISIL if he does not win on Election Day. “I can tell you this, they are hoping and they are praying — they are hoping and praying that Hillary Clinton becomes president of the United States,” said Trump at his first stop of the day, in Ocala. “Because they’ll take over not only that part of the world, they’ll take over this country, they’ll take over this part of the world. Believe me.” After refraining earlier in the day from attacking Ryan — who told GOP lawmakers this week that he would not help elect their nominee after the billionaire businessman was caught on video bragging about being able to get away with sexual assault due to his celebrity status — Trump complained in Ocala that the House speaker and other party leaders had abandoned him. “Already, the Republican nominee has a massive — a massive disadvantage, and especially when you have the leaders not putting their weight behind the people,” said Trump, speaking about himself in the third person. “They’re not putting their weight behind the people.” Trump was especially miffed that Ryan had not called to congratulate him on Sunday night’s debate, which most scientific polls showed Trump losing. “Instead of calling me and saying, ‘Congratulations, you did a great job, you absolutely destroyed her in the debate like everybody said,’” Trump said, before trailing off and plugging Pat Buchanan’s assessment that he gave “the single greatest debate performance in the history of presidential politics.” In 2000, Trump called Buchanan a “neo-Nazi.” “So wouldn’t you think that Paul Ryan would call and say, ‘Good going?’ In front of just about the largest for a second-night debate in the history of the country,” Trump continued. “So, you know, you’d think that they’d say: ‘Great going, Don. Let’s go. Let’s beat this crook. She’s a crook. Let’s beat her. We’ve got to stop it.’” While Ryan’s abandonment of Trump came days after The Washington Post published the now infamous 2005 video, the Republican nominee said the real motivation for Ryan’s actions remained hidden. “There’s a whole deal going on there,” he said. “I mean, you know, there’s a whole deal going on. We’re going to figure it out. I always figure things out. But there’s a whole sinister deal going on.” Despite Trump’s insistence that he won Sunday night’s debate, he also railed against the Commission on Presidential Debates. “The head guy used to work for Bill Clinton. I just found this out,” he said in Ocala. Indeed, the bipartisan commission is co-chaired by Clinton’s former White House press secretary Mike McCurry and former Republican National Committee chairman Frank Fahrenkopf. When Trump’s mic briefly stopped working in Lakeland, he joked that it was the commission’s fault. In response to WikiLeaks’ revelation that Donna Brazile, now interim chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, obtained planned questions ahead of a town hall in the Democratic primary and fed them to the Clinton campaign, Trump lamented that he couldn’t get the same advantage. “Why can’t Reince feed me information prior to a debate? I’m so angry at the Republicans. I want to be fed information like Hillary gets,” Trump said, apparently joking. “The Republicans are not doing their job. They should be able to get me all of the questions prior to the debate.” The tenor of Trump’s campaign has grown increasingly dark since its inception, and the focus of his digs at Clinton have shifted from her competence and stamina to charges of corruption and criminal liability. Trump has repeatedly vowed to sic a special prosecutor on Clinton and the FBI in recent weeks. At Sunday’s debate, Trump said that if he were in charge of the legal system, Clinton would be in jail. On Wednesday, he made his intentions even more explicit. “She deleted the emails,” he said. “She has to go to jail.” Trump also called for the jailing of Clinton’s lawyers for approving the deletion of emails they deemed non-work-related. “Those representatives within that law firm that did that have to go to jail,” he said in Lakeland. Earlier, in Ocala, he said of Clinton’s lawyers, “They should be implicated because they have committed a crime.” Despite the efforts of Clinton and her lawyers, Trump expressed a belief that her emails have not been totally lost. “I have a feeling that the NSA has them,” he said. “They don’t want them.” Trump has had crime on the mind during his Florida swing, repeating at each stop on Tuesday and Wednesday the false claim that “More people are being murdered now than being murdered 45 years.” While the murder rate has increased significantly this year, the spike comes on the heels of decades of dramatic decline, and Trump’s claim is categorically false. As usual, Trump held forth on a wide range of topics. On trade, he expressed a preference for bilateral deals, because they are simpler than multilateral deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which Trump has vowed to scrap. “We’ll make deals with individual countries,” he said. “Not this big web of complicated stuff.” He also mocked the NFL for its efforts to limit concussions. "Uh! Uh! A little ding in the head you can't play the rest of the season,” he said. Through it all, Trump’s bravado was undiminished, and he promised his supporters that the world would hear their voices on Election Day. “The whole world is going to see what’s going to happen to the United States of America,” he said.

Politics

US