Datasets:

YoussefAnwar

/

English-news

like 0

We should take concerns about the health of liberal democracy seriously

This post is part of Polyarchy, an independent blog produced by the political reform program at New America, a Washington think tank devoted to developing new ideas and new voices. Imagine you are an otherwise healthy 30-something who starts feeling weird. You are sometimes short of breath. You get migraines. Your feet start to swell a little. But otherwise, everything seems fine. You go to the doctor. The doctor runs some tests. She tells you, It's probably nothing, but these could be signs of a coming heart attack. You push for more certainty, but the doctor tells you she's not sure. The human body is a complex system. You're young and otherwise pretty healthy. There could be plenty of other explanations for what you're feeling. But it is a little worrying. So just to be on the safe side, maybe you should reduce the stress in your life and eat a healthier diet. What would you do? If you're a sensible person, you'd probably err on the side of precaution. Sure, it might be nothing to worry about, and the likelihood of a heart attack in your 30s might be low. But even a low chance is a low chance of something possibly fatal. Why take a chance, especially when the recommendations — less stress, healthier diet — are good for you either way? I offer this parable as a way of thinking about the debate that's emerged over the past two weeks in response to Amanda Taub's New York Times article profiling new findings by Roberto Stefan Foa and Yascha Mounk — findings that raise alarms about the fact that younger people have, over time, become less and less likely to say in surveys that it is "essential" to live in a democracy. Rather than share the sense of alarm, however, several critics have jumped on Foa and Mounk for misinterpreting the data and generating unnecessary panic. Political scientist Erik Voeten, for example, argued that their analysis is misleading: "The article by Mounk and Foa does document some small shifts in opinion on related issues. But these aren't nearly as dramatic as the New York Times graph suggests." Similarly, Wonkblog's Jeff Guo reanalyzed the data and argued that it is "far less alarming than it seems." Foa and Mounk have responded, drawing on more analysis from their forthcoming Journal of Democracy article, which also documents increasing support among young people for "a strong leader" and rising support for extremism. Voeten, however, remains unimpressed, and now has more charts here suggesting the shifts are far less significant than Foa and Mounk make them out to be. "And," he argues, "it's dangerous too to tell the world that people are now ready to accept nondemocratic governance." For those who want to argue over how to interpret the data, you should follow the hyperlinks above. There are very reasonable points of disagreement. I don't have much to add to that debate here, other than to observe that it's very rare that data is unambiguous about important societal shifts before those shifts actually occur. When the data is unambiguous, it is almost always too late to do anything. The only sure sign of having a heart attack is, well, having a heart attack. Similarly, the only sure sign of a democratic collapse is, well, a democratic collapse. And whatever you think of the data analysis, there is also a mounting series of actual real-world election results that are hard to explain if support for liberal democracy is thriving. In deciding how seriously to take these findings, it's also worth asking what we would do differently if we took Foa and Mounk's findings seriously. How would we collectively respond? And what would be the consequences? For one, we'd probably invest in a lot more civic education, so that the next generation learns the basics of liberal democracy and understands why it's a better system than authoritarian rule. This seems like a good idea regardless. Similarly, we might collectively invest considerable resources in making a strong public case for liberal democracy. We might also try to figure out ways to make our public institutions do more outreach to citizens to make sure they feel engaged in their democracy, and think hard about building up intermediary institutions that help people feel as though their voices are represented and taken seriously. Again, these seem like things we should be doing regardless, like reducing stress or improving the health of our diets. In my heart attack parable, if the doctor had told you that the only way to prevent a future heart attack would be to give up your job and your social life and spend the next year on strict bed rest eating only kale and chia seed salads, you might want to be a little more certain that you really were at high risk for a heart attack. After all, taking the risk seriously would impose a heavy cost on you. Other recent crises offer some examples of cases where key decision-makers did ignore warning signs, because taking those signs seriously would have imposed significant costs on them. For example, in the housing bubble of the mid-2000s, warnings were ignored because the financial industry had staked considerable investments and product lines on the myth that housing values would go up forever. To admit that housing was overvalued and that securitized mortgages were riskier than advertised would have cost investment banks dearly. But eventually, reality caught up with them, and the resulting damage was far worse than it would have been if we had paid attention to the early warning signs. Similarly, many carbon-intensive industries and fossil fuel producers pushed back on findings of climate change because taking those findings seriously would force significant changes in their industries. As a result, these industries funded doubt and uncertainty. The problem has since gotten much worse, and it has become harder to take effective action. The early scientists may have been alarmist. But we'd be in much better shape if we had listened to them. I would be more comforted if I could be certain that Voeten is right and Foa and Mounk are wrong. Maybe there is indeed nothing to worry about. But given the risks, as well as the recent string of election results, I'd rather err on the side of caution. Like the threat of a heart attack, the threat of autocracy or military rule replacing liberal democracy is pretty serious, and very difficult to recover from. I don't want to take a chance. Especially when the preventive medicine consists of things we should probably be doing anyway.

Colts GM Ryan Grigson says Andrew Luck's contract makes it difficult to build the team

The Indianapolis Colts made Andrew Luck the highest-paid player in NFL history this offseason with a five-year, $122-million contract with $89 million guaranteed. However, they're already finding that Luck's contract is inhibiting their ability to address weaknesses on other parts of the roster, particularly on defense. On Friday, Colts GM Ryan Grigson, who is under fire for the Colts 1-3 start, said that it's difficult to build up the team's defense with Luck making so much money. According to Keefer, Grigson did point out that the Colts still have young talent they're hoping to develop on defense. However, blaming Luck's contract — which the Colts gave him — for having a weak defense (30th in defensive DVOA) is not accurate. As others have pointed out, last year's Denver Broncos paid Peyton Manning $15 million in base salary while also boasting an elite defense. Luck also takes up $18.4 million against the salary cap this year, less than $1 million more than Manning did a year ago ($17.5 million). Much of this comes from drafting successfully, which the Colts have not done as well as elite teams like the Broncos or the Patriots, for instance. Now, with the Colts handcuffed to Luck's contract, drafting is going to become especially important, as will the use of whatever money they have in free agency. It's certainly possible to build a good defense with a high-paid quarterback, but if the Colts felt that paying Luck such a high sum of money would be difficult, perhaps they should have reconsidered what the final numbers. The highest-paid player on all 32 NFL teams

Trump denies report he ordered Mueller fired

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump denied a report on Friday that he had ordered Special Counsel Robert Mueller fired last June, calling it “fake news”. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Trump backed down from his order after the White House counsel threatened to resign rather than follow his directive, citing four people told of the matter. “Fake news, folks, fake news,” Trump told reporters in Davos, when asked about the report. Reporting by Steve Holland

France's Sarkozy reveals his 'Passions' but insists no come-back on cards

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy published a new memoir on Thursday but was quick to dismiss speculation he might return to politics to rescue his old center-right party, which has shed support since President Emmanuel Macron stormed to power. Entitled “Passions”, the autobiography documents Sarkozy’s rise to power, while hurling barbs at some of his former allies, including his prime minister Francois Fillon. During his time in office from 2007-2012, Sarkozy earned the nickname “President Bling-Bling” for his brash style and close association with tycoons and celebrities. While at the Elysee, he met and married former model Carla Bruni. “Passions” is released as France’s center-right fights for survival two years after President Emmanuel Macron’s election win dynamited the political landscape. Sarkozy’s old party, Les Republicains, is locked in infighting and struggling to find direction, squeezed by Macron’s centrist party and the far right. “The book is a political one, it does not announce my return,” Sarkozy told magazine Le Point. “I neither want nor can get involved in a partisan debate. That would sew confusion and division. There is no need for that. It would be misplaced.” Nonetheless, each new appearance by the last unifying figure of the French right is closely followed - fearfully by those wary of the return of a big-name rival, and hopefully by those who long for Sarkozy’s political reincarnation. Sarkozy has retired twice from politics: the first time after he lost his re-election bid in 2012. He returned to lead his party in 2014 only to quit again after he failed to win his party’s ticket to run for president in 2017. Les Republicains are again without a leader after Laurent Wauquiez stepped down following the party’s dismal showing in May’s European election. Even if Sarkozy were to return to frontline politics, he would struggle to put to one side multiple investigations, including into the financing of his re-election bid. This month he learnt he must stand trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling in relation to allegations that he offered a judge a promotion in return for information on a parallel investigation. Sarkozy has denied any wrongdoing. Reporting by Simon Carraud; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Luke Baker and Hugh Lawson

Paris Hilton: Woman In Black For Uncle Monty's Funeral

Paris Hilton arrived at LAX Wednesday dressed to pay her last respects to her uncle Monty Brinson. Paris flew in from Switzerland especially for the funeral of Brinson, who used to be married to her aunt Kim Richards. Monty died Sunday after a long battle with cancer ... and the loss is obviously hitting Paris hard. She posted a picture collage with Monty calling him an "incredible man with such a huge heart." R.I.P.

ECB's Coeure: If we decide to cut rates, we'd have to consider tiering

BERLIN, June 17 (Reuters) - ECB board member Benoit Coeure said in an interview published on Monday that if the ECB decided cutting rates was the best option, it would have to consider what effect negative rates would have on banks and whether tiering was needed. A so-called tiered deposit rate would mean banks are exempted in part from paying the ECB’s 0.40 percent annual charge on their excess reserves, boosting their profits as they struggle with an unexpected growth slowdown “We would have to consider whether a tiering system is needed,” Coeure said in an interview with the Financial Times. “Today the prevailing view in the Governing Council is that it is not, but we also agree that it deserves further reflection.” Reporting by Michelle Martin Editing by Tassilo Hummel

Venezuela detains six military, police officials: family members, activists

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities have arrested six members of the country’s military and police forces over the weekend, according to relatives of the detainees and human rights activists, as President Nicolas Maduro seeks to weed out dissent. Air Force Brigade General Miguel Sisco Mora was arrested Friday afternoon in a parking lot in Guatire, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the capital Caracas, his daughter Stephanie Sisco said. Navy Corvette Captain Rafael Costa was detained on Friday in nearby Guarenas, according to his wife Waleska Perez. “We demand that the government provide us with information about his whereabouts,” Stephanie Sisco wrote on Twitter on Saturday. The arrests come nearly two months after a failed uprising against Maduro called by opposition leader Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly who in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency and has called on the armed forces to join his cause. They also come on the heels of a visit to Venezuela by U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet, who on Friday called on Maduro to release prisoners arrested for peacefully protesting. Maduro, whose 2018 re-election has been widely denounced as illegitimate, said he would take the U.N.’s concerns seriously. Human rights group Penal Forum had previously said that two retired Air Force colonels had been arrested in Caracas on Friday afternoon while two high ranking officials from Venezuela’s CICPC forensic police unit were arrested in Guatire, according to human rights lawyer Tamara Suju. Neither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Chief Prosecutor’s office responded to requests for comment on the six detentions on Sunday. According to Penal Forum, some 700 people are detained for political reasons in Venezuela, including about 100 members of the military. Maduro’s government has denied it holds political prisoners, and frequently accuses the opposition of fomenting violence. Maduro refers to Guaido as a puppet of the United States seeking to oust him in a coup. Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Phil Berlowitz

You Can Trick Your Brain Into Being More Focused

If only every day could be like this. You can’t put your finger on why: Maybe you had just the right amount of sleep. Maybe the stars are somehow aligned in your favor. Whatever the reason, you’re cooking on gas. Hours fly by like minutes, you’re feeling great, and before you know it it’s 5:30 pm and your to-do list is done. This feeling of ‘flow’ or being ‘in the zone’ is something that most of us have experienced at some point or other—although not as often as we might like. It’s a mental state that elite athletes seem to have at their beck and call. For us mere mortals, though, it hardly ever shows up when we need it. Since the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi first described the zone (which he called ‘flow’) in 1975, neuroscientists have been trying to figure out what it is and how to make it show up on demand. Yet as they close in on the secrets of the zone, another truth has emerged: What we think of as the zone is actually one of many mental states that a person can be in, each of which works for a particular kind of thinking. Here’s how to master not just one of them, but several. The Flow ZoneTo understand when other states might work better, it makes sense to first consider what we know about this, the original ‘zone.' One thing we definitely know is that it feels great: Csíkszentmihályi describes it as the ‘optimal experience’ in which we can achieve true happiness. One explanation for why it happens—and why it feels so good—is that it represents a perfect match between activity in brain networks involved in attention and the reward circuitry, which process pleasure. When different networks synchronize their activity—like two pendulums swinging in time—it makes the business of thinking run a little more smoothly, which explains why this particular zone feels effortless when you’re in it. Even Csíkszentmihályi admits, however, that it’s not easy to achieve. “Flow is difficult to maintain for any length of time without at least momentary interruptions,” he wrote—and that was in the 1970s, before smartphones came along and took what was left of our attention span. So how best to get into the flow? One suggestion is that, rather than screwing up your eyes and trying to force yourself to concentrate, it might work better to do the opposite: Take your foot off the mental gas a little. This finding came out of brain imaging experiments by cognitive neuroscientists Mike Esterman and Joe DeGutis of the Boston Attention and Learning Lab in Massachusetts. They measured activity in the default mode network (DMN) a collection of brain regions that gear up when we are not thinking of anything in particular. They compared this to activity in the dorsal attention network, which keeps us focused on one thing, and watched how the two fluctuated over time when people were asked to do a boring, repetitive task. Surprisingly, they found that the best way to sustain concentration wasn’t to cut out DMN activity altogether, but to allow it to carry on as a low-level background hum. In real terms, that means keeping your mind on a long leash: letting it wander a little, before gently bringing it back to heel. "If you're devoting all of your resources to a task you will likely be fighting your natural tendency to mind wander. This could actually make sustaining attention more effortful and challenging. If you try too hard you ay actually perform worse work over time," DeGutis says. No matter how much you love your work, paying attention for long periods is hard mental work. By relaxing a little, it makes it easier to find the crucial balance of effort and enjoyment that nudges us into the flow. Rather than trying so hard that we set ourselves up to fail, the solution could simply be to stop beating ourselves up. More from Tonic: The Slow ZoneTime doesn’t only fly when you’re in the flow. It also flies when a deadline is heading your way and you haven’t quite hit your stride. If time is running short and the flow feels a million miles away, all is not lost. You still have time to master the slow zone. For better or worse, strong emotions distract us from the passage of time, giving the illusion that it is zipping past unusually quickly. If it’s too difficult to take the emotion out of the equation (that deadline is coming whether you like it or not), the next best thing is to change the way your brain processes the passage of time, to mentally buy yourself a little more. It sounds too good to be true, but Marc Wittmann, a psychologist at the Institute for Frontier Areas in Psychology and Mental Health in Freiburg, Germany, and author of Felt Time, has a couple of suggestions on how it could be done. Wittmann believes that our brains count time by tuning into the rhythms of the body—the regular ticks of our heartbeat, breathing and so on. He calls this ‘body time’ and points to a region of the brain called the insula, which keeps track of our physical and emotional state, as key to this process. “My idea is that you are attending to yourself, to your bodily self, your mental self and that is how you attend to time,” Wittman says. In theory, then, if you can change the information that the insula receives, you might be able to control how you perceive time. One thing Wittman suggests is to speed up your bodily signals by exercising. When you stop, the body’s signals will gradually slow down to baseline, slowing your perception of time as it does so. “Say I go jogging for an hour and then I’m calm down but still feel very active," Wittman says. "I feel that everything is happening much slower because my body is much more activated and I feel myself much more intensely." Another option is to direct your attention to the here and now, purposefully focusing on the fine details of your surroundings, thoughts or your mental state. A 10-minute mindfulness meditation will help haul your focus back to the here and now and, by slowing your breathing rate, will also slow down your body signals. Both should make time slow to a much more manageable speed. Wittman’s experiments suggest that expert meditators are able to stretch their perception of a moment by 25 percent, which makes all that sitting around seem well worth the investment of time, no matter how little you have to play with. The 'Zoned Out' ZoneGiven all the effort we spend trying to get into the zone it might seem strange to actively try to stay out of it. But there are some mental skills that work better when you’re just a little bit away with the fairies. Creativity is one of them. Research by Evangelia Chrysikou at the University of Kansas has found that using brain stimulation to temporarily reduce activity in part of the prefrontal cortex (the region of the brain behind the forehead), increased the number of creative uses for everyday objects that people were able to come up with. This works because the job of the prefrontal cortex is to narrow down the possible thoughts and behaviors that are suitable in any given situation. This is a crucial mental shortcut because it vastly reduces the time we need to make decisions about what to do or say next. The downside—at least for our creative juices—is that it also reduces the scope of our ideas, making blue sky thinking that much more difficult. So ideally, the right zone to come up with new ideas is one in which activity in the prefrontal cortex is dialled down a little—a state known as transient hypofrontality. “It’s about using the right tool for the right task. If you want to look for ideas then hypofrontal zoning out will help you,” Chrysikou says. There is more than one way to reduce activity in the prefrontal cortex. Tiredness works particularly well, so working when you are naturally at your least alert (morning for night owls, late in the day for morning folk and after lunch for just about everybody) is definitely worth a try. A boozy drink does something similar, according to actual studies on drunk students. And if all else fails, sitting in a quiet and/or dark room can’t help but set the mind wandering to who knows where. However you manage it, it’s worth remembering that while mindfulness is all the rage at the moment, when you want to think creatively, mindlessness is a much better tool for the job. Go on, zone out—your brain will thank you. But remember to come back into the room at some point to make sure that your ideas aren't too bonkers. "To decide which idea works best, prefrontal involvement is necessary," Chrysikou says. The Cramming ZoneThere’s nothing like a deadline to focus the mind. It’s almost what the fight/flight response was designed for: A short burst of adrenaline narrows focus to help you ignore everything except the life-and-death task at hand. The trouble is, if a period of stress goes on too long, or happens too often, the whole system breaks down, focus scatters, and takes your ability to concentrate with it. This is partly because high doses of stress hormones, particularly noradrenaline, interferes with focus by binding to sites in the prefrontal cortex, stopping it from working effectively. Another job of the prefrontal cortex is to help us resist impulses that aren’t necessarily helpful for our long-term goals, which explains why stress can leave you mainlining down tea and biscuits when you should be doing some work. So, what to do when you are stressed and distracted but need to focus now? One option is—strangely—to make whatever you are doing more difficult to concentrate on. According to load theory, the brainchild of psychologist Nilli Lavie at University College London, the brain only has a limited amount of processing power to use on making sense of the world around us. Her experiments have shown that if you add deliberate distractions to what you are trying to concentrate on (flashing images, colorful borders, background noise) it can actually help you focus. This is because processing these distractions uses up the brain’s processing power, leaving no room to process either external distractions—or your own internal excuses. This post is partially adapted from My Plastic Brain: One woman’s yearlong journey to discover if science can improve her mind (Prometheus Books, 2018). Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of Tonic delivered to your inbox weekly.

How to watch the Google I/O keynote live

Google I/O, the company's big developer conference, kicks off today (May 18). It's a showcase for its newest updates on Android, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and more. (And a chance to bury last year's less-successful launches.) It should be interesting. Here's how you can watch it: With Google, on its YouTube livestream. With Google, on its YouTube livestream in virtual reality, if you have one of its Cardboard devices. VR you ready? Watch the #io16 keynote live on @YouTube 360 this Wed 10AM PT. https://t.co/eZ3yrQCfK0 pic.twitter.com/h5ppO9sVWe Or, best of all, with Recode! Join us at 10 am PT, 1 pm ET, 6 pm in London and 1 am (May 19) in Hong Kong for the keynote kick-off with our liveblog, where we pledge to be entertaining and insightful. And follow our coverage throughout the week for an insider's look at the search giant's next big steps. This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

China is dismissing unfavorable media reports as fake because that's what Trump does

China is dismissing unfavorable media reports as fake news because that’s what Trump does China is dismissing unfavorable media reports as fake news because that’s what Trump does In his short political career, Donald Trump has made a habit of dismissing unfavorable media reports as “fake news.” Now it seems Beijing is taking a page from his playbook, using the term to attempt to discredit foreign media reports on Thursday that claimed a prominent human rights lawyer was tortured in government custody. Experts told VICE News that Chinese state media’s adoption of the term appears to directly borrow from the U.S. president. Referring to the state-run Xinhua news agency report, Zhang Baohui, a political scientist at Hong Kong’s Lingnan University, said that “Xinhua’s usage of this term should be attributed to Trump.” China is just the latest country to adopt Trump’s favorite buzzword to discredit unfavorable reports; Russia and Iran have also begun using the term to dismiss critical coverage. The term “is obviously spreading among countries,” said Zhang. In his short political career, Donald Trump has made a habit of dismissing unfavorable media reports as “fake news.” Now it seems Beijing is taking a page from his playbook, using the term to attempt to discredit foreign media reports on Thursday that claimed a prominent human rights lawyer was tortured in government custody. Experts told VICE News that Chinese state media’s adoption of the term appears to directly borrow from the U.S. president. Referring to the state-run Xinhua news agency report, Zhang Baohui, a political scientist at Hong Kong’s Lingnan University, said that “Xinhua’s usage of this term should be attributed to Trump.” China is just the latest country to adopt Trump’s favorite buzzword to discredit unfavorable reports; Russia and Iran have also begun using the term to dismiss critical coverage. The term “is obviously spreading among countries,” said Zhang. Xinhua, the mouthpiece for the ruling Communist Party, published an article Thursday describing international media reports on the alleged torture of Chinese attorney Xie Yang as “nothing but cleverly orchestrated lies.” “The stories were essentially fake news,” read the article. Fake news – false online reports presented as legitimate news stories – emerged as an issue during last year’s U.S. presidential election, and the rise of deliberately misleading stories is increasingly proving to be a problem in several other countries. But the term has been gradually debased as it is used more and more by political actors seeking to discredit critical coverage or deflect uncomfortable realities. Trump has been the most high-profile adopter of the term, regularly wielding it as an insult to bash any journalism that paints his administration in an unflattering light. The most recent claim of “fake news” from the Chinese centers around the story of Xie, a 45-year-old attorney who has represented clients in many politically sensitive cases. He was detained in the Chinese province of Hunan in July 2015 at the start of an ongoing crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists, and has yet to be released. Late last year reports emerged, sourced to transcripts of interviews with Xie’s lawyers, alleging that he had been subjected to threats and violence in custody – with the aim of forcing him to confess to political crimes. Xie’s claims were reported by outlets such as the The New York Times – regularly accused by Trump of peddling “fake news” – and The Guardian, which said that while the allegations could not be verified, they were consistent with previously documented abuses in custody. The Xinhua article Thursday reported that an “independent team” set up by officials to investigate the torture reports had interviewed Xie and his fellow inmates and established that the alleged abuses did not happen. It claimed the torture allegations had been cooked up by Jiang Tianyong, another prominent human rights lawyer who has been detained since visiting Xie’s relatives in November, and who it said had encouraged Xie’s wife to publicize the claims. The torture claims were designed “to cater to the tastes of Western institutions and media organizations, and to use public opinion to pressure police and smear the Chinese government,” Xinhua said. Human rights groups say that confessions to political crimes made by detained activists in China are typically made under duress. Experts contacted by VICE News said that while Chinese state media had long accused Western news outlets of bias against China, the use of the term “fake news” was a recent development. “I would argue that their use of this term seems to be influenced by Trump’s use of the term to discredit major Western media outlets,” said Patrick Poon, a Hong Kong-based researcher for Amnesty International. According to the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, Xie has been indicted on charges of “inciting subversion of state power,” and “disrupting court order.” Xie’s lawyer, Chen Jiangang, told Reuters Thursday that his client’s account of torture was genuine, saying that Xie had made the same claims to him.

“Elizabeth Warren called me!” is turning into a Twitter meme

Elizabeth Warren is giving people a new reason to pick up their phones when a call comes in from an unknown number: She might be on the line. It’s a way for the Massachusetts Democrat to thank her backers. It’s also a savvy political strategy to highlight and spread her grassroots support. Warren ignited a viral moment over the weekend when she replied to a tweet from comedian Ashley Nicole Black asking whether the 2020 candidate, whose 2020 mantra is that she “has a plan for that,” has a plan for her love life. “DM me and let’s figure this out,” Warren, seemingly out of nowhere, replied. I am deceased. And ready to welcome new love in my life. And then get our new pres elected. #shehasaplan pic.twitter.com/3n44dpnPnJ Warren apparently followed up with a phone call, Black said Monday on Twitter. “Guess who’s crying and shaking and just talked to Elizabeth Warren on the phone?!?!?” she wrote. Black isn’t the only one Warren is calling — she’s making a habit of dialing many of her supporters, and “Elizabeth Warren called me” is turning into a meme. Do a quick scan of Twitter and for months, Warren supporters have been popping up expressing their joy and surprise that they’ve received a call from the senator herself. AM I DEAD. DID I DIE. UPDATE: I JUST TALKED TO ELIZABETH WARREN ON THE PHONE https://t.co/nUqJ5rvVy5 ELIZABETH WARREN CALLED ME AND I MISSED THE CALLSHE LEFT ME A VERY NICE VOICEMAIL, SHE IS THE REAL DEAL This strategy isn’t totally new. In February, Warren announced that she would swear off high-dollar fundraisers and phone calls with wealthy donors during the 2020 Democratic primary. In a Medium post announcing the decision, she said she wanted to make sure “everybody who supports my campaign is treated equally, regardless of how much they can afford to give.” Some critics emerged, arguing that such a maneuver was a risky disarmament against a well-funded Republican machine. Some suggested it might be a way for her to explain lower-than-expected fundraising. The New York Times reported that the decision was controversial even within her campaign. But Warren has stuck with it. What Warren is doing here is pretty straightforward: When a small-dollar donor gives money to her campaign through her website, they’re asked for some basic information, including their name, address, and phone number. That information comes in and her campaign picks out donors for her to call and thank. Her campaign has put out videos of her making the calls, of which it says she has made hundreds. She generally calls in the evenings, though sometimes it’s at other times of the day, and speaks with people for a few minutes. For most candidates, “call time” means calling wealthy donors and asking for money. Not me. I’m spending “call time” thanking small-dollar, grassroots donors who give what they can. Chip in what you can, and you might get a call from me to say thank you. Link in bio. A post shared by Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethwarren) on Apr 29, 2019 at 6:51am PDT What makes this feel more organic and effective is the declarations of the people she’s calling announcing what’s happened and expressing their excitement. A lot of them are doing it on social media, and chances are those people are also telling their family and friends about getting a call from Liz. “It’s guerrilla marketing in a way — the humblebragging from supporters about getting a call feels organic and lends credibility to her claim that she’s prioritizing grassroots supporters. It emphasizes her relatability and down-to-earth nature, and generates viral moments,” Amanda Litman, the co-founder of Run for Something, an organization that supports young candidates running for office, told me. One person wrote a diary post for Daily Kos talking about the Warren call experience. Litman added that beyond the candidate, and sometimes even more so, the best messengers to most voters are their friends and family. “[Warren] is arming folks with personal anecdotes to convince friends and family, and social media lets those moments spread far and wide,” she said. A Democratic strategist working for a rival 2020 Democratic campaign concurred. “It’s super savvy and a clever way of turning the fundraising process, which justifiably seems cold and cynical to most voters, into a way to showcase her authenticity and the grassroots energy behind her campaign,” the strategist said in an email. Idk if y’all heard but Elizabeth Warren called me today to thank me for supporting her campaign and my WHOLE LIFE WAS MADE! @ewarren you are the absolute COOLEST! pic.twitter.com/9ODwffMG9A Oh my god. Elizabeth Warren called me to thank me for donating to her campaign a whole month ago and I just found out I missed her call. I just listened to her voicemail right now. WHYYYY. Please call me back @ewarren! I’m gonna donate again tomorrow OMG. I was in meeting this morning when @ewarren called & left this message to thank me for contributing to her campaign. I'm in shock. Thanks for the call, Senator, and #ImAllIn. #LetsDoThis. #Warren2020. pic.twitter.com/w6ylSZcnCQ Warren’s calls have also gotten others online wondering why they haven’t received a call. And it could be inspiring FOMO and getting others to donate in hopes of hearing from the senator. She called me. It was such a shock! But completely fun and genuine Wait, why hasn't @SenWarren called me yet? I'm a COMPLETE MESS. 13-40s: my crush hasn’t called me 40+: neither my crush nor Elizabeth Warren has called me This is also a way for Warren to remind people about her commitment to steering clear of high-dollar fundraisers and calls to major donors. She has staked much of her career — and her campaign — on casting herself as being on the side of the little guy and up against Wall Street, big money, and corporate interests. She’s hosting “pop-up” meetings where a select group of supporters in certain areas get invited to meet her in small settings. She’s done those events in places such as Denver, Brooklyn and Harlem, and Alabama. Those pop-up gatherings, along with the calls, reiterate her no-big-money point. “It’s definitely cheesy, but in a way that feels true to her and that over the long haul will absolutely pay off,” Litman said. Since announcing her presidential bid, Warren has rolled out a litany of policy proposals on a wide range of issues, including abortion, tech consolidation, agriculture reform, opioids, and the revolving door at the Pentagon. She is outpacing her fellow 2020 contenders in terms of policy. And in calls with supporters, she appears to be reminding them of it. (When supporters don’t pick up, she leaves a message.) And I thought this day couldn't get any better! I had a great convo w/ @ewarren about abortion rights, gerrymandering & the stacking of state legislatures n AL, GA, etc. She LISTENED to me talk about how I feel helpless as a CA voter to help my sisters in other states... On the phone with Elizabeth Warren who called to thank us for our campaign support, AND, we talked a few minutes about child care policy. VERY IMPRESSED WITH HER. pic.twitter.com/Qe6MzKfIhg Jessica Ellis, a Los Angeles-based writer whom Warren called on Monday, told me that Warren thanked her for her support and discussed her proposed wealth tax, which would put a small tax on Americans with a net worth of more than $50 million. She also talked about her student debt plan, which would cancel debt for millions of Americans and invest in debt-free college. (She says she would pay for that with the wealth tax.) “She emphasized that she really, truly believed she could win, and that if she does, she knows she can address our worst problems,” Ellis said. Ellis told Warren she first saw her on The Daily Show in 2009, years before she was elected to the Senate, when Ellis was watching with her mother. “We both said, ‘That woman needs to be president,’” Ellis said. “She laughed and told me to send my mom her best.” update: it wasn’t

Hudson's Bay's chairman's buyout bid pits retail versus real estate

(Reuters) - The success of Hudson’s Bay Co Executive Chairman Richard Baker’s $1.3 billion bid to take the department store operator private hinges on whether an independent valuator will view the company more as a retailer and less as a real estate owner, corporate governance experts and analysts said. Much of Hudson’s Bay’s value is locked up in its real estate. Were the company to sell off some of its properties to raise cash, it could fetch more than what Baker offered, but would then be forced to pay rent to run some of its stores. Baker’s buyout consortium, which already owns 57% of Hudson’s Bay, has made a C$9.45 per share offer for the remainder of the Canadian company, a 48% premium to where the stock was trading before the announcement. However, some of the minority shareholders, including hedge fund Land & Buildings Investment Management LLC, say they value the company’s assets at between C$28 and C$33 per share. Hudson’s Bay shares ended trading on Friday at C$9.73, above the C$9.45 offer price, as investors bet on a sweetened bid. The big valuation gap is due to disagreements over how much of Hudson’s Bay’s prime real estate can be divested while keeping it operational. Selling off property raises cash but also makes it more financially burdensome for the company to rent the space for the stores it operates. As a result, it would likely close stores, and its retail footprint would begin to shrink. “There is judgment to be exercised on the valuation, which can always be challenging,” said Catherine McCall, the executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, an organization representing institutional shareholders in Canadian public companies. Hudson’s Bay operates 39 stores under its Saks Fifth Avenue brand, 133 stores under its Saks OFF 5th brand, more than 40 stores under the Lord + Taylor banner, 90 Hudson’s Bay department stores, as well as 37 stores in Canada which the company plans to close this year under the Home Outfitters brand. Hudson’s Bay’s trophy asset is the Saks Fifth Avenue building in Manhattan, which this year completed a $250 million renovation. Hudson’s Bay’s most recent public estimate for the value of its real estate was in September 2018, when CEO Helena Foulkes pegged it at $28 per share. Baker has offered about a third of that because he argues that the company would have to all but liquidate to achieve all the real estate value. Toronto-Dominion Bank, which has been hired by a Hudson’s Bay board committee to independently evaluate the take-private deal, will recommend whether the company should accept the offer as fair, or reject it and try to negotiate further. The board committee excludes representatives of Baker’s buyout consortium and is granted power to prevent any deal, even if the prospective acquirers otherwise control the company. In an illustration of this, a special board committee sank the hopes of Nordstrom Inc’s founding family group last year to take the U.S. department store operator private, after it rejected their $8.4 billion offer. The methodology Toronto-Dominion Bank uses to value the bid for Hudson’s Bay will be key to the outcome and will be scrutinized heavily by shareholders. The bank will likely be assessing how comparable companies’ shares trade, research similar deals and consider how much a financial buyer like a private equity firm would pay, said Andrey Golubov, a professor of finance at the University of Toronto. “It’s not done just to justify the offer. That said, valuation is not a science,” Golubov said. Hudson’s Bay declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Baker’s buyout consortium. Spokespeople for TD Bank did not respond to requests for comment. Sale lease-back arrangements in which retailers sell their properties and become tenants in their stores have become increasingly popular in the last few years as the downturn in brick-and-mortar retail brought about by the rise of internet shopping has put pressure on retailers to raise cash. However, some retailers resist them because they view the rent obligation as burdensome, a stance that often attracts investor criticism. Macy’s Inc for example, another department store operator, was pressured by hedge fund Starboard Value LP three years ago to do more to cash out on its real estate. Even if Toronto-Dominion Bank blesses an offer from Baker’s consortium and the board committee negotiating a deal approves it, the acquisition still faces some hurdles. A majority of the shareholders who are not affiliated with the buyout consortium have to vote for it, accounting for about 21.5 percent of the company’s shareholder base. Opponents could still challenge the deal in court when the company seeks approval for it before a judge under the Canada Business Corporations Act. But successful legal challenges of deals that have followed the process for management buyouts outlined by the Ontario Securities Commission, as Hudson’s Bay is seeking to do, are rare. “Most of these deals get done once they get board approval and a transaction agreement gets signed,” said Jeremy Fraiberg, chair of the mergers and acquisitions group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli and Harry Brumpton in New YorkEditing by Greg Roumeliotis and Cynthia Osterman

Joakim Noah's Victoria Secret Model GF Lais Ribeiro Rocks Thong Bikini In Malibu

Joakim Noah's model girlfriend Lais Ribeiro was so damn hot in her thong bikini in Malibu this weekend -- we barely noticed the beach was littered with a ton of HUGE stars!! Seriously ... everyone from John McEnroe to Kenny Chesney and Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber were hanging out at Laird Hamilton's pad for a Sunday funday. But, all eyes were on Joakim and Lais ... for obvious reasons. Joakim was waived by the Knicks last month -- and while they lost to the Washington Wizards that day, Noah was having a much better time. Lais is one of the top lingerie models in the world and will be walking in the Victoria's Secret fashion show later this week. She famously rocked the $2 MILLION fantasy bra at the 2017 show in China -- which Joakim could easily afford, considering he's made more than $121 MILLION playing pro basketball. Unclear how long Joakim and Lais have been an item -- but they were reportedly spotted out clubbing back in September and have grown closer ever since. In fact, they spent Halloween together and even had themed costumes -- he was Aquaman and she was Storm. Cute!

Jermaine Jackson Rips Quincy Jones For Scrubbing Michael's Name From Show

Jermaine Jackson is slamming Quincy Jones for removing Michael Jackson references from his orchestral show in London ... Jermaine thinks Quincy's caving to outside pressure. We got Jermaine at LAX and asked him about Quincy's decision to scrub all references to the King of Pop from his upcoming concert across the pond ... and Michael's big bro had a very stern message for the legendary producer. Quincy's orchestral show at The O2 arena in London next month was originally billed as a live performance of 3 classic MJ albums -- "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- but now Quincy is calling it a "soundtrack of the 80s." As you know ... Quincy produced Michael's 3 biggest albums, and the 2 will forever be linked. Jermaine tells us it's grossly unfair for Quincy to try and distance himself from Michael. So far, Quincy isn't saying what prompted the change ... but there's been a lot of media pressure in the UK to mute Michael in the wake of "Leaving Neverland." Jermaine feels Quincy is listening to the wrong voices. BTW, the movement fizzled in the U.S. Check out our clip ... Jermaine demands Quincy to brush up on his history.

UK PM May presses on with bid to get Brexit deal through parliament: spokesman

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is pressing on with efforts to get her Brexit deal approved by parliament, meeting Conservative colleagues and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, her spokesman said on Thursday. May, who has offered to quit in return for the support of Conservative lawmakers for her deal, is focused on getting it through parliament, the spokesman said, adding that she continued to believe her agreement was the best available. Reporting by William James, writing by Elizabeth Piper, Editing by Kylie MacLellan

Nancy Pelosi says a Clinton landslide could put the House in play. The math backs her up.

Nancy Pelosi is getting visions of reclaiming her House gavel. In an interview published by Politico on Thursday, the House minority leader said she is becoming increasingly optimistic that the Democratic Party might take back the House of Representatives in November. They’ll need to flip 30 seats controlled by the Republicans to do so. “I thought in December I would’ve told you we’d win 20 seats, left to our own devices,” Pelosi said in an interview with Politico’s Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer. “(But) seeing the behavior of the [GOP] presidential candidates right after that when the debates [happened], I became even more optimistic because they were so pathetic. … Since then, I think anything is possible.” Most observers think Democrats are unlikely to flip the House. But Pelosi suggested a Hillary Clinton landslide might carry House Democrats to power with her. “If Hillary were to win 54-46, oh my God. It’s all over. If it's 53-47, and I think that’s in the realm of possibility ... that’s a big deal,” Pelosi told Politico. “Five or more [percentage points] is a big deal.” Pelosi’s projections might sound optimistic, but they’re not that far outside the mainstream. Last month, I spoke to Geoffrey Skelley, a political analyst at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, who offered a similar theory. Clinton’s lead over Donald Trump has narrowed from late August from 8 points to around 3 points, so a 5-point win seems increasingly unlikely. But if Clinton can somehow reopen her big lead, the House really might be on the table. Here’s why. Get a district to vote for your party’s presidential nominee and your party will also probably win its House seat. That’s not an ironclad rule, but it’s a pretty good indicator — in 2012, only 6 percent of districts that voted for Barack Obama voted a Republican into the House. This is the key to understanding why Skelley thinks a 6-point Clinton win could put the House in play. That kind of national victory would likely mean 50 House districts currently controlled by Republicans would vote for Clinton — therefore suggesting they have a good shot of also going blue at the House level. Of course, a Clinton win in these 50 districts wouldn’t guarantee House Democrats will pick up all of those seats. (Many are held by powerful or longstanding Republican incumbents who are well-funded and enjoy good reputations at home.) But it does mean that Democrats could lose 40 percent of the House races in districts won by Clinton and still take back control of the House. Right now Clinton isn’t projected to win by nearly that much. Averages of all the major polling firms compiled by both RealClearPolitics and the Huffington Post currently put Her lead right around the 3-point mark; she’d need that to come up to where it was after the Democratic convention, which is unlikely but not impossible. "A 6-point lead would help create the conditions for Clinton to pull the Democrats over the finish line to take the House," Skelley says. "It doesn’t mean they would, of course, but it begins looking really possible." How does Skelley figure that a 6-point Clinton win would have Democrats winning 50 GOP-controlled House districts? His model begins by assuming that the distribution of the national popular vote margin to the congressional districts will be exactly the same in 2016 as it was in 2012. This may be best illustrated by an example: In 2012, Obama won the popular vote total by 4 percentage points. In Skelley’s model, a 4-point Clinton win would mean she’d also win and lose every congressional district by the exact same amount Obama did. (Of course, this is bound to be wrong in some places — the distribution of Clinton’s vote share certainly won’t be an exact replica of Obama’s. But since there’s no way of knowing exactly how the popular vote will vary by House district from 2012, it’s a useful gauge of what might happen.) This is why a 4-point Clinton win probably wouldn’t flip the House. Obama’s 4-point win over Romney gave him victories in just 28 congressional seats currently controlled by Republicans. That wouldn’t be enough — remember, Democrats need a full 30 to take back the House. But what happens if Clinton expands on Obama’s national vote margin? Since Skelley’s model assumes the national vote share will be evenly distributed, every additional point in the national vote total translates into an additional point for each congressional district. House seats where Democrats tied or lost in 2012 become places where they win at the presidential level in 2016. If Clinton wins by 5 points, according to Skelley, she’d be projected to win in 39 House seats now run by Republicans. That would theoretically put the House in play but would give Democrats very little margin for error. But if she wins by a full 6 points, then 50 seats slide over to the Democratic column — at least at the presidential level, and maybe for the House as well. Now, Skelley isn’t the only close election watcher who is suggesting the House really might be in play. Princeton professor and election guru Sam Wang tried to take another stab at this question by looking at the margin by which Democrats would need to win the popular vote to win the House and then trying to figure out where the popular vote currently appears to be headed. What he found should encourage Democrats. With the exception of just two elections, he found that Democrats have always won back the House when they’ve won the "two-party vote" (voting that excludes third parties): Data from mid-August suggested that they’re on track to do just that. Wang looked at results from something called the "generic ballot" — it asks voters to pick between the two parties, regardless of candidates — as well as the national presidential polling. "If the election were held today, House Democratic candidates would win the popular vote by 5 to 8 percent," Wang said. "Judging from the last few cycles, that level of public opinion appears to be right on the edge of being enough to give Democrats control of the House." Still, many of the current projections don’t have the Democrats riding a massive blue wave. The widely respected Cook Political Report, for instance, thinks the party is only on track to nab an additional 16 seats. The Cook Political Report thinks only 33 seats are vulnerable at all, meaning Democrats would have to win 90 percent of all of the competitive races to pull this off. In late August, Emory professor Alan Abramowitz released a model for predicting House races based on the "fundamentals" of the race, including the popularity of the two parties and the number of seats at stake. He found that Democrats only have a 15 percent chance of taking back the House. Similarly, the New York Times’s Nate Cohn argues that there just don’t seem to be enough gettable seats for Democrats. He notes that Democrats’ ability to win back the House in 2006 was made possible by the fact that 21 Republican seats were held in Democratic-leaning districts during that election. There are just nine such seats this year. "If Democrats are going to retake the House anytime soon, November would probably be their best shot," Cohn said in a story last week, "and as of now it’s not happening." There’s an elephant-size question hanging over all the analyses of whether a Trump implosion could give Democrats the House: What happens to "ticket splitting?" Ticket splitting refers to the voters who back different parties for Congress and the presidency in the same trip to the polls. In 2012, only a record-low 8 percent of voters did so. If that number goes up in 2016 amid a Clinton landslide, it could give congressional Republicans a buffer from a Trump catastrophe. (Current polling suggests Republican congressional candidates are much more popular than Trump, but it’s unclear how many of the party’s typical voters will actually show up on Election Day.) This is why the X-factor of Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson makes these kinds of projections much more difficult. Clinton’s lead over Trump in most polls puts her about 6 points ahead, but that’s in part because of how weak Trump is — she’s normally polling around the 47 or 48 percent mark, and he’s closer to 41 or 42 percent. If Johnson gets in the neighborhood of 5 percent of the national vote, do his supporters vote for congressional Democrats? Or will they vote Republican down ballot — and make Clinton's big national lead less crucial? This is why Skelley thinks Clinton herself probably needs to win more than 50 percent of the vote to pull Democrats over the finish line. If, for instance, she’s just beating Trump by 48 to 42, then congressional Democrats might need Johnson voters to go blue down ballot, which seems unlikely. "If she’s only winning barely over 50 percent of the vote, I think it’s difficult to say with confidence that she’ll pull a lot of Democrats with her," Skelley said. "I think she needs to really win the popular vote by more than that." It’s a colossal understatement to say that the stakes are pretty darn high when it comes to control of the House. If Democrats also go on to win the Senate, winning the House would open the doors for a raft of legislative priorities over climate change, immigration, and a range of other long-held blue sky policy goals for the party. So far, most chatter around a Clinton presidency involves big plans like infrastructure reform and new Supreme Court appointments. Sweeping Congress and the presidency would transform those ambitions into a wholly different kind. But there’s another, and perhaps equally important, reason this fight is so crucial: It may be Democrats’ last shot at the House for a very, very long time. New York magazine’s Ed Kilgore explains: If Democrats do fall short of what they need to regain control of the House even as Hillary Clinton becomes president, prospects for further gains in the near term will probably not be good. The party controlling the White House almost always loses House seats in midterms (1998 and 2002 were the rare exceptions), and 2018 would be a third-term midterm for Democrats, making the odds of an anti–White House trend even stronger. Beyond that, Democrats have a well-known midterm turnout problem associated with their heavy reliance on parts of the electorate — notably young people and minorities — that rarely turn out proportionately in nonpresidential elections. As for 2020, it’s worth noting that Democrats gained only eight House seats when President Obama was reelected in 2012. Many Democrats have certainly come to despise Trump over the course of a bitter and long campaign. But if he can blunder his way into giving them control of the House of Representatives far earlier than anyone thought possible, maybe they can come to forgive him.

The government official in charge of ethics just harshly condemned Trump’s plan

The nonpartisan director of the federal Office of Government Ethics ripped into President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for his businesses in an unusually public and blisteringly critical speech Wednesday afternoon. Walter Shaub went so far as to say that Trump’s conflicts of interest put democracy at risk, break with decades of tradition, and call into doubt whether Trump’s own patriotism stands up to history. Trump’s plan to step back from his businesses day to day is “meaningless from a conflict of interest perspective,” Shaub said in his remarks at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “Every president in modern times has taken the strong medicine of divestiture,” Shaub said. Trump’s plan “does not comport with the traditions of the presidency over the past 40 years.” The president-elect announced Wednesday morning that he would hand management of the Trump Organization over to his adult sons and the company’s chief financial officer. He promised to insulate himself from his businesses by donating the profits from foreign stays at his hotel to the federal government and limiting the information he received about his profits and losses. Shaub called the structure “perplexing.” Trump will still know where his business interests lie. He made clear that he plans to return to his company after his presidency. Ethics experts have long contended that the only real solution is a blind trust: Trump should sell his properties and allow someone else to invest the proceeds from the sale so that he doesn’t know what he owns. Trump’s lawyer said a blind trust would, essentially, be too difficult and expensive, since it would require Trump to sell large amounts of real estate. “The president is now entering a world of public service,” Shaub said. “He’s going to be asking his own appointees to make sacrifices. He’s going to be asking our men and women in uniform to risk their lives in conflicts around the world. So no, I don’t think divestiture is too high a price to pay to be president of the United States of America.” The Office of Government Ethics has hammered out hundreds, if not thousands, of divestiture agreements involving federal officials. They have had to “divest assets, break open trusts, and dissolve businesses,” Shaub said, and taking those steps can be expensive and painful. But, Shaub said, “their basic patriotism usually prevails as they agree to set aside their personal interests to serve their country’s interests.” When officials were reluctant to take the required steps, the ethics office’s demands were backed up by “the unwavering example of presidents who resolved their own conflicts of interest.” Presidents in the past didn’t just set an example for the rest of their administration, Shaub said. They helped the American system of government set an example for the world on avoiding corruption. The Office of Government Ethics is charged with ensuring there are no conflicts of interest. Its employees search through thousands of pages of financial disclosures and reach agreements with would-be Cabinet nominees, as well as lower-level officials, stating the steps they’ll take to make sure their private investments and public duties don’t conflict. It’s a relatively obscure, generally apolitical agency, and Shaub — who was a career public servant in the office before being appointed by President Obama in 2013 to his first five-year term as director — is far from a public figure. His decision to make a public speech criticizing the incoming president-elect was highly unusual. But emails between the Trump transition team and the ethics office showed that Trump has had little regard for the office’s work since he came into office. For 10 days after the election, offers of assistance and guidance on ensuring an ethical transition were rebuffed. Nor did Trump’s lawyers run their plans past Shaub. If they had, he said, he would have told them it was very possible for the president to sell his real estate assets, and that other officials in the past have done so. As for Trump’s other justification — that the president “can’t have a conflict of interest” — that’s nonsense, Shaub said. “A conflict of interest is anything that creates an incentive to put your own interest before the interests of the people you serve,” Shaub said, quoting a Supreme Court decision from 1961 that called conflicts of interest “an evil which endangers the very fabric of democratic society.” If anything, Shaub said, it’s more important for presidents to avoid conflicts of interest: “The potential for corruption only grows with the increase in power.”

Mark Zuckerberg’s WSJ op-ed was a message to would-be regulators: Hands off our ad business

The threat of government regulation has been looming over Facebook like a dark storm cloud for more than a year now, and it feels like it may finally be starting to rain. Last week, we learned that the FTC is considering slapping Facebook with a reported “record-setting” fine for abusing its users’ data and privacy. This week, two more things happened that make it seem like that cloud will be staying around for a while. The first was an op-ed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that was published late on Thursday in the Wall Street Journal. Titled “The Facts About Facebook,” the op-ed laid out why Facebook sells ads (“to offer services for free”); why Facebook uses peoples’ personal data to target them with those ads (people “prefer more relevant ads”); and added a friendly reminder that “we don’t sell people’s data.” Zuckerberg also pointed out that Facebook’s free service is great for users because it helps them “stay connected to those they care about and to express themselves,” and it’s also great for small businesses. “Most couldn’t afford to buy TV ads or billboards, but now they have access to tools that only big companies could use before,” he wrote. In other words, Facebook provides an invaluable service to the world, and its advertising business is necessary to keep that going. If you’ve followed Facebook or Zuckerberg at all over the past few years, you’ve probably already heard most of this stuff. So why is Zuckerberg announcing it in a fancy WSJ opinion piece? There are a lot of people who want to regulate Facebook. And regulators, both in the United States and in Europe, probably read the Journal. That likely includes politicians who want to pass laws that would limit Facebook’s ad business, or regulators like those who work at the FTC. Zuckerberg is bringing his argument for why Facebook doesn’t need to be babysat — “we give people complete control” — to a news outlet that should reach the people who might disagree. But while Zuckerberg’s focus in his WSJ piece is on Facebook’s data and advertising business, the New York Times reminded everyone that this isn’t the only kind of regulation Facebook should be concerned about. In a story published Friday, the Times reported that Facebook is planning to combine the technology for all three of its standalone messaging apps: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. That would enable an Instagram user, for example, to send and receive messages to people using WhatsApp, something that isn’t currently possible. Setting aside the technical challenges of connecting different apps with different features — WhatsApp only requires your phone number, for example, while Instagram allows you to have an anonymous account — the move would create one giant Facebook messaging ecosystem. Each of those services has more than a billion users. There are a lot of people who already think Facebook is a monopoly. This move won’t change their opinion. “This is why there should have been far more scrutiny during Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp which now clearly seem like horizontal mergers that should have triggered antitrust scrutiny,” tweeted Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democratic congressman from California. “Imagine how different the world would be if Facebook had to compete with Instagram and WhatsApp. That would have encouraged real competition that would have promoted privacy and benefited consumers.” Could the FTC try and break up Facebook? It certainly feels possible. But as The Verge’s Casey Newton pointed out Friday in his daily newsletter, Facebook may beat them to the punch. “If the Federal Trade Commission ever planned to compel Facebook to spin out WhatsApp and Instagram — a big if, I know — you can imagine the company explaining that there was no longer such a thing as ‘WhatsApp’ or ‘Instagram,’” Newton wrote. Maybe something for Zuckerberg to explain in his next op-ed. This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Girl Scouts Are Training the Next Generation of Female Hackers

In the past, Girl Scouts have been rewarded with badges for mastering skills like first aid, painting, and jewelry making. Now, in a partnership with security firm Palo Alto Networks, they'll be able to earn badges in cybersecurity, too. Scouts in kindergarten and first grade, known as Daisies, will be taught the basics of data privacy and online safety, while older Scouts up to grade 12 will be introduced to coding, firewalls, and how to become a "white hat hacker" (coder-slang for a hacker who uses her skills for good, not evil). "At Girl Scouts of the USA, we recognize that in our increasingly tech-driven world, future generations must possess the skills to navigate the complexities and inherent challenges of the cyber realm," Girl Scouts CEO Sylvia Acevedo said in a press release. With this partnership, Girl Scouts hopes to introduce girls to computer and internet literacy and provide access to a demographic that is often left out of the burgeoning field. According to a recent study, women are grossly underrepresented in the global cybersecurity industry, making up only 11 percent of the workforce. Furthermore, the Computing Technology Industry association reports that 69 percent of women who have not pursued careers in information technology attribute their choice to not knowing what opportunities are available to them. "It is our hope that our collaboration will serve to cultivate our troops' budding interest in cyber security by providing access to invaluable knowledge that may otherwise not be available to girls," said Acevedo. While there have been past cyber-related programs at the local level (like the Game Design badge available to LA-based Scouts), the organization's new commitment to cyber security education means that all 1.8 million Girl Scouts across the country will have access to learning these skills and, of course, earning the badges to prove it.

An Animated Masterpiece by the Unsung Co-Founder of Studio Ghibli

Before 2016, Isao Takahata’s Only Yesterday was considered the “lost” Ghibli film. Advertise on Hyperallergic with Nectar Ads One day, Hayao Miyazaki will die, and with him so will the renowned animation studio he co-founded, Studio Ghibli. When that day eventually arrives, countless images will play out in the minds of animation fans worldwide. Totoro, up in the sky, his mouth wide open, soaring while carrying a tiny umbrella; Ran, riding a giant snow-white wolf into battle, protecting the only life she’s ever known; little Chihiro trying so diligently to clean a “stink spirit” inside the strangest and most fascinating bathhouse imaginable. I’ll be thinking of those too. I’ll also be thinking of a moment that I feel like I’m watching for the first time every time I see it. A little girl and boy stand on the edge of a street, alone together. Their cheeks, once pale and white, now resemble the inside of a grapefruit. The boy, nervous yet determined, asks whether she prefers her days sunny or cloudy. Her answer excites the boy. They trade smiles and then he runs off. Overjoyed, he tosses a baseball in the air. The girl runs in the opposite direction; with nothing to throw, she climbs an invisible set of stairs and then launches herself skyward. The scene is in Isao Takahata’s 1991 masterpiece Only Yesterday, which screened at the French Institute Alliance Française’s Animation First film festival on January 26th, handpicked by this year’s guest of honor, Kirikou and The Sorceress director Michel Ocelot. Ocelot selected the film in part because it is one of his favorite films by Takahata, but the screening also honors the life and career of Takahata, who passed away in April 2018. Only Yesterday follows Takeo, a single woman in her late 20s, living and working in Tokyo, where she has spent her entire life. Taking a vacation from her office job and Tokyo itself, she heads to northern Japan to assist her brother-in-law in harvesting safflowers. On her journey to the countryside, she thinks back to her childhood, specifically when she was 10 years old. She thinks of her friends, her family, and her struggles with both, along with the most evil of all school subjects: math. Carrying around her fifth-grade self, Takeo ponders about her current situation, and she wonders if she let that down that spunky and ambitious 10-year-old girl. Takahata shifts between the two timelines, each one with its own unique look. In the present, the animation is sharper, more detailed, more … present. When the story shifts to the past, the animation is simpler, washed out, the edges of the frame seemingly fading away. These segments are made to resemble memories, dissolving moments in time. When the film released in 1991, it was an outlier, because it told what is still an unconventional story when it comes to feature-length animation. Only Yesterday is about an adult woman making adult decisions, something much bigger and scarier than any energy ball thrown at Goku. The festival featured the English dub, produced by GKIDS and released in 2016, with Daisy Ridley as Takeo and Dev Patel as Toshino, an organic farmer who develops feelings for Takeo. Their performances are filled with warmth and charm, successfully selling the chemistry the two develop upon their first meeting. Before GKIDS obtained the US distribution rights to the Ghibli library from Disney, it was difficult to see Only Yesterday at home through legitimate means, let alone on the big screen. Before 2016, this film was considered the “lost” Ghibli film. Today, and hopefully for a long time to come, it will be seen for what it actually is, a masterpiece crafted by a master of the form.

Trump warned NATO allies U.S. would go it alone if they did not spend: sources

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told NATO allies in a closed-door meeting on Thursday that governments needed to raise spending to 2 percent of economic output by January next year or the United States would go its own way, two people familiar with the discussions told Reuters. The ultimatum was delivered in a session at the NATO summit, the sources said. “He said they must raise spending by January 2019 or the United States would go it alone,” one person said. However, he did not directly threaten to withdraw formally from NATO, the people said. Reporting by Robin Emmott and Sabine Siebold; Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel

Paradise, California, wildfire: why the fire threat to California is only growing

PARADISE, CALIFORNIA — Brook Jenkins moved to the town of Paradise to escape a rough neighborhood in nearby Chico and raise her three children in an idyllic small town, filled with trees. Paradise isn’t next to a forest; it’s in a forest. Trees run between houses like gargantuan picket fences. “It was peaceful up there,” Jenkins said. “It was beautiful.” Yet those elegant towering Gray pines, cottonwoods, and walnut trees that drew people to Paradise also posed an immense risk of catching on fire. Six years of drought, including the driest period in California history, collided with bark beetle infestations that started spreading in rapidly in 2010, killing off scores of the state’s iconic giants. There are now more than 129 million dead trees in California sprinkled through forests like the one in Paradise, ready to burn like matchsticks. And with more people living closer to this dry timber, the likelihood that someone, or something, will spark a fire has grown steadily higher. Residents lived uneasily for years knowing that a massive conflagration was possible. Some even recalled seeing flames inch perilously close to the town in years past. “We prepared for it, but we never thought it was going to happen,” Jenkins said. When the Camp Fire, named after Camp Creek Road where the blaze began, tore through the town on November 8, it filled the quiet streets with cacophony. The flames roared, tree trunks burst, and propane tanks exploded as the fire swiftly gained ground. By the time the fire passed, almost all of Paradise, once home to 26,000 people, was obliterated. Around Butte County, upward of 52,000 people have been forced to evacuate due to the Camp Fire. The vast blaze has already made its mark as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history, having killed at least 77 people, left 993 missing, and burned through 10,360 residences and 150,000 acres. People in nearby towns saw the fire risks too, and grew concerned that they were getting worse as seasons got warmer and drier in recent years. “You have an instinct that something is not right,” said Theresa Squires, who fled with her dog Carob from Magalia, a town of 11,000 people in the path of the fire. “It doesn’t feel normal and hasn’t for a long time.” She recalled being unnerved when she first visited Magalia in 2011 and saw so many dry pine trees so close to homes. “I was just saying the day before [the Camp Fire] that this is a scary situation to be in, and lo and behold,” Squires said. It’s tempting to treat the Camp Fire as an anomaly, a one-off, worst-case scenario disaster. As Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said on Twitter after visiting the area this week, “Every time I come to California I say this is the worst fire I’ve seen. Once again this is the absolute worst. Worse than any war zone I saw in Iraq.” The fact is, climate and forest science tells us that massive wildfires like this are likely to become more destructive as average temperatures rise and populations grow, putting people and fuel into closer contact. We can do many things to reduce these risks. However, the Camp Fire is a stark vision of a future where we do nothing. I drove to Paradise on Thursday, venturing into ever thicker and more ominous smoke that shrouded the highway. When I arrived, I was struck that there was scarcely any sound at all, not even from leaves rustling. Bits of ash flurries drifted from charred tree branches. Dust coated every surface. Pockets in the ground were still smoldering and billowing smoke. The carcasses of cars, paint scorched off and tires melted, were scattered along the streets. The homes in Paradise are now almost all flattened save for their brick chimneys stubbornly standing firm. Only a handful of people were on my street, mainly searchers in white Tyvek suits, prodding among the wreckage aided by cadaver dogs. They are combing house by burned-out house for human remains. The swift winds that at one point advanced the flames at a rate of one football field per second have now died down. Firefighters have taken advantage of the lull to cut firebreaks in dry forests and pile up soil to control the blaze. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports that the Camp Fire is 45 percent contained and expects to reach 100 percent by the end of the month. But even a week after the fire passed, the panicked early moments when the flames roared in remain vivid for Paradise residents like Jenkins. On the morning of November 8, Jenkins watched as the sky turned orange, and embers and ash fluttered around her house in Paradise. She rushed to get back to the elementary school where she had just dropped off two of her children. By the time she returned home, the Camp Fire had spread around her house. “Within 30 minutes altogether, it was surrounding us,” Jenkins said. “We didn’t have time to get anything.” She and her husband piled their three children, their relatives who lived with them, and all their dogs and cats into three cars and started heading away from the flames and toward Chico, about 20 miles away. The journey took more than three hours, the narrow highways choked with people like her fleeing the roaring fire. Trees ignited and fell along the roads. Traffic stopped. Jenkins was separated from her children, who were riding in a different car with relatives further behind. With cars at a standstill and the fire encroaching, Jenkins left her car to gather her stranded children on foot. When she returned to her car, she saw flames inching toward her back bumper. She said she’s grateful to be alive and wants all her friends and family to know she, her husband, her brother, her sister, and her mother-in-law, and her three children are safe. For now, she is now staying with her family in a motel in Red Bluff, about 40 miles northwest of Chico. But the home and the life she built in Paradise is gone. What’s next is uncertain. “I just don’t know where we’re going to go, what we’re going to do,” she said. Some of the people fleeing the flames found shelter with friends and family. Others are staying in evacuation centers in the nearby city of Chico. And others still are sleeping in their cars or camping in tent cities that have organically emerged in the miasma of the inferno. Down in Chico, the city of roses, the air smells dry, dusty, and oddly sweet. The smoke has bathed the city in a sunset glow even in the middle of the afternoon. Local children ride Razor scooters wearing N95 respirators. A makeshift bazaar has taken root on the edge of a Chico Walmart parking lot where volunteers distribute food, clothing, respirators, and toiletries to what’s become a de facto refugee camp. Dozens of people have camped out in their cars while others have pitched tents on the grass shoulder. The site emerged organically, but that’s also led to some frustration, according to Guido Barbero, a Chico resident who is coordinating volunteers at the site. Various city officials and local law enforcement have promised more formal leadership and another site to shelter evacuees. However, in the week since the Camp Fire ignited, the Walmart camp has only grown. Now they have word that they must clear out the site by Tuesday. Where the evacuees will go remains uncertain. “It’s really the lack of information” that’s hampering relief, Barbero said. At the same time, the ingredients for an unprecedented fire have been brewing for years, so better planning and coordination for a relief effort should have been in place to deal with the fallout. “This was going to happen sooner or later,” Barbero said. “This was not a surprise to us.” While the campsite has been overwhelmed by donations of clothes, food, and supplies, some of the evacuees are growing concerned about health issues. Over the din of portable generators, coughing echoes throughout the camp as the omnipresent wildfire smoke in the air exacerbates health issues like asthma. The air quality here is some of the worst in the world, earning a rating of “hazardous.” Other residents complained about theft and poor sanitation. Temperatures are also dropping as the city heads further into winter. The strip of dried grass where people have pitched their tents is prone to flooding, and rain is expected next week. Some health issues are also emerging in some of the formal evacuation sites. One shelter in Chico reported a norovirus outbreak. Meanwhile, across town at Bidwell Junior High School, Red Cross volunteers are moving cots into a gymnasium to give the 65 evacuees there more space. Katherine Grochowski, the shelter supervisor, said the site also has too many donations of food and clothing. “Cash is the best thing to give,” she said. Grochowski, who has been working in relief efforts for 19 years, said the recent spate of fires and storms across the United States “seems like one disaster after another” but added that relief organizations are getting plenty of firsthand experience, helping them get better at responding to calamities. But on the question of whether people afflicted by a disaster should relocate or rebuild, Grochowski choked up and recalled her own brush with disaster, a tornado that struck her hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky. Some people moved away, but others were adamant about restoring what they lost in the storm, an attitude she found inspiring. People all over the world have a sense of place and belonging with their homes, no matter the risks, according to Grochowski. And she couldn’t imagine moving away herself after a disaster. Chico city manager Mark Orme agreed. “The optimal solution here is to get people back home as soon as possible,” he said. Even though the climate is changing — warming up the air, drying out the trees, and increasing the severity of droughts, thereby fueling massive fires— Orme believes that it is possible to prepare for these risks. That can range from fireproof construction to strategically removing fire-prone trees. But he acknowledged that it’s hard to prepare for an unprecedented disaster like the Camp Fire, and rebuilding to mitigate the next wildfire will take towns like Paradise, Magalia, and Concow into uncharted territory with untested solutions. “You obviously never expect the largest of disasters in State of California history to happen on your doorstep,” he said. Right now, the City of Chico is trying to restore a sense of normalcy for evacuees. Chico officials even hosted a town council meeting for Paradise officials, allowing them to use the chambers to discuss the minutiae of running a city, with the added challenge that most of the city is gone. “I was amazed at the pride and passion of that community,” Orme said.

Wells Fargo to pay $575 million in settlement with U.S. states

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) will pay $575 million to settle claims made by U.S. states, the latest settlement as the bank works to resolve lingering investigations and legal battles stemming from its sales-practices scandal and to remove a punitive asset cap. Two years ago, Wells Fargo agreed to pay $190 million to settle federal government claims that the bank created phony customer accounts. Since then, the bank has racked up over $2 billion in penalties as other issues were discovered across most of its business lines. Friday’s settlement resolves claims by all 50 states and the District of Columbia related to the accounts, as well as claims that the bank improperly referred and charged customers for a number of financial products like auto and life insurance. “Instead of safeguarding its customers Wells Fargo exploited them,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “This is an incredible breach of trust that threatens not only the customer who depended on Wells Fargo, but confidence in our banking system.” The settlement, confirmed by Wells Fargo and the offices of various state attorneys general, was first reported earlier by Reuters. Wells Fargo has been seeking a fresh start after revelations that its employees opened potentially millions of unauthorized accounts tangled the nation’s fourth-largest bank in fierce investor and regulatory scrutiny for the past two years. Over the summer, Wells Fargo launched a marketing campaign saying the bank had been “re-established” this year, but Wells Fargo continued to attract fresh headlines about the customer abuses of the past. The bank has been working to resolve ongoing investigations and legal battles as it tries to gain approval from the Federal Reserve to lift its cap on assets. This year, the bank has settled claims with the New York attorney general, a class of investors and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, but the bank still has a number of probes looming over its bottom line. Wells Fargo still faces probes by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor, according to its most recent securities filing. (This story was refiled to delete the superfluous word “Fells” in paragraph 2) Reporting By Imani Moise in New York and Patrick Rucker in Raleigh, North Carolina; editing by Jonathan Oatis

'Bendy Bone,' Today's Comic by Paige Mehrer

Check out more of Paige Mehrer's work on her Tumblr and website.

Factbox: Investments by automakers in the U.S. and China since Trump came to power

(Reuters) - Major automakers have announced a slew of investments in the United States since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017 and exerted pressure on the industry to create more U.S. jobs. China is also attracting much investment, with companies keen to increase their share of the world’s largest car market and keep up with the country’s push toward electric vehicles. Following are summaries of investments and restructuring efforts made by major automakers in the United States and China since 2017. Some did not respond to requests for information or only provided details for one country. Toyota Motor Corp has pledged to invest almost $13 billion in the United States between 2017 and 2021 to boost manufacturing capacity and jobs. This includes $1.6 billion for a vehicle assembly plant in Alabama jointly run with Mazda Motor Corp and $238 million in manufacturing capacity in Kentucky to assemble 112,000 gasoline-electric hybrid models a year. Toyota’s Kentucky plant has also gained $1.3 billion in investment to boost its competitiveness. FCA in January 2017 said it would invest $1 billion in truck and SUV manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Ohio, creating 2,000 U.S. jobs. It described the plan as a move to solidify the United States as its global manufacturing hub for Jeep products. In February this year, it announced additional investment of $4.5 billion in production facilities in Michigan, to produce more SUVs and trucks and create nearly 6,500 jobs. General Motors Co in November 2018 announced a sweeping restructuring program that aims to cut production of slow-selling models and slash its North American workforce so resources can be shifted to electric and autonomous vehicles. GM put four U.S. factories and one Canadian plant on notice for potential closure. It noted in late April that it has invested $4.3 billion in U.S. manufacturing operations since 2017.  Ford Motor Co in 2017 said it would invest $2.95 billion in manufacturing facilities in Kentucky and Michigan. Those plans included $900 million for its Kentucky truck plant to secure 1,000 hourly jobs and produce the redesigned Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. This year, Ford said it will invest an additional $1.2 billion in manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Illinois to expand production capacity and add new jobs. In 2017, Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai Motor Co, Kia Motors Corp and parts suppliers, said it planned to lift U.S. investment by 50% over five years to $3.1 billion. An executive said at that time the group was considering a new U.S. factory to build high-margin, high-demand models such as a U.S.-specific sport utility vehicle and a Genesis premium vehicle. In January this year, Volkswagen AG said it planned to invest $800 million to build what it called a new generation of electric vehicles at its Chattanooga plant in Tennessee. The first electric car from the plant is slated to roll off the production line in 2022. Honda Motor Co said in 2017 it would invest a combined $352 million in manufacturing facilities located in Alabama and Ohio that would support production of the redesigned Accord car and create jobs. It also said it would spend $124 million on an advanced wind tunnel facility in Ohio. Although not formally announced, the Japanese automaker has confirmed information from sources that is investing in capacity in Tianjin and Guangzhou to produce 240,000 more vehicles annually. The size of the investment is not known. The company’s China unit did not respond to a Reuters request for information. No major additional investment in China manufacturing capacity since the Detroit automaker announced it had earmarked $12 billion to expand production between 2014 and 2017. Ford said in 2017 it would invest in its joint-venture manufacturing facilities in China to support production of five vehicles, including a Lincoln premium SUV and the company’s first global all-electric small SUV. The investment amount was not disclosed. In 2018, Ford said it would invest in joint-venture manufacturing facilities in Chongqing to produce vehicles including the redesigned Escort and Focus models. It also said it would be investing to assemble the redesigned Explorer SUV but did not disclose where it will be made. This year the U.S. automaker announced plans to produce three Lincoln models in China by 2021, instead of bringing in those models from North America. Hit by a downturn in sales, Hyundai said in April it was suspending production at one of its five plants in China. Kia is also looking at suspending production at a China plant, a source familiar with the matter has said. Volkswagen Group in 2018 opened three factories – in Qingdao, Foshan and Tianjin – to produce more SUVs and electric cars as well as other vehicles. The German group, which produces and sells vehicles in China through its Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda brands, also broke ground for its electric-car factory in Shanghai, which will start e-car production in 2020. Through 2022, Volkswagen Group and its joint-venture partners will invest around 15 billion euros in e-mobility, autonomous driving and other areas. This includes R&D spending on new technologies. In June 2017, it announced a 50-50 joint venture with Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Co, its third partnership with a Chinese automaker, to design, produce and market electric cars. Honda’s joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group in December 2016 announced it would build a 3 billion yuan ($435 million) assembly plant in Wuhan capable of producing 120,000 vehicles a year. The plant opened in April this year. ($1 = 6.9063 Chinese yuan) Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu in Beijing; Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul; Editing by Edwina Gibbs

Teen prisoners rioted and lit British Columbia's ‘super jail’ on fire this week

A six-hour riot that started with a fire and devolved into a rampage through a youth "super jail" in British Columbia this week has confirmed long-held fears over what would happen when the province closed down other prisons and consolidated the inmates — some from rival gangs — into one place. It was Tuesday evening when a group of teen boys gathered together inside the youth jail in Burnaby and lit a fire by heating up a piece of paper in the toaster. The mayhem escalated quickly from there, with the kids, who used masks to hide their identities from the security cameras, smashing windows and furniture, fashioning weapons out of table legs, and barricading doors. They destroyed the microwaves and dishwasher, and broke the sprinklers. After they ruined one room and started a flood, they rammed their way into another and continued their rampage. By 2:30 am, officers with the federal police force and 19 firefighters had arrived and the situation was contained. Somehow no one was seriously injured, although there was immense damage to the facility. An outbreak of violence of this kind in prisons is rare in Canada, and even less so in youth jails. But correctional workers and youth advocates have, for years, warned that something like this would happen in Burnaby as the BC provincial government closed down the youth jail in the capital of Victoria and started pooling inmates from all over the province to save money. Inevitably, rival gang members came under one roof. This new "super-jail" has become a hotbed for violence and acts of aggression. A six-hour riot that started with a fire and devolved into a rampage through a youth "super jail" in British Columbia this week has confirmed long-held fears over what would happen when the province closed down other prisons and consolidated the inmates — some from rival gangs — into one place. It was Tuesday evening when a group of teen boys gathered together inside the youth jail in Burnaby and lit a fire by heating up a piece of paper in the toaster. The mayhem escalated quickly from there, with the kids, who used masks to hide their identities from the security cameras, smashing windows and furniture, fashioning weapons out of table legs, and barricading doors. They destroyed the microwaves and dishwasher, and broke the sprinklers. After they ruined one room and started a flood, they rammed their way into another and continued their rampage. By 2:30 am, officers with the federal police force and 19 firefighters had arrived and the situation was contained. Somehow no one was seriously injured, although there was immense damage to the facility. An outbreak of violence of this kind in prisons is rare in Canada, and even less so in youth jails. But correctional workers and youth advocates have, for years, warned that something like this would happen in Burnaby as the BC provincial government closed down the youth jail in the capital of Victoria and started pooling inmates from all over the province to save money. Inevitably, rival gang members came under one roof. This new "super-jail" has become a hotbed for violence and acts of aggression. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, BC's representative for children and youth, told VICE News she has been calling on the province to immediately reopen other youth jails to ease tensions at the Burnaby Youth Custody Center. It's believed that the group of young men involved in the riots were associated with the rival gangs from Surrey and Prince George, but further details haven't been made public. Turpel-Lafond says the incident has all the hallmarks of gang-related violence. "My eye will be strongly fixed on what's going on with the young people and whether this is a pattern, and what's going to be done to prevent this from happening again," she said. The Burnaby jail was already grappling with rampant violence. Over the last five years, assaults among the young inmates has doubled, even though fewer people were being held there. Last November, a teen in the jail launched a lawsuit against the province alleging that he was kept in solitary confinement, and accuses the guards of negligence and false imprisonment. Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre (Photo via Government of BC) Turpel-Lafond added that, before the other jails were shuttered, it was possible to send young offenders to facilities where they would least likely experience violence. This is of great concern when many of the inmates are affiliated with one of the province's gangs. "If we knew a young person or their parent ran a street-level gang here, or if they were going to be a target by virtue of who they were, care was taken to decide on where they should be located. Now, we don't have those options," she said. Dean Purdy, the head of correctional and sheriff services for the BC Government Employees Union, said in an interview that there has also been a spike in violence against the guards who work there. Right before the riot broke out, he says the staff there could sense something was about to happen, so they hid in the secure office. Riot at Burnaby youth detention centre causes extensive damage — CBC British Columbia (@cbcnewsbc)July 21, 2016 "There have been several assaults on correctional officers over the last few months, and all the anecdotal info from our staff is that tensions are very high inside. It's getting very difficult to manage the inmates," Purdy said. "And there's very little repercussions when inmates exhibit poor behavior." Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton, with the provincial anti-gang unit, told The Province on Wednesday that the force has been looking into gang activity in youth jails for many years. "This is nothing new and people should not be surprised at it," said Houghton, who added that the notorious Red Scorpions gang — responsible for one of the province's worst gang-related murders in 2007 — was founded in the Burnaby jail. However, the head of programs for the Burnaby youth jail put out a statement on Thursday that said the closure of the Victoria jail was not to blame for the riot and that the impetus for the incident was "a room search earlier in the day, which resulted in a loss of privileges." Purdy added that the inmates responsible for the violence have been separated from the general prison population, and an internal investigation is pending. Earlier this year, BC's premier announced $23 million in new funding to fight the gang wars in Surrey, which is plagued with frequent shootings and kids as young as 12 joining the drug trade. Follow Rachel Browne on Twitter: @rp_browne

Video of Deontay Wilder Squaring Off with Contender in Hotel Lobby

Deontay Wilder was still ready to swing hours after defending his belt -- getting in the middle of a hotel brawl involving heavyweight contender Dominic Breazeale ... and TMZ Sports got video of the melee. The chaos erupted in the lobby of the Westin in Birmingham, Alabama ... just across the street from the arena, where hours earlier Wilder scored a 5th round KO of Gerald Washington. In the video, you can see Wilder give someone a huge shove. Breazeale doesn't appear to be the one who received the blow. The champ mentioned in a post-fight news conference he had beef with Breazeale -- who had fought on the undercard -- and it appears it all came to a head when their entourages met in the lobby. Cops reportedly broke up the fight after it spilled into the hotel parking lot. Neither Wilder or Breazeale was arrested, but Dominic made it clear on social media ... this feud is just getting started.

Exclusive: Britain's financial heartland unbowed as Brexit risks deepen

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s financial services industry has emerged largely unscathed so far from the build-up to Brexit, with about 2,000 roles expected to have moved or been created overseas even as the risk of a disorderly exit grows, a new Reuters survey showed. Many bankers and politicians predicted Britain’s vote to leave the European Union in a 2016 referendum would prompt a mass exodus of jobs and business and deal a crippling blow to London’s position in global finance. But the number of jobs UK-based financial institutions say they actually expect to shift overseas has fallen steeply from the 5,766 predicted to move in the event of a no-deal Brexit in the last survey in September. This new estimate is about a fifth of the 10,000 flagged in the first survey in September 2017. A no-deal Brexit would mean Britain leaving the European Union without an agreement on trade. Currently, the UK is on track for such a scenario because a deal giving London and Brussels a 21-month transition period to negotiate a trading relationship is at risk of collapse. Most bankers, however, are confident a compromise will be hammered out. They are waiting to see what will be agreed and what the relationship will be, before making any final decisions about relocations. The survey results are based on answers from 132 of the biggest or most internationally-focused banks, insurers, asset managers, private equity firms and exchanges to a survey conducted between Jan. 3 and Jan. 28. The jobs are equivalent to 0.5 percent of the 400,000 people who work in financial services in London. Meanwhile, top investment banks plan to hire far more people in London than anywhere else in Europe, indicating they expect Britain will remain their main regional hub, at least in the short term, a separate Reuters survey showed. “It will be a slow burn. We won’t know what the full impact will look like for at least 10 years,” said Catherine McGuinness, the de facto political leader of the municipal body that helps to run London’s financial district, known as the City. “But the City is always changing and it will find a way to thrive.” Bankers’ sanguine outlook comes even as the United Kingdom is on course to leave the EU in 52 days without a divorce deal, a step that could send shockwaves through financial markets. British lawmakers last week instructed Prime Minister Theresa May to renegotiate a Brexit divorce deal, a move that is fiercely opposed by other members of the bloc, meaning there is likely to be weeks of political brinkmanship. The survey findings suggest London, which has the largest number of banks and the largest commercial insurance market in the European Union, is likely to remain the region’s center of international finance. The decision to leave the EU has jolted London’s finance industry, which has been a critical artery for the flow of money around the world for centuries.  Banks and insurers in Britain currently enjoy largely unfettered access to customers across the bloc in most financial activities. Elements long taken for granted, such as the right to buy and sell products in a single market, are suddenly in flux. Under a worst-case no-deal scenario, consultants Oliver Wyman predicted as many as 75,000 jobs could go, while the London Stock Exchange suggested two years ago that figure could be as high as 232,000. The future of London as Europe’s financial center is one of the most important outcomes in the Brexit talks because it is Britain’s largest export sector and biggest source of corporate tax revenue. Large investment banks are expected to have moved about 890 jobs, just under half the number expected by end-March, according to interviews with more than two dozen industry sources. Bank of America is moving about 200 employees to Paris by the end of February, according to sources. The bank declined to comment. But many other finance companies are holding off staff moves until the political situation becomes clearer. HSBC, which has publicly said up to 1,000 jobs could move to Paris, has so far not moved any staff, according to a source at the bank. Royal Bank of Scotland, which said it could move 150 employees to Amsterdam, also has not moved any employees, a source at the bank said. Under the terms of the current divorce deal, only a basic level of access to the bloc’s markets will be maintained after Brexit, but if Britain decides to leave the EU next month without a trade deal this would mean no transition period to lessen the turmoil. A senior executive at one U.S. investment bank said they would have to potentially double or triple the number of staff moved overseas if Britain leaves the EU without a trade deal. So far, the executive added, the impact of Brexit had been much less than expected and was less of a concern than the slowing economy in China and political upheaval in the United States. “It’s a real pain in the arse, but it’s a technical problem, it’s solvable,” the executive said. Ninety of the companies that responded said they would have to move staff or restructure their businesses because of Brexit, although only 59 specified numbers. The rest said it would have no impact or they were still deciding what to do or they declined to comment. For the first time since Reuters started surveying City financiers on their job plans, a handful said there was a possibility Brexit might not happen at all because of the lack of agreement within British politics over how an exit can be engineered. But the companies said they would not reverse the job moves if Britain were to remain in the EU. “The issue of political risk has become a really significant issue,” McGuinness said. “Even if you turned Brexit back, which I can’t see happening, I think we have damaged our international image and we are going to have to work very hard to regain it.” Additional reporting by Sinead Cruise and Jonathan Saul in London, Noor Zainab Hussain and Arathy S Nair in Bangalore and Suzanne Barlyn in New York. Editing by Carmel Crimmins

Nebraska Is Probably Regretting Letting Go of Football Championship Subdivision-Bound Bo Pelini Right Now

Just over two years ago, Nebraska fired head coach Bo Pelini after a 9-3 season and a season-ending win over rival Iowa, which included an impressive fourth quarter comeback. Delusional in their abilities, the Cornhuskers thought they were better than 9-3, so they fired a coach who had previously brought them to the Big Ten Championship Game and probably would again. The past two years haven't been kind to Nebraska, which has gone 14-10 under new coach Mike Riley and is coming off a 40-10 shellacking to Iowa. The Huskers went 9-3 (!!!), but they didn't beat anyone with a pulse, supposedly the knock on Pelini from the fan base (though it wasn't very true). Meanwhile, as Nebraska prepares for its second-tier bowl game, Bo Pelini—still a very good coach—is headed to the Football Championship Subdivision title game with his new yet hometown team, Youngstown State. They got there with this catch on the last play of the game: With a championship berth wrapped up, what's Pelini's message to Nebraska? We can only guess that it's something along the lines of, "Fuck you, fans. Fuck all of you." Yes, Pelini was rough around the edges, which is probably part of why he was fired from Nebraska, in addition to the perennial nine-win seasons. He seemingly never looked happy, and in addition to "fuck you fans," said things like "they want to fire me, go ahead." One game, he swung his hat at an official, and afterward he said he was reacting to a "chickenshit call." Most coaches will apologize for behavior like that; Pelini simply said the opposing coach was acting worse than him. He even called a meeting with his former players after he was fired in which he called the athletic director "a total pussy." Things, uh, haven't changed at Youngstown State. Pelini is who he is, and he's never going to change. He didn't fit in at Nebraska, and that's why a move all the way down to FCS Youngstown State was probably a good thing—he got to go back to his hometown, to a place that appreciated him. He should certainly be more sensitive with his words, but there's no evidence that Pelini is a terrible person of any sort; he's just kind of a hot head. There is evidence, however, that he is a very good football coach, and there are a lot of Power Five teams that could use him right about now. Pelini's coaching acumen has been verified once again this season, and as Nebraska gets set for a mediocre bowl game, Pelini will be playing for a national title. Perhaps in public, Pelini won't say anything about the Huskers' fall and his subsequent rise, but in private, we know what he's saying, while laughing all the way to the title game: "Fuck you, fans. Fuck all of you."

On Black Friday, more U.S. shoppers chose the computer over the mall

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday kickoff of the U.S. holiday shopping season showed the increasing preference for online purchases, as more Americans opted to stay home and use their smartphones while sales and traffic at brick-and-mortar stores declined. The ongoing shift to online shopping has forced retailers across the country to invest heavily in boosting their e-commerce businesses, and also highlights the impact of early holiday promotions and year-round deals on consumer spending. The weekend also redefined the importance of Black Friday. For the past few years, Black Friday was believed to be waning in importance, but it is now turning into a day when shoppers do not necessarily flock to stores but spend heavily online. Bill Park, a partner at Deloitte & Touche LP, said online sales are starting to complement in-store shopping over the weekend, and for shoppers and retailers the two platforms are starting to converge. This is happening more and more as retailers like Walmart Inc and Amazon.com Inc sell both online and through stores, making winning the transaction more important than where it occurs, retail consultants and analysts said. Online sales rose more than 23 percent, crossing $6 billion on Black Friday, according to data from Adobe Analytics, which tracks transactions at 80 of the top 100 U.S. retailers. On Thanksgiving, it estimated sales grew 28 percent to $3.7 billion. Preliminary data from analytics firm RetailNext showed net sales at brick-and-mortar stores fell 4 to 7 percent over the two days, while traffic fell 5 to 9 percent, continuing the trend of recent years. No data was yet available for actual spending in stores. In 2017, brick-and-mortar sales were down 8.9 percent for the weekend year-over-year, and shopper traffic fell 4.4 percent. In 2016, store sales were down 4.2 percent and traffic was down 4.4 percent, according to RetailNext. The decrease in store foot traffic is a little greater than it has been in years past, though still within expectations, RetailNext spokesperson Ray Hartjen said. Data from retail research firm ShopperTrak also showed that visits to stores fell a combined 1 percent during Thanksgiving and Black Friday compared with the same days in 2017. Brian Field, senior director of advisory services at ShopperTrak, said online sales have eroded traffic from retailers over the years, “but what we have noticed is that the decline is starting to flatten out ... Overall its been consistent with where it’s been over the last few years.” In 2017, visits to physical stores on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday were down 1.6 percent, according to the firm. “This decline feels pretty good to me. I think retail is in for a good season,” Field said. Retail consultants have said spending patterns over the weekend are not as indicative of the entire season as they were a few years ago the tendency now is to spread shopping over November and December. The National Retail Federation forecast U.S. holiday retail sales in November and December will increase between 4.3 and 4.8 percent over 2017, for a total of $717.45 billion to $720.89 billion. That compares with an average annual increase of 3.9 percent over the past five years. Reporting by Nandita Bose and Melissa Fares in New York, Editing by Gary McWilliams and Leslie Adler

Libya's Haftar rules out Tripoli ceasefire, dismisses U.N.-led talks: newspaper

PARIS (Reuters) - Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar has ruled out a ceasefire in the battle for Tripoli and accused the United Nations of seeking to partition Libya, according to an interview published by French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche. Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) began an offensive in early April to take Tripoli from fighters loyal to Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) which has the backing of the United Nations. The LNA, which is allied to a parallel government in the east, has not been able to breach the southern defenses of Tripoli. The fighting has killed at least 510 people, forced 75,000 out of their homes and trapped thousands of migrants in detention centers. “Of course, the political solution is still the goal. But to get back to politics, we must first finish with militias,” Haftar told the newspaper. Haftar also said the head of U.N. mission to Libya, Ghassan Salame, was no longer impartial. “Partition of Libya is maybe what our adversaries want. This is maybe what Ghassan Salame also wants.” The flare-up in the conflict in Libya - which has been gripped by anarchy since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in 2011 - began in early April, when the LNA advanced on the capital. Even though France and other Western countries officially back the Libyan government, some have supported Haftar as they see him as a bulwark against Islamist militias in the country. Macron had asked Haftar in a meeting held in Paris this week to make a public step toward a ceasefire, without much luck, a French official told Reuters. Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

Republicans totally outsmarted the mainstream media on Obamacare repeal

The long-awaited Senate health care reform bill drops Thursday, and it will be a front-page story in every newspaper in America. Over the next week, this document will be parsed to death by pundits on both sides. It will trigger countless editorials and, quite possibly, foment public protests. There’s no exaggerating it: This is the biggest legislative event of 2017 so far, inaugurating the final stretch of debate over a law poised to achieve one of the GOP’s dearest priorities: repealing and replacing Obamacare. But even though the effort has been going on for weeks, the bill release Thursday will be the first time much of the media has treated it like an urgent news event. For the past few weeks, Senate Republicans have been drafting the bill in secret. Knowing that they only need their own side’s votes to pass the bill, they have shut out both the Democrats and the American people from the lawmaking process. Now, there will be only be a brief period for bipartisan discussion before a vote next week. Compared to the drawn-out discussion over Obamacare in 2009, this effort to repeal it is as rushed and furtive as it gets. It’s the legislative equivalent of throwing sunglasses on a Hollywood starlet and dashing her past the paparazzi line. And while the debate over Obamacare was a prominent news story for weeks, the process of drafting the bill that Senate Republicans call the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 has successfully flown under the radar. In the past week, many critics have asked why the press has gone along with GOP’s unprecedented opaqueness. But has it really? Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan blamed editors and televisions producers for downplaying the matter. Where was the wall-to-wall coverage on CNN? Where were the bold New York Times headlines? The New Republic’s Brian Beutler argued that the lack of emphasis on health care reform in recent weeks reflects the media’s bias toward newness and action. Reporters, unfortunately, are not accustomed to writing about the absence of action. “By withholding details, [Republicans] limit the range of reportorial inquiry to questions about the process itself,” Beutler writes. “Have you seen the bill yet? No. Will you withhold support for the bill unless it runs through an open process? I am very dismayed about the process.” These are both fair critiques, but the blame doesn’t entirely lie with the media. Sullivan concedes that sites like Politico and the Hill have vigorously covered the matter, and both the Washington Post and the New York Times have written about this topic “almost daily.” Is it their fault that Americans didn’t care or pay attention? As my colleague Jeff Stein reported, even liberals have been hard pressed to gin up outrage over the Senate bill. “We literally don’t have enough information to motivate people,” one activist told him recently. It is easy to rally people around specific, upsetting provisions in a piece of legislation. It’s much more difficult to organize a protest around unprecedented norm-breaking and lack of good faith. This, in part, is the media’s job: to warn the public of problems coming down the pike — and to make sure that people pay attention. But news judgment has become devalued in the Trump era. If editors plastered their front page every day with headlines asking “Where’s the bill?” Fox News pundits would accuse them of partisanship. They’d run the risk of further losing credibility among a large swath of Americans. The danger of living in a time when people choose their own news is that it becomes difficult to mark the evaporation of democratic ideals. The power of the press comes from its ability to motivate public concern, and this may be one of the clearest examples yet of the erosion of the press as an institution. The media has said “this is not normal” a thousand times since Tuesday, but it has been no match for the GOP’s savvy strategy of legislative secrecy. The watchdog is barking, but few are listening.

Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods on Speaking Terms, Say Hello Inside Nightclub

Kylie Jenner's drama with Jordyn Woods is far enough behind them for them to say hello to each other in public -- but Tristan Thompson is STILL on their no-fly zone. Kylie, Jordyn and Tristan were all partying Friday night at Bootsy Bellows, and people inside the nightclub tell us Kylie and Jordyn spoke with each other briefly inside the VIP area. We're told Kylie was inside for about half an hour, and Jordyn was there for about 20 minutes ... and in that small window, KJ went down from her top-level section to say hi to JW, who was in a lower section. The former BFFs flashed smiles as they said hello, and we're told their interaction wasn't awkward at all. As one source put it, the "good vibes" were flowing. Kylie and Jordyn weren't alone, there were some mutual friends around to help break the ice. As you know ... Kylie and Jordyn's super close friendship ended back in February after Jordyn hooked up with Tristan at a house party. In the fallout, Khloe broke up with her baby daddy once again, and Jordyn was kicked out of Kylie's guest house. So, all eyes were on Kylie and Jordyn as they made their way to Bootsy Bellows for the birthday bash of their longtime pal, Stassie Karanikolaou ... and things got even more interesting when Tristan popped up. Tristan -- who was rolling with Drake, NBA baller Jordan Clarkson and Shaq's son, Shareef O'Neal -- walked up to Kylie and Kendall's section ... but we're told Kylie didn't talk to him, only Kendall did. Our sources say TT and Jordyn didn't communicate either. By all accounts, Kylie's peace summit with Jordyn went well and it seems like they're getting more comfortable being around each other. They say time heals all wounds ... it's been about 6 months for the ex-friends.

U.S. June sales a mixed bag for automakers; SUVs, trucks still strong

(Reuters) - Major automakers on Tuesday posted mixed U.S. sales results for June and the second quarter, with demand still fairly strong for SUVs and pickup trucks while passenger car sales continued a long-running decline. In the pickup truck segment, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s (FCA) (FCAU.N) (FCHA.MI) Ram outsold General Motors Co’s (GM.N) Chevrolet Silverado in the second quarter. GM reports sales on a quarterly instead of monthly basis. The Silverado has long held second place behind Ford Motor Co’s (F.N) F-Series pickup trucks, with Ram often a distant third. But so far in 2019, FCA’s sales of Ram pickups have outpaced Chevy Silverado sales by more than 40,000 vehicles. FCA, GM and Ford escalated a price war in June over pickup trucks - one of few vehicle market segments offering substantial profits, which matters at a time when overall U.S. new-vehicle sales are expected to fall this year. High interest rates, plus competition from millions of nearly new, off-lease vehicles have translated into fewer consumers splurging on new cars. After a weak start to the year, sales in the last couple of months have been largely flat versus 2018. “The market is not as down as it was to start off the year, which says a lot about market stability,” said George Augustaitis, director of industry analysis at CarGurus Inc, an online marketplace for new and used cars. “At this point, a Fed interest rate cut could be the thing that sparks the industry.” There have been growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year, possibly as soon as at the central bank’s next policy meeting at the end of July, although Fed officials last week pushed back on those expectations. FCA said its sales rose 2% in June, driven by a 56% jump in Ram sales. “This type of year-over-year growth is likely not sustainable in the short term, however, calendar-year-to-date, our pick-up truck sales are up 28%,” FCA U.S. sales chief Reid Bigland said in a statement. “As a result I do feel that double-digit truck growth is achievable well into the future.” GM said second-quarter sales fell 1.5%, with strong sport utility vehicle sales offset by poor performance for its pickup trucks. The No. 1 U.S. automaker said sales of trucks would pick up in the third quarter as both its most popular and most affordable versions of the Silverado will hit dealer showrooms. Ford, which like GM reports sales quarterly, saw its sales fall 4.1% in the second quarter, with retail sales to consumers down more than 8%, according to auto industry data. Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) reported a 3.5% drop in sales for June, led by falling sedan sales. In the last few years, Americans have increasingly shunned passenger cars in favor of larger, more comfortable SUVs and pickup trucks. Nissan Motor Co Ltd’s (7201.T) sales plunged nearly 15%, with huge drops for much of its lineup including the best-selling Rogue SUV. After years of relying on steep discounts to increase U.S. market share, Nissan is trying to pull back so it can sell vehicles more profitably. Billy Hayes, Nissan’s North American vice president for sales, said many of the automaker’s models will be revamped in the next year or two, which will help lift sales. Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS) on Tuesday reported a 1.5% rise in U.S. sales for June, lifted by strong demand for SUVs and trucks. Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru and Nick Carey in Detroit; Editing by James Emmanuel, Matthew Lewisand Leslie Adler

The most revealing Republican ad of the election is an attack ad against Tim Kaine

The Republican Party characterizes itself as the party of the Constitution. But on the eve of the vice presidential debate, it decided to attack Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine for carrying out a constitutional duty. The Republican National Committee debuted a TV ad Monday that attacks Kaine for representing convicted criminals as a civil rights lawyer in Richmond (as well as selectively highlighting his record as governor to make him seem more generous with clemency than he actually was). As the ad’s narration puts it, Kaine “constantly protected the worst kinds of people.” Sure he did. Someone had to. The Constitution says so. Attacking Kaine for fulfilling a constitutional duty isn’t just an expression of hypocrisy, though. The ad — and its bungled rollout — are the clearest sign yet that Republicans who’ve embraced criminal justice reform, and tried to move past racially polarizing “tough on crime” politics, have lost the battle for the soul of their party. “Criminals are bad, and Democrats like criminals” is a well-established genre of Republican attack ad. So it’s no surprise that when the Kaine ad was released on Monday, Roll Call, the outlet that obtained “exclusive” right to the ad, billed it as a “Willie Horton–style” attack. But the conventional wisdom on this type of attack has changed — not least because in 2016, many people understand the racial undertones in portraying Democrats as coddling “criminals.” When the GOP tried a similar attack on Kaine during his 2005 race for Virginia governor, as pointed out by Democratic strategist Mo Elleithee (who worked on Kaine’s campaign), not only did it not work, but it also helped turn voters against his opponent. That put the RNC in an awkward position — and made the ad’s rollout (as Politico noticed) seem somewhere between “bungled” and “unintentionally comical.” The RNC and its communications director Sean Spicer both tweeted out the Roll Call article (with apparent pride). Then, as other Republicans recoiled from the suggestion that a “Willie Horton–style attack” was somehow an okay thing to do, the RNC and Spicer deleted the tweets — and Spicer started demanding that Roll Call issue a correction to change the headline he’d tweeted out himself just hours before. In fairness to the RNC, the anti-Kaine attack ad stays away from the racialized images of “scary black men” that the Horton ad (and its descendants) so freely trafficked in. Most of the criminals featured in the Kaine ad are white. But the reason that “law and order” is such a powerful trope to begin with is because of fears of lawless nonwhites — something the Republican Party’s current presidential nominee understands extremely well. It’s sad to see this. For a few years, it looked like the Republican Party — or at least one wing of it — was beginning to figure out a way to talk about the criminal justice system that avoided racial polarization. Reformers at the state level, and senators like Rand Paul and Mike Lee, talked about the need for criminal justice reform as a fiscal, moral, and, yes, constitutional matter. They deserve a lot of credit for putting reform on the national agenda. They’ve helped bring some of their own party’s skeptics on board — and have helped inspire Democrats to move past their own tough-on-crime traditions. Some have even addressed the right to counsel itself: Republican megadonors Charles and David Koch fund scholarships and training for future public defenders. But it looks like Republican reformers have lost the fight within their own party. The anti-Kaine attack ad might not be as racially grotesque as the Willie Horton ad. But its message is arguably even more horrifying. Instead of attacking a particular clemency policy, it attacks the right to counsel itself. The right to counsel is a constitutional guarantee. Period. It’s right there in the Sixth Amendment (emphasis added): In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. The Supreme Court hasn’t always agreed on the scope of the right to counsel: Only in the mid-20th century did it decide that defendants who couldn’t afford to hire lawyers had the right to public defenders. But the basic fact of it is pretty inviolable. There is no crime so heinous in the US court system that a lawyer is not permitted — even obligated — to speak in its defense. Tim Kaine wasn’t a public defender; he was a civil rights lawyer who often took on appeals for convicted criminals facing the death penalty. (This Newsweek profile of Kaine by Emily Cadei discusses his decision to take on cases like this.) That’s a type of “criminal prosecution.” His clients had the right to counsel. Kaine didn’t have to choose to defend them himself, but someone would end up having to defend them. Kaine decided to be the person who’d fulfill that constitutional duty. And now he’s getting attacked for it. This isn’t the first time that defending “the worst kinds of people” has become a political liability in later life. Earlier this cycle, Hillary Clinton was attacked for representing a rapist early in her own law career. Inevitably, this becomes a factor in judicial appointments themselves. Barack Obama reportedly passed over Judge Jane Kelly of the Eighth Circuit for his latest Supreme Court appointment slot because of the attacks that were already being rolled out against her for representing violent criminals as a public defender. (He went with the centrist, tough-on-crime Merrick Garland instead.) This has real consequences. The Supreme Court hasn’t had a criminal defense lawyer as a member in a quarter-century. Over that time, it’s eroded defendants’ rights — including the right to counsel. Furthermore, when it’s common to attack a politician or judge for once having represented bad people in court, young lawyers who want to be politicians or judges in later life are likely to avoid becoming criminal defenders. They just won’t want to risk it. That deprives defendants of good counsel; it means that politicians and judges don’t understand the criminal justice system from the point of view of the accused; and it makes them all the more likely to demonize lawyers, like Tim Kaine, who choose to step into the role that the Constitution demands. Republican reformers could stop this vicious cycle if they could get their party to stop treating constitutional rights as an election year wedge issue. But as long as the Republican Party, in even-numbered years, attacks people for representing violent criminals in court, it’s not going to be able to pressure its elected officials and its base to support criminal justice reforms in odd-numbered ones. The racial politics of Trumpism are potent, and it’s hard to imagine they’ll be fumigated from the Republican Party even if Trump loses. The criminal justice reform wing of the GOP will be one casualty. The Constitution — or at least the Sixth Amendment — might be another.

Proud Boy John Kinsman: why defendants get makeovers for court

When John Kinsman of the Proud Boys, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group, appeared in court for a hearing last week, he looked like an entirely different man. (The Proud Boys deny SPLC’s hate group designation and question the legitimacy of the organization.) During a previous court appearance, on October 19, Kinsman had a scraggly beard, long hair, and wore a T-shirt and overalls. Less than a week later, he was unrecognizable in court in a suit, black-rimmed glasses, short slick hair, and a clean-shaven face. Proud Boys member gets makeover for court appearance https://t.co/qSy0aBc9CN pic.twitter.com/5riGKuESns The striking makeover is likely not a coincidence, but speaks to an understanding by Kinsman’s legal team that appearance is currency in the nation’s courtrooms. The likelihood of conviction and the length of a criminal sentence has been linked to how attractive, modest, or even light-complected defendants look. Amber Baylor, associate professor of law at the Texas A&M University School of Law, discussed earlier this year how it’s both “standard” and “good practice” for defense attorneys to spruce up their clients before a court appearance. She also runs the criminal defense clinic at Texas A&M’s law school. “It’s very common to ask your client to get a haircut if they want to, because you think it might help them in their case,” Baylor told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in March. “Tell them how they may want to sit ... what direction they want to look in, whether or not they want to trim their beard.” Looking a certain way can alter perceptions about defendants. Kinsman, for instance, belongs to the Proud Boys, an organization that Facebook recently banned; regarding the ban, a spokeswoman for the social media company said in a statement, “Our team continues to study trends in organized hate and hate speech and works with partners to better understand hate organizations as they evolve.” And last year, Jason Kessler, who previously attended Proud Boys meetings, helped to organize the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in which counter protester Heather Heyer was killed. (The Proud Boys deny any involvement with the rally and further deny that Kessler was ever a member of the group.) Kinsman was in court stemming from charges related to a fight with Antifa protesters in New York City on Oct. 12. His charges included attempted assault, riot, and criminal possession of a weapon. #JohnKinsman of the #ProudBoys was arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court late last night on charges of Attempted Gang Assault in the Second Degree (a felony) & various misdemeanor charges.He is being held in jail on $25,000 bail. pic.twitter.com/kJ1nWOh0i7 But the Kinsman in court last week (he’s due back December 6) didn’t resemble the public’s general perception of a violent person. His suit covered up his arm tattoos and his shorter hair, shaven face, and glasses made him look socioeconomically privileged. Although people who harbor far-right views transcend class and educational lines, a perception persists that they are “hillbillies.” And the rise of Trump and the growing racial animus linked to his presidency was famously blamed on the “economic anxiety” of his supporters. (Most Trump voters weren’t poor, though.) Kinsman’s suaver look for his court hearing signals that his defense team potentially gave him a makeover to shoot down the idea that he espouses such views. As it is, the Proud Boys deny that they’re really white supremacists, despite their ties to the far right; the fact that Kinsman is married to a black woman has repeatedly come up on social media and in the press. Proud Boys supporters have used a picture of the couple to shoot down accusations of racism. Kinsman’s black wife, biracial kids, and clean-shaven face could all serve to distract from allegations that he’s a dangerous participant of the far right movement, most recently accused of body slamming, punching and stomping on an Antifa member, according to the New York Post. Kinsman is hardly the first defendant to overhaul his appearance; it’s a common courtroom tactic, particularly in high-profile cases. Jodi Arias, repeatedly portrayed in the press as sexually alluring, appeared in court for the murder of her former boyfriend Travis Alexander with brown hair, glasses, and modest clothing — a complete departure from the blonde-haired and bikini-clad photos of Arias that circulated in the media before the 2013 murder trial, which even Trump weighed in on. The following year, Eric Millerberg, a white supremacist charged with murdering a teen babysitter, got a makeover before appearing in a Utah court. Associated with the racist skinhead movement where members typically shave their heads, Millerberg grew out his hair, shaved his overgrown beard, and got glasses. But for defendants who aren’t involved in high-profile cases or don’t have the funds for a makeover, there’s no opportunity for a full appearance overhaul. This is especially the case with defendants with prominent tattoos. Some of these individuals wear makeup to cover up their body art, but hiring a professional to do so can get expensive, up to $125 daily. And courts don’t always pay the fees associated with tattoos, even if they may prejudice a jury against a defendant. In March, a Texas man named Joseph Tejeda, charged with capital murder, asked the 105th District Court to help him remove or cover up his face tattoos. There have been several other cases in which tattoo removal or cover-up for defendants similarly became an issue. The requests demonstrate the significance of appearance in a courtroom. And while some defendants will be able to transform themselves, as Kinsman has done, those without means will be forced to appear in court in ways that may expose them to jury bias and prevent them from getting a fair trial. Want more stories from The Goods by Vox? Sign up for our newsletter here.

This Small City is the Most Exciting Place to Party in the UK Right Now

This post appeared originally on THUMP UK.Let's try an unusual opening gambit: at the weekends, I'm a bit like Cormac McCarthy protagonist, Llewelyn Moss. He's a fictional welder and I'm a real writer, but we're both on the hunt. He's looking for antelope and I'm after the sesh. Out on our own at the dead of night, the pair of us stumble upon the site of a crime. In his case it's a drug deal gone horribly wrong. In my case, it's an amazing club in Manchester that no one seems to know about. Let me set the scene. I'm a million miles away from the parched Texan borderlands, deep into Shameless territory. I can't see through the fog and there's no one about to guide me. Eventually, somehow, I make my way to a bar, where I find the last man standing. He must be the bartender. I reveal my weapon of choice. He looks panicked, and I wonder if he's trying to plead with me like Moss' victim does. Actually he's just telling me it's a cash-only bar. Out there on the dancefloor, I can feel eyes burning into me. Is it Anton Chigurh? No, it's just a mate of mine, and they'd rather get back to watching Sega Bodega than hear me try and continue the analogy. It collapses, and we're left in a venue named after a very, very different novel—D.M. Thomas' Freudian erotic fantasy, The White Hotel. The smog I lost myself in—brightly hued and eerily reminiscent of Ann Veronica Janssens' yellowbluepink installation—was pumping out of what can only be described as a smoke machine on steroids. Pretty much everything here at the Salford space is off-balance; from the under-floor bar to the, shall we say, minimal approach to toilet facilities. With just two stalls to go around as many as 300 punters, it's no surprise that promoters like Manchester institution HomoElectric advise male dancers to "go outside for a wee, festival styleee." The White Hotel's been garnering a cult following for some time now, and like nearby club Hidden, it still gives the city's Uber drivers a headache. Both clubs turned disused warehouse spaces into venues bringing Konspiracy-era illicitness to a tired Manchester clubbing scene, ravaged by years of gentrification and disputes with local councils over noise. The location is key—the borough is distant from Manchester's densely populated city centre. Salford council also enforce slightly looser licensing laws than other parts of Manchester due to its physical position. Sitting out there in a kind of no-man's land means that just as the Northern Quarter's Stevenson Square turns into a glorified Instagram opportunity, Salford's nightlife is kicking into fifth gear. Despite both spaces being tucked away down dank alleys, trouble in the surrounding streets is rare. DJ Black Eyes, who throws an annual 12 hour rave at the White Hotel puts this down to the club's proximity to HM Prison Manchester, a high-security male prison better known as Strangeways. "You'd have to be completely stupid to cause trouble," he tells me. That leads to what Jamie Bull of HomoElectric describes as a clubbing environment with "fewer rules." Bull's venture, a gritty-but-glam club night that's taken place in some of the city's most iconic lofts, basements, and dilapidated mansions over the last two decades, now divides itself between the two Salford sites. The appeal is simple; they allow for a more relaxed crowd. "It's the crowd that don't get dressed up to the nines, it's dressed down for dancing, getting sweaty," he explains over Skype. "Being on the outskirts gives you permission to do that." Christian Wood is another cult Manchester figure with a predilection for nights out in the area. Known to most as Il Bosco, the man behind esteemed imprint Red Laser Records, Wood's played both clubs, and likens what's going on in Salford today to what was going on during the heydays of rave back in 1991/92. "It takes balls and foresight to open something like The White Hotel or Hidden, and you can tell from the very act of opening there that the vibe is gonna be leftfield and underground," he tells me. "Plus that dystopian walk up to the door offers its own kind of theater which adds to the feel." Officially opening two years ago now, there's rumors that the genesis of The White Hotel emerged during illegal raves thrown at Strangeway Studios and the Bunker. The Hotel's owner Ben Ward declined to speak to THUMP, sending us in the direction of the venue's managing partner, the novelist Austin Collings. When asked how the spaces manages to stay commercially viable, he is Collings is refreshingly honest. "You know when venues and people play the not-for-profit card—but we all know it is really because the next time you see these people they're doused in the latest David Beckham fragrance and they're 33 sheets to the wind on Tesco's Finest Brut—well TWH doesn't even pretend it's not for profit. We are purposefully sinking ourselves into debt and destruction." An admirable business plan, for sure. While we're not entirely sure that that's the most sustainable approach to business, it is one that the city's promoters certainly appreciate. "The people that run these venues have got the right attitude," Bull says. "They're fellow clubbers, music lovers themselves. It's done with some heart and some passion." DJ Black Eyes shares the sentiment: "Ben (Ward) is one of the most genuine people I know. You can tell he really enjoys owning the place—he'll go round and talk to people, he'll talk to people in the club, he'll talk to the promoters. I've never seen that anywhere else." The five-strong team behind Hidden are dedicated to providing a personal touch, too. We meet at their office one afternoon in June, and director Nickos Arnaoutis immediately begins by singing the praises of Mohammed, the club's airport transfer diver. "Me and Kris (Arnaoutis' brother and a fellow director) used to get lifts home off him after a night out and he'd always be wearing a suit, he'd be well spoken. We needed a driver so I said, 'would you be up for picking DJs up from the airport for us, representing Hidden?' And he goes so far above and beyond that he'll research the artist a week before, see where they've played, see a bit about them, and he'll be like, 'hello sir, how was it in Berlin?' DJs love it." The venue, which is an ever-growing network of 600-capacity spaces and artist studios has been lovingly cleaned up but retains its industrial feel. Much like The White Hotel, Hidden was a personal and financial sacrifice since opening in August 2015. With a high-risk booking strategy focused on long-term growth, the club's bookers, Jay Smith and Anton Stevens, found things initially tough. "You just have to grin and bear it because there is an end-point where, because of the value that you're adding to these people, word kind of spreads and people start seeing that you're doing a good thing," explains Stevens. "We could have gone for certain DJs who we knew would have filled the venue but me and Anton stuck to our guns," Smith says. They wanted DJs who might not be massive ticket-sellers, but who'd bring a decent crowd to a new space. They were also helped by engineering a deal with Manchester nightlife mammoths the Warehouse Project, an arrangement that might just have saved Hidden being obliterated by the all-mighty promotion outfit. Stevens, who worked at the superclub before joining the Hidden team recalls, "what we did was from the start tell the Warehouse Project what was happening, which they really respected. In the past you'd have a battle between Warehouse Project and Sankeys but the Warehouse Project have actually opened a few avenues for us." Salford's illicit spirit isn't consigned to the two clubs, however. "About two weeks ago I pulled off the most audacious rave Manchester has seen since the early 90s," Il Bosco confesses. "We had to load a canal boat with the sound system and sail it down the canal to Pomona Island. 400 people turned up and four days later it was still going." What makes this even more extraordinary is that Pomona is situated a stone's throw away from Salford Quays, home to Manchester's Media City, where the BBC, ITV and Salford University all have sites. While Il Bosco's event was lucky to avoid being shut down by overzealous officers of the law, the continued blurring of the lines of legality are, in part at least, down to the council's belief in the positive impact clubs can have on communities. Hidden's venue manager Martin Moffat explains that, "councils in different cities have different approaches so we are really lucky. Although in Salford they do make you work for it, as long as you show them that you are working with them then they encourage it, which is refreshing." Before I leave Hidden, the guys are keen to tell me another anecdote. "Marcellus Pittman literally canceled his flight just to sit drinking one night," Moffat starts. "He was on the phone to his mates in Detroit like Moodymann and stuff, saying, 'guys I've found the sickest venue and you all need to get over here,' and we were like, he's on the phone to Moodymann, is this real, it's like 6 in the morning," Smith continues. "He called it the new Paradise," Arnaoutis concludes proudly. Wood is more cautious about hailing Salford a new clubbing mecca. "The Red Laser crew spent a weekend at Griessmuehle in Berlin," he tells me. "That's fucking crazy unique and shows even though we are heading in the right direction with clubs like Hidden and The White Hotel leading the way we have a long way to go to match the experiences you get in places like Berlin." While he's probably right, it feels good a new chapter is Manchester's rich clubbing history is well under way. Let's just hope it hasn't been written by Cormac McCarthy. There's a few great nights happening at both venues soon. On the 8th of July there's a day and night party kicking off at Hidden. HomoElectric will be back there on the 26th of August too. That same night sees Lost Control's 12 Hours of Rave bash taking place at The White Hotel. Looking further into the future, the Red Laser squad's Manctaloween party's taking over Atama on the 28th of October. Oh, and Il Bosco's Bridge Theory 12" is out now. Phew!

FCC probes whether Sinclair misled agency during failed Tribune deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Shares in Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc fell by 1.6% after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission disclosed it has opened an investigation into whether the company misled the agency in its failed effort to win approval for a $3.9 billion bid to purchase Tribune Media Co. In a June 25 letter to Sinclair posted Wednesday on the FCC’s website, the government agency’s media bureau directed Sinclair to answer a series of questions by July 9. On Thursday, the letter had been removed from the FCC’s website. The FCC did not explain why the letter had been removed but in a statement Thursday said the “Media Bureau is in the process of resolving an outstanding issue regarding Sinclair’s conduct as part of the last year’s FCC’s review of its proposed merger with Tribune. The Bureau believes that delaying consideration of this matter would not be in anyone’s interest.” Sinclair said Thursday “this is part of an ongoing discussion initiated by Sinclair to work with the FCC to respond to certain allegations raised” last year by the FCC when it referred the issue for a hearing. Sinclair could face fines from the FCC. In 2017, the FCC fined Sinclair $13.38 million for failing to disclose that programing on local TV stations that looked like news stories was sponsored by a cancer institute. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, said Thursday that “any settlement negotiated behind closed doors will leave us with more questions than answers about one of the nation’s largest broadcasters. The FCC should hold a hearing in public on these questions and do it now.” Tribune terminated the sale of 42 TV stations in 33 markets to Sinclair, which has 192 stations, in August. A month earlier the FCC referred the deal for a hearing, questioning Sinclair’s candor over the planned sale of some stations and suggesting Sinclair would effectively retain control over them. An administrative judge in March dropped plans for a hearing into allegations that Sinclair may have misled regulators. Judge Jane Halprin added however that the allegations “are extremely serious charges that reasonably warrant a thorough examination.” U.S. President Donald Trump backed the deal and its collapse potentially ended Sinclair’s hopes of building a national conservative-leaning TV powerhouse that might have rivaled Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s Fox News. Nexstar Media Group Inc said in December it will buy Tribune in a $4.1 billion deal that would make it the largest regional U.S. TV station operator. The deal is still under review by the Justice Department and the FCC. In May, Walt Disney Co said it would sell its interests in 21 regional sports networks and Fox College Sports to Sinclair for $9.6 billion. Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Lisa Shumaker

Forget Facebook, Amazon or Google. Up-and-coming top tech talent is opting for startups.

Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google — the aptly named FANG companies — are coming under increased scrutiny for their total market dominance. In their respective but more frequently overlapping areas of focus, these giants have collected enough information to hold an alarming amount of global influence. Chief among that, and perhaps most concerning, is the amount of data collected on us, the everyday users. Well past their inflection points, and with every single usage, these companies are woven deeper into the fabric of our lives. Some might even say more emphatically that they have become our everyday lives. Longtime technology follower David Kirkpatrick went as far as to say that the big breakthrough industries of the future will be characterized by meaningful barriers to entry — best-placed for those who own the most data. Groundbreaking innovations that fall within AI — like autonomous cars and specific advances like augmented reality — require significant capital and data, priming those markets for domination by an established core with deep pockets. Implicit in that is the limited space for startups to gain a footing in the market. Just as these juggernauts draw customers with less and less effort, the tipping-point status of their services makes not joining the Big Four feel like being left out, and they will win the war for talent. However, that is not what the view looks like from my position as CEO of a company whose charge is to find and place engineers, designers, product managers and data analysts at technology growth companies — startup tech companies in particular. I am happy to report that “talent” remains liquid. A flight to the top at the world’s most established technology companies is no longer the most sought-after route. This is indeed a different world from even a decade ago, when brilliant MBAs and engineers were often choosing between and opting for Google over Goldman. At that time, this was the ultimate indication of a changing of the guard. So what is giving the rest of the employer world a fighting chance? A smart man once said it’s hard to scale “special.” Keeping your mojo decades post-launch is no small feat, and while these companies have had tremendous impact on a global scale, they are now well past their teenage years and contain more layers. When engineers talk about what they look for in an employer, they often choose the opportunity to be a big fish (hero) in a small shop with grand ambition, over a small fish in a big shop that has already made its mark (a contributor). At the same time, transparency also becomes a challenge in a company of great size. Public-company transparency is one thing, but the transparency that many talented technology executives seek pertains to operations and leadership. They desire the enterprise-wide view that the startup environment provides, and many of them want to have a hand in driving a company’s broader development. The millennial and iGen crowd will soon be a majority in the workforce, and these generations crave a part in the next big thing. The disconnect is that FANG companies are the current big thing. Millennials and iGen believe in the art of the possible and embrace socially-minded missions. This is not to suggest that Google became evil or less socially conscious when, in 2015, it dropped “Don't be evil“ from its core values, but it did create a space for others to carry the torch. Young companies, with founders almost always still in tow, are as passionate a group as you can find. They tell the story of the mission — always prospective at this point in their life cycle — in such an effective way that VCs swoon and new talent wants to walk through fire. Most important is the evolution of the rest of the employer community outside of the obvious technology companies like Netflix or Cisco. Simply stated — by so many we can’t accurately attribute — every company is tech-centric. Technology is now a non-negotiable for enduring success. With these “tech-peripherals” — from giants of the oil industry to health insurers using data analytics to forecast patients most at risk — there are more ways to make a difference with technology than ever before. Engineering, data, design and product talent will always be coveted by companies across tech — the giants and the comers, and increasingly, the tech-peripherals. Make no mistake about it — it is a competitive battle. The FANG companies may very well receive continued criticism from regulators over their growing influence, but from where we sit, the future of innovation remains open to new breeds. How do we know this? Today, very little talent walks in our door and says, "Can you get me a job at Google?” Rather, they say “Can you get me into the next Google?” David Saad is co-founder and CEO of SingleSprout, a specialized search firm focused on hiring engineering and product talent at tech companies. Reach him @singlesproutnyc. This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Facebook tells conservatives it may revamp its approach to Trending Topics

Facebook told a group of influential conservatives that it's considering revamping how it identifies Trending Topics in the wake of the recent controversy over alleged bias. The social network previously disclosed the websites and 1,000 media outlets it uses to corroborate reporting — a list with some notable omissions. "There are some fairly prominent conservative news sites that weren't listed there," said Rob Bluey, editor in chief of the Daily Signal, the Heritage Foundation's news organization. "They did talk about revamping Trending Topics." Bluey suggested prominent conservative sites to include among those that Facebook's algorithm scours for topics of interest or for vetting stories — including Conservative Review, Newsmax, the Federalist and Townhall, as well as his own. The social network did not respond to a request seeking comment. Facebook has emerged as a powerful platform for news organizations, with more than one-third of 18- to 29-year-olds identifying social networks as their primary source for learning about the 2016 election, according to Pew Research. "I told Mark and some of the other executives that the Daily Signal wouldn't be possible without Facebook," Bluey said. "We launched two years ago, and Facebook is one of the platforms we use to reach our audience." Bluey said he emerged from the meeting convinced that Zuckerberg is committed to ensuring that Facebook is a platform where everyone has a voice. "They assured us they’re not out to get conservatives in any way," Bluey said. "We don't have to worry about somebody sitting in a back office, secretly taking down conservative pages." This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Turkey's Death Metal Scene Thrives Despite Government Repression

It's never been easy to be a metalhead in Turkey, where they're forced to exist under the ominous glare of a conservative culture and a state riddled with authoritarian tendencies. A lack of venues has plagued the country's DIY music scenes even in its biggest cities, and the few that do open their doors to metal music often have terrible sound systems. But these setbacks haven't stopped a vibrant underground metal scene from flourishing in Turkey, where a handful of active groups are playing killer black and death metal. Turkey is firmly under the control of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose AK Parti party has led the country for a decade and a half, dominating the political arena; they've become known for their violent repression of the country's Kurdish population, and lack of hesitation to jail dissidents on the flimsiest of charges (including actual elected members of parliament). Now, a critical election is approaching, one that Erdoğan called over a year early. If elected again, he will preside over a newly-installed presidential system designed to grant him even more power, and the suffocating chokehold he has over the country will remain for years to come. Add all that to a Turkish lira that has been plummeting rapidly this year, and you get an atmosphere that feels mildly apocalyptic—something that has bled into its underground metal scene. Despite its authoritarian government, Turkey is no Turkmenistan or North Korea, and there is still just enough freedom and space for underground scenes to thrive. The vitality of the underground metal scene was no more evident than at a recent festival in Ankara that brought 14 bands to the stage over the course of two days. Hundreds of metalheads came out, many traveling from cultural capital Istanbul. Showcased were among some of the country's best active metal units, who delivered passionate and thunderous performances in a basement rock bar where the stage was buttressed with a row of barrels that seemed to encourage stage-diving and crowd surfing. Not every band featured below appeared at the festival that weekend, but all are among the most important and exciting of their kind active today. Though opportunities to play are indeed few and far between, this hasn't thwarted Turkey's underground metal groups from cultivating a rich scene. They rage on. Perhaps the most brutal performance of the weekend came from Engulfed, an Istanbul death metal quartet that formed in 2010. Hot off 2017's debut LP, Engulfed in Obscurity, the band ripped through an airtight set and sounded like a pack of speed-addled rhinos pounding down a dusty road. Vocalist/bassist Serkan elaborately described the band's sound as, “the noise you hear while being dragged inside a dark tunnel, when everything positive in the universe is annihilated within eternal darkness, while taking pleasure in suffering and when everything sacred is being mercilessly destroyed.” The band's usually frenetic pace is punctuated by slow, grim breakdowns laced with demonically appealing leads. Serkan cites visa problems as being one of the major inhibitors of the scene, preventing Turkish band from showcasing their sound abroad (Turks have to apply for Schengen visas to visit Europe; the application fees are expensive and arbitrary rejections are common.) Nevertheless, he appreciates the close-knit ties that bind the scene together and keep them motivated. “The numbers are small, but we have a metal scene composed of friends that are totally connected and look out for one another,” Serkan says. Another powerfully talented Istanbul death metal outdit, Diabolizer, shares two members with Engulfed but opts to take more of a gratuitous, exuberant approach that doesn't lack in brutality. Their most recent effort is 2016's bruiser Apokalypse EP. Defiant, cackling melodic guitar parts dance effortlessly around a bottomless pit of doom. Headbangers in Ankara and Istanbul have been fortunate enough to catch the dazzling Diabolizer on stage at recent shows this year. Perhaps the most eagerly-awaited band of the festival was Burial Invocation, which was formed in 2008 with roots in both Istanbul and Ankara. The four-piece's hotly anticipated debut full-length, Abiogenesis, is slated to come out later this year and blends savage vocals with manic drum work and impressive guitar trickery slathered in alternating dollops of brutality and melodic brilliance. European metalheads will be fortunate to catch the band across a number of countries on their tour of the continent in September and October of this year. “In my opinion, being a metalhead in Turkey is great; there are a number of great albums that will be released soon and some fantastic shows coming up,” says guitarist Cihan. “There are both new and old bands, the attendance at shows is good, and they are more soulful and fun than the underground shows I've seen in Europe." Laying down a raw, sharp blend of death metal that blends power and precision, Hellsodomy (which also shares members with Engulfed and toured Europe together last year) is yet another mainstay of Turkey's underground metal scene. Their 2016 eight-song full length, Chaostorm, is a barrage of throat-shredding vocals, skull-pounding drums, and razor-sharp solos. “There has been an increase in the attendance of shows, at every show there are people we haven't seen before. Though in a city of 15 million, the number of people coming out to a show is around 150. In a country with 81 provinces, we can only play in five,” guitarist Yunus says. On the positive side, “we've created this fantastic world within our own realm and are working to take things to the next level." Described by vocalist Çağatay as “twisted, malignant metal” that will appeal to fans of black, death and thrash metal, Persecutory formed in Istanbul in 2014. After a year and a half hiatus, they roared back to the stage with an intense, memorable performance at the Ankara festival. Their debut LP, Towards an Ultimate Extinction, wastes no time descending into pure chaos and mayhem, laying the foundation for an absolutely catastrophic sound formed around Çagatay's anguished, searing vocals. “Being a metalhead is not a hobby for me, it's an identity,” Çağatay says, adding that many people in the scene end up losing interest entirely and then chastise active metalheads for their ongoing commitment. “Apart from three or four small bars that we've played at, venue owners don't take metal shows seriously and do not want to host them,” he adds. Sarinvomit's sound is as vile and dark as its name implies. Sharing vocalists with Persecutory, this Istanbul unit is hot off the release of their debut, Malignant Thermonuclear Supremacy, a throttling, crackbrained blend of extreme metal. Here, bloodthirsty vocals, battleaxe guitars, and blastbeats that make even the listener's wrists feel sore converge in a truly punishing fashion. Long-running scene stalwarts Decaying Purity have been at it since 2005, enduring a number of lineup changes while amassing several releases and appearing at various festivals across Europe. The band, which describes its sound as “sickeningly brutal death metal punishment,” most recently released Malignant Resurrection of the Fallen Souls, a raging beast of an affair with filthy, venomous vocals and the impressive riff-repertoire of co-founder Mustafa, who also plays in Engulfed and Diabolizer. A new recording is reportedly in the works. Paul Benjamin Osterlund is a writer based in Istanbul; follow him on Twitter.

Trash Geyser Spews Garbage In Yellowstone National Park

Geyser eruptions are known as one of the most beautiful events to occur in nature. Not anymore! On September 15, Yellowstone Park’s Ear Spring geyser erupted, belching not just rocks and scalding hot water into the air, but dozens of pieces of human trash that were cooked for decades in incredibly hot water. Nice! The National Park Service shared a picture of some of the artifacts recovered, which it claims are “clearly historic” and may end up in Yellowstone’s archives. The picture clearly shows a baby pacifier, a Solo Jazz cup, a plastic spoon, and some sort of tablet-like electronic device destroyed beyond recognition. There also seems to be a large slab of concrete or a cinder block. “Foreign objects can damage hot springs and geysers,” representatives from the National Park Service said in a Facebook post. “You can help by never throwing anything into Yellowstone's thermal features!” You would think it goes without saying, but yes, please do not hurl your trash into a scalding hot spring in the largest National Park in the country. If you’re thinking “Maybe I’ll throw just a little trash into the geyser,” No. Do not throw even a little trash into the geyser. The National Park Service shared a photo of several dozen coins that were thrown into the geyer and were consequently scorched beyond recognition. Throwing your currency into a geyser will not bring you good luck. Do not throw your coins into a geyser. If you would like to behold the mighty geyser sputtering human trash through the air, a video of the eruption is included below. Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

Lindsay Lohan's Beach Birthday Celebration Begins Early in Greece

Lindsay Lohan's getting the party started a little early for her birthday ... hitting the beach at one of her favorite spots in Greece. The soon-to-be 31-year-old arrived in Mykonos Thursday and enjoyed a boat ride and a refreshing dip in the sea. Even though the celebration has begun, her bday's not actually until Sunday. What's interesting -- Lindsay's rocking a green emerald ring ... very similar to her old engagement ring. Don't be fooled, though -- we're told she just loves emeralds, and it's actually part of her new jewelry line ... aptly called Lohan by Lindsay Lohan. Happy early birthday, Whatsyourname!

Exclusive: China shuns U.S. request for talks on airline website dispute over Taiwan

BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has rejected U.S. requests for talks over how U.S. airlines and their websites refer to Chinese-claimed Taiwan, according to sources, including a U.S. official, adding to tensions in a relationship already frayed by a major trade dispute. China has demanded that foreign firms, and airlines in particular, begin referring to Taiwan as Chinese territory on their websites, along with Hong Kong and Macau, a move described by the White House in May as “Orwellian nonsense”. Numerous non-U.S. carriers, such as Air Canada, Lufthansa and British Airways have already made changes to their websites, according to Reuters checks. But several U.S. companies, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, were among carriers that sought extensions to a May 25 deadline to make the changes. The final deadline is July 25. In late May, the U.S. State Department presented China’s Foreign Ministry with a diplomatic note requesting consultations on the matter, but the ministry has since refused it, two sources briefed on the situation told Reuters. “This has definitely become a foreign policy issue,” one of the sources said on condition of anonymity, noting that the U.S. government did not view it as a technical matter for bilateral aviation cooperation. The spat had become “another grain of sand in the wound” amid escalating trade tensions, a second source said, referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Chinese imports to punish Beijing for intellectual property abuses. An official with the State Department confirmed to Reuters that China had rejected its request for talks on June 25, adding that it was “disappointed” and had maintained close communication with the airlines but had not told them how to respond to Beijing’s demands. “U.S. airlines should not be forced to comply with this order,” the State Department official said. “We have called on China to stop threatening and coercing American companies and citizens.” Chinese companies are free to operate their websites without political interference in the United States, the official added. China’s rebuff has left the U.S. government weighing its next move. The White House convened a staff-level meeting on the issue on Wednesday, but it is not clear what it plans to do. Taiwan is China’s most sensitive territorial issue. Beijing considers the self-ruled, democratic island a wayward province. Hong Kong and Macau are former European colonies that are now part of China but run largely autonomously. Armed by the United States, Taiwan has always been a major source of tension between Beijing and Washington, but it has been an increasingly contentious issue since Trump took office. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang, asked about the rejection of discussing the issue with the United States, reiterated that Taiwan was an inseparable part of China and that this was the consensus of the international community. Foreign companies in China must respect China’s law and the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, he told a daily news briefing on Thursday. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrew H.C. Lee, said China’s demands over the issue “have reached new levels of hysteria”. “Taiwan is grateful to the efforts of like-minded countries that have chosen to take a stand against Chinese bullying of private enterprises,” he said. The companies have little incentive to defy Chinese regulations, but compliance could put them at odds with U.S. foreign policy. Delta’s chief executive, Ed Bastian, said at a forum in Washington on Wednesday that the airline was working with the U.S. government but would not say whether it would comply. “We’re working with the U.S. authorities on the topic and we’ll stay close to our U.S. government,” Bastian said, calling it a “good plan of action”. The chief executive of United Airlines, Oscar Munoz, told Reuters in Washington on June 7 that the website issue was a “government-to-government diplomatic issue and again we’ll see what comes out of that and we’ll react accordingly”. Asked if he would defer to the White House, Munoz said that “I fly to both places and I am deferential to our customers, and again this is not something I am going to solve”. American Airlines said in early June that it had not made changes on its website, and that it was following the direction of the U.S. government. It is unclear how China might seek to punish airlines that do not comply. But in December it changed rules governing foreign airlines operating in the country, including adding a clause that regulators could change a company’s permit if it did not meet “the demand of public interest”. Reporting by Matthew Miller and Michael Martina in BEIJING, Brenda Goh in SHANGHAI, Jess Macy Yu in TAIPEI and David Shepardson in WASHINGTON; Editing by Tony Munroe, Philip McClellan and Nick Macfie

Germany seeking EU summit decision on going carbon neutral by 2050-official

BERLIN, June 19 (Reuters) - Germany is aiming to get European Union leaders to agree to make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050 at this week’s summit, a government official said on Wednesday. Divisions remain among the bloc’s 28 governments over the long-term net-zero emissions target, with many concerned a steeper pace of reductions could hurt competitiveness and cost jobs in high-employment sectors. (Reporting by Andreas Rinke Writing by Michelle Martin Editing by Thomas Escritt)

Mass protests have erupted in Poland

Thousands of Poles took to the streets in mass demonstrations Thursday, after the president signed into law a new measure tightening the nationalist ruling party’s grip on the Supreme Court. Protesters gathered in front of Warsaw’s presidential palace and in more than 20 other cities and towns, chanting “Free courts” and “Shame.” Some held pens, a dig at President Andrzej Duda's willingness to sign off on the controversial amendment. Police used pepper spray on demonstrators who wrote slogans on the pavement in Warsaw. The new law is the latest in a series of judicial reforms by Poland’s nationalist government, which have sparked concerns over the independence of the judiciary and brought Warsaw into a tense standoff with Brussels. The amendment will effectively allow the nationalist Law and Justice-led government to choose the next Supreme Court chief. The measure follows reforms earlier this month that critics – including the court’s chief justice – labeled a “purge.” The government’s controversial move to lower the retirement age for the court’s judges to 65 from 70 forced about a third of them from the bench, and sparked widespread protests. Critics, including the European Union, said the move would result in the court being stacked with judges subservient to the government. READ: Poland’s nationalist government is cracking down on protesters – unless they’re far-right Thousands of Poles took to the streets in mass demonstrations Thursday, after the president signed into law a new measure tightening the nationalist ruling party’s grip on the Supreme Court. Protesters gathered in front of Warsaw’s presidential palace and in more than 20 other cities and towns, chanting “Free courts” and “Shame.” Some held pens, a dig at President Andrzej Duda's willingness to sign off on the controversial amendment. Police used pepper spray on demonstrators who wrote slogans on the pavement in Warsaw. The new law is the latest in a series of judicial reforms by Poland’s nationalist government, which have sparked concerns over the independence of the judiciary and brought Warsaw into a tense standoff with Brussels. The amendment will effectively allow the nationalist Law and Justice-led government to choose the next Supreme Court chief. The measure follows reforms earlier this month that critics – including the court’s chief justice – labeled a “purge.” The government’s controversial move to lower the retirement age for the court’s judges to 65 from 70 forced about a third of them from the bench, and sparked widespread protests. Critics, including the European Union, said the move would result in the court being stacked with judges subservient to the government. READ: Poland’s nationalist government is cracking down on protesters – unless they’re far-right Since coming into power in 2015, the Law and Justice party has set about rapidly reshaping Poland in line with its nationalist agenda, promoting traditional conservative values over those of the country’s liberal elite, and working to wrest power from Brussels to restore national control over the country’s affairs. One report by pro-democracy think tank Freedom House said Law and Justice had transformed the Polish landscape “at breakneck speed, and in violation of the country’s own laws.” Among other changes to Poland’s institutions, Law and Justice has removed dozens of judges from the country’s courts and tribunals. The party, which has long demonized the judiciary, says its overhauls are necessary to make the courts more efficient, and to uproot the legacy of Poland’s Communist past. “Without reforms, we cannot rebuild the Polish state so that it serves its citizens,” said party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The moves have brought Poland into a confrontation with the European Union, which trained the most powerful political weapon in its arsenal on Warsaw in December when it invoked, for the first time in its history, Article 7 of its founding treaty over Poland’s judicial reforms. Under that process, considered the EU’s “nuclear option,” Poland faces being stripped of its voting rights in the EU. But that would require unanimous approval by other member states, and Hungary, governed by another nationalist and euroskeptic party, has vowed to block any such move. READ: How Poland’s populist government let far-right extremism explode into the mainstream The EU’s highest court, the European Court of Justice, delivered a fresh indictment on the Polish legal system Wednesday when it ruled that Ireland could refuse to hand over an alleged drug dealer to Poland, if its judiciary determines he would not receive a fair trial there. Ireland’s High Court had expressed reservations that the case could be compromised by the situation in Poland, and that the ruling will give other EU countries a legal basis to reject Polish extradition requests in the future. Cover image: The "Chain of Light" near the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on July 26, 2018. Photo by Maciej Luczniewski/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

How the Clinton campaign is making #ThatMexicanThing a thing, explained

Sen. Tim Kaine made a point during the vice presidential debate of reminding the American public of that time Donald Trump called Mexican immigrants rapists and drug dealers. “He started his campaign with a speech where he called Mexicans rapists and criminals,” Kaine said, listing Trump’s most controversial campaign statements. “I cannot imagine how Gov. Pence can defend Donald Trump.” At first, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence responded with a laugh and a shrug — a seemingly implicit defense of Trump implying Kaine’s attack was unfounded (despite the fact that Trump really has said these things). But Pence’s initial lack of response didn’t stop Kaine. He used the same line four times Tuesday night. And by the fourth time, Pence had had enough. “Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again,” Pence retorted. “There are criminal aliens who have come into this country illegally, who are perpetrating violence. He also said, ‘and many of them are good people.’ Sen. Kaine, you keep leaving them out of your quote.” “That Mexican thing” was an unusually inarticulate moment for Pence that night, and Twitter noticed. Soon the hashtag #ThatMexicanThing was trending on Twitter. Figuring out what to do for lunch. Might do #thatMexicanthing on the corner. As Univision’s Jorge Ramos pointed out, it is an even more unfortunate turn of phrase for the vice president of a candidate that has had an extremely difficult time energizing the Latino vote: First Trump calls Mexicans "rapists". Now Pence says #ThatMexicanThing Question: Is that a creative strategy to win the Latino vote? Hillary Clinton supporters used it to express “things” Mexican immigrants actually do — work hard, play by the rules, pay taxes, participate in civic life as Americans, and so on. #ThatMexicanThing where undocumented immigrants pay more taxes than @realDonaldTrump does. #VPDebate #thatmexicanthing is my mom who immigrated to this country, pays her taxes and put two kids through college while managing a business ❤️ Look at me, I'm #ThatMexicanThing that has served in the military and graduated college. #NeverTrumpPence As Republican strategist Ana Navarro notes, Pence’s offhand remark has become a rallying cry for Mexican Americans to highlight their life experiences in the United States, in the face of Trump and Pence’s immigration-skeptical policy proposals. Latino Twitter abuzz. #ThatMexicanThing now a hashtag Mexican-Americans using to share stories on American dream/work ethic/sacrifices made. https://t.co/HgrfWJrpD9 The Clinton campaign also seized on it quickly: www.thatMexicanthing.com now redirects to Hillary Clinton’s campaign website, and Clinton’s campaign is doing its darnedest to make the hashtag #ThatMexicanThing the takeaway from Tuesday’s debate. It’s an illustration of just how savvy campaigns can be in the face of a losing performance, but it is also a reflection of what Kaine was trying do all night: sink Pence down to Trump’s level. If the Clinton campaign succeeds in elevating this debate moment, Kaine’s otherwise damaging interruptions will not have been enacted in vain. Kaine’s strategy was to make Pence defend Trump. It didn’t play out like he hoped, unless this works. Kaine’s finest moments in the debate were when he listed Trump’s most reprehensible campaign moments — but a lot of them were undermined by his overeagerness to jump into the role of attack dog. He interrupted Pence often, interjecting with Trump’s past transgressions. It gave Republicans fodder for a simple post-debate attack video, creating a supercut of all the times Kaine jumped in on Pence’s time. This allowed Republicans to create space for the argument that there’s nothing sexist about the way Trump interrupted Clinton last week at the first debate since her running mate used the same tactic. But Pence’s inarticulate moment also highlighted the fact that he had no intention of defending Trump. One of the few times he tried to became a memeable moment, which the Clinton campaign has been quick to co-opt. Pence’s retort didn’t age well overnight, as media outlets begin to pick up on it on Wednesday and the Clinton campaign continues to push it as Tuesday’s takeaway. Ultimately, Pence’s remark may not matter in the grand scheme of the election, as vice presidential debates so often don’t, but it undermines a real opportunity for the Trump campaign — a potentially positive news cycle for the first time in more than a week.

Virgin Atlantic uniform: flight attendants no longer have to wear makeup

Virgin Atlantic is no longer requiring women flight attendants to wear makeup — and, for the first time, they’ll be offered pants as part of their default uniform. In the past, the airline’s standards for women who worked on board were fairly stringent: The airline reportedly has a style guide for flight attendants that includes instructions on what types of makeup they are and aren’t allowed to wear, and women were only provided trousers for their uniforms upon request. The airline is framing the move as a push toward gender equality in a line of work that remains heavily divided along gender lines: Most pilots are still men and most flight attendants are still women. “Not only do the new guidelines offer an increased level of comfort, they also provide our team with more choice on how they want to express themselves at work,” Virgin Atlantic executive VP Mark Anderson told CNN in a statement. “Our world-famous red uniform is something all of us at Virgin Atlantic are incredibly proud of. As an airline, we have always stood out from the crowd and done things differently to the rest of the industry. We want our uniform to truly reflect who we are as individuals while maintaining that famous Virgin Atlantic style.” While the new guidelines allow crew members to opt out of wearing makeup, those who choose to do so will still have to adhere to Virgin’s style guide. The new guidelines also underscore how strictly flight attendants’ appearances are enforced to this day — and the extent to which the aviation industry continues to play into outdated gender stereotypes. It’s worth noting that although flight attendants in general are expected to adhere to rigid gender norms, there is a rich history of queer flight attendants — last year, Virgin offered its first-ever Pride flight to New York City, which was entirely staffed by LGBT employees — but the industry continues to uphold rigid gender norms. As gender sociologist Lisa Wade has noted, the first flight attendants were men, and early airlines often had bans on hiring women. But the profession quickly became dominated by women, who were expected to play the role of cheerful domestic worker and sexpot to appeal to largely male travelers. A post shared by Virgin Atlantic (@virginatlantic) on Oct 30, 2018 at 11:36am PDT Even today, the overwhelming majority of flight attendants are women, and most airlines, especially those that provide luxury services, still require their cabin crews to adhere to strict dress codes. In a 2018 interview with Town and Country, an Emirates flight attendant revealed that the airline has rules for what colors of nail polish employees are allowed to wear, as well as guidelines for lipstick — which is required — eye makeup, jewelry, and hair styles. Cosmopolitan compiled a list of different airlines’ requirements, which range from standard things like customer service to more outlandish rules like how much flight attendants can weigh, what range their body mass index should fall into, and how long their nails should be. American Airlines reportedly requires cabin crew members to “cut or otherwise remove” “noticeable hair in nostrils and/in on ears or underarms.” JetBlue employees are allowed to put their hair in ponytails, but they “should be no higher than the tops of the ears and no longer than the tops of the shoulders.” The list goes on and on. Virgin’s relaxed rules could be a sign of broader change. The airline called the move a “significant change for the aviation industry,” something that would normally sound like brand-speak, but in this case seems to be true.

IEA concerned about Middle East tensions, stands ready to act

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The International Energy Agency (IEA) is very concerned about the impact that tensions in the Middle East may have on global energy security and will act if there is any physical disruption to supplies, its executive director said on Monday. Oil prices rose on Monday, extending large gains last week that were prompted by tensions between the United States and Iran, although concerns about the possibility of weakening demand kept a lid on gains. Strong growth in the price of U.S. shale oil has also contained stronger increases, the IEA’s Fatih Birol added on Monday. “We are monitoring the situation very closely and are very worried. In case of physical disruption, we are ready to act in an appropriate way,” Birol told a news conference at the IEA’s annual energy efficiency conference in Dublin. Last week, benchmark Brent crude climbed 5% and U.S. crude < CLc1> surged 10% after Iran shot down a U.S. drone on Thursday in the Gulf, adding to strains stoked by attacks on oil tankers in the area in May and June that Washington has blamed on Iran. Iran denies any role in the tanker attacks. Birol said earlier this month that the attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, which stoked concern of reduced flows of crude on one of the world’s key shipping routes, threatened global energy security. However on Monday he cited the strength of U.S. shale oil prices for supporting the market, similar to the buffer it provided through U.S. sanctions imposed on oil exporters Iran and Venezuela. “This would definitely have bad implications for the global economy but despite those attacks, we have not seen a major impact on the prices and the main reason is United States shale oil prices are growing so strongly that there is a lot of oil in the markets now,” he said. “It provides a ceiling on the price hikes which is very good news for consumers around the world.” Reporting by Padraic Halpin, editing by Louise Heavens

NYPD Honcho Insulted by 'Hamilton' Star Lin-Manuel Miranda Celebrating Obama's Controversial Prisoner Release

Lin-Manuel Miranda's vowing to return to "Hamilton" in honor of President Obama commuting the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera -- who was convicted for conspiracy against the U.S. government -- and some cops are outraged. Miranda said he'd be honored to play Alexander Hamilton if Rivera goes to see the play in Chicago after his release in May. Rivera has been serving a 70 year sentence since the '80s for involvement in the FALN -- a Puerto Rican liberation organization that conducted fatal bombings in NYC and an attack on NYPD headquarters. The argument for Rivera's release has been that he was never convicted of killing anyone, and only for seditious conspiracy, but a high-ranking member of NYPD tells TMZ, "It's a slap in the face of every hard working NYPD officer that the President would commute the sentence of a terrorist, and for [Miranda] to honor a terrorist is appalling." Miranda, who quit "Hamilton" last summer, is of Puerto Rican descent and tweeted Obama to thank him for shortening Rivera's sentence before leaving the White House.

How one woman used fashion to reclaim her Muslim American identity

Startup co-founder, fashionista, skateboarder, NASA technical engineer, and mipster. Layla Shaikley doesn’t just embody the new term, which means “Muslim hipster” — she helped coin it. “The mainstream view is so misrepresentative of so many young Muslim Americans,” she says. “They were generally represented in one way, instead of an amalgamation of many identities.” To young Muslim Americans like her who grew up without role models in the media, Shaikley says, “Nothing represents you right now, which is why you have to take control of our narrative and make something that represents you.” So Shaikley got some friends together and filmed a video. “Somewhere in America #MIPSTERZ” shows her skating alongside her friends in the streets of New York City. Dressed in their mipster best, they vogue for the camera, ride motorcycles, and lounge on fire escape stairwells. US Olympiad Ibtihaj Muhammad pulls off her fencing mask, revealing her hijab underneath. In the background, Jay Z’s “Somewhere in America” plays. Two years — and one viral rise in popularity — later, Shaikley is at the forefront of a mipster cultural movement she helped create. In the latest installment of Vox’s The Secret Life of Muslims, Layla Shaikley opens up about the surprising new places #MIPSTERZ life has taken her.

Catholic leaders in Texas name around 300 priests accused of abuse

(Reuters) - Roman Catholic leaders in Texas on Thursday identified around 300 priests and others accused of sexually abusing children. It was one of the largest groups of names disclosed by the church as it faces U.S. state and federal investigations into its handling of decades of allegations of sexual misconduct by priests. The names were posted online by the state’s 15 Catholic dioceses and follow an August grand jury report in Pennsylvania detailing seven decades of abuse of thousands of children by more than 300 priests. “The Bishops of Texas have decided to release the names of these priests at this time because it is right and just and to offer healing and hope to those who have suffered,” said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Galveston-Houston diocese, who is also president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In the months after the Pennsylvania report, dozens of other dioceses around the United States have released the names of hundreds of priests and others accused of abuse. Some states have opened their own investigations into the church. Texas’ Catholic dioceses have been in the spotlight since November when authorities searched the offices of the archdiocese of Galveston-Houston looking for documents related to a priest charged in September with sex crimes. About 30 percent of Texas’ population, or 8.5 million people, identify as Catholics, one of the highest rates for any U.S. state, according to the USCCB. Some of the 15 Texas dioceses listed priests accused of abuse going back as far as the 1940s. Others like Laredo only went back to 2000, when it was created, and listed no names. It was not clear whether the release of names would result in prosecutors bringing charges. The majority of the priests identified in Texas have died, as is the case in most dioceses around the country. Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; editing by Darren Schuettler

U.S. lawmakers ask for disclosure of number of Americans under surveillance

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional committee on Friday asked the Trump administration to disclose an estimate of the number of Americans whose digital communications are incidentally collected under foreign surveillance programs, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Such an estimate is “crucial as we contemplate reauthorization,” of parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that are due to expire at the end of the year, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican, and John Conyers, the panel’s top Democrat, wrote in a letter addressed to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. The request comes as some Republican lawmakers, many of whom have stridently defended U.S. surveillance programs in the past, express sudden interest in considering additional privacy safeguards to how U.S. spy agencies collect and share intelligence that contains information about Americans. That interest has been sparked by evolving, unsubstantiated assertions that the Obama White House used surveillance powers to improperly spy on the incoming Trump administration. Privacy advocates have for years demanded that the U.S. government share an estimate of how many Americans are ensnared by programs authorized under a certain part of FISA, known as Section 702, that allows for the collection of vast quantities of internet communications from foreigners believed to be living overseas. Some experts and lawmakers have said they believe data on millions of Americans could be caught under such surveillance, exposing them to warrantless searches by federal investigators. “It is clear that Section 702 surveillance programs can and do collect information about U.S. persons, on subjects unrelated to counter-terrorism,” wrote Goodlatte and Conyers, who requested a response by April 24. “It is imperative that we understand the size of this impact on U.S. persons as our committee proceeds with the debate on reauthorization.” In a separate letter sent last December to the outgoing Obama administration, members of the House Judiciary Committee said they were given assurances by officials that an estimate would be provided, likely by January of this year. Richard Ledgett, the deputy director of the National Security Agency, said “yes” when asked by a Reuters reporter last month whether an estimate would be provided before year end. He also said about 20 “vignettes” would be publicly released that show the important national security value of Section 702, which officials have described as among the most important intelligence tools at their disposal. Section 702 will expire on Dec. 31, 2017, absent congressional action. Reporting by Dustin Volz; Editing by Steve Orlofsky

Tony Gonzalez: I Showed My Butt Like Gronk ... For A Good Cause

Gronk isn't the only future Hall of Fame tight end to bare his buns to the world ... 'cause NFL legend Tony Gonzalez says he publicly stripped down too ... but for a good cause. Gonzalez was out at Bristol Farms when we asked for his thoughts on Gronk's nude shoot in GQ ... and if he'd ever strip down and show off the goods himself. Check out the clip -- Tony lets us know he beat Gronk to the punch ... saying him and the lovely wife took it all off for PETA way before Gronk actually showed Hailey Clauson his scoring machine. Take a look below ... Tony in all his glory.

U.S. Relay Team Successfully Appeals DQ After Dropped Baton, Will Race Alone Tonight for Spot in Final

Ryan Lochte hijinks aside, the weirdest thing to happen lately in the actual Olympics competition happened on the track in Rio. Now it's going to lead to a special made-for-TV run-off tonight. The U.S. women's 4x100 meter relay was disqualified from the semifinal heat this morning after Allyson Felix dropped the baton during a handoff with English Gardner after running the second leg. It looked like another embarrassing outcome for the U.S. relay team. The women's 4x100 team dropped the baton in 2004 and 2008, while the men's team did it in 2008 and 2012. But the U.S. team filed a protest, saying that a Brazilian runner had crowded into the US lane and bumped Felix, causing her to drop the baton. And guess what? It actually worked! Now the U.S. will run again Thursday night at 7 p.m. Eastern time to try to make the finals. They just have to beat the eighth place time—42.70 seconds by China. But it's also going to be weird. The U.S. will run alone around the track. Just them and an entire stadium watching. "I think I got propelled at about 20 miles an hour," Felix said. "When a foreign object comes in front of you, it's going to mess up the momentum and the handover." Just one more wrinkle though: It could get even weirder and tense. If the U.S. does beat the threshold to qualify for the finals, then China and Canada will have to race again to decide who the eighth place team is. So, basically: Tune in, tonight is going to be a lot of fun. Update: China has appealed the reinstatement of the U.S. team, so this really going to be a lot of fun.

RPT-Aging Enbridge oil pipelines face setbacks over fears of Great Lakes spills

WINNIPEG, Manitoba/CALGARY, Alberta, June 9 (Reuters) - F ears about oil spills into the Great Lakes from two aging U.S. pipelines have flared, raising doubts about their future and creating fresh headaches for operator Enbridge Inc and the Canadian energy sector. Canada has faced years of delay in getting new oil pipelines built because of environmental opposition, resulting in severe congestion in Alberta, the country’s main crude-producing province, that forced the provincial government to impose production cuts this year. Pipelines face increasing scrutiny from environmental groups worried about leaks, and U.S. Great Lakes states are taking a hard look at the risks. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled on June 3 that the environmental impact statement for Enbridge’s Line 3 failed to properly address the spill risk in Lake Superior, imposing a fresh challenge to the company’s construction schedule. Also last week, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer repeated a threat to shut down Line 5 unless Enbridge accelerated its timeline to replace it. “That is a real-time problem because (Line 3) was the most imminent chance for Canadian production to see some pressure release on the system,” said Rafi Tahmazian, senior portfolio manager at Canoe Financial, which owns shares of Canadian Natural Resources and other oil producers. “It’s disappointing and concerning.” Enbridge shares dropped 5 percent in Toronto last week, hovering near a three-month low. Line 3 carries oil from Alberta to U.S. refineries in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Line 5 takes oil from Wisconsin to refineries in Sarnia, Ontario, passing through the Straits of Mackinac channel connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Both were built in the 1960s. In a statement on Friday, Enbridge said it was still analyzing the court’s decision on Line 3. Without a valid environment statement, Enbridge’s certificate of need and route permit, which it received from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) a year ago over boisterous opposition, are void. Minnesota’s Department of Commerce and Enbridge must now re-draft the statement to the PUC’s satisfaction, a process likely to take at least six months, said Alexandra Klass, a University of Minnesota law professor. Enbridge has previously said it expects to have the remaining Minnesota permits for Line 3 by November and will put it into service in the second half of 2020. It has not said how the appeal court’s ruling may now affect that plan. “As of now they do not have any valid state permits,” Klass said. “I don’t know their construction schedule, but it does seem ambitious.” PUC officials declined to comment. With no valid environment statement, Minnesota’s natural resources department and pollution control agency cannot issue the required state permits either, said Scott Strand, lawyer for the Friends of the Headwaters environmental group. “It doesn’t seem likely that the calendar can just stay in place,” he said. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency must issue Line 3’s water quality certification by Oct. 30 or Enbridge would need to re-apply, re-starting a year-long process, said spokesman Darin Broton. Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources said in a statement that it was determining its next steps. In Michigan, Enbridge said it is taking legal action regarding Line 5 to enforce agreements with a previous Michigan administration that allowed it to build a tunnel under the Straits to replace an underwater section of pipe. The governor has said she fears anchors from boats could rupture the existing pipe. Whitmer’s insistence on shutting down Line 5 in two years, ahead of the 2024 completion date for the tunnel, led to Enbridge’s legal action, the company said. Whitmer wrote to Enbridge CEO Al Monaco on Monday saying that she wants a firm date to shut down the underwater portion of the pipeline, and that the state could otherwise shut down Line 5. She did not comment further on Friday. (Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Nia Williams in Calgary, Alberta Editing by Leslie Adler)

WPP in exclusive talks to sell Kantar stake to Bain Capital

(Reuters) - WPP (WPP.L) is in exclusive talks to sell a majority stake in its data analytics unit Kantar to private equity firm Bain Capital, it said on Monday, in a $4 billion deal aimed at steering the world’s biggest advertising company back to growth. The news puts an end to months of speculation around the heavily-contested auction which drew interest from a broad spectrum of buyout firms that are flush with cash to invest. WPP had shortlisted a series of U.S. buyout funds to submit binding bids for a majority stake in Kantar including Apollo and Platinum, Reuters reported in May. The auction, led by Goldman Sachs and part of the company’s efforts to raise cash, kicked off last year and also drew interest from European private equity houses CVC Capital Partners and Permira. In a statement on Monday, WPP said Kantar was valued at $4 billion including debt. Bain’s proposal was subject to negotiation and it was not certain the talks would result in a deal, the company said. Shares of WPP closed up 2.2% at 1,012 pence on Monday after media reports reported earlier in the day that Bain emerged as the leading bidder. Bain’s interest in Kantar is the latest private equity deal to emerge in recent weeks. Blackstone and Lego’s founding family on Friday took Merlin Entertainments (MERL.L) private in a $7.5 billion deal, in one of the biggest private equity deals in Europe in recent years. Nestle (NESN.S) also said in May it was in exclusive talks to sell its skin health business to a consortium led by EQT Partners for 10.2 billion Swiss francs ($10.33 billion). Kantar’s underlying sales fell 2% last year to 2.6 billion pounds with operating profit down 14% to 301 million pounds. The business generates about 15% of WPP’s overall sales and provides brand and marketing communications research for some of the world’s largest advertisers. It has traditionally weighed on WPP’s overall organic growth rates - a key measurement for the industry. Analysts say Kantar risks losing market share to more tech-savvy peers, while its business model is challenged by consumer goods companies developing their own data teams, rather than relying on surveys undertaken by external firms. First-quarter results in April showed the British company has been particularly hard hit in the United States, where a weak competitive performance in recent years has been compounded by the loss of work from Ford and others in 2018. WPP, the owner of agencies including JWT and Ogilvy, is in the middle of an overhaul following several profit warnings in 2017 and 2018 and turmoil linked to founder Martin Sorrell’s abrupt departure over a complaint of misconduct, which he denied. With technology transforming the way advertising is made, placed and sold, clients want WPP to better integrate its agencies so it can produce faster offerings across multiple platforms, at a cheaper cost. WPP’s Mark Read, who took the helm of the 12-billion pound advertising giant last year, has pledged to spend 300 million pounds restructuring the group to bring it back in line with peers by the end of 2021. Read, a soft-spoken executive who worked alongside Sorrell for decades, set out a plan in December to hire more creative staff, including around 1,000 new jobs to improve its senior leadership in its New York agencies, in a bid to return the company to growth. ($1 = 0.9876 Swiss francs) Reporting by Justin George Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Deepa Babington

Trump keeping options open as Republican feud rages

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Like the deal-maker he says he is, U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be keeping his options open as his Republican Party threatens to erupt into full-scale war. On Monday, almost immediately after saying he empathized with the effort by his former strategist Steve Bannon to back challenges against Republican senators in next year’s congressional elections, Trump stood with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, pledging party unity and saying they were “fighting for the same thing.” For months, McConnell had been the object of Trump’s wrath for the failure of the Republican-led Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare - a longtime Republican goal and a key promise of Trump’s 2016 campaign. In the White House Rose Garden, Trump played down any conflict, saying the two were “closer than ever before.” But Trump would not disavow Bannon’s pledge to take down Republicans who are not fully behind Trump’s agenda and to drive McConnell from the Senate’s leadership. Bannon, who helped mastermind Trump’s election campaign but left the White House in August, appeared at a gathering of conservative activists on Saturday and declared: “Right now, it’s a season of war against a GOP establishment.” In comments directed at McConnell, Bannon told the gathering: “Up on Capitol Hill, it’s like the Ides of March. They’re just looking to find out who is going to be Brutus to your Julius Caesar.” Brutus, once an ally of Caesar, was among the assassins of the Roman leader on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. Working with well-funded outside political groups, Bannon is encouraging anti-establishment candidates to challenge Republican incumbents in the party’s nominating races for the 2018 elections in which all the seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate are up for election. Republican leaders, such as McConnell, worry that the anti-establishment candidates might be less palatable to general election voters and cause Republicans to lose their majority in the Senate and possibly also the House. Asked about Bannon before a meeting of his Cabinet on Monday, Trump said he could “understand where Steve Bannon’s coming from” and took a jab at the Republican-led Congress in the process. “We’re not getting the job done,” Trump said. “And I’m not going to blame myself, I’ll be honest. They are not getting the job done.” At the later news conference with McConnell, Trump said, however, he may try to persuade Bannon not to back primary challengers in several upcoming congressional races. “Steve is doing what Steve thinks is the right thing,” Trump said. “Some of the people that he may be looking at (challenging), I’m going to see if we talk him out of that, because frankly, they’re great people.” Still, when McConnell went further, criticizing Bannon for favoring fringe candidates who cannot “appeal to a broader electorate,” Trump was noticeably silent. Trump is still stinging from his decision to support the Republican incumbent in the recent Alabama Senate primary, Luther Strange, at McConnell’s behest. Strange was beaten handily by arch-conservative Roy Moore, the challenger backed by Bannon. While it has been unusual for a president to support a primary challenger in his own party, Trump has signaled he may be willing to do so in states such as Arizona, where Senator Jeff Flake, up for re-election next year, has been critical of the White House. Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Caren Bohan and Peter Cooney

Marcel Broodthaers's Fraught Relationship with Words

Advertise on Hyperallergic with Nectar Ads Do words limit our experience of a given artwork? Gustave Flaubert believed that, “Explaining one artistic form by means of another is a monstrosity.” Art critic John Berger wrote: “When words are applied to visual art, both lose precision.” And what if the words are in the art? Expressed by the artist herself? From Cubism to conceptual art, the 20th century saw a spike in the appropriation of words in visual expression. Of course, there are earlier examples, like illuminated manuscripts, Egyptian hieroglyphs, or the works of visual poets like William Blake. But it was in the 1960s especially that the boundaries between the seemingly distinct art forms really began to blur. Marcel Broodthaers was a product of this time. Currently having a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Belgian is hailed for being innovative with written and visual language, borrowing from Marcel Duchamp, René Magritte (a contemporary and friend), and Pop art, while giving these influences a new twist. Let’s start with Broodthaers’s first work of art, which he made at the age of 40, when he decided to move on from writing poetry. Well, sort of. He took unsold copies of his most recent collection of poetry, Pense-Bête (“Memory Aid”) (1964), and encased them in plaster and egg shells so that they hardened into monuments and useless objects. At MoMA, one of these books is placed near an invitation to his first exhibition: a series of magazine spreads that Broodthaers painted over with the words, “I, too, wondered whether I couldn’t sell something …” The start of his visual art career is marked by a bitterness, and even a sense of revenge, that never really goes away. In addition to eggshells, Broodthaers had a penchant for mussel shells. These remnants appear in dense geometric patterns, spilling out of pots, crammed into a cabinet, or piled on a chair. At times, he is heavy-handed or obvious in his symbolism, fixing egg shells to the Belgian flag or smearing black, explosive globs of manufactured eggs on a newspaper reporting Belgium’s 1960 invasion of Congo. These works surround you with noisy clutter that is resoundingly empty, recalling the art that copied and critiqued consumer culture at the time. The MoMA likes to stress that Broodthaers “distanced his photographic reproductions from those of Pop” by copying his own works. The results, however, are generally less than inspiring, including a display of glass bottles that he painted words over, set before a photograph of those same objects. In a concurrent Broodthaers exhibition titled, appropriately, Écriture at Michael Werner, three sheets of paper, each placed in individual typewriters, read, from left to right: “Parle,” “Ecrit,” “Copie” (“Speak,” “Write,” “Copy”). He seems to say that words, like images, in being reproduced, risk their originality. With both existing in the same systems of meaning, Broodthaers believed that “The language of forms must reunite with that of words.” At its most stimulating, his work reflects on how we understand the world through words and images, and how we fit them into one another. Which contains which? In one series, Broodthaers transforms the words of Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem “A Throw of the Dice Will Never Abolish Chance” (1897) into sleek bars of various thicknesses and lengths. In another, he pairs objects, à la Magritte, with poetic, unusual, and surreal written associations: “style” with a glass bottle; “subject” with a hat; “pipe” with a palette. Similarly, in Series in the French Language (1972), Broodthaers matches the names of well-known writers and artists with unexpected or even inaccurate descriptors that often switch the roles of the writer and visual artist, such as “Charles Baudelaire Peint” (“Charles Baudelaire Paints”). Like Henri Michaux (another Belgian poet-artist), Broodthaers made words painterly subjects by scribbling letters and sentences on canvases. At times, he even used words in protest of images — in response to Minimalism, where form reigned supreme, he writes, in the 1968 oil on canvas work of the same name: “there are no primary structures.” For him, it was words that underly creation and give shape to images. “An artist does not construct a volume. He writes a volume,” he said. The latter work is featured in his Musée d’Art Moderne, Département des Aigles (Museum of Modern Art, Department of Eagles), a traveling conceptual museum that Broodthaers developed between 1968 and 1971. Here we see a series of pamphlets and letters declaring his vision for the project that re-appropriates and mocks the museum as an institution. In one of his “décors,” or sets alluding to the privileged rooms of the bourgeoisie, titled “Un Jardin d’Hiver II” (“Winter Garden II,” 1974), he created a room of palm trees where pictures of exotic birds hang on the wall, alluding to the colonialist origins of museums. Why eagles? We are brought back to a poem of his that opens the exhibition: “O sadness assent of wild ducks / Assault of birds at the forest granary / O Melancholy bitter castle of eagles.” As a MoMA label says, the eagle is “a bird that symbolizes autonomy and solitude, and which had come to represent the artist.” I cannot help but see his bitter castle as his attempt to establish some sense of authority, of payback for not earning the success he felt he deserved as a writer. Beneath his art lies a fervid will for and insistence on writing. In the video “La pluie (projet pour un texte),” we see him writing in a downpour, unfazed and triumphant. In “La Salle blanche” (“The white room,” 1975) — another of his décors — Broodthaers recreates a room of his apartment and prints words associated with art-making, like “color,” “subjects,” “paper,” “shadow,” and “bright,” on the white walls and floors. The scene conjures the image of an artist in her room, as her thoughts about her art reflect and swim about her. Again, the implication here is that words are at the source of art — a message, in the end, that feels, at least for a viewer today, a little trite. I try once more to gaze over the words — “gallery, “black,” “figure,” “copy” — but I have trouble moving beyond their literal nature. I am, quite frankly, a little bored — they’re like the words AP Art History classes use to describe Western painting. In an effort to get us thinking about art as more than objects, Broodthaers encases it with written language. But his words don’t always feel integrated into the artwork; rather, they speak at the art, to the image referenced. Perhaps, in this sense, he is more like a type of critic. Which brings us back to Flaubert and Berger: Do words and images, like oil and water, not mix? Perhaps it’s the words Broodthaers chose that make his works too literal and obvious, or his curmudgeonly tone that distracts them from their poetry. But, in the end, he probably should’ve stuck with words. Marcel Broodthaers: A Retrospective continues at the Museum of Modern Art (11 West 53rd Street, Midtown, Manhattan) through May 15. Marcel Broodthaers: Écriture continues at Michael Werner (4 East 77th Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan) through March 26.

Hungary has no evidence of Huawei threat, plans rapid 5G rollout: minister

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary has no evidence that equipment from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei poses a security threat, a government minister said on Thursday, adding that Budapest was mulling incentives to accelerate the rollout of a high-speed 5G network. The United States and some of its Western allies believe Huawei Technologies’ equipment could be used for espionage, and see its expansion into central Europe as a way to gain a foothold in the European market. Huawei denies the accusations. Washington is concerned in particular about the expansion of Huawei, the world’s biggest maker of telecoms equipment, in Hungary and Poland. Budapest has so far shrugged off the security concerns and on Thursday Innovation and Technology Minister Laszlo Palkovics told Reuters that Hungary had yet to receive any evidence beyond what he called accusations leveled at Huawei. “We have taken a rather pragmatic stance, the same, in fact, as Germany,” Palkovics said. “It has not been proven that Huawei’s technology would pose any risk to Hungary, as we have seen no (data) to support that.” “Until it is proven that Huawei, or Cisco or any other technology poses any threat to our community, that is Hungary, NATO or the European Union, we will handle Huawei’s technology as any other technology,” he added. Palkovics’ comments follow the Hungarian telecoms regulator NMHH’s publication this week of the draft documentation for the sale of more than 400 megahertz of 5G spectrum later this year. This fires the starting gun on the rollout of a high-speed wireless network expected to serve self-driving cars and real-time communication between machines. He said the country expected the auction to raise about 70 billion forints ($244.67 million). Huawei employs around 2,000 people in Hungary, where it has invested $1.2 billion since 2005 according to company figures. Its European Supply Centre near Budapest, launched in 2009, is Huawei’s biggest production base outside China, the group says. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has strengthened business ties with Beijing over the past years. Acknowledging that Hungary’s technological acumen lagged that of its U.S. and German allies, Palkovics said Budapest was studying the example of Germany where he said an assessment system was developed to precisely identify possible security threats. Germany is Hungary’s biggest foreign investor. “I am positive, that if it were to become obvious that (there is a security risk), Hungary is a member of NATO, which entails a spate of commitments, which we will follow, but so far, there has been no information to support that,” he said. Deutsche Telekom unit Magyar Telekom has installed Huawei and Cisco Systems Inc equipment at a 5G test base in western Hungary. Asked whether Huawei could participate without restrictions in the rollout of Hungary’s 5G network, Palkovics said: “Once other, technologically more advanced countries launch the rollout that way, we will follow suit. If they do not, we will not either.” Palkovics said the government was planning talks with telecoms companies and other players in the sector on ways to facilitate a faster rollout of 5G. The minister said he had met representatives of Germany’s Siemens and car maker BMW, which plans to build a 1 billion euro factory in eastern Hungary, for talks on possible uses of 5G technology. “In Germany, Siemens and BMW have proposed that there should be an available spectrum for in-house applications. These companies are also present in Hungary and they have proposed the same,” he said, adding that these frequencies would be allotted in a second stage of the Hungarian 5G tender. Reporting by Gergely Szakacs; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise

How love and marriage are changing, according to 63,000 New York Times wedding announcements

The New York Times weddings section is renowned for its obsession with status, providing a window into what the world’s most self-important people deem to be important. Sex and the City references the section repeatedly, and many publications have taken to scrutinizing couples’ credentials over the years. In 2013, I built Wedding Crunchers, a search engine for the express purpose of analyzing NYT wedding announcements, and published an exploration of trends across 35 years of what I dubbed "yuppie nuptials." Three years after my first effort, if feels like an opportune time to revisit the analysis and take a look at some new trends. The data set now includes more than 63,000 wedding announcements dating back to 1981, and a lot has changed in the weddings section since then. The latest data shows that: Some things remain the same — the omnipresence of the Ivy League, lawyers, and Wall Street, to name a few — but with the preamble out of the way, let’s dive in and see what we can learn. The NYT only recently began including information about how couples met, whether in college, online, at SoulCycle, or by some other method. I extracted this "how they met" data from 702 announcements since August 2015 and assigned each announcement to a high-level category. Here’s how the meeting spots of the NYT wedding section break down. Based on 702 New York Times wedding announcements published since August 23, 2015 Schools account for more introductions than any other category, with colleges outnumbering graduate programs by about a 2-to-1 ratio. The somewhat vague "met via mutual friends" comes in a close second, followed by online dating and what I labeled "happenstance," which applies to announcements that say something like "they met at a bar" or, in one case, at Burning Man. The "organized activity" label I created includes couples who met doing things like volunteering for political campaigns, playing in kickball leagues, or attending church. The "other" bucket is something of a catchall, including couples who were set up on blind dates, met at other weddings, or were childhood friends. There are clearly some universities that dominate the wedding listings. Of the 188 couples who met at school, 15 met at Harvard, more than any other institution. On the right is the full list of schools that produced more than five couples. Older couples are more likely to have met online or via mutual friends. I also parsed out age data for each individual, so I could make the same "how they met" graph for people in their 20s, 30s, and over 40. Based on 702 New York Times wedding announcements published since August 23, 2015 It’s interesting, if not surprising, to see how the frequencies change based on age group. Almost half of 20-somethings in the NYT weddings section met in school, compared with only 2 percent of the 40-plus demographic. As people get older, it’s more likely they met via mutual friends or online. I was curious which dating services were most frequently mentioned, so I took all the couples who met online and split them further by the particular services they used. Based on 87 New York Times wedding announcements published since August 23, 2015 OkCupid leads the pack, having introduced 39 couples, while Match and JDate follow with 16 and nine couples, respectively. Tinder and Hinge have four each, but their numbers might be limited by a selection bias. Phone-based dating apps are relatively new, so it’s nearly impossible that a couple who met online five years ago could have met using a phone-based app (though shout-out to Reverend Dennis Tinder, who officiated this 1988 wedding, cementing his status as the first "Tinder" appearance in the weddings section). The "other" bucket includes a handful of dating services that appear in one announcement each, and some folks who met online even though they didn’t use a dating service. One recent couple met on Instagram, proving that even in the relatively staid world of the NYT, it can, and does, go down in the DM. While Tinder and Hinge have each introduced four NYT couples, Tinder is winning a subtler competition for notoriety. Whenever Tinder appears in an announcement, it requires no additional description, whereas Hinge is always referred to as "the dating app Hinge." The implication is that of course people know what Tinder is, but maybe they’ve never heard of Hinge, much in the same way that Goldman Sachs is consistently described as the investment bank, while less notable companies are often "an investment bank." Here are the relevant excerpts: People in the NYT Weddings Section have been getting older over time. Wedding announcements started including ages in 1989, when the median age was 27 for women and 29 for men. As of 2016, the median ages have increased to 30 for women and 32 for men. In 1989 you were twice as likely to see a 20-something in the weddings section as you were a 30-something, but as of 2016 the 30-somethings have taken over the majority, presumably to the chagrin of expectant grandparents throughout the tristate area: Based on 38,274 New York Times wedding announcements published since 1989 Same-sex couples are an exception to this trend: The median age of same-sex couples was 43 in 2011 and has since fallen to 35. But that might be an artifact of the legal process: When New York state recognized same-sex marriage in 2011, there was likely a backlog of older couples who would have been married years earlier had it been been allowed, and these older couples would cause the median age to skew higher shortly after the official recognition. Wedding Crunchers lets you search for words and phrases, then returns a graph that shows you how frequently they appear in weddings announcements. This is called an "n-gram analysis," where the y-axis represents the average number of occurrences per announcement. So for example, if you see a y-axis value of 0.1 for a word, it means that word appears an average of 0.1 times per announcement. NYT wedding announcements lend themselves nicely to n-gram analysis because they’re fairly consistently structured, including data on where people went to school, their job titles, who officiated the ceremony, and more. The special Vows articles are an exception: They are longer and don’t follow the standard announcement structure, so Wedding Crunchers specifically excludes Vows articles from n-gram results. As of May 2016 there are 63,000 wedding announcements in the Wedding Crunchers database. New York is widely known as the financial capital of the United States, if not the world, and it shouldn’t be surprising that a lot of married folks work in the financial industry. In more recent years, the city has grown its presence in the technology sector as well, embodied by Google pulling even with Goldman Sachs in NYT wedding announcement mentions: There are, of course, of more scientific ways to compare NYC’s tech and financial industries beyond cherry-picking wedding announcement mentions for two particular companies. Employment and wage data might be good places to start, but I’d argue that NYT wedding mentions get at something core to New York City's prestige-obsessed culture that would be difficult to quantify with traditional employment data alone. Put another way: I doubt that people explicitly choose jobs by asking themselves, "What would look best in my future NYT wedding announcement?" But I’d also suspect that the answer to that question is highly correlated with people’s actual decisions, at least for the people who end up in the weddings section. So although Google and Goldman Sachs are just two companies among many, the fact that Google appears as frequently as the most prestigious investment bank suggests that at least a certain brand of tech company now rivals investment banks for prestige. Startups are on the rise, too, though lest we get ahead of ourselves, they’re still only a tiny blip on the radar compared with law firms and banks, the most traditional of all NYT wedding professional institutions: It seems like everyone is hawking a mobile app these days, and NYT wedded couples are no exception. Instances of "mobile apps" and related phrases shot up beginning in 2013, surpassing "social media," which apparently is so first-half-of-the-decade: Trends come and go, and there are plenty of people questioning the near-term outlook for tech companies, but it’s amusing to look back on the proliferation and subsequent retrenchment of "internet" mentions circa 2000: Religious diversity is on the rise, but politically the weddings section is bluer than ever. One of the big themes of my previous analysis of the wedding announcements was the increase in ethnic diversity from the 1980s through today. That trend has continued, as encapsulated by more mentions of Hindu ceremonies alongside fewer Episcopalian ceremonies: There’s also a trend toward having friends officiate weddings, as evidenced by mentions of Universal Life ministers and American Marriage Ministries. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a rejection of organized religion by the younger generation, but it does seem like reverends and rabbis have lost a bit of market share in the past decade: Politics is one area where announcements aren’t getting more diverse. Political party names show up in announcements when someone works for a campaign, or is a politician or the child of one. I noted last time around that Republican mentions actually outnumbered Democrat mentions in the early 1980s, but over the past decade the ratio has favored Democrats by a nearly 3-to-1 ratio: At least in the world of NYT weddings, peak Trump occurred in 2006. Upon closer inspection, about a quarter of all "Trump" mentions were actually for Donald’s sister Maryanne Trump Barry, who served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and had a handful of clerks whose announcements made the weddings section. The NYT began publishing announcements for gay couples in 2002, some nine years before same-sex marriage was recognized by New York State. Initially, same-sex announcements used euphemistic phrases like "affirmed their partnership" and "commitment ceremony" instead of the traditional "married" language. But over time, and especially now that same-sex marriage is legal in the United States, same-sex announcements began to use the same language as opposite-sex announcements, so we see the euphemisms in decline: Since 2011, when New York state recognized same-sex marriage, same-sex couples account for about 10 percent of all announcements. Interestingly, men outnumber women by about 3 to 1 in same-sex announcements. A 2013 report from the Pew Research Center found that "female-female marriages outnumbered male-male marriages in every reporting jurisdiction except New York City," so at least one plausible explanation for the same-sex gender imbalance in the NYT is that there are more gay men than gay women getting married in NYC. Another area in which men and women are not equal in the NYT weddings section: Latin honors. I’ve seen headlines before about how girls tend to do better in school than boys, and the weddings section supports the claim, as women graduate cum laude more often than men do: The trend holds for magna cum laude mentions as well, though the genders are pretty much equal for summa cum laude graduates. The NYT’s rules for submitting a wedding announcement specify that photos should include couples with "their eyebrows on the same level and with their heads fairly close together." Some friends of mine were recently featured in the weddings section despite a rather nonconforming photo, which, believe it or not, came up as a topic of conversation at the morning-after brunch. My contribution to the discussion was a promise to use the Wedding Crunchers database to determine the most conforming photo of all time. I ran every wedding photo through a face detection algorithm to extract coordinates for facial landmarks, then ranked the photos based on how level each couple's eyes and eyebrows were, plus how close together their heads were. Finally, we can all stop wondering: The most perfectly conforming NYT wedding photo of all time belongs to Tyler Davidson and Hilary Burt. Congratulations! Remember, you can run your own searches at WeddingCrunchers.com, and be sure to share your favorite trends! Todd Schneider writes software at Genius. The Huffington Post has called him "a Reform Jew who went to Yale University and once worked for a hedge fund."

'The Dark Tower' movie review: It has no heart, slaughters Stephen King books

There's a creed The Gunslinger lives by in "The Dark Tower," and it ends with: "You do not kill with your gun. He who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father. You kill with your heart." Director Nikolaj Arcel and everyone at Sony should have thought about that meaning more when adapting Stephen King's eight-book series, because unlike The Gunslinger, they had no heart in their attempt to bring this classic to life. Done in a brisk 90 minute running time, the movie feels like a bunch of scenes cobbled together. With a disregard to character development, or even simply giving the audience a moment to breath in the world, the feeling of watching "The Dark Tower" is like racing through a meal because you are late to an appointment. At one point, I was imaging what it must have been like to edit this movie. Likely it was days filled with Sony Pictures head Tom Rothman standing over the editor screaming, "IS IT DONE YET? IS IT DONE YET?? IS IT DONE YET!?!?!?" The movie opens with teenager Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) having a nightmare that kids are being forced to be weapons for an evil Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) in his quest to destroy the Dark Tower, a giant black structure that goes high up in the sky. Seriously, that's all I know about it. The movie gives very little indication of its importance outside of it being very powerful. Gradually, we learn that Jake continues to have visions of The Man In Black and Roland Deschain/The Gunslinger (Idris Elba), while noticing that people around him seem to be strange creatures disguised as humans. Eventually, Jake's visions lead him to a portal to another dimension, and there he meets The Gunslinger. The two then go out to find the Dark Tower and also face The Man in Black. I never read the King books, but it's more than obvious Arcel and the slew of screenwriters who have taken on this project over the years — there are four credited, including Arcel — completely slaughtered King's material. Numerous supporting characters are given zero time for audiences to understand who they are and their importance in the story. And even more bizarre is the major power Jack has in the movie is actually a reference to another King book. About halfway through the movie, Jack discovers that he shines, which means he has psychic abilities. It's a power Danny Torrance possesses in King's novel, "The Shining." Though it's kind of cool that the movie makes a reference to another King classic, it's also very weird. In King's "The Dark Tower" books, Jack possess a similar power called "The Touch." Wouldn't it have made more sense to go with that? Fans of books like the movies they are based on to reference what's actually in them. It's hard to fault Elba or McConaughey for their performances. Whatever they were sold on to accomplish in this movie likely never panned out. Honestly, outside of some fish-out-of water comedy done by Elba when The Gunslinger transports to Earth briefly, there's nothing memorable about any performance. It's more than obvious Sony wasn't looking to really make a movie for the fans of the books — which is just plain bizarre. They are the ones who can't wait to see this! "The Dark Tower" turns out to be just the latest in a long line of movies based on King's books that are nothing like his work. The added problem with this one, however, is it's nowhere near close to being as good a standalone movie as most of those others. "The Dark Tower" opens in theaters on Friday.

The Best Christmas Music Knows This Is a Sad Time of Year

Open Thread is a daily feature where Waypoint staff talk about games and other things we find interesting. This is where you'll see us chat about movies, TV, and even sports, and welcome you to participate in the discussion. I love Christmas music. I know, a lot of it is grating and it’s been effectively weaponized by our Christmas, Inc. consumer culture, a sonic assault sent ahead of the credit card statements to force merriment and “Christmas Spirit” on people—of any and all beliefs—that find themselves in its path. If you’re feeling a bit blue this time of year, or if—like in my family—a lot of losses have attended this time of year, Christmas music can sound at best inappropriate and at worst positively mocking. And yet: starting around Thanksgiving I have an insatiable need to hear Frank Sinatra loving those J-I-N-G-L-E BELLS off an antique piece of vinyl with predictable, well-known scratches. John Denver and The Muppets? Sign me right the fuck up. I just submit myself to the Boomer cultural hegemony around the holiday season, unironically enjoying Perry Fucking Como’s sentimental Christmas dirges, or Dean Martin sounding genuinely delighted to find himself in a “Marshmallow World”. But my favorite music to listen to around this time of year is the music the leans all the way into the bittersweet nature of the holidays, and the sharp juxtapositions you get between personal struggle and public celebration. I’m the guy who, on Dec. 24th with the family gathered all around, is putting Low’s Christmas on the CD player so we can all listen to the Gothic menace of “Long Way Around the Sea”. Or if I really want to bring the eggnog and gift exchange to complete halt, I like to blast Stan Rogers’ “First Christmas” which always has a couple verses that leave me wrecked. The “non-traditional” song I probably look forward to the most is one of the hardest to find: Marcia Ball and Marian McPartland’s “Christmas Is Just Another Day”, which is just a great, sparse jazz song about feeling like you’re stuck on the outside looking in at rituals of the holidays. I’ve only ever found it on An NPR Jazz Christmas (which is way better than it sounds). What about you? What are your favorite holiday jams, ironic or unironic? Let me know in today's open thread!

Finally, Someone Is Teaching Old People How to Fuck Good

Porn star Nina Hartley faces the camera, her blond hair swept back in a ponytail, red-framed glasses perched on her nose. She's dressed like a gym teacher in white pants and a red track jacket zipped low enough to suggest she isn't wearing much underneath. She's standing in locker room, surrounded by senior citizens adjusting their retro gym clothes. "Contrary to what many of us think, sexual desire doesn't diminish with age," Harley says in her gentle lisp. "In fact, it's one of the last functions people lose in their golden years. That's because today, thanks to advances in medicine, like the pharmaceuticals prescribed for erectile dysfunction, what used to look like this," here she holds up a small, browning banana, "now looks a lot like this." She holds up a significantly larger, firmer banana, while smiling cheekily at the camera. Hartley, a 58-year-old veteran performer whose IMdB acting credits include Anal Annie Just Can't Say No, Rear Action Girls 2, and Boogie Nights, has teamed with Pornhub to create Nina Hartley's Old School: A Complete Guide to Safe Sex After 65. The campaign includes the aforementioned video, made to look like a vintage sex-ed film complete with atonal muzak and a grainy FBI copyright video at the beginning. The video is also available on VHS, and hard copies can be ordered by retirement homes and educational orgs, making the information accessible to tech-averse seniors.Over the course of 15 minutes, Hartley walks her audience through STI prevention and safe-sex practices, before directing them to an accompanying website that illustrates low-impact sex positions. Much of the campaign is wry and tongue and cheek—the cringey promo vid includes an elderly woman getting a "GILF LIFE" Ed Hardy–esque tramp stamp while rap music plays—but that doesn't mean it isn't 100 percent sincere. "It's important that seniors are shown and seen as fully sexual individuals, worthy of privacy, pleasure, safety, and play," Hartley tells me over email. She graduated from San Francisco State University's nursing school in 1985, and her videos frequently combine the erotic with the educational regarding matters of sexual health. She first became aware that STIs were on the rise among seniors after reading a newspaper article several years ago but adds, "It wasn't surprising, as people will always seek out connection, pleasure, intimacy, and good times. Age is no barrier to pleasure." "There is a common misconception that people just stop being sexually active after a certain age, and that simply isn't the case," says Corey Price, VP of Pornhub. The adult video–streaming site had previously launched socially conscious initiatives such as awareness campaigns for domestic violence and described video for the visually impaired, but Price had long known he wanted to do something for senior citizens. "It's so easy to find sex tips for millennials, who are often the core demographic for many of today's publications. But when you try and look for any information regarding the elderly, there just isn't much." An increase in life expectancy combined with a lack of risk for pregnancy means that more and more senior citizens are having unprotected sex. "Between 2007 and 2011, the number of chlamydia infections in people over 65 rose by 31 percent, and syphilis by 52 percent" says Hartley incredulously in the video to a sheepish looking audience. Infections that are inconvenient to a younger person can be fatal in an already weakened immune system. "With the launch of Old School, we would like to garner more mainstream awareness about the importance of safe sex for today's seniors, particularly those in retirement communities and nursing homes," continues Price. The video is already gaining an audience since its launch [on July 17] and seems to be reaching some of the right people. As one comment on the video's Youtube page reads, "Thank you Pornhub! I'll be careful from now on. I'm 85 and I still get a lot of vagina." Old School highlights just how vast the dearth of awareness is when it comes to the sexual practices of elderly people, especially those who require long-term assistant care. Adult children are frequently responsible for making significant life choices on behalf of aging relatives, and nobody wants to think of their sweet great aunt Beatrice getting spanked or eating ass. "Most long-term care facilities do not have policies on sexual expression," says Dr. Melanie Davis, who launched safersex4seniors.org in 2012, a website run by health professionals that provides information on topics such as engaging in sex after prostate cancer, or coming out of the closet later in life. "Adult children will often say, 'Well if my parent is in bad enough shape to need to be in long-term care, then they certainly cannot be having sex. That's just not appropriate.'" Davis argues that a person doesn't stop being sexual just because their faculties have changed. It's often up to the daily caregivers, Davis says, to use their judgement about what's best for the patient on a case by case basis. That becomes more difficult when we treat all long-term care residents as asexual beings. Davis recently spent the last few months field testing a sexuality education curriculum for older adults, which she plans to have available for sale early next year through a program called Our Whole Lives. It's a capstone in a series that starts in kindergarten with topics such as bodies and privacy, and runs through a lifetime of sexual experiences. "When people think of sex ed, they tend to think of body parts fitting together," she says. "When we talk about really comprehensive sexual education, it's about being in relationships and understanding yourself." It's also about learning to live to the extent one can in one's own body. "One of my best, most enjoyable and fun sexual experiences was with a gentleman fan aged 90," Hartley emails me. "We had the best time. He's only recently deceased, at age 99, but I'll always remember that night." You can follow Anna Fitzpatrick on Twitter.

Fortnite meteors are falling: Here's what it means

Meteors have been seen falling in Fortnite: Battle Royale as the game wraps up season three and players await the beginning of season four.The celestial phenomenon has caused players to speculate what the meteors could mean for the future of Fortnite and the game map.Some Fortnite theorists have suggested the meteor might hit Tilted Towers, the most populated area in the game, effectively changing the landscape of the game as we know it. Fortnite: Battle Royale is the most popular video game in the world right now, and the game might be going through a big change soon based on what players are seeing. If you play Fortnite: Battle Royale right now, and you look up in the sky there's a good chance you'll see falling meteors. Some believe the meteor will hit one of the game's most popular areas, Tilted Towers. A blog dedicated to Fortnite news and related content pointed out Wednesday that many players have noticed large "shooting stars" falling across the sky while playing the game. The "stars" were first spotted a few days ago, according to Fortnite Intel, when they were much smaller and often hard to spot, but have been growing rapidly in size and frequency today. Here's what it looks like in the game now: As the "shooting stars" get closer and appear to come closer to the ground, more players have been referring to them as meteors. Many have started to speculate about what the meteors could signal for the game, and what the ramifications might be if one actually hits the ground. Within Fortnite, time is measured in "Battle Royale Seasons," which last about three months. The game is in season three, scheduled to end on April 30, leading many to believe that the meteor could drastically change the Fortnite map with a fiery blast — in a similar way that the dinosaurs were wiped out — especially if it were to hit "Tilted Towers," one of the most high-traffic metropolitan areas in the game, where the meteor has been spotted. Videos of the meteors have revealed an Easter-egg sound effect that is triggered by a player pointing directly at it, as demonstrated by Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, the most-followed Fortnite streamer on Twitch, saying "IT IS THE END! IT IS COMING!": Hardcore fans on Reddit and Twitter have even suggested that listening closely to the sound made by the meteor might convey a secret hint from the game developers at the fate of the meteor via Morse code, a theory that Ninja, who is a well-known consultant of the developers, showed interest in by retweeting: We'll know what these meteors mean for sure in the coming days. Full benefits, 6-figure salaries, 401Ks and nutritionists — 2 professionals reveal what it's really like to be paid to play video games for a living

In Turkey, Music Takes You Where a Travel Visa Can't

A version of this article originally appeared on Noisey Germany. In Turkey, journalists at magazines critical of the government, like Cumhuriyet, are currently being thrown in prison. Authors are under constant surveillance, and since 2017 the number of academics who've been fired from their jobs in the public sector has risen to over 5,000. Under President Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish government has aggressively rescinded political rights and civil liberties, with media freedom sharply declining after a violent political coup in July 2016. According to Freedom House, Turkey's press freedom status is listed as "not free," and the country's current "Freedom in the World" score is 32 out of 100 (zero being the least free, 100 being the most free). But what's it like to be a musician in Turkey? Noisey spoke with Ozoyo, a DJ and producer in Istanbul, to find out. The 27 year old was born in Turkey, but lived in Germany with his family for eight years during his youth. He's been back in his home country for nearly ten years now, and lives in Istanbul as a musician and student. The music he makes is largely instrumental: Chill beats with hip-hop samples, with a hint of jazz and electronic music throughout this smooth sound. We asked him about the local music scene in Istanbul, what's its like to be an artist in Turkey's political climate, and his plans for the future. Noisey: How would you describe your sound? Ozoyo: The music I make is pretty laid-back. When I first started my music project as Ozoyo, I was listening to a lot of jazz. And I grew up with hip-hop. But I’m not someone who just gets stuck within one genre—I’m open to new sounds and enjoy getting experimental. The first two EPs were laid-back, but my next project is definitely going to be a little harder in terms of its sound. What sort of influences inspire you? Everything I experience, everything I still want to experience, and everything that’s still waiting to cross my path. Might sound philosophical, but that’s the way I feel. I released my EP Wanderlust two years ago. Back then, I just wanted to travel but never had the time. So I decided to produce an EP that tells a story about traveling and the yearning for faraway places. If you take a close look at the track list, you can see what sort of trip I was imagining for myself. From the protests in Gezi Park in 2013 to the attempted political coup in July 2016, all the way to the current imprisonment of artists and journalists who are critical of the government: The political landscape of Turkey has changed significantly in recent years. What is your impression of the current political climate in the country? The protests didn’t go unnoticed by me. At the Gezi protests in 2013, people initially gathered together to peacefully prevent the trees there from being cut down. Of course there were then groups who acted in a questionable way. But overall, it was about solidarity with a positive underlying idea: the preservation of something old, of the green spaces in the heart of the city in opposition to the construction of another large shopping center. It’s tragic that people wound up dying in the end. To what degree have the living conditions in Istanbul changed for you? My life hasn’t changed drastically, but you can see that the prices have risen rapidly. Everything is getting more expensive. The minimum wage is 1,400 Lira (roughly $350 USD) a month, and a beer in a typical bar costs about 15 Lira (close to $4 USD). Of course alcohol isn’t good for your health, but having fun is a privilege for the rich here. Even traveling has become difficult and expensive. First you need to get a passport, then you have to pay to get a visa, and on top of that you have a catastrophic currency exchange rate. For one dollar you’ve got to toss out nearly 4 Lira. That doesn’t leave much room for luxuries like vacation. But luckily, music allows me to travel in a different way. For a majority of the population that just isn’t possible, which is really too bad. How have the political changes manifested in your daily life?Not a lot has changed in my personal, day-to-day life. I willingly moved back to Turkey with my family in 2008 after having spent eight years in Germany. But since I've come back, I've noticed that a lot of people are trying to move to Germany, England, or Austria. So I’m often asked why I came back [to Turkey]. I'm currently studying linguistics in Istanbul and I'll probably be done with my studies this year. Only once I’m finished with university will I know where I’ll be living. What do you miss—any not miss—about Germany? What are the perks in your life in Turkey? Döner kebab tastes way better in Germany than in Turkey. That said, I’m not a big fan of the weather in Germany. But I really need to see more cities in Turkey and in Germany. Only then will I be able to form a solid opinion about both countries. I used to live in the Stuttgart region [in southwest Germany], and now I'm in Istanbul. But it’s difficult for me to make generalizations about people. Everyone grows up differently, here and there. How would you describe the music scene in Istanbul? Like anywhere else, the scene is split up into different genres. Pop music, of course, sells the best. But there are a lot of people who are into less popular music. Thanks to Spotify, musicians here can show the world what they’re capable of. In terms of Istanbul specifically, I’m tight with all the hip-hop people, but also with the electronic community. I also prefer people who aren’t just all about partying, but who have a deep interest in music. How easy is it to network with others in Istanbul? Just like anywhere else in the world, it’s easy to connect with other people through the internet. Through SoundCloud, Facebook, or Instagram, it’s easy to contact others and make connections that way. There’s a large community for electronic music here, but sadly most of them have gotten stuck in cliché genres like house and techno. That doesn’t mean I don’t like house or techno—on the contrary. I’d just find it better if others would be more open to different styles of electronic music. But still, there are small groups of people that are interested in subgenres of electro and other sounds. So then is there anywhere you’re even be able to perform your music?I’ve been getting booked for shows, yeah. Here in Istanbul I sometimes perform live and play [DJ sets]. Last year I performed in Berlin, Essen, and Munich, and this summer I’ll likely be performing somewhere in Berlin again. Where do you like to perform the most? Anywhere there’s music. When I’m in clubs, I play danceable music, from trap to house or techno. Sometimes there are events where I perform jazz or play only instrumental beats. A DJ and producer shouldn’t limit himself to just one genre, but rather be open to all sorts of music and then perform them. Your sound is awfully smooth. You’ve been working with more hip-hop samples recently and they have a pretty chill vibe. What inspired you to do so?Until now, my music has mirrored the quieter side of Istanbul. But my next project will show the darker sides of the city. My next EP is already finished. This time, there won’t just be simple loops, but also entire songs. I look forward to seeing how people respond to it. Istanbul is a city of extreme contrasts. Not just because it’s split between Asia and Europe, but also because the districts represent contrasting poles—Fatih is very religious, Beyoglu is very open and liberal. How do you experience the contrasts there? Have the different fronts become hardened? A lot of people came to Istanbul at the end of the 80s to work—people with various backgrounds and sexual orientations. Sometimes living together works quite well, other times not so much. Sometimes a woman will get harassed because she’s wearing a short skirt, and sometimes women who are completely veiled get made fun of by other people. Everywhere you go, people are good and bad at the same time. What keeps you in Turkey? What is it there that makes a difference for you? My studies, my family, and the amazing weather. Besides, you always find up discovering new and amazing little spots in Istanbul. What projects are you currently working on? Are you collaborating with musicians from other countries? Because I’ve been living in Istanbul for almost ten years, I can’t just travel anywhere at whim. Before I travel, I have to get a visa, that’s why most collaborations take place via the internet without me having to leave the place where I live. But aside from that, I currently have some collaborations with musicians from Germany and Turkey. I’ll be releasing my new EP in May or June. It’s a mix of trap and lo-fi jazz beats. Other than that, I’m still studying and will get my degree this year. And then hopefully I’ll continue to make music for a long time, travel around the world and get to know new, creative people. Follow Ozoyo on Spotify, SoundCloud, Facebook, and Instagram.

It's 2018, and these white supremacists are running for office

Voters in Illinois, Wisconsin, California, and Montana will be heading to the polls this summer and fall to make what should be an easy decision: neo-Nazi or not? The candidates, all Republicans, are running various races in those four states — three for Congress and one for a state Legislature position. But they have one characteristic in common: Their views are openly white supremacist. Some even include limiting Jewish representation right in their political platforms or have the endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan. The wannabe politicians, however, have tough campaigns ahead of them. Only 9 percent of Americans believe holding white supremacist or neo-Nazi views is acceptable, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted shortly after the violence in Charlottesville. That’s clear for Augustus Invictus, a Nazi candidate who ran for Florida Senate but dropped out because he couldn’t raise enough cash. He’s a white supremacist, Holocaust denier who once slaughtered a goat and drank its blood as part of a pagan ritual. He also headlined as a speaker at the violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jones’ campaign website pushes a document called “The ‘Holocaust’ Racket,” in which he calls the genocide of 6 million Jews during World War II “the biggest, blackest lie in history.” Voters in Illinois, Wisconsin, California, and Montana will be heading to the polls this summer and fall to make what should be an easy decision: neo-Nazi or not? The candidates, all Republicans, are running various races in those four states — three for Congress and one for a state Legislature position. But they have one characteristic in common: Their views are openly white supremacist. Some even include limiting Jewish representation right in their political platforms or have the endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan. The wannabe politicians, however, have tough campaigns ahead of them. Only 9 percent of Americans believe holding white supremacist or neo-Nazi views is acceptable, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted shortly after the violence in Charlottesville. That’s clear for Augustus Invictus, a Nazi candidate who ran for Florida Senate but dropped out because he couldn’t raise enough cash. He’s a white supremacist, Holocaust denier who once slaughtered a goat and drank its blood as part of a pagan ritual. He also headlined as a speaker at the violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jones’ campaign website pushes a document called “The ‘Holocaust’ Racket,” in which he calls the genocide of 6 million Jews during World War II “the biggest, blackest lie in history.” The 70-year-old longtime neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier won the GOP primary for Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District on Tuesday with more than 20,000 votes. But then again, he ran unopposed. “Even if only myself and my wife voted for me, I’d win the primary, because the Republican Party screwed up big-time,” Jones told the New York Times. This is Jones’ sixth run at the nomination, but this time the Republican Party just couldn’t get another candidate to oppose him. He’ll now be representing the GOP in November in a district that went Democrat in 24 of the last 25 elections. Good luck with that, Arthur. Nehlen once tweeted that all Jewish people will burn in hell and once told the former leader of the KKK David Duke’s podcast that “Jews control the media.” After campaigning for failed Senate candidate and accused child molester Roy Moore in Alabama, Nehlan’s now running to become the nominee to take Rep. Paul Ryan’s seat in Wisconsin. The next primary election is in August. Nehlen actually ran against Ryan once before, in Wisconsin’s last Republican primary in 2016 — and lost 85 percent to 15 percent. But not before receiving praise from President Donald Trump for supporting his presidency. At the time, Trump was facing criticism for his public fight with the Khans, the Muslim family of a Gold Star U.S. soldier killed in the Iraq War. Little self-identifies as a “white advocate” and is running for Senate in California. He’s currently outperforming fellow Republican contenders and has garnered the support of the KKK’s Duke. Little’s platform includes: The California Republican Party has disavowed Little — They even kicked him out of the GOP convention. “There's no room for that kind of hate speech that that man uses," Cynthia Bryant, executive director of the California Republican Party, told the Los Angeles Times. Little’s primary is on June 5, and if he wins, he’ll be facing incumbent Democratic Dianne Feinstein in November. Abarr is all about diversity: In 2014, he tried to recruit black and LGBTQ people to the KKK, and now diversity is part of his platform as a candidate for the Montana state House of Representatives. But Abarr apologized for all of that — mostly. “I am writing to apologize to the citizens of Montana for promoting bigotry and hate against minorities,” Abarr wrote on his campaign website. “First of all, I would like to say that the whole Montana KKK group was just a hoax promoted by me. I created this hoax to infuse fear in the LGBTQ community and racial minorities in Montana.” Still, Abarr’s campaign website includes a call for European Americans to be declared a protected class. “There is widespread discrimination and hatred targeted at European Americans. There must be protections for us under the law,” his campaign website read. “Caucations [sic] should be able to publicly proclaim their ethnic identity and heritage in all institutions.” (The site spells caucasians incorrectly twice.)

Polish driving test candidate runs over and kills examiner

WARSAW (Reuters) - An examiner was run over and killed by a 68-year-old woman taking her driving test in the southern Polish city of Rybnik on Monday, police said. The 35-year-old examiner was run over by the candidate at an examination center during the part of the test focusing on maneuvers, Rybnik police said in a statement on their website. “A 68-year-old woman, in circumstances which are unknown at the present time, hit the examiner, who unfortunately as a result of his injuries died at the scene,” deputy police commissioner Ryszard Czepczor told news channel TVP Info. At the time of the accident, the examiner was probably testing another candidate, the police said. Footage from TVP Info showed the red Toyota Yaris involved in the accident with its front bumper and number plate hanging off as it was loaded on to a truck. “When we spoke to the woman she was in a state of shock and because of that speaking to her would be quite difficult,” Czepczor said. Reporting by Alan Charlish, editing by Ed Osmond

The Only Known Film Footage of Marcel Proust, or Proust Descending a Staircase

In the first footage discovered showing Marcel Proust, he speedily descends a staircase at a wedding. Advertise on Hyperallergic with Nectar Ads In a recently discovered video showing Marcel Proust at a wedding, he descends a staircase unaccompanied, speedily walking past the slower couples to his right. It is the first footage we ostensibly have of the French writer (who appears at second 36). Jean-Pierre Sirois-Trahan, a professor of film and literature at Université Laval in Quebec, found the clip in researching the Canadian National Cinema Centre archives. Prior to this seconds-long moving portrait, we only had photographs of Proust, who generally appears slightly reclining, with pensive, heavy eyes, and a finger to his cheek. We could only ponder these images and animate his character with what we already knew of his reclusive, sensitive self. For him, photographs could not channel memory in the way “involuntary memories” could — a term he coined to describe when a sudden encounter in your day, like the taste of a madeleine cookie, causes a moment from your past to rush forth. A photograph, however, is limited by a single frame and is purely visual. At the same time, it gives you the time to linger over it. In The Guermantes Way, the narrator, in contemplating a photograph of the character Mme. de Guermantes, says it “allowed me for the first time to gaze at my leisure at that plump cheek, that arched neck, that tapering eyebrow (veiled from me hitherto by the swiftness of her passage, the bewilderment of my impressions, the imperfection of memory).” It is with swiftness and bewilderment that we observe Proust in this video, wearing a bowler hat and a pearl gray suit — two characteristic elements of his style that helped give way his identity. It is a bit jarring to see him move, almost sprightly, in the elite milieu he wrote about in his seven-volume series, In Search of Lost Time. In fact, he is attending the wedding of Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, whose mother was the inspiration for the Duchesse de Guermantes character. In a way, it is only apt that this video of Proust is an attempt, like his novels, to capture a fleeting moment. However, he made a point of distinguishing the two art forms, writing in Time Regained: “Some critics now liked to regard the novel as a sort of procession of things upon the screen of a cinematograph. This comparison is absurd. Nothing is further from what we have really perceived than the vision that the cinematograph presents.” Luc Fraisse, the director of the journal Revue d’études proustiennes that first published the discovery of the video, observed to the Guardian, “It’s moving to say to ourselves that we are the first to see Proust since his contemporaries.” Ninety-five years after the writer’s death, it feels as though we are instead met with a vision of him. Perhaps this is partly because it’s not a moment in time “we have really perceived.” As I watch and re-watch this seemingly banal moment of Proust walking down the stairs come and go, the video becomes as much about what has passed as what lies before my eyes.

Time for some digital spring cleaning: How to organize your tech life

Summer’s almost here — but before you start Instagramming up the barbecue, wouldn’t it be nice to declutter all the technology in your life? It can be hard to know where to start. Luckily, there’s the newest episode of Too Embarrassed to Ask, in which Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode tell you everything you need to know about digital spring cleaning: Kara and Lauren discuss strategies for tidying up overloaded email inboxes, apps you never use and gadgets that are gathering dust in your closet. They also share readers’ and listeners’ tips for digital cleanup, including the nuclear option: Delete everything! Thank you to everyone who submitted questions and digital spring cleaning suggestions — remember that you can always send in questions about any topic to us by tweeting @LaurenGoode, @KaraSwisher or @Recode with the hashtag #AskRecode. Listen to or download the episode in the player above, or click here to subscribe on iTunes. We also just launched on Google Play Music! Or, you can find Too Embarrassed to Ask on TuneIn and Stitcher. Want more podcasts that are made by Re/code? How about Re/code Media with Peter Kafka, which features in-depth, no-BS interviews with the most interesting people in the media world every Thursday. Click here to subscribe to Re/code Media right now on iTunes and click here to listen on Google Play Music. On Monday, Kara Swisher will be back on Re/code Decode to interview Khosla Ventures partner Keith Rabois. Click here to subscribe on iTunes, and click here to listen on Google Play Music. And on Re/code Replay, you can hear all the audio from our live events, including some don’t-miss sessions from Code/Media 2016. To subscribe to that, click right here for iTunes and right over here for Google. You can follow @Recode on Twitter for the latest on upcoming guests. If you like what we’re doing, please write a review on iTunes — and if you don’t, just tweet-strafe Kara and Lauren. Tune in next Friday for another episode of Too Embarrassed to Ask! This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Yung Lean Gives Us an Early Christmas Gift in the Form of His 'Frost God' EP

Yung Lean has somehow managed to remain relevant in hip-hop by doubling down on his nostalgia-based cloud rap sound until no one else is pursuing it but him. This year's Warlord album was the first sign, and now the abruptly released Frost God EP confirms that the king Sadboy still has a place in the world, if his appearance on Frank Ocean's Blonde didn't already. The 8-track project features the gentle single "Hennessy & Sailor Moon," an A$AP Ferg verse on "Crystal City," and some of the lushest, prettiest production that Lean's ever rapped on. It also has a song simply titled "Kirby," so there's that. Put some Arizona in your eggnog (actually, maybe don't), plug in your Playstation 1, and listen to Frost God below. Phil will always weep and wild out to DeviantArt-core indie rap. He's on Twitter.

Peter Thiel vs. the FDA

Since the election of Donald Trump, there’s been a lot of discussion in medical circles about bringing a Silicon Valley ethos to drug innovation in America. This idea is embodied in Peter Thiel, the billionaire founder of PayPal, who has reportedly been helping the president vet a pool of candidates to lead the Food and Drug Administration. Thiel, a libertarian iconoclast, has repeatedly made the case that the FDA gets in the way of drug innovation by making it too difficult for new medicines to get to the market. Some of the FDA candidates he’s identified — including Silicon Valley’s Jim O’Neill and Balaji Srinivasan — have similarly argued that the agency should dump its requirement that drugs be proven effective before reaching the market, and that we’d be better off if the FDA operated more like a “Yelp for drugs.” In other words, bringing the same speedy and disruptive approach to medical regulation that Silicon Valley brought to the taxi and hotel industries, for example, will unlock cures — fast. But Thiel and his pals miss a very important point about developing new drugs: Manipulating biology isn’t the same as manipulating computer code. It’s much, much harder. Speeding up medical innovation will take a lot more than just stripping down the FDA — it’ll take huge leaps forward in our understanding of biochemistry and the body. Health care is also different from taxis and hotels in another key way: Consumers can’t really judge the safety and quality of medical products by themselves. One of the key notions that undergirds the Peter Thiel view of the FDA is that if the agency just got rid of some of the pesky restrictions for drug approval, we’d usher in another golden age in drug development. (Thiel declined our interview request.) To test this idea, I asked a longtime pharmaceutical scientist (and conservative), Derek Lowe, for his views. In his 28 years in the lab, Lowe has seen hundreds of thousands of compounds tested on a huge variety of drug targets, and never, not once, has he brought a drug to market. The reason? “We don’t know how to find drugs that work,” he said. For every 5,000 compounds discovered at this "preclinical" phase of drug development, only about five are promising enough to be tried in humans. That’s a success rate of 0.1 percent. Drug innovation comes from painstaking tinkering and a dash of luck. “It’s very tempting for someone who has come out of IT to say, ‘DNA is code, and cells are the hardware; go in and debug it’,” Lowe said. “But this is wrong.” In Silicon Valley, humans have designed the hardware, software, and computer code they’re working with. In medical research, scientists do not have that advantage, Lowe said. “We have 3 billion years of spaghetti-tangled gibberish to deal with. And unless you’ve done [drug development], it’s very hard to get across how hard it is. I don’t know of anything that’s harder.” Biochemistry and cell biology are “like alien nanotechnology,” he added. So the real hurdle researchers face when it comes to finding new drugs for people isn’t overcoming a stringent regulator; it’s grappling with that “alien nanotechnology” in the lab. Thiel has argued that the clinical trials required to prove a drug is effective slow down the development process. In one talk, he said that if we didn’t force drugmakers to prove their products are better than the others already available, we’d have more “slightly worse, but much cheaper” options to pick from. To address this, he and other regulation skeptics typically suggest that the FDA should loosen up, or even get rid of, its efficacy requirement. Let’s step back a bit to explain how the FDA approves drugs, and the three phases of clinical testing they have to pass to get the final green light. In phase one trials, researchers test drugs for safety in a small group of healthy people, and tinker with dosing. In phase two, they test the drug in a larger group of people and make sure it delivers on its promise by monitoring how well it works against the best available therapies or a placebo. In phase three, the drug is tested on an even bigger group (up to 3,000 people), and again, researchers compare how the drug works against other treatments on the market and carefully analyze safety data. If the drug makes it through phase three, the data is submitted to the FDA for approval. Folks in the Thiel camp argue that removing the efficacy requirements — or abolishing phase two and three clinical trials — would give consumers more drug options. And they’re right on that point: If drugmakers only had to prove their drugs were safe, there would certainly be many more products on the market. But would they be good drugs? Consider this. It wasn’t until 1962 that the Food and Drug Administration starting asking drug companies to prove their products were both safe and effective before they hit the market. Until that time, there were some standards related to adulteration and labeling, but otherwise it was mostly a free-for-all. It took the infamous scandal around thalidomide, a morning-sickness medication that caused severe birth defects, to strengthen the FDA ... and incidentally, the FDA’s efficacy standard coincided with the golden age of drug innovation in the 1970s and ’80s. The failure rate for drugs in clinical trials is about 90 percent. That means the vast majority of drugs aren’t safe or effective enough to be used — they don’t do what they were supposed to do. As Yale FDA researcher Joe Ross noted to me, “If there is no demonstration of a benefit, does it matter if we have more options?” And here’s Lowe: “The clinical failure rate is not 90 percent because the FDA are such bastards. The clinical failure rate is that high because most drugs don’t do what we thought they were going to do.” It’s precisely the clinical trial process, with scientists closely measuring efficacy, that helps weed out drugs that don’t work. Unlike hotels or taxi services, which can easily be evaluated by consumers, consumers often can’t judge whether their drugs are helping or hurting them: The effects may not be obvious or appear for a very long time. “It’s not like when you pick up a car and drive it and decide whether you like it or not,” said Hank Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford. “Knowing whether drugs are safe and work is something far beyond the common knowledge of patients, and is frankly far beyond the knowledge of most physicians.” Greely pointed out that we already have an example of what a much less regulated drug world would look like: “It’s called the nutritional supplement industry. And it’s a travesty.” Supplement makers don't need to demonstrate that their products are effective or even safe before putting them on store shelves — so most supplements are unproven, and problems with quality and adulteration appear to be distressingly common. In the 1980s and ’90s, Congress and the FDA created several programs to speed up the development and approval process for new pharmaceuticals: the orphan drug designation, priority review, fast track, and accelerated approval. These programs were intended to push the most clinically important, innovative drugs — medicines to treat rare, serious, or life-threatening diseases — out to patients more quickly, often on the basis of more limited and less rigorous clinical trial data. “These pathways along with increased funding for FDA drug reviews from user fees enacted first in 1992 were successful,” said Aaron Kesselheim, an associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in an email. “The average total review time, for example, has fallen from 30 months in the 1980s to currently around 8.5 months.” But the more important question is whether expedited FDA pathways increased the number of innovative new therapeutic options for patients — and here the data is far less clear. “Some transformative drugs, like imatinib (Gleevec) for chronic myeloid leukemia, have definitely benefited from speedier FDA pathways,” Kesselheim said. But research continues to show that the majority of drugs that have come onto the market offer little or no improvement over the status quo. For example, several studies have found that since the mid-1990s, about 85 to 90 percent of new drugs that have come onto the market don't offer any clinical advantages for patients compared with existing therapies. More worryingly, the special expedited development and approval pathways have become the rule, rather than the exception. Newer research, led by Kesselheim in the BMJ, looked at a database of all new medicines approved by the FDA between 1987 and 2013 and found that over the past two decades, the proportion of new drugs qualifying for at least one of the FDA's expedited programs has increased by 2.4 percent per year. Kesselheim and his colleagues also concluded that "this trend is being driven by drugs that are not first in class and thus potentially less innovative." So there's little evidence that speeding up approval times has helped spur innovation. Some even argue that if you want to bolster medical innovation, you need to look well beyond the FDA. Yale’s Ross says some of the biggest barriers occur in the world of insurance payers. “Medicare essentially pays for almost everything [the] FDA approves. If payers were making more coverage decisions — including reimbursing more effective, safer medications — based on value, that would be a huge incentive to innovate better products,” he says. Before descending on the agency, Silicon Valley types will also need a firmer grasp of the history of medical regulation and why it’s there in the first place. Peter Thiel has said, "You would not be able to invent the polio vaccine today,” echoing similar statements from some of the potential FDA picks. Yale medical historian Jason Schwartz disagreed: “This assertion is at best ahistorical, if not altogether meaningless.” The famous Salk polio vaccine trial in 1954 involved more than half a million children, “a number that would be unacceptable today,” Schwartz explained. And shortly after the vaccine’s introduction, problems with its production resulted in the Cutter Incident: Vaccines with live polio virus (instead of killed virus) were administered to thousands of American children, sickening 40,000, leaving 200 paralyzed, and killing 10. Over the past half-century, we’ve seen a number of new vaccines come onto the market, including shots to prevent hepatitis B and meningococcal, which were developed without harming children. “It's exactly the production safeguards and ongoing oversight of vaccines and other products by the FDA today — both before and after approval — that keep these kinds of preventable tragedies from happening again,” Schwartz said. Now that we’ve gone through the reasons Silicon Valley types are misguided, let’s talk about the places where they could really shake up the FDA for the better. Alex Tabarrok, over at Marginal Revolution, argues that the FDA needs to better adapt to the new world of personal technologies that can empower patients. As he wrote on his blog: Today almost everyone carries in their pocket the processing power of a 1990s supercomputer. Smartphones equipped with sensors can monitor blood pressure, perform ECGs and even analyze DNA. Other devices being developed or available include contact lens that can track glucose levels and eye pressure, devices for monitoring and analyzing gait in real time and head bands that monitor and even adjust your brain waves. And several of the FDA commissioner candidates would be well positioned to help the agency work through how to safely integrate these technologies into clinical trial research and patient care. “[FDA commissioner candidate] Joseph Gulfo has experience in getting devices through the FDA process, including the remarkable Melafind, a device for spotting melanomas,” Tabarrok said in an email. “Balaji Srinivasan [another FDA candidate] started a genetics testing company so they have experience in this area.” Mark McClellan, an FDA commissioner under George W. Bush, agreed. He told us he’d like to see the FDA enable innovators to use technologies like electronic medical records, mobile phones, and remote sensing to automatically collect medical data from patients or find potential enrollees for clinical trials. “The big opportunity for time savings is not in FDA review time,” McClellan said. “It’s in the entire development process that leads up to the review — how to design clinical trials, how to enroll patients in them.” Drug approvals in cancer therapeutics is another area several observers said could radically be improved. Dr. Vincent DeVita, an oncologist and former head of the National Cancer Institute, wants to see cancer centers initiate and run early-stage clinical trials instead of the status quo (which involves the agency signing off on the trials first, adding time and cost to the process). The FDA also requires researchers to test drugs separately — but a lot of cancer treatments right now involve treating patients with combination therapies — so here, too, the FDA lags the pace of oncologic drug innovation. But he also said, “I think [these issues] are unique to cancer.” Whoever gets appointed, DeVita said he’s not holding his breath for a big shake up. “I went through five FDA commissioners [while working in government], and not one of them had a major impact on drug development,” he says. It’s the midlevel staff at the agency that often wields the most influence, he added. A “Yelp for drugs,” sponsored by the government, is a long way off.

Michael Bloomberg Is Seriously Considering a Presidential Run

Michael Bloomberg is eyeing a third-party run for president this fall, calling the election season so far an "insult to voters" and saying the public deserves "a lot better," according to a Financial Times report. At the end of January, the 73-year-old former New York City mayor and gun control advocate reportedly told his advisors to gauge the viability of a 2016 presidential run. The idea was he'd be willing to spend as much as $1 billion of his fortune on the potential campaign against the financial juggernauts in both parties, but this is the first time Bloomberg has spoken directly about the plan. The media magnate has considered throwing his hat in the presidential ring in the past, apparently testing the waters during the 2008 election before shelving the idea after deciding he couldn't win. This time around, it's legit to wonder if an independent might have a decent shot doing the moderate thing with populists Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders making noise in both major party primaries. The former mayor has set himself an early March deadline to decide one way or another, the Financial Times reports. That way, he would probably have enough time to get his name on ballots around the country in time for November.

No breakthrough with Russia on INF treaty dispute: NATO's Stoltenberg

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO and Russia did not make significant progress on saving the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in talks at the alliance headquarters on Friday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Barring a last-minute decision by Russia to destroy a new medium-range missile that NATO says violates the INF, the United States is set to pull out of the accord on Aug. 2, arguing that it needs to develop its own warheads to deter Moscow. Moscow says it is fully compliant with the INF treaty negotiated by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, which eliminated the medium-range missile arsenals of the world’s two biggest nuclear powers. “We have not seen any signs of a breakthrough,” Stoltenberg told reporters after a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, a closed-door forum that allows for dialogue between the two sides’ diplomats and officials. Stoltenberg said the chances of a resolution were “going down, day by day” but that NATO had not given up on trying to convince Moscow to destroy the SSC-8 ground-launched cruise missile, which it says the treaty ban on land-based missiles with a range of 500 km to 5,500 km (300-3,400 miles). The breakdown of the treaty, the latest in a growing list of East-West tensions, is of grave concern because medium-range rockets would allow Russia to launch a nuclear attack on Europe at very short notice, Western experts and officials say. Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Kevin Liffey

Aaron Hernandez's Gay Letter Is a False Rumor, Attorney Insists

Letters were found inside Aaron Hernandez's cell when his body was found, but none of them were written to a gay lover. Hernandez's lawyer, Jose Baez, tells TMZ Sports, "Rumors of letters to a gay lover, in or out of prison, are false. These are malicious leaks used to tarnish somebody who is dead." The D.A. announced Thursday 3 letters were next to Hernandez's Bible, and that's when the rumors began. Baez said he is not prepared to say whether Hernandez's death was suicide or foul play. He says, "There is still plenty we are investigating."

Explore Digital Storytelling at SVA with the MFA Visual Narrative's Upcoming Exhibition

During their first spring semester, students create an original digital short story as both author and artist. The results are on display at the annual show Digital Short Story: Small Bytes / Big Fiction, at SVA’s Flatiron Gallery. Founded in 2013, the MFA Visual Narrative program at the School of Visual Arts places equal importance on creative writing and visual expression, a combination rarely found in academia. The flexible low-residency program is supported by a curriculum designed to accommodate students who are working, with three eight-week summer sessions in New York City that bookend online-only classes for two academic years. During their first spring semester, students create an original digital short story as both author and artist. The results are on display at the annual show Digital Short Story: Small Bytes / Big Fiction, at SVA’s Flatiron Gallery. Among the wide variety of stories are a reimagined tale from the Bible that viewers navigate via an app, a dark, gritty narrative of contemporary adolescence and an action-packed sci-fi saga. Each is displayed on an iPad in the exhibition alongside related physical artifacts and posters, and can be found online at mfavn.sva.edu. The show was curated by faculty members Jim Rugg and Mark Sable, who helped plan the original curriculum. Like most of the faculty, they have separate careers that inform the coursework — Rugg is a writer and illustrator and Sable is a screenwriter and author. “This group of students demonstrated a shared value in design,” says Rugg. “They also maintained a high-level of spontaneity throughout the process that made each weekly project update exciting.” Digital Short Story: Small Bytes / Big Fiction SVA’s Flatiron Gallery 133/141 West 21 Street, NYC On view through June 11 A reception will be held on Friday, June 3 from 6-8pm. Please RSVP here. Participating students include Christina Mattison Ebert, Liz Enright, Mary Georgescu, Cady Juarez, Michelle Nahmad, Jie Ren, Ella Romero, and Thomas Slattery. Contact the MFA Visual Narrative program at [email protected].

Harvey Weinstein Prosecutors Eyeing Obscure Law in Investigation

Harvey Weinstein is now in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors who are looking to possibly prosecute him under a law that some legal experts say is a giant stretch. Law enforcement sources tell us, the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York is looking to see if Weinstein violated the Mann Act. It now prohibits people from taking others across state lines with the intent of engaging in illegal sexual acts. The law was initially designed to prevent adults from transporting minors across state lines for sex. The law requires the suspect to have formed the intent to commit the act before taking the victim across state lines. Our sources say prosecutors are looking at at least one actress whom Weinstein flew from one state to another. The stretch is that they will have to prove he asked the actress to travel, knowing that he was going to rape her when she arrived at the destination. The difficulty in such a case ... Weinstein may have wanted to have sex, but didn't assume from the get-go he would have to rape the woman. As we reported, Weinstein will turn himself in today on state sexual assault charges. Weinstein has maintained the sexual encounters he has had were all consensual.

LiAngelo & LaMelo Get Blessing from Lithuanian NBA Star, 'It's a Perfect Fit'

If anyone can tell us what it's gonna be like for LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball to play in Lithuania, it's NBA big man Jonas Valanciunas ... who's actually PLAYED in the league where the Balls are headed. Valanciunas -- the 5th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft -- is a Lithuanian legend ... he won the LKL Lithuanian league championship in 2010 and is a 3-time Lithuanian Basketball Player of the Year. So, when we saw Jonas in Bev Hills on Monday (his Raptors are in town to play the Clippers) -- we had to ask if he thinks the Balls will thrive in his home country. "Great fit in Lithuania," Jonas says ... "perfect country for those guys." Jonas says people shouldn't be concerned for the Balls -- his country is safe and the food is great. Try the cepelinai ... it's delicious!

Jaleel White: Nike Screwed Up Big Time 'Stefaning' Steph Curry

Jaleel White thinks Nike just blew it with Steph Curry ... saying mispronouncing the MVP's name -- calling him someone from White's hit show "Family Matters"-- was a $14 BILLION MISTAKE. We got White leaving Craig's in L.A. and asked him about the reports that Curry soured on the honchos at the swoosh when a Nike rep called him "Steph-on" instead of Stephen. Jaleel knows the name ... it was the same moniker he used playing the "cool" version of Steve Urkel back in the '90s and while it worked getting Laura's attention ... it was a DISASTER for Nike. Check out the clip ... and witness the pure swag of Stefan Urquelle below.

MaliVai Washington on Men's Tennis Today and His Historic Wimbledon Run 20 Years Ago

Welcome to VICE Sports Q&A, where we talk to authors, directors, and other interesting people about interesting sports things. Think of it as a podcast, only with words on a screen instead of noises in your earbuds. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length. From 1992 to 1997, MaliVai Washington was a reliable top-40 player on the ATP Tour who was nonetheless overshadowed by other U.S. players such as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, and Jim Courier. Still, for two weeks in 1996, Washington was the talk of the tennis world. That year, he defeated American Todd Martin in the Wimbledon semifinals after trailing 5-1 in the fifth set and became the first African-American man to advance to the tournament's final since Arthur Ashe became the first black man to win there 21 years earlier. Washington lost his match in straight sets to Richard Krajicek, and persistent knee injuries forced him to retire three years later, at age 30. Regardless, Washington made a mark in a sport that has had few African-American stars, and no black man from the U.S. has made a Grand Slam final since his Wimbledon run two decades ago. Washington, 47, now lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, where he owns a real estate company and helps run the nonprofit MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation, which he founded in 1994. He has been honored for his work off the court with the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award from the ATP Tour in 2009 and the NJTL Founders' Service Award last year from the USTA last year. Washington spoke with VICE Sports on Friday morning about his career, 1996 Wimbledon, the state of American men's tennis today, and more. What do you see in the players now that you didn't see in your time? Do you think the guys you played with could compete with the guys nowadays? What I see is players who are getting bigger, both on the men's and women's side, in terms of height. It just seems when I was playing, 5-11, 6-feet for the men was a good size. Now you have a lot of women who are 5-11, 6-feet. I think the tallest player on the men's side is 6-11. You have Milos Raonic in the [Wimbledon] semifinal right now, he's probably 6-9-ish. [Editor's note: He's 6-foot-5]. You have a lot more players who are bigger and taller, but they don't seem to be sacrificing their movement around the court. I think I see that in other sports, as well. I think I see it in basketball. I see it football. The players are getting bigger and stronger, but they're still just as agile and as quick and fast. Is that just because of training, the way they're able to train better than before? It seems that with technology and nutrition, everything in tennis is more of a science today than it ever was. What I mean by that is players who are able to track everything they're doing from their training to their nutrition to their heart rate to how much water they're drinking, how they're feeling. They're tracking it very detailed. That carries over into match analysis. There are some players who have access to hundreds and hundreds of matches of different players. It's getting very much like baseball. I feel in baseball, there is a statistic on every single possible thing you can think of. It's not left to chance. In baseball, this is a pitcher's most likely pitch when it's a 2-2 count. In tennis, it's very similar. It's getting to the point where on break point down, this is a player's tendency. A lot of times, you don't know what a player's going to do, but if you have a good idea of what their tendencies are, that can be the small edge that you need to win a match. Back when you were playing, the technology wasn't there like it is today. When I was playing, the majority of the scouting was sitting in the stands watching your opponent, or my coach watching my opponent. I had a VCR at home and I would record on VHS tapes matches of players and I would analyze that. In this day and age, you can go on the internet and pull up a guy's match and look up at the statistics and look at his first serve percentage and look at his tendencies. You can do that from a computer in your hotel room. Technology has advanced the game, I'll say. Did you feel good going into the 1996 Wimbledon? Did you feel you were playing well and could make a deep run? Ironically, for whatever reason, I never had a lot of success at Wimbledon prior to '96, though I thought my game should play well on grass. I did have success at other tournaments leading into Wimbledon over the years, but never had success at Wimbledon. I can't really say I felt this huge rush of confidence going into '96 Wimbledon, but you take it one match at a time. As I started progressing through the first week, certainly my confidence was growing. When certain players started falling out of the draw, it was going to be an opportunity for someone to break through and get deep into the second week. In the quarterfinals, you played Alex Radulescu and won a five-setter. What do you remember about that match? It was a grueling five-set match and it was against a quality player. It's one of those matches where I think I went in feeling like I should win the match, but three hours in, you find yourself in a dogfight trying to get to your first [Grand Slam] semifinal. And he's trying to get to his first semifinal. I just remember it just being a dogfight out there. When you were trailing 5-1 in the fifth set in the semifinals against Todd Martin, was there any doubt in your mind? Were you getting nervous there? I jokingly say at 5-1 down, I strategically planned it and that's exactly where I wanted him. Jokingly, I say that. You never plan on being down 5-1. When I'm in the semifinals of Wimbledon, at no point are you about to throw in the towel. The only time you throw in the towel is when you have just lost the last point and you're shaking hands. Then you can give up and say, 'OK, I'm done. I lost.' Prior to that, you're in the semifinals of Wimbledon. You're never going to give up. You're never going to stop trying and stop pushing. I mean, this is the semifinals of Wimbledon. This is the pinnacle, one match away from the biggest match of your career. You're not gonna give up just because you're down 5-1. As I've said many times, I'm not sure why it turned around. Certainly Todd got tight and he could feel the nerves because he was also trying to reach his first Wimbledon final. I just kept saying to myself, 'Whatever you do, just make him play. See if he has the guts to finish the match.' That's what I advise all players to do. Just because you're down, you never want to just start giving away points in games and give away the match because that makes it very easy for your opponent. You really want to see if they have the guts and the mental capacity and the nerves to finish out the match. I just kept telling myself, 'Make him play, just make him play. Don't give him anything.' Lo and behold, I just started clawing my way back into the match. At some point there, the crowd started getting a little bit more boisterous and they were wanting to see more tennis and they were witnessing this big comeback. It was a very special moment for me. The match was suspended by rain four times. Once you won that last point, you must have been thrilled. It was a very tiring match, [I was] just very fatigued. With all of the rain delays, you walk off the court and you don't know if you're gonna be off the court for 30 minutes or three hours. You can't really let your guard down. You're trying to relax, but you're also trying to stay loose and you want to stay prepared because there'll be a point where an official will come into the locker room and say, 'Hey, we're walking out in less than ten minutes.' You're trying to stay mentally and physically prepared to go out at anytime. Once that match was over, it was a thrill. It was the greatest win of my career and the greatest moment of my career up to that point. To come out with a victory was phenomenal. It's the moment that I've always cherished. What was it like heading into the final against Krajicek? Was there a lot of attention for being the first African-American to make the final since Arthur Ashe? I think when you're in the semifinals and final of Wimbledon, there is a lot of attention around you when you're on the grounds of Wimbledon. There was a lot of attention when I was walking to the practice court and trying to practice, just a lot of people around. It certainly wasn't something I was used to, to that degree, but that's where I think it's important to have the right people around you. I had my brother [Mashiska] there who was supporting me and helping me the entire tournament and just keeping things in perspective for me. Even though there is a lot more attention and a lot more press and a lot more people and a lot more autograph seekers, really you're there to do one thing, and that's to win a tennis match. That was my focus going into the final, doing everything I could to prepare and win a tennis match. Do you look back and think Krajicek was just the better player in the final? Was there anything you think you could've done differently? On that particular day, he was the better player. I give him credit for going out under the same pressures I had. He played a better match than I did. I'd say it's as simple as that. In moments like that, it comes down to execution on big points and the player who can control their nerves and also play good tennis throughout. Not great tennis, not the best tennis of your life, but success comes down to the player who can play good, quality tennis. I wasn't able to match his quality. Being linked to Arthur Ashe and being the first African-American man to make a Grand Slam final since him, was that special for you? Afterward, it was special, certainly, but during Wimbledon, that wasn't my primary thought. Certainly there were many people in the press who brought up that fact, that I was the first African-American to be in the quarterfinals since Arthur, the semifinals since Arthur, the final since Arthur. It was fact, but I wasn't really thinking about the historical value of what was going on. I was just thinking, 'How do I win a tennis match?' Really, it was up to tennis fans to think about the historical value. Now, after the match and after my career, I can certainly think back and look favorably upon that and say that that was a great accomplishment. I would've liked to have done one better and won Wimbledon. That would've been very, very special, but it wasn't meant to be. Did you know Arthur at all? Was he someone you looked up to? I didn't know him as a friend or didn't know him closely but had the opportunity to speak with him on two different occasions. I really admired him as a person and certainly as a player. I've always said I admired more about what he was able to do off of the tennis court with his notoriety. He, unlike most players, chose to use his platform for social justice or to create awareness for different illnesses or create awareness for social issues around the world, whether it be apartheid or something else. Not very many athletes in the history of any sport have put their name out there on the front line and stood and walked on the front line for causes, especially as vocally as he did. Not everyone can do that. Not everyone feels comfortable doing that. But that's what I admired most about Arthur. Is there a tennis component to your foundation? Our foundation is really a three-part program. It's not an athletic program. It's not a tennis program. It's really a three-part program that consists of tennis, life skills, and education. With those three impacting our students every single week, we've created a program that allows young people to excel. When they're in our programs, they not only excel, but they succeed. Regardless of what their economic situation is at home, regardless of what their family situation is, it allows them to succeed. So much in life, all we want is a chance. So much in life is not given to us, but if we're given the chance to succeed, we can really show what we can do. With our students, if they're given the chance to succeed, which they are, then they can really show us and the world what they can do. It seems like your parents gave you and your siblings that chance [sisters, Micheala and Mashona, and brother, Mashiska, played professional tennis]. Are you grateful for that? First and foremost, I would say that my parents set a great example for us. My parents are still married to this day. Fifty-six years, I think they've been married. They were two college-educated individuals who worked hard day after day after day. That is one thing that they instilled in us. If it's one thing I could say, the overriding thing that they instilled in us was the value of hard work and being willing to put in the time if you want to succeed. If you think about it, if every parent was able to instill that in their kids, the value of hard work and being willing to put in the time to succeed, how much more success would we see in the world today? I'm grateful to them for everything they did for me and my brothers and my sisters, not only for our tennis careers but for setting an example of 'this is how you raise kids', 'this is how you parent your kids', 'this is how you set an example for your kids to follow'. That's what I try to do today with my two kids, who are 13 and 11. When you were growing up, there were a lot of great young American players: Michael Chang, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier. Do you have any memories of playing them in junior tennis? I played Andre when we were in 12-and-unders in San Diego, California. I played Pete Sampras in 14-and-unders in Shreveport, Louisiana. I played Michael Chang in Dallas, Texas, in 18-and-unders. These were guys I grew up with playing and rooming with, in some cases, in tournaments and at tennis academies. It was kind of interesting because all of them chose to go pro early and forgo college and I chose to go to college [at the University of Michigan for two years]. It was always an inspiration to me, a driving motivation for me when I saw the success that Chang, Agassi and Courier were all having on Tour as professionals knowing that just one, two, three years prior, these were the players I was competing against at tournaments and beating. That was a motivation for me when I was in college. Were you satisfied with the way things turned out in your pro career? I'm happy with my career. I'm not satisfied with my career. There were things I wanted to accomplish and did not, but I'm happy that I think I took my God-given ability and I didn't squander it. I think I worked my butt off day after day to try to become the best player I could. I reaped the rewards of that. I think there's always part of you that looks back and says, 'What if?' But I try to look at it from both sides of the coin. What if I hadn't gotten injured? Could I have had the career I wanted and achieve some of the things that I wanted to achieve? But the other side of that is, What if I had gotten injured one year into my professional career and I stayed on Tour for two years? I've always been one to appreciate what I was able to achieve. American men's tennis hasn't gone as well since your era. Do you have any thoughts on the reasons for the drought? I don't have a good answer for you. The USTA doesn't have a good answer for you. But this is something that every tennis federation goes through. I'd say for American men's tennis, the heyday was in the 1990s, without question. We're going through a rough patch in American tennis right now if the goal is to produce Grand Slam champions, the last one being Andy Roddick in 2003 [at the US Open]. We have quality players playing at a high level. Sam Querrey just showed that this tournament at Wimbledon [defeating No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic in the third round and advancing to the quarterfinals]. But we haven't been able to produce those Grand Slam champions. I know a lot of time, effort and money is being spent to do that. It just hasn't worked. But every country goes through that at some point. Look at Australia, look at Spain, look at Sweden, they're struggling with the same challenges the USA is struggling with right now. And then go figure, a small country like Serbia has the No. 1 player in the world [in Djokovic]. Sometimes logic doesn't always explain what goes on or can explain it. James Blake had a good career, but it doesn't seem like tennis has caught on in the African-American community. Why did you think that is? Does more outreach need to be done? I think part of it comes down to a numbers game. The overwhelming number of African-American athletes here in the United States gravitate towards football and basketball. Millions of young black boys gravitate towards basketball and football. Consequently, where do most black athletes excel? Basketball and football. Look at any NFL team or any NBA team, that's where they excel. If here in the United States we had hundreds and hundreds of thousands of young black boys and girls gravitating towards tennis, let's say, or gravitating towards golf, guess what? You would see more success at every level of junior, college and pro in those sports.. I don't know what would change those numbers dramatically because I think basketball and football will always be very popular sports. I don't know what's gonna change the trend. I hope the sport continues to get more and more players of all races – black, Hispanic, Asian, white players. I hope it continues to get a more and more diverse group of American players that succeed. But even when you do that, there's no guarantee you're going to get players that are going to go win Grand Slams. One of the toughest things in the world to do is go win a major. Just because you have a lot of players playing doesn't mean it's going to happen. I think it'll happen eventually, but I don't know if you're gonna have an American man win a major next year or ten years from now. I just don't know. And then you see someone like Serena Williams winning more than 20. Are you amazed at how the Williams sisters have been able to do so well in the last 15-20 years? I'm proud of what they've been able to accomplish, and I'm amazed at it. What they've been able to accomplish, regardless of their race—just take their race out of it. What they've been able to accomplish as two sisters is absolutely phenomenal. Certainly people acknowledge it, but I don't know if anyone truly has written about or given them the credit for the success that that one family has. I'm thinking of sports, and I'm going back 50 years, and I can only think of a couple of family members that have had this type of success. In baseball, you had the Bonds, Barry and his dad [Bobby]. I'm sure there's a few more that are skipping my mind that I can't think of right now. In basketball right now, Klay Thompson with the Golden State Warriors, his brother [Trayce] plays for the Dodgers. These are two Hall of Famers, Venus and Serena. Serena looks like she might finish her career being the best ever and Venus is gonna finish her career being one of the best ever. And to think that comes out of one family, that's not something that is gonna happen for the next 100 years. It's never happened before. I don't know what would make you think it's gonna happen in the next generation or two. That's how special and rare and unique and fascinating their accomplishments are. Do you coach or play tennis anymore? I still play tennis. I do not coach tennis. I don't have a desire to be out on the court hours a day teaching tennis or even getting out on the road for weeks and weeks a year coaching a player. That's not where I think my skills are or my interest level is. Do you compete in any tournaments anymore or just play for fun? It's probably been a good four or five years since I've played any [senior tournaments]. Once I retired, I never had a big desire to go out and compete at the senior level or compete at senior Wimbledon. For whatever reason, that wasn't a big interest of mine. Want to read more stories like this from VICE Sports? Subscribe to our daily newsletter.

Jeremy Renner Settles Latest Legal Battle with Ex-Wife

Jeremy Renner has settled yet another squabble with his ex-wife ... this time over child support. Jeremy and Sonni Pacheco have been at war since she filed for divorce in December 2014 after being married for only 10 months. The latest beef -- Sonni claimed Jeremy was behind in support payments for 3-year-old Ava. They agreed Jeremy would pay around $16k for support and another $24k for her lawyer and accountant. She's made numerous allegations against Jeremy, claiming he was an unsafe dad because he had guns in the house, despite the fact that he had the guns while they were married and she had no problem with them. She also griped that Jeremy was posting pics of the kid on social media. Jeremy has said Sonni needs to move on with her life and get a job. He pays her $13k a month in child support but she wanted more.

The Second Coming of Betty Tompkins

Advertise on Hyperallergic with Nectar Ads LOS ANGELES — Sweetie. Pushy Broad. Sheela Na Gig. Queen. Sapphic Poon Hustler. These are just a few of the thousand or so terms used to describe women featured in Betty Tompkins’s sprawling painting installation, WOMEN Words, Phrases, and Stories, on view at Gavlak Gallery in Hollywood — her first solo show on the West Coast. Along three walls of the gallery’s back room, 1,000 canvases of various sizes from tiny to medium are arranged in a carefully arranged — if seemingly random — pattern. Onto each one, in a neutral, sans serif, all-caps font, Tompkins has painted a word or phrase that describes a woman, from the degrading to the reverential. These thousand terms come from a larger list of 3,500 submissions that she received in response to two requests sent to her entire email list — the first in 2002 and a second in 2013. The four most common words were the same each time: “bitch,” “slut,” “cunt,” and “mother.” And these are from people in the supposedly progressive art world, not your usual internet trolls. The project has been shown in Greece, Berlin, and recently at New York’s Flag Art Foundation, where participants were invited to read the words aloud, letting them contribute their own interpretations and adding a performative aspect. The 70-year-old painter is currently enjoying something of a second act, after emerging from decades of semi-obscurity in 2002 with an exhibition of her Fuck painting series at the Mitchell Algus Gallery in New York. Between 1969 and 1974, Tompkins painted blown-up and cropped monochrome images sourced from pornography, coolly rendered with an airbrush. When I sat down with Tompkins last month, shortly before the opening of her Gavlak show — where more recent examples of these works are also on view — she explained to me that their origin was her extreme boredom with just about everything she was seeing in New York galleries. “I couldn’t stand to look at them. I go, ‘Jesus Christ, you just went through this gallery building in under a half an hour, and these guys must have spent two years doing these paintings.’ I couldn’t make myself stay,” she says. Her husband at the time, artist Don Tompkins, had a collection of pornography that he had ordered from Asia, skirting US obscenity laws by having the material mailed to a post office box in Canada, and then crossing the border to retrieve it. “I was looking at them one day and thinking, you know, if you take off the head, and the hands, and the feet, all the identifiers, then what you have left is something really beautiful in an abstract way, plus it has this tremendous kick as subject matter,” she told Susan Silas in a 2012 interview. “So that’s why I decided to do it.” Tompkins had already switched to a mechanical method of paint application in graduate school, in an attempt to strip away from her work everything that she was comfortable with, was good at, or enjoyed. “I had really loved working with a brush. I loved the bounce off the canvas, such a physical pleasure to me,” she told me. “So I had to give up the brush, and I picked up spray guns.” The Fuck paintings are striking and unapologetic, turning the male gaze on its head, as if asking the viewer, “Is this what you want to see?” Tompkins took lustful images that were then solely meant for men’s eyes and democratized them, rendering them dispassionately, and transforming them for her own ends. Begun at the end of the ’60s, they both reflect and prefigure much of the contemporary art movements of the time, from Pop to Seriality, from Feminist Art to the Pictures Generation. Writing for Flash Art last year, William J. Simmons opined, “ … Tompkins deserves to be positioned as both a pioneer of sexually progressive work, but also of formally replete engagements with appropriation, photorealism, and abstraction.” The reaction to the work at the time was less than encouraging, however, met with either indifference or hostility. “All the dealers said, ‘Come back in 10 years when you’ve found you voice.’ About half would look at me and say, ‘Don’t come back then either; we don’t show women,’” she says. Tompkins had experienced similar sexism as a student when a professor remarked, “honey, the only way you’re going to make it in New York is on your back.” She pleaded with her husband to submit slides of her work to galleries as his own, with simply the name “B. Tompkins” written on them, but he refused, fearing for his university teaching job. Despite being rejected and ignored, or perhaps because of it, Tompkins did not feel a sense of failure. “Nobody had any expectations for me. I had no expectations outside of what I do. So that, in fact, is very liberating.” Commercial success was elusive, although she did make it into a 1975 show at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston curated by a then fledgling curator named Paul Schimmel — now a partner in LA powerhouse art space Hauser, Wirth & Schimmel — who had been a student of Tompkins’s when he was in high school. “That was crazy because I had never shown anywhere, and then there I was in this museum exhibit,” she recalled. The feminist component of these works is now widely appreciated, but at the time, other artists who considered themselves feminists did not look kindly on her appropriation of pornography. “They had never been welcoming to me,” she recalled. “It was before the internet and email. People were calling each other up, but I was never invited to a meeting.” She sent her work to Paris in 1973 for a gallery show, but it was seized at French customs on obscenity grounds. (Ironic coming from the country that birthed Courbet’s “The Origin of the World.”) It took a year for her to get the paintings back. “They kept being rejected on both sides,” Tompkins said. “It gave me this image that my paintings would go back and forth over the Atlantic Ocean for eternity, while I was never going anywhere!” Tompkins carefully unstretched and rolled up her Fuck paintings, storing them in her apartment for decades until showing them again in the early 2000s. Language started creeping into her work after this episode, with “Censored” drawings, explicit images over which Tompkins laid a grid, stamping “censored” on the offending areas. “I censored my own pieces. I felt I could do it better than anyone,” Tompkins told me. “It was in reality a way to stay sane. Being censored is a really nasty business.” In her next series, text took over the works completely. “I got really interested just in language from reading reviews of first wave conceptual work, which I in no way understood. The critical language frustrated me so much that I would regularly throw my Artforums against the wall,” she said. “Critics were saying, ‘I read this work as …, ’  so I took one of my cow photos and I drew a grid and wrote the word ‘cow’ in each square.” WOMEN Words, Phrases, and Stories takes this very orderly approach to language and explodes it all over the walls with a vibrant energy. The backgrounds of these canvases are painted in a range of styles, often parodying prominent male painters. “One of the advantages with this series is that I can do anything I want with the paint. I felt really free,” Tompkins told me. “I started studying some of the old boys, de Kooning and the [Abstract Expressionist] group. We’re raised to think of these guys as tortured souls, but my feeling is they were having a lot of fun.” On the surface, this new series may seem very different from her work of almost 50 years ago that roused so much scorn. But for Tompkins, they share a through line that has connected her work through periods of obscurity and recognition. “I like things that are out in the world already. One of the things that I was attracted to in using porn as a source was that it already existed,” she said. ”This language was already out in the world. It was kind enough that people sent it to me, so that I could put it back in the world in a different format, but none of these worlds are mine. They were gifts to me.” Betty Tompkins: Sex Works / WOMEN Words, Phrases, and Stories continues at Gavlak Gallery (1034 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles) until September 3.

NFL playoffs: How to live stream the championship games today

There are two NFL games left before the Super Bowl: The New England Patriots play the Jacksonville Jaguars today at 3:05 pm ET, on CBS, and then the Philadelphia Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings at 6:40 pm, on Fox. It’s easy to watch the games: Turn on your TV and there they are. You don’t even need a pay TV subscription to watch CBS or Fox (though you may need an antenna). You can also stream the games pretty easily. There are a couple free, legal options, and several more if you want to pay. FREE STREAMS: PAID STREAMS: If you are already paying for TV — either via a traditional cable/satellite company or a new internet streaming service — you can probably stream the games. One thing we would not advise doing is walking around Philadelphia, because you may be splattered with Crisco or worse: Good morning from Philly where crews from the city are greasing the light poles with Crisco to prevent #Eagles fans from climbing after the #NFCChampionshipGame tonight. #Vikings pregame coverage starts at 3 on FOX9. They call themselves the #CriscoCops pic.twitter.com/w1ZkYWZhYG Speaking of the Eagles: This outpost of the Recode Brooklyn Bureau is a Minnesota Vikings household. And we also have access to the Vox Media Getty photo subscription. So while we are here, let’s remember what happened last week. And if things go south today, we can return to this page and bask in its glow. This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Iran rejects U.S. warning against space launches, ballistic missiles

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rejected a U.S. warning against carrying out space vehicle launches and missile tests, saying on Thursday they did not violate a U.N. resolution. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a pre-emptive warning to Iran earlier on Thursday against pursuing three planned space rocket launches that it said would violate a U.N. Security Council resolution because they use ballistic missile technology. “Iran’s launch of space vehicles - & missile tests - are NOT in violation of (Resolution) 2231. The US is in material breach of same, & as such it is in no position to lecture anyone on it,” Zarif wrote in English on Twitter. Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens

Philippines' Globe Telecoms launches 5G service backed by Huawei equipment

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines’ Globe Telecom Inc on Thursday launched Southeast Asia’s first 5G broadband service, with embattled Huawei Technologies Co Ltd providing the equipment, a win for the Chinese firm despite cybersecurity worries from Western nations. The telecoms firm aims to offer high-speed internet to tens of thousands of homes and offices in key urban centers as part of its $1.2 billion capital spending this year, Alberto de Larrazabal, Globe’s chief commercial officer, told reporters. Globe would use Huawei’s equipment like radios and modems to deliver 5G quality broadband internet, he added. Huawei and Finland’s Nokia were Globe’s equipment providers for its 4G service. The United States had warned that next-generation 5G equipment, which some telecoms experts see as more vulnerable to attack than previous technology, could be exploited by the Chinese government for spying if supplied by Huawei, which the company denies. Washington, a treaty ally of Manila, had persuaded governments and telecoms operators to shun Huawei, the world’s largest maker of telecommunications equipment. Globe hired independent firms “to ensure that our security protocols are up to date, to make sure privacy and security issues are addressed,” de Larrazabal said. Philippine consumers, the world’s top social media users, often get frustrated with slow and choppy internet connections. The Philippines’ mobile internet and fixed broadband speeds lag behind its neighbors, data from Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index showed. It ranks 107th among 178 countries in terms of fixed broadband speed at 19.55 megabits per second (Mbps) versus the global average of 59.6 Mbps. Among 140 countries, it ranks 107th in terms of mobile internet speed at 15.10 Mbps, nearly half of the 27.22 Mbps global average. Globe is owned by Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp, with Singapore Telecommunications Ltd holding a minority stake. Editing by Alexandra Hudson

Oil-Rich Oklahoma Has Been Hit by Nearly Three Dozen Earthquakes Since Wednesday

Nearly three dozen small to mid-sized earthquakes have rocked northern Oklahoma towns since Wednesday, rattling windows and nerves in a region where scientists have linked seismic activity to oil wells. The quakes included a magnitude 4.4 and a magnitude 4.8 that struck about two miles apart and within a minute of each other Wednesday night, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. They kept going into Friday, with two 4.0s on Thursday and a 4.1 on Friday morning. At least 15 more were in the 3 range — and all were centered within a few miles of each other, in a patch of prairie about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, according to the USGS. Wednesday night's quakes were the first "that really made me nervous," said Paul Southwick, the city manager of Fairview, Oklahoma, about 20 miles southeast of the quakes' epicenters. "It started out with a rumble and then it got louder and louder and louder," Southwick said. "Then I felt this wave go under the house. The house lifted and went down and started shaking. I could feel it with my feet on the floor until it was just about gone, and then we got hit with another one." 'It's the first time we've seen three magnitude 4s in less than 24 hours, and all three in the same area.' Nearly three dozen small to mid-sized earthquakes have rocked northern Oklahoma towns since Wednesday, rattling windows and nerves in a region where scientists have linked seismic activity to oil wells. The quakes included a magnitude 4.4 and a magnitude 4.8 that struck about two miles apart and within a minute of each other Wednesday night, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. They kept going into Friday, with two 4.0s on Thursday and a 4.1 on Friday morning. At least 15 more were in the 3 range — and all were centered within a few miles of each other, in a patch of prairie about 100 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, according to the USGS. Wednesday night's quakes were the first "that really made me nervous," said Paul Southwick, the city manager of Fairview, Oklahoma, about 20 miles southeast of the quakes' epicenters. "It started out with a rumble and then it got louder and louder and louder," Southwick said. "Then I felt this wave go under the house. The house lifted and went down and started shaking. I could feel it with my feet on the floor until it was just about gone, and then we got hit with another one." 'It's the first time we've seen three magnitude 4s in less than 24 hours, and all three in the same area.' More than 25 people reported feeling Wednesday night's quakes as far away as Kansas City, Missouri, nearly 350 miles away, according the USGS. Before Wednesday night, there had been four or five noticeable recent quakes in the area, Woods County Sheriff's Deputy William Barnum said. "We've had quite a few of them lately. This one just shook a little longer," said Barnum, who lives in Waynoka, about 20 miles west of where the quake cluster was centered. "In my house, it shook my chair and shook the windows." In less than a decade, Oklahoma has gone from having one or two small earthquakes a year to nearly three a day. The Sooner State saw more than 900 quakes of magnitude 3.0 or above in 2015, with 29 of them in the 4-range, said Jeremy Boak, the head of the Oklahoma Geological Survey. "It's the first time we've seen three magnitude 4s in less than 24 hours, and all three in the same area," Boak said. "And those come on the heels of two that were only two days apart." Scientists say the seismic surge stems from the salty wastewater that gets pumped up from oil wells in the petroleum-rich state, separated from crude oil, and shot back deep underground, where it lubricates the faults that crisscross the state. There are no injection wells operating in the immediate vicinity of the Fairview-area quakes, said Matt Skinner, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates the oil industry — but go about 30 miles further out, and there are a lot of them. "That region has seen an enormous increase in disposal activity over the past couple of years," Skinner said. And most of those wells handle high volumes of wastewater, he said. Related: Welcome to Quakelahoma State officials have responded to previous quake swarms by ordering wastewater injection wells in nearby areas to reduce their depth or volumes — most recently around the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond, which was hit with a magnitude 4.2 quake on January 1. Skinner said some action would be taken in response to the latest quakes, but officials are still studying what to do. Boak said state seismologists put Wednesday night's biggest quake at 4.6 instead of the 4.8 that the USGS recorded. But he said seismic activity in the area has grown sharply as more oil companies have begun drilling there. "That's on the edge of an area that has been slowly but steadily lighting up more and more over a larger and larger area," Boak said. "I'm presuming that's partly about the development of this particular play out there." The oil and gas industry is the bedrock of Oklahoma's economy, and the industry has argued that there's not enough evidence to blame the quakes on injection wells. But even the petro-friendly state government has said it considers the issue settled, even if industry critics say their recognition came too late. Even small quakes have been adding up to big bills for some homeowners, most of whom don't have earthquake insurance. And for others, the quakes are starting to give them the creeps. "We've felt some others, but again, not to this intensity," Southwick said. "This was to that level that really wakes you up and you say, 'What are we getting into here? Are we going to have something that's going to be worse?' This is concerning."  Related: A Big Earthquake Just Hit Oklahoma — And It Might Be the Oil Industry's Fault Follow Matt Smith on Twitter: @mattsmithatl

Trump tells anti-abortion marchers he will support them

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke in a prerecorded video to thousands of anti-abortion activists in Washington on Friday for the 46th March for Life, vowing to veto any legislation that “weakens the protection of human life.” The event is the largest annual gathering in the United States of opponents of the Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. That ruling found that certain state laws outlawing abortion were an unconstitutional violation of a woman’s right to privacy, effectively legalizing abortion nationwide. “I will always defend the first right in our Declaration of Independence, the right to life,” Trump said in remarks recorded in the Oval Office, a right he said extended to “unborn children.” Vice President Mike Pence appeared onstage at the rally to introduce the video, calling Trump, who before entering politics said he supported abortion access, “the most pro-life president in American history.” During his 2016 campaign, Trump vowed to appoint Supreme Court justices he believed would overturn Roe. He has since appointed two justices to the court, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, cementing the court’s 6-3 conservative majority. Since the heated Senate confirmation hearings for Kavanaugh, the court has steered clear of some cases on volatile social issues, including abortion. Marchers trudged through muddy slush on the National Mall holding signs saying “Pray to End Abortion,” “My unexpected pregnancy is now 30!” and calling for the federal defunding of Planned Parenthood, a national healthcare provider that offers abortions as well as birth control and cancer screenings. One marcher said she had had an abortion at the age of 17 but had been opposed to abortion ever since she became religious. “No matter how you look at it, it’s taking a life and it’s wrong,” said Marcy Blunier, a 57-year-old real estate broker from New Mexico. A circle of women bowed their heads in prayer as they waited to start the march down Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court. Two men navigated the crowd hauling a large wooden cross. Supporters of abortion access say bans infringe on women’s rights and health, and lead to greater rates of injury and death among pregnant women. About half of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll last year, with about 68 percent of Democrats supporting abortion access compared with about 31 percent of Republicans. The anti-abortion march comes a day before thousands of women descend on Washington for their third march opposing Trump’s presidency. Additional reporting and writing by Jonathan Allen; editing by Scott Malone editing by Jonathan Oatis

Despite climate pledges, G20 coal subsidies rise

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Despite promising a decade ago to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, the world’s leading economies more than doubled subsidies to coal-fired power plants over three years, putting climate goals at risk, energy researchers said Tuesday. Between 2014 and 2017, G20 governments more than halved direct support for coal mining, from $22 billion to about $10 billion on average each year, according to a report by the London-based Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a think tank. But over the same period they boosted backing for coal-fired power plants - particularly supporting construction of the plants in other, often poorer nations - from $17 billion to $47 billion a year, the report noted. China and Japan - which will host a G20 summit later this week in Osaka - were the biggest providers of public finance for coal-fired power, followed by South Korea and India, it said. While spending from national budgets on coal fell, as did tax breaks for it, other forms of support - from development finance institutions, export-credit agencies and state-owned enterprises - soared, the report said. “You can see they’re pretty much exporting the dirty energy systems to countries in much earlier stages of their development,” said Ipek Gencsu, a researcher at ODI and a lead author of the report. Those include nations such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam, she said, where foreign backing for coal power is slowing adoption of cleaner renewable energy systems and locking in dirty energy and air pollution risks. To meet an internationally agreed goal of holding rising global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, coal power will need to be phased out between 2030 and 2050, according to the Powering Past Coal Alliance. That alliance, formed in 2017 and led by the British and Canadian governments, includes 30 countries as well as businesses and other organizations committed to switching to clean energy as rapidly as possible to meet climate goals. Coal currently provides about 40 percent of the world’s electricity, according to the alliance. Because new coal-fired power plants have a life of about 40 years, over which their costs must be paid back to investors, building new coal plants could lock countries into using them beyond the needed phase-out of coal, energy experts say. “They’re heading toward a car crash,” Gencsu predicted, with taxpayers in countries that accept new coal plants likely to foot the bill for bailing out investors if the plants are shut early to meet climate goals. About $3 billion a year in support by G20 governments for coal aims to ease the pain at home of the transition away from the fuel, through measures such as helping workers retrain or rehabilitating closed coal mine sites, according to the ODI report. But governments are also helping support coal companies that are no longer financially viable, often to ensure a stable baseline of power to complement fluctuating renewable energies such as wind and solar, Gencsu said. Coal subsidies also continue in many places because of powerful coal lobbies - or because politicians prefer to delay decisions that could have political consequences, she said. Ilan Kelman, a researcher on sustainability and energy issues at University College London, said that “the people who receive the subsidies may have a lot of influence on the politicians who give them the subsidies”. Also, quickly slashing subsidies without easing the burden on people’s budgets can lead to political unrest, as France found out last year when it raised fuel taxes, spurring the “yellow vest” protest movement, Kelman said. Globally, direct fossil fuel subsidies were $427 billion last year, according to the International Energy Agency. Indirect fossil fuel subsidies - including things like costs to health systems from air pollution and fossil fuel spill cleanups - were estimated at $5.2 trillion a year in 2017, according to an International Monetary Fund working report. Gencsu said that to hold the line on climate change, governments, development banks and other bodies supporting coal “need to be much braver and come to grips with the reality of the climate emergency - and make policy decisions very soon.” Reporting by Laurie Goering ; editing by Zoe Tabary: Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit news.trust.org/climate

Adam Rippon Says Aly Raisman Is Changing Dangerous Sports Culture

Aly Raisman and her Team USA teammates are heroically disrupting a dangerous belief system that athletes must blindly trust their coaches and doctors -- so says fellow Olympian Adam Rippon. The Team USA figure skating star says he's so proud of Aly, Simone Biles and others for refusing to be victims -- and instead, uniting to change the culture for the better. "I think when you're an athlete and you have somebody who's in power, you feel like they're in the right," Rippon says. "You're in that position where you wanna listen to them. You want to do everything that they tell you to do, even if it sounds wrong. You still do it because that's what you're told. You want to be the best." Obviously, it was that mentality that explains why so many girls and young women stayed quiet about the abuse they suffered at the hands of team doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually assaulted more than 180 women under the guise of performing medical techniques. "There were people [like Larry Nassar] that really took advantage of that. But, then those younger gymnasts, those younger athletes, they can look to athletes like Simone Biles and Aly Raisman and all of the survivors who've really come forward and help give those other victims a lot of courage and like a zero tolerance." Respect.

Why Jews Are Getting Themselves Arrested at ICE Centers Around the Country

While most Americans were preparing for a long July 4th weekend, Aaron Regunberg, a policy adviser to Rhode Island Mayor Jorge Elorza, was getting arrested outside an ICE detention center in Providence. That was by design. Leading liberal politicians like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been slammed for conflating migrant detention centers with concentration camps, but a growing number of American Jews like Regunberg are pushing back with a message of their own: Yes, they're concentration camps, and we must stop them now. Invoking the Holocaust, they have been protesting outside ICE detention centers across the country, chanting "Never Again for Anyone." “Never Again isn’t just about remembering how the Holocaust ended. It’s also about how it started, with a gradual process of legal exclusion and state-sponsored dehumanization that led eventually to the deaths of my grandpa’s family and so many millions of others,” Rugenberg, whose relatives were murdered in the Holocaust, said at the protests in Providence last week. In the last two weeks alone, thousands of Jews, young and old, have turned up outside ICE facilities in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities chanting “Never Again Means Now” and “Close the Camps.” As of this writing, more than 120 have been arrested. If the movement has its way, they’ll soon be joined by hundreds more. "As mostly white or white-passing Jews, we feel obligated to make heightened risk the baseline of what we are doing,” Sophie Ellman-Golan, one of the organizers of Never Again Action, told VICE News. While most Americans were preparing for a long July 4th weekend, Aaron Regunberg, a policy adviser to Rhode Island Mayor Jorge Elorza, was getting arrested outside an ICE detention center in Providence. That was by design. Leading liberal politicians like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been slammed for conflating migrant detention centers with concentration camps, but a growing number of American Jews like Regunberg are pushing back with a message of their own: Yes, they're concentration camps, and we must stop them now. Invoking the Holocaust, they have been protesting outside ICE detention centers across the country, chanting "Never Again for Anyone." “Never Again isn’t just about remembering how the Holocaust ended. It’s also about how it started, with a gradual process of legal exclusion and state-sponsored dehumanization that led eventually to the deaths of my grandpa’s family and so many millions of others,” Rugenberg, whose relatives were murdered in the Holocaust, said at the protests in Providence last week. In the last two weeks alone, thousands of Jews, young and old, have turned up outside ICE facilities in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities chanting “Never Again Means Now” and “Close the Camps.” As of this writing, more than 120 have been arrested. If the movement has its way, they’ll soon be joined by hundreds more. "As mostly white or white-passing Jews, we feel obligated to make heightened risk the baseline of what we are doing,” Sophie Ellman-Golan, one of the organizers of Never Again Action, told VICE News. The movement was inspired by a Facebook post by Serena Adlerstein, a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors who works with Movimiento Cosecha, an organization led by and for undocumented immigrants. Adlerstein posed the question, “What would I have done if I were alive during the Holocaust?” “Most Jews are conscious to the experience of refugees and immigrants. It’s so recent in our history. It’s clear which side our community should be on.” The response turned into the first action on June 30, when over 100 Jewish protesters gathered in front of an ICE detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and tried to block employees from entering. Eventually 36 were arrested and charged with obstructing public passage. The next day, 2,000 American Jews expressed interest online in taking similar actions in their city. Then on July 2, 1,000 Jews in Boston and a few hundred in Providence did similar location-specific anti-ICE actions, with 18 arrested in each place. More protests followed on July 4 in Philadelphia, resulting in 33 arrests. On July 5, nearly 500 protested outside Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office building in San Francisco with the message “Close the camps or we will close your office.” Demonstrations continued this week in Chicago, D.C. and Buffalo, New York. “Most Jews are conscious to the experience of refugees and immigrants. It’s so recent in our history. It’s clear which side our community should be on,” said Alyssa Rubin, one of the organizers, who is also active with IfNotNow, a network of Jewish activists calling for an end to U.S. support for Israeli occupation. “It’s important to show up as Jews because, with our connection to the Holocaust, we have a stake and a moral authority.” This willingness to draw direct parallels to the Holocaust has become a central tenet of the movement. While prominent American Jewish institutions like the Anti-Defamation League, The Jewish Community Relations Council and the American Jewish Committee rejected Ocasio-Cortez’s use of the term “concentration camps,” Never Again Action has embraced it. They’re drawing headlines and national attention because of it. “The Jewish community definitely has the ability to pull the heartstrings of people, and we’re seeing a shift of public opinion,” said Catalina Santiago, 22, a community organizer with Movimiento Cosecha, who was at the protest in Boston. She says there has never been a partnership on this scale before. “It’s been really powerful for Never Again Action to verbalize solidarity with communities being terrorized every day. They are popularizing the outrage on this issue and the demand for protection of immigrants.” Read: These Photos Show What It’s Like at Overcrowded Border Patrol Stations The movement’s GoFundMe page has already raised $180,000 in 10 days to pay for legal fees, with leftover money going to Cosecha, which has been protesting ICE since the Obama era. Meanwhile, their acts of civil disobedience at key ICE facilities across the country is helping keep outrage over the issue front and center, applying pressure on leading centrist Democrats to speak out. This week, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer called on the Trump administration to "clean house" at Customs and Border Protection. "The top people at CBP ought to be fired," he said. “The Jewish community definitely has the ability to pull the heartstrings of people, and we’re seeing a shift of public opinion.” Never Again Action may already mark the most significant wave of American Jewish activism in decades, said James Loeffler, professor of modern Jewish history at the University of Virginia. “Since World War II American Jews have taken to the streets in large numbers twice: once to fight for civil rights and once to free Soviet Jews,” Loeffler says. “The first we did as Americans who happened to be Jewish, the second as Jews who happened to be American. Now, we are seeing activists who seek to emphasize their braided identity as both Jews and Americans,” he said. The movement’s sudden rise to national prominence is impressive, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum. Jewish outrage has been steadily growing since Trump took office in 2017. Jews have watched as Trump called Mexican immigrants “rapists,” described African and Caribbean nations as “shithole” countries, said there were “very fine people on both sides” after neo-Nazis marched in Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us,” and directly targeted Muslims and refugees with hostile rhetoric. They’ve worried over the staggering rise of white nationalist speech and explicitly anti-Semitic hate crimes. And they’ve shown up to protests: at airports in the early aftermath of Trump’s Muslim Ban, at the national mall during the Women’s March, and in Pittsburgh, after the massacre of 11 Jews in in the Tree of Life Synagogue in October. Read: U.N. Human Rights Chief “Appalled” by Conditions of Child Detention at U.S. Border But all of this seems to have crystallized into this current moment, provoking wide swaths of mostly young Jews to not just join actions but also lead them. “We are seeing an overlap of anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic rhetoric,” said Ellman-Golan, one of the organizers. “We have seen how the [George] Soros conspiracy theory targeting thousands of immigrants has led to Jews being murdered. There is deep outrage.” Nearly every day, people are turning out to protest in their cities, big and small, with actions planned this weekend in Michigan and New Hampshire. Organizers are planning a large action in D.C. on Tuesday, July 16. The pressing questions now are: Where are these protests headed and will they create broader action outside left-leaning Jewish circles? Thus far, aside from J Street, most major American Jewish organizations that normally influence Washington’s position on these issues have been noticeably quiet. While resolutely condemning conditions at the border and calling for an end to detention of asylum-seekers, immigration is not a core issue for them, and they do not appear to be taking institutional action. (The AJC did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The ADL, meanwhile, said that they “don’t have much to say about these actions.”) “There is deep outrage” Rubin, from Never Again Action, said the Jewish mainstream condemned Ocasio-Cortez’s comments almost more forcefully than the detention centers themselves. “If they truly felt these camps are concentration camps, they might put a little more institutional force behind pressuring Congress to do something more drastic,” she said. Their inaction, however, has opened the door for other parts of the Jewish community to take the lead. “I think they’ve ceded the mic to us,” she added. Cover: Protestors assembled by a majority Jewish group called "Never Again Is Now" walk through traffic as they make their way to Independence Mall Thursday July 4, 2019, in Philadelphia. Hundreds gathered during the city's traditional Fourth of July parade to protest the treatment of immigrants and asylum seekers. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

The Sushi Chef: Shinichi Inoue

Shinichi Inoue trained in Japan as a sushi chef for 20 years before he came to New York and landed in Harlem, where he opened his restaurant, Sushi Inoue. Chef Inoue has dedicated his entire life to the art of sushi and puts his all into each and every piece he serves his customers. Season 2 Episode 8 of The Sushi Chef. Watch more

Why Obama is vetting Nevada's Republican governor for the Supreme Court

Brian Sandoval, the moderate Republican governor of Nevada who also happens to have been a federal judge before becoming governor, has been floated by both of his home state's senators as a possible compromise Supreme Court appointment. The White House is apparently taking the idea seriously enough to have commenced some formal vetting to see if there's some big reason other than the obvious partisan politics angles not to do this. But then there are the obvious partisan political angles. If literally everything about American politics in 2016 were different, filling a vacancy on the Supreme Court caused by the death of an iconic conservative justice with a moderate Republican could be a sensible compromise between a Democratic White House and a Republican Senate. But in the actual politics of 2016 it seems so obviously doomed as to be hardly worth trying — though floating Sandoval's name in the press as a way to bait Republicans into batting it down could be a savvy strategy for Democrats to underscore exactly how rigid the GOP is being about the confirmation battle. More importantly, while Sandoval does not seem like the right person for the current situation, the situation will almost certainly change and Democrats on Capitol Hill, though well-aware that the base doesn't like the idea, tell me it's a possibility that should be taken seriously. If, for example, Hillary Clinton wins in November but Republicans maintain control of the Senate the Sandoval Option could start to look like a timely solution. The Nevada governor is a Republican and, as such, a generally reliable conservative on a range of issues. But as the governor of a politically moderate state that had a Democratic controlled legislature for parts of his tenure, he has taken a number of noteworthy moderate positions: Sandoval also has an interesting long-term relationship with frenemy Harry Reid, the Democrats' leader in the Senate. Way back in 2004 when Sandoval was attorney general, Reid recommended him to the Bush administration as a Republican he would gladly back for a seat on the federal judiciary. Sandoval got the nod from Bush for a seat on a federal district court, and the affair was generally interpreted in the press as an example of Reid's political savvy — by putting the young, popular Sandoval on the federal bench he eliminated him as a potential Reid opponent in his 2004 reelection battle. But then in 2009, Sandoval resigned his seat on the bench to run for statewide office. Not against Reid (who ended up narrowly defeating weak opponent Sharron Angle) but against Reid's son, Rory, chair of Clark County's county commission. Notwithstanding the family drama, Reid and Sandoval have often been allies on Nevada-specific issues, fighting against nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain and for the construction of Tesla's Gigafactory battery manufacturing facilities. As a politician who is also a former federal judge, Sandoval is more qualified for a Supreme Court seat than the typical elected official who gets floated. And as a moderate Republican, he is ideologically positioned between Barack Obama and the GOP Senate leadership, which seems like the kind of thing you would want from a compromise candidate. What's more, in a practical sense whether or not Obama can get a nominee confirmed comes down to whether or not he can get moderate Republicans to back his choice. A moderate Republican might fit the bill. The basic calculus leading to a compromise would be risk aversion. Sandoval is considerably more conservative than most Democrats, but distinctly to the left of Justice Scalia. Seating him on the bench would increase the number of cases that liberals win. In particular, it would hedge against the risk that a Republican wins in 2016 and manages to replace both Scalia and Ginsburg with conservative jurists — essentially eliminating the "swing vote" status of Justice Anthony Kennedy. Conversely, for Republicans, putting Sandoval on the bench would foreclose the possibility that Democrats take the White House and the Senate in November, fill the seat with a liberal, and launch the first progressive majority on the Supreme Court in two generations. Just imagine Obama announced tomorrow that he was nominating a pro-choice Republican to fill Scalia's seat. Ted Cruz would denounce it, of course, and so would Donald Trump. Marco Rubio would follow suit, as would the House Freedom Caucus. Bernie Sanders would denounce it too, and so would Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren. A handful of cross-pressured senators like Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) would likely praise the gesture as bipartisanship, but they'd be a distinct minority and any hope for a deal would swiftly collapse. There's much more to the Supreme Court than abortion, but the anti-abortion movement is the emotional core of conservative activism on judicial issues. On the Democratic side of the aisle, filling the seat with a moderate Republican might actually be worse from the standpoint of labor unions who are currently looking forward to a tie on the Friedrichs case. What's more, the idea of Obama being forced to name a Republican touches the emotional core of the Democratic base — the idea that Republican obstructionism is an effort to delegitimize Obama and his presidency. Political leaks are almost never genuine leaks. Usually when something like this gets in the press it's because the key decision-makers want it to get in the press. Floating a Sandoval trial balloon in order to induce Republicans to freak out preemptively is a nice way of demonstrating to America's political journalists that Senate Republicans are not currently interested in compromise. Obama leaking that he's vetting Sandoval makes sense. Actually nominating him seems like a crazy play. That would be a good way to lay the groundwork for the nomination of a solid progressive. Republicans will, obviously, block a solidly progressive nominee which will lead to some criticism of Obama for not making a more conciliatory choice. The Sandoval leak helps establish that conciliation might not work. Imagine the Supreme Court vacancy lingers through the November election, and when all the votes are counted Hillary Clinton is president-elect but Republicans still hold a majority of Senate seats. Now everyone's hopes and dreams will have been frustrated and there will still be a need to do something about that Supreme Court vacancy. Suddenly a pro-choice Republican governor with a fairly conservative record but also a history of compromise and deal-making looks like a pretty reasonable compromise choice.

Exclusive: Trump considering fracking mogul Harold Hamm as energy secretary - sources

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is considering nominating Oklahoma oil and gas mogul Harold Hamm as energy secretary if elected to the White House on Nov. 8, according to four sources close to Trump’s campaign. The chief executive of Continental Resources (CLR.N) would be the first U.S. energy secretary drawn directly from the oil and gas industry since the cabinet position was created in 1977, a move that would jolt environmental advocates but bolster Trump’s pro-drilling energy platform. Dan Eberhart, an oil investor and Republican financier, said he had been told by officials in Trump’s campaign that Hamm, who has been an informal advisor to Trump on energy policy since at least May, was “the leading contender” for the position. Eberhart said he had discussed the possible appointment with top donors at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week, where Trump was formally nominated as the party’s candidate in the Nov. 8 presidential election. Three other sources close to the Trump campaign confirmed Trump was considering Hamm for the post. One of the sources said he first heard that Hamm was a contender from Trump officials on Sunday. None of the sources was aware of who else Trump may be considering for the job. Representatives for Trump and Hamm did not respond to a request for comment. Addressing the convention on Wednesday night, Hamm called for expanded drilling and said too much environmental regulation threatened to limit U.S. oil production and increase the country’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil producers. “Every time we can’t drill a well in America, terrorism is being funded,” Hamm told the cheering crowd. “Every onerous regulation puts American lives at risk.” Hamm, 70, became one of America’s wealthiest men during the U.S. oil and gas drilling boom over the past decade, tapping into new hydraulic fracturing drilling technology to access vast deposits in North Dakota’s shale fields. Past heads of the U.S. Department of Energy, which is charged with advancing U.S. energy security and technology and dealing with nuclear waste disposal, have typically boasted a political or academic background. This is not the first time Hamm has been in contention for the job. The Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2012, Mitt Romney, vetted Hamm to be energy secretary but ultimately decided against him because the two men have differing positions on renewable energy sources like wind. He made headlines in 2015 after settling a protracted divorce case and agreeing to pay his ex-wife $975 million - reported to be the biggest divorce settlement in history. His fortune is now estimated at nearly $12 billion. “FRACKER-IN-CHIEF” Trump, who has yet to make any announcements about his prospective cabinet, has already surrounded himself with strong advocates of traditional energy sources like oil, gas, and coal and has promised to gut environmental regulations to boost drilling and mining if elected. He tapped U.S. Congressman Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, a climate skeptic and drilling advocate, to help draw up his campaign energy platform, and picked Indiana Governor Mike Pence, also a climate skeptic, as his running mate. Both moves cheered the energy industry but alarmed environmental activists who say a Trump presidency would set back years of progress on issues like pollution and climate change. “Given that Hamm’s as close as we’ve got to a fracker-in-chief in this country, it would be an apropos pick for a president who thinks global warming is a hoax manufactured by the Chinese,” said leading environmental activist Bill McKibben.  Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton has promised to bolster regulation and increase use of renewable fuels to combat climate change if elected. Writing by Richard Valdmanis, editing by Paul Thomasch and Ross Colvin

Photos: These are the Rohingya children who escaped Myanmar’s "ethnic cleansing"

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — “My mother was killed after the military set my home and village on fire,” 8-year-old Yasmin Noor said. She’s one of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children who escaped a vicious military campaign by Myanmar’s armed forces in late August that saw houses burned to the ground and widespread rape used as a weapon. The United Nations has since described the campaign as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” with the organization’s human rights chief telling reporters Tuesday he could not rule out “elements of genocide.” Some 625,000 Rohingya have converged on the small fishing village of Cox’s Bazar since August. Sixty percent of them are children, according to UNICEF. There had already been some 200,000 Rohingya refugees living in the border village before September’s massive influx. In total, more than 830,000 refugees are now living in two sprawling camps across Cox’s Bazaar. Read more: A Rohingya refugee recalls her escape from Myanmar This sudden and massive surge of new arrivals is pushing humanitarian agencies to the brink and introducing another sort of crisis in the camps: A generation’s worth of children under 14 are living day to day without proper nourishment or education, and in extreme cases, with no family whatsoever. COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — “My mother was killed after the military set my home and village on fire,” 8-year-old Yasmin Noor said. She’s one of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children who escaped a vicious military campaign by Myanmar’s armed forces in late August that saw houses burned to the ground and widespread rape used as a weapon. The United Nations has since described the campaign as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” with the organization’s human rights chief telling reporters Tuesday he could not rule out “elements of genocide.” Some 625,000 Rohingya have converged on the small fishing village of Cox’s Bazar since August. Sixty percent of them are children, according to UNICEF. There had already been some 200,000 Rohingya refugees living in the border village before September’s massive influx. In total, more than 830,000 refugees are now living in two sprawling camps across Cox’s Bazaar. Read more: A Rohingya refugee recalls her escape from Myanmar This sudden and massive surge of new arrivals is pushing humanitarian agencies to the brink and introducing another sort of crisis in the camps: A generation’s worth of children under 14 are living day to day without proper nourishment or education, and in extreme cases, with no family whatsoever. In fact, there are thousands of children who have arrived to these mud-soaked camps alone — having lost both parents to violence, or separated along the way. A recent survey by UNHCR found that 5,677 (3.3 percent) of Rohingya refugee households in Cox’s Bazar were headed by children. More than 4,800 households, or 2.8 percent, include children who have been separated from their families or remain unaccompanied. Each day, there’s increased risk that these unaccompanied children will become victims of sexual abuse or forced into the slave trade, warned the United Nations migration agency in a recent report. “We are sitting on a time bomb. If we don’t keep reacting, it could explode at any moment. They need water, shelter, food, obviously, medicine and nutrition,” said Jean-Jacques Simon, chief of communication at UNICEF Bangladesh told VICE News. Children lucky enough to have survived the trip with one of their parents or members of extended family carry other hidden scars — most notably, the trauma of having watched a loved one murdered before their eyes. “They raped my mother and later killed her by slitting her throat,” said 12-year-old Faruq, who escaped with his father in September. They’ve been living in the Kutupalong refugee camp ever since. In November, the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to a deal that would return hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar early next year. Yet questions about safety and implementation linger. VICE News returned to the sprawling refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar to see firsthand how Rohingya children are coping amid what the U.N. has called “the most urgent refugee emergency in the world. ” Read more: Rohingya refugees face catastrophe after escape from Myanmar

A Radiologist's X-Ray Photographs of Flowers from the 1930s

When we think of X-rays, we generally think of the human body’s skeletal structure, but in the 1930s, one osteopathist turned his attention to the anatomy of plants and used his X-ray machine as what it fundamentally exists as: a camera. Advertise on Hyperallergic with Nectar Ads When we think of X-rays, we generally think of the human body’s skeletal structure. But in the 1930s, one osteopathist turned his attention to the anatomy of plants and used his X-ray machine as what it fundamentally exists as: a camera. Dr. Dain L. Tasker, then head radiologist at Los Angeles’s Wilshire Hospital, cultivated a hobby of photographing individual flowers using X-ray film, resulting in beautiful black-and-white prints that highlight the graceful lines of plant forms with incredible detail. What began as a doctor’s experiments in marrying science and art yielded a collection of hundreds of striking botanical images, a selection of which are now on view in Floral Studies, an exhibition at San Diego’s Joseph Bellows Gallery. “Flowers are the expression of the love life of plants,” Tasker wrote of his photographs, as former curator and art historian Bonnie Yochelson recounts in her introduction to a monograph of his images. The poetry and beauty he saw in botany is evident in his minimal compositions: dark and diaphanous, each plant Tasker photographed stretches the length of the surface of each print. All parts are illuminated and completely exposed: we can clearly see the layers of petals that form the cup of a tulip and the carpels usually concealed in a lily’s bell, now gossamer as if lightly sketched. In one radiograph, a philodendron rises tall, curving like the flame of a candle; in another, Tasker has captured a lotus from above so its petals splay like a gaping eye, with an iris surrounded by eyelashes of filaments. There is nothing difficult about taking such images, Tasker apparently noted, with the only requirements being “an abiding patience” and a knowledge of “flowers and their habits.” Still, he struggled at first to produce proper prints from his X-ray negatives. Initially an amateur photographer of landscapes and portraits, Tasker first started exploring the artistic possibilities of radiology after seeing an X-ray photograph of an amaryllis taken by a physicist he knew. With no formal training in photography but desiring to better his techniques, Tasker reached out to Will Connell, who was then teaching photography at Art Center College of Design. In addition to supervising Tasker’s printing processes, Connell also helped the doctor’s works go on display at the 1931 and 1932 annual salons organized by the Camera Pictorialists of Los Angeles as well as at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. Tasker’s radiographs eventually made their way into national photography magazines, from US Camera’s October 1939 issue to Popular Photography’s March 1942 issue. Other prints he gave as gifts to his nursing students upon their graduation. Today, radiographs created for non-medical purposes are common: natural history museums, for instance, take X-ray photographs of specimens to examine them without damage. A number of artists— Albert C. Koetsier, Steven Meyers, and Nick Veasey, for instance — also document the hidden skeletons of our world. Tasker stands as a pioneer of botanical radiographs; especially emerging from a period when radiography was young and scientists’ understanding of radiation was still developing, his images represent the new intrigue in using technology to examine the structure of matter — not only in the name of science, but in his case, to also find an unexpected beauty in nature. Floral Studies continues at Joseph Bellows Gallery (7661 Girard Avenue La Jolla, Calif.) through February 19.

Switzerland's SoftwareONE mandates banks for IPO - sources

ZURICH, June 26 (Reuters) - Swiss software group SoftwareONE has mandated banks for an upcoming stock market flotation, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, paving the way for a potential multi-billion dollar listing this autumn. Credit Suisse, UBS and JPMorgan have been hired to advise on the planned initial public offering as so-called global coordinators, sources familiar with the matter said. The IPO could take place in October, one of the people said. The firm is expected to be valued at several billion Swiss francs. Credit Suisse and SoftwareONE declined to comment. UBS and JPMorgan could not immediately be reached for comment. Since taking over German IT firm Comparex earlier this year, SoftwareONE employs around 5,500 people. The company, headquartered in Stans, Switzerland, helps companies manage an estimated 10 billion euros in software purchases from vendors such as Microsoft, Adobe and IBM. In 2015, KKR acquired a 25 percent stake in the company, the majority of which is still held by the company’s founders. (Reporting by Arno Schuetze and Oliver Hirt; writing by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; editing by David Evans)

Where the software industry is growing outside Silicon Valley

Software companies are contributing an outsized share of growth to the U.S. economy — and not just in Silicon Valley. The software industry represented just 3 percent of gross domestic product in 2016 but 7 percent of GDP growth from 2014 to 2016, according to U.S. government data compiled by Software.org: the BSA Foundation, part of a trade group that represents big companies like Apple, Microsoft and Salesforce. Meanwhile, software jobs increased about 14 percent from 2014 to 2016, outpacing overall U.S. job growth of about 4 percent. One big takeaway: Yes, the software industry is still growing in places like Silicon Valley, where the fastest-growing big tech companies — like Apple, Google and Facebook — have traditionally located their headquarters and dollars. The top states for absolute job growth are California, Texas and New York, as well as Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois and Florida — all states with big population centers and established tech industries. But other states are also rapidly growing their nascent software industries. The two U.S. states with the largest percentage increases in software employment from 2014 to 2016 were Kansas, up 38 percent, or 6,100 jobs; and Indiana, which grew by 32 percent, or about 8,800 jobs. Idaho and North Carolina had the largest increases in software’s contribution to GDP in that time. Idaho’s software GDP increased 42 percent, or $280 million; while North Carolina’s grew 41 percent, or $3.8 billion, in two years. What’s happening? All industries, not just those centered on technology, are looking for software talent. Greater competition over a limited pool of technology employees is pushing companies to go where the employees are, according to Colin Yasukochi, director of research and analysis at real estate firm CBRE. In its tech-talent report earlier this year, CBRE found that 63 percent of jobs in IT — a term they defined more broadly than just software — were in industries outside of tech. From precision farming in agriculture to driverless technology in automobiles, old industries require new software talent. Companies therefore are often sourcing software employees in university towns with steady supplies of computer science graduates. Secondarily, Yasukochi said, major tech hubs like the Bay Area can be prohibitively expensive as far as cost of living. Companies looking to get more bang for their buck, and employees looking to make their salaries go further, are sometimes choosing software jobs in lower-cost cities. Some recent examples: In May, Salesforce, which has its second-largest presence after San Francisco in Indianapolis, opened a new office tower — the tallest in Indianapolis. The company also promised to add 800 new jobs in Indianapolis within five years. This summer, Indian software company Infosys and Swiss financial institution Credit Suisse upped their presence in the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., area, known as the Research Triangle for its proximity to universities. Take a closer look at GDP and employment growth by state here: For this report, Software.org commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit to analyze their own data, along with data from Implan, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. They determined software jobs to include software publishers, computer systems design and related services, data processing, hosting and related services and internet publishing and broadcasting and web services. This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will Smith Secretly Watches 'Aladdin' at Calabasas Movie Theater

Will Smith is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, which makes it a little problematic when he wants to sneak into a theater to see his latest flick ... but he figured out a way. Will slinked into a Calabasas theater just after the joint went dark for a showing of "Aladdin." Jada Pinkett Smith, Jaden and Willow went along for the ride and with all the star power ... they went unnoticed ... UNTIL ... When the movie ended, Will stood up and people went nuts. Will was swarmed by fans who went in for selfies and hugs. Check out the video ... it's pretty awesome. As for "Aladdin," it has a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.

TMZ Live Cardi B & Bernie Sanders Join Forces Over Social Security!

HERE'S THE RUNDOWNTristan Thompson Leaves Khloe In ClevelandPrince: Death Scene Video ReleasedKim & Kanye: Rare PDA!Meek Mill: Outraged Over Prison Release Delay

More than 50 people have faced consequences after sexual misconduct allegations. But not Trump.

Harvey Weinstein has been fired from the company he co-founded. Matt Lauer is gone from NBC. Mario Batali has stepped away from his restaurants. What was striking about putting together a list of people who have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct in recent months was not necessarily the prevalence of the problem — unfortunately, women and gender-nonconforming people have long been aware of the sheer ubiquity of sexual harassment and violence. What was surprising — what felt new about this time in American history — was that of 105 people Vox included on the list, more than 50 have faced legal or professional consequences, from job suspensions to jail time. It’s too soon to tell what the long-term impact of #MeToo will be, but in a number of individual cases, it has produced swift action. And yet perhaps the most powerful man on the list — President Donald Trump — so far has avoided any consequences at all. Trump has been accused of sexual harassment, assault, or other misconduct by more than a dozen women, and has been caught on tape bragging that “when you’re a star,” women let you “grab ’em by the pussy.” Despite all this, he remains the country’s chief executive and commander-in-chief, and his press secretary has brushed aside the allegations against him by saying, “the people of this country, at a decisive election, supported President Trump.” There are many reasons Trump hasn’t faced the same consequences as Weinstein and others, starting with the fact that Republicans in Congress — and voters — chose to support him despite women’s reports that he had harassed or assaulted them. Members of Congress criticized him, and a few even withdrew their endorsements, but House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ultimately stayed behind him, just as they do today. It’s possible that this support could ebb. Trump’s lawyers are fighting a defamation lawsuit by Summer Zervos, who says Trump kissed and touched her without her consent in 2007 — her lawyers have subpoenaed all Trump campaign documents relating to “any woman alleging that Donald J. Trump touched her inappropriately.” If that suit makes it to the discovery phase, the American people could learn a lot more about the allegations against Trump. Meanwhile, several women who say Trump harassed or assaulted them are calling for a congressional investigation into his behavior. They have been joined in their call by a group of Democrats in the House. “The #MeToo movement has arrived and sexual abuse will not be tolerated, whether it’s by a Hollywood producer, the chef of a restaurant, a member of Congress or the president of the United States,” said Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) earlier this month. “No man or woman is above the law.” For now, though, the reckoning that began when Bill O’Reilly was forced out at Fox News and accelerated enormously when the revelations about Weinstein broke has left many behind. It has yet to offer much visibility to women of color in low-wage jobs — many of whom, as Vox’s P.R. Lockhart notes, face multiple barriers to reporting harassment. And it has yet to require any accountability of the man who once bragged about his ability to grab women’s genitals, and who today holds power over many aspects of women’s lives. The coming year will almost surely bring more reports of harassment and assault, more names for the list. Whether it brings real consequences for one of the most boldface names remains to be seen.