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Les flux RSS des grands médias américains pour suivre cet évènement

[US] - USATODAY

[US] - THE NEW YORK TIMES

   05-12-2023 Some Republicans Have a Message for Chris Christie: Drop Out

Several anti-Trump Republican donors and strategists are pushing Mr. Christie to end his presidential campaign and back Nikki Haley.

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   05-12-2023 Harris Takes Forceful Tone With Israel in a Foray Into Mideast Diplomacy

Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as one of the highest-ranking American officials urging restraint by Israeli forces.

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   05-12-2023 Supreme Court Appears Split Over Opioid Settlement for Purdue Pharma

The justices’ questions reflected the tension between the practical effect of unraveling the settlement and broader concerns about whether the Sacklers should be granted such wide-ranging immunity.

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   05-12-2023 White House Warns Ukraine Aid Is Running Out, Pressing Congress for More

The warning, in a letter to congressional leaders, comes as Republican support for funding Kyiv’s war effort is waning, and an emergency funding package is stalled in Congress.

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   05-12-2023 China Evergrande Soared on the Property Boom. Here’s Why It Crashed.

Blame for the property developer’s downfall has been placed on Chinese lending policies, but poor corporate oversight was hiding in plain sight.

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   05-12-2023 Accounts of Sexual Violence by Hamas Are Aired Amid Criticism of U.N.

A meeting at the U.N., organized in part by Sheryl Sandberg, accused the body of ignoring the rape and mutilation of women in the Oct. 7 assault on Israel, and heard gruesome details from witnesses.

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   05-12-2023 House in Virginia Explodes as Police Prepare to Serve Search Warrant

A suspect whose home in Arlington the police were trying to search fired “several rounds” from a flare gun inside, the authorities said.

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   05-12-2023 A Prison at War: The Convicts Sustaining Putin’s Invasion

Nearly 200 inmates left a high-security Russian prison to join the war in Ukraine, seeking redemption, money or freedom. Many were killed or wounded.

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   05-12-2023 Sultan Al Jaber Tries to Calm Uproar Over a Remark on Fossil Fuels

Sultan Al Jaber, responsible for leading the world away from fossil fuels, had said there was “no science” to support a phaseout of oil and gas.

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   05-12-2023 Republicans Weigh New Debate Rules That Could Lead to More Onstage Clashes

The party is considering whether to open the door to debates not sponsored by the Republican National Committee, which could lead to more onstage clashes but also diminish their fanfare.

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[US] - THE NEW YORK TIMES (Politique)

   05-12-2023 Supreme Court Appears Split Over Opioid Settlement for Purdue Pharma

The justices’ questions reflected the tension between the practical effect of unraveling the settlement and broader concerns about whether the Sacklers should be granted such wide-ranging immunity.

Read more...

   05-12-2023 Harris Takes Forceful Tone With Israel in a Foray Into Mideast Diplomacy

Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as one of the highest-ranking American officials urging restraint by Israeli forces.

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   05-12-2023 Georgia Republicans Add Majority-Black Congressional District at Expense of McBath

If passed, the proposed maps would spur debate over whether majority-minority districts have the same protections against racial discrimination under the Voting Rights Act.

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   04-12-2023 White House Condemns Protest at Israeli Restaurant in Philadelphia

Pennsylvania state leaders including Gov. Josh Shapiro also criticized the protest held outside a falafel shop, calling it antisemitic.

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   04-12-2023 U.S. Considers Task Force to Guard Red Sea Ships From Iranian Proxy Forces

The discussions come after a U.S. destroyer downed three drones targeting commercial ships on Sunday, part of a series of attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia tied to Israel’s war against Hamas.

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   05-12-2023 White House Warns Ukraine Aid Is Running Out, Pressing Congress for More

The warning, in a letter to congressional leaders, comes as Republican support for funding Kyiv’s war effort is waning, and an emergency funding package is stalled in Congress.

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   04-12-2023 R.F.K. Jr. Allies Say They’ll Spend Over $10 Million on Ballot Access

A super PAC backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential candidacy is leading the costly and legally complex effort, which the Democratic establishment is trying to fight.

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   05-12-2023 How to Watch the Fourth Republican Debate

The debate, featuring four candidates, will be held on Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern time.

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   05-12-2023 Republicans Weigh New Debate Rules That Could Lead to More Onstage Clashes

The party is considering whether to open the door to debates not sponsored by the Republican National Committee, which could lead to more onstage clashes but also diminish their fanfare.

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   05-12-2023 Some Republicans Have a Blunt Message for Chris Christie: Drop Out

Several anti-Trump Republican donors and strategists are pushing Mr. Christie to end his presidential campaign and back Nikki Haley.

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[US] - THE WASHINGTON POST (Politique)

   05-12-2023 Kari Lake struggles to court moderates, imperiling GOP Senate pickup

On a mission to flip a Senate seat from Arizona back to red, Lake is courting some of the same Republicans she recently denounced as “RINOs.”

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   05-12-2023 White House warns Congress of urgent need for Ukraine funding

The Biden administration told Congress that it is “out of money to support Ukraine in this fight” and that inaction could “kneecap” Ukraine in its war with Russia.

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   05-12-2023 Doug Burgum suspends long-shot presidential campaign

Long-shot Republican presidential candidate and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum suspended his campaign after failing to gain momentum with voters in a crowded field.

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   05-12-2023 Trump loses chance to challenge N.Y. gag order before trial ends

A New York appellate court declined to quickly consider a request by lawyers for Donald Trump to file a higher court challenge to a gag order against him

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   05-12-2023 Sandra Day O’Connor, pathbreaking woman on Supreme Court, dies at 93

The court’s first female justice was known for her independence on the bench.

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   04-12-2023 Top Democrat in Westchester files to challenge Rep. Jamaal Bowman

Westchester County Executive George Latimer previously said the race could be a “proxy argument” between “the left and the far left.”

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   04-12-2023 James Comer’s Biden claims do not deserve the benefit of the doubt

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee again gets out way over his skis.

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   04-12-2023 Opponents of No Labels and other third-party presidential bids launch ads

One ad casts Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein as campaigns that are likely to help Donald Trump win a second term in the White House.

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   05-12-2023 Defending his 2020 fraud claims, Trump turns to fringe Jan. 6 theories

Trump’s lawyers have pressed the Justice Department for information on far-right conspiracy theories, further blurring the line between his campaign and his court battles.

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   05-12-2023 Four GOP presidential candidates qualify for fourth primary debate

Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will face off on Dec. 6 in the fourth GOP presidential primary debate.

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[US] - THE MIAMI HERALD

[US] - THE MIAMI HERALD (Politique)

[US] - LOS ANGELES TIMES

   02-10-2015 Oregon college shooting live updates: 'There's been another mass shooting in America,' Obama says

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   02-10-2015 Farewell, summer

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   01-10-2015 Hillary Clinton poised to win support of nation's largest teachers union

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   01-10-2015 If Angels are to make playoffs, they need to stay hot in Texas

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   01-10-2015 Brett Anderson helps Dodgers defeat Giants, 3-2, in series finale

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   01-10-2015 Angry and frustrated, Obama condemns latest mass shooting in U.S.

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[US] - THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

   05-12-2023 Congress Takes on the EV Mandate

Republicans want to get Democrats on record on the costly rules.

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   05-12-2023 Wisconsin's Act 10 Is in Jeopardy

Unions hope the new left state court will overturn the famous labor law.

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   05-12-2023 Government Unions Love Democrats

A new report measures public union cash flow to Democrats nationwide.

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   05-12-2023 Tariffs and the Price of Your Beer

New data show the beverage industry has paid $2.2 billion.

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   05-12-2023 America's Chance to Blunt China's Encroachment

Offering better investment terms to developing countries is essential to prevent Beijing from controlling the supply of important natural resources.

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   05-12-2023 The Hunter Biden Saga Continues

The House will vote on whether to open an impeachment inquiry into the president.

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   05-12-2023 Henry Kissinger on Power and Morality

His objective was to build, tend and repair a sustainable balance in global affairs.

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   05-12-2023 Biden's FHWA Tries to Pull Regulation From Thin Air

Congress expressly rejected the new rule on tailpipe emissions.

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   04-12-2023 The Supreme Court Will Finally Decide What 'Income' Means

The justices hear Moore v. U.S., a case asking if Congress can tax unrealized capital gains under the 16th Amendment.

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   04-12-2023 Notable & Quotable: Theft

‘The same Council on Criminal Justice study found a whopping 64% spike in shoplifting since 2019’ in New York City.

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[US] - THE WALL STREET JOURNAL(Politique)

   05-12-2023 Congress Takes on the EV Mandate

Republicans want to get Democrats on record on the costly rules.

Read more...

   05-12-2023 Wisconsin's Act 10 Is in Jeopardy

Unions hope the new left state court will overturn the famous labor law.

Read more...

   05-12-2023 Government Unions Love Democrats

A new report measures public union cash flow to Democrats nationwide.

Read more...

   05-12-2023 Tariffs and the Price of Your Beer

New data show the beverage industry has paid $2.2 billion.

Read more...

   05-12-2023 America's Chance to Blunt China's Encroachment

Offering better investment terms to developing countries is essential to prevent Beijing from controlling the supply of important natural resources.

Read more...

   05-12-2023 The Hunter Biden Saga Continues

The House will vote on whether to open an impeachment inquiry into the president.

Read more...

   05-12-2023 Henry Kissinger on Power and Morality

His objective was to build, tend and repair a sustainable balance in global affairs.

Read more...

   05-12-2023 Biden's FHWA Tries to Pull Regulation From Thin Air

Congress expressly rejected the new rule on tailpipe emissions.

Read more...

   04-12-2023 The Supreme Court Will Finally Decide What 'Income' Means

The justices hear Moore v. U.S., a case asking if Congress can tax unrealized capital gains under the 16th Amendment.

Read more...

   04-12-2023 Notable & Quotable: Theft

‘The same Council on Criminal Justice study found a whopping 64% spike in shoplifting since 2019’ in New York City.

Read more...

[US] - CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

   05-12-2023 Chicago Public Media CEO Matt Moog stepping down

Matt Moog, CEO of Chicago Public Media, announced he is stepping down.WBEZ The chief executive officer of Chicago Public Media, Matt Moog, announced his surprise resignation Monday from his post of three years, saying he intended to “return to my roots as a technology entrepreneur.”In an internal statement circulated to staff, Moog said he plans to remain in his post, for which he was paid $533,620 in salary and benefits, until a new CEO is hired. Moog said the search will commence for a replacement in 2024.Moog vowed to “ensure stability and continued momentum” of Chicago Public Media — parent organization of WBEZ, Vocalo and the Chicago Sun-Times — during his remaining time on the job and reiterated his commitment to improving local journalism in the region.“I am passionate about the importance of local journalism and our role in fostering a healthy democracy and vibrant communities,” he wrote. “It is of utmost importance to me that upon my exit, CPM is as strong as ever and positioned for continued success and future growth.”As CEO, Moog was instrumental in lining up $61 million in philanthropic backing to allow for the acquisition of the Chicago Sun-Times, creating the largest nonprofit news organization in the country.Moog had offered no public signals that he was contemplating a move away from the organization.In a statement he sent to staff and a press release from the organization, he did not fully air his motivations for leaving the job outside of stating a desire to return back to his earlier career in business.Moog served for 14 years on the Chicago Public Media board and, subsequently, three years as CEO.“I plan to return to my roots as a technology entrepreneur. I feel a great sense of gratitude for the board, staff, and supporters who embraced the opportunity to combine two great news organizations in a bold effort to serve the greater Chicago community with independent local journalism,” Moog said in a statement.During Moog’s watch, Chicago Public Media’s financial footing showed signs of sliding as Chicago and Illinois emerged from the pandemic. Based on the organization’s 2021 public tax filing, revenues were down by nearly $5 million from 2020.Robert Pasin, chair of the Chicago Public Media Board, praised Moog’s tenure, saying he made a significant impact on the organization’s future.“His impact spanned raising significant funds from major foundations and donors, developing a new strategic plan, and accelerating a digital transformation,” Pasin said in a prepared statement. “We are grateful for his vision and accomplishments through the years and look forward to seeing what innovative venture he pursues next.”Adrienne King, chair of the Chicago Sun-Times Media Board of Directors, offered a similarly glowing review of Moog in a prepared statement.“We are grateful for Matt’s vision and leadership as we combined these two great news organizations,” she said. “Thanks to the hard work of Matt and his team, we believe that Chicago Public Media, inclusive of the Sun-Times and WBEZ, is well-positioned to help Chicago realize its full potential as a city that is vibrant, inclusive, and equitable. We are excited about our collective future and wish Matt well in his future endeavors.”Unions representing WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times did not have immediate responses regarding Moog’s departure.

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   05-12-2023 Suit to stop Brighton Park migrant tent site dismissed, for now

The Brighton Park migrant housing tents on Monday show roofs now covering the shelters. But construction was halted Sunday at the site intended to house newly arrived migrants pending an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency review of a nearly 800-page city consultant’s study that was released Friday night.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times A motion to stop the city from building a tent shelter for migrants in Brighton Park was dismissed by a Cook County judge Monday, as the state already put a halt to it.However, Judge David Atkins ordered the city to alert the plaintiffs — a group of Southwest Side residents — if construction resumes and said the motion could be reintroduced then.“That’s the appropriate remedy here since there is no construction going on at this time,” said the circuit court judge.The plaintiffs originally filed the lawsuit in November alleging the camp — which could shelter 2,000 people — will harm the neighborhood, is not zoned for residential use and toxic soil there could harm people. Related Brighton Park migrant site construction halted pending environmental review Attorney Andrew Worseck defended the city’s use of the site given the city’s responsibility to provide “humanitarian relief to these migrants” and also said the plaintiffs didn’t have standing to bring the motion.“They have no clearly established right or entitlement to object to the construction of a shelter on this site,” Worseck said. “All that the plaintiffs have or the vaguest of allegations about suspected or reported harm to their property values or the community. That is simply not sufficient.”The city plans to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit by Friday.Around 650 migrants were awaiting shelter Monday, according to the city, the fewest number of people since the start of the summer. Michael Loria is a staff reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South Side and West Side. More coverage of migrants in Chicago More coverage of migrants in ChicagoWhere to house migrantsChicago signs $29.3 million contract to build ‘winterized base camps’ for migrantsPlans for migrant shelter at Amundsen Park field house on hold as city seeks alternate siteAs migrant crisis grows will faith groups step up and offer unused buildings?Lawsuit seeks to stop Chicago from using public buildings to house migrantsLong waits for work visasAsylum-seekers’ long wait for work permits: ‘It feels terrible, especially because I’m used to working’Chicago Democrats are pushing Biden to speed up work permits for migrants. Will they succeed?A year since the first buses of migrants arrived in Chicago, the journey to asylum for Vannessa Olivera, others is just beginningHow to payCity Council OKs spending another $34.5 million on burgeoning migrant crisisPreckwinkle pitches 2024 budget with more money for asylum-seeker health careWorst-case scenario: Chicago budget gap could reach $1.9 billion by 2026Chicago faces 2024 budget shortfall of $538 million — more than a third of it tied to migrant crisis

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   05-12-2023 Gutted by fire, the fate of Bronzeville’s Swift Mansion is in limbo

The former Swift Mansion, 4500 S. Michigan Ave., on Monday, a day after it was substantially damaged by an extra-alarm fire. The blaze is being investigated as an arson.Lee Bey/Sun-Times One by one, sheets of plywood were pulled from the back of the dark-colored van that sat Monday outside the Swift Mansion, a rambling 19th century stone manse at 45th Street and South Michigan Avenue.This is a normal occurrence in Bronzeville, where owners both new and old frequently snap up the community’s landmark-quality homes and apartment buildings and hire workers to renovate them.But the crew at 4500 S. Michigan Ave. was not there to fix up the 131-year-old Swift Mansion. Instead, they were there to board it up, a day after the historic structure was ravaged by a fire stubborn enough to rekindle itself twice before firefighters were able to finally fully knock out the blaze.The fire is under investigation. But the building’s fate could rest with the results of a structural report now being prepared by inspectors with the city Department of Buildings. Columnists bug ColumnistsIn-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary. The city could order the home demolished if it’s determined the fire rendered the building structurally unsound and unsafe.The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Its unfortunate loss — if it happens — would spell the end of one of the city’s remaining grand old Gilded Age mansions, a class that includes the Glessner House, 1800 S. Prairie Ave., from 1887, and the Nickerson Mansion, built in 1883 at 40 E. Erie St. Related Tenants say they were illegally evicted days before Swift Mansion fire And it would also be a huge blow to the architectural heritage of Chicago and Bronzeville — a neighborhood rich with buildings that speak to the community’s early history as the city’s first Gold Coast, followed by its remarkable second life as a national birthplace of Black culture, history, music, commerce, literature and politics.Built as a wedding presentBuilt in 1892, the three-story stone mansion was a wedding gift from meatpacker Gustavus Swift — who made a vast fortune at Chicago’s massive old Union Stockyards a few miles west of the home — to his daughter Helen and her new husband, Edward Morris.South Michigan Avenue — as well as King Drive and South Drexel Boulevard — were lined with residences built by the city’s monied class. But there were few like this one.The home’s Richardson Romanesque exterior boasts a three-story turret on its northeast corner and a carriage port on its 45th Street side that features six marble columns.The interior — most of which was still intact until the fire — was a treasure of oak paneling, wood-beamed ceilings, fireplaces and a main stairway of intricately carved details.“The gorgeous wood,” said Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), a former urban planner and preservationist whose ward contains the house.“The wood staircase, the bookshelves — these are things you can’t replace,” she said. A 1997 Sun-Times photo showcases the grand interior and detailed main staircase and bannister of the Swift Mansion, 4500 S. Michigan Ave.Bob Black/Sun-Times When the neighborhood became predominantly Black starting in the 1920s, the swank home was converted into an upscale funeral parlor catering to the community’s new population. The building later became the Chicago Urban League’s longtime home until the civil rights group built its new modern headquarters in 1982 next door at 4510 S. Michigan Ave. The mansion was most recently home to the Inner City Youth and Adult Foundation.An important icon in a historic neighborhoodSunday’s fire tore extensively through the home’s roof, exposing the attic and upper floor to daylight.The second- and third-story windows were broken out to fight the blaze, soaking the building’s detailed original oak-paneled interiors in water.If wrecked, the mansion would suffer the same untimely end as Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 6248 S. Stewart Ave. The city ordered the razing of the 140-year-old church after a 2022 fire left the stone building in ruins. Fire debris could be seen Monday on the grounds of the Swift Mansion, 4500 S. Michigan Ave. Lee Bey/Sun Times Workers on Monday also readied for the task of removing fire debris from the property. A large fire-engine red dumpster sat near the entrance to the carriage port.“No matter where you go in Chicago, somebody has a connection to that building,” Dowell said.“Any time you have an important icon in a historic community like Bronzeville — that you could potentially lose — it shakes up the memory banks a bit,” she said. “And pulls at the heart strings.”Lee Bey is the Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic and a member of the Editorial Board. He is the author of “Southern Exposure: The Overlooked Architecture of Chicago’s South Side.”

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   05-12-2023 Notre Dame trustees select Robert Dowd as university’s 18th president

(FILES) In this file photo taken on September 01, 2007 a general view of the “Golden Dome” on the campus of Notre Dame University before a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. - The University of Notre Dame, one of America’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning, is bullish on mask-wearing and social distancing to fight the coronavirus. Now, its president, the Rev. John Jenkins, is under fire after attending a notorious White House event with President Donald Trump at which both precautions were largely ignored — and testing positive for Covid-19. Some students called for Jenkins’ resignation but he survived. Jenkins is big on coronavirus safety — back in August, after students returned to class and there seemed to be a spike in Covid cases, he did not hesitate to suspend in-person classes for two weeks. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN DANIEL/AFP via Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 76344725JONATHAN DANIEL, Getty SOUTH BEND, Ind. — University of Notre Dame trustees have selected the Rev. Robert Dowd as the school’s 18th president. The university announced the move Monday.Dowd will take over as president on July 1. He will replace the Rev. John Jenkins, who announced in October that he plans to step down at the end of the academic year after serving as president for 19 years.Dowd has served as vice president and associate provost for interdisciplinary initiatives at Notre Dame since 2021. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and economics. He entered Moreau Seminary that fall and was ordained a priest in 1994.He earned a master’s degree in African studies in 1998 and a doctorate in political science in 2003 from the University of California-Los Angeles. Dowd joined Notre Dame’s political science department in 2004 as a member of the faculty.Notre Dame has been led by a priest-president from the Congregation of the Holy Cross since the school was founded in 1842.

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   05-12-2023 Longtime limo driver, father of 2 shot, killed in Austin

Mohammed K. Al Hijoj, 39, was fatally shot Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, while driving in the Austin neighborhood, officials said. Al Hijoj came to the U.S. 15 years ago from Jordan and has been a limo driver for more than 10 years. He mentored younger drivers.Provided The death of Mohammed Al Hijoj brought the tight-knit community of Chicago limousine drivers even closer.“Everybody loved him, everybody respected him, everybody was there for him just for the fact that he’s always there for people,” said Amer Alrifaee, a fellow limo driver and one of Al Hijoj’s closest friends.Al Hijoj was driving his black 2017 Cadillac Escalade ESV with four passengers in the 1700 block of North Lotus Avenue in the Austin neighborhood about 5:40 p.m. Sunday when a witness saw the car stop, then heard several gunshots and spotted the four passengers jumping out of the car and fleeing, Chicago police and Alrifaee said.Al Hijoj, 39, was shot multiple times and was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he died of gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His death was ruled a homicide.Police recovered a handgun a few feet away from the car, but no arrests were reported. Mohammed Al Hijoj was married and had two young children. Provided Al Hijoj, of the Dunning neighborhood, was married and had two young children. He moved to the U.S. about 15 years ago from Jordan and had been a limo driver in Chicago for more than 10 years.One of the first friends he made after moving to the U.S. was Alrifaee, who had been in the limo business since 2000. “One time he told me, ‘You’re a role model. I want to help people like you do. I want to do this, I want to do that. I want to help new drivers,’” Alrifaee said, adding that Al Hijoj quickly became a mentor himself.Al Hijoj would make extra efforts to reach out to new drivers and give them tips on being a chauffeur and explain the customer service aspect of the job. He also brought the industry closer by creating a community group on WhatsApp, which grew to more than 1,000 members. Area drivers communicate and help each other, for example, covering for a driver who isn’t available to pick up a client, Alrifaee said.After a day of driving, Al Hijoj would often meet up with other drivers for a bite to eat. “We loved to hang out. We loved to go out to eat all the time,” Alrifaee said.Kabobi, a Persian and Mediterranean restaurant in Albany Park, “was our hangout spot,” Alrifaee said. “That was one of the last restaurants we all went to.”Alrifaee launched a GoFundMe for Al Hijoj’s funeral expenses. It had raised more than $45,000 as of Monday night.Alrifaee didn’t know many details of Sunday’s attack, other than that it happened while Al Hijoj was on the job.He said Al Hijoj could have been put in contact with customers through a number of routes, including taking a call directly from somebody or booking a ride through his company. Al Hijoj also provided rides through Uber Black, which matches riders with top-rated drivers in luxury cars.Alrifaee expressed concerns about not only being a driver in Chicago, but specifically using rideshare apps. He said drivers have run into issues with rideshare apps because, in some cases, “people create fake accounts to carjack drivers and [for] armed robberies.”Carjackings have surged across the city over the last few years, increasing by 200% in the last three years and by nearly 50% since last year, according to police data.“With everything going on in Chicago, I leave my house, and it feels like it’s the last time I’m going to see my family with the things that I see on the road, the things that I hear about,” Alrifaee said. “All of the carjackings, I don’t feel safe, to be honest, driving in the city of Chicago.”Contributing: Mary Norkol

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   05-12-2023 Car rams Mag Mile Neiman Marcus in early-morning attempted burglary, may be connected to others: CPD

A group crashed a Nissan into Neiman Marcus, 737 N. Michigan Ave., early Monday morning, police said.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times Would-be thieves tried to crash their way into the Neiman Marcus department store early Monday along the Magnificent Mile. The incident happened about 4:30 a.m. at the high-end retail store, 737 N. Michigan Ave., but the group, inside a Nissan sedan, were not able to get inside, Chicago police said. The thieves ditched the Nissan, jumped into three other vehicles and sped away east on Chicago Avenue without taking any merchandise. No injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made, police said.In a business alert sent out Monday night, police noted the early morning robbery resembled eight others that occurred across seven neighborhoods — River North, Near West Side, Gold Coast, Near South Side, Noble Square, Wicker Park and Garfield Park — between Oct. 24 and 31. Police said that in each instance, the robbers rammed storefronts with a vehicle before jumping out to grab merchandise and then running back to vehicles waiting nearby.

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   05-12-2023 Family of man killed by Elk Grove Village police demand answers about shooting

Jack Murray’s mother, Donna Murray (center), cries Monday during a news conference about the fatal police shooting Friday of her 24-year-old son.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times The family of a man who was shot and killed by Elk Grove Village police last week said Monday they believe he had reached out to 911 for help with his health issues — as he had done in the past — and that officers were familiar with his emotional struggles.Antonio Romanucci, attorney for the family of Jack Murray, said at a news conference in River North that his firm is conducting a civil investigation into the Friday shooting, focusing on “officers’ treatment of a known emotionally distressed person and their use of deescalation tactics.” According to Romanucci, Murray, 24, was a Type 1 diabetic whose behavior could become “erratic” depending on his insulin levels. He called 911 for help whenever he felt like his health, mental or physical, was “not right.” “In the past he had called Elk Grove Village police asking for help if he felt his own health and wellness were ever in danger,” said Romanucci, who was joined by Murray’s parents and siblings. Romanucci added that they have “very good information” that Murray was the one who called 911 for help on Friday before he was confronted by police. A distraught Tom Murray is comforted by attorney Antonio Romanucci. Romanucci’s firm is conducting an independent probe into the shooting death Friday of Jack Murray, 24, by police officers in Elk Grove Village.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times “We believe the Elk Grove Village Police Department was familiar with Jack Murray and knew he occasionally called them for help when he was in physical or emotional distress,” Romanucci said. He called for the police department to be transparent and release 911 calls, body-camera footage and records of all known prior encounters officers had with Murray. Romanucci said the family refuses to accept at face value the police department’s claim that Murray was armed with a knife when he was shot. “His family is deeply grieving and deserves answers on exactly what happened that Friday afternoon,” Romanucci said. Jack Murray was a Type 1 diabetic whose behavior could become “erratic” depending on his insulin levels, his family’s attorney said.Provided Murray was shot by officers about 4 p.m. after he left home in the 200 block of Fern Drive while holding a knife and then confronted the officers in a nearby yard, police said in a statement.Murray was taken to Alexian Brothers Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy found he died of multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide. Romanucci said family was not allowed by police to see Murray’s body in the hospital. He described that as “morally reprehensible.” Five officers, not all of whom fired their weapons in the incident, have been placed on temporary administrative leave per department policy, Elk Grove Village police said. The department has shared pertinent video with the Major Case Assistance Team, which is conducting an independent investigation of the incident, police said. Elk Grove Village police are also conducting “a parallel criminal investigation in order to gain a complete understanding of the events that led to the incident.” Attending Monday’s news conference in River North were: Tom Murray (from left) attorney Antonio Romanucci, Liz Belcaster, Donna Murray, Shannon Murray and Ryan Murray. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times The department said it plans on releasing 911 recordings and body-camera footage as soon as “crucial investigative steps” have been taken.The department did not respond to questions about its history with Murray or whether he had called 911 before. Liz Belcaster, Murray’s aunt, said the family just wants answers so they can have closure.“Jack was only 24 years old; he was just starting his life.” Belcaster said, speaking on behalf of the family. “We don't know what took place on Friday afternoon, but we know our family deserves answers.” Jack Murray’s mother, Donna (from left), sister Shannon and brother Ryan listen as attorney Antonio Romanucci speaks during a news conference Monday. Murray’s aunt says the family wants to know why Murray was shot.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times Attorney Antonio Romanucci called for the Elk Grove Village Police Department to be transparent and release 911 calls, body-camera footage and records of all known prior encounters officers had with Jack Murray.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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   05-12-2023 Michael Fassnacht to resign as head of World Business Chicago

Michael Fassnacht, president and CEO of World Business Chicago, announced his resignation Tuesday.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times (file) Michael Fassnacht is resigning as president and CEO of World Business Chicago, where he directed efforts to promote the regional economy through the pandemic.The veteran advertising executive presided over four years of growth at the organization, doubling its workforce to 50 and increasing corporate support to supplement government funding. He took over WBC in 2020 with the backing of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot after serving as the city’s chief marketing officer. Related $1-a-year chief marketing officer handed permanent job to run World Business Chicago Fassnacht said his decision is personal and that Mayor Brandon Johnson isn’t pushing him out to install someone else. Johnson succeeded Lightfoot as chair of the WBC board.“I don’t know yet what I’ll be doing next, but I plan to stay in Chicago,” said Fassnacht, 56. “I have no rush” to decide. Fassnacht said he will stay on to ensure a smooth transition to a successor. Hiring decisions are made by the WBC’s board of more than 100 members. The public-private agency said it will swiftly begin a search and hopes to have a replacement in February. Fassnacht said he will remain active with WBC as a board member.Fassnacht ran the advertising agency FCB Chicago before joining the Lightfoot administration.He thanked Lightfoot, Johnson and WBC Vice Chair Mellody Hobson for their “unwavering support and trust.” According to the organization’s last publicly available tax filing, Fassnacht earned nearly $449,000 in 2021.In a statement, Johnson praised the contributions of Fassnacht and Hobson, co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments. Hobson is stepping down from the WBC board.Under Fassnacht, the WBC reorganized to support job growth across the region, not just in Chicago, and became a clearinghouse for local economic data.He promoted companies’ decisions to expand or relocate in the area, countering narratives that Chicago is declining because of higher crime rates and taxes. The marketing turned aggressive and a little cheeky as the region was dealing with the corporate exits of Citadel, Boeing and Caterpillar. Related World Business Chicago launches campaign to boost regional growth After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022, Fassnacht sent a letter to 300 CEOs urging them to move their headquarters to Chicago to safeguard employees’ abortion rights. To promote Chicago’s global image, the WBC started a “Chicago Not in Chicago” tourism campaign that showed how the city’s influence shows up in other metropolises. But the campaign was widely panned for showing scenes of other locales, New York for example, and not sites to visit in Chicago.Fassnacht told the Sun-Times the region still needs to think of creative ways to spread its message. “We want to market Chicago as one of the 20 to 25 super-regions in the world, just like Singapore. That’s really the market where we are competing,” he said.Since 2021, 528 businesses have relocated or expanded in the region, mostly within Chicago, Fassnacht said. “Pro-Chicago” decisions, as he called them, came from firms such as Uber Freight, Kimberly-Clark, Milwaukee Tool and Mars Wrigley.For 10 straight years, the Chicago area has been No. 1 in business growth and expansion in a ranking by Site Selection magazine.An effort announced nearly a year ago to promote business growth throughout Cook and neighboring counties continues to pay dividends and enjoys strong support from suburban officials, Fassnacht said. The effort brought WBC back to its original mission of promoting the city and suburbs. Critics said the organization became more city-oriented over the years.About 25% of its $10 million annual budget comes from City Hall, Fassnacht said. Most of the money comes from corporate donations.WBC also has heavily promoted the region to startups and venture capitalists.Technology executive Mark Tebbe, a member of WBC’s executive committee, said, “Michael’s leadership and unwavering commitment to advancing innovation and promoting inclusive economic growth in Chicago have been instrumental in driving the substantial growth and expansion we’ve seen in recent years.”

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   05-12-2023 YouTuber-turned-star witness in FBG Duck murder trial claims his FBI cooperation began after arrest by disgraced cop Ronald Watts

L.D. Chukman A blogger-turned-star witness in the federal trial surrounding the brazen killing of rapper FBG Duck claimed Monday that he initially became an FBI informant when he was arrested by corrupt Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts more than a decade ago.The bombshell statement came during Martell Wiley’s second day of dizzying testimony at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, where he sparred with defense attorneys who noted there was no evidence he had actually cooperated against Watts.Wiley, who runs the popular Trenches News YouTube channel, claimed he started working with the FBI in 2006 when he was arrested by Watts, who was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison for stealing what he believed was drug money from a federal informant. Former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts leaves the Dirksen Federal Building in 2013 after receiving a 22-month sentence.Sun-Times file Watts’ alleged corruption has led Cook County prosecutors to throw out more than 200 convictions linked to the unit he led, which has been accused of extorting money from drug dealers at the former Ida B. Wells Homes and falsely arresting those who wouldn’t cooperate. “He asked me, did I want to go to jail, or did I want my money?” Wiley claimed. “I said, I’ll go to jail. He took me to jail. I got up with the feds as soon as I got out.” During a conference without jurors present, defense attorneys said there was no documentation of Wiley’s purported cooperation dating that far back. Cook County court records show he wasn’t charged with a crime in 2006, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Julien acknowledged that prosecutors had no corresponding FBI records from that year. Related Star witness in FBG Duck murder trial is a masked rap blogger — and longtime government informant Julien, who has remained calm during the trial’s most tense moments, became animated when defense attorneys pressed for more information, insisting it wasn’t surprising that a “crooked cop” didn’t properly record an arrest.Julien ultimately noted that Wiley had mentioned something similar to FBI agents, and Judge Martha Pacold found it wasn’t “realistic or feasible” to delay his testimony.Wiley said he reached out and offered to help law enforcement hours after FBG Duck was killed on Aug. 4, 2020. Wiley described Duck, real name Carlton Weekly, as a friend.On trial are six alleged members and associates of the O Block set of the Black Disciples: Marcus Smart, 24; Christopher Thomas, 24; Kenneth Roberson, 30; Charles Liggins, 32; Tacarlos Offerd, 32; and Ralph Turpin, 34.Wiley repeatedly said he couldn’t remember the nearly $25,000 the FBI paid him for his cooperation, questioning his handler’s account and claiming only that he got money to relocate and get around.  Related Rap blogger boasts, cracks jokes while testifying against defendants in FBG Duck murder case: ‘I’m Michael Jordan on YouTube’ He also couldn’t recall working with the FBI in 2008 and 2011, despite attorneys referencing documentation showing he had cooperated then. He claimed a gunshot wound to the head in 2004 continues to affect his memory.In a series of contentious exchanges with defense attorneys, the convicted felon acknowledged that he earned money from his YouTube channel, a book he’s written and from booking interviews with other rap-centric media outlets. During one line of questioning about his honesty, he said he sometimes manufactures “clickbait” and that he filmed a “skit” in a fake courtroom, claiming he was testifying in the trial at Dirksen. Wiley also appeared to admit that he carried a gun after the jury was shown pictures of what appeared to be him holding a weapon — just days after he said he built his online brand on teaching kids not to tote firearms. Martell Wiley, who runs the Trenches News YouTube channel, wears a black mask covering his lower face and sits in what he says is a federal courtroom, in this screenshot from a video.YouTube “That don’t mean I’m going out there spraying people. That don’t mean that I’m going out there playing God,” he said. “Just because I’m a felon, I keep a weapon on me. … Do you see the s—- that’s happening?”Throughout Monday’s testimony, Wiley’s credibility took hit after hit as the defense sought to undercut his earlier claims that O Block is an organized criminal enterprise and his positive identifications of some of the defendants. “You’re trying to bash me,” he said. “But in the end, it’s not going to help you.”

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   05-12-2023 Retired judge files in Democratic race for Cook County state’s attorney

Democrat Eileen O’Neill Burke carries in her petitions to run for Cook County state’s attorney Monday. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times The race to succeed Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx is shaping up to be a battle between a candidate blessed by the Cook County Democratic Party and a retired judge who prides herself on being a fair jurist but “a terrible politician.”And U.S. Rep. Danny Davis could face up to five Democratic challengers in the March 19 primary.Eileen O’Neill Burke, a retired Illinois Appellate Court judge and a former Cook County assistant state’s attorney, filed more than 13,000 signatures on Monday afternoon to run as a Democrat for Cook County state’s attorney.It was the last day candidates had to file petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections and the Cook County Clerk’s Office. Should the candidates survive potential petition challenges, Burke will face Clayton Harris III, a public policy professor and former political aide, who last week said he filed more than 27,000 petition signatures — more than five times the required amount. Harris received the support of the Cook County Democratic Party in August. Clayton Harris III, a former prosecutor and political aide, files nominating petitions with the Cook County Clerk’s office last week.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file Burke said she’s running to “restore our faith in the justice system because nobody thinks this is working.”“I am a terrible politician. I will tell you that, first and foremost,” Burke said shortly before dropping off her petitions. “I am a judge, and as judges we are evaluated on whether we are fair, whether we follow the law and whether we have good judgment. That’s exactly what we need in a prosecutor. And that’s exactly what people are looking for right now. They’re looking for someone who knows the system and knows how to fix it.”Burke, whose campaign had $214,427.81 cash on hand, said she is not concerned about going up against Harris in fundraising. Harris has $174,057.96 on hand. Democrat Eileen O’Neill Burke holds up her receipt for nomination after handing in petitions to run for Cook County state’s attorney on Monday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times “I am getting a lot of support throughout the county, from people, everyday people, union members, rank and file members of those unions,” Burke said. “I’m getting support from people throughout the county. So no, I’m not worried about that at all.” Former Ald. Bob Fioretti filed more than 8,000 signatures to run as a Republican candidate for state’s attorney about 30 minutes before Burke.Fioretti, who served as 2nd Ward alderman from 2007 to 2015, previously launched unsuccessful bids for mayor, state Senate, Cook County state’s attorney and Cook County Board president. Former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti carries in his petitions to run for the Republican nomination for Cook County state’s attorney on Monday.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times Fioretti called next year’s contest “a critical race determining which way the direction of the county is going to go.”“I think it’s time we stop coddling the criminals, and we make sure the victims and the citizens of this city and county are protected,” Fioretti said. “And when I say that, not just in crime, but also in the corruption that’s happening. Former Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin last week announced he would not be running for state’s attorney.In the 7th Congressional District, five candidates filed petitions to challenge Davis, 82, who faced Kina Collins last year and held onto his seat by 4,600 votes. Rounding out the list of Davis’ opponents are City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin; Kouri Marshall, who served in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration; Collins, a community organizer and activist making her third bid for the seat; Rhonda Sherrod, a lawyer and educator; and Nikhil Bhatia, a teacher. Davis was first elected to his House seat in 1996.U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson also filed his petitions on Monday in the 1st Congressional District and faces no Democratic challengers. Seeing an open path to Congress, 17 candidates made it onto the primary ballot in 2022, after U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush announced his retirement — after 15 terms in the South Side and suburban congressional seat.

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[US] - NEW YORK POST

[US] - NEW YORK POST (Politique)

[US] - THE BOSTON GLOBE

[US] - THE BOSTON GLOBE (Politique)

[US] - CHICAGO TRIBUNE

[US] - USATODAY (Politique)

[US] - THE WASHINGTON TIMES

[US] - THE WASHINGTON TIMES (Politique)

   05-12-2023 FBI interviewed priest, choir director in rogue probe of Catholic church's link to terrorism

The FBI's probe into whether traditional Catholics posed a terrorist threat included interviews with a priest and a church choir director and involved an undercover agent who infiltrated the church, House investigators said Monday.

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   04-12-2023 Letter from governors' group warns: Hands off American land

Watchful Republican governors are out to protect American soil in no uncertain terms. A group of 17 of them have sent a letter to both the Biden administration and U.S. House and Senate leadership calling for action "to protect the United States from the imminent national security threat directly related to the Communist Party of China's efforts to amass U.S. land."

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   04-12-2023 Biden orders flags at half-mast in honor of late Justice O'Connor

President Biden on Monday ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-mast at the White House, military bases and at federal buildings in honor of the late Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who passed away on Friday at the age of 93.

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   04-12-2023 Appeals court gives reprieve to Texas on razor wire border fence

A federal appeals court on Monday issued an order stopping the Border Patrol from cutting through Texas's razor-wire border fence as the judges wait to hear more arguments on the issue.

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   04-12-2023 Governor rebukes Philadelphia protesters for chanting outside Israeli restaurant

Protesters marching in Philadelphia against the bombardment of Gaza chanted about genocide Sunday outside an Israeli-style restaurant, leading Gov. Josh Shapiro to call the demonstration "antisemitic."

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   04-12-2023 New sign on George Santos' former office on Capitol Hill

Former Congressman George Santos is gone from the U.S. House, and so is the sign outside his office on Capitol Hill now changed to "Office of the Third Congressional District of New York."

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   04-12-2023 Biden turns COVID-19 relief into 'slush fund' for state, local spending sprees

The Biden administration is giving states and municipalities more flexibility to hoard money from a $100 billion pot of unspent pandemic relief through 2024, after billions already were spent on golf courses, lottery prizes in New Mexico for people who got the COVID-19 vaccine and legal services for asylum seekers in Illinois.

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   05-12-2023 Republicans accuse Biden of seeking to shift funds from pro-life centers to Planned Parenthood

Congressional Republicans urged the Biden administration to withdraw a proposed rule that would pull Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding from pro-life pregnancy centers, saying it looks like an attempt to "funnel taxpayer dollars to the abortion industry."

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   05-12-2023 Prosecutors push back against Hunter Biden's move to subpoena Trump documents in gun case

Prosecutors pushed back Monday against Hunter Biden's move to subpoena documents from Donald Trump and former Justice Department officials in the firearms case filed against the president's son.

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   05-12-2023 Online news personality Cenk Uygur won't qualify for Democratic presidential primary, Arkansas rules

Arkansas election officials on Monday said online news personality Cenk Uygur, who was born in Turkey, can't appear on the state's Democratic presidential primary ballot next year.

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[US] - CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

[US] - CHARLOTTE OBSERVER (Politique)

[US] - THE VIRGINIAN PILOT

[US] - THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

[US] - THE NEW YORKER

   04-12-2023 An-My Lê’s Uncanny Images of War

The Vietnamese-born photographer charts how conflict embeds itself in both physical and psychological terrains.

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   04-12-2023 Jesse Itzler’s Secrets of Success

An upstart motivational speaker wants to reform his profession—while also rising to the top.

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   04-12-2023 “Funny You Should Ask,” by Anne Carson

“How was your trip to New York?”

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   04-12-2023 Stewart Copeland’s “Police Diaries”: Bang On

The drummer and composer talks about his three-take style, Sting’s way with a hit, and his Muppet counterpart, Animal.

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   04-12-2023 Slide Show: New Yorker Cartoons December 11, 2023

New cartoons from the magazine.

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   04-12-2023 The Best Music of 2023

Strange, beautiful records by Lana Del Rey, Noname, Sufjan Stevens, and more.

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   04-12-2023 Daily Cartoon: Monday, December 4th

“Stream escapism or live tragedy?”

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   04-12-2023 What Happened When the U.S. Failed to Prosecute an Insurrectionist Ex-President

After the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, was to be tried for treason. Does the debacle hold lessons for the trials awaiting Donald Trump?

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   05-12-2023 “The Sweet East” Plays Fast and Loose with the Politics of Hatred

Sean Price Williams’s accomplished and distinctive new film, centered on a teen-ager on the run, makes a neo-Nazi character its clearest spokesperson.

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   04-12-2023 What Does California Sound Like?

A dazzling array of new music at the California Festival, spearheaded by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

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[US] - THE NEW YORKER (Politique)

   02-12-2023 Columbia Suspended Pro-Palestine Student Groups. The Faculty Revolted

Like other universities, the school has cracked down on activism among students, citing fears of antisemitism. Some professors think it’s gone too far.

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   01-12-2023 What Was the Point of George Santos?

Washington finally rediscovers how to give a grifting congressman the boot.

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   01-12-2023 The Inside Story of Microsoft’s Partnership with OpenAI

The companies had honed a protocol for releasing artificial intelligence ambitiously but safely. Then OpenAI’s board exploded all their carefully laid plans.

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   01-12-2023 Why Washington Couldn’t Quit Kissinger

Despite his controversial record, the former Secretary of State never fell out of the good graces of the D.C. establishment.

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   01-12-2023 Dolly Parton “Busted a Gut” Reaching for the High Notes on “Rockstar”

The country legend finds freedom in her first venture into rock. Plus, Jill Lepore, Jelani Cobb, and Evan Osnos on how American democracy got so precarious.

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   03-12-2023 The Difference That Sandra Day O’Connor Made

The late Supreme Court Justice had a keen feeling for the real-world impact of the Court’s decisions.

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   04-12-2023 What Happened When the U.S. Failed to Prosecute an Insurrectionist Ex-President

After the Civil War, Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, was to be tried for treason. Does the debacle hold lessons for the trials awaiting Donald Trump?

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   04-12-2023 How the Poet Christian Wiman Keeps His Faith

Nearly two decades ago, Christian Wiman was diagnosed with a rare cancer and told he probably had about five years to live. In a new book, he makes the case against despair.

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   04-12-2023 Jesse Itzler’s Secrets of Success

An upstart motivational speaker wants to reform his profession—while also rising to the top.

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   02-12-2023 How Henry Kissinger Conquered Washington

Kissinger, a shaper of the twentieth-century world order, died this week, at the age of a hundred. He leaves behind a complicated legacy.

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[US] - LIFE

[US] - TIME

   04-12-2023 Ronald Reagan’s Policies Continue to Exacerbate the Racial Wealth Gap

Ronald Reagan's economic policies exacerbated the racial wealth gap— and they've guided all his successors.

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   04-12-2023 What Pigs and Squirrels Can Teach Us About Managing Pain

Our studies of pigs and squirrels could give us more insight into the health-promoting effects of optimism, writes David Agus.

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   04-12-2023 North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum Ends 2024 Presidential Bid

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum ended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday.

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   04-12-2023 Slang Term ‘Rizz’ Is the Oxford University Press Word of the Year

'Rizz,' slang derived from charisma, is defined as “style, charm, or attractiveness; the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner."

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   04-12-2023 What to Know About Israel’s Expanding Ground Assault in Gaza

Many Gazans who fled the North are being asked to flee a second time.

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   04-12-2023 Nuclear Power Is the Only Solution

Despite recent setbacks, the world has to embrace nuclear power in order to solve the climate crisis.

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   04-12-2023 Russia’s Court Ban of the ‘LGBTQ Movement’ Is the Latest Global Move Against Inclusion

Currently, 67 countries criminalize same-sex relations by adults, according to Human Rights Watch.

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   04-12-2023 AI’s Influence on Music Is Raising Some Difficult Questions

AI tools can emulate famous singers and create entire songs. But some musicians are worried about copyright violations and the impact on their jobs.

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   04-12-2023 Sheryl Sandberg Calls for More Outrage Over Attacks on Women on Oct. 7

Sandberg stepped back into the limelight to discuss sexual violence as a tool of war during an event Monday.

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   04-12-2023 Former U.S. Diplomat Charged with Secretly Spying for Cuban Intelligence for Decades

Court papers alleged that Manuel Rocha engaged in “clandestine activity” on Cuba's behalf since at least 1981.

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[US] - TIME (Politique)

   01-12-2023 Governors DeSantis and Newsom Square Off in Unusual Televised Debate

The host, Fox News Channel, billed the 90-minute affair hosted by Sean Hannity as “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate.”

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   01-12-2023 DeSantis and Newsom Offer a Glimpse at an Alternate 2024 With No Trump or Biden Running

There would be a lot more arguing about the pandemic.

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   01-12-2023 Sandra Day O’Connor, America’s First Female Supreme Court Justice, Dies

'She is truly a person for all seasons,' President Reagan said when he nominated her in 1981

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   01-12-2023 Who Really Won in the DeSantis-Newsom Debate

Despite what DeSantis said about Newsom and California in the debate, the numbers don't lie, writes William Kleinknecht.

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   01-12-2023 What Happens to George Santos’ House Seat After His Expulsion?

The voters in his battleground New York district will vote in two elections next year on his replacement.

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   01-12-2023 Which Candidates Will Be on Stage for the Fourth Republican Debate?

The fourth Republican debate on Dec. 6 could be the smallest yet.

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   01-12-2023 Why Sandra Day O’Connor’s Appointment to the Supreme Court Won Bipartisan Praise

O'Connor was the first woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court

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   01-12-2023 The Vote to Expel George Santos Should Not Have Been That Close

That Santos nearly survived a third attempt to expel him speaks to the craven nature of the current House GOP leadership.

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   04-12-2023 Dean Phillips Is the Other Guy Running for President. Does He Have a Chance?

The moderate Midwestern Congressman argues Biden is the only Democrat who would lose to Trump in 2024.

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   04-12-2023 North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum Ends 2024 Presidential Bid

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum ended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday.

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[US] - THE NATION

   04-12-2023 History According to Ridley Scott

Mike Duncan Ultimately what we learn in Napoleon says far more about the director than it does about Napoleon. The post History According to Ridley Scott appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 This Ohio Turf War Is the Latest Sign That the Anti-Abortion Movement Is in Disarray

Amy Littlefield A losing streak at the ballot box is prompting top anti-choice activists to trot out a variety of anti-democratic schemes to prevent the expansion of abortion access. The post This Ohio Turf War Is the Latest Sign That the Anti-Abortion Movement Is in Disarray appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 An Urgent Witness, Not a Passive Bystander, to Climate Catastrophe

Wen Stephenson Conversations with Jane Hirshfield, poet of the present moment. The post An Urgent Witness, Not a Passive Bystander, to Climate Catastrophe appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 Steve McQueen and Jonathan Glazer Confront the Holocaust 

J. Hoberman In Zones of Interest and Occupied City, the two filmmakers attempt to depict the ordinary fascism and everyday violence of World War II. The post Steve McQueen and Jonathan Glazer Confront the Holocaust  appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 What Made the Lights Go Out in Moore County?

Laura Flanders As a drag show was taking place in the North Carolina region, an attack on the electrical grid shut the power down. The post What Made the Lights Go Out in Moore County? appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 The Caribou

Chessy Normile The post The Caribou appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 College Dorms Are Terrible—and More Expensive Than Ever

Nikole Rajgor In the past 30 years, university housing costs have risen substantially. But in the housing world, higher prices don’t always guarantee higher standards. The post College Dorms Are Terrible—and More Expensive Than Ever appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 Humanitarian Aid

Andrea Arroyo Ceasefire in the Middle East has led to the release of hostages and allowed aid to reach Gaza civilians, who suffered from Israeli bombardment’s supply shortages. The post Humanitarian Aid appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 Palestinian Demands for Liberation Must Never Be Ignored Again

Tariq Kenney-Shawa The United States, Israel, and the international community must stop systematically destroying all peaceful avenues to Palestinian self-determination. The post Palestinian Demands for Liberation Must Never Be Ignored Again appeared first on The Nation.

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   04-12-2023 Biden’s Bear Hug of Netanyahu Is a Disaster

Jeet Heer The renewed fighting between Israel and Hamas shows the incoherence of mixing humanitarian words and bigger bombs. The post Biden’s Bear Hug of Netanyahu Is a Disaster appeared first on The Nation.

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[US] - THE NATION (Politique)

[US] - THE WEEKLY STANDARD

[US] - NATIONAL REVIEW

[US] - THE ADVOCATE

   03-12-2023 Florida School Leaders Punished for Accommodating Transgender Student-Athlete

Florida students protested a principal’s reassignment on Tuesday as the school district investigated how a transgender girl was allowed to play on the girl’s volleyball team.

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   03-12-2023 For Families in the South Struggling to Find Gender-Affirming Care, Small Grants Make a Huge Difference

Originally published by The 19th

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   04-12-2023 Yes, George Santos Is Charging $200 on Cameo

George Santos, the gay former New York congressman embroiled in a series of controversies, has made his debut on Cameo.

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   04-12-2023 ​Watch 'Saturday Night Live' Give George Santos a Hilarious Congressional Farewell

As the curtain fell on former Republican New York U.S. Rep. George Santos’s tumultuous tenure in Congress, Saturday Night Live captured the moment with a cold open sketch that may have marked an end to his political career but perhaps not his time in the public eye.

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   04-12-2023 Is Captagon the Next Big Gay Party Drug? The Terrorists Are Counting on It

Captagon. You probably haven’t heard of it. Yet. Originally, up until the 1980s, it was a legal stimulant that was used to treat attention deficit disorder. It was made illegal in the U.S. more than 40 years ago because its harm was believed to outweigh its benefits. Now Captagon is known on the streets of the Middle East as a drug of war.

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   04-12-2023 Why Montana’s Two-Spirit People Are Challenging A State Law Defining Sex as Binary

By Nicole Chavez, CNN

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   05-12-2023 Unmasking George Santos: Inside ‘The Fabulist’ With Author Mark Chiusano

In a timely release that coincides with the tumultuous political climate surrounding disgraced and expelled former New York U.S. Rep. George Santos, Mark Chiusano’s new book The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos delves into the life of one of America’s most controversial political figures. In an interview with The Advocate, Chiusano shares insights into his motivations and discoveries while penning this revealing biography.

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   05-12-2023 Tucker Carlson Producer Sued for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Gay Man

A gay former Fox News employee has sued Tucker Carlson’s longtime producer Justin Wells, accusing Wells of sexual assault and harassment.

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   04-12-2023 Rape and Threesome Accusations Stalk Florida GOP Leaders

An accusation of rape and revelations Florida’s Republican state chair and his wife engage in threesomes upended Sunshine State politics.

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   04-12-2023 Tennessee's Controversial Sex Worker Law Discriminates Against Those With HIV: DOJ

An investigation conducted by the Department of Justice found the enforcement of a 1990 Tennessee law violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by unfairly discriminating against sex workers living with HIV.

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[US] - THE ADVOCATE (Politique)

   09-09-2015 Fayetteville Voted on LGBT Rights Again

Voters in Fayetteville, Arkansas once again voted on a fully inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance after repealing a similar ordinance last year. read more

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   09-09-2015 While Some GOP Candidates Back Kim Davis, John Kasich Says 'Bigger Fish to Fry'

The whole situation may turn young people off of faith, says the Ohio governor. read more

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   08-09-2015 Op-ed: The Black Gay Trans Man at Minneapolis City Hall

Phillipe Cunningham was told he could never get into politics. Now, he's the right-hand man for one of the most powerful women in Minnesota. read more

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   04-09-2015 Donald Trump Takes a Day to Get Up to Speed on Kim Davis

Donald Trump leads polls in the race for president, but he was among the last to respond to news about Kim Davis. read more

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   04-09-2015 Republicans Use Kim Davis to Score Points for President

The Kentucky clerk is becoming the symbol of religious freedom that Republicans had been looking for. read more

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   03-09-2015 LGBT Supporters to Hillary Clinton: The Battle Isn't Over

Donors to her campaign who represent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans voters tell MSNBC, 'The idea that after marriage, everything’s solved is a very dangerous idea.' read more

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   08-09-2015 Are GOP Donors the Key to Passing a Nondiscrimination Bill?

An unlikely constituency is funding the fight for LGBT rights, using the marriage equality road map. read more

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   05-09-2015 WATCH: Caitlyn Jenner Explains Why She Once Didn't Support Marriage Equality

The star of I Am Cait is asked about how she reconciles being a Republican. read more

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   05-09-2015 WATCH: More Officials Like Kim Davis Would Be a Disaster

A county's clerk's job requirements are pretty simple — and don't involve judging every person who walks through the door. read more

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   02-09-2015 LISTEN: Kentucky Clerk's Marriage Equality Resistance 'American Way,' Says Rand Paul

Paul stops short of agreeing with Kim Davis, but he supports her right in 'making a stand.' read more

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[US] - FOREIGN POLICY

[US] - THE NATIONAL INTEREST

   04-12-2023 In the National Interest Podcast: Why Whittaker Chambers and Richard Nixon Matter for Today’s GOP (with Sam Tanenhaus)

Why Whittaker Chambers and Richard Nixon Matter for Today’s GOP (w/ Sam Tanenhaus) | RSS.comOn the 75th anniversary of their discovery, what is the history of Whittaker Chambers’ infamous Pumpkin Papers, their implications for Richard Nixon’s career, and their significance for conservatism, patriotism, and loyalty in America today? On this episode, Jacob Heilbrunn speaks with Sam Tanenhaus, a contributing writer at the Washington Post’s Book World. He is a former editor of The New York Times Book Review and the author of “Whittaker Chambers: A Biography” (Random House, 1997). His work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and the National Interest. His forthcoming book, “William F. Buckley, Jr.: His Life and Times,” will be published in Fall 2024. About the Podcast Host Jacob Heilbrunn is editor of The National Interest and is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. He has written on both foreign and domestic issues for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Reuters, Washington Monthly, and The Weekly Standard. He has also written for German publications such as Cicero, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and Der Tagesspiegel. In 2008, his book They Knew They Were Right: the Rise of the Neocons was published by Doubleday. It was named one of the one hundred notable books of the year by The New York Times. He is the author of America Last: The Right’s Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictators, coming in 2024.  

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   04-12-2023 The Age of Diplomacy is Over

A new front has opened up in the Gaza conflict. The new front is not Lebanon or the West Bank, but one whereby all the traditional forms of war have ended. The essential features of war since the nation-state ascendancy post-Westphalia were, from the Medieval period onwards, wars of the “just state.” Wars were essentially conflicts between noble families, and since the average European traveled within a maximum radius of fifty kilometers throughout their life, war was something “out there,” not “imminent.” Conflicts didn't draw in disparate neighbors or nation-states on the other side of the known world. This began after the formation of nation-states in the nineteenth century. It also resulted from the contradistinction between maritime (the British Empire) and land-based (Germany in the twentieth century) ascendancies. The United States inherited the mantle of the maritime ascendancy but is now losing it. Last month, Houthi rebels managed to kidnap the crew of an Israeli chartered ship in the Red Sea shipping lane. The import of this is not the disappearance of the poor crew of twenty-five non-Israelis but the nature of modern conflict. For Israel, the event constituted another front. For the globalized world, it was another example of the dysfunctional nature of modern geopolitics. The Houthis descent from a helicopter to capture the ship illustrates the fluidity, the fall of any semblance of “morality” from international affairs, the ending of borders, and the end of diplomacy.  No longer is diplomacy a chin wag between Napoleon and Alexander on a raft in the middle of the River Niemen at Tilsit in 1807, complete with fine wines and French cheeses. The forms of war have changed; solutions are technical and violent. The first maneuver is sending nuclear submarines to the Mediterranean. The age of diplomacy has shifted to the realm of computer games. We are now in danger of “technifying” reality. We can become distant from its consequences, immune to suffering. The new front means two things. For the world, it means globalized war. For Israel, it means becoming embedded in a diaspora of terror in a wider Islamic world. It was Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan that introduced the total absolute boundaries of the nation-state—yet this was balanced by the idea of the justus hostis and magni homines. Even wars between kings could be limited by dynastic ties. On the other hand, the twentieth century brought what Ernst Junger termed “a mine that detonates silently.” By that, he meant war for modernity was afar, total, against an “enemy,” “rogue state,” or the “terrorist.” The opposition becomes dehumanized, for this is the narrative of black and white, good and evil. Aligned with this movement to technicity and rationality, there was the abandonment of previous notions of “natural law” allegiances prior to the nation-state. That is—allegiances to other things besides economics, resources, or borders. Modern technical warfare has relegated diplomacy and conceptions of natural law to the dustbins of history. Nation-states today regard with contempt the instruments of international justice: the United Nations or the International Court of Justice. Such arbitration only works on an equal playing field rather than the show trial atmosphere of many multilateral fora. Nation-states have dubious origins. The Holy Roman Empire, for instance, had the Pope or Emperor as the arbitrator of the status quo based on natural or customary law.  Modern contestation more resembles the realms of pirates, rootless states with a fundamental commercial orientation. This leaves the world open to the death of diplomacy, a fight for resources with no underlying logos or law. Thus, modern liberal nation-states abolished the justus hostis for the ability to strike the enemy for merely territorial reasons. Kant, in his On Perpetual Peace, believed that economic cooperation would lead to perpetual peace. Hence, there would be a universal law based on a European concept of liberal democratic norms. This idea gained currency until the advent of modern total war in the twentieth century. There is no avenue for diplomacy between modern conflicting nation-states and their constant assertion of geopolitical and resource war. International laws are redundant, for the institutions are partial and cannot appeal to the new pluralistic world as globalization hits the buffers. The new front of the post-liberal world is universal war, not universal peace. Brian Patrick Bolger LSE, University of Liverpool. He has taught political philosophy and applied linguistics in Universities across Europe. His articles have appeared in the US, the UK, Italy, Canada, and Germany in magazines such as The American Spectator, Asian Affairs, Deliberatio, L'Indro Quotidiano Indipendente di Geopolitica, The National Interest, GeoPolitical Monitor, Merion West, Voegelin View, The Montreal Review, The European Conservative, Visegrad Insight, The Hungarian Review, The Salisbury Review, The Village, New English Review, The Burkean, The Daily Globe,  American Thinker, The Internationalist, Philosophy News. His new book, Nowhere Fast: Democracy and Identity in the Twenty-First Century will be published soon by Ethics International Press. Image: Shutterstock.com.

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   04-12-2023 USS Hornet: A U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Oozing with Firepower

Meet the USS Hornet: Aircraft carriers were arguably the most significant weapon used by U.S. forces during the Second World War. These large and well-armed “floating airports” sent aircraft aloft to locate and sink German vessels, helping to turn the tide in the war. Carriers also supported key amphibious landings while preserving critical merchant shipping capabilities. The range that these warships provided was truly an unparalleled capability. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor provided the best evidence that aircraft carriers were the premiere ships during the Pacific War specifically. In fact, some of the fiercest battles of the war were conducted by aircraft and the ships they took off from never saw each other.  The U.S. Navy’s prioritization of the aircraft carrier as the dominant weapon of its strategy during the Second World War was perhaps best exemplified by the Essex-class ships. From 1943 to 1950, two dozen of these formidable carriers were constructed in shipyards in Philadelphia, Newport News, Brooklyn, Braintree, and Norfolk. Over time, this class of carriers would provide the foundations of U.S. Naval power projection through multiple major wars. Before the emergence of the Essex ships, the service’s preceding carriers were smaller in size due to the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty. Despite this, however, the Navy tested its carriers extensively in drills and exercises to ensure their capabilities if war were to erupt. Notably, Japan withdrew from the international Naval Treaty in the early 1930’s in order to build up its own naval arsenal. Which carriers preceded the Essex-class Aircraft Carriers? Prior to the development of the Essex-class, the Navy heavily relied on its latest carriers from the Yorktown-class. With greater power projection in mind, engineers designed the Essex-class carriers to be much longer and heavier than their predecessors. Most importantly, the new ships were constructed with wider flight decks and a deck-edge elevator that allowed for more efficient aviation operations. By the time the development of the Essex carriers emerged, armor protection and other factors had been greatly improved upon.  Essex-class ships initially measured at 872 feet in length and displaced 27,100 long tons. In the carriers’ engine rooms, steam turbines replaced the typical turbo-electric designs of proceeding classes of vessels. Four boiler rooms and two engine rooms were incorporated at the centers of each carrier, equipped with two Babcock and Wilcox boilers. These more advanced steam turbines allowed the vessels to travel up to 20,000 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots. The Essex carriers were designed to carry over 100 aircraft, including 25+ fighters, 37 dive or scout bombers, 18 torpedos, and several utility aircraft. Armament-wise, the Essex-class ships were fitted with a dozen dual-purpose guns, which were controlled by two Mk 38 directors. Earlier vessels in the Essex class sported eight quadruple 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns.  Introducing the USS Hornet One of the most recognized Essex-class carriers with the USS Hornet (CV/CVA/CVS-12). The hefty ship completed construction in 1943 and was shortly after assigned to the service’s primary offensive force during the war – the Fast Carrier Task Force. The Hornet provided air support to protect the invasion beaches in New Guinea and later carried out large-scale aerial raids against Japanese bases near the Caroline Islands. The Hornet later contributed mightily to the Battle of the Philippine Sea in 1944, where it conducted strikes to take out as many land-based Japanese aircraft as possible. Following these stints, the carrier returned home to undergo extensive overhauls. Once her modernization was complete, she operated in Vietnamese waters into the mid to late 1960s.  What Makes the USS Hornet Stand Out? The Hornet was uniquely constructed with many of her radars fitted on the tripod mast, which carried SM height-finding radar, the SK early-warning radar, and the SG surface search radar. Perhaps the greatest capability provided by the Hornet was the new generation of aircraft she carried. SB2C Helldivers, F6F Hellcats, and TBF Avengers were some of the more formidable airframes housed on the Hornet carrier.  Following more than two decades of service in 1970, the USS Hornet was finally decommissioned at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. While the supercarrier was relegated to retirement duties, the Hornet has been used in several TV shows. Most recently in 2023, CarrierCon collaborated with a popular Chinese video game that features characters like the Hornet.  Many of the Hornet’s sister ships were decommissioned in the 1970s, however, the USS Lexington remained active until the early 1990s. While each of the Essex-class ships is officially retired from service, they are well respected by naval history buffs and industry experts alike.  About the Author Maya Carlin is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. 

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   04-12-2023 Biden’s Lethargic Spectrum Strategy

As the pace of technological innovation accelerates, the economic and geopolitical costs of regulatory dawdling increase. Unfortunately, President Joe Biden seems content to dawdle—at the expense of American technological dominance and national security. The Biden administration recently released its long-awaited National Spectrum Strategy, a policy document observers anticipated would lay out the federal government’s plans to make new electromagnetic spectrum available for commercial use. Spectrum, the wavelengths over which data travels, is the oxygen in the lungs of digital technologies and the industries they enable particularly 5G. Far from designating new portions of spectrum for commercialization, however, Biden’s strategy merely identifies certain bands for further study. Without increased spectrum availability, U.S. networks will underperform their potential, and American innovation will consequently lag. This stagnation will reduce America’s global competitiveness in tech sectors, a hazardous possibility given China’s continued technological bellicosity. The United States currently lags behind other nations—particularly China—in deploying the mid-band spectrum, the optimal type for many commercial, industrial, and infrastructural purposes. Beijing understands spectrum’s usefulness well; it has already allocated 1,160 megahertz (MHz) and intends to increase this total to 1,660 MHz in five years. “Compared to the U.S., with only 450 megahertz of mid-band spectrum available for the foreseeable future, Chinese wireless operators are anticipated to have up to 3.7 times more mid-band spectrum,” trade association CTIA writes. Domestically speaking, Biden’s inaction, if extended, could mean technological stagnation. Without new allocations, America’s supply of spectrum will soon fall far short of commercial demand. CTIA estimates this capacity shortfall will reach 400 MHz by 2027 and 1,400 MHz in a decade. Nonetheless, the new National Spectrum Strategy addresses these impending crises with lethargy, choosing continued uncertainty over concrete action. “After nearly three years of study, the Biden Administration does not commit to freeing up even a single MHz of spectrum,” wrote Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr in response to the strategy’s publication. “Instead, they are announcing that they will continue studying the issue for years to come.” The primary obstacles to increased spectrum availability are federal agencies’ current usage rights over vast stretches of spectrum. For instance, Washington has allocated over 60 percent of the lower mid-band to the government but less than 10 percent to licensed commercial users. Many such allocations occurred decades back, and government officials and industry alike now recognize that much of this federal spectrum has better and more efficient uses in the private sector. And despite hyperventilating from certain federal officials, significant spectrum commercialization would not degrade agencies’ functioning. Decline is, as they say, a choice. Indeed, within the last decade, the federal government took exactly the sort of bold, forward-looking action it now eschews. “From 2017 through 2020, the FCC freed up roughly 6,000 MHz of spectrum for licensed use alone plus thousands of additional MHz of spectrum for unlicensed use,” Commissioner Carr continued in his response. By contrast, “The Biden Administration only plans to study less than 2,800 MHz.” Put simply, Biden is thinking about making available less than half of what the previous Republican-led FCC did make available for licensed use alone. Like Aesop’s hare, Washington intends to snooze on what could otherwise be a sure win. But one cannot attribute Washington’s decision to take a proverbial nap in the middle of the spectrum race entirely to Biden’s failures. Congress has so far declined to reauthorize the FCC’s authority to auction spectrum licenses, which expired in March. Until then, the auction authority had not lapsed since Congress established it in 1993. Besides their centrality in facilitating American innovation, these auctions have netted the federal government more than $233 billion. Congress’s inexplicable inability to pass a reauthorization—which enjoys broad, bipartisan support—has baffled observers in and out of government. Oddly, Biden bills himself as the consummate futurist president. He has invested tens of billions each in broadband deployment and advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Notwithstanding the prudence of such prolific federal spending, Biden’s endgame—a technologically dominant and self-sufficient America—certainly cannot manifest absent a healthy pipeline of new spectrum. Keeping the tap firmly shut while bureaucrats engage in studious inaction will do little besides cement the U.S.’s technological status as runner-up. About the Author  David B. McGarry is a policy analyst at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance and a social mobility fellow at Young Voices. His work has appeared in publications including The Hill, the American Institute for Economic Research, and National Review. Follow him on X @davidbmcgarry. Image: Shutterstock.com.

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   04-12-2023 F-16 SFW: The Fighter Jet The Air Force Walked Away From

Meet the F-16 SFW: If you saw the new Godzilla Minus One film, you likely noticed the plane featured prominently in the film’s final sequence – a Kyushu J7W Shinden. The Shinden – a tailless aircraft with a backward-facing “pusher” propeller, rear-mounted wings with vertical stabilizers, and nose-mounted canards – subverts expectations. Only two Shinden prototypes were developed before the end of World War II interrupted the project. The aircraft design was resurrected eighty years later in Godzilla Minus One, to serve as a reminder that the conventions of aircraft design are somewhat arbitrary. To be clear, the aerodynamic principles are not arbitrary. However, the aircraft designs that have become conventionally accepted as the best options for interacting with those aerodynamic principles are somewhat arbitrary. I’m referring to the single fuselage. Engines mounted in the nose or on the wings. More often than not a “T-shaped” tail that is constructed of a vertical stabilizer and two horizontal stabilizers. Straight or backward sweeping wings. It’s a form we take for granted as to what an aircraft is supposed to look like. Boeing 737. Airbus A330. Cessna 172. P-51 Mustang. AV-8B Harrier. And seemingly only when the conventional form is subverted do we take notice. The flying wing design of the B-2 Spirit. The sweeping wings of the F-14 Tomcat. The double fuselage F-82 Twin Mustang. The forward-swept wings of two experimental designs: the F-16 SFW (which was rejected before being produced) and the Grumman X-29 (of which two prototypes were produced). F-16 Forward Swept Wings Forward-swept wings do have advantages. One, forward-swept wings produce low drag. And two, forward-swept wings improve handling characteristics at low speed. However, manufacturing forward-swept wings using conventional techniques can be difficult to achieve. So, in the 1970s, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded funds to General Dynamics, Rockwell, and Grumman – as part of the Forward Swept Wing Program – to solicit designs for a viable aircraft design featuring forward swept wings. General Dynamics submitted a modified version of their then-new F-16 Falcon, the F-16 SFW. “The engineers at General Dynamics studied several designs, including one with canards and an aft-mounted wing,” F-16.net reported. “The final design submitted to DARPA used the landing gear and most fuselage components of the traditional F-16, yet it had a slightly lengthened and strengthened fuselage to allow the forward-swept wing to be attached, since the new wing was slightly larger than the traditional wing.” DARPA rejected the F-16 SFW, however, in 1981. Instead, DARPA opted for Grumman’s F-5 derivative, the Grumman 712, which was later designated the X-29. “The decision was mainly a political one,” F-16.net reported, “as many thought that the test-scene at NASA was heavily dominated by General Dynamics’ F-16s.”  Although, ironically, 16 percent of the Grumman X-29 would be comprised of F-16 components (specifically the control surface actuators and main landing gear). After DARPA selected the X-29, all development on the F-16 SFW was halted. The novel F-16 was never produced, it never existed anywhere other than on some blueprints and in the imaginations of the jet’s designers. The X-29, however, was built. F-16 SFW Becomes the Grumman X-29 Two Grumman X-29s were built. NASA and the USAF jointly flew the experimental forward-swept wing aircraft, which made its first flight in 1984. The use of carbon fiber composites made the construction of the X-29 possible. The wings, which swept forward at more than 33 degrees, were partially built from a graphite epoxy – which was both strong enough, and light enough, to make the forward-swept wings possible. In constructing the X-29’s forward-swept wings, special attention needed to be paid to aeroelastic divergence. Basically, in forward-swept wing designs, aerodynamic lift produces a twisting force that rotates the wing’s leading edge upward. The twisting force causes a higher angle of attack, which in turn further increases lift, which in turn further increases the twisting motion. The twisting effect, or aeroelastic divergence, can cause structural failure. To make a wing that was light enough to fly, but strong enough to handle the twisting effect, designers used a special laminate. The X-29, in addition to the forward-swept wings, had a center of gravity that was well aft of the airplane’s aerodynamic center. The result was inherent instability. To compensate for the instability, the X-29 was outfitted with a fly-by-wire system that made 40 control corrections per second. The flight control system consisted of three redundant digital computers. Backing up the digital computers were still three more analog computers. The mass redundancy of the computer systems seems to underscore the idea that the X-29 was not flyable without computer inputs. In all, the two X-29s flew 242 times between 1984 and 1991. The experiment is generally considered a success, leading to a better understanding of “aeroelastic tailoring to control structural divergence,” and aircraft control during extreme instability. About the Author Harrison Kass is a defense writer with over 1,000 articles published. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken. Main Image via Lockheed Martin. Intext image is from Creative Commons. 

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   04-12-2023 USS Wasp: Why This U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Was So Important

USS Wasp – The Warship That Played a Significant Role in the Space Program - For her service in the Second World War, the United States Navy's Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-18) earned eight Battle Stars, along with two Navy Unit Commendations, two National Defense Service Medals, and the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation among many other awards. Originally to be named USS Oriskany, she was instead named to honor the USS Wasp (CV-7) that was lost in September 1942 in the southwestern Pacific while supporting forces on Guadalcanal. She was the ninth vessel named for the flying insect and was one of the 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built for the U.S. Navy. USS Wasp CV-18: A Fighting Carrier Her combat record saw her enter service in the spring of 1944, and she took part in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, followed by the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June of that year, and then in October 1944's Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, the carrier found herself under almost continuous attack by shore-based aircraft and experienced several close kamikaze attacks. CVN-18's gunners fired more than 10,000 rounds at the determined Japanese attackers, but on March 19, 1945, she was hit with a 500-pound armor-piercing bomb that penetrated the flight deck as well as the armor-plated hanger deck. The bomb exploded in the crew's galley, killing about 102 who had been at breakfast after being at general quarters all night. Despite the losses and the damage the warship took, USS Wasp continued operations with her Task Group. In fact, the air group was able to carry out flight operations just a half hour after the bomb hit! Post-War Refit After the Second World War, the Essex-class aircraft carrier was among the U.S. Navy vessels to be placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet before heading to the New York Naval Shipyard for refitting and modifications that allowed her to accommodate larger, heavier, and faster aircraft of the jet age. She was recommissioned in September 1951 but suffered through a mishap – colliding with the destroyer minesweeping USS Hobson (DMS-26) while conducting night flying operations en route to Gibraltar in April 1952. Though she suffered no personnel casualties, 176 of the crew of the USS Hobson, including her commanding officer were lost. The USS Wasp also sustained significant damage to her bow and was forced to proceed to Bayonne, New Jersey for repairs.  The aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) was undergoing her own conversion, and that flattop's bow was removed and floated by barge from Brooklyn, New York, and fitted into position on the USS Wasp in just 10 days! The World War II-era carrier was among the U.S. Navy warships to play an active participation in the Cuban blockade in November 1962. The Gemini Program and USS Wasp Beyond her illustrious military career, the USS Wasp played a significant role in the manned space program, and she served as the recovery vessel for five Project Gemini missions beginning with Gemini IV, the mission that saw the first space walk by an American, astronaut Ed White. Operating along the Eastern Seaboard, USS Wasp successfully recovered the Gemini IV astronauts James McDivitt and White and their spacecraft on June 7, 1965, after splashdown. In December of that same year, the carrier recovered the astronauts of Gemini VI-A, Wally Schirra and Thomas P. Stafford, and its sister craft, Gemini VII, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell—the participants involved in the first-ever manned space rendezvous—after their respective splashdowns. Following maintenance in Boston, the aircraft carrier further participated in the Gemini XII recovery operation in November 1966, with the recovery taking place on November 15, 1966, when the space capsule splashed down within 3 mi (5 km) of the USS Wasp.  Captain James A. Lovell and Major Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin were lifted by helicopter hoist to the deck of the carrier. End of the Line for the Wasp In the spring of 1969, the carrier took part in the joint Exercise "Trilant" which was held with the navies of the United States, Spain, and Portugal. During that deployment, USS Wasp also arrived at Portsmouth, England, and served as flagship for TF 87, representing the United States in a NATO review by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip in which 64 ships from the 11 NATO countries participated. Just three years later, in March 1972, it was announced that Wasp would be decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list. Decommissioning ceremonies were held on July 1, 1972. The Essex-class aircraft carrier was subsequently sold in May 1973 to the Union Minerals and Alloys Corp., of New York City, and scrapped.  It was an inglorious end to a career for a warship that played such a significant role in wartime and then with the peacetime space program. Author Experience and Expertise Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.

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   04-12-2023 The Gaza War and Iranian Strategy

During a UN Security Council meeting on October 24, the secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said that Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum.” He was not wrong—Hamas’ attacks were planned and executed with the close assistance of Iran, which continues to arm, guide, finance, and activate its proxies in the Middle East. The Israel-Gaza war has repercussions on the international fight against Iran and its other accomplices. Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shia militias in Syria and Iraq are all Iranian agents of chaos and terror who serve Iran’s regional objective—a Shia-dominant strip stretching from Iran to the Mediterranean Sea. Accomplishing this would shift the leadership of the Muslim world from Sunni countries to Iran, end the U.S. presence in the Middle East, and destroy Israel. Besides Iranian direct support, these proxies would not have been effective without an envelope-supporting system of private entities that can enable money transfers, technologies, communications, etc. The current situation in the Middle East provides an opportunity to increase global efforts to stop Iran’s malign behavior, not only by sanctioning Iran and its proxies but also by using complementary measures to sanctions and target private companies that assist Iran in executing terror activities.  The Military Sphere After the fog of the October 7 atrocities faded away, the Israeli defense forces were able to recover Iranian-produced weapons used by Hamas during the October 7 attack. The Foundation For Defense of Democracies (FDD) reported that 60mm mortar rounds with Iranian-made AZ111 mortar round fuses and M112 demolition charges were used by Hamas in the attack. Evidence shows that these components were produced in Iran and appear in a catalog of the Defense Industries organization, an Iranian company affiliated with the Iranian Defense Ministry. The M112 explosives recovered were identical to those intercepted by U.S.-led operations in Yemen and Bahrain to stop smugglers. In addition to these familiar weapons, the IDF has also recovered new Iranian-made warheads for Rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPG) that were not seen before. In the new warhead, the first charge is designed to penetrate light armored vehicles, and the second charge is thermobaric and aimed at burning the target. The latest launching of drones and cruise missiles by the Houthis in Yemen towards Israel demonstrated more Iranian weapons variety. Since November last year, the U.S. Navy has seized many weapons and munitions en route to Yemen, in the area of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These included explosives, ammunition, weapons, and missiles, which are in the use of Hamas and other proxies as well. Iran’s creativity goes as far as its cruelty in its efforts to maintain a flow of arms to Iranian proxies in the region. Following the devastating earthquakes that hit Syria in February 2023, the IRGC used humanitarian assistance as camouflage to transfer weapons and crucial components to assist with Hezbollah’s efforts to turn their rockets more accurate. Recently, Syria accused Israel of launching simultaneous missile attacks against its airports, probably to stop the already known route of weapons transfer from Iran to Syria and further to Hezbollah. After the destruction of these airports, Russia hurried to allow Iranian flights to use the “Khmeimim” air base in Syria. This is happening while Hezbollah and Shia militias in Syria have been targeting Israel with rockets since October 7. The Technological Efforts Alongside supplying weapons to terrorist organizations, Iran is also very active in the technological sphere, which is crucial for securing funds for terrorism, surveillance, and supporting other terror-related activities inside and outside Iran. ArianTel, an Iranian wireless communications services provider, was pivotal to Iran’s efforts to create a large-scale surveillance network. According to Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity NGO based in Canada, the surveillance and censorship capabilities resulting from this level of integration with mobile service providers cannot be understated.  A prime example of this is MTN Group. MTN entered the Iranian telecom sector in 2005 and launched its services in Iran a year later using a subsidiary named Irancell, a front company of the IRGC, in which MTN owns a 49 percent stake, the other 51 percent owned by the Iranian Electronic Development Company. Since then, MTN has been closely involved with ArianTel as part of its joint venture with the Iranian government. MTN and Irancell provided multiple Access Points and Roaming agreements, granting ArianTel explicit access to their cellular networks. This allowed ArianTel and the Iranian government to carry out surveillance operations on dissidents and critics within Iran. MTN group openly and knowingly conducted business with the IRGC and ArianTel despite international sanctions against them. In April 2023, ArianTel was sanctioned by the European Union for contributing to the telecommunications surveillance architecture mapped out by the Iranian government to quash dissent and critical voices in Iran. In 2020, a year after IRGC was officially designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), MTN released a statement saying it would continue its business as usual. MTN made conscious decisions to engage in misconduct while violating sanctions and effectively supporting and facilitating Iran’s terrorism. But, the use of telecommunication systems does not stop at surveillance and suppressing dissent at home. Rather, it advances Tehran’s international aspirations as well, supporting Iran’s proxies in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen. This activity is at the core of the U.S. district court in New York’s high-stakes anti-terrorism act lawsuit against MTN Group. In addition to its direct engagement with the IRGC, the lawsuit revealed the group’s violations of the Anti-Terrorism Act by paying protection money of more than $100 million to Al Qaeda and the Taliban so they wouldn’t target its cellular towers, and they deactivated the towers at night, preventing U.S. intelligence operations. Another dimension of concern is MTN’s decades-long association with Hezbollah, a designated terrorist organization and a proxy of Iran. This relationship involved providing equipment that Hezbollah used as detonators and for tracking their adversaries. This history of supporting and enabling terror activity might indicate that other proxies of Iran, such as Hamas, were also benefiting from MTN’s services. There is evidence that Hamas’ brutal attacks against Israel were accompanied by cyberattacks conducted by a group linked to Iran. The attacks were aimed at stealing, publishing, and deleting sensitive information such as personal data and intellectual property from educational institutions and tech companies. These attacks began in January 2023 but were intensified following the October 7 attacks.   NYT reported that Iranian hackers were waging an espionage campaign targeting rivals across the Middle East, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. The cyberattacks are linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. According to Israeli cybersecurity officials, fifteen groups of hackers, such as “agonizing serpens” and “LionTail,” affiliated directly or as a proxy with the IRGC and Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, are responsible for the attacks. During this campaign, there were also attempts by groups affiliated with Hamas and Hezbollah to hack CCTV cameras in Israel. It’s Time to Stop Iran As shown above, Iran’s terror network is broad, and it also serves as a distraction from its efforts to cross the nuclear threshold and reach a nuclear military capability. Following Iran’s involvement in Hamas’ attacks against Israel and the continuous support of other proxies in the Middle East, the international community must step up joint efforts to stop both Iran and its accomplices.  The most common measure against Iran is sanctions, mainly in relation to the nuclear program. While sanctions took a toll on Iran’s economy, the shadow financial network provided it a lifeline. This year, the State Department imposed sanctions on a “shadow banking” network of thirty-nine entities across multiple jurisdictions, including those registered in China, Türkiye, and the UAE. These sanctions are targeting Iranian front companies abroad that have generated tens of billions of dollars for the Iranian regime.  One of Iran’s ways to bypass sanctions is the use of cryptocurrencies, which Tehran legalized in 2019. Around 4.5 percent of global Bitcoin mining is done in Iran. International compliance regulations, including those issued by the FATF (Financial Action Task Force), have made it more difficult to use cryptocurrencies as a way to evade sanctions but did not entirely stop Iran.   In addition, the Biden administration decided to freeze $6 billion as part of a prisoner swap deal with Iran to free five American citizens. Due to Iran’s backing of Hamas, Washington reached an understanding with Doha to prevent access of Iran to the funds. The United States also imposed new sanctions on Hamas and members of IRGC for arming, training, and providing financial assistance to the terror organization. The U.S. Department of Treasury emphasizes Iran’s role in providing financial, logistical, and operational support to Hamas. The EU announced that it is considering imposing similar sanctions against Iran over its support of Hamas. Moreover, the big three European countries refused to lift sanctions on Iran after October 18, 2023, a date set by the original deal in 2015 and related to Iran’s missile capabilities.  Although there is still some pressure on Iran, the effectiveness of sanctions is debatable. The Iranian leadership is very flexible in its ways to evade sanctions, leaving the Iranians to suffer as a result of the sanctions, especially when these are focusing on financing channels. Yes, the economy plunged, but that did not change the behavior and ambitions of the Iranian regime.  The current situation in the Middle East generates an opportunity and momentum to act against Iran. This should include complementary means to sanctions, such as cyber tools, a direct credible military threat to Iran’s strategic infrastructure, and dismantling of its proxies. But also the targeting of target channels of technology transfer and financial support with direct links to IRGC. In this context, the lawsuit against MTN Group is an important step. The Iranian leadership and its accomplices must know that as long as they engage in terrorism and nuclear armament, the international community will react vigorously. Joseph Rozen is an expert and practitioner in international relations, Asian affairs, geopolitics, and National Security. Mr. Rozen is a regular contributor to the Misgav Institute for National Security. In his prior capacity, he was the director for Asia & Euro-Asia departments in the Israeli National Security Council, serving under two prime ministers and six national security advisors. Image: Shutterstock.com. 

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   04-12-2023 USS Yorktown: The U.S. Navy's Aircraft Carrier Masterpiece

10 Facts About the USS Yorktown - The Essex-class USS Yorktown (CV-10) truly earned the nickname "Fighting Lady" for her service during the Second World War. One of the 26 Essex-class aircraft carriers built, and the second "short hull" models, she participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, where she earned 11 battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. USS Yorktown supported multiple amphibious landings and took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, which ended Japanese carrier dominance in the Pacific. Here are 10 key facts about the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy. 1 – Her Name Was Changed She was originally supposed to have been named USS Bon Homme Richard, but she was renamed USS Yorktown while still under construction, to honor the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), which was sunk at the Battle of Midway. She received her finalized name on September 26, 1942. 2 – She was the Fourth USS Yorktown One of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy, she was the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Yorktown, though the previous ships were named for the 1781 Battle of Yorktown, which saw the U.S. victory in the American Revolution. s Navy. 3 – Speedy Construction and Honored by the First Lady USS Yorktown was built in an amazing 16 and a half months at Newport News, Virginia. She was commissioned on April 15, 1943. She was launched from Naval Station Norfolk, Maryland, in May 1943 in a ceremony with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt presiding. 4 – She Was Part of the U.S. Fleet in Tokyo Bay Her first actions involved strikes against Japanese positions with Task Force 15 in August 1943. After the formal Japanese surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) on September 2, 1945, USS Yorktown was part of the Allies' "show of strength" and entered Tokyo Bay on September 16. She was among the warships employed in Operation Magic Carpet, which repatriated more than 8 million American personnel from the European, Pacific, and Asian theaters. 5 – She Saw Service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars Decommissioned shortly after the end of the Second World War, she was modernized and recommissioned in February 1953 as an attack carrier (CVA) and served with distinction during the Korean War. In addition to 11 Battle Stars earned during World War II, CVN-10 went on to earn five Battle Stars for her service off the coast of Vietnam (1965-68). 6 – Modernized and Upgraded During the Cold War In the 1950s, the USS Yorktown was modernized to operate jet aircraft as an attack carrier (CVA), receiving extensive modifications – most significantly, an angled flight deck. In 1957, she was re-designated as an anti-submarine aircraft carrier (CVS). She initially had a displacement of 27,000 tons, but during an upgrade in 1956, her displacement was increased to 30,000 tons – while she "grew" from 872 feet to 888 feet! 7 – USS Yorktown Played a Role in the Space Program In December 1968, USS Yorktown recovered the Apollo 8 astronauts and capsule, the first crewed ship to reach and orbit the Moon. A replica of the spacecraft is now on display on the carrier. 8 – Retired But Preserved Following her decommissioning in 1970, the USS Yorktown was placed in the reserve fleet. In 1975, the historic warship was towed from Bayonne, New Jersey, to Charleston, South Carolina, and became the centerpiece of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. The Essex-class aircraft carrier is now preserved as a museum ship and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. She is just one of five U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to be preserved as a museum ship. 9 – The USS Yorktown Served as a Basketball Court In 2012, part of the Armed Forces Classic basketball program that competed on military bases and at Armed Services locations around the world was greatly expanded, with three different flattops hosting games. A doubleheader was scheduled for November 9, 2012, on board the former USS Yorktown, the first involving a museum ship. It was originally supposed to feature the women's teams of Notre Dame and Ohio State, while a second game was to feature the men’s teams of Marquette and Ohio State. Though the women of Notre Dame defeated Ohio State, the men's game was unfortunately scrubbed due to condensation on the court. 10 – The Carrier Was Used in the Movies USS Yorktown appeared in the 1970 film "Tora! Tora! Tora!," which recreated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship had been leased to the film producers, who needed an aircraft carrier. As she was scheduled to be decommissioned, the U.S. Navy made her available. However, CVN-10 stood in for the Japanese carriers in several scenes – and stands out due to her angled flight deck and large island. The carrier – while a museum ship – later served as a set for the 1984 science fiction film "The Philadelphia Experiment." Author Experience and Expertise Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. All images: Creative Commons. 

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   05-12-2023 NGAD vs. F-35: What's the Difference?

NGAD - What is the difference between this and the F-35? - Now that tensions between Beijing and Washington are ramping up over the South China Sea and Taiwan, the fight for air superiority between the two nations is at an all-time high. For many years, the U.S. retained aerial might over its adversaries. When the F-22 Raptor was first introduced to the service, it became the world’s first-ever fifth-generation fighter platform. However, Moscow and Beijing pushed to modernize their respective aircraft capabilities around this time and ultimately developed their fifth-generation counterparts - the Chengdu J-20 and the Sukhoi Su-57. While America’s latest F-35 Lightening II fighter platform is widely considered to be the most formidable of its kind to take to the skies, the U.S. Air Force is already looking towards the future with its Next Generation Air Dominance program (NGAD).  Although no explicit definition can be applied to fifth-generation airframes, experts and military experts alike generally agree that stealth characteristics are the foundation. The leading fifth-generation airframes today combine precision attack capabilities, agility, speed and situational awareness with stealth. The Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35 Lightening II, in addition to China’s Chengdu J-20 and Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57, fall into this category. Each of these fighters is considered lightyears ahead of preceding platforms, yet the F-35 stands out for its particular cutting-edge features.  This article takes a look at what will separate the F-35 and NGAD, as many experts are now questioning if the U.S. Air Force needs a 6th generation fighter like NGAD.  Introducing the F-35 When the F-35 was well within its development phases in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the fighter incorporated new systems that were truly at the bleeding edge of combat aircraft design. As the product of the Joint Strike Fighter program, the F-35 was developed to fulfill the specific needs of both the Navy and Air Force. International partners notably participated in the JSF program, including the U.D., Italy, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. By the late 1990s, both Lockheed Martin and manufacturing competitor Boeing were selected based on their concept demonstrator aircraft. Ultimately, Lockheed was selected as the winner, and the F-35 entered its development phase.  F-35: Key Details The F-35 was designed to fly at speeds reaching Mach-1.6 (times the speed of sound), which is attainable with a full internal payload. With nearly double the internal fuel of its predecessor the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the Lightening II has a greater combat radius. Since the F-35 is highly armed, it is considerably heavier than the lightweight fighters that came before it. The lightest of the F-35 variants has an empty weight of just over 29,000 pounds. Three main F-35 variants exist: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A, the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B and the carrier-based F-35C. One of the most pivotal upgrades incorporated in the F-35 is advanced technology. Built on lessons learned from designing the Raptor program, the F-35 is equipped with sophisticated sensors and avionics components. The open architecture code installed in this platform enables continuous updates and improvements over time. In addition to this top-notch avionics suite, the F-35 has an extremely low radar cross-section.  What Makes NGAD Special  While the F-35 will likely be dominating the skies for years to come, the Air Force is already working towards its next-generation strategy. First conceptualized back in 2014, the NGAD program is designed to achieve air superiority. Five different technologies that will be prioritized in the fighter’s design are advanced weapons, stealth, digital design, propulsion and thermal management. While sixth-generation technology has not been precisely defined, the features in the NGAD program are expected to exceed the capabilities of fifth-generation counterparts.  Significantly, AI technology and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be incorporated into the NGAD. These collective combat aircraft are expected to fly alongside a sixth-generation fighter jet. The concept of moving away from the idea that fighters have to be a single, crewed aircraft is also being toyed with in Beijing. While the U.S. became the first country to introduce a fifth-generation airframe to the playing field, it won’t necessarily be the first to get a sixth-generation successor out front first.  NGAD Is Coming Soon  The Air Force has indicated that demonstrator NGAD aircraft are already airborne and that within a year a contract could be awarded to start its official development. As posted in Breaking Defense: “The Department of the Air Force released a classified solicitation to industry for an Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract for the Next Generation Air Dominance Platform with the intent to award a contract in 2024,” adding that “This solicitation release formally begins the source selection process providing industry with the requirements the DAF expects for NGAD, as the future replacement of the F-22.” Considering the current threat climate, the introduction of the military’s new-generation fighter program is essential to preserving America’s dominant aerial capabilities. About the Author  Maya Carlin is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. 

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   05-12-2023 The U.S. Air Force Is in Serious Decline

The US Air Force: A Service in Decline - In September, the United States Air Force celebrated another birthday. At age 76, it is in bad shape. Despite lowering qualification standards, it cannot attract enough recruits to fill its ranks. The size and serviceability of its combat aircraft are at all-time lows. And truncated training has weakened pilot readiness. In sum, the Air Force today would struggle to execute another Desert Storm, much less take on a peer adversary like China. Even more distressing, the service’s leaders show no interest in pulling out of that downward spiral. Let’s start with a few facts. U.S. Air Force Recruiting The active duty Air Force missed its FY 2023 recruiting goals by 11 percent. Its Air Reserve component fell short by 30 percent. The chief of Air Force recruiting said the numbers would have been much worse, had the service not changed its policies regarding drug use, body composition, age, and the likes. While some deny that equates to lower standards, it most certainly brings them into question. Standards From its founding in 1947 through the end of the Cold War, the Air Force placed a premium on building and sustaining a cadre of the most exceptional aviators in the world. Selection for flight school was based on performance during the accessions process and previous flight experience—criteria that sent those with the highest potential to excel to flight school. Screening for excellence continued through every phase of training beyond. Washout rates for flight school exceeded 20 percent in the 1980s, and the bar was high for every successive school beyond. But the drive for efficiencies in the 1990s and the initiative to improve racial diversity in the 2020s have made a mockery of the screening process. In 2021, just 0.27 percent of flight school candidates were eliminated because of performance. Screening beyond flight school is effectively non-existent, even for promotions. Every Air Force captain without legal or ethical issues has been promoted to Major since 2017, which means even poor performers graduate and advance. Accessions, training, and promotion standards are at all-time lows, which places the big picture—the service’s ability to execute its wartime mission—into jeopardy. U.S. Air Force Capacity and Readiness At the height of the Cold War, the Air Force had 4,468 fighter and 331 bomber aircraft in its total force inventory. Roughly eight out of ten were mission capable. Today, it has just 1,932 fighter and 140 bomber aircraft. On any given day, only six of every 10 are fit to fly combat missions. In a war with China, the Air Force could generate just 32% of the fighter and bomber capacity it could in 1987. Unfortunately, unit and individual pilot readiness levels have also fallen to unprecedented levels. At the height of the Cold War, the average fighter pilot flew more than 160 sorties/200 hours a year. In 2022, Air Force fighter pilots averaged just 74 sorties/129 hours a year. They also averaged less than less than two of the three mission simulator sorties they are supposedly required to receive each month. By the service’s own definition, there isn’t a squadron in the Air Force that could be considered mission ready. One reason the Air Force became a separate service 76 years ago was that the U.S. Army seemed disinterested in sustaining the health of its air arm. Following a 1923 study known as the Lassiter Report, which documented the sorry state of military aviation, Gen. “Billy” Mitchell began a campaign designed to alert the public to the dangers of this neglect. History appears to be repeating—only now it’s not the Army, but the service charged with dominating the skies that seems to have lost interest in air supremacy. In 2021, Gen. “CQ” Brown, then the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, wrote a paper titled “Redefine Readiness or Lose.” Oddly enough, Gen. Brown never redefined readiness. Rather, a year later, one of the service’s most senior leaders held a brainstorming session with major think tanks soliciting suggestions on how to shift the public narrative away from (its lack of) readiness.  And now, in FY 2024, the service has budgeted for fewer flight hours than it has in any year since its founding. A century after the Lassiter report, the Air Force has become the service it divorced in 1947. It will take more than a new “narrative” and fancy slogan to make it right again. About the Author  John “JV” Venable, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons Instructor Course, is a Senior Research Fellow for Defense Policy in the Center for National Defense at The Heritage Foundation. All images are from Shutterstock. 

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[US] - ESQUIRE

[US] - FORTUNE

   01-11-2018 Retirement contribution limits will rise in 2019

Good news retirement savers: The Internal Revenue Service announced cost of living increases to the contribution limits for retirement-related plans in 2019.

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[US] - ROLLINGSTONE

[US] - ROLLINGSTONE (Politique)

[US] - GLAMOUR

   05-12-2023 70 Best Gifts for Sisters That They Won’t Return 2023

Presents she'll really, truly love

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   05-12-2023 50 Best Gifts Under $25 in 2023

A win for everyone on your list—and your wallet.

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   05-12-2023 77 Best Gifts for Men That Will Actually Make Him Happy in 2023

Avoid the frantic trip to the impulse aisle.

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   04-12-2023 34 Best Beanies & Hats to Get You Through Winter 2023

Brave the elements in style.

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   04-12-2023 Meg Ryan Thanks Billy Crystal For Making THAT When Harry Met Sally Scene Possible

Never looking at a deli sandwich the same way again.

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   04-12-2023 Anne Hathaway Stuns in a Red Carpet Gown With a Hilarious Inspiration

A plate of pasta never looked so chic.

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   04-12-2023 27 Best Lip Balm, According to Dermatologists & ‘Glamour’ Editors

Kiss cracked lips goodbye.

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   04-12-2023 Ashanti Is Reportedly Pregnant With Her First Child After Rekindling Decade-Old Romance With Nelly

Was this on your 2023 bingo card?

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   04-12-2023 Cruel Intentions: Everything We Know About The TV Remake

At long last, a nineties fave is being serialized.

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   05-12-2023 Jude Law's Daughter Iris Law's Low-Rise Red Carpet Look Literally Screams ‘SEX’

The 23-year-old daughter of Jude Law and Sadie Frost is a certified fashion darling.

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[US] - WIRED

   04-12-2023 10 Best Outdoor Security Cameras (2023): Battery-Powered, LTE, No Subscription

These weatherproof outdoor security cams keep a watchful eye on your property while you get on with life. Our list includes battery-powered and LTE devices and options that need no subscription.

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   04-12-2023 US Lawmakers Want to Use a Powerful Spy Tool on Immigrants and Their Families

Legislation set to be introduced in Congress this week would extend Section 702 surveillance of people applying for green cards, asylum, and some visas—subjecting loved ones to similar intrusions.

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   04-12-2023 Sony Access Controller Review: A Beautiful Addition for All Gamers

Sony’s first accessible controller is an excellent start and a welcome new part of PlayStation's lineup, but it has a ways to go before being truly incredible.

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   04-12-2023 The Rise of AI in Alternative Browsers—and What’s Next

Developers at smaller companies have been adding new ways to experience the internet with AI assistance. Their visions for the future radically differ.

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   04-12-2023 Gravity Eye Massager Review: Multi-Functional and Compact

It’s the most stressful time of the year. This comfortable, compact massage tool helps you decompress at home—and it’s way more affordable than the competition.

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   04-12-2023 Want to Store a Message in DNA? That’ll Be $1,000

French startup Biomemory is rolling out a credit-card-sized storage device that uses DNA to encode a kilobyte of text data.

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   04-12-2023 Dispatch from the Future: The Must-Have Gadgets and Gear of 2053

To celebrate WIRED’s 30th birthday, we asked the experts—and our imaginations—to dream up the cars, phones, televisions, and other tools of tomorrow.

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   04-12-2023 Spotify Is Screwed

Spotify is the world’s biggest music streamer but rarely turns a profit and just cut 17 percent of its workforce. Its business model looks increasingly precarious.

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   04-12-2023 George Santos Is Now on Cameo

Ousted congressperson George Santos, accused of multiple scams and grifts, is now selling videos of himself on Cameo for $200 a pop.

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   05-12-2023 The 'Grand Theft Auto VI' Trailer Is Here. And It’s Already Causing Mayhem

Rockstar's hugely anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI has fans in a frenzy. The new trailer brings big Vice City vibes and big action.

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[US] - WOMAN WEAR DAILY

[US] - FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Politique)

[US] - ASSOCIATED PRESS

[US] - ASSOCIATED PRESS (Politique)

[US] - ZENIT (en)

[US] - ZENIT (fr)

[US] - ZENIT (ge)

[US] - ZENIT (es)

[US] - ZENIT (it)

[US] - ZENIT (pt)

[US] - CNN

   01-01-1970 Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts

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   05-04-2023 Haberman reveals why Trump attacked judge and his family in speech

CNN political contributor Maggie Haberman explains the reasoning behind Donald Trump's attacks on the judge and his family during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort after he was arraigned on felony charges.

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   05-04-2023 What to know about the Trump indictment on the eve of his court appearance

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   01-01-1970 READ: Trump indictment related to hush money payment

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   01-01-1970 Russian authorities detain suspect over St. Petersburg cafe blast

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   04-04-2023 Video shows moment of deadly explosion at cafe in Russia

A well-known Russian military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, was killed in an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg, authorities said. CNN's Matthew Chance reports.

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   03-04-2023 Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich appeals against arrest, Russian state media says

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   03-04-2023 Suspected Chinese spy balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing

The suspected Chinese spy balloon that transited the US earlier this year was able to capture imagery and collect some signals intelligence from US military sites, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.

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   04-04-2023 Beijing promised to 'fight back' over Taiwan leader's US visit. But this time it has more to lose

An anticipated meeting between Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California this week has sparked concerns of a repeat of the pressure campaign China launched last year when then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.

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   03-04-2023 'Scary, cold, hungry and lonely': Volunteer soldier shares experience on front line

A young volunteer soldier, Akula, who signed up for the war at the beginning of the Russian invasion is now dealing with the trauma of war. He spoke to CNN's David McKenzie about his time on the front lines and how it has affected his mental health.

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[US] - CNN (Politique)

   10-12-2022 How Kyrsten Sinema's decision makes Democrats' 2024 Senate map tighter

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decided to shake up the political world on Friday by becoming an independent. The former Democrat is still caucusing with the party in the Senate, so the Democratic caucus still has 51 members. Now, instead of 49 Democrats and two independents within their ranks, the caucus has 48 Democrats and three independents.

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   11-12-2022 Meet the woman steering Biden's bipartisan winning streak on Capitol Hill

The Biden administration managed to rack up a long list of major legislative wins in its first two years despite facing one of the most closely-divided Congresses in history. From bipartisan action on infrastructure, gun safety and same-sex marriage to party-line bills tackling climate change and expanding health care coverage, it's a record President Joe Biden and Democrats on the ballot were all eager to tout on the campaign trail during the midterms.

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   01-01-1970 CNN Political Briefing

The political news you need to know, in 10 minutes or less. Hosted by David Chalian.

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   01-01-1970 The Axe Files with David Axelrod

Go beyond the soundbites and get to know some of the most interesting players in politics.

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   01-01-1970 Margins of Error

Look closely at almost anything and you'll find data—lots of it. But what are those numbers really saying about who we are and what we believe? Harry Enten is on a mission to find out.

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   08-12-2022 The notable legal clouds that continue to hang over Donald Trump

All eyes are on former President Donald Trump, who has launched another White House bid.

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   30-11-2022 The fine print of the Respect for Marriage Act

Let's start with the positive: Republicans and Democrats are coming together to protect same-sex marriage from the Supreme Court.

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   13-06-2023 Everything you need to know about Biden's student loan forgiveness program

President Joe Biden's federal student loan forgiveness program, which promises to deliver up to $20,000 of debt relief for millions of borrowers, is on hold indefinitely as legal challenges work their way through the courts.

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   05-12-2023 Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

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   01-01-1970 0% intro APR until 2024 is 100% insane

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[US] - MSNBC

[US] - MSNBC (Politique)

[US] - FOXNEWS

[US] - FOXNEWS (Politique)

[US] - MSN

[US] - THE WASHINGTON POST (Politique)

   05-12-2023 Kari Lake struggles to court moderates, imperiling GOP Senate pickup

On a mission to flip a Senate seat from Arizona back to red, Lake is courting some of the same Republicans she recently denounced as “RINOs.”

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   05-12-2023 White House warns Congress of urgent need for Ukraine funding

The Biden administration told Congress that it is “out of money to support Ukraine in this fight” and that inaction could “kneecap” Ukraine in its war with Russia.

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   05-12-2023 Doug Burgum suspends long-shot presidential campaign

Long-shot Republican presidential candidate and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum suspended his campaign after failing to gain momentum with voters in a crowded field.

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   05-12-2023 Four GOP presidential candidates qualify for fourth primary debate

Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will face off on Dec. 6 in the fourth GOP presidential primary debate.

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   05-12-2023 Trump loses chance to challenge N.Y. gag order before trial ends

A New York appellate court declined to quickly consider a request by lawyers for Donald Trump to file a higher court challenge to a gag order against him

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   05-12-2023 Sandra Day O’Connor, pathbreaking woman on Supreme Court, dies at 93

The court’s first female justice was known for her independence on the bench.

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   04-12-2023 Top Democrat in Westchester files to challenge Rep. Jamaal Bowman

Westchester County Executive George Latimer previously said the race could be a “proxy argument” between “the left and the far left.”

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   04-12-2023 James Comer’s Biden claims do not deserve the benefit of the doubt

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee again gets out way over his skis.

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   04-12-2023 Opponents of No Labels and other third-party presidential bids launch ads

One ad casts Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein as campaigns that are likely to help Donald Trump win a second term in the White House.

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   05-12-2023 Defending his 2020 fraud claims, Trump turns to fringe Jan. 6 theories

Trump’s lawyers have pressed the Justice Department for information on far-right conspiracy theories, further blurring the line between his campaign and his court battles.

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[US] - NY DAILY NEWS