Month: January 2024

Ukraine needs American weapons, not more GOP drama

Ukraine needs American weapons, not more GOP drama

This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Republicans need to recover their senses about the dire moral and strategic tests Ukraine and the West face in Europe. First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic: A Test of Will and Commitment Wars test people and weapons on a battlefield, but eventual victory rests on much more than combat. Wars also stress-test political institutions, ideas, and the courage of entire societies. At this moment, the United States is on the verge of failing a challenge of will and commitment, much to the delight of the neo-fascist Russian regime that has turned Ukraine’s fields and homes into an immense abattoir. President Joe Biden, most of NATO, and many other nations recognize the crisis, but the world could face a Russian victory—and an eventual escalation of Russian aggression against Europe—solely because of the ongoing drama and inane bickering …

Danny Masterson transferred to Charles Manson’s former prison for 30-year sentence

Danny Masterson transferred to Charles Manson’s former prison for 30-year sentence

Danny Masterson, the former star of “That ’70s Show,” has been transferred to the same maximum-security prison in California that housed Charles Manson from 1989 until his death in 2017 — years short of the length of time the convicted rapist is expected to be held there himself. Corcoran State Prison, which opened just one year before it brought in Manson, has an approximate population of 3,445 inmates, many of whom are serial rapists and murderers. In past years, the facility has also been home to Rodney Alcala — the “dating game killer,” and Sirhan Sirhan — convicted assassin of United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy. According to California state prison records, Masterson is not eligible for parole until July 2042. Last week, his request for bail was denied by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge based on the reasoning that he has “every incentive to flee” if released from prison, compounded by his ongoing divorce proceedings from actress Bijou Phillips, writing that the “defendant has no wife to go home to,” per reporting by Entertainment Weekly.  Source link

Man pleads guilty in B scheme to dodge NY money laundering rules

Man pleads guilty in $1B scheme to dodge NY money laundering rules

Las Vegas Review-journal | Tribune News Service | Getty Images A man described as an “experienced anti-money laundering specialist” pleaded guilty on Wednesday to illegally funneling more than $1 billion in lucrative, high-risk transactions through small financial institutions, the U.S. Department of Justice said. The massive transfer, which included hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign jurisdictions, occurred without proper oversight and without any Suspicious Activity Reports being filed, as the law requires, the DOJ said. The man, 56-year-old Gyanendra Asre of Greenwich, Connecticut, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court to one count of failing to maintain an anti-money laundering program in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced May 3. A lawyer for Asre did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, meanwhile, on Wednesday assessed a $100,000 civil penalty on Asre and banned him from participating in any financial institution’s affairs for five years. “Asre was an experienced anti-money laundering specialist …

The Best Early Presidents’ Day 2024 Appliance Deals: Save on Samsung, LG, and More

The Best Early Presidents’ Day 2024 Appliance Deals: Save on Samsung, LG, and More

Major deals on must-have appliances are headed your way this Presidents’ Day. The holiday, which falls on Feb. 19 this year, is the perfect time to upgrade your home with that new fridge or washer you’ve had your eye on. Every year on the third Monday of February, you can expect a cavalcade of slick deals from your favorite stores on home goods from vacuums to microwaves and everything in between.  But you don’t have to wait until then to save some serious cash. You can upgrade your home and collection of supplies and appliances today with a newer, more powerful microwave or serve up quick eats with a high-capacity air fryer right now. With super savings from retailers like Best Buy, Walmart and Amazon, you can bring home affordable appliances before Presidents’ Day ever rolls around.  Below, find some of our favorite early Presidents’ Day deals you can shop right now. Snag a bigger, better fridge with plenty of space to stock weeks’ worth of groceries. Wash a week’s worth of laundry from the …

Netflix Nabs Sundance Doc ‘Daughters’

Netflix Nabs Sundance Doc ‘Daughters’

The Sundance documentary Daughters has landed at Netflix. The feature follows four young girls as they prepare for a daddy daughter dance, which is a chance to reunite with their incarcerated fathers as part of a fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C. prison. Daughters took home the audience award in the documentary competition and earned the festival favorite award. Directors Angela Patton and Natalie Rae are behind the feature. Patton is the CEO of Girls for a Change, a non-profit that launched the Date with Dad Program, which holds a dance for the daughters of men incarcerated in a D.C. prison. The documentary details a ten-week program the men enter upon in preparation for the dance, as well as the anticipation the girls feel for the big day. “Daughters peaks an hour in with the father-daughter dance, which is astonishing and as potent as you could hope for. From the preparations for the dance, on both sides of the prison walls, to the moment at which the girls tentatively walk down the hallway to where …

Domino Day review – this fertile, fun witch drama is Buffy for a new generation | Television

Domino Day review – this fertile, fun witch drama is Buffy for a new generation | Television

Every generation deserves an attempt to get its own Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I am not quite sure what generation we are up to now – I took my eye off the ball sometime around Z – but whatever it is, they should be glad they fall into the one that gets Domino Day as its submission. As supernaturally slanted stories of young women discovering their power and its temptations, the dark ways of the world, solidarity and sisterhood go, it is not half bad. Domino (Siena Kelly) is a young Mancunian witch (and barista and part-time tattooist) who must feed off the energy of others to stay alive. She sources her meat from dating apps – I do not know how un-hot young witches manage – and rare is it that one of her hookups doesn’t prove himself worthy of being drained. Things go awry in the first episode, however, when one dirtbag-cum-attempted-rapist secretly sets up a device to film them together. Thus he ends up with video evidence of her secret. Soon, Domino learns that her powers have a scorched-earth …

FBI says it’s shut down China Volt Typhoon infrastructure hacks

FBI says it’s shut down China Volt Typhoon infrastructure hacks

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said Wednesday that the bureau had disrupted a major Chinese government-backed effort to hack into U.S. water, communications, transportation and energy facilities that could enable it to shut down essential services and foment chaos in the event of a conflict. Wray testified in a House committee hearing that the FBI used court-authorized operations to wrest control of hundreds of routers that the Chinese group known as Volt Typhoon had been using as springboards to get inside sensitive infrastructure. Wray also urged lawmakers to support investments in U.S. cyberdefense, warning that China’s hacking force far outnumbered America’s. “If you took every single one of the FBI cyber agents, intelligence analysts and focused them exclusively on the China threat, China’s hackers would still outnumber FBI cyber personnel by at least 50 to 1,” he said. The hacking campaign attributed to Volt Typhoon was first publicly reported in May, when Microsoft said it had found traces embedded in critical infrastructure in Guam, the closest U.S. territory to Taiwan and which is home to …

Split The International Energy Agency Into Two To Avoid Shocks

Split The International Energy Agency Into Two To Avoid Shocks

Authored by Mark Mills via RealClear Wire, The International Energy Agency (IEA) turns 50 this year. It’s time to rethink the IEA’s role and for the United States, the biggest source of funding, to suspend IEA payments until it has been restructured for the times. Why? Start with the fact that the IEA was created because of an “energy shock” that caused a global recession. The first quarter of 1974 saw a 400 percent jump in oil prices triggered by an Arab oil embargo. Policymakers and businesses everywhere scrambled to find reliable information about sources, supply chains, and options. The absence of such information was a key motivating factor for creating the IEA. Today, the prospect of a mere 40 percent oil-price hike evokes political and market panic. Many believe that an “energy transition” reduces the risks today, and that’s where the naiveté begins—and it epitomizes the IEA’s problem. The need for reliable and affordable energy, especially oil, is greater today. And energy markets and geopolitics are at least as vulnerable. Sure, a lot has changed. Social …

Prince William and Princess Kate’s official online bios have received a royal refresh | Royal | News

Prince William and Princess Kate’s official online bios have received a royal refresh | Royal | News

The pages begin with brief summary that is folowed by photos and videos provding info on the royals’ cauess incliding the engirnoment and early childhood suport. William’s bio reads: “The Prince of Wales is the heir to the throne and the eldest son of His Majesty The King and Diana, Princess of Wales. His Royal Highness is married to The Princess of Wales, Catherine, with whom he has three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The family’s official residence is Kensington Palace. His Royal Highness undertakes a number of charitable activities and projects and carries out public and official duties in support of The King, in the UK and overseas.” Kate’s bio reads: “The Princess of Wales, born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, married Prince William, The Prince of Wales, at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. Their Royal Highnesses have three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The family’s official residence is Kensington Palace. As well as undertaking royal duties in support of The King, both in the UK and overseas, Her …

The Way Your Boss Reacts To Your Problems Reflects Their Respect

The Way Your Boss Reacts To Your Problems Reflects Their Respect

Respect is vital in the workplace. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, respect is the most important leadership factor for employees. Those who feel respected at their job report better health and well-being, greater job satisfaction, and even higher levels of engagement, productivity, and focus while at work. They are also more likely to find meaning in their job and stay at their place of work for longer. But despite the benefits for both employees and employers, over half of employees don’t feel respected by their leaders.   If it’s not blatantly obvious where you stand in your work culture, an attorney on TikTok provided a method to get a sense of your boss’s respect for you as an employee. The attorney claimed that the way your boss reacts to your financial ‘problems’ is a direct reflection of their respect for you.  Ryan Stygar, known as Attorney Ryan on social media, shared in a TikTok a tell-tale sign to investigate your relationship with your boss at work.  RELATED: Man Says ‘Society Is Designed Wrong’ Because People Have To Work 9 To …