President Trump is leaning on Steve Witkoff, a longtime friend and real estate investor, to facilitate key aspects of his foreign policy, including high-profile ceasefire talks in Gaza and fledgling negotiations with Russia over Ukraine. Witkoff, a largely unknown figure until recent weeks, has quickly expanded his profile beyond his title of “special envoy to… Source link
What’s the worst that could happen? President Donald Trump is running out of patience with Boeing, which was supposed to deliver two new Air Force One planes by the end of his predecessor’s term. And guess who he’s turning to to speed things up? Elon Musk, who Trump has “empowered” to take measures to get the beleaguered aerospace company to stop dragging its feet, the New York Times reports. Trump’s pick for the task isn’t surprising, since he’s asked the world’s richest man to do everything short of fixing the White House’s plumbing in his ostensible mission of making the federal government more “efficient.” If Musk can fly a rocket, Trump reportedly told associates, per the NYT, he can probably fly an airplane. But the lengths that Trump is letting Musk go here are alarming. According to the NYT, Musk has questioned the amount of time needed to flight test the planes, and is also considering lowering the security clearance required to work on the new jets, which are armed with a bevy of sensitive systems …
Associated Press White House reporter Darlene Superville and AP photographer Ben Curtis are told by a U.S. President Donald Trump administration member that they have been denied from joining the White House press pool in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 15, 2025. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Reuters on Saturday objected to the restrictions placed on media outlets by the White House, after the Trump administration earlier this week barred the Associated Press from key spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One. “Reuters stands with the Associated Press and other media organizations in objecting to coverage restrictions imposed by the White House on the AP, because of the AP’s independent editorial decisions,” read a statement from the Reuters Press Team on X. “Reuters believes that journalists should be free to report the news reliably, independently, and without harassment or harm, wherever they are, including in the United States,” it continued. The comment comes after the White House’s decision earlier this week to ban all AP reporters from the Oval Office and Air …
Lars Rensing, CEO of Digital Product Passport solutions provider Protokol, discusses the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and how this will impact tech businesses. When we consider the modern consumer, it is no surprise that waste is becoming an increasing strain on our planet. As technology continues to advance at such a staggering rate, our desire to possess the latest gadgets is having major knock-on effects on the environment and the amount of waste we send to landfills. To focus on technology companies and their role in this story, e-waste is the most prominent issue that must be addressed. To put these issues concerning electronic waste into perspective: “e-waste remains one of the fastest-growing solid waste streams in the world… with less than a quarter of e-waste produced globally in 2022 being known to be formally recycled.” Given the staggering statistics above, it’s unsurprising that the European Union has been implementing a range of initiatives to tackle such global issues. Ultimately, with the goal of supporting greater circularity and championing more sustainable business practices. …
More than a third of schools in England are blocking pupil choice by forcing them to take religious studies at GCSE level, new research has found. Freedom of information requests made by the National Secular Society have revealed 37% of all secondary schools require their pupils to take religious studies (RS) GCSE. Nine in ten faith schools in England are blocking pupil choice, with 88% of schools with a religious character requiring their pupils to take RS GCSE. Around 1.3 million pupils at schools with mandatory RS GCSE Out of the 317 responses received by the NSS, 280 schools with a religious character confirmed they had policies requiring all pupils to take GCSE RS in place. Most also confirmed that pupils would be unable to take an alternative GCSE, should parents elect to withdraw their child from religious education. In comparison, most nonreligious schools do not require children to take RS GCSE, with just 25% making it mandatory. An estimated 1.3 million pupils are affected by such policies across all types of school. Although it …
The inside of the trainer is lined with mauve terry cotton, and the sidewalls are amped up by two super shiny Swooshes. All of this then rests on top of a white rubber midsole. But while most Forces since the ’80s have been stamped with “Air” along the back, this one’s got A Ma Maniére branding instead. Why? Well, just so everyone knows that this ain’t no ordinary collab. A Ma Maniére has been an institution in the sneakerverse since 2014. Founded by designer James Whitner, the brand’s French name translates to “in my way”—a nod to how the designer has always done things on his own terms. Alongside the ‘Sesame,’ the ‘While You Were Sleeping’ lineup also includes other hyped drops like the Air Jordan 4 (that launched a few months ago) as well as the label’s first ever Air Max 95. And with this collection celebrating AMM’s 10th anniversary, it’s safe to say that it’s a pretty big deal. A Ma Maniére x Nike Air Force 1 ‘W.Y.W.S.’ A Ma Maniére The A …
More from this theme Recent articles Academy trusts have been left up to £100,000 out of pocket following the government’s sudden decision to scrap capacity funding – with fears expansion bids could be stopped in their tracks. Leaders revealed that the move to scrap the latest round of trust capacity funding (TCaF) has left them having to absorb six-figure costs and wondering “where trusts sit” in the education landscape. The Department for Education also axed the trust establishment and growth (TEG) fund and academy conversion payments – but said it had no plans to end any other expansion grants. Lucia Glynn Consultant Lucia Glynn said: “With the loss of that funding, it’s almost as if a rug has been pulled from under everyone because conversations [about growth] that will have been going on for a year, 18 months… may no longer be able to be fulfilled.” The TCaF provides cash to help MATs develop their capacity and take on underperforming schools, particularly in education investment areas. But many trusts pay for the improvements before receiving …
In a major victory for a longstanding Humanists UK campaign, safe access zones around all hospitals and clinics providing abortions in England and Wales are implemented from today. The move means people accessing or providing abortions can do so free from harassment and intimidation. Humanists UK has campaigned on this issue as part of the ‘Back Off!’ campaign – which it helped to launch in 2015 – and welcomed the implementation as a crucial step towards protecting abortion care access. Safe access zones will make it an offence to influence, obstruct, or harass anyone within a 150-metre radius around any premise providing abortion services, and anyone found guilty of breaking the law will face an unlimited fine. This covers acts such as handing out leaflets, protesting against abortion rights, shouting at individuals, or physically restricting someone’s access to a clinic or hospital. Instances will be dealt with on a case-by-base basis, with police and prosecutors evaluating the intent and recklessness of the person involved. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published clear guidance to prosecutors …
Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. From Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together by Michael Morris. Published by Thesis, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright 2024 by Michael Morris. Three major tribal instincts evolved at different stages of the Stone Age. They helped our forebears learn the ways of their group and act upon them. In more academic terms, they encode group patterns and then enact these patterns. You can think of these systems as as both a radar that continually maps the social environment and an autopilot that helps you navigate safely through it. Tribal instincts changed the human experience of group living in several ways. First, they accelerated the acquisition of learned skills. With tribal instincts, I don’t have to rely on effortful trial and error experience, as I can pick up many skills through observation. If I see …
SpaceX was awarded an eight-launch, $733 million contract by the U.S. Space Force on Friday, as part of an ongoing program intended to foster competition among launch providers. The award includes seven launches for the Space Development Agency and one for the National Reconnaissance Office, all anticipated to use Falcon 9s and occur no earlier than 2026. The massive new contract is part of a U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) program with the catchy name of “National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1.” This third round of contracts was split into two lanes last year: Lane 1, for lower-risk missions and near-Earth orbits; and Lane 2, for heavy-lift missions and the more demanding orbits. The Space Force selected SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and (somehow, despite not getting to orbit yet) Blue Origin to compete for launches under Lane 1 earlier this summer. At the time, the Space Force acknowledged that the pool of awardees was small, but that it aimed to account for this by allowing companies to bid on Lane 1 …
