Posts

Wyman, a 59-year-old Republican recently elected to her third term, told the Associated Press she plans to come to her new position with the same philosophy she’s always had: “Party politics aren’t as important as our country’s elections.” She will lead the election security team in the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is responsible for maintaining safe and fair elections across the country. Leading up to the 2020 election, Wyman was a frequent advocate for the fairness of the current election system, including the safety of mail-in voting while it was under attack by many in her own party, including then-President Donald Trump....

As policy scholar Michael Doran has noted, this is deeply abnormal. For one thing, it elevates the region’s Shi’a minority over its Sunni majority—precisely the same dynamic that contributed to a sidelining of the U.S. in regional affairs during the Obama years. But it is worrisome for another reason as well: it unwittingly confers a major strategic advantage to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Over the last half decade, China has become the single largest investor in the Middle East, sinking upward of $120 billion into infrastructure-related projects there....

Biden made his comments while responding to a question from CNN anchor Don Lemon during a CNN Town Hall on Wednesday night. Earlier in the event, Biden said that the nation needs more police to respond to recent increases in violent crime. Speaking of a Democratic police reform bill, Biden said, “We need to pass the [George] Floyd Act and all that, but here’s the deal: Cops are having real trouble....

Biden announced in December that he wasn’t planning on sending troops to Ukraine, focusing his attention on sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s economy. However, many believe Putin’s ambitions go far beyond Ukraine in an effort to restore the Soviet Union, a goal that could pull the rest of the world into the conflict. During the State of the Union on Tuesday, Biden reaffirmed his commitment to Ukraine, chastising Putin for underestimating the world’s resolve to defend Ukraine....

“This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century,” Biden said in the statement. “The Texas law will significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes.” The new law bans providers from terminating pregnancies once a fetal heartbeat is detected—about six weeks from conception, and a timeframe that opponents have argued many women are not aware that they are pregnant....

Take Valley Park, Mo., which passed an ordinance requiring city businesses to sign affidavits swearing that they don’t knowingly hire illegal aliens and prohibiting illegal aliens from renting or leasing property. The town got the idea from a similar law passed in Hazelton, Pa., which spread around the Internet on anti-immigration Web sites and became a template for towns and cities across the country. Shaheena Simons, a lawyer at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) in Washington, says at least 50 other cities–in states including California, Alabama, Oklahoma, New York and New Jersey–have either passed similar laws or have them in the works....

Big Brother is alive and well, not only in Newham but all over Britain. More than a million cameras now monitor the citizens’ movements. That’s more per head of population than in any other country. By one reckoning, the average commuter can expect to be caught on film 300 times between opening the garden gate in the morning and returning at night. Glance upward in almost any town center for proof: a wall-mounted camera–sometimes in a bulletproof casing–trained on the shoppers below....

The charges leveled last week–of fraudulent acts that threatened epilepsy patients, mined retirees and put high-polluting ears on the street-were once the kind that led to a regulator’s slap on the wrist. No more. “What used to be a violation of a rule has suddenly become a crime,” says Aaron Marcu, a New York defense lawyer. That’s painfully clear to business. Just ask Warner-Lambert, which will pay $10 million to the Food and Drug Administration on charges that it failed to report test results on the drug Dilantin....

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Corgi Classics It’s never too early to be a history buff. One of a series of model airplanes with exhaustive attention to original details. $50; go to corgiclassics.com for stores. Portable Foosball Table Restoration Hardware Kids can be competitive without a TV or console. This classic sport table packs up so parents can take it anywhere. $129 at www.restorationhardware.com. Skagen Fun Watch Garnet Hill Finding out you’re late for school never looked so good....

Their forceful opposition to Big Media persuaded the House of Representatives last week to, in effect, overturn a recent ruling by the Federal Communications Commission that would have relaxed media ownership rules, allowing companies like Viacom and News Corp. to own TV stations that reach 45 percent of the national audience, up from 35 percent. If the House’s vote becomes law, it could mean Viacom and News Corp. will have to sell some stations to get back under the cap....

Line: Michigan -7.5 Total: 35 Line movement: The Wynn opened Michigan -9 last Sunday, but that number was down to -7 the next day. There’s since been some buy-back on the Wolverines, pushing the line off the key number to -7.5. Totals range from 34.5 to 35.5 as of Friday. Check our odds page for updated college football lines and totals. Trends that matter: UNDER is 10-1 in Michigan’s last 11 as a favorite, 5-0 in last five overall…....

The UM defense was not good on that final trip by the Illinois Fighting Illini. It has been not good during a lot of trips by a lot of opponents. There is a reason it is the 95th-ranked D in all of college basketball in terms of points per possession. On this day, in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, that defense allowed the Illini to shoot 45 percent from the field....

But the bottom feeders are struggling. Iowa lost to FCS North Dakota State and Illinois lost to Western Michigan. There isn’t much exciting action this week aside from the marquee game at noon: No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State. This game will have conference title implications. MORE: Best photos from Week 3 Here’s how to watch all the Big Ten games this week. All times ET. Saturday, September 24 Nevada at Purdue, 12:00 p....

The Battle at Lake Changjin, a $200 million project commissioned by the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda office, has generated $902 million in ticket sales since it was released to coincide with China’s National Day holidays on October 1. The three-hour action flick—part of the celebrations marking the CCP’s centennial this summer—has made more than 99 percent of its revenue from China’s own moviegoers, according to IMDb’s tracker, Box Office Mojo....

Lee isn’t the only Seoul resident who’s always online. The South Korean capital has the most extensive wireless-broadband network in the world, with more than 400,000 Wi-Fi subscribers. Wi-Fi is available in airports, hotels, government offices, libraries, banks and fast-food restaurants. Korea Telecom started its mobile-broadband service two years ago. Its latest offering, Nespot Swing, combines conventional mobile-phone service with mobile-broadband Internet. A $500 PDA phone built specially for the service puts a 5-megabits-per-second Wi-Fi connection at your disposal....

The Hammers have only scored four goals in five league matches despite adding Chicharito during the summer transfer window, and fans are calling on Bilic to play the pair together up front. Hammers 17/4 to beat Spurs Chicharito has been playing on the right side of a three-man attack since Carroll’s return from a thigh injury, leaving the Mexican out of his regular position. But Bilic doesn’t think it would be a good move to play just Carroll and Chicharito in attack due to the other players he has available....

In August 2010, Gates and Buffett spearheaded a movement of the U.S.’ richest people to promise to give away most of their wealth to address problems in society. Known as the Giving Pledge, it now includes 200 people around the world with the aim of setting a “new standard of generosity among the ultra-wealthy.” But The Bloomberg Billionaires Index released on Friday shows that the Microsoft co-founder can’t outrun the growth of his fortune, which is worth $22....

Aubameyang’s goal in the second half of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Hertha Berlin was his 12th away strike in the Bundesliga campaign. The goal equalled the club record set by Lucas Barrios in 2009-10. With four league away matches left in the campaign, the Gabon international looks very likely to have the mark all to himself by season’s end. After going scoreless in his previous four games, Aubameyang now has eight goals in his last four games in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday....

“I was thinking of running for Governor of California in 2022,” wrote Huff, a long-standing Trump supporter. “But Cali is to far gone with American sell-outs like [Speaker of the House] Nancy Pelosi and [California Governor] Gavin Newsnom. I’m thinking a 2024 Presidential run is in order after Donald Trump leaves office.” If Huff’s suggestion he could run for president may be largely tongue-in-cheek, the claim Trump would leave office in 2024 was far from casual....

Not every Twitter user has the feature just yet. It’s been launched on iOS devices, but only to a limited number of people. This will change, soon, though, as Twitter revealed that in the “coming weeks,” all iOS users will have access to the new audio feature. This first round of updates went live on Wednesday and adds an audio button to the page where users write their text tweets....