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Credit...Jose Luis Magana/Associated PressJune 13, 2018WASHINGTON A former top staff member of the Senate Intelligence Committee pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of lying to the F.B.I. about his contacts with reporters, and his defense lawyer accused the Justice Department and President Trump of making inappropriate comments about the case that could poison the jury pool.The former staff member, James A. Wolfe, appeared before a magistrate judge at the federal courthouse blocks from the Senate office building where he used to work. Mr. Wolfe was indicted last week on three counts of lying to F.B.I. agents working on a leak investigation, but has not been charged with unlawfully disclosing classified information.At the hearing, prosecutors told Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson that they had no objections to letting him remain free for now without posting a bond, but asked for several conditions, including restricting his travel. Mr. Wolfe had surrendered his passport after he made an initial appearance this week at a courthouse in Maryland.Mr. Wolfe showed no emotion as he sat in the courtroom, occasionally rising to briefly address Judge Robinson. He left most of the speaking to one of his defense lawyers, Preston Burton, who entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.Mr. Burton also sharply criticized government officials including Mr. Trump for making statements that he suggested impugned his clients character by implying that Mr. Wolfe had illegally leaked national security secrets.Two of the three charges against Mr. Wolfe related to allegations that he told reporters nonpublic information that he had learned as a result of his role as a staff member of the Intelligence Committee. But none of the false statement charges accuse Mr. Wolfe of leaking classified information.Mr. Burton pointed to a Justice Department news release about the case, which framed Mr. Wolfes purported false statements as arising in the course of an investigation into the unlawful disclosure of classified information. He also criticized as glib comments made by Mr. Trump on Friday when the president spoke to reporters about the case.Mr. Trump had said the arrest of Mr. Wolfe could be a terrific thing, and stressed that you cannot leak classified information.After the hearing on Wednesday, Mr. Burton told reporters that the defense was likely to file a motion seeking a court order prohibiting the government at all levels, including President Trump, from making improper and prejudicial statements regarding this case.The indictment described Mr. Wolfes interactions with several unnamed reporters. One of them is Ali Watkins, who covered the Senate Intelligence Committee for several news outlets, including BuzzFeed News and Politico, before joining The New York Times in December. Ms. Watkins and Mr. Wolfe had an extended personal relationship that ended last year, and in February, the Justice Department informed her that it had seized records about her phone calls and emails.Also on Thursday, two Democratic lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Mr. Trumps first and second secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security, John F. Kelly and Kirstjen Nielsen, about an apparent Customs and Border Protection agent, Jeffrey A. Rambo, who approached Ms. Watkins last June.Mr. Rambo asked Ms. Watkins about her relationship with Mr. Wolfe, according to a report this week in The Washington Post, and revealed that he knew about their travel abroad together. According to the newspaper, Mr. Rambo sought to enlist Ms. Watkins in revealing leakers of classified information; it was unclear whether he was working alone or as part of a larger effort.In the letter, the lawmakers, Representatives Jerrold Nadler of New York and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, asked Mr. Kelly and Ms. Nielsen whether they or any other official had authorized Mr. Rambo to approach Ms. Watkins. The lawmakers also asked when the Trump administration officials first learned about the episode, and whether Mr. Rambo or any other Customs and Border Protection employee had similarly approached any other reporters. | Politics |
Grammy Awards NYC Florists Flooded w/ White Rose Requests 1/26/2018 The white rose movement at the Grammys has florists scrambling to fill TONS of orders ... the demand is so overwhelming they've had to turn away business. We talked to a bunch of NYC flower shops who tell us they've fielded a crazy number of requests for white roses that Grammy attendees plan to wear Sunday at Madison Square Garden. As you know ... guests are wearing them to show solidarity with the Time's Up movement. It's music's version of the black gowns at the Golden Globes. Kelly Clarkson, Halsey, Cyndi and Rita Ora are among the many artists who plan to take part. We're told Warner Music Group alone ordered 100 white roses for their Grammy festivities. Business is so good one shop owner tells us they've sold out. Another shop owner tells us it received a request for a whopping 50k white roses ... but the short notice doomed their ability to fulfill the order. | Entertainment |
Credit...Miguel Medina/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesNov. 22, 2018ROME Italys famously Leaning Tower of Pisa is a little less off-kilter.Nearly two decades after engineers completed consolidation work to keep the tower from toppling over, officials monitoring the monument said recently that its famed tilt had been further reduced by 4 centimeters, or 1.5 inches.The tower is continuing to straighten, said Nunziante Squeglia, an engineering professor at the University of Pisa and a consultant to the committee that monitors the tower.The correction is the result of measures carried out just before the turn of this century to ensure that the tower would not collapse.We knew those measures would have protracted consequences, Professor Squeglia added, but engineers could not foresee that the tower would reverse its tilt, he said.The tower, one of Italys most famous monuments, is also one of its most fragile.Built as a bell tower for Pisas cathedral and baptistery, it began sinking into the ground five years after construction began in 1173. The pillar took almost 200 years to build, and included various unsuccessful attempts to correct the tilt.At some point over the centuries, its perilous slant made the tower listed as 58.36 meters (or about 190 feet tall) a must-see attraction for visitors to Italy.Locals used to think of it as an architectural failure, then it was seen as a boon for the city, said Gianluca De Felice, general secretary of the Opera Primaziale Pisana, the nonprofit organization responsible for the monuments in Pisas so-called square of miracles, where the tower is located.In January 1990, the tower was closed to visitors around 800,000 a year when officials became concerned about its long-term stability. It reopened 11 years later, after various methods to counteract the tilt managed to reduce it by 15.95 inches.We rejuvenated the tower by around 200 years, bringing the incline to where it was around 1820, said Salvatore Settis, one of the members of the committee that oversaw the consolidation of the monument. The good news is that the tower continues to straighten if slightly, he said.Today, Professor Settis leads a committee of three in charge of monitoring the tower and reporting on its state of health, which is currently very good, he said in a telephone interview.The tower, he added, was the most monitored monument in the world, with more than 100 sensors giving hourly readings on a host of elements, from the external and internal temperatures to wind velocity to microfissures in the materials to soil movement.Officials in Pisa have also halved the number of visitors allowed to clamber to the top of the tower for a sweeping view of the Tuscan surroundings.The climb has to be controlled so that visitors can tour in groups and reserve a trip in advance, said Mr. De Felice. Only about 400,000 visitors climb the tower each year, while nearly three million visit the site, which includes the cathedral, baptistery, two museums and a cemetery.The Leaning Tower of Pisa, however, remains by far the most photographed attraction, even though the renovations cost it its status as the worlds leaning-est tower. Now, towers in Switzerland and Germany are contending for that title.Though the Pisa tower is on a reverse path, that doesnt mean it could ever completely straighten.At the current rate, the tower would take around 4000 years, said Professor Squeglia. | World |
Personal Tech|Locked Out of Your iPhone? Heres What to Dohttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/22/technology/personaltech/locked-out-iphone.htmlTECH TIPApple includes plenty of security features to protect your data, but if you forget your passcode and cant unlock the phone, you can still regain control.June 22, 2018Q. What do you do if you forget your iPhone passcode and get a message on the lock screen saying the phone is disabled? What is disabling it?A. The passcode and other security protections that Apple builds into its iOS software are designed to prevent anyone but the owner (or trusted associate) from using the device. In more recent versions of the system, a tool called Find My iPhone Activation Lock prevents thieves from erasing and selling stolen iPhones and other gear by requiring the Apple ID name and password of the rightful owner if the Find My iPhone location-tracking service is enabled. However, all of these measures can also lock out the gadgets rightful owner if the passcode is forgotten or entered incorrectly too many times. If that happens, your phone displays the disabled message.Even if you cannot remember the passcode, you should be able to get the iPhone working again. But to do that, you usually have to erase its contents first and then restore a backup of your personal information on the device. The steps for erasing and restoring the phone depend on how (and if) you backed up its contents. You will also need an internet connection to download any required software updates and to reactivate the phone.If you used Apples iTunes program on your Mac or Windows computer to synchronize and back up the iPhone, you can use iTunes to ditch the passcode and restore your data. Start by connecting the iPhone to the computer you used for backing it up and let iTunes sync up with it. Click the iPhone icon in the iTunes window and select the Restore iPhone button. ImageCredit...The New York TimesThe iTunes software may want to download the latest version of iOS, but follow the steps on the screen to start the process. When the iPhone has been erased and you are to the point where the program sees it as a new phone to set up, select Restore from iTunes Backup and install the most recent backup to return your personal information to the device. (You can also restore your data from an iCloud backup, but you need to erase the phone first, and that requires the passcode or Apple ID credentials.)If you never backed up the iPhone with iTunes, you can still use the program to regain control of the device, but you first need to erase the phone with its Recovery Mode tool. Use the USB cable that came with the phone and connect it to a computer with iTunes installed and open on screen. Next, reboot the iPhone by holding down a combination of buttons, which vary by model.For the latest versions (the iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus), quickly press and let go of the Volume Up button, and then do the same thing with the Volume Down button. Next, press and hold down the iPhones Side button until the Recovery Mode screen with an iTunes icon appears.On the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus models, press and hold down the Volume Down and Side buttons simultaneously until the phone boots into the Recovery Mode screen. If you have an iPhone 6s or older model (or an iPad or iPod Touch), press and hold down the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button on the top or side until the Recovery Mode screen appears.With the phone in recovery mode, you should see an iTunes message on the computer offering to Restore or Update the device. Click Restore and wait for iTunes to download the necessary software. (If you have a slow internet connection, you may have to restart the phone in Recovery Mode again after 15 minutes.) Once the software downloads, follow the steps on screen to restore your device. If you select a new passcode, write it down or save it in a password-manager app.You will most likely be asked to enter your Apple ID name and password as part of the restoration process, especially if the Activation Lock setting was enabled. If you have been backing up the phone to your iCloud account, your contacts and other data should download again to the phone.Personal Tech invites questions about computer-based technology to techtip@nytimes.com. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. | Tech |
Dr. Robert Califf, a former agency commissioner, is encountering opposition over federal opioid and abortion policies and his industry ties.Credit...Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated PressFeb. 3, 2022The White House is facing pressure from prominent lawmakers over its pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration, with abortion foes urging Republican senators to reject the nominee, Dr. Robert Califf, and with key Democrats withholding support over opioid policies and his industry ties.Nearly six years after Dr. Califf received overwhelming bipartisan support to lead the agency in the final year of the Obama administration, lawmakers and aides are struggling to lock up the votes he needs to clear an evenly divided Senate, where Vice President Kamala Harris serves as the tiebreaking vote.Few, if any, nominees to the F.D.A. have faced as much opposition on both sides of the aisle, and the agency has been without a permanent commissioner for more than a year. The agencys agenda includes a series of significant issues: oversight of drugs, tests and devices related to Covid-19; the pandemic-related decline in inspections of drug and device manufacturers; and the popularity of flavored e-cigarette products among teenagers.Administration officials have been trying to rally support for Dr. Califf and say he continues to have the support of President Biden and top health officials. Senate Democratic leaders also continue to back him publicly. But a date has not been set for his confirmation vote before the full Senate. At least five Democrats are publicly opposing his nomination, so Dr. Califf needs at least five Republicans to support him.We are confident Dr. Califf will be confirmed with bipartisan support, and it is critical to have confirmed leadership at the F.D.A. in the midst of a pandemic, Chris Meagher, a White House spokesman, said. Dr. Califf has declined interview requests while his nomination is pending.This week, some senators seemed uncertain that Dr. Califf could survive the divisions over his candidacy. Im not sure thats going to come to a vote, and Ill make a final decision then, said Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri. I like him as a person, I think he can do the job and lets see what else develops between now and the vote.Prospects for a quick vote may be further complicated by the absence of Senator Ben Ray Lujn, Democrat of New Mexico, who is recovering from a stroke. A senior aide to Mr. Lujn said on Wednesday that he remained in the hospital and would return in four to six weeks unless there are complications. Mr. Lujn voted in favor of Dr. Califf at the committee stage.Notable Democrats including Senators Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, a key centrist, and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the independent have publicly announced that they will oppose the nominee over his ties to the pharmaceutical industry and his handling of the opioid crisis during the Obama administration.In terms of health care, in terms of the F.D.A., we need aggressive leadership who are prepared to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry, Mr. Sanders said. Unfortunately, I dont think Dr. Califf is that person.Dr. Califf cleared a vote in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in January with Republican support. Four senators crossed the aisle to advance the nomination: Richard Burr of North Carolina, the committees ranking member; Susan Collins of Maine; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; and Mitt Romney of Utah.Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said on Wednesday that Dr. Califfs experience and competence boded well for his prospects with many in his party, though concerns over his role in abortion decisions were driving others away.Its hard for me to say at this point kind of where our members are going to be, Mr. Thune said, but I know that there are mixed views.Two Democrats Mr. Sanders and Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, facing a tough re-election in a state hit hard by opioids opposed the choice, and more Democrats are said to be leaning against his nomination. All three Democrats who voted against Dr. Califfs first confirmation to the post in 2016, Mr. Manchin and Senators Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, remain in office.ImageCredit...Al Drago for The New York TimesMr. Markeys office confirmed that he would again vote against Dr. Califf. Mr. Blumenthal said on Tuesday that if the vote were held that day, he would do the same.I still strongly believe that theres a need for a new era and leadership that will separate the F.D.A. from the pharmaceutical industry in a very public and important way, Mr. Blumenthal said, adding that he had lingering concerns after speaking with Dr. Califf. On Wednesday, he made a point of reiterating his opposition.Dr. Califf has been making the rounds of the Senate, meeting with an estimated 45 members, among the most scheduled for any Biden nominee. Aides privately indicated that they believed they could rally the necessary support for his appointment. This week, Mr. Burr predicted: I think Dr. Califf will be the next F.D.A. commissioner.Despite concerns from Mr. Manchin and other Democrats, Dr. Califf was named for the position in November. Mr. Manchin, whose state has been devastated by the opioid epidemic, has outlined numerous changes he would like to see at the F.D.A., including mandatory education for opioid prescribers similar to the education required of those prescribing addiction medication.The senators concerns about the crisis have hampered negotiations over Mr. Bidens marquee $2.2 trillion domestic policy bill, as Mr. Manchin rejected plans to extend the child tax credit over concerns that those monthly payments to families with children were being used to purchase opioids.I strongly opposed his nomination, which is an insult to those who have been impacted by the drug epidemic, Mr. Manchin said on Twitter on the day of the panels vote, adding: Its time the F.D.A. had leadership willing to step forward to protect Americans from the drug epidemic that continues to ravage our nation. Dr. Califf is not that leader.Several senators, pressed this week on their support for Dr. Califf, said they had not yet made a decision.Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia, said she was still undecided: I know theres some issues that have come up, but he has been to West Virginia he has seen firsthand some of the issues that we have. Thats important to me.The F.D.A. commissioner role has been subject to Senate confirmation since 1988, unlike the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who is a presidential appointee. The nominee tends to be subject to sharp questioning, but observers say the decision has never been so wrapped up in national politics unrelated to the nominees qualifications.With no confirmed leader, Dr. Janet Woodcock, the interim commissioner, can serve while the nomination is pending. If Dr. Califfs nomination is voted down, she could lead the agency for 210 more days, according to Charles Young, a spokesman for the Government Accountability Office.Dr. Califf spent much of his career running cardiology trials at Duke University medical school, where he earned a reputation as an evenhanded expert. In 2017, he joined Verily, the life sciences arm of Alphabet, the parent company of Google.As head of clinical policy and strategy there, he earned $2.7 million in income and between $1 million and $5 million in stock, according to his ethics disclosure. He also held lucrative leadership roles at pharmaceutical and biotech companies developing drugs for patients with hemophilia and impaired muscle function. In an effort to shore up more support, he committed to Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, that he would adhere to additional restrictions to separate any administration decisions from his prior work.The F.D.A. nominee has agreed to go beyond the current legal requirement to cut himself off from participating in the revolving door after his government service and insulate himself from interactions with former employers during his time in office, Ms. Warren said. Because he was willing to make a public commitment to stop the revolving door, I will support him.ImageCredit...Stefani Reynolds for The New York TimesSome critics of Dr. Califf cite his track record at the F.D.A., where he was deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco starting in 2015 and the Senate-confirmed agency commissioner in 2016 and 2017.The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List is leading a coalition that is pressuring Republican senators to vote against Dr. Califf. The group criticized changes to medication abortion policies, which became less restrictive in 2016 when Dr. Califf was leading the agency. In 2016, he was a nominee without a record; now he is a nominee with a track record of disregarding life, the group wrote.The group also is opposing Dr. Califf over his responses to questions during the Dec. 14 committee hearing on the agencys imminent decision about the medical abortion drug mifepristone. Dr. Califf said he trusted the agency to make the right decision with the evidence at hand.Two days later, the F.D.A. announced that it would permanently allow telehealth providers to prescribe at-home abortion medications.Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Mike Braun of Indiana and Roger Marshall of Kansas, all Republicans, voted against Dr. Califf in committee partly over abortion-related issues, staff members confirmed.The advocacy group is also pressing Mr. Romney, who was one of the four Republicans on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions who voted in favor of Dr. Califf on Jan. 13.Some of the lawmakers concern over opioid policy is also based on Dr. Califfs brief tenure as commissioner in 2016. Three months into his term, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines and a searing commentary decrying the often-fatal risks of opioid medications amid unproven and transient benefits.Instead of following up with policy changes, Dr. Califf commissioned another study, said Dr. Andrew Kolodny, a critic of the F.D.A.s opioid policies who has advised Mr. Manchin, Mr. Markey and Ms. Hassan.If Dr. Califf is confirmed, theres a chance he could do something and then maybe wed finally get somewhere, said Dr. Kolodny, who is medical director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University. But I wouldnt hold my breath. Because I think at the end of the day, hes an industry guy.Nearly 100,000 Americans died of overdoses in 2020, the C.D.C. has reported, though many of the deaths were related to illicit fentanyl.Sheryl Gay Stolberg contributed reporting. | Health |
Credit...Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated PressJune 5, 2018David H. Koch, the billionaire industrialist who combined his vast wealth and libertarian-tinged brand of conservatism to influence candidates and campaigns at all levels of American politics, is stepping away from his political and business interests because of declining health, his company announced Tuesday.[David Koch Died on Aug. 23 at the Age of 79]Mr. Kochs brother Charles said in a letter to employees at Koch Industries, the company the two controlled, that David Kochs health problems had made it impossible for him to continue working. Unfortunately these issues have not been resolved and his health has continued to deteriorate, the letter said. We are deeply saddened by this.The Koch family has been influential in conservative politics for generations, long before its name became synonymous with big money in the Republican Party. David Koch, in fact, was the vice-presidential nominee for the Libertarian Party in 1980. Fred Koch, the family patriarch and father of Charles and David, who founded Koch Industries, was a founding member of the far-right, anti-Communist John Birch Society.With millions of dollars in donations over the years, the Kochs contribution to todays Republican Party has been seminal, helping to solidify doctrine that favored businesses and worked against stricter environmental regulations. Now, the absence of David Koch, 78, who was the more public and political of the brothers, will inevitably raise questions about whether the Kochs mission will shift further toward nonpolitical endeavors.The familys network had already started to scale back its campaign work and focus more of its efforts on issues like criminal justice and sentencing reform as David Kochs health worsened and he took on a smaller portfolio.People close to the brothers, who are two of the worlds wealthiest men, said that over the last three years David Koch became a much less frequent presence in the social and political circles he once ran in at the highest levels. Koch Industries did not disclose the nature of his illness.The Kochs have been a driving force behind the Republican Partys gains over the last decade, not just at the federal level but also at the state and local level where they recognized and seized an opportunity to install conservative lawmakers while Democrats were far more focused on higher office.Using their powerful political group, Americans for Prosperity, they ramped up their political giving during the presidency of Barack Obama, whom Charles and David saw as seriously misguided and driven by a socialistic agenda that threatened the free-market, libertarian philosophy they espoused. The Obama administrations approach to environmental and corporate regulation was, not incidentally, also a threat to their sprawling $100 billion-plus business, which involves everything from oil refining to manufacturing consumer products like Brawny paper towels and Stainmaster carpeting.Americans for Prosperity played a pivotal role in the 2010 elections that put Republicans back into power in the House of Representatives and catapulted the Kochs from relative obscurity to the center of the countrys political debate. The group provided much of the financial and organizational backing that helped the Tea Party movement become a national force.Democrats accused the Kochs of using their money to back candidates who would be friendly to their pro-business, deregulatory vision, and tried to turn the brothers into the poster children for a broken and abused campaign finance system.As the brothers political ambitions expanded and they created a larger coalition of Koch-affiliated groups aimed at mobilizing various constituencies including Latinos, veterans and small-government conservatives their network became almost a shadow political party with a sophisticated data-gathering operation and employees all over the country.The 2016 election, however, changed their outlook and caused them to dial back their political efforts. They would have preferred almost any candidate to Donald J. Trump, whom they viewed as unserious and unwedded to any principle beyond self-advancement, and worked to promote a number of his competitors for the Republican nomination, including Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.The presidents view that American trade policy needs to be more restrictive and punitive toward large partners like China is also antithetical to how the Kochs see economic policy.Once Mr. Trump became the Republican nominee, they shifted their political giving away from the presidential campaign to focus exclusively on congressional races.David Kochs influence has been felt far beyond politics. His name is on theaters, museums, hospitals and cultural institutions all over New York and beyond. He has been an especially generous donor to the arts, contributing $100 million in 2008 to New York City Ballets Lincoln Center theater which was then named after him and $65 million in 2014 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the refurbishment of its fountains plaza.Mr. Koch has also been a major supporter of cancer research in the United States and has donated more than $680 million to research and medical facilities in the United States since he was found to have prostate cancer in 1992. Some of his largest gifts have included a $100 million gift to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a $150 million donation to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.His gifts have not come without controversy. Scientists called for him to step down from his position on the board of the American Museum of Natural History, accusing him of promoting climate science denial. He did leave in 2016 after serving for 23 years, though his representatives said it had nothing to do with the criticism.On Tuesday, when Charles Koch wrote to company employees to inform them of his brothers retirement, his words read at times like a eulogy. My thoughts of David will always be overflowing with the experiences, challenges, laughter and love of our life together, he wrote. David has always been a fighter and is dealing with this challenge in the same way. | Politics |
Credit...Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg, via Getty ImagesMarch 29, 2016More government officials are asking what Exxon Mobil knew about climate change.Attorneys general from Massachusetts and the Virgin Islands announced Tuesday that they would join Eric T. Schneiderman, New Yorks attorney general, in his investigation into whether Exxon Mobil lied in decades past to investors and the public about the threat of climate change.The additional participation was announced during a news conference at Mr. Schneidermans offices in Lower Manhattan announcing support from 15 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands for the Obama administrations Clean Power Plan.Attorneys general from Vermont, Maryland, Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut and the Virgin Islands, as well as former Vice President Al Gore, attended the event.While none of the other officials present, aside from Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Claude Walker of the Virgin Islands, announced inquiries of their own, Mr. Schneiderman said, not every investigation gets announced at the outset.ImageCredit...Richard Perry/The New York TimesMr. Schneiderman began his investigation in November. His staff is looking at whether statements the company made to investors about climate risks some as recently as last year conflicted with the companys own scientific research.Part of that inquiry includes the companys funding, for at least a decade, of outside groups that worked to dispute climate science, even as its in-house scientists were describing the possible consequences of climate change, along with the areas of uncertainty.The company has supplied thousands of documents in response to the inquiry. While the inquiry could be expanded to include other energy companies and trade organizations, none have been named so far.Many legal experts have questioned whether the actions and statements by Exxon Mobil can be construed as criminal and outside the protections of the First Amendment.Mr. Schneiderman said, The First Amendment, ladies and gentlemen, does not give you the right to commit fraud.The attorneys general have a range of laws to work with, including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. Mr. Schneiderman has statutes specific to New York, including the Martin Act, which gives the government broad investigative powers; laws allowing the state to take action against persistent fraud or illegality; and the states deceptive business and trade practices act.Mr. Schneiderman reached a settlement last year with the coal giant Peabody Energy over that companys financial statements and disclosures with regard to climate change.In terms of the current investigation, Mr. Schneiderman said, Its too early to say what were going to find. He added, We intend to work as aggressively as possible, but also as carefully as possible.California started its own investigation into Exxon Mobil this year, but no other state had announced it was joining the effort until Tuesday. States can share information under agreements of confidentiality, and speculation has grown that Mr. Schneiderman has been working to bring other attorneys general into the New York investigation.Last year, Inside Climate News and The Los Angeles Times published articles from Exxon Mobil archives describing the companys research into the risks of climate change. An activist uproar ensued, complete with a popular Twitter hashtag: #ExxonKnew.Suzanne McCarron, Exxon Mobils vice president for public and government affairs, said accusations against the company are politically motivated and based on discredited reporting by activist organizations.She added, We are actively assessing all legal options.The accusations, she said, are based on the preposterous claim that the company reached definitive conclusions about anthropogenic climate change before the worlds experts and withheld it. The company, she noted, shared its findings in peer-reviewed publications.The company recognizes the risks posed by climate change, she said, and added, the investigations targeting our company threaten to have a chilling effect on private sector research.At the news conference, Mr. Gore drew an analogy to the actions taken during the Clinton administration against the tobacco industry, which denied risks of its products for decades, and noted that state attorneys general had been crucial to that effort. I do think the analogy may hold up rather precisely, he said. | science |
At least 2,000 law enforcement agencies have tools to get into encrypted smartphones, according to new research, and they are using them far more than previously known.Credit...Boris SmniakoOct. 21, 2020In a new Apple ad, a man on a city bus announces he has just shopped for divorce lawyers. Then a woman recites her credit card number through a megaphone in a park. Some things shouldnt be shared, the ad says, iPhone helps keep it that way.Apple has built complex encryption into iPhones and made the devices security central to its marketing pitch.That, in turn, has angered law enforcement. Officials from the F.B.I. director to rural sheriffs have argued that encrypted phones stifle their work to catch and convict dangerous criminals. They have tried to force Apple and Google to unlock suspects phones, but the companies say they cant. In response, the authorities have put their own marketing spin on the problem. Law enforcement, they say, is going dark.Yet new data reveals a twist to the encryption debate that undercuts both sides: Law enforcement officials across the nation regularly break into encrypted smartphones.That is because at least 2,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states now have tools to get into locked, encrypted phones and extract their data, according to years of public records collected in a report by Upturn, a Washington nonprofit that investigates how the police use technology.At least 49 of the 50 largest U.S. police departments have the tools, according to the records, as do the police and sheriffs in small towns and counties across the country, including Buckeye, Ariz.; Shaker Heights, Ohio; and Walla Walla, Wash. And local law enforcement agencies that dont have such tools can often send a locked phone to a state or federal crime lab that does.With more tools in their arsenal, the authorities have used them in an increasing range of cases, from homicides and rapes to drugs and shoplifting, according to the records, which were reviewed by The New York Times. Upturn researchers said the records suggested that U.S. authorities had searched hundreds of thousands of phones over the past five years.While the existence of such tools has been known for some time, the records show that the authorities break into phones far more than previously understood and that smartphones, with their vast troves of personal data, are not as impenetrable as Apple and Google have advertised. While many in law enforcement have argued that smartphones are often a roadblock to investigations, the findings indicate that they are instead one of the most important tools for prosecutions.Law enforcement at all levels has access to technology that it can use to unlock phones, said Jennifer Granick, a cybersecurity lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union. That is not what weve been told.Still, for law enforcement, phone-hacking tools are not a panacea to encryption. The process can be expensive and time consuming, sometimes costing thousands of dollars and requiring weeks or more. And in some cases, the tools dont work at all.We may unlock it in a week, we may not unlock it for two years, or we may never unlock it, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the Manhattan district attorney, testified to Congress in December. Murder, rape, robberies, sexual assault. I do not mean to be dramatic, but there are many, many serious cases where we cant access the device in the time period where it is most important for us.Along with officials at the Justice Department, Mr. Vance has complained for years that smartphone encryption by Apple and Google has hamstrung investigations. His crime lab has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on phone-hacking tools, he told lawmakers, yet remains locked out of roughly half of the iPhones it has warrants to search, or about 300 to 400 a year.ImageCredit...Bryan Thomas/Getty ImagesLaw enforcement regularly searches phones with owners consent, according to the records. Otherwise, a warrant is required.An Apple spokesman said in an email that the company was constantly strengthening iPhone security to help customers defend against criminals, hackers and identity thieves. But, he added, no device can be truly impenetrable.Google, which also offers encryption on its Android smartphone software, did not respond to a request for comment. The companies frequently turn over data to the police that customers store on the companies servers. But all iPhones and many newer Android phones now come encrypted a layer of security that generally requires a customers passcode to defeat. Apple and Google have refused to create a way in for law enforcement, arguing that criminals and authoritarian governments would exploit such a back door.The dispute flared up after the mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., in 2015 and in Pensacola, Fla., last year. The F.B.I. couldnt get into the killers iPhones, and Apple refused to help. But both spats quickly sputtered after the bureau broke into the phones.Phone-hacking tools have served as a kind of a safety valve for the encryption debate, said Riana Pfefferkorn, a Stanford University researcher who studies encryption policy.Yet the police have continued to demand an easier way in. Instead of saying, We are unable to get into devices, they now say, We are unable to get into these devices expeditiously, Ms. Pfefferkorn said.Congress is considering legislation that would effectively force Apple and Google to create a back door for law enforcement. The bill, proposed in June by three Republican senators, remains in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but lobbyists on both sides believe another test case could prompt action.Phone-hacking tools typically exploit security flaws to remove a phones limit on passcode attempts and then enter passcodes until the phone unlocks. Because of all the possible combinations, a six-digit iPhone passcode takes on average about 11 hours to guess, while a 10-digit code takes 12.5 years.The tools mostly come from Grayshift, an Atlanta company co-founded by a former Apple engineer, and Cellebrite, an Israeli unit of Japans Sun Corporation. Their flagship tools cost roughly $9,000 to $18,000, plus $3,500 to $15,000 in annual licensing fees, according to invoices obtained by Upturn.The police can send the trickiest phones to crack, such as the latest iPhones, to Cellebrite, which will unlock them for about $2,000 a device, according to invoices. Law enforcement can also buy a similar premium tool from Cellebrite. The Dallas Police Department spent $150,000 on one, according to the records.David Miles, Grayshifts chief executive, said in an email that its products can help the police get into some iPhones in one day and that they have helped law enforcement solve crimes faster in many areas, including child abuse, narcotics, human trafficking, sexual assault, homicide and terrorism. He confirmed that Grayshifts flagship tool costs $18,000 but declined to comment further on prices or customers.Cellebrite said in a statement that it sold a range of products to law enforcement, and that it now had more than 7,000 customers in 150 countries. We have experienced double-digit growth for the last few years, and we expect that trend to continue, the company said. As long as criminals increasingly turn to technology, there will be a need for law enforcement to stay one step ahead of them.ImageCredit...Desiree Rios for The New York TimesRecords obtained by Upturn show that law enforcement agencies have spent tens of millions of dollars on such tools in recent years. Andrea Edmiston, director of government affairs at the National Association of Police Organizations, said such prices had created a divide in the justice system, where officers in metro police departments can afford to search phones while rural sheriffs cannot. Money spent on such tools also can take funds away from other needs, she said.Yet the Upturn data shows that police departments in many smaller communities have invested in phone-hacking tools. For instance, officials in Bend, Ore., population 100,000, have spent more than $62,761 on the technology since 2017. And the police department in Merrill, Wis., population 9,000, with just 10 vehicles and two bicycles, has spent $32,706 on the tools since 2013, though it has divided the cost with two nearby agencies.With the proliferation of such tools, law enforcement has also sought to search phones for minor crimes. For instance, Upturn obtained warrants that authorized the police to search phones related to a case involving $220 worth of marijuana in Fort Worth as well as an investigation into a fight over $70 at a McDonalds in Coon Rapids, Minn. At the Baltimore County Police Department and the Colorado State Patrol, a majority of warrants for phone searches that Upturn obtained involved drug investigations.Logan Koepke, the lead author of the Upturn report, said the findings worried him because they showed that many police departments could gain entry to highly personal and private data, with little oversight or transparency. (Upturn is suing the New York Police Department for its records on phone searches.)Mr. Koepkes group asked 110 of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United States for their policies on using such tools and handling the data they extract from smartphones. Only half of those that replied said they had a policy, he said, and of those, just nine policies included substantive restrictions.Theyre getting a window into your soul; its all of your contacts, your text messages, your entire location history, potentially embarrassing pictures, your account credentials, he said. We are placing in the hands of law enforcement something that I think is a dangerous expansion of their investigatory power. | Tech |
Any action would follow the Justice Departments landmark suit this week against Google, as a bipartisan tech backlash ramps up.Credit...Laura Morton for The New York TimesPublished Oct. 22, 2020Updated Oct. 4, 2021WASHINGTON The Federal Trade Commission is moving closer to a decision about filing an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook for its market power in social networking, according to two people with knowledge of the agencys talks.The five members of the F.T.C. met on Thursday to discuss its investigation into Facebook and whether the company had bought smaller rivals to maintain a monopoly, the people said. They said three documents about Facebook had been prepared by the agency and circulated among its leaders: One addresses the companys potential antitrust violations, another analyzes its economics, and a third assesses the risks of litigation.No decision on a case has been made, the people said. The commissioners must vote before any case is pursued.Facebook and the F.T.C. declined to comment. The Washington Post reported earlier that the commission met about the Facebook investigation on Thursday.Lawmakers and policymakers in Washington have ramped up antitrust actions against the largest technology companies, often in a bipartisan effort. On Tuesday, the Justice Department sued Google, accusing it of illegally maintaining its monopoly power in search and search advertising the first such government action against a tech company in two decades. Two weeks ago, the House Judiciary Committee recommended taking action to break up the big tech platforms, including Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google.The actions reflect growing frustration toward the companies, which total around $5 trillion in value and have transformed commerce, speech, media and advertising globally. That power has drawn the scrutiny of conservatives like President Trump and liberals like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.The U.S. investigations began last year when the Justice Department started examining Google and other tech companies. Joseph Simons, the chairman of the F.T.C. and a Trump appointee, also opened an investigation into Facebook in June 2019. Around the same time, four dozen state attorneys general began a parallel investigation into the social network.Facebook has tangled with the F.T.C. before, but mainly over privacy issues. The company reached a privacy settlement in 2011 with the agency. In 2018, the F.T.C. opened an investigation into Facebook for violating that settlement, prompted by a report from The New York Times and The Observer of London on how the company allowed Cambridge Analytica, a British consulting firm to the Trump campaign, to harvest the personal information of its users. As a result, Facebook last year agreed to a record $5 billion settlement with the F.T.C. on data privacy violations.The antitrust investigation by the F.T.C. has been far-reaching. The agency has collected thousands of internal documents from Facebooks leaders. It has also interviewed people from the companys rivals, such as Snap, which owns the Snapchat app, about Facebooks dominant position in social networking and its business practices.In August, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebooks chief executive, answered questions under oath as part of the inquiry.The company has denied violations of antitrust laws. It points to competition in online social networks, including the fast rise of the Chinese-owned viral video app TikTok, as proof that it does not have a lock on the market.But with nearly three billion users across its apps and a market value of $792 billion, Facebook is unrivaled in size among social networking apps. Part of its dominance has been due to acquisitions of smaller rivals. Facebook bought the photo-sharing app Instagram for $1 billion in 2012. It bought WhatsApp, the messaging app, for $19 billion in 2014. Both mergers were approved by the F.T.C.The commissions investigation has largely focused on Facebooks mergers with companies like Instagram and WhatsApp, people with knowledge of the inquiry said. The deals remove competition from the market and have bolstered Facebooks reach and clout, its critics have said.In a July antitrust hearing with House lawmakers, Mr. Zuckerberg was confronted with emails showing that a Facebook executive had referred to Instagram during the acquisition process as a competitive threat. Mr. Zuckerberg said Instagrams success was due to Facebook.But his answer did not appear to satisfy House lawmakers.In an antitrust report this month, staff of the House Judiciary Committee said Facebooks power in social networking was so immense that the company has tipped the market toward monopoly such that Facebook competes more vigorously among its own products Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger than with actual competitors. | Tech |
News AnalysisCredit...Fazry Ismail/EPA, via ShutterstockNov. 19, 2018BEIJING The tensions were already high.At a major international gathering in Papua New Guinea over the weekend, the United States wanted to end with a group statement emphasizing free trade. China objected.But instead of working out the disagreement through dialogue, Chinese officials barged uninvited into the office of the host countrys foreign minister demanding changes in the official communiqu.Chinas action marked a striking break with diplomatic decorum at a meeting that is normally used to promote cooperation among countries that ring the Pacific Ocean.The dispute meant that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, forum held in Papua New Guinea and attended by Vice President Mike Pence and Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, failed to issue a joint document for the first time since 1989.More important, analysts said, it signaled a new phase in relations between the two powers, with China showing its willingness to cast diplomacy aside in favor of a more aggressive posture as it challenges the United States dominance in the region.Chinas more assertive approach comes as Mr. Xi considers accepting an invitation from the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, to visit the North. Such a trip could complicate stalled nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea.The way the two big powers vied openly in Papua New Guinea with money and military assets for advantage was reminiscent of how Washington and Moscow behaved during the Cold War, analysts said.China doesnt care if it looks like a boor. If you are a tough guy, you dont care what others think, said Hugh White, a former military strategist for the Australian government and author of The China Choice.Such behavior was only surprising because it had been more than 30 years since the world had witnessed such edginess, Mr. White said. In that era, tit-for-tat diplomacy was a leitmotif between the pre-Gorbachev leaders of the Soviet Union and Ronald Reagan. Such public snarling between Washington and Beijing is likely to become more common, he said.The latest tensions part of a heated trade war boiled over Saturday when four Chinese officials barged into the office of the foreign minister of Papua New Guinea, Rimbink Pato, according to a diplomat in the region and an American official involved in the drafting of the communiqu.Security officials were summoned and the Chinese left voluntarily. The police were then posted at the office to prevent further disruptions.The American official said the Chinese had taken issue with two portions of the draft communiqu that Washington supported and other members embraced.One paragraph said the APEC member economies agreed to fight against unfair trade practices. Another paragraph said that members of the group would work together to improve the negotiating, monitoring and dispute settlement functions of the World Trade Organization.Negotiators had been working on the final communiqu for days, diplomats said, and the disputed material was not suddenly inserted into the text.The diplomat from the region said the Chinese move was puzzling.Eswar Prasad, an economics professor at Cornell University, said: Chinas strident reaction to such innocuous language signals its leaders concern about being isolated by the U.S. and other countries who may still create a unified front to take on unfair Chinese trading and economic practices.ImageCredit...Saeed Khan/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesChina seemed to dismiss the account that its officials burst into the foreign ministers office as rumor. But Geng Shuang, a spokesman for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hinted at the source of Chinese anger by saying that most APEC members opposed the practice of economic bullying, an apparent reference to the United States actions.Beijings aggressive posture might backfire on its plans to present itself as a rising power that brings countries together as the United States looks increasingly inward.It is certain that China gained nothing by refusing a few words in the proposed draft when almost every other country accepted them, said Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing. We have seen this sort of situation generally since a few years ago.The Chinese may have also gone unceremoniously to the foreign office because they felt targeted, and isolated, by the Americans, and were seeking last-minute support, the diplomat from the region said.By delegating Mr. Pence to attend the APEC meeting, President Trump dispatched the administrations point person for its get-tough-on-China policy. Mr. Pence was accompanied by the head of China policy at the National Security Council, Matthew Pottinger, also a hard-liner on China.Mr. Pence delivered a scorching speech last month that broadened the disagreements with China beyond trade to include Beijings allegedly predatory behavior against its neighbors and its naval maneuvers in the South China Sea. He pledged the United States would not stand down in the face of Chinas challenge.In Papua New Guinea, Mr. Pence continued his theme, criticizing Chinas global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative, as a constricting belt and a one-way road.The day before, Mr. Xi had vigorously defended the project, which is considered among the Chinese elite to be the foreign policy effort in which the president is most invested.It does not exclude anyone, Mr. Xi said in his speech about the Belt and Road Initiative. It is not an exclusive club closed to nonmembers, nor is it a trap as some people have labeled it.China may also have been rattled by the American decision to join hands with its major allies, Japan and Australia, to increase its economic development assistance to Papua New Guinea and to embark on redeveloping a naval port there at Manus Island.Mr. Xi arrived in Papua New Guinea two days ahead of the APEC meeting, for which China financed roads and a $50 million renovation of a convention center. The Chinese leader stressed his nations largess to Pacific island nations like Papua New Guinea.But China is the third-largest donor to these countries, trailing Australia and New Zealand, said Jonathan Pryke, an expert on the Pacific islands at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. The United States was the fourth largest, sending most of its aid to the northern Pacific countries of Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, Mr. Pryke said.At the meeting, Mr. Pence announced that the United States would increase engagement in the region, pledging to join Australia and Japan in helping to bring electricity to 70 percent of Papua New Guinea by 2030. (Only 13 percent of the country currently has electricity.)The United States is also working with Australia to develop the deepwater port at Manus Island, which lies 1,060 miles south of the American territory of Guam.Manus Island played an important role for the United States Navy in the defeat of Japan during World War II. Now it could play a strategic role against Chinas expansion in part because the port is big enough to hold large naval vessels and task groups, said Peter Dean, professor of war studies at the University of Western Australia.If the Chinese were able to land this as a base instead of the United States and Australia, then it would have had significant strategic implications, Mr. Dean said. | World |
Scientists working with the solar diving mission have released the spacecrafts first batch of findings.VideoThe energetic particle instruments on NASAs Parker Solar Probe have measured several never-before-seen events so small that all trace of them is lost before they reach Earth. Video by NASA/GoddardCreditCredit...NASA/GoddardPublished Dec. 4, 2019Updated Feb. 9, 2020Since it launched last year, NASAs Parker Solar Probe has made three dives toward the sun as it reached the fastest speed ever clocked by a human-built vehicle. Scientists released the missions first batch of findings on Wednesday, revealing that the dynamics of our star are even weirder than once imagined.Four papers published in the journal Nature describe what the spacecraft observed during its first two flybys, as it passed within about 15 million miles of the surface of the sun. That is about half the distance that the planet Mercury orbits the sun.All of this brand-new information about how the way our star works is going to help us understand how the sun drives change in the space environment throughout our solar system, said Nicola Fox, director of the heliophysics division at NASA, during a telephone news conference on Wednesday.The information could help scientists develop ways to provide advance warning of solar storms that could knock out satellites and electrical grids or endanger the health of astronauts in orbit.Blazing Hot BubbleThe sun is essentially a big ball of hydrogen and helium, and for something that we see every day, it remains a complex ball of mystery.One puzzle that scientists have been pondering for decades: Why is the solar atmosphere superhot?The surface of the sun what we see as a yellow disk in the sky is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is toasty, but cool compared with what lies above, in the thin atmosphere known as the corona.There, the temperatures jump by a factor of 300 or more, to millions of degrees. The corona also accelerates the solar wind the million-miles-per-hour stream of particles that fly outward from the sun.Justin C. Kasper, a professor of space sciences and engineering at the University of Michigan and the principal investigator of one of the solar probes four instruments, said scientists said they had a hunch that the vibrating of the suns magnetic fields like the plucking of a guitar string was critical to heating the corona. So they were curious about what the vibrations would look like closer to the sun.As expected, the vibrations did get stronger. But the instrument also picked up additional, powerful waves. Kind of like rogue waves in the ocean, Dr. Kasper said. As one of the big waves swept the spacecraft, the speed of the solar wind would, within seconds, rise by 300,000 miles per hour. Each wave would last seconds to minutes. Just as quickly, in seconds, it goes past us, and were back in the normal solar wind, Dr. Kasper said.The waves were so strong that they could flip the direction of the magnetic field, producing S-shape twists that the scientists called switchbacks, like the twisty paths carved in the side of a steep mountain.These are very large and energetic events, Dr. Kasper said. Were really excited about this, because we think it tells us a possible path to understanding how energy is getting from the sun into the atmosphere and heating it.Where the Wind BlowsWith the closer view of the sun, scientists also now have a better idea of where the solar wind originates. VideoThe WISPR instrument on NASAs Parker Solar Probe captured imagery of the constant outflow of material from the Sun during its close approach to the Sun in April 2019. Video by NASA/NRL/APLCreditCredit...NASA/NRL/APLMost of the solar wind measurements to date have been in the neighborhood of Earth, more than 90 million miles from the sun.Stuart Bale, a physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, who leads an instrument that measures the electric and magnetic fields in the solar wind, said trying to study solar winds from Earth is like observing the waterfall halfway down.The water is always flowing past us, he said. It is very turbulent, chaotic, unstructured. And we want to know what is the source of the waterfall, whats at the top. Is there an iceberg melting up there? Is there a sprinkler system? A lake?By the time the solar wind reaches Earth, clues about its origin have been jumbled and become difficult to discern.We want to know the source of the water, whats at the top, Dr. Bale said.He said that data from the Parker Solar Probe now shows that the so-called slow solar wind, moving at relatively slow speeds of less than a million miles per hour, emerges from what are known as coronal holes locations associated with sunspots and where hydrogen and helium are colder and less dense near the suns Equator. (Faster solar winds traveling more than a million miles per hour were known to originate from coronal holes near the poles.)VideotranscripttranscriptTouching the SunFrom Aug. 2018: NASAs Parker Solar Probe is flying through the punishing heat of the suns outer atmosphere.Set the controls for the heart of the sun. In the summer of 2018, the Parker Solar Probe will lift off from Earth. It will spend the next seven years spiraling inward to the center of the solar system. The Parker probe will be the first spacecraft to touch our star. Or any star. It will brush through the halo of hot gases that form the suns outer atmosphere: the corona. The surface of the sun looks placid to our eyes, but it is pierced and roiled by strong magnetic fields. The fields trap gas blowing off the Sun and lift it into glowing arcs and streamers. Scientists dont understand how the corona works, or why its hundreds of times hotter than the surface of the sun. The Parker probe will pass closer to the Sun than any mission before it. To get that close, the spacecraft will make seven flybys of Venus over seven years, gradually tightening its elliptical orbit and shifting it closer and closer to the sun. A high-tech heat shield will protect the probe from the punishing radiation and heat of the corona. Within the shields shadow, the spacecraft instruments will operate at a comfortable room temperature. As the probe passes close to the sun, it will briefly become the fastest machine ever built by humans, zipping along at a brisk 430,000 miles per hour. The Parker probe is the first NASA spacecraft to be named after a living person. Eugene Parker is an astrophysicist at the University of Chicago. In 1958, he suggested that the sun radiates a constant and intense stream of charged particles. He called it the solar wind. This wind pushes out comet tails and makes the long streamers seen in solar eclipses. With the Parker Solar Probe, scientists hope to learn more about the suns turbulent corona. How it accelerates particles, and how it flings huge clouds of fiery gas outward across space. Huge waves of magnetized gas are called coronal mass ejections. If Earth gets in the way of one of these storms, it could be bad news. Our planet is protected by its own magnetic field, but a direct hit from one of these galloping clouds of particles and radiation could disrupt satellites and force astronauts in the space station to take shelter. In 1859, a powerful storm called the Carrington Event produced auroras as far south as Cuba. A solar storm of that size today could cripple satellites and power grids around the world. If successful, the Parker probes mission to touch the sun may explain how solar storms form. Scientists hope it might teach us how to predict coronal outbursts more accurately and learn how to endure them. Weve always depended on the kindness of a star, here on a planet riding the gentle fringe of barely calculable forces. Living with a star is not easy. But were learning.From Aug. 2018: NASAs Parker Solar Probe is flying through the punishing heat of the suns outer atmosphere.Star DustThe spacecraft has also been putting together a picture of the cloud of dust surrounding the sun and the corona bits shed from comets and asteroids that have passed. The dust was thinner closer to the sun, matching the expectations for a long-theorized dust-free zone around the star. As the Parker Solar Probe gets closer repeated flybys of Venus in the coming years will eventually nudge it to a trajectory that will take it within four million miles of the sun it is likely to confirm that observation and reveal new mysteries.Its a bit early to say whether these discoveries actually overturn existing models, Daniel Verscharen, a space scientist at University College London who wrote a commentary accompanying the Nature papers, said in an email. They definitely show that there is a lot more happening close to the sun and that its absolutely worth going there to explore further.A European Space Agency mission, Solar Orbiter, is set to launch in February. While it will not get as close to the sun as the Parker Solar Probe, it will carry instruments that will provide different views and provide more clues on solving the mystery of the solar wind.Eugene N. Parker, a retired University of Chicago astrophysicist whom the spacecraft is named after, predicted the existence of the solar wind in 1958. It was humbling to see the probes launch and watch it disappear into the night sky, Dr. Parker, now 92, said in a statement provided by the university. But now that data is finally coming in and being analyzed, things are getting really exciting. | science |
Americas|Trumps Immigration Orders May Be Affecting Canada, U.S. Official Admitshttps://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/world/americas/canada-border-migrants-executive-orders-homeland-security-john-kelly.htmlCredit...Geoff Robins/Agence France-Presse Getty ImagesMarch 10, 2017OTTAWA John F. Kelly, the American homeland security secretary, acknowledged on Friday that President Trumps executive orders on immigration and the perception that the United States was now inhospitable toward Muslims may be causing more migrants to seek refuge in Canada.The growing number of refugee claimants who are entering Canada by illegally crossing from the United States was among the issues Mr. Kelly discussed with members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus cabinet during a one-day visit to Ottawa.Under an agreement between the countries, people who attempt to make a refugee claim in Canada by legally entering from the United States are turned away. A loophole, however, allows people who enter Canada illegally or, as some prefer, irregularly to claim they are refugees. In most cases, they receive a hearing to assess their case.Mr. Kelly said that about 2,000 people had recently made such crossings and that they generally seemed to have been people who had legal immigration status in the United States.During an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr. Kelly said that both countries were still trying to get our arms around the situation and its causes. When asked by the interviewer if it was the product of the executive orders as well as the perception that Muslims were no longer welcome in the United States, Mr. Kelly said: It could be, I think you could draw that conclusion. Im undecided.He added: Its something I dont quite understand, but it could be.But speaking earlier in the day with reporters, Ralph Goodale, Canadas public safety minister, who hosted Mr. Kellys visit, suggested that the crossings were not related to any actions by Mr. Trump.One thing that is clear from at least some of the data is that the migration began or at least the planning for the migration began many months ago, Mr. Goodale said, without offering any details and suggesting that the situation started almost a year ago.When asked what Canada wanted the United States to do about the crossings, Mr. Goodale suggested that American officials were largely powerless. Noting that most of the migrants apparently had legal status in the United States, Mr. Goodale said there was no way to track or restrain their travel within the country.Like Mr. Kelly, Mr. Goodale said the main priority on the issue for both countries was to develop a better understanding of it.The two men also offered similar comments on highly publicized recent reports about Canadians who have been turned away at the United States border without, according to those people, being given any reason for the action. Some of the people turned back have said they were questioned about their religious views or opinions about Mr. Trump.This week, Manpreet Kooner of Montreal, who was born in Canada but whose parents are from India, said she was held for six hours at a border crossing in Vermont before being told that she had to apply for a visa to enter the United States. The United States Embassy in Ottawa, the woman said, subsequently told her that Canadian visitors had no such requirement.Ms. Kooner told the C.B.C. that an American border official said at one point: I know you may feel like youve been Trumped.Mr. Kelly and Mr. Goodale said privacy laws prevented them from discussing individual cases but suggested that the people complaining were not giving accurate or complete stories.When someone is stopped at the border and turned back, theres a reason why, Mr. Kelly said. What they say to the press is their business. | World |
Credit...J. Scott Applewhite/Associated PressJune 26, 2018WASHINGTON The consequences of President Trumps nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and the Republican blockade of President Barack Obamas nomination of Merrick B. Garland in 2016 for that seat became powerfully clear on Tuesday after the courts conservative majority handed down major decisions to uphold Mr. Trumps travel ban and in favor of abortion rights opponents.Social conservatives cheered the courts ruling that a California law requiring crisis pregnancy centers to provide abortion information likely violates the First Amendment. Some conservatives also viewed the ruling their latest win to advance their anti-abortion cause since Mr. Trump has taken office as another opportunity to energize their base ahead of the November elections.The travel ban decision drew more conflicting reactions from conservative voters and religious groups, with some criticizing it as anti-immigrant. Several groups supporting immigrants deemed the travel ban decision shameful and hateful. And many Democratic leaders denounced both rulings.What many partisans on both sides agreed on, though, was that Justice Gorsuch who voted with the 5-to-4 majorities in both cases was an especially key figure in Tuesdays decisions, because he wouldnt have been on the court if Mr. Obama had been successful with the original nomination of Judge Garland.These 5-4 decisions remind us of the key role Justice Neil Gorsuch plays on the Supreme Court and why 81 percent of evangelicals voted for President Trump, said Penny Nance, president of the Concerned Women for America, which filed an amicus brief in support of the pregnancy centers.For liberal voters, the decisions underscored their worst fears about the Republican tactics in 2016 to block Judge Garland, a relatively progressive nominee, following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative. The Republican majority in the Senate refused to convene a hearing or a vote on Judge Garlands nomination, insisting that the next president should fill the seat a controversial move that some legal scholars called unprecedented. After President Trumps election that November, he nominated Judge Gorsuch for the Scalia seat and the Senate confirmed him, keeping the court in the hands of a conservative majority.As one after another 5-4 rulings of this SCOTUS on voting rights, abortion rights, the travel ban and more are announced, the full meaning of @SenMajLdrs unconscionable, nearly yearlong blockade against the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland is manifest, wrote David Axelrod, a senior adviser to Mr. Obama, on Twitter Tuesday.During a news conference on Tuesday, Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, sidestepped a question about the thwarting of Judge Garlands nomination and used the opportunity instead to offer praise. Neil Gorsuch was an outstanding appointment, he said. Im happy to see a Supreme Court right of center, as it was before Justice Scalia passed away.While it is too early to know if the rulings might affect political races in the November midterms, they are another reminder that the party in control of the Senate in this case, the Republicans has significant sway over the direction of the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary because of the chambers confirmation powers.Democrats and Republicans both turned control of the Supreme Court into a campaign issue in 2016, and it proved to be influential with some Republicans who did not like Mr. Trump but did not want Judge Garland or an appointee of Democrat Hillary Clintons taking Justice Scalias seat.Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that opposes abortion rights, called Tuesdays ruling on pregnancy centers wind in the sails for President Trumps overall pro-life agenda, and stressed the importance of the court for her organizations midterm organizing efforts.There could be one or several vacancies on the Supreme Court in the next two years, she said. President Trump is committed to nominating pro-life justices, but in order to confirm them, we must have a pro-life majority in the Senate.In contrast to social conservatives, many of whom declined to comment on the travel ban ruling, other religious and interfaith leaders strongly denounced the travel ban ruling, some already protesting together in front of the Supreme Court.The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops had opposed Mr. Trumps ban as blatant religious discrimination in an amicus brief. John McCullough, the president of Church World Service, a faith-based organization devoted to refugees and immigrants, called on Congress to stop Mr. Trump from implementing his cruel anti-family, anti-refugee, anti-immigrant agenda.Truah, The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, said that its network of 2,000 rabbis would protest the travel ban until it is canceled.Lena Masri, the litigation director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nations largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, compared Tuesdays ruling to similarly shameful Supreme Court decisions allowing Japanese-American internment and segregation.Democratic politicians expressed outrage over the two decisions, with many focusing in particular on the travel ban ruling.Lets call this ban for what it is: an outright attack on the Muslim community that violates our nations commitment to liberty and justice for all, the Democratic National Committee said in a statement. This is part of a larger assault by President Trump and congressional Republicans on our nations values of inclusion and opportunity for all people.Senator Kamala Harris, Democrat of California, wrote in a tweet: This nation was built upon the promise that people of all faiths should be welcome to our shores. Todays decision is an utter failure on that promise and an abdication of our moral leadership.Many human and immigrant rights groups also blasted the travel ban ruling and suggested it defied American values.It is a shameful day to be an American, Chuck Roth, the litigation director at the National Immigrant Justice Center, said in a statement. Future generations will not look kindly on todays shameful abdication regarding the Muslim ban.But Matthew OBrien, the director of research at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates tough immigration restrictions, lauded the ruling and dismissed any suggestion that the travel ban went against the countrys principles.This doesnt have anything to do with American values, he said, adding that the decision, which he called fantastic, was a pretty clear vindication of the presidents course of action.Last year, when the travel ban was first announced and applied to seven Muslim-majority countries, nearly 6 in 10 Americans opposed the ban, according to the Pew Research Center, but other polls suggested public reaction was more mixed.A record-high 75 percent of Americans think immigration is a good thing for the U.S., according to a more recent Gallup poll.Timothy Head, the executive director for Faith and Freedom Coalition, a conservative Christian political group, described the administrations travel ban as reasonable and said it is part of the administrations position on immigration more broadly.Todays court ruling, we think, gives us hope that we are going to be able to secure the border, and then we will be able to move to how to deal with families and chain migration and other elements of immigration reform going forward, he said.In pews across America, the political fight is complicated. In California, Daniel Balcombe is the pastor of the evangelical Living Way Church near San Diego, a church that has had a notable increase in Iranian immigrants in recent years. While he praised the courts ruling in favor of Californias crisis pregnancy centers, he was dismayed at the travel ban decision, and said he would be reaching out to immigrants in his church.The Bible says theres a time to weep and a time to rejoice, Mr. Balcombe said. Sometimes those happen at the same time.In the west Los Angeles neighborhood known as Little Tehran, immigrants from Iran were digesting the news over small cups of thick black coffee Tuesday morning. Many said they were not surprised to hear that the court had sided with the president, which they saw as a sign that he wielded far more authority than his predecessors.Hes like the dictators he attacks but says he admires, said Sam Sassourian, a 72-year-old retired engineer who emigrated from Iran in the 1980s. We love this country, but it is becoming more like the one we escaped from. This is not right and yet nobody can stop it.Protests against the travel ban broke out in several cities after the Supreme Court ruling. A few hundred activists descended on Foley Square in Manhattan Tuesday evening toting signs with messages like, Muslim, refugees, immigrants: welcome here! and No ban, no wall, no raids, NY is for all. Several speakers accused Mr. Trump of discriminating against poor immigrant families who were desperate for refuge in the United States.This decision was nothing more than a racist decision, said Letitia James, the New York City public advocate. This is not who we are! This was a result of the fact that they stole the Supreme Court seat! | Politics |
Yuzuru Hanyu, the 19-year-old from Japan, stumbled on multiple jumps in his long program, but he did well enough to win the first mens singles skating gold in his countrys history. Circles are sized according to base value of the jump. Execution: Good Average Poor Please upgrade your browser to view this feature. More on NYTimes.com | Sports |
Credit...Reginald Stuart/The New York TimesDec. 9, 2015C. Gerald Fraser, who covered the aftermath of the bloody Attica prison uprising in upstate New York and the pioneering presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm in his 24 years as a reporter for The New York Times, died on Tuesday in the Bronx. He was 90.His partner, M. Phyllis Cunningham, said the cause was complications of cancer.Before joining The Times in 1967, Mr. Fraser reported for The Daily News in New York, covering riots in Harlem and civil rights marches in Alabama.The Times hired him as a metropolitan reporter; one of his beats was covering the courts. He also wrote about the condition of black prisoners, including those involved in the 1971 Attica rebellion. His reporting on the Chisholm campaign, in 1972, traced the making of political history: Ms. Chisholm, the first black woman to serve in Congress, was the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.He later worked in The Timess cultural news department and wrote columns for the weekly television guide and the Sunday Book Review.When Mr. Fraser joined the paper, he became one of only two black reporters on the staff at that time. The other, Thomas A. Johnson, had been hired a year earlier. Mr. Fraser became a vocal advocate for improving coverage of issues important to blacks and expanding opportunities for black journalists.When he was hired by The Times in 1967, it was the summer in which Newark exploded, he recalled in an interview with the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, adding that many blacks in and out of newsrooms across the country were stirred by appeals for black power.We wanted to identify with a community and people who were calling themselves black, he said.Charles Gerald Fraser Jr. was born in Boston on July 30, 1925, the son of Caribbean immigrants. His father, a cook, came from Guyana. His mother, the former Bernice Love, was a seamstress from Jamaica. A great-grandfather had founded the newspaper The Jamaica Advocate, and Mr. Fraser recalled that his family subscribed to three newspapers, which he read cover to cover.Attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mr. Fraser worked on the student newspaper and earned a bachelors degree in economics in 1949. He later earned a masters degree at what was then the New School for Social Research in New York.In another interview with the Maynard Institute, Mr. Fraser recalled that most mainstream newspapers were not hiring blacks in the 1950s. But the Urban League, he said, managed to arrange an interview for him at The Boston Globe, where he had worked as a copy boy in high school.Arriving for the interview, he said, he was met by a man who asked him, in a rich Irish brogue, his purpose for being there.I want to get a job, he told the man. The man replied: Oh, you cant get a job here. Youre not in the janitors union. After nearly three years of washing pots and pans and working in a post office, Mr. Fraser landed a job in 1952 as a reporter for The Amsterdam News, the Harlem-based weekly, whose editor was also a Wisconsin alumnus. He worked there until 1956.Mr. Fraser later edited a hotel workers union newspaper and covered the United Nations for West Indian periodicals before being hired by The Daily News.He left The Times in 1991 and joined Earth Times, a monthly that reported on environmental and development issues at the United Nations. He became a senior editor there.Mr. Fraser also taught at Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism and at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York.Mr. Fraser, who died at Calvary Hospital, lived in Manhattan.He married Geraldine McCarthy, who died in 1981. They had two children, who survive him: Charles Gerald Fraser III and Jetta Christine Fraser. Besides Ms. Cunningham, he is survived by their daughter, Maurella Cunningham-Fraser; three grandchildren; and a brother, Walter. | Business |
A new study examining fossils of fish suggests animals were wiped out by a massive meteor at a time when they were just emerging from hibernation and having offspring.Credit...Jackson LeibachFeb. 23, 2022The dinosaur-killing meteor hit in spring.That is the conclusion of scientists who examined the bones of fish that died on that day when a six-mile-wide asteroid collided with Earth.These fishes died in spring, said Melanie During, a graduate student at Uppsala University in Sweden and lead author of a paper published on Wednesday in the journal Nature. The reign of dinosaurs ended in spring.Scientists have known when the meteor hit just over 66 million years ago, give or take 11,000 years and where it hit, off the Yucatn Peninsula of Mexico. That ended the Cretaceous period of Earths geological history, but even though three-quarters or more of the species of plants and animals disappeared in the mass extinction that followed, it has been hard to pinpoint fossils of anything directly killed by the meteor.But in 2019, paleontologists published the discovery in southwestern North Dakota of what appeared to be a mass graveyard of creatures that died hours or days after the impact. Although North Dakota was about 2,000 miles from where the meteor hit, the seismic waves of what was the equivalent of an earthquake with a magnitude of 10 or 11 sloshed water out of the lakes and rivers and killed the fish. Tektites small glass beads propelled into the air by the impact rained from the skies.ImageCredit...Vrije University BrusselThe researchers spent years exploring the site, known as Tanis, which is in the fossil-rich Hell Creek formation that stretches across four states. An article in The New Yorker described Tanis as a wonderland of fossil finds; the initial scientific paper describing the site was more sparse on details, focusing on the geological setting.With the new science results, the fossils now provide insight into the cataclysm that was previously impossible to discern.Its amazing that we can take an event, a single moment that happened 66 million years ago literally a rock falling down and in an instant striking the Earth and we can pinpoint that event to a particular time of the year, said Stephen L. Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the research. I think its a detective story of the highest caliber.Animals in the Northern Hemisphere some emerging from hibernation or giving birth to young might have been more vulnerable to extinction. If it was spring, then it was not very likely for many organisms to be in hibernation, Ms. During said during a telephone news conference arranged by Nature.Animals in the Southern Hemisphere, hunkering down in autumn, might have been more sheltered from the sudden, drastic change in climate. If you could hibernate that would increase your chances, Ms. During said. If you could seal yourself off in a burrow or if you could shelter underwater, that could help you.Dr. Brusatte agreed. I think there is some potential here for helping understand the patterns and the processes of the extinction, he said.Ms. During first heard about Tanis during a talk in 2017 by Jan Smit, an expert on the dinosaur extinction at Vrije University in Amsterdam, where she was working on a masters degree.ImageCredit...European Synchrotron Radiation Facility She was intrigued by his description of the North Dakota fossil finds. I actually started typing him an email from my phone from the back of the room, saying, Hey, if you have these fishes, can we please do isotopic analysis on their bones? Ms. During said.She got in touch with Robert DePalma, the paleontologist orchestrating the study of Tanis. In August 2017, Ms. During flew to North Dakota and spent 10 days at Tanis excavating fossils of six fish: three sturgeon and three paddlefish.In the laboratory, the scientists sliced thin pieces of bone from the lower jaws of the paddlefish and from the pectoral fin spines of the sturgeon. They saw repeating light and dark lines reflecting seasonal changes in the rate of growth, similar to tree rings. The outermost part of the bones indicated that the fish were becoming more active and growing faster after the end of winter.My guess is on April, Ms. During said. It was definitely not summer.Swings in the levels of different types, or isotopes, of carbon in the bones indicated how much plankton was in the water for the fish to eat. The levels were lower than what they would be during summers peak abundance. That added to the various lines of evidence that we have that these fish perished in spring, said Jeroen van der Lubbe, a paleo-climatologist at Vrije University and one of the authors of the Nature paper.Tektites were found trapped in the gills of the fish but not in the digestive tract. They couldnt swim on, Ms. During said. They immediately died.Another team of scientists led by Mr. DePalma independently performed similar analysis on fish fossils and reported almost the same conclusions last December in the journal Scientific Reports. | science |
Politics|House Votes to Trim Unused Funding, a Gesture of Fiscal Restrainthttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/us/politics/house-spending-cuts-vote.htmlCredit...Erin Schaff for The New York TimesJune 7, 2018WASHINGTON With annual budget deficits nearing $1 trillion, the House took a modest step on Thursday to broadcast fiscal responsibility, narrowly approving a White House plan to rescind nearly $15 billion in unspent funding that had been approved in past years.The bill would reduce actual spending by a total of $1.1 billion from 2018 to 2028, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a small act of penance after Congress approved a $1.5 trillion tax cut in December, then a $1.3 trillion spending plan in March whose heft exasperated conservatives. The new bill would have little practical effect, given that much of the funding was not expected to be spent anyway.And the reduction in spending would be virtually imperceptible, as the total deficit from 2018 to 2028 is projected to exceed $13 trillion.The House voted 210 to 206 to pass the measure, a so-called rescissions package. The effort to rescind leftover funds had been championed by a leading contender to be the next House speaker, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California.President Trumps spending cut request is a straightforward and smart way to trim a bloated federal budget, said Mr. McCarthy, who is the majority leader.Democrats were united in opposition. Representative Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts, said that after last years tax cuts, the bill is like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.Mr. Trump has touted the package as historic.But Republicans in the Senate have largely not leapt to embrace the effort to cancel unused funding. It was not clear whether the plan would go anywhere in that chamber.Well evaluate it, Senator Richard C. Shelby, Republican of Alabama and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, told reporters, passing up the opportunity to express any enthusiasm about the measure.The Trump presidency has been a bleak period for those concerned about the growing debt, especially after Republicans eagerly approved last years tax overhaul that was projected to widen deficits.The deficit is now expected to exceed $1 trillion in 2020, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and the national debt has topped $21 trillion.Among the funding to be rescinded is $7 billion for the Childrens Health Insurance Program, or CHIP a curious move in an election year, at least from a public relations standpoint. But the budget office said canceling that funding would not change what the government spends on CHIP or affect the number of children with coverage. | Politics |
Credit...University of North CarolinaFeb. 3, 2014MONTCLAIR, N.J. As I cleaned out my room before moving to Washington, I found a small piece of red fabric crumpled among some keepsakes. I have stacks of journals that catalog my thoughts, hopes, fears and dreams, as well as anything and everything that reminds me of my various adventures over the years. You could say Im more than slightly sentimental. Writings, photos, objects and song lyrics all transport me in time.I held the red fabric in my hand and decided, for the second time, that it was one of the best gifts anyone had ever given me. The first time I thought this was in 2008, after the final game of my career at the University of North Carolina, when I opened a card from Casey Loyd (ne) Nogueira and the red flag fluttered out.Im a controlled person in both my actions and emotions. I seldom lose my cool. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs when the ball hit the back of the net during the N.C.A.A. national championship game my senior year. Tears filled my eyes, and I started sprinting. No idea where. Anywhere. Everywhere. I fell onto a pile of my teammates and hugged them and continued to scream.In training, the aim was always to hit the red flag. Casey and I would show up at Finley practice fields in Chapel Hill, N.C., an hour before training started so that we could work on free kicks. If you hit the red flag, a roughly 2-inch-by-2-inch tag that hung in the top corner of each side of the net, you automatically won.In that final game, we were down, 1-0, against Notre Dame and time was running out. Maybe this is it, I thought. Maybe its just not our day. Then we got a free kick from the spot that was one of Caseys specialties. I knew this from the hours we spent at Finley. As it landed perfectly where the red flag hung in our training nets, I lost my mind.At first I was bothered that Casey always wanted to join me in those training sessions. I like to practice free kicks on my own. I can get more reps and take them from exactly where I want to take them, with no one in the way. So I was mildly annoyed when Casey asked if she could come with me early to training, especially because I had to give her a ride.Over time it became a fun ritual, though. We would go early to the field and enjoy the time when it was just us and the bag of balls before everyone else showed up and the structure of training took over.There are some times in your life when you put in work and do all the little things right, and have nothing but faith that they will somehow pay off maybe even in an unintended way. I have never felt more a part of a goal as the free kick Casey scored in that championship game. It was the goal that put us back in the game, renewed our hope, and allowed us to eventually win, 2-1. I finished my college career a national champion.It was one of the most special moments of my career. What I learned at U.N.C. is that success is never an accident. Winning is not about what happens the day of the game, when you leave it to chance. Some moments come unexpectedly. And some moments are born from a notion, a vision, that one day the tedious minutia that might be a pain today, will be incredibly worth it down the road.Thank you Casey. I keep this little piece of red fabric to remind me to have faith in that minutia.Yael Averbuch is currently living and training in Montclair, N.J., ahead of the 2014 N.W.S.L. season with the Washington Spirit. Follow her on Twitter (@Yael_Averbuch) and on her YouTube channel (YouTube.com/yfutbol). | Sports |
The vice president will preside on Wednesday when Congress convenes to ratify Joe Bidens victory. President Trump still seems to hold out hope that his loyal No. 2 could change the outcome.Credit...Nicole Craine for The New York TimesPublished Jan. 4, 2021Updated Jan. 5, 2021WASHINGTON Speaking to supporters of President Trump on Monday at the Rock Springs Church in Milner, Ga., Vice President Mike Pence implored the crowd to vote in the two runoff elections Tuesday that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of the Senate.I am here for one reason and one reason only, and that is that Georgia and America need David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler back in the Republican majority, Mr. Pence said.But the crowd had a message for him, too.We need you do the right thing Jan. 6! one supporter cried out. Stop the steal! shouted others. The crowd applauded.If Mr. Pence has tried to skirt Mr. Trumps efforts to cling to power, his reception in Georgia on Monday served as the latest reminder of the delicate role he will play on Wednesday, when Congress conducts what is typically a ceremonial duty of opening and counting certificates of electoral votes.As president of the Senate, Mr. Pence is expected to preside over the pro forma certification of the Electoral College vote count in front of a joint session of Congress. It is a constitutionally prescribed, televised moment in which Mr. Pence will name the winner of the 2020 presidential election, Joseph R. Biden Jr.It is also a moment some of Mr. Pences advisers have been bracing themselves for ever since the president lost the election and stepped up his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. There is no chance of Mr. Pence not being there, people close to him said. Mr. Pences aides have told people that they view the vice presidents role as largely ceremonial.I know we all have got our doubts about the last election, Mr. Pence said Monday in Georgia, attempting to assuage Trump supporters. I want to assure you that I share the concerns of millions of Americans about voting irregularities. I promise you, come this Wednesday, we will have our day in Congress.It was not clear, perhaps by design, what he meant. Mr. Pence does not have unilateral power to affect the outcome of Wednesdays proceedings. But he has carefully tried to look like he is loyally following the presidents lead even as he goes through a process that is expected to end with him reading out a declaration that Mr. Biden is the winner.After nearly a dozen Republican senators said they plan to object to the certification of the vote on Wednesday, the vice presidents chief of staff, Marc Short, issued a carefully worded statement intended not to anger anyone.The vice president welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people on Jan. 6, he said.The statement, which frustrated senators who say Mr. Trump is trying to thwart democracy, helped to mollify the president, according to one person close to him.But it was not enough to squash the belief of many Trump supporters and the president himself that the vice president could still somehow help overturn the results.Two people briefed on the discussions said Mr. Trump had directly pressed Mr. Pence to find an alternative to certifying Mr. Bidens win, such as preventing him from having 270 electoral votes and letting the election be thrown to the House to decide.In Georgia on Monday night at a rally for Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, Mr. Trump openly pressured the vice president, saying, I hope Mike Pence comes through for us, I have to tell you. He added, Of course, if he doesnt come through, I wont like him as much, before saying that he really likes Mr. Pence.On Monday, after Mr. Pence returned from Georgia, the vice president and Mr. Trump were expected to hear a last-minute pitch at the White House from John Eastman, another Trump lawyer. Mr. Pence also met with Senate parliamentarians for hours on Sunday to prepare himself and the president for what he would say while on the Senate floor.The fact that Mr. Pences role is almost entirely scripted by those parliamentarians is not expected to ease a rare moment of tension between himself and the president, who has come to believe Mr. Pences role will be akin to that of chief justice, an arbiter who plays a role in the outcome. In reality, it will be more akin to the presenter opening the Academy Award envelope and reading the name of the movie that won Best Picture, with no say in determining the winner.President Trumps real understanding of this process is minimal, said Scott Reed, a Republican strategist.Some of Mr. Trumps other advisers have helped fuel the idea that Mr. Pence could affect the outcome of the election. In an interview with Jeanine Pirro on Fox News on Saturday night, Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser, claimed inaccurately that Mr. Pence could unilaterally grant a demand by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and 11 other Republican senators for an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the states Trump allies are disputing. On Saturday morning, Mr. Trump called Mr. Pence and expressed surprise that the Justice Department had weighed in against a lawsuit filed by Trump supporters, including House members, seeking to expand Mr. Pences powers in the process. The suit was dismissed on Friday by a federal judge in Texas whom Mr. Trump had appointed.One person close to Mr. Pence described Wednesdays duties as gut-wrenching, saying that he would need to balance the presidents misguided beliefs about government with his own years of preaching deference to the Constitution.Members of the vice presidents circle expect that Mr. Pence will follow the rules while on the Senate floor and play his ceremonial role as scripted, aides said. But after that, he will have to compensate by showing his fealty to Mr. Trump.A tentative final foreign trip by Mr. Pence to visit Israel, Bahrain and Belgium was scrapped, while more events to talk up Mr. Trumps legacy at home are being considered, according to a person familiar with the plans. Aides would not say whether Mr. Pence would attend Mr. Bidens inauguration.Pence aides said they expected the vice president to walk through what is expected to happen on Capitol Hill with Mr. Trump before Wednesday, in part to inoculate himself against public criticism in real time.But even with his practice at managing the president, Republican strategists described Mr. Pence as being in the worst political position of any potential 2024 major Republican presidential candidate. The vice president will be unable to avoid a nationally televised moment when he declares Mr. Biden the winner, potentially disappointing those who believe Mr. Trump was the victor and angering those who think he has the power to change the outcome.His best bet is to buck and dodge and make it through without infuriating either side, said William Kristol, the conservative columnist and prominent Never Trump Republican who was chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle.He has to hope the Trump people are furious at Tom Cotton and anyone else who doesnt go along, Mr. Kristol said, referring to Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, an ally of the presidents who said he would not join the effort to challenge the Electoral College results. He has to hope establishment Republicans are furious at Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz. And then hes the guy who didnt offend anyone.Four years ago, Mr. Pence was facing a difficult re-election for governor of Indiana when Mr. Trumps advisers at the time saw opportunity in choosing the mild-mannered, silver-haired conservative who was popular among the evangelical voters whose support Mr. Trump needed.Since then, Mr. Pence has played the role of the presidents relentless defender and with rare exception prevented daylight from coming between them.In an administration that has cycled through four chiefs of staff, four national security advisers and four press secretaries, the vice presidents political calculation has long been that being the unstintingly loyal No. 2 would give him the best shot at inheriting the Trump mantle.But with just 16 days left in the administration, Mr. Pence is at risk of meeting the fate that he has successfully avoided for four years: being publicly attacked by the president.Since the election, his political advisers have wanted Mr. Pence focused solely on the two Senate runoffs in Georgia and on the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine.Neither has been of significant interest to the president.Pences only play is to be loyal, subservient and supportive right down to the last minute hes vice president, said Michael Feldman, a former traveling chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore, who recalled his former boss playing the awkward role prescribed by the Constitution of announcing his own defeat after Mr. Gore lost the 2000 presidential election. Pence will do whatever he thinks will please the president and his supporters in this.Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting. | Politics |
Credit...Todd Heisler/The New York TimesNov. 13, 2016Is genetics destiny when it comes to heart disease?A new analysis of data from more than 55,000 people provides an answer. It finds that by living right by not smoking, by exercising moderately and by eating a healthy diet heavy in fruits, vegetables and grains people can tamp down even the worst genetic risk.DNA is not destiny; it is not deterministic for this disease, said Dr. Sekar Kathiresan, the director of the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. You do have control over the problem, even if you have been dealt a bad genetic hand.The research, by Dr. Kathiresan and his colleagues, is the first attempt to use large data sets to tease apart the effects of genes and lifestyle in heart disease, researchers said. It was published on Sunday in The New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the presentation of the results at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association.About 365,000 people die of coronary heart disease the most common type annually in the United States, and 17.3 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest killers.The investigators found that genes can double the risk of heart disease, but a good lifestyle cuts it in half. Just as important, they found, a terrible lifestyle erases about half of the benefits of good genetics.Dr. Michael Lauer, a cardiologist who is the deputy director for extramural research at the National Institutes of Health and was not involved in the analysis, called the study impressive. Its subjects were from four large studies, yet the results were consistent and convincing, even though the populations were quite varied. That sort of research, he said, is not something we see very often, and certainly not with this degree of rigor.One study the group analyzed involved black and white Americans aged 45 to 64. A good lifestyle in those with the highest genetic risk cut the 10-year likelihood of heart disease to 5.1 percent from 10.7 percent. Another study involved 21,222 American women aged 45 and older who were health professionals; their 10-year risk fell to 2 percent from 4.6 percent in the high-risk group if they also had a healthy lifestyle. In a third study, Swedish participants aged 44 to 73 had a 10-year risk reduction to 5.3 percent from 8.2 percent. And finally, in a study of Americans aged 55 to 80, those with genetic risk but a healthy lifestyle had significantly less calcium, a sign of heart disease, in their coronary arteries.Dr. Lauer also was encouraged by the finding that the fourth study, which used imaging, showed the same pattern as the others that used heart attacks and other signs of heart disease as endpoints.That gives us more confidence that the findings are real, he said.The results, he said, should quell the cries of both those who emphasize genes above all and those who emphasize elements of lifestyle above all. Its not nature or nurture, its both, he said.The study got its start after Dr. Amit V. Khera, one of Dr. Kathiresans postdoctoral fellows, noticed that researchers had looked at genetic risks of heart disease and had, in different studies, looked at the effect of environment and lifestyle risks. So, he wondered, why not look at lifestyles and genetics in the same populations and see how much each contributes?The researchers began about a year and a half ago, analyzing data from four large studies that not only had genetic data on participants but also had information on lifestyles and on which participants developed heart disease.The investigators developed a genetic score based on 50 genes associated with heart disease. They developed a lifestyle score based on whether people smoked, whether they exercised at least once a week, whether they followed a healthy diet one with fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains and nuts and whether they were obese.An optimum lifestyle score was defined as having three or all four of these elements, which is important, Dr. Kathiresan said, because many people who are obese have enormous difficulty losing weight and maintaining their weight loss. You can get into this group even if you are obese by not smoking, exercising and eating a healthy diet, he said.Even better, said Dr. Lawrence J. Appel, the director of the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine, you do not have to have an exemplary lifestyle to reap a big benefit. It looks as if the biggest protective effect by far came from going from a terrible lifestyle to one that was at least moderately good.Dr. John Michael Gaziano, a preventive cardiologist at the VA Boston Healthcare System and at Brigham and Womens Hospital, said the work showed the power of large data sets. Until recently, researchers mostly used much smaller data sets, which tend to have a lot of random variation, making results hard to interpret. The Million Veteran Program, a study that he is leading, and the National Institutes of Healths precision medicine initiative that is recruiting a million participants should provide the sort of data that can make results like Dr. Kathiresans more feasible and more powerful.For Dr. Gaziano, the biggest surprise was that a test based on combining 50 genes, each of which had a tiny role in heart disease, was such a powerful predictor of risk. The larger studies underway now should allow researchers to understand more about how much each of those genes contributes, he added.Meanwhile, the new study shows a new way to think about genes and lifestyle, researchers say.Its very important, said Dr. David Maron, the director of preventive cardiology at Stanford, who was not involved in the new study. If you are dealt a bad hand, there are things you can do to attenuate the risk.Dr. Kathiresan is already using the studys results when he sees patients, he said. The genetic test is not available outside of research studies, he said, but he often gets an idea of who has a worrisome genetic risk when he talks to patients.A poor mans substitute, he said, is: My dad died at 45 of a heart attack. I have a strong family history.He now replies, You have it in your power to change that risk. | Health |
DealBook|I.P.O.s in U.S. End Weak Year With an Empty Decemberhttps://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/29/business/dealbook/us-ipos-end-weak-year-with-an-empty-december.htmlDec. 28, 2015Initial public offerings by companies based in the United States sputtered out in December.So far this month, there have not been any such stock market debuts, according to Standard & Poors Capital IQ, the first month this has happened since September 2011. There have been just three I.P.O.s in the United States market at all in December, not including closed-end funds. The biggest was the $462 million offering by Atlassian Corporation, an Australian-based software company.Decembers slump in activity caps a disappointing year in general for I.P.O.s after two consecutive banner years, Renaissance Capital says. There were 169 offerings this year that raised $30 billion, a six-year low. Things had been looking more positive until August, when volatile markets brought new offerings to a virtual halt.In terms of I.P.O.s by United States companies, new issues dropped by nearly 40 percent in the second half of the year, according to S&P Capital IQ. There were 81 offerings through June this year, raising $15.3 billion. After that, there have been 49, raising $10 billion. First Data Corporations $2.56 billion debut in October accounted for a quarter of the proceeds raised in the second half of the year.ImageCredit...Shannon Stapleton/ReutersTech company I.P.O. activity in 2015 was the lowest since 2009, with only 23 offerings raising $4.2 billion, according to Renaissance Capital.The volatile markets of late summer and falling energy prices helped cast a pall on activity and put pressure on the shares of seven of the 10 largest I.P.O.s of the year. Tallgrass Energy, which had a $1.2 billion offering in May, is trading 49 percent below its offering price. Columbia Pipeline Partners, whose $1 billion offering was in February, is down 23.9 percent. TerraForm Global, which had a $675 million offering in July, is down 63 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ.First Data, which had the biggest transaction of the year, is trading 3.37 percent above its offering price.Fitbit Inc. and TransUnion are bright spots among the top 10 United States listings, with Fitbit trading up 44.5 percent and TransUnion up 24 percent, according to S&P Capital IQ.Heading into 2016, some 48 I.P.O.s were filed in the last 90 days, looking to raise $11 billion. They include a planned $1.6 billion offering by the grocery store operator Albertsons, a $1 billion offering by the Spanish-language media company Univision and a $1 billion offering by Neiman Marcus Group, the luxury department store company, though weak quarterly results at Neiman Marcus could delay an offering, according to Renaissance Capital. | Business |
An H.I.V. infection increases the odds of dying from Covid-19 by at least 30 percent, researchers said.Credit...Sumaya Hisham/ReutersPublished July 15, 2021Updated Sept. 7, 2021People living with H.I.V. are more likely to become severely ill with Covid-19 and more likely to die if hospitalized than others infected with the coronavirus, according to a large new study. Nearly half of H.I.V.-infected men older than 65 who are hospitalized for Covid-19 may die, the study found.The results, released ahead of an AIDS conference in Berlin, suggest that people with H.I.V. should be first in line for vaccines, along with older adults and others with weak immune systems, scientists said.The data is especially pressing because many countries with high numbers of people with H.I.V. are battling surges of the coronavirus, fueled by the contagious Delta variant and a dearth of vaccines. About 95 percent of the people with H.I.V. included in the analysis were from sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to two-thirds of H.I.V. cases worldwide.The strength of this analysis is that we report data from the continent where the H.I.V. burden actually is occurring, said Dr. Silvia Bertagnolio, an H.I.V. researcher at the World Health Organization who led the study.Dr. Bertagnolio and her colleagues analyzed anonymized clinical data for 268,412 people hospitalized with Covid-19 that was reported to the W.H.O. from health facilities and national health registries in 37 countries from January 2020 to April 2021.Of that group, the researchers had data for 15,522 people from 24 countries who were also infected with H.I.V. They had an average age of 45.5 years, and 37 percent were male. Nearly 92 percent were being treated with antiretroviral drugs. And many of the H.I.V.-infected patients, like others hospitalized for Covid-19, had other conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.More than one-third of patients with H.I.V. were severely ill at the time of admission, and nearly one in four of those who were hospitalized for Covid-19 died. The risk of death in those older than 65 was higher still, and highest for older men.After adjusting for age, sex, disease severity and the presence of other conditions, the researchers estimated that H.I.V. infection increases the odds of dying from Covid-19 by 30 percent.The result contradicts findings from several smaller studies earlier in the pandemic that suggested that H.I.V. infection has no bearing on a persons risk of severe illness or death from the coronavirus. But the new study is more biologically plausible than that earlier research, given H.I.V.s ability to disrupt immune defenses, experts said.H.I.V. knocks out all the brakes on the immune system, and as a consequence you get this inflammatory response thats robust and sustained and now you got Covid on top of that, said Dr. Steven Deeks, an H.I.V. expert at the University of California, San Francisco. I would be surprised if H.I.V. was not associated with progression of Covid-19.Dr. Deeks disagreed with the study researchers decision to adjust the calculations for the presence of other conditions such as obesity because H.I.V. infection itself can cause many of those illnesses. For 25 years, weve been arguing that a history of H.I.V. infection is an independent risk factor of progressing to heart disease, cancer, aging, he said. Without that statistical adjustment, he said, the increased risk of death for these patients would have most likely been higher than the 30 percent reported by the study.Many earlier studies had a bias that might have masked some of the risk: Doctors are more likely to admit Covid-19 patients with H.I.V. to the hospital, out of an abundance of caution, leading to patients who are less sick, and more likely to survive, compared with those who do not have H.I.V. That larger pool of patients would make H.I.V. infection appear to be less of a problem than it is, said Dr. Matthew Spinelli, an infectious disease physician at San Francisco General Hospital.Early studies may have led people down the wrong track on this question, he said. The new studys findings are more in line with large, population-based studies from South Africa and England showing that H.I.V. infection doubles the risk of dying from Covid-19, and from a similar study in New York State, he added.The new findings should prompt doctors to provide people with H.I.V. swift access to monoclonal antibodies or antiviral drugs to treat Covid-19, Dr. Deeks said. The data also underscores the need to understand how H.I.V. infection affects a persons response to a Covid vaccine, and whether some people with H.I.V. need boosters as many immunocompromised people do.AIDS activists successfully fought for inclusion of people with H.I.V. in clinical trials of coronavirus vaccines, but the data is limited. A clinical trial in South Africa showed higher efficacy for the coronavirus vaccine made by Novavax when the analysis excluded people with H.I.V., suggesting that H.I.V. infection undermines the immune response to vaccines.Out of 100 countries that have released information, 40 have listed people living with H.I.V. as a priority group for Covid-19 vaccination, said Dr. Meg Doherty, who directs H.I.V. programs at the W.H.O.Were hoping in the future that we can make sure that H.I.V. is considered one of those potential risk factors for prioritization in all countries, she said. | Health |