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Tulsi Gabbard Once Called for an Edward Snowden Pardon. Will She Flip-Flop Now?
Wed, 29 Jan 2025 19:34:43 +0000
Gabbard is a rare Washington politician who defended the NSA whistleblower. But she has also changed positions and even political parties.
The post Tulsi Gabbard Once Called for an Edward Snowden Pardon. Will She Flip-Flop Now? appeared first on The Intercept.
Trump’s pick endured tough questions from Bernie Sanders on Wednesday and was accused of ‘peddling half-truths’
After Robert F Kennedy’s bruising performance in a heated three-and-a-half-hour Senate confirmation hearing to become America’s top health official on Wednesday, he’s off to the health committee on Thursday morning for round two.
The 71-year-old faces another grueling day of questioning from a more health-minded crowd, with Republican chair Bill Cassidy – a physician who caught Kennedy confusing basic facts about Medicare and Medicaid in Wednesday’s session – likely to press further on his grasp of America’s healthcare system.
Continue reading...For many government employees, merely owning cryptocurrency is off-limits. Not for Trump, who created a “very grifty” meme coin.
The post Trump Appointees Can’t Own Crypto. That Rule Doesn’t Apply to Trump Himself. appeared first on The Intercept.
The Alien Enemies Act provides sweeping powers to detain or deport foreign nationals. It’s ripe for abuse, experts say.
The post Trump Leans on WWII Japanese Incarceration Law to Deport Immigrants appeared first on The Intercept.
Confirmation hearing was a spectacle as Democrats tried to hold a mirror to nominee, only for him to step right through
Robert F Kennedy Jr’s testimony was a “through the looking glass” moment for some senators, as lawmakers questioned one of the nation’s most influential vaccine critics for a job as the top US health official.
The hearing was a testament to how quickly Republicans have integrated “Make America Healthy Again” rhetoric into their own, lauding Kennedy, who was called a “predator” only hours earlier in a letter by his own cousin, as the correct man to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Continue reading...President signs executive order instructing preparation of facility to house 30,000 immigrants at US naval base in Cuba
Donald Trump has signed an executive order to prepare a huge detention facility at Guantánamo Bay that he said could be used to hold up to 30,000 immigrants deported from the US.
Trump signaled earlier on Wednesday that he intended to issue an order instructing the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security to open a center in order to “detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people”.
Continue reading...Commission finds democratic institutions ‘robust in the face of foreign interference’ but some MPs behaved ‘naively’
Canada’s democratic institutions are “robust in the face of foreign interference” attempts and there is “no evidence of ‘traitors’” in the country’s parliament, a landmark report into election meddling has found.
But the commission’s lead said on Tuesday that the federal government should take steps to better safeguard democratic institutions and better inform the public of foreign interference threats.
Continue reading...Asylum-seekers are being detained because they come from Russia and Central Asia, immigrants and attorneys told The Intercept.
The post They Flee Russia as Dissidents Seeking Asylum. The U.S. Locks Them Up. appeared first on The Intercept.
Advocates say the bill will put domestic violence survivors who face false allegations from their abusers at greater risk of deportation.
The post Republicans Say This Anti-Immigrant Bill Will Protect Victims of Abuse. It Will Do the Opposite. appeared first on The Intercept.
The “privacy-first” company surprised its user base when CEO Andy Yen lauded Trump on social media.
The post Proton Mail Says It’s “Politically Neutral” While Praising Republican Party appeared first on The Intercept.
These new initiatives are not about shrinking the size of the federal government. They’re about centralizing control in Trump’s hands
Chaos on a huge scale.
On Wednesday, Trump rescinded an order he had made late on Monday night that froze up to $3tn in federal grants and loans.
Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com
Continue reading...Howard Lutnick testified at his US Senate confirmation hearing for his nomination to head commerce department
Donald Trump’s nominee to run the commerce department, Howard Lutnick, said on Wednesday that Canada and Mexico can avoid looming US tariffs if they act swiftly to close their borders to fentanyl, while vowing to slow China’s advancement in artificial intelligence.
Lutnick, a billionaire Wall Street CEO, at his US Senate confirmation hearing said he has advised Trump to pursue across-the-board tariffs country by country to restore “reciprocity” to America’s trading relationships and said he would erect stronger curbs on China’s access to US technology, including advanced AI semiconductors.
Continue reading...UK foreign secretary issues direct warning during phone call with Rwandan president after escalation of conflict
Rwanda has put $1bn of global aid under threat by taking part in the invasion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, has said.
He made the direct warning in a phone call to the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, on Sunday after also speaking to the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, about the crisis.
Continue reading...Following Trump’s executive order, a trans woman held at a federal prison was told she would be moved to a men’s prison.
The post Trans Women in Federal Custody Face the Terror of Being Transferred to Men’s Prisons appeared first on The Intercept.
Jen Easterly is out as the Director of CISA. Read her final interview:
There’s a lot of unfinished business. We have made an impact through our ransomware vulnerability warning pilot and our pre-ransomware notification initiative, and I’m really proud of that, because we work on preventing somebody from having their worst day. But ransomware is still a problem. We have been laser-focused on PRC cyber actors. That will continue to be a huge problem. I’m really proud of where we are, but there’s much, much more work to be done. There are things that I think we can continue driving, that the next administration, I hope, will look at, because, frankly, cybersecurity is a national security issue...
The FBI trawled NSA records without a warrant to investigate a man suspected of trying to join a terror group, prosecutors admit.
The post FBI’s Warrantless Search Ruled Unconstitutional in a Blow to Government Spying appeared first on The Intercept.
The CIA director nominee’s tour through the revolving door included work on AI — an industry now angling to pick up major government contracts.
The post Democrats Are Worried About John Ratcliffe’s Role in the 2020 Election. They Should Also Take a Look At His AI Gigs. appeared first on The Intercept.
An executive order from Trump helps ensure that inequities of the federal aid distribution system will keep favoring the white and wealthy.
The post Disasters Like the LA Fires Always Hit the Poor the Hardest. Trump Wants to Make It Worse. appeared first on The Intercept.
US president signs executive order to prepare huge detention facility at Guantánamo Bay he says could hold 30,000 immigrants
As part of his plans to reduce illegal migration to the US, President Trump has ordered the creation of a new detention facility capable of holding 30,000 people at Guantánamo Bay.
He said the centre would be used to “detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people”.
Continue reading...Chancellor says she has support of cabinet as climate minister Ed Miliband reported to be sceptical over Heathrow plans
Richard Madeley goes next.
Q: The Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary says you are wrong, and the third runway won’t be built until you are 70. You are 45 now. Why is he wrong?
We’re signing off decisions on wind farms, on solar farms, a commitment to a new stadium at Old Trafford. We are upgrading the Transpennine route to make journey times easier between York and Manchester via Leeds and Huddersfield. Those things are happening right now.
Continue reading...The Home Office has some good ideas, but a documentary on knife crime by the actor offers the template for a new approach
The list of painful questions left behind for a wounded Britain by the trauma of the Southport stabbings is a long one. It starts with asking why Axel Rudakubana, jailed last week with a 52-year minimum prison sentence, did it. But that soon segues into wider issues of statecraft and policy. In particular, it asks whether there are measures we could now take that might, just possibly, contribute to stopping some future Rudakubana from doing the same thing.
Here the issues become more substantive. Problems of family support and parenting. The too ready availability of knives. The influence of social media. The impact of poverty. The role of schools and of exclusions. The place of policing. The repercussion of imprisonment. The effectiveness of youth services. The relevance, if any, of ideology. All these, and more. And they are merely subject headings, the doors to more detailed responses.
Continue reading...In her big plan to get the economy growing again the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has prioritised growth over almost everything else. But at what cost? John Harris speaks to the Labour MP Clive Lewis about concerns that climate action is taking a back seat. Plus, the columnist Gaby Hinsliff talks us through whether the party’s quest for growth will work
The chancellor is keen to strike a more business-friendly note, but will it come at a cost to the environment? Heather Stewart reports
Ahead of a landmark speech today, Rachel Reeves has been signalling she is ready to be ruthless to grow the economy. She has spoken about cutting regulation, pushing through building projects and even finally seeing a new runway at Heathrow. All surprising measures from a government that championed their green agenda while in opposition.
Heather Stewart, the Guardian’s economics editor, looks back at a difficult few weeks for the chancellor, and explains why despite the criticism she is trying to strike a more upbeat note. She points out how Reeves has even signalled that she wants to press for less regulation for the city, and said that regulators across the board also need to focus on contributing to growth.
Continue reading...The Trump administration is taking a brute-force approach to push trans people out of public life.
The post Trump’s Anti-Trans Executive Order Is Unscientific Nonsense appeared first on The Intercept.
Former chancellor issues rare criticism of leader of CDU/CSU after radical plans to restrict migration supported by far-right
A spokesperson for the European Commission has just been asked about the German motion at their daily midday press briefing:
Here is his answer in full:
As you know, we don’t comment on political debates, drafts and announcements, and I will not do that today.
We will look at the texts when they’re ready.
Continue reading...Key ally Patel expected to be grilled over whether allegiance to president would mean end to bureau’s independence
Kash Patel, nominated by Donald Trump to be the next FBI director, is expected to face scrutiny on Thursday about whether his loyalty to the president would end the independence of the nation’s premier law-enforcement agency from White House political pressure.
The Senate confirmation hearing, scheduled for 9.30am, comes at a fraught moment for the FBI as its parent agency, the justice department, has been roiled by the demotion of scores of top officials and prosecutors deemed to be insufficiently trustworthy to carry out Trump’s agenda.
Continue reading...Abrupt decision to pause all foreign aid could exacerbate violence in region already struggling with organized crime
The Trump administration’s abrupt decision to immediately pause all US foreign aid programmes could exacerbate violence in Latin America, driving more migration from a region already struggling with the rise of organised crime, experts have warned.
The world’s largest aid provider by far, the US disbursed $1.5bn (£1.2bn) to South American countries in the 2023 financial year, funding a broad range of projects, including humanitarian, military, environmental and economic aid.
Continue reading...Our rivers, our wildlife, the air we breathe: the government is sacrificing all to the insatiable god of GDP – and mocking our objections
I can scarcely believe I’m writing this, but it’s hard to dodge the conclusion. After 14 years of environmental vandalism, it might have seemed impossible for Labour to offer anything but improvement. But on green issues, this government is worse than the Tories.
The last prime minister to insist that growth should override every other consideration, and to fling insults at anyone who disagreed, was Liz Truss. She called those of us seeking to defend the living world an “anti-growth coalition”, “voices of decline” and “enemies of enterprise” who “don’t understand aspiration”.
Continue reading...Anna Cody raises concerns over halt to hormone treatments for gender dysphoria as youth service labels it ‘discriminatory’
The Queensland government’s ban on puberty blockers for new patients seeking treatment for gender issues is “discriminatory”, according to the state’s only dedicated LGBTQI youth service, as the national sex discrimination commissioner warns the decision may harm young people.
Sex discrimination commissioner, Anna Cody, said the decision “has the potential to harm the physical and mental wellbeing of children in Queensland who are currently awaiting care”.
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Continue reading...This blog is now closed
Chalmers says fear of mass casualty event ‘extraordinarily serious development’
Asked whether he fears “we could see a deadly attack in the coming weeks and months” on ABC News Breakfast, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, said:
We know from the counter-terrorism teams that they consider this to have been a potential mass casualty event. That is obviously an extraordinarily serious development and this is why we’re working so closely with them and with the states and territories.
We know that fear is not entirely unfounded when we see developments like this. We’re making sure that whatever can be done will be done and we’ll be briefed on this later this morning.
Some of the fear that Jewish Australians have is not unfounded. There is absolutely no place for violence or for antisemitism in a country like ours and that’s why we’re working closer than ever with police and other authorities to make sure that we stamp out and root out this antisemitism which is unfortunately becoming a feature all too frequently in our communities.
Continue reading...The sidesplittingly funny yet dark return of Mo Amer’s Palestinian refugee comedy sees its lead stuck in Mexico. It tugs on your heartstrings, and finds lightness in even the most troubling subjects
One of the finest episodes of the peerless cringeathon that is Curb Your Enthusiasm is titled Palestinian Chicken. If you haven’t seen it, the basic premise is that Larry (Larry David) ends up at the centre of a tug of war between his new favourite restaurant (a Palestinian-owned chicken joint) and his largely Jewish group of friends, who think he’s committing treason. Chosen by David as his favourite ever episode, it deftly treads the most difficult of faultlines – injecting comedy where you least expect it, and highlighting the power of poultry to bring people together.
And so to the second – and apparently final – season of Mo, which is a spiritual successor to that Curb episode and surely one of the most heart-rending things you’ll watch on TV this year. It brings together food, identity, immigration, family and Middle Eastern politics in a way that’s as fresh and intriguing as the falafel tacos that become central to the plot.
Continue reading...The facility has in the past two decades been used to deal with prisoners accused of terrorism-related offences with few ever charged or convicted
As part of his administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, US president Donald Trump has announced that the United States will hold migrants at the notorious Guantánamo military detention facility in Cuba.
Known primarily for holding suspects accused of terrorism-related offences, Trump ordered the preparation of a 30,000-person “migrant facility” that he said would be used to “detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”
Continue reading...Claim was first made in press conference, prompting Fox host to say condoms were also being used to bomb Israel
Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Donald Trump boasted that his administration had “stopped $50m being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas”, doubling down on a claim first made by his press secretary which appears to be contradicted by the facts.
As the Guardian reported on Tuesday, a comprehensive report issued in September by the US Agency for International Development (USAid), not a penny of the $60.8m in contraceptive and condom shipments funded by the US in the past year went to Gaza. In fact, the accounting shows, there were no condoms sent to any part of the Middle East, and just one small shipment, $45,680 in oral and injectable contraceptives, was sent to the region, all of it distributed to the government of Jordan.
Continue reading...We used to call this ‘trickle-down economics’, and we learned a long time ago that it is a myth
Listening to Rachel Reeves today, I could hear the faint strains of a heckler. Not among the VIPs in that Oxfordshire hall but far outside, from a woman in Newcastle. I have told her story before: as the Brexit vote loomed, a London professor warned the geordie heathens that leaving Europe would harm the UK’s economy. Then one of the aforementioned heathens yelled back: “That’s your bloody GDP. Not ours.”
Rude, crass? Absolutely. Yet she raised one of the big questions for the Westminster classes, which cuts to the very heart of politics. Jabbing a finger into a navy lapel, it demands: who are you actually helping? The answer sealed the fate of George Osborne and David Cameron, and it will prove as decisive for Reeves and Keir Starmer.
No one can be unclear what this Labour government wants. “Growth, growth, growth,” clapped Reeves this week, as she strode into a meeting of Labour MPs. Even after the Christmas pantos, ministers are staging their own version of Peter Pan: they close their eyes – and believe! The prime minister dreams of a “growth lever”; the chancellor wants everyone to “start saying ‘yes’”. And from the stalls cry the humble voters: further and faster!
Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...The chancellor’s measures might have some economic effect but her big speech lacked any sense of political purpose
Ministerial speeches have two functions. They tell the audience what the government is doing and they explain why. Both elements were present when Rachel Reeves addressed an audience in Oxfordshire on Wednesday, but there was a lot more policy than argument. The chancellor listed many actions to kickstart growth in the economy. There will be a lot of new infrastructure and new transport links – including expansion of Heathrow and other airports. The area between Oxford and Cambridge will be developed into Britain’s Silicon Valley. Ms Reeves pledged more international trade and more state subsidies for green technology.
The list was long, the persuasion was cursory. The chancellor’s economic case is that weak productivity growth has been the malaise holding back Britain’s economy. The remedy is a supply-side assault on regulation. The government will ease rules that are deemed to have thwarted crucial developments in the past. It certainly can take too long and cost too much to build in Britain. The saga of HS2 – approved in 2012, started in 2017, not due for completion until 2033 and likely to cost nearly double the original £37.5bn estimate – is a parable of that dysfunction.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Western resource-hunger has fuelled a vast humanitarian crisis. Donors must now press Rwanda to pull back from this war
There are bodies on the streets, hundreds of thousands of civilians fleeing and overwhelmed hospitals draining fuel from ambulances to keep respirators running. The rapidly escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – which has seen rocketing sexual violence, the execution of children and the displacement of 400,000 people this year alone – has just exploded with the M23 rebel group’s seizure of Goma, in the east.
Their advance comes thanks to backing from Rwanda, despite the coyness of the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame. Mr Kagame suggests that M23 is defending the country’s Tutsis, victims of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, against an armed group set up by former genocidal killers. But the threat those fighters pose appears greatly exaggerated: analysts believe the real aim is to seize mineral-rich territory. There is a striking parallel with Russia’s tactics in eastern Ukraine in 2014. On Wednesday, Rwandan troops were seen heading towards Bukavu, another key city, with the M23 fighters.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...The chancellor has made an assault on the barriers, but the uncertain global backdrop is out of her hands
Continue reading...The term has Keynesian roots and was explored in a 2009 book. Problem is, it can mean very different things to different people ...
‘We’re all sick of Britain being in the slow lane … we want to see a revival of those animal spirits so that we can grow the economy and bring investment here,” said Rachel Reeves on her return from Davos last week. Plainly a memo has gone round: in a radio interview this morning, business secretary Jonathan Reynolds claimed Labour’s willingness to take bold decisions “unleashes the animal spirit, the sense of something exciting happening”. When Reeves set out her plan for growth this afternoon, she reprised many of her Davos themes. She’s on a strange crusade against newts and bats, holding wildlife concerns responsible for Britain’s anti-growth mindset; she thinks bringing down net migration and fearlessly growing the economy are compatible and equal priorities; she’s putting a hell of a lot of faith in extra airport runways. But at least this time she wasn’t saying we should be more like Trump.
But what does “animal spirits” mean? Does it mean what Reeves thinks it means? Is it a useful concept? And how do we get hold of some of these spirits?
Continue reading...At least 100 people killed and 1,000 wounded in three days of heavy fighting in North Kivu
Dead bodies lay on the streets and explosions and gunfire echoed across the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Tuesday, as fighting continued to rage between the army and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
Residents reported continuing gun and mortar fire in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and a regional humanitarian hub for displaced people, after M23 fighters entered the city on Sunday.
Continue reading...We’d like to hear from people or anyone in their family who has been ‘evicted’ from a care home providing specialist care for vulnerable adults due to funding cuts
Residential homes providing specialist care to thousands of vulnerable adults with learning disabilities and severe autism have warned they are having to “evict” residents to avoid insolvency because of tax and wage rises and local authority funding cuts.
The annual Sector Pulse Check survey of more than 200 social care providers, both private and charitable, says many are on the brink as they struggle to remain viable in the face of cash-strapped councils’ refusal or inability to meet the rising cost of services.
Continue reading...Artificial intelligence (AI) is writing law today. This has required no changes in legislative procedure or the rules of legislative bodies—all it takes is one legislator, or legislative assistant, to use generative AI in the process of drafting a bill.
In fact, the use of AI by legislators is only likely to become more prevalent. There are currently projects in the US House, US Senate, and legislatures around the world to trial the use of AI in various ways: searching databases, drafting text, summarizing meetings, performing policy research and analysis, and more. A Brazilian municipality ...
Trump hopes to gut birthright citizenship via executive order. In lawsuits filed across the country, immigrants seek to stop him.
The post The Pregnant Immigrants Fighting Trump’s Bid to End Birthright Citizenship appeared first on The Intercept.
I went into the cinema without expectation, I left feeling like a besotted teenager and have listened to little other music since
The bookshop in the town where I used to live had a world-beating second-hand selection. The music section alone was so bounteous that there was a second shelf dedicated solely to books about Bob Dylan. One of them provided an inadvertent punchline to the six-foot display, proclaiming: Why Dylan Matters. Thank god, someone said it!
I have cared about music for about 30 years and been a working music journalist for more than half of that time. You can’t avoid the fact that Dylan matters, yet I had always remained Dylan-agnostic. No one in my family is a fan. I saw I’m Not There when it came out, aged 18, and didn’t really get it. On an interminable van journey from Cornwall to Edinburgh, friends played a CD of his greatest hits, but it left no lasting impression. As a teenager I found his music sounded dusty in the way that old records often do when you’re revelling in the newness of your own, formative era.
Women: ‘You’re such an asshole. How do you make such good music?!’
Bob Dylan: *unintelligible mumbling*
Women: ‘Fuck, you’re so hot’
UNRWA delivered the majority of food aid during the war and sheltered more than 1 million people. What happens when it’s banned?
The post Israel Bans UNRWA as Trump Throttles Foreign Aid appeared first on The Intercept.
Trans, intersex, and nonbinary people applying for passports will no longer be able to select an “X” marker for gender.
The post Rubio Orders State Department to Stop Issuing Accurate Passports to Trans People appeared first on The Intercept.
Last month, Henry Farrell and I convened the Third Interdisciplinary Workshop on Reimagining Democracy (IWORD 2024) at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg Center in Washington DC. This is a small, invitational workshop on the future of democracy. As with the previous two workshops, the goal was to bring together a diverse set of political scientists, law professors, philosophers, AI researchers and other industry practitioners, political activists, and creative types (including science fiction writers) to discuss how democracy might be reimagined in the current century...
Trump lifted sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Within hours, Netanyahu launched a new invasion.
The post Trump Halts Sanctions on Israeli Settlers, Threatens to Seize Assets of War Crimes Investigators appeared first on The Intercept.
While the US president seems hellbent on securing Greenland, local experts advise that achieving control of its potentially lucrative shipping route will be no mean feat
If shipping boss Niels Clemensen were to offer any advice to Donald Trump or anyone else trying to get a foothold in Greenland, it would be this: “Come up here and see what you are actually dealing with.”
Sitting on the top floor of his beamed office in Nuuk harbour, where snow is being flung around by strong winds in the mid-morning darkness outside and shards of ice pass by in the fast-flowing water, the chief executive of Greenland’s only shipping company, Royal Arctic Line, says: “What you normally see as easy [setting up operations] in the US or Europe is not the same up here.” As well as the cold, ice and extremely rough seas, the world’s biggest island does not have a big road network or trains, meaning everything has to be transported either by sea or air. “I’m not saying that it’s not possible. But it’s going to cost a lot of money.”
Continue reading...US funding provides humanitarian assistance to a region vulnerable to natural disasters and support for pro-democracy activists battling repressive regimes
Trump’s executive order halting US foreign aid funding flows for 90 days for review has caused global confusion and chaos.
In south-east Asia, such funding provides humanitarian assistance to communities that are among the most vulnerable in the world to natural disasters, as well as support for pro-democracy activists who risk their lives to campaign against repressive regimes. It’s unclear how much of this will be affected, or what the long-term impacts will be. However, life-saving programmes in the region are already being cut back.
Continue reading...In the second episode of our listener questions special, Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what he has uncovered about who the exercise guidelines were created for and whether they apply to all of us, which exercises are best for keeping us strong, whether we should be eating particular foods when we exercise, and how much protein we need to consume if we’re packing in the hours at the gym. With contributions from Jason Gill, professor of cardiometabolic health at the University of Glasgow; Benjamin Wall, professor of nutritional physiology at the University of Exeter; Clyde Williams, emeritus professor of sports science at Loughborough University; Victoria Taylor, head of clinical support at the British Heart Foundation and I-Min Lee, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School
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Continue reading...What do Greenlanders make of Donald Trump’s interest in their island? Miranda Bryant reports
In 2019, when Donald Trump first raised the prospect of the US acquiring Greenland, few people took it seriously. But today, at the start of his second term as president, when Trump says “I think we’re going to have it”, his words ring alarm bells.
To find out why the world’s largest island is of such enduring interest to Trump, Miranda Bryant, the Guardian’s Nordic correspondent, recently travelled to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. There, she tells Helen Pidd, Greenlanders are well aware of the minerals and strategic value that their island holds, especially as the changing climate is accelerating superpower competition in the Arctic.
Continue reading...We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.
This week, from 2020: David Blagdon’s long-term detention has been described as ‘barbaric’. Whatever his disastrous personal choices, the system failed him repeatedly. By Mark Olden. Read by Mo Ayoub
Continue reading...Abrupt order has done ‘serious damage’, say experts, with supply chains halted, HIV clinics struggling to source drugs and refugee camps facing loss of vital services
Clinics in Uganda are scrambling to find new sources for vital HIV drugs, aid workers in Bangladesh fear refugee camp infrastructure will crumble, and mobile health units may have to stop treating civilians near the frontline in Ukraine.
Services worldwide have been thrown into disarray by President Donald Trump’s executive order, signed on Monday 20 January and published on Friday halting US foreign aid funding flows for 90 days for review.
Continue reading...President Donald Trump began his first full day in office attending a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. The Episcopal bishop of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde, pleaded with Trump during the service, asking the newly elected president to protect immigrants and respect gay rights. ‘There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives,’ she said as Trump and his family watched on. After the inauguration, Trump launched a sweeping immigration crackdown and promised mass deportations
Continue reading...By denying funding to the Climate Justice Alliance over Palestine, Biden went after Trump’s political opponents for him.
The post Biden Attack on Nonprofit Over Palestine Stance Made Trump’s Job Easier appeared first on The Intercept.
Tech CEOs cozying up to Trump want to reshape reality to their politics.
The post The Broligarchy: The Who’s Who of the Silicon Gilded Age appeared first on The Intercept.
Poland has promised Netanyahu safe passage to an Auschwitz memorial service. Former and current EU officials are speaking out.
The post Netanyahu Has an ICC Arrest Warrant. Poland’s Promise to Ignore It Would Be a “Grave Mistake.” appeared first on The Intercept.
The orders require drafting strategies to enforce the gender binary (within 30 days) and meetings on fighting DEI and environmental justice (monthly).
The post Trump’s Executive Orders Are Full of Deadlines. We’re Tracking Them. appeared first on The Intercept.
In the rapidly advancing landscape of AI technology and innovation, LimeWire emerges as a unique platform in the realm of generative AI tools. This platform not only stands out from the multitude of existing AI tools but also brings a fresh approach to content generation. LimeWire not only empowers users to create AI content but also provides creators with creative ways to share and monetize their creations.
As we explore LimeWire, our aim is to uncover its features, benefits for creators, and the exciting possibilities it offers for AI content generation. This platform presents an opportunity for users to harness the power of AI in image creation, all while enjoying the advantages of a free and accessible service.
Let's unravel the distinctive features that set LimeWire apart in the dynamic landscape of AI-powered tools, understanding how creators can leverage its capabilities to craft unique and engaging AI-generated images.
This revamped LimeWire invites users to register and unleash their creativity by crafting original AI content, which can then be shared and showcased on the LimeWire Studio. Notably, even acclaimed artists and musicians, such as Deadmau5, Soulja Boy, and Sean Kingston, have embraced this platform to publish their content in the form of NFT music, videos, and images.
Beyond providing a space for content creation and sharing, LimeWire introduces monetization models to empower users to earn revenue from their creations. This includes avenues such as earning ad revenue and participating in the burgeoning market of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). As we delve further, we'll explore these monetization strategies in more detail to provide a comprehensive understanding of LimeWire's innovative approach to content creation and distribution.
LimeWire Studio welcomes content creators into its fold, providing a space to craft personalized AI-focused content for sharing with fans and followers. Within this creative hub, every piece of content generated becomes not just a creation but a unique asset—ownable and tradable. Fans have the opportunity to subscribe to creators' pages, immersing themselves in the creative journey and gaining ownership of digital collectibles that hold tradeable value within the LimeWire community. Notably, creators earn a 2.5% royalty each time their content is traded, adding a rewarding element to the creative process.
The platform's flexibility is evident in its content publication options. Creators can choose to share their work freely with the public or opt for a premium subscription model, granting exclusive access to specialized content for subscribers.
As of the present moment, LimeWire focuses on AI Image Generation, offering a spectrum of creative possibilities to its user base. The platform, however, has ambitious plans on the horizon, aiming to broaden its offerings by introducing AI music and video generation tools in the near future. This strategic expansion promises creators even more avenues for expression and engagement with their audience, positioning LimeWire Studio as a dynamic and evolving platform within the realm of AI-powered content creation.
The LimeWire AI image generation tool presents a versatile platform for both the creation and editing of images. Supporting advanced models such as Stable Diffusion 2.1, Stable Diffusion XL, and DALL-E 2, LimeWire offers a sophisticated toolkit for users to delve into the realm of generative AI art.
Much like other tools in the generative AI landscape, LimeWire provides a range of options catering to various levels of complexity in image creation. Users can initiate the creative process with prompts as simple as a few words or opt for more intricate instructions, tailoring the output to their artistic vision.
What sets LimeWire apart is its seamless integration of different AI models and design styles. Users have the flexibility to effortlessly switch between various AI models, exploring diverse design styles such as cinematic, digital art, pixel art, anime, analog film, and more. Each style imparts a distinctive visual identity to the generated AI art, enabling users to explore a broad spectrum of creative possibilities.
The platform also offers additional features, including samplers, allowing users to fine-tune the quality and detail levels of their creations. Customization options and prompt guidance further enhance the user experience, providing a user-friendly interface for both novice and experienced creators.
Excitingly, LimeWire is actively developing its proprietary AI model, signaling ongoing innovation and enhancements to its image generation capabilities. This upcoming addition holds the promise of further expanding the creative horizons for LimeWire users, making it an evolving and dynamic platform within the landscape of AI-driven art and image creation.
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Upon completing your creative endeavor on LimeWire, the platform allows you the option to publish your content. An intriguing feature follows this step: LimeWire automates the process of minting your creation as a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), utilizing either the Polygon or Algorand blockchain. This transformative step imbues your artwork with a unique digital signature, securing its authenticity and ownership in the decentralized realm.
Creators on LimeWire hold the power to decide the accessibility of their NFT creations. By opting for a public release, the content becomes discoverable by anyone, fostering a space for engagement and interaction. Furthermore, this choice opens the avenue for enthusiasts to trade the NFTs, adding a layer of community involvement to the artistic journey.
Alternatively, LimeWire acknowledges the importance of exclusivity. Creators can choose to share their posts exclusively with their premium subscribers. In doing so, the content remains a special offering solely for dedicated fans, creating an intimate and personalized experience within the LimeWire community. This flexibility in sharing options emphasizes LimeWire's commitment to empowering creators with choices in how they connect with their audience and distribute their digital creations.
After creating your content, you can choose to publish the content. It will automatically mint your creation as an NFT on the Polygon or Algorand blockchain. You can also choose whether to make it public or subscriber-only.
If you make it public, anyone can discover your content and even trade the NFTs. If you choose to share the post only with your premium subscribers, it will be exclusive only to your fans.
Additionally, you can earn ad revenue from your content creations as well.
When you publish content on LimeWire, you will receive 70% of all ad revenue from other users who view your images, music, and videos on the platform.
This revenue model will be much more beneficial to designers. You can experiment with the AI image and content generation tools and share your creations while earning a small income on the side.
The revenue you earn from your creations will come in the form of LMWR tokens, LimeWire’s own cryptocurrency.
Your earnings will be paid every month in LMWR, which you can then trade on many popular crypto exchange platforms like Kraken, ByBit, and UniSwap.
You can also use your LMWR tokens to pay for prompts when using LimeWire generative AI tools.
You can sign up to LimeWire to use its AI tools for free. You will receive 10 credits to use and generate up to 20 AI images per day. You will also receive 50% of the ad revenue share. However, you will get more benefits with premium plans.
For $9.99 per month, you will get 1,000 credits per month, up to 2 ,000 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 50% ad revenue share
For $29 per month, you will get 3750 credits per month, up to 7500 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 60% ad revenue share
For $49 per month, you will get 5,000 credits per month, up to 10,000 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 70% ad revenue share
For $99 per month, you will get 11,250 credits per month, up to 2 2,500 image generations, early access to new AI models, and 70% ad revenue share
With all premium plans, you will receive a Pro profile badge, full creation history, faster image generation, and no ads.
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In conclusion, LimeWire emerges as a democratizing force in the creative landscape, providing an inclusive platform where anyone can unleash their artistic potential and effortlessly share their work. With the integration of AI, LimeWire eliminates traditional barriers, empowering designers, musicians, and artists to publish their creations and earn revenue with just a few clicks.
The ongoing commitment of LimeWire to innovation is evident in its plans to enhance generative AI tools with new features and models. The upcoming expansion to include music and video generation tools holds the promise of unlocking even more possibilities for creators. It sparks anticipation about the diverse and innovative ways in which artists will leverage these tools to produce and publish their own unique creations.
For those eager to explore, LimeWire's AI tools are readily accessible for free, providing an opportunity to experiment and delve into the world of generative art. As LimeWire continues to evolve, creators are encouraged to stay tuned for the launch of its forthcoming AI music and video generation tools, promising a future brimming with creative potential and endless artistic exploration
Are you looking for a new graphic design tool? Would you like to read a detailed review of Canva? As it's one of the tools I love using. I am also writing my first ebook using canva and publish it soon on my site you can download it is free. Let's start the review.
Canva has a web version and also a mobile app
Canva is a free graphic design web application that allows you to create invitations, business cards, flyers, lesson plans, banners, and more using professionally designed templates. You can upload your own photos from your computer or from Google Drive, and add them to Canva's templates using a simple drag-and-drop interface. It's like having a basic version of Photoshop that doesn't require Graphic designing knowledge to use. It’s best for nongraphic designers.
Canva is a great tool for small business owners, online entrepreneurs, and marketers who don’t have the time and want to edit quickly.
To create sophisticated graphics, a tool such as Photoshop can is ideal. To use it, you’ll need to learn its hundreds of features, get familiar with the software, and it’s best to have a good background in design, too.
Also running the latest version of Photoshop you need a high-end computer.
So here Canva takes place, with Canva you can do all that with drag-and-drop feature. It’s also easier to use and free. Also an even-more-affordable paid version is available for $12.95 per month.
The product is available in three plans: Free, Pro ($12.99/month per user or $119.99/year for up to 5 people), and Enterprise ($30 per user per month, minimum 25 people).
To get started on Canva, you will need to create an account by providing your email address, Google, Facebook or Apple credentials. You will then choose your account type between student, teacher, small business, large company, non-profit, or personal. Based on your choice of account type, templates will be recommended to you.
You can sign up for a free trial of Canva Pro, or you can start with the free version to get a sense of whether it’s the right graphic design tool for your needs.
When you sign up for an account, Canva will suggest different post types to choose from. Based on the type of account you set up you'll be able to see templates categorized by the following categories: social media posts, documents, presentations, marketing, events, ads, launch your business, build your online brand, etc.
Start by choosing a template for your post or searching for something more specific. Search by social network name to see a list of post types on each network.
Next, you can choose a template. Choose from hundreds of templates that are ready to go, with customizable photos, text, and other elements.
You can start your design by choosing from a variety of ready-made templates, searching for a template matching your needs, or working with a blank template.
Inside the Canva designer, the Elements tab gives you access to lines and shapes, graphics, photos, videos, audio, charts, photo frames, and photo grids.The search box on the Elements tab lets you search everything on Canva.
To begin with, Canva has a large library of elements to choose from. To find them, be specific in your search query. You may also want to search in the following tabs to see various elements separately:
The Photos tab lets you search for and choose from millions of professional stock photos for your templates.
You can replace the photos in our templates to create a new look. This can also make the template more suited to your industry.
You can find photos on other stock photography sites like pexel, pixabay and many more or simply upload your own photos.
When you choose an image, Canva’s photo editing features let you adjust the photo’s settings (brightness, contrast, saturation, etc.), crop, or animate it.
When you subscribe to Canva Pro, you get access to a number of premium features, including the Background Remover. This feature allows you to remove the background from any stock photo in library or any image you upload.
The Text tab lets you add headings, normal text, and graphical text to your design.
When you click on text, you'll see options to adjust the font, font size, color, format, spacing, and text effects (like shadows).
Canva Pro subscribers can choose from a large library of fonts on the Brand Kit or the Styles tab. Enterprise-level controls ensure that visual content remains on-brand, no matter how many people are working on it.
Create an animated image or video by adding audio to capture user’s attention in social news feeds.
If you want to use audio from another stock site or your own audio tracks, you can upload them in the Uploads tab or from the more option.
Want to create your own videos? Choose from thousands of stock video clips. You’ll find videos that range upto 2 minutes
You can upload your own videos as well as videos from other stock sites in the Uploads tab.
Once you have chosen a video, you can use the editing features in Canva to trim the video, flip it, and adjust its transparency.
On the Background tab, you’ll find free stock photos to serve as backgrounds on your designs. Change out the background on a template to give it a more personal touch.
The Styles tab lets you quickly change the look and feel of your template with just a click. And if you have a Canva Pro subscription, you can upload your brand’s custom colors and fonts to ensure designs stay on brand.
If you have a Canva Pro subscription, you’ll have a Logos tab. Here, you can upload variations of your brand logo to use throughout your designs.
With Canva, you can also create your own logos. Note that you cannot trademark a logo with stock content in it.
With Canva, free users can download and share designs to multiple platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Slack and Tumblr.
Canva Pro subscribers can create multiple post formats from one design. For example, you can start by designing an Instagram post, and Canva's Magic Resizer can resize it for other networks, Stories, Reels, and other formats.
Canva Pro subscribers can also use Canva’s Content Planner to post content on eight different accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Slack, and Tumblr.
Canva Pro allows you to work with your team on visual content. Designs can be created inside Canva, and then sent to your team members for approval. Everyone can make comments, edits, revisions, and keep track via the version history.
When it comes to printing your designs, Canva has you covered. With an extensive selection of printing options, they can turn your designs into anything from banners and wall art to mugs and t-shirts.
Canva Print is perfect for any business seeking to make a lasting impression. Create inspiring designs people will want to wear, keep, and share. Hand out custom business cards that leave a lasting impression on customers' minds.
The Canva app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The Canva app has earned a 4.9 out of five star rating from over 946.3K Apple users and a 4.5 out of five star rating from over 6,996,708 Google users.
In addition to mobile apps, you can use Canva’s integration with other Internet services to add images and text from sources like Google Maps, Emojis, photos from Google Drive and Dropbox, YouTube videos, Flickr photos, Bitmojis, and other popular visual content elements.
In general, Canva is an excellent tool for those who need simple images for projects. If you are a graphic designer with experience, you will find Canva’s platform lacking in customization and advanced features – particularly vectors. But if you have little design experience, you will find Canva easier to use than advanced graphic design tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator for most projects. If you have any queries let me know in the comments section.
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Continue reading...President Biden has signed a new cybersecurity order. It has a bunch of provisions, most notably using the US governments procurement power to improve cybersecurity practices industry-wide.
Some details:
The core of the executive order is an array of mandates for protecting government networks based on lessons learned from recent major incidents—namely, the security failures of federal contractors.
The order requires software vendors to submit proof that they follow secure development practices, building on a mandate that debuted in 2022 in response to ...
Undistracted by smartphones in 1995, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy talk away one night in Vienna without resolution but with huge charm
Not a romcom, not a romantic drama, but just … a romance, a brief encounter on a train without heartache, a strange and wonderful moment-by-moment miracle that never seems cloying or absurd. Richard Linklater’s film from 1995 is now re-released for its 30th anniversary, a stretch of time that gives us a chance to ponder the characters’ time-travel musings about their future selves. The two sequels Before Sunset (in 2004) and Before Midnight (in 2013) famously reunited the leads and gave us an episodic study of their growing old as a couple welded together by that amazing moment in Vienna; it was an ambitious approach which Linklater brought to its fullest success with his time-lapse portrait Boyhood, which he was working on around the same period.
The goateed and sweetly conceited twentysomething Jesse, played by Ethan Hawke, is on a train to Vienna when the smart and beautiful Céline, insouciantly played by Julie Delpy, sits down opposite him and they start talking. Everyone is reading books and even newspapers in 1995, not looking at phones, or posting Instagram selfies – so striking up flirtatious conversations is not quite as difficult, but still a gamble; you can feel Jesse’s heart-thumping nerves as he suggests to Céline that she forget about her plans to go to Paris and instead get off the train with him to hang out in Vienna for 24 hours – with no money for a hotel, literally wandering around with him all night, never revealing their surnames.
Continue reading...Move over wild swimming … ice diving in a frozen mountain lake and camping under the Milky Way connects you with nature at its most raw and magical
It’s five below freezing on the ice-caked surface of a lake in the French Alps and, as I prepare to slip, seal-like, into the black water, my racing mind is begging me to wimp out. Diving in a frozen lake at night – below ice, beneath the stars, at an altitude of almost 2,000 metres? What an absurd idea.
An hour ago, I was inside a tiny mountain refuge beside Lac Robert drinking tea, the temperature outside dropping by the second. Now, I’m outdoors and zipped into a cumbersome drysuit (designed to prevent water from entering), with blue latex gauntlets sealed at the wrists and a black frogman hood wrenched over my head.
Continue reading...In her big plan to get the economy growing again the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has prioritised growth over almost everything else. But at what cost? John Harris speaks to the Labour MP Clive Lewis about concerns that climate action is taking a back seat. Plus, the columnist Gaby Hinsliff talks us through whether the party’s quest for growth will work
What do Greenlanders make of Donald Trump’s interest in their island? Miranda Bryant reports
In 2019, when Donald Trump first raised the prospect of the US acquiring Greenland, few people took it seriously. But today, at the start of his second term as president, when Trump says “I think we’re going to have it”, his words ring alarm bells.
To find out why the world’s largest island is of such enduring interest to Trump, Miranda Bryant, the Guardian’s Nordic correspondent, recently travelled to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. There, she tells Helen Pidd, Greenlanders are well aware of the minerals and strategic value that their island holds, especially as the changing climate is accelerating superpower competition in the Arctic.
Continue reading...Rise was partly due to more households using their credit and debit cards overseas as travel bounces back, analyst from central bank says
Australian households paid almost 10% more in bank fees in the 2023/24 financial year, with credit card and personal loan use soaring amid the rising cost of living.
That contributed to banks enjoying a 5% jump in fee revenue in 2023/24 – the first annual increase in fee earnings in seven years, the Reserve Bank said in its January bulletin.
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Continue reading...I had no travel insurance and couldn’t walk. I was entirely dependent on him, but he never once made it awkward
I was cycling in rural Turkey – I couldn’t tell you where. My plan that day was to ride until I reached a village with somewhere I could stay. I needed people because, unlike other bike tourists, I didn’t have a tent. I thought not bringing one would mean I had more adventure – maybe I’d stay in barns, living rooms or school halls. That had worked in Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea. It didn’t work in Turkey.
I needed to get to the next town before sunset. I was cycling quickly downhill, probably too fast for a gravel road. I was scooting around a blind corner when a car came screaming around the bend. As soon as I saw it, it was in front of me.
Nick stayed with me in my small apartment in Antalya for a couple nights in September 2014. Then, uh, ooops, I heard from him again as he unexpectedly returned to Antalya. He was in need of some help, and I was able to help him. It’s times like this – in an unknown city, with no friends, and a problem – that Warmshowers is especially terrific. Nick ended up staying another four or five days. He’s a super guy, open-minded, knowledgable and experienced beyond his years. You can absolutely trust him.
Continue reading...World’s largest religious gathering, held in India, has become scene of crowd crush as estimated 100m people travelled to take holy dip
At least 30 people have been killed and 60 injured after fatal crowd crushes took place at the Kumbh Mela festival in India. The incident took place on early Wednesday morning as large numbers of devotees went to bathe in the river, on one of the holiest days of the Hindu gathering.
Continue reading...The internal conflict raging since 2023 has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and forced more than 11 million people from their homes. The UN has described it as ‘one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history’. Photographer Sergio Ramazzotti travelled to Khartoum state and witnessed the aftermath of the fighting between government troops and Rapid Support Forces (RSF)
Continue reading...Overseas tourists are blocking roads or walking onto railway tracks in Otaru to capture its views, stoking local resentment and complaints of overtourism
Authorities in Japan are stepping up measures to deter crowds of overseas visitors from taking risks in their quest for the perfect photo, in another attempt to address the negative impact of a record surge in inbound tourism.
Tourism officials in Otaru, a small city in the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, deployed security guards this week to prevent people congregating on Funami-za, a steep street and the perfect spot for photos of the port and sea in the distance.
Continue reading...Asylum-seekers are being detained because they come from Russia and Central Asia, immigrants and attorneys told The Intercept.
The post They Flee Russia as Dissidents Seeking Asylum. The U.S. Locks Them Up. appeared first on The Intercept.
We would like to hear from people on the stormy weather conditions and the impact it has had on their journey
Due to stormy weather and flooding, a major incident has been declared in Somerset with blocked roads, schools closed and rest centres set up for those who have been forced to leave their homes in Chard, Ilminister and Somerton.
More than 50 flood warnings and more than 150 flood alerts were in place for England on Monday, with three Met Office yellow warnings in England and Wales for heavy rain and strong winds.
Continue reading...Poland has promised Netanyahu safe passage to an Auschwitz memorial service. Former and current EU officials are speaking out.
The post Netanyahu Has an ICC Arrest Warrant. Poland’s Promise to Ignore It Would Be a “Grave Mistake.” appeared first on The Intercept.
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors. You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays.
From biking adventures to city breaks, get inspiration for your next break – whether in the UK or further afield – with twice-weekly emails from the Guardian’s travel editors.
You’ll also receive handpicked offers from Guardian Holidays.
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