Digis Mak

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Europe

China answers Pelosi’s Taiwan trip, NFL preseason is here: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: China starts military drills surrounding Taiwan after Pelosi's visitThe US maintains that it has not shifted in its policy toward the island. Plus, travel reporter Zach Wichter says flight prices will soon drop, closing arguments are set in Brittney Griner's trial, money and tech reporter Terry Collins talks about employers looking for skills over experience and the NFL preseason is here.Podcast:True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.Taylor Wilson:Buenos dias. I'm ...

Griner says she ‘made an honest mistake,’ as Russian court prepares to give verdict

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Europe

Griner says she ‘made an honest mistake,’ as Russian court prepares to give verdict

KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — American basketball star Brittney Griner apologized to her family and her team as a Russian court heard closing arguments in her drug possession trial said it expected to deliver a verdict Thursday. WATCH: White House offers Russia deal to release WNBA star Brittney Griner, former Marine In her final remarks, Griner said she had no attempt to break Russian law by bringing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil with her when she flew to Moscow in February. “I made an honest mistake, and I hope in your ruling it does not end my life,” she said. Prosecutors asked a Russian court Thursday to convict American basketball star Brittney Griner and sentence her to 9 1/2 years in prison. The closing day of her trial comes nearly six months after Griner'...

Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck debate abortion and religion

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Espanol

Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck debate abortion and religion

Whoopi Goldberg and Elisabeth Hasselbeck are on opposite sides when it comes to God's stance on abortion.During Wednesday's episode of "The View," the host and guest host were reacting to Kansas' decision Tuesday to uphold the right to an abortion in the nation’s first test vote on abortion access since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.A state constitutional amendment on the primary ballot would have declared that there is no right to an abortion in Kansas, even though that right was protected in a state Supreme Court ruling in 2019. Abortion access is heavily restricted under Kansas law, with a 22-week ban, 24-hour waiting period and mandatory ultrasound in place, among other provisions. Hasselbeck argued that as a Christian, she believes "our creator assigns value to life and ...

NFL DFS, 2022 Hall of Fame Game: Best DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy football picks for Raiders vs. Jaguars

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Europe

NFL DFS, 2022 Hall of Fame Game: Best DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy football picks for Raiders vs. Jaguars

The 2022 NFL Hall of Fame Game will kick off the preseason on Thursday when the Las Vegas Raiders take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 pm ET and one player we won't see in action will be Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, making him a star to avoid with your NFL DFS picks. That leaves CJ Beathard, Jake Luton and Kyle Sloter to take first crack at running new head coach Doug Pederson's offense and creates an opportunity for value in the NFL DFS player pool.The Raiders also have a new head coach, Josh McDaniels, but it might not be wise to load up your NFL DFS lineups with stars like Derek Carr, Davante Adams and Darren Waller given that this is the first of four preseason games for Las Ve...

Lordstown Motors (RIDE) Q2 2022 earnings and production

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Updates

Lordstown Motors (RIDE) Q2 2022 earnings and production

Workers install door hinges to the body shell of a prototype Endurance electric pickup truck on June 21, 2021 at Lordstown Motors assembly plant in Ohio.Michael Wayland | CNBCEmbattled electric truck startup Lordstown Motors on Thursday reaffirmed plans to begin commercial production of its first vehicle this quarter and roll out the first customer deliveries by the end of the year.Lordstown CEO Edward Hightower said production of the Endurance pickup will be slow and largely reliant on capital availability. He said the company only expects to produce about 500 vehicles through early 2023 — an extremely slow production ramp-up by industry standards.CFO Adam Kroll said the company will need to raise "substantially more capital" to produce the initial 500 Endurance electric pickups, tho...

WNBA star Brittney Griner found guilty on drug charges, sentenced to nine years in Russian prison

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Espanol

WNBA star Brittney Griner found guilty on drug charges, sentenced to nine years in Russian prison

WNBA star Brittney Griner was found guilty of smuggling drugs into Russia and sentenced to nine years in prison, a Moscow court ruled Thursday.The two-time Olympic medalist, who is a player for the Phoenix Suns, was also fined 1 million rubles or $16,590. Her sentence comes after a tense trial held as relations between the U.S. and Russia have soured over the Ukraine war and sets up a possible prisoner swap.President Biden denounced the verdict and sentence, dubbing them “unacceptable.”“I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates,” Biden said, adding that he would continue to work to bring her home.Griner has been behind bars overseas ever since her arrest more than five months ago at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, where cu...

Johnson wants Medicare, Social Security to be discretionary programs

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Europe

Johnson wants Medicare, Social Security to be discretionary programs

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., indicated Tuesday that Medicare and Social Security should be subjected to annual budget deliberations, a move that could upend guaranteed benefits relied upon by millions of Americans.Johnson, who is running for a third term in November in a race that could shape the balance of power in the Senate, made his comments during an interview on the Regular Joe Show, hosted by Joe Giganti.Federal spending is in two baskets — discretionary spending which comes in annual appropriations in areas like defense and public works and mandatory spending that is generally governed by statute and includes entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare that provide guaranteed benefits.During the interview, Johnson was asked about the PACT Act — aid to veterans who have...

The Antony Gormley ‘phallic’ sculpture row is an attack on modern art – and geometry | Antony Gormley

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Updates

The Antony Gormley ‘phallic’ sculpture row is an attack on modern art – and geometry | Antony Gormley

Yof this is a penis, it's a tragicomic one. Antony Gormley's six meter tall cubistic sculpture Alert, which the artist describes as a kneeling figure, has been accused by students at Imperial College London of seeming to have a startling three-meter erection. But imagine being that man, with tiny legs and a colossally inconvenient horizontal arousal. Phallocratic? It would be more like a phallic farce, a depiction of masculinity collapsing under the weight of its own penis, disabled by its obsession with its own member.Or not. Alert is an arrangement of rectangular blocks to roughly form a human figure: an abstract work. Gormley says he's playing with architecture and anatomy. He certainly has not said it is meant to be phallic. He would be a better artist if he did put it out t...

why don’t you move it when walking or to ward off a mosquito?

4Aug

By Eddie CorpNo Comments

Updates

why don’t you move it when walking or to ward off a mosquito?

Whatever he does president of russia, Vladimir Putin, is carefully observed. More now, with the ukrainian war. Extremely jealous of his privacy, little is known about his time as a spy for the KGB, the secret service of the former Soviet Union, and even less about his private life. But when walk, there is something that does not go unnoticed: Putin does not move his right arm. What's more, he keeps the limb almost rigid. He only drives with the left. Putin has been seen on many occasions sin...

It’s not just Pelosi. Why are the U.S. and China clashing over Taiwan now? | Opinion

4Aug

By George LaningtonNo Comments

Espanol

It’s not just Pelosi. Why are the U.S. and China clashing over Taiwan now? | Opinion

Taiwan has always been a potential flashpoint between the United States and the People's Republic of China, but as Beijing kicks off live-fire exercises following Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's departure from the island, it is worth considering what has changed between the U.S. and China. What is bringing matters to such an acrimonious and dangerous boil?As always, the answer isn't simple. Internal dynamics are playing a key part and warrant attention before they are allowed to precipitate a worse crisis. The war in Ukraine may also be playing a significant role. While this round of saber-rattling is unlikely to erupt immediately in war, it will likely bring with it increased economic disruption and pressurize an already-tense relationship at a particularly inopportune time, as...