Victoria Kjær Theilvig of Denmark has been crowned Miss Universe 2024, becoming the first Dane to ever win the competition. The 21-year-old, a competitive dancer, entrepreneur, and aspiring lawyer, beat more than 120 other contestants to win the annual beauty pageant in Mexico City on Saturday night. She was applauded by other contestants on stage as she accepted the tiara from reigning titleholder Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua. This year’s finale featured a performance by singer Robin Thicke and was hosted by “Saved by the Bell” star Mario Lopez and former Miss Universe Olivia Culpo. The glitzy pageant began with contestants being narrowed down to a shortlist of 30, based on the results of Thursday’s preliminary event, which included a flamboyant national costume contest. The semi-finalists then paraded in swimwear, before 12 of them advanced to an evening gown contest. The final five contestants later faced questions on a range of topics, including leadership and resilience. When asked how she would live differently if nobody would judge her, Theilvig told the judges she wouldn’t change anything, saying, “I live by each day.” When later asked what she would say to those watching, Theilvig urged viewers to “keep fighting … no matter where you come from.” “I stand here today because I want a change, I want to make history, and that’s what I’m doing tonight,” she said. Chidimma Adetshina of Nigeria finished as first runner-up and Maria Fernanda Beltran of Mexico was named second runner-up. Suchata Chuangsri of Thailand and Ileana Marquez Pedroza of Venezuela followed – with Pedroza, a 28-year-old mother, making history in the top five after the competition removed several restrictions in recent years. This year marked the first time in Miss Universe’s 72-year history that women aged over 28 were permitted to enter. More than two dozen of the finalists were older than would have been allowed in previous years, with Malta’s Beatrice Njoya becoming the first and only woman in her 40s to reach the grand finale. The age limit’s removal came amid growing calls for the pageant to modernize. Ahead of 2023’s contest, the Miss Universe Organization also lifted a longstanding ban on pregnant women or mothers, and women who are — or ever have been — married. Theilvig participates in the Miss Universe competition at Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City on November 16, 2024. Hector Vivas/Getty Images Delegates for each country were selected via local pageants that license local rights from the Miss Universe Organization. This year’s contest saw Cuba, represented by Marianela Ancheta, take part in Miss Universe for the first time since 1967. Several countries, including Belarus, Eritrea and the United Arab Emirates, sent contestants for the first time, though in April the Miss Universe Organization moved to dispel a flurry of what it called “false and misleading” reports that Saudi Arabia was due to make its debut in the 2024 pageant. Some national-level contests were marred by controversies in the build-up to this year’s final — including Miss Universe South Africa, which saw Adetshina quit the competition (and later be selected to represent Nigeria) after questions around her nationality sparked a wave of xenophobic hostility. Last December, the director of the Miss Universe Nicaragua contest, Karen Celebertti, resigned just weeks after Palacios took the crown, amid charges of conspiracy and treason. She, along with her husband and son, were accused of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government.

Building new railways is an expensive business. Even in ideal circumstances, carving a new route through the landscape costs millions of dollars per mile and can take decades to complete. If you want to build that railway through one of Europe’s most densely populated countries, expect the costs and opposition to increase dramatically. With its first — and now only — phase currently costed at between $58.4 billion and $70 billion by the UK government, Britain’s High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project now costs an eye watering $416 million per mile. It’s a metric that gives it the dubious honor of being the world‘s most expensive railway project. Only the equally troubled $128-billion California High Speed Rail project in the United States comes close to matching HS2’s soaring costs, with some estimates suggesting that it could top out at $200 million per mile. For comparison, the Tours-Bordeaux TGV line in France cost around $32-$40 million per mile in the mid-2010s — although much of that line runs through sparsely populated agricultural regions. European high speed rail projects outside the UK typically cost around $66.4 million per mile. Population density and topography obviously have a significant effect on construction costs. That said, China and Japan have succeeded in threading new high-speed railways through some of the world‘s most densely populated megacities for far less than it will cost Britain to build the 140 miles of track between London and the central English city of Birmingham. And Chinese contractors managed to drive the Jakarta-Bandung “WHOOSH” high-speed line through some of Indonesia’s most difficult and densely populated terrain for around $80 million per mile. ‘Prolonged dysfunction’ HS2 construction work takes place behind hoardings at London’s Euston Station in September 2023. Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images But in Britain, where it’s common for major infrastructure projects to blow their budget, the costs for HS2 keep racking up. Now, with even its supporters despairing at how it’s been managed in recent years, the rail project is widely viewed as an expensive mess that will likely never deliver many of the social and economic benefits it once promised. So, how did it get here? Political interference. Chronic short-termism. The UK’s lack of long-term, integrated transport and industrial policies. Slow and overly bureaucratic planning and environmental regimes. Poor project management. Inadequate oversight by the civil servants and government. The blame list goes on. Add to that a construction industry seeking to insulate itself from all of the above with contract bids that include enormous mitigation costs. Since it was launched in 2012 with a projected overall cost of $42.8 billion for almost 400 miles of new railway, HS2 has been led by five different CEOs and seven chairmen. It has, in theory, been overseen by six prime ministers, eight finance ministers and nine transport ministers during a time of unprecedented political turmoil in the UK. In October 2024, the London Times newspaper called HS2 “a story of prolonged dysfunction.” It said: “The gradual stunting of HS2 represents egregious short-termism but also an object lesson in why Britain struggles to escape its doom loop of anemic growth. “The project has become emblematic of Britain’s inability to complete big infrastructure projects.” Railway journalist, author and long-time HS2 skeptic Christian Wolmar told CNN Travel the project was likely doomed from the start, with a soaring price tag partly down to simple design flaws. “A number of mistakes were made at the outset, including the decision to build the line for 400 kilometers per hour (250 mph) operation — 100 kph faster than the international norm,” he says. “There was also a lack of discussion over the chosen route, which could have followed existing highway corridors.” Rapidly rising construction costs have plagued major projects across the world in recent years. But even before the Covid pandemic, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the surge in inflation that followed those global events, HS2‘s spiraling costs were starting to alarm many observers. Speaking at an industry conference in 2022, Ricardo Ferreras, director of Spanish construction giant Ferrovial — one of many companies involved in HS2 — blamed the process of obtaining permits and conducting environmental studies for the increased cost of building high-speed railways in the UK. “It’s true the cost per kilometer is way higher in the UK than it is in Europe, for example in France or Spain,” Ferreras said, laying most of the blame at the maze of UK planning and environmental restrictions construction companies must navigate. “As an example, in Spain the government will get all consents, and all environmental permits, and then when they award the contract, the contractor can just focus on delivering the project.” There’s no doubt that building railways is cheaper elsewhere. As journalist Wolmar points out, Spain has built an entire high-speed rail network of 2,500 miles for around $65 billion, which in the UK won’t even cover the cost of HS2’s 140 miles from Birmingham to the London suburbs. But, he says, the costs associated with HS2 still boggle the mind. “There are mitigating factors such as the relative cost of land and the lack of opposition in other countries but, regardless, a variance of 10 or 20 times is remarkable,” he says. ‘Northern powerhouses’ Pictured in September 2023, HS2’s north tunnel portal (bottom of image) takes shape at the Chiltern Hills near Great Missenden. Chris Gorman/Big Ladder/Getty Images HS2 initially seemed to make sense to many. Successive UK governments have sold the project to voters as a chance to “level up” deprived post-industrial cities across central and northern regions through investment in improved infrastructure to create “northern powerhouses.” But not everyone was convinced even before costs got really out of hand. UK social justice think tank New Economics Foundation, in analysis published in 2019, said HS2 was more likely to benefit London rather than the northern cities. “The High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line will deepen the regional divide and should be shelved in favor of investments across the rail network, especially in the north of England,”

  Famously known for its extensive ring system, Saturn is one of four planets in our solar system that have the distinctive feature. And now, scientists hypothesize that Earth may have sported its own ring some 466 million years ago. During the Ordovician Period, a time of significant changes for Earth’s life-forms, plate tectonics and climate, the planet experienced a peak in meteorite strikes. Nearly two dozen impact craters known to occur during this time were all within 30 degrees of Earth’s equator, signaling that the meteoroids may have rained down from a rocky ring around the planet, according to a study published September 12 in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters. “It’s statistically unusual that you would get 21 craters all relatively close to the equator. It shouldn’t happen. They should be randomly distributed,” said lead author Andrew Tomkins, a geologist and professor of Earth and planetary sciences at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Not only does the new hypothesis shed light on the origins of the spike in meteorite impacts, but it also may provide an answer to a previously unexplained event: A global deep freeze, one of the coldest climate events in Earth’s history, may have been a result of the ring’s shadow. Scientists are hoping to find out more about the possible ring. It could help answer the mysteries of Earth’s history as well as pose new questions about the influence an ancient ring could have had on evolutionary development, Tomkins said. A Saturn-like ring on Earth When a smaller object gets close enough to a planet, it reaches what’s known as the Roche limit, the distance where the celestial body has enough gravitational pull to break apart the approaching body. The resulting debris then creates rings around the planet, such as those around Saturn that may have been formed by debris from icy moons, according to NASA. Scientists previously believed that a large asteroid broke apart within the solar system, creating the meteorites that hit Earth during the Ordovician Period. However, such an impact would have likely caused the strikes to be more randomly distributed, such as the randomization of the craters on the moon, Tomkins said. The study authors hypothesize that a large asteroid, estimated to be about 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) in diameter, instead reached Earth’s Roche limit, which might have been about 9,800 miles (15,800 kilometers) from the planet based on the measurements of past rubble-pile asteroids. The asteroid would have been largely beat up from other collisions, making rubble loose and easy to pull apart by Earth’s tidal force, Tomkins said. The ring would have formed along the equator due to Earth’s equatorial bulge, similar to how the rings of Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune are also around each of those planets’ equatorial planes, he added. About 200 impact strikes from throughout Earth’s history are known, Tomkins said. By looking at how Earth’s landmasses moved over time, the authors found that the 21 known craters dated to the Ordovician Period were all near the equator. Furthermore, only 30% of Earth’s land surface suitable for preserving a crater was near the equator. If the impacts were random instead of from a ring, most of the craters should have formed away from the equator, he added. The authors also point to a February 2022 study that analyzed impact craters on Earth, the moon and Mars, and found signs for the Ordovician impact spike only on Earth, further adding evidence that aligns with the ring theory. “The paper presents a pleasing idea that ties together a few mysteries,” said astrophysicist Vincent Eke, an associate professor in the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the UK’s Durham University who was not involved with the new study. The research analysis found several deposits across Earth from the same period as the impact craters containing high levels of L chondrite, a common meteorite material, that had signs of shorter space radiation exposure than meteorites found today. The finding suggests that a large, space-weathered asteroid that likely strayed within Earth’s Roche limit broke up near the planet, the study authors wrote. A few million years following the period of increased meteor strikes, about 445 million years ago, there was a dramatic decrease in Earth’s global temperatures known as the Hirnantian Age. “The subsequent debris from such an event (a potential ring) could account for these three observations,” Eke said in an email, referring to the impact craters, meteorite debris and global climate shift. The study authors are researching what extent of shade would be needed to cause a deep global freeze, a finding that in turn could help estimate how opaque the ring was, Tomkins said. Similarly, Earth could have been cooled by clouds of dust from the meteorite impacts, he added. Tomkins said he hopes future research will establish how long the ring persisted and shed light on how it could have influenced the evolutionary changes that Earth faced most likely due to challenging climatic conditions. “Understanding the causes of Earth’s climate change can help us think about (the) evolution of life as well,” he added. It’s difficult to say what such a ring would have looked like without knowing the density of the material, but Tomkins estimates that even a faint ring would have been visible from Earth. “If you were on the night side of the Earth looking up, and the sunlight is shining on the rings, but not on you, that would make it probably quite interestingly visible — it would be quite spectacular,” he said. The possibility of future rings Based on the duration of the global cooling period and the dating of the craters and meteorite material, Earth’s possible ring could have lasted 20 million to 40 million years, Tomkins said. Collisions between other particles would have caused space rocks to be thrown out of the ring. Previous research found that ancient Mars might have also sported a ring, or rings, and scientists predict that planet may one day have more in the future. “While rings are associated with the outer, giant planets in the

There’s nothing quite like the mouthwatering taste of real Prosciutto di Parma, known the world over as Parma ham. The Italian delicacy, which generates an annual turnover of $1.6 billion, is prized by Italians and enjoys a protected status — only meat cured in the northern region of Emilia Romagna using just Italian-grown pork legs, salt and air can be certified as authentic by the Parma Ham Consortium. Tourists regularly flock to the region, known for other epicurean delights like balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese, to savor the tastiest cuts in their place of origin, bringing in more income as they join guided tours of ham producers. But all is not well in ham country. A warming climate and the spread of viruses affecting the pigs are causing big problems for Italian pork. The end result is that Parma ham as we know it is increasingly hard to find on international dinner plates. Unlike many heavily mechanized meat processing industries, Parma ham production is steeped in history and tradition. In factories like the Slega prosciuttificio, in the hamlet of Langhirano near the city of Parma, Stefano Borchini remembers his father teaching him methods of curing Parma ham that date back to Roman times, when local salt was used to preserve the meat. The Italian-grown pig’s hind leg is carefully butchered and then salted by a maestro salatore, or salt master, and then left for about a week in a cooling room to begin a process that must take at least 400 days and can be cured for up to three years to create the finest aged Parma ham. Related articleExtra virgin olive oil is getting very expensive. And it might not even be real ‘Meat, salt, time and air’ Parma ham exported from Italy is enjoyed all around the world. Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg/Getty Images Parma ham is salted twice, grease-sealed with a lard and salt mixture, and then left to cure in climate-controlled rooms. When possible, curing room windows are left open to let in the clean local air. “My father founded this company, and my first job in the factory was to swat the flies when I was six years old,” Borchini says. “You have a passion for this product, like a wine producer, it’s the same. When you produce food, it’s special. You put your heart in what you do.” Each of the 40,000 to 50,000 legs of ham the company produces each year is cured the same exact way, and tested for quality with a needle made from horse bone. The needle is stuck into the curing ham in several places and pulled out to check the smell to ensure food safety. Borchini explains the final phases of the curing process are fine tuned by opening and closing windows to let in the fresh air on cool nights, just the way his father taught him to do. “Meat, salt, time and air is what it takes,” he says. The process — and the product — draws hundreds of thousands of foodies and curious visitors from all over the world to the area each year to take food tours. Up and down the streets of Parma and little hamlets like Langhirano, small tour groups taste the delicacies, often in conjunction with the area’s other delicacies including Parmiggiano Reggiano (or Parmesan cheese), balsamic vinegar from Modena and local wine. But lately, threats like manmade climate change and diseases like African swine fever have challenged the ham industry. Borchini says that a few years ago his business had to install air conditioning systems in the curing rooms because the air doesn’t cool down like it used to. “We no longer have the fresh cool nights during the summer that we had before, but we are lucky that we can continue,” he says. “It has changed by one or two degrees warmer at night than 15 years ago, which means we have had to adjust.” Swine fever Italian pigs have been at risk from a swine fever outbreak that emerged in 2021. Luca Bruno/AP African swine fever, a highly contagious disease that can be fatal to pigs, has also had an impact on production. Although not a danger to humans, the virus can be spread by people, including through the consumption of infected meat. That’s led to strict controls in Italy and beyond. Borchini says there’s been a reduction in pork legs of around 8%, and a drastic hike in costs, as a consequence. “We are finding that there are just not as many fresh pork legs to meet our needs because of restrictions and controls,” he says. “We have difficulties in raw materials and the price has increased because there is less pork than usual. The supply is less than the demand, and the price has risen.” Around 80 miles north of Parma, near Brescia in the northern region of Lombardy, the air is very different. On Alberto Cavagnini’s farm, the atmosphere is heavy with the strong scent of pigs. But they are nowhere to be seen, essentially kept under lockdown to protect them from the swine fever virus. Cavagnini produces pork for products including Parma ham and San Daniele ham — a similar cured meat originating in Italy’s northeastern Friuli region. These are exported all over the world. Cavagnini has had to cull more than 2,000 of his animals after the virus, thought to have been introduced by wild boar, was detected in one of his pig barns earlier this year. The government, which has appointed a special commissioner to help manage the crisis, requires the destruction of all animals on farms where the virus has been detected. “It’s obligatory to destroy the animals because the virus is so contagious,” he says. Workers take strict safety measures, including showering before they are in contact with his pigs, to avoid accidental spread of the virus, which is not airborne but easily carried on shoes or clothing. “There is no option but to put down the infected animals because 95% of the animals

A South African court ordered police to end a standoff with illegal miners and allow emergency workers to gain access to a shaft where hundreds are believed to be holed up. The High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, said in an interim ruling that all miners underground in the mine in Stilfontein should be allowed to leave and no one should block their exit, according to state broadcaster SABC. Yasmin Omar, an attorney who helped bring the case to court, told SABC that the ruling was a temporary order and a full hearing will take place next week. The ruling follows growing concerns about the well-being of the illegal miners – who can spend months below ground – after police cut off food and water supplies. On Friday, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) said in a statement it was investigating the police for restricting the miners’ essential supplies. At least one decomposed body has been recovered from the mine, police said. Relatives of miners and community members wait near the shaft of the mine. Jerome Delay/AP The blockade of the Stilfontein mine is part of an escalating clampdown by the government and police on the activity of illegal miners in the country. “We’ve got about 6,000 abandoned mines in the country,” David Van Wyk, a lead researcher at Johannesburg-based Benchmarks Foundation, told CNN, adding that when large-scale companies and multinational corporations fail to properly close mines, they are left vulnerable to illegal mining. Others say the root of the problem is the high levels of unemployment and poverty in the country, which force local people in precarious and dangerous work. The South African Police Service welcomed the court order but said that the ruling does not prevent the detention of illegal miners who are in good health. “All those who resurface will continue to be assessed by emergency medical personnel on site, as has been the case,” they said Saturday in a Facebook post. “Those that are in a good health will be processed and detained. Those that require further medical care will be taken to hospital under police guard,” they added. The police force said that operations would continue at all abandoned and disused mining shafts in the Stilfontein area and repeated their request for all illegal miners to resurface. Three illegal miners resurfaced by Saturday afternoon, according to the police. Also on Saturday, a South African national was arrested in Kanana at a house used as a smelter – a facility used to purify gold – they added.

Sitting at your desk all day may put you at greater risk for heart disease –– even if you work out in your spare time, according to new research. “Our findings really emphasize the importance of avoiding excess sitting… whether or not you’re physically active,” said first study author Dr. Ezim Ajufo, a cardiology fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. While there is a general understanding that sitting too much is likely bad for your health, there’s a need for more research to understand the exact risks and the guidelines for what qualifies as too much sitting, said Dr. Keith Diaz, associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. He was not involved in the research. This study was particularly helpful in investigating sitting because of its large sample size and the methodology it employed, Diaz said. Researchers looked at data from nearly 90,000 people who wore an accelerometer for a week and compared their sedentary and active time with later diagnoses of conditions like stroke, heart attack and heart failure in later years, according to the study published Friday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Not only was more sedentary time associated with greater risk for cardiovascular disease, but the data was able to show a general guideline for what might count as too much sitting, according to the study. “We would really recommend that as many people as possible avoid sitting more than 10.6 hours a day,” Ajufo said. “That’s not a hard and fast threshold, but we think it’s a reasonable first step for guidelines and public health intervention.” Sitting in an office all day could be linked to cardiovascular disease, a new study suggested. BartekSzewczyk/iStockphoto/Getty Images Why sitting is so bad? There are some limitations when it comes to the data. The data was part of the UK Biobank, a large biomedical database and research resource that follows people long-term. The sample was largely White and of European ancestry, which means that it doesn’t totally represent the US population, Ajufo said. The study is also observational, which means that while it can make associations, it can’t prove that the sitting was the cause of the heart disease, she added. It makes sense that sitting too much of the day would take a toll, however, Diaz said. Muscles are very important for regulating blood sugar and fat levels in the blood, he added. To do their job well, muscles need movement. “Taking movement breaks is a way to give your muscles the stimulation they need to do their jobs, and it doesn’t take much,” Diaz said. How to get moving If you sit in an office all day and commute to and from work, those 10 and a half hours of sitting can add up quickly. The answer may not be to get a standing desk, Diaz said. While standing is certainly not sitting, being still in one place like that doesn’t give your muscles the movement they need to efficiently break down sugars and lipids, he said. A bike or treadmill desk may help, he said. You can also try to see if small meetings can be had over a walk. The important thing is to add movement into your day in a way that makes sense for you and your schedule, Diaz added. He recommended getting up and walking for just a few minutes every half hour to hour or when you finish one task before moving to the next. Unfortunately, the data suggested a good workout at the end of the day won’t necessarily undo the problems caused by long bouts of sitting, Ajufo said. “Sometimes we think we can completely make up for some of the unhealthy behaviors we have … by going out and going for a run,” she said. “What we can say from the findings is that moderate to vigorous physical activity –– so that’s running, a brisk walk –– is not sufficient to neutralize the harmful effects of sitting.” But don’t be disheartened about activity. Exercise is still always a good idea and benefits people in so many ways, Diaz said. “You’re still better off than the person who sat all day then didn’t exercise,” he said.

As a bomb descended on a multi-story apartment building in Beirut’s Tayouneh area Friday, hundreds of onlookers gathered in the street at a traffic roundabout several hundred meters (yards) away. Among them was an Associated Press photographer. Hassan Ammar had donned his flak jacket and helmet and rushed to the scene — taking up his position at a safe distance using a long lens — after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning with a map marking the targeted building. The Israeli army said the building contained facilities belonging to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. A bomb dropped from an Israeli jet prepares to hit a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon, on November 15, 2024. Hassan Ammar/AP Thick smoke and flames erupt from the building after it is struck. Hassan Ammar/AP However, Ammar had different associations with the building. He had grown up less than a kilometer (less than 0.6 miles) from it, and he had been there on multiple occasions. When he was a child during the 15-year Lebanese civil war that ended in 1990, “this building was on the front line between Muslim and Christian neighborhoods,” the so-called Green Line, he recalled. But in later years, Ammar said, he visited the building “many times.” There was a notary public on the first floor, and next door was a sports supply store where he used to shop. Next to the building was a cemetery where his family had loved ones buried. “I know it very well,” he said. Ammar said he even once considered renting an apartment in the building that was struck, or in the building next door — now he can’t remember which — because it had a beautiful view of the pine trees in Horsh Beirut, a large public park nearby. When he heard the sound of the projectile overhead, Ammar had his camera already trained on the building set to a high shutter speed, and he began snapping photos immediately, capturing the bomb in mid-air and as it descended, ending with a massive explosion. There were no immediate reports of casualties, but much of the building was reduced to rubble. Civil defense workers extinguish a fire as smoke rises from the site of the airstrike. Hassan Ammar/AP Richard Weir, a senior crisis, conflict and arms researcher at Human Rights Watch, reviewed close-up photos of Friday’s bomb to determine what type of weapon was used. “The bomb and components visible in the photographs, including the strake, wire harness cover, and tail fin section, are consistent with a Mk-84 series 2,000-pound class general purpose bomb equipped with Boeing’s Joint Directed Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kit,” he said. Weir added that “the use of large, air-dropped bombs, like these, that produce wide-area effects in populated areas carries significant risks to civilians and civilian objects.” A few weeks earlier, another AP photographer, Bilal Hussein, had captured a nearly identical scene as a similar powerful bomb hit a nearby building in Beirut. The Israeli military has maintained that it takes measures to reduce civilian casualties by issuing warnings before many of its strikes in Lebanon. More than 3,200 people have been killed in Lebanon during 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah — most of them since mid-September — of whom about 27% were women and children, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Victor Wembanyama put his name alongside some legendary figures in NBA history after posting yet another monstrous stat-line during the San Antonio Spurs’ 116-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday. The 20-year-old scored 34 points while also adding 14 rebounds, six assists and three blocks as the Spurs comfortably recorded their fifth win of the 2024 season. Monday’s game was Wembanyama’s 82nd in the league since being chosen as the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, meaning he has now played the equivalent of a full season. And with his big performance against the Kings, the Frenchman joined a select group of Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Blake Griffin and Sidney Wicks as the only players in league history with at least 1,700 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists in their first 82 games. When asked about what he’s learned after playing a full season, Wembanyama highlighted the mental aspect of preparing for a busy schedule. “Approaching the game mentally is more important than approaching it even physically,” he told reporters. “Of course, we’re going to take care of our bodies but there are people whose jobs it is to take care of our bodies, make sure we’re healthy. Of course, we’re going to think about that but to be great you’ve just got to approach the game with that killer mentality.” Monday’s performance came after Wembanyama filled the stats sheet during a victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, with 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocks – his third career game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and five three-pointers, the most in NBA history. One thing that has developed for Wembanyama as the season has gone on is his success from three-point range. He began the season shooting 25% from deep but has since shot 14-for-27 on his three-point attempts, including going six-for-12 against the Kings to match his career high. “I’m just taking better threes,” Wembanyama said. “Yeah, of course it’s feeling better. I’m 20, I’m hoping for some years it’s going to keep feeling better and better. There is no reason for it to feel worse.” Monday’s game also included some of Wembanyama’s trademark amazing defense, including a 360 block of Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis at the rim. This was Wmebanyama’s 82nd game in the NBA. Scott Wachter/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters His teammate, Chris Paul, said that this version of the seven-foot-three center is far from the finished article. “I wish you guys could see the work that goes in day in and day out,” the veteran point guard told reporters. “You know how talented he is, but his will to want to get better, his will to want to work on things – the more games we play, I think we all will get more and more familiar with each other.” The Spurs are 5-6 following the victory and host the Washington Wizards at Frost Bank Center on Wednesday.

  “All we have to have is just a human form to be a victim.” That’s how lawyer Carrie Goldberg describes the risk of deepfake porn in the age of artificial intelligence. While revenge porn — or the nonconsensual sharing of sexual images — has been around for nearly as long as the internet, the proliferation of AI tools means that anyone can be targeted by this form of harassment, even if they’ve never taken or sent a nude photo. Artificial intelligence tools can now superimpose a person’s face onto a nude body, or manipulate existing photos to make it look as if a person is not wearing clothes. A new kind of deepfake revenge porn is sweeping the internet. Using artificial intelligence, bad actors can do things like superimpose your face on a nude body, creating convincing and harmful images. Tech companies and lawmakers are trying to play catch up, but the truth is these tools are still easy to access. So how can you and your loved ones stay safe? Carrie Goldberg, a lawyer specializing in digital harassment and sex crimes, has some answers. In the past year, targets of AI-generated, nonconsensual pornographic images have ranged from prominent women like Taylor Swift and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to high school girls. For someone discovering that they, or their child, have been made the subject of deepfake porn, the experience is typically scary and overwhelming, said Goldberg, who runs the New York-based firm C.A. Goldberg Law representing victims of sex crimes and online harassment. “Especially if they’re young and they don’t know how to cope and the internet is this big, huge, nebulous place,” she said. But there are steps that targets of this form of harassment can take to protect themselves and places to turn for help, Goldberg told me in an interview on CNN’s new tech podcast, Terms of Service with Clare Duffy. Terms of Service aims to demystify the new and emerging technologies that listeners encounter in their daily lives. (You can listen to the full conversation with Goldberg here. Goldberg said that for people targeted by AI-generated sexual images, the first step — however counterintuitive — should be to screenshot them. “The knee-jerk reaction is to get this off the internet as soon as possible,” Goldberg said. “But if you want to be able to have the option of reporting it criminally, you need the evidence.” Next, they can seek out the forms that platforms like Google, Meta and Snapchat provide to request removal of explicit images. Nonprofit organizations like StopNCII.org and Take It Down can also help facilitate the removal of such images across multiple platforms at once, although not all sites cooperate with the groups. A bipartisan group of senators sent an open letter in August calling on nearly a dozen tech firms, including X and Discord, to join the programs. The fight to address nonconsensual explicit images and deepfakes has received rare bipartisan support. A group of teens and parents who had been affected by AI-generated porn testified at a hearing on Capitol Hill, where Republican Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a bill — supported by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and others — that would make it a crime to publish such images and require social media platforms to remove them upon notice from victims. But, for now, victims are left to navigate a patchwork of state laws. In some places, there are no criminal laws preventing the creation or sharing of explicit deepfakes of adults. (AI-generated sexual images of children typically fall under child sexual abuse material laws.) “My proactive advice is really to the would-be offenders which is just, like, don’t be a total scum of the earth and try to steal a person’s image and use it for humiliation,” Goldberg said. “There’s not much that victims can do to prevent this … We can never be fully safe in a digital society, but it’s kind of up to one another to not be total a**holes.”

  Aching knees are surprisingly common. While you may be tempted to hang out on the couch if one or both of your knees hurt, exercise — Pilates in particular — may be a much better option. It all depends on the reason for your pain. About 25% of adults experience knee pain, according to a 2018 study published in the journal American Family Physician. The report also found the prevalence of knee pain has increased 65% over the past 20 years. Osteoarthritis is often the cause of knee pain, especially for women and older adults, according to the Arthritis Foundation. But sore knees may also result from an injury, weak or tight muscles, obesity, overuse, or muscle imbalances. “Establishing a correct diagnosis is super important,” said Dr. Adam Kreitenberg, a rheumatologist and internal medicine physician at Rheumatology Therapeutics Medical Center in Tarzana, California. “You’ll want to know if the pain is from, say, a fracture, meniscus tear, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.” Knee pain from poor biomechanics is the driver behind much of the knee issues seen by Shari Berkowitz, a biomechanist and founder of The Vertical Workshop, a studio in New York’s Westchester County that provides continuing education to Pilates instructors. “People have a malalignment, and then irritation or strains occur,” Berkowitz said. “Over many years, it can be compounded into a catastrophic injury like a muscle tear, or it can become something that affects the cartilage and turns into osteoarthritis.” If you experience sudden knee pain, it’s probably best initially to rest your knee, Kreitenberg said. But you don’t want to be immobile for too long. “In the long term, that results in weakness and muscle atrophy,” he said. “Working on strengthening the supporting structures of the knee, particularly the surrounding muscles, can frequently help relieve stress on the injured area, and help with flexibility and pain.” Pilates exercises can be beneficial in warding off knee pain. The regimen was deemed significantly effective at reducing pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, back pain, and neck pain in a systematic review published in the March 2022 edition of the journal Musculoskeletal Care. Protect your knees with Pilates exercises Even those with no knee pain can benefit from strengthening the structures supporting the knees since these joints are the largest in the body and quite complex. They are also extraordinarily powerful, absorbing a lot of force from daily activities, a process known as knee loading. Knees absorb about 1.5 times your body weight while walking on level ground. That jumps to 316% of your body weight while climbing stairs and 346% while descending stairs, according to an August 2010 study published in the Journal of Biomechanics. To stave off knee pain, you primarily need strong quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves, Kreitenberg said. It’s also helpful to have strong hip joint muscles. “Everything is connected,” he said. “If you have a weakness in any area of your body, it can cause poor alignment and excessive force on areas where you don’t want it.” The low-impact, simple movements of Pilates were found to improve people’s mobility, gait and postural stability in a September 2021 meta-analysis. Here are five easy exercises to try. Shoulder bridge prep Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Make sure your feet are parallel and a fist apart, Berkowitz said. Breathe from your diaphragm and engage your core, then lift your pelvis and spine off the floor. Hold for five breaths and then lower back down. Half roll-down In this Pilates exercise, you begin by sitting upright on a mat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands under your knees with your elbows out to the side, Berkowitz said, then lightly round your spine. Inhale and roll your pelvis and spine away from the legs until your arms are straight, then exhale and roll your pelvis and spine back up. Squat Stand with your feet and legs parallel to one another and shoulder width apart. Lower yourself down, as if sitting in a chair, making sure to press your heels into the floor. It’s also important to keep the middle of your knees in line with the middle of your feet, which is the space between your second and third toe joints. Hold, then rise. “You want that proper knee and foot alignment,” Berkowitz said. “This is a huge component of why knee problems develop.” While performing a squat, pay attention to proper form so that the middle of the knee is in line with the middle of the foot. Prostock-Studio/iStockphoto/Getty Images Straight leg raise Lie on your back with your right knee bent. Engage your abdominal muscles and, keeping your chest open, squeeze the muscles in your left thigh and lift your left leg up to the same height as your bent right knee. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat on the opposite leg. Squeeze the muscles in the left thigh before raising your left leg while keeping the leg completely straight. Ziga Plahutar/E+/Getty Images Standing hamstring curl Stand up straight with your knees 1 or 2 inches apart. Holding onto a stable chair or countertop, slowly bend one knee to a 90-degree angle. Hold several seconds, then slowly lower your foot to the floor. Repeat with the other leg. You can work your way up to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions for these exercises, although Berkowitz said you generally do three sets of three to five repetitions of an exercise in Pilates. The most effective Pilates experience to lessen knee pain would also include exercises on the reformer, a Pilates machine that facilitates precise movements, muscle engagement and body alignment, and additional mat exercises. Experts agree these five exercises should help alleviate knee pain, although they are not cure-alls. “While it’s impossible to say how much they’ll help any given person, incorporating these exercises could help relieve about 20% to 30% of your knee pain,” Kreitenberg said. Berkowitz agreed. “When you have a serious thing, like an injury to a joint

Deep within the Arctic Circle, pocketed between giant glaciers and beneath polar ice floes, Swedish photographer and content creator Cecilia Blomdahl found extraordinary warmth. The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lying roughly midway between Norway’s northern coast and the North Pole, is the site of the world’s northernmost permanent settlements. Blomdahl, who lives in Svalbard’s largest city of Longyearbyen, is one of about 2,500 residents in the region. Here, colorful cabins contrast colossal ice cap backdrops and vibrant celestial phenomena light the sky. Blomdahl moved to Svalbard in 2015 and documents her unique life to millions of fascinated social media followers. She has now captured her home’s serenity, sparkling in shades of blue, in a new photobook titled “Life on Svalbard.” “When you live here, you really get immersed in it; the quiet and peaceful nature,” Blomdahl, a former hospitality worker turned content creator, told CNN, “And every day being so close to the nature; it’s infatuating.” The challenges of a beautiful life For all its natural beauty, Svalbard is much more than a pretty place. Its rich resources, such as fish, gas, and mineral deposits, have made it a topic of economic and diplomatic dispute in the past, and it now serves as a flourishing global hub for economic activities and scientific research. For those just coming for a spell, it’s a bucket list tourist destination. But as Blomdahl knows, life in Svalbard isn’t easy. From temperatures sometimes plummeting to below minus 30 (-34.4 Celsius), to polar bears and arctic foxes occasionally roaming local streets, it takes a unique individual to forgo life on the mainland and move to such a remote, and at times forbidding, place. Blomdahl and other Svalbard residents carry polar bear protection gear. Cecilia Blomdahl “Every day feels adventurous. It’s going to be crazy or wild or just a regular day,” said Blomdahl, “But a regular day here is so different; it’s drinking coffee with Northern Lights, or midnight sun, or reindeers.” Those are common sentiments within Svalbard’s community — the extreme conditions, while enchanting, means people don’t stick around the area by accident. People from around 50 countries reside there, working in areas such as scientific research and seasonal tourism. What moves someone to search for a home in such a remote corner of the world? According to behavioral science experts, many people who seek out extreme conditions may be motivated by desires to challenge the limits of their physical and psychological abilities, escape personal problems or everyday tedium, or simply for the thrill. For Blomdahl, a glimpse of Svalbard’s unparalleled scenery was all she needed to forsake her corporate ambitions in England and Sweden and opt to live what she describes in her book as a “nature-connected life marked by a slower pace.” “Everything up here is so pure and so beautiful,” Blomdahl said, “you think that it’s some sort of magic because it’s so unreal.” Cecilia Blomdahl has been photographing the Norwegian archipelago since moving there in 2015. Cecilia Blomdahl “Every day feels adventurous,” said Blomdahl. Cecilia Blomdahl Living on the edge of the world On her social media channels, Blomdahl shows viewers firsthand how Svalbard’s environment shapes her everyday life. For example, not only is it necessary to carry polar bear protection gear when traveling outside designated settlements, it’s legally mandated. In one striking image in her book, she is shown sporting a firearm on her back as she and her dog stand far from the settlements. Blomdahl, who photographed all of the images herself, even caught one of a polar bear near her home — taken from a noticeable distance away, for safety reasons. The influencer, who’s been living on Svalbard for nine years, has now documented her home in a book. DK A year in Svalbard is marked by two unusual periods of light: polar night and midnight sun. Polar night runs from mid-November to the end of January, when the sun doesn’t rise above the horizon. Midnight sun, which lasts about 18 weeks between April and August, is when the sun doesn’t set below the horizon. These periods of constant light and day-long dark can take a toll on the body and mind. Blomdahl recalled how friends, disoriented by polar night, found themselves heading to work in the middle of the night, instead of the equally dark daytime hours. Such abnormal living conditions can have pervasive effects on people’s health. Despite an overall positive outlook on health and quality of life in Svalbard, polar night and midnight sun can disrupt sleep-wake cycles, blood protein levels, and lead to increased risks of chronic disease. Despite taking supplements, Blomdahl says she noticed a drop in her vitamin D levels, which support immune health and brain cell activity. Nonetheless, Blomdahl still says polar night is “one of the best times of year,” where she can “become one with the darkness.” She enjoys the tranquility during that period, but emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and staying active during what otherwise could be a lethargic season. “Your mindset is so powerful. I see these dark days as something cozy,” Blomdahl said, “I think it’s very much up to each and every person to try to create that routine and that mindset.” A balanced outlook Her images also speak to the increasing climate change threats her home faces. Cecilia Blomdahl Blomdahl originally planned to stay in Svalbard for just three months. Cecilia Blomdahl Maintaining an adaptive mindset is also an important way Svalbardians process the unique threat climate change poses to the region. Longyearbyen is warming six times faster than the global average, studies suggest, and thawing permafrost and rising sea levels threaten the local economy and infrastructure. Studies within other Arctic communities show a correlation between climate change and higher levels of mental stress. In Svalbard, people report a high level of satisfaction with their lives despite environmental challenges, but the complications of climate issues like permafrost thaw can leave some feeling disempowered. Blomdahl notes that an annual environmental survey is conducted in Svalbard to manage risks. “I want

The Tennis Channel has taken an analyst off air indefinitely after he made a disparaging remark about Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejčíková. Off-air, while preparing for a broadcast on Friday covering the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, American journalist Jon Wertheim commented on Krejčíková’s forehead. Wertheim called his remark “deeply regrettable” and said he reached out to Krejčíková to apologize. “I made some deeply regrettable comments off-air. I acknowledge them. I apologize for them,” he wrote on X. Krejčíková called the remark unprofessional. “You might have heard about the recent comments made on Tennis Channel during the WTA Finals coverage that focused on my appearance rather than my performance,” Krejčíková wrote on X. “As an athlete who has dedicated herself to this sport, it was disappointing to see this type of unprofessional commentary. “This isn’t the first time something like this is happening in sports world. I’ve often chosen not to speak up, but I believe it’s time to address the need for respect and professionalism in sports media. “These moments distract from the true essence of sport and the dedication all athletes bring to the field. I love tennis deeply, and I want to see it represented in a way that honors the commitment we make to compete at this level.” In his statement issued on Sunday, Wertheim said his comment was made during a “private rehearsal” that “inadvertently” made it to air. “What happened? I joined the show by Zoom. In rehearsal we were shown a graphic of a player who had just competed. It showed her at an angle that exaggerated her forehead,” Wertheim wrote on X on Sunday. “A few moments later, I was told to frame up my Zoom. Krejčíková won her first Wimbledon title in 2024. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images “I looked at the low camera angle and joked that it made my forehead resemble the photo of the player in question. Someone in the control room chimed in and I bantered back. Though this was a private rehearsal, this exchange inadvertently, and without context, made it to live air. “I realise: I am not the victim here. It was neither professional nor charitable nor reflective of the person I strive to be. I am accountable. I own this. I am sorry.” Later on Sunday, the Tennis Channel released a statement saying it has “apologized to the player, Barbora Krejcikova, as did Jon.” “When Tennis Channel became aware of an inappropriate comment about a professional tennis player made by our analyst Jon Wertheim on Friday, we immediately removed him from our air indefinitely,” the statement read. “Jon has dedicated his career to shining a light on and growing this sport and has been a valued member of our family and the tennis community. That said, Tennis Channel holds its employees to a standard of respectfulness for others at all times, a standard that was not met in this moment.” Krejčíková, the current world No. 10 and a two-time grand slam champion, lost in the semifinals of the WTA Finals to eventual runner-up Zheng Qinwen.

Sexist and abusive attacks on women, like “your body, my choice” and “get back to the kitchen,” have surged across social media since Donald Trump’s reelection, according to an analysis from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. An X post from White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes last Tuesday night saying, “Your body, my choice. Forever,” has been viewed more than 90 million times and reposted more than 35,000 times. Between Thursday and Friday, the ISD recorded a 4,600% increase in mentions of the phrase on X. And a number of women on TikTok posted videos saying their comments had been filled with users posting the phrase. “Nick Fuentes” was still trending on X and TikTok on Monday. The phrase “we own your body” was also trending on TikTok, although many of the videos featured women pushing back on the trend. “Your body, my choice” is an apparent subversion the phrase “my body, my choice,” which was used by women as a rallying cry in support of reproductive rights. The rise in harassment signals that far-right online trolls and extremists feel emboldened by the outcome of an election that many had viewed as a referendum on women’s reproductive rights. On the campaign trail, Trump himself came under fire for comments about women, including that he would protect women whether “they like it or not.” Vice President-elect JD Vance also took heat for comments about women, including deriding “childless cat ladies” and calling Vice President Kamala Harris “trash.” Many of those trolls are part of the so-called “manosphere,” which the ISD describes as online “misogynistic communities that vary from anti-feminism to more explicit, violent rhetoric towards women.” And as with many types of online provocations, experts worry that this type of harassment could spill over into the offline world. Already, the ISD said, “Young girls and parents have used social media to share instances of offline harassment” involving the phrase “your body, my choice.” “They include the phrase being directed at them within schools or chanted by young boys in classes,” according to the report, published Friday. In some cases, X and TikTok users responded to posts saying “your body, my choice” with vague threats of retaliatory violence. Other, similar posts have also gone viral on X in recent days, including one from Jon Miller, a former contributor to conservative media outlet TheBlaze, saying, “women threatening sex strikes like LMAO as if you have a say,” which received 85 million views. (The post appeared to refer to conversations among young liberal women across TikTok and Instagram about South Korean feminist movement in which straight women refuse to marry, have children, date or have sex with men.) Posts calling for the repeal of the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, also surged 663% on X last week, compared to the prior week, the ISD reported. X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The platform’s harassment policy generally prohibits only targeted abuse of specific individuals. A TikTok spokesperson said “your body, my choice” violates the platform’s community guidelines and that content with mentions of the phrase would be removed unless it is explicitly speaking out against such language. TikTok removed three videos identified by CNN that appeared to suggest threats of retaliatory violence. The ratcheting up of violent online rhetoric also comes as Black people across the country last week received anonymous, racist text messages referencing slavery and telling them they were “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation,” raising further concerns about violence in the wake of the election. Federal and state authorities are working to find the origins of the messages.

Shell is not obliged to dramatically reduce its planet-heating pollution by 2030, a Dutch appeals court ruled Tuesday, delivering a blow to efforts by environmental activists to push energy companies away from fossil fuels. The ruling — handed down just as annual climate talks take place at COP29 in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku — overturns a previous verdict that imposed steep carbon emissions reductions on the British oil and gas giant. “We are pleased with the court’s decision, which we believe is the right one for the global energy transition, the Netherlands and our company,” Shell (SHEL) CEO Wael Sawan said in a statement. Shell had appealed the previous ruling, handed down in 2021, which ordered the company to slash its CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels. That included emissions from its own operations and from the energy products it sells. While The Hague Court of Appeal ruled that Shell is obliged to limit its CO2 emissions — in order to protect the planet from dangerous climate change — it said there is insufficient agreement in climate science on a specific reduction percentage that an individual company such as Shell should adhere to. As such, it dismissed the previous ruling. Tuesday’s ruling noted that Shell is already working to reduce emissions from its own operations — so-called scope 1 and 2 emissions — and that forcing the company to reduce the far greater emissions caused by the use of its products, known as scope 3 emissions, would not be effective. “A court ruling would not reduce overall customer demand for products such as petrol (gasoline) and diesel for cars, or for (natural) gas to heat and power homes and businesses,” Shell said. Friends of the Earth Netherlands, an environmental campaigning group that brought the case against Shell, expressed disappointment with the outcome. “This hurts,” said director Donald Pols. At the same time, he highlighted several positives from the ruling. “The court affirmed that companies… are responsible for the human rights violations resulting from climate change,” he told CNN. “The judge also stated that the more than 800 fossil fuel projects (in Shell’s pipeline) are contradictory to its responsibility to act in accordance with human rights principles. These are all very important legal principles that… can be used in future court cases.” Pols said Friends of the Earth Netherlands would study the ruling before deciding whether to launch an appeal at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. Joshua Sherrard-Bewhay, an analyst at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said Shell’s successful appeal “signals to high emitters that they are safe for now from the jurisdiction of international frameworks,” citing the Paris Agreement, which binds nearly all countries to drastically cut carbon pollution, as one example. Shell’s backslide on emissions targets Despite the initial ruling ordering Shell to slash its emissions, the energy giant has in fact watered down some of its climate targets as it seeks to boost financial returns and amid concerns globally about secure and affordable energy. Earlier this year, the company said it would target a 15-20% reduction in the so-called net carbon intensity of its energy products by 2030 compared with 2016, having previously aimed for a 20% cut. It also scrapped an objective to almost halve its net carbon intensity by 2035. At the same time, Shell has pledged to halve emissions from its own operations by 2030 and to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, meaning its greenhouse gas emissions must go down to zero by mid-century, taking account of all the pollution it produces and removes from the atmosphere. Shell continues to invest much more into fossil fuels than it does into clean energy. Last year, it invested $5.6 billion into low-carbon energy, amounting to 23% of its total capital spending. By comparison, it poured more than $16 billion into its oil and gas businesses. According to Friends of the Earth Netherlands, Shell accounts for 3% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, more than most countries emit individually. Addressing the ruling’s implications for COP29, Pols said international climate agreements will be ineffective at combating climate change if they exclude, as the Paris Agreement does, large corporate polluters. He noted that since 2015, when that accord was signed, about 50 companies had emitted 80% of global CO2 pollution. “It is as if the negotiations between governments have not adapted to the new economic and geopolitical reality of multinationals,” he added. Mark van Baal, the founder of Follow This, a group that aims to compel major energy companies to reduce emissions through shareholder votes at their annual meetings, said the ruling intensifies investors’ responsibility to “reform Big Oil.” “The court’s decision… is a setback in the fight against the climate crisis,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on a winning streak. From a low point in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack, his poll numbers have rebounded. He fired his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, who long threatened his coalition and whose attempted dismissal last year led to massive protests. He has installed allies as foreign and defense ministers, meaning his governing coalition has never been more stable. He passed a law to dismantle the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, long derided by Israel. The White House will soon be home to Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has spoken three times in the past week. He is riding a wave of military success too: The leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah are dead. Gaza is decimated, and Israel controls the Lebanese border His victories have been achieved at least partially by a long-standing tactic: delay. He has refused to establish a national commission of inquiry into October 7. He has refused to outline a coherent plan for governance and security in Gaza the day after the war ends. Qatar has withdrawn as mediator with Hamas after accusing both sides of refusing “to engage constructively.” And Netanyahu continues to be stalked by the scandal that has long followed him through his career. His critics – among whom are prosecutors, investigators and journalists – allege that that success has come through an aggressive and high-stakes strategy, which has led in recent weeks to a raft of new inquiries and revelations. His lawyers this week asked an Israeli court to delay by 10 weeks a deposition he was set to give in a yearslong corruption case lodged against him. “Over the past two months, it has been almost impossible to hold meetings for the purpose of preparing the Prime Minister for testimony,” his office said in a letter to the court. Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on July 26, in Palm Beach, Florida.  Alex Brandon/AP An aide has now spent weeks in custody after allegedly leaking manipulated intelligence reports about Hamas to foreign media. In focus, too, is the allegation that Netanyahu’s office has tried to cover up actions taken in the opening hours of October 7, 2023, by altering the minutes of emergency meetings. Journalistic investigations allege that Netanyahu may have had advance warning about Hamas’ attack, and that he shut his defense secretary out of meetings in the days after. The denials come as quickly as the allegations. “This is another hunting expedition,” his office said. Another report was “mendacious.” A third was “entirely baseless.” Netanyahu himself entered the fray Sunday evening. “In recent days, my office has been under a wild and unchecked attack,” he said in a taped statement. “As I lead this war and deflect international attacks from various arenas, we are now confronting an additional front – the fake news from the media.” The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that on the eve of Hamas’ October 7 attack, the Prime Minister’s Office was aware that the group was activating Israeli SIM cards for cell phones en masse – suggesting an impeding operation inside Israel. His office called that report a lie “aimed at covering up the serious failures of others on the night of October 7.” (Netanyahu has resisted calls from the likes of Gallant to launch to a state commission of inquiry into October 7 failings, saying it must wait until after the war. The left-wing Israeli Ha’aretz newspaper said in an editorial that the slew of revelations “could rival those of a mafia,” and were an attempt to “evade the judgments of the criminal justice system, the public and history.” “We have tough enemies from the outside,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a statement, “but the danger from within the house, and at the heart of the most sensitive decision-making centers, is shaking the foundations of the Israeli public’s trust in the management of the war and in the handling of the most sensitive and volatile security issues.” Domestic politics dominate the conversation in Israel even as the security chiefs insinuate their work is done – or at least, just about. “Militarily, there is nothing to do in Gaza,” Yoav Gallant told families of hostages still held in Gaza, hours before leaving his post as defense minister, according to Israel’s Channel 13. It is now for the politicians, he said, to lead the next step and bring home 101 hostages. Yoav Gallant, then-Israel’s defense minister, in Arlington, Virginia on June 25. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images As Trump was able to do in the United States, the investigations may end up playing to Netanyahu’s advantage, said Nadav Shtrauchler, a political strategist who has worked closely with the prime minister. “He took this lemon and presented it as lemonade,” he said. “It’s easy to do it,” he explained, because to Netanyahu’s base, the investigations are examples of brazen and selective prosecution. The slate of accusations against the prime minister, he said, are “an opportunity” to brand himself as the victim of a witch hunt. “And this is how he sees it.” The Prime Minister’s Office argues, in essence, that it’s Netanyahu against the deep state. Israeli media on Sunday reported that Netanyahu boasted during a cabinet meeting: “The beeper operation and the elimination of (Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah were launched despite the opposition of senior officials in the security establishment and the political echelon in charge of them.” It so happens that that was also the first time that Israel acknowledged it was behind the deadly September incident that detonated explosives in thousands of pagers across Lebanon. The attack has already gained cult status in Israel – harkening back to the days when the Mossad staged daring operations around the world. Israeli media report that Netanyahu would like to further clean house of his political rivals – including the head of the Israel Security Agency (also known as Shin Bet) Ronen Bar and the attorney general, Gali Baharav Miara. The judicial reforms that were stalled last year – and notably opposed by Gallant, the now-former defense

President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House already carried the potential for sweeping changes to the Federal Reserve. But now a growing question is not how the central bank will operate under Trump but if it’ll continue to operate at all. Elon Musk, a key Trump backer who is expected to have considerable sway in helping shape Trump’s policies, included a “100” emoji while resharing Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah’s post on X calling for abolishing the Fed. “The Executive Branch should be under the direction of the president,” Lee said Thursday in a post on X, hours after Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters he wouldn’t resign if Trump asked him to. “The Federal Reserve is one of many examples of how we’ve deviated from the Constitution in that regard,” Lee added. “Yet another reason why we should #EndTheFed.” Asked where Trump stands on the matter, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told CNN: “Policy should only be deemed official if it comes from President Trump directly.” Calls to abolish the Fed are hardly new. Former congressman Ron Paul, who ran for president once as a Libertarian and twice as a Republican, published a book in 2009 titled “End the Fed.” Then in June, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Lee introduced corresponding bills aimed at uprooting the nation’s central bank and shifting its responsibilities to the Treasury Department. But thus far, Trump has not publicly voiced his support for dismantling the Fed. On the campaign trail, he has, however, advocated for changing the central bank’s rulebook, to the dismay of many economists. Challenging the Fed’s independence “The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail. He will deliver,” Leavitt said in an emailed statement to CNN. Those promises include bringing interest rates “way down,” which Trump vowed to do if elected at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual conference in August. Presidents, however, don’t have any direct influence over the rates Americans pay to borrow money. For over 70 years, it’s been the duty of the central bank to set rates at levels aimed at fulfilling its congressional mandate for price stability and maximum employment. And throughout that time, Congress has also guaranteed the Fed’s ability to act as an independent body, devoid of any political interference. That’s empowered Fed officials to make interest rate decisions that aren’t necessarily popular but could help the nation’s economy in the long run. For instance, central bankers resisted calls to lower rates, instead opting to keep rates at a two-decade high for a year to rein in stubborn inflation. It wasn’t until two months ago that they finally cut rates as inflation cooled to just shy of the Fed’s 2% target. But on the campaign trail, Trump floated requiring Fed officials to consult with him on interest rate decisions. That could lead to pressure on Fed officials to keep rates lower to satisfy Trump’s wishes, which in turn could reignite inflation. During his first term, Trump also threatened to remove or demote Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whom he has at times blamed for keeping interest rates too high. It’s unclear if Trump has the legal authority to overhaul the Fed’s independence on his own, let alone at all, or remove a Fed appointee before their term expires. On the latter, Powell, a lawyer himself, made his view abundantly clear when asked by a reporter at last week’s press conference after the Fed’s two-day monetary policy meeting. “Not permitted under the law,” he briskly responded. That’s because the head of America’s central bank can only be fired “for cause,” as specified in the Federal Reserve Act. The exact interpretation of what would constitute a for-cause firing has not been precisely defined, but it’s reasonable to assume that it would entail a lot more than just having policy differences with the president. A spokesperson for the Fed declined to comment. Testing the waters If there’s any time for Trump to test the Fed’s ability to maintain its status quo, it would probably be in 2025. While the balance of power in the House hasn’t been determined, Republicans have majority control of the Senate. Additionally, six of the nine Supreme Court justices were appointed by Republican presidents and half of those six were appointed by Trump in his first term. But anyone challenging the Fed in the nation’s highest court shouldn’t expect to necessarily come out victorious. In a 7-2 court ruling this year, the Supreme Court ruled the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could continue to operate in its current form despite many Republican lawmakers’ arguments that its structure was unconstitutional. And last month, the court declined to hear a case that threatened to dismantle the independent Consumer Product Safety Commission. Like officials sitting on the Fed’s Board of Governors, members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s board can only be removed by a president for cause.

Three of the astronauts who were unexpectedly hospitalized after returning from the International Space Station in late October discussed the SpaceX Crew-8 mission during a NASA news conference on Friday. The trio revealed some anecdotes about the trials of readjusting to life on Earth after spending more than 230 days in space. The astronauts remained tight-lipped about the nature of the medical issue that had left an as-yet-undisclosed crew member hospitalized overnight. But they did discuss some of the symptoms they have experienced during the readjustment to life under the effects of gravity. “I’m a first-time flyer, and fascinated by the readaptation,” said NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick, who served as mission commander. “The big things you expect — being disoriented, being dizzy. But the little things like just sitting in a hard chair … My backside has not really sat in a hard thing for (235) days.” Dominick added that he was recently sitting outside with his family eating dinner and was forced to lie down on a towel in the yard to remain part of the conversation because his seat proved too uncomfortable. “That wasn’t in a book I read,” Dominick joked. “Hey, you’re going to space. It’s going to be hard to sit on a hard chair.” Dominick and fellow NASA astronauts Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps fielded questions Friday while their fourth crewmate, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, did “not participate because of his travel schedule,” according to a NASA news release. “The weight and the heaviness of things just is surprising,” Epps said of her experience returning to Earth. “(I’ve been) laying any chance I got. But you have to move, and you have to exercise every day, otherwise you don’t get those gains. You have to move regardless of how exhausted you feel.” Barratt, Dominick, Epps and Grebenkin spent 235 days in space before returning to Earth with a splashdown landing off the coast of Florida aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on October 25. The SpaceX capsule “executed a normal entry and splashdown,” according to NASA, and all four crew members could be seen smiling and waving as they exited the vehicle aboard a recovery ship. Hours later, however, NASA revealed that the entire crew had been taken to a nearby hospital — Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola — “out of an abundance of caution.” The space agency later disclosed that one of the astronauts had experienced a medical issue and remained at the hospital overnight. NASA did not disclose which astronaut remained hospitalized nor did the space agency share any details about the medical issue, saying in a statement only that the crew member was “in stable condition” and “under observation as a precautionary measure.” The three NASA astronauts repeatedly declined to comment on the matter Friday. In this screenshot from video, NASA astronauts (from left) Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps speak during a November 8 news conference to discuss the SpaceX Crew-8 mission. NASA “In the fullness of time, we will allow this to come out and document it for now, medical privacy is very important to us,” Barratt, a medical doctor and veteran astronaut who piloted the Crew-8 mission, said. “Medical privacy and the processes we have going on right now negate our ability to (discuss the issue).” Medical checkouts are routine after long-duration missions to space. However, astronauts are typically transported directly back to their home base in Houston after splashdown, rather than diverted to a nearby hospital, for reconditioning as they transition back to Earth’s environment. Boeing Starliner’s impact on Crew-8’s return The Crew-8 astronauts launched into space on March 3 and remained in space longer than expected. Among the roadblocks for their return to Earth were schedule changes related to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which had carried NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the space station on a test flight in early June but was deemed too risky to return its crew back to Earth. NASA ultimately chose to send back the Boeing spacecraft empty and moved Starliner’s astronauts onto the SpaceX Crew-9 mission, delaying the launch of that mission. That schedule adjustment in turn delayed Crew-8’s return because Crew-9 had to arrive at the orbiting laboratory for a handoff of duties before Crew-8 could disembark. Weather delays also pushed Crew-8’s return into late October. While the 235-day mission was a few weeks longer than routine trips to the orbiting outpost, it’s not a record-setting stay in space for the astronauts. The Crew-8 astronauts are seen before heading to the launchpad on March 3. The group includes (from left) Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps. Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images Astronauts commonly extend their stay aboard the space station for days, weeks or even months as unexpected events arise. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, for example, logged a record 371 days in space during a mission that concluded in September 2023. Rubio’s stay was extended after his original ride to low-Earth orbit — a Russian Soyuz capsule — sprang a coolant leak while docked to the space station.

Lost luggage is one of the major woes of the modern travel era, with rates of mishandled bags still up since the start of the pandemic. And while many passengers are taking matters into their own hands, putting tracking devices into their checked luggage so they can see where they are, there’s just one major problem: The airlines often don’t want to know. When American Airlines and British Airways lost mountain biker Barry Sherry’s bicycle en route to the Swiss Alps in 2023, he showed airport staff in Zurich the exact location of his bike — but they were unable to do anything with it. But should Sherry be so unlucky on a future trip, he might just score an easier recovery. Travelers using Apple AirTags may be able to give third-party access to tracking information in the future — allowing airports and airlines to hunt for bags in real time. A new third-party sharing option has appeared in beta versions of Apple’s new iOS operating system, according to reports from those who have seen it. That means it’s likely to be rolled out across the board in the future. Apple has not responded to CNN’s request for confirmation or comment. But travelers wanting their bags back will still have to move fast – the shareable tracking option is currently only available for a week. The updated Find My app has the ability to “share item location,” creating a link that can be sent to a third party, even if they’re not using an Apple device. That means staff at airport desk and in airline call centers could see the live location from their own computer networks. Another new option, Show Contact Info, will allow for a “lost” item to connect to any phone or tablet, and share its owner’s information. The link will also expire once the owner is reunited with their device. Of course, expect that where Apple leads, other brands will follow. So even if you don’t have an Apple device, it might not be too long before your Tile, Eufy or Knog Scout can do the same thing. Will it improve airlines’ rates at reuniting passengers with their bags? Only time will tell. In 2023, airlines lost an average of 6.9 bags per 1,000 passengers, according to SITA, which offers solutions for the aviation industry. That’s an improvement on 2022, which saw a whopping 7.6 bags lost per 1,000 passengers — but still well up on pre-pandemic numbers. In 2019, 5.6 bags were lost per 1,000 flyers.

It was 5.30 in the morning and Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas cruise ship was floating off the coast of Fiji. American passenger Bobbi Waterman was one of only two people on the deck, gazing out at the ocean as the sky illuminated the water with amber and bronze reflections. It was a spectacular view, and Bobbi felt her spirits rise with the sun. Bobbi didn’t know the other passenger on the deck. She didn’t even recognize them from the preceding days of the cruise. At first, the two strangers kept their distance, but as the sun continued to rise, they found themselves coming together to share the moment. They both enthused about the view, at the tranquility of the empty ship deck in the early hours of the morning and at the beauty of Fiji. It was 2013. Bobbi, who is a trans woman, was still male-presenting at the time. She was in her 50s, living in Florida, and had recently lost her wife of 14 years to breast cancer. Every day was a struggle through the grief. Bobbi wanted to live her life to the fullest — she knew that’s what her late wife would have wanted too — but she was also navigating an internal struggle with her gender identity. She really wasn’t sure what the future held. Bobbi didn’t share all of this with the other sunrise watcher. They didn’t even talk much at first. But once the fellow passenger introduced themselves as Tam Asbury, from Australia, and started making conversation, Bobbi unexpectedly found herself talking to Tam about her recent loss. “We talked for about three hours,” Bobbi tells CNN Travel today. “Bonding over grief, because I had lost my wife and Tam had experience in grief and losing people. So we just talked for a while. Tam is very empathetic — they started crying — and that, to me, was a sign Tam had a big heart.” Tam, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, was also going through a difficult time. When Bobbi and Tam met, Tam, then in their forties, was in the middle of an acrimonious separation from their husband. “I’d bought 10 acres of land and was going to build a tiny house and live on there with dogs and donkeys and ducks,” Tam tells CNN Travel. “I wasn’t ever contemplating another relationship. I was happy being on my own.” Tam’s two teenage daughters were on the brink of adulthood and were now old enough to stay home alone, so the cruise around the South Pacific was Tam’s first vacation without kids in tow. For Tam, this was both exciting and bittersweet. They were looking forward to the future, but still unpacking the complexities of the disintegrating marriage. Tam discussed some of these complicated feelings with Bobbi that day, and listened as Bobbi talked about her grief, her late wife’s illness. The two strangers shared, empathized and connected with one another. As dawn finally broke, Bobbi and Tam left the deck and went their separate ways. As they walked in opposite directions, they each felt grateful that they’d run into each other. It felt like a significant meeting. But neither Bobbi nor Tam could have anticipated just how significant this meeting would prove to be. Rocket science After their sunrise bonding moment, Bobbi and Tam kept running into each other on the cruise ship, “sometimes accidentally, sometimes on purpose,” as Bobbi puts it. Some days, they’d just find themselves in the same place at the same time and start chatting. Other times, they’d arrange to eat dinner together or grab a drink on the pool deck. “We continued to hang out,” Bobbi says. “I thought I’d made a new friend.” The two passengers talked about everything and anything — but one thing Bobbi downplayed in their conversations was her job and her workplace. Then, one day, one of the other passengers mentioned to Tam, in passing, that Bobbi was a rocket scientist at NASA. Tam couldn’t believe Bobbi hadn’t dropped this information into their conversation on day one. But when Tam reflected on it, they decided this was illustrative of Bobbi’s humility and natural modesty. “I was like, ‘If I was a rocket scientist, I would lead with that in conversation,’” says Tam, laughing. “But Bobbi didn’t.” At the end of the 10-day cruise, Tam disembarked thinking how Bobbi was very different from their ex-husband. “Bobbi showed her emotions, talking about losing her wife, and she seemed intelligent,” says Tam. Tam was also grateful for their deep, interesting conversations. “I like people with brains, and it was nice to talk to someone you could converse with,” they say. As for Bobbi, she also felt thankful that Tam had entered her life and had quickly become “somebody I could talk to.” Before Tam returned to their kids in Melbourne, Australia, and Bobbi flew back to her home in Florida, the two swapped social media details and email addresses. While they both acknowledged that their connection ran deep, neither expected it to turn into anything beyond a long distance friendship. The question of romance had hung over all their interactions, but neither was looking for love. “At the time, friendship was fine,” says Tam. “At that point in my life, I was not ready to have a relationship.” “And I was not ready to move on,” says Bobbi. “I still had this black spot in my head, in my brain, from losing my wife and not really seeing a future yet of what I was going to do. It was just nice to have somebody to talk to.” A long-distance connection Tam and Bobbi spoke for over three hours on the first day they met. They instantly connected and opened up to one another. Tam & Bobbi Waterman Almost 10,000 miles apart, Tam and Bobbi stayed in touch via instant messages and social media updates. Before long, they were enjoying regular video calls via Skype. Rather than seeing their friendship dwindling,

Aching knees are surprisingly common. While you may be tempted to hang out on the couch if one or both of your knees hurt, exercise — Pilates in particular — may be a much better option. It all depends on the reason for your pain. About 25% of adults experience knee pain, according to a 2018 study published in the journal American Family Physician. The report also found the prevalence of knee pain has increased 65% over the past 20 years Osteoarthritis is often the cause of knee pain, especially for women and older adults, according to the Arthritis Foundation. But sore knees may also result from an injury, weak or tight muscles, obesity, overuse, or muscle imbalances. “Establishing a correct diagnosis is super important,” said Dr. Adam Kreitenberg, a rheumatologist and internal medicine physician at Rheumatology Therapeutics Medical Center in Tarzana, California. “You’ll want to know if the pain is from, say, a fracture, meniscus tear, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.” Knee pain from poor biomechanics is the driver behind much of the knee issues seen by Shari Berkowitz, a biomechanist and founder of The Vertical Workshop, a studio in New York’s Westchester County that provides continuing education to Pilates instructors. “People have a malalignment, and then irritation or strains occur,” Berkowitz said. “Over many years, it can be compounded into a catastrophic injury like a muscle tear, or it can become something that affects the cartilage and turns into osteoarthritis.” If you experience sudden knee pain, it’s probably best initially to rest your knee, Kreitenberg said. But you don’t want to be immobile for too long. “In the long term, that results in weakness and muscle atrophy,” he said. “Working on strengthening the supporting structures of the knee, particularly the surrounding muscles, can frequently help relieve stress on the injured area, and help with flexibility and pain.” Pilates exercises can be beneficial in warding off knee pain. The regimen was deemed significantly effective at reducing pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, back pain, and neck pain in a systematic review published in the March 2022 edition of the journal Musculoskeletal Care. Protect your knees with Pilates exercises Even those with no knee pain can benefit from strengthening the structures supporting the knees since these joints are the largest in the body and quite complex. They are also extraordinarily powerful, absorbing a lot of force from daily activities, a process known as knee loading. Knees absorb about 1.5 times your body weight while walking on level ground. That jumps to 316% of your body weight while climbing stairs and 346% while descending stairs, according to an August 2010 study published in the Journal of Biomechanics. To stave off knee pain, you primarily need strong quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and calves, Kreitenberg said. It’s also helpful to have strong hip joint muscles. “Everything is connected,” he said. “If you have a weakness in any area of your body, it can cause poor alignment and excessive force on areas where you don’t want it.” The low-impact, simple movements of Pilates were found to improve people’s mobility, gait and postural stability in a September 2021 meta-analysis. Here are five easy exercises to try. Shoulder bridge prep Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Make sure your feet are parallel and a fist apart, Berkowitz said. Breathe from your diaphragm and engage your core, then lift your pelvis and spine off the floor. Hold for five breaths and then lower back down. Half roll-down In this Pilates exercise, you begin by sitting upright on a mat with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands under your knees with your elbows out to the side, Berkowitz said, then lightly round your spine. Inhale and roll your pelvis and spine away from the legs until your arms are straight, then exhale and roll your pelvis and spine back up. Squat Stand with your feet and legs parallel to one another and shoulder width apart. Lower yourself down, as if sitting in a chair, making sure to press your heels into the floor. It’s also important to keep the middle of your knees in line with the middle of your feet, which is the space between your second and third toe joints. Hold, then rise. “You want that proper knee and foot alignment,” Berkowitz said. “This is a huge component of why knee problems develop.” While performing a squat, pay attention to proper form so that the middle of the knee is in line with the middle of the foot. Prostock-Studio/iStockphoto/Getty Images Straight leg raise Lie on your back with your right knee bent. Engage your abdominal muscles and, keeping your chest open, squeeze the muscles in your left thigh and lift your left leg up to the same height as your bent right knee. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat on the opposite leg. Squeeze the muscles in the left thigh before raising your left leg while keeping the leg completely straight.  Ziga Plahutar/E+/Getty Images Standing hamstring curl Stand up straight with your knees 1 or 2 inches apart. Holding onto a stable chair or countertop, slowly bend one knee to a 90-degree angle. Hold several seconds, then slowly lower your foot to the floor. Repeat with the other leg. You can work your way up to three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions for these exercises, although Berkowitz said you generally do three sets of three to five repetitions of an exercise in Pilates. The most effective Pilates experience to lessen knee pain would also include exercises on the reformer, a Pilates machine that facilitates precise movements, muscle engagement and body alignment, and additional mat exercises. Experts agree these five exercises should help alleviate knee pain, although they are not cure-alls. “While it’s impossible to say how much they’ll help any given person, incorporating these exercises could help relieve about 20% to 30% of your knee pain,” Kreitenberg said. Berkowitz agreed. “When you have a serious thing, like an injury to a joint or

  In Amsterdam’s Red Light District, the hologram of a woman sits behind a window. She looks out at passers-by, then appears to knock on the window and breathe on the glass. The glass seemingly fogs up, and the word “help” appears. This hologram is modeled on Bernadett “Betty” Szabó, a 19-year-old Hungarian sex worker who was murdered in the Dutch capital in 2009. Now, more than 15 years after her death, police are hoping to uncover new information about her killing. Szabó grew up in poverty in the Hungarian city of Nyíregyháza, before moving to Amsterdam when she was 18 years old and beginning work as a prostitute, Dutch police said in a statement. She quickly became pregnant, but continued to work throughout her pregnancy, giving birth to her son in November 2008. Three months later, she was found dead in her workroom, lying in a pool of blood. She had been stabbed “dozens of times,” Dutch police said. Despite a large-scale investigation, in which police monitored CCTV, interviewed witnesses, and combed over the crime scene, the case eventually became cold. The holographic representation of Szabó was created to reach those who may know something about her murder but did not come forward when it happened. Bernadett “Betty” Szabó was murdered in February 2009, three months after giving birth to her son. Dutch Police “It is difficult to determine what it takes to get possible witnesses in this case to share their information with us,” Benjamin van Gogh, coordinator of the Amsterdam Wanted and Missing Persons Team, said in the statement. “Betty’s hologram may create a certain connection with her and thus convince a person to come forward. In this type of case, we always try to put a face on a victim, so that informants know who they’re doing it for, and the hologram is a way of taking this a step further.” The police force discussed the campaign with Szabó’s family, van Gogh said, adding that it is “committed to doing this with dignity and with the clear purpose of achieving some form of justice for Betty by finding her murderer or murderers.” Eline Roovers, a spokesperson for Amsterdam Police, told CNN that it is “never too late to talk.” “Research shows that people who commit a crime like this usually tell multiple people – 2.2 persons to be exact – what they have done. This means that there must be people that know more about Betty’s death,” she said. The reward for information related to the case has been raised to €30,000 (around $32,160). Amsterdam gets tourists from around the world, Roovers pointed out, so police are urging those who visited the city in February 2009 to get in touch if they know anything more about the case.

Although Cillian Murphy read the acclaimed Irish book “Small Things Like These” during the Covid-19 lockdown and was “floored by it,” it was the Oscar winner’s wife, Yvonne McGuinness, who suggested he turn the story of one man’s stand against church abuse into a movie. Murphy produces and stars in an adaptation of Claire Keegan’s Booker Prize-shortlisted novel involving one of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries, workhouses run by the Catholic Church, where unmarried, pregnant women were interned and forced to give birth in secret. Even though the book “stayed with me for a long time,” the Irish actor admitted to CNN that he didn’t initially think of it as a potential film project. But after his wife’s encouragement, Murphy reached out to previous collaborators like screenwriter and playwright Enda Walsh and Peaky Blinders director Tim Mielants, enlisting their help on a subject he calls “a collective trauma” that Irish people “are still processing.” Murphy plays coal merchant Bill Furlong, father of five girls in a small Irish town in the 1980s. “We meet him at this point in his life where he’s experiencing some major emotional turmoil. If feels like he’s going through some sort of breakdown,” Murphy told CNN. “And then this oppressive atmosphere in the town and the control that the Church exerts over the whole of society. It’s all coming to a head on this particular couple of days before Christmas.” “Small Things Like These” opens in US theaters on Friday. Enda Bowe/Lionsgate Also coming to a head is the future of the five Furlong girls, whose carefree energy is in stark contrast to the misery of the young women Bill catches sight of in the laundry attached to the local convent, as he delivers coal. Entering the building, he sees them scrubbing floors and toiling in the laundry; one begs him to help her escape as a nun hurries him away. In the distance a baby cries. When Bill finds one of these girls abandoned in the convent’s coal shed, the mother superior, played by Emily Watson, makes it clear to him how quickly she can take away the prized education the nuns give to his daughters. She gives him an envelope of cash to help with Christmas. And to ensure his silence. “Small Things Like These” may appear to be a small, quiet film, especially when compared to Murphy’s Oscar-winning blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” but the film’s hero is on an epic moral journey. And there is nothing quiet about the film’s portrayal of misogyny. Despite having the feel of a period movie, this Irish story has not yet been consigned to the past. Earlier this year the government of Ireland opened a mother and baby institutions redress scheme. In Northern Ireland consultations on a public enquiry into mother and baby homes have begun. Many Irish people are still trying to comprehend the reality of what happened to tens of thousands of women and their babies. Last week, the Vatican presented its first annual report on child protection initiatives to tackle another major scandal, that of clerical sexual abuse. It found parts of the Roman Catholic Church are still failing to ensure clerical sexual abuse is reported adequately. This is the first film for Murphy’s production company, “Big Things” and is executive produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. “Small Things Like These” releases in theaters in the US on Friday and is already out in cinemas in the UK.

Mary DeBardelaben once made a promise to her grandmother’s portrait hanging on the sage green wall in her living room. One day, she vowed, she’d find out just how her grandmother, Hattie DeBardelaben, died in the back of a police car in rural Alabama in March 1945. She promised to uncover why four law enforcement officers searching for illegal whiskey beat her to death. And she promised to learn why her grandmother’s son — Mary’s father — had never uttered a word about the brutal assault in Alabama’s Autauga County. Not a lot was known about what happened that day. Over the years, Mary DeBardelaben reached out to an organization that documented civil rights abuses in the Jim Crow era but without much success. All that changed late last month, when a mailman delivered a bulky manila envelope to her home in the Atlanta suburb of Ellenwood, Georgia. It was stuffed with 69 pages of federal documents detailing Hattie DeBardelaben’s final moments. Mary DeBardelaben curled up on her burgundy couch under the sepia-toned portrait and sobbed. “I cried for three days straight when I got the documents and read descriptions of what happened to her,” Mary DeBardelaben says, her eyes welling with tears. “I was drained, I just couldn’t function.” After she read all the documents, she gazed up at the portrait with a new wave of compassion. “I told her, ‘Grandma, I know I kept promising to do something to bring your death to light … this is it, ‘” she told CNN. “Now I finally know what happened. And other people are going to know, too.” Federal officials are releasing documents on civil rights cold cases Last month, some 79 years after her death, the National Archives and Records Administration released pages of documents about what happened to Hattie DeBardelaben. She was 46 when she died. They were the first set of documents made public under the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act signed into law by President Donald Trump in 2019. The act established a board made up of private citizens appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the US Senate. They are tasked with reviewing and releasing investigative records from unresolved cold cases in the US from between 1940 and 1979. More cases will be released in the coming weeks. A week prior to the documents’ release, both the review board and the NARA notified Mary DeBardelaben’s family of their plans. She says she collapsed on the floor in tears when she opened the letter and learned she’d finally get answers about her grandmother’s death. “I said yes, absolutely, I want to see the records,” she says. On October 26, the thick envelope arrived. The review board says it hopes these long-hidden documents will provide answers to descendants about the fate of their ancestors and shed light on a dark chapter in the nation’s history. “The name Hattie DeBardelaben may be unfamiliar to most people, but her death at the hands of law enforcement officers in 1945 was sadly typical of the violence — and even lethality — that many Black Americans suffered in the Jim Crow South,” review board co-chair Margaret Burnham said in a statement. “Although her death was investigated by federal agents at the time, the perpetrators were never held accountable.” Records detail a fatal beating that may have broken her neck Federal documents show that a visit from authorities escalated into a fatal beating — followed by an alleged coverup. Around 2:30 p.m. on March 23, 1945, Hattie DeBardelaben was washing clothes in the backyard of her family home in Autaugaville, according to the documents. The town is midway between Montgomery and Selma, where 20 years later police would brutally beat civil rights marchers, horrifying Americans and leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. Three federal officers and a sheriff’s deputy arrived from a neighboring plantation, where they’d confiscated illegal whiskey. At the time, Jim Crow laws in some Southern states restricted selling alcohol to Black people, making it harder for them to obtain liquor legally. Mary DeBardelaben keeps a binder of everything she’s learned about her grandmother, including this March 1945 newspaper story about her killing. Austin Steele/CNN The law enforcement officers asked Hattie DeBardelaben if she was selling the chicken roaming the yard. No, she said. They then accused her of selling bottles of “wildcat” whiskey, which she denied. During the exchange, one of the officers struck Hattie DeBardelaben’s nephew, and she asked them to stop. Instead, two of the officers struck her several times, knocking her over a pot of boiling water, according to the nephew’s affidavit included in the documents. When she tried to get up, they knocked her down again. Hattie DeBardelaben’s son, Edward, called out for his two brothers who were in the field planting corn. Police met the brothers — including Bennie, Mary’s father — with guns drawn and ordered them to sit on the ground and not move. As Hattie DeBardelaben panted, moaned and begged for her life, the officers hauled her into the back of the police car, where she started throwing up. Edward, who was sitting with her in the car, held up her dress to contain the vomit. She died on the way to the county jail, according to the records. The undertaker noted her head “sagged” when she was brought in, indicating a broken neck. The deputy sheriff, Clyde White, signed a statement denying DeBardelaben was a victim of police brutality. In the statement, he said he went to her house after receiving complaints that she was selling whiskey, but a search of the house yielded no alcohol. A White doctor determined she had a history of heart attacks and declared that as the cause of death, the statement says. Her grandchildren say they finally have some closure, but it’s not enough Hattie DeBardelaben’s eight children, including Mary DeBardelaben’s father, Bennie, are all deceased. She also had 27 grandchildren — 20 of whom are still alive — and 36 great-grandchildren.

  If you missed the chance to see fireballs of the Southern Taurids light up the sky last week, don’t worry. The second branch of the Taurid meteor showers, the Northern Taurid event, is about to take center stage. The Northern Taurids have been active since mid-October, but the shower will peak Monday night into Tuesday — with optimal visibility likely occurring after midnight — offering patient sky-gazers the best opportunity to view meteor activity, according to NASA. The Northern Taurids — which appear to radiate from the Taurus constellation — are visible almost anywhere in the world, except Antarctica, said Dr. Shannon Schmoll, director of Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University. However, the moon will be about 79% full when the Northern Taurids peak this week, according to the American Meteor Society, which could make spotting meteors earlier in the evening more challenging. For the best viewing experience, Schmoll suggests waiting until later at night when the moon is closer to setting, allowing for clearer skies and better visibility. “Don’t move around too much but get away from the lights, get comfortable and be patient,” Schmoll said. The optimal time for a meteor sighting may vary depending on the area, so entering your approximate location into The Old Farmer’s Almanac moonrise and moonset calculator will help determine the best time to enjoy this cosmic phenomenon. Reasons to watch Like their southern counterparts, the Northern Taurids originate from Comet Encke, which has the shortest orbit of any known comet in the solar system — taking just 3.3 years to complete a full trip around the sun. Although the Northern Taurid event produces fewer meteors than other major showers — only about five per hour — it still offers something special: the chance to see increased fireball activity. Unlike most meteors, which are typically between 10 microns (0.0004 inch) and around 1 meter (3.3 feet) in size, according to NASA, fireballs are larger, giving them a brighter appearance. In fact, fireballs often appear so bright that they even outshine Venus in the night sky. In addition to their brightness, fireballs can be visible for longer periods, leaving behind two distinct types of trails: trains and smoke trails. A train, as defined by the American Meteor Society, is a shining trail of ionized and excited air molecules left behind after the meteor passes, typically lasting a few seconds but on rare occasions enduring for several minutes. Smoke trails, which are most often visible during daylight hours, resemble the contrails left by airplanes and can appear light or dark. Regardless of whether you’re lucky enough to see fireballs flying through the night sky, Schmoll recommends taking some time to enjoy the beauty of the universe by observing the meteor shower. “Something that is really good for us is to be able to have that connection to nature,” Schmoll said. “There’s still something so exciting about seeing that … interaction of the Earth with the rest of the solar system, and it being this beautiful sight.” More than just awe-inspiring spectacles, meteor showers provide new information about the universe for astronomers and amateur space lovers alike. “If there are any larger pieces of (meteorites) that land with this now new material about the solar system (they can help us) study and put together all of those pieces about the formation and origin of our solar system,” Schmoll said. The Northern Taurids are visible until December 2, according to the American Meteor Society, so there is potential to spot more fireballs over the next few weeks. Upcoming celestial events There are still a few more opportunities to see celestial activity before the end of 2024. Here are peak dates for upcoming meteor showers, according to the American Meteor Society: Leonids: November 16-17 Geminids: December 12-13 Ursids: December 21-22 Two full moons also remain — the beaver moon, which is a supermoon, on November 15 and the cold moon on December 15, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.

If you like Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” Fall Out Boy’s “Dance, Dance” and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” as much as I do, chances are we were born around the same time. When I listen to those songs now, I’m hit with waves of nostalgia — first crushes, the tribulations of high school, and the highs and lows of living with my parents. While I’ve come to appreciate younger artists such as Doja Cat, Lil Nas X and Sabrina Carpenter in recent years, songs from the 2000s hold a special place in my head and heart. But a younger colleague recently told me that “the music from 2008 through 2016 was top tier.” She said that she loved Meghan Trainor, One Direction and Kesha during that time — all artists who were the soundtrack of her crucial developmental years. As I see other generations of music lovers say music was so much better when they were younger, I wondered why. We can’t all be right — or maybe we are? I talked to experts in how music influences our brains to find out. “It’s not that music was better when (we) were younger; it’s that music elicits very, very strong emotions,” said Dr. Rita Aiello, a music psychologist at New York University who examines how people process music and how music and memories shape each other. Aiello remembers the Beatles’ “Yesterday” and Barbra Streisand’s “People” as two of her favorite songs from her youth. “Music is an extremely powerful cue for remembering what has happened before in our lives,” she said. The Beatles, here playing at the London Palladium, shaped the musical tastes of youth in the 1960s, and for many pop music fans, the group’s artistry has not been surpassed. Michael Webb/Hulton Archive/Getty Images But why does music hold such power? “Music is episodic,” said Dr. Robert Cutietta, a professor of music at the University of Southern California. “If you look at an artwork or something, you can look at it and leave. Music is over time. There’s a part of our brain called episodic memory — that’s where it goes.” It makes sense. A person’s preference for popular music peaks around age 23, according to a 1989 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, with a 2013 follow-up in the journal Musicae Scientiae reporting age 19. A 2022 replication of the latter study in Marketing Letters: A Journal of Research in Marketing found that a person’s music preference peaks as young as 17. “It’s part of your identity,” Cutietta said. “During those years, we are developing so much (of) who we are, (and) we get attached to the music.” Cutietta, who was born in 1953, cited the work of the Beatles and conductor Leonard Bernstein as among his favorites. Those artists helped shape his musical tastes as a teenager. This attachment to your identity may be why you feel less of a connection to contemporary music as you grow older. The emotions tied to music at impressionable ages help form a lifelong bond, with happy and sad feelings intertwining — even complementing each other — when listening to a song. “If we were sad (listening to a song) 20 years ago, we’re going to be sad today, but with a distance from that sadness … so there’s a different sense of enrichment in the experience,” Aiello said, noting that “sadness can be the opening of joy.” It could also explain why listening to something you enjoyed from an earlier, tougher period in your life can bring a sense of catharsis when hearing it now, she said. Music becomes a part of person’s identity, which may explain why songs from our youth have such a powerful hold over us.  MarsBars/E+/Getty Images What if you think of the 1970s and 1980s as the holy grail of “real music,” even though all decades contain good and bad songs? It may be because you’re remembering the artists, songs and albums that were meaningful to you and forgetting the ones that weren’t. “There are circumstances that made certain songs particularly meaningful to you and the memories of those circumstances will come back as you listen to the songs,” Aiello said. Those meaningful songs still resonate with you, Cutietta said, eclipsing the forgettable ones. “Every era has horrible songs that became huge hits,” Cutietta said. “They’re still there somewhere in our memory, but we choose not to pull those up. Naturally, we’re going to pull up the songs we like.” I’m sure that today’s young people will hail the early 2020s as a great time in music, saying that the artists of 2038 have nothing on those from their day. But most likely, they’ll be thinking about how the artists they loved shaped their younger selves and forgetting the songs that didn’t matter.

The Federal Reserve cut its key overnight lending rate again on Thursday, following on the heels of a half-point cut in mid-September. Fed watchers also expect the central bank may cut the rate once more this year, by another quarter point, at its December meeting. If so, that would mean the fed funds rate, which directly or indirectly influences the rates on a host of consumer savings and lending products across the economy, would have dropped by a full percentage point by year-end. But that doesn’t mean as a result interest rates are now low — or will soon be low. “‘Falling interest rates’ are not the same as ‘low interest rates.’ Interest rates are high and will only decline to ‘not as high’ as … we move into 2025,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate. Here’s a breakdown of how far rates have fallen on your savings, loans and investments, and what experts see going forward. Assessing your debts The rate environment is still not much friendlier for those carrying debt Credit cards: Just before the Fed cut its key rate in September, the average credit card rate was 20.78%, according to Bankrate. As of this week, it had only fallen to 20.39%, less than half a point. That is still well above the 16.3% average rate recorded at the start of 2022, before the Fed started hiking rates to beat back inflation. So even if the Fed keeps cutting rates gradually over the next two years, carrying credit card debt will continue to be the most expensive debt you carry. That’s why you will always get the same advice in any rate environment. Pay down your credit cards as quickly as you can. If you qualify, try to find a balance-transfer card that will offer you up to 21 months at 0% interest and pay as much of your principal down during that period as possible. “Using a 0% balance transfer credit card or a low-interest personal loan to lower your rates and consolidate your debt can have a much bigger impact on your debt load than most anything the Fed will do,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree. Another option: Try transferring your balance to a credit card from a credit union or local bank. They may offer fewer perks but typically have lower rates, said certified financial planner Chris Diodato. Mortgages: Since the Fed started cutting rates, mortgage rates have actually gone up. That’s because they’re directly tied to movements in the 10-year Treasury yield, which typically moves on economic factors such as inflation and growth, and interpretations of the Fed’s future moves. Since recent data has come in strong, the 10-year has moved higher since mid-September. Consequently, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage hit 6.79% as of November 7, above the 6.2% registered a week before the Fed’s September meeting. Nevertheless, it is still well below where it was a year ago, when the average hit 7.50%, according to Freddie Mac. In the wake of the US presidential election, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, indicated that he expects some risk in the short term that mortgage rates may drift higher because policy uncertainty is now high. Low-risk ways to earn money on savings The fact that consumer interest rates haven’t fallen a lot yet — and in some cases not at all — is benefiting savers. “Interest earnings on savings accounts, money markets and certificates of deposit will come down, but the most competitive yields still handily outpace inflation,” McBride said. Savings accounts: Traditional savings accounts continue to offer paltry returns, well below 1%. The best return on cash savings is in online high-yield savings accounts at FDIC-insured banks. Before the Fed’s September rate cut many of those accounts were offering yields between 4.25% and 5.3%, according to those listed on Bankrate.com. On Thursday, the yields on offer had fallen by a quarter point or so, ranging between 4% and a little over 5%, well above the latest inflation reading of 2.1%. Certificates of deposit: FDIC-insured CDs are also still offering inflation-beating returns. Before the last Fed meeting, CDs listed on Schwab.com with maturities ranging from three months to 10 years were offering annual rates of between 3.65% and 4.99%. As of Thursday, the range was 4.25% to 4.60%. Bonds: If you live in a high-tax area, you might consider putting some cash into Treasuries, which are not subject to state and local taxes; or into high-quality municipal bonds, which are typically exempt from federal tax, and sometimes state and local taxes too. Short-term T-bills (with durations of three months to a year) were yielding 4.32% to 4.54% on Thursday on Schwab.com. And Treasury notes (with durations of two to 10 years) were yielding between 4.19% to 4.35%. That’s well above where they were back in mid-September, when the two- and 10-year notes were at 3.6% and 3.64%, respectively. Muni rates, meanwhile, have held up even in the face of Fed rate cuts because more of them have been coming online in the runup to the US election, said Sinead Colton Grant, chief investment officer at BNY Wealth. Given expectations that the Fed will likely continue cutting rates next year, Colton Grant said, “We favor bonds, particularly as cash yields are going to move lower.” But she does expect volatility in bonds, which is why she favors active management for the fixed income part of your portfolio over the next year — whether through a separately managed account in your 401(k) or through an actively managed bond fund. Don’t overinvest in low-risk options Making money in very low-risk ways on your cash is easy and gratifying when rates are high. But as they start coming down in the next year, you forfeit a lot of other gains. Diodato now cautions his clients against falling into what he calls “the cash trap” and keeping too much money in savings and money markets because it could hurt your net worth over time given that stocks and bonds broadly have outperformed cash yields.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett stands apart. She is the only former full-time law professor on the right wing. And she differs from her five fellow conservatives for the obvious reason that she is the sole woman in their bloc, a mother of seven who peppers her hypotheticals with references to ambitious babysitters and delivered meal kits. But perhaps most important for the court amid today’s polarization, she is the only one of the conservatives who never served in the top echelons of a Republican administration. She is less likely to echo the GOP political agenda in her questions during oral arguments or reasoning in her written decisions. Her views of executive power, as in Donald Trump’s immunity case last July, are tempered. And that is why Barrett has become the best hope for what remains of the liberal wing, particularly after Trump’s election victory. Liberals on and off the bench see Barrett as someone who may provide some equilibrium to a court remaking the law in America, possibly able with her legalistic ways to secure a cross-ideological majority for moderation. As Trump returns to the White House, the Supreme Court may be even more positioned to check the balance of powers. He has vowed to bring a new level of conservative muscle to the executive branch. Republicans, meanwhile, regained the Senate in Tuesday’s elections and may hold onto the House of Representatives, where several races are yet to be called. Yet, as much as the 52-year-old former Notre Dame law professor has indeed engaged with the left on legal doctrine, she has routinely cast her vote with the right. She has voted to overturn precedent on abortion, affirmative action and federal regulatory power. So far it is her method, not bottom-line votes, that primarily sets this Trump appointee apart. Nonetheless, progressives have few options, and an uncertain horizon, and cannot help but imbue Barrett with hope. Perhaps that is also to fill a notable void. In previous decades, as a succession of Republican appointees galvanized the court’s right wing, individual justices defied expectations and staked out the center. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a 1981 Reagan appointee who retired in 2006 and died last December, exemplified the phenomenon. She satisfied the left but struck dread among movement conservatives, as did Justice Anthony Kennedy, who served from 1988 to 2018. Republican presidents have been dominating judicial appointments and will continue to do so after Trump’s election this week. In the past 55 years, as a total of 20 Supreme Court vacancies occurred, Republican presidents were able to fill 15 seats, and Democratic presidents only five. Three of those Democratic appointees, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, are still sitting, a frustrated minority facing a conservative-supermajority. In their quest for some middle ground, they engage Barrett on the bench and as they draft opinions. During oral arguments, liberal justices often pick up on her questioning to make their own points and try to persuade her in their direction. In October, on the first day of the current session, Barrett homed in on the timing of a statute of limitations, repeatedly asking for clarification. Sotomayor immediately referred to Barrett’s query before making her own point. “As Justice Barrett said…,” is a common Kagan refrain, too. Last Monday, in a controversy tied to a whistleblower’s claims that schools were overcharged for telecommunications services, Barrett entered the fray early with a series of queries. Then Kagan interjected, “I had the same sort of question that Justice Barrett did…” In a similar vein, the lawyers who stand at the court’s lectern have become more attentive to Barrett’s queries, circling back to the topics she raises as they field questions from other justices. Barrett declined a CNN request for an interview for this story. A meticulous approach Before Barrett takes the bench with the eight other justices, her assistants emerge from behind the red velvet drapes with briefs, binders and a mug and meticulously arrange the items at her place. Aides to other justices sometimes set out case materials before oral arguments begin, but they tend to drop them quickly. The routine at Barrett’s place on the bench is notably particular. The exacting jurist is succinct in questioning advocates in the well of the courtroom. She minimizes any prefatory remarks and swiftly gets to what she wants to know. (She seems thoroughly aware of each minute, waking daily at 5 a.m. to exercise and get children ready for school and keeping a color-coded calendar.) Barrett delves into the recesses of the factual record of a case and homes in on procedural issues. That was seen in early October in a high-profile Oklahoma death penalty case, when she focused on procedural barriers that could prevent Richard Glossip from obtaining a new trial. Her queries stood in contrast to those of fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh, for example, who minimized the procedural obstacles and emphasized, more substantively, the uncertain credibility of the key witness against Glossip. As she begins her fifth session, Barrett has become conspicuous for writing separate opinions that seem designed to stimulate a dialogue on methodology. She has repeatedly challenged Thomas on his use of historical analogues when engaging in the “originalist” constitutional interpretation they otherwise share. In a June case, she called his interpretation of history and tradition to settle a trademark dispute “wrong twice over.” A year earlier, she faced off against Kagan, also a former law professor, as they unspooled theories for when agencies may take significant policy action without explicit statutory authorization, in that case, on student-loan forgiveness. Yet while Barrett takes a more analytical approach, compared to the ideologically inclined conservatives, when casting votes on major cases, Barrett is with them. She voted last session most often, about 90%, with Roberts and Kavanaugh, according to EmpiricalSCOTUS statistics compiled by Adam Feldman and Jake Truscott. And on major cultural issues, such as abortion rights and religious liberties, Barrett lands to the right of Republican centrists O’Connor, Kennedy, and, before them, Justice Lewis Powell

Ancient DNA has revealed surprises about the identities of some people who perished in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii after a volcanic eruption, overturning misconceptions about their genetic relationships, ancestry and sex. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, the volcano spewed hot, lethal gases and ash into the air, slowly killing most of the city’s population. Ash and volcanic rock called pumice then covered Pompeii and its residents, preserving scenes of the victims of the city’s destruction like an eerie time capsule. Excavations first began to unearth the forgotten city in 1748, but it wasn’t until 1863 that archaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli developed a method to make plaster casts of some of the Pompeii victims. The soft tissue of the bodies encased in ash had decomposed over time, so Fiorelli poured liquid chalk into some of the outlines left behind by the bodies to preserve the shapes of 104 people. Narratives formed based on the positioning of some of the remains, including those of an adult wearing a bracelet who was holding a child and thought to be the child’s mother. Similarly, a group of bodies found together were suspected of being sisters. Now, during modern efforts to restore some of the casts, researchers retrieved bone fragments from within the plaster and sequenced DNA from them, discovering that none of those assumptions were true. The discoveries, published Thursday in a new study in the journal Current Biology, are upending researchers’ understanding of the population demographics in Pompeii as well as how bodies found together were connected to one another. “The scientific data we provide do not always align with common assumptions,” said study coauthor David Reich, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University, in a statement. “These findings challenge traditional gender and familial assumptions.” A window to the ancient past Pompeii’s unique preservation of the tragic tableaux of its citizens’ final moments has provided archaeologists with a way to understand what life was like during the Roman Empire. Located about 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) southeast of Naples in what’s now Italy’s Campania region, Pompeii was geographically ideal due to its port, according to the study. While the Greeks, Etruscans and Samnites attempted to conquer it, Pompeii became a Roman colony, the study authors noted. But Mount Vesuvius’ eruption wiped it and other nearby Roman settlements off the map. The ash spewed by the volcano coated the bodies of people and animals and encased buildings, monuments, mosaics, frescoes, sculptures and other artifacts in Pompeii and other surrounding towns. Rainfall after the eruption caused the bodies to become cemented within the ash, and the hardened ash preserved outlines of everything it blanketed, according to the study. When excavations began at the Pompeii site centuries later, archaeologists uncovered nearly 1,000 outlines of people, both isolated and grouped together, in houses, squares, streets, gardens and just outside the city walls. In 2015, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii began efforts to restore 86 of the 104 casts originally made by Fiorelli. X-rays and CT scans showed that while none of the casts contained complete skeletons, bone fragments were within many of them. The scans also indicated that when archaeologists and restorers initially worked with the casts centuries ago, they manipulated them — enhancing and altering aspects of the body shapes, removing bones and inserting stabilizers such as metal rods. The Archaeological Park of Pompeii invited the study team to research the bone fragments and teeth that were accessible due to earlier damage to the casts, said coauthor David Caramelli, director of the department of biology and professor of anthropology at the University of Florence in Italy. The study team included the archaeological park’s past director, Massimo Osanna, current director Gabriel Zuchtriegel and park anthropologist Dr. Valeria Amoretti. Together, park scientists and the study authors are working on a larger project to better understand the genetic diversity present in Pompeii during the Roman Empire. “It is a ‘genetic’ photo taken of a Roman city from 2000 years ago,” Caramelli said by email. Changing old assumptions Some bones were mixed directly in with plaster used in the casts and incredibly fragile, but the team was able to extract and analyze DNA from multiple fragments. The remains studied had been found at different sites preserved within the archaeological park, including the House of the Golden Bracelet, the House of the Cryptoporticus and the Villa of the Mysteries. The House of the Golden Bracelet, a terraced structure decorated with colorful frescoes, was named for an adult found wearing the item and with a child astride on their hip. Next to them was another adult, presumed to be the child’s father. All three were found at the foot of a staircase that led out to a garden, while a second child was discovered a few meters away, possibly separated from the rest as they tried to escape to the garden. It was long believed that two of these bodies belonged to a mother with a child astride her hip, but genetic analysis has shown it’s an unrelated adult male with a child. Archeological Park of Pompeii It is believed the two adults and one of the children were killed when the staircase collapsed as they tried to flee, presumably to the nearby port. Traditionally, researchers assumed the bracelet-wearing person to be the child’s mother. But the genetic analysis revealed the pair to be an unrelated adult male and child, Reich said. The adult male likely had black hair and dark skin. The new study reveals a lot about our own cultural expectations, said Steven Tuck, professor of history and classics at Miami University in Ohio. Tuck was not involved in the new study. “We expect a woman to be comforting and maternal, so much so that we assume a comforting figure is a woman and mother, which here is not the case,” Tuck said. Learning more about the remains of people at Pompeii can help others appreciate those who lost their

Eight of 11 justices on Mexico’s Supreme Court have resigned and declined to participate in an election for the court scheduled for June, the court said on Wednesday. According to a statement, the court’s president, Norma Pina, presented her resignation, as did Luis Maria Aguilar, Jorge Mario Pardo, Alfredo Gutierrez, Alberto Perez, Javier Laynez, Juan Luis Gonzalez and Margarita Rios. Seven of the jurists’ resignations are effective August 31, 2025, while Aguilar will leave office on November 30. The resignations are the result of a constitutional overhaul that was enacted last month that requires all judges be elected by popular vote. The reform requires judges to resign ahead of the June election if they do not want to participate in the electoral process and wish to maintain their pension, or risk losing it, prompting an outcry among judicial workers. The slate of resignations heightens tensions between Mexico’s Supreme Court and the ruling bloc, increasing the risk of a constitutional crisis as Congress and the presidency remain at odds with the judiciary over the reform. “It is necessary to underscore that this resignation does not imply an implicit acceptance of the reform’s constitutionality,” said justice Gutierrez in a resignation letter on Tuesday. In her letter to the Senate on Wednesday, Rios said her resignation “should not be seen as an implicit endorsement of a (reform) framework that remains controversial.” The 11-member Supreme Court will see its number reduced to nine as part of the reform. Three current justices have publicly backed the reform.

More than a billion Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists around the world are celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights. Diwali, also called Deepavali, is one of the biggest festivals in India. It’s also widely celebrated in Nepal, Malaysia, Fiji and other countries with large South Asian diasporas. Homes, businesses and public spaces are lit up with diyas, or oil lamps made from clay, and fireworks displays abound. People gather with their families, eat sweets and exchange gifts. Despite its deep religious significance, Diwali today is also a cultural festival observed by people regardless of faith. Here’s what to know about the holiday. What is Diwali? Customers buy paper lanterns and other decorative items at a shop in Mumbai ahead of Diwali in 2023. Sujit Jaiswal/AFP/Getty Images Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word deepavali, meaning “row of lights.” It marks the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil. Though Diwali traditions vary according to region and religion, the myths and historical stories behind the holiday share themes of justice and liberation. When is Diwali? Diwali is celebrated every year in autumn, usually falling between October and November. The festival lasts five days, with the main celebration occurring on the third day. This year, Diwali will be observed on October 31. These are the five days of Diwali: • Dhanteras: People typically mark the first day of Diwali by purchasing gold and silver jewelry, utensils and other new household items for good luck. Many clean their homes to invite the blessings of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Others also honor Dhanvantari, the god of Ayurveda, and Yamaraj, the god of death, on this day. People often mark Dhanteras, the first day of the Diwali festival, by purchasing gold or silvery jewelry. Ashish Vaishnav/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images • Choti Diwali, or Naraka Chaturdashi: The second day of Diwali marks Lord Krishna’s defeat of the demon king Narakasura. People wake up early to bathe and wash their hair. They also clean their homes, decorate them with rangolis and diyas and prepare sweets. • Diwali, or Lakshmi Puja: The third day of the festival is what people typically think of as Diwali. Families gather to exchange gifts, feast on scrumptious dishes and indulge in sweets. Many Hindus worship the goddess Lakshmi on this day. • Padwa, or Govardhan Puja: The fourth day of Diwali honors the relationship between husband and wife, and husbands will typically buy a gift for their spouses. In some traditions, it commemorates the day Lord Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to protect villagers of Vrindavan from rains brought on by Lord Indra’s anger. Some devotees offer a mountain of food to Krishna in remembrance, while others make clay and cow dung figures recreating the event. • Bhai Dooj: The final day of Diwali celebrates the love between siblings, in honor of the bond between Lord Yama and his sister Yami (or Yamuna). Sisters will sometimes place a tilak, or red mark, on their brothers’ foreheads, while brothers will give gifts to their sisters. What is the meaning of Diwali? Diwali is largely observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, but much like Christmas, the holiday transcends religion and is now celebrated by many people outside those traditions. The meaning of the festival varies by community and region. One of the legends at the heart of Diwali comes from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. During the exile of Prince Rama (an incarnation of the god Vishnu) and his wife Sita (an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi), Sita is kidnapped by the demon king Ravana. Rama ultimately defeats Ravana to rescue his wife. For some Hindus, Diwali marks Rama and Sita’s triumphant return to their kingdom after 14 years of exile. Students in the Indian city of Guwahati light oil lamps on a rangoli, a traditional Indian art form that is a staple of Diwali celebrations. Biju Boro/AFP/Getty Images Some Hindus in southern India celebrate Lord Krishna’s defeat of Narakasura, which led to the rescue of 16,000 girls in the demon’s captivity. In western India, Diwali commemorates the day that Lord Vishnu banishes the demon king Bali to rule the netherworld. Sikhs commemorate the occasion as “Bandi Chhor Divas” (The Day of Liberation). It marks the day that Guru Hargobind, their sixth guru, and 52 Hindu kings were freed from wrongful imprisonment. The Mughal Emperor Jahangir initially only agreed to release Guru Hargobind, but the guru refused to go without the royals. After Jahangir declared that those who could hold onto the guru’s cloak could leave, Guru Hargobind tied 52 tassels to his cloak so that each ruler could walk to freedom. For Jains, Diwali signifies the day Lord Mahavira, their last spiritual leader, attained physical death and achieved enlightenment. Some Buddhists acknowledge Diwali as the day the Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism. How is Diwali celebrated? A market in Singapore’s Little India district is stocked with decorations ahead of Diwali. Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images Aside from the common traditions of decorating one’s home, setting off firecrackers and feasting on delicious food, there are several other ways that people mark Diwali. In some parts of India, people play gambling card games such as teen patti, blackjack and poker. Gambling during the holiday is considered auspicious, stemming from a legend in which the god Shiva and his consort Parvati play a dice game. Diwali also marks the start of the new Hindu financial year, and many businesses, traders and shopkeepers open new accounts books during the holiday.

An electric motorcycle, made by Swedish-Kenyan manufacturer Roam completed a 6,000-kilometer (3,700-mile) journey from Nairobi, Kenya, to Stellenbosch, South Africa, in 17 days, using only solar power. While the world record for the longest electric motorcycle journey is 25,000 kilometers (11,300 miles), undertaken over 42 days in the US, Roam hopes that its stunt helps to prove the viability of renewable energy for long-distance travel even in remote areas with poor charging infrastructure. The batteries were charged en route through a solar panel charging system carried in a support vehicle, which would drive ahead each day, stopping to charge up the batteries, so that when the bike caught up it could swap the dead battery for a fresh one. During the journey, the motorcycle model, the Roam Air, achieved its new single battery record range of 113 kilometers (70 miles), and on the trip’s last day, it traveled 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in less than 18 hours. “(We wanted) to break a lot of boundaries on how traversing through sub-Saharan Africa is possible without pre-installed charging infrastructure,” Masa Kituyi, Roam product owner and one of the riders on the expedition, tells CNN. “From Roam’s perspective, we wanted to prove that this ‘ride anywhere, charge everywhere’ ideology is true.” Roam product owner Masa Kituyi was one of the riders on the journey. Lewis Seymour Kituyi split the riding with Stephan Lacock, a postgraduate student at Stellenbosch University who is working on a powertrain simulation project to boost the Roam Air’s efficiency. Accompanied by two support vehicles, they set off on 29 September, traveling through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana, before arriving in Stellenbosch on the morning of 16 October. The team drove along highways and dirt tracks, stopping off at Victoria Falls and Chobe River, where they camped under the stars and among hippos. On average the team covered around 400 kilometers (250 miles) per day, with about 80 kilometers (50 miles) per battery. Cloud cover The biggest challenge the team faced during the journey was the weather. “You can’t force the sun to shine,” says Kituyi, and at some points they ended up adapting their route so that they could escape cloud cover and have an opportunity to recharge the batteries. While Roam wanted to demonstrate the potential of solar energy as a solution for powering bikes in areas that lack charging infrastructure, Kituyi says that most of Roam’s customers charge their bikes at home with energy from the grid. However, he insists that this mammoth journey would still be possible for people without a solar support car. “Anywhere you can charge your phone, you can charge the bike,” he says. “That means with enough planning and lodging in hotels that have electricity, you are able to do this journey yourself.” However, he adds that he’s not expecting many of Roam’s customers to travel cross-continent – rather, riders might need the bike to travel between rural areas and cities. The feat was about “showing the flexibility works,” he says, and countering range anxiety. A support car equipped with a solar panel charging system followed the motorbike along the route. Lewis Seymour Accelerating market The journey was a collaborative effort between Roam and Stellenbosch University, which launched an Electric Mobility Lab this month, dedicated to advancing sustainable transport solutions. Roam donated two motorcycles to the lab to support research and develop the bikes further. Kituyi hopes that through powertrain efficiency tests and “accelerated testing,” which involves charging and discharging the battery multiple times a day, the startup will gain a better understanding of the life cycles of the bike and the battery. He adds that “accelerated testing” requires special facilities, and in the past Roam has carried out these tests outside Africa, including in China. The lab will give Roam the opportunity to keep the testing within the continent, which he says will make it more reliable as it’s undertaken in a similar climate, as well as helping to build Africa’s electric vehicle (EV) market. According to market research firm Mordor Intelligence, the African EV market is worth an estimated $16 billion, and it is projected to reach $25 billion by 2029. It claims this is driven by increased investment, rising EV sales, and government policies that encourage electrification. For example, Rwanda has eliminated import taxes on electric vehicles and is offering incentives for charging infrastructure development. The team encountered elephants and hippos along the 17-day journey. Lewis Seymour Two-wheelers are a central part of this, with demand for electric motorbikes soaring. According to another report from Mordor, by 2030 the two-wheeler segment of the market is expected to achieve an electrification rate of 22%, significantly higher than other types of vehicles. Low operating costs are a key driver, analysts from Mordor told CNN in an email: “Electricity is generally cheaper than gasoline, and electric motorcycles have fewer mechanical parts. Riders can save approximately $400 to $700 annually on fuel alone, making electric motorcycles an attractive option financially.” They added that African startups are dominating the space, since they have designed bikes to withstand local road conditions, do not rely on traditional charging infrastructure, and offer flexible payment options. Rwanda’s Ampersand currently has a fleet of almost 4,000 and expects this to surpass 40,000 by the end of 2026, whereas Spiro has over 18,000 e-bikes on the road across Kenya, Benin, Togo, Rwanda and Uganda, and has launched in Nigeria. Roam, founded in 2017 and formerly known as Opibus, has seen this transition firsthand. It started by electrifying safari vehicles, before turning to buses and motorcycles. Today, motorcycles are its main focus and it produces around 40 bikes a day, according to Kituyi. Currently, the bikes are available to buy in greater Nairobi, and in early 2025, it will be expanding across the whole of Kenya, as well as entering Uganda and Rwanda. “There is a big demand and constant growth of the market for motorcycles,” says Kituyi, adding that he has seen a gradual shift in people’s mindset. “They are getting more confident with the idea of stopping at a restaurant and asking them for

Gothic fantasy? Whimsical horror? Macabre comedy? Despite making films for over 40 years, Tim Burton’s visual style — a signature blend of light and dark — continues to defy neat description. Nevertheless, his otherworldly drawings, paintings, animations and feature films have wriggled into our lives to the point where we can name ‘Burtonesque’ as a style in its own right. But what is Burtonesque — or as some on TikTok seem to be calling it, Burtoncore? Well, it starts with the strange and unusual. “I read somewhere, that if you were going to describe his style through references that are in the cultural vernacular, it would be Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Frankenstein,” said Maria McLintock, curator of the newly opened World of Tim Burton exhibition at London’s Design Museum. The exhibition will feature over 600 items, including the first ever public display of the viral Rave’N dress worn by Jenna Ortega in Netflix series “Wednesday” (2022). Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands, 1990. 20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock “Tim, more than anything, is an artist. He is not drawn to expressing reality, in fact, he probably would say what even is reality?” McLintock told CNN. From suburbia, springs the surreal Burton grew up in Burbank, California, a land of eternal sunshine. Nonetheless, his childhood beneath the Hollywood sign in the 1960s was characterised by suburban boredom and isolation, finding solace in the world of film and television. Burton devoured everything from horror films to Ray Harryhausen animations, science fiction B movies and Japanese Kaiju monster films. An avid artist from an early age, Burton’s uncanny style of drawing is inspired by these films — along with gothic novels, expressionist paintings, holiday rituals and even the illustrations of Dr Seuss. Burton studied character animation at the California Institute of Arts before he was offered an apprenticeship at Disney. Although the relationship didn’t last (Burton has joked that his Disney drawings “looked like roadkill”), while there, he completed “Vincent” (1982), a black and white stop motion animation. The short was narrated by the infamous horror actor Vincent Price, who would later play the inventor in Burton’s 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands.” While the character Vincent laments his “ordinary” life, elongated jagged lines, twisted spirals, pinstripes and chequerboards dance across the screen — motifs that crop up repeatedly in Burton’s work and are the basis of the striking world of the Burtonesque. A signature style: Staples, skeletons and stripes These visual motifs are evident in Beetlejuice’s suit, Jack Skellington’s physique, Edward Scissorhands’s gothic mansion and Wednesday Addams’ uniform. Stitches, too, have repeatedly occurred in Burton’s visual aesthetic, such as when Sparky the dog returns from the dead in the “Frankenweenie” films (1984 and 2012), in Catwoman’s black latex number in “Batman Returns” (1992), the singular hand ‘Thing’ in horror TV series “Wednesday” (2022), and Monica Bellucci’s undead ‘staple’ look in this year’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”. (Both “Beetlejuice” movies were released by Warner Bros., which is owned by CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.) Tim Burton on the set of “Batman Returns” 1992 Warner Bros/Dc Comics/Kobal/Shutterstock While the Burtonesque certainly calls on the frightful and gory, it also embraces humor and charm. Jenny He, co-curator of the first ever major exhibition of Burton’s work at MoMA 15 years ago, told CNN that: “Stitches seems very macabre, but for Tim, actually, it’s a very positive, optimistic motif, because stitching means that you can put yourself back together — no matter how many times you fall apart.” Dichotomy has always been a key element of the Burtonesque, contrasting vivid color with greyscale, experimenting with humor and horror, exploring the clash of the beautiful and grotesque. Hidden behind these very recognisable visual stylings, however, is Burton’s fastidious world building. “To me, the Burtonesque is a process, a deep commitment to handmade, slower processes, not feeling that obligation to go for the quickest, slickest route. That’s what lingers beyond the credits rolling, everything feels like this entire world has been so considered,” McLintock told CNN. Remarking on the sheer volume of work created for each film, Jenny He added: “Even though films are a collaborative effort, inherently, it very much starts from Tim… Everything is in his head, and then it flows out onto paper, or a napkin, or canvas, and then he hands it off to his collaborators, and then they go out into the world of his fans.” Brand Burton Though it may be Burton’s world, his chosen collaborators play a large part in bringing it to life. Designer Colleen Atwood’s costumes have been instrumental in expressing Burton’s vision. Atwood breathed life into the iconic Edward Scissorhands outfit, a beautiful DIY mess of blades and belts, and the dramatic sculptural Victorian costumes in the 2007 movie “Sweeney Todd”. Perhaps most remarkably, Atwood hand-painted Christina Ricci’s black and white striped dress in “Sleepy Hollow” (1999) so that the garment would fall precisely as Burton had envisioned in his original sketch. Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman – complete with Burton’s signature stitches style – in 1992. Snap/Shutterstock The final piece of the Burtonesque puzzle is the coterie of actors that regularly appear in his projects. The likes of Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega and Eva Green all incapsulate a certain Burtonesque ‘Je ne sais quoi,’ extending it into ‘reality,’ spilling his signature style out of the silver screen and onto the red carpet. Beyond Hollywood, Burton’s work has been inspiring the world of fashion for decades. The late Alexander McQueen’s Fall-Winter 2002 show, ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,’ featured a now-iconic Batman-esque parachute cape inspired by Burton’s work. You can see Burton’s influence on the darkly fantastical fashion photographer Tim Walker, whose work is filled with striking silhouettes and wonderous themes — the pair even collaborated on a shoot for Harper’s Bazaar, ‘Tricks and Treats,’ in 2009. Then there’s shoe designer Sophia Webster’s 2016 collection which essentially revolved around Lydia Deetz, one of the principal characters in the original Beetlejuice, with the models all sporting her archetypal spiky updo. 2024: A new era of goth It’s a style that’s not going away

Michigan prosecutors charged a Chinese citizen with voter fraud and perjury after he allegedly cast a ballot in the 2024 election, authorities announced Wednesday. Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that the 19-year-old Chinese man who allegedly voted is a student who lives in Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan. Authorities said the man isn’t a US citizen, and therefore can’t vote in federal elections. The announcement from Michigan’s secretary of state and attorney general, and local prosecutors in Ann Arbor, comes as former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies spread concerns about mass voting by non-citizens. Experts say illegal voting by non-citizens is extremely rare, and when it does happen, it is usually caught quickly. The Chinese man – a student at the University of Michigan – cast his ballot on Sunday and then reached out to local election officials later that day in an attempt to get the ballot back, according to a source familiar with the situation. The man registered to vote at the polling place on Sunday, the source said. He used his university ID and other documents to demonstrate his residency in Ann Arbor while filling out a same-day voter registration forms, the source said. The Detroit News first reported the details. The suspect is legally present in the US, the source added. If he is convicted, he could potentially be deported over the incident, legal experts said. “Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of noncitizens registering to vote. Even less common is a noncitizen actually casting a ballot. When it does happen, we take it extremely seriously,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, both Democrats, said in a statement. They also said that “any noncitizen who attempts to vote fraudulently in Michigan will be exposing themselves to great risk and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Investigators in Michigan are still looking at whether this was an isolated incident, an accident or possibly part of an attempt by China to interfere in the 2024 election, and federal investigators are also looking into the matter, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is also a Democrat, said in a statement that her office has launched an “independent, parallel investigation” into the situation. Authorities did not identify the Chinese student accused of voting in the election. He is facing one count of illegally attempting to vote and one count of perjury – both felonies. It appears that the student’s vote can’t be nullified after the fact and will be counted. Washtenaw County Clerk Lawrence Kestenbaum told CNN ballots can’t be retrieved once they have gone through the tabulator. Unlike vote-by-mail, ballots cast at in-person voting locations don’t contain any identifying information about the individual voter, making it impossible to determine which one belonged to the student, Kestenbaum said. “There’s a box of ballots underneath the tabulator and all of the ballots — they all look the same … there’s no way to go back and undo it,” Kestenbaum said in an interview. Experts said this is a standard election procedure to maintain secrecy. “An in-person ballot is placed in a tabulator or ballot box, intermingled with other ballots. This is to preserve secrecy, so you can’t go into the ballot later and confirm who a particular parson voted for,” said David Becker, a former Justice Department voting rights official and founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research. After the charges were announced, Michigan GOP operatives and state lawmakers seized on the news to criticize Democrats for not requiring proof-of-citizenship to vote. Ciara Torres-Spelliscy, an election law expert at Stetson University, said this is one of the “downsides” of the secret ballot, which was instituted to prevent vote-buying. Earlier in US history, different color ballots were sometimes used for different political parties, making it easier to meddle in the process. The secret ballot for in-person votes ensures “no one can trace a particular vote to a particular voter,” Torres-Spelliscy said. “Plucking out an improperly cast ballot is basically impossible because it looks like every other ballot cast by an eligible voter,” Torres-Spelliscy, a CNN contributor, said, adding that the Chinese national who voted in Michigan “swore under penalty of perjury that he was an American citizen, thus this explains why poll workers would give him a ballot.”

Russia is seeking an unfathomable sum of money from one of the world’s biggest tech companies. Google reportedly owes the Kremlin more than 2 undecillion rubles — a 2 followed by 36 zeroes — after refusing to pay fines that are now accruing for blocking pro-Russian channels on YouTube. The virtually unpronounceable penalty amounts to $20 decillion — or around $20 billion trillion trillion. That dwarfs the size of the global economy. At $110 trillion, according to International Monetary Fund figures, world gross domestic product looks modest in comparison. Google parent Alphabet, meanwhile, has a market value of around $2 trillion. Russian state media TASS reported this week that a Russian court had earlier ordered Google to restore the YouTube channels — several of which have been blocked since 2022 — or else face mounting charges, with penalties doubling every week. Asked about the lawsuit during a call with reporters Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that he “can’t even pronounce this figure right” but said that the eye-watering sum was “filled with symbolism.” Google “should not be restricting the actions of our broadcasters on its platform,” he added. CNN has contacted Google for comment. In quarterly earnings published this week, the company referred to “ongoing legal matters” relating to its business in Russia. “Civil judgments that include compounding penalties have been imposed upon us in connection with disputes regarding the termination of accounts, including those of sanctioned parties,” Google said. “We do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect (on earnings).” Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Google curtailed operations in the country but stopped short of pulling out altogether, in contrast with several other American tech companies. Many of its services, including Search and YouTube, continue to be available in the country. Months after the invasion, Google’s Russia subsidiary filed for bankruptcy and paused most of its commercial operations after the government seized control of its bank accounts.

Well-preserved bones recovered from an English shipwreck are shedding light on what life was like for the crew of the ill-fated Mary Rose — and offering surprising insights about changes in bone chemistry that could benefit modern medical research. The Mary Rose was one of the largest warships of the Tudor navy during King Henry VIII’s reign until it sank on July 19, 1545, during a battle against the French. Hundreds of men were trapped on board when the ship sank in the Solent, a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain. In 1982, the hull of the ship, its artifacts and the bones of 179 crew members were excavated from the Solent and brought to the surface. The hull and its collection of 19,000 items are on display at the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, England, and research is underway on the remains to uncover aspects of the identities and lifestyles of the crew members. Researchers have analyzed the collarbones from 12 men between the ages of 13 and 40 who died on the Mary Rose to see how their tasks on the ship may have shaped the chemistry of their bones. The team also looked for telltale signs of aging and evidence of handedness, or which hand the crew members naturally favored. The results of the study were published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, and the findings could contribute to a better understanding of age-related changes in our bones. “Advancing our knowledge of bone chemistry is crucial for understanding how our skeletons age and how medical conditions effect the bones,” said lead study author Dr. Sheona Shankland, a research associate at the Lancaster Medical School at the UK’s Lancaster University. “Understanding these changes could allow us to be more informed about fracture risk and on the causes of conditions like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, which are commonly experienced with aging.” The enduring mystique of the Mary Rose In 1510, one year after ascending the throne, Henry VIII signed off on a request for two new ships to be added to the royal fleet. The Mary Rose was one of them, and the flagship became the king’s favorite. The ship saw action against the French in Brest, France, in 1512, and succumbed in its final battle during a large invasion by the French fleet in 1545. Despite the wealth of research conducted since the ship’s recovery, questions remain about what caused the vessel to sink. “Regardless of the cause, she rolled on to her starboard side and water entered through the open gunports,” said study coauthor Dr. Alex Hildred, head of research and curator of ordnance at the Mary Rose Museum. “With few access points between decks, and a heavy net spread across the open upper deck, the 500 men were trapped on board,” Hildred said. “Those stationed on the uppermost decks within the bow and stern castles, or in the rigging, were the only survivors.” Hildred helped supervise the underwater excavation, including recovering the largest concentration of human remains from the wreck, and she has facilitated research about the bones ever since. Despite being underwater for hundreds of years, the remains were remarkably well-preserved because a layer of sediment that settled over the ship created an oxygen-free environment, said Shankland, who will begin as a lecturer at the University of Glasgow in Scotland in November. “The nature of this environment means the remains of the sailors have not degraded the same way that would be expected in most archaeological discoveries, allowing us to reliably investigate the bone chemistry,” she said. The hull of the Mary Rose, supported by a steel cradle attached to a lifting frame, was raised on October 11, 1982. Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Favoring the right hand Shankland was interested in the idea of studying clavicles, or collarbones, from the shipwreck because the bones showcase unique characteristics related to age, development and growth. The S-shaped bones are some of the first to form in the human body but the last to fuse fully — typically between ages 22 to 25 in humans. They play a critical role in attaching upper limbs to the body, and clavicles are some of the most commonly fractured bones, said study coauthor Dr. Adam Taylor, director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre and professor in anatomy at Lancaster University. The research team used Raman spectroscopy, a nondestructive method that preserves valuable samples, to study the bones, Shankland said. The method involves using light to uncover the chemistry of a sample. The team analyzed how light reacted with molecules within the bones, and changes in the color of the light allowed the researchers to identify specific substances. Bones are composed of a balance of minerals and proteins. The minerals provide bones with resistance, strength and rigidity, while protein gives them flexibility and resistance to fracture, Shankland said. The analysis showed that the balance of protein and minerals changes with aging. The mineral content of the bones increases with age, and protein content decreases. The changes were most noticeable in the right collarbones, indicating that the crew members favored their right hands — but they may not have had a choice. “As individuals from this time would have been forced to be right handed, as left handedness had negative associations in medieval England, we could assume this difference in the right side was due to handedness,” Shankland said by email. At the time, left-handedness was associated with witchcraft, so crew members would have relied on their right hands and put more stress on their right sides during repetitive tasks on the ship, Shankland said. Understanding the relationship between handedness and impacts to the clavicle is crucial. When people fall, they usually put out their dominant hand to break the fall — which is one of the most common ways to fracture the clavicle, Shankland said. “This suggests that handedness influences clavicle bone chemistry, offering an important modern consideration for fracture risk,” Shankland said. “These results enhance our understanding of the

A woman who went missing on a solo hike in Australia’s Snowy Mountains was found “dazed and injured” on Sunday, police said, after suffering a suspected snake bite while missing for nearly two weeks. Lovisa Sjoberg, 48, was spotted by rescuers as she walked along a bush trail in Kosciuszko National Park, southwest of the capital Canberra, on Sunday afternoon. New South Wales Police Superintendent Toby Lindsay said Monday she was “fortunate to be alive” after being bitten by a snake, potentially a copperhead. The venomous species can deliver a painful bite that can lead to death without medical attention. “She advises that she was bitten by a snake approximately four days prior and had rolled her ankle and was dehydrated,” Lindsay said. “She’s in fact pretty fortunate to be alive and went through a pretty tough time.” Copperhead snakes live in the cooler regions of southern Australia and can deliver a potent bite. Mark Kostich/iStockphoto/Getty Images It’s not known how long Sjoberg was missing in the wilderness – she had last been seen driving a rented car on October 15. Police only started investigating her whereabouts last Monday after the car rental company reported their vehicle had not been returned. Officers tracked the car to Kiandra, a former gold mining town near the mountains, and investigated the theory that Sjoberg, an avid photographer and experienced hiker, had become lost in the wilderness when she set off on foot. Police sent up helicopters, planes, and deployed search teams by road, on foot and horseback for six days before spotting her on Sunday. The northern part of Kosciuszko National Park recently reopened to visitors after an annual closure during winter. The park was closed two months earlier this year to allow aerial culling of deer, pigs and wild horses, known as brumbies, in an effort to protect its alpine environment. Sjoberg has an Instagram account dedicated to images of wild horses, and members of brumby advocacy groups expressed serious concern for her welfare on social media. Wild horses in the Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales, Australia. SL/iStockphoto/Getty Images Plans by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to shoot brumbies from helicopters led to a failed legal bid to stop the cull this year. The government said the cull was necessary to protect native plants and animals in the alpine wilderness, which are vulnerable to damage from large numbers of feral animals. The Snowy Mountains are part of the Great Dividing Range, a mountainous region some 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) long, that contains some of Australia’s highest peaks. It’s popular with hikers and skiers who visit nearby resorts during the annual ski season.

Matthew Perry often spoke about how much he wanted to help people. One year after his death, those who loved him are healing with the same sentiment at the forefront of their minds. “It’s been hard on everyone,” Perry’s sister Caitlin Morrison told CNN in a recent interview. Morrison, who is the daughter of Suzanne Morrison and Perry’s stepfather, ‘Dateline’ correspondent Keith Morrison, serves as the executive director for the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, which launched just last week. It had been the actor’s longtime dream help others struggling with addiction. Now, those who knew him best are working to make his wish a reality in his absence. The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada is focused on providing housing, mental health, career and financial support to individuals in their first year of recovery as they navigate what Morrison described as a “very tenuous time in early sobriety,” a time she said she experienced Perry also struggle with. “I remember him saying quite a few times that that first year was just such a beast. There were so many roadblocks and so many difficulties,” she recalled. “We thought it would be kind of exactly a thing that would be aligned with something he wanted to do, to say, ‘Well, let’s help people. Let’s help people get past that hurdle that was such a high and difficult hurdle to get over when he was first fighting his battle.’” Perry’s mother, his lifelong friend Brian Murray and Cara Vaccarino, the president and CEO of Canadian mental health research firm The Royal, are also involved with the organization. Morrison said that pouring herself into task has aided in her own healing. “If the work that I’m doing right now saves a family from feeling that way, that’s a relief to my own grief,” she added. ‘He’s still so central to our lives’ Matthew Perry’s life in pictures 1 of 30 PrevNext Perry is best known for playing the quick-witted and lovable Chandler Bing on “Friends,” alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc from 1994 to 2004. He also played Oscar Madison in the 2015 reboot of “The Odd Couple” series, and appeared in films including “17 Again,” “The Whole Nine Yards” and “Fools Rush In,” among others. His acting style gravitated toward franticly funny but could veer toward vulnerably human with charming ease. It was always uniquely his own. Behind the scenes, he struggled with addiction, which he chronicled in his 2022 memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.” By speaking publicly about it, Perry sought to bring comfort and healing to those facing the same adversities that he did. Perry died at his Pacific Palisades home in October 2023. He was 54. His death, according to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report, was a result of “acute effects of ketamine” and subsequent drowning. Five people have since been charged in connection with his death. Three of the five people charged have taken plea deals, while the other two are set to go to trial this spring. In November 2023, days after Perry’s death, Lisa Kasteler and Doug Chapin – his former longtime publicist and manager, respectively – established the Matthew Perry Foundation in California. Chapin jokingly calls it “the last order we got from our client.” “And we immediately put it into effect,” he said. The organization is sponsored and maintained by the National Philanthropic Trust, which helps the Matthew Perry Foundation provide resources and funding for west coast-based organizations working to combat addiction in their communities. Chapin and Kasteler said that stigma played a role in the challenges that Perry faced along his own recovery journey, and that combating that stigma is one of their main objectives. “I know if Matthew hadn’t been ashamed, he’d be here,” Kasteler said. “If we do nothing more than get rid of the stigma around this, because that just leads to so many other things, then I’ll be happy.” Kasteler – who lovingly described Perry as her “favorite” client – was planning to retire after a decades-long career leading powerhouse PR agency Wolf Kasteler before Perry died. She now serves as the executive director of the foundation. Chapin is the foundation’s board president. Acknowledging how rare it is in the entertainment industry to have had such a longstanding, deeply personal relationship with a client, both Kasteler and Chapin said their continued work at the foundation throughout this past year has helped keep Perry close to their hearts. “Retirement didn’t exactly work out,” Kasteler said. “But that’s okay because I think this is the most important work that I’ve done.” Added Chapin: “He still feels alive in a lot of ways. He’s still so central to our lives and we’re still basically working for him. It keeps him alive. So it’s a thing that helps on these tough days.” ‘Cherish every moment’ (From left) Matthew Perry and Yvette Nicole Brown on ‘The Odd Couple.’ Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images Many of Perry’s former co-stars have been open about their grief. His “Friends” castmates put out a statement in the days after his death, but individually, they have continued to speak to the pain of his absence. In a tribute last year, Aniston wrote, “Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply.” His “Friends” castmates weren’t the only ones. Throughout his career, Perry was part of several ensemble casts. In recent interview with CNN, Yvette Nicole Brown, who starred with Perry and Thomas Lennon on “The Odd Couple,” remembered Perry as “an open book,” whose loss taught her “to cherish every moment.” “You don’t know when the last time you’re going to speak to someone is,” she said. “That’s the greatest lesson from him.” As much as Brown looked up to Perry as a professional, she admitted she was also a fan. In their early days on set, she worked to quell her excitement, only looking at Perry in the eye when she had to.

For five years after two teenage girls were killed and their bodies left along an Indiana trail, Richard Allen’s name sat unnoticed in a box with thousands of other tips about the mystery, until it was rediscovered by chance. Stashed in a box of tips from the public, Allen’s note said he saw three girls as he walked along the Monon High Bridge Trail between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. on February 13, 2017. In September 2022, as volunteer receptionist Kathy Shank filed the tip in an online database, she realized the time Allen said he was on the trail matched the time the girls were thought to have gone missing, according to CNN affiliate WLFI. Shank submitted the tip to the detective in charge of the investigation because she thought it was worth looking into, she testified last week at Allen’s trial for the murders of Abigail “Abby” Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, in Delphi, Indiana. Carroll County Sheriff Tony Liggett said despite the tip, Allen “got lost in the cracks,” according to CNN affiliate WLFI. The suspect never left the small town, working at a local CVS pharmacy until he was arrested. The revelation about the tip box is one of many facts surfacing in what is known as the Delphi murder case. Many details of the case, including how exactly the girls died, have remained unknown to the public for years. In December 2022, a judge issued a gag order to stop attorneys, law enforcement officials, court personnel, the coroner and the girls’ relatives from making public comments on the case. But with the trial underway, more of the story is beginning to come to light. Here’s what we’ve learned about the case in the first full week of the trial. Both girls killed by cuts to the neck A pathologist who performed the girls’ autopsies testified both had wounds on their necks, which seemed to be from a serrated edge, though he could not determine exactly what or how many instruments were used to make the cuts, according to CNN affiliate WLFI. Abby had one seven-inch-long wound on the side of her neck, pathologist Roland Kohr testified. Libby had four or five wounds on her neck and the three main blood vessels in her neck were cut, according to WLFI. Fourteen images from the girls’ autopsies were shown in court, WLFI reported. Family members cried and other members of the audience were visibly shaken, according to CNN affiliate WRTV. Libby would have bled to death from her wounds within five to 10 minutes, Kohr testified, according to WRTV. Neither of the victims’ bodies showed any signs of sexual assault or defensive wounds, Kohr said, according to WRTV. While Abby’s body was discovered fully clothed – in Libby’s clothes – Libby was discovered nude, Kohr testified, according to WRTV. Abby’s T-shirt, jeans and jacket were discovered in the nearby river, the station reported. More than 50 photos of the crime scene were shown in court, sparking emotional reactions, WRTV reported. Unspent bullet ties Allen to crime scene, prosecutors say Prosecutors have worked to link Allen to the crime scene with an unspent bullet found between the girls’ bodies investigators said came from Allen’s gun. Former Indiana State Police Firearm Examiner Melissa Oberg testified the .40 caliber round found between the bodies matched a pistol seized from Allen’s home, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. She explained she matched the cartridge to the pistol through the “quality and quantity of marks” on the cartridge. The defense has sought to cast doubt on the bullet evidence, questioning why more images were not taken of the cartridge and suggesting the bullet could have come from a law enforcement officer’s weapon, according to CNN affiliate WRTV. Spectators line up to enter the Carroll County Courthouse for the trial of Richard Allen on Oct. 18, 2024.  Michael Conroy/AP The pistol is one of several weapons found in Allen’s home in 2022, prosecutors said. Police also discovered multiple knives and ammunition within his home, according to WLFI. He was arrested shortly after authorities said they determined the unspent round matched his handgun. The defense, meanwhile, has raised questions about the absence of DNA evidence linking Allen to the killings. Asked if any DNA evidence taken from the swab of Libby’s wrists was matched to Allen, Indiana State Police investigator Brian Olehy said no, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. ‘Bridge Guy’ video played in full The trial has also seen the screening of a video captured on Libby’s cell phone. Authorities had previously only released a screenshot from the “Bridge Guy” video, which shows a man in a blue jacket and jeans walking on the Monon High Bridge, as well as a short audio clip with a man’s muffled voice saying, “Down the hill.” Authorities have long held they believe the man shown in the video, dubbed “Bridge Guy,” to be the person responsible for the girls’ deaths. The 43-second video shown in court, enhanced by investigator Jeremy Chapman, seems to show Libby recording the trail before turning the camera to record Abby. Then “Bridge Guy” comes into view, according to CNN affiliate WNDU. Libby can be heard telling Abby “the trail ends here, we have to go down,” on the video, WNDU reported. One witness, Sarah Carbaugh, testified driving back from the Monon High Bridge Trail on February 13, 2017, she saw a man who looked “muddy, bloody, and unfriendly,” whom she identified as the man on the bridge shown in the video, according to CNN affiliate WLFI. Defense calls again for ‘Odinism’ theory Although the trial has revealed a wealth of new information surrounding the case, one aspect remains unclear: the motive behind the gruesome crime. The victims’ bodies were found partially covered with sticks, Indiana State Police investigator Brian Olehy testified on October 22, according to CNN affiliate WTHR. Olehy suggested the sticks may have been used in “an attempt at concealment” but the victims’ bodies were not fully covered. The defense, meanwhile, is hoping to use the placement of the sticks as evidence of their

With just a few words, Saoirse Ronan summed up a major issue for women. During a recent appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” with fellow actors Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Eddie Redmayne, the conversation turned safety after Redmayne mentioned training for his forthcoming miniseries, “The Day of the Jackal.” Redmayne said he had been advised during his training how to potentially use a phone to fend off an attack, which sparked a bit of laughter. Mescal, who costarred with Redmayne in the 2023 film “Foe,” added his two cents. “Who is actually going to think about that?,” he said. “If someone actually attacked me, I’m not going to go ‘phone.’” Norton joked by pretending to hold an attacker with a phone, while saying “Can you hold on a second?” But it was Ronan’s response that went viral. “That’s what girls have to think about all the time,” she said. When the men on the stage went quiet, she queried the audience. “Am I right, ladies?” the “Little Woman” star asked as the audience responded enthusiastically. Ronan was also hailed online for what she said. “Saoirse Ronan is a queen,” one person wrote on X. “Men need a reminder what it’s like being a woman so they can appreciate their privilege. The silence after she said that speaks volumes.”

British far-right political activist Tommy Robinson has been jailed for 18 months after he admitted to being in contempt of court by repeating false accusations about a Syrian refugee, according to court documents. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, admitted on Monday to breaching UK court rules 10 times. Robinson, the founder of the now-defunct anti-immigration English Defence League (EDL), was accused of repeating false allegations that caused him to lose a libel suit in 2021. The initial libel case related to Robinson making false accusations against a Syrian schoolboy who was attacked in an incident shared widely on social media. In 2018, footage emerged showing the 15-year-old – a refugee from Syria – being taunted, grabbed by the throat and pushed to the ground, as other students at his school in Huddersfield, northern England, looked on. At the time, Robinson made allegations against the teenager in a number of social media videos, which he then deleted, falsely claiming the teen attacked English girls. The far-right figurehead later admitted to posting a fake photograph purporting to show violence by a Muslim gang. Robinson had to pay £100,000 ($130,000) in damages and legal costs at the time and was ordered to not repeat the false claims, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency. At Monday’s sentencing hearing, a judge at London’s Woolwich Crown Court said Robinson breached court rules by publishing a film, called “Silenced,” on social media in which he repeated the libelous allegations. He also played the film publicly in London’s Trafalgar Square at a rally of his supporters and repeated the allegations in published interviews, according to the judge. Court artist drawing of political activist Tommy Robinson (right), whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, appearing at London’s Woolwich Crown Court on Monday. Elizabeth Cook/PA “The breaches were not accidental or negligent or merely reckless,” Justice Johnson said during the sentencing hearing. “There was a degree of sophistication in the breaches in that they involved the planned release of material in a manner that was designed to seek to achieve maximum coverage. “All his actions suggest that he regards himself as being above the law,” the judge added. “Nobody is above the law.” Robinson was removed from Facebook and Instagram in 2019 for posting anti-Muslim content and engaging in activity offline supporting hate figures and groups, Facebook said in a statement at the time. But his controversial 90-minute film “Silenced” remains pinned to Robinson’s X feed and has been viewed by millions of people, according to the site’s counter. A lawyer for Robinson argued that “he acted the way that he did, and he accepts his culpability, because he passionately believes in free speech,” PA Media reported. Aidan Eardley, representing the solicitor general, told the court that “this is not a case about Mr. Yaxley-Lennon’s political views… It is a case about the disobedience to a court order, and the undermining of the rule of law that goes with that.” On Saturday, thousands of Robinson’s supporters gathered in central London for a far-right rally – an event he missed because he was already in police custody. The far-right campaigners were met by anti-racism counter-protesters, according to London’s Metropolitan Police.

Adam Crapser has become something of a cause celebre for what critics say is a flawed United States law that unfairly leaves tens of thousands of international adoptees in limbo without citizenship. Eight years after he was deported from the US – his home for decades – Crapser was in a Seoul courtroom on Wednesday, suing for restitution on what he called a flawed adoption process that has made a shambles of his life. As a bill in Congress that could bring the 49-year-old back to the US waits in committee, Crapser’s case puts a spotlight on an international adoption system loophole – one that has torn some families apart. “What about my kids? Don’t they deserve a home?” Crapser told CNN Friday, referring to the two children he was forced to leave behind, including his 10-year-old daughter. “I wanted to be with her. I wanted to raise her. I wanted to be in her life. I wanted to be her father. I wanted to do everything that I could to give her a life that I didn’t have,” Crapser said. “I want her to know definitively that since all of this started — before she was born — that I have been fighting this.” Crapser was adopted by a Michigan family in 1979 and lived in the US for 37 years. His American family and guardians, however, failed to secure the paperwork for his citizenship and he was deported after a lengthy legal battle in 2016. “I’m stuck. I’ve been in between like this for a significant amount of time,” Crapser said of his desire to return to his family and the uncertainty of his future. Crapser made history as the first Korean adoptee to sue the South Korean government and his adoption agency for damages in 2019. As he awaits a court decision in Seoul, a bill that could grant him US citizenship remains stalled in Congress. The proposed bill, the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2024, aims to grant automatic citizenship to international adoptees and rectify the loophole in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which excluded those who were 18 or older at the time the law was enacted. Crapser, who was 25 when the law was passed, did not gain US citizenship. Crapser remains skeptical about the passage of the new bill, pointing out that it “probably” may not happen “in our lifetimes,” based on the lack of progress since discussions of the recently introduced legislation began in 2017. A spokesperson for Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, said, “While it’s unlikely that we’ll see more movement in the rest of the 118th Congress” — which ends in January 2025 — “given the election and the lame-duck period we’re expecting, we are hopeful that this very necessary bill progresses in future Congresses to become law.” The bill has been referred to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees for review. Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, another co-sponsor and a father to two adopted children, said in a statement to CNN, “There are folks who have always thought of themselves as citizens and should be. But due to a quirk in the current law, some international adoptees are not citizens. Congress needs to fix.” Korean adoptee Adam Crapser in 2016, left, with daughters, Christal and Christina and his wife, Anh Nguyen, in their Vancouver, Washington home. Gosia Wozniacka/AP A gap in citizenship After being abandoned by his initial adoptive parents in the 1980s, Crapser moved between foster homes and care facilities, according to a 2023 court case in the Seoul Central District Court. In 1989, he was adopted by another couple, who were prosecuted in 1991 for charges of physical abuse and assault against foster and adopted children and found guilty in 1992. Around 2012, when Crapser applied for the renewal of his expired permanent residency – commonly known as a “green card” – his criminal record, including charges of burglary and assault, drew the attention of US immigration officials, according to the court case. “It’s been said a lot that I made a lot of mistakes and I got into a lot of trouble in the United States, and I admit that,” Crapser said during testimony Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “I survived the best that I could in the United States, without a family and without any Korean people around me.” The criminal record was deemed a violation of his green card status, and in 2016 he lost his fight against deportation back to South Korea, where he was born — but a place where he didn’t know the language or customs. “It’s a bad dream. Other people who come to Korea by their own volition, planned it to some extent. You don’t get to do any of that when you go to immigration prison,” he told CNN, expressing the systematic lack of support he had to prepare for his forced return. An attorney for Crapser previously told CNN that his criminal history does not reflect the full reality of his experiences, which included suffering physical abuse and abandonment by his first adoptive parents, only to face further mistreatment in his subsequent adoption – stressing the vulnerabilities of many adoptees. Having grown up with no exposure to Koreans, he says he grapples with a sense of disconnect from the place he is expected to call home. “I don’t have any choice,” Crapser said. “All I know is American culture. I didn’t know anything about Korean customs, cultures, rules, history, or anything because it was intentionally kept from me.” Anguish over his family separation On Wednesday, Crapser denounced both his South Korean adoption agency and the government during his appeals court session in Seoul, he told CNN. Despite his 10-year-ban on returning to the US, he said he’s pursued legal avenues to be with his children. He has not seen his 10-year-old daughter since 2017. “I’ve literally tried every single legal remedy to try and get back to the United States earlier so I could be in my child’s life, and that has not been successful,” he said. Crapser can file for waivers in two

The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered Goldman Sachs and Apple to pay $89 million, and Goldman was temporarily banned from issuing new credit cards, because of the companies’ mishandling of their Apple Card partnership. The failures left customers with unresolved charge disputes and, in some cases, incorrect credit reports. Apple neglected to send tens of thousands of Apple Card disputes to Goldman Sachs, the CFPB said. When Apple did inform Goldman of disputes, “the bank did not follow numerous federal requirements for investigating the disputes,” according to the CFPB. The government watchdog said the companies launched their credit card initiative prematurely, even as third parties warned them that the disputes system wasn’t ready for prime time because of tech problems. “These failures meant that consumers faced long waits to get money back for disputed charges, and some had incorrect negative information added to their credit reports,” the CFPB said in a statement. The CFPB also found that the companies misled customers about interest-free payment plans for Apple gadgets, including the iPhone. Apple promoted its card’s lack of fees, including annual fees, over-the-limit fees, late fees and foreign transaction fees. But purchases were not free of interest. An Apple spokesperson, in a statement, said the company strongly disagrees with the CFPB’s characterization of Apple’s conduct but nevertheless aligned with the agency in its order. “Apple Card is one of the most consumer-friendly credit cards available, and was specifically designed to support users’ financial health,” the spokesperson said. “Upon learning about these inadvertent issues years ago, Apple worked closely with Goldman Sachs to quickly address them and help impacted customers.” Goldman Sachs, in a statement, said it was pleased to reach a resolution with the CFPB on the matter. “We worked diligently to address certain technological and operational challenges that we experienced after launch and have already handled them with impacted customers,” a Goldman Sachs spokesperson said. Goldman was fined $45 million and will have to pay customers $20 million in redress. Apple was fined $25 million. The CFPB also banned Goldman Sachs from launching a new credit card, “unless it can provide a credible plan that the product will actually comply with the law.” In a 2022 SEC filing, the bank disclosed that the CFPB was investigating its “credit card account management practices” such as its handling of refunds and billing disputes. The fine is yet another hit to Goldman’s flailing consumer lending business – this year, it also ended its credit card partnership with General Motors, replaced by Barclays. The Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs and running on the Mastercard network rolled out in August 2019. By September 30 of that year, Goldman had already lent out about $10 billion, and customers had $736 million in loan balances. Goldman broke into the retail consumer business after establishing its online Marcus brand in 2016. Marcus made unsecured personal loans, including to consumers who are dealing with credit card debt. In April 2023, Apple announced it would be offering its Apple Card holders a 4.15% high-yield savings account with Goldman Sachs. They may park both the 3% cash back they receive from using the Apple Card on select purchases plus other savings they may wish to deposit.