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Today: January 21, 2025
Today: January 21, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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Political

Georgia launches Medicaid expansion in closely watched test of work requirements

Georgia is offering a new bargain to some adults without health insurance beginning Saturday: Go to work or school and the state will cover you. But advocates decry the plan, which will insure far fewer people than a full expansion of the state-federal Medicaid program, as needlessly restrictive and expensive. The program is likely to be closely watched as Republicans in Congress push to let states require work from some current Medicaid enrollees. Madeline Guth, a senior policy analyst with the Kaiser Family Foundation, said Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration is unlikely to approve work requirements, but

Georgia launches Medicaid expansion in closely watched test of work requirements
World

Stock market today: World shares are mostly higher after strong data lift Wall St benchmarks

Shares were mixed Friday in Asia after after strong data lifted benchmarks on Wall Street, while China reported slower factory activity in June due to weaker consumer spending and export demand. U.S. futures were little changed and oil prices ticked higher. Adding to signs that an economic rebound following the end of anti-virus controls is cooling, an official survey showed China’s factory activity contracted for another month in June as export orders decreased. Germany’s DAX gained 0.3% to 15,997.34 and the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 0.5% to 7,347.98. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2% to 7,485.72. The

Stock market today: World shares are mostly higher after strong data lift Wall St benchmarks
World

The IMF agrees to a long-awaited bailout for Pakistan of $3 billion

The International Monetary Fund agreed to provide $3 billion to Pakistan — a long-awaited relief to bail out the impoverished country’s ailing economy. The nine-month agreement must be approved by the IMF’s Executive Board, which is expected to make a final decision in mid-July, a top IMF official, Nathan Porter, said in a statement late Thursday. Porter, the IMF’s mission chief to Islamabad, said Pakistan’s economy has faced several external shocks, such as the catastrophic floods in 2022 that killed 1,739 people, caused $30 billion in damage and impacted millions of Pakistanis. The country was also hit

The IMF agrees to a long-awaited bailout for Pakistan of $3 billion
Science

A California scholar's research into a flowering shrub took him to Mexico and a violent death

For four years, Gabriel Trujillo trekked the breadth of the United States and south into Mexico in search of a flowering shrub called the common buttonbush. The plant is native to the varied climates of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Trujillo, a 31-year-old Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley, wanted to know why it thrived in such a range of places, and whether the evolution of the species held possibilities for future habitat conservation and restoration efforts. The research was tragically cut short last week in Mexico, where Trujillo’s father said he was shot

A California scholar's research into a flowering shrub took him to Mexico and a violent death
World

Dutch semiconductor machine export restrictions to come into force in September

Dutch companies that create machines that make advanced processor chips will be required to have an export license before they can be sold overseas starting in September, the government announced Friday. The new measure that was first announced in March, “is country neutral,” the government said. But it is seen as part of a U.S. policy that aims at restricting China’s access to materials used to make such chips, which can be used in military technology. The requirement will notably affect Duch company ASML, the world’s only producer of machines that use extreme ultraviolet lithography

Dutch semiconductor machine export restrictions to come into force in September
World

Europe inflation slips to 5.5% — but that won't stop central bank rate hikes

Inflation in Europe slid again in June but fell too slowly to offer much relief to shoppers grumbling over price tags or to stop more interest rate hikes that will raise the cost of borrowing across the economy. The annual rate of 5.5% was down from 6.1% in May in the 20 countries that use the euro currency, the European Union statistics agency Eurostat said Friday. While that is a big drop from the peak of 10.6% in October, persistently high prices in the U.S., Europe and the United Kingdom pushed some of the world’s top

Europe inflation slips to 5.5% — but that won't stop central bank rate hikes
World

The US flies nuclear-capable bombers in a fresh show of force against North Korea

The United States flew nuclear-capable bombers to the Korean Peninsula on Friday in its latest show of force against North Korea, days after the North staged massive anti-U.S. rallies in its capital. The long-range B-52 bombers took part in joint aerial drills with other U.S. and South Korean fighter jets over the peninsula, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The bombers’ flyover is the latest in a series of temporary U.S. deployments of strategic assets in South Korea in response to North Korea’s push to expand its nuclear arsenal. Two weeks ago, the

The US flies nuclear-capable bombers in a fresh show of force against North Korea
Arts

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light didn't support her during backlash

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says she felt abandoned by Bud Light after facing “more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined” over her partnership with the beer giant. In a video posted Thursday to Instagram and TikTok, she said she “was waiting for the brand to reach out to me. But they never did.” She said she should have spoken out sooner but was afraid and hoped things would get better — but they didn’t. “For months now, I’ve been scared to leave my house,” Mulvaney said. “I have been ridiculed in public. I’ve been followed, and I

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light didn't support her during backlash
Arts

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light didn't support her during backlash

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says she felt abandoned by Bud Light after facing “more bullying and transphobia than I could have ever imagined” over her partnership with the beer giant. In a video posted Thursday to Instagram and TikTok, she said she “was waiting for the brand to reach out to me. But they never did.” She said she should have spoken out sooner but was afraid and hoped things would get better — but they didn’t. “For months now, I’ve been scared to leave my house,” Mulvaney said. “I have been ridiculed in public. I’ve been followed, and I

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light didn't support her during backlash
Science

UN nuclear agency chief to visit Fukushima plant to see final preparations for release of wastewater

The chief of the U.N. nuclear agency will visit Japan next week to meet with Japanese leaders and see final preparations for the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, officials said Friday. Japan’s government hopes the visit by International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi will add credibility to the discharge plan. It has been strongly opposed by local fishing groups and by neighboring South Korea, China and some Pacific Island nations over safety concerns. Grossi will visit Japan July 4-7, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said. He

UN nuclear agency chief to visit Fukushima plant to see final preparations for release of wastewater
World

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier and his son detained in racism probe

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier and his son have been detained as part of an investigation into racism allegations at one of his former clubs, Nice prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme told The Associated Press. Galtier and his son, John Valovic-Galtier, were placed in custody for questioning on Friday morning, Bonhomme said without elaborating. Galtier, who is on his way out at PSG but still under contract, denied accusations that he made racist and anti-Muslim comments when he was in charge of French club Nice when the scandal broke earlier this year. RMC Sport and other French media published reports quoting a

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier and his son detained in racism probe
World

Venus Williams will begin her 24th Wimbledon appearance against Elina Svitolina

Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will begin her 24th appearance at the tournament against 2019 semifinalist Elina Svitolina, while Friday’s draw put two-time titlist Andy Murray up against wild-card entry Ryan Peniston in an all-British first-round matchup. Williams, who is 43 and has played just five matches this season, and Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after taking time off to have a baby, both were given wild cards by the All England Club. Whoever wins that contest could face No. 28 seed Elise Mertens in the second round, followed perhaps by a matchup

Venus Williams will begin her 24th Wimbledon appearance against Elina Svitolina
World

Prosecutor says Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is a 'sexual bully' who preys on other men

Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey gets a thrill by preying on other men, a prosecutor told jurors during his sexual assault trial Friday in a London courtroom. Spacey is “a man who does not respect personal boundaries or space, a man who it would seem delights in making others feel powerless and uncomfortable — a sexual bully, ” Prosecutor Christine Agnew said in her opening statement. “His preferred method of assault is, it appears, to grab aggressively other men in the crotch.” The four men who have accused Spacey of sexual assault did not know each other, but

Prosecutor says Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is a 'sexual bully' who preys on other men
World

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen had been a huge Facebook fan. Now he's threatening to ban it

Cambodia’s long-serving, tough-talking leader, Hun Sen, on Friday said he is considering banning Facebook in his country, largely because he is fed up with the abuse he receives on it from his political enemies abroad. Pulling the plug on Facebook for millions of Cambodian users would be the last stage in a lightning estrangement this past week between the 70-year-old prime minister and the social media platform. He had been an enthusiastic user, posting family snapshots alongside dire warnings to his foes, and recently livestreaming his many, sometimes hours-long speeches. On Wednesday, he suddenly announced

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen had been a huge Facebook fan. Now he's threatening to ban it
World

This year's Hajj was held in sweltering heat, and for those serving pilgrims there was little relief

As hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims walked in the footsteps of the prophets beneath a sweltering sun, contracted cleaners in lime-green jumpsuits held out matching plastic bags to collect their empty water bottles. It takes tens of thousands of cleaners, security personnel, medics and others to make the annual Hajj pilgrimage possible for 1.8 million faithful from around the world. As the Hajj concludes on Friday, the workers will begin a massive, weeklong cleanup effort. For the cleaners, who are migrant workers, it’s a much-needed source of income. But this year it was particularly

This year's Hajj was held in sweltering heat, and for those serving pilgrims there was little relief
World

Executives urge Europe to rethink its world-leading AI rules

More than 150 company executives are urging the European Union to rethink the world’s most comprehensive rules for artificial intelligence, saying Friday that upcoming regulations will make it harder for companies in Europe to compete with rivals overseas, especially when it comes to the technology behind systems like ChatGPT. Officials at companies from French planemaker Airbus and carmaker Renault to Dutch beer giant Heineken signed an open letter to EU leaders saying the 27-nation bloc’s groundbreaking legislation may put shackles on the development of generative AI. That technology gives popular AI chatbots like ChatGPT the power to

Executives urge Europe to rethink its world-leading AI rules
Political

Visual misinformation is widespread on Facebook – and often undercounted by researchers

If your instincts say a lot of images on Facebook are misleading, you’re right. AP Photo/Jenny Kane How much misinformation is on Facebook? Several studies have found that the amount of misinformation on Facebook is low or that the problem has declined over time. This previous work, though, missed most of the story. We are a communications researcher, a media and public affairs researcher and a founder of a digital intelligence company. We conducted a study that shows that massive amounts of misinformation have been overlooked by other studies. The biggest source of misinformation on Facebook is not links to

Visual misinformation is widespread on Facebook – and often undercounted by researchers
Arts

3 myths about immigration in America

A family of Syrian refugees arrive at their new home in Bloomfield, Mich., in 2015. Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images The U.S. is – and long has been – a pluralistic society that contains large immigrant communities. Yet migration is an actively debated but poorly understood topic, and much of the conventional thinking and political rhetoric about migration are based on myths, rather than facts. For these reasons, migration policies and strategies for easing acculturation – which refers to the psychological process of assimilating to a new culture – usually end up being ineffective. I often work with immigrant populations in my

3 myths about immigration in America
World

An inflation gauge tracked by the Federal Reserve falls to its lowest point in 2 years

An inflation index that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve tumbled last month to its lowest level since April 2021, pulled down by lower gas prices and slower-rising food costs. At the same time, consumers barely increased their spending last month, boosting it just 0.1%, after a solid 0.6% gain in April. The inflation index showed that prices rose 3.8% in May from 12 months earlier, down sharply from a 4.4% year-over-year surge in April. And from April to May, prices ticked up just 0.1%. Still, last month’s progress in easing overall inflation was tempered by

An inflation gauge tracked by the Federal Reserve falls to its lowest point in 2 years
Environment

By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance

An eastern box turtle crossing a rural Pennsylvania road. Julian Avery, CC BY-ND For anyone who enjoys nature, summer is a fascinating time to be outside. Animals are on the move: Turtles are nesting, baby birds are testing their wings, snakes are foraging and young mammals are emerging. In central Pennsylvania, where I live, last year’s hatchling painted turtles have overwintered in their nests and emerged looking like tiny helpless snacks for raccoons and ravens. I’ve already rescued a baby killdeer – a shorebird that nests in parking lots – that ran off the road and got stuck in a

By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance
Political

From Stonewall to Pride, the fight for equal rights has been rooted in resistance led by Black transwomen

An unidentified participant in a New York City Pride March during the 1980s. Mariett Pathy Allen/Getty Images Its unclear who threw the first brick at Stonewall Inn on that night in New York City that arguably launched the gay rights liberation movement. As part of queer lore, Marsha P. Johnson, a Black transwoman at the forefront of gay liberation, or Sylvia Rivera, a Latina transwoman, was the first. But based on their accounts of that night of June 28, 1969, neither threw that first brick. Johnson admitted to arriving after the riots had started, and Rivera explained in an interview:

From Stonewall to Pride, the fight for equal rights has been rooted in resistance led by Black transwomen
Political

What Beijing's muted response to Wagner mutiny tells us about China-Russia relations – and what it doesn't

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping during happier times? Mikhail Tereshchenko/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP As mercenary troops bore down on Moscow on June 24, 2023, it likely wasn’t only Russian President Vladimir Putin and his governing elite in Russia who were looking on with concern. Over in China, too, there may have been some concerned faces. Throughout the war in Ukraine, Beijing has walked a balancing act of sorts – standing with Putin as an ally and providing an economic lifeline to Russia while trying to insulate China against the prospect of any instability in a neighboring country.

What Beijing's muted response to Wagner mutiny tells us about China-Russia relations – and what it doesn't
Health

Locally transmitted malaria in the US could be a harbinger of rising disease risk in a warming climate – 5 questions answered

Some evidence suggests that malaria mosquitoes are becoming resistant to insecticides. Paul Starosta/Stone via Getty Images The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on June 26, 2023, that five cases of locally transmitted malaria had been identified – four in Florida and one in Texas – since May 2023. These are the first cases of locally acquired mosquito-borne malaria in the U.S. since 2003. The Conversation spoke with Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury, a global health expert from Florida International University, about the significance of these cases and why they’re appearing now. 1. What is malaria and how did these people

Locally transmitted malaria in the US could be a harbinger of rising disease risk in a warming climate – 5 questions answered
Education

Military academies can still consider race in admissions, but the rest of the nation's colleges and universities cannot, court rules

A person protests outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on June 29, 2023. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana In a 6-3 ruling on Thursday, June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the use of race in college admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, outlawing the use of race in college admissions in general. The Conversation reached out to three legal scholars to explain what the decision means for students, colleges and universities, and ultimately the nation’s future. Kimberly Robinson, Professor of Law at the University of Virginia Writing for the majority in a case

Military academies can still consider race in admissions, but the rest of the nation's colleges and universities cannot, court rules
World

A week after an armed rebellion rattled Russia, key details about it are still shrouded in mystery

Did mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have inside help from the military and political elite in his armed rebellion that rattled Russia? A week after the mutiny raised the most daunting challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s rule in over two decades, key details about the uprising are still unknown. Uncertainty also swirls around the fate of Prigozhin and his Wagner private military forces, along with the deal they got from the Kremlin, and what the future holds for the Russian defense minister they tried to oust. Finally, and perhaps the biggest unknown: Can Putin shore up the weaknesses revealed by the

A week after an armed rebellion rattled Russia, key details about it are still shrouded in mystery

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