Associated Press Scholar uses trash as treasure to study life in North Korea When the waves wash trash onto the beaches of front-line South Korean islands, Kang Dong Wan can often be found hunting for what he calls his “treasure” — rubbish from North Korea that provides a peek into a place that’s shut down to most outsiders. “This can be very important material because we can learn what products are manufactured in North Korea and what goods people use there,” Kang, 48, a… Source link
Read More »At 40,000 square feet and 86 rooms it’s the largest house in Tennessee. But demolition starts Monday
Demolition of Knoxville’s most extravagant, over-the-top mansion begins Monday. The teardown of the 40,000-square-foot, 86-room Villa Collina is just contingent on the Knoxville Utilities Board making sure all gas lines are empty, Sharon Bailey, a broker and representative of the property owners, told Knox News. Bailey said once started, the process will take several days. Total Demolition Services is leading the work. The property, located at 5628 Lyons View Pike, was purchased by LView… Source link
Read More »White House announces measures to reduce the burden of medical debt
After recently overhauling a “glitch” in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Biden administration is now addressing another issue plaguing the American health care system: medical debt. On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced the administration’s four-step plan aimed at increasing consumer protections for Americans billed for health care costs. These measures include holding medical providers and debt collectors “accountable for harmful practices,” reducing the role medical debt… Source link
Read More »House votes to refer Trump aides Scavino, Navarro to DOJ for criminal contempt
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening to hold two former Trump administration officials in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol The aides — former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and former White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino Jr. — will now be referred to the Justice Department for possible criminal charges. If indicted, they could face up to 12… Source link
Read More »‘Transformative’ retirement reform package passes the House and heads to the Senate
A retirement reform plan known as “SECURE 2.0” is finally on the move again on Capitol Hill. The bill, known formally as the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2022, was passed by the House of Representatives Tuesday in an overwhelming 414 to 5 vote. “Oftentimes in this chamber you will hear the phrase transformative,” said Ways and Means committee chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) as the bill neared passage. “Sometimes it’s hyperbolic but on this occasion, this is transformative… Source link
Read More »Ex-Google CEO funneled money into the White House science office
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s foundation poured money into the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy over the past year, according to a report from Politico. The foundation’s close ties with the office raised ethics concerns with internal watchdogs. Schmidt held a number of roles at Google and parent company Alphabet, including CEO, executive chairman, and technical advisor. He stepped down from that last role in 2020. Now, he sits on the boards and invests in tech… Source link
Read More »White House proposes minimum tax on billionaires for ‘fairer tax system’
On Monday, the White House formally proposed a new minimum tax on billionaires. The proposal is sure to generate fierce opposition from Republicans and others and would include a minimum rate for all Americans with a wealth of more than $100 million. If enacted, the minimum rate would be 20% of this group’s total annual income. Unrealized gains — such as unsold stocks and bonds — would be included in the total. In a statement announcing the provision that comes as part of its budget… Source link
Read More »White House warns of ‘severe consequences’ as Congress cuts COVID aid
After a prolonged back and forth, Congress passed a $1.5 trillion government spending bill last week but dropped from the final package $22.5 billion in pandemic relief that Democrats wanted to include. On Tuesday, the same day as President Joe Biden signed the 2,741-page bill into law, his aides warned that the omission could “have severe consequences as we will not be equipped to deal with a future surge.” The U.S. could soon run out of funding for COVID responses such as booster shots,… Source link
Read More »Putin is determined to ‘burn down Ukraine’s house,’ former CIA operative says
Russian President Vladimir Putin is now determined to ruthlessly crush Ukrainian resistance no matter what the cost to his country, and the Ukrainians fighting Russian forces will “all die,” says a former CIA station chief in Moscow. In an interview on the Yahoo News “Skullduggery” podcast, Daniel Hoffman — for years one of the CIA’s top experts on Russia — said the Russian president is “not the Vladimir Putin I was tracking back in the day at the CIA. He’s a different… Source link
Read More »Top White House official on the Russian sanctions to come: ‘We’re not cowboys’
On Wednesday afternoon, just hours before Vladimir Putin launched a long-planned attack on Ukraine, a top White House official joined Yahoo Finance Live to preview the planned sanctions against Russia. Daleep Singh, White House Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics, underlined that the plan will be wide-ranging — and that crucial American economic allies will be on board to make the measures stick. His comments echo those made by White House press secretary Jen Psaki Source link
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