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BBob Iger, the newly appointed CEO of Disney, pledged to double down on LGBT “storytelling” in the company’s animated kids’ movies during a Monday town hall with employees, according to The New York Times. Iger served as CEO for 15 years before retiring in late 2020; he was brought back in about a year later after his successor, Bob Chapek, was fired, according to the NYT. Tumbling stock prices marked Chapek’s tenure as CEO, as did public outrage over the company’s political engagement in Florida and its alleged efforts to inject sexual content into children’s shows, particularly through gay and...

Russian ally Kazakhstan has been subtle but firm in its opposition to the Ukraine war. Some hawkish Russians have called for the "de-Nazification" of Kazakhstan, stoking fears it could be next. Kazakhstan is balancing its friendly relations with Russia with building stronger ties with the EU. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, its longtime ally Kazakhstan did not rush to its support. The former Soviet republic in central Asia, which shares a 4,750-mile long land border with Russia, maintains close relations with its neighbor. But despite being one of its closest allies, Kazakhstan has made subtle but firm moves to...

The United States will provide Ukraine with aid worth $53 million to support the conflict-struck country's electrical system, the State Department said in a note it sent to media outlets on Tuesday.According to the statement, the funds will be used for "the acquisition of critical electricity grid equipment," including "distribution transformers, circuit breakers, surge arresters, disconnectors, vehicles and other key equipment."The announcement came amid power and heat cuts Ukraine has been facing recently, for which Kiev and the West accused Russia.

Should it be Trump or DeSantis in 2024? The answer lies in these four words: Form Always Follows Function. For example, if you’re shopping for a new vehicle, you must consider where the vehicle will typically be driven and for what purpose. If you would buy a new rifle, you must consider what you plan to shoot with it. The form must be matched to serve the function.A classy Corvette wouldn’t be a good choice in the northern mountains. Given the likelihood of blizzards and rocky back roads, a four-wheel-drive pickup will suit you better. Sure, they aren’t as classy...

One in four older teenagers in England are struggling with mental health problems, according to new figures that highlight the impact of the pandemic on the younger generation. The data, published by NHS Digital, shows that 25.7% of 17 to 19-year-olds had probable mental health issues in 2022, compared to 17.4% (one in six) in 2021. In 2017, the rate was 10.1% in that age group. Among seven to 16-year-olds, 18.0% were found to have a probable mental health problems in 2022 - a rise of nearly six percentage points in the last five years. "[The figures] are concerning and...

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol is expected to interview former Secret Service agent Tony Ornato on Tuesday. Lawmakers on the panel sought Ornato’s testimony to corroborate information about former President Trump’s actions on Jan. 6. When he meets with the committee Tuesday, Ornato, who was Trump’s deputy chief of staff on Jan. 6, will be speaking with the House panel for the third time. Ornato was at the center of explosive testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified during the House committee’s series of public hearings on Jan....

This story has been updated. What was supposed to be the most joyous day of his life ended up being his final one, as tears of happiness turned to tears of sorrow for his friends and loved ones. 37-year-old Oklahoma-based Red Dirt artist and songwriter Jake Flint passed away on Saturday, November 26th, and tragically, it was only hours after he married the love of his life, Brenda Flint. Now family, friends, and fans of Jake Flint are trying to process the tragedy, as they remember a life and career cut abruptly short. Born in Mounds, Oklahoma in 1985, Jacob...

First Week of Advent Luke 10:21–24 Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus places a high value on childlikeness. What is it about “the childlike” that Jesus prizes? Jesus himself is the child, the Son who has received everything from his Father. He lives in an attitude of receptivity, taking in all that the Father has given him. His is a life of obedience. He is not in command of his life, but he receives it as a gift.This is what it means to be a little child: to have an attitude of receptivity that allows you to be moved by God...

President Joe Biden met with congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday, urging Republicans and Democrats to find common ground on government spending before the end of the year. “There’s a lot to do,” Biden said during his remarks ahead of the meeting. “Including resolving the train strike. The train. What we’re doing now. And I think that Congress has to act to prevent it.” The president met with his advisers and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

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CNN on Friday connected Daylight Savings Time to sleep problems among communities of color. The outlet claimed problems with lack of sleep and sleep disorders are more prevalent in black, Asian, Hispanic, or Latino communities, adding the “inequities” can be detrimental to a person’s health. When a person’s sleep patterns are poor, it can result in obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain forms of cancer, Chandra Jackson, a researcher and epidemiologist with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences told the outlet.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has warned his fellow Republicans not to “play games” by opposing his bid for House speaker — saying division in the conference could lead to Democrats electing the chamber’s next leader even though they will be the minority. Five House Republicans have so far come out publicly against McCarthy (R-Calif.), who can’t afford many defections among the narrow GOP majority to win the 218 votes he needs to be elected speaker. Republicans won at least 221 House seats in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, but the entire Democratic caucus is expected to vote against McCarthy,...

(No search results) The United States will auction nearly one million acres off the Alaskan coast for new oil and gas drilling in December, mandated in the so-called “Inflation” Reduction Act (IRA). The United States Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), inside the Department of Interior, will put hundreds of thousands of acres off Alaska’s southcentral coast up for auction on December 30 for new oil and gas drilling projects. The lease sale has to be completed by the end of the year to comply with the IRA, which was added to the piece of legislation to win support from...

Whole Foods angered elected officials by announcing its plans to cease buying Maine lobsters after climate change groups downgraded the North Atlantic fishing area’s sustainability rating. Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills and its Congressional delegation sent a note to Whole Foods expressing their “disappointment” in the grocery store giant’s decision to stop buying Maine lobsters, according to the official letter Nov. 22. Whole Foods made the decision after the organizations (Marine Stewardship Council and Seafood Watch) it uses to determine its sustainability ratings downgraded Maine lobster to “the worst rating,” reported The New York Times. “We are disappointed by Whole...

Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) said Tuesday on “CNN This Morning” that former President Donald Trump made a “bad decision” when he had dinner at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, FL, with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes. Kemp refused to support Trump’s presidential run. Co-host Kaitlan Collins said, “Let me get your reaction to something former President Trump has been under fire for, which is having dinner with Nick Fuentes, an outspoken white supremacist and antisemite?” Kemp said, “I just put a statement out there. I’ll let that statement speak for itself. I mean, that was a bad decision. There’s...

Brinton faces up to five years in prison and $10,000 fine for allegedly taking another person's luggage Sam Brinton, a senior Energy Department (DOE) official, was charged with stealing a traveler's luggage in the Minneapolis airport in September, shortly before quietly taking a leave of absence. Brinton — who serves as the DOE's deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition — allegedly took a Vera Bradley suitcase worth $2,325 from the luggage carousel at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport (MSP) on Sept. 16, according to a criminal complaint filed on Oct. 26 in Minnesota state court and obtained...

Flu season is intensifying in the U.S. with more than six million cases confirmed so far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Monday. The federal health agency said in a weekly update it has already recorded more than 53,000 hospitalizations and 29,000 deaths from the flu this season, as of the week ending Nov. 19. Twelve children have died from the flu so far, the CDC said, and the cumulative hospitalization rate is the highest it’s been at this point in the flue season since the 2010-2011 one. The CDC recommends that everyone aged 6 months...

The Dutch government plans to buy and close down up to 3,000 farms near environmentally sensitive areas to comply with EU nature preservation rules. The Netherlands is attempting to cut down its nitrogen pollution and will push ahead with compulsory purchases if not enough farms take up the offer voluntarily. Farmers will be offered a deal “well over” the worth of the farm, according to the government plan that is targeting the closure of 2,000 to 3,000 farms or other major polluting businesses. Earlier leaked versions of the plan put the figure at 120 per cent of the farm’s value...

You may remember how, a few months back, the Biden Administration was proudly parading its LGBTQ++ credentials with its high profile appointment of Sam Brinton as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Energy. He has been pictured along with the menagerie of Biden officials of various nonstandard genders and sexualities, and has been sent to diplomatic functions as a representative of the United States. * * * Presumably the effort is designed to prove how hip and accepting the new (or very old) breed of Democrats is. It is clearly a PR campaign, since it is hardly low...

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday over a blocked Biden administration policy that would prioritize deportation of people in the country illegally who pose the greatest public safety risk. The arguments are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. ET. Listen in the player above. Republican-led states sued and won a nationwide court order that is meant to limit immigration officers’ discretion in deciding whom to deport. The justices are hearing arguments in the case Tuesday.