The Full Belmonte, 12/2/2022
Trump
“Former President Donald Trump was dealt a major defeat after a federal appeals court on Thursday halted the special master review of documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago estate. The ruling removes a significant obstacle to the Justice Department's investigation into the mishandling of government records from Trump's time in the White House. The panel specifically reversed the order that appointed a special master, or third-party attorney, to sort through thousands of documents found at Trump's home to determine what should be off limits to investigators. The court said the judge should not have intervened in the first place. Trump's legal team has not decided whether to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court but is weighing the option.” Read more at CNN
Rail strike
“The Senate on Thursday passed legislation to avert a rail shutdown following a grave warning from President Joe Biden that a strike would cause economic turmoil. The final vote in the Senate was 80 to 15 and the measure is now headed to the president's desk to be signed into law. Without congressional action, a rail strike could have begun as early as December 9, causing product shortages, spiking prices and halting factory production. It could have also disrupted commuter rail services for millions of travelers a day as well as the daily transportation of thousands of carloads of food and farm products, among other items, according to a collection of business groups. Union leaders, however, are not pleased with the deal brokered by the White House, arguing it did not meet workers' demands for paid sick leave.” Read more at CNN
A railyard in Atlanta.Danny Karnik/Associated Press
“A key gauge of inflation showed price gains slowed in October, the Commerce Department said today. Go deeper.
The average cost of a gallon of gas in the U.S. ($3.47) has dropped below the price it was before Russia invaded Ukraineearlier this year, according to AAA.” Read more at Axios
Biden, Russia say they are open to talks
“President Joe Biden said he'd be willing to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. In a news conference Thursday in Washington where he and French President Emmanuel Macron assailed the conflict in Ukraine, Biden said he'd talk with Putin ‘if he has decided he's looking for a way to end the war.’ Neither side expressed optimism that either a gathering of leaders or peace talks would happen anytime soon, but it was a rare indication of mutual willingness to find a solution to a conflict that began with the Russian invasion Feb. 24. Earlier Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Moscow is open to peace talks.” Read more at USA Today
A boy looks at damaged caused by overnight Russian shelling of a residential building on December 01, 2022 in Kherson, Ukraine. Recently Ukrainian forces took back control of Kherson, as well as swaths of its surrounding region, after Russia pulled its forces back to the other side of the Dnipro river.Chris McGrath, Getty Images
Student loans
“President Biden's student loan forgiveness program will remain blocked for now, the Supreme Court announced Thursday, but the justices agreed to hear oral arguments in the case in February, with a decision expected by June. The program would offer up to $20,000 of debt relief to millions of borrowers, but due to a long list of legal challenges, the government stopped taking applications nearly two weeks ago and no debt has been canceled thus far. About 26 million people had already applied to the program before it was frozen. ‘President Biden will keep fighting against efforts to rob middle-class families of the relief they need and deserve,’ White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement, welcoming the Supreme Court's decision to hear the case.” Read more at CNN
Light illuminates part of the Supreme Court building at dusk on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: DCPS206Patrick Semansky, AP
Deaths From Substance Abuse Rose Sharply Among Older Americans in 2020
In the pandemic’s first year, death rates linked to alcohol and drugs climbed among seniors as lockdowns and isolation spread.
Nov. 30, 2022
“Deaths due to substance abuse, particularly of alcohol and opioids, rose sharply among older Americans in 2020, the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, as lockdowns disrupted routines and isolation and fear spread, federal health researchers reported on Wednesday.
Alcohol and opioid deaths remained far less common among older people than among those middled-aged and younger, and rates had been rising in all groups for years. But the pronounced uptick — another data point in the long list of pandemic miseries — surprised government researchers.
Deaths from opioids increased among Americans aged 65 and older by 53 percent in 2020 over the previous year, the National Center for Health Statistics found. Alcohol-related deaths, which had already been rising for a decade in this age group, rose by 18 percent.” Read more at New York Times
Biden Administration Considers Migrant Restrictions Similar to Trump Policies
If adopted, the new prohibitions on who can request asylum could be paired with new procedures to allow migrants to come to the United States legally, according to people familiar with the plan.
By Eileen Sullivan and Michael D. Shear
Dec. 1, 2022
“WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is considering substantial new limits on the number of migrants who could apply for asylum in the United States, according to people familiar with the proposal, which would expand restrictions similar to those first put in place along the border by former President Donald J. Trump.
The plan is one of several being debated by President Biden’s top aides as the country confronts a high number of illegal crossings at the border. It would prohibit migrants who are fleeing persecution from seeking refuge in the United States unless they were first denied safe harbor by another country, like Mexico.
People familiar with the discussions said the new policy, if adopted, could go into effect as soon as this month, just as the government stops using a public health rule that was put in place at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic by the Trump administration and became a key policy to manage the spike in crossings during Mr. Biden’s tenure. A federal judge has ordered the administration to stop using the health rule on Dec. 21.
But the idea of broadly prohibiting migrants from seeking asylum strikes directly at the heart of decades of American and international law that has shaped the United States’ role as a place of safety for displaced and fearful people across the globe.” Read more at New York Times
Looking to next week: Georgia US Senate runoff between Warnock, Walker
“Former President Barack Obama told Georgia voters at a rally on Thursday that he is a bit more optimistic about the country's future ahead of the rematch between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker, urging party voters to turnout for next week's runoff election. As early voting begins for the Dec. 6 runoff, Obama noted how Americans showed they cared about issues such as abortion access, gun violence, and environmental protections. He called out how voters rejected conspiracy theorists and election deniers on the ballot in key states.” Read more at USA Today
Former President Barack Obama greets Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., as he arrives at a campaign event for Georgia Democrats on October 28, 2022 in College Park, Georgia.Elijah Nouvelage, Getty Images
Former Gaetz Confidant Is Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison
Joel Greenberg, a tax collector in Florida, had been cooperating with the Justice Department in its investigation into Representative Matt Gaetz.
By Eric Adelson and Michael S. Schmidt
Dec. 1, 2022
“ORLANDO, Fla. — A Florida tax collector who has been cooperating with the Justice Department in its sex trafficking investigation into Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, was sentenced on Thursday by a federal judge to 11 years in prison.
The tax collector, Joel Greenberg, had faced up to nearly three decades in prison for a litany of crimes he had committed, including trafficking a 17-year-old girl, stalking a political rival and stealing $400,000 in taxpayer money to buy cryptocurrencies and sports memorabilia. But in the hope of receiving a lesser sentence, he had cooperated with the government in a series of investigations, including into Mr. Gaetz.” Read more at New York Times
Winners, losers in Dems' 2024 calendar
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
“Iowa will be dethroned under tectonic changes President Biden is pushing to the Democratic primary calendar, Axios' Josh Kraushaar reports.
South Carolina would be first-in-the-nation.
Why it matters: Biden's proposed shakeup is likely to be adopted. Bigger states will move up — making for a nominating process that may be less picturesque, but will be more representative.
The details: Biden has asked DNC leaders to make South Carolina the nation's first primary state, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada a week later, The Washington Post reports.
Georgia is next. Michigan would be fifth.
The changes elevate the diverse, working-class constituencies that powered Biden's primary victories in 2020, The New York Times notes.
Josh breaks down the changes:
The calendar benefits moderates and African Americans. The ‘Clyburn voter’ (moderate Black voters) are the key constituency in S.C. — and they'll be all the more important now. Adding Michigan and Georgia to the early voting mix only cements that.
Forget retail politics. The only real ‘smallish’ state left is New Hampshire — and it may get lost in the shuffle, going the same day as Nevada. Dem candidates will need big money and big connections to succeed with this map. Not a whole lot of room for scrappy underdogs.
This also looks like a good calendar for Vice President Harris if Biden doesn't run in 2024, or if she runs in '28. She'd be well positioned in South Carolina and Michigan, and probably Georgia, too.
The bottom line: This is the end of the road for Iowa, which has been central to Democratic nominations going back to Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Iowa has no role in the proposed changes. That makes sense, given the way the country and the party have changed. But remember the Hawkeye States helped propel Sen. Barack Obama to the presidency.” Read more at Axios
Biden's first state dinner
President Biden and French President Macron toast last night. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
“The first White House state dinner of President Biden's administration drew big names Thursday from fashion, entertainment, politics and business to celebrate French President Emmanuel Macron — and the return of large social events after the pandemic, AP reports.
Jon Batiste — Grammy Award-winning New Orleans native, and former bandleader and musical director of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ — provided the after-dinner entertainment.
Among the 338 guests: Apple CEO Tim Cook ... Julia Louis-Dreyfus ... Stephen Colbert ... shoe designer Christian Louboutin ... Anna Wintour ... plus Biden children Hunter and Ashley, and sister Valerie Biden.
Also MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski ... Robin Roberts of ‘Good Morning America’ ... Jennifer Garner ... John Legend and Chrissy Teigen ... and Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez.
The dinner was held on the South Lawn. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP
Business luminaries included French luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault ... movie mogul and investor Jeffrey Katzenberg ... private equity legend Henry Kravis ... and IBM CEO Arvind Krishna.
A bipartisan nod: Both Speaker Pelosi (at the head table) and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (not at the head table).
Democratic donors included Avram Glazer, who has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic causes; and Alexander Soros, son of George Soros and deputy chair of Soros' Open Society.” Read more at Axios
China protests
“Chinese authorities are using cellphone data to track down protesters who demonstrated against the government's Covid-19 restrictions, according to a recording of a phone call between a protester and police heard by CNN. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the streets of major Chinese citiesover the weekend, calling for an end to the stringent tests and lockdowns. Some also decried censorship and called for the removal of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Since then, protesters have received phone calls from the police inquiring about their participation. Some protesters have also been told to report to police stations for questioning and to sign a written record about their involvement in the demonstrations.” Read more at CNN
“Oil cap | The EU is closing in on a deal to cap the price of Russian crude oil at $60 a barrel as a Monday deadline nears. The bloc intends for the mechanism to keep Russian oil flowing to avoid a global price surge, while also limiting revenue that Moscow is using to fund its war in Ukraine. Poland continues to hold out in a push to harden a package of EU sanctions before signing off on the price cap.” Read more at Bloomberg
Will Ramaphosa Hang On?
“South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is scrambling to salvage his presidency after an independent panel found that he may have violated the country’s constitution, fueling opposition leaders’ demands for his resignation and potentially paving the way for an impeachment hearing.
The case in question—known as ‘Farmgate’—dates back to 2020, when burglars stole a vast sum of foreign cash from the president’s game ranch. But Ramaphosa never reported the theft. The revelations only came to light in June, when a political rival accused him of graft and concealing a theft of more than $4 million—unleashing a strange, explosive scandal that has since rocked the country.
Ramaphosa has maintained that the thieves took $580,000 that he made from selling 20 buffaloes. But the panel didn’t buy his account, instead questioning why the packs of cash were stashed in a sofa, why the crime went unreported, and why the already-sold buffaloes are still on his property, among other tax and legal concerns. There existed a serious conflict of interest, it said.
‘The information presented by the president on the storage of the money is vague and leaves unsettling gaps,’ the report said, later adding: ‘There are weighty considerations which leave us in substantial doubt as to whether the stolen foreign currency is the proceeds of the sale.’
That panel’s findings, which effectively say that there is enough for a full-fledged parliamentary investigation and hearing, have thrown Ramaphosa’s political future into jeopardy. ‘He has to decide whether or not he’s got sufficient support in the governing African National Congress to stay on as president of both the party and also the country,’ Eusebius McKaiser, a political analyst and author based in Johannesburg, told Foreign Policy on Thursday.
It’s a sharp turn for a leader who pledged to battle corruption after succeeding Jacob Zuma, whose presidency was marked by graft scandals. For Ramaphosa, the controversy also comes at a politically inopportune time, with the African National Congress’s leadership elections set to take place later in December.
Ramaphosa was seen as ‘the poster child for constitutionalism,’ said McKaiser. But ‘this tells us that there are actually continuities between him and his predecessor, even though we were sold the idea that it was going to be a break from his predecessor,’ he added.
Ramaphosa was reportedly preparing to resign yesterday, but was convinced by allies to reverse course, according to the Mail & Guardian.
South Africa’s Parliament is set to discuss the report on Tuesday.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Spain’s mysterious letter bombs. Spanish authorities are on high alert after six cases of letter bombs have been reported across the country since Nov. 24, including one sent to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Others have targeted the U.S. embassy, the Ukrainian embassy, the Spanish defense ministry, an air base, and an arms manufacturer that produces some weapons that had been shipped to Ukraine.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles insisted that the government’s support for Ukraine would not be shaken. ‘What must be very clear is that none of these deliveries or any other violent action will change the clear and firm commitment of Spain, NATO countries and the European Union to support Ukraine,’ she said.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Africa’s mpox vaccines. South Korea has donated 50,000 mpox vaccine doses to African countries, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health workers and those residing in the most heavily impacted regions will receive the first doses. Across Africa, 202 people have died from mpox this year.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Hospitalized U.S. hostage. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who has been detained in Russia since 2018, has reportedly been hospitalized, his family said. Whelan now has not been in contact with his family for a week, and has missed a planned phone call, which they said was unusual. Washington has previously suggested conducting a prisoner swap of Whelan and U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer.
‘We are deeply concerned about the lack of information and the lack of contact from Paul, and we’re working on this really as hard as we can through diplomatic channels,’ U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Mexico’s minimum wage bump. Mexico plans to raise its minimum wage by 20 percent starting on January 1, 2023, officials said on Thursday. The minimum wage, now 172 Mexican pesos, or $9, will increase to 207 Mexican pesos, or around $10.82.” Read more at Foreign Policy
December 2, 2022
By Ian Prasad Philbrick and Ashley Wu
Good morning. Population growth is supercharging the costs of hurricanes.
Destruction left behind by Hurricane Ian in Florida.Johnny Milano for The New York Times
More at risk
“Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean ended this week as one of the most destructive on record. Hurricane Ian, which hit the southeastern U.S. in September, was the season’s worst storm and among the country’s deadliest hurricanes in recent decades. It was also among the costliest in American history, causing an estimated $67 billion in privately insured property damage across five states.
Ian is part of a trend. Hurricanes tend to be among the most damaging forms of extreme weather, the costs of which are greatly rising. Hurricanes that caused more than $1 billion in damage have roughly doubled since the 1980s. During the same period, the total costs in damage, adjusted for inflation, have increased by a much greater amount — more than elevenfold:
Costs are adjusted for inflation. | Source: N.O.A.A.
Climate change has increased the likelihood of severe hurricanes and, in some cases, their destructiveness. But there is a bigger culprit behind rising damage costs, experts said: Americans flocking to coastal areas. This migration has added to the number of homes, businesses and other buildings in harm’s way.
As our colleague Christopher Flavelle, who covers climate, put it: ‘Stronger storms plus more development in coastal areas equals more damage.’ Today’s newsletter will focus on how the development piece of that equation contributes to expensive hurricanes.
More people, more damage
Stephen Strader, who studies the geography of disasters at Villanova University, calls the increased development in areas vulnerable to hurricanes the ‘expanding bull’s-eye effect.’ As the target — the number of people, homes and businesses in a vulnerable area — grows, the potential for storms to cause costly damage increases. ‘There’s more things in the path of these hurricanes than there’s ever been,’ he said.
Consider how many homes are in southwestern Florida, where Hurricane Ian made landfall this year. These maps show the housing density increasing as the population rose between 1980 and 2020:
Maps use analysis by Stephen Strader of Villanova University, with data from the Spatially Explicit Regional Growth Model. Density ranges from zero to over 25 housing units per around 2.5 acres.
The Houston area shows a similar trend. The region added nearly 1.3 million homes between 1980 and 2020, as these maps show:
Maps use analysis by Stephen Strader of Villanova University, with data from the Spatially Explicit Regional Growth Model. Density ranges from zero to over 25 housing units per around 2.5 acres.
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey lingered over the Houston area for days, dropping more than 50 inches of rain in some places. The storm ultimately cost an estimated $149 billion — more, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than any other hurricane since 1980 besides Katrina in 2005.
This ongoing property development in the parts of the U.S. that are most at risk of hurricane damage also created an additional risk, destroying the natural barriers that would otherwise help protect coastal areas from the storms. In Florida, ‘hardened’ waterfront properties have replaced ‘spongelike’ wetlands and mangroves that were more able to absorb storm surges and rainfall, as Strader has explained.
What’s next
Easing the problem of billion-dollar extreme weather events would require tackling both pieces of Christopher’s storm damage equation. Reducing carbon emissions and slowing global warming could decrease the likelihood of severe hurricanes and other costly climate disasters like wildfires and droughts.
One option to reduce property damage, experts said, is to strengthen building codes. Florida did so after Hurricane Andrew wreaked havoc in 1992, requiring that new structures be built to better resist high winds. Infrastructure upgrades — like sea walls to block storm surges or pumps to remove rainwater more quickly — could also help against hurricanes, but only so much.
Some experts have proposed a contentious goal: getting people to live elsewhere. The most aggressive effort to persuade Americans to leave hurricane-threatened areas may be a new program that prices federal flood insurance according to climate risk, dramatically increasing costs for people living in vulnerable places.
But relocation is a tough sell. Americans have flocked to Florida’s picturesque coast, despite its risks. ‘People like living somewhere pretty,’ Christopher said.
There are also political challenges. Florida cities and towns rely heavily on property tax revenues, which leaves state and local officials reluctant to reduce density or to encourage relocation. They can also count on the federal government to fund recovery efforts, giving them less incentive to mitigate future damages.
‘There’s growing awareness that the current system of basically allowing and subsidizing construction in risky areas doesn’t make sense anymore,’ Christopher said. ‘The government is still struggling, though, to turn that focus into policy changes that will make much of a difference.’” Read more at New York Times
“The U.S. is enduring its worst poultry health disaster, with some 52.7 million birds dead. Unlike other recent bird flu outbreaks, this one has lasted through the summer — and it's still going strong.” Read more at NPR
The TSA wants to start scanning your face at airports.
“The details: The security agency is testing facial recognition technology at 16 major airports and hopes to roll it out across the U.S. as soon as next year.
How it works: Kiosks with cameras — instead of a human — would check your ID, unless you ask for a different option. The TSA says this is more secure — but there are privacy concerns.” Read more at Washington Post
NASA
“NASA's historic moon mission has entered the final leg of its journey. The agency's Orion spacecraft, the core of the Artemis I mission, is making a final pass by the moon before heading home to Earth. The capsule has spent the past 15 days traveling into deep space and making an unprecedented trek beyond the moon. On Monday, its view will offer glimpses of notable lunar sites, including lava beds that astronauts explored during the Apollo era. From there, the capsule will fire up its engines and make its way back to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on December 11. The overall goal of Artemis I is to test the spacecraft to its limits before attempting to send humans back to the moon in 2024.” Read more at CNN
Elon Musk Suspends Ye From Twitter After Offensive Image Post
“Even on Elon Musk’s Twitter, there are red lines for permissible content, and Kanye West, who now calls himself Ye, crossed one of them with a late Thursday night post that prompted the network to suspend his account.
The artist tweeted an image combining the Star of David with a swastika, which got removed by the social media service. In its place was a message saying the post violated Twitter Inc.’s rules and a link to its policy page explaining enforcement actions. Since then, the entire account has been suspended, with all of its tweets now obscured. Ye had 32.2 million followers before the suspension.” Read more at Time
“Elon Musk likes to give as good as he gets, but even he must find navigating the world of free speech increasingly tricky.
As Musk champions the right of people to say what they think, cutting back on moderation on Twitter and allowing those with views on the far end of various political spectra to rejoin the platform, he’s also discovering that everything comes with a limit.
The rapper known as Ye has been pushing those limits. Now he’s had his account suspended after tweeting an image combining the Star of David with a swastika. Ye has been widely criticized for his recent anti-Semitic remarks.
At the same time Musk has freed up former US President Donald Trump to rejoin if he likes. Trump, who is seeking the 2024 Republican nomination for president, had dinner in late November at his Mar-a-Lago resort with Ye and a white supremacist who accompanied him.
The links between those holding extreme political views and politicians themselves is likely to become thornier ground for Musk, with his apparent moderation army of one these days, as the 2024 campaign gets into full swing.
Meanwhile the European Union is sending warning shots across his bow over its strict rules on data protection.
European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, who’s spearheading efforts to tackle online disinformation, told Bloomberg that failure to weed out fake or misleading online content could help Russian President Vladimir Putin spread propaganda about his war in Ukraine.
Musk shouldn’t underestimate the hefty sanctions Twitter could eventually face if it fails to abide by the bloc’s rules, she said. Visiting the US this week, French President Emmanuel Macron criticized Musk’s decision to relax Twitter’s content moderation policies around subjects like Covid-19 disinformation.
All that suggests troubled waters ahead. Even so, Musk is pushing on with policies that could tempt users to tweet ever-increasingly inflammatory stuff. His latest gambit: Twitter will begin showing a view count for all posts.” — Rosalind Mathieson Read more at Bloomberg
Musk during a discussion in Washington in 2020. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Bama fans, take notice
Image: College Football Playoff
“Two-loss college football teams will soon have their chance at glory, thanks to the college football playoff expansion moving two years ahead of schedule, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.
Why it matters: Just ask an Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee, Clemson or Penn State fan what they'd rather be doing this holiday season.
The field will widen from four to 12 in 2024.
The top six conference champions qualify, along with the other six highest-ranked teams.
Zoom out: Conference leaders have been negotiating details for more than a year, AP reports.
The new format could bring the conferences a projected $450 million over the last two years of the current TV deal with ESPN.
CFP doesn't yet have a TV contract beyond 2025. But the TV rights for the 12-team format could be worth as much as $1.9 billion.
The bottom line: The home games are probably the biggest game changer, Axios Sports author Kendall Baker tells me.
Higher seeds will have the choice to play first-round games at home, bringing college pageantry back into the playoffs.” Read more at Axios
Yes, ‘Cocaine Bear’ Was Real. Here’s the Back Story.
Nearly 40 years after a 175-pound black bear found and ingested cocaine in a Georgia forest, the drug binge has inspired a movie.
Dec. 1, 2022
“The trailer for a new movie called ‘Cocaine Bear’ was released on Wednesday, and the film’s title is not a metaphor or clever wordplay: The movie is about a bear high on cocaine.
The bloody spree that follows the bear’s cocaine binge, as depicted in the trailer, is fictional, but the story about a high bear is very real. Its lore is likely to grow with the movie, which was directed by Elizabeth Banks and is set for a Feb. 24 release.
‘Cocaine Bear’ stars Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Ray Liotta, who died in May, in one of his final film roles. It depicts the bear’s drug-induced trail of terror and the victims he leaves behind.” Read more at New York Times
Film’s new all-time great
“An esteemed, once-a-decade poll has a new pick for the greatest movie of all time: ‘Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles,’ a 1975 film directed by Chantal Akerman.
The British magazine Sight and Sound surveys critics, academics, curators and others every 10 years, and the resulting list is widely respected. ‘Citizen Kane’ sat atop it for five decades, before Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ supplanted it in 2012.
Now Akerman has toppled Hitchcock, becoming the first female director to top the list. Her film is an exemplar of ‘slow cinema,’ the Times critic Manohla Dargis wrote in 2015. It follows a widow as she performs household tasks, often in real time across prolonged scenes. Far from dull, Dargis wrote, the film ‘grips you with its blunt compositions’ and a ‘creeping sense of dread.’” Read more at New York Times
WORLD CUP
“Moving on: Japan finished atop its group with a 2-1 victory over Spain, continuing what has been the country’s greatest World Cup ever. Spain also advanced despite the loss.
Going home: Belgium exited the tournament after a scoreless draw with Croatia, and Japan’s win knocked out Germany.
Accessory trend: Head scarves are hot at the World Cup, but should fans be wearing them? Locals say they don’t object.
Today’s matches: On the final day of group play, Serbia plays Switzerland, with both vying for a slot in the round of 16.” Read more at New York Times
The U.S. men’s soccer team plays the Netherlands at the World Cup tomorrow.
“The details: This is the knockout round, which means the U.S. has to win or be eliminated from the tournament in Qatar.
One big question mark: Whether star Christian Pulisic, who was injured during Tuesday’s win over Iran, will be able to play.
How to watch: The match starts at 10 a.m. and will air on Fox and streaming services.” Read more at Washington Post
AI can be dumb without humans
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
“It's easy to see new algorithms write a story or create an image from text and think that they are ready to take on a whole range of human tasks, Axios' Ina Fried writes in her weekly tech column, Signal Boost.
But AI systems' growing power makes it more important than ever to keep humans in the loop.
Why it matters: Machine-learning-trained systems can be confidently wrong — a dangerous combination.
What's happening: Many of today's most powerful AI systems aim to offer a convincing response to any question, regardless of accuracy.
But an algorithm choosing a criminal sentence, for example, needs not only to serve the judge it's advising but also crime victims, perpetrators and society as a whole.
This doesn't mean ‘asking a neural network to understand racism,’ James Landay, co-founder of Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered AI, told a daylong gathering with reporters yesterday.
‘It's asking the team building a system to understand racism. That’s not a question computer scientists who are generally building these systems are equipped to handle.’
Case in point: Stanford professor Erik Brynjolfsson gave the example of automation in call centers. You can substitute machines for people and frustrate customers. Or the system can monitor calls and offer suggestions to human call center workers.” Read more at Axios
The color Viva Magenta in a computer-generated image.Huge
“The Magentaverse: Artificial intelligence helped select Pantone’s color of the year.” Read more at New York Times
“Lives Lived: Gaylord Perry was a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 314 games and recorded 3,500 strikeouts. He was known for spitballs that infuriated batters. He died at 84.” Read more at New York Times
Gaylord Perry in 1967, when he pitched for the San Francisco Giants, at the team’s training camp in Phoenix. He could throw curves, sliders, sinkers, changeups, forkballs and an outstanding fastball.Credit...Associated Press