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513 lines
63 KiB
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<meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" name="viewport"/>
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<title>01 June, 2023</title>
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<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<body>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Debt-Ceiling Deal Could Be a Lot Worse</strong> - If House Republicans were trying to create a draconian new fiscal framework that would dominate American politics for the next decade, they failed to achieve their goal. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-debt-ceiling-deal-could-be-a-lot-worse">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Turkish Elections Swung from Hope to Despair</strong> - The corrupt state that President Erdoğan built essentially guaranteed his reëlection. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-turkish-elections-swung-from-hope-to-despair">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Rise of Latino White Supremacy</strong> - At a time of increased racial violence, Latinos are potential perpetrators and potential victims. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-rise-of-latino-white-supremacy">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Sound and Fury of the House Freedom Caucus</strong> - To raise the debt ceiling, Kevin McCarthy had to defy the Republican Party’s most conservative members. Will he pay a price? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/the-sound-and-fury-of-the-house-freedom-caucus">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Confession Exposes India’s Secret Hacking Industry</strong> - The country has developed a lucrative speciality: cyberattacks for hire. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-crime/a-confession-exposes-indias-secret-hacking-industry">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Do we really need an app for everything?</strong> -
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<figure>
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<img alt="A pink phone with pink dollar signs floating up from it." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/txZVe8mEsQm_sOTQ_34VuOPERU8=/649x0:5982x4000/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72330943/GettyImages_1476177804.0.jpg"/>
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<figcaption>
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Do we really need an app for everything? Ehh. | Wong Yu Liang via Getty Images
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Not every business needs an app. And yet.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iTwkwd">
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On a flight about a year ago, I found myself in a predicament: I could not pay for my customary glass of plane wine to help calm the nerves. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t have cash or a credit card on me but instead that I didn’t have the airline’s app, which was necessary to complete the transaction. I was motivated to get the plane wine, but not that motivated — I gave up somewhere between downloading the app on the shoddy in-flight wifi and uploading my credit card to it. So now it sits idle on my phone, as do countless other apps I’ve had to get for one reason or another over the years, the vast majority of which I do not want or use.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6GhC7c">
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It really does feel like there’s an app for everything these days — often for things where they’re not really needed. We all managed to do business with each other for years and years without having to pull out our phones at every corner.
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</p>
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<aside id="Z8zuEb">
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<div>
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</div>
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</aside>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FMmbAB">
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Admittedly, the cultural peak of “there’s an app for that” mania was years ago, at a moment when, in many cases, said apps actually proposed making our lives better. But it’s been forever since many people have felt enthusiastic about downloading an application; instead of serving customers, apps now serve companies and have transformed into a sort of necessary evil to receive some product or service. The hotel has an app, the dentist has an app, the restaurant down the street has an app.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PKYiog">
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Apps are a way for companies to get customers into their ecosystems, to try to entice them with promotions and discounts, and, importantly, to get their data to track them or send that data to others. Consumers are sometimes sold on the convenience ploy — once you’re set up on that McDonald’s app, it does make your next order easier. But is the bother worth it to download the app in the first place? And once you do, what about that data trade-off? In an age of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23031858/data-breach-data-loss-personal-consequences">endless data breaches</a>, is ordering that Big Mac 30 seconds faster worth the risk of a stolen credit card number?
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SH6YmK">
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“The proliferation of apps has many benefits for people,” said Karen Gullo, an analyst and senior media relations specialist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), in an email. “Unfortunately, most businesses use apps to harvest and monetize our personal data. People can use their settings to block some data collecting and tracking, but app makers often find ways to get around that.”
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</p>
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<div class="c-float-right">
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<aside id="H51iSp">
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<q>We’re all stuck with a bunch of apps floating around on our phones that really, seriously, were not necessary</q>
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</aside>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WRLLY2">
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So we’re all stuck with a bunch of apps floating around on our phones that really, seriously, were not necessary, many of which are tracking us in a way that is also, really, seriously not necessary.
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</p>
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<h3 id="rKgMgy">
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You get an app, a company (and its friends) get your information
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</h3>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b6qTao">
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With the rise of mobile phones came the rise of apps, which, to a certain extent, makes sense. If we’re going to be carrying devices around with us all the time, we might as well make use of them.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wufjah">
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Apps offer a promise of convenience for users and, for companies, dollar signs. Apps let businesses learn more about their customers, make them offers, and nudge them in ways that they hope will lead to more profits. In 2017 in Japan, McDonald’s <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2017/04/14/mcdonalds-wants-know/100491246/">found</a> that customers using its app spent 35 percent more, on average. McDonald’s said the app made ordering more seamless, so people used it more often. It also noted that people took the app’s suggestions for add-ons and then stored those orders to be repeated later, which translated to higher spending. “Learning those habits and turning that back into marketing is one of the big draws,” said Dominic Sellitto, clinical assistant professor of management science and systems at the University at Buffalo School of Management.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xlG1CQ">
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The more app makers know about you, the better able they are to market and sell to you. They often also <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nicolenguyen/how-apps-take-your-data-and-sell-it-without-you-even">sell that information</a> to third parties that want to reach you, too. And there aren’t a ton of legal barricades around how much data apps can collect and what they can do with it.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nTxdzT">
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“There’s really no limit to data collection, so this data can be collected about you and shared and sold between different data brokers or analytics companies to build really granular consumer profiles, which can then be used for targeted advertising and sold for other purposes,” said Suzanne Bernstein, a law fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). Sure, maybe there’s a lengthy privacy disclosure, but nobody reads those, even if they do get into the details. “This whole system is sustained by this imbalance of power and control, this asymmetry, where we’re kind of in the dark as consumers as to what is happening with our data.”
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</p>
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<div class="c-float-right">
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<aside id="3PZFUv">
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<q>“There’s really no limit to data collection”</q>
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</aside>
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</div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GRu8Fc">
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And when consumers do get to understand what’s happening, what they find can be a little bothersome. Earlier this year, a court in Canada <a href="https://financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/tim-hortons-app-privacy-quebec-settlement">approved a settlement</a> with customers of the coffee chain Tim Hortons over app users having their geolocation data collected without notice and consent. (The remedy was that those customers affected would get a free hot beverage and baked good.) McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-chick-fil-a-apps-track-location-restaurant-mobile-order-2023-5">are both introducing features</a> that let them track customers’ locations on mobile app orders, supposedly so their food will be fresh and crisp when they arrive to pick it up.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="f4aJVp">
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Some of the tracking and data stuff can be quite disturbing. In 2022, the FTC <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/06/ftc-finalizes-order-flo-health-fertility-tracking-app-shared-sensitive-health-data-facebook-google">reached a settlement</a> with the period tracker app Flo after finding it was sharing personal health information with marketing and analytics companies like Facebook and Google.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dVebw4">
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“Not every single company is doing this, but I think, unfortunately, it is one of the reasons why you see a proliferation of apps,” said Jennifer King, privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="byETSp">
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The pandemic made our app-palooza situation, in many arenas, <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/10/how-the-mobile-app-ecosystem-adapted-to-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2021/">more palpable</a>, as more people flocked to apps for shopping and entertainment and education, and companies were eager to oblige. The move to social distancing meant many businesses turned to phones as a way to make what were once in-person interactions virtual. Even as life has gotten back to normal, the insistence on apps has persisted.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="j8loLy">
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Now, your hotel key is an app, as is your train ticket. Your dentist or doctor has maybe rolled out an app to book appointments even though the old way, honestly, worked just fine. At a restaurant, it’s not uncommon to wind up having to scan a QR code that eventually results in you downloading some app just so you can place an order or pay. “That’s going to be a relationship where they’re providing a service to the restaurant, but they’re taking your data without a doubt,” King said.
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</p>
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<h3 id="lF323j">
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The app thing isn’t even that great for a lot of businesses, even though a lot of them do it
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</h3>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0s6mtR">
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The awkward thing about this entire situation is that apps aren’t always the greatest deals for the companies that insist on having them. Many websites perform just fine on mobile now — which hasn’t always been the case — in terms of user experience and even tracking. And if not enough people use an app because there isn’t a need for it, the endeavor turns out to be a waste of time and money.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wyA6Xg">
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“It’s like having a TikTok page, I think it’s just that people feel like they need to have one because they hear that people use apps,” said Sucharita Kodali, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester. “Not everybody needs an app.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fG0hU9">
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That hasn’t stopped everybody — or, at least, a lot of businesses — from having one.
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</p>
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<div class="c-float-right">
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<aside id="zQVELS">
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<q>“It’s like having a TikTok page, I think it’s just that people feel like they need to have one because they hear that people use apps”</q>
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</aside>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kcdb31">
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There are a bunch of appealing statistics about mobile apps that get most businesses “worked up into a lather,” said Jason Goldberg, commerce strategy officer at advertising firm Publicis. According to <a href="https://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-stores/">the Business of Apps</a>, there are about 1.8 million apps available in the Apple App Store and 2.3 million in the Google Play Store. For both, business is among the most popular categories. People spend <a href="https://time.com/6174510/how-much-screen-time-is-too-much/">hours each day</a> on their phones, <a href="https://www.popsci.com/technology/hours-cell-phone-app-daily/">largely on apps</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-revenues/">spend billions of dollars on apps</a>. Goldberg said companies’ most valuable customers are often on their apps.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="HDdW6v">
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All of this convinces a lot of business leaders they need an app, too, that it will be the key to juicing their business. “The only problem with that is it’s basically wrong,” Goldberg said. “While there are a huge amount of people who download apps, you know what there are not? A huge amount of people who use that app more than once after they download it. There are astronomical abandonment rates.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GKzG5u">
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It’s kind of like a credit card for an individual retailer you maybe sign up for once to get a discount and then never use again. You download an app to make one purchase or to navigate one leg of a vacation, or on a day when you’re feeling inspired to kick-start your diet. And then you … forget. The company may be getting some data on you still, but not as much as if you were a power user, which there’s no incentive for you to be.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ae8FN6">
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“That’s the fundamental question brands need to ask themselves — what kind of relationship do you have with your shoppers, and are you one that has a lot of frequent interactions, or do you have moments, like in travel, when somebody is going to have 50 different questions?” Kodali, from Forrester, said. For a lot of companies, the answer to that question is no.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F2AFCa">
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Kodali said that a lot of businesses have rolled out apps basically on account of FOMO — meaning fear of missing out — because they see everyone else doing it. Goldberg echoed the sentiment, adding that businesses have had plans for an app in place for a while and so have just proceeded without really asking whether it makes sense. “Only the very biggest and best companies can win the mobile app game,” he said. “Often, I see the mid-tier companies and the long-tier companies that shouldn’t be trying to compete with the goliaths … but they make the mistake of trying to emulate what Amazon and Walmart are doing.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bYiAHJ">
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Yes, the data is valuable to companies, but it’s not as exclusive to apps as it used to be. “You can get just as much data from good mobile webpages as you can from a mobile app,” Goldberg said.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PL45Vj">
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There’s a bit of silver lining here, which is that app makers have a harder time tracking you than they used to, by design — specifically, by <a href="https://www.vox.com/apple">Apple</a>’s design. In 2021, the iPhone maker <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/22393931/facebook-ios-14-5-app-tracking-transparency-iphone-privacy">updated its system</a> so that people sometimes get the option when they open an app to ask it not to track. It works … <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23045136/apple-app-tracking-transparency-privacy-ads">okay-ish, but it’s not perfect</a>.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WlLfaG">
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The FTC is currently working on rulemaking around the “<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/federal-register-notices/commercial-surveillance-data-security-rulemaking">commercial surveillance economy</a>” and just how much businesses collect, analyze, and profit from people’s data. In the US, some states, such as <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/12/30/21030754/ccpa-2020-california-privacy-law-rights-explained">California</a>, are making headway on privacy laws or have them in place. Privacy advocates say that what the US really needs is a sweeping federal privacy law, which isn’t exactly on the horizon.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WJtQyG">
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So in the meantime, we’re swimming in a sea of apps, many of which we don’t want or need. Companies are making money off the data that accompanies them, though not as much as many would probably like. And they’re not getting much better at protecting that data.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wEjLfg">
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“There’s two pathways this can go. One pathway is people get more and more protective of their privacy, and that spurs legislation or some sort of movement that changes the way this works, or, on the flip side, we all just get desensitized to it and say, ‘Bummer, my credit card got stolen again,’” Sellitto said.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UXQryD">
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Perhaps, at the very least, we acknowledge we truly do not want or need this many apps — the convenience case really loses its oomph when you’re going to your phone to execute every little detail of your life. Or, in my case, when you’re in the air, attempting to secure a single glass of Pinot Grigio.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5G5qzT">
|
|||
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|
<em>We live in a world that’s constantly trying to sucker us and trick us, where we’re always surrounded by scams big and small. It can feel impossible to navigate. Every two weeks, join Emily Stewart to look at all the little ways our economic systems control and manipulate the average person. Welcome to </em><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-big-squeeze"><em>The Big Squeeze</em></a><em>.</em>
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NF25sR">
|
|||
|
|
<a href="http://vox.com/big-squeeze-newsletter"><em>Sign up to get this column in your inbox</em></a>.
|
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fEmYHz">
|
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|
<em>Have ideas for a future column or thoughts on this one? Email </em><a href="mailto:emily.stewart@vox.com"><em>emily.stewart@vox.com</em></a>.
|
|||
|
|
</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><strong>The Kia Challenge, explained</strong> -
|
|||
|
|
<figure>
|
|||
|
|
<img alt="An illustration of a large hand holding a red Kia SUV with a black background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/e6tfJCAmJLJPsLcZDVhFisL_oGc=/240x0:1680x1080/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72330877/kia_theft_v2.0.jpg"/>
|
|||
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
Dion Lee/Vox
|
|||
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
</figure>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
How a carmaker’s mistake created the ultimate internet challenge.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YZ22FU">
|
|||
|
|
It’s safe to assume that 17-year-old Markell Hughes wasn’t too worried about getting caught for stealing cars last year. After all, he lives in Milwaukee, <a href="https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/mkes-stolen-car-epidemic-11-of-car-thefts-result-in-arrest-5-prosecuted-in-record-year">where just</a> 11 percent of reported car thefts resulted in an arrest in 2021 and only 5 percent were prosecuted. But Hughes appeared in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbTrLyqL_nw&ab_channel=TommyG">documentary</a> about the so-called “Kia Boys,” who take advantage of an exploit that makes certain Kia and Hyundai models easy to steal. The Kia Boys often joyride around in the stolen cars, usually driving dangerously and usually filming themselves doing it. The documentary was a hit on <a href="https://www.vox.com/youtube">YouTube</a>, and shortly after it was posted, someone <a href="https://www.cbs58.com/news/charges-filed-against-17-year-old-seen-in-kia-boys-youtube-documentary">called a police tip line</a> and gave them Hughes’s name.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4IzwQd">
|
|||
|
|
Among the evidence against Hughes was a call he placed from jail, where he seemed to brag about how many people saw him driving the stolen car.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nDk46n">
|
|||
|
|
“I heard my video went viral too,” <a href="https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2022/06/29/kia-boyz-film-results-in-felony-charges/">he said</a>. “I heard my shit hit 50K in one day.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="McFSB4">
|
|||
|
|
Teens’ desire to go viral is just one of the factors that has led to an exponential increase in Kia and Hyundai thefts across the country. Starting with model year 2011, Hyundai Motors, which makes Kias and Hyundais, decided not to install a theft prevention mechanism called an <a href="https://support.toyota.com/s/article/What-is-an-engine-imm-7732?language=en_US">immobilizer</a> in certain makes and models. For cars without immobilizers, all thieves have to do is rip off the steering column cover, remove the ignition cylinder, and turn the rectangular nub behind it to start the engine. As it happens, USB plugs fit pretty well over that rectangle. The immobilizer-free Kias and Hyundais could be stolen in a matter of seconds with just a screwdriver and a charging cord.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wOqAfz">
|
|||
|
|
In 2021, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, reported a <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/news/43454/why-milwaukee-might-sue-hyundai-kia-over-stolen-car-epidemic">significant increase</a> in car thefts, the majority of the cars stolen being Kias and Hyundais, and a lot of the suspected thieves being too young to drive. Videos began to surface on social media of young people joyriding in these cars, speeding and swerving, sometimes hanging out of windows. These were not sophisticated thieves stealing cars to strip and sell for parts. They were doing it for views and clout. They became known as “Kia Boys.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<div>
|
|||
|
|
<div id="XnJtoY">
|
|||
|
|
</div></div></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><strong>The biggest policy changes in the debt ceiling deal, explained</strong> -
|
|||
|
|
<figure>
|
|||
|
|
<img alt="Kevin McCarthy surrounded by reporters" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MXRoj545wSgDklQ_k2pbY2Yk790=/454x0:7739x5464/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72325470/1258295128.0.jpg"/>
|
|||
|
|
<figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to members of the media at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2023. Republican and Democratic leaders scrambled on May 29 to secure congressional support for a bill aimed at avoiding a US debt default. | Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
|
|||
|
|
</figcaption>
|
|||
|
|
</figure>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
How the legislation to avert an economic crisis would affect student loans, food aid, the IRS, and more.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="meuEO2">
|
|||
|
|
House Republicans took the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/5/9/23715753/debt-ceiling-limit-default-deal-crisis">debt ceiling</a> hostage — but Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to set the hostage free for a relatively small ransom payment.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pUAwIk">
|
|||
|
|
The deal struck by negotiators for <a href="https://www.vox.com/joe-biden">President Biden</a> and McCarthy on Saturday night and passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday is no major overhaul of American public policy. The White House managed to avert sweeping cuts to domestic spending, which will instead effectively be held at something close to the status quo (though a cut when accounting for inflation). And on a set of other policy issues where Republicans <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/4/19/23690167/debt-ceiling-bill-house-republicans">made big demands</a>, Democrats granted only some limited concessions.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UN3iiG">
|
|||
|
|
The deal certainly includes some policy changes progressives do not like — they’d prefer domestic spending not be cut at all, and they dislike new work requirements for food stamp beneficiaries ages 50 to 54, among other things.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mchc2Z">
|
|||
|
|
But if you keep in mind that Democrats and Republicans were always going to have to negotiate over spending levels at some point this year (to avert a government shutdown this fall), it’s not clear that Republicans’ use of the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip even got them anything they wouldn’t have won later anyway.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vnBDRg">
|
|||
|
|
Rather than an extremist GOP’s attempt to force Democrats into unthinkable concessions or else trigger an economic crisis, the outcome here ultimately looked a whole lot like an ordinary congressional deal reached with the help of an imminent deadline.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="st26EY">
|
|||
|
|
While there was <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/29/mccarthy-debt-deal-biden-00099175">some grumbling from the right</a>, the bill ultimately passed by a wide margin — 314-117, with 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats voting against. Senate passage is a sure thing.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6xLQ7K">
|
|||
|
|
The measure marks a shift in the Republican Party compared to the last major debt ceiling showdown in 2011. Back then, the GOP majority brought to power in the Tea Party wave sought extreme spending cuts, including big changes to Medicare and Social Security. That GOP conference also proved chaotic and nearly ungovernable by its leaders.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gxvXTs">
|
|||
|
|
Yet true-believing anti-spending ideologues have seen their influence dwindle in the Trump and post-Trump eras. GOP leaders decided early on not to demand any Medicare and Social Security cuts in these talks, and the eventual deal leaves Medicaid untouched, too.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vXDKNS">
|
|||
|
|
Most in the party would still like to be <em>seen</em> as spending cutters, but in practice the energy is around culture war fights. That made the current deal — which uses various gimmicks and accounting tricks that will let Republicans claim they made substantial cuts to domestic spending, while letting Democrats avert many of the actual consequences of those cuts — possible.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sWQ617">
|
|||
|
|
The Biden White House, meanwhile, deflated liberal commentators’ and activists’ pleas that the president <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2023/1/10/23542845/joe-biden-debt-ceiling-kevin-mccarthy">use executive authority</a> in some way to effectively raise the debt ceiling on his own. Officials <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/05/08/debt-ceiling-14th-amendment-biden/">saw</a> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/janet-yellen-dismisses-minting-1-trillion-coin-to-avoid-default-11674417541">various</a> practical, legal, and political drawbacks that made them very reluctant to go down that road. Instead — after climbing down from an initial stance that they wouldn’t negotiate at all — Biden’s team engaged with Republicans in hopes they could get a reasonable deal. And they think they’ve succeeded.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9iRhSq">
|
|||
|
|
Here’s what’s in the deal. —<em>Andrew Prokop</em>
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="zKGyVT">
|
|||
|
|
How big are the budget cuts?
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="BwHuAL">
|
|||
|
|
The deal negotiated by the Biden White House and House Republicans cuts some domestic programs in 2024 and limits spending growth to 1 percent in fiscal year 2025. That will still amount to a cut, after accounting for inflation.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IBDU90">
|
|||
|
|
Almost two-thirds of the $6 trillion federal budget is mandatory spending on programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid that will happen without any action by <a href="https://www.vox.com/congress">Congress</a>. The rest is determined by Congress, and that is the bucket that will be affected by the debt limit deal.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="s4hQje">
|
|||
|
|
The cuts are going to land disproportionately on programs that help the poor and on administration, which also affects the people who rely on government programs. Some discretionary spending — on the military and for veterans — is actually going to increase. But the rest, including funding for <a href="https://www.vox.com/child-care">child care</a>, low-income housing, the national parks, and more, will be subject to a cut for the next two years.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="yjIbcM">
|
|||
|
|
The exact cuts are supposed to be set by legislation that Congress will pass later this year. Should lawmakers fail to pass those spending bills, automatic spending cuts of 1 percent across the board would occur instead. (The incentive for Congress to pass the spending bills is that these automatic cuts would include the military, which all parties involved want to exempt.)
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OXxkW9">
|
|||
|
|
<a href="https://twitter.com/LisaDNews/status/1663233962783789056">Assorted accounting tricks </a>could also reduce the actual spending cuts and hold federal spending effectively flat — though in a time of inflation, flat spending is really a cut when considering the purchasing power of each dollar.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Cz8VaX">
|
|||
|
|
This might sound familiar: In 2011, an earlier debt limit crisis led to the Budget Control Act of 2011, which set spending caps for the rest of the decade. In this case, the spending limits apply only for two years.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JUHYsL">
|
|||
|
|
And while this cut is shallower than the automatic cuts of the last decade, it applies to programs that already have been feeling the squeeze: According to <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/congress-should-reject-proposals-to-cut-non-defense-program-funding">the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities</a>, spending for discretionary domestic programs (excluding veterans’ <a href="https://www.vox.com/health-care">health care</a>) is 10 percent below 2010 levels when adjusted for inflation and increases in the US population.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0SNDUs">
|
|||
|
|
The long-running neglect has led to <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/unmet-needs-and-the-squeeze-on-appropriations">shortages in the services they provide</a>. Child care assistance has fallen for the better part of two decades. The primary grant program served 373,000 more children in 2006, even though now there are an additional 1 million American children living <a href="https://www.vox.com/poverty">in poverty</a>. Likewise, 3 out of 4 US families that should be eligible for federal housing assistance don’t actually receive any aid because there is no funding available. Cuts to the Social Security Administration have been going on for years, while wait times for assistance have been increasing. Investments in water infrastructure have been stagnant, even after clean water crises in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GW6sF6">
|
|||
|
|
Cuts were inevitable — even to <a href="https://www.vox.com/social-programs">social programs</a> that were already underfunded — once Republicans took control of the House and therefore the appropriations process. The question was always how much of the major programs Democrats could protect given Republican threats to hold the debt ceiling hostage. <em>—Dylan Scott</em>
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="mfCXqm">
|
|||
|
|
What are the new work requirements, and what are they likely to do?
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TdrNo9">
|
|||
|
|
The debt ceiling deal includes increased work requirements for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, or cash welfare), both of which already include substantial work requirements.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Z2qyKl">
|
|||
|
|
One thing notably missing? Work requirements for Medicaid, which had been a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy/2023/5/12/23712447/medicaid-work-requirements-us-debt-ceiling">key demand of House Republicans</a>.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2IhyFl">
|
|||
|
|
<a href="https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/work-requirements">SNAP</a> has a set of general work requirements, and a narrower set of requirements for nondisabled adults without dependents. The changes in the new deal concern the latter. Currently, childless adults between the ages of 18 and 49 who do not have a physical or mental condition affecting their ability to work are generally required to work or volunteer for 80 hours a month. If they fail to, they face a time limit: They can only receive SNAP benefits for a maximum of three months over a three-year period. The debt ceiling deal <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/29/us/politics/debt-limit-deal-food-stamps.html">expands the age range</a> for these rules to apply to 50- to 54-year-olds.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8oN8XU">
|
|||
|
|
While that change may not seem significant, it could have a <a href="https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/new-snap-work-requirements-are-a">major impact on people applying for disability support</a> unable to work. People get sicker in their 50s, and <a href="https://izajolp.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/2193-9004-3-1#Tab4">SNAP has historically been a major source of support</a> for applicants during the long process of applying for disability benefits.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="08PcNi">
|
|||
|
|
Offsetting these changes are new exemptions from work requirements for houseless people, veterans, and former foster children. The <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-05/hr3746_Letter_McCarthy.pdf#page=6">Congressional Budget Office estimates</a> that, taken as a whole, the deal’s changes to SNAP will result in 78,000 more people receiving benefits, and add $2.1 billion to the program’s 10-year cost.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bycO9m">
|
|||
|
|
TANF, meanwhile, was created by the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/6/20/11789988/clintons-welfare-reform">1996 welfare reform law</a>, replacing a program that offered guaranteed cash for low-income parents with a block grant giving <a href="https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/RL32760.pdf">$16.5 billion annually</a> to states to spend on anti-poverty programs (though in practice the money is used for <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/9/24/23368759/mississippi-welfare-fraud-scandal-brett-favre-reform">all manner of things</a>). Because its appropriation has never been adjusted for inflation over its 27 years of existence, the program has effectively been cut in half over time, and now <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/family-income-support/temporary-assistance-for-needy-families">only about 21 percent of poor families with children</a> get help from it.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UPhqMH">
|
|||
|
|
States getting money from TANF have to meet a work-participation standard, requiring that 50 percent of families and 90 percent of two-parent families receiving benefits are working. However, these percentages can be reduced if the state has seen its TANF caseload fall over time (or if the state reports spending more of its own funds than is required by federal law), which is known as a <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN12150">“caseload reduction credit.”</a> Thirty-two states have used these credits to <a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ofa/wpr2021table01a.pdf">reduce the work participation percentage they have to hit on TANF to 0 percent</a>, as of fiscal year 2021.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L41CVE">
|
|||
|
|
Currently, these credits are calculated by seeing how much caseloads have fallen relative to fiscal year 2005, meaning states can get credit for nearly two decades of reductions. The debt ceiling deal <a href="https://twitter.com/meredithllee/status/1662659994414710784">changes this baseline to fiscal year 2015</a>, which is laxer than what Republicans wanted (fiscal year 2022).
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="aS8ozY">
|
|||
|
|
While in theory this could incentivize states to push TANF recipients toward work, the last time a change like this was tried in 2005, it <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN12150#page=3">did not result in a higher share of recipients </a>due to states <a href="https://time.com/6282245/job-requirements-debt-ceiling/">exploiting other loopholes</a>. In other words, while the new policy undoubtedly tries to chip away at the welfare state, its actual impact may be a bit muted. The <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-05/hr3746_Letter_McCarthy.pdf#page=8">CBO estimates</a> the provision will only save $5 million over 10 years, for a 0.003 percent total reduction in TANF spending. <em>—Dylan Matthews</em>
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="Foe6FW">
|
|||
|
|
What does the student loan provision mean for borrowers?
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1685468596.727879">
|
|||
|
|
Here’s the bottom line: You’re probably going to need to start paying back your <a href="https://www.vox.com/student-loan-debt">student loans</a> again at the end of this summer. The pause on loan payments, and the hold on interest accruing on that debt, is set to end after August 29, with interest on loans beginning to accrue again on August 30, if the current proposal becomes law. That’s 60 days after June 30 — the same deadline that the president and the Education Department had set for repayments to begin, if the <a href="https://www.vox.com/scotus">Supreme Court</a> had not made a final decision on the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan by then.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Vpotg8">
|
|||
|
|
The Court still hasn’t made a pronouncement on that <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/9/18/23356614/midterms-2022-student-loan-forgiveness-polls-congressional-races">plan</a>, though a decision is expected in June — and it’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2023/2/13/23587751/supreme-court-student-loan-debt-forgiveness-joe-biden-nebraska-department-education-brown">not likely to be positive</a> for the nearly 43 million Americans who owe some kind of student debt. Should they rule against the plan, the debt ceiling deal would prevent the president from issuing a ninth extension of the payment pause, which began in March 2020. —<em>Christian Paz</em>
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="SP6cnL">
|
|||
|
|
What actually changes about energy permitting?
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XzNK51">
|
|||
|
|
The biggest surprise of the deal might be its approval of the 300-mile <a href="https://www.mountainvalleypipeline.info/">Mountain Valley Pipeline</a>, which will carry <a href="https://www.vox.com/fossil-fuels">natural gas</a> from West Virginia to southern Virginia.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IAInHc">
|
|||
|
|
The pipeline, held up for years by federal lawsuits, has long been a <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/9/27/23375059/joe-manchin-permitting-reform-progressives-republicans">top priority</a> for Sen. Joe Manchin. But the pipeline’s role in debt ceiling talks largely flew under the radar. The deal would give a green light to outstanding permits for the pipeline and shields its construction from court intervention, to the frustration of environmentalists worried about the pipeline’s impact on <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28052023/environmentalists-in-virginia-and-west-virginia-regroup-to-stop-the-mountain-valley-pipeline-eyeing-a-white-house-protest/">rural and low-income areas </a>and the 1,000 streams and wetlands along its way.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kgUVUX">
|
|||
|
|
There are a few other modest changes to permitting for energy projects in the deal, mostly affecting the bedrock 1970s-era environmental protection law, the <a href="https://ceq.doe.gov/#:~:text=President%20Nixon%20signed%20the%20National,)%2C%20and%20for%20other%20purposes.">National Environmental Policy Act</a>. It sets a one-year deadline for agencies to complete an environmental assessment, and a two-year deadline for the more thorough environmental impact statement, an expensive review requiring community input. (Progressives argue that, rather than time limits, <a href="https://prospect.org/environment/biggest-permitting-reform-would-be-more-money/">federal agencies need more staffing</a> to complete reviews quickly.)
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0v1EBs">
|
|||
|
|
Neither Democrats nor Republicans are going to walk away from the debt ceiling compromise feeling satisfied. House Republicans didn’t get a majority of their demands, such as fast-tracking fossil fuel infrastructure and repealing <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy">clean energy</a> tax credits in the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/8/8/23296951/inflation-reduction-act-biden-democrats-climate-change">Inflation Reduction Act</a>. Democrats didn’t get any major wins in expanding transmission lines, an <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2022/09/manchin-permitting-reform-power-lines/671496/">important piece of infrastructure</a> for the clean energy grid. Instead, the deal agrees to a study on transmission, punting the bigger issues holding back transmission lines to another time. —<em>Rebecca Leber</em>
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="R0rRV6">
|
|||
|
|
What’s up with unspent Covid aid?
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4jqMS4">
|
|||
|
|
Republicans have been fixated for a while on clawing back money that Congress authorized during the pandemic but that has not yet been spent. They secured a win in the debt limit deal, with the White House agreeing to reclaim some of that funding in the name of reducing spending.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rXxd6W">
|
|||
|
|
The deal exempts some of the remaining Covid funding, including money set aside to fund a next generation of vaccine development as well as funding that pays for Covid vaccines and treatment for uninsured Americans. “It is really important that these were protected,” said Jennifer Kates, director of global health at KFF.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="n9kxXq">
|
|||
|
|
Obviously, billions of dollars have been spent over the past three years on assistance to people and businesses, as well as funding for vaccines and other <a href="https://www.vox.com/public-health">public health</a> efforts. So what’s left? There has not been a thorough public accounting for what money is left for specific projects, according to Kates. But with the pandemic winding down and important funding streams unaffected, public health experts don’t sound too worried about this aspect of the deal. —<em>DS</em>
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<h3 id="ydGM0m">
|
|||
|
|
Are the IRS cuts symbolic or significant?
|
|||
|
|
</h3>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="flqzeo">
|
|||
|
|
The scope of the IRS funding cuts in the debt ceiling deal was notable: Roughly $20 billion of $80 billion that Congress previously approved will be repurposed for other programs in 2024 and 2025. This will help Democrats offset some of the deal’s cuts to domestic spending.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="olbEKH">
|
|||
|
|
White House officials have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/irs-funding-cut-wont-hurt-near-term-tax-collection-officials-say-2023-05-28/">told Reuters</a> that the short-term impact could actually be minimal, however, since the funding for the agency was approved over 10 years. Effectively, that means that the IRS might not feel these funding cuts in the near term, and that lawmakers could put in more requests for agency funding when needed in the future.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="RmgIS1">
|
|||
|
|
Making these cuts, though, allows Republicans to claim a win on the issue: They’ve long targeted the IRS and argued that its resources should be clawed back. <em>—Li Zhou</em>
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1685461451.268249">
|
|||
|
|
<em><strong>Update, May 31, 9:30 pm:</strong></em><em> This story was originally published on May 30 and has been updated multiple times, most recently with the result of the House vote on the debt ceiling deal. </em>
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3GzXlY">
|
|||
|
|
</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>England team bus held up by ‘Just Stop Oil’ protesters ahead of Lord’s Test vs Ireland</strong> - The protesters under the aegis of ‘Just Stop Oil’ demanded that the British government should “halt all licences and consents for new oil, gas and coal projects”</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lionel Messi to play last game for PSG on Saturday, confirms coach Galtier</strong> - Paris Saint Germain plays Clermont on May 3, 2023, which will be Lionel Messi’s last match at the French club</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>England choose to bowl first against Ireland in one-off Test at Lord’s</strong> - For England, who are warming up for the Ashes, Worcestershire seamer Josh Tongue will make his debut, while Jonny Bairstow also returns as wicketkeeper; Ireland will debut Fionn Hand as the third seamer.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>F1 2023 | “If you have a good car for a while, you can break these kinds of numbers,” says Max Verstappen after breaking Vettel’s record</strong> - The win at Monaco takes Max Verstappen one point clear of Sebastian Vettel’s record for the Red Bull Racing team</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Centre handling issue of protesting wrestlers sensitively: Sports Minister Anurag Thakur</strong> - Mr. Thakur said that the government has accepted the wrestlers’ demand for a committee to probe their allegations and an investigation was underway</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>KCR has no right to celebrate TS formation day: Sharmila</strong> - Shoots ten questions on his failures through a poster release</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kerala PFI case: NIA declares ₹3 lakh reward for absconding accused Ayoob TA</strong> - Ayoob sought in Kerala for investigating PFI’s activities, alleged unlawful activities, and encouraging youth to join terrorist organizations</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sikh radical outfit calls for Amritsar shutdown on June 6 to mark Operation Bluestar anniversary</strong> - The call was only for the shutdown of business, commercial, and educational institutions and there would be no stoppage of transportation, said Dal Khalsa spokesperson</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Stage set for start of 21-day celebrations of 10th year of State formation</strong> - Series of programmes lined up for 21 days to highlight the achievements of various departments</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>LDF government sacrificing national security for votes, says K. Surendran</strong> -</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Three killed in overnight missile attack on Kyiv</strong> - Officials in Ukraine’s capital say a child, her mother and another woman died in the missile strike.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Kosovo: Nato ready to send more troops after unrest</strong> - Pristina and Belgrade trade blame after ethnic Albanian mayors were elected in ethnic Serb areas.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>AI: War crimes evidence erased by social media platforms</strong> - Footage of potential human rights abuses may be lost after platforms delete it, the BBC has found.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Woman who accused Biden of sexual assault seeks Russian citizenship</strong> - Tara Reade accused President Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, an allegation he denies.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>US carpenter helps rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral</strong> - Peter Henrikson uses medieval techniques to create the new roof for the fire-ravaged structure.</p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The “death of self-driving cars” has been greatly exaggerated</strong> - GM’s Cruise aims to turn self-driving into a billion-dollar business. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1943180">link</a></p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>6 monitor and TV innovations remind us that trade shows still exist</strong> - Provocative tech with real potential to impact future display products. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1943095">link</a></p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Researchers tell owners to “assume compromise” of unpatched Zyxel firewalls</strong> - Poor patching hygiene is fueling a flurry of “downstream attacks” on other targets. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1943400">link</a></p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>AI-expanded album cover artworks go viral thanks to Photoshop’s Generative Fill</strong> - Generative Fill uses AI to dream up larger versions of famous artwork. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1943319">link</a></p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Reddit’s API pricing results in shocking $20 million-a-year bill for Apollo</strong> - Apollo developer says pricing isn’t “remotely reasonable.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1943325">link</a></p></li>
|
|||
|
|
</ul>
|
|||
|
|
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
|
|||
|
|
<ul>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Interviewer: Would you mind explaining this 4-year gap on your resume?</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
|||
|
|
<div class="md">
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Me: I went to Yale during this time period.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Interviewer: Wow, excellent! You’re hired!
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Me: Thank you! I really needed this yob!
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
</div>
|
|||
|
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Cal_Aesthetics_Club"> /u/Cal_Aesthetics_Club </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13x9vdo/interviewer_would_you_mind_explaining_this_4year/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13x9vdo/interviewer_would_you_mind_explaining_this_4year/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An old man walks into a bar….</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
|||
|
|
<div class="md">
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
He sees a sign that says,
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
"Cheese Sandwich: $1.50;
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Chicken Sandwich: $2.50;
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Hand Job: $10.00."
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Checking his wallet for the cash, he walks up to the bar and beckons to a gorgeous blonde serving drinks to an eager-looking group of men.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“Yes?” she inquires with a knowing smile, “Can I help you?”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“I was wondering,” whispers the man, “Are you the one who gives the hand jobs?”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“Yes,” she says seductively, “I am.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
The man replies, “Well, wash your damn hands, I want a cheese sandwich”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
</div>
|
|||
|
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Ankit1000"> /u/Ankit1000 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13x6ifq/an_old_man_walks_into_a_bar/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13x6ifq/an_old_man_walks_into_a_bar/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A cowboy walks into the bar, only to find it’s empty.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
|||
|
|
<div class="md">
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
Only the bartended, polishing a glass, is behind the bar.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“Where’s everyone at?” Asks the cowpoke.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“At the hangin’.” Bartender says.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“Hangin’?!” The cowboy asks. “Hadn’t heard. Who are they stringing up?”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“The Brown Paper Kid.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“The Brown Paper Kid?”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“That’s right. Wears brown paper pants, brown paper vest, even a brown paper hat.” Bartender nods looking at the glass.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“Damn. Never heard of him. What’s they get him for?” Asks the cowboy.
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
|||
|
|
“Rustling.”
|
|||
|
|
</p>
|
|||
|
|
</div>
|
|||
|
|
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
|||
|
|
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/jonnyprophet"> /u/jonnyprophet </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13x4c9s/a_cowboy_walks_into_the_bar_only_to_find_its_empty/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13x4c9s/a_cowboy_walks_into_the_bar_only_to_find_its_empty/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
|||
|
|
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A woman Walks Into A Butchery Just Before Closing and Asks, “Do You Still Have Chicken?”</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
|||
|
|
<div class="md">
|
|||
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The Butcher Opens His Deep Freezer, Takes Out The Only Chicken Left and Puts It On The Scale, And It Weighed 1.5 kg.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The Woman Looks At The Chicken and At The Scale And Asked, “Do You Have One That’s a Bit Bigger Than This One?”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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The Butcher Puts His Only Chicken Back Into The Freezer, and Then Takes It Out Again, But This Time When He Puts It On The Scale; He Craftily Keeps His Thumb on The Scale Pan And The Scale Now Showed 2 kg
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“That’s Wonderful,” Said The Woman. “I’ll Take both Chickens, please!”
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</p>
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</div>
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<!-- SC_ON -->
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Glass_Pension4599"> /u/Glass_Pension4599 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13wvjc1/a_woman_walks_into_a_butchery_just_before_closing/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13wvjc1/a_woman_walks_into_a_butchery_just_before_closing/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An Irishman is diagnosed with incurable cancer.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
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<div class="md">
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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An Irishman named O’Malley went to his doctor after a long illness. The doctor, after a lengthy examination, sighed and looked O’Malley in the eye and said, “I’ve some bad news for you. You have cancer, and it can’t be cured, you’d best put your affairs in order.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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O’Malley was shocked and saddened; but of solid character, he managed to compose himself and walk from the doctor’s office into the waiting room. To his son who had been waiting, O’Malley said, “Well son. We Irish celebrate when things are good, and we celebrate when things don’t go so well. In this case, things aren’t so well. I have cancer. Let’s head for the pub and have a few pints.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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After 3 or 4 pints, the two were feeling a little less somber. There were some laughs and more beers. They were eventually approached by some of O’Malley’s old friends who asked what the two were celebrating.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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O’Malley told them that the Irish celebrate the good and the bad. He went on to tell them that they were drinking to his impending end. He told his friends, “I have been diagnosed with AIDS.”
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
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The friends gave O’Malley their condolences, and they had a couple more beers. After his friends left, O’Malley’s son whispered his confusion.
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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“Dad, I thought you said that you were dying from cancer? You just told your friends that you were dying from AIDS!”
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</p>
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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O’Malley said, " I don’t want any of them sleeping with your mother after I’m gone."
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</p>
|
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</div>
|
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<!-- SC_ON -->
|
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/OvidPerl"> /u/OvidPerl </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13xdh0n/an_irishman_is_diagnosed_with_incurable_cancer/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/13xdh0n/an_irishman_is_diagnosed_with_incurable_cancer/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
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</ul>
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