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Published by AFP A Greenpeace USA study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021, only 2.4 million tons was recycled, around five percent Washington (AFP) – Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as “fiction.” Titled “Circular Claims Fall Flat Again,” the study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021, only 2.4 million tons were recycled, or around five percent. After peaking in 2014 at 10 percent, the trend has been decreasing, especially since China stopped accepting the West’s plastic waste in 2018. Virgin production — of non-recycled plastic, that is — meanwhile is rapidly rising as the petrochemical industry expands, lowering costs. “Industry groups and big corporations have been pushing for recycling as a solution,” Greenpeace USA campaigner Lisa Ramsden told AFP. “By doing that, they have shirked all responsibility” for ensuring that recycling actually works, she added. She named Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Nestle as prime offenders. According to Greenpeace USA’s survey, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the nation’s 375 material recovery facilities. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used in water and soda bottles; and the second is high density polyethylene (HDPE), seen in milk jugs, shampoo bottles and cleaning product containers. These are numbered “1” and “2” according to a standardized system in which there are seven plastic types. But being recyclable in theory doesn’t mean products are being recycled in practice. The report found that PET and HDPE products had actual reprocessing rates of 20.9 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively — both down slightly from Greenpeace USA’s last survey in 2020. Plastic types “3” through “7” — including children’s toys, plastic bags, produce wrappings, yogurt and margarine tubs, coffee cups and to-go food containers — were reprocessed at rates of less than five percent. Despite often carrying the recycling symbol on their labels, products that use plastic types “3” through “7” fail to meet the Federal Trade Commission classification of recyclable. This is because recycling facilities for these types aren’t available to a “substantial majority” of the population, defined as 60 percent, and because the collected products are not being used in the manufacturing or assembly of new items. According to the report, there were five main reasons why plastic recycling is a “failed concept.” Economically unfeasible First, plastic waste is generated in vast quantities and is extremely difficult to collect — as becomes clear during what the report called ineffective “volunteer cleanup stunts” funded by nonprofits such as “Keep America Beautiful.” Second, even if it were all collected, mixed plastic waste cannot be recycled together, and it would be “functionally impossible to sort the trillions of pieces of consumer plastic waste produced each year,” the report said. Third, the recycling process itself is environmentally harmful, exposing workers to toxic chemicals and itself generating microplastics. Fourth, recycled plastic carries toxicity risks through contamination with other plastic types in collection bins, preventing it from becoming food-grade material again. Fifth and finally, the process of recycling is prohibitively expensive. “New plastic directly competes with recycled plastic, and it’s far cheaper to produce and of higher quality,” said the report. Ramsden called on corporations to support a Global Plastics Treaty, which United Nations members agreed to create in February, and move toward refill and reuse strategies. “This isn’t actually a new concept — it’s how the milkman used to be, it’s how Coca-Cola used to get its beverages to people. They would drink their beverage, give the glass bottle back, and it would be sanitized and reused,” she said. Some countries are leading the way, including India, which recently banned 19 single-use plastic items. Austria has set reuse targets of 25 percent by 2025 and at least 30 percent by 2030 for beverage packaging, while Portugal has also set the 30 percent by 2030 goal. Chile is moving to phase out single-use cutlery and mandating refillable bottles. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Mary Lambert has married Wyatt Paige Hermansen. The 33-year-old singer has been in a relationship with professor Wyatt since 2018 and the pair tied the knot on Saturday (22.10.22) in an outdoor ceremony held at Enchanted Gables in Maine, redubbing themselves as the “bride and broom”. Mary said: “It feels like the perfect mix of, ‘We’re on a farm but we’re also in our nice shoes. We didn’t want it to look like anybody else’s wedding. We really want it to be us. We wanted to be the wedding that people look at and say, ‘I want to do that. “We were trying to find other couples like us in bridal magazines and I just didn’t see it. I know they’re out there, but it has felt a little constricting, a lot of the gender dynamics. Even myself — as a fat bride, to be like, ‘Oh, am I supposed to be losing weight right now?’ when I am very content with my body size. So there’s a lot of things we’ve been pushing against, and one of those was our wedding party.” The ‘She Keeps Me Warm’ songstress also hosts ‘The Manic Episodes’ podcast with her significant other and Wyatt added that the outdoor logistics of the ceremony were “important” because they are both creative people. In the joint interview, Wyatt told PEOPLE: “With both of us being writers, and obviously Mary being an artist and a poet and someone who expresses herself creatively, it was really important for us to have room to say our own vows.” Mary first unveiled the news that the pair were set to marry earlier this year, noting that she had “dreamt” of the happy moment for all of her life. She wrote on Instagram: “I’ve dreamt of this moment my whole life. We’re gonna get married in front of god and everybody!!!!! I love you Wyatt Paige Hermansen.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax (Reuters) – Challenges to election results are not new in the United States. But former President Donald Trump and his allies took things to an extreme in 2020, falsely alleging widespread voter fraud and claiming the presidential contest was stolen. This year, Trump-aligned candidates such as Kari Lake, the Republican nominee for governor in Arizona, and Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, refuse to say whether they will accept the results of November’s midterm elections, citing the same conspiracy theories about 2020. That has raised fears among election experts that 2022 will see a wave of baseless rejections of vote tallies. Here’s how challenges to November’s elections could play out: RECOUNTS Vote recounts are relatively common in the United States, particularly in local elections where results can often be close, but they rarely alter the outcome, according to one study. In 22 states and Washington, D.C., a recount is automatically triggered if the margin of victory is sufficiently narrow, often 0.5%, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 41 states and Washington, a candidate or voter can request a recount, though some require the vote totals to be within a certain margin. A handful of states do not allow a recount by law; a candidate’s only remedy is to file a lawsuit asking a court to order one. A study by Fair Vote, a nonpartisan group, in 2019 found there had been 31 statewide recounts between 2000 and 2019 out of nearly 6,000 contests, and that just three had changed the outcome. In 2020, Georgia recounted its votes three separate times, confirming President Joe Biden’s statewide victory each time. In Arizona, a Republican-led audit – criticized by experts as methodologically flawed – confirmed Biden’s victory nearly a year after the election. LITIGATION Post-election lawsuits are a frequent occurrence in the United States, often focusing on procedural issues such as whether mail-in ballots were missing information or arrived on time. But in 2020, Trump allies sought to weaponize the court system even when there was little factual basis undergirding their claims. Dozens of courts rejected Trump’s allegations. But the sheer scope of the effort could encourage Trump-aligned candidates to attempt similar litigation in 2022. “Because this election denialism has been embraced by so many candidates running for these top state positions, I think we can expect to see a similar barrage of baseless claims of fraud and misconduct in 2022,” said Bo Dul, senior counsel at the nonpartisan States United Democracy Center. Election experts all emphasized that the court system held firm in 2020; indeed, some of Trump’s lawyers, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have faced professional punishment for their role in advancing false claims. CERTIFICATION Election results are not formal until election officials have certified them, usually weeks after Election Day. Unlike many other Western countries, U.S. election administration is highly decentralized. The process of certification varies from state to state, but local authorities such as county boards or city officials certify their results first before state officials – typically the secretary of state – certify statewide totals. That decentralization, election experts said, is a two-edged sword. There are multiple points where a rogue official could disrupt the process – by refusing to certify results, for instance. But the lack of a central authority also makes it difficult for any single actor to alter the outcome. Then, too, the court system provides a crucial check on malfeasance, the experts said. Earlier this year, New Mexico offered a preview of what could happen in November. Following the primary election, a Republican-controlled county commission refused to certify the results, citing unfounded conspiracy theories about voting machines. The commission relented only after the state Supreme Court ordered them to certify the election at the request of New Mexico’s secretary of state. In Pennsylvania, three counties would not certify the May primary election when they refused to count undated ballots, despite being told to do so by the department of state. In August, a state court ordered them to certify. But litigation over the issue of undated ballots is pending before the state Supreme Court. THE FUTURE Several election experts said they are more concerned about the 2024 election than 2022, given how many Trump-inspired election deniers are running for key positions this year. A Washington Post analysis found more than half of Republican candidates for Congress and key statewide offices have questioned the 2020 results. “I’m going to be very scared in 2024 if we have a bunch of these election deniers elected to office,” said Rachel Orey, associate director of the elections project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Some Republican lawmakers have sought to increase their control of election administration. The Supreme Court is scheduled in December to hear a case in which Republican legislators in North Carolina have asked the justices to prevent state courts from reviewing any election changes made by lawmakers. While that case will not be resolved in time for the 2022 election, civil rights groups warn that a ruling in North Carolina’s favor could theoretically permit state legislatures to throw out presidential results in 2024. Even if attempts to reverse legitimate election results fail once again, experts said the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and growing distrust among voters demonstrate how damaging claims about voter fraud can be to American democracy. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by DPA EU environment ministers take part in a meeting at the European Council headquarters in Brussels. -/European Council/dpa Mobile phones and other electronic devices in the European Union will need to have standardized charging equipment from 2024 under legislation given final approval on Monday. “It will no longer be necessary to buy a different charger every time you purchase a new mobile phone or similar device,” said a statement from the Council of the EU, representing the 27 EU member states. The final approval from EU environment ministers confirms a recent vote in the European Parliament in favour of a universal charger and is considered a formality. Under the agreement, USB-C is to become the standard charging socket in the EU. Among the other electronic devices included in the agreement are tablets, e-readers, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, and portable speakers. The regulation also allows consumers to purchase charging equipment and devices separately from one another. Czech Industry Minister Jozef Síkela said having “a charger that fits multiple devices will save money and time and also helps us reduce electronic waste.” The Czech Republic currently has the rotating six-month EU presidency, putting it in charge of directing the bloc’s policy agenda. The new rule comes after pushing for companies to make charging equipment for mobile phones and other portable devices more uniform since 2014 with original proposals dating as far back as 2009. The agreement comes despite industry resistance. Apple in particular, has criticized the regulations as hampering innovation. The US technology giant argued the move could cause many existing products to be needlessly thrown away. The European Commission however estimates disposed chargers generate 11,000 tons of e-waste every year. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joseph Ax (Reuters) – A former Minneapolis police officer charged in connection with the murder of George Floyd pleaded guilty on Monday as his trial was about to begin, a court spokesperson confirmed. J. Alexander Kueng, who pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter in state court, was one of three officers who did not intervene while Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes in May 2020, killing him. Kueng and Thomas Lane helped Chauvin restrain Floyd, an unarmed Black man, while another officer, Tou Thao, kept bystanders from approaching the scene. All three were previously convicted in federal court of depriving Floyd of his civil rights and sentenced in July to between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 years in prison. Chauvin was convicted of murder in a state trial and sentenced to 22-1/2 years; he also pleaded guilty to related federal charges and is serving a federal sentence of 21 years concurrently. Floyd’s death sparked months of nationwide protests over police brutality. Kueng’s plea agreement includes a sentence of 3-1/2 years that will be served concurrently with his federal sentence, according to Matt Lehman, a spokesperson for Hennepin County District Court. Lane accepted a similar plea deal in May. Kueng’s defense attorney and the Minnesota attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting the case, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Thao, who rejected a comparable agreement in August, decided on Monday to waive his right to a jury trial, according to the Star Tribune newspaper. Instead, Thao agreed to have a state judge determine his guilt based on evidence submitted jointly by prosecutors and the defense, the newspaper reported. (Reporting by Joseph Ax; editing by Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by AFP The Trump Organization, run for years by former US president Donald Trump and three of his adult children, is facing multiple New York lawsuits related to its financial reporting New York (AFP) – The trial of Donald Trump’s family business on fraud and tax evasion charges began in New York on Monday, with the former US president immediately dismissing as it as a political stunt. Manhattan prosecutors have charged the Trump Organization, currently run by Trump’s two adult sons, Donald Jr and Eric Trump, with hiding compensation it paid to top executives between 2005 and 2021. Trump, who is not named in the case, slammed the charges as a “witch hunt” by rivals, weeks ahead of congressional elections on November 8. “The highly partisan Democrat Witch Hunt goes on, this time in New York… right during the important Mid-Term Elections, of course,” he said on social media. The company faces potential fines of over $1.5 million if found guilty. US news outlets said Judge Juan Merchan had made media access to the courtroom difficult and had warned the 130 jury candidates that their selection could take a week, so as to filter out any supporters or open opponents of the divisive former Republican president. The trial could last a month and a half, he said. One of the implicated executives, longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg, has already pleaded guilty to 15 counts of tax fraud, and is expected to testify against his former company as part of a plea bargain. A close friend of the Trump family, the 75-year-old Weisselberg admitted he schemed with the company to receive undeclared benefits such as a rent-free apartment in a posh Manhattan neighborhood, luxury cars for him and his wife and private school tuition for his grandchildren. According to his plea deal, Weisselberg has agreed to pay nearly $2 million in fines and penalties and complete a five-month prison sentence in exchange for testimony during the trial, for which jury selection began Monday. “This plea agreement directly implicates the Trump Organization in a wide range of criminal activity and requires Weisselberg to provide invaluable testimony in the upcoming trial against the corporation,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in August. Weisselberg has so far refused to give testimony directly implicating the former president in the scheme. Multiple legal cases Two subsidiaries of the Trump family’s sprawling real estate, golf and hospitality business are targeted by the suits. While Donald Trump is not named in this case, he is facing charges along with three of his eldest children in a civil investigation led by New York’s attorney general, Leticia James. James, a Democrat, has accused the family of purposefully inflating and deflating the value of their properties to avoid tax liabilities and to get more favorable loan and insurance deals. Her office is seeking $250 million in fines against the former president, and that his family be barred from conducting business in the state. The suit also calls for three of Trump’s children — Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka — to be barred from purchasing real estate in New York for five years. The 76-year-old Trump, who has heavily hinted at but not yet announced a 2024 White House run, is also facing legal action on several other fronts. He is at the center of a Justice Department investigation into the handling of highly classified documents, which the FBI seized from his Florida home in a raid, as well as multiple state and federal probes into his involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. The congressional committee investigating the Capitol riot has issued a subpoena requiring him to submit documents by November 4 and give sworn testimony by mid-November. Without confirming that Trump had received the subpoena, his lawyer David Warrington has said his team would “review and analyze” the document and “respond as appropriate to this unprecedented action.” Trump’s compliance would mean testifying under oath. If he refuses, the House of Representatives can hold him in criminal contempt in a vote recommending him for prosecution. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday temporarily blocked a judge’s order requiring Senator Lindsey Graham to testify to a grand jury in Georgia in a criminal investigation into whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies unlawfully tried to overturn 2020 election results in the state. Thomas put the case on hold pending further action either from the justice or the full Supreme Court on a request by Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and Trump ally, to halt the order for testimony. Graham filed the emergency application to the Supreme Court on Friday after a federal appeals court denied his request to block the questioning. Thomas acted in the case because he is designated by the court to handle emergency requests from a region that includes Georgia. Graham has argued that his position as a senator provides him immunity under the U.S. Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause from having to answer questions related to his actions as part of the legislative process. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has subpoenaed Graham to answer questions about phone calls he made to a senior Georgia election official in the weeks after the November 2020 election. Atlanta-based U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May last month narrowed the scope of questions that Graham must answer from the grand jury, ruling that he is protected from having to discuss “investigatory fact-finding” that he was engaged in during his calls to state election officials. However, May said he may be questioned about alleged efforts to encourage officials to throw out ballots or alleged communication with the Trump campaign. May rejected Graham’s bid to avoid testifying altogether. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday declined to block Graham’s testimony pending an appeal. Graham is not a target in the investigation but his testimony could shed further light on coordination among Trump allies to reverse the election results. The senator’s lawyers said in his application that the testimony would “undisputedly center on Senator Graham’s official acts – phone calls he made in the course of his official work, in the leadup to the critical vote under the Electoral Count Act.” Trump continues to appear at rallies repeating his false claims that the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. The investigation was launched after Trump was recorded in a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the state’s election results based on unfounded claims of voter fraud. During the phone call, Trump urged Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, to “find” enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss to Biden. The transcript of the call quotes Trump telling Raffensperger: “I just want to find 11,780 votes,” which is the number Trump needed to win Georgia. Trump has denied wrongdoing in the phone call. Legal experts have said Trump’s phone calls may have violated at least three state election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties. (Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Meghan Trainor’s health “couldn’t keep up” with her rise to stardom. The 28-year-old singer shot to international fame in 2014, following the release of her debut single ‘All About That Bass’ – but Meghan initially struggled to deal with the pressures of being a pop star. She shared: “My health couldn’t keep up. I got bronchitis all the time. I was so sick and didn’t know how to take care of myself.” The single proved to be a global success, selling more than 11 million copies worldwide. However, it also attracted some criticism, amid suggestions that it shamed naturally skinny people. Reflecting on the controversy, Meghan told CNN: “I was so naive of what was happening [with that]. I was so sure of every door will finally open. I finally worked hard enough that now everyone will want to work with me and it would be easy now.” Meanwhile, Meghan recently revealed that she felt “super lost” after giving birth to her baby boy. The chart-topping pop star – who has Riley, 20 months, with her husband Daryl Sabara – admitted to struggling after giving birth to her son via C-section. The singer – whose new album is called ‘Takin’ It Back’ – shared: “The first song I wrote after giving birth … I mean, after having a C-section with my stretch marks, I was feeling extra, like, not loving myself. “I was heavier than I’ve ever been and I was just super lost. The first song I wrote is called ‘Remind Me’ and it’s about how my husband reminds me who I once was and then how beautiful he thinks I am and I see a lot of that in this album.” View the full article

Published by AFP Children play a video game called League of Legends in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; a large new US study published in JAMA Network Open indicates there may be cognitive benefits associated with video gaming Washington (AFP) – Parents often worry about the harmful impacts of video games on their children, from mental health and social problems to missing out on exercise. But a large new US study published in JAMA Network Open on Monday indicates there may also be cognitive benefits associated with the popular pastime. Lead author Bader Chaarani, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont, told AFP he was naturally drawn to the topic as a keen gamer himself with expertise in neuroimagery. Prior research had focused on detrimental effects, linking gaming with depression and increased aggression. These studies were however limited by their relatively small number of participants, particularly those involving brain imaging, said Charaani. For the new research, Chaarani and colleagues analyzed data from the large and ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health. They looked at survey answers, cognitive test results, and brain images from around 2,000 nine- and ten-year-olds, who were separated into two groups: those who never played games, and those who played for three hours or more a day. This threshold was chosen as it exceeds the American Academy of Pediatrics screen time guidelines of one or two hours of video games for older children. Impulses and memory Each group was assessed in two tasks. The first involved seeing arrows pointing left or right, with the children asked to press left or right as fast as they could. They were also told to not press anything if they saw a “stop” signal, to measure how well they could control their impulses. In the second task, they were shown people’s faces, and then asked if a subsequent picture shown later on matched or not, in a test of their working memory. After using statistical methods to control for variables that could skew results, such as parental income, IQ, and mental health symptoms, the team found the video gamers performed consistently better on both tasks. As they performed the tasks, the children’s brains were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Video gamers’ brains showed more activity in regions associated with attention and memory. “The results raise the intriguing possibility that video gaming may provide a cognitive training experience with measurable neurocognitive effects,” the authors concluded in their paper. Right now it’s not possible to know whether better cognitive performance drives more gaming, or is its result, said Chaarani. The team hope to get a more clear answer as the study continues and they look again at the same children at older ages. This will also help exclude other potential factors at play such as the children’s home environment, exercise and sleep quality. Future studies could also benefit from knowing what genres of games the children were playing — though at age 10 children tend to favor action games like Fortnite or Assassin’s Creed. “Of course, excessive use of screen time is bad for overall mental health and physical activity,” said Chaarani. But he said the results showed video games might be a better use of screen time than watching videos on YouTube, which has no discernible cognitive effects. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -A Los Angeles prosecutor told jurors on Monday that they will hear from eight women who say Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted them during his time as one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood. The man who became the face of #MeToo allegations five years ago is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence for sex crimes in New York. In Los Angeles, Weinstein is on trial on 11 charges of rape and sexual assault. He has pleaded not guilty. At the start of opening statements, Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson offered graphic details and quotes from women who said Weinstein invited them to hotel rooms for purported business meetings between 1991 and 2015. “He was trying to keep his penis in my mouth,” Thompson quoted one as saying. He quoted another as saying Weinstein undressed her and fondled her breast while masturbating. Weinstein, seated in the courtroom in a dark suit and tie, occasionally shook his head while Thompson spoke. Alleged incidents involving four of the women are the basis of the charges against Weinstein. The other four women, who had encounters with Weinstein outside of Los Angeles, will be presented by prosecutors to try to establish a pattern of behavior. One of Weinstein’s accusers is Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. She will testify that Weinstein raped her in 2005 when she was trying to build a career as an actor, Thompson said. None of the women spoke publicly at the time, Thompson said, because they worried Weinstein “could crush their careers.” He showed the jury movie posters of “Pulp Fiction,” “Shakespeare in Love” and other Weinstein productions. “At this time, this was the most powerful person in the industry,” Thompson quoted one of the women as saying. Another said: “He was king.” All of the women did tell friends or family members about their experiences, Thompson said. Weinstein, 70, was convicted of sexual misconduct in New York in February 2020. Allegations against him helped fuel the #MeToo movement of women speaking out about harassment and abuse by men in Hollywood and beyond. Weinstein was extradited from New York to a Los Angeles prison in July 2021. In New York, Weinstein is appealing his conviction and 23-year prison sentence. He could face up to 140 years in prison if convicted on all of the charges in Los Angeles. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler) View the full article

Published by AFP US Attorney General Merrick Garland accuses Beijing of trying to Washington (AFP) – Top US justice officials accused the Chinese government Monday of an unrelenting campaign by intelligence operatives to subvert the American justice system and steal commercial secrets. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray detailed three separate cases in which Beijing’s spies allegedly harassed dissidents inside the United States, tried to interfere in the prosecution of a Chinese telecoms giant understood to be Huawei, and pressured US academics to work for them. Thirteen Chinese nationals who allegedly worked for Beijing’s spy agencies have been indicted in the cases and two of them have been arrested. The cases showed that China “sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights,” said Garland. “The Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by any foreign power to undermine the rule of law upon which our democracy is based,” the top US law enforcement officer said. Garland, Wray, and other top justice officials spoke about the cases in a press conference in Washington one day after Xi Jinping secured a historic third term as China’s leader. US officials have tied Xi to what they see is a growing effort by Chinese intelligence agencies over the past decade to steal US intellectual property and to crack down on Chinese political dissidents in the United States. Asked whether the announcements Monday were timed to Xi’s confirmation as the Chinese Communist Party’s all-powerful general secretary on Sunday, Wray avoided any specific link. “We bring cases when they’re ready. And that’s probably the simplest answer and most straightforward answer to that, as far as what signal they send,” the FBI chief said. “If the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party, continues to violate our laws, they are going to keep encountering the FBI,” he said. Huawei case interference In a case cited Monday but unveiled last week, seven Chinese nationals allegedly tried to force a US resident to go back to China. Two people were arrested, but five others — all allegedly employees of Chinese intelligence agencies — remain at large, likely in China. In the second case, two Chinese intelligence officials working from China tried to recruit a US government employee to provide them inside information on the Justice Department’s prosecution of Huawei. In 2019 Huawei was charged with a systematic campaign to steal US trade secrets, sanctions evasion and other counts. The two agents believed they had recruited a US government official to work for them and paid the person $61,000 worth of bitcoin to supply internal documents related to the case against Huawei. But the informant was in fact a double agent who worked with the FBI on the case. The third case involved Chinese intelligence operatives who worked for the Ministry of State Security posing as academics to recruit operatives in the United States. From 2008 to at least 2018, they targeted professors, former security officials and others with access to sensitive information and technology for recruitment. “In all three of these cases, and frankly, in thousands of others, we found the Chinese government threatening established democratic norms and the rule of law as they work to undermine US economic security and fundamental human rights,” said Wray. The US Justice Department has announced at least a half-dozen similar cases against alleged Chinese intelligence officers so far this year. Wray said the threat is constant, and that the FBI opens a Chinese counterintelligence investigation “about every 12 hours.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Kardashian has publicly condemned Kanye West’s anti-Semitic comments. The 42-year-old star has taken to social media to voice her support for the Jewish community after Kanye recently posted anti-Semitic messages online. Kim – who has North, nine, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, three, with the rap star – said on Twitter: “Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.” Despite this, Kim didn’t actually mention her ex-husband by name. Her comments also came days after singer Boy George questioned why Kim hadn’t condemned Kanye’s controversial remarks. The chart-topping pop star said at the time: “I’m appalled that Kim Kardashian hasn’t come out and added her voice to this debate because this woman has children with Kanye, so she must understand as a mother what it feels like for little Jewish children to hear these f****** comments, how demoralising and terrifying it must be.” Meanwhile, the talent agency CAA has cut ties with Kanye following his recent comments. The ‘Stronger’ hitmaker has been a client of CAA since 2016 – but the agency decided to end its relationship with Kanye in light of the controversy. Elsewhere, MRC – the production company that was set to distribute Kanye’s documentary – has also confirmed that it will no longer work with the rap star. The company said in a statement: “We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform. “The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or anti-Semitism in general is dismaying but not surprising. What is new and sad, is the fear Jews have about speaking out in their own defence.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Henry Cavill is set to return as Superman. The 39-year-old actor has taken to social media to confirm that he’ll return soon as the iconic superhero. Henry – who appears as Superman in an un-credited cameo in ‘Black Adam’ – said in an Instagram video: “Hey everyone, I wanted to wait until the weekend was over before posting this, because I wanted to give you call the chance to watch ‘Black Adam’. But now that plenty of you have, I wanted to make it official – I am back as Superman and the image you see in this post and what you saw in ‘Black Adam’ are a very small taste of what’s to come.” Henry also thanked fans for their patience, promising them they will be “rewarded” when he returns as Superman. He said in the video: “I wanted to thank you guys for your support and for your patience. I promise it will be rewarded.” Henry captioned the Instagram post: “A very small taste of what’s to come, my friends. The dawn of hope renewed. Thank you for your patience, it will be rewarded. #Superman (sic)” Meanwhile, ‘Black Adam’ producer Hiram Garcia recently insisted that Superman will form an important part of the franchise moving forwards. Hiram suggested that Henry will continue to star alongside Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in future movies. The producer explained: “It’s never been about a one-off or just about a fight. “We really want to craft a long-form of storytelling and show that these two characters exist in the same universe and are going to have to deal with each other often, either on the same or opposite sides. Hopefully they’re going to clash at some point, but it’s not just about a ‘one fight’ situation.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online mega The United States House Select Committee voted to officially subpoena former President Donald Trump in relation to their investigation into the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol. Trump has until Friday, November 4, to provide the committee the necessary documents, and he is expected to sit for deposition 10 days later. However, Nancy Pelosi revealed she doesn’t believe that the embattled politician will agree to show up to testify unless it is a public hearing. mega “I don’t think he is man enough to show up,” the 82-year-old revealed on MSNBC’s The Sunday Show. “I don’t think that his lawyers will want him to show up, because he has to testify under oath. But I don’t think he is man enough, we will see if he is man enough to show up.” She also noted that if Trump refuses to comply with the subpoena, it will serve as a sign that he believes he is “above the law.” mega “Whatever they decide will also send a message about his respect,” the House Speaker explained. “It’s an oath we take to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. That is a serious oath that we all take. Clearly, the rest of us had more respect for the office he held, then he had.” Although it is unclear whether or not Trump will show up to give his testimony, there have already been consequences for those who have refused. The controversial businessman’s former advisor Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison for “contempt of Congress” after he failed to comply with a subpoena. mega Rep. Bennie Thompson and Rep. Liz Cheney are set to question Trump under oath on Monday, November 14. “In short, you were at the center of the first and only effort by any U.S. president to overturn an election and obstruct the peaceful transition of power, ultimately culminating in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and on congress itself,” both representatives wrote in a letter. They continued, “The evidence demonstrates that you knew this activity was illegal and unconstitutional, and also knew that your assertions were fraud and false.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Madonna says she “paved the way” for other female celebrities by being open about her sexuality. The 64-year-old pop icon has recalled how she was vilified for her hyper-sexual persona as she marked the 30th anniversary of the release of her ‘S.E.X.’ photo book, which sparked outrage for its explicit content, but claims that it inspired female stars such as Cardi B and Kim Kardashian to express their sexuality. In a message shared on her Instagram Story on Saturday (22.10.22), Madonna wrote: “30 years ago I published a book called S.E.X. in addition to photos of me naked there were photos of Men kissing Men, Woman kissing Woman and Me kissing everyone.” The Queen of Pop continued: “I also wrote about my sexual fantasies and shared my point of view about sexuality in an ironic way. “I spent the next few years being interviewed by narrow minded people who tried to shame me for empowering myself as a Woman. I was called a w****, a witch, a heretic and the devil.” Madonna then reflected on how attitudes have changed towards the issue in the three decades since. She wrote: “Now Cardi B can sing about her WAP. Kim Kardashian can grace the cover of any magazine with her naked a** and Miley Cyrus can come in like a wrecking ball. “You’re welcome b******.” Meanwhile, the ‘Like a Virgin’ hitmaker seemingly came out as gay recently after posting a cryptic video on TikTok. In the clip, Madonna – who has been married to Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie – threw some underwear at a bin along with the caption: “If I miss, I’m Gay!” The pop star failed to hit the target, and the camera then cut back to her as she shrugged and walked away. View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Nearly seven in 10 LGBTQ students reported feeling unsafe at school in 2021 because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, according to new data released this week. Researchers with GLSEN, a national organization that fights to end anti-LGBTQ discrimination in k-12 schools, found an increasingly more hostile environment for LGBTQ students in middle and high schools across the nation. For its 2021 National School Climate Survey, the group spoke with 22,300 students between the ages of 13 and 21 and found that they’ve experienced an alarming incidence of discrimination — including v… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at a press conference after the Fifa Congress at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center (DECC). Infantino has criticized what he called unacceptably low offers for 2023 women’s World Cup broadcast rights. Christian Charisius/dpa FIFA president Gianni Infantino has criticized what he called unacceptably low offers for 2023 women’s World Cup broadcast rights. “A hundred times less (than the men’s World Cup), even more than 100 times in some occasions, this is not acceptable,” the boss of the football governing body told a news conference ahead of Saturday’s group stage draw. Infantino didn’t name the media companies and broadcasters involved but said they know who they are. “We are not going to accept this,” Infantino said about the offers. “We know that the viewing figures for these broadcasters in some big footballing countries for the men’s World Cup or for the Women’s World Cup are actually very similar…meaning their commercial income is very similar for men and for women,” he added. The 2023 women’s World Cup will take place from July 20-August 20 in Australia and New Zealand. Due to the time difference, many games will be played in nighttime hours in key markets such as Europe and the Americas. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Coolidge wants Meghan, Duchess of Sussex to star on The White Lotus. The 61-year-old actress has starred as Tanya McQuoid on the HBO series that follows a group of vacationers at the White Lotus resort chain since 2021 and would “absolutely” love the 41-year-old royal and reported “super-fan” – who was an actress known as Meghan Markle prior to marrying Prince Harry in 2018 – to join her for a guest spot. Asked if she would like to see the Duchess guest-star on the upcoming third season of the show, she said: “I would absolutely [love] to see her! Absolutely! Meghan Markle? Yes, yes come on down!” Meawhile, the ‘Legally Blonde’ actress won an Emmy for her portrayal of the eccentric socialite in ‘The White Lotus’ and admitted she was still “speechless” about her win and teased that her character will have “some more probelms” as the show moves from Hawaii to Italy for season two. She told ExtraTV: “I’m still speechless about [the win]. Tanya was overwhelmed with grief in the first one and couldn’t really handle sort of putting her mother to rest but now I’m in Sicily and I’m there with my new husband but now I have some more problems.” The ‘American Pie’ actress added that for the third season of the show, she would like to shoot it in somewhere like Asia and joked that it should take place where the number of women is outweighed by men. She said: “[For the third season] I think Asia would be incredible. I want to go somewehere where it lis like ten men to every one woman. Where is that?” View the full article

Published by AFP A school board campaign event in Vero Beach, Florida, gets under way inside a church. Vero Beach (United States) (AFP) – A conservative group known as “Moms for Liberty” is triggering a minor earthquake in Florida school board elections, hoping the tremors will ripple across the entire United States. The group demands that often-sleepy school boards wake up and yank “problematic” books from schools, and empower parents to have more say in public education. “I am on the right side of history,” said Jacqueline Rosario, who is seeking re-election to a school board in Indian River County on Florida’s east coast. Rosario warmly welcomed guests to a lounge in this charming seaside resort, speaking to them about a subject that distresses her: the “insane” education that young Americans get in public schools. “Moms for Liberty,” founded only last year in Florida but now claiming 100,000 members in 42 states, offers wholehearted endorsements of school board candidates like Rosario. That support has turned school boards, historically apolitical elected bodies, into real powder kegs dealing with subjects such as gender, sexuality and racism in schools. These days, hot-button culture and social issues ignite passions at the local level, not just the state and national levels. Some heavyweight Republicans, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a possible presidential candidate in 2024, have gotten involved in the humble school board battles. Moms for Liberty publicly endorsed DeSantis, and he in turn endorsed candidates like Jacqueline Rosario. ‘Pornographic’ Rosario has made a personal battle out of one of Moms for Liberty’s obsessions — “inappropriate” books. As she explained the reasons for her anger, Rosario interrupted the interview. “Can I read you a couple of excerpts?” she asked, warning that she might feel “weird” because some material “is so explicit.” The candidate recites a sex scene from Margaret Atwood’s famous novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which also became a hit television series. “That’s disgusting,” Rosario, a former English teacher, said of the work, her voice suddenly stern. She read an excerpt from another book, “Push”, which recounts in graphic detail the rape of a child by her father. “There is absolutely no literary, scientific, political or any other value to this kind of reading, not for children,” Rosario said, adding that she would like such “obscene… pornographic” books to be replaced by others of “higher quality,” including ones offering vocational training. “You’re opening up Pandora’s box for children who are supposed to preserve their innocence,” Rosario said. She stated that she does not want to “ban or burn” such books, but only to get them out of the classroom — a message hammered home by Moms for Liberty. Flags and popcorn Later in the afternoon, Rosario campaigned at a small church in Vero Beach. The audience seemed to be behind her. Between a tray of cheese and a bowl of popcorn, Terri Privett, a 53-year-old who loves former president Donald Trump’s rallies, worries that “the left is indoctrinating our children with things that are just not American.” During the reception, the song “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood played on a loop — interrupted, however, when all attendees stood to pledge allegiance to the flag. Though he is not present, DeSantis’ influence is palpable. At the entrance, a lighted sign calls for people to vote for him to “save Florida.” “Our governor is a champion for parental rights,” said Jennifer Pippin, head of the Indian River County chapter of Moms for Liberty, convinced that he will win re-election. For this crowd, DeSantis’ military background and his image as a family man are strong reasons to like him. On a table festooned with small US flags is a list of candidates running in various local elections who espouse anti-abortion rights views. Flyers call on the citizenry to pull children from public schools. Organizers have also brought two piles of books — around 150 they deem problematic — that Jennifer Pippin said contain scenes of “rape, incest” or even “oral sex.” Colorful post-it notes indicate the pages of the books with the material deemed questionable. Love for DeSantis Moms for Liberty has had a meteoric rise, a sign of the simmering culture wars across the United States. “I think you’re going to see that American politics are going to be changing a lot because of this parent revolution,” said Tiffany Justice, one of the co-founders. She predicts a bright political future for politicians like DeSantis who join up with groups seeking to empower parents over educators. DeSantis won hearts at the first Moms for Liberty national conference, where he gave a speech. Moms for Liberty members “wished Ron DeSantis was their governor,” Justice said. “You could hear them say we can’t wait to vote for him for president of the United States.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ron Masak has died at the age of 86. The actor – who was known for starring as Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger alongside Dame Angela Lansbury on ‘Murder, She Wrote’ – passed away on Thursday (20.10.22) surrounded by his wife Kay Knebes and their six children. In a statement posted to Facebook, daughter Kathryn said: “This is Ron’s daughter and it is with a very heavy and broken heart that on October 20, 2022 our Father Ron Masak passed at the age of 86. He was surrounded by his wife and all six children. Ron was known for his expansive career in the entertainment industry. He was best known as ‘The King of Commercials,’ as well as for his role as Sheriff Mort Metzger on Murder, She Wrote. Ron also spent many years playing an integral role in various charity events for Wounded Warriors, Child Help, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Susan G. Komen Foundation, The Jerry Lewis Telethon, and many more. Most importantly, we will remember him as a husband, a Father, a Papa, a Father in Law, and a great friend. He has touched so many lives and will be greatly missed.” Ron – who passed just one week after his ‘Murder, She Wrote’ co-star Angela died at the age of 96 – was later confirmed to have died of “natural causes” and the family thanked fans for their condolences in a separate statement. The statement read: “Our family is incredibly appreciative of the outpouring of love and prayers for our Dad and for all of us. We are so grateful for all of the kindness and truly feel how special our Dad was to SO many. Because we have received an overwhelming amount of requests asking how people can be of help, we have set up an account to help cover expenses and support our Mom during this difficult time, as she grieves the loss of her loving soulmate. As our Dad always said and signed, “Be Happy Always, in ALL Ways!” View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham asked the Supreme Court on Friday to halt a lower court’s order compelling him to testify to a special grand jury in Georgia investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies attempted to overturn 2020 election results in the state. Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, filed the emergency application after a federal appeals court on Thursday denied his request for protection from testifying. The application would be considered by Justice Clarence Thomas, who handles emergency motions from Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wants Graham to answer questions about phone calls he made to a senior Georgia election official in the weeks after the November 2020 election. Graham has argued that his position as a U.S. senator provides him immunity from having to appear before the grand jury. The appeals court on Thursday said Graham must testify before the grand jury, but he can choose to dispute individual questions. Testimony from Graham, an ally of Trump, could shed further light on Trump allies coordinating to reverse the results. Trump continues to appear at rallies repeating his false claims of fraud in his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. (Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; editing by Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nate Raymond (Reuters) – Liberal Justice Elena Kagan on Friday expressed hope that her colleagues on the conservative-dominated U.S. Supreme Court could get back to finding “common ground,” saying it risked looking political by continuing to overturn legal precedents. Speaking at an event at the University of Pennsylvania, Kagan did not explicitly reference the Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. But Kagan, who dissented from that decision powered by the court’s conservative majority, argued that judges and justices should be “humble” and respect past precedents interpreting laws and rights that people build their lives around. “If you give people a right, and then you take the right away, well, in the meantime they’ve understood their lives in a different kind of way,” Kagan said during a discussion with UPenn President M. Elizabeth Magill. “So law should be stable.” The comments mirrored similar remarks Kagan, one of the court’s three liberals, has made in the months since the abortion decision, in which she has warned the court risked forfeiting its legitimacy in the view of the public. The Supreme Court gained its 6-3 conservative super-majority thanks to three justices named by former Republican President Donald Trump: Neil Gorsuch in 2017, Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and Amy Coney Barrett in 2020. Cases on the court’s docket this term present opportunities for the court’s conservative justices to flex their muscles further by weakening the landmark Voting Rights Act and barring the consideration of race in college admissions. “If you have judges and they come onto a court and they say, we’re sort of overthrowing the apparatus, and we’re overthrowing legal rules, it just starts not to look like law anymore,” Kagan said. That could result in a “tit for tat” situation in the future when other new justices join the court, she said, fueling “jolts to the system” that will make it look “more like a political institution.” “Time will tell whether this is a court that can get back to finding common ground, to ratcheting down the level of decision making so we can reach compromises,” Kagan said. (This story has been refiled to correct typo in the word “muscles” in paragraph 7.) (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to use his veto power to protect women’s rights if Republicans win control of Congress in next month’s midterm elections and pass laws to outlaw abortion nationwide. Biden, asked in an interview with MSNBC what he would do to protect women’s rights should Republicans gain control of the legislature, said: “Veto anything they do.” The Democratic president this week sought to mobilize his left-leaning base by promising to sign a law to codify abortion rights in January if Democrats triumph in next month’s elections. Biden’s Democrats could lose control of the House of Representatives, and possibly the Senate too, in the November vote. The president is trying to rally the party and its supporters around abortion rights, which were sharply curtailed by the Supreme Court’s decision nearly four months ago to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade ruling. If Democrats elect more senators and keep control of the House, Biden said he would sign a law in January to ensure women’s right to abortion across the country. Democrats, who largely support abortion rights, currently have a slim majority in the House and control the 50-50 Senate through Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to cast tie-breaking votes. Republicans largely oppose abortion rights. In order to outlaw abortion, Republicans would have to pass legislation, but it would not become the law of the land unless Biden signed it. “The president has to sign it. I’ll veto it,” he said. The Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade decision that recognized women’s constitutional right to abortion in June, drawing condemnation from Biden and spurring optimism among Democrats that outrage over the decision would drive voters to the polls in November. But high inflation has remained at the top of voters’ minds, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, and just 8% of Americans cited the end of national abortion rights as the issue that will most influence how they vote in November, compared with 27% who cited inflation in a poll conducted Sept. 27 to Oct. 3. (Reporting by Andrea ShalalEditing by Chris Reese and Rosalba O’Brien) View the full article

Published by AFP US President Joe Biden says the economy is improving and Democrats will gain more support from voters in time for the midterm elections Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden on Friday predicted a final-hour shift in favor of the Democrats in the midterm elections, saying that the economy, seen as the party’s weakest issue, is steadily improving. “It’s been back and forth, with them ahead, us ahead, them ahead, back and forth,” Biden told reporters at the White House, three weeks before elections deciding control of Congress. “Polls have been all over the place. I think we’re going to see one more shift back to our side in the closing days,” Biden said. Recent polls show momentum rising on the Republican side, with voters increasingly anxious about high inflation and likely to punish the Democrats on November 8. Biden’s party currently has a razor-thin majority in Congress but Republican leaders say they will block his legislation if they take over the legislature. Biden, however, maintained an upbeat outlook, also telling MSNBC in an interview late Friday that he intends to seek a second term in 2024, despite already being the oldest person ever in his office. He turns 80 next month. “I have not made that formal decision but it’s my intention, my intention to run again, and we have time to make that decision,” Biden told MSNBC. Asked what the first lady, who is widely judged to be a powerful voice behind the scenes in the White House, thinks of him seeking a second term, Biden indicated she was in favor. “Dr Biden, my wife, thinks that we’re doing something very important and that I shouldn’t walk away from it,” he said. ‘Crash’ the economy In fiery remarks predicting that the Republicans would “crash the economy” if they are in charge of Congress, Biden said voters were starting to see “some good news in the economy” and would return to supporting Democrats in time for voting day. Biden listed gradually falling gasoline prices, low unemployment across most of the country, and Friday’s news of “the largest-ever decline in the federal deficit” as examples. The deficit reduction is “further proof that we’re rebuilding the economy in a responsible way,” he said. Republicans, he said, will eliminate the minimum tax rate for big corporations and “double down” on tax cuts for the most wealthy. Referring to former president Donald Trump’s far-right Make America Great Again or MAGA movement, Biden said the Republican economic plan was “mega-MAGA trickle-down” economics — “the kind of policies that have failed the country before and will fail again.” The Republicans quickly shot back, citing Biden’s “flailing dishonesty.” “Republican-led states continue to keep Americans working, children in schools, and small businesses operating, while Biden and Democrats created a recession, historic inflation and high gas prices. This election is about the economy,” Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. In a speech to mostly African American students at Delaware State University in his home state, also Friday, Biden highlighted two recent widely popular measures that the White House says show the president keeping his own election promises. A ruling to forgive $10,000 of university student loans — $20,000 for poorer students — will “make sure you have a shot,” Biden said. Referring to Republican opposition, Biden underlined his populist message, insisting “I will never apologize for helping working and middle class Americans.” The Democrat also touted his decision to pardon thousands of Americans convicted of marijuana possession — a longtime demand of Black rights activists who point out the disproportionate impact of criminalizing possession of cannabis on Black people. “I’m keeping my promise that no one, no one should be in jail for barely using or possessing marijuana,” he said. View the full article

Published by AFP American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, pictured in August 2022, has released her latest album 'Midnights' Los Angeles (AFP) – Taylor Swift’s 10th album “Midnights,” marking a gradual return to pop for the US singer-songwriter, sparked an online fan frenzy following its witching hour release on Friday — and crashed Spotify in the process. Swifties from the United States to France and Britain were forced to wait patiently for hours to get their first earful of Swift’s latest sound on the streaming platform — released at the stroke of midnight. Despite the technical problems, the hugely anticipated work set a record as the most-streamed album in a day, Spotify said. “And before the clock could even strike midnight on October 22nd, Taylor Swift broke the record for most-streamed album in a single day in Spotify history,” the platform said on Twitter. “How did I get this lucky, having you guys out here doing something this mind blowing?!,” the singer tweeted in response. The album’s 13 songs tell “the story of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life,” Swift explained on Twitter. Together, they form “a full picture of the intensities of that mystifying, mad hour.” Once all Spotify issues were resolved — mostly within the hour — enthusiasts discovered melodies set to an electro-pop beat, complete with synths, dubstep-inspired rhythms and a more androgynous side to Swift’s vocals. The 32-year-old, who began her career in country before shifting to pop and becoming a megastar, abandons her more recent indie-folk vein in the new album. The pop sound marks a departure from “Evermore” and “Folklore,” her two previous albums which were written during the pandemic, the latter of which won Album of the Year at the 2021 Grammys. In “Midnights,” which includes the smooth vocals of Lana Del Rey in the duet “Snow on the Beach,” Swift evokes a certain dreamy mystique, complete with nighttime ruminations — her reflections on growing older and the complications of love. For the most part, the midnight album has bewitched critics. It was warmly received by The Guardian which called it a “cool, collected and mature” compendium, “packed with fantastic songs.” One caveat, however, has been its lack of a catchy title song: “It’s hard to spot anything that sounds like a smash hit on Swift’s third muted collection in a row,” The Independent newspaper lamented. True to Swift form, the songstress had a surprise up her sleeves for her loyal fans. She released an extended 20-song version at 3:00 am on the East Coast titled “Midnights (3am Edition).” The seven extra ballads, she said, were “songs we wrote on our journey to find that magic 13.” View the full article