Month: August 2024

Three Taylor Swift concerts were canceled in Austria this week, after authorities foiled planned attacks on the venue.

Three young men are now in custody, and at least two of them recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State — specifically an affiliate group known as ISIS-K.

This isn’t the first time Islamic State-related groups have been tied to attacks in Europe — over 140 people were killed in an attack on a Moscow concert hall earlier this year, and an explosion at an Ariana Grande concert in 2017 killed 22 and injured more than a thousand.

So – what exactly is ISIS-K, and how should we think about their presence in Europe?

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Ever since women began competing in weightlifting in the Olympics, in the year 2000, only one American woman has won a gold medal.

This year, there are hopes that might change.

And many of those hopes rest on the (very strong) shoulders of a 21-year-old college student in Chattanooga, Tenn. named Olivia Reeves.

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Speaker of the House Emerita Nancy Pelosi once told Washington Post Columnist Karen Tumulty quote “Nobody ever gives away power. If you want to achieve that, you go for it. But when you get it, you must use it.”

That was in 2020, and Nancy Pelosi used her power then. She’s still using it. Most recently to influence President Joe Biden’s decision to end his presidential campaign.

First as a volunteer and democratic fundraiser, then as a member of Congress, and finally as the most powerful woman in political history, Nancy Pelosi has spent the better part of four decades amassing power and using it to achieve her legislative goals.

Now she’s put pen to paper about HOW she did that.

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Kamala Harris has tapped Minnesota governor Tim Walz to be her running mate. Democrats hope he can secure Midwestern swing states.

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There are some 43 million refugees in the world, according to the U.N.’s refugee agency.

The 37 of them competing in Paris as the Refugee Olympic Team are fighting for something more than just athletic excellence.

We hear from judoka Muna Dahouk and kayaker Saman Soltani.

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Over the last decade, calls to tax the rich have grown louder around the world — but the needle hasn’t exactly moved.

Now, the Brazilian government has a new proposal: a 2 percent global wealth tax on the uber-rich. It would impact the 3,000 wealthiest people around the world.

Economists say this 2 percent hike would unlock an extra $250 billion per year. That money could go toward addressing a number of issues, like climate change and global poverty.

G20 nations would have to agree on this proposal before it goes anywhere — and so far, that’s not happening. France, Spain, South Africa and several other nations have voiced support, but the U.S. and Germany aren’t on board.

Is a global wealth tax a feasible solution?

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Sport Climbing kicks off at the Olympics in Paris next week.

It’s a strength-to-weight ratio sport. Meaning, aside from your technique or mental game, the lighter you are relative to your strength, the easier it’ll be to get up a wall.

That’s led some climbers to fall into the mindset that losing weight is the path to better performance.

One recent study of 50 elite climbers found that more than a third intentionally lost weight before a competition — primarily by fasting and skipping meals, and occasionally by using laxatives, or vomiting.

The mindset that lighter is better is what led one young climber, Jake Scharfman, to develop an unhealthy relationship with his weight.

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If you’re not entrenched in the world of video games, you might not realize how much real actors have to do with modern gaming.

They provide everything from lines of dialogue, to portraying heroes and villains, to performing stunts – all of this bringing video games characters to life.

Some of the biggest game studios rely on voice and performance capture artists, and all this adds up to big bucks. The video game industry made close to $185 billion last year.

But video game performers whose human performances become computer data, are especially vulnerable to being replaced by generative AI.

Which is why they’re now on strike.

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On Wednesday in Paris, the U.S. women’s water polo team faced off against Italy and proved once again what a dominant force they are in the pool, cruising to a 10-3 win.

For the team’s star goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson, these games have been something of a reunion. She has played professionally on both Greek and Italian teams. Now that she’s in Paris, she’s competing against some of her former teammates.

She’s the first Black woman to play on the U.S. women’s water polo team. She made 80 saves at the Tokyo Olympics alone — more than any other goalkeeper in the women’s and men’s tournaments. She’s considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

So how far will Johnson go in these Olympics?

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In the Middle East, two assassinations in less than 24 hours could transform the region. Israel claimed responsibility for one. It has no comment on the other.

First, an Israeli attack in Lebanon killed a leader of the militant group Hezbollah. Just hours later, the political leader of Hamas was killed in Iran.

The Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was attending the swearing-in for Iran’s new reformist president. Hamas says Haniyeh was killed by a rocket fired into his room at an official residency. Hamas and Iran both blame Israel for the attack.

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke after the two killings, he did not claim responsibility for the attack in Tehran. He did describe the Israeli strike in Beirut as a crushing blow.

In Washington, White House spokesman John Kirby expressed concern the assassinations could result in an escalation of the conflicts already playing out.

Two assassinations in the Middle East have the potential to start a violent chain of retaliations. Will they?

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