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Tired of Dating Apps, Some Turn to Google Docs 2023-08-02 - After going through a breakup last year, Connie Li, a software engineer, rejoined the dating apps, ready to dip her toe in the water again. But many of the men who reached out to her seemed to just want something casual, so she tried something new. Inspired by long, résumé-like dating bios that she had seen others post online, she drafted her own profile. In a Google Docs file longer than this article, Ms. Li, 33, described herself as monogamous, short and prone to wearing colorful outfits. She added that she was undoubtedly a cat in a previous life, “just one of those weirdo bodega ones that like people.” She posted the view-only document, what their creators have come to call a “date-me doc,” on social media, and the responses started rolling in. “There is something kinda dorky about ‘date-me docs’ that reminds me of the early days of the internet,” Ms. Li said, referring to the way people used to meet on AIM, AOL’s now-defunct instant messaging service. “I’m still on the apps, though I’ve pulled back heavily in the last few months since they just don’t seem to be working for me in terms of getting serious matches.”
How ESPN Went From Disney’s Financial Engine to Its Problem 2023-08-02 - ESPN has been Disney’s financial engine for nearly 30 years, powering the company through recessions, box office wipeouts and the pandemic. It was ESPN money that helped Disney pay for acquisitions — Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, 21st Century Fox — and build a streaming service, transforming itself into a colossus and perhaps traditional media’s best hope of surviving Silicon Valley’s incursion into entertainment. Those days, ESPN’s best, are over. With its dual revenue stream — fees from cable subscribers and advertising — the sports juggernaut continues to earn billions of dollars for Disney. In the first six months of the 2023 fiscal year, Disney’s cable networks division, which is anchored by ESPN and its spinoff channels, generated $14 billion in revenue and $3 billion in profit. The problem: Wall Street is fixated on growth. Revenue for those six months was down 6 percent from a year earlier, as profit plunged 29 percent. Disney is now exploring a once-unthinkable sale of a stake in ESPN. Not all of it, Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, has made clear. But he wants “strategic partners that could either help us with distribution or content,” he said during an interview with CNBC last month. Disney has held talks with the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball about taking a minority stake.
Hollywood Writers and Studios to Restart Talks After 3-Month Standoff 2023-08-02 - The major entertainment studios and thousands of striking writers have agreed to meet to restart talks after a three-month standoff, according to the writers guild. The union, the Writers Guild of America, told screenwriters in an email Tuesday night that Carol Lombardini, the studio negotiator, asked for “a meeting this Friday to discuss negotiations.” The guild said it would not comment further. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the organization that bargains on behalf of the studios, also declined to comment. The meeting represents the first sign of movement in a stalemate that began in early May after negotiations between the writers and studios fell apart.
French Journalists Call Off Strike, Failing to Block ‘Far-Right’ Editor 2023-08-02 - Journalists at France’s leading Sunday newspaper announced Tuesday that they were ending one of the longest media strikes in recent French history, but they predicted that dozens might resign to protest the appointment of an editor with a far-right track record as the new editor in chief. The staff of Le Journal du Dimanche, known for its interviews with government leaders and largely centrist policy analysis, said it had decided to call off a 40-day walkout after it became clear that the paper’s soon-to-be new owner, the French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, would not rescind the appointment. Staff members said they had little choice but to work with the new leadership or leave their jobs. The new editor, Geoffroy Lejeune, who formerly led a far-right French magazine that was fined for publishing racist insults, was scheduled to take up his new post on Tuesday. Word of his appointment at The JDD, as the paper is known, had ignited a firestorm in French media and political circles, raising concerns that a major mainstream news outlet could be transformed into a right-wing platform. Before the uproar, about 100 journalists worked at the Paris paper.
'They knew to count on violence': Trump indictment shows willingness to seize power by force 2023-08-02 - Rachel Maddow highlights parts of the second federal indictment of Donald Trump that show Trump and his acolytes accepting the likelihood of violence in the course of seizing power that Trump failed to earn in the 2020 election and willing to use military force against the American people to enforce their will. Aug. 2, 2023
'The most violent smokescreen': Trump indictment casts Jan. 6 violence as Trump tool 2023-08-02 - Alex Wagner remarks on how the federal indictment of Donald Trump for his effort to subvert the outcome of the 2020 election explains the violence of January 6 as part of Trump's arsenal of weapons to try to overturn his election loss. Aug. 2, 2023
Trump's 2020 election indictment is not about politics. It’s about accountability 2023-08-02 - The charges against Donald Trump for his efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 election were finally revealed on Tuesday. It's the culmination of an investigation the former president and his allies have attacked as the weaponization of the Department of Justice. But the very fact of the investigation and indictment establishes just the opposite. If the DOJ was weaponizing its investigative powers for political purposes, surely it would not be giving Trump the fodder to gain media attention and raise enormous sums for his 2024 presidential campaign. This isn’t about politics. It’s about accountability, even if holding Trump accountable actually could help his political campaign. It doesn’t take a political genius to see that the DOJ’s investigations are in some ways entirely against the political interests of Joe Biden. Within 24 hours of Trump’s announcement that the DOJ had sent him a letter informing him that he is a target of special counsel Jack Smith's 2020 election probe, Trump’s campaign had sent an email asking for potential donors to “make a contribution to show that you will NEVER SURRENDER our country to tyranny as the Deep State thugs try to JAIL me for life.” Trump’s joint fundraising committee reported bringing in more than $35 million in the second quarter of 2023 — the quarter during which Trump was indicted by both Smith (in the classified documents case) and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (in the hush money case). This is up almost 100% from the $18.8 million he brought in during the first quarter of the year, and reflected a massive amount of fundraising around the legal cases. It doesn’t take a political genius to see that the DOJ’s investigations are in some ways entirely against the political interests of Joe Biden. And that is one of the commendable things about the investigations and indictments. They are not political. The DOJ does not make prosecutorial decisions based on whether those decisions will benefit the president politically. It makes decisions according to DOJ’s principles of prosecution, which require prosecutors to consider whether “substantial federal interests” support a prosecution and which are designed to ensure the “fair, evenhanded administration of federal criminal laws.” In Smith's 2020 election probe, the federal interest is obvious. As the indictment makes clear, each of the three conspiracies charged — to defraud the United States through dishonesty, fraud, and deceit; to corruptly obstruct the Jan. 6 congressional proceeding at which the Electoral College ballots are counted and certified; and to injure Americans’ right to vote and to have one’s vote counted on Jan. 6 — “targeted a bedrock function of the United States federal government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election.” If federal prosecutors were to fail to seek accountability for those responsible for this assault, they would not be fulfilling their obligations under the DOJ’s principles of prosecution. The effort is spelled out in 45 pages of factual allegations covering the knowingly false claims of election fraud, the scheme to organize fraudulent slates of electors in seven swing states to submit Electoral College ballots for Trump even though he had not won those states, the attempted use of the DOJ to conduct sham election fraud investigations, the effort to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to fraudulently alter the election results, and the exploitation of the violence on Jan. 6 to double down on the false claims of election fraud and attempt to convince members of Congress to further delay certification of the vote. This multi-pronged attempt to overturn the will of the voters was an assault on American democracy as embodied in the U.S. Constitution and U.S. law. If federal prosecutors were to fail to seek accountability for those responsible for this assault, they would not be fulfilling their obligations under the DOJ’s principles of prosecution, and they would be failing the American people whose interests they serve. The fair administration of criminal laws also demands accountability for Trump and others involved at the highest levels in the conspiratorial scheme. Over 1,000 footsoldiers — those who answered Trump’s call to “fight like hell” — have been and are being prosecuted for their role in the effort to prevent the lawful and peaceful transfer of presidential power. Republicans in Michigan are being held accountable for their role in the fake electors scheme. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is finishing up an investigation that will likely seek to hold accountable those who sought to interfere with the election results in Georgia. To fail to investigate and prosecute Trump and those who concocted the fraudulent scheme and sought to capitalize on the Jan. 6 violence would be tantamount to prosecuting only the drug runners and not the kingpin of a nationwide narcotics conspiracy. That is not the fair or evenhanded administration of justice. There’s little doubt that Trump will seek to turn this indictment into another fundraising opportunity with more attacks on Smith and claims of political persecution. Whether his supporters will blindly comply or read the indictment and think for themselves remains to be seen. The indictment should give significant pause to anyone considering giving Trump their vote, much less their money.
'A tremendous vindication': Raskin hails Trump indictment in Jan. 6 'fundamental assault' 2023-08-02 - Rep. Jamie Raskin, who was the lead manager during Donald Trump's second impeachment and a member of the January 6 investigation in Congress, discusses the role of the January 6 Committee's investigation in laying the groundwork for Trump's third indictment and the overall shape of the case against Donald Trump and its political impact. Aug. 2, 2023
Who Tanya Chutkan, the judge in Trump’s election indictment case? 2023-08-02 - As we know from Donald Trump’s classified documents case and Judge Aileen Cannon, which judge gets assigned to preside over a prosecution is both a crapshoot and incredibly important. Trial judges have vast discretion over matters large and small. So what do we know about Tanya Chutkan, the Barack Obama appointee who’s set to oversee Trump’s second federal case, for his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election? U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts via AP For one thing, she has experience with Jan. 6 cases. NBC News’ Ryan Reilly recalled that Chutkan has sentenced defendants in these cases to longer terms than even the government had requested. (Conversely, recall that federal prosecutors are appealing sentences handed down by another federal judge in Washington, Amit Mehta, for being too low in the government’s view.) Chutkan is an experienced jurist, having been on the federal bench since 2014. She was confirmed 95-0. Before that, she worked at large law firms and as a public defender. Some of her judicial experience relates to both Jan. 6 and the former president himself. After Trump left office, Chutkan rejected his attempt to block the release of records from his administration to the House Jan. 6 committee. She memorably wrote that “presidents are not kings, and plaintiff is not president.” The federal appeals court in Washington affirmed her ruling and the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s appeal. In another matter broadly involving Trump, Chutkan handled litigation related to the unprecedented federal execution spree that the Trump administration rushed through at the end of his tenure, before Joe Biden, who ran on an anti-capital punishment platform, took over. She halted executions that the Supreme Court’s GOP majority, which Trump helped create, pushed through before Biden took office.
After Trump's indictment 'more will come' chair of former House January 6th Committee Thompson says 2023-08-02 - Donald Trump’s indictment on charges related to the Jan. 6 conspiracy to overthrow the 2020 election is reacted to by the chair of the former House January 6th Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson. "None of us take any real pleasure in where we are at this point, but I think we all have to understand that as a nation of laws even a president or former president is not above the law,” Rep. Thompson tells Joy Reid.Aug. 2, 2023
Rudy Giuliani confirmed as Co-Conspirator 1 by NBC News in indictment of Trump in Jan. 6 probe 2023-08-02 - Rudy Giuliani is confirmed as Co-Conspirator 1 by NBC News in the indictment of Donald Trump handed down by the grand jury which has charged the former president in connection with the Jan. 6 probe. Co-Conspirator 3 is reportedly named as Sidney Powell NBC News also confirms. Joy Reid and her panel discuss.Aug. 1, 2023
Barbenheimer sparks backlash in Japan over nuclear bomb memes 2023-08-02 - HONG KONG — The summer dominance of “Barbenheimer” has driven millions across the world to see two very different movies and delight in a rare moment of cultural confluence. But in Japan, the light-hearted conflation of the two blockbusters has stirred anger from those who view it as trivializing the deaths of hundreds of thousands in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in 1945. Internet memes and mashups of Barbie’s pink wonderland with nuclear mushroom clouds have been embraced by the official Twitter account for the Barbie movie, which initially responded positively to the mashups. “It’s going to be a summer to remember,” a now-deleted tweet from the account said in response to a mashup poster that showed Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, on the shoulder of Cillian Murphy, who plays Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. “We’re always thinking PINK,” the studio said in another tweet, which was still online as of Tuesday morning, in reply to a poster showing Robbie and Ryan Gosling (Barbie’s Ken) driving the iconic pink car away from a nuclear explosion. Memes about the two films, which were released on the same day in most countries, have been catching on for weeks, but once the official studio account joined in, they enraged fans in Japan, with the hashtags #StopBarbieRelease and #NoBarbenheimer trending as people called for a boycott. Barbie’s Japanese account said Monday that the postings by the main Barbie account, operated by Warner Bros. headquarters, were “extremely regrettable,” urging its American counterparts to take prompt action, in a rare public display of internal corporate division. “Neither this movement nor these activities are officially sanctioned,” it added, referring to the “Barbenheimer” trend. The studio has now apologized. “Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology,” Warner Bros. Film Group told NBC News in a statement. However, the apology may do little to win back Japanese fans. Maki Kimura, 43, who lives in Kanagawa, said in an interview that despite her excitement it was now “impossible” for her to watch “Barbie.” “I loved Barbie so much,” Kimura said. “But we cannot remain silent about the atomic bomb. Even if our favorite people or things want us to change our opinions.” That Barbie is scheduled for release in Japan on Aug. 11, two days after the anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing, only further disappointing fans.
Toddler dies in hot car after grandmother forgets to drop her off at daycare 2023-08-02 - SMITHTOWN, N.Y. — A 14-month-old girl died after her grandmother left her unattended in a hot car in New York for eight hours, police said. The 54-year-old grandmother forgot to drop the toddler off at a daycare center in Smithtown on Long Island on Monday and went to work, leaving the girl in a car seat inside a Jeep Cherokee, Suffolk County police said in a news release. Eight hours later, the grandmother went to pick the girl up at the daycare center and realized she had left her in the car, police said. The child was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The death is under investigation and no criminal charges have been filed. About 40 children die of heatstroke in the United States every year after being left or becoming trapped in a car, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The majority of cases happen when a parent or caregiver forgets that the child is in the car. Monday’s high temperature in Smithtown was 83 degrees Fahrenheit, but temperatures inside a car can reach much higher.
Supermoon puts on a dazzling display across the world 2023-08-02 - The first of two supermoons expected this month put on a dazzling display Tuesday night, with photographers from around the world capturing the lunar spectacle. The full moon appeared bigger and brighter than usual, with the natural satellite coming closer to Earth than typical at just 222,159 miles away, according to The Associated Press.
Iran shuts down for two days due to extreme heat 2023-08-02 - Iran announced a nationwide two-day holiday because of increasing temperatures, state media reported Tuesday. Government spokesperson Ali Bahadori Jahromi said the decision to close governmental offices, banks and schools on Wednesday and Thursday came after the health ministry warned about a possible increase in cases of heat exhaustion because of high temperatures, the official IRNA news agency reported. In recent days, cities and towns in Iran saw temperatures around 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The capital, Tehran, experienced 100.4 F on Tuesday. The metrological office predicted Tehran would see temperatures of 102.2 F over the next three days. Ahvaz, the capital of an oil-rich province in the country’s southwest, experienced 122 F on Tuesday. In 2022, Iran registered its hottest temperature at 127.4 F in Ahvaz. Earth’s hottest day in modern history was likely July 4, when the average global temperature reached 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit. It was mainly blamed on climate change and emerging El Nino pattern. The highest registered air temperature on Earth is 134 F, recorded July 10, 1913, in Death Valley in the United States.
Four Nigerians, rescued in Brazil, survived 14 days on a ship’s rudder 2023-08-02 - On their tenth day at sea, the four Nigerian stowaways crossing the Atlantic in a tiny space above the rudder of a cargo ship ran out of food and drink. They survived another four days, according to their account, by drinking the sea water crashing just meters below them, before being rescued by Brazilian federal police in the southeastern port of Vitoria. Their remarkable, death-defying journey across some 3,500 miles of ocean underlines the risks some migrants are prepared to take for a shot at a better life. “It was a terrible experience for me,” said 38-year-old Thankgod Opemipo Matthew Yeye, one of the four Nigerians, in an interview at a Sao Paulo church shelter. “On board it is not easy. I was shaking, so scared. But I’m here.” Their relief at being rescued soon gave way to surprise. The four men said they had hoped to reach Europe and were shocked to learn they had in fact landed on the other side of the Atlantic, in Brazil. Two of the men have since been returned to Nigeria upon their request, while Yeye and Roman Ebimene Friday, a 35-year-old from Bayelsa state, have applied for asylum in Brazil. “I pray the government of Brazil will have pity on me,” said Friday, who had already attempted to flee Nigeria by ship once before but was arrested by authorities there. Nigerian refugees Thankgod Matthew, left, and Roman Ebimene in Sao Paulo on July 26, 2023 after being rescued from a ship rudder on the Brazilian coast. Reuters via Redux Both men said economic hardship, political instability and crime had left them with little option but to abandon their native Nigeria. Africa’s most populous country has longstanding issues of violence and poverty, and kidnappings are endemic. Yeye, a pentecostal minister from Lagos state, said his peanut and palm oil farm was destroyed by floods this year, leaving him and his family homeless. He hopes they can now join him in Brazil. Friday said his journey to Brazil began on June 27, when a fisherman friend rowed him up to the stern of the Liberian-flagged Ken Wave, docked in Lagos, and left him by the rudder. To his surprise, he found three men already there, waiting for the ship to depart. Friday said he was terrified. He had never met his new shipmates and feared they could toss him into the sea at any moment. Once the ship was moving, Friday said the four men made every effort not to be discovered by the ship’s crew, who they also worried might offer them a watery grave. “Maybe if they catch you they will throw you in the water,” he said. “So we taught ourselves never to make a noise.” Spending two weeks within spitting distance of the Atlantic Ocean was perilous. To prevent themselves from falling into the water, Friday said the men rigged up a net around the rudder and tied themselves to it with a rope. When he looked down, he said he could see “big fish like whales and sharks.” Due to the cramped conditions and the noise of the engine, sleep was rare and risky. “I was very happy when we got rescued,” he said. Father Paolo Parise, a priest at the Sao Paulo shelter, said he had come across other cases of stowaways, but never one so dangerous. Their journey paid testament to lengths people will go in search of a new start, he said. “People do unimaginable and deeply dangerous things.”
Twitter users can now hide their verified checkmarks, if they want to 2023-08-02 - Users on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, can now hide the once sought-after blue checkmarks signaling their verified status. In an update to its help center, X says subscribers can now "choose to hide your checkmark on your account." Doing so will hide the verified checkmark on a user’s profile and posts, but the icon may still appear in some places, according to the help center. “Some features may not be available while your checkmark is hidden,” the help center also states, though it does not expand on which features may be inaccessible. “We will continue to evolve this feature to make it better for you," it states. The development comes months after X rolled out its paid subscription program, Twitter Blue, which has now been rebranded to X Blue. Users of the subscription service, which starts at $8 a month, receive a blue checkmark after a review to ensure their account meets X's eligibility criteria, according to X's help center. Government accounts have been given gray checkmarks to show that they have been verified, while businesses and non-profits can pay for a subscription service that will grant them gold checkmarks, representing their verified status. Verification was previously provided by the platform at zero cost to accounts it considered noteworthy, including government accounts, news organizations, journalists and celebrities. Now, those who may want to hide the fact that they are paying for a subscription to X will be able to do so. Last month, the social media platform temporarily limited the number of tweets users can read in a day to 1,000. New unverified accounts were limited to 500, while accounts with verified status were limited to 10,000 posts per day. X owner Elon Musk said the limits were introduced to address “extreme levels of data scraping and system manipulation." Musk has overseen sweeping changes to the social media platform since buying it for $44 billion and taking control in October. Among those changes has been his bid to rebrand Twitter to X, which has so far been met with a number of hurdles. A flashing "X" sign installed at the top of the building housing X's headquarters was recently removed just days after it went up and caused complaints about the bright display. San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection issued a notice of violation Friday after the sign, which did not have a permit, was erected on the roof, department spokesman Patrick Hannan said. He said there had been at least 24 complaints made about the sign over the span of a weekend. In May, Musk said he was stepping down as CEO of then-Twitter and announced that Linda Yaccarino, former head of ad sales for NBCUniversal, would be the new CEO, while Musk stayed on as chief technology officer. Comcast owns NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.
Missouri man executed for killing 6-year-old girl lured to abandoned factory 2023-08-02 - BONNE TERRE, Mo. — A man who abducted a 6-year-old Missouri girl and beat her to death at an abandoned factory two decades ago was put to death Tuesday evening, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to block the execution over arguments he was mentally incompetent. Johnny Johnson, 45, received a lethal injection dose of pentobarbital at a state prison in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. CDT, authorities said. He was convicted of the July 2002 killing of Casey Williamson in the St. Louis area suburb of Valley Park. Johnson, who had schizophrenia, expressed remorse in a brief handwritten statement released by the Department of Corrections hours before being executed. Johnny Johnson. Missouri Department of Corrections via AP “God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt,” Johnson’s statement said. As he lay on his back with a sheet up to his neck, Johnson turned his head to the left, appearing to listen to his spiritual adviser shortly before the injection began. He then faced forward with his eyes closed, with no further physical reaction. Among those witnessing Johnson’s execution were several members of the girl’s family and the former prosecutor and police investigator who handled his case. The U.S. Supreme Court, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor and two other justices dissenting, rejected a late request to stay the execution. In recent appeals, Johnson’s attorneys have said the inmate has had delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world. “The Court today paves the way to execute a man with documented mental illness before any court meaningfully investigates his competency to be executed,” Sotomayor and the other dissenting justices wrote in a statement when the stay was rejected. “There is no moral victory in executing someone who believes Satan is killing him to bring about the end of the world.” Former St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch called the delusions “nonsense” and said Johnson inflicted “unspeakable horrors” upon Casey. “He’s got some issues — significant issues,” McCulloch said moments before witnessing the execution. But “he knew exactly what he was doing.” The girl’s disappearance from her hometown of Valley Park on July 26, 2002, had set off a frantic search before her body was found. Casey’s mother had been best friends in childhood with Johnson’s older sister and even helped babysit him. After Johnson attended a barbecue the night before the killing, Casey’s family let him sleep on a couch in the home where they also were sleeping. In the morning, Johnson lured the girl — still in her nightgown — to the abandoned glass factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site, according to court documents. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. He killed her with a brick and a large rock, then washed off in the nearby Meramec River. Johnson confessed that same day to the crimes, according to authorities. “It was more violent and brutal than any case I’ve ever seen,” said former St. Louis County homicide investigator Paul Neske, who questioned Johnson at length the day of Casey’s murder and witnessed his execution. After a search by first responders and volunteers, Casey’s body was found in a pit, buried under rocks and debris, less than a mile from her home. People look at the makeshift memorial in front of the home of Cassandra ''Casey'' Williamson, July 29, 2002, in Valley Park, Mo. Diane L. Wilson / AP, file At Johnson’s trial, defense lawyers presented testimony showing their client — an ex-convict who had been released from a state psychiatric facility six months before the crime — had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication and was acting strangely in the days before the slaying. In June, the Missouri Supreme Court denied an appeal seeking to block the execution on arguments that Johnson’s schizophrenia prevented him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. A three-judge federal appeals court panel last week temporary halted execution plans, but the full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated it. Johnson’s attorneys then filed appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court centered around his competency to be executed. Gov. Mike Parson on Monday denied a request to reduce Johnson’s sentence to life in prison. The clemency petition by Johnson’s attorneys said Casey’s father, Ernie Williamson, opposed the death penalty. But Casey’s great aunt, Della Steele, wrote an emotional plea to the governor urging the execution be carried out to “send the message that it is not okay to terrorize and murder a child.” Steele said grief from Casey’s death led to destructive effects among other family members. “He did something horrible. He took a life away from a completely innocent child, and there have to be consequences for that,” Steele said recently, speaking with The Associated Press. The family has organized community safety fairs in Casey’s memory, including a July 22 event that drew a couple hundred people. The family gave away dozens of child identification kits along with safety tips involving fire, water and bicycles, among other items. The execution was the 16th in the U.S. this year, including three previously in Missouri, five in Texas, four in Florida, two in Oklahoma and one in Alabama. “It’s been a difficult day, and a difficult 21 years,” Steele said in a statement after witnessing the execution. “We will continue to honor our sweet Casey’s memory by doing our best to make a difference in the lives of other children.”
Why are gas prices rising? Experts point to extreme heat and oil production cuts 2023-08-02 - A motorist parks near fuel pumps at a service station Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Denver. The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday — about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) A motorist parks near fuel pumps at a service station Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Denver. The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday — about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) A motorist parks near fuel pumps at a service station Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Denver. The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday — about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) A motorist parks near fuel pumps at a service station Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Denver. The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday — about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Drivers are in for another headache at the pump as U.S. gas prices continue to rise NEW YORK -- Drivers are in for another headache at the pump as U.S. gas prices continue to rise. The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday — about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today's prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, experts say such a jump is unusual. “Usually it takes a hurricane to move prices that much,” said AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross, who said the rise is especially interesting as “fewer people are are fueling up” their cars this summer compared to years past. In the U.S., gasoline prices are highly dependent on crude oil. West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, has stayed above $80 per barrel since Thursday, standing at over $81 as of Tuesday afternoon. That marks a $12 jump since July 3, according to OPIS global head of energy analysis Tom Kloza. There are a few factors causing oil prices to rise, Gross and Kloza say, including global supply production cuts and impacts of this summer's extreme heat on refineries. Here's what you need to know. WHY ARE GAS PRICES RISING? BLAME THE HEAT AND PRODUCTION CUTS This summer's record temperatures are partly to blame for the rising gas prices. “While the heat may be keeping people home, it’s also keeps refineries from making refined product,” Gross explained, noting that refineries are typically designed to operate between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit (0 and 35 degrees Celsius). “They don’t like temperature extremes because they’re inherently dangerous places... So they dial back the production for safety purposes, but that then constrains supply.” According to Kloza, there are about 10 million daily barrels of U.S. refining capacity on the Gulf Coast. The heat wave has caused those refineries to operate below normal capacity — resulting in a loss of hundreds of thousands of barrels each day, he said. Still, “the fact that some refineries are struggling has meant that the ones who are able to operate are making really nice profits," he said. Today's U.S. domestic demand is about 9 million barrels a day, about a half a million below expectations for peak summer months, but the country is exporting a lot of gasoline, he added. Beyond the heat, Kloza pointed to crude supply cuts from major producing countries in the OPEC+ alliance. In July, for example, Saudi Arabia starting reducing how much oil it sends to the global economy by 1 million barrels each day. Russia is also exporting less, he said. The cuts aren't OPEC-wide, Gross noted. As inflation eases, he suspects that better economic prospects may also be putting pressure on oil worldwide. WHICH STATES HAVE THE HIGHEST GAS PRICES TODAY? As always, certain parts of the U.S. are facing high gas prices than others — due to factors ranging from routine maintenance at regional refineries to limited supplies in some states. On Tuesday, according to the AAA, California had the highest gas prices in the nation at an average of $5.01 a gallon. Washington and Oregon followed at $4.96 and $4.92, respectively. Mississippi had the lowest average at about $3.29 per gallon, followed by $3.39 in Louisiana and and $3.40 in Alabama. WILL GAS PRICES CONTINUE TO CLIMB? It's hard to know what gas prices will look like in the coming weeks, experts say. While relief from the heat can hopefully be expected as we enter the fall, both Gross and Kloza pointed to risk of hurricanes — which, of course, leads refineries to power down. “If you could guarantee we’re not going to have tropical storm force or hurricane winds in the Gulf of Mexico, I’d say it’s going to be clear sailing for the rest of the year. But that’s a real fly in the ointment,” Kloza said, pointing to the unprecedented water temperatures the region has seen recently. HOW CAN I SAVE GAS? If you're looking to save money and cut back on trips to the pump, there are a few ways you can maximize your mileage per gallon. One important habit is staying on top of getting your tire pressure checked, Gross said. In addition to safety risks, low tire pressure is “not maximizing your fuel efficiency,” costing you more money down the road, he said. AAA offers additional gas saving tips — which include using cruise control when possible, not overfilling your tank at the pump and removing unneeded items in your car's trunk to cut down on excess weight.
Indonesia buys 12 drones worth $300 million from Turkey 2023-08-02 - FILE - An ANKA drone developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries is presented at the Paris Air Show on June 21, 2023, in Le Bourget, north of Paris. The Indonesian government bought 12 drones worth $300 million from Turkish Aerospace as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s defense system, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Aug. 2. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) FILE - An ANKA drone developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries is presented at the Paris Air Show on June 21, 2023, in Le Bourget, north of Paris. The Indonesian government bought 12 drones worth $300 million from Turkish Aerospace as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s defense system, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Aug. 2. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) FILE - An ANKA drone developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries is presented at the Paris Air Show on June 21, 2023, in Le Bourget, north of Paris. The Indonesian government bought 12 drones worth $300 million from Turkish Aerospace as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s defense system, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Aug. 2. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) FILE - An ANKA drone developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries is presented at the Paris Air Show on June 21, 2023, in Le Bourget, north of Paris. The Indonesian government bought 12 drones worth $300 million from Turkish Aerospace as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s defense system, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Defense Ministry on Wednesday, Aug. 2. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File) JAKARTA, Indonesia -- The Indonesian government bought 12 drones worth $300 million from Turkish Aerospace as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia’s defense system, according to a written statement from the Indonesian Defense Ministry on Wednesday. The purchase aims to increase the variety, quantity and quality of Indonesia's military defense equipment with the contract signed Feb. 3 with Turkish Aerospace, which is headquartered in the capital, Ankara. The 12 units of ANKA drones are expected to be delivered before November 2025. In January, Indonesia sealed another deal worth $805 million to buy a dozen advanced Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets that were used by the Qatari air force. The purchase, manufactured by French company Dassault Aviation, was criticized for the age of the equipment. But the Defense Ministry said Indonesia needs fighter aircraft defense equipment that can be delivered quickly to cover its air force's decline in the combat readiness as many of the country's existing aircraft have aged out. Some of them are being upgraded, overhauled or repaired during the long wait for delivery of newly ordered aircraft. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto also agreed to purchase 42 units of Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft in February 2022. Indonesia is expected to receive the first three of six twin-engine Rafale fighters in January 2026. ___ Find more of AP’s Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific