Latest News

See the latest news and get GPT analysis of articles

'Not just numbers or policy': John Legend shares his personal connection to criminal justice reform None - 'He will go to jail': Advisor to Michael Cohen on why Trump could serve jail time if convicted in NY 06:59

New NBC News polling shows Biden closing the gap with Trump None - Publisher of The Bulwark Sarah Longwell joins The Weekend to discuss the latest NBC News polling on the 2024 presidential elections. The poll shows Trump is narrowly ahead of Biden by 2 points among registered voters in a head-to-head race. April 21, 2024

Legal analyst: Expect a ‘tug of war over Michael Cohen’ in Trump’s hush money opening statements None - Fmr. Sr. Member of Mueller Probe Andrew Weissmann and MSNBC Legal Analyst Mary McCord join The Weekend to discuss what to expect during opening statements of Trump’s hush-money trial and who the key witnesses may be. April 21, 2024

Trump complains about being muzzled while speaking freely to reporters None - Trump has violated his gag order seven more times since Monday, according to the prosecution in his New York hush money trial. Renato Mariotti, Ameshia Cross, and Dean Obeidallah join Ayman Mohyeldin to discuss what could change after Trump’s gag order on Tuesday and how Trump’s behavior inside and outside the courtroom is hurting him both politically and personally.April 21, 2024

Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Speaker Johnson: 'He's a lame duck' None - Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., says that House Speaker Mike Johnson is a "lame duck" and that if there was a vote today that he would not be speaker. Her comments come after four bills covering Taiwan, Ukraine and Israel aid as well as a potential TikTok ban were passed. April 20, 2024

“We do not reward the bare minimum”: Rep. Crockett on why Dems won’t save Speaker Johnson None - “We do not reward the bare minimum”: Rep. Crockett on why Dems won’t save Speaker Johnson The long-awaited foreign aid package is now in the hands of the Senate. Rep. Jasmine Crockett joins The Weekend to discuss whether Democrats might save Speaker Mike Johnson’s job after the House passed a series of bills sending military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.April 21, 2024

Zelenskyy: With continued U.S. aid, Ukraine ‘will have a chance for victory’ None - Ukrainians’ ‘motivation’ to fight ‘can go down’ with equipment shortages, Zelenskyy says

Election interest hits new low in tight Biden-Trump race, NBC News poll finds None - The share of voters who say they have high interest in the 2024 election has hit a 20-year low at this point in a presidential race, according to the latest national NBC News poll. NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki joins Meet the Press to go through the numbers.April 21, 2024

Biden closes in on gap with Trump in latest NBC News national poll None - President Joe Biden has narrowed his deficit against former President Donald Trump since January, a new NBC News national poll finds. The president's job approval has also ticked up to 42% — up five points from January.April 21, 2024

Conservative Brazilians laud Elon Musk at rally in support of ex-president Bolsonaro None - Conservative Brazilians heaped praise on Elon Musk at a rally in the capital of Rio de Janeiro supporting far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro RIO DE JANEIRO -- Conservative Brazilians heaped praise Sunday on Elon Musk at a rally in support of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, whose legal troubles are mounting in tandem with the billionaire entrepreneur's feud with the South American nation's Supreme Court. “Brazil Thanks Elon Musk,” read one giant sign in English at the rally alongside Copacabana beach in the seaside city of Rio de Janeiro. Thousands of die-hard supporters of Bolsonaro attended. Musk, a self-declared free speech absolutist, is a target in an ongoing investigation over the dissemination of fake news by supporters of Bolsonaro. Musk said the social platform X wouldn't comply with a high court justice's order to remove certain accounts accused of spreading disinformation. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX who took over — now X — in late 2022, accused Justice Alexandre de Moraes of suppressing free speech and violating Brazil’s constitution. He noted on X that users could seek to bypass any shutdown of the social media platform by using VPNs, or virtual private networks. That prompted de Moraes to include Musk in an ongoing investigation into so-called digital militias and open a new investigation into obstruction, incitement and criminal conspiracy. Several speakers lauded Musk at Sunday's rally. "What you see here are people who love liberty, who will not give up and will not kneel down to dictators, people who are willing to give their lives for freedom,” said Gustavo Gayer, a pro-Bolsonaro congressman. For his part, the former president lauded Musk for demonstrating “courage” in the face of what he called censorship by de Moraes. “He is the man who really preserves true freedom for all of us,” said Bolsonaro, who is himself under investigation for a plethora of crimes ranging from aiding an effort to overturn the 2022 election results and plotting a coup against his leftist successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazil is an important market for social media companies. About 40 million Brazilians, or about 18% of the population, access X at least once per month, according to the market research group Emarketer.

Tens of thousands of Colombians protest against the leftist president's reform agenda None - Thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets in the latest rebuke of leftist President Gustavo Petro’s reform agenda Tens of thousands of Colombians protest against the leftist president's reform agenda BOGOTA, Colombia -- Thousands of Colombians took to the streets Sunday in the latest rebuke of leftist President Gustavo Petro's reform agenda. The demonstrations took place in several cities, including the capital. Protesters filled Bolivar Plaza outside the presidential palace in Bogota. While protests have been a constant since the former leftist guerrilla took office in 2022, they've gained momentum of late. Petro has floated the possibility of rewriting the constitution to spur social reforms that he's been unable to advance in the face of opposition by a hostile congress and conservative business groups. Petro recently suffered an important defeat when Colombia's congress refused to pass legislation to boost state control of the country's health care system aimed at improving and lowering the cost of medical care. In response to the defeat, Petro ordered by decree the takeover of two of the country's top medical insurers, on which millions of Colombians depend.

Turkey and Israel announce trade barriers on each other as relations deteriorate over Gaza None - Turkey and Israel have announced trade barriers on each other as relations deteriorate further amid the war in Gaza Turkey and Israel announce trade barriers on each other as relations deteriorate over Gaza ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey and Israel announced trade barriers on each other Tuesday as relations deteriorated further amid the war in Gaza. Turkey, a staunch critic of Israel’s military actions in the territory, announced that it was restricting exports of 54 types of products to Israel with immediate effect. They include aluminum, steel, construction products, jet fuel and chemical fertilizers. In response, Israel said it was preparing a ban on products from Turkey. The announcements came a day after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Israel had barred Turkish military cargo planes from joining an operation to airdrop humanitarian aid to Gaza and vowed to respond with a series of measures against Israel until it declares a cease-fire and allows aid to flow in without interruptions. “There is no excuse for Israel to block our attempt to deliver aid by air to starving people of Gaza,” Fidan said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, which suffered major setbacks in local elections last month, is faced with intense pressure at home to halt trade with Israel. Critics accuse the government of engaging in double standards by leveling strong accusations against Israel while continuing lucrative commercial relations. Erdogan, whose ruling party has roots in Turkey’s Islamic movement, has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians since taking office in 2003. The Turkish leader stepped up his criticism of Israel following its military offensive in Gaza, describing Israel’s actions as war crimes verging on “genocide” and asserting that the Hamas militant group, considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and European Union, is fighting for the liberation of its lands and people. In a post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Erdogan was “once again sacrificing the economic interests of the people of Turkey for his support of the Hamas murderers in Gaza.” In the same post, he said he had contacted organizations in the U.S. and asked them to stop investing in Turkey and refrain from importing Turkish goods. Hamish Kinnear, senior Middle East and North Africa analyst at Britain-based risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, said domestic considerations were behind Turkey’s decision to slap trade restrictions on Israel, saying Erdogan’s ruling party was trying to “rally its base in the wake of defeat in local elections.” “Reduced bilateral trade will be the result, especially if Israel retaliates with trade restrictions of its own,” Kinnear said. “Turkey’s government has likely made the calculation that damaged trade ties are worth it for the potential gain in domestic political support.” Turkish exports to Israel amounted to $5.4 billion in 2023, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute. Turkey and Israel had normalized ties by appointing ambassadors to their respective countries in 2022, following years of tensions. Since January, Turkish authorities have detained dozens of people, including private detectives, on suspicion of spying for Israel, mostly on Palestinians living in Turkey. ___ Associated Press writer Pamela Sampson contributed from Jerusalem.

'Civil War’ continues box-office campaign at No. 1 None - “Civil War,” Alex Garland’s ominous American dystopia, remained the top film in theaters in its second week of release NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — “Civil War,” Alex Garland’s ominous American dystopia, remained the top film in theaters in its second week of release, according to studio estimates Sunday. The A24 election-year gamble, the indie studio’s biggest budgeted film yet, took in $11.1 million in ticket sales at 3,929 theaters over the weekend. The $50 million film, set in a near-future U.S. in which Texas and California have joined in rebellion against a fascist president, has grossed $44.9 million in two weeks. Its provocative premise – and A24’s marketing, which included images of U.S. cities ravaged by war – helped keep “Civil War” top of mind for moviegoers. But it was a painfully slow weekend in theaters – the kind sure to add to concern over what’s thus far been a down year for Hollywood at the box office. Year-to-date ticket sales are down almost 20% compared to last year, according to Comscore. Going into the weekend, Universal Pictures’ “Abigail,” a critically acclaimed R-rated horror film about the daughter of Dracula, had been expected to lead ticket sales. It came in second with $10.2 million in 3,384 theaters. That was still a fair result for a film that cost a modest $28 million to make. “Abigail,” which remakes the 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter,” is about a 12-year-old girl taken by kidnappers who soon realize they’ve made a poor choice of hostage. It’s directed by the duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett whose production company goes by the name Radio Silence. More concerning was the overall tepid response for a handful of new wide releases – and the likelihood that there will be more similar weekends throughout 2024. Last year’s actors and writers' strikes, which had a prolonged effect on the movie pipeline, exacerbated holes in Hollywood’s release schedule. Horror films, in recent years among the most reliable cash cows in theaters, also haven’t thus far been doing the automatic business they previous did. According to David A. Gross, who runs the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, horror releases accounted for $2 billion in worldwide sales in 2023. Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” debuted with $9 million in 2,845 theaters. In the based-on-a-true-story Lionsgate release, which reportedly cost $60 million to produce, Henry Cavill leads a World War II mission off the coast of West Africa. Though Ritchie has been behind numerous box-office hits, including the live-action “Aladdin” and a pair of Sherlock Holmes films, his recent movies have struggled to find big audiences. The Lionsgate spy comedy “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” grossed $48 million against a $50 million budget, while MGM’s “The Covenant,” also released last year, made $21 million while costing $55 million to make. A bright sign for “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”: audiences liked it. The film earned an A-minus CinemaScore. The anime “Spy x Family Code: White,” from Sony’s Crunchyroll, also struggled to stand out with audiences. Though the adaptation of the Tatsuya Endo manga TV series “Spy x Family” has already been a hit with international moviegoers, it debuted below expectations with $4.9 million in 2,009 U.S. theaters. The mightiest film globally, though, continues to be “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The Warner Bros. monster movie has for the past month led worldwide ticket sales. It added another $9.5 million domestically and $21.6 million internationally to bring its four-week global total to $485.2 million. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. “Civil War,” $11.1 million. 2. “Abigail,” $10.2 million. 3. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” $9.5 million. 4. “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare,” $9 million. 5. “Spy x Family Code: White,” $4.9 million. 6. “Kung Fu Panda 4," $4.6 million. 7. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $4.4 million. 8. “Dune: Part Two,” $2.9 million. 9. “Monkey Man,” $2.2 million. 10. “The First Omen,” $1.7 million.

Ukrainian and Western leaders laud US aid package while the Kremlin warns of 'further ruin' None - Ukrainian and Western leaders have welcomed the passing of a desperately needed aid package for Ukraine by the U.S. House of Representatives Ukrainian and Western leaders laud US aid package while the Kremlin warns of 'further ruin' KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian and Western leaders on Sunday welcomed a desperately needed aid package passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, as the Kremlin warned that passage of the bill would “further ruin” Ukraine and cause more deaths. Ukrainian commanders and analysts say the long-awaited $61 billion military aid package — including $13.8 billion for Ukraine to buy weapons — will help slow Russia’s incremental advances in the war's third year — but that more will likely be needed for Kyiv to regain the offensive. The House swiftly approved $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies in a rare Saturday session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of hard-right resistance over renewed American support for repelling Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had warned that his country would lose the war without U.S. funding, said that he was grateful for U.S. lawmaker' decision. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Zelenskyy said that the aid package would “send the Kremlin a powerful signal that (Ukraine) will not be the second Afghanistan.” Zelenskyy said Ukraine would prioritize long-range weapons and air defenses to “break the plans of Russia” in an expected “full-scale offensive," for which Ukrainian forces are preparing. The aid package will go to the U.S. Senate, which could pass it as soon as Tuesday. U.S. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately. It still could take weeks for it to reach the front line, where it is desperately needed. "With this we can stop (Russian troops) and reduce our losses," said infantry soldier Oleksandr. He has been fighting around Avdiivka, the city in the Donetsk region that Ukraine lost to Russia in February after months of intense combat. Ammunition shortages linked to the aid holdup over the past six months have led Ukrainian military commanders to ration shells, a disadvantage that Russia seized on this year — taking the city of Avdiivka and currently inching towards the town of Chasiv Yar, also in Donetsk. “The Russians come at us in waves — we become exhausted, we have to leave our positions. This is repeated many times,” Oleksandr told The Associated Press. He didn't give his full name for security reasons. “Not having enough ammunition means we can’t cover the area that is our responsibility to hold when they are assaulting us.” In Kyiv, many welcomed the U.S. vote as a piece of good news after a tough period that has seen Russia grind out gains along the front line, and step up attacks on Ukraine's energy system and other infrastructure. “I heard our president officially say that we can lose the war without this help. Thanks very much and yesterday was a great event," said Kateryna Ruda, 43. Tatyana Ryavchenuk, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier, noted the need for more weapons, lamenting that soldiers “have nothing to protect us." "They need weapons, they need gear, they need it. We always need help. Because without help, our enemy can advance further and can be in the center of our city,” the 26-year-old said. Other Western leaders, who have been scrambling to come up with ways to fill the gap left by stalled U.S. military aid, also lauded Congress' decision. “Ukraine is using the weapons provided by NATO Allies to destroy Russian combat capabilities. This makes us all safer, in Europe & North America,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg posted on X. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “Ukraine deserves all the support it can get against Russia,” and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the vote it “a strong signal in these times.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk thanked House Speaker Mike Johnson, while also noting the holdup in Congress. “Better late than too late. And I hope it is not too late for Ukraine,” he wrote on X. In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Saturday called the approval of aid to Ukraine “expected and predictable.” The decision “will make the United States of America richer, further ruin Ukraine and result in the deaths of even more Ukrainians, the fault of the Kyiv regime,” Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Ria Novosti. “The new aid package will not save, but, on the contrary, will kill thousands and thousands more people, prolong the conflict, and bring even more grief and devastation,” Leonid Slutsky, head of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs, wrote on Telegram. Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War said the logistics of getting U.S. assistance to the front line would mean that “Ukrainian forces may suffer additional setbacks" while waiting for it to arrive. “But they will likely be able to blunt the current Russian offensive assuming the resumed U.S. assistance arrives promptly," it said in its latest assessment of the conflict. Olexiy Haran, professor of comparative politics at the National University of Kyiv-Mohlya Academy, said that Ukraine was grateful for aid from the U.S. and other Western countries, “but the problem is, frankly speaking, it’s too late and it’s not enough." “This is the third year of the war and we still don’t have aviation, new aviation. We don’t have enough missiles, so we cannot close the skies. Moreover, recently we didn’t have even artillery shells," he said. “That’s why the situation was very, very difficult and the Russians used it to start their offensive. So that’s why it is so important for us. And definitely if we’d received it half a year before, we would have saved the lives of many Ukrainians, civilians included.” Matthew Savill, military sciences director at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said that the aid, while welcome, “can probably only help stabilize the Ukrainian position for this year and begin preparations for operations in 2025.” “Predictability of funding through 2024 and into 2025 will help the Ukrainians plan the defense this year, especially if European supplies of ammunition also come through, but further planning and funds will be required for 2025, and we have a U.S. election between now and then,” he said. Responding to a question on NBC about how long Ukraine will still need aid packages, Zelenskyy said "it depends on when we actually get weapons on the ground.” “The decision to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, we had it a year ago," he said. "We still don’t have the jets in Ukraine.” In other developments: — On the ground, Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday that its troops had taken control of the village of Bohdanivka in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials haven't yet commented. — One person was killed and four others were wounded in Russian shelling in Ukrainsk on Sunday, according to the prosecutor's office in Ukraine's partially occupied Donetsk region. In the Odesa region, four people were wounded in a missile attack, Gov. Oleh Kiper said. — Two suspects were detained Sunday after two Ukrainian soldiers killed a police officer at a checkpoint in the Vinnytsia region. The soldiers opened fire on Maksym Zaretskyi, 20, early Saturday after he stopped their car for a routine inspection. Zaretskyi’s partner was wounded but survived. The head of Ukraine’s National Police, Ivan Vyhovsky, said the suspects, a father and son aged 52 and 26, were detained in Ukraine’s Odesa region. ___ Elise Morton reported from London. Vasilisa Stepanenko and Jill Lawless contributed to this report from Kyiv. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Ford to delay production of new electric pickup and large SUV as US EV sales growth slows None - With U.S. electric vehicle sales starting to slow, Ford Motor Co. says it will delay rolling out new electric pickup trucks and a new large electric SUV as it adds gas-electric hybrids to its model lineup Ford to delay production of new electric pickup and large SUV as US EV sales growth slows DETROIT -- With U.S. electric vehicle sales starting to slow, Ford Motor Co. says it will delay rolling out new electric pickup trucks and a new large electric SUV as it adds gas-electric hybrids to its model lineup. The Dearborn, Michigan, company said Thursday that a much ballyhooed new electric pickup to be built at a new factory in Tennessee will be delayed until 2026. The big electric SUV, with three rows of seats, will be delayed by two years until 2027 at the company's factory in Oakville, Ontario near Toronto. The retreat comes as U.S. electric vehicle sales growth slowed to 3.3% in the first quarter of the year, far below the 47% increase that fueled record sales and a 7.6% market share last year. Sales of new vehicles overall grew 5.1%, and the EV market share declined to 7.15%. Hybrid sales, however, grew 45% from January through March, while plug-in hybrids, which can go a short distance on battery power before a gas-electric system kicks in, grew 53% according to Motorintelligence.com. Ford also said it “expects to offer” hybrid versions of all its gasoline passenger vehicles by the end of the decade in North America. Industry analysts say most early technology adopters and people who want to cut emissions have already purchased EVs. Automakers now have to convince skeptical mainstream buyers to go electric, but those customers fear limited range and a lack of charging stations. Ford expects pretax losses for its electric vehicle unit to widen from $4.7 billion last year to a range of $5 billion to $5.5 billion this year. But it foresees commercial vehicles making $8 billion to $9 billion, up from $7.2 billion last year. Gasoline powered vehicles and hybrids are expected to make $7 billion to $7.5 billion, about even with last year. ____

Hawaii lawmakers take aim at vacation rentals after Lahaina wildfire amplifies Maui housing crisis None - An acute housing shortage hitting fire survivors on the Hawaiian island of Maui is squeezing out residents even as they try to overcome the loss of loved ones, their homes and their community HONOLULU -- A single mother of two, Amy Chadwick spent years scrimping and saving to buy a house in the town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. But after a devastating fire leveled Lahaina in August and reduced Chadwick's home to white dust, the cheapest rental she could find for her family and dogs cost $10,000 a month. Chadwick, a fine-dining server, moved to Florida where she could stretch her homeowners insurance dollars. She’s worried Maui’s exorbitant rental prices, driven in part by vacation rentals that hog a limited housing supply, will hollow out her tight-knit town. Most people in Lahaina work for hotels, restaurants and tour companies and can’t afford $5,000 to $10,000 a month in rent, she said. “You’re pushing out an entire community of service industry people. So no one’s going to be able to support the tourism that you’re putting ahead of your community,” Chadwick said by phone from her new home in Satellite Beach on Florida’s Space Coast. “Nothing good is going to come of it unless they take a serious stance, putting their foot down and really regulating these short-term rentals.” The Aug. 8 wildfire killed 101 people and destroyed housing for 6,200 families, amplifying Maui's already acute housing shortage and laying bare the enormous presence of vacation rentals in Lahaina. It reminded lawmakers that short-term rentals are an issue across Hawaii, prompting them to consider bills that would give counties the authority to phase them out. Gov. Josh Green got so frustrated he blurted an expletive during a recent news conference. “This fire uncovered a clear truth, which is we have too many short-term rentals owned by too many individuals on the mainland and it is b———t,” Green said. “And our people deserve housing, here.” Vacation rentals are a popular alternative to hotels for those seeking kitchens, lower costs and opportunities to sample everyday island life. Supporters say they boost tourism, the state's biggest employer. Critics revile them for inflating housing costs, upending neighborhoods and contributing to the forces pushing locals and Native Hawaiians to leave Hawaii for less expensive states. This migration has become a major concern in Lahaina. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, a nonprofit, estimates at least 1,500 households — or a quarter of those who lost their homes — have left since the August wildfire. The blaze burned single family homes and apartments in and around downtown, which is the core of Lahaina's residential housing. An analysis by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization found a relatively low 7.5% of units there were vacation rentals as of February 2023. Lahaina neighborhoods spared by the fire have a much higher ratio of vacation rentals: About half the housing in Napili, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) north of the burn zone, is short-term rentals. Napili is where Chadwick thought she found a place to buy when she first went house hunting in 2016. But a Canadian woman secured it with a cash offer and turned it into a vacation rental. Also outside the burn zone are dozens of short-term rental condominium buildings erected decades ago on land zoned for apartments. In 1992, Maui County explicitly allowed owners in these buildings to rent units for less than 180 days at a time even without short-term rental permits. Since November, activists have occupied the beach in front of Lahaina's biggest hotels to push the mayor or governor to use their emergency powers to revoke this exemption. Money is a powerful incentive for owners to rent to travelers: a 2016 report prepared for the state found a Honolulu vacation rental generates 3.5 times the revenue of a long-term rental. State Rep. Luke Evslin, the Housing Committee chair, said Maui and Kauai counties have suffered net losses of residential housing in recent years thanks to a paucity of new construction and the conversion of so many homes to short-term rentals. “Every alarm bell we have should be ringing when we’re literally going backwards in our goal to provide more housing in Hawaii,” he said. In his own Kauai district, Evslin sees people leaving, becoming homeless or working three jobs to stay afloat. The Democrat was one of 47 House members who co-sponsored one version of legislation that would allow short-term rentals to be phased out. One objective is to give counties more power after a U.S. judge in 2022 ruled Honolulu violated state law when it attempted to prohibit rentals for less than 90 days. Evslin said that decision left Hawaii's counties with limited tools, such as property taxes, to control vacation rentals. Lawmakers also considered trying to boost Hawaii's housing supply by forcing counties to allow more houses to be built on individual lots. But they watered down the measure after local officials said they were already exploring the idea. Short-term rental owners said a phase-out would violate their property rights and take their property without compensation, potentially pushing them into foreclosure. Some predicted legal challenges. Alicia Humiston, president of the Rentals by Owner Awareness Association, said some areas in West Maui were designed for travelers and therefore lack schools and other infrastructure families need. “This area in West Maui that is sort of like this resort apartment zone — that’s all north of Lahaina — it was never built to be local living,” Humiston said. One housing advocate argues that just because a community allowed vacation rentals decades ago doesn't mean it still needs to now. "We are not living in the 1990s or in the 1970s,” said Sterling Higa, executive director of Housing Hawaii's Future. Counties “should have the authority to look at existing laws and reform them as necessary to provide for the public good.” Courtney Lazo, a real estate agent who is part of Lahaina Strong, the group occupying Kaanapali Beach, said tourists can stay in her hometown now but many locals can't. “How do you expect a community to recover and heal and move forward when the people who make Lahaina, Lahaina, aren’t even there anymore?” she said at a recent news conference as her voice quivered. “They’re moving away.”

Trending on tick-tock: why British watches have hit the big time None - Watch collectors and horological connoisseurs added a new trade fair to their calendars this year. It was not launched in Switzerland – centre of excellence for luxury timepieces and home to brands such as Patek Philippe and Rolex – nor with a party in Paris or Milan attended by fashion’s front row, but at a Royal Horticultural Society lecture hall in London. The inaugural British Watchmakers’ Day attracted international visitors from the US, Dubai and Norway last month, and tickets sold out six weeks in advance. The most expensive watch at the event went for more than £595,000 – it was sold in a closed bid auction, and the exact price was not disclosed – but timepieces around the £100 mark were also snapped up. Though still relatively small – for comparison, Watches And Wonders Geneva, an annual international trade fair this month, attracted 45,000 visitors – British Watchmakers’ Day reached its 1,400 capacity, and was set up in response to a growing industry. In 1800, the UK made around half of the world’s watches: 200,000 a year. Apart from a brief postwar renaissance , the industry has been in constant decline – until now. View image in fullscreen British Watchmakers’ Day in London last month. Photograph: Stephen Daniels “This is a phenomenon which has been building for several years now,” said Alistair Audsley, co-founder and CEO of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers, which organised British Watchmakers’ Day. “It’s a combination of a fresh proposition from makers and collectors willing to look beyond the ‘superbrands’ to discover new watches. “This trend accelerated during Covid lockdowns when watch collectors spent more time online and discovered an entirely new, British dimension to watches.” British horology is piquing interest at a time when the global luxury watch market is experiencing a slowdown. This month, the Federation of Swiss Watches announced that exports were down overall, with a drop of over 25% in China. Sales of vintage timepieces at auction fell 13%. Tracey Llewellyn, editor of the Horological Journal for the British Horological Institute, said the cult of particular British watchmakers has been key: “Around 2020, watch collecting, which had previously been niche, became a worldwide phenomenon – with a focus on independents, who make very small numbers of watches and specialise in hand craftsmanship and finishing. “Many of these artisans credit the late Isle of Man horologist George Daniels and his book Watchmaking as their inspiration. This turned attention on Brits following in his wake, particularly Daniels’ sole apprentice, Roger Smith.” View image in fullscreen Apprentice Heather Fisher at Struthers in Birmingham. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/Observer London-based Charles Frodsham & Co are highly esteemed horologists, as are Craig and Rebecca Struthers, based in Birmingham. Rebecca Struthers’ book, Hands of Time: a Watchmaker’s History of Time, published last year, was a BBC Radio 4 book of the week and was praised by Stephen Fry and The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades. “Rebecca’s book crossed into the mainstream in a way not seen since 1995’s Longitude by Dava Sobel,” said Llewellyn. “Hands of Time has now been translated into eight languages.” Many watchmakers are reaching new markets, attracted to creative designs at more affordable prices. Mr Jones Watches was dreamed up by graphic designer Crispin Jones. The brand is probably best known for the “Accurate” model, with one hand bearing the word “Remember” and the other “you will die”. Its “Berry Late Again” model bears the words “Fuck it! Time is just a social construct” on the face, with two strawberries marking the hour and minutes. Both sell for £225. Richard Benc, founder of Studio Underd0g, attended British Watchmakers’ Day dressed as a pizza chef because his designs are inspired by food. They cost from £500 to £800, and were the hit of the fair. Together with orders from an online restock, he sold 5,930 watches with implied sales value of £3.5m, an achievement that meant Studio Underd0g outsold Rolex in the UK that day. Personal stories and connections are also popular. Paulin Watches, whose timepieces sell from £475, is based in Glasgow and is inspired by local architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Vertex and Fears are heritage brands recently relaunched. William Wood Watches is named after founder Jonny Garrett’s grandfather, who worked for Newcastle and Gateshead fire brigade on the blue watch, after which one of its watches is named. The timepieces are made from upcycled materials such as hosepipes and helmets from the fire service, and the brand has been commissioned to make commemorative watches for fire services in the UK, US and Australia. View image in fullscreen Studio Underd0g’s Pizza Party watch. Photograph: Studio Underd0g. Garrett thinks that British watchmakers’ show unique creativity because many of them are so new to the industry: “Swiss makers have hundreds of years of experience on many of us. We don’t have great-grandfathers who made watches, or hundreds of thousands of people who know our brands by name. We have to be unique and own our niches. We have to have a strong USP.” A byproduct of this is a new camaraderie. “It was pretty lonely being an independent British watchmaker when I started in 2017,” said Garrett. “Now there’s an open-door policy between founders. British Watchmakers’ Day was pretty epic. It felt like we were part of something bigger.” According to Alistair Audsley: “We’re seeing exponential growth and that makes the whole sector look at long-term opportunities. We’re also seeing more makers take on skilled craftspeople. Meanwhile we’re building our own major brands. It’s a long journey ahead but we’re taking bigger steps.” Garrett added: “We have to stop people thinking that their first nice watch has to be Swiss.”

RFK Jr. takes more from Trump than Biden in 2024, polling shows None - 'I wanted him to know who Jim was': Mom of journalist killed by ISIS on talking to his killer 06:30

'This is a very different Passover' this year, says rabbi None - 'This is a very different Passover' this year, says rabbi Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz and Lauren Leader join Morning Joe to discuss Passover during tension in the Middle East right now and hate at home in the U.S.April 22, 2024

Prosecution plan to make Trump look like ‘jerk and a sleazeball’ with Access Hollywood tape None - Lisa Rubin MSNBC Legal Correspondent and Harry Litman, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General joins Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House to discuss what the prosecution presented to the jury on Day 1 of opening arguments, and how the prosecution plans to make use of crude recordings of Donald Trump that show the jury the type of language he uses to describe women.April 22, 2024