Jail life

A former CIA officer who was charged Tuesday with unlawful possession of secrets is suspected of a much worse crime: betraying U.S. informants in China, sources familiar with the case told NBC News. The former officer, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 53, was arrested Monday after flying into New York on a Cathay Pacific flight from his home in Hong Kong, federal authorities announced. Lee, who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, was charged with a single count of unlawfully possessing national defense information, based on a 2012 search that found him to be in possession of two notebooks containing the true names of CIA assets and covert facilities, which are some of the agency's most closely guarded secrets. Ex-CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee suspected of spying for China Jan. 17, 2018 01:55 But sources familiar with the case say he is suspected of funneling information to China that caused the deaths or imprisonment of approximately 20 American … [Read more...] about Ex-CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee suspected of spying for China

I. A Broken Economy As Barack Obama prepares to accept the Democratic nomination this week, it is clear that the economic policies of the next president are going to be hugely important. Ever since Wall Street bankers were called back from their vacations last summer to deal with the convulsions in the mortgage market, the economy has been lurching from one crisis to the next. The International Monetary Fund has described the situation as “the largest financial shock since the Great Depression.” The details are too technical for most of us to understand. (They’re too technical for many bankers to understand, which is part of the problem.) But the root cause is simple enough. In some fundamental ways, the American economy has stopped working. The fact that the economy grows — that it produces more goods and services one year than it did in the previous one — no longer ensures that most families will benefit from its growth. For the first time on record, an economic expansion seems … [Read more...] about Obamanomics

SAN FRANCISCO — It could cost California more than $800 billion to compensate Black residents for generations of over-policing, disproportionate incarceration and housing discrimination, economists have told a state panel considering reparations. The preliminary estimate is more than 2.5 times California’s $300 billion annual budget, and does not include a recommended $1 million per older Black resident for health disparities that have shortened their average life span. Nor does the figure count compensating people for property unjustly taken by the government or devaluing Black businesses, two other harms the task force says the state perpetuated. Black residents may not receive cash payments anytime soon, if ever, because the state may never adopt the economists’ calculations. The reparations task force is scheduled to discuss the numbers Wednesday and can vote to adopt the suggestions or come up with its own figures. The proposed number comes from a consulting team of five … [Read more...] about Reparations for Black Californians could top $800 billion

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news British table tennis player Ashley Facey believes his Paralympic dream is back on track after getting on – and off – his bike. The newly-crowned English national champion was a Team GB member at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 before eyeing up a completely different challenge for a third shot at the Games. The Londoner discovered a passion and talent for cycling during lockdown and, after much consideration, decided to pursue it as an alternative career. He had high hopes of making the grade but, after finding differences between recreational and professional life in the saddle not to his liking, switched back to his first love after 18 months away. Results would suggest the 28-year-old has made a smart decision. He marked his return to competitive action by teaming up with Aaron McKibbin to win a … [Read more...] about Ashley Facey eyes Paralympic table tennis glory after ditching saddle for paddle

Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has paid tribute to Paul O’Grady as a “devoted animal lover” and a “champion for the underdog” following his death. The TV star had close ties to the organisation, which praised his “razor-sharp humour and perpetual generosity and warmth”. O’Grady died unexpectedly on Tuesday at the age of 67, his partner Andre Portasio said. The TV and radio presenter became an ambassador for Battersea in 2012, following the success of ITV’s multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs , which was filmed at the home. He presented the show for eleven series, during which time he laid bare his “passion for all things dog”, the charity said. Recommended Paul O’Grady death: TV star and comedian dies aged 67 Paul O’Grady: Lily Savage … [Read more...] about Battersea Dogs and Cats Home hails Paul O’Grady as ‘champion for the underdog’

An emerging treatment for a common hospital-acquired infection could be (slightly) less gross in the future. Researchers have found that delivering a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) in a pill—a poop pill, basically—is no worse than a similar procedure done with a colonoscopy. Neither option may sound particularly enticing, but FMTs are wildly effective at treating a very nasty infection called Clostridium difficile. One of the first controlled clinical trials for FMTs in 2013 ended early because the patients who received the treatment were doing so much better than patients who didn't. In the new study, almost 90 percent of adults treated with the capsules were cured. "It's absolutely insane. We just don't see kind of efficacy with drugs," Dr. Dina Kao told Newsweek . Kao is one of the authors of the paper and a gastroenterologist at the University of Alberta. Kao and her colleagues published the findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday. C. … [Read more...] about Fecal Transplants Can Be Given Through a Pill

Tech & Science PETA Poop Most vegans are happy to list the reasons why a plant-based diet is superior. Going strictly animal-free can reduce one's carbon footprint, cut the risk for cancer and chronic diseases, prevent animal cruelty and provide an excuse to make a really great dessert. But one thing that's probably not on your average vegan's list is that this restrictive diet improves the quality of one's poop—at least according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). This week, the animal rights organization issued a call for more healthy vegans to consider becoming stool super donors (i.e., providing specimens on a regular basis) to serve the growing demand since fecal microbiotoa transplant is now considered the gold standard for treating recurrent Clostridium difficile ( C. difficile ) infections and other potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal illnesses. In this experimental medical procedure, stool from a healthy person is … [Read more...] about PETA Wants Vegans to Donate Their Poop

Sports Video games NBA Gamers The cramped room in Midtown Manhattan was packed wall-to-wall with YouTubers—a relentlessly cheery bunch—the lot of them excitedly live-streaming, likes and comments bobbing across their screens. It was August, and the crowd was previewing the latest product from the NBA 2K video game series—NBA 2K18, which was released Friday to those who pre-ordered—and the event was crowded with elite gamers, social media stars, 2K staffers and, pocked about the room, honest-to-God, in-the-flesh NBA players. Security stood at the front door. Booze flowed from a bar in the back. TVs pinstriped the length of the room, cutting it into even rows. That was the main attraction, with the gamers lining up, jostling through the morass of people to get their turn on the joysticks (all of this, of course, beamed over the internet to 2K devotees). In a room full of presumed NBA fans it was somewhat disorienting to see these NBA players—Brooklyn Nets guard … [Read more...] about Virtual Meets Reality: Inside NBA 2K and Pro Basketball

The Adnan Syed case, popularized by the podcast Serial , has been forever changed thanks to an appeal launched by the victim's brother. Syed was convicted of the murder of his then-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, who died in January 1999. He was found guilty of a number of charges in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, though he always maintained his innocence. In 2014, the murder of Min Lee and Syed's trial was the subject of the first season of the podcast Serial . Eventually, new evidence in the case was unearthed and by September 2022 all charges against Syed had been dropped . A court in Maryland recently reinstated the murder conviction of Syed, but the ruling suggests Syed will not remain convicted for long, as another hearing is needed to remove the reinstatement. The conviction was reinstated after the victim's brother, Young Lee, filed an appeal in December 2022, arguing that prosecutors violated a state law requiring them to give sufficient notice of … [Read more...] about How victim’s brother in Adnan Syed case turned trial upside down

King Charles III has the backing of 41 percent of Americans after he asked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to leave their U.K. home. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were given use of Frogmore Cottage—located west of London—by Queen Elizabeth II after they got married in 2018. This was the place where their son, Prince Archie , now 3 years old, spent his first months. They have only occasionally returned to the Windsor home since quitting the palace for a new life in America. Charles reportedly asked the couple to leave in January 2023, within days of the release of Harry's memoir Spare . The Sussexes confirmed the move in a statement on March 1: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage." Exclusive polling of 1,500 adults by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek, conducted on March 20, shows 41 percent of Americans support the move while 23 percent opposed it, 19 percent said they did not know and 17 percent said … [Read more...] about King Charles right to kick Prince Harry, Meghan out of home—U.S. poll