Categories
Entertainment

Drake et Kanye West, géants du rap plus rivaux que jamais

The challenges that have since been triggered by titles and social networks lead to a long cycle of small direct and indirect provocations: Their relationship turned into one after a musical argument between Drake and Pusha-T, a protégé of Kanye West, in 2018 Way worsened that seems incurable.

Since then, the two artists have gone their separate ways, even if the bickering sometimes continues online or through albums. Backing former President Donald J. Trump, Kanye West started an ill-fated presidential race and turned to gospel with “Jesus Is King,” a Christian-themed album released in October 2019. He promised not to swear in his titles – “Donda” also keeps a promise for his guests.

Drake, meanwhile, has released regular cast titles, although his appearances are becoming rarer. In the spring of 2020, following the single “ Toosie Slide, ” which peaked at # 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, the rapper released an unplanned mixtape, “ Dark Lane Demo Tapes, ” a compilation of tracks that had leaked online. . He promised to release a studio album this summer, and a debut single, “Laugh Now Cry Later,” reached # 2 in August. The album didn’t arrive, but a three-track maxi was released in March titled ” Scary Hours 2 ”, of which one of the singles is number 1 (” What’s Next ”).

After months of cryptic hints about the album’s status as summer drew to a close and the two rap mastodons re-emerged, a confrontation with Kanye West seemed inevitable. While Kanye West was touring with ‘Donda’, Drake released a tinkered and unconventional clip on the ESPN show ‘SportsCenter’ in which he appeared to be promoting a September 3rd release.

And on a Trippie Redd track titled “Betrayal,” the rapper claimed that the excitement surrounding Kanye West’s “Donda” wouldn’t affect the final release date of his own album. This time Drake rapped, “It’s set in stone.”

Categories
Entertainment

Drake’s ‘Licensed Lover Boy’ Arrives, as Chart Battle With Kanye West Continues

The digs, in song and on social media, continued a pattern of minor, direct and indirect offenses between the two that had existed for years, with Drake’s musical beef relationship with Pusha-T, a Western subsidiary, seemingly coagulating irrevocably 2018.

In the years that followed, the artists parted ways, even if they occasionally bumped their heads online and on records. West hugged former President Donald J. Trump, went on an ill-fated presidential candidacy, and turned to gospel. In October 2019 he released a Christian album called “Jesus Is King”. He kept his promises on “Donda” and even censored his guests.

Drake, meanwhile, released a steady stream of music, though it made itself less and less common. In spring 2020, the rapper followed the single “Toosie Slide”, which reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with a surprising mixtape, “Dark Lane Demo Tapes”, with songs that had been leaked online. He promised a studio album in the summer, and the wannabe lead single “Laugh Now Cry Later” reached # 2 in August. But the album never came out; Another holdover, the three-song EP “Scary Hours 2”, followed in March and led to another No. 1 single (“What’s Next”).

After months of only cryptic updates on the album’s status, a collision course with West seemed inevitable as summer ended and the two A-list rappers reappeared. When West toured an ongoing “Donda,” Drake appeared to be claiming a Sept. 3 release late last month with a guerrilla-style lo-fi ad on “SportsCenter” on ESPN.

And on a Trippie Redd track entitled “Betrayal” the rapper indicated that the hustle and bustle around West’s “Donda” would not affect its final release date. This time Drake rapped, “It’s set in stone.”

Categories
Politics

Texas will get concerned in Israel’s combat with Ben & Jerry’s over West Financial institution boycott

A family is enjoying the visitor attractions at the Ben & Jerrys factory in Waterbury, Vermont on June 24, 2021.

Christiana Botic | Boston Globe | Getty Images

The struggle between Israel and Palestinians spills over to 30 US states whose laws prevent pension funds from investing in companies that refuse to do business with the Jewish state.

The most recent example concerns the socially conscious ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, the West Bank and Texas.

Earlier this week, Ben & Jerry’s board of directors said it would no longer allow sales in areas it believes Israel should not control. The company issued a statement stating, “We believe it is inconsistent with our values ​​for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”

The company, now owned by global consumer giant Unilever, has been selling its brand in Israel through a local Israeli distributor for decades. Unilever said it would seek a new deal to sell ice cream in Israel, but not in territories claimed by Palestinians for their own state.

In Israel, companies are prevented from treating customers and subsidiaries differently in what Israel calls “disputed territory” from what much of the world recognizes as Israeli territory. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett this week promised to act “aggressively” on the ice cream company founded in 1978 by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who are Jewish and progressive.

The American flag and the Texas State Flag flutter over the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas.

Brian Snyder | Reuters

Now Texas is getting involved.

A spokesman for Republican Governor Greg Abbott told CNBC on Tuesday evening: “Ben and Jerry’s decision to boycott parts of Israel is a shame and an insult to America’s closest allies in the Middle East.” The statement went on to say, “Unilever, the parent company of Ben and Jerry, must reverse this ill-conceived decision.”

Abbott signed a bill four years ago that would force Texas pension funds to part ways with companies boycotting Israel.

State auditor Glenn Hegar, who controls billions of dollars in assets for Texas public pension funds, has already urged his office to take action. In a statement to CNBC, he said, “I have directed my employees to determine if certain actions by Ben & Jerry’s or Unilever would trigger listing under Chapter 808 of the Texas Government Code,” the law passed in 2017.

It is also possible that sales in states with anti-boycott laws could be affected. If Ben & Jerry’s or Unilever bid for a contract with a public agency, they could be disqualified if the boycott becomes a reality.

Florida State CFO Jimmy Patronis, who controls the public pension funds, told CNBC that his office began discussing the issue Tuesday morning. “I find what is happening very worrying,” he said in a text. But he wasn’t ready to say what action could be taken.

Airbnb was the last company involved in a similar problem. In 2018, the rental site said it bans the listing of Israeli property in the West Bank, territory that the Palestinians claim they should be part of their state.

An Airbnb listing in Israel

Airbnb

But the company turned around a few months later and was now looking at listings on a “case-by-case” basis, according to a statement on its website.

Ben & Jerry’s board of directors, who have a unique agreement with parent company Unilever that allows for an oversized role in decision-making on social issues, initiated the withdrawal from Israel this week.

Following the Ben & Jerry statement, Unilever released its own on Monday saying, “We remain fully committed to our presence in Israel, where we have invested in our people, brands and business for several decades.” In addition, the company’s CEO spoke to Bennett this week. Following the interview, Israel’s new Prime Minister said: “This is an action with grave consequences, including legal consequences, and it (Israel) will take vigorous action against any boycott directed against its citizens.”

Ben & Jerry chairman Anuradha Mittal has not responded to CNBC about the implications of the decision and the possibility of divesting Unilever’s state pension funds. In a telephone interview on Thursday, Ben & Jerry’s spokesman Sean Greenwood said, “The company has nothing to add beyond the original statement,” which was released Monday.

Speaking to NBC News earlier this week, Mittal went after Unilever for making its own statement on the subject, calling it a “deception”. She added, “I can’t stop thinking this is what happens when you have a board with all the women and people of color pushing to do the right thing.”

Unilever did not respond to CNBC calls or emails asking for a response to the possibility of a sale by state pension funds.

Categories
Politics

Firefighters put together for extreme wildfires in West after document season

Firefighters work to stop the Loma fire from spreading outside Via del Cielo in Santa Barbara, California, USA. This image was published on May 21, 2021.

Mike Eliason | Santa Barbara County Fire Department | Reuters

From igniting controlled burns to removing vegetation, U.S. firefighters are undergoing massive preparations for a wildfire year they expect to be even worse than last year’s record season.

Fires broke out earlier this year, scorching the West as it grapples with the worst drought in the recorded history of the US Drought Monitor. Hot and dry temperatures in the preseason due to climate change, along with a high supply of dry scrub, have prepared the states for more severe and more frequent fires each year.

Firefighters in Arizona are already fighting two massive fires fueled by hot temperatures and gusty winds. Conditions are so dry that officials said firefighters fighting the fire accidentally started new fires that were started by their equipment.

California, suffering from drought and depleted water reservoirs, also had an early start to its season. A fire in May forced the evacuation of hundreds of people in western Los Angeles. Five of the six largest fires in the state’s history occurred last year and burned more than 4 million acres.

“The fire season has been extended to a full year of fire in many parts of the country,” said Bill Avey, USDA Forest Service’s National Fire and Aviation Director.

“Managing a year-long season is becoming increasingly difficult for the USDA and the entire forest fire management community,” said Avey.

Clouds of smoke rise from a flame as wildfire rages in Arizona, United States on June 7, 2021, in this image from social media.

Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management | Reuters

As the fire season becomes longer, states face the growing challenge of adequately preparing for and responding to a year-on-year increase in the number of climate change-fueled disasters.

California will have its largest fire department ever this year and has already completed dozens of fuel reduction projects such as controlled burns. The state’s largest utility company, PG&E, has also announced it could turn off electricity more often this year to help curb fire hazards in Northern California.

And earlier this month, Governor Gavin Newsom called for a record $ 2 billion budget for forest fire preparation and an expansion of the aircraft fleet to fight the fires.

California has responded to more than 2,875 forest fires that burned more than 16,800 acres since early 2021, according to Alisha Herring, a communications officer for the state fire department Cal Fire.

“This is a significant increase in both fires and hectares compared to 2020,” said Herring.

A sign will be posted next to an empty space on May 27, 2021 in Chowchilla, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

This year, the Forest Service has 15,000 firefighters and personnel ready to put out fires, as well as up to 34 air tankers, more than 200 helicopters and 900 engines for an unprecedented season, Avey said.

Last month, President Joe Biden said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will double the funds available to prepare cities and states for climate disasters such as fires and hurricanes from $ 500 million in 2020 to $ 1 billion this year.

But the increase in FEMA funding was less than what some disaster management experts argue to prepare for weather events. Last year, the United States had 22 disasters, each with more than $ 1 billion in record losses, according to the White House.

“Now is the time to prepare for the busiest time of year for disasters in America,” said the president after a briefing at FEMA headquarters.

Hilary Franz, Washington state commissioner for public land, said the state is preparing for a particularly heavy fire season by securing additional air resources through treaties and regional and national agreements.

Almost 85% of forest fires are due to human activity, including unsupervised debris fires, cigarettes, power tools, and arson. The risk is increased as more and more people build in wilderness areas at risk of fire. Experts have urged federal officials to better manage forests and city or state building codes that require fire-resistant materials to build homes.

“The vast majority of forest fires are caused by human activity,” said Franz. “The more people practice fire protection and avoid starting fires outdoors, the better our chances of avoiding a devastating forest fire season.”

Categories
Business

Jerry West displays on the life and legacy of Kobe Bryant

Jerry West may be the man whose silhouette adorns the National Basketball Association logo, but he’s also the man responsible for turning Kobe Bryant into a Los Angeles Laker.

The eight-time NBA champion spoke to CNBC’s The News with Shepard Smith about his relationship with the former Lakers superstar and his thoughts on his late boyfriend, who will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.

“I will remember [Bryant] as someone I loved like a brother. The playful moments with him, some of the fun things and the exchanges we had. Watching him start what he became, “West told CNBC.

Bryant, 41, his daughter Gianna, 13, and seven other people died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020.

West, a former player and 14-time NBA All-Star, coached the Lakers and eventually moved to the team’s front office. He stood behind the Lakers dynasty in the 1980s and is the proud owner of nine championship rings in his life. He is also the man credited with bringing Bryant to the Lakers after organizing a draft day deal with the Charlotte Hornets.

West recognized Bryant’s talent for basketball early on and did not shy away from the 17-year-old, even though he only played in high school.

Jerry West and Kobe Bryant salute before the game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers on December 18, 2017 at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.

Andrew D. Bernstein | NBAE via Getty Images

“We just fell in love with him. From the time we coached him in Los Angeles, and especially the second time we coached him … from then on, it’s been like, I love the way you get we this guy? “

The two developed a bond over the years. West said his son would drive around Bryant and his wife would cook him Italian food for dinner.

“He was one of the greatest players we have ever seen, but he was also one of the brightest players we have ever seen,” said West.

While Bryant achieved so much on the court, West also took pride in his extrajudicial contributions, especially when it came to helping women’s basketball.

Bryant helped give voice to the Women’s National Basketball Association and its players, and often attended games with his daughter.

“He was a bright light” for women basketball players, West said. “Whatever he did turned to gold and I think he was as a person.”

On Saturday, Bryant’s idol Michael Jordan will induct him into the Hall of Fame. From a young age, Bryant looked up to Jordan and even tried to model his game after him.

“This is going to be a historic night to honor a legendary player who is no longer with us and it just doesn’t seem right to be honest,” said West. “To have his idol there to introduce him … I think we all feel a little bit robbed.”

Categories
Health

West Virginia governor claims each individual over 65 might be vaccinated by Valentine’s Day

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice praised the success of distributing coronavirus vaccines in his state, claiming that if the mountain state had the “Valentine’s Day doses,” everyone in that state, 65 years of age and older, would be vaccinated.

West Virginia has spent the past three weeks as the number one or number two state in the nation for vaccination doses per capita, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid-19 Vaccination Tracker. The state also has an administration rate for the first dose of 95.2% and a vaccination rate for the second dose of 46.8%. This is based on vaccine data released on West Virginia’s Covid-19 dashboard on Wednesday.

Justice broke his state’s “all-in” approach to spreading the Covid vaccine in CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith”.

“We didn’t necessarily take the federal approach, we took a practical approach and we took an all-in approach,” Justice said during an interview on Wednesday evening. “We brought our National Guard, our local pharmacies, our local health workers, our local health clinics and everything.”

Justice added that the West Virginia model “is not rocket science, it just moves and doesn’t sit back and plan a strategy”.

However, vaccine adoption remains slower than expected in several states in the country. Wisconsin, for example, has lagged behind, handing out only 42.5% of its Covid vaccine doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Governor Tony Evers described the introduction of the state vaccine as “a bit bumpy”. Evers said his state did not get enough vaccines from the federal government and those who give vaccines needed more time to prepare.

West Virginia has delivered nearly 12,000 doses, 77% of their dose coverage. The judiciary emphasized the importance of putting older Americans at the forefront of a vaccination strategy.

“We just saw it that way and it was age and age and age and we knew we had to move,” Justice said. “We didn’t want vaccines on a shelf, we needed them in people’s arms.”

January 2021 is already the worst month in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic began, with more than 79,000 deaths, according to a CNBC analysis of Johns Hopkins data. It’s a grim milestone that has broken the December record by more than a thousand deaths.

Categories
Health

42 Individuals in West Virginia Mistakenly Given Virus Remedy As a substitute of Vaccine

42 people in Boone County, southwest West Virginia, who were due to be given the coronavirus vaccine Wednesday, were instead mistakenly injected with experimental monoclonal antibody treatment, the West Virginia National Guard said Thursday.

None of the 42 recipients have developed any adverse effects to date, the guard said in a statement. The guard who directs the state’s vaccine distribution efforts described the flaw as a “collapse of the process.”

The experimental treatment, a cocktail of antibodies from Regeneron, is the same that President Trump received when he was hospitalized with Covid-19 in November. It is intended to be given as an intravenous infusion, not a direct injection like the vaccine.

Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, the West Virginia National Guard’s adjutant general, said the mix-up appeared to have occurred during the delivery of a shipment of the Regeneron cocktail to a distribution hub where the vials were placed among the supplies of the Moderna vaccine. The hub staff then apparently included the treatment vials in a vaccine shipment to Boone County.

General Hoyer attributed the situation to “a few human errors” and said the guard acted quickly once they realized what had happened. “We have found a problem, we fix it and we are making progress,” he said on Thursday in a radio interview.

No other shipments of the vaccine were affected, the guard said in a statement.

Vials for the treatment and vaccine look somewhat similar but are clearly labeled, as are the boxes they are in. Both are kept refrigerated before use.

The mistake came at a time when record numbers of hospitalizations across the country signaled a greater need than ever for the scarce and expensive antibody treatments, even though some supplies across the country are being kept unused in refrigerators.

Officials in West Virginia reported 1,109 new coronavirus cases and 20 new deaths Thursday. There have been at least 85,334 cases and 1,338 deaths in the state since the pandemic began, according to a database from the New York Times.

Categories
Health

West Virginia mistakenly provides 42 individuals Regeneron IV Covid therapy as a substitute of vaccine shot

A pharmacist dilutes the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as he prepares it for administration to staff and residents at Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads, a senior community in Falls Church, Virginia, on December 30, 2020.

Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images

Dozens of people in West Virginia were mistakenly given Regeneron’s Covid-19 antibodies instead of the Moderna vaccine, the West Virginia National Guard said Thursday.

According to the state’s National Guard, 42 people received the intravenous treatment at a Boone County Department of Health vaccination clinic. The National Guard said it learned of the mistake on Wednesday.

Everyone who received the antibody treatment instead of the vaccine, which is given through a shot in the arm, has been contacted, Julie Miller, a Boone County Health Department administrator, told CNBC via email. She added, “We don’t think there is any risk of harm.”

Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment, which must be given via an IV drip, is seen as a promising treatment for Covid-19 – especially if given early in the course of the infection. But the West Virginia mix-up is just one example of the confusion in the rush to distribute the vaccine to tens of millions of people. The rollout was slower than expected and was characterized by logistical challenges.

“It was determined that this was an isolated incident,” Miller said. “All those affected will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine today.”

She said the health department will work closely with the state National Guard and the Department of Health and Human Resources to review their policies and procedures.

Miller did not provide details on what caused the mix-up.

Representatives from the West Virginia National Guard and the West Virginia Governor’s Office did not respond to CNBC’s request for further comment on the occurrence of the error.

Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, said in a statement that his forces “acted immediately” to correct the mistake as soon as they found out what happened. “We immediately reviewed and strengthened our logs to improve our sales process and prevent this from happening again,” he said in a statement.

He added that the state will continue to promote the vaccine “to save more lives every day”.

Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s Covid-19 tsar, noted in a statement that the Regeneron treatment mistakenly given in place of the vaccine is the same product “that was given to President Trump when he became infected”.

“Although this injection is not harmful, it has replaced the vaccine,” he said. “However, this event provides an important opportunity for our leadership team to review and improve the safety and vaccination process for every West Virginian.”

Categories
Health

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on nursing house rollout

West Virginia is well on its way to delivering Covid-19 vaccines in all long-term care facilities by the end of this year, Republican Governor Jim Justice told CNBC on Tuesday.

This would be a significant milestone in West Virginia’s efforts to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus. Although less than 6% of the state’s coronavirus cases account for about 31% of all Covid-19 deaths in West Virginia, according to the COVID Tracking Project run by journalists from The Atlantic . The figures are based on the latest available data for the past week.

West Virginia began administering shots at its long-term care facilities last week after the Food and Drug Administration granted Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine limited approval. The state has since received doses of Moderna’s vaccine after it was approved for emergency use on Friday.

West Virginia administered approximately 8,100 doses of Pfizer BioNTech at 71 of its 214 long-term care facilities last week, according to Maj. Holli Nelson, a spokesman for the West Virginia National Guard. On average, about 80% of people in a facility wanted to be vaccinated, she told CNBC. Vaccinations are running this week for employees and residents of the remaining long-term care facilities, Nelson said.

In an interview on Squawk on the Street, Justice said West Virginia could start vaccinations in nursing homes earlier than many parts of the country because it relied on local pharmacies.

“Our great National Guard and all of our health officials came up with the idea of ​​basically recruiting all local pharmacies,” Justice said. He added that West Virginia may have given its first dose of vaccine in its long-term care facilities “before many states start”. Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines require two injections a few weeks apart.

Jim Justice, Governor of West Virginia.

Scott Halleran / Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have partnered with Walgreens, CVS and select other pharmacy chains to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. CVS and Walgreens started delivering footage at some facilities on Friday before starting a wider rollout in the US this week.

More than 40,000 long-term care facilities have selected CVS to provide vaccinations through on-site clinics, CNBC previously reported. Walgreens will provide vaccinations in approximately 35,000 long-term care facilities.

Healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities were given priority by each state in their initial vaccine allocation plans. In West Virginia, in developing his own distribution plans, Justice “stated that his priority is to vaccinate residents and long-term care workers immediately,” West Virginia National Guard’s Maj .

“In our discussions, we opted for a slightly different approach than the plans used nationwide, as around 53-54% of our state’s pharmacies are not linked to the chain,” said Hoyer.

Long-term care facilities in the US are particularly hard hit by Covid-19 outbreaks. As the country’s epidemic worsened this fall, there was another spike in cases and deaths at the facilities. For this reason, the introduction of a vaccine comes at a critical time.

West Virginia is one of ten states where coronavirus cases are increasing on average by seven days, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Hospital admissions for Covid-19 patients also rose 8.4% in the past week. This is evident from the CNBC analysis of the data from the COVID tracking project.

– CNBC’s Nate Rattner contributed to this report.

Categories
Politics

George Blake, British Spy Who Betrayed the West, Dies at 98

He was born as George Behar on November 11, 1922 in Rotterdam. His mother was a Dutch Protestant; His father Albert was a Turkish born Spanish Jew who fought against the Ottoman Empire in World War I. He was wounded, charged with gallantry, and received British citizenship. He settled in the Netherlands as a businessman.

When his father died in 1934, George went to Cairo to live with relatives, including a cousin, Henri Curiel, who became an Egyptian communist leader. He was visiting the Netherlands when World War II broke out in 1939. His mother and two sisters fled to England, but he joined the Dutch resistance, spreading news and collecting information for two years.

He retired to Britain, changed his last name to Blake, joined the Royal Navy, trained in submarines and was hired as a freshman by British intelligence during the war. He spoke fluent Dutch, German, Arabic and Hebrew as well as English, translated German documents and interrogated German prisoners.

After the war, he studied Russian at Cambridge – by then Philby, Burgess and Maclean had completed their espionage trade – and his teacher, who came from pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg, inspired him to love the Russian language and culture, a step in his conversion . He was then sent to Germany to build a network of British spies in Berlin and Hamburg. With the envelope of a naval attaché he recruited numerous agents.

Shortly before the start of the Korean War in 1950, Mr Blake was sent to Seoul, South Korea’s capital, under diplomatic cover to organize another espionage network. But he was captured by invading North Korean forces. He was detained in North Korea for three years and subjected to communist indoctrination.

He later denied that this affected his conversion, insisting that the American bombing of North Korea was the main factor. “The relentless bombing of small Korean villages by giant American flying forts,” killing “women, children and the elderly” appalled him, he said. “I was ashamed,” he added. “I felt obliged to the wrong side.”

Mr Blake said he met with a KGB officer in North Korea, agreed to become a Soviet agent, and immediately started disclosing secrets. He did not want payment and, to avoid suspicion, insisted on not being granted privileges and being released with other captured diplomats. When the Korean War ended in 1953, he was returned to Great Britain and received as a national hero.