Long-hidden FBI files reveal slain Gambino boss Frank Cali’s rise to power
Heavily redacted files, obtained by The Post through a Freedom of Information Act request, offer to date perhaps the most revealing look into Cali’s rise to power. …read more
https://nypost.com/2022/09/21/fbi-files-reveal-slain-gambino-boss-frank-calis-rise-to-power/
Senate approves first climate treaty in decades
The Senate ratified its first international climate treaty in three decades on Wednesday, approving an agreement worked out in 2016 that will phase down refrigerant chemicals that are among the most potent climate pollutants.
While the Senate is badly divided on most climate issues, strong backing from the business community to eliminate hydrofluorocarbons, known as HFCs, aligned with environmentalists’ agenda to help secure enough Republican support to meet the Constitution’s requirement of two-thirds support.
The Senate voted 69-27 to approve the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, joining 136 other nations and the European Union in approving the deal.
“The transition away from HFCs is expected to stimulate literally billions of dollars in economic investment in this country … create tens of thousands of jobs and significantly increase U.S. exports while using technology developed in this country,” Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) said on Wednesday.
Originally approved in the 1980s, the landmark Montreal Protocol successfully brought down emissions of chemicals that harmed the ozone layer, but in turn prompted manufacturers to switch to a new family of chemicals — hydrofluorocarbons — that do not harm the ozone layer but are potent greenhouse gases. Today, HFCs are used in refrigerators and air conditioners, as well as foam and aerosol products.
Depending on its makeup, a pound of HFCs can have as much warming potential as hundreds or even tens of thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide. That makes capping their use a critical part of combatting near-term warming; the Kigali Amendment will stave off 0.5 degrees Celsius of warming this century, according to the Biden administration.
The amendment requires countries to reduce their use of HFCs by 85 percent over 15 years. It was negotiated at an international gathering in Rwanda in 2016 by John Kerry, then the secretary of State and now President Joe Biden’s international climate envoy, and Gina McCarthy, then the EPA administrator, who just recently stepped down as Biden’s national climate adviser.
Congress already did the hard work in late 2020, when the Senate reached a deal on legislation empowering EPA to more forcefully regulate HFCs in order to meet Kigali’s goal.
Since then, major business interests have lobbied for ratification, partly because U.S. manufacturers are poised to play a leading role in selling next-generation refrigerants with much less climate impact. Not ratifying the treaty also would have led to trade restrictions in the 2030s.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce made ratification a “key vote” and in a letter this week argued that approving it “would enhance the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers working to develop alternative technologies, and level the global economic playing field.”
“The Senate is signaling that Kigali counts by ratifying the amendment,” Stephen Yurek, president and CEO of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute, said in a statement. “It counts for the jobs it will create; …read more
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/21/senate-approves-first-climate-treaty-in-decades-00058078
Trump, family members sued by New York AG Letitia James, accused of massive fraud
Letitia James said ex-president Donald Trump “falsely inflated his wealth by billions of dollars” to enrich his family and the Trump Organization.
BP Says Two Employees Died After Fire at Ohio Refinery
The British oil company had agreed to sell its stake in the facility last month. …read more
For years, Bling Ring burglar Alexis Haines denied everything. Now she’s coming clean
The former reality TV star opens up about the 2008-2009 robberies and her journey to healing in Netflix’s ‘The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist.’
BeReal experiences a multihour outage, refuses to explain
Gen Z’s favorite social app BeReal experienced a lengthy outage today, which the company only acknowledged with a brief — and fairly vague — tweet, stating: “yup, we’re on it.” In recent months, the Paris-based app maker has seen its photo-sharing service climb to the top of the App Store, ousting competitors like Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok from the No. 1 spot, at times. But the company has also developed a reputation for not being very communicative — a pattern that extends to its own users, it seems.
To date, the startup hasn’t officially offered an on-the-record interview with press, though it’s been willing to meet with some for off-the-record briefings. (Or apparently, on background if you’re the Financial Times.)
This hesitancy to communicate goes beyond the media, however. Today, when BeReal faced a lengthy outage — one that spanned multiple hours and frustrated its users who could no longer upload photos — the company had little to say.
Meanwhile, devoted users stormed the account’s Twitter replies asking for more details while others posted to the hashtag #BeRealDown with their complaints. Many just wanted to know if the problems they were experiencing with the app were also impacting others. They had no information.
Reached for comment, BeReal declined to answer a number of questions related to its outage, including things like what caused it, how widespread it was and whether the company had a sense of when it would be resolved.
Understandably, its team may have been struggling to address the technical issues before responding to these inquiries. But when the outage was resolved hours later, we were only pointed to this tweet that stated: “all good now.”
This lack of transparency from a company that simultaneously pushes its user base of millions to “be real” with one another is starting to wear thin.
At this point, we have to wonder how a company like this would respond if there ever was a more serious issue impacting its platform. What if BeReal experiences a data breach or hack? What if bad actors engaged with the platform in some way — will BeReal have anything to say then?
The company cannot keep pretending it’s a tiny, indie app maker. It’s raised a $30 million Series A, led by Andreessen Horowitz and Accel followed by a Series B from DST Global, valuing the startup, pre-money at $600+ million, reports said. The app has seen nearly 46 million installs, according to data from Sensor Tower. It’s still today the No. 3 app on the U.S. iPhone App Store’s non-game charts — having only temporarily lost its top spot to widget creation apps following the launch of iOS 16. It soon plans to monetize with subscriptions.
While being press-avoidant may be a strategy BeReal is employing for now, being non-communicative with its own users seems …read more
https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/21/bereal-experiences-a-multi-hour-outage-refuses-to-explain/
Queen was ‘very hurt’ after Harry, Meghan quit royal family, new book claims
“Megxit” was a “source of sadness” for the monarch, who died at age 96 on Sept. 8. …read more
Ohio GOP House candidate has misrepresented military service
WASHINGTON — Campaigning for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat, Republican J.R. Majewski presents himself as an Air Force combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, once describing “tough” conditions including a lack of running water that forced him to go more than 40 days without a shower.
Military documents obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request tell a different story.
They indicate Majewski never deployed to Afghanistan but instead completed a six-month stint helping to load planes at an air base in Qatar, a longtime U.S. ally that is a safe distance from the fighting.
Majewski’s account of his time in the military is just one aspect of his biography that is suspect. His post-military career has been defined by exaggerations, conspiracy theories, talk of violent action against the U.S. government and occasional financial duress.
Still, thanks to an unflinching allegiance to former President Donald Trump — Majewski once painted a massive Trump mural on his lawn — he also stands a chance of defeating longtime Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in a district recently redrawn to favor Republicans.
Majewski is among a cluster of GOP candidates, most running for office for the first time, whose unvarnished life stories and hard-right politics could diminish the chances of a Republican “red wave” on Election Day in November. He is also a vivid representation of a new breed of politicians who reject facts as they try to emulate Trump.
“It bothers me when people trade on their military service to get elected to office when what they are doing is misleading the people they want to vote for them,” Don Christensen, a retired colonel and former chief prosecutor for the Air Force, said of Majewski. “Veterans have done so much for this country and when you claim to have done what your brothers and sisters in arms actually did to build up your reputation, it is a disservice.”
Majewski’s campaign declined to make him available for an interview and, in a lengthy statement issued to the AP, did not directly address questions about his claim of deploying to Afghanistan. A spokeswoman declined to provide additional comment when the AP followed up with additional questions.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/21/ohio-gop-majewski-military-00058125
New York lawsuit against Trump, family could prompt new federal criminal inquiries
Donald Trump’s legal jeopardy deepens as New York’s attorney general refers findings to federal authorities.
(For Thursday) Energy woes trump human rights as Scholz visits Saudi Arabia
Many will hope the Gulf kingdom’s human rights record will be raised during Olaf Scholz’s visit. But the chancellor must prioritize energy security and arrest falling German exports to the wealthiest Middle East state. …read more