CNN
Rick Scott sees retribution in McConnell decision to pull him off Senate Commerce Committee
Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said Thursday that he sees Mitch McConnell’s decision to pull him off the Senate Commerce Committee as retribution for challenging the Kentucky senator’s position as leader of the GOP conference.“He completely opposed me putting out a plan,” Scott said to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, referencing his “Rescue America” platform announced last year that would have subjected all federally elected officials to a 12-year term limit, closed the Department of Education and created a slew of other initiatives. “I believe that everybody up here – this is not a Republican-Democrat issue – we all ought to be putting out our ideas and fight over ideas up here.” ...
These beautiful monasteries are for sale across Italy
Ever dream of really getting away from it all? The Italians have long known how to do it.For centuries this has been a land of hermits and religious retreats – and Italy is still full of secluded monasteries and abbeys where religious folk have lived in seclusion. ...
The people who live inside airplanes
After losing her house to a fire, Jo Ann Ussery had a peculiar idea: to live in an airplane.She bought an old Boeing 727 that was destined for the scrapyard, had it shipped to a plot of land she already owned, and spent six months renovating, doing most of the work by herself. By the end, she had a fully functional home, with over 1,500 square feet of living space, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and even a hot tub – where the cockpit used to be. All for less than $30,000, or about $60,000 in today’s money. ...
What to look for in Friday’s jobs report
A week that has been chock-full of economic data will be capped off Friday with the first US jobs report of 2023.Economists estimate that 185,000 positions were likely added in January, according to Refinitiv. ...
What to make of the US military’s movements in the Pacific and a general’s wild warning about war
Multiple developments in recent weeks reinforce the US military’s new hyperfocus on China:These military moves give the impression of resolve and focus that the US will help protect the democratic, self-governing island of Taiwan in the event of direct Chinese aggression. ...
US to get expanded military base access in the Philippines
The US military will gain access to four more bases in the Philippines under an agreement announced as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Manila on Thursday.In addition, the two allies said projects at five bases already covered in the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) were almost completed. ...
US transfers Guantanamo Bay detainee to Belize
The US has transferred a Guantanamo Bay detainee who was convicted of terrorism offenses in 2012 to Belize, the Pentagon announced on Thursday.Majid Khan, a Pakistani citizen and US resident, who went to high school in Baltimore, was captured in 2003 and was held for more than three years at secret CIA prisons known as “black sites.” He was transferred to the US military prison in Cuba in 2006. ...
Subway hopes new meat slicers will boost sales after record 2022
Subway says it had a record-setting year for sales in 2022, bolstered by a major menu revamp and store renovations. The company believes its plan to slice meat in front of customers could make 2023 another record year.A privately held company, Subway doesn’t typically release quarterly earnings but it gave reporters a glimpse of its finances as the company potentially explores a sale. Sales at its North America stores open at least a year rose 7.8% last year compared to 2021, which Subway said exceeded its projections by more than $700 million (it didn’t reveal specific numbers). ...
Senate Democrats grapple with pressure to remove GOP’s ‘blue slip’ authority on judges
When the Senate Judiciary Committee meets Thursday to vote on another slate of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, Democrats will be benefiting from more than their two additional years of Senate control.Democrats – with the expansion of their majority in the midterms to a 51-49 margin – have gained new advantages in their remaking of the federal bench that they didn’t have during the first half of Biden’s administration. Among them, soon having a clear majority on the Judiciary Committee – rather than the previous even split – that will limit the ability of Senate Republicans to slow the pace of confirmations. ...
Shell profits double to record $40 billion
Shell made a record profit of almost $40 billion in 2022, more than double what it raked in the previous year after oil and gas prices soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Europe’s largest oil company by revenue reported adjusted full-year earnings of $39.9 billion on Thursday — more than double the $19.3 billion it posted in 2021 — driven by a strong performance in its gas trading business. The company’s stock was up 2.6% in London at midday. ...