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The 2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison debuts as a more beefed-up, jacked-up version of the regular ZR2 model. Along with 35-inch off-road tires, the Bison has Multimatic hydraulic bump stops designed to help cushion hard landings. The bovine-themed truck also has AEV steel bumpers, wider fender flares, and a bed-mounted spare-tire carrier. We're calling it. The golden age of pickup trucks is right now. Not only are there an unprecedented amount of choices—from compact trucks to electric trucks to luxury trucks—but automakers are also going all out on off-road-focused variants. The mid-size segment is arguably the most hotly contested, with Ford, GM, and Toyota all recently revealing new generations of their respective entries. Chevy has already rolled out the 2023 Colorado lineup, and we've driven the desert-pounding ZR2, but before the dust has settled, the bow-tie brand is unleashing a bigger, badder version: the 2024 Colorado ZR2 Bison. Bison Is a Beefier ZR2 When it comes to bovine-themed Colorados, this isn't Chevy's first rodeo. The previous-generation ZR2 also came in Bison guise, which had trim-specific bits such as unique wheels and badging as well as steel bumpers and skid plates all from aftermarket supplier American Expedition Vehicles (AEV). The '24 Colorado ZR2 Bison still gets exclusive AEV add-ons such as wider fender flares, a full-width steel front bumper with a winch accommodation, and a rear bumper with steel corner plates. Underneath the truck are five skid plates made of Boron steel (the regular ZR2 has three aluminum plates). The Bison's additional protection covers the fuel tank and the rear differential, giving drivers more peace of mind on rocky terrain. A set of steel rock rails is also standard. The Bison's hooves are the real stars of the show. Its Goodyear Wrangler Territory Mud-Terrain tires are sized LT315/70R-17, which Chevy rounds up to 35 inches. Apart from the heavy-duty Silverado 2500HD ZR2, the Colorado ZR2 Bison is the only other truck with a bow-tie badge that features factory-installed 35s. No other mid-size truck offers tires that big, either, with the 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor and 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro riding on 33-inchers, same as the regular ZR2. To make room for the 35s, Chevy had to modify the ZR2's front fenders by enlarging the wheel openings. Moving the third-gen Colorado's front axle 3.1 inches forward also allowed for the bigger tires, and a company spokesperson told Car and Driver that fitting 35s was the main reason behind the stretch. The Bison's 66.3-inch front and rear tracks are almost an inch wider than the regular ZR2's. Thanks largely to the taller tires, the Bison stands 1.5 inches higher than its counterpart, with a slight suspension lift playing part too. A Bison That Can Jump The Bison benefits from the same type of Multimatic spool-valve dampers found on the regular ZR2, however, here they've been retuned to account for the truck's added mass. The Bison is just over 300 pounds heavier, according to Chevy. Its suspension also has the same 9.9 inches of front travel and 11.6 inches of rear travel, despite what we thought when we saw a prototype in the Nevada desert. Compared with the standard ZR2, the Bison has an extra 1.5 inches of ground clearance at 12.2 inches. While the AEV bumper drops its approach angle from 38.6 to 38.2 degrees, the Bison has a better breakover angle (26.9 versus 24.8 degrees) and departure angle (26.0 versus 25.2 degrees). To see how the standard ZR2 stacks up against the Ranger Raptor and the Tacoma TRD Pro, read our spec comparison. What really takes the Colorado ZR2 Bison to the next level of off-road lunacy is that has hydraulic front and rear bump stops, which are also supplied by Multimatic. Chevy calls them "Jounce Control Dampers," and they're built to better withstand the abuse of aggressive off-road driving. While bison can't jump, the ZR2 version certainly can, and its upgraded bump stops will help soften hard landings should drivers be goaded into "sending it." If the Bison gets a flat tire, there's a full-size, 35-inch spare mounted in the cargo bed. Unlike its predecessor, which also featured a bed-mounted spare tire, the new truck's carrier is mounted at the front of the five-foot-two-inch box instead of smack dab in the middle. Sure, it doesn't look as cool, but the new location maintains most of the truck bed's usable space. It also doesn't fully block the rearview mirror, and an aftermarket cab topper can be installed without interference. Still a ZR2 at Heart Sadly, the Bison treatment doesn't bring any powertrain upgrades. It features the same high-output turbocharged 2.7-liter four-pot as the regular ZR2, which makes 310 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque (on 87-octane fuel, mind you). An eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and electronic locking front and rear differentials are also mandatory. The Bison's tow rating is capped at 5500 pounds (500 less than the ZR2), and its payload capacity is 230 less at 1050 pounds. For the 2024 model year, both the ZR2 and the Bison add launch control that can be activated in Baja mode. Simply select the setting with the rotary knob on the center console, press the brake pedal, pin the throttle, and release the brake for take off. Chevy says the launch mode also automatically adjusts to different surface conditions, so the system will detect if the truck is on dirt, gravel, or sand. Inside, the Bison looks almost identical to the regular ZR2. The only differences are the AEV-branded floor mats and embroidered headrests. Otherwise the two trucks share a fully digital gauge cluster and an 11.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Standard driver assists include automated emergency braking, automatic high-beams, and lane-keeping assist; adaptive cruise control is also available but costs extra. The 2024 Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison is slated to start production sometime in the third quarter of this year, with orders opening this fall. While Chevy says it'll release pricing closer to the truck's on-sale date, we fully expect the Bison to break the $60K barrier. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a44038461/2024-chevy-colorado-zr2-bison-revealed/

A Conservative mayor has branded a Labour MP a "liar and a coward" in a row over a major development project. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen challenged Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald to repeat allegations of corruption without the protection of parliamentary privilege. Mr McDonald said the Teesworks deal "doesn't pass the smell test" but stopped short of repeating the claims. An independent panel will probe claims of mismanagement at the site in Redcar. In April, Mr McDonald spoke in the Commons about "shocking, industrial-scale corruption" around the ownership and funding of the Teesworks development, the UK's largest industrial zone. As he had made the statement in Parliament, the MP was protected from legal action for his remarks under parliamentary privilege. Mr McDonald had told the House the vast site was acquired by the public body South Tees Developments Limited for £12m in 2019 and had received hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer investment but that "private developers exercised their option to purchase for a mere £1 an acre plus inflation, paying £96.79 in December." Mr McDonald's comments followed multiple reports in Private Eye and the Financial Times about the site and how contracts and land agreements were issued. Will mayor and Teesworks be damaged by latest storm? Gove orders probe into Teesworks corruption claims Mayor supports probe into Teesworks allegations Speaking on BBC Radio 4's World At One, Mr Houchen, who heads the South Tees Development Corporation overseeing the project, said the MP had refused to repeat the accusations outside of parliament because he could be sued for libel. He said Mr McDonald was a "liar and a coward" who had "abused" his parliamentary position. The Conservative mayor said Mr McDonald "has no evidence" there had been any criminality or wrong-doing around the development. Mr Houchen said engaging private firms to manage the clearance and redevelopment of the former Redcar steelworks site was "1,000%" in the public's interest, adding taxpayers were "no longer liable for a massive site that was going to be a massive drain on public resource". He said the independent panel - announced by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove last week - would prove the accusations were baseless. "I'll be calling for the Labour party to reimburse the taxpayer for the waste of time this review ultimately is, because it's going to show there is no corruption [or] illegality," he added. In response, Mr McDonald declined to repeat the allegations he had made in Parliament on Radio 4 but said his remarks had "gained attention for these very serious matters". He said the development "doesn't pass the smell test" and there were "so many elements that warrant closer examination". Mr McDonald said he believed there had been a "failure of process" at Teesworks and welcomed the inquiry. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-65766566

Euro 2022 top scorer Beth Mead is not included in England's Women's World Cup squad, having not fully recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The Arsenal forward, 27, has not played since November and was a major doubt. Tottenham striker Beth England, who has not been involved since last summer, is included having scored 12 goals in her past 12 Women's Super League games. Chelsea centre-back Millie Bright, who has been out with a knee injury since March, has made the 23-player squad. England head coach Sarina Wiegman confirmed Bright would captain the team in the absence of injured defender Leah Williamson. Midfielder Fran Kirby was also already ruled out through injury, but Barcelona defender Lucy Bronze is in despite having knee surgery in April. Wiegman said she did not ever think there was a chance Mead would be fit in time for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. "She's so positive and going well, but the timescale she had we would have taken so many risks to get to the World Cup," said Wiegman. "I'm not willing to take that risk to push her too much and she gets injured again. We need to take care of players." There is no place for Manchester United forward Nikita Parris or defender Maya le Tissier, but Le Tissier has been placed on standby, alongside uncapped goalkeeper Emily Ramsey and forward Jess Park. Manchester City defender Steph Houghton, who captained England for eight years, has not been called up despite injuries in defence leading to some calls for her return. Midfielder Laura Coombs is one of six players in the squad who will be going to their first major tournament, along with Chelsea pair Lauren James and Niamh Charles, Manchester City's Esme Morgan, Manchester United's Katie Zelem and Brighton's Katie Robinson. England play Haiti in their opening match on 22 July in Australia. 850,000 tickets sold for Women's World Cup Governments call for quick agreement on TV rights Le Tissier was 'really close' Wiegman said her decision to leave out Le Tissier, 21, was one of the hardest to make because of competition in defensive positions, where there is lots of versatility. She has just two caps for England but has impressed at centre-back for United this season. Le Tissier, Ramsey and Park will train with the squad at St George's Park in June. Goalkeeper Ramsey will leave the group prior to departure for Australia. "Of course [Le Tissier] was really close," said Wiegman. "That was a hard call. With all the defenders we had to think about it. "She just didn't get there. She has had a very good season at Manchester United." While there was bitter disappointment for Le Tissier, England received her first call up for a year and was rewarded for her goalscoring form since making the January switch from Chelsea. "She is selected because of her performances. She was at Chelsea and didn't build that much credit because we hardly saw her play," said Wiegman. "But then she made a move, and how she did, performed and the resilience she showed made us make the decision to get her in the squad." 'Bright will be fine as captain' Aside from selection, another talking point was who would take over the captaincy from Williamson in her injury absence. Bright was named vice-captain for Euro 2022 and Wiegman confirmed she will wear the armband in Australia. "I haven't told her she would be the captain, that's how we've been all the time," said Wiegman. "Where she is at right now in her rehab, we haven't really spoken about it yet. She will be fine, she has done it before." Another question was whether Aston Villa forward Rachel Daly, who was the WSL's Player of the Season and top goalscorer, would play up front in the tournament having started every game at left-back at Euro 2022. "Yes, she can, like some other players. She has had a very good season and done really well," said Wiegman. "She has played for us as a number nine and at the back. Her versatility helps the team." Wiegman's decision to name 23 players is also different from last summer's home Euros, where she had a longlist of 28 names initially. "It has to do with the timescale and going to the other side of the world," said Wiegman. "While we were in England we could have training all the time and give clarity. Now we have a holiday then go quickly to Australia. So we wanted to have clarity on that." England squad Goalkeepers: Mary Earps (Manchester United), Hannah Hampton (Aston Villa), Ellie Roebuck (Manchester City). Defenders: Millie Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Barcelona), Jess Carter (Chelsea), Niamh Charles (Chelsea), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Esme Morgan (Manchester City), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal). Midfielders: Laura Coombs (Manchester City), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Ella Toone (Manchester United), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Katie Zelem (Manchester United). Forwards: Rachel Daly (Aston Villa), Bethany England (Tottenham Hotspur), Lauren Hemp, (Manchester City), Lauren James (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Katie Robinson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Alessia Russo (Manchester United). https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65761103

LOS ANGELES, May 31 (Reuters) - While songwriter Justin Tranter has attained success by penning hit pop anthems like Justin Bieber's "Sorry" and Imagine Dragons' "Believer," writing music for the Paramount+ prequel "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" took him in a new direction. For the 10-part musical TV series based on the famous 1978 film "Grease," Tranter wrote 30 original tracks - most of which weren't in the vein of the pop songs for which he is known. "I'm very proud of my pop songs but there isn't the level of storytelling that's required for a musical," Tranter told Reuters. "Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies" is set in 1954, four years before the story of the U.S. high school movie starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. The first season, which ends on Thursday, follows four rebellious students who unite to become the misfits of Rydell High and eventually the "Pink Ladies" clique. The show's lead, Marisa Davila, portrays Jane Facciano, the first female student to run for class president. When he knew he was interested in being a part of the project, Tranter wrote his own original audition song, "Too Cool," which is featured in the first episode. One of the main challenges Tranter faced was emulating the po[CENSORED]r songs from the original film, which incorporated sounds from different decades. "Some of it feels very true to the '50s and some of it is very much a late '70s take," Tranter said, referring to the original "Grease." He also wanted to bring some of his contemporary pop style into the mix as well. "We are waiting to see how an audience receives 30 original songs over 10 episodes. No-one has done it before so we don't know how it's going to work," Tranter said. Reporting by Rollo Ross; Writing by Danielle Broadway; Editing by Mary Milliken and Rosalba O'Brien https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/how-grease-rise-pink-ladies-found-sound-its-own-2023-05-31/

The museum at Auschwitz concentration camp has denounced Poland's governing party for using an image of the camp in a political campaign. The ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) posted the video on social media aiming to stop people from attending an opposition march on Sunday. It was in response to an opposition-supporting journalist who tweeted that the president belonged in a "chamber". The journalist, Tomasz Lis, insists that he meant a prison cell. But the ruling party claimed Mr Lis was saying PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, should be sent to a gas chamber. The video features a background image of the Auschwitz camp's notorious "Arbeit macht frei" (Work sets you free) front gate and one of Mr Lis's tweet, before asking: "Do you really want to march under this slogan?" The Auschwitz Museum has condemned the video. "The instrumentalization of the tragedy of people who suffered and died in the German Nazi Auschwitz camp - on either side of the political dispute - is an insult to the memory of the victims," it wrote on Twitter. "It is a sad, painful and unacceptable manifestation of the moral and intellectual corruption of the public debate." How Auschwitz became the centre of Nazi Holocaust PiS's decision to use Auschwitz in the video has also been criticised by some of the party's supporters. And President Duda tweeted that the victims of the Holocaust cannot be used in political campaigning. "The memory of the victims of German crimes in Auschwitz is scared and inviolable. The tragedy of the millions of victims cannot be used in political struggle. This is an unworthy activity and there is no excuse for it," Mr Duda wrote. The Nazis murdered over 6 million Jewish people across Europe during the Second World War. 1.4 million of those - including a million Jewish people - died at the Auschwitz camp in occupied Poland. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65768426

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Acer Predator Triton 16 was launched at this year's Computex 2023 expo in Taiwan as the latest addition to the company's gaming line. The new laptop is powered by up to a 13th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. It has Windows 11 pre-installed and features a 16-inch IPS display with a metal chassis design. For thermal management, the gaming-focused laptop packs dual 89-blade cooling fans based on the 5th-Gen AeroBlade 3D Vortex Flow technology. The Acer Predator Triton 16 comes with an integrated fingerprint scanner for added security. The company has also announced a Wi-Fi 6E mesh router. Acer Predator Triton 16 price Price of Acer Predator Triton 16 (PT16-51) starts at $1,799.99 (roughly Rs. 1,48,900) and will be available in North America from September. It is confirmed to go on sale in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa starting in September with a price tag of EUR 2,299 (roughly Rs. 2,03,500 ) As of now, there is no information on the availability of the new gaming laptop in India. Acer Predator Triton 16 specifications The Acer Predator Triton 16 runs on Windows 11 and features a 16-inch (1,600x2,560 pixels) IPS WQXGA display with 240Hz refresh rate, and 500 nits of peak brightness. The display is rated to deliver 100 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. The display has narrow bezels and it supports Nvidia's Advanced Optimus technologies and G-Sync, for improved performance during gaming. The machine has a metal casing and has 19.9mm thickness. Under the hood, the Acer Predator Triton 16 is powered by up to a 13th Gen Intel Core i9 CPU and up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. The laptop can be configured with up to 32 GB of DDR5 memory and there are storage options up to 2TB PCIe M.2 SSD. It supports Nvidia's deep learning super sampling (DLSS 3) that multiplies performance with the help of AI to create new frames and display higher resolution. It also comes with Max-Q technology for optimising power. Acer has also improved upon the thermal capabilities of the Predator Triton 16. The company is using a dual fan system with 5th gen AeroBlade 3D metal fans for enhanced heat dissipation. Acer's Vortex Flow technology which consists of dedicated heat pipes and exhaust vents is claimed to ensure heat emission to keep the machine running at peak performance. The keyboard of the Acer Predator Triton 16 has per-key RGB lighting and gets Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro technology with WiFi 6E 1675i. Connectivity options on the laptop include a USB Type-C port with Thunderbolt 4, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a microSD card reader. It also includes a fingerprint reader with Windows Hello for authentication. Besides the Predator Triton 16, Acer has unveiled a Connect Vero W6m mesh router. The Wi-Fi 6E router's chassis is claimed to be made of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. It is powered by a quad-core MediaTek A5 processor with 1GB LPDDR RAM and 4GB of storage. It is said to deliver speeds of up to 7.8Gbps and can also be paired with up to 4 units simultaneously. Acer also announced the expansion of developer tools for its SpatialLabs technology. This would enable developers from various industries to utilize SpatialLabs Pro devices when creating stereo 3D content and applications. https://www.gadgets360.com/laptops/news/acer-predator-triton-16-price-usd-1799-launch-specifications-sale-september-wifi-6e-router-features-4078565

Neural radiance fields (NeRFs) are advanced machine learning techniques that can generate three-dimensional (3D) representations of objects or environments from two-dimensional (2D) images. As these techniques can model complex real-world environments realistically and in detail, they could greatly support robotics research. Most existing datasets and platforms for training NeRFs, however, are designed to be used offline, as they require the completion of a pose optimization step that significantly delays the creation of photo realistic representations. This has so far prevented most roboticists from using these techniques to test their algorithms on physical robots in real-time. A research team at Stanford University recently introduced NerfBridge, a new open-source software package for training NeRF algorithms that could ultimately enable their use in online robotics experiments, This package, introduced in a paper pre-published on arXiv, is designed to effectively bridge ROS (the robot operating system), a renowned software library for robotics applications, and Nerfstudio, an open-source library designed to train NeRFs in real-time. "Recently members of my lab, the Stanford Multi-robot Systems Lab, have been excited about exploring applications of Neural Radiance Fields (NeRFs) in robotics, but we found that right now there isn't an easy way to use these methods with an actual robot, so it's impossible to do any real experiments with them," Javier Yu, the first author of the paper, told Tech Xplore. "Since the tools didn't exist, we decided to build them ourselves, and out of that engineering push to see how NeRFs work on robots we got a nice tool that we think will be useful to a lot of folks in the robotics community." NeRFs are sophisticated techniques based on artificial neural networks that were first introduced by the computer graphics research community. They essentially create detailed maps of the world by training a neural network to reconstruct the 3D geometry and color of the scene captured in a photograph or 2D image. "The problem of mapping from images is one that we in the robotics community have been working on for a long time and NeRFs offer a new perspective on how to approach it," Yu explained. "Typically, NeRFs are trained in an offline fashion where all of the images are gathered ahead of time, and then the NeRF of the scene is trained all at once. In robotics, however, we want to use the NeRF directly for tasks like navigation and so the NeRF is not useful if we only get it when we arrive at our destination. Instead, we want to build the NeRF incrementally (online) as the robot explores its environment. This is exactly the problem that NerfBridge solves." NerfBridge, the package introduced by Yu and his colleagues, utilizes images captured by the sensors and cameras integrated in physical robots. These images are continuously streamed into Nerfstudio's powerful NeRF training library, enabling the creation of NeRFs that are constantly updating themselves and improving as the robot captures new images of its surroundings. To demonstrate the potential of their method, Yu and his colleagues used it to train a NeRF based on images captured by a camera mounted on a quadrotor, a drone with four rotors, as it flew around in both indoor and outdoor environments. Their results were remarkable, highlighting the value of NerfBridge for facilitating the use of NeRFs in robotics research. This promising method could thus soon be used by other researchers to train NERFs and test their algorithms on physical robots as they navigate their surrounding environment. Meanwhile, Yu and his colleagues plan to explore additional strategies that could broaden the use of NeRFs in robotics. "Ultimately, we hope that NerfBridge will lower the barrier of entry for other researchers to start looking at applications of NeRFs in robotics, and to test their new algorithms on robots in the real world," Yu added. "Moving forward from NerfBridge, we are going to be looking into methods for improving NeRF training when images come streamed from a robot and demonstrating the concrete advantages of using NeRF-based maps for other tasks in robotics like localization and navigation." https://techxplore.com/news/2023-05-software-package-ease-neural-radiance.html

Lian Li, which makes some of the best PC cases, is rolling out a set of four new chassis this week at Computex 2023, with each having glass on two or even three sides. The company is also showing off a brand new case fan that has an LCD screen in the middle, something we haven't seen before. The O11 Vision, shown on the left in the lead image, has glass on its front, left side and even on the top. There isn't even a support beam in the front left side to block your view. The top panel is a one-way mirror that makes reflections on the inside of the case but is see-through from the outside. You can attach a 240mm radiator and have it vent out of the back. There's also a removable motherboard tray. The O11D Evo RGB, shown at right in the lead image, has a seamless glass view from the front and left side. However, the top can be used to mount radiator fans and case fans can vent out of the bottom or the back. It also has diffused RGB strips on the top and bottom. The O11D Evo XL, shown below, is an e-ATX case with class on both the front and left sides, along with a removable support column. The motherboard tray is height adjustable so you can change its position. The SUP 01 Concept case, shown below, is meant to be tall and thin. In order to achieve its svelte dimensions, you have to mount the GPU upright. It also has three tempered glass glass panels and room for fans to exhaust out the right side. The O11 Vision, O11D EVO RGB, and O11D EVO XL are all due out in Q3 for prices ranging from $139 to $244. The SUP 01 will come in Q4 for $144. Lian Li is also releasing some new coolers and case fans. The highlight is the UNI Fan 2nd Gen TL LCD. Like other UNI fans, this 120mm spinner can connect to its siblings magnetically. However, what makes it stand out is that it has a a screen that can show animated GIFs, MP4 videos, still image or system information. The Uni Fan TL LCD will launch in Q3 for $129. According to Lian Li the screen size is still pending and could be either 2.1 or 1.6 inches. It will r un at up to 2,100 RPM. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/lian-li-computex-2023-case

The nation is days away from defaulting on its obligations. The Republican House speaker, pushed by conservatives in his party, demands deep spending cuts. The president, a Democrat, works on negotiating a package to avert a fiscal calamity. No, it’s not 2023. It’s 2011, when then-President Barack Obama agreed to a debt ceiling deal that called for more than $900 billion in upfront spending cuts and deficit reduction, as well as the creation of a joint congressional committee that would find at least $1.2 trillion in additional belt tightening. The situation is similar to the one President Joe Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president, is facing today. He and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, are pushing their parties to swiftly approve their agreement to address the current debt limit drama before the US could start missing payments on June 5. Today’s House Republicans may want to look back at the results of their predecessors’ hard-fought deal. Things didn’t proceed as planned, and a chunk of the reductions was ultimately pared back through a subsequent series of bipartisan bills. “Once Congress took a look at the programs and what was required, they realized they couldn’t make cuts that deep,” said Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the right-leaning Manhattan Institute who was involved in the 2011 negotiations. What happened after the 2011 deal was signed The joint committee in 2011 was tasked with finding additional deficit reduction measures to offset a $1.2 trillion increase in the debt ceiling. If members failed in their mission, automatic cuts that would slow the growth of expected spending would kick in over the next decade. The committee did not accomplish its goal, which triggered the spending caps, known as sequestration. However, Congress then watered down the deficit reduction provisions by repeatedly increasing the caps on discretionary spending in the following years – though lawmakers also included other measures to offset some of those changes. “We basically unwound this bill little by little,” said John Diamond, director of the Center for Public Finance at Rice University’s Baker Institute. In the end, spending was curtailed by about $1.5 trillion out of the total $2.1 trillion agreed to in the 2011 deal, Riedl said. This included $855 billion in cuts to discretionary spending over the decade. The reductions affected agencies and programs, including defense, education, justice and the Internal Revenue Service, among others. The deal also slapped a 2% cut in payments to Medicare providers as part of reductions to mandatory spending programs. Today’s deal Fast forward to 2023. One of the major sticking points to ending the debt ceiling impasse was the depth of the spending cuts. The Biden administration had balked at returning spending to fiscal 2022 levels, which the Republicans included in their debt ceiling bill earlier this year, while McCarthy’s team held firm. In the end, the deal announced over the weekend calls for non-defense discretionary spending to be pared back for fiscal 2024, but certain agreed-upon appropriation adjustments would make up nearly all of the difference. Non-defense spending would rise just 1% in fiscal 2025. One important distinction between 2011 and today is that the spending caps back then were Plan B, said Warren Payne, a senior advisor at Mayer Brown, a law firm, who was a senior Republican staffer on the House Ways and Means Committee in 2011. “People were operating under the presumption that the spending caps would never actually happen,” Payne said. Now, the spending caps are among the GOP’s top priorities – and McCarthy succeeded in not limiting funding for defense and not raising taxes, unlike in 2011, he said. But even if Congress passes this debt ceiling package, House Republicans may find it difficult to adhere to the caps when it comes time to actually appropriate funding for the federal government’s operations later this year. “It’s reasonable to expect that at the end of the day, we would end up with the same pressures to increase spending,” Diamond said. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/30/politics/debt-ceiling-obama-spending-cuts/index.html

NEW DELHI (AP) — Three cheetah cubs born to a big cat that was brought to India from Africa last year died in central India’s Kuno National Park in the past week, forest officials said, as a heat wave in the region sent temperatures soaring. The cubs were the first to be born in India in more than seven decades. Once widespread in India, cheetahs became extinct in 1952 from hunting and habitat loss. Their mother was among the 20 cheetahs that India flew in from Namibia and South Africa as part of an ambitious and hotly contested plan to reintroduce the world’s fastest land animal to the South Asian country. The first cub died on Tuesday, prompting veterinarians in the national park in Madhya Pradesh state to closely monitor the mother and her three remaining cubs. The cubs appeared weak on Thursday afternoon — a day when temperatures spiked to 47 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) — and authorities intervened to help the cats. They were “weak, underweight and highly dehydrated” and two of them later died, forest officials said in a statement Thursday. The last surviving cub is being treated in a critical care facility. Political Cartoons Officials didn't say what caused the deaths but a scorching heat wave in India is believed to have weakened the cubs. The survival rate of cheetah cubs both in the wild and captivity is low, according to experts. The cats were introduced with much fanfare and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the cats would catalyze efforts to conserve India's neglected grasslands. But of the 20 adult cheetahs imported to India, three — two females and a male — have died. Fewer than 7,000 adult cheetahs remain in the wild globally, and they now inhabit less than 9% of their original range. Shrinking habitat, due to the increasing human po[CENSORED]tion and climate change, is a huge threat. ___ Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. https://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2023-05-26/three-cheetah-cubs-die-in-india-amid-sweltering-heat-wave

The Volkswagen ID.Buzz that's coming to the U.S. is teased ahead of next week's debut on Friday, June 2. VW today released a teaser image of the van's front end shrouded in darkness. With the ID.Buzz making its global reveal last March, we've seen what it looks like and know many details about the upcoming American version. The original Volkswagen Type 2 Microbus is a cultural icon, and that's helped fuel interest in the modern interpretation, which was finally revealed to the world back in March 2022. Called the ID.Buzz, the fully electric van is already on sale in other markets, but the version that's coming to the U.S. has yet to make its debut. VW today released a teaser image of the 2025 ID.Buzz's shrouded front end, with the American model scheduled to be revealed via livestream on Friday, June 2. Normally teaser photos are an attempt to build anticipation of a newly designed vehicle, but in this case, most of the buzz around the ID.Buzz's looks has subsided since pictures of its retro-styled exterior and spacious, versatile interior have been visible online for over a year. Still, today's tease is another reminder that the Microbus's successor is that much closer to hitting U.S. roads. While the teaser doesn't tell us anything new about the American ID.Buzz, here's what we know so far. It will have a stretched wheelbase and three rows of flexible seating for seven. Its EPA-estimated driving range is currently unknown, but the van is expected to travel around 260 miles per charge. Customers will have the option to choose between a single-motor, rear-drive powertrain or a more powerful dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup. Since the ID.Buzz rides on the same Modular Electric Drive (MEB) platform as the VW ID.4 SUV, its likely the van will also share electric motors, meaning the rear-drive model could have 201 horsepower and the all-wheel-drive variant could have 295 horses. Pricing for the U.S. is another question mark, but we think the ID.Buzz will start somewhere in the neighborhood of $40K. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a44016943/vw-id-buzz-microbus-us-debut-june-2/

The Miami Heat halted the Boston Celtics' remarkable fightback in the Eastern Conference Finals, clinching the deciding match 103-84 to reach the NBA finals. Jimmy Butler starred, scoring 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists, as the Heat, who led the seven-game series 3-0 before being pegged back to 3-3, reached this year's showpiece. The first eighth seeds to reach the finals since the New York Knicks in 1999, the Heat will play the the Denver Nuggets in the best-of-seven finals. Game one will be played in Denver on Thursday (01:30 BST Friday). Derrick White's dramatic buzzer-beater in game six had tied the series, giving the The Celtics hope of becoming the first side in NBA history to overturn a 3-0 deficit in a play-off final. But alongside Butler's efforts, Caleb Martin scored 26 points and Bam Adebayo recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Heat silenced a passionate Boston crowd. Butler, 33, was named MVP of the series after averaging 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.1 assists. "We stayed together as a group," he said. "We talked about going to get a tough one on the road and we did just that. [My team-mates] are the reason we're here. I know how good a team we are and we made it happen." Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he never doubted his squad's resilience. "Sometimes you have to suffer for the things you really want," he said. "This group has shown fortitude when there are inevitable let-downs and failures, but had that perseverance to pick yourself up, that collective spirit to keep on forging ahead." The Heat are seeking a fourth NBA title and first since 2013, while The Nuggets, who beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference play-offs, are in search of a maiden championship. https://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/65751622

Scouted as a model in her 60s, at first Saskia Sarginson found it difficult to see herself as anything but ‘a granny’. Here, she shares what shifted her perspective – and explains why older women are no longer invisible Saskia Sarginson Sun 28 May 2023 12.00 BST Ihate having my picture taken. As soon as the lens finds me, I freeze. I’m not part of the selfie generation. I’m old school. I don’t document my every move with photographic evidence of me living my best life, my face angled just so to catch the light. As soon as someone whips out an iPhone, I frown and duck. So, it’s odd that on this grey London day I’m sitting in a studio looking down a large lens with several people gathered behind it, scrutinising the real me, and then looking at the frighteningly large image of me appearing on a screen behind the camera, whispering about what they see and pointing at parts of my face. A year ago, while walking my dogs in my local park, a young woman approached me with a business card. “I’d like you to join my modelling agency,” she said. “Who? Me?” I said, aware that I was over 60, dressed in muddy jeans with no makeup on and dirty hair. “Er… I don’t think so,” I told her. “I’m a granny,” I added, as if that explained everything. But it turns out older faces are in demand. My wrinkles could actually earn me money. It turns out that being over 60 and a granny and a model are not mutually exclusive After a few minutes of existential angst I decided that – hell, yes, I could. I’d be mad to turn down the chance of what seemed to me at the time to be free money. The life of an author (unless they go by the title of JK Rowling) is very similar to the myth of the scribe in the garret, hunched over a flickering candle, pen in hand, hunger snapping at the door. There’s not really a living wage in it, which is why most writers, including me, supplement it with whatever they can get their hands on: teaching, editing, journalism. So why not modelling? I’m not proud, I thought, if they want me for a chairlift ad, I’ll do it. But as with all things that seem too good to be true, it was. The journey from being handed the card to the studio in London was not a speedy one. Part of the problem was that I went off to castings dragging impostor syndrome with me. As soon as I walked in the door, words of apology spilled out of my mouth. “I’m not really a model,” I’d confess to the receptionist, casting agent, or anyone who’d listen: “I’m a granny.” And I’d get up photos of the cherubic child on my screen to prove it. I felt that if I got it in first, it would save everyone the embarrassment of having to explain that I wasn’t wanted. Because, obviously, I was too old. I felt ridiculous, standing on a taped X in a dark room, being asked to repeat the same line over and over, about how fabulous my hair looked now that I’d used a particular product, which I’d been directed to show to the camera while expressing extreme joy. “Could you hold the tube the right way up, love?” “Could you not cover the name with your hand?” “Could you do that all over again without blinking?” Holding a tube up and smiling at the same time is surprisingly difficult. I got “heavy pencilled”, for jobs – a good thing. But the actual jobs themselves eluded me. My impostor syndrome grew garrulous – see, told you, you’re not a model, you’re a wrinkly fraud. “I’m not really a model,” I’d confess to the receptionist, casting agent, or anyone else who’d listen I won’t pretend that the rejections didn’t hurt, even if my impostor syndrome was lapping them up. Criticism and rejection are part of my day job. But there’s only so much of it a person can take. Still, I persisted; the thought of all that lovely cash and not wanting to disappoint my agent, spurring me on. Since the pandemic, lots of auditions are self-taped. And thank goodness for that, because embarrassment and self-respect are checked at the door while following instructions like: stare at a pretend dog and cry! Dance like nobody’s looking! Tell a funny story and bring lots of energy! My facial tics were scary on that one. And then came a live audition in which I had half my face painted in heavy-duty foundation. I felt quite glamorous while the makeup artist was dabbing away at my skin – but a quick glance in the loo mirror told me I looked like an unfinished ancient geisha girl. But I got the job. A real beauty job advertising makeup. As they didn’t let me know until the day before, I’d presumed it was another “no” and eaten my bodyweight in chocolate over the weekend. But they didn’t care about my spare tyre; they just wanted my face, wrinkles and all. Tell a funny story and bring lots of energy! My facial tics were scary on that one The job entailed having more makeup applied than I thought possible – all manner of bronzers and blushers and highlighters – and then false eyelashes, and black stuff inside my eyes, something called “top lining” I discovered. My reflection in the mirror peered back at me, a bit blurry without my glasses, but, wow, I thought, who knew what makeup could do? When my hair and makeup had been finished, an assistant handed me what appeared to be a white handkerchief: “You all right wearing this?” she asked airily. “What, you mean this belt?” “It’s a boob tube,” she explained, helpfully. The reply that crossed my mind was, “Honey, if I was a stone thinner and 30 years younger, maybe.” But out loud I tried for a more subtle, “Um. You know. Er. It’s not really… me.” We compromised on a flesh-coloured vest to be touched out later. Positioned on a stool close to the camera, I tried to remember the “smize” thing, smiling with your eyes, that I’d heard about on a reality TV programme. It’s quite hard to do under a tonne of makeup that’s making your eyeballs feel as if they’ve been rolled in vinegar. But I tried. My image popped up on a huge screen every time the photographer pressed the button. I could just glimpse myself on it – the expanse of my features magnified and then examined by three makeup artists, a hairdresser, the woman from the company, her assistant, the photographer and his assistant. They huddled over every shot, discussing in urgent whispers, then some of them would rush over and do things to me. At one point I had three people attending to my eyebrows with great concentration. It took at least 15 minutes. At one point I had three people attending to my eyebrows with great concentration. It took at least 15 minutes My impostor syndrome took over, of course, especially when they were considering my face and frowning. They’re wondering how to tell you to go home, the voice in my head sneered. They’ve booked you by mistake. But I got to the end of the day, and everyone had been kind and treated me like a professional. They removed my makeup and I left, feeling elated that I’d got away with it. Nobody realised I wasn’t a model, I thought in amazement, as I cycled away. It turns out that being over 60 and a granny and a model are not mutually exclusive. After all, a model just means to represent something, so why not older women? The UK po[CENSORED]tion is an ageing one, with more than 15.5 million people aged 50 and over. I don’t think that including older models (known as “mature”, as in cheese, or “classic”, as in car) is just a cynical move to pander to the Grey Pound – although that must be part of the strategy. I’m hopeful that it’s also a genuine recognition that women past childbearing age are not redundant. My own insecurities about my drooping jowls and crows-feet come from growing up in a world where young, wrinkle-free women with perfect features were held up as the only image worth aspiring to, the only look that had any value. But public perception changes over time and our understanding of identity has become more complex than ever before. Older women, once considered undesirable hags who should stay hidden, are finally being recognised and seen. Our wrinkles are proof that we’ve lived, learned, suffered, grieved, celebrated, and loved. They are marks of wisdom, strength and experience. We can shrug off the embarrassment that plagues younger people. “Who cares what anyone else thinks?” is something I hear my older friends say all the time. And that mindset gives freedom. We’ve often been perceived as a threat precisely because we’re not going to stay quiet and behave. Being asked to work as a model thrust me into a world where looks seemed to be the only currency that counted. I had to remind myself that I was representing my age group, not pretending to be 20, or even 40. Older women are a powerful force; they do so many important things, from providing childcare for grandchildren and volunteering to being CEOs and professionals of all kinds. We may not care about making fools of ourselves, but we do care about our health, looks and lives; we are a valuable part of our families, communities and, yes, the marketplace. We are not invisible. So, count me in; I’m up for modelling jobs – be it an ad for a chairlift or a faceful of makeup. But, if anybody wants me to wear a white boob tube, sorry, that won’t be happening. https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/may/28/saskia-sarginson-could-my-wrinkles-earn-me-money

Russia has accused Ukraine of launching an early morning drone attack on Moscow, the first time the city has been targeted by multiple drones since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Russian defence ministry said Kyiv had staged a "terrorist attack" using at least eight drones and causing minor damage to several buildings. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said no-one was seriously injured. Ukraine has denied carrying out the drone strikes. Presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said that Kyiv was not directly involved, but that Ukraine had enjoyed watching events unfold and predicted an increase in such incidents. Russia's defence ministry said all eight drones had been intercepted. "Three of them were suppressed by electronic warfare, lost control and deviated from their intended targets. Another five drones were shot down by the Pantsir-S surface-to-air missile system in the Moscow region," the ministry said. Follow live coverage Earlier Russian media reports had said as many as 30 drones were involved. Authorities have also said several of them fell on buildings after being downed. Mr Sobyanin said that some residents had been evacuated but were later allowed to return home. Two people had sought medical assistance, he said. The BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg in Moscow heard an explosion in the distance at 06:24 local time (03:24 GMT) in north-west Moscow, with the windows of his home shaking from the blast. Another explosion was heard at 06:58, he says. Judging by the conversations on social media, a lot of people in the Moscow area heard the explosions too, he adds. For many in the Russian capital the war in Ukraine had been something that was happening a "long way away, it was something that they saw on television". The strikes on Moscow follow an overnight drone attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in which at least one person was reported killed. Ukrainian officials said falling debris set buildings on fire as Ukraine's air defences intercepted more than 20 drones. The head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Gen Kyrylo Budanov, had warned of a swift response to a series of Russian missile strikes on Kyiv. Dr Jack Watling, an expert on land warfare from the Royal United Services Institute, told the BBC that Ukraine had struck airfields in Russia before, but not the capital. An alleged drone attack on the Kremlin took place in early May. At the time, unverified footage circulated online showing smoke rising above the the complex, while a second video showed a small explosion above the site's Senate building. Russian authorities claimed it was an attack ordered by Kyiv, while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky denied his country was involved in the incident. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65751632

The government is discussing plans for supermarkets to introduce a cap on the price of basic food items to help tackle the rising cost of living. A voluntary agreement with major retailers could see price reductions on basic food items like bread and milk. Food prices rose by 19.1% in the year to April - its second highest rate in 45 years. Downing Street sources have stressed that there are no plans for a mandatory price cap. The idea of a cap or freeze on basic food items, as first reported by the Daily Telegraph, is said to be at the "drawing board stage". Supermarkets are expected to be allowed to select which items they would cap and only take part in the initiative, modelled on a similar agreement in France, on a voluntary basis. Health Secretary Steve Barclay told BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that "this is about having constructive discussions with supermarkets about how we work together, not about any element of compulsion". He added that the government was also keen to protect "suppliers who themselves face considerable pressures". For Labour, shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth told the same programme that the reports were "extraordinary", saying "Rishi Sunak is now like a latter day Edward Heath with price controls". Why food bills aren't shrinking - five things to know Food prices 'worryingly high' as sugar and milk soar Some supermarket food prices 'should fall' soon However there is some doubt over what impact a price cap of food will have. The British Retail Consortium says that the government should focus more on cutting red tape rather than "recreating 1970s-style price controls". "This will not make a jot of difference to prices. High food prices are a direct result of the soaring cost of energy, transport, and labour, as well as higher prices paid to food manufacturers and farmers," says Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC."As commodity prices drop, many of the costs keeping inflation high are now arising from the muddle of new regulation coming from government. Rather than recreating 1970s-style price controls, the government should focus on cutting red tape so that resources can be directed to keeping prices as low as possible." Earlier this week the boss of the Sainsbury's denied that his supermarket had been profiteering. Simon Roberts said his business was "absolutely not" putting prices up to bolster profits - known as "greedflation". He told the BBC that Sainsbury's and other grocery chains had spent money to "battle inflation" and avoid passing all of the rising costs onto consumers. The competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority, has said it will look at how the grocery market is operating. At a meeting with food manufacturers last week the chancellor Jeremy Hunt stressed widespread concern about prices and agreed to engage with the industry on possible measures to ease pressure on household budgets. Mr Hunt has said he would back an increase in interest rates if it curbed higher prices and soaring inflation - even if that risked plunging the UK into recession. "Businesses don't have a price cap like consumers do and yet some smaller businesses buy energy like consumers do so it's been really hard for them to keep going," Shevaun Haviland, director general of the British Chamber of Commerce, told the same programme. The rate of inflation can be calculated in various ways, but the main measure is the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) - which tracks the prices of everyday items in an imaginary "basket of goods". The last figure for CPI was 8.7% in the year to April, down from 10.1% in March and 11.1% in October. Soaring prices of some food products has meant inflation has not come down by as much as many predicted. Experts have warned that expensive food is set to overtake energy bills as the "epicentre" of the cost-of-living crisis. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65736944