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Excitement is ramping up for SailGP’s return to Christchurch for the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix next weekend on March 23-24.

New Zealand will mark the 9th event on Season 4’s record 13-event calendar, but only the second time SailGP has visited the Kiwi venue, which was voted the best location on Season 3’s circuit in an anonymous athlete poll.

The event will comprise five fleet races before the winner-takes-all, three boat Final and see the return of New Zealand driver Peter Burling to the Kiwi F50.

Burling, who missed last month’s event in Sydney for the birth of his child, will aim to convert the home support into a fourth Season 4 event win. It comes after Phil Robertson’s Canada beat New Zealand and Australia to win the first ever Christchurch event last season.

Tickets are currently on sale for an extensive range of experiences both on and off the water, with shoreside spectators watching from the Race Stadium and Platinum Lawn.

Fans also have the chance to watch all the racing action from the water through the the Bring Your Own Boat and Adrenaline Yachts programs.

The Race Stadium will be open from 11:30am to 7.30pm NZDT on both race days, with racing taking place between 3pm-4.30pm NZDT.  Iconic live music acts have been confirmed  for both days, with Dave Dobbyn performing on the Platinum Lawn after racing on Saturday, and Shapeshifter performing on the same stage after racing on Sunday.

The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch takes place on March 23-24.

• SailGP's Christchurch

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SailGP Christchurch: All you need to know for New Zealand debut in Lyttelton

SailGP makes its New Zealand debut this weekend. Photo: David Gray / SailGP

All you need to know ahead of SailGP’s New Zealand debut this weekend.

What exactly is SailGP?

The brainchild of Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts, SailGP is a high-performance sailing series in which teams compete across a season with the ultimate goal of claiming the US$1 million (NZ$1.6m) prize at the end. The current season is the third edition of the competition — the second to feature a New Zealand team — and this weekend’s event in Christchurch will be the first time SailGP has held an event on our shores.

The series is contested in F50 foiling catamarans, similar to those used in the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda. Unlike in the America’s Cup, where boat design is a big part of getting an edge on an opponent, SailGP has a one-design fleet which means every team is sailing with the same equipment, and all nine teams compete at the same time in fleet races.

With the high-speed and precise movements of the vessels, and how busy the race course is, it makes for exciting racing, and the races are completed quickly. An average three-race day will take around 90 minutes to complete.

Each spot of the series — which has grown every year — sees the fleet compete in five races, before the top three on the leaderboard go into the event final, called the podium race. The winner of an event gets 10 points toward the season leaderboard, and the points allocation trickles down from there to two points for ninth place.

At the end of the fleet races for the grand finale in San Francisco next month, the top three teams on the overall leaderboard will contest a one-off race where the winner takes home the prize. So, the goal leading into San Francisco is a top-three finish; there is no benefit to ending the regular season atop the ladder when it comes to the Grand Final shootout race.

Who is racing?

There are nine teams in the current season: New Zealand, Australia (the two-time defending champions), Great Britain, USA, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Canada and Spain.

Across those teams there are several familiar faces. Among them, New Zealand features the likes of Blair Tuke and Peter Burling, USA is led by Jimmy Spithill, Sir Ben Ainslie is at the helm for Great Britain, and Kiwi Phil Robertson is the driver for Canada.

The season started with a fleet of 10, but the Japan entry was indefinitely withdrawn as only nine vessels were available.

Where are they racing then? And when?

In the season’s penultimate event, SailGP has descended upon Lyttelton Harbour, about 20 minutes outside of Christchurch. The sailing will take place from 3pm to 4.30pm this Saturday and Sunday.

Access to Lyttelton will be restricted between 12pm and 6pm on race days and with no public parking in town or on-site, shuttles will be the fastest, most reliable and most sustainable way for ticket holders to get to and from the venue. They can be caught from the city centre live site, located between Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and Cathedral Square. The service runs to the venue from 11.30am to 2.15pm on Saturday and Sunday. Public buses to Lyttelton will continue to operate.

While branded taxis will be able to travel through closures, rideshare services such as Uber will not.

For those who don’t have a ticket to attend the event, the city centre live site will be showing the action on a big screen, and will have a range of activities for kids, food stalls and activations.

How are the Kiwis doing this year?

After some struggles in their debut campaign, the New Zealand SailGP team have been impressive this season and go into the Christchurch event second on the leaderboard. No team has won more races than the New Zealand team this year; however, penalties have cost them points on the leaderboard and they trail the Australians by 12. The remaining events (Christchurch and San Francisco) will be about consolidating their position in the top three for the Kiwis, who would back themselves against anyone when it came to a one-off race.

The team is primarily comprised of Peter Burling (driver), Blair Tuke (wing trimmer), Andy Maloney (flight controller), Liv Mackay (strategist), Josh Junior (grinder), Louis Sinclair (grinder), and Marcus Hansen (grinder), while Jo Aleh and Erica Dawson have also filled the strategist role throughout the season.

What’s this Impact League they keep talking about?

The Impact League was introduced in the second season of SailGP, and tracks the positive actions teams make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing — essentially tracking the positive impact the teams have on the environment and promoting the sport.

It is judged through a wide criteria, with everything from the brand their team clothing comes from to the food they eat and fuel usage being tracked and factoring into their result for the event.

The New Zealand team won the Impact League last season, and are again at the top rung of the ladder heading into Christchurch — just three points ahead of Denmark.

How do I watch it if I’m not in Christchurch?

Sky Sport will be broadcasting the action live from 3pm to 4.30pm on Sky Sport 2 on Saturday and Sky Sport 4 on Sunday. Saturday’s racing will be live free-to-air on Three as well, with delayed coverage at 4.30pm on Sunday.

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First look at lyttelton harbour sail gp course, race dates revealed.

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• Christchurch

Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour will host the exciting new format of racing, with Christchurch one of at least nine destinations to celebrate the international event in the expanded calendar for Season 3.

The 2023 New Zealand Sail Grand Prix will be the first event in a four-year commitment to Aotearoa with support from the Government through the Major Events Fund, ChristchurchNZ and Auckland Unlimited.

Through the partnership – spanning Season 3 to Season 6 – Christchurch and Auckland will share hosting duties of SailGP, claiming a permanent fixture on the SailGP season calendar and the first home event for Peter Burling and Blair Tuke's New Zealand SailGP Team.

"Entering Season 3 of SailGP and our second year in the league knowing we'll be racing on home waters in March adds an extra element of excitement and determination. New Zealanders have always been keen sailors and supporters, and we can't wait to have that Kiwi energy and hype right there on the water's edge," New Zealand SailGP Team co-CEO Tuke said.

The race course for the New Zealand Sail Grand Prix has also been confirmed, with fans getting closer to the action in New Zealand than they ever have before.

Ten identical hydro-foiling catamarans are expected to reach speeds of almost 100 km/h as they fly within metres of the shoreline by Naval Point - Te Nukutai o Tapoa, coming into the finish in front of thousands of fans.

"Heading into its third season, SailGP is going from strength to strength commercially and is recognised as the fastest growing sports league in the world - it is action-packed, boat-to-boat racing just metres off the shoreline edge. With 10 boats on a very tight course, it really is dramatic, as we have seen with other events this season with capsizes, crashes and daring passing manoeuvres.

"SailGP is expected to generate many positive benefits for the New Zealand economy and environment. The experience will help stimulate and promote regional tourism, showcasing Christchurch in a unique way to a global audience and supporting a number of positive environmental projects."

After the inaugural event scheduled for January 2022 in Christchurch was forced to be cancelled, ChristchurchNZ is excited to host the world-class event in Season 3.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to have committed to hosting the first New Zealand Sail Grand Prix in Christchurch in 2023, along with Season 5. The Season 3 and Season 5 events are forecast to provide significant increased benefits for Ōtautahi Christchurch compared to the cancelled 2022 event, with more teams participating, a greater global broadcast audience as the popularity of SailGP has grown, and more visitors due to the lessening of COVID-19 travel restrictions," Ali Adams, chief executive of ChristchurchNZ, said.

"Hosting SailGP will have positive legacy impacts for Christchurch and Lyttelton by boosting the reputation of the harbour as a sailing destination, and the city as a place capable of hosting large-scale international events. These legacy impacts will be boosted by the multi-year commitment SailGP has made to New Zealand through to 2026. We are also excited about the greater and longer-term future opportunities the event will have for the various communities around Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour, including Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke."

SailGP Season 3 Schedule // 2022-2023

2022 May 14-15 Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess June 18-19 United States Sail Grand Prix | Chicago at Navy Pier July 30-31 Great Britain Sail Grand Prix | Plymouth August 19-20 ROCKWOOL Denmark Sail Grand Prix | Copenhagen September 10-11 France Sail Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez September 24-25 Spain Sail Grand Prix | Andalucía - Cádiz November 12-13 Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas

2023* March 18-19 New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch May 6-7 United States Sail Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 3 Grand Final) *Further events will be announced to complete SailGP Season 3.

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SailGP: 2023 New Zealand Sail Grand Prix dates and race course confirmed

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SailGP: Christchurch, New Zealand event completes eight event 2021-22 circuit

SailGP has announced a full race schedule for its second season, which will feature eight national teams made up of the sport’s best athletes squaring off in eight events across three continents.

The schedule represents an expansion from five events in the league’s inaugural season (2019), and will kick off in Bermuda in less than 100 days, making stops in a total of seven first-time venues across five countries.

In addition to Bermuda (April 24-25) and previously announced new host cities Taranto (ITA, June 5-6), Plymouth (GBR, July 17-18), Aarhus (DEN, August 20-21), Saint-Tropez (FRA, September 11-12) and Cadiz (ESP, October 9-10), SailGP will also make its first visit to Christchurch for New Zealand’s maiden grand prix on January 29-30, 2022.

The season will culminate with the Grand Final in San Francisco on March 26-27, 2022, when the champion will be determined in a single $1 million winner-takes-all final.

SailGP’s second season will feature Tom Slingsby’s reigning champion Australian team, along with crews from Denmark, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United States.

Denmark and Spain will be embarking on their first full SailGP seasons after the 2020 campaign was suspended, while New Zealand will be making its league debut led by Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. In addition, Sir Ben Ainslie will be racing his first full season at the helm of the British entry, while Jimmy Spithill will be piloting a new-look U.S. team for the first time.

Beyond entertaining fans around the world, SailGP will leverage its global platform to champion a better world powered by nature, with a focus on accelerating a transition to clean energy. As part of its Race for the Future purpose-driven agenda, the league will also begin training female athletes within each of the eight sailing teams, and will be using its community-engagement arm – SailGP Inspire – to introduce youth from diverse backgrounds to the sport and wider marine industry.

In its first season, SailGP had a worldwide broadcast audience of 256 million across five events, and expects to see that number grow significantly with the increase to eight stops. Broadcast partnerships for Season 2 are already in place in more than 100 territories, including Australia (Fox Sports), Denmark (TV 2 Sport), France (Canal+ Sport), Japan (DAZN), New Zealand (Sky Sport), Spain (TVE and TV3), UK/Ireland (SKY Sports) and the U.S. (CBS Sports).

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said: “There’s rarely been a time in my lifelong sailing career when I’ve been as enthusiastic as I am about our upcoming season. In just over three months, we’ll have the world’s best sailors lining up in equally matched boats for what is shaping up to be some of the sport’s most competitive racing yet. I can’t think of a better way for SailGP to reemerge, and I believe our fans will be taking notice not only of our thrilling racing, but of the new standards we’ll be setting in running our events in a sustainable and inclusive way.”

Ōtautahi Christchurch rounds out Season 2 calendar

Following a competitive bid process, Ōtautahi Christchurch – the largest city in the South Island – was selected to host the New Zealand Grand Prix. The seventh SailGP event in the calendar will take place in the spectacular Lyttelton Harbour, which is located on the side of an extinct volcano on the east coast of New Zealand and under the guardianship of Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke, the local Māori community.

Coutts said: “Christchurch is one of New Zealand’s most exciting venues. The positioning of the race course is quite similar to the layout of our event in San Francisco, which should provide spectacular viewing for our spectators. Surrounded by the natural beauty of Lyttelton Harbour, we expect this event will draw passionate spectators from across the country and Australia, provided the COVID-19 situation improves as we hope it will.

“Aotearoa New Zealand is a strong sailing nation and Ōtautahi Christchurch has a proud sporting heritage, so we expect Lyttelton Harbour will deliver fantastic conditions and a very warm welcome to all teams and visiting fans.”

Loren Heaphy, ChristchurchNZ general manager of destination and attraction, said:

“SailGP represented a unique and unmissable opportunity for the city. This is an entirely different event to those we typically attract to Christchurch, and we jumped at the chance to bid to host SailGP. We are a city of sport and innovation, and SailGP combines these in a way only a handful of global sporting spectacles can.

“Major events like this bring vibrancy to the city, bring communities together, attract visitors and stimulate economic activity. In addition, the event has a focus on sustainability, diversity, innovation and leaving a positive legacy in host cities, something that we are incredibly excited to work together with SailGP to achieve.”

Olympic gold medalists and co-CEOs of the New Zealand SailGP Team Burling and Tuke will be able to delight home crowds following their defence of the America’s Cup.

Burling said: “We are proud to represent New Zealand and there is nothing better than competing on home waters supported by our country’s sports fans, so we are stoked to bring the global event to Christchurch. We can’t wait to start racing in SailGP and sharing our Live Ocean conservation message along the way, which we know fans here in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world will get behind.”

SAILGP SEASON 2 SCHEDULE*

April 24-25, 2021 Bermuda Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess June 5-6, 2021 Italy Grand Prix | Taranto July 17-18, 2021 Great Britain Grand Prix | Plymouth August 20-21, 2021 ROCKWOOL Denmark Grand Prix | Aarhus September 11-12, 2021 France Grand Prix | Saint-Tropez October 9-10, 2021 Spain Grand Prix | Andalusia January 29-30, 2022 New Zealand Grand Prix | Christchurch March 26-27, 2022 United States Grand Prix | San Francisco (Season 2 Grand Final)

* Subject to change

ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch

Getting around during the itm new zealand sail grand prix, traffic management.

To ensure that the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch runs smoothly, a traffic management plan will be in place across the race weekend, Saturday 23 March and Sunday 24 March .

Traffic Management Plan (TMP)

The TMP for the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch is similar to last year with a one-way tunnel restriction limiting access into Lyttelton, between 12 – 6pm on race days. During this time, only emergency vehicles, official event vehicles (buses and shuttles), taxis and vehicles with a clearly-displayed pass will be able to access Lyttelton via Tunnel Road. The TMP has been prepared by SailGP in consultation with Christchurch City Council, Waka Kotahi, ChristchurchNZ and the local community, with input from NZ Police and FENZ.

Road Closures & Restrictions

On both days of the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch, road closures and restrictions will be put in place around midday on Saturday and Sunday and lifted around 6pm each day. Road closures will restrict motor vehicle entry into Lyttelton, but vehicles can exit Lyttelton at any time. Entry to Lyttelton will be blocked from Sumner and Governors Bay. Access to Lyttelton will also be restricted via Bridle Path Road (Heathcote), Ferry Road, and via Bridle Path Road.

During this time, only emergency vehicles, official event vehicles (buses and shuttles), and vehicles with a clearly-displayed access pass will be able to access Lyttelton via Tunnel Road. Only Lyttelton residents, business owners and employees who need to work during race weekend are able to obtain a vehicle access pass. This includes residents between Dyers Pass Road and Lyttelton, as there will be a traffic control point at the bottom of Dyer Pass Road. Bridle Path Road will be used as an access point for permitted road users, where access passes will be checked by the traffic management staff. Regular bus services will also be maintained via Bridle Path Road and will have priority when they arrive at the control point.

The main change from last year will be the implementation of restrictions to create a one-way system where vehicles can access Summit Road only via Evans Pass Road. This will help mitigate congestion issues and facilitate better access for emergency services, vehicles and pedestrians.

Commercial port vehicles, along with event bus access will be maintained via Tunnel Road via Port Hills Road. At all times traffic will be able to leave Lyttelton via the roads listed above. Permitted access may be stopped temporarily if unacceptable congestion is building in Lyttelton. This is not anticipated due to the proposed traffic management measures and is only expected to last for short periods of time if required.

The Christchurch Gondola will remain accessible and unimpeded by the traffic management measures in place over the event weekend.

Inner Harbour Community Access

Bays residents between Dyers Pass Road and Lyttelton will be eligible for access passes and will need them to access the tunnel from Christchurch. Roads serving bay residents outside this area will not have traffic management restrictions but will be patrolled for parking or congestion issues.

Access Outside Of Restrictions

While there are no road closures or restrictions beyond Dyers Pass Road, there are measures in place to maintain traffic flow in the surrounding areas, including monitoring and enforcing parking restrictions and VMS sign boards for live updates on strategic access points.

Traffic Management Within Lyttelton

Once within Lyttelton, there will be a checkpoint on Godley Quay which will only allow permitted vehicles to the event site. Those walking to the event from the Lyttelton township can use a shared path from Lyttelton, down to Te Nukutai o Tapoa Naval Point.

Traffic Management Within Christchurch Central City

Traffic management will also be in place surrounding the city centre transport hub outside Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in order to facilitate safe pick up and drop off for official event shuttles that will be transporting ticket holders to Naval Point. Measures will be in place on Armagh Street and Colombo Street, from 10am – 7pm on 23 – 24 March.

Information About Vehicle Access Passes

During the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch, Lyttelton residents are encouraged to stay home and enjoy the excitement unfolding on Whakaraupō, Lyttelton Harbour but if you need to leave and re-enter the restricted access area during this time, you can do so with a vehicle access pass. Businesses that require passes for employees and/or contractors and suppliers will also be able to do so.

It is important to note that only locals who require access into Lyttelton on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 March between the hours of 12pm - 6pm will require an access pass. If you do not need to travel from the city to access your home or workplace in Lyttelton during this time, you do not require a pass. All vehicles can leave Lyttelton at all times - no pass is required for this.

Similar to last year, affected addresses will be issued one pass via mail in a letter drop in early March. Households and businesses who wish to discuss unique requirements can email them to [email protected] .

This vehicle access pass will allow access on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 March. Please display the pass clearly on the windscreen of your vehicle to ensure traffic marshals can wave you through in a timely manner.

Please remember, traffic management measures are in place to mitigate unwanted impacts on the local community. As such, there will be no access passes issued for visiting friends and family, so we ask that you do not share your pass with those living outside the area if you plan to stay home. Parking in Lyttelton is extremely limited, so if you have friends coming over before the closures are in place at midday, please ensure you can accommodate their vehicles on your own property or they can access Lyttelton in a marked taxi or a local bus. 

Lyttelton Is Open For Business

For Season 4, SailGP will implement a shuttle running between the SailGP Race Stadium at Naval Point and Lyttelton township. This will enable SailGP ticket-holders to visit Lyttelton before or after racing if they wish, and can also be used by Lyttelton locals to get to and from the event site if they have a ticket.

Please note that at all times during the event weekend, non-residents will still be able to access Lyttelton via public buses (number 8) or clearly-marked taxis. Ubers (non-marked vehicles) will not be permitted through road closures. On-street parking during race weekend will be extremely limited, so if you have visitors coming to Lyttelton before midday, please ensure you can accommodate their vehicles on your property or encourage them to travel via bus or taxi.

Boat Ramp Closures

During the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch, Naval Point will be transformed into a vibrant event village, accompanied by a technical area for visiting teams and operations. As such, the Naval Point public boat ramp will be closed between 7 March – 30 March. This is to ensure health and safety and mitigate issues of congestion on a busy, working site.

Other closures to note are:

• Windsurf ramps closed: 7 March – 30 March
• Naval Point parking restrictions: from 19 February, and very limited between 4 – 30 March
• Freedom Camping area closed: 4 March – 29 March

Ferry Timetable Changes

Regular passengers on the ferry should note that there will be some changes to the usual timetable around SailGP.

Friday, (March 22):

• Last ferry departs Lyttelton at 1250, Diamond Harbour at 1302.
• Ferry resumes at 1745.
• Trips missed (departing Lyttelton): 1350, 1450, 1520, 1600, 1625, 1650, 1715.

Saturday & Sunday (March 23 & 24):

• Last ferry departs Lyttelton at 1320, Diamond Harbour at 1332.
• Ferry resumes at 1750.
• Trips missed (departing Lyttelton): 1350, 1420, 1450, 1550, 1650.

Have An Additional Traffic Management Query?

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Package Details

• SailGP 23 & 24 March 2024
• Seated tables for up to 6 people for $360
• Bar leaners for up to 4 people for $240
• From 1pm to 5:30pm (racing between 3pm – 4:30pm)
• Beverages and platters available for purchase
• Racing will be livestreamed
• Gondola ride additional

For enquiries about this unique opportunity, or to be added to our shared table list, please contact our reservations team: [email protected]

We are here

10 Bridle Path Road, Heathcote Valley, Christchurch 8022

Bird's-eye view of The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix

The Christchurch Gondola has a private viewing room with window-side tables available to book both days of SailGP for a bird’s-eye view of the racecourse with platters & beverages available for purchase. Each table seats up to 6 people for $360, and each bar leaner seats up to 4 people for $240.  Gondola rides additional excluding Annual Pass holders.

Commentated racing will be livestreamed to complement your viewing on 1-metre x 2-metre screens.

Book now to secure your seat to watch the racing from a unique perspective!

The two days of racing will take place in Whakaraupō, Lyttelton Harbour.

“SailGP is live action racing as you’ve never experienced it before – it has to be seen to be believed.

Following its sold out debut in Ōtautahi Christchurch in Season 3, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix will return to the spectacular Whakaraupō, Lyttelton Harbour on 23-24 March 2024.

Back and bigger than ever, the ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix | Christchurch will bring more fans into the action than ever before, with more thrills, more spills and more boat-on-boat action.” – SailGP

Why Book With Us?

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The bodies of Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter have been recovered from the wreck of the UK tech mogul’s sunken yacht Bayesian off the coast of Sicily, according to reports Wednesday.

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The identities of the other three bodies have not been confirmed, though the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that two of the bodies are “large-built” — indicating they could be the missing men.

Cook Ricardo Thomas’ body, the first confirmed fatality, was discovered shortly after the Bayesian sank.

Including Lynch and his daughter, the missing passengers on the yacht are: New York City attorney Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda, Morgan Stanley exec Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy.

Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, and 14 others — including a 1-year-old child — managed to escape the sinking ship before it capsized.

All of the guests had gathered onboard the Bayesian to celebrate Lynch’s victory in an explosive US fraud trial. His guests included lawyers from the firm that represented him, as well as friends and allies who supported him through the legal battle.

The wealthy tech founder — who was once dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates” — was acquitted just two months ago by a San Francisco jury of fraud charges linked to the sale of his software company, Autonomy, to Hewlett-Packard for $11 billion in 2011. The sale quickly turned sour after HP wrote down Autonomy’s value by $8.8 billion.

The British-flagged Bayesian superyacht was carrying 12 passengers and 10 crew members as it was anchored off the port of Porticello and struck by what witnesses described as a sudden tornado.

Several search boats could be seen leaving the port of Porticello to go to the site of the sinking around 3:30 p.m. local time Wednesday as news of the latest discovery was shared, according to the reports.

Top picks for you

Manhunt for Arizona Suspect Who Threatened to Shoot Trump During Border Visit Today

A manhunt is underway in Arizona for a suspect who threatened to kill former President Trump ahead of a rally in the Copper State on Thursday.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office has identified the suspect as 66-year-old Ronald Lee Syvrud.

The sheriff’s office said Syvrud has outstanding warrants from the state of Wisconsin for DUI, failure to appear for DUI and from Graham County, Arizona, for hit-and-run and felony failure to register as a sex offender.

The sheriff’s office said it also has an absconder hold for Syvrud for failing to register as a sex offender.

Syvrud is listed on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections sex offender registry for “second-degree sexual assault of a child” with an Arizona address.

Court records reviewed by Fox News show Syvrud was most recently charged with assault in June, but that was dropped in July.

The sheriff’s office posted on Facebook that Syvrud is being sought “as an investigative lead for threats to kill a presidential candidate,” but did not elaborate. Fox News later confirmed that the “presidential candidate” is Trump.

The threat against former President Trump’s life comes after the assassination attempt on the Republican presidential nominee during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.

The sheriff’s office told Fox News that there are “no known ties to Pennsylvania, and we are working with local, state, and federal agencies.”

The former president held his first outdoor rally on Wednesday since the assassination attempt, speaking behind a wall of bulletproof glass at a podium in Asheboro, North Carolina.

Trump is visiting the southern border in Cochise County, Arizona, Thursday while continuing to campaign for the November election. He’s been spending the week campaigning across battleground states.

At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Trump appeared to be unaware of the manhunt when asked for comment. The former president said he was aware it might be “dangerous” for him to be there but nevertheless, “I have a job to do.”

“I haven’t heard about that. They probably want to keep it from me,” Trump said, when asked to respond to the manhunt. “Thank you for telling me. Let’s get out of here, right now!” Trump joked. He again thanked the reporter for telling him.

Trump then pivoted to remarks on the assassination attempt in Butler, saying he has “great respect for the Secret Service” who jumped “on top of me with bullets flying.”

“I have great respect. But no, I haven’t heard that,” Trump said, referring back to the manhunt underway. “But I’m not that surprised. And the reason is because I want to do things that are very bad for the bad guys.

The U.S. Secret Service told Fox News it is aware of and tracking the manhunt in Arizona and referred all further inquiries to the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office for further comments, including potential ties to Butler.

Supreme Court Restores Arizona’s Voter Proof-of-Citizenship Law

The Supreme Court on Thursday partially agreed to the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) emergency request to revive an Arizona law that strengthens proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting.

In a 5-4 vote, the justices reinstated Arizona’s law mandating officials reject state voter registration forms if the person did not provide proof of citizenship.

The court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented alongside conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

But in voting to deny the RNC’s other request, those four found themselves in the majority, bolstered by support from at least one of Chief Justice John Roberts or Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The RNC had demanded the reinstatement of Arizona’s prohibition that prevents registered voters from casting ballots for president or in the mail if they didn’t provide citizenship proof, even if they used a federal-level form to register, where proof is not required.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, who are viewed as the Supreme Court’s three leading conservatives, voted to reinstate those provisions, too.

The ruling came just ahead of Arizona’s ballot printing deadline, enabling the provision to go into effect for this year’s elections, when Arizona is expected to be a critical swing state in the presidential race.

By not fully agreeing to the RNC’s request, the Supreme Court’s decision sides with the Biden administration.

The Justice Department has sued over the latter provision as conflicting with federal law, but it has not challenged the portion impacting only state-level forms.

“Even putting aside the merits, applicants are not entitled to a stay,” U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in court filings.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and various voting rights groups have challenged both sets of the provisions. The case revolves around claims that the changes are unconstitutional, preempted by federal law and violate a consent decree a state official signed in 2018.

After a federal district judge blocked the provisions and an appeals court refused to lift it, the RNC, joined by Arizona’s top two Republican state lawmakers, thrusted the Supreme Court into the dispute earlier this month by filing an emergency appeal.

They urged the justices to stay the lower ruling by Aug. 22, which is the state’s ballot printing deadline, arguing that the state was authorized to make the voter registration changes.

The challengers, however, urged the Supreme Court to stay out the case, insisting the RNC hadn’t cleared their high burden to receive emergency relief.

Lawyers for the DNC and other private plaintiffs told the justices the RNC “sat on their hands” after losing in a lower court.

“The tardiness is particularly inexcusable here, as applicants seek to weaponize Arizona’s forthcoming ballot-printing deadline to obtain relief,” their written response reads.

Democratic Arizona state officials, meanwhile, argued that the Supreme Court’s intervention “would be destabilizing” given the short timeframe before November’s election.

DNC Day 3: Top Takeaways

The third night of the Democratic National Convention featured a second former president, Bill Clinton, making the case for Vice President Kamala Harris‘s campaign.

Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Harris’s running mate, gave the keynote speech Wednesday night as celebrity singers John Legend and Sheila E. staged a musical tribute to Walz’s Minnesota roots.

Stevie Wonder asked the crowd to “reach for a higher ground” in supporting Harris’s campaign before performing a medley of his songs. Kenan Thompson, of Saturday Night Live fame, appeared onstage Wednesday evening with a print-sized copy of Project 2025, a conservative proposal for a second Trump presidency.

Abortion rights activists featured prominently during the night with Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All; Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood; Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood; and Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List, all addressing the convention.

Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance at the convention, taking a jab at Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-OH) childless cat lady comments while pushing independents to back Harris. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who is aiming to become the first black House Speaker if Democrats gain control of the lower chamber, called former President Donald Trump “an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away.”

Here are the top five moments from the third night of the convention.

Tim Walz’s biggest career speech brings tears from son

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), along with Walz’s former students, including Ben Ingman and the former high school football players he coached, introduced the Minnesota governor before he spoke onstage.

The moment was a memorable Americana entrance for a man whom Harris branded as “Coach Walz” at their first campaign rally as running mates. In another emotional moment, Walz’s son Gus was seen sobbing while mouthing: “That’s my dad!”

Walz began his speech by thanking Harris and President Joe Biden for their nearly four years of leadership. “Thanks for putting your trust in me, and for inviting me to be part of this incredible campaign,” he said of Harris. “It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States.”

The Minnesota governor leaned on his background as a teacher before entering politics in a speech that will likely introduce him to wide swaths of the public. “So there I was, a 40-something high school teacher with little kids, zero political experience, and no money, running in a deep-red district. But you know what? Never underestimate a public school teacher,” he said.

Walz touted several progressive policies to the delight of Democrats, including providing free breakfast and lunch for school children, fighting for affordable housing, protecting abortion rights, and mediating medical debt for families.

“So while other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours,” Walz said as attendees cheered in excitement.

In a reprise of his attacks against the GOP, Walz called attempts to implement Project 2025, a conservative game plan for a second Trump presidency, “weird.”

As he ended his speech, Walz pushed for Democrats to donate, vote, and knock on doors because “when we fight,” Walz said to the crowd. “We win!” they yelled back.

An aging Bill Clinton slams the Trump campaign

Clinton, who recently celebrated his 78th birthday, claimed he was the oldest person in his family, but “I’m still younger than Donald Trump,” he quipped. Clinton is just two months younger than Trump, whose birthday is in June. The former president also mentioned that he was unsure how many more conventions he would attend after this week, in a humble reflection of his mortality.

He continued to slip in more criticisms against Trump, who Clinton claimed is “about me, myself, and I.”

“The next time you hear him, don’t count the lies. Count the I’s,” said Clinton, who marked his 12th address to the DNC Thursday evening.

Harris is Trump’s complete contrast, according to Clinton. “Kamala Harris is the only candidate in this race who has the vision and the experience, the temperament and the will and yes, the sheer joy to get something done,” he said.

“If you vote for this team, if you can get them elected and let them bring in this breath of fresh air, you’ll be proud of it for the rest of your life,” Clinton later declared. “Your children will be proud. Your grandchildren will be proud of it.”

The former president also commented on the joyful convention taking place in Chicago. “After the last two days, aren’t you proud to be a Democrat?” Clinton asked earlier on before claiming he loved seeing Barack and Michelle Obama speak the previous day, as well as Hillary Clinton’s address to the convention.

“One of the reasons that president-to-be Kamala Harris is doing so well is that we’re happy,” Bill Clinton would later claim. “But you should never underestimate your adversary. These people are very good at distracting.”

Nancy Pelosi’s cements status as party godmother

The former House Speaker received a standing ovation and chants of “Nancy! Nancy!” when she first walked onstage. Before Pelosi took to the stage, Mindy Kaling, the celebrity host of Wednesday’s convention, called her the “mother of dragons” in an introduction speech.

Pelosi slammed Trump over the actions of his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in her address to the convention. “Jan. 6 was a perilous moment for our democracy,” she said. “Never before had a president of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of our democracy, so gleefully embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of office.”

“Let us not forget who assaulted democracy on Jan. 6 — he did. But let us not forget who saved democracy that day — we did,” Pelosi said. “Thank God we have a Democratic House of Representatives.”

Many Democrats have long believed that Pelosi was part of the push that finally convinced President Joe Biden to suspend his campaign, paving the way for Harris’s nomination. Biden and the former House Speaker reportedly have an icy relationship.

But at the convention, Democrats were ecstatic over Pelosi, who arguably has pulled the strings that led to an energized Democratic Party.

Former vice presidential candidates for Harris take the stage

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg both took to the stage Thursday night. The two leaders were once on the short list to join Harris as her vice presidential pick, but that role went to Walz.

Buttigieg spent part of his speech attacking Vance as an insufficient bridge to Midwestern voters whom he has insulted many with his “childless cat ladies” comments.

“J.D. Vance is one of those guys who thinks if you don’t live the life he has in mind for you, then you don’t count,” Buttigieg said. “A guy who thinks that if you don’t have kids, you have no physical commitment to the future of this country.”

The Pennsylvania governor slammed the Trump-Vance ticket as against the freedoms of the people. “Today, we find ourselves writing the next chapter,” Shapiro said. “Will we be a nation defined by chaos and extremism? Or will we choose a path of decency, honor, and continued progress?”

Another future leader of the party, Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD), addressed the crowd on Wednesday, where he called out Trump’s lack of military service. “I joined the army when I was 17. In fact, I was too young to sign the paperwork,” he said. “I had to ask my mom to sign it for me because I do not have bone spurs.”

Parents of hostage victim appeal for son’s return

Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, gave an emotional speech appealing for the return of the eight American hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 surprise attack against Israel.

Goldberg doubled over in tears when the crowd chanted, “Bring them home!” as the parents first appeared onstage. It’s been 320 days since Goldber-Polin was kidnapped, and “since then, we live on another planet,” Goldberg said. “Anyone who is a parent or has had a parent can try to imagine the anguish and misery that John and I and all the hostage families are enduring.”

“This is a political convention, but bringing our only son and all of the cherished hostages home is not a political issue,” added Polin.

Convention attendees were seen crying as the parents addressed the crowd. “Hersh, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong, survive,” Goldberg declared. “This is a humanitarian issue.”

Ukraine Attacks Moscow in One of Largest Ever Drone Strikes on Russian Capital

Ukraine attacked Moscow on Wednesday with at least 11 drones that were shot down by air defences in what Russian officials called one of the biggest drone strikes on the capital since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

The war, largely a grinding artillery and drone battle across the fields, forests and villages of eastern Ukraine, escalated on Aug. 6 when Ukraine sent thousands of soldiers over the border into Russia’s western Kursk region.

For months, Ukraine has also fought an increasingly damaging drone war against the refineries and airfields of Russia, the world’s second largest oil exporter, though major drone attacks on the Moscow region – with a population of over 21 million – have been rarer.

Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences destroyed a total of 45 drones over Russian territory, including 11 over the Moscow region, 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.

Some of the drones were shot down over the city of Podolsk, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The city in the Moscow region is some 38 km (24 miles) south of the Kremlin.

“This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever,” Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app in the early hours of Wednesday. “The layered defence of Moscow that was created made it possible to successfully repel all the attacks from the enemy UAVs.”

Along Moscow’s boulevards, the cafes, restaurants and shops of the capital – which has been carefully insulated from the war – were crowded with little sign of concern, while President Vladimir Putin met Chinese premier Li Qiang in the Kremlin.

Two Russian citizens who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said the foiled drone attack simply showed how well defended Moscow now was, and that Ukraine was “playing with fire” by attacking Russia both in Kursk and in Moscow.

Russia meanwhile is advancing in eastern Ukraine, where it controls about 18% of the territory, and battling to repel Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region, the biggest foreign attack on Russian territory since World War Two.

Russian media showed unverified footage of drones whirring over the dawn sky of the Moscow region and then being shot down in a ball of flame by air defences.

Moscow’s airports, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, limited flights for four hours but restarted normal operations from 0330 GMT, Russia’s aviation watchdog said.

Sobyanin said that according to preliminary information, there were no injuries or damage reported in the aftermath of the attacks. There were also no casualties or damage reported following the attack on Bryansk in Russia’s southwest, the governor of the region, Alexander Bogomaz, wrote on Telegram.

Russia’s RIA state news agency reported that two drones were destroyed over the Tula region, which borders the Moscow region to its north. Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region in Russia’s southwest, said air defence forces destroyed a Ukraine-launched missile over the region, with no injuries reported.

The Russian defence ministry did not mention either Tula or Rostov in its statement listing destroyed Ukrainian air weapons. Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday it overnight struck an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system based in the Rostov region.

The drone attack on Moscow was on a par with a May 2023 attack when at least eight drones were destroyed over the capital, a strike Putin said was a Ukrainian attempt to scare and provoke Russia.

In Kursk, Russian war bloggers said intense battles were ongoing along the front in the region where Ukraine has carved out at least 450 square km (175 square miles) of Russian territory.

UPDATED: Romanian Police Raid Andrew Tate’s Home over New Allegations Involving Trafficking Minors

Romanian police on Wednesday searched four properties linked to Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan amid new minor sex and trafficking allegations. This investigation for trafficking minors started in June 2023.

According to Romania’s prosecutors for the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) police descended on four locations owned by the Tate brothers in Bucharest and Ilfov.

The searches are linked to a fresh investigation against the Tate brothers, according to the authorities.DIICOT implemented four home search warrants within Ilfov county and Bucharest municipality, in a criminal case regarding the commission of the crimes of:

• forming an organized criminal group
• trafficking minors
• human trafficking (new victims)
• sexual intercourse with a minor
• influencing statements and money laundering

A spokesperson for the Tate brothers confirmed the raids on social media. “Although the allegations in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering. The brothers’ legal team is present to ensure all formalities are carried out correctly,” they said.

Andrew Tate commented on X that he was the victim of conspiracies. “The Matrix is ​​real. And they have a tried and true playbook. Slander is their number one tool, and the process is the punishment,” wrote Andrew Tate.

The two are currently awaiting trial in Romania on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. In the UK, Andrew Tate faces a civil case from four British women who claim they were raped and assaulted. The brothers are also being taken to court by police in the UK for allegedly paying zero tax on $27 million in earnings from their online businesses.

Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate were detained for 24 hours by DIICOT prosecutors on Wednesday evening, August 21, after more than 6 hours of questioning in a new case.

According to the same sources, other suspects were also detained in the same case, including Alex Stanciu, Alex Donea, and the two alleged accomplices of the Tate brothers, Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu.

There are 34 new victims in Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate’s latest case. This includes two minors, aged 15 and 17. There are a total of 49 victims across all of their cases.

A judge in Romania has ordered Andrew Tate to house arrest for 30 days. Tristan will remain on judiciary control. This will be reviewed in 30 days with the possibility of being extended.

Full DIICOT press release:

Pursuant to communique no. 1 of 21.08.2024, the Information and Public Relations Office within the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism is empowered to inform the public of the following:

On 21.08.2024, the prosecutors of the Directorate of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure ordered the detention of 6 defendants for committing the crimes of forming an organized criminal group, trafficking in persons, trafficking in minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, money laundering, influencing statements and favoring the perpetrator.

From the criminal investigation documents carried out, it emerged that, during 2015, three defendants (two of them foreign citizens) constituted an organized criminal group on the territory of Romania, to which a suspect (foreign citizen) joined in 2016 and in in September 2021, another defendant (Romanian citizen), who acted with the aim of committing the crime of human trafficking both on the territory of Romania and of other states.

Two of the defendants, using the loverboy method and taking advantage of the obvious state of vulnerability of 34 injured persons, recruited them, and with the support of the other members of the organized crime group, transported and housed them in different locations where they supervised them and coordinated by forcing them to produce pornographic materials that they later broadcast for a fee on profile platforms.

The proceeds thus obtained by the defendants from the sexual exploitation of the victims were valued at over 2,800,000 US dollars and 887,000 tokens.

It was also noted that in the period from 2014 to December 2021, one of the defendants (foreign citizen), by misleading (the loverboy method) and taking advantage of the obvious vulnerability of a minor victim (17 years old, foreign citizen), transported and sheltered her in several locations located on the territories of Great Britain and Romania, where he forced her to perform sexual acts in order to produce pornographic materials and distribute them on various websites. Material benefits valued at over 1.5 million US dollars were obtained from the criminal activity, which the defendant appropriated in full.

Also in his charge, it was noted that starting from December 2020, he repeatedly had sexual relations and acts with a minor victim, aged 15. In order to hide or dissimulate the illicit origin of the money resulting from the commission of the crime of human trafficking, between December 2023 and July 2024, the two defendants purchased and registered four luxury cars in the names of close people.

At the same time, in an attempt to prevent the discovery of the truth, they took actions of a clearly intimidating nature and acts of corruption on some injured persons and witnesses in order to induce them not to give statements or to give false statements in this file. With regard to two other defendants (Romanian citizens), from the conducted investigations, it emerged that they acted with the aim of hindering the investigations in this criminal case.

As a result of the home searches, the sums of approximately 26,000 euros, 81,000 lei, 5,800 GBP and 6,400 USD, two luxury watches, laptops, data storage units, documents and other means of evidence were identified and seized. An insurance seizure was instituted on 16 cars and a motorcycle, all from the luxury category.

Today, the judge of rights and liberties was notified with the proposal of preventive arrest of three of the detained defendants and the house arrest of another defendant.

Judicial activities are carried out together with police officers from the Ilfov Organized Crime Fighting Service.

The action benefited from the support of gendarmes from the Special Intervention Brigade of the Gendarmerie.

Everything You Need to Know About Sex-Trafficking Charges Against Andrew Tate

READ: 32 Andrew Tate Tweets That Will Change Your Opinion About Him

If you don’t know who is Andrew Tate you can learn more about him here.

Proof that Andrew Tate is was the owner of the Twitter account @OfWudan:

For those of you who are unsure if @OfWudan was Tate’s old account, or are in denial, let Tate tell you: pic.twitter.com/Z91bqCJxPN — Murdered By Crayons 🖍️ (@CrayonMurders) July 29, 2024

Jack Daniel’s Maker Scraps DEI Policies After Threat of ‘Anti-Woke’ Boycott

The maker of Jack Daniel’s whisky said it will pull back on its DEI initiatives, buckling to pressure on social media as an “anti-woke” activist said he was preparing to launch a boycott.

Spirits giant Brown-Forman Corp. – with a market capitalization of $21.37 billion – is the latest company to scrap its diversity, equity and inclusion program, following Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply and John Deere.

Major firms who rely heavily on a red state clientele have been caving to boycott pressure from corporate activist Robby Starbuck, who said Jack Daniel’s was next on the list, but that the company reversed its policies before he got the chance to lead a boycott.

“We’re now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting just from fear they have of being the next company that we expose,” Starbuck said on X.

Brown-Forman will stop linking bonuses and pay to DEI progress, end its participation in an annual ranking of companies with an LGBTQ-friendly environment and throw out its plans to push for a more diverse group of suppliers, according to a copy of an internal memo posted on X.

The company previously tied 10% of executives’ short-term compensation to progress on DEI goals, according to a 2023 annual report.

The Kentucky-based company first launched its DEI goals in 2019.

“Since then, the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically, particularly within the United States,” company executives told employees in a letter on Wednesday.

“With these new dynamics at play, we must adjust our work to ensure it continues to drive business results while appropriately recognizing the current environment in which we find ourselves.”

Brown-Forman shares dipped less than 1% on Thursday.

Social activists called for big businesses to implement sweeping DEI programs just a few years ago – and now those same companies are responding to cries to cut those goals, largely led by Starbuck on X.

“I mean the name diversity, equity, inclusion – you would think that’s a good thing,” Mahoney Asset Management CEO Ken Mahoney told The Post. “But the way the companies express it, you squeeze out other potential employees that could have even better performance.”

Mahoney said companies including Tesla, Home Depot, Wayfair and Walmart have been phasing out their DEI leadership goals since consumers started threatening them with boycotts.

“It hurts their image because consumers feel like they’re not putting the best people in place, but rather keeping score,” Mahoney told The Post. “And for this group of consumers, we’re not born and raised this way.”

Just 38% of Americans want companies to take a stance on current events and policies, according to a Gallup-Bentley University survey.

Big news: The next company we were set to expose was @JackDaniels_US . They must have been tipped off by us going through employee LinkedIn pages. They just preemptively announced that they’ll be making these changes: • Ending participation in the @HRC ’s Corporate Equality… pic.twitter.com/0O1DkkIKrO — Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 22, 2024

And DEI goals have become more political, with conservative activists calling the programs unfair while liberal activists say the opposite.

In addition to DEI policies, Starbuck targets companies who participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s ranking of LGBTQ-friendly workplaces — which previously awarded Brown-Forman a perfect score of 100.

“Jack Daniels has clearly reached the sobering conclusion that being hyper focused on factors other than merit do not increase the bottom line,” psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert told The Post.

“In fact, we need not look any further than Target and Bud Light to see how making the move from that of retailers to social justice warriors does not lead to best outcomes, increased sales, and improved public image.”

Target lost $10 billion in market valuation in a 10-day period last year when customers boycotted the company after it launched its Pride collection, which included clothing for children.

A Target shareholder filed a lawsuit last year against the company after their shares lost $20,000 during the Pride collection controversy.

Bud Light sales tanked after the beer company launched an ad with transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney last year.

Alpert said DEI policies can create a perception of unfairness and alienate employees.

He said his own patients have grown to resent these policies because they feel like they are being passed over for promotions and jobs on the basis of ethnic background or sexuality.

“If DEI initiatives were working we wouldn’t be having this discussion about them right now,” Alpert told The Post. “In fact, more companies would be hopping on the bandwagon – but they’re not.”

90-Foot-Tall Half-Monkey, Half-Human Statue Erected in Texas

A striking 90-foot-tall bronze statue of Lord Hanuman was recently unveiled in Texas.

The massive statue was raised on August 15 at Sugar Land’s Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple, according to local NBC affiliate KCEN.

Hindus consider Hanuman an immortal being known for his devotion to the Hindu god Rama and virtues like self-control.

The Texas Hanuman figure, officially titled the “Statue of Union,” is now reportedly the third tallest statue in the continental U.S., trailing only the 151-foot tall Statue of Liberty in New York and the 110-foot tall Pegasus and Dragon statue in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

Conservatives, particularly those identifying themselves as Christians, quickly lashed out at images and videos of the statue, with some claiming that the figure was “demonic.”

“This is a Hindu statue they just built in TX. I rebuke this demonic filth in the mighty name of Jesus Christ,” @itsmorganariel, a self-described “Christian activist,” wrote while sharing a video on X, formerly Twitter.

This is a Hindu statue they just built in TX. I rebuke this demonic filth in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. pic.twitter.com/dXG1jrYPND — Morgan Ariel (@itsmorganariel) August 20, 2024

“A Hindu temple just unveiled a statue of their demonic Lord Hanuman … in Texas,” the End Time Headlines account wrote.

A Hindu temple just unveiled a statue of their demonic Lord Hanuman … in Texas. https://t.co/4AnF1Kyr9G pic.twitter.com/wihyEDAyQT — End Time Headlines (@EndTimeHeadline) August 20, 2024

“90-foot statue of Hindu demon Hanuman erected in Houston, Texas. It is now the third tallest statue in America,” wrote @AFpost, an account that purports to share news “from an America First perspective.”

90-foot statue of Hindu demon Hanuman erected in Houston, Texas. It is now the third tallest statue in America. Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/KEF4sbxzM4 — AF Post (@AFpost) August 20, 2024

“In Texas there is a 90 ft statue of Hanuman, a Hindu monkey god. What is the United States anymore? A nation with no culture, now that the enrichers are prominent in the census,” self-described “Christian nationalist” @JuanValder72733 wrote.

In Texas there is a 90 ft statue of Hanuman, a Hindu monkey god. What is the United States anymore? A nation with no culture, now that the enrichers are prominent in the census. pic.twitter.com/UvbU7ammXo — The Righteous Republic (@JuanValder72733) August 20, 2024

Satire website Not the Bee published an article on the statute that includes a warning about sparking “the wrath of the One True God by building massive demonic idols everywhere.”

Others defended the statue and lashed out at critics complaining about the fact that a private organization chose to install the figure on its own land.

“Christians & catholics etc…. getting offended by the Hanuman Monkey Bronze statue built on private lands in Southwest Houston but not getting ticked off about their churn numbers….? huh?” @datarade wrote on X. “You have an uncomfortable churn and decline problem that seems irreconcilable.”

Christians & catholics etc…. getting offended by the Hanuman Monkey Bronze statue built on private lands in Southwest Houston but not getting ticked off about their churn numbers….? huh? You have an uncomfortable churn and decline problem that seems irreconcilable. pic.twitter.com/PGQ51VIHVX — Kumar (@datarade) August 20, 2024

“All the fanatics coping over a statue on private temple land just means that the next one got 10ft taller,” wrote @OnTheNewsBeat.

All the fanatics coping over a statue on private temple land just means that the next one got 10ft taller — Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) August 20, 2024

“That’s lord Hanuman, who is a symbol of strength, loyalty, devotion, and perseverance … Worshipped by 15% of the world’s population (1.2 Billion Hindus) … And you ignorant, arrogant fool name it is a monkey statue. Do better,” @DealsDhamaka wrote in response to an X post from anti-transgender activist Oli London.

That’s lord Hanuman, who is a symbol of strength, loyalty, devotion, and perseverance … Worshipped by 15% of the world’s population (1.2 Billion Hindus) And you ignorant, arrogant fool name it is a monkey statue. Do better #jaibajrangbali https://t.co/J2aU6PS0X8 — Vineeth K (@DealsDhamaka) August 20, 2024

RFK JR. to Address the Nation Friday — Trump and Kennedy Will Both Be in Phoenix

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to drop out of the presidential race by the end of this week, ABC News reported.

Sources tell ABC News that Kennedy plans to endorse Donald Trump — but when asked directly by ABC News if he will be endorsing the former president, Kennedy said, “I will not confirm or deny that.”

“We are not talking about any of that,” he said.

Sources cautioned the decision is not yet finalized and could still change, with one source adding that Kennedy’s hope is, in part, to finalize things quickly in order to try to blunt momentum from the Democratic National Convention.

One possible scenario being discussed is for Kennedy to appear on stage with Trump at an event in Phoenix on Friday, though the sources cautioned that Kennedy’s thinking could always change and sources close to Trump say no plan for Friday is finalized.

Kennedy’s campaign manager, Amaryllis Fox, emailed senior staff on Wednesday morning thanking them for their hard work — but indicated a decision on the way forward had not been made, a source familiar with the email told ABC News.

“There are a couple potential paths forward, not only two, and I can bear witness to the care, examination that Bobby has invested in the consideration of each,” Fox wrote, according to the source.

A spokesperson for Kennedy posted on X that Kennedy will “address the nation” live on Friday to discuss his “path forward,” but offered no specifics.

Kennedy told ABC News regarding the Democratic convention and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, “I think it was a coronation, it’s not democracy. Nobody voted. Who chose Kamala? It wasn’t voters.”

He also complained about the way his campaign has been treated.

“She went in four weeks from being the worst liability for the Democratic Party to the second coming of Christ without giving one interview, without showing up for a debate, without a single policy that anyone thinks isn’t ridiculous,” he said. “It’s not democracy.”

NBC News reported :

The pending suspension of Kennedy’s campaign and subsequent expected endorsement of Trump has been an ongoing project of three key allies of Trump —Donald Trump Jr., former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and megadonor Omeed Malik.

The three men have worked behind the scenes in meetings and calls with both Trump and Kennedy to negotiate the exit and the endorsement, a source familiar with their efforts said on condition of anonymity to reveal sensitive internal campaign deliberations.

Trump’s campaign considers a potential endorsement as something of a work in progress, the source added.

Notably, Carlson, Malik and Trump Jr. were also influential in the selection of Vance as Trump’s running mate.

Biden Admin Admits It Overestimated Employment by Nearly 1 Million Jobs

The federal government overestimated the number of jobs in the U.S. economy by 818,000 between April 2023 and March 2024, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday, stoking fears of a slowdown in the U.S. economy.

Economists at Goldman Sachs (GS) and Wells Fargo anticipated the government had overestimated job growth by at least 600,000 in that span, while economists at JPMorgan Chase had predicted a lesser decline of 360,000, according to Bloomberg. The downward revision follows a trend of the BLS overestimating the number of nonfarm payroll jobs added, with the cumulative number of new jobs reported in 2023 roughly 1.3 million less than previously thought as of February 2024.

“There’s been a clear pattern of economic data being revised down (worse) in the last several years,” E.J. Antoni, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It is very similar to the onset of the Great Recession, when the BLS was struggling to keep up with rapidly deteriorating economic conditions. Assumptions built into models no longer represented reality, although they may have just a year or two prior. ”

Something to watch this week: Preliminary annual payrolls revisions get released on Wednesday, covering April 2023 through March 2024. Economists expect jobs added to be revised down by as much as 1 mil. pic.twitter.com/dfuYp3yPm9 — Liz Young Thomas (@LizThomasStrat) August 19, 2024

Fears of a slowdown in the U.S. economy surged earlier in August following a disappointing July jobs report that saw unemployment rise to 4.3%, up 0.2% from June.

The rising specter of an American recession led to a global market sell-off, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 index dropping 12.40% on August 5, its largest decline since Black Monday in 1987. The S&P 500 also fell 3.00% in its worst single-day loss since late 2022.

Nevertheless, the indexes recouped much of their losses the following day, with the Nikkei and the S&P rising 10.2% and 1.0% respectively, according to ABC News.

Wednesday’s downward revision has also heightened concern that the Federal Reserve has waited too long to begin cutting interest rates, Bloomberg reported. If the FOMC hesitates to cut rates for too long, it could result in recession instead of a soft landing — an economic slowdown in which inflation is brought down without causing recession.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to hold its target federal funds rate between 5.25% and 5.50% in July, marking the eighth meeting in a row the FOMC has decided to keep rates at their current 23-year high.

“Wall Street is increasingly waking up to the fact that the economy post-covid has never been as good as the government bean counters claimed, and a recession may have already begun,” Antoni told the DCNF. “These revisions are a violent shove in the direction of reality.”

FBI Investigates Dems Having Maggots Slipped Into Their Breakfasts at Chicago Convention

The FBI has launched an investigation into whether maggots were deliberately slipped into the breakfasts of delegates at the Democratic National Convention.

Law enforcement swarmed the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago on Wednesday following reports of the insect attack.

Indiana delegate Tracy Boyd told WGNTV: ‘They protected us, of course, and turned it around in minutes.’

She said her group was notified that breakfast service would be briefly delayed due to the incident by pro-Palestine activists.

Since the start of the DNC, pro-Palestine rioters have caused chaos on the streets of Chicago. Several have been arrested for breaching the security perimeter near the United Center and as protests got violent near the Israeli Consulate.

‘I really do want to give a shout-out to the hotel staff and leadership,’ Boyd added.

All Americans have the right to peaceful protest, but ugly attacks like this have no place in our democracy,’ said Indiana Democratic Party spokesperson Sam Barloga.

‘We thank the security team for responding swiftly,’ he said.

It’s not the first maggot-related political incident in recent weeks.

At the end of July, a Pro-Palestine activist group shared stomach-turning images of what they said was a protest against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli leader addressed Congress amid the ongoing war in Gaza, which has sparked protests against the Jewish state all over the world.

Hours before his speech, the Palestinian Youth Movement’s X account shared a video they claimed showed Netanyahu’s table at the Watergate hotel in Washington DC full of maggots and critters.

The group wrote: ‘BON APPETIT!! MAGGOTS RELEASED ON THE CRIMINAL ZIONIST’S WAR TABLE!

‘Palestine protestors manufactured chaos at the Watergate Hotel last night so that Netanyahu, Israeli Mossad agents, and the Secret Service had no peace as they continue to terrorize our people.’

Jewish Insider claimed that several people in Netanyahu’s team were not aware of any protest involving maggots.

Jewish Insider reporter Lahav Harkov said: ‘I talked to several people in Netanyahu’s delegation who know nothing about this, so either the Palestinian Youth Movement is lying or somehow security managed to clean this up and stop the fire alarms incredibly quickly.’

CNN reported that the Secret Service was investigating the reports that protesters gained access to the hotel where the Israeli delegation is staying.

During his speech, Netanyahu spoke about the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, highlighting how the two’s close ties have been instrumental in the Jewish nation’s fight against Palestinian terror group Hamas.

‘America and Israel must stand together,’ Netanyahu proclaimed, receiving a standing ovation in response.

‘When we stand together, something very simple happens, we win and they lose.’

The leader has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is eradicated following the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel by the terrorist who raped women, killed and beheaded children and took hundreds of Israelis hostage, including several Americans.

While Netanyahu was in D.C., protesters condemning the war in Gaza descended on Washington, chanting ‘Free, Free Palestine’ as some tried to block streets.

Protestors vandalized parts of Union Station, a short walk to the Capitol.

The American flag was taken off of a flag pole outside of the main train terminal.

14-Term House Democrat Bill Pascrell Dies at 87

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), who served in the House for more than 27 years, died Wednesday morning, his office announced.

Pascrell, 87, had been hospitalized in July to be treated for a respiratory infection and spent some time in intensive care. The congressman moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation facility earlier this month but was rushed back to the hospital days later.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America,” a statement on Pascrell’s account on the social platform X reads.

Pascrell’s death puts a bookend on his nearly three-decade tenure in the House, which he was first elected to in 1996. The New Jersey Democrat beat then-Rep. Bill Martini (R) to represent the Garden State’s 8th Congressional District. Redistricting moved him to the 9th Congressional District later in his career on Capitol Hill.

Pascrell served on the Ways and Means Committee and became a noted Trump critic during his later years in Congress. Before Congress, he was the mayor of Paterson, N.J., and served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly.

The deadline to replace Pascrell on the ballot is Aug. 29. Democratic county committee people from the 9th District will be tasked with selecting a new candidate, according to the New Jersey Monitor.

The nominee then will face Republican Billy Prempeh in the November general election.

Pascrell beat Prempeh by just more than 11 percentage points in 2022. The district broke for President Biden over former President Trump by more than 18 percentage points in 2020.

Pascrell, who was among the oldest members of the House, checked himself into the hospital on July 14 after coming down with a fever. His office later said he had a respiratory infection.

He was discharged from the hospital Aug. 7 and moved to a rehab facility. Days later, however, he was brought back to the hospital, multiple sources reported. It was not clear why he returned to the hospital.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle mourned Pascrell’s death.

“My heart is breaking right now. What profound sadness falls upon New Jersey for the loss of Bill Pascrell. I miss him and give all the love and strength I can muster to his family and community,” New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim (D) wrote on X.

Republican New Jersey Rep. Tom Kean Jr. called Pascrell “a great friend and colleague.”

“Bill was a dedicated public servant, a tireless advocate for his constituents, and a passionate supporter of firefighters. We worked closely together on many issues. My deepest condolences go out to his family during this difficult time. Bill will be dearly missed,” he added on X.

8-Year-Old Girl Stabbed in UK, Police Arrest Man and Woman

Two people have been arrested after a young girl was stabbed in Christchurch, Dorset.

The victim is aged around eight, the Bournemouth Daily Echo reports.

She was taken to hospital and her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Police received a report that the girl had been stabbed at an address in Glider Close, Christchurch, at 5.45pm on Tuesday.

A man aged in his 20s, from Christchurch, was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

A local woman in her 50s was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Chief Superintendent Stewart Dipple said: “There is an increased policing presence in the area as officers conduct enquiries at the scene.

“I am appealing to anyone who was in the area and saw what happened or has information to assist our investigation, to please come forward.

“Our enquiries are in the early stages and we would ask the public not to speculate at this time about the circumstances of the incident.

“I understand this will cause concern and we will have members of the neighbourhood policing team out on patrol over the coming days who can be approached by the public.”

Ford Delays New EV Plant, Cancels Electric SUV

Ford Motor is delaying production of a next-generation all-electric pickup truck at a new plant in Tennessee and canceling plans for a three-row electric SUV, the company said Wednesday.

Instead, Ford said it will prioritize the development of hybrid models, as well as electric commercial vehicles such as a new electric commercial van in 2026, followed by two EV pickup trucks in 2027.

The pickups are expected to be a full-size truck, which will be produced in 2027 at the Tennessee plant that’s currently under construction, and a new midsize truck being developed by a specialized “skunkworks” team in California.

“As we’ve learned in the marketplace, and we’ve seen where people have gravitated, we’re going to focus in where we have competitive advantage, and that’s on commercial land trucks and SUVs,” Ford CFO John Lawler said Wednesday.

The actions are meant to better deliver a capital-efficient, profitable electric vehicle business, said Lawler, who also serves as vice chair of the automaker. But, in the short term, they will cost the company.

Ford said it will incur a special noncash charge of about $400 million for the write-down of certain product-specific manufacturing assets, including the cancellation of the three-row SUV.

The company said the changes may also result in additional expenses and cash expenditures of up to $1.5 billion. Ford will reflect those in the quarter in which they are incurred, as a special item.

Lawler said the company’s future capital expenditure plans will shift from spending about 40% on all-electric vehicles to spending 30%. He did not give a timeline for the change.

Vehicle production at the new $5.6 billion Tennessee site was initially expected to begin next year. The company said it still expects to start battery cell production at the site in 2025.

The changes are the latest for Ford and come amid slower-than-expected adoption of EVs as well as automakers not being able to profitably produce the vehicles.

The new plans come roughly five months after Ford said it would delay production of the three-row SUV and next-generation pickup, codenamed “T3.”

“This is really about us being nimble and listening to responses from our customers,” Lawler said during a call Wednesday morning. “We’ve been out in the [EV] market here for over two years, and we’ve learned a lot, and what we’re understanding is that customers want more electrification choices.”

The rollout of Ford’s next generation of EVs will begin with a commercial van that will be assembled at Ford’s Ohio Assembly Plant starting in 2026, according to the company.

The automaker previously said it would not launch a vehicle if there wasn’t a clear path to profitability within the first year. It was a change from selling EVs at a loss to grow share and assist in meeting fuel and emissions standards.

Ford said it will continue to produce and update its current all-electric vehicles such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E crossover and F-150 Lightning pickup truck.

The company said it plans to provide investors with an “update on electrification, technology, profitability and capital requirements” in the first half of 2025.

Matt Gaetz Easily Beats McCarthy-Backed Challenger

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) took a victory lap after winning his primary in a landslide, mocking former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who vowed to take revenge on those who ousted him from his post last fall.

“Sign me up for the next Revenge Tour,” Gaetz said in a post on X alongside the results showing him winning with 72.5% of the vote.

Sign me up for the next Revenge Tour pic.twitter.com/xnejrmEKQI — Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) August 21, 2024

McCarthy spent $3 million boosting Gaetz’s challenger, Aaron Dimmock, to no avail.

The Florida Republican twisted the knife by pointing out that he won by a larger margin than the previous primary.

“It’s traditional, in moments like these, with margins of victory like this, that you hear from your opponents. And I have not yet heard from Aaron Dimmock or Kevin McCarthy this evening,” Gaetz said to laughter.

“Kevin McCarthy spent $3 million in this race not attacking my votes or my work on your behalf but just simply trying to attack my character. $3 million. Two years ago, I got 70% of the vote, and tonight, it looks like we’re getting 73% of the vote,” he continued.

“So, Kevin, if you’re watching, spend a little more next time, and we’ll get to 80,” he quipped.

pic.twitter.com/0CTfKbHH99 — Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) August 21, 2024

The “revenge tour” referenced by Gaetz referred to McCarthy’s attempts to oust the eight Republican representatives who voted to oust him from the House speakership. Though he spent millions, he was only able to oust Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) after former President Donald Trump spoke out against him.

Gaetz led the effort to oust McCarthy, setting the two up as the most prominent intra-Republican rivalry.

RESULTS: Florida, Alaska, and Wyoming Primaries

It’s Tuesday night, and that means Primary Night in America! This week, voters will head to the polls in three states: Florida, Wyoming, and Alaska.

First to close is Florida. Although Republican Sen. Rick Scott’s race is considered “Likely Republican” by most forecasters, including Decision Desk HQ/The Hill, it’s still seen as a main target for Democrats. Former Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who represented Florida’s 26th Congressional District for only one term, is expected to be the Democratic nominee. She was replaced by Republican Rep. Carlos Gimenez after the 2020 election. Scott is also facing a couple of primary challengers, though will almost certainly win his primary.

Many of the Democratic primaries for U.S. House races are uncontested, though the race to watch may be with Florida’s 13th Congressional District, currently represented by Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican who replaced former Rep. Charlie Crist, who was then serving as a Democrat. Luna is running unopposed, but there’s a crowded Democratic primary of five candidates looking to challenge her for this “Likely Republican” race.

Two years ago, now former Rep. Liz Cheney lost the Republican primary to now Rep. Harriet Hageman for Wyoming’s at-large district. Although Hageman is facing former Democrat Steven Helling in her primary, she is expected to easily win.

Hageman unseated Cheney by almost 40 points in the August 2022 primary, with three other challengers also in that race.

The last race of the night is in Alaska, where there’s merely the U.S. House at-large race. Alaska uses rank choice, non-partisan jungle primaries, which has been heavily criticized, including as it applies to this year’s election. Alaska is also a heavy mail-in voting state.

There’s 12 candidates total with the top four advancing. Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola is heavily expected to advance, and she’s only facing one other Democrat: Eric Hafner. He’s actually in federal prison for making bomb threats and tried unsuccessfully to run in Oregon and Hawaii in previous years. There’s a mix of Republican, no party affiliation (NPA), Independent, and “other” candidates, including one who lives in and has tried to run in Arizona: Richard Grayson with the No Labels ticket.

Florida — polls close at 7:00 p.m. ET and 8:00p.m. ET

Wyoming — polls close at 9:00 p.m. et, alaska — polls close at 12:00 a.m. et, nyt: biden approved secret nuke strategy refocusing on china threat.

President Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategic plan for the United States that, for the first time, reorients America’s deterrent strategy to focus on China’s rapid expansion in its nuclear arsenal.

The shift comes as the Pentagon believes China’s stockpiles will rival the size and diversity of the United States’ and Russia’s over the next decade.

The White House never announced that Mr. Biden had approved the revised strategy, called the “Nuclear Employment Guidance,” which also newly seeks to prepare the United States for possible coordinated nuclear challenges from China, Russia and North Korea. The document, updated every four years or so, is so highly classified that there are no electronic copies, only a small number of hard copies distributed to a few national security officials and Pentagon commanders.

But in recent speeches, two senior administration officials were allowed to allude to the change — in carefully constrained, single sentences — ahead of a more detailed, unclassified notification to Congress expected before Mr. Biden leaves office.

“The president recently issued updated nuclear-weapons employment guidance to account for multiple nuclear-armed adversaries,” Vipin Narang, an M.I.T. nuclear strategist who served in the Pentagon, said earlier this month before returning to academia. “And in particular,” he added, the weapons guidance accounted for “the significant increase in the size and diversity” of China’s nuclear arsenal.

In June, the National Security Council’s senior director for arms control and nonproliferation, Pranay Vaddi, also referred to the document, the first to examine in detail whether the United States is prepared to respond to nuclear crises that break out simultaneously or sequentially, with a combination of nuclear and nonnuclear weapons.

The new strategy, Mr. Vaddi said, emphasizes “the need to deter Russia, the PRC and North Korea simultaneously,” using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China.

In the past, the likelihood that American adversaries could coordinate nuclear threats to outmaneuver the American nuclear arsenal seemed remote. But the emerging partnership between Russia and China, and the conventional arms North Korea and Iran are providing to Russia for the war in Ukraine have fundamentally changed Washington’s thinking.

Already, Russia and China are conducting military exercises together. Intelligence agencies are trying to determine whether Russia is aiding the North Korean and Iranian missile programs in return.

The new document is a stark reminder that whoever is sworn in next Jan. 20 will confront a changed and far more volatile nuclear landscape than the one that existed just three years ago. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has repeatedly threatened the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, including during a crisis in October 2022, when Mr. Biden and his aides, looking at intercepts of conversations between senior Russian commanders, feared the likelihood of nuclear use might rise to 50 percent or even higher.

Mr. Biden, along with leaders of Germany and Britain, got China and India to make public statements that there was no role for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, and the crisis abated, at least temporarily.

“It was an important moment,” Richard N. Haass, a former senior State Department and National Security Council official for several Republican presidents, and the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, noted in an interview. “We are dealing with a Russia that is radicalized; the idea that nukes wouldn’t be used in a conventional conflict is not longer a safe assumption.”

The second big change arises from China’s nuclear ambitions. The country’s nuclear expansion is running at an even faster pace than American intelligence officials anticipated two years ago, driven by President Xi Jinping’s determination to scrap the decades-long strategy of maintaining a “minimum deterrent” to reach or exceed the size of Washington’s and Moscow’s arsenals. China’s nuclear complex is now the fastest growing in the world.

Although former President Donald J. Trump confidently predicted that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, would surrender his nuclear weapons after their three in-person meetings, the opposite happened. Mr. Kim has doubled down, and now has more than 60 weapons, officials estimate, and the fuel for many more.

That expansion has changed the nature of the North Korean challenge: When the country possessed just a handful of weapons, it could be deterred by missile defenses. But its expanded arsenal is fast approaching the size of Pakistan’s and Israel’s, and it is large enough that it could, in theory, coordinate threats with Moscow and Beijing.

It was only a matter of time before a fundamentally different nuclear environment began to alter American war plans and strategy, officials say.

“It is our responsibility to see the world as it is, not as we hoped or wished it would be,” Mr. Narang said as he was leaving the Pentagon. “It is possible that we will one day look back and see the quarter-century after the Cold War as nuclear intermission.”

The new challenge is “the real possibility of collaboration and even collusion between our nuclear-armed adversaries,” he said.

So far in the presidential campaign, the new challenges to American nuclear strategy have not been a topic of debate. Mr. Biden, who spent much of his political career as an advocate of nuclear nonproliferation, has never publicly talked in any detail about how he is responding to the challenges of deterring China’s and North Korea’s expanded forces. Nor has Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic Party’s nominee.

At his last news conference in July, just days before he announced he would no longer seek the Democratic nomination for a second term, Mr. Biden acknowledged that he had adopted a policy of seeking ways to interfere in the broader China-Russia partnership.

“Yes, I do, but I’m not prepared to talk about the detail of it in public,” Mr. Biden said. He made no reference to — and was not asked about — how that partnership was altering American nuclear strategy.

Since Harry Truman’s presidency, that strategy has been overwhelmingly focused on the Kremlin’s arsenal. Mr. Biden’s new guidance suggests how quickly that is shifting.

China was mentioned in the last nuclear guidance, issued at the end of the Trump administration, according to an unclassified account provided to Congress in 2020. But that was before the scope of Mr. Xi’s ambitions was understood.

The Biden strategy sharpens that focus to reflect the Pentagon’s estimates that China’s nuclear force would expand to 1,000 by 2030 and 1,500 by 2035, roughly the numbers that the United States and Russia now deploy. In fact, Beijing now appears ahead of that schedule, officials say, and has begun loading nuclear missiles into new silo fields that were spotted by commercial satellites three years ago.

There is another concern about Beijing: It has now halted a short-lived conversation with the United States about improving nuclear safety and security — for example, by agreeing to warn each other of impending missile tests, or setting up hotlines or other means of communication to assure that incidents or accidents do not escalate into nuclear encounters.

One discussion between the two countries took place late last fall, just before Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi met in California, where they sought to repair relations between the two countries. They referred to those talks in a joint statement, but by that time the Chinese had already hinted they were not interested in further discussions, and earlier this summer said the conversations were over. They cited American arms sales to Taiwan, which were underway long before the nuclear safety conversations began.

Mallory Stewart, the assistant secretary for arms control, deterrence and stability at the State Department, said in an interview that the Chinese government was “actively preventing us from having conversations about the risks.”

Instead, she said, Beijing “seems to be taking a page out of Russia’s playbook that, until we address tensions and challenges in our bilateral relationship, they will choose not to continue our arms control, risk reduction and nonproliferation conversations.”

It was in China’s interest, she argued, “to prevent these risks of miscalculation and misunderstanding.”

Anti-Israel demonstrations continued through the second night of the Democratic National Convention, with protesters burning an American flag and chanting “Free Palestine” outside a building in Chicago that houses the Israeli consulate.

Officers handcuffed at least four people from the demonstration and led them away after protesters charged a line of police officers, who pushed the demonstrators back.

A small crowd of a few dozen protesters chanted “Let them go!” after police penned demonstrators in on the street, preventing them from marching. Some carried Palestinian flags, while many others wore black and covered their faces.

Chicago — “F—k this country! Burn it down!” Masked far-left DNC protesters outside the Israeli consulate burn an American flag and call for the violent destruction of the United States. pic.twitter.com/FbKv2WVsCk — Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 21, 2024

Dozens of Chicago police officers were posted outside the building, where law enforcement had closed down most of the entrances to the building on Tuesday, allowing commuters to come in only one entrance where armed officers were also posted.

Later, riot police moved in to prevent protesters from marching forward and to move media back. A cat-and-mouse game persisted for at least 30 minutes between police and protesters who attempted to evade officers and cut down side streets. Protesters were thwarted every time by officers.

Pro-Palestine protesters clash with police in an attempt to march on the Israeli consulate. pic.twitter.com/zWaPU6SdHK — TENET Media (@watchTENETnow) August 21, 2024

Chicago police eventually ordered the crowd to disperse as they cornered protesters in a small plaza at Canal Street and Monroe Street before arresting some of the instigators. Officers were seen confiscating a megaphone and placing zip ties on at least five people.

A large police remained present hours after the demonstrations began.

The scenes came as the celebratory roll call for Kamala Harris was taking place inside the United Center about two miles away.

Israel supporters, including some relatives of people kidnapped by Hamas, gathered earlier in the day at a pro-Israel art installation not far from the consulate to call on U.S. leaders to continue backing Israel and pushing for the release of hostages.

More protests were planned throughout the week. However, attendance at the main rally on Monday was far below estimates of organizers who had predicted more than 20,000 would show up.

Authorities said the inner security perimeter surrounding the United Center was not breached and there was no threat to those attending the convention.

Trump Says He’s Open to Giving RFK Jr. Role in Administration If He’s Endorsed

Former President Donald Trump said he would “certainly” consider giving independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a position in his administration in return for an endorsement.

In an interview with CNN’s Kristen Holmes, Trump was asked about recent comments from Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, which appeared to take him off guard.

“Well, we haven’t, but I’d love that endorsement,” he responded when asked whether he had considered Kennedy for a role in his administration.

“You’re asking me a very unusual question. I haven’t been asked that question yet,” Trump said, smiling when pressed on the question.

“I like him. I respect him a lot. I probably would if something like that were to happen. He’s a very different kind of guy — a very smart guy. And, yeah, I would be honored by that endorsement, certainly.”

“He’s a brilliant guy. He’s a very smart guy. I’ve known him for a very long time,” the former president added. “I didn’t know he was thinking about getting out, but if he is thinking about getting out, certainly I’d be open to it.”

Reporter: Would you consider putting RFK Jr in your administration? Trump: I probably would pic.twitter.com/Sgsnq1vKeI — Acyn (@Acyn) August 20, 2024

He dismissed concerns that appointing Kennedy would anger his Republican supporters.

“I like smart people, and Republicans like me,” Trump said.

The former president also acknowledged that the dynamics of the race had changed since President Joe Biden dropped out but maintained that his strategy hadn’t changed.

“I’m leading in the polls but not by as much,” he said. “But regardless of that, my whole thing doesn’t change. We don’t want crime. We want to have a strong military. We’ve got to stop drugs from coming in. We have to stop people from pouring into our country through an open border.”

In a Tuesday appearance on Tom Bilyeu’s Impact Theory podcast, Shanahan openly flirted with the idea of “joining forces” with Trump in order to stop a Harris presidency.

“There’s two options that we’re looking at, and one is staying in, forming that new party, but we run the risk of a Kamala Harris and Walz presidency because we draw more votes from Trump,” she said. “Or we walk away right now and join forces with Donald Trump and explain to our base why we’re making this decision.”

Kennedy mainly hurt President Joe Biden’s election chances in previous months, but the switching of the nominee to Vice President Kamala Harris flipped the script to mainly hurt Trump’s.

Barron Trump Will Go to College in New York

Barron Trump, the youngest member of the Trump family, will attend a university in New York this fall, former President Donald Trump told The Post.

“He’s all set in a certain school that’s very good,” the former president said in an exclusive interview before his campaign stop in Michigan.

The 45th president said the school is in the Empire State, but that his team would be making an announcement about the specific school “soon.”

Trump smiled when The Post asked him if it was NYU, but maintained that he would not reveal the school until the announcement is live.

“He’s always been a very good student, he’s smart,” he said.

Barron Trump, 18, graduated from high school in May. His father previously said he got into several schools and was making a decision.

Trump has said that his 6-foot-7 son takes interest in politics and even sometimes advises him on what to do.

“He’s a little on the tall side. I will tell you, he’s a tall one, but he is a good-looking guy. And he’s really been a great student. And he does like politics. It’s sort of funny,” Trump told “Kayal and Company” on Philadelphia’s Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.

“He’ll tell me sometimes, ‘Dad, this is what you have to do,’” Trump said in May.

The former president attended Barron’s graduation at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach alongside former first lady Melania Trump in May after he got permission to take a break from his “hush money” trial in Manhattan.

The teen was also present at a Trump Florida campaign rally, but did not attend his father’s presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in July after Melania’s office said he had “prior commitments.”

Another member of the Trump family, Donald Trump Jr.’s daughter Kai, also recently announced her university decision, revealing she ill be attending the University of Miami.

Kai, 17, spoke at the RNC and gave a glowing review of her grandfather on stage.

The former president graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968 with a major in economics.

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