Former President Donald Trump slammed the New York Post following its opinion piece that called his gripes "ridiculous."
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Trump complained on Truth Social about The New York Post and its editorial board.
He said it was once his "favorite newspaper" but was now too "afraid of being sued."
In July, Trump also lashed out at "Fox & Friends" for not lauding his poll numbers.
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday bemoaned how the New York Post was, in his view, defending his political foe, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump lashed out at the media outlet in a series of Truth Social posts, writing that it was once his "favorite newspaper."
"If anything, The New York Post Editorial Board (whatever happened to them?) should be talking about the brand new revelation of the fired Trump hating 'Special Agent' In Charge of the horrendous, and unnecessary, Mar-a-Lago Break-In," Trump wrote.
"Sadly, the Media in our Country is so afraid of being sued that they never want to mention anything having to do with the corrupt Election of 2020!" he continued.
Trump appeared to be incensed over an opinion piece from the Post titled "Republicans are lucky to have Mitch McConnell: Trump's gripes are beyond ridiculous." The article referred to Trump's baseless voter fraud claims as "'stolen election' lunacy" while lauding McConnell — who was the Senate majority leader during Trump's presidency — for being "crucial" to the former president's successes while in office.
"Trump's just peeved that McConnell refused from the start to endorse his "I really won" nonsense — another stand that proves Mitch is exactly the leader Senate Republicans need," the Post's editorial board wrote.
Trump made several dozen other Truth Social posts on Tuesday, in which he launched into tirades about his political enemies like President Joe Biden, raged about the 2020 presidential election, and re-tweeted QAnon-linked messages, among other things.
The Post isn't the first media outlet to have attracted Trump's ire. In July, Trump lashed out at the "Fox & Friends" talk show after one of its hosts questioned his poll numbers and said the show had "gone to the dark side."
The Post slammed Trump in a scorching editorial in July, calling him "unworthy to be this country's chief executive again." Additionally, the Wall Street Journal — another Murdoch-owned publication — called Trump "The President Who Stood Still on Jan. 6" while praising former Vice President Mike Pence.
Earlier this month, Fox News host Eric Shawn asked aloud during a live broadcast if Trump could have tried to "sell or share" classified information with Russia or Saudi Arabia.
As for McConnell, the senator and Trump have had a bitter history.
In February 2021, McConnell rebuked Trump for his "disgraceful dereliction of duty" during the Capitol riot. "There is no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day," McConnell said in a speech before the Senate.
Since then, Trump has repeatedly torn into McConnell. For instance, in November, Trump called McConnell and other lawmakers who supported President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill RINOs — short for "Republicans in Name Only."
A man walks with his bicycle past houses destroyed by a strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on August 29, 2022.
REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Ukraine started its counteroffensive against Russia in the south.
UK intelligence said Ukraine pushed Russia back in some places, exploiting "thin" Russian defenses.
A Ukrainian advisor warned progress would be slow, citing the need to save lives and funds.
Ukraine's counteroffensive is pushing back Russian forces in several places in the south, UK intelligence said.
"Ukrainian armoured forces have continued to assault Russia's Southern Grouping of Forces on several axes across the south of the country since Monday," the UK's Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.
"Ukrainian formations have pushed the front line back some distance in places, exploiting relatively thinly held Russian defenses."
The front lines between the two adversaries had remained largely unchanged for weeks, which meant that something of a stalemate had been reached.
The UK's new intelligence suggests that Ukraine's offensive, which had been teased for weeks and was announced on Monday, is making progress. Ukraine said on Monday that the counteroffensive had started Kherson and some other areas, but did not give specifics.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeatedly vowed that Ukraine would take back all of its land from Russia, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Zelenskyy and his officials said they would not be sharing many plans about the counteroffensive until after it was complete, citing the need for military secrecy.
Oleksiy Arestovych, a Zelenskyy advisor, said on Monday that Ukraine's operation would deliberately be slow, partly to save lives.
"This is a planned slow operation to grind the enemy, saving the lives of our military and civilians," he wrote.
He said he could understand that people might wish to see a large operation with a fast victory, but that Ukraine's funds are "limited" and so the process will "not be very fast."
The UK defense ministry said that Russia would likely try to plug the gaps in its defenses by bringing in mobile units.
It said Russia was speeding up its efforts to bring in new reinforcements, including with volunteer battalions, but said: "The operational effectiveness of these units is not known."
Twitter is suing Elon Musk and the trial is scheduled for October 17.
Musk's team asked to delay the trial following an explosive whistleblower complaint.
Musk's lawyers have already subpoenaed the whistleblower, who is Twitter's ex-head of cybersecurity.
Elon Musk is pushing to delay the date of his trial with Twitter citing an explosive whistleblower complaint from the company's former head of cybersecurity.
Musk is in the middle of a legal battle with Twitter over his attempt to walk away from a $44 billion deal he made to buy the company. Twitter sued Musk to try and force him to go through with the deal at the agreed price.
CNN and Reuters reported Musk's legal team submitted a filing Monday to ask for a delay on the trial date for his legal battle. The trial is currently scheduled for October 17, but Musk's team has asked for a new date in November.
Originally Musk's case for walking away from the deal rested on a claim that Twitter has more bots on it than the company had previously disclosed. Twitter's lawyers argued this professed concern about bot numbers was a smokescreen, and accused Musk of trying to get out of the deal because his personal wealth had shrunk.
Last week a whistleblower complaint from Twitter's former head of cybersecurity Peiter Zatko, also known by his hacker name "Mudge," became public.
Zatko said in his complaint Twitter executives were not incentivized to accurately tally the number of bots on the platform, saying: "Deliberate ignorance was the norm."
Twitter in a letter Tuesday said that Zatko's allegations are "riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies."
Although legal experts told Insider Zatko's complaint is unlikely to be a silver bullet for Musk in his fight with Twitter, the billionaire's legal team appears to be using it to launch a fresh offensive.
Musk's lawyers served Twitter with a fresh notice of termination on Monday saying if Musk's original argument about bots is "determined to be invalid for any reason" then Zatko's disclosure gives new reasons why Musk can legitimately sever himself from the deal.
A spokesperson for Twitter told Insider: "We remain committed to closing the transaction on the price and terms agreed upon with Mr. Musk. We have not breached any of our representations or obligations under the Agreement."
Russia has slashed its natural gas supply to Europe this year, shuttering key pipelines including Nord Stream 1.
Alexei Druzhinin/Reuters/RIA Novosti/Kremlin
Russia cut off natural gas supplies to Europe via the key Nord Stream 1 pipeline Wednesday.
The outage means Germany will get no Russian gas imports until Saturday, putting pressure on its economy.
Europe's leaders say Moscow is using gas halts to hit back against Western sanctions over the Ukraine war.
Russia shut down natural gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday, stoking Europe's energy crisis as it hits back against Western sanctions over the Ukraine war.
State-owned energy giant Gazprom warned earlier in August that the pipeline, which carries gas from Russia to Germany, would close for planned maintenance works for three days. Operations are expected to resume on Saturday.
Moscow has choked off Europe's gas supply via the pipeline this year, using the continent's dependence on Russian gas to its benefit. Europe imported around 45% of its natural gas from Russia in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency.
The drop in supply sent European gas prices soaring, with benchmark Dutch TTF futures rising over 200% since the start of June, and about 1,000% higher than a year ago. They slid Monday and Tuesday thanks to reports Europe was ahead of goals on winter gas storage, but were up about 7% at just over 283 euros ($283) at last check Wednesday.
European officials have accused Russia of using its natural gas supplies to try to create an economic crisis on the continent as it looks to hit back against Western sanctions imposed after it invaded Ukraine in February.
"Very clearly Russia is using gas as a weapon of war, and we must prepare for the worst case scenario of a complete interruption of supplies," France's energy transition minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said Tuesday.
A volunteer soldier attends training outside Kyiv, Ukraine.
AP Photo/Andrew Kravchenko
Zelenskyy told Russian forces: "If they want to survive, it is time for the Russian military to flee."
He spoke as Ukraine confirmed a counteroffensive to retake Kherson and other southern regions.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly committed to retaking land from Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Russian forces to flee as Ukraine begins its counteroffensive, including in the southern region of Kherson.
The city of Kherson was the first major city captured by Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, and Zelenskyy has repeatedly vowed that Ukraine would retake it.
Ukraine teased a counteroffensive for weeks, and officials on Monday said that a counterattack had started.
Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine's southern command, said that Ukraine had started "offensive actions" in the Kherson region and some other areas, though she did not give specifics.
Zelenskyy said in a speech on Monday night: "If they want to survive, it is time for the Russian military to flee. Go home."
He did not explicitly mention a new counteroffensive strategy in his speech. But he repeated his commitment to taking back all of Ukraine from Russia, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
"Ukraine is returning its own. And it will return the Kharkiv region, Luhansk region, Donetsk region, Zaporizhzhia region, Kherson region, Crimea, definitely our entire water area of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov — from Zmiinyi Island to the Kerch Strait," he said.
"This will happen. This is ours. And just as our society understands it, I want the occupiers to understand it, too. There will be no place for them on Ukrainian land."
Russian forces took Kherson in early March.
They are accused of giving people there Russian passports in a bid to remove their Ukrainian identity, detaining local political leaders and replacing them with Russians, and reacting harshly to Ukrainian protesters.
Russia also announced plans to hold a referendum in Kherson on whether to join Russia, which Ukrainian officials say is a sham designed to help Russia forcibly take the city. This gave Ukraine's efforts urgency to retake the region before it is annexed.
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made his complaint during an episode of The Joe Pags Show.
Mary Altaffer/Associated Press
Rudy Giuliani complained on a podcast about cops not being allowed to punch people.
He said his uncle, a cop, likely didn't have to shoot people as he had a "knockout punch."
Police officers, however, do punch people and such use of force still is permitted in self-defense.
Former New York City Mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani complained on a podcast this weekend about police officers not being able to punch people anymore.
"You can't use your gun, you can't touch anybody," Giuliani told podcast host Joe Pags during a Saturday episode of The Joe Pags Show.
"One of the reasons why cops are having a hard time, people — they're not strong? They're not allowed to touch you between here and here," said Giuliani, gesturing at the area between his neck and his waist. "They can't punch you!"
Giuliani went on to claim that his uncle, a police officer, had likely avoided shooting people on multiple occasions because he had a "knockout punch" to rely on instead.
According to the National Institute of Justice, the use of force by police officers — such as striking a person with one's fist — is permitted in self-defense or when protecting others.
Wind turbines located in the Baltic Sea between the German island of Rügen and Danish island of Bornholm.
Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images
Germany and Denmark have struck a deal to boost offshore wind power capacity in the Baltic Sea.
The wind parks are expected to generate three gigawatts — enough for up to 4.5 million households.
Both nations said it's a step toward reducing the region's reliance on Russian gas and oil.
Germany and Denmark have agreed on a $9 billion deal to build an offshore wind power project in the Baltic Sea that authorities said would provide enough power for up to 4.5 million households by 2030.
Announced Monday, the deal involves Denmark boosting its planned wind power capacity on Bornholm Energy Island from 2 to 3 gigawatts, per State of Green, an energy and climate arm of the Danish government.
The deal also includes a 292-mile subsea cable that links Bornholm's wind parks to the German grid in a bid to reduce the region's reliance on Russian gas and oil.
Currently, Denmark and Germany have offshore wind power capabilities of 1.5 gigawatts and 1 gigawatts in the Baltic Sea, accounting for more than 90% of the region's wind energy, State of Green wrote in its statement.
The infrastructure to connect the wind parks will cost $3 billion, while $6 billion would be needed to bolster the wind parks, Bloomberg reported, citing the Danish government.
In State of Green's Monday statement, Dan Jørgensen, Denmark's minister for climate, energy, and utilities, called the project a "landmark in energy history" at a time when "international cooperation is more urgent than ever before."
Robert Habeck, Germany's minister for economic affairs and climate action, said the "flagship project" would help Europe achieve "energy security and climate neutrality."
On Friday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock emphasized her nation's desire to pursue the "enormous" potential of offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea, which she said could generate up to 90 gigawatts of power.
"Wind energy from the Baltic Sea will help us fight the climate crisis. And it is an investment in our security: it will help make us less dependent on gas from Russia," she said.
The world's total wind power capacity — both onshore and offshore — is now up to around 837 gigawatts, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. China holds the largest share in the world's offshore wind market, having raised its offshore wind capacity to 27.7 gigawatts in 2021, per the GWEC.
The European Commission has set a target for increasing its nations' total wind power capacity to 300 gigawatts by 2050, up from the 16 total gigawatts they have installed as of May.
US President Donald Trump holds a Bible while visiting St. John's Church across from the White House on June 1, 2020.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Bianca Garcia, the leader of Latinos for Trump, has a theory on why Trump has been facing troubles.
Gracia said she thought Trump was being "attacked" because he may have "offended the Lord."
She said on a podcast that Trump needs to "get on his knees" to pray and repent for his actions.
Bianca Garcia, president of the Latinos for Trump organization, has a theory about why former President Donald Trump keeps finding himself in trouble — he may have offended God.
Gracia, a failed Republican state senate candidate in Texas, suggested during an appearance on "The Jeff Dornik Show" that Trump had run into so many problems because he isn't focused on religion. The podcast episode, which was uploaded on Thursday, was titled "Latinos for Trump President Bianca Gracia Believes There May be a Reason God Doesn't Want Trump to be President."
While on the show, Gracia said she thought Trump kept "getting attacked" and having his "butt handed" to him because he didn't surround himself with those who are "used to fighting principalities in a spiritual realm."
She added that she thought Trump needed to speak to evangelical leaders and spiritual people and pray with his family, which she said she does not see him doing very much of.
"We see it. There are no faith leaders coming out of Mar-a-Lago right now, there's nobody counseling him, his family, praying with him," she said, noting that Trump's Florida home had recently been raided by the FBI.
"They can't just appear and go and knock on Mar-a-Lago. He needs to be the one to invite them in and say, 'Look... this world has gone chaotic and it's mad,'" she added.
Garcia also encouraged Trump to reach out to spiritual leaders, in particular, Latino ones. The former president is known to have held significant sway over segments of the Latino community, partly due to what The New York Times posited as his macho appeal.
Garcia also suggested that Trump had perhaps "offended the Lord" in "some big way," and was being punished for it with his 2020 election loss and ensuing problems.
"You need to go in the prayer closet," she said, referring to the former president. "You need to find a closet, go get on your knees. Pray, and repent, for whatever it is, because you've offended the Lord."
A representative from Trump's post-presidential office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
During the FBI's Mar-a-Lago raid on August 8, the bureau seized 11 sets of classified documents, including some that were marked as "top secret" and may have concerned nuclear weapons. According to the warrant for the search, the Justice Department is looking into whether Trump broke three federal laws, including the Espionage Act, by taking sensitive government documents to his Florida home.
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall is greeted by a guard of honour as she visits to HMS Prince of Wales in Portsmouth.
Richard Pohle/Pool via AP
The Royal Navy's largest ship broke down Sunday just one day after setting sail for the US.
HMS Prince of Wales was left stuck off the UK coast as engineers addressed a mechanical issue.
The carrier has spent fewer than 90 days at sea in the past two years due to technical faults.
The UK's newest and biggest aircraft carrier broke down on the second day of what was meant to be a months-long deployment to the US.
HMS Prince of Wales, a £3 billion ($3.5 billion), suffered a mechanical issue Sunday and remains near its base of Portsmouth on the UK's southern coast.
The carrier, which has held the role of command ship for NATO since January 2022, was on the second day of its latest deployment.
The mission is due to take the Prince of Wales, one of two Elizabeth-class carriers meant to revitalize the Royal Navy, to ports in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean.
Divers were on Sunday investigating the ship's technical fault, which is likely to be a damaged propeller, according to the independent news and analysis site Navy Lookout.
"The ship is receiving external support for ongoing investigations," a Royal Navy spokesperson said Sunday.
"Having successfully sailed from Portsmouth, HMS Prince of Wales remains in the South Coast Exercise Area," the spokesperson added. "We expect her to continue her Westlant 22 deployment as planned in the coming days."
This isn't the first time that the 65,000-ton vessel has suffered technical issues since it entered service in 2019.
At the end of 2020, it was stranded in Portsmouth after a flooded engine room led to electrical damage.
The carrier, which has a crew of 1,600, spent fewer than 90 days at sea during its first two years of service after suffering multiple leaks, according to The Guardian.
The Royal Navy did not immediately respond to an Insider request for comment.
A good, professional LinkedIn profile has grown in importance in a post-pandemic world, some career coaches say.
A growing number of people are reportedly paying upwards of $1,000 for a professional LinkedIn photo.
Here are photos from my own "high-end" LinkedIn photoshoot with a celebrity photographer.
For some, an actively managed LinkedIn profile is the lifeblood of their professional reputation.
LinkedIn is important "because it is the currency for credibility in establishing yourself as a professional today," said Jay Mandel, a professional career coach.
He said he advises his clients to be active participants on LinkedIn, not just when it's time look for a new job.
But the seriousness with which some users take their LinkedIn presence is often mocked online. A LinkedIn "viral post generator" has recently made headlines for automating quintessential viral LinkedIn posts with varying "cringe levels" and producing some funny results.
Fake LinkedIn post by the Viral Post Generator
Viral Post Generator
Despite the online snark, I spoke to several career coaches who all agree: a quality LinkedIn profile is more important now than ever as more work becomes hybrid or remote.
Alexander Hails, who lives outside of Boston and works at Toast, a restaurant software company, recently decided to change his LinkedIn profile photo after 10 years.
"We're going to forever be in this hybrid world, and there's an increasing number of people that I work with and communicate with. I don't know when I'll get a chance to meet them in person," Hails said.
"When I changed my headshot on LinkedIn, I put a post that said I wanted to kind of take a step back to make it easier for folks to engage with me in an increasingly digital world," he added.
Alexander Hails' new headshots
John Gallagher
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that a growing number of people are spending a small fortune for high-end headshots and even facial-expression coaching for their LinkedIn photos.
It got me thinking about my own LinkedIn photo, which was taken a full 9 years ago on a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge...on a Blackberry. I decided to take the plunge and get a "high-end" LinkedIn headshot worth $475. Here's what it was like.
First, I asked a career coach to analyze my current LinkedIn photo. "I would think of you as somebody that was recently out of school. Obviously, that would have an impact on how I might think of your role and what you do in your job," said Babs Rangaiah, a career coach in New York.
My LinkedIn picture since 2013.
Samantha Delouya
I found Michael Benabib, a high-end headshot photographer, by searching for "LinkedIn headshot photographer" on Google.
Taking professional photos requires a lot of gear.
Samantha Delouya
Bebabib told me he spent the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s shooting photos of celebrities like David Bowie, Jerry Seinfeld, and Snoop Dogg. He shot album covers for Usher, Mary J. Blige, and Dr. Dre.
Some of Benabib's pictures hung up in his studio.
Samantha Deloua/Michael Benabib
"As the music industry changed, with the advent of online streaming, the money sort of went out of it, and I decided to make this corporate stuff my specialty," Benabib said.
A photo of Snoop Dogg that was taken by Benabib.
Samantha Delouya/Michael Benabib
He said demand for corporate headshots has exploded since the pandemic. "There's been a reshuffling of jobs, so people need new photos for LinkedIn to look for work... it's been a huge uptick," he said.
Getting started in Benabib's studio.
Michael Benabib
Benabib has some tricks to put his clients at ease. "When I'm shooting, I don't say 'bring your chin down, turn to the left, open your eyes.' I just talk with people. That seems to get the best results," he said.
Benabib chats with clients to put them at ease.
Samantha Delouya
He said he usually shoots corporate executives and tech professionals at their offices. For my photoshoot experience, I went to his studio, which doubles as his personal apartment. It was a walk up four flights of stairs in Manhattan.
Benabib's studio.
Samantha Delouya
Climbing multiple flights of stairs on a summer afternoon doesn't produce favorable conditions for a glamorous photoshoot. Luckily, Benabib's studio was equipped with makeup and hair tools for touchups.
Touchups.
Samantha Delouya
We took photos in multiple locations in Benabib's studio, including his hallway and in front of a wooden door. By blurring the background, Benabib was able to make it look like the photos were taken in an office or corporate boardroom.
A regular doorway makes for a nice background in professional photos.
Samantha Delouya/Michael Benabib
Benabib's studio had different color backdrops that we experimented with, as well.
Benabib pulled down a black backdrop in his studio.
Samantha Delouya
When all was said and done, he had taken more than 900 photos. We glanced at some after the shoot. Going through them all would have taken hours.
More than 900 photos were taken.
Samantha Delouya
Overall, having nearly 1,000 options just for one LinkedIn profile photo feels excessive, and the price tag of $475 may not be worth it for the average person.
Getting my photo taken.
Samantha Delouya
Having so many photos to pick through meant that at least one would look good. After scrolling through Benabib's pictures for a bit, I finally settled on one I'm really happy with.
My new, expensive LinkedIn photo.
Samantha Delouya
At the same time, good lighting and a good cell phone camera might do the trick. Benabib took one photo of me on an iPhone to compare. In fairness, we would need to take 900 more for it to be an accurate comparison.
My eyes were almost completely closed in the one iPhone photo we took.
Michael Benabib
Overall, the experience was lots of fun. I even got to take a few photos with Benabib's dog.
Photo with Benabib's dog.
As the world raves about NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope, aging Hubble continues to be an astronomical workhorse, providing important observations of the universe, while Webb soaks up the spotlight.
But as a pair, the telescopes are even more powerful than they are alone. Together, the space-based telescopes will give astronomers a more complete view and understanding of galaxies, stars, and planets than ever before.
"The Webb Space Telescope is good news for astronomy, and good news for the Hubble Space Telescope as well, since Webb and Hubble enhance and complement each other's unique capabilities," Jennifer Wiseman, senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, told Insider.
"Hubble's science return is expected to be strong, and even enhanced throughout this decade as Webb and Hubble unveil the universe together."
Through Hubble's looking glass
Hubble being deployed from Discovery in 1990.
NASA/IMAX
Since Galileo Galilei constructed his telescope in 1609, astronomers have turned these tools to the sky. Astronomers developed these instruments significantly over time, allowing them to peer even deeper into the universe.
But their observations were constrained by Earth's atmosphere, which absorbs light before it reaches ground-based telescopes. Enter space-based telescopes. By sitting high above the distortion of Earth's atmosphere and away from light-polluted cities, observatories like Hubble provide, as NASA puts it, "an unobstructed view of the universe."
Hubble launched on the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990. Though it was originally scheduled for only 15 years of service, it still zips through space about 340 miles above Earth's surface, circling the planet every 97 minutes.
"Hubble is in good technical condition, even 32 years after its launch, with a strong suite of science instruments on board," Wiseman said.
The Pillars of Creation in the Eagle Nebula, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995.
NASA, Jeff Hester, and Paul Scowen (Arizona State University)
Over the years, Hubble's images have played a significant part in our understanding of the universe. It provided evidence of supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies and measurement of the expansion rate of the universe. Hubble also helped discover and characterize the mysterious dark energy causing that expansion by pulling galaxies apart. Among its most iconic achievements is its Pillars of Creation image, taken in 1995, which shows newly formed stars glowing in the Eagle Nebula.
And Hubble's still taking stunning pictures, even after Webb began delivering images from its scientific observations in July. Recently, Hubble snapped an image of star-studded NGC 6540, a globular cluster in the constellation Sagittarius.
A globular cluster NGC 6540 in the constellation Sagittarius, which was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, R. Cohen
Webb's infrared gaze
Both Webb and Hubble are space-based telescopes, but they differ in many ways. Hubble sees ultraviolet light, visible light, and a small slice of infrared, while Webb will primarily look at the universe in infrared.
Webb — which is 100 times more powerful than Hubble — will be able to peer at objects whose light was emitted more than 13.5 billion years ago, which Hubble can't see. This is because this light has been shifted into the infrared wavelengths that Webb is specifically designed to detect.
But because Webb has been designed this way, it will also miss celestial objects in the visible and ultraviolet light that Hubble can see.
"In fact, Hubble is the only major class observatory that can access UV wavelengths," Wiseman said.
A deep field image from the Hubble space telescope, left, and a deep field image from the James Webb Space Telescope, right.
NASA/STScI; NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI
A telescopic twosome
While Webb has been referred to as Hubble's successor, the two space-based observatories will be teaming up to unveil the universe together.
Wiseman points to how they'll provide insights into how stars are born within the clouds of cosmic dust and scattered throughout most galaxies. "Hubble, for example, can detect and analyze in detail the hot blue and UV light blazing from star-forming nebulae in nearby galaxies," Wiseman said, adding, "That can be compared to the vigor of star formation in the early universe as detected with Webb."
The two space-based telescopes will also combine their gazes to peer at the atmospheres of other worlds, looking for signs they might harbor life.
Astronomers typically look for the ingredients that sustain earthly life — liquid water, a continuous source of energy, carbon, and other elements — when hunting for life-supporting planets. In 2001, Hubble made the first direct measurement of an exoplanet's atmosphere.
"In our own galaxy, the understanding of planets within and beyond our own solar system will be greatly enhanced with the Webb and Hubble combo," Wiseman said, adding, "Signatures of water, methane, and other atmospheric constituents will be identified using the combined spectroscopic capabilities of Webb and Hubble."
In 2001, Hubble made the first direct detection of an atmosphere of world orbiting a star beyond our solar system. Artist's impression of the planet, which orbits a star called HD 209458.
G. Bacon (STScI/AVL)
And though Webb may be seen as the shiny new toy in astronomy, Hubble's unique capabilities in capturing visible and ultraviolet light still make it a sought-after tool for understanding the cosmos. "Hubble is actually at its peak scientific performance now," Wiseman said. That's thanks to a team of NASA technical experts on the ground who monitor and quickly address any technical challenges that arise, she added.
"The number of proposals from scientists around the world who want to use Hubble has risen to over 1,000 per year, with only the top fraction of these selected for actual observations," Wiseman said, adding, "Many of these complement proposed Webb observations."
Russia's economy has defied Wall Street's initial bearish predictions over the past six months.
Kremlin/Reuters
Top investment banks expected Russia to suffer severe economic damage after it invaded Ukraine in February.
But Russia's economy has held up better than expected, causing them to revise those predictions.
Here are three charts that show the Russian economy's resilience in the six months since war started.
When President Vladimir Putin's forces invaded Ukraine in late February, many Wall Street analysts rushed to predict Russia's economic downfall. Six months later, they've been forced to revise those forecasts.
Those dire warnings looked set to become reality in the weeks after war broke out. Western allies brought in economic sanctions — such as oil import bans and cutting the Russian ruble out of international currency markets.
But Russia's economy has shown a lot of resilience. These three charts show how.
But Russia's GDP slipped only 4% year-on-year in the three months to June 30. In fact, its economic growth shrank at a faster rate after the coronavirus pandemic broke out, when GDP fell 7.4% in the second quarter of 2020.
Available data "does not point to an abrupt plunge in activity — at least for now," its strategists said in a note recently. "The GDP profile, therefore, looks increasingly likely to be consistent with a drawn-out, but not very sharp recession."
Stronger-than-expected exports of Russian commodities, including crude oil, has helped support the economy. The country has also benefited from robust demand among its own consumers and a Kremlin-devised program to keep unemployment low, according to the International Monetary Fund.
"Domestic demand is showing some resilience thanks to containment of the effect of the sanctions on the domestic financial sector and a lower-than-anticipated weakening of the labor market," the IMF said in July.
Oil exports boosted by Asia pivot
Wall Street analysts also predicted that Western oil import bans would badly hurt Russia, the world's third-largest oil producer behind the US and Saudi Arabia.
Its economy is heavily reliant on its energy exports, with oil and gas revenues making up 45% of its federal budget last year, according to the International Energy Agency.
In March, Goldman Sachs said Moscow was unlikely to find other crude oil trading partners, given its expulsion from the SWIFT banking system prevented the Russian Central Bank from using its foreign reserves.
"Illustrating this point, there are no reports of increased Chinese purchases of Russian crude so far, with China similarly not scaling up imports of Iranian or Venezuelan crude in recent years," its analysts said.
But Russia still exports 7.4 million barrels of its oil each day, according to Bloomberg data for July.
India's purchases of Russian oil have played a big part. Its imports rose five months in a row before slipping slightly in June. It's still taking in 1 million barrels of Russian oil a day — a 900% increase from February.
And Europe has yet failed to wean itself off of Russian crude. The EU still brings in 2.8 million barrels a day, according to Bloomberg data. That's just a 30% drop from February's 4 million barrels a day.
Factory and services activity revives
Wall Street saw nothing but pain ahead for Russia's manufacturing and services sectors as Western economic sanctions hit.
In the wake of the Ukraine invasion, Russia's composite Purchasing Managers Index — which tracks trends in the two sectors — tumbled. It slid from 50.8 in February to 37.7 in March, with a reading above 50 indicating growth and below 50, contraction.
Goldman Sachs strategists said the contraction was "broad-based, with sharp drops in the output, new orders, and especially the new exports orders components". They noted Moscow should brace for further declines.
But several months later, Russia's composite PMI has risen back into growth territory.
The index climbed to 44.4 in April, rose above 50 in June, and hit 52.2 last month. That last reading means Russia's economic health is blooming -—a far cry from the predictions of doom made on Wall Street.
Many European countries are eyeing the use of coal ahead of winter as gas supplies become scarce.
Kirill Rudenko
Much of Europe will face a tougher time shifting from gas to coal as Russia throttles supply.
Germany is the outlier given that many of its coal-fired power plants were not permanently shutdown.
A tight global coal market also makes much of Europe's transition from gas more challenging.
A European energy crisis, triggered by gas cuts from Russia, is forcing Germany to switch to coal to secure enough energy ahead of wintertime.
According to Rystad Energy, the country has increased its coal-fired power generation the most this year, by 18.2% compared to other European countries, highlighting an accelerated shift to an alternative source of fuel as energy supplies get squeezed.
Austria, the Netherlands and Italy are also eyeing the use of coal again, but the transition may not be easy for other European countries compared to Germany.
"Most countries have limited options to switch from gas to coal in generation, since large amounts of coal-fired power plants have been retired in recent years," Rystad Energy said in a note seen by Insider.
Austria, for instance, shut down its last coal-fueled power plant in 2020 as part of a plan to slash the use of carbon-intensive fossil fuels.
But while Germany shut down many coal plants in recent years and planned to close all of them by 2030 as part of a decarbonisation push, it still has coal plant fleets that can be revived again.
"Some of them are in reserve so they're not completely decommissioned or shut down completely and therefore, it will be possible to open [the plants] at relatively short notice," Rystad Energy analyst Fabian Rønningen said.
German utility giant Uniper, for example, recently announced it will temporarily fire up a mothballed coal-fueled power plant to produce electricity probably until the end of April 2023 in response to crunched gas flows to the country, as Russia retaliates to Western sanctions imposed after it invaded Ukraine.
To that effect, Germany is on track to have coal power plants with a total capacity of 35 about gigawatts online by the end of the year, according to Rystad Energy data viewed by Insider.
There are still some obstacles Germany faces. That's illustrated by low water levels in the River Rhine, one of the most important rivers in Europe used to transport goods like coal, chemicals and grains. It's dropped on record-breaking summer heatwaves and has subsequently sparked fear among the German government of a potential coal shortage due to reduced domestic shipping along the river.
Meanwhile, the global coal market also remains very tight, making it harder for other countries to transition to coal, Rystad said. And in July, the International Energy Agency warned that squeezed energy imports from Russia mean the global thermal coal market is anticipated to remain "extremely tight" in the third and fourth quarters of this year.
"We see a very tough winter ahead. Q4-22 and Q1-23 will be difficult and Europe would likely be in the need of all other alternatives they can get their hands on heading into this storm," SEB Group analyst Ole Hvalbye told Insider.
Lidl – Aldi's arch rival – sells own-label products that look just like big brands.
Its stores focus on promotions and discounts, and is like the Ikea of grocery stores.
We visited Lidl stores in London and New York City to see how the two stack up.
German discount grocery chain Lidl, which has has close to 12,000 stores globally, is rapidly expanding stateside. It opened its first US store just five years ago and already has more than 150 stores. It came to the UK, where it has more than 920 stores, in 1994.
Lidl uses a similar approach to Aldi, with both grocery chains famed for their cost-cutting measures, emphasis on promotions, and own-label products that often mimic big brands. But Aldi is much more established in the US, where it has about 2,200 stores.
Lidl's US operations are much newer than its UK ones – but what it may lack in experience of the US grocery market, it could make up for through lessons learnt in its decades operating overseas. Insider visited a Lidl store in London and one in Harlem — Manhattan's first Lidl — to see how they stack up.
The Lidl we visited in the UK was a standalone store with its own parking lot in a residential suburb of London. Lidl stores typically have a much smaller floor space than other grocery stores.
Grace Dean/Insider
The Lidl we visited in Harlem was a completely different store format. It was in a busy urban area, nestled between a Starbucks and a Chase Bank branch, and didn't have its own parking lot. But from the road it looked very appealing and offered some nice sidewalk greenery.
The exterior of a Lidl store in Harlem
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
To enter the London store, you had to go through two sets of doors. It was a bit like airport security. There were also separate doors for entering and exiting, which is uncommon in the UK.
Grace Dean/Insider
At the Harlem store, you had to go through automatic doors, and then an automatically opening gate. Like many grocery stores in New York City, you don't go out the way you came in.
The entrance to the Harlem Lidl.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
As well as carts, both stores had baskets with wheels and handles so you could opt to pull rather than carry them if your shopping got too heavy. They're much smaller than carts, but a little harder to navigate.
Grace Dean/Insider
The London store seemed relatively spacious, with wide aisles and shelves at sensible heights that didn't tower above you.
Grace Dean/Insider
Some of the products were in strange places, like this pallet of Nutella next to the sanitary products.
Grace Dean/Insider
There was also a stack of fresh produce in the middle of an aisle, though there was plenty of space to walk around it.
Grace Dean/Insider
There were some gaps, but overall the shelves seemed pretty well stocked.
Grace Dean/Insider
Rather than unpacking products in rows on its shelves, Lidl displays them in the crates and boxes they're delivered in, meaning there were a few empty crates dotted around.
Grace Dean/Insider
The pallets formed the whole structure of some of the aisles of products.
Grace Dean/Insider
Lidl sells items straight from their delivery boxes in its US stores, too.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
The shelves at Lidl in Harlem were pretty well stocked and the store looked neat.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
We visited at peak grocery shopping hours — after 4 p.m. on a Sunday — and it looked like shelves were being actively restocked. We did spot a cart filled with the boxes that products came in tucked away towards the back, though.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
Shopping at Lidl is characterized by a few traits: Low prices, a focus on efficiency, and a rotating selection of time-limited items.
Grace Dean/Insider
We quickly spotted the bargains at both stores. The UK store had a display of six "pick of the week" fruit and vegetables by its entrance, with prices down by as much as 46%. Aldi similarly has a "super 6" promotion of discounted fruit and vegetables each week.
These bright orange signs advertising promotions with slogans like "When it's gone, it's gone" were dotted throughout the store, like this random assortment of items that included tea, cereal, and jars of sauces.
Grace Dean/Insider
It wasn't clear why these items were chosen for discount, as they weren't seasonal or approaching their expiration dates.
Grace Dean/Insider
The grocery prices at Lidl US are among the lowest in the market. Zucchini (courgettes), for example, cost $1.48 a pound when we visited. Products at Lidl are so cheap that some rival chains are even putting their prices down to compete, a study found.
Low-price toiletries were also abundant at Lidl Harlem, posing some stiff competition for Duane Reade and CVS. Some consumers shy away from buying toiletries at grocery stores, since they find them to be more expensive than drug stores – but Lidl actually had toothpaste for $2 cheaper than we'd spotted it on sale for at Rite Aid earlier in the week.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
It also had an area with an intriguing assortment of discounted items. We spotted everything from raisins to gummy sushi.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
While Lidl sells some big-name brands, it mainly sells own-label products. Just like at Aldi, some of its products appear to be based closely on popular brands, and in many cases were displayed right next to them but sold for much lower prices. Chocolate biscuits made by Tunnock's cost £1.39 ($1.64) were next to Lidl's own-label equivalent that cost £0.95 ($1.12), for example.
Grace Dean/Insider
At the Harlem store, Lidl's generic-brand chocolate syrup would cost you nearly $0.50 cents less than Hershey's on-brand product. But Lidl's focus on own-label products means its stores don't always carry a large variety of big-name brands, with usually just one or two leaders for each product category.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
Some of the Lidl-brand products didn't copy their competitors, though. With these two products, it's hard to spot which is the Lidl-own brand. (Hint: the own-label brand is on the right in a Lidl store in Limehouse, London.)
Grace Dean/Insider
As well as its basic own-brand products, Lidl sold some premium items with fancier packaging and higher price tags. These included pasta and granola under its "Deluxe" range, along with bars of chocolate under its "J D Gross" brand that cost around 50% more per 100 grams than its generic own-brand label.
Grace Dean/Insider
The store also sold some organic items under its "Bio" label.
Grace Dean/Insider
Lidl is well known in the UK for its bakery, which sells fresh bread, pastries, and cookies at bargain prices. A variety of loose bread rolls were available for less than £0.30 ($0.37), while pizza slices cost £0.69 ($0.84).
Grace Dean/Insider
But when we visited the store at around 4 p.m. on a Monday, many of the products had sold out. The bakery section was tucked away at the back of the London store – perhaps to force shoppers to walk past other rows of products to get their fresh bread.
Grace Dean/Insider
In contrast, the baked goods were in prime position at the front of the Harlem location, with the smell wafting into the street. Though the display was considerably smaller than the one in the UK, the baked goods are always abundant, and they'll sometimes rotate in new ones. Once, they ran a buy one get one free deal on baguettes. The products weren't quite as cheap as in the UK – when Insider visited, the cheapest bread rolls were $0.59.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
The bakery was conveniently across the aisle from the fresh cheese section. As the sign nods to, it seems like Lidl is positioning itself as a go-to for New Yorkers en route to Central Park, which is just a few blocks away.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
An unusual feature at the UK store was a station where you could bag up your own loose nuts. While these are common at zero-waste and organic shops, we'd never spotted them at a Lidl store before. Rather than bringing your own containers, you had to scoop the nuts into plastic bags. A small sign said: "Please refrain from eating loose nuts before purchase."
Grace Dean/Insider
While the US Lidl didn't offer this, there was something uniquely New York: An entire mini-aisle devoted to pickles.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
One strange quirk about the UK store was that the prices were displayed above, rather than below, the items. This isn't normal among UK retailers. What was even more confusing for shoppers was that a couple of displays did actually have their prices below the items.
Grace Dean/Insider
In the middle of the UK store there was a section dedicated to promotions and special offers, dubbed "the middle of Lidl." This space didn't have food and was instead home to a massive array of assorted and miscellaneous products.
Grace Dean/Insider
They included garden furniture, electronics, cooking equipment, pet products, and kids toys. I spotted recipe books, massage guns, £60 ($71) leaf blowers, £50 ($59) kayaks, and £130 ($153) outdoor dining sets.
Grace Dean/Insider
The aisles were designated as either "Thursday" or "Sunday," presumably indicating when the stock was being replaced.
Grace Dean/Insider
There were also some random items for sale at the Harlem Lidl, too. One example was pressure washers, something that we can't imagine too many people living in Manhattan use on a regular basis. But unlike the London store, the displays didn't have quite the same time pressure to snap up a good deal.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
And, if you needed some clothing, the Harlem store has got you covered. The display was very jumbled, though.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
In the UK store, there were also a few discount displays of what seemed like odds and ends.
Grace Dean/Insider
The UK store had a huge display of promotional items centered on a Greek theme. Lidl frequently orders in large shipments of products based around a certain cuisine or theme. The Greek range had previously made an appearance at Lidl in Germany in 2017.
Grace Dean/Insider
The UK store had some leftovers from its previous Dutch and Belgian theme, too.
Grace Dean/Insider
Something the UK store seemed to focus on that the US store didn't was the locality of its produce. Signs throughout the store, as well as packaging on products, highlighted how many of its meat and dairy products were British, with union jacks as well as slogans such as "big on British."
Grace Dean/Insider
We'd noticed the same at Aldi stores in the UK, too.
Grace Dean/Insider
At the UK store, you could pay either with a cashier or at a self-service checkout. While self-service facilities have been multiplying dramatically at British supermarkets over the last decade, they're more of a recent phenomenon at Aldi and Lidl, both of which are known for their fast-scanning staff.
Grace Dean/Insider
Like at other stores, Lidl used the space behind the conveyor belt to plug last-minute items shoppers may have forgotten as well as snacks and treats. These included batteries, chewing gum, and small packs of peanuts.
Grace Dean/Insider
Lidl stores are designed to maximize efficiency. This includes bag packing. Rather than packing your bags at the checkouts like at other UK supermarkets, at Lidl shoppers simply put their scanned items back in their baskets to save on time. A table behind the checkouts gives customers space to then sort their purchases into bags.
Grace Dean/Insider
The Lidl in Harlem didn't have self-service checkouts; you had to pay at a cashier instead. Checkout was a stressful experience. The area is very narrow, and there's no space to put a basket up on the checkout counter. Instead, you have to bend down to put items up there, and then rush to bag them yourself as quickly as you can.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
There was also a nice assortment of goodies by the checkout line at Lidl. There was the usual fare like gum and candy, but I thought the Clif bars were a nice touch — I could see myself grabbing some at the last minute.
Juliana Kaplan/Insider
Lidl isn't the easiest of retailers to shop at. With so many signs touting discounts, it was hard to tell where the real bargains were.
Grace Dean/Insider
But while it can be a little frustrating to not have a wide selection of brands, and the random items are a bit confusing, Lidl offers some of the lowest prices in the business. Some of the measures the store takes to focus on efficiency – like selling items of crates and rushing customers to check out – may be annoying, but at the end of the days these are helping keep prices low.
