But last week, Wilson was startled by harsh criticism from two nationally prominent Republicans, former housing secretary Jack Kemp and former education secretary William Bennett. In a joint statement, Kemp and Bennett attacked the anti-immigrant fervor as ““pernicious’’ and un-American and predicted it could boomerang on the GOP. Bennett warned that the backlash could lead to ““a war of colors, a war of races. It’s bad stuff. It is poison in a democracy....
According to Wolff, the wealth of the richest 1 percent of U.S. households climbed from 20 percent of all stocks, bonds, savings accounts, home equity and other private assets in the mid-1970s to 35.7 percent in 1989 (chart). “The “haves’ have more now than at any time since 1929,” concludes Wolff. But isn’t there considerable overstatement here? Wolff admits that his calculation ignores the average American’s equity in her or his pension plan, as well as her or his share in future social-security payments....
“Angels,” subtitled “A Gay Fantasia on National Themes,” is that rarity, an American play that finds ideas as sexy as, well, sex. Kushner sees America in a state of apocalyptic emergency, symbolized by John Conklin’s set, which features a classic-columned Federal facade riven by a huge jagged crack. That crack represents a fault line that extends from intimate human relations through the social fabric and on into heaven itself. Couples break up, society splits into opposing groups, God deserts his angels....
Womack and Roehm have previously denied the charges, but each fell silent last week. Roehm’s lawyers decried Wal-Mart’s “smear tactic” and said the e-mails are quoted out of context. And Roehm’s husband, Mike, in his first interview about the scandal, defended his wife to NEWSWEEK. Julie realized the Wal-Mart job was a bad fit almost immediately, he says. “I could tell just by the way she was sleeping at night—she was like a flounder flopping all over the place....
Director James Cameron yells ““Rolling!’’ and stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio run forward, grabbing for the railing. Winslet’s satin evening shoes tangle in the delicate train of her dress. DiCaprio holds her bravely. As the ill-fated lovers (she’s first class; he’s in steerage) who carry the tale, they’re about to discover if they’ll live or drown. It took one of the biggest-thinking directors in Hollywood to conjure a ““Titanic’’ for the ’90s: a high-tech, in-your-face scarefest that will breathlessly transport audiences to the past....
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2000, Peter was diagnosed with high-risk leukemia, and a bomb was dropped into the middle of our perfect little life. The shock wave spread outward through family and friends, leaving unstable foundations in its wake. Peter had developed a cancer of the white blood cells normally responsible for keeping him healthy and free from attack. A stratospheric white blood-cell count earned the high-risk designation. The consuming mass in Peter’s chest and the assault on his blood system meant precious little oxygen was finding its way in....
As it turns out, the biggest storyline coming out of Monday night’s 26-10 Chiefs win over the Patriots has surfaced two days later, with New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore testing positive for the coronavirus. Per Pro Football Talk, Gilmore was a player who was in close contact with Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, who had tested positive just a day before the originally scheduled Sunday matchup between the Patriots and the Chiefs....
A fragment of a first draft of a novel, the 145-page manuscript was found in the wreckage of the car accident that killed the 46-year-old Camus in 1960. This autobiographical description of childhood in colonial Algeria is a raw work by Camus’s high standards. His widow refused to publish the book, because at the time of his death his anti-Stalinist views had left him ostracized by leftist French intellectuals, and she feared that the manuscript in its rough state might further damage his reputation....
Friday was the perfect summation of his career so far. His double highlighted exactly the qualities the Mexico international has in front of the target. But despite scoring the goals that sealed Bayer Leverkusen’s win over Augsburg, someone else received the spotlight. Pep names the ‘best coach in the world’ While Chicharito netted his ninth and 10th goals of the season, Karim Bellarabi netted his first league goal in 10 months, so took all the plaudits....
And yet, as Paul Elie shows in his brilliant new book, “The Soul You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage” (544 pages. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. $27), their lives and art were fused by what Percy called “a predicament shared in common”: how to find a God worthy of belief. And how to connect the demands of art with the demands of religious faith. It wasn’t easy. The genius of Elie’s book lies in the way he interweaves the writers’ lives....
1959 Rigoberta Menchu is born in Chimel, a hamlet outside Uspantan in the highlands of central Guatemala. 1979 Army kidnaps and kills Menchu’s younger brother, Petrocinio. 1980 January Her father, Vicente, and 35 others are killed in a protest at the Spanish Embassy in Guatemala City. Later that year, Rigoberta flees to Mexico with the help of the Roman Catholic Church. 1982 Rigoberta tells her story to an anthropologist in Paris; it is published the next year as a book, “I, Rigoberta Menchu....
Instead, she was met with an explosion. Bryce Werling, 72, looked up to see his wife with blood gushing down her face. “She was screaming that she couldn’t hear,” said the farmer in pin-striped coveralls. In the car rushing to the hospital, they asked each other, “Why us? We don’t have any enemies.” It was a small-town boy from Minnesota, Lucas Helder, 21, who is believed to have planted 18 pipe bombs in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado and Texas....
Into a jittery world came the Irish Republican Army. Last week three mortar shells blasted out of a white Ford van parked in Whitehall, the heart of official London. Two landed outside the British Foreign Office, slightly injuring three policemen and a government worker. The third hit the rear garden of 10 Downing Street, 50 feet from where Prime Minister John Major was meeting with his war cabinet. The IRA claimed responsibility, and while there was no obvious link with Mideast terrorists, said Home Secretary Kenneth Baker, “I don’t think one can rule it out, because Saddam Hussein has made it clear that he wants terrorism used as a weapon around the world....
In the immediate future, vaccinations among kids and teens, specifically, will be the biggest driver of increased vaccination rates in the United States. And if current trends continue, 56% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 could be fully vaccinated before the new year, compared to 51% at time of publishing. What about younger kids? In October, children aged 5 to 11 became eligible for vaccination. About 10% of children in this age group have received their first dose, the White House announced on November 17....
Most think the decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine is a simple yes or no in consultation with a doctor. But in a survey of 1,000 Americans in December, Verywell found that people’s feelings on the vaccines are varied and influenced by a variety of sources, from their family, friends, and news consumption to their financial situation and more. Fifty-three percent of respondents to the survey say they would take a free COVID-19 vaccine when offered....
Thankfully, there are players like A.J. Brown around to pique the interest of fans by crafting cryptic tweets. IYER: Titans land explosive pass rusher in seven-round mock draft The Titans’ wide-out took to Twitter on Sunday to share a message with his followers. He certainly seemed peeved about something. What could Brown be talking about? Anything, really, but it’s worth noting that Brown’s name was being bandied about in trade rumors on Sunday....
MORE: Most heinous crimes | Disgraced athletes Ortiz, 30, pleaded guilty Monday to being an accessory after the fact in the murder of Lloyd. Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was convicted in April 2015 of killing Lloyd on June 17, 2013. Hernandez, who is also facing a double murder indictment in Boston for allegedly gunning down Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado on June 16, 2012, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing Lloyd....
A grand jury indicted Carlos Ortiz on a single count in connection with the killing of Odin Lloyd, District Attorney Samuel Sutter said. Until now, Ortiz had been facing only a gun charge in connection with the case. He pleaded not guilty to that charge. Ortiz's attorney, John Connors, said Friday that the indictment wasn't unexpected. He said Ortiz will plead not guilty to the new charge and that he will make an argument for bail but had no further comment....
