CNN health | Here’s why you hate the sound of your own voice

Physiology and psychology may be to blame for why we hate the sound of our own voices.

(The Conversation) – As a surgeon who specializes in treating patients with voice problems, I routinely record my patients speaking. For me, these recordings are incredibly valuable. They allow me to track slight changes in their voices from visit to visit, and it helps confirm whether surgery or voice therapy led to improvements.

Yet I’m surprised by how difficult these sessions can be for my patients. Many become visibly uncomfortable upon hearing their voice played back to them.

“Do I really sound like that?” they wonder, wincing.  —read more—

CNN politics | Senate unanimously passes a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday

(CNN) – The Senate unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a US holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

The legislation has gained momentum since the massive Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd last year and the Democrats’ takeover of the White House and Congress.

But Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson blocked the bill in 2020, saying that the day off for federal employees would cost US taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Johnson dropped his objection this week despite his concerns, paving the way for the bill’s passage in the Senate.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | JPMorgan is calling for reforms to stop racial bias in housing

 New York (CNN Business) – JPMorgan Chase is throwing its considerable weight behind efforts to root out racial bias in the appraisal of homes in America.

As part of a new bank-wide commitment to fight housing inequality, JPMorgan (JPM) is for the first time outlining specific legislation that can fight appraisal bias, backing the study of innovative ways to value homes and promoting efforts to boost sorely needed diversity in the appraisal industry.

Beyond appraisals, America’s biggest bank is promising to ease obstacles that make it harder for Black and Latinx households to buy homes, build wealth and access affordable housing.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | This cannabis stock is a new Reddit favorite

New York (CNN Business) – Cannabis company Tilray, which recently merged with rival Aphria, has seen its stock surge as of late thanks to — you guessed it — love from the Reddit crowd.

As backers tout the growing number of states legalizing recreational and medical marijuana, some investors are holding out for the dream scenario of federal legalization — even though that might be a stretch in the near term.

But are investors going a little crazy? Tilray (TLRY) is now up more than 130% this year. That’s much higher than the gains for rivals Canopy Growth (CGC) and Cronos (CRON), which have the backing of consumer products giants Constellation Brands (STZ) and Altria (MO), respectively.  –read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Exclusive: US businesses warn crumbling infrastructure is hurting the economy

New York (CNN Business)As infrastructure negotiations between the White House and a GOP Senate group broke down this week, business executives are warning that aging infrastructure is holding America back.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of middle market executives say the nation’s ailing infrastructure is restricting growth of the national economy, according to a new RSM survey shared exclusively with CNN Business. The survey, conducted in partnership with the US Chamber of Commerce, also found that 60% of these executives say the state of infrastructure is hurting local economies as well.

The findings come as President Joe Biden struggles to convince Republicans in Washington to support his $2 trillion American Jobs Plan that would aim to modernize roads, bridges and broadband and invest in clean energy.  —read more—

CNN Sports | Novak Djokovic comes from two sets down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in thrilling French Open final

Novak Djokovic celebrates after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final.

(CNN) – Novak Djokovic came back from two sets down in a grand slam final for the first time in his career, as he narrowly got the better of Stefanos Tsitsipas in a thrilling French Open final.

The 22-year-old Greek star, appearing in only his first grand slam final, displayed experience and poise beyond his years to race into a two-set lead, but Djokovic’s grit and determination proved too much, with the world No. 1 eventually prevailing 6-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 in a match that lasted more than four hours.

Victory takes Djokovic to 19 grand slam titles, just one shy of the all-time record jointly held by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.  —read more—

CNN style Arts | France is sending a second Statue of Liberty to the US

After Independance Day, it will be installed outside the French Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C. on Bastille Day — July 14. Credit: CMA CGM Group

New Yorkers have a surprise gift to look forward to for this Independence Day: a second Statue of Liberty sent by France. This new bronze statue, nicknamed the “little sister,” is one-sixteenth the size of the world-famous one that stands on Liberty Island. On Monday, during a special ceremony, the smaller sibling was lifted and loaded into a special container at the National Museum of Arts and Crafts (CNAM) in central Paris, where it has been installed since 2011 in the museum’s garden. It will be erected on Ellis Island, just across the water from the original, from July 1 to July 5.

The statue, over 450 kilograms (992 pounds) in weight and just shy of 10 feet tall, was first made in 2009. It is an exact replica of the original 1878 plaster model preserved by CNAM.  —read more—

CNN World | For years, the underworld thought its phones were safe. They fell for an encrypted app trap

(CNN) – It was supposed to be the underworld’s impenetrable communication tool, a digital safe space to plot crimes ranging from drug trafficking to murder away from the prying eyes of the law.

But for nearly three years, an encrypted app used by criminals was covertly monitored by the FBI and Australia’s Federal Police (AFP) — leading to hundreds of arrests and tens of millions of dollars in asset seizures, authorities revealed on Tuesday.

In a statement, the AFP said they and the FBI had been reading the clandestine communications of criminals since 2018 on the ANoM app — a black-market product only accessible on specially prepared mobile phones.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Why electric cars are so much heavier than regular cars

(CNN) – Batteries are heavy. That’s why, generally, electric cars weigh considerably more than otherwise similar gasoline-powered vehicles. Take the GMC Hummer EV, for instance. The Edition 1 version, which has lots of batteries for additional driving range and power, weighs over 9,000 pounds. That’s roughly three times the weight of a Honda Civic.  —read more—

CNN politics | Obama criticizes Republicans for embracing 2020 falsehoods

(CNN) – Former President Barack Obama said Republicans have been “cowed into accepting” a series of positions that “would be unrecognizable and unacceptable even five years ago or a decade ago,” telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper he is worried about the state of democracy in the United States in an exclusive interview that aired Monday.

Obama, in an interview that comes after his latest memoir, “A Promised Land,” was published in late 2020, said he never thought some of the “dark spirits” that began rising within the Republican Party during his tenure would get this dark and reach the epicenter of the party.

“We have to worry,” Obama said, “when one of our major political parties is willing to embrace a way of thinking about our democracy that would be unrecognizable and unacceptable even five years ago or a decade ago.”  —read more—