CNN | For generations, Filipino nurses have been on America’s front lines

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CNN politics | Bannon case and stalled voting rights bill show how GOP has given up on democracy

(CNN) – George Washington’s nightmare is coming true.

Two disparate events this week — Steve Bannon’s willingness to risk criminal contempt of Congress to protect a twice-impeached former President and the GOP’s latest move in the Senate blocking efforts to guarantee the rights of all citizens to vote — are validating the first President’s fear that American democracy would founder on the rocks of partisan extremism.

While the American people are weary of the endless partisan fights bequeathed by Donald Trump’s presidency, they are caught in a seminal moment that will decide how America is governed now and for generations to come.  —read more—  

CNN | A Black girl was arrested at school in Hawaii over a drawing that upset a parent

(CNN) – The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii is demanding policy changes after a 10-year-old Black girl was arrested at school over a drawing linked to a “run of the mill” dispute among children.

In response to the incident, the ACLU sent a letter Monday to the Honolulu Police Department, the state Department of Education and the state attorney general’s office asking them to adopt policy changes, expunge all records of the arrest, and to pay $500,000 in damages for “harm and suffering” caused by their agencies.

In January 2020, a parent called the Honowai Elementary School in Honolulu to complain about the drawing made by the girl and demanded the staff call police, the ACLU said.  —read more—  

CNN style Architecture | The year’s most stunning architectural photos revealed

Images of a cube-shaped office building in Berlin and a soaring Chinese skyscraper complex are among the finalists in the prestigious Architectural Photography Awards.

Spanning categories including interiors, exteriors and buildings in use, the 2021 shortlist also features pictures of a curvilinear hotel in Dubai and a Hong Kong tower in complete darkness after residents were evacuated during lockdown.

The winners will be announced at the annual World Architecture Festival (WAF), which is being hosted virtually in early December. Two photos will be selected from each of the six categories — one by festival delegates and the other by a jury of architects and industry figures. Of these 12 images, two will be named overall winners.  —read more—  

F1 | What tyres will the drivers and teams have for the 2021 United States Grand Prix?

The United States Grand Prix returns this weekend after a year away, and Pirelli have announced their tyre allocation for the Circuit of The Americas race.

Just six points separate the championship leaders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen heading to the United States, with F1 returning to Austin after last year’s race was called off due to the global pandemic. Now it’s back with a partially new surface – around 40% of COTA having been laid with new asphalt – and potential for high drama.

Pirelli have confirmed the same nomination as it was in the 2019 US Grand Prix, with C2 (hard, x2 sets), C3 (medium, x3 sets) and C4 (soft, x8 sets) tyres in use this weekend for each driver.  —read more—  

CNN World | The world is banking on giant carbon-sucking fans to clean our climate mess. It’s a big risk.

Hellisheiðarvirkjun, Iceland (CNN)The windswept valleys surrounding the Hengill volcano in southwestern Iceland are dotted with hot springs and steam vents. Hikers from all over the world come here to witness its breath-taking scenery. Even the sheep are photogenic in the soft Nordic light.

Right in the middle of all that natural beauty sits a towering metal structure resembling four giant Lego bricks, with two rows of six whirring fans running across each one. It’s a contraption that looks truly futuristic, like something straight out of a sci-fi film.

Humans have emitted so much carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere that machines like this are being used to literally suck the gas back out, like giant vacuum cleaners, in an attempt to slow the climate crisis and prevent some of its most devastating consequences.  —read more—  

CNN politics | Why large age gaps in marriages are declining

(CNN) – A while ago, my friend told me a 30-year-old friend of ours was engaged to marry a 50-year-old.

The large gap made my mind think about the old — and some might argue sexist — “half plus seven rule,” which has shaped cultural understandings of what is an acceptable age gap in relationships.

It’s a simple math equation that most often comes up these days in references to relationships involving older men and younger women. You take the older partner’s age (50 in the example above), divide it by two (25) and add seven (32). If that number is smaller than or equal to the younger partner’s age, “the rule” suggests that younger partner is old enough for the older partner to date. And if it’s higher, that suggests the younger partner is too young.  —read more—  

CNN BUSINESS | Zillow slams the brakes on home buying as it struggles to manage its backlog of inventory

Zillow will stop buying homes through Zillow Offers for the rest of the year, as the company’s iBuying program goes from full speed to full stop.

The company announced on Monday it would not contract to buy any more homes in 2021 in order to work through the backlog of homes it has already bought.

The “iBuyer” model used by Zillow and other real estate companies entails purchasing homes directly from sellers, and then re-listing the properties after doing minor work. But thanks to the current shortage on labor and materials, Zillow can’t close, renovate and resell the homes fast enough.  —read more—  

CNN BUSINESS | North America’s biggest container port is backlogged, and it may impact holiday shopping

(CNN Business) – Approximately 200,000 shipping containers remain gridlocked off the coast of Los Angeles on Monday as pandemic-related disruptions continue to affect various supply chains, according to Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

“We have about two weeks’ worth of work sitting at anchor right now,” Seroka said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. “The question right now is how do we segment this cargo.”

Easing the backlog is crucial during the final months of the year because retail items are in high demand as holiday shopping begins to kick off, Seroka said. Automotive parts are also being prioritized because US auto manufacturers and many suppliers through the Midwest are waiting on components so they can build their final products.  —read more—  

CNN health | Seniors decry age bias, say they feel devalued when interacting with health care providers

(Kaiser Health News) – Joanne Whitney, 84, a retired associate clinical professor of pharmacy at the University of California-San Francisco, often feels devalued when interacting with health care providers.

There was the time several years ago when she told an emergency room doctor that the antibiotic he wanted to prescribe wouldn’t counteract the kind of urinary tract infection she had.

He wouldn’t listen, even when she mentioned her professional credentials. She asked to see someone else, to no avail. “I was ignored and finally I gave up,” said Whitney, who has survived lung cancer and cancer of the urethra and depends on a special catheter to drain urine from her bladder. (An outpatient renal service later changed the prescription.)  —read more—