CNN politics | Ron DeSantis has no idea what he’s talking about

(CNN) – Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a name for himself within the national Republican Party by spouting science-free statements about Covid-19 and its impact on his state of Florida.

“Politicians want to force you to cover your face as a way for them to cover their own asses. That’s just the truth. They want to be able to say they are taking this on and they’re doing this even though it’s not proven to be effective they want to continue to do it.”

It’s a good applause line! People in his base don’t like politicians or wearing masks, so combine the two and — voila! — cheering.

Except that, well, DeSantis is totally wrong about masking — specifically when he says “even though it’s not proven to be effective.”  —read more— 

HGTV | 40 Gorgeous Fall Container Garden & Planter Ideas

Cooler temps are here to stay. Start planning your autumn container garden now with our favorite cool-weather flower combos, pretty planter designs and more.  —read more—

F1 TECHNICAL | Power struggle: How Honda caught up with Mercedes – and how the Silver Arrows fought back

The race for championship honours isn’t just being fought out on track between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, but also back at the factories and HQs of Mercedes, Red Bull, and Honda. In this week’s Tech Tuesday, Mark Hughes looks at the battle to be top dog in the power unit stakes…

The development battle between Mercedes and Red Bull which may determine the outcome of the world championship has been quite visible – with a very extensive series of aerodynamic upgrades on the RB16B and significant new bodywork pieces on the W12 at Imola and Silverstone. But what this fight is also about is the competition between Mercedes HPP and Honda in which can deliver the best power unit.

Here the competition is less visually apparent as the crucial components lie secreted beneath the bodywork. Although in-season changes to the power units are limited by the homologation restrictions and the three engines per season rule, major developments to each of these standard-setting units came during the off-season. Both Red Bull and Mercedes are racing this year with significantly more power than in 2020.  —read more—

F1 | Formula 1 confirms 2021 Japanese Grand Prix has been cancelled

Formula 1 has announced that the 2021 Japanese Grand Prix has been cancelled, with race organisers citing “ongoing complexities” related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The race, which was also cancelled last year because of the coronavirus situation, was due to be held in mid-October, the third event in a planned triple header after the Russian Grand Prix and the rescheduled Turkish GP.

But on Wednesday morning it was announced the race at the Suzuka circuit would not be going ahead.

A statement from Formula 1 read: “Following ongoing discussions with the promoter and authorities in Japan the decision has been taken by the Japanese government to cancel the race this season due to ongoing complexities of the pandemic in the country.

“Formula 1 is now working on the details of the revise  –-read more—

CNN style Arts | Dozens of Nazi-looted artworks are exhibiting in New York

Dozens of artworks once stolen from Jewish collectors by the Nazis in the 1930s and ’40s will be exhibited in New York starting on Friday.

Taken before and during World War II, the paintings being displayed at Manhattan’s Jewish Museum include works by European greats Pablo Picasso, Camille Pissarro and Paul Cézanne.

The Nazis are known to have looted and stolen hundreds of thousands of artworks in total — often from Jewish collectors, gallerists and families fleeing persecution. Though some of the pieces were later recovered and returned to their owners or their descendants, many remain missing or are the subject of ongoing legal battles.–read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Fewer people are going to Home Depot. That could be a bad sign for the housing market

New York (CNN Business) – Home Depot has thrived in the red-hot housing market, but there are growing signs that demand is finally starting to cool.

Although Home Depot’s second-quarter earnings and revenue topped forecasts on Tuesday morning, a few stats were concerning: For example, same-store sales growth, which measures how well locations up at least a year are doing, rose just 3.4% in the US.

That’s a big dropoff from the first quarter and below analysts’ estimates.

What’s more, fewer people were shopping in Home Depot stores this quarter. The company reported 481.7 million customer transactions, down nearly 6% from the same period a year ago.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | Hyatt is betting on luxury travel with $2.7 billion resorts deal

London (CNN Business) – Hyatt is expanding its reach in luxury resorts, betting that pent-up demand following the pandemic will boost demand for upmarket leisure travel.

The US hotel group said in a statement Sunday that it has agreed to buy luxury resorts operator Apple Leisure Group from private equity firms KKR and KSL Capital Partners for $2.7 billion.

The acquisition will double Hyatt’s global resorts footprint and make it the largest operator of luxury hotels in Mexico and the Caribbean. It will also extend its presence into 11 new markets in Europe, “a critical region for global growth in leisure travel,” Hyatt (H) said.  —read more—

CNN BUSINESS | T-Mobile confirms it was hit by data breach

(CNN Business) – T-Mobile (TMUS) confirmed on Monday that it has been hit by a data breach but declined to say whether any personal information from customers was accessed or how widespread the damage may be.

The company’s acknowledgement of a breach comes after hackers told Vice that they were selling “full customer info” obtained from T-Mobile servers that pertained to what the hackers claimed were over 100 million people.

Late Sunday, the company said it was “aware of claims made in an underground forum” and “actively investigating their validity.” On Monday, the company said it has closed a vulnerability used by hackers to gain entry to T-Mobile’s systems, and is working with the “highest degree of urgency” to investigate the breach.  —read more— 

CNN entertainment | Jennifer Hudson thinks she knows why Aretha Franklin chose her for ‘Respect’

(CNN) – Jennifer Hudson has Aretha Franklin to thank, in part, for her career.

Hudson first came to fame in 2004 as a finalist on “American Idol.” She auditioned for the reality singing competition with Franklin’s song, “Share Your Love With Me.”

Fast forward to 2021 and Hudson is now a Grammy winning singer and an Academy Award winning actress whom Franklin handpicked to portray her in the biopic “Respect” prior to her death in 2018. (Hudson won the best supporting actress Oscar in 2007 for her performance in “Dreamgirls.)

Hudson told CNN she’s long considered why the Queen of Soul wanted her in the role. —read more—

CNN styles Arts | Meet the Nigerian artist illustrating the human experience with a ballpoint pen

From a distance, Jacqueline Suowari’s larger-than-life portraits look like monochromatic photographs overlaid with colorful graphics. Upon closer inspection, you see these dramatic images are the culmination of thousands of tiny lines made using a simple ballpoint pen.

Suowari, 30, has been an artist since she was a child, practicing professionally for over a decade. She studied Fine Art at the University of Port Harcourt in southern Nigeria, and has participated in group exhibitions globally and had solo exhibitions in Miami and Nigeria.

Her work has been featured in several publications including Chukwuemeka Ben Bosah’s book, “The Art of Nigerian Women,” which celebrates female artists from the Nigerian diaspora.  —read more—