CNN health | A 95-year-old man just became the oldest organ donor in US history

(CNN) – A woman who is recovering from a liver transplant not only has a new lifesaving organ, but one that made history.

That’s thanks to Cecil Lockhart from Welch, West Virginia, who died at age 95 on May 4, making him the oldest organ donor in United States history, according the Center for Organ Recovery & Education, which coordinated the recovery of the liver.

The previous record for the oldest donor was a 93-year-old, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.  —read more— 

CNN BUSINESS | Companies are celebrating Juneteenth in unique ways this week

New York (CNN Business) – Major corporations are celebrating Juneteenth in unique ways this week.

The annual June 19 tradition, which falls on Saturday this year, commemorates the day in 1865 when former American slaves in Galveston, Texas, were finally informed of President Abraham Lincoln’s January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War.

It took Union troops more than two years to finish travel throughout the southern United States to inform all the former slaves of Lincoln’s executive order. The December 6, 1865, ratification of the 13th Amendment made slavery illegal throughout the US “except as a punishment for crime.”  —read more— 

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

(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 | 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

(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

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) – 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—