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Graham Blasts Biden’s Afghanistan Withdrawal — ‘This Decision Was Against Sound Military Advice’

August 16, 2022 by www.breitbart.com Leave a Comment

Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) weighed in on the one-year mark of President Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal out of Afghanistan that led to the death of 13 U.S. soldiers.

Graham slammed Biden for going “against sound military advice” with his “political decision.”

“Number one, this decision was against sound military advice,” Graham emphasized. “The military told president Biden we needed a residual force to avoid what happened. Biden became General Biden, and … the rest is history. We can talk about this all day long. It makes me sick to my stomach. I’ve been to Iraq and Afghanistan 50 times since 9/11. It is dishonorable what we did. It’s going to make it hard to get new allies. But here is my takeaway — the likelihood of another attack on American soil and American allies emanating from Afghanistan because of what Biden did is through the roof. We haven’t ended any war at all. We started a new one.”

“You know, this was a political decision by Biden,” he continued. “He wanted to get out by 9/11, 2021 — 20 years later. He wanted to be the American president that ended America’s longest war. Well, it backfired on him. We didn’t end the longest war — we started a new one.”

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American Airlines Slashes 31K Flights for ‘Proactive Adjustments’

August 16, 2022 by www.breitbart.com Leave a Comment

American Airlines is cutting 31,000 flights in November after slashing two percent of flights in September and October.

The information came via data from aviation analytics company Cirium, CNN reported Monday, adding the biggest cuts would affect flights between Chicago O’Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth, along with Boston and Philadelphia.

“Preliminary schedules are published 331 days in advance and then adjustments are made closer in based on the schedule we intend to operate,” American told the outlet.

“We are now loading schedule adjustments approximately 100 days in advance, which is in line with how we adjusted our schedule in 2019 prior to the pandemic,” it continued.

In June, American Airlines said it would stop services in three cities in the coming months due to a pilot shortage, Breitbart News reported .

Service would end on September 7 in Islip and Ithaca, New York, and Toledo, Ohio.

“The decision comes as the overall airline industry has been dealing with a pilot shortage while demands for travel remain at an all-time high,” the Breitbart article said.

“Regional Airline Association (RAA) previously reported the shortage mostly stems from the pandemic, during which the industry faced internal strife over vaccine mandates,” the outlet stated.

Most recently, American deemed the changes “proactive adjustments” that would help “size our airline for the resources we have available and to build additional buffer into the remainder of our summer schedule.”

During a recent interview on Fox News Channel’s America Reports , Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said his constituents were concerned about higher gas prices, food prices, and flight cancellations.

Khanna said, “Look, people in my district, they’re talking to me about gas prices, about higher food prices, they’re talking to me about the airlines getting canceled, I mean, people are not being able to get places.”

American Airlines will halt services in three cities this coming autumn due to an ongoing pilot shortage in the airline industry. https://t.co/HX1GSkzUgb

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) June 21, 2022

“So, those are the issues, front and center. I guess when you’re a member of Congress, you’re in coffee shops, you meet folks, that’s what’s on people’s minds, and we have to make that the priority,” he concluded.

Over the summer, airlines have grappled with other problems such as delays, severe weather, and air traffic control delays, according to the CNN report.

Brittney Griner still seen as ‘wrongfully detained’ despite Russia trial, State Department spokesman says

August 16, 2022 by www.foxnews.com Leave a Comment

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Brittney Griner’s verdict and sentence did not change anything regarding the WNBA superstar’s status as being “wrongfully detained,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday.

Price was asked about Griner and the potential of a prisoner swap with Russia, which may involve Viktor Bout and another American held in Russia, Paul Whelan.

“No element of this trial changes our judgment that Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained and should be released immediately,” Price said. “That is why we’ve put forward a number of weeks ago what we consider to be a serious, substantial proposal and an effort to seek her release, to seek the release of Paul Whelan as well.

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Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout (C) is escorted by policemen as he arrives for a hearing at the Criminal Court in Bangkok on August 20, 2010. (CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images)

“We are in communication with the Russians on this matter, and we encourage them to pursue this constructively.”

Earlier Monday, lawyers for Griner appealed the nine-year sentence handed down to the Phoenix Mercury center for drug possession. She was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape cartridges containing oils derived from cannabis in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

The 31-year-old was arrested in February in Russia. She was returning to her Russian basketball team, UMMC Ekaterinburg, after there was a pause in the season for international play. She has been held in the country ever since.

Griner apologized in court earlier this month.

RUSSIA CONFIRMS PRISONER EXCHANGE TALKS WITH US FOLLOWING BRITTNEY GRINER SENTENCING

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner stands in a cage in a courtroom prior to a hearing in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. (Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool Photo via AP)

“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them,” she said. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”

Griner contended she made “an honest mistake” when she brought vape cartridges through the airport, adding “I hope in your ruling it does not end my life.”

Russian media has speculated the trade could be for Viktor Bout , a Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.

A senior Russian diplomat said Sunday talks about a prisoner exchange have been conducted.

U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, sits inside a defendants’ cage during the reading of the court’s verdict in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia August 4, 2022. (REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool)

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“This quite sensitive issue of the swap of convicted Russian and U.S. citizens is being discussed through the channels defined by our presidents,” Alexander Darchiev, head of the Foreign Ministry’s North America department, told Russia’s TASS agency. “These individuals are, indeed, being discussed. The Russian side has long been seeking the release of Viktor Bout. The details should be left to professionals.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to [email protected]

ITV bosses currently looking at reviving Pop Idol with epic reunion special

August 16, 2022 by www.dailystar.co.uk Leave a Comment

ITV bosses could revive hit talent show Pop Idol.

They are planning a TV special this year to mark its 21st birthday and if it’s a hit with a new audience, they will consider relaunching the series.

A source said: “With Gladiators and Big Brother returning, it is a no-brainer to bring back another hit.”

Pop Idol launched on ITV back in 2001 and became an instant smash with viewers.

Fans loved watching hoards of talented singers and tuneless warblers try to impress judges Simon Cowell , Pete Waterman, Dr Neil Fox and Nicki Chapman.

The first series was won by Will Young and made a star of Gareth Gates.

But ITV soon ditched the format in favour of The X Factor which ran on the channel from 2004 until 2018.

However, plans are under way to make a Pop Idol reunion special due to air later this year.

The show will reunite some of the judges and singers to discuss their memories.

An ITV source said: “There have been talks about a reunion special as a one off – nothing more.”

A source confirmed with the Daily Star directly that “absolutely nothing is confirmed” but that “it would be unlikely to return as a full series”.

Since winning the first series, Will Young has gone on to have a successful musical and acting career.

He starred in the London revival of the musical Cabaret in 2013, which he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.

For more of the latest showbiz and TV news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here .

Will also recently returned to ITV to appear on The Masked Singer .

Gareth Gates also had a successful music career, and like Will, went into theatre acting, playing the title role of the West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre.

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Nielsen, Amazon Strike Three-Year Pact to Measure ‘Thursday Night Football’

August 16, 2022 by www.sfgate.com Leave a Comment

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The NFL’s “ Thursday Night Football ” may be moving to Amazon , but it’s going to be measured as if it were still playing on traditional TV.

Nielsen and Amazon have struck a three-year deal to measure Prime Video’s new season of “Thursday Night Football” and stack it up against TV programs with national audiences tabulated by the media-measurement giant. The pact comes as many of the nation’s big media companies have vociferously expressed disapproval of Nielsen’s efforts in the streaming era and tried to prod advertisers to consider other forms of audience measurement.

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Nielsen said the agreement marks the first time a streaming service will have one of its live programs measured as part of the company’s measurement of national TV audiences. Starting with the 2022 season, Nielsen will measure viewership for Amazon Prime Video’s full game broadcast, as well as pregame and postgame programming. Nielsen will also measure activity around the shows on Amazon’s Twitch gaming outlet as well as activity on local TV stations in the teams’ home markets. So-called “out of home” viewership — people who watch content in bars, offices, hotels and the like, will also be measured.

“Our collaboration with Nielsen will allow us to provide advertisers with familiar campaign measurement to make apples-to-apples comparisons across their multi-channel media investments,” said Srishti Gupta, director of media measurement for Amazon Ads, in a prepared statement. “Additionally, advertisers will have access to metrics from Amazon that will provide actionable insights to understand brand awareness, engagement, and sales. This powerful combination of first and third-party measurement is something only Amazon can provide.”

Amazon is offering Nielsen data after making an aggressive bid to woo top ad dollars for its Thursday-night games. The company’s push to win ad prices that are on par with Fox’s hefty fees for 30-second ads on its Sunday afternoon NFL telecasts earned some rebuke from Madison Avenue during the industry’s annual “upfront” process, when TV networks try to sell the bulk of their commercial inventory ahead of their next cycle of new programming.

Amazon took over the rights from Fox, which won them after NBC and CBS had been splitting the games. It’s no secret in the TV business that none of the broadcast networks turned a profit on the Thursday games, but rather used them as a sort of high-priced hedge to sell costlier commercials and promote other parts of their schedule to sizable audiences. Executives at Fox have made no bones about the property’s financial drag. On a recent investor call, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said Fox’s “early exit” from “Thursday Night Football” — Fox could have continued showing games on its flagship broadcast network for one more season rather than ceding rights to Amazon — would create “financial tailwinds” for his company in 2023.

Meanwhile, Amazon has been dressing up the games, luring top talent from NBC Sports, ESPN, Fox Sports and Turner Sports. Among those on the Prime Video game-day roster are the legendary Al Michaels , as well as Kirk Herbstreit, Charissa Thompson and Taylor Rooks. I n most cases, the sportscasters have been allowed to continue the jobs they already have with Amazon’s competitors.

Nielsen’s ability to secure the deal is likely to boost perceptions of the measurement giant after many of its top TV customers have encouraged advertisers to consider new audience measures provided by upstarts and rivals such as ComScore, iSpot and VideoAmp. NBCUniversal, Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery are among the traditional media companies that have offered new measurement system to those advertisers and media buyers willing to consider an alternative.

Nielsen said it would begin measuring “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon starting with its August 25 preseason game that features the San Francisco 49ers squaring off against the Houston Texans. Amazon’s first exclusive season of “TNF” is scheduled to start September 15 when the Los Angeles Chargers take on the Kansas City Chiefs.

“Nielsen is the long-time leader in the measurement space, providing gold-standard currency to the media industry and we’re thrilled that Amazon recognizes that and is working with us to bring a streaming service into our National TV measurement for the first time ever,” said Deirdre Thomas, Nielsen’s managing director of U.S. audience measurement product sales, Nielsen, in a statement. “We are committed to delivering comparable, comprehensive measurement of all audiences, across all platforms, and this agreement to measure TNF viewership is a testament to that commitment.”