2024.02.01

Mark Kennedy at the Associated Press is reporting Karla Sofía Gascón, the Oscar-nominated trans actor and star of the movie “Emilia Pérez,” is apologizing for her old posts on social media that denigrated Islam and that called George Floyd “a drug addict and a hustler.” Via MinnPost
https://apnews.com/article/karla-sofia-gascon-apology-emilia-perez-16141014a6708add9e049fe2b6526110

Strike averted at Costco as Teamsters reach a tentative deal
Some 18,000 employees across the country were poised to walk out after union negotiations stalled
Michael Sainato
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/01/costco-workers-strike

Support letter for RFK Jr’s confirmation includes signatures of doctors with suspended or revoked licenses
Meant to lend credibility to his nomination to head HHS, the letter is signed by some doctors disciplined for not following Covid guidelines
Via AP
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/01/rfk-jr-support-letter-doctors

DeepSeek, ChatGPT, Grok … which is the best AI assistant? We put them to the test
Chatbots we tested can write a mean sonnet and struggled with images of clocks, but vary in willingness to talk politics
Dan Milmo Global technology editor
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/feb/01/deepseek-chatgpt-grok-gemini-claude-meta-ai-which-is-the-best-ai-assistant-we-put-them-to-the-test

Bullets and blues: Louis Armstrong’s difficult upbringing revealed after discovery of family police records
A new book reveals the jazz musician’s mother and sister were arrested several times for prostitution in New Orleans
Dalya Alberge
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/01/bullets-and-blues-louis-armstrongs-difficult-upbringing-revealed-after-discovery-of-family-police-records

Declutter, add a flat sheet and turn down the heat: Hoteliers reveal how to get the best night’s sleep…at home
Hospitality experts, sleep consultants and interior designers share their tips for creating dream conditions in your bedroom
Lucy Pavia
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/feb/01/declutter-add-a-flat-sheet-and-turn-down-the-heat-hoteliers-reveal-how-to-get-the-best-nights-sleepat-home

Huldufólk: Iceland's mythical world of hidden people
Video by David Godi
https://bbc.com/reel/video/p0f5xqv0/hulduf-lk-iceland-s-mythical-world-of-hidden-people