Tag: James

AG Letitia James vows to crackdown on tech monopolies in New York state

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For a number of reasons. As we reviewed the list, we have concerns that a significant number of homeowners should not have been on the list as a result of negotiations that we conducted as the former public advocate of the city. For instance, one-, two- and three-family homes are not supposed to be on the list, senior citizens were not supposed to be on the list. Houses of faith, they’re not supposed to be on the list, and unfortunately, we uncovered a number of errors. And then last but not least, it’s really critically important that we support and promote homeownership in the city. And during this pandemic, during this time, we do not think it benefits New Yorkers, particularly homeowners, to go forward with this lien sale. And that’s why we’ve asked for a postponement and we reached out to the governor, and I want to thank the

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NASA’s James Webb Passes Enormous Test, On Track For October 2021 Launch

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Despite numerous delays, funding crises, and technical challenges, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is almost ready.

Every single component is fully built, assembled, and integrated.

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USGS Director James Reilly released a study on polar bears he had stalled for months on Friday

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In response to the Post report, Reilly sent an email to his staff the next day, saying his decision to delay was justified because he wanted to be “satisfied” with its underlying science before making it public.

The study, which had been obtained by The Post last month, notes that shrinking sea ice in the Arctic threatens the survival of polar bears while enhancing the opportunity for fossil fuel exploration there. “The long-term persistence of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) is threatened by sea-ice loss due to climate change, which is concurrently providing an opportunity in the Arctic for increased anthropogenic activities including natural resource extraction,” it said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had been seeking the report’s release for at least three months, according to several individuals briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The agency is legally required

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USGS Director James Reilly holds up polar bear study that could affect Trump’s drilling plans for Alaska

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In an unusual move, U.S. Geological Survey Director James Reilly has refused to make public the study, by his own scientists, of the number of female polar bears that den and give birth on land near the southern Beaufort Sea. That is the same area that overlaps with federal land the Trump administration has opened up to oil and natural-gas development.

The study has been ready for at least three months. But Reilly — a geologist by training and former astronaut — has questioned why it uses data collected by a former agency scientist now working for an advocacy group and why it does not count each polar bear den individually, among other things, according to internal memos obtained by The Post.

The study, also obtained by The Post, notes that shrinking sea ice in the Arctic threatens the survival of polar bears while enhancing the opportunity for oil and

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New York Attorney General Leticia James announces body camera reforms in response to Daniel Prude’s death

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New York Attorney General Leticia James announced reforms for releasing police-worn body camera footage in response to the handling of the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in March after he was seen being pinned to the ground by Rochester Police officers.

Prude’s death and the delay in the release of the video has resulted in the attorney general’s office implementing a new policy in which body camera footage will now be released earlier in the investigation process, as soon as jurisdiction has been established and the family has had a chance to see the video, James said.

Previously, releasing any body camera footage was up to the discretion of the law enforcement agency, James said, describing speculation as to whether the video connected to Prude’s death was suppressed due to the old policy as unfortunate.

Sunday would have been Prude’s 42nd birthday, James said, adding that

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James Webb Telescope Will Look for Life Around Dead Stars

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When NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launches next year, it may be able to find indications of life beyond our planet in an unexpected location — on planets which orbit dead stars called white dwarfs.

A recent study found an intact planet orbiting around a white dwarf, which surprised astronomers as in their death throes these stars usually destroy the planets around them when they swell before collapsing to form the white dwarf. But this planet somehow survived, giving a clue to a new type of location where we could search for habitable planets.

Rendering of a planet transiting a white dwarf star.
Rendering of a planet transiting a white dwarf star. Jack Madden, Carl Sagan Institute, Cornell University

“If rocky planets exist around white dwarfs, we could spot signs of life on them in the next few years,” Lisa Kaltenegger, one of the authors of the new study and associate professor of astronomy in the College of Arts

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