Latest news with #Torres'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Centrist Democrats want a fight with the left
Centrist Democrats picked a fight with their party's left wing on Wednesday. And the left was happy to punch back. 'Places like City Hall and Albany and even Washington, DC, are more responsive to the groups than to the people on the ground,' New York Rep. Ritchie Torres said at WelcomeFest, held at a downtown Washington hotel and billed as a forum to help the party find more electable candidates and messages. Seconds after Torres' shot at 'the groups' that have become intra-Democratic shorthand for excessive left-wing influence, protesters from … the group Climate Defiance charged on stage with signs reading 'GAYS AGAINST GENOCIDE' and 'GENOCIDE RITCHIE,' attacking his support for Israel's war in Gaza. As the activists were yanked out of the room, conference organizers played Carly Simon's on the loudspeakers in the room. The mockery was part of the point. Welcome PAC, the main organizer of the conference and one of several outfits that have emerged in recent months to try to reverse the party's post-Obama losses, was happy to be accused of embracing a pro-growth 'Abundance' agenda or attacking progressive urban policies. 'Any time someone is against something like 'abundance,' it means that they're afraid of something. They're afraid of losing power,' said Welcome PAC's Lauren Harper Pope, a former Beto O'Rourke adviser. 'If the left feels threatened by what we're doing, then I say: 'You're still welcome in our coalition.'' To speakers in the basement of the Hamilton Hotel on Wednesday, the message of the 2024 election was clear: Voters were sick of left-wing ideas. Candidates and members of Congress described struggles to overcome what they described as their party's toxic brand or to deal with protesters angry at their occasional votes with Republicans. 'If you can financially afford to go to a protest every day, you are a different person than most people in my community,' said Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, defending her vote for House GOP legislation that would require proof of citizenship from every voter. Asked about recent polling from the progressive group Demand Progress that found pro-business 'abundance' ideas faring worse than anti-corporate 'populism,' WelcomeFest speakers scoffed. 'It's what happens when you test an economic textbook for the Democratic Party against a romance novel,' said Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass. 'It's such a bad poll.'WelcomeFest, which had grown exponentially since its first in-person conference last year, put a conversation that has been unfolding in exclusive donor retreats in front of a public audience — selling tickets that topped out at $25. (The protesters did not pay.) Attendees saw polling on voters' dim view of the party and heard advice for Democrats to move on from topics where they lacked credibility. Torres took aim at his party for stretching 'right to shelter' laws too thin in his home state and for being insufficiently tough on crime. After sharing a set of data on Democratic vulnerabilities, pollster David Shor told Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., that her vote for a repeal of California's electric vehicle mandate had been savvy. 'People don't like 'defund the police,' but voters really hate electric cars,' said Shor. 'They don't hate electric vehicles,' replied Slotkin. 'They just don't want to be told that they have to drive an electric vehicle, particularly when the infrastructure hasn't kept pace with need.' DC did not lack for center-left Democratic groups before Welcome PAC or its eponymous conference. Many grew from the ashes of the Democratic Leadership Council, founded after Ronald Reagan's two landslide wins to find viable center-left candidates and ideas. Shuttered in 2011, the DLC survives in its spinoff think tank PPI and in centrist groups that have taken up part of its past mission. Andrew Rotherham, a fellow at PPI, told WelcomeFest that Florida Democrats had erred in fighting the state's GOP 'parental rights' bill — what opponents called the 'Don't Say Gay' bill — instead of fighting for inclusiveness from a stronger position. It was 'actually supported by a majority of Democrats,' he said. Other sponsors of WelcomeFest included the Blue Dog Democrats, the 30-year-old caucus for the party's centrist members of Congress; the New Democrat Coalition, founded two years later to build on Bill Clinton's mixed success; Third Way, founded 20 years ago after Democrats lost the popular vote to George W. Bush; and NewDEAL, founded 14 years ago to elevate 'pro-growth progressives.' Their shared goal now is simpler: win at least some arguments inside the party. 'The backlash that happens online is a sign that you're doing something right,' said Adam Jentleson, the former chief of staff to Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. He recently founded a new think tank and messaging group that urges candidates to weather the Trump-era 'sh*tstorm' and come out with more defensible, popular less single-issue enemies have highlighted the Republican and pharmaceutical-industry pasts of some of the conference's donors, arguing that it's naive to think billionaire donors could save the Democrats. The Revolving Door Project, which has campaigned to keep Democrats with corporate ties out of powerful positions, called the whole project a 'self-serving crusade' against popular politics. 'A billionaire-funded movement to keep billionaires happy with Democrats by wielding only poll-tested language that billionaires are okay with is a sure path toward a President Vance,' said the project's executive director, Jeff Hauser. Dan Cohen, the strategist who conducted Demand Progress' abundance-or-populism poll, said that the party wasn't facing a binary choice and could incorporate some more pro-growth 'abundance' ideas into a successful populist campaign. 'That kind of conflict is unhelpful because it's just wrong,' Cohen said, calling for a broader focus on 'strengthening a Democratic Party that's trying to get its sh*t together again.'To oversimplify things, politics is basically about conflict. And Welcome PAC's theory of politics — expand the tent and let Democrats run on heterodox agendas in tough seats — is not that controversial inside the party. So WelcomeFest leaned on the self-generated tension created by the appearance of a zero-sum centrist fight against progressive purity tests. It's proving to be a godsend for media attention. You could see this unfold on social media on Wednesday, as the Revolving Door Project and other progressive groups posted from the conference to portray it as one big surrender, trading away liberal values in the hope of winning over a couple of Republicans. That wasn't really the theme in the room, though. Democrats who spoke at the event about their failure to break through on the trail said that they were close to a winning formula. It just required a mixture of distance from the least popular causes of the left, and the credibility that any campaigner gets by spending two years talking to voters. Implicit in every argument was this view: It would not be enough for Democrats to wait for President Donald Trump to fail, then take advantage of that failure, a notion propagated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and others in the party. That's because, as much as they may not like it, centrists and progressive Democrats are confronting a much more popular Trump than they did eight years Chait's influential in The Atlantic — that the book has sparked a useful 'civil war' inside the party — has informed every successive take from the left. 'Their theory of American politics depends on empowering the very groups the abundance agenda identifies as the architects of failure and barriers to progress.' Semafor one of the first interviews with Welcome PAC's Lauren Harper, two summers ago. 'Instead of creating a third party, why don't we just create a Democratic Party that can appeal to a broader range of voters?' In his Political Currents Substack, Ross Barkan looks at how weak the 'professional left' has become, through its struggle to get traction in New York this year. 'They have been proven to be impotent.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘I'm Still Here's' Fernanda Torres to Star in ‘Os Corretores,' Which She Wrote, With Conspiraçao and Globo Filmes Producing (EXCLUSIVE)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil's Fernanda Torres, a Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee for 'I'm Still Here,' will star in and has written the screenplay of 'Os Corretores,' a feature from Brazilian production powerhouse Conspiraçao that is scheduled to go into production by the end of this year. Andrucha Waddington ('House of Sand'), a partner at Conspiracao and Torres' husband, will helm the pic. Globo Filmes, the theatrical arm of Globo Group, will co-produce. More from Variety Spanish Mart-Meet Iberseries & Platino Industria Looks to Europe, Aims to Boost Spanish-Language International Distribution '3%' Producer Boutique Filmes Teams With Ukbar, Diego Freitas on 'Mistério do Cinco Estrellas' (EXCLUSIVE) RioFilme Wants to Find the 'Gagacabana of Audiovisual,' Is Currently in Talks to Attract Netflix's 'Boys From Brazil' and MipTV to Rio Manuel Belmar, Globo's director of digital products, will announce 'Os Corretores' during the company's panel today at Rio2C, Latin America's largest creativity event that unspools in Rio de Janeiro from May 27 to June 1. 'Os Corretores' is described as a real estate tragic comedy. The plot is centers on a couple of real estate agents. Torres play the female lead, and male leading role has yet to be cast. For her internationally acclaimed performance as Eunice Paiva in 'I'm Still Here,' Torres was the first Brazilian to receive a Golden Globe Award for best actress in a motion picture-drama, granted. She was also nominated this year for a best actress Academy Award. Torres is also a writer of newspaper columns and has published two novels. Her debut novel, 'The End,' sold over 200,000 copies in Brazil and was translated into seven languages and adapted into a 10-episode series. Torres wrote the screenplay of the series that bowed on streamer Globoplay in Oct. 2023. Torres' considerable writing career also takes in the plot for 'The Others,' one of streamer Globoplay's most successful original series to date. Waddington directed 'Me You Them,' selected for Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto. Starring Torres and mother Fernanda Montenegro and co-written and directed by Waddington, 'House of Sand,' a successful Sony Pictures Classics release in the U.S., won Sundance's Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Script and Alfred Sloan awards. Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz
San Francisco Chronicle
22-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F. public housing leader leaves after stabilizing troubled agency
San Francisco Assessor-Record Joaquin Torres is stepping down from his position as president of the Housing Authority Commission, a 12-year tenure during which the long-troubled public housing agency was expanded and reorganized. Douglas Shoemaker, the former president of Mercy Housing California, will replace Torres, Mayor Daniel Lurie said Wednesday. Lurie thanked Torres for his service on the commission and said in a statement that the number of families served by the housing authority during Torres' tenure had increased by 20% to 16,545 households. He said Shoemaker brings 'unmatched experience and a lifelong commitment to affordable housing and the families who benefit from it to the Housing Authority.' Torres' stint on the commission was unusual because department heads and elected officials rarely volunteer as commissioners. And over the last seven years, Torres has been both: he directed the Office of Economic and Workforce Development from 2018 to 2021 and has been San Francisco Assessor-Recorder since 2021. Yet Torres continued to lead an underfunded agency that houses some of the city's poorest residents in public housing from Potrero Hill to Sunnydale to Hunters Point. 'A lot of people serve on commissions just for their resume or just to say they did,' said Sam Moss, executive director of the nonprofit Mission Housing. 'Joaquin really cares and anyone who works with the housing authority knows things are much better than they were 12 years ago because of him.' Torres came to politics late — he spent more than a decade as a stage actor in New York —and credits the housing authority role with forcing him to grapple with how the government can address some of the city's most 'intractable problems.' 'Every part of who I am as a public servant is grounded in the work of the housing authority,' he said. When he joined the commission, the authority had more than $270 million of unfunded capital needs and was running a multi-year deficit. Over the next few years, he led the authority through a restructuring, with affordable housing developers taking over management of the portfolio under a 'rental assistance demonstration' program, known as RAD. RAD converted its public housing stock to Section 8 vouchers, which allowed the nonprofits to access low-income housing tax credits for the first time. More than $1 billion in tax credits were invested in rehabbing thousands of units. The program also allowed the city to increase the number of families getting Section 8 vouchers from 8,000 in 2013 to 15,000 today. Malcolm Yeung, CEO of Chinese Community Development Center., which operates some housing authority properties in Chinatown, said Torres' calm demeanor made him uniquely suited to 'overseeing a wholesale reimagining' of an agency that had long been the target of criticism and complaints. 'Rarely, if ever, did I even see Joaquin defensive,' and Yeung. Torres pushed to get families living in Chinatown SRO into Section 8 multi-bedroom apartments, decreasing the number of households with children living in cramped hotel rooms from 600 to fewer than 100, Yeung said. Still,the housing authority has not been immune to allegations of mismanagement during Torres' tenure. One of Torres' most significant decisions came in 2013, just two months after he had been appointed, when the commission fired the authority's director after a scathing federal audit. In 2018, the agency faced a $30 million deficit and had to be bailed out by the city and federal government. More recently, a fire in a vacant unit at the Potrero Hill Annex underscored widespread issues with squatters living in units slated for demolition. In addition, the city's plan to create mixed-income neighborhood by adding market-rate and affordable projects to public housing – dubbed HOPE SF — has so far failed to attract market-rate developers at the three locations where that kind of development was planned: Potrero Hill, Sunnydale and the Bayview. Public housing residents still show up at commission meetings and describe deplorable conditions in some developments including leaky pipes, mold, squatters and drug activity. Torres said his years as a stage actor prepared him for what has been his longest role. 'The lesson of that work is being able to understand what it means to stand in someone else's shoes, to be present with someone when they are talking about really undignified situations,' he said. Torres doesn't minimize the problems but says he has done his best to address them and that he is confident that the authority is on solid footing as he moves on. 'We have not found a perfect solution,' he said. 'You can't consider the mission ever accomplished when it comes to public housing.'
Business Upturn
18-05-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
XRP News: XenDex Currently In Its last Presale Phase As Users Expect Its First DEX Launch And Exchange Listing, Join Presale As XRP Price Keeps Going Up
By GlobeNewswire Published on May 18, 2025, 22:20 IST SYDNEY, May 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As XRP makes headlines across the globe, XenDex is capturing investor attention as the most powerful decentralized exchange being built on the XRP Ledger. With its soft cap already filled and the hard cap nearly reached, the final phase of the $XDX presale is now underway — and time is running out. Thousands of early adopters have already locked in their tokens. With prices set to rise significantly on launch, this is the last chance to buy $XDX at presale pricing before major exchange listings go live. Buy $XDX Now Before Listing On Binance Why Now? XRP's Bullish Momentum Changes Everything XRP is soaring following: SEC lawsuit withdrawal Judge Torres' favorable rulings Approval of ProShares' XRP Futures ETF Brazil's first XRP Spot ETF With institutional capital entering the market, analysts are now predicting $1,000 XRP in the long term — and XenDex is launching at the perfect time to harness this wave. What Is XenDex? XenDex is the first all-in-one DEX on XRPL, offering: Buy $XDX on XenDex AI Copy Trading Non-Custodial Lending & Borrowing Cross-Chain Trading (BNB, Solana, Ethereum) A full platform mockup will be revealed soon, and only presale buyers will gain early access to the live DEX. $XDX Presale Details – Final Stage Price: 1.25 XRP = 10 XDX 1.25 XRP = 10 XDX Minimum Buy: 150 XRP 150 XRP Hard Cap: Nearly Filled Buy Now Before the Presale Ends In Few Days: Buy Now Before It's Gone Confirmed Listings After Presale $XDX will be listed on: Binance MEXC BitMart FirstLedger MagneticX Buy $XDX Now & Earn Rewards Thousands have already joined the XenDex community across Telegram and X (Twitter), locking in their $XDX tokens before exchange listings go live. With the soft cap filled, token supply shrinking, and momentum building by the hour, this is your last best opportunity to buy before price pressure explodes, waiting could mean paying more or missing out entirely. Join the DeFi revolution on XRPL. Buy $XDX now before the price surge. Join the XenDex Movement Website: Presale: Telegram: Twitter/X: Docs: Contact:Frank Richards [email protected] Disclaimer : This is a paid post provided by XenDex. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page. Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an 'as-is' basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. GlobeNewswire provides press release distribution services globally, with substantial operations in North America and Europe.
Business Upturn
17-05-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
XRP News: Buy $XDX As XRP Price Goes Up, XenDex Gets Ready To Unveil Its First DEX Version While Presale Nears End
By GlobeNewswire Published on May 17, 2025, 20:56 IST SYDNEY, May 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As XRP dominates the headlines and bullish momentum accelerates, XenDex is emerging as one of the most promising DeFi projects on the XRP Ledger, and time is running out to join early. With its soft cap already filled and the hard cap nearly reached, the $XDX presale is entering its final phase. Early supporters are racing to secure tokens before listings go live and prices rise. Purchase $XDX At A low Price This surge in demand follows a series of game-changing developments: Judge Torres' favorable rulings, the SEC's lawsuit withdrawal, and ProShares' XRP Futures ETF approval. Market sentiment has never been stronger, with some analysts now predicting XRP could hit $1,000 in the long term as institutional interest pours in. Riding this momentum, XenDex is building what XRP has lacked, a complete DeFi ecosystem in one powerful, user-friendly platform. Version 1 is currently in development, and a full UI mockup will be released soon showcasing: AI Copy Trading Non-Custodial Lending & Borrowing Cross-Chain Trading (BNB, Solana, Ethereum) Staking & Yield Farming DAO Governance Join XenDex Presale Only $XDX presale buyers will get early access to the platform once it launches. Presale Details (Final Phase) Soft Cap: Filled Filled Hard Cap: Nearly Filled Nearly Filled Price: 1.25 XRP = 10 XDX 1.25 XRP = 10 XDX Minimum Buy: 150 XRP Buy XDX Before It Sells Out XenDex team has confirmed that XDX will be listed after presale on some major exchanges like: Binance, MEXC, BitMart, FirstLedger, MagneticX. With the XRP market booming as a result of the SEC's lawsuit withdrawal, Judge Torres' favorable rulings, and the approval of ProShares' XRP Futures ETF, combined with Brazil's first XRP Spot ETF, market confidence is soaring and many now believe XRP could hit $1,000 in the long run, XenDex is set to launch soon, this is your last chance to buy low before listings go live. Join the XDX movement: Website: Presale: Telegram: Twitter/X: Docs: Contact:Frank Richards [email protected] Disclaimer : This is a paid post provided by XenDex. The statements, views, and opinions expressed in this content are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily reflect the views of this media platform or its publisher. We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information presented. We do not guarantee any claims, statements, or promises made in this article. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, investment, or trading advice. Investing in crypto and mining-related opportunities involves significant risks, including the potential loss of capital. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone, and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent advice if necessary. Speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. However, due to the inherently speculative nature of the blockchain sector—including cryptocurrency, NFTs, and mining—complete accuracy cannot always be guaranteed. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release. In the event of any legal claims or charges against this article, we accept no liability or responsibility. Globenewswire does not endorse any content on this page. Legal Disclaimer: This media platform provides the content of this article on an 'as-is' basis, without any warranties or representations of any kind, express or implied. We assume no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. GlobeNewswire provides press release distribution services globally, with substantial operations in North America and Europe.
